by Rosie Clarke
‘No, I haven’t been to the shop today,’ Maureen said. ‘What made Ellie come back? I should’ve thought she’d be too scared of Peter…’
‘Sid told me that the police wanted to talk to her, to get her side of the story. He didn’t want them goin’ down there to his sister’s house, so he promised to fetch her. I don’t know how long she’s stoppin’.’
‘She must feel so bad. I’m sorry for her, Peggy. She’s had a rough time one way and another…’ Maureen said, swallowing hard as tears threatened. ‘Peter is a killer, I know it and I shall tell anyone who finds fault of Ellie…’ She glanced at the playpen. ‘Freddie and Robin are gettin’ on well – but I don’t think Fay likes it much.’ Even as she spoke, Fay pinched her brother on his chubby little leg and made him cry out. He turned his big eyes on her reproachfully but didn’t try to retaliate. However, Robin threw the teddy at her and she yelled in anger as it struck her in the face. Maureen acted swiftly and whisked her son from the playpen before war broke out. ‘I’d better go, Peggy. I only called in to tell you that Gordon was settling in fine…’
‘Fay, stop that,’ Peggy said and picked her daughter up, giving her a tap on the leg. ‘Naughty girl…’
‘Kids!’ Maureen laughed. ‘We shall have them all runnin’ wild in the lanes before long, Peggy. Goodness knows what mischief they’ll get up to then…’
Peggy smiled and put Fay back in the playpen as her friend left. Fay was such a jealous little madam, just like Maggie. The two of them were very possessive and there had been fights over various toys already; Janet did her best to control her daughter, who was bigger and stronger, though Fay instigated most of the quarrels.
Peggy stroked the head of her little boy. Freddie was so much gentler and easier to please than his sister, reminding her so much of Able with his smiles and loving ways. Peggy found Fay a little difficult to control at times, which had never happened with either Janet or Pip – but then she was older and she felt tired sometimes. Laurie helped with them a bit, but she never asked him for anything for the twins, because she felt guilty. They weren’t his and it was only natural that he would resent being asked for help with them, so she took what he gave but she didn’t ask.
He returned to the kitchen just as she set the freshly baked tarts under a glass dome. ‘Ah, they’re ready,’ he said and bit into one. ‘Lovely, Peggy. No one cooks quite like you.’ He looked down at the twins with a frown. ‘Everything all right with these two?’
‘Oh, they were squabbling with Robin Hart,’ Peggy said. ‘Maureen looks so tired and drained. It really upset her finding Mabel like that…’
‘It would upset anyone…’
‘She has enough to worry her with her husband so ill.’
‘Yes, poor chap.’ Laurie seemed genuinely sympathetic and Peggy sighed. He was trying to mend the breach, but it was hard to forget all that had happened between them.
Peggy looked at him. ‘Do you need any help in the bar?’
‘Janet popped in just now to say she’s puttin’ Maggie to bed for her rest and then she’ll come down for the lunchtime rush. Why don’t you have a sit-down, love? You’ve got the twins to look after… you can help me this evenin’ when they’re asleep.’
‘Yes, all right…’ Peggy smiled at him. Laurie was being considerate lately and there were times when it almost felt good between them again. ‘Thank you – and thank you for botherin’, Laurie.’
‘You know I care about you,’ Laurie said and moved closer. He looked down at her. ‘I wish so much these past years had been different, Peggy…’
‘Yes, so do I,’ she said and held her breath as he bent his head and kissed her on the cheek.
For a moment she was tempted to kiss him back on the lips. Surely there was nothing to keep them apart any longer – and yet something inside her held back. She had forgiven Laurie for his affairs, she was sure there had been more than one, but she wasn’t ready to be his wife again. She didn’t think she ever could be, because her heart belonged to Able, even though he could never return.
Chapter 23
Tom left the recruiting office with a grin a mile wide on his face. They had finally allowed him to sign on. He’d been given his cadet uniform and told that he would be getting his official papers for the regulars before long. Whistling, he strode back to the lane, feeling as if he were on top of the world.
