by Kitty Neale
Over two weeks had passed since their argument over Marcos’s proposal, and now, arriving home after her shift on Tuesday, Jenny felt a reluctance to go upstairs. Instead she knocked on Susan’s door, deciding that she’d stay there until Tina left for work. It would be nicer than the atmosphere she’d have to face upstairs and, as she wasn’t seeing Marcos that evening, it would be a refuge for a while.
‘Come on in,’ Sue invited when she opened the door, her eyes heavy, and tone drowsy.
Jenny stepped inside to find the air thick with smoke and to see Tina sprawled out on the sofa. ‘Sorry, I’ll go.’
‘Well, well, if it ain’t the blushing bride to be,’ Tina drawled.
‘Shut up, Tina,’ said Sue. ‘Sit down, Jenny, you don’t have to leave.’
Jenny didn’t need to be told what was going on, she could smell the drugs in the air and shook her head. ‘No, it’s all right, I’d rather go.’
‘Yeah, bugger off, Miss Goody Two Shoes.’
‘No, stay, join us,’ Sue urged. ‘I hardly see you these days and I’d love to hear about the wedding.’
‘Sod that,’ Tina said. ‘I’m off.’
‘I don’t know why she had to behave like that,’ Sue said when the door closed behind Tina.
‘She doesn’t like Marcos.’
‘I know, but he’s your choice and Tina has to accept that. Now come on, cheer up and tell me about the wedding.’
‘With so few people to invite, Marcos wanted to make it something different, something special that we’d never forget.’
‘How nice, he sounds so romantic.’
‘He is, and he told me yesterday that just the two of us are going to Scotland, to Gretna Green, to get married. We’re going to stay in a cosy little inn, though in separate rooms until after the service. Then we’re off on our honeymoon.’
‘That sounds wonderful and certainly different. Where are you going for your honeymoon?’
‘I don’t know, Marcos said it’s a surprise. I’m sorry, Sue, but it means I can’t invite you or Tina to the wedding now.’
‘Don’t be silly. I’m just happy for you, and I’m sure that when Tina gets used to the idea, she will be too.’
Jenny hoped Sue was right, but somehow, sadly, she doubted it. ‘I feel awful about moving out of the flat, and I don’t know how Tina will manage the rent and bills on her own. I tried to talk to her, suggested she find something smaller, but Tina insists she’ll be fine. How though, Sue? She only works in a bar and I can’t believe the pay’s that good.’
‘I live alone and work in a pub, but I manage,’ Sue said. ‘Tina can take on extra shifts, work lunchtimes and cut down on the amount of money she spends on clothes.’
‘But your rent must be a lot less than ours.’
‘Jenny, stop worrying about Tina. She’s resourceful, wily, and quite capable of taking care of herself.’
‘Do you really think so?’
‘Yes, I do, and, let’s face it, you’re getting married, not emigrating. You can still see Tina, visit her, and vice versa.’
‘Yes, of course I can,’ Jenny said, smiling at the thought. They would stay in touch and still see each other; but then Jenny’s face sobered. Tina was so against Marcos and the marriage that she might not want that.
‘Where will you be living, Jenny? In Chelsea?’
‘I…I don’t know yet. Marcos is buying a house, another surprise, but he hasn’t said where.’
Sue frowned. ‘Surely you should have some input, a choice in the matter? What if you don’t like it?’
‘I’m sure I will.’
‘I hope so, because from what you’ve told me Marcos has decided where you’re getting married, chosen the honeymoon, along with the area you’ll live in and a house, all without consulting you. He seems rather controlling, Jenny.’
‘Now you sound like Tina, but as I told her, Marcos isn’t like that,’ Jenny insisted. ‘He just likes to take care of things, of me, and I trust his judgement.’
‘I should have kept my nose out – I didn’t mean to upset you. If you’re happy with Marcos making decisions for you, that’s fine.’
