River of sin

49. Never stopped loving her

Jacob whistled his way around the black swan, in a good mood, he'd been enjoying playing mind games with his father for months, promising Yvonne that he wouldn't risk killing him, pointing out he'd be a prime suspect and not even her alibi would save him this time. he made no promises not to mess with him though, so he was enjoying coming up with inventive ways to do so. Last night he'd found out which brothel he frequented and let his new wife know where he'd be, waiting outside opposite to watch the showdown, enjoying the show.

"Jacob?" Harrison knocked lightly on the door to the Evans drinking room "you busy, brother?"
"No, just putting up some fresh photographs in the family drinking room." He smiled at his brother "got new additions to add ain't we." He winked, hammering a nail to hang a photo of his wedding day.
"Looks good" Harrison nodded "gran would have loved to have been there. She adored Evie."
"She did. Got that diamond on my arm thanks to that crazy old bat's meddling. She was there. I could feel her presence ..... did you need something, Harry?"
"Evie took me to see the priest or ex priest this morning." Harrison mumbled out
"Oh" Jacob paused mid swing of a hammer, lowering it "and?"
"And....she was alright. We left the girls with Lenard. She was perfectly safe, brother. She didn't have any wobbles. She decided it best not to tell you we were going because you'd want to come, it's something I had to do alone, brother. I swear she was fine."

"Thank you but that's not what I was asking, my Evie can hold her own unless outnumbered. She wouldn't have gone if.....you know she is still Fragile, Harry. In more ways than the obvious."
"I know." Harrison nodded sadly "she is getting better though. Seeing you two together.....sometimes it's like nothing happened, I'm sorry if Elliott reopened wounds, brother."
"You are avoiding answering me." Jacob laughed pouring two whiskeys handing Harrison one. "Your son is a blessing as all Evans children are. It is just difficult for her. She can see so many lost moments for me and my daughter, when she sees me with Elliot or Paul for that matter, her mind wanders to what ifs, how different things would have been if she'd been able to get word to me. she sees Maggie in there place and it just breaks her heart. Many lost moments for herself also. Seeing you excited for his birth, your clear affection and overprotectiveness of your growing wife." He chuckled "we never had that, never saw her pregnant, not even a photograph, likely never will."
"Never say never eh Jake. Thought the Doc said...."
"Chances of one sticking and going full term are very slim, Harry. There was a lot of damage even before she....She didn't want anyone to know how bad....the details of her injuries. I got my girls. Would have loved a son. It's a miracle that she can....those vile scumbags, what they did to my Evie, still don't know all they did, she won't say, her injuries were so severe, Harry." Jacob teared up. "I failed my girl, I should have gone after her. I think myself a very lucky man that she lets me......after what she went through, sometimes it is still...difficult." He nodded wiping his tears away. "Breaks my heart on the days that I can't touch her at all."

"Sorry brother, I did not realise. I thought....that things were back to normal between you that it was just other men that...."
"anyway. The priest." Jacob swiftly changed the subject
"He...was alright" Harrison nodded, sipping his drink "Evie invited him for bloody Sunday dinner!" he laughed along with Jacob
"Sounds like my girl." He smiled fondly "what he say then? You his?"
"No" Harry smiled shyly "they did have an affair though."
"So you might be?"
"No. He said that before I was born it wasn't a physical affair. It turned into one when I was maybe two. They called it off then got back together when dad left. Were together years in secret."

"Betty?" Jacob looked up from his glass worriedly, thoughts of this man turning up to take Betty from him racing through his mind.
"No, he said that the relationship ended before dad came back, people were starting to notice and he was a man of God. They stayed in touch, were friends, like you said he was around, I vaguely recognised him. He said he watched over her from a distance. He served in the war, unlike our coward of a dad who dodged it."
"Fool shot himself in the kneecap to avoid call up from what I heard. Coward. While his son was dying he was....doing god knows what."
"Chester, his names Chester, he said he'd never stopped loving her. He offered to leave the church. Marry her after dad left the second time, raise Betty as his own, that no one had to know that she weren't. She turned him down. she said people would talk too much." He tutted rolling his eyes "plus you, said you wouldn't allow it. That you could never know about them or you'd kill him."
"Not sure I would have. Maybe back then."

"Take it Gran knew then."
"Yeah" Lenard laughed "she covered from them, she was the one who first invited him for tea after finding out about them. Day after dad stormed out, she went to him and told him she was expecting Betty. What dad had done. That we'd lost the house and we moving back to the slums again. He turned up that same night, making his offer."
"Mum ain't stupid, she knows it would have been even worse carrying a child of a priest."
"Think we lost her the second dad left again. Think I or Chester was just the excuse he was looking for to get out, especially now we know why he really came back. He was never going to stay." Harrison sighed
"No, he weren't. You were sixteen, Harry. Impressionable. You carried needless guilt from the first time he left. He played you. He's a con artist by trade, I'll give him his dues he's the best con artist I know. He thought a young Barnes lad survived, a nephew or grandson, he thought he could manipulate him, weren't banking on My Evie. He met his match. She's keeping something from me, I know my wife well." He chuckled fondly, swirling his drink around his glass.
"If it's about dad then maybe...."
"She told me, it's insurance. I trust her." Jacob nodded

"Tell me more of our almost step father, Harry. He clearly made an impression on you."
"Chester left the church the day she died. He feels like he failed her. Lost his faith. He thinks if there is a God he was punishing him for his affair with Mum, something he said he could never forgive him for. He's thrown himself into charity work, like Evie said. Lots of work with fallen women, women with heavy handed or drunken husbands, orphans, runs a soup kitchen for the slums. He's excited to meet us all. He feels like he knows us, or our younger selves. Apparently he used to go to the nut house where her Ma was. It's where Evie knew him from. She used to go to his church, for updates on her mother when she couldn't visit, in the confessional. He kept that secret even after he left the church."
"If he made mum happy and did that for my Evie, then I'm looking forward to meeting him. Proves he's trustworthy if you ask me. She'd told me that much, Harry. Don't look so worried, I can tell by your face you want to get to know him. The father we almost had eh."
"Would be nice for Elliot to have a grandparent figure. Doris' still ain't talking to her. I tried going round there, tell um Elliot was born, he slammed the door in my face."
"I'll welcome him with open arms, Harry, you have my word." Jacob nodded with a smile, pouring him and his brother another drink asking him to stay and spend some time with him one on one.