Sid was just about to leave when Tom came into the kitchen of the house. Sid saw his look of satisfaction and smiled. ‘I told you they would have you in the cadets like a shot – got your uniform then?’
‘Yes and they say my call up papers should be here in a few weeks.’
‘Good.’ Sid patted him on the shoulder. ‘I have to report for duty, but I hope everything goes well for you, lad…’
Tom left his uniform in his room and then hurried across the road. Maureen had stood in for him for a couple of hours, but he knew she would be looking for him to return as soon as possible.
She glanced at his face as he walked in. ‘Everything went well then, Tom?’
‘I’ve got my uniform now and I’ve signed on. My call up papers will be through soon – and then I’ll be off…’
‘You say that as if you can’t wait to go and leave me…’ Maureen pretended to be put out and then burst out laughing as she saw his face. ‘No, I don’t mind, Tom. I know it’s what you want…’
They broke off as the shop door opened and Violet entered. She gave Maureen a sour look and then slammed her rent book and some money on the counter.
‘My Harold would turn over in his grave if he knew the way I’d been treated by his daughter,’ she said with a sniff. ‘Forced to pay rent for a home that should rightfully belong to me.’
Maureen just stared at her while Tom signed the book and she went off with a glare, banging the door behind her. After the door had closed, Tom winked at Maureen and she exploded into laughter again.
‘It’s a good thing you were here or I might have lost my temper,’ she said and Tom grinned.
‘You’ve been more than good to her,’ he asserted. ‘I reckon most would’ve kicked her out after what she and that son of hers did.’
The door opened and Anne walked in. She looked at them in amusement. ‘What are you two laughing about then?’
‘Violet was in here complaining again,’ Tom said. ‘I’m used to her but Maureen caught the brunt of it…’
‘Oh, her…’ Anne’s expression showed what she thought of Maureen’s stepmother. ‘I don’t know why Hilda let her stay on after her son robbed you like that…’
‘She had nowhere to go when she left hospital and Gran felt sorry for her – but I’d hoped she would find somewhere before this…’
Tom took Anne’s list and placed the items on the counter. She packed her basket, paid and left with Maureen. The two women stood outside in the lane for a moment and chatted. Tom tidied the shelves and shook his head over empty spaces that couldn’t be filled these days, but it still couldn’t take the smile from his face. He had joined the cadets and now he’d joined the regulars and he would get his papers soon. He couldn’t wait to get started.
*
Janet opened Ryan’s letter. He’d been away on business for some days, but he was expecting to be in London now for a few months and he wanted to see her. Ryan had telephoned a few days previously and invited her to dinner one evening the following week and she’d told him she would go, but now his letter was telling her that he wanted so much more than just a dinner date.
You know how much I care for you, Jan. I’m not sure if you realise that I think of you all the time and wish I could be with you and Maggie. She feels as if she’s mine, perhaps because I knew her when she was a babe in arms – and I’m lonely. I’m in love with you, Jan. It isn’t just that I want a family again. I was torn apart by my feelings for you when we were both married. And I do know that it is too early for you to think of marriage again, but I hope you will one day in the not too distant future…
Janet crumpled the letter and let it drop on her bedroom floor. She wanted to cry, shout and scream all at the same time. It was so unfair. Why couldn’t Ryan be content as her friend? She needed his friendship badly and he’d given it, but he wanted so much more and she wasn’t sure she could give him the love he craved – and deserved.
To marry him just for the home she needed would be wrong. It was Rosemary’s motive for her second marriage: she wanted a life, to be taken out, looked after, provided for and cared for. Janet wanted those things too, but she also wanted to feel love again – the kind of love she’d felt for Mike at the beginning of their romance.
‘Oh, Mike…’ she whispered and bent her head as the tears came. It was a long time since she’d cried, because anger had filled her, driving out the weakness that brought tears. ‘Mike… why?’
There was no answer. There never could be an answer. Janet had to face up to the situation and decide for herself. At one time it would have been easy to sleep with Ryan, and perhaps if she let herself go it might be again. She’d been keeping herself on a tight rein for a long time, but maybe it was time to start thinking about a new life.
