a moment he did not answer. He looked into her eyes and there he saw a reflection of his own, deeper feelings. ‘I do love it here,’ he answered, ‘and you’re right: this is where I hide.’
He glanced back to see how Johnny was occupied with his drawing. ‘Amy?’
‘Yes?’
‘Must you go?’
‘You know I have to.’
‘Will you ever come back, do you think?’
Amy shrugged. ‘Who knows?’
‘But you won’t promise?’
‘I can’t promise.’
She so much wanted to come back here; even to leave little Johnny at home and be here with Ben, just the two of them. But she was afraid of the way he made her feel. There was something about this place, about him, that made her wary. She was fond of Jack, but she could not recall ever feeling like this with him. It was strange. And a little frightening.
Finishing her tea, she stood up to place her cup on the handrail. ‘It’s time we went,’ she said. ‘I’ll get Johnny.’
As she brushed past him, he caught her by the hand.
‘Wait!’ A look of anxiety shaded his features. ‘There’s something you need to know.’
Amy sensed his concern and was afraid. ‘What is it?’
‘I lied to you,’ he went on quickly before he might lose his courage. ‘My name isn’t Ben. It’s …’ he hesitated, before finishing in a rush, ‘my name is Luke Hammond.’
It took only a second or two to register in Amy’s mind. ‘Luke Hammond?’ Stunned, she stared at him. ‘Luke Hammond, the factory owner?’ The anger rose inside her. He had lied to her! Why had he felt the need to lie?
When he nodded, she turned from him without another word. Hurrying into the cabin, she felt a pang of fear when the boy was nowhere to be seen. ‘Johnny?’ When suddenly her eyes alighted on him, she gave a sigh of relief. Having wandered to the other side of the room, he was peering at something against the wall. She went across to him at a run. ‘Come on, Johnny.’ Taking him by the hand, she told him, ‘We have to go.’
Having put the fire screen in place, Luke waited at the door. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘I’ll take you back now.’ He cursed himself for not having told her the truth from the start. But he had been afraid to tell her. He had hoped always to keep his identity secret, because the man he was today was the man he desperately needed to be. It was not the man who ran the factory and held his life together with duty and responsibility. He had never wanted Amy tainted with all that. She was already, in his mind, a part of this retreat on the Tuesdays when the factory owner became a free man.
As they drove home, the silence weighed heavy.
No one spoke, not even Johnny, who sensed an atmosphere and instinctively curled himself into Amy’s embrace. In a matter of minutes the gentle bumping of the car and the hum of the engine lulled him to sleep.
When the car drew up at the market, Luke clambered out to open the back door.
‘I’m sorry,’ he told Amy. ‘I should never have lied to you.’ Reaching into the car he helped them both out, Johnny being still dozy from his sleep. ‘Will you stay a minute?’ Luke asked her. ‘Let me explain?’
Amy shook her head. ‘We have to go.’
Luke persisted. ‘It doesn’t matter, does it … who I am?’
She had been doing up Johnny’s coat buttons, but now she paused and, looking up, took stock of him for a minute – that mop of dark hair, those intense, sad eyes – and she felt a pang of guilt. He had been nothing but kind and hospitable to her and Johnny – and had done them the honour of sharing his private retreat with them. ‘No,’ she answered. ‘It doesn’t matter. But we have to go now.’
Visibly relieved with her answer, he asked, ‘Will you forgive me?’
She nodded. That was all. A curt, hesitant little nod, but it was enough for Luke. For now.
Amy finished buttoning Johnny’s coat.
‘Are we going to see Daisy?’ Wakening fast, he smiled up at Luke. ‘I like your friend,’ he said. ‘She’s mine too now, isn’t she?’
Luke ruffled his hair. ‘She certainly is,’ he said brightly, ‘and I hope I’m your friend too … yours and Amy’s?’ He turned his attention to her, but she made no reply. Instead she wondered what kind of man he was, to lie like that, even to the boy.
‘Thank you for a lovely time,’ she told him, for it had been wonderful – until he spoiled it, she thought regretfully.
In a minute he was in his car and driving back the way they had just come.
‘You’re a damned fool, Hammond!’ he told himself. ‘You should have been truthful from the start, especially with a woman like Amy.’
He thought about his situation and the way he was forever torn two ways. He thought about his unhappy, mundane life and the split between the man he was and the man he wanted to be, and he wondered if sometimes his fantasies got in the way of real life. He hoped not. For if that was the case, it might well be the first step to madness.
‘Why aren’t we going to see Daisy?’ Johnny was bitterly disappointed. ‘You said we could.’
‘I know I did, and I’m sorry.’ Having rushed the boy and herself across the marketplace, Amy had paid the tram fare and now they were in their seats and on the way home. ‘We stayed too long away,’ she said. ‘It’s too late to go to Daisy’s.’
‘Can we see her tomorrow?’
Amy recalled something Maureen had said that morning. ‘I think your mammy said she was going into town tomorrow,’ she answered. ‘Maybe you’ll see Daisy then.’
She wondered whether to tell Daisy about today, or if it might be better not to mention it at all. But then, Johnny was sure to say something. But even if he did, she mused, there was no reason why Daisy should know that the man involved was Luke Hammond himself.
The name was emblazoned in her mind. Luke Hammond. A wealthy man. A man of secrets.
Johnny busied himself looking out the window. ‘I saw your picture.’
Amy had been deep in thought. ‘Sorry, sweetheart, what did you say?’
He turned to look at her. ‘He had your picture. It was nice.’
Amy’s heart skipped a beat. ‘What do you mean, Johnny? Who had my picture?’
‘The man … Ben. It was a nice picture.’ He grinned shyly. ‘I peeped.’
‘Are you sure it was me?’ she asked, trying to sound calm.
He shook his head. ‘Don’t know.’ Now he wasn’t so sure, especially as Amy wasn’t
