Chapter 3

"Now," said Steven, "I told you about my brother and his family."

Rosie nodded.

"Can you remember their names?"

"Yes. He was Stanley. She was Eileen and the daughter was Rebecca."

"What else can you remember?"

"He died of cancer seven years ago. Eileen was killed by a hit and run driver last month and Rebecca ran off with an Australian two months ago without trace."

"Well done, Rosie. Full marks!"

She blushed with pleasure at the praise.

"Before he died Stanley and Eileen asked me to look after Rebecca if anything happened to them. I agreed. They confirmed that agreement in writing and it was also mentioned in their wills. Well, Rebecca has turned up again."

"When? Where is she?"

"Sitting opposite me at my kitchen table. Welcome home, Becca dear."

Rosie stared at him in stupefaction. He smiled smugly.

"You ... you mean I'm to be your niece?" she stuttered.

"That's right," he answered still smiling, "and I'm your Uncle Steven."

She stared at him again and then a conspiratorial grin slowly spread across her face.

"You fox," she said. "You scheming, old fox!"

He smiled delightedly at her. "I'd better tell you what happened," he said. "This Australian you ran off with was twenty-three and you fell in love with him after you met him at the youth club. He told you he was seventeen. He persuaded you to run away with him back to Australia. He told you that as soon as you ran away there would be a look out for you at all the ports and airports so you would both have to go into hiding for a while. He took you to stay with a friend of his on a farm. You don't know where it was because you went there in the dark but it was a long drive. It turned out that he didn't love you at all. You were just to be his sex slave. You also had to have sex with his friend as part of the rent."

Rosie shuddered. Steven leant across the table and patted her hand. "Relax, my dear. It's not as though it actually happened."

"No," said Rosie, "but what if someone like that had picked me up yesterday instead of you?"

He squeezed her hand gently. "But they didn't, did they?"

"No but I was pretty stupid to put myself at such a risk."

"Yes but you were also desperate and that led you to do something desperate."

She smiled weakly and nodded.

"Anyway," he continued, "after about a month this friend told him to go. The trouble was he had nowhere to go so the two of you lived in his car. That lasted another month by which time you were both constantly rowing. He said you had to go and asked where you wanted to be dropped off. You didn't want to go home to your mother after what you'd done and been through so you asked to come here to me. You hoped I'd let you stay for a short while until things had cooled down at home. He dropped you off in the town and you walked here."

"And you did let me stay and you told me about my mum and we decided that I should stay with you until something proper came up."

"Yes."

"Why did you buy me these clothes? What happened to the ones I left behind?"

"They went to charity when I cleared the house and sold it."

"Ah!" She nodded understandingly. "What happens if the real Rebecca turns up?"

"I don't think she will. They've made it to somewhere. I just hope he is the right chap for her because she's a nice girl really."

"So what now?"

"We've got to change your appearance. That lovely red hair is a giveaway so we'll have to have it dyed and cut in a different style. It's a shame but if you're ever going to get out of this house it's got to be done."

"That's all right. I'm not fussed."

"Good! We'll have to go on working up your story over the next few days. You ask me questions and I'll ask you questions and we'll fill in the gaps that way."

"OK. First question," she grinned wickedly. "Am I pregnant?"

"God, I hope not. Did they take precautions?"

"Not all the time."

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see if you miss a period. When's your next one due?"

"Next week."

"Fingers crossed 'til then."

They both laughed. "You're a monkey," he said. "Tell you what though; you need to start calling me Uncle Steven and I need to call you Becca which is what Rebecca was always known as."

"OK, Uncle Steven."

They did the washing up together and then went through to the sitting room.

"What did Dad do before he died?"

"He was in the army. He was a warrant officer in the Royal Engineers and was a Clerk of Works."

"What's that?"

"I don't know in detail but he did some special training in civil engineering and could do design work and supervise building projects."

"So I suppose we moved about quite a lot."

"Yes. He did his course at Chatham in Kent and then he was posted to Barton Stacey for two or three years."

"Where's that?"

"Hampshire."

"Then what?"

"Germany, a place called Bielefeld and then he died during that posting."

"Where did we live during the war?"

"With my parents at Dewsbury."

"And after Dad died?"

"With them again. They both died in the early fifties. We had a pretty miserable time around then. My parents, my brother and my wife all died within eighteen months of each other."