Josephine Cox Sunday Times Bestsellers Collection. Josephine Cox

Dr Lucas, who knew him like an old friend, and the hospital close enough to have him in quickly should it be needed. He had his old friend Adam, who came to visit regularly, and others who were concerned for his health.

      But none of this bothered Barney. All he wanted was that the child should not grow up where people pointed the finger.

      Lucy’s immediate concern, however, was for Barney, and so, for the moment she tactfully let the matter slide.

      When she told Bridget about the coming baby, and Barney’s wish to move away, Bridget was thrilled and horrified at the same time. ‘Oh, Lucy! I think it’s wonderful that you and Barney have found each other. Even though he’ll always pine for Vicky, at least he’s found a measure of peace and happiness with you, and as for you, well, you’re positively blooming!’

      She observed Lucy’s bright eyes and the spring in her step when she walked and her heart went out to her. ‘I’ve always known you loved him,’ she confided. ‘Anyone with half an eye could see it.’

      Some months later, the child, a girl, was born to Lucy and Barney. They called her Mary, after Barney’s late mother. ‘She’s beautiful,’ he said, the joy written on his face. ‘I know I will never see her grow to a woman but, God willing, I might be here long enough to see her as a real little person.’

      And he did, for though his illness was a terrible threat hanging over all of them, he saw little Mary when she began toddling, and when she gurgled her first word it was for him alone. ‘LUCY! …’ One fine morning, Barney greeted Lucy from the garden with tears in his eyes. ‘She called me … “Daddy”.’ It was one of the most beautiful moments in his life, and Lucy thanked the good Lord for His mercy in letting Barney live long enough to experience the joy of it all.

      But on Mary’s second birthday, Barney took a turn for the worse. Confined to his bed for a week, he had time to consider his future, and that of his daughter and Lucy. ‘It’s time to leave here,’ he told Lucy one evening when they sat by the fire. ‘I don’t want Mary to know what happened to Vicky and the family. I don’t want her to think me some kind of monster to have sent them away without me. I made them hate me, Lucy, I made them think I was a drunk and a womaniser. What kind of thing is that for our daughter to hear? And hear it she will, because I’m certain everyone round here must know the truth. As soon as she can understand, Mary will hear it, and I don’t want that. D’you hear me, sweetheart? I don’t want her to know until she’s old enough to understand the tittle-tattle and to be able to forgive me for it!’

      Lucy gently replied, ‘I’ll tell her when the time is right. I’ll tell her what a courageous and wonderful thing you did for love of your family. She’ll understand.’

      ‘But I want us to move, Lucy,’ he pleaded. ‘I know it’s the right thing for Mary.’ Barney could not be dissuaded, and when she gave it more thought, Lucy could see the wisdom of his reasoning. So, she spoke to agents and even wrote away as far as Bedfordshire.

      Before Mary’s third birthday, the cottage was sold. The same businessman who bought Leonard’s farm wanted it to extend and then sell on with a minimum of five acres of pasture-land. He had competition from another source, and between them they sent the price up, enough for Barney and Lucy to secure a sizeable property further afield.

      It wasn’t long before her efforts paid off. She got news of a house some two hundred miles away in a small hamlet near the town of Bedford.

      The house was of some substance, a ‘proud and beautiful woman past her best’ was how it had been described to her. Apparently the house had stood empty for many years and had gradually fallen into disrepair. Consequently it was going cheap for anyone who had the heart to bring it back to its former glory, and if not, then it was still habitable, with no apparent structural defects.

      Because the journey would be too arduous for Barney, Lucy went with Adam to view the house. She fell instantly in love with it. There was also a small house in the grounds, that too brought to its knees by neglect and the elements. ‘If I move with you and Barney, I could set up a business in the village.’ Adam grew excited. ‘Meantime, I could work on the house. I’m not a builder, but I do know how to use my hands.’ The truth was, he could not bear the thought of being so far away from Lucy in her hour of need, especially when Barney’s health seemed to be failing fast.

      In truth, Lucy had seen Barney’s health deteriorate so much of late, that even though he fervently assured her to the contrary, she feared he might not be strong enough for the move.

      On Lucy’s return, she thanked Bridget who had kindly stayed at the cottage with Barney while Lucy travelled south to view the house. ‘So, what did you think of it?’ Bridget was excited, though she would miss her dear friend. ‘Was it as grand as they said?’

      Lucy described the house in detail, its strong Edwardian features, the high ceilings and panelled walls, the long windows with panoramic views across open countryside. ‘It could be beautiful,’ Lucy told her. ‘But it does need a lot of work, though Adam has come up with an idea.’

      When Adam explained it to Barney, he was thrilled. ‘That would be good,’ he told him. ‘I’ve been so concerned about Lucy and the child. I could rest easy if I knew you’d be around to keep an eye on things.’

      So the deal was done and plans were quickly underway.

      In a few weeks’ time Barney, Lucy, Adam and Mary were away to pastures new; though for Barney it would never be a long adventure; they all knew that.

Part 4 Back to January, 1952 Mary and Ben

       Chapter 21

      WHILE LUCY SLEPT upstairs, Adam Chives sat by the fire in Knudsden House, his mind going back over the years, and his heart both proud and sad. ‘Barney and your mother lived in that cottage together for more than two years,’ he told Mary, while Ben listened. ‘The doctors had given him a year at the most, but Lucy brought him a degree of peace, and after a time they made a life together.’ He smiled wistfully at the memory, for he had loved Lucy as much as she loved Barney. ‘To this day, she has never stopped loving him.’

      ‘You were born out of that love, Mary.’ Lucy’s quiet voice filled the room. ‘You’re so much like your father. You have the same beautiful eyes and the same gentle ways.’

      ‘Lucy!’ Adam was horrified. ‘Dr Nolan said you were to stay in bed.’

      ‘Nonsense, I’m perfectly all right,’ she argued. ‘There is nothing wrong with me, and I’m far from in my dotage, for heaven’s sake! Doctors don’t know everything. I’ve simply been overdoing it, that’s all.’

      Hobbling but determined, she came into the room where she stood beside Adam, her hand resting on his shoulder and her gaze bathing every inch of her daughter’s face. ‘Every time I look at you, I see Barney.’

      Adam looked at Mary and he, too, saw Barney in her every feature – softer and more feminine, yes – but strong and handsome too.

      ‘I was there when you were born,’ Adam said fondly. ‘I waited in the sitting room with your father, while Dr Lucas was upstairs bringing you into the world. When he heard your first cry, Barney went up those stairs like he was born all over again. He took you in his arms and oh, he was such a proud, happy man.’

      When Adam laid his hand over Lucy’s, she hardly noticed, though deep down she derived a measure of comfort from his touch.

      Deeply moved by everything she had heard, Mary went to Lucy and taking her mother gently over to the armchair, she sat her down. ‘I never knew,’ she said. ‘I never dreamed that was the secret you kept from me all these years.’ She had learned more about her father and her own background in one evening, than in all the years she was growing up. There was so much to think about.