by Carol Rivers
‘Hold Matthew, will you,’ she whispered, wishing she had Eddie to turn to.
‘What are you going to do?’
‘Look outside.’ Slowly she went to the door and took hold of the latch. Would there be anyone standing on the step? What would she do if there was?
Slowly she opened it, steeling herself to close it quickly if the man was there. But no one was. The wind rippled in and touched her cheeks and the sun momentarily peeped from behind a cloud. Across the road Olga’s door was shut tightly as it had been for months and the front room curtains drawn.
Rose looked up to the Dixons’ then back down the road to Len Silverman’s house and farther down to the Patels’. The long, straight street was empty save for Debbie Price who was talking to Cissy Hall on the far pavement. They both turned and waved. Rose waved back.
She took one more glance to her left then went back inside. She leaned her back against the door.
‘Well?’ Em asked with a frown.
Rose shook her head. ‘He must have driven off.’
Em sighed gently against Matthew’s head. ‘Perhaps it was just a coincidence after all.’
Rose was under no such illusion but what was the use of arguing? ‘I’m going to keep this key on the mantelpiece. The children will have to knock when they want to come in.’
‘They’ll want to know why it isn’t tied on the string,’ Em pointed out.
‘I’ll tell them,’ Rose said resolutely. ‘Not about the burglary of course, but I’ll warn them not to talk to strangers and to come and tell me if they see the brown car.’
‘Won’t they want to know why?’
Rose shrugged. ‘I’ll tell them the truth, that one has been seen parked in the road and we don’t know who it is.’
‘I hope that won’t frighten them,’ Em replied vaguely.
‘I’ll tell them in such a way that it won’t,’ Rose murmured. ‘I’ll tell Anita and the boys and Benny too.’
‘I’m sure we’re making a mountain out of a molehill,’ Em said as she laid Matthew back under his cover, then lifted the shopping bag from under the pram. ‘Now, enough of all this silly business, Rosy, take off your coat and scarf. I’ll put the kettle on while you sit yourself down and give Matthew his feed. The poor little mite must be ravenous.’ She was halfway along the hall when she called out, ‘And I’ve a special treat for you today, I baked a cinnamon cake this morning. I’ll slice you a piece with your tea.’
Silly business . . . was that what Em really thought of what had just happened? Dismayed at her sister’s reaction, Rose removed her outdoor clothes and hung them on the clothes stand in the hall. She couldn’t blame Em for dismissing the incident as coincidence – perhaps it was another car altogether! All the same, she would still speak to the children tonight.
Rose lifted Matthew from the pram and sat down on the couch. ‘Who’s hungry for their dinner?’ she cooed, opening her blouse and pressing his hungry mouth against her breast. His small, angelic face looked up and his nose wrinkled as he began to suck. Soon she forgot all about the brown car and its driver, lost in a world of wonder as she stared down at her beautiful son.
Chapter Seventeen
‘Are we nearly there?’ Marlene stretched uncomfortably on the back seat of the Austin shooting brake. Next to her sat Rose, who held Matthew in her arms, and Donnie sat on Rose’s other side. Will was curled in the rear space behind the passengers along with the shopping bags, outdoor clothes and parcels of food that Rose had brought with her.
‘About another twenty minutes,’ Bobby replied as he drove steadily through the leafy countryside. Beside the driver sat Em, her head bowed over a large square Automobile Association map from which she was navigating.
Rose felt Matthew stir in her arms. He had dozed for the entire three hours of the journey, ever since half past nine this morning when Bobby had arrived to collect them.
Now they were near to Hewis, their destination, and Rose was fighting off butterflies. What would Eddie think of his new son? And would he see a change in the girls? They had been excited all week, hardly able to concentrate on anything but this adventure. Rose hoped the prison wouldn’t be as daunting as Brixton.
The family’s first long ride in a motor car was a resounding success. The girls enjoyed sitting on the luxurious leather seats whilst Will spotted numberplates from the rear. Halfway through their journey, Bobby parked on a verge overlooking the glorious Sussex countryside. The sky was a cloudless blue rolling endlessly across green downs. Their sandwiches and hot flask of tea disappeared down hungry throats in no time and the big bag of apples and pears that Bobby provided followed the same way.
Rose stared at the back of her sister’s bent head. Em seemed to be enjoying herself despite her suspicions of the young man who was now clearly courting her. Navigating from the map, she eagerly announced each town or village and the children cheered at the appearance of the big black and white nameplate that followed.
‘Hewis is the next town on the map,’ Em called over her shoulder. ‘Perhaps it would be a good idea to give Matthew his feed, Rosy?’
Matthew was still asleep, but Rose gently woke him. She parted her coat and blouse and adjusted his head to her breast. Soon he was sucking as if he hadn’t been fed for a week.
‘When’s he gonna eat food like us?’ Marlene asked curiously, stroking Matthew’s dark hair affectionately.
‘When he’s weaned,’ Rose answered, quickly adding, ‘in other words when he can eat solid food.’
‘Did me and Donnie drink your milk like that?’ Marlene wrinkled her nose at the very thought.
‘Yes, just the same way.’
‘I can’t remember a thing,’ Marlene disowned.
To while away the last of the journey they all sang songs. Bobby started with ‘Old Macdonald’s Farm’ and then ‘One Man Went to Mow’. They were in the middle of ‘Ten Green Bottles’ when Will shouted from the back, ‘There’s a signpost, look! To Hewis Prison.’
