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Back A Terrible Kindness
Chapters (77)
  1. Landing Page
  2. A TERRIBLE KINDNESS
  3. Dedication
  4. Contents
  5. ABERFAN
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. CAMBRIDGE CHOIR
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. FAMILY BUSINESS
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. MIDNIGHT CHOIR
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. 58
  67. ABERFAN
  68. 59
  69. 60
  70. 61
  71. 62
  72. 63
  73. 64
  74. 65
  75. Acknowledgements
  76. About the Author
  77. Copyright

‘And just think,’ she says in a whisper, her watery eyes bright, ‘one day I might be coming to hear you sing the “Miserere”.’

The boy he saw over his mother’s shoulder turns away from his parents and is propelled forward by another slap on the back from the father, who looks insanely happy and shouts, ‘Bye, Charles,’ in a plummy voice that William has only ever heard on the radio. Mother and father loosely link hands and walk towards a grey car with a little statue on the bonnet of a woman with wings. A man in a hat sits at the wheel.

‘And you’ll be on the front row,’ he says, making his face happy and strong, ‘and I’ll give you a wink.’

William glances at the boy called Charles heading towards the school – this place that somehow is also going to be their home – and notices the boy’s red lips stretch suddenly across his open mouth.

‘Bye, Mum,’ William whispers, kissing the knuckles on Evelyn’s left hand, feeling the cool of her wedding ring on his lips. ‘I’ll go with him, he’s upset.’

Evelyn holds his chin with one hand, ruffles his hair and turns. William knows she won’t turn back, that she’s crying now too and doesn’t want him to see it. He’s grateful that she managed to keep herself in check. Of the four new choristers – known as probationers – starting this term, William, at ten, will be the oldest. The others will all be seven, the age you’re meant to start at. It would be awful to be the oldest and the cry-baby. His mother knows this. It is both a comfort and a torment, this understanding they have, that skips back and forth between them.

William and his mum only found out how special his voice was last year, when he joined the local church choir. The choirmaster said he’d never heard anything like it and had his mum ever considered applying for a scholarship at one of the university choir schools? So she did, and here he is now, having to walk away from her.

William slips alongside Charles as they enter the wood-panelled vestibule, and does what he thinks everyone does to comfort someone who is upset. He scoops up the boy’s hand. Charles’s distorted face jerks towards him, angry and scared as he wrenches his hand away.

‘Get off!’

A knuckle cracks, but William can’t be sure whose. The boy’s jaw is suddenly made of stone, and he marches off into the hall where men in black gowns stand with clipboards.

William waits at the threshold, hoping Evelyn didn’t see, determined not to look back, until a much bigger boy bumps his shoulder on their way past and he stumbles into the room.

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