With Tina and Sue saying the same thing, a shadow of doubt crossed Jenny’s mind. Was she happy to let Marcos make decisions for her? Well, yes, to a certain extent, but what if she didn’t like the house, or the area? She’d have to talk to him, ask to see it before the sale was finalised, and surely he’d be happy to let her do that? Yes, of course he would, so why was she feeling this frisson of doubt?
Tina had been pleased to see Paul when he turned up unexpectedly close to the end of her shift. She was now holding his hand as he walked her home. She hadn’t told Jenny or Sue about him, not when she had intended simply to use him by letting him pay for just one expensive night out. The trouble was, another date had followed, then another, and now her feelings were all over the place.
So far Paul hadn’t even tried to kiss her but, as they neared her front door, Tina tensed. Would he try it on this time? Did she want him to? Yes, yes, she did, but her stomach now lurched with self-disgust. This would be the last time she saw Paul, and as she was feeling this way it was just as well.
They stopped outside the house, Paul still gripping her hand as he said, ‘Can I see you over the weekend? After that I’m on nights for a fortnight.’
‘I’m working, lunchtimes and evenings,’ Tina lied.
‘You’ll have a few hours off between shifts. How about Sunday? We could go out for a drive.’
‘Yeah, yeah, all right,’ Tina agreed, knowing that by then, as long as everything went as planned, she’d be long gone.
Paul’s head bent towards her, and though Tina hated herself, she couldn’t resist as she let his lips touch hers. It was as though a bolt of electricity shot through her and she quickly stepped back. No, no, it was disgusting, and turning she hurried to the front door, fumbling to put her key in the lock.
‘Tina, what’s wrong?’
‘Nothing…nothing,’ she stammered. ‘I…I’ll see you on Sunday.’
‘I’ll pick you up after your lunchtime shift.’
‘Yeah, great,’ she called over her shoulder, relieved to step inside and close the door. For a moment Tina leaned against it, stomach churning, and then, hand over her mouth, she ran upstairs and was violently sick in the toilet.
It was some time later before Tina was able to pull herself together, to force her emotions to one side. She was leaving tomorrow and nothing was going to stand in her way.
Jenny was asleep when Tina crept into the bedroom and, climbing into bed, she closed her eyes, fighting to push away a picture of Paul’s handsome face as it rose in her mind. She had to forget him – and she was going far enough away to do just that.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The following morning Tina was well in control of her emotions again; in fact she felt almost numb as she sneaked out in the early morning while Jenny was still asleep. She hadn’t even looked at her friend, her mind set only on what she was now going to do.
With time to kill when she arrived at the station, Tina had to hang around. She had only seen Jenny’s father once or twice and was now worried that she wouldn’t recognise him. As she fought to conjure up his face in her mind, he appeared in reality, alone as she’d instructed. Yes, it was him, Tina was sure of it, but to be on the safe side she kept out of sight, her eyes darting this way and that for signs of deception.
After fifteen minutes she hesitantly moved towards him, but his eyes flicked past her, not recognising her as he too nervously scanned the throng of people buzzing around the busy mainline station. Tina hadn’t wanted to leave any clues if this went wrong and had chosen King’s Cross because it offered many potential avenues of escape. She could leave by several exits, or run down to the tube and hop on the first underground train that drew in.
‘Mr Lavender?’
‘Yes,’ Edward said, puzzled now as he focused on her.
‘I can see you don’
t remember me. I’m Tina, a friend of your daughter.’
‘Tina? Tina Hammond?’
‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘My God, your parents have been ringing me on and off since you left. They’re desperate to find you.’
‘I hope you didn’t tell them about this, that you were coming here to meet me!’
‘How could I? You didn’t sign the letter and I had no idea who sent it.’
In that moment of fear Tina had forgotten for a second that she’d kept her identity a secret, and now felt foolish. She didn’t like that, felt she was losing control of the situation and, seeking to reassert herself, she said abruptly, ‘I can tell you where Jenny is, where we live, but first we need to talk.’
‘Where is she? Where is my daughter?’
‘Come on, there’s a café over there and you can buy me a bottle of Coke.’
