The Tangling of the Web Read Online Free PDF

attract Josie’s attention. Then, with a disarming smile, he asked in an American drawl, ‘Care to dance the night away with me, babe?’
    How could she refuse? Her throat was dry. Her knees wobbled. Surely, she thought, I am Cinderella and he is Prince Charming. From that moment on, no matter who asked her to dance, she was only available to Roy. Staring into his deep blue eyes, she thought, Oh, surely he and I were fated to meet. Losing all sense of reason, she went on to suggest to herself that somehow the war had been deliberately contrived by the gods so they could meet!
    Mrs Duff was a bit concerned. This wee lassie, she was sure, was not as old as she claimed to be – or even worse, she was completely naïve and unaware of the dangers of the real world. Risking being told to mind her own business, she meandered over to Josie, who was being pinned against the wall by Roy, who was sensuously licking her lips, nose and eyelids.
    Hauling Roy away from Josie, Mrs Duff hissed, ‘Look, son, I don’t know how they do things back in your country, but here when a lassie needs her face washed she goes over to the sink and douses it with some clean water.’
    ‘No need to rescue me, Mrs Duff. You see, I prefer him licking my face to him pushing his tongue down my throat,’ Josie murmured whilst giving Roy a beaming smile.
    ‘And there’ll be no more of his putting his tongue down your throat either,’ gasped Mrs Duff, her cheeks now burning with embarrassment. ‘This here is a Christian establishment where we’re not into cannibalism.’ Being in need of reassurance, she stopped to brush her hands over her ample bosom before adding in a voice racked with sobs, ‘Supported by the Salvation Army we are.’
    Roy put out his hand to touch Mrs Duff’s arm, but she pulled back from him. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I know you think I’ve just met Josie and that I’m chancing my mitt. But believe me when I say that I know she is the girl I’m going to marry.’
    ‘What?’ shrieked Mrs Duff.
    While Josie thought, Oh, yes please.
    Pretending not to have heard Mrs Duff’s exclamation, Roy continued, ‘And right now I’m going to walk her home and speak to her parents so that they know my intentions towards their daughter are honourable.’
    ‘Huh,’ was Mrs Duff’s first response before adding gleefully, ‘And how long do you think it’ll take you to walk to Tranent?’ Roy shrugged, so she continued, ‘Don’t you realise that, unless you are a crow, it is at least a seventeen-mile trek!’
    Instantly Roy’s enthusiasm seemed to wane, until Josie said, ‘But tomorrow’s Sunday, my day off, so I won’t be going back to Tranent tonight by bus or walking.’ Linking her arm through Roy’s, she looked up into his eyes and simpered, ‘I’ll be going down to Elgin Terrace to stay with my sister Sally.’
    Passion appeared to have been given the kiss of life and Roy bent down to brush her lips with his as he enquired, ‘And where is Elgin Terrace?’
    ‘Just a ten-minute walk away,’ was Josie’s jubilant reply as she steered him towards the exit.

    In the initial three months of the courtship, the romance gained momentum. Josie was completely under Roy’s spell. The power of his stories, which were always about what her life would be like in America when she arrived there after the war, were spellbinding. The bewitchment even had her forget the warning of her stepfather, Paddy, that she should always keep her hand on her ha’penny. She didn’t of course know what he meant by that. It was like the warning that Flora Stuart always gave her in that she should not bring any disgrace down on Sally. She never said what the disgrace was, and if Josie asked her she would reply, ‘Never you mind what it is. Just you don’t bring it to this door.’ The other problem with this warning was that whenever Flora had to talk about the facts of life she would sniff long and loud before picking up a duster and begin