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Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd - Elizabeth Timmins

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31 pages

English

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Young love, rejection and consequence: a circle that often goes round.
In a story where rejection leads to an obsession with a girl, the commission of a foul crime creates disaster for all involved. War will play its part, but only time will tell how the very existence of the players will be altered.

Informations

Publié par	Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
Date de parution	28 août 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781528988407
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0175€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Circles of Fate
Elizabeth Timmins
Austin Macauley Publishers
2020-08-28
Circles of Fate About the Author Dedication Copyright Information © Acknowledgements
About the Author
Elizabeth is 88 years young. She was educated in the elementary way, as most were at the time. She has an outgoing personality and enjoys writing, especially poems and short stories. Her hobbies are gardening, walking and dancing. She was married for 58 years, after a courtship of five years, and had two children.
Dedication
To family and Eileen Collins, just for being there.
Copyright Information ©
Elizabeth Timmins (2020)
The right of Elizabeth Timmins to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781528988391 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528988407 (ePub e-book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2020)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my friend, Eileen Collins, for her computer help and support.
Dorothy walked slowly through the woods near her home, lost in thought. She was contemplating her future. Should she go to college and eventually university to carry on medicine, or should she become a nurse?
The only daughter of two doctors, who had been tragically killed in an accident, Dorothy had been reared by a maiden aunt. Her aunt, Daisy Oldfield, was head of maternity at the local hospital.
Dorothy had the inborn instincts of taking care of people, but she wasn’t so sure of the hard slogging of more studious work that was obviously needed to further the career of a person wanting to join the higher medical profession. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone moving through bushes, trying not to be seen.
Not again , she thought, knowing the person making the disturbance.
“I wish he would leave me alone.”
The bushes parted a little further along the path and a youth of Dorothy’s age suddenly appeared.
“Hello, Dorothy, may I walk with you?”
Knowing there was no escape, Dorothy nodded her head.
John Dunn, a burly young man, had known Dorothy since she had come to live with her aunt. As a youngster, he had followed her about and at school—he was always wanting to stay with her. Try as she might, she could not get rid of him and he was always saying that she was his girl and one day they would marry.
“I have been following you for ages and you didn’t know I was there, did you?” he said, “what is the matter?”
“I was just thinking of what I was going to do with my life. I don’t think I want to study for years. I would like to be in the medical profession. I am thinking of becoming a nurse.”
“Why don’t you pack all this nonsense up and marry me?” he said, “you know I have always wanted you and that you are my girl. What do you want with a job when you could become a wife?”
“I am too young to marry, and anyway, who else has said I am your girl? I never have. If you leave me alone, I could find out whether I wanted to be your girl or not. There are plenty of young men around I could choose from,” Dorothy was getting angry. Usually a very quiet girl, the thought of someone else planning her life and taking it for granted that she would happily comply, had got under her skin.
John caught hold of her arms, “You know you are my girl, everybody knows, and one day you will marry me ’cause nobody else is going to have you.”
Dorothy was no match against the strength of John and she was taken aback at the fury in his voice. Although she had always been aware of his dog-like devotion, she had not realised the true depth of his feelings.
“Don’t be silly, John, let it go. You are hurting me.”
When he let her go, she started to run.
“It is no use running,” he called after her, “you’re my girl, and if anyone gets in the way, I’ll kill him.”
Dorothy ran home. As she neared the house, the next-door neighbour called to her, “Are you all right, Dorothy? You’re running as if Satan himself is after you.”
“Yes. Thank you, Mrs Green. I was just testing how fast I could run.”
Mrs Green was a woman in her early thirties. She and her husband, Bill, had been wanting a child for ages. She had had three miscarriages but was determined to try again. She had always looked on Dorothy as a younger sister and there had always been a welcome for Dorothy when her aunt had had to work late.
“Come in for a cuppa then and get your breath back.”
Dorothy accepted the kind invitation and followed Joan into the house.
“Your aunt said she will be late tonight—another emergency. One day, it will be me, and I will be the cause of you having supper alone. Stay and have a bite to eat. It is not very pleasant being on your own.”
“Thanks, but no thanks. I will just have a cup of tea, please. I went to look through some books. I don’t know whether to study to become a doctor or to go into training for a nurse. I don’t feel as if I am the right material for a doctor but I have always wanted to be in the medical profession and I like looking after people. So, I am wondering if I would make a good nurse.”
“I am sure you would. I remember, over the years, your dolls being your patients and old Scamp, the dog. I can also remember the times even I was a patient and being bandaged up. Yes, I feel you would make an excellent nurse.”
Dorothy thanked Joan for the tea and then went home.
A few hours later, feeling very snug after a hot bath and changed into her dressing gown, and sipping a cup of hot chocolate, Dorothy had decided to go into training to become a nurse.
Aunt Daisy had arrived home and together they had conversed into the small hours. Aunt Daisy was a sweet person but, probably because of her job, she was pretty forthright and was not a person to hold back criticism or praise.
“It seems a pity to me that you do not go the whole way and study to become a doctor. Your parents would have been very proud, but still, if you have made up your mind, maybe you will follow in my footsteps.”
“I am pleased, anyway, that you want to be in the medical profession.”
Over the weeks that followed, Dorothy was quite busy preparing for enrolment into the local hospital. Her aunt had helped her and everything was going according to plan.
Today, she would go for one last stroll before leaving at the weekend. She would not have too much spare time for strolling leisurely through the woods.
Lost in thought, Dorothy did not realise how far she had gone. A sound suddenly brought her back to reality and John was standing before her.
“I have heard you are going to be a nurse. Why don’t you marry me? I told you I wanted you. Suppose you will meet other men, but they won’t get you. You’re mine, I told you a long time ago.”
“We are too young to get married. I want a career for myself.”
“I suppose you think once you have gone, that will be the end. Well, it won’t be. You’re mine,” John suddenly grabbed her.
Dorothy became very frightened; she had never seen such fury.
“Let me go, you stupid wretch,” she cried, but he took no notice.
“You’re mine and no one else is going to have you.”
Sometime later, when Dorothy was alone and her sobbing ceased, she did not know what to do. Should she tell her aunt?
Her mind was in complete turmoil. Maybe she should just say nothing and go to the training in hospital and try to forget. She adjusted her clothing, noting the bruising on her legs. She would have to find an excuse for those. Her stockings were torn.
She went home slowly. Joan Green was doing some gardening.
“Hello, Dorothy. Good gracious, what on earth has happened? You look dreadful.”
“I have fallen in the woods,” The tears came slowly at first and the sobbing began again.
So distraught was Dorothy, Joan guessed there was more. “Do you want to tell me about it?”
“Only if you promise not to tell anyone.”
“You have my promise.”
When Dorothy told Joan about the rape, Joan was very angry.
“The police ought to be told,” she cried.
“No, you promised,” Dorothy was beside herself, “you promised.”