Edward looked annoyed, but reluctantly followed as Tina led him across the crowded station. He went to the counter and got her a Coke, but then said as he sat down, ‘What’s going on? You wrote to me, told me that you know where Jenny is, but now for some reason you’re stalling. Where is she?’
‘That bit of information is going to cost you, and I ain’t talking peanuts.’
‘Money! You want money! But you’re Jenny’s friend.’
‘What’s that got to do with anything? Jenny is doing all right, but I need money to make a fresh start. This is just a bit of business and if you want my information, you’ll have to pay for it.’
Edward’s eyes hardened as they locked with hers, but Tina kept her gaze steady.
‘All right, how much?’ he finally asked, reaching into his inside pocket to pull out a chequebook.
‘Five grand, but I want cash.’
‘What? You must be joking.’
‘No, I’m not.’
‘I don’t have that kind of money.’
‘Leave it out. You live in that big, posh house, and your car must have cost a pretty penny too.’
‘Any money I have is tied up in the house, and it’s a company car. On top of that, my son is at university and I have to fund his education.’
Tina scowled. She’d have to bargain a bit, lower her price. ‘Right, what can you offer me then?’
‘Five hundred pounds?’
‘You must be kidding,’ Tina spat, rising as though to leave.
‘No, wait! A thousand then, but I promise you that’s my limit.’
It was a lot less than Tina wanted, but if Edward Lavender was telling the truth he wasn’t as well off as she’d thought. She sat down to test the water again. ‘All right then, make it three grand.’
‘I’d have to ask my bank for a loan. It will take some time to arrange.’
Tina was starting to feel desperate. If she had to wait for him to arrange a sodding loan, it would also give him the chance to contact her parents! She wasn’t going to risk that and had no choice but to drop her price.
‘Twelve hundred quid, today, and you’ve got a deal.’
He hesitated for a moment but then said, ‘Very well.’
‘As I said, I want cash.’
‘Yes, all right, but I’ll have to go to my building society.’
‘Yeah, I guessed that, but I’m only gonna wait an hour. If you ain’t back by then, I’m off.’
‘I’ll have to find a branch. Now give me Jenny’s address?’
‘Don’t take me for a mug. You’ll get it when I get me money, but no funny business. If I get a sniff of trouble I’ll disappear, along with any chance you’ve got of finding Jenny.’
‘Don’t worry, finding my daughter means everything to me and I’m not going to jeopardise that.’
‘Right, see you soon,’ Tina nodded, watching him leave. Twelve hundred pounds still sounded like a small fortune to her, and at least this way she was safe. She had already worked it out that even if Edward Lavender went straight to a telephone box to ring her parents, there was no way they could get here within the hour.
Behind Jenny’s back, Tina had had also packed most of her clothes and her suitcase was now in a locker at another London station, Victoria. From there she’d buy a ticket to Brighton, her chosen destination.
She wouldn’t be around when Jenny opened the door to see her father standing there, and even if Edward did tell her own parents, she’d be long gone before they turned up. Tina shivered. Over two years might have passed, yet the thought of seeing her father again still had the power to strike fear in her heart.
Tina finished her Coke, left the café, and as she waited around for Edward’s return, she found herself thinking about Paul. He’d had that disgusting effect on her – yet Tina knew that if she’d remained in Chelsea, she wouldn’t have been able to resist seeing him again. Once again a feeling of self-loathing clenched her stomach. It was just as well she was going and, anyway, the die was cast…her new life set to begin.
Edward was searching for a branch of his building society, anxious to find one before closing time. It was just past mid-August, the day hot, and he was perspiring. Tina Hammond’s audacious demand for money had shocked him, knocking him off balance, but at least he’d recovered his equilibrium enough to bargain for a lower price.
Of course, what Tina hadn’t known was that he would have paid anything to find Jenny, even to the extent of selling his house, but annoyed at being virtually blackmailed by his daughter’s so-called friend, his years of sales experience had come to the fore.
