Chapters (48)
- Cover
- THEFEUD
- Dedication
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
- PROLOGUE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
Jessica looked at the beautiful flowers and hugged Eddie as he sat down next to her. ‘I’ve been so worried about you. I thought you’d gone round the O’Haras and done something stupid. Please don’t drink that Scotch any more. I can smell it on your breath,’ she pleaded, burying her head in his neck.
Eddie stroked her long blonde hair. ‘I’m sorry, babe, and I swear I won’t touch another drop of Scotch. Raymond said Frankie never came home last night. Do you know where she was?’
‘Joey came back and said she stayed at her friend’s house. She was probably round Stacey’s,’Jessica answered, trying to smooth the situation over.
‘Listen, Jess. I promise you that whatever Frankie’s up to, I’ll try and deal with it in the nicest way I can, but if that don’t work, then I’m gonna have to go one step further. Do you understand what I’m saying?’
Jessica clung to her husband for dear life. ‘Yes, Eddie, I understand,’ she whispered.
Not too many miles away, in Upney, Stanley was in a deep sleep and totally oblivious of his wife prodding and poking him.
Annoyed that he was glued to that stinking armchair of his and snoring like a pot-bellied pig, Joyce bent down so that her mouth was only an inch away from his ear. ‘Stanley’, she screamed as loudly as she could.
Stanley shot up in such shock that he lost his balance and fell head first out of the chair. ‘You stupid bloody woman. What did you do that for?’ he grumbled as he rubbed his right elbow.
Joyce couldn’t help but giggle. Stanley looked so funny lying on the carpet in a heap. ‘I want you to get yourself ready, Stanley. We need to drive over to our Jessica’s. Something’s not right, she’s got problems, I know she has. Our Raymond was over there last night and Jess barely spoke to me on the phone this morning.’
‘Probably something to do with that dodgy old man of hers. Ain’t got himself nicked, has he?’ Stanley muttered, standing up.
‘Now, don’t start all that. We’ve no idea what’s wrong yet. I know my Jess and she sounded to me like she’d been crying. For all we know, Stanley, it could be something to do with the baby,’ Joyce told him.
‘Shouldn’t we ask if it’s OK for us to visit? We can’t just turn up,’ Stanley said. Fortunately, he wasn’t as nosy as his wife.
‘No, because Jess’ll say no and then we’ll never find out what was wrong in the first place. Now go and get changed, quick as you like,’ Joyce said.
‘I’m all right. I’ll go like this,’ Stanley said miserably.