Janet bent down, picked up the letter and smoothed it out. She had to be fair to Ryan. Either she let him into her life or she had to send him away for good. Janet decided that she would tell him how she felt when they met for their dinner date and then see what fate brought… after all, not every woman got a second chance for happiness.
*
‘Ellie, I had to come round,’ Rose said when Ellie invited her into Tom’s parlour. ‘I know you’ve been through a terrible time recently and I wanted to say I’m sorry – and I don’t blame you. Some woman claimed it was your fault and I gave her a ticking-off…’
‘I am to blame in a way,’ Ellie said and tears wet her cheeks. ‘But Peter is wicked, Rose. You’ve no idea what he threatened; he was going to kill Beth and me. I thought he would leave Mabel alone once I’d left…’
‘It’s not your fault and you mustn’t feel guilty…’ she hesitated, then, ‘I don’t suppose you want to go – but I’ve got those tickets for the social tomorrow night…’
‘I’m not sure,’ Ellie said uncertainly. She hadn’t wanted to open the door, but Rose had been friendly in the past, so she’d reluctantly invited her in. ‘I don’t know who would look after Beth…’
Rose was talking again, forcing Ellie to listen, to shut out the clamour of her thoughts and her guilt. ‘Peggy isn’t going this year. I asked her and she said she couldn’t be bothered with it this time – so she might have Beth if you asked her. Do come, Ellie. Otherwise I shall have to go on my own, because Maureen isn’t going either…’
‘I’ll have to ask Sid and Tom what they think…’ Ellie wavered, because Rose was so persistent, but she could just imagine what folk would say and the looks they would give her if she dared to show her face. They were all blaming her for the death of a popular woman. A little shudder went through her. ‘I don’t want to go if it’s disrespectful to Mabel. The police won’t let us have her funeral yet – they say it can’t happen until they’ve got someone for the murder…’
‘Surely we all know who did it?’ Rose said. ‘It wasn’t your fault that your husband was a bully and a wrong’un, Ellie. I didn’t know him, but everyone says he had a bad temper.’
‘Yes, but if I hadn’t run away he would have hurt me not Mabel…’ Ellie swallowed her sob and rubbed at her eyes. ‘I don’t think I can go – it would look so uncaring. You should ask someone else, Rose. Perhaps Janet Rowan would like to go with you…’
‘Well, she did say she’d thought about getting a ticket,’ Rose said. ‘If you’re sure, I’ll ask her…’
‘I couldn’t enjoy myself and I would spoil your evenin’,’ Ellie told her. ‘And people would blame me – some already do. I was spat at in the market this mornin’ and two of my regular customers at the hairdresser’s crossed the road rather than speak to me…’
‘That just isn’t fair,’ Rose protested. ‘I do know what that is like, Ellie, believe me. I’ve had people turn against me because… of something that wasn’t my fault. You mustn’t let them get to you. Hold your head up and ignore the insults; they’re just ignorant. It’s why I came round, to show you I’m on your side.’
‘It’s not easy, but I’ll try,’ Ellie said. ‘I shall go back to the country in a few days. The police wanted me to stay in London until they’d finished gathering evidence, but after that I’m leavin’…’
‘You’re not coming back to live in Mulberry Lane?’
‘I couldn’t…’ A shudder ran through Ellie and her hands trembled. ‘Every time I look at her shop I feel like burstin’ into tears. I loved her, Rose. Mabel was so good to me. I don’t know how I would’ve got through the last couple of years if she hadn’t taken me in…’
‘I’m so sorry, Ellie,’ Rose said. ‘I just wanted to help, but I suppose it is just too soon. I’m sorry you’re leaving.’
‘I’m sorry too, because I liked my job and I had friends here, but it’s time for me to make a new start somewhere else…’
Leaving Ellie in Tom Barton’s house, Rose crossed the street to the pub. She no longer worked for Peggy but called round sometimes when she knew that Laurie Ashley would be in the bar. She liked Janet and perhaps she could make use of Rose’s spare ticket, especially as it didn’t look as if Jimmy would be home for a while.