Yes, it felt like blackmail, Edward thought, but it would probably be a waste of time reporting it to the police. Jenny wasn’t being held against her will and, as far as he knew, asking money for information wasn’t illegal.
He’d been shocked by Tina’s appearance. She was only eighteen, but looked much older, hardened, and, as his anger abated, Edward wondered if she was in some sort of trouble. He’d have to ring her parents, but it would have to wait as he didn’t have their telephone number with him. Still, from what Tina had said, she and Jenny lived at the same address, and once he had that he’d pass it on to her parents. For now though, Jenny was his main priority and, at last finding a building society, Edward hurried inside. Tina had said that Jenny was doing all right, and that was a little reassuring, but was she telling the truth?
Though Edward was back at King’s Cross with five minutes to spare, there was no sign of Tina and he began to panic. Minutes later he saw her walking towards him, her eyes darting left and right, then over her shoulder. Tina was nervous. No, it was more than that, Edward decided. She actually looked frightened.
‘Tina, are you in some sort of trouble?’
She ignored his question, just saying abruptly, ‘Have you got the money?’
‘Yes, but is Jenny in trouble too?’
‘Look, I don’t know what you’re on about. I’m fine, Jenny’s fine. Now give me the money or I’m off.’
Edward took the bulky envelope from his inside pocket, briefly lifting the flap to show Tina the contents. ‘It’s all there, and now I want Jenny’s address.’
Tina took a scrap of paper from her handbag, holding it out with one hand while reaching for the envelope with the other. ‘It’s flat number two.’
Edward momentarily held onto the envelope, saying, ‘Tina, if you’re in trouble, I’m sure your father would help you.’
‘What! No, no,’ she said frantically. ‘I don’t want to see him.’
The money was snatched from his grasp and Tina ran off as though chased by demons. Edward clutched the scrap of paper, frowning, wondering why Tina had reacted like that. Maybe he should go after her, but it was too late, the girl already out of sight.
Edward now looked at the address, his heart lifting at last. Chelsea, not too far away. With an urgent need to see Jenny, to make sure that she was all right, he strode quickly from the station to find a taxi.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Jenny was tidying up, still surprised that Tina had already gone out by the time she had woken up that
morning. She must have dressed in a hurry, for there was a discarded skirt on the floor, but it looked clean and so Jenny had picked it up. Going over to Tina’s wardrobe, however, she found it almost empty, the hangers bare. It took a moment before the ramifications of what she was seeing sank in.
Tina had gone, left, moved out without saying a word! All right, they hadn’t been getting on lately but surely there was no need for this? Bewildered, Jenny wondered if Sue knew anything about it and went downstairs to talk to her.
‘Tina’s gone. Did you know she was moving out?’
‘Goodness, I had no idea,’ Sue said as she beckoned Jenny inside.
‘I can’t believe she left without saying a word. Do you know why, Sue?’
‘I haven’t got a clue. Have you had a row or something?’
‘We had a few tiffs about Marcos, but surely that isn’t why she’s moved out?’
‘Perhaps Tina felt the rent would be too much on her own. She may have found a smaller flat or something.’
‘I’m not getting married for months yet, and anyway, why move out without telling me?’
‘Search me, but she’ll probably be working tonight and you can talk to her then.’
Jenny was angry, upset, and shook her head. ‘To leave like this Tina obviously doesn’t want to talk to me and I’m not chasing after her. We’ve been friends for years, like sisters, but if this is the way she wants it that’s fine with me.’
‘You don’t mean that, Jenny. You’re just hurt and it’s your pride talking.’
‘Yes, I’m hurt,’ Jenny admitted, feeling close to tears now. She croaked an excuse to leave Sue’s flat. ‘I…I must go. I…I’ve got things to do.’
Jenny knew it sounded weak, but bolted, tears now overflowing as she ran back upstairs. Sue had mentioned hurt and pride, but it was more than that. Tina had left without any explanation, uncaring, and to Jenny that signalled that their years of friendship had meant nothing to her.