Family Betrayal Read Online Free PDF

protested.
    ‘Robby, you little sod! Come back here!’
    ‘See, Mum, I told you,’ whined Paul, his grey eyes filling with tears.
    Paul was a gentle, quiet child, and secretly he was Sue's favourite. When it came to Robby she felt helpless, unable to control her wilful elder son, and usually left any discipline to his father.
    ‘Look, don't cry, Paul,’ she placated. ‘It ain't the end of the world. I'll buy you another one.’
    ‘Now.’
    ‘No, not now, but we'll pop to the shop later.’
    Paul hung his head, his fair, coarse hair sticking up like a brush. Sue swept him into her arms, then, sitting down, she plonked him on her lap. ‘Who's my good boy then? I just wish your brother was more like you.’
    They sat like that for a while, Sue ignoring the state of the room as she cuddled her son. Her brown sofa was piled with the ironing she'd intended to tackle last night, but then hadn't bothered. The lino on the floor was dirty, the rug by the hearth grimy, yet none of it concerned Sue.
    There were footsteps on the stairs, and then Robby appeared, grinning cheekily as he held out the tiny remnants of the gobstopper. ‘Here you are, Paul. You can have it back now.’
    Paul jumped down, but as he approached his brother, Robby ran round him to take his place on Sue's lap. ‘Nah, nah,’ he mocked, shoving the sweet back in his mouth.
    Sue pushed Robby off, and as he landed with a thump on the lino she reared to her feet. ‘You little bugger! Wait till I tell your father. He'll give you a bloody good hiding.’
    ‘Don't care,’ said Robby, his chin tilted upwards, eyes defiant.
    Paul was crying now and Sue could feel the start of a headache coming on. ‘Don't cry, darling,’ she placated. ‘Look, I tell you what, how about we go next door? You can play with your cousin.’
    Paul nodded, mollified at the thought of seeing Oliver, who, though much older than he at nine, was his favourite playmate. ‘I don't want Robby to come.’
    ‘I can't leave him on his own, love,’ she said.
    Robby scrambled to his feet and Sue's voice was hard as she threatened, ‘You'd better behave yourself, Robby, and don't upset Oliver. You know Auntie Norma won't put up with any of your shenanigans.’
    ‘He's a sissy.’
    ‘No he isn't, he's just quiet, that's all. In fact, it wouldn't hurt you to take a leaf out of his book.’
    Robby scowled, but followed them next door, dragging his feet as they left the house. Sue glanced to her right, saw that her mother-in-law had returned inside, and hoped she'd stay there. She wouldn't put it past the woman to come round later to check up on her and as she hadn't done a scrap of housework, that was the last thing she wanted.Sue grimaced, but then shrugged. So what? If her mother-in-law didn't like the state of the place, she could just bugger off again.
    Sue's husband, Bob, was at the yard, resentful of the fact that he didn't have a car. He could have cadged a lift from his father, or eldest brother, Danny, but it was his job to open up today and he'd had to leave well before them.
    There was no denying that they were making good money, but by the time it was shared out between six families, it wasn't a fortune. It was all right for Danny. With no children, he could afford a car, and with a thrifty wife like Yvonne, he had a good few bob to spare.
    If only Sue was more like Danny's wife. Instead she was a spendthrift, buying stupid fripperies that he was sure they could do without. The mantelshelf was lined with animal ornaments, usually covered in dust. Every windowsill was the same. Dog ornaments, cat ornaments, some so garish and cheap they looked like prizes from a fairground.
    After his mother's obsession with housework he had at first found Sue's attitude refreshing. He'd enjoyed being able to relax in his own home without worrying if he so much as moved a cushion. Now, though, it was wearing thin, especially when it was hard to find a chair to sit on that wasn't piled high with