Forgive and Forget Read Online Free PDF Page A

her husband and Bertha’s gentle mother had been torn between her love for her daughter and obedience to her own parents. She could not afford to fall out with them. Suffering ill health, she was unable to work and was totally dependent on them. So Bertha left the only home she could remember in tearful disgrace. She never saw her grandparents again, although, greatly daring, her mother visited Bertha in secret or met her by prior arrangement in the city. Though on these occasions the little woman was nervous in case someone who knew them should see them together.
    Bertha’s mother lived long enough to see her grandson, Leo, born and to hold him in her arms, but six months later she contracted pneumonia and died. Bertha tried to make peace with her grandparents, but they were adamant they didn’t want to see her or their great-grandson. Two years later they were both dead and Bertha had no near relatives left. Her world became Seth and her baby, but she was a friendly, outgoing soul and her early nursing training, though incomplete, equipped her to offer help to her friends and neighbours when they needed it. Respected by the local doctors and qualified nurses alike, she was soon assisting at births and was always on hand to undertake the less appealing job of laying out the dead. Her no-nonsense approach, tempered with an innate kindness and understanding of the foibles and weaknesses of human nature, endeared her to everyone. The little house at the end of the street became a refuge for those who needed help or a comforting word.
    Though both Bertha and Seth would dearly have loved more children – ‘a whole barrowload of ’em’ – no more appeared and their boundless love became focused on Leo. And he did not disappoint them. He was a lovable child, did well at school and, though an early apprenticeship at Robey’s engineering works alongside his father didn’t suit him, his ambition to join the police force was achieved as soon as he reached the right age. The whole family, whilst not being looked upon as ‘do-gooders’, nevertheless did a lot of good in their community. Bertha never turned anyone in distress away from her door and she was backed and encouraged by her husband and son.
    And Bertha had never been in such demand as she was when typhoid struck the city.
    ‘There, there lovey, don’t take on so.’ Bertha Halliday’s plump arms were holding Polly tightly as she sobbed against the woman’s soft bosom.
    ‘How am I going to tell me dad? He’ll – he’ll – ’
    ‘Yar not to blame yarsen, Polly,’ Bertha said firmly. She held the girl away from her and looked down into her face. Placing strong fingers beneath Polly’s chin, she lifted the girl’s face to look up at her. ‘You hear me? Yar dad should have listened to you – and yar mam. She heard the doctor say it. You said so.’
    Polly nodded.
    ‘Well, then. It’s not your fault. And Dr Fenwick should have spelt it out to you. Just saying “only fluids” to a slip of a lass. How was you to know what he meant, specially when your mam started demanding you cook her a breakfast? Oh no, me lass, I won’t have you blaming yarsen. D’you hear me?’
    It warmed Polly’s frozen heart to hear Mrs Halliday defending her, but it didn’t help her. Not really. She knew that she would always blame herself and that the guilt would stay with her for the rest of her life.
    The Longden family was devastated: the hub of their home was gone. William sank into a deep depression, refusing to leave his chair by the fire to go to work even after the funeral was over and Polly was trying desperately to get the family back to something like normality. Even Eddie and Violet were subdued.
    Only Stevie and the baby, both too young to understand fully what had happened, were the same as always. But when the four-year-old little boy tried to climb onto his father’s lap and was rebuffed, even Stevie began to realize that something was very wrong.
    ‘Leave me