*
‘Would you keep an eye on Maggie if I go to the social with Rose tomorrow evenin’?’ Janet asked her mother a little later. ‘I haven’t been out much for ages, but if it’s too much to ask…’
‘Of course I don’t mind if you go out in the evenings,’ Peggy told her with a smile. ‘I’m glad if you can make friends and start to enjoy life again, love. You used to think the church social was boring, but you’ll probably have fun with Rose.’
‘She told me that Ellie was to have gone with her, but of course she isn’t up to it just yet. I popped in to see her yesterday for a few minutes – did you know some people are cuttin’ her in the street and one woman spat at her in the market.’
‘I told Maureen that some folk were blamin’ her for it all,’ Peggy said. ‘We know the truth, Jan, but to others, Peter seems a brave young man doin’ his duty out there – and she’s been branded the cheatin’ wife.’
Janet looked serious. ‘I know it looks bad for Ellie but I think she had a lot to put up with, Mum. She says she’s goin’ away as soon as the police say she can and I don’t blame her.’
‘Do you remember when Ryan stayed here that night during the Blitz?’ Janet nodded and Peggy sighed, because it brought back memories for her too. ‘If anyone had seen him leaving that morning your name might have been dragged through the mud too, love. People have sharp tongues and suspicious minds.’
Janet nodded thoughtfully, then, ‘Mum, what would you think if I did decide to get married again— Oh, not just yet, but in time?’
‘I should be happy if you were,’ Peggy said. ‘I know what happened was devastatin’, Jan – but life has to go on, my love.’
‘I know. I never thought Rosemary would marry again, but she has made up her mind. I’m not sure how I feel or what I want just now – but Ryan is taking me out next week and…’ She broke off and sighed
‘You like him – and you enjoy being with him, don’t you?’
‘Yes. I didn’t think I would ever stop hurtin’, Mum – but it is easing slowly. That’s why I’m goin’ to this social with Ellie. It’s a start to livin’ a normal life again…’
‘Yes, you go and have some fun,’ Peggy said and smiled at her lovingly. ‘I’ve no intention of goin’, so it’s no trouble for me to look out for Maggie. I’ll be listenin’ out for the twins at the same time – and Anne has some free time again now that Kirk has gone off on his trainin’ course so she will be helpin’ out in the bar…’
Jan nodded. ‘Anne is glowin’, Mum. I don’t think I’ve ever see
n anyone so happy. She told me the doctor has confirmed she’s pregnant…’
‘Yes, I know,’ Peggy agreed. ‘She really does want this baby, Jan. I mean most women want their babies once they’re on the way – but Anne is so intent that it frightens me a little. I fear for what might happen if anythin’… But I’m not even goin’ to put that into words.’
Janet nodded, knowing exactly what her mother meant. Anne was walking on air and if anything happened to the baby… well, it didn’t bear thinking about.
*
Anne paused outside Mabel’s shop, looking at the closed notice in the window. It had been the only shop of its kind close to the lanes and the market was the nearest place to buy wool now, but the stall was only there on a Friday. The women of the lanes would miss both Mabel and her shop.
‘Anne,’ Maureen said, coming out of the grocer’s as Anne was hesitating on the pavement outside the wool shop. ‘Yes, it’s so sad, isn’t it?’
‘It was awful for you finding her like that,’ Anne said. ‘You must have been so upset, Maureen.’
‘It was terrible, but I’ve seen death at close hand a few times now, so it didn’t upset me that way – only that a good friend had been murdered. I feel sad but mostly angry – and I want to see Peter Morris punished.’
‘Yes, let’s hope the police charge him when they find him.’
Maureen nodded. ‘Are you on your way to visit Peggy?’
‘Yes, but I was just thinking about the wool I asked Mabel to put aside for me,’ Anne said. ‘I bought six ounces, which is enough to work with for the moment, but she’d promised to keep another ten ounces of white and five of a pale lemon. I’m not sure where I can get a match.’