Rose was accustomed to the word prison now, though it still sent a chill down her spine. She closed her blouse and clasped Matthew against her. She couldn’t wait for Eddie to hold him. The baby’s long-lashed eyes were now a light blue-grey, more grey than blue. With his thatch of dark hair, he was undoubtedly Eddie’s son.
‘Wow!’ exclaimed Will from his space at the rear as he peered between the girls’ heads. ‘I’ve never been in a prison before.’
‘Nor have we,’ Donnie answered guilelessly. ‘Daddy didn’t want us to go to the other one because it was so horrid.’
‘I’m glad I put me best dress on,’ Marlene agreed, sitting forward and grabbing the back of Em’s seat.
‘Me too.’ Donnie looked flushed, Rose noted, her cheeks rose pink framed by her abundant brown hair. Both girls wore their best dresses. A green velvet for Marlene with a creamy frill that Rose had laced around the collar. Pale blue for Donnie, a dropped waist linen dress that made her look very tall. Will was wearing his school clothes, grey short trousers and pullover with a clean white shirt and tie. Rose had settled on a grey wool dress that sheathed her slim figure. Second-hand, it was a recent purchase at the market, a snip for a few pennies. Rose glanced at her sister who looked very smart in her dark suit and had pleated her fair hair into a chignon. Bobby wore a sports jacket and navy trousers. Rose thought they made a very handsome pair.
Rose was glad now that she had encouraged the girls to talk about Eddie being in prison. She didn’t want his existence ignored and they knew their father was innocent and intended to clear his name when he was released, a promise he had reaffirmed many times in his letters.
‘Here at last!’ Bobby yelled as they came to a five-bar gate. Clusters of bobbing daffodils bent their heads on the green verges as though waving a welcome. Unlike Brixton, Rose knew Hewis was minimum security as Eddie had explained the wartime hospital used for injured servicemen had closed its doors to patients in 1947 and opened them a year later to young male offenders. But Ro
se was surprised at her first glimpse, for the barrack-like quarters had no high walls and she marvelled at the wooded park in which the prison was situated, the singing of birds and fresh country air.
Bobby drove them through the gate where a man in a peaked cap told them to drive on to Reception, a long, low building that looked rather like a huge prefab, a little further up the road.
‘Are you sure this is the right place?’ Em asked as he parked the car outside.
‘Yes,’ he nodded and peered out of the window. ‘Not so bad after all, is it?’
Rose agreed. The prison felt much more pleasant and queues of visitors weren’t as long or noisy as those at Brixton. But by the time they had climbed out of the car with their coats and luggage, Rose’s heart was thumping. Eddie would be waiting for them just a short distance away.
They all trailed along to the Reception area, where Bobby stopped and handed Em the big shopping bag they had brought with them filled with sweets and a packet of Woodbines for Eddie.
‘I’ll wait here,’ Bobby told them courteously.
‘Why can’t you come with us?’ Marlene, who had taken a shine to her aunt’s new admirer, asked.
‘Because I have to check the engine,’ he replied, glancing at Rose. ‘Cars tend to overheat you know.’
Rose smiled gratefully and clasping Matthew in one arm and her daughter’s hand in the other, they left him, as arranged previously, to his own devices. She hoped he would be able to amuse himself for the next two hours.
They all trooped along the hot, stuffy corridor and filed into a waiting area at the end. People were already waiting on benches and chairs, the children sitting quietly on the floor. Rose hoped it wouldn’t be too long to wait before they went in. Matthew was stirring and the girls couldn’t wait to see their father. Em looked tense and Will sat silently on a chair beside his mother.
At two o’clock prompt the doors opened. A uniformed officer appeared. He checked everyone’s credentials and then signalled them to file through. To Rose’s relief, there was not the awful smell that permeated Brixton. The big, airy visiting room was more like a cafeteria. There was even a refreshments bar at the far end and dozens of small tables and chairs spread over the floor, thankfully not squeezed together.
Rose settled on a round table with six plastic chairs, obviously arranged for a family group. She sat down in the middle with the two girls either side. Em perched stiffly, looking with wide eyes at the assortment of visitors. Will stood at her side, leaving the remaining chair for Eddie.
‘When’s Daddy coming?’ Donnie asked in a small voice, rearranging the skirt of her blue dress.
‘Very soon.’ Rose couldn’t wait to see him. She wanted him to gasp at the sight of his son and little girls. She wanted to see the joy and the pride shining out of his eyes.
‘Daddy!’ Marlene sprang to her feet. Rose tried to catch her arm but she was gone. Donnie followed and Rose’s throat contracted as she saw the tip of Eddie’s dark head buried under the exuberant embraces of his daughters.
‘I was sorry to hear of your loss, Em,’ Eddie said sincerely as he rocked his son in his arms. He was so proud of the tiny scrap he could burst with pride. But his pride only intensified his longing for the family he hadn’t seen in nearly ten months.
‘Thanks, Eddie,’ his sister-in-law replied nervously. ‘Are you sure you don’t mind us living at the house?’
‘’Course not. Our home is your home, you know that.’
‘It’s only till we get a place of our own.’
Eddie was too absorbed with his traumatized feelings to worry much about his sister-in-law. He hadn’t wanted his family to visit him in Brixton and, if truth be told, he had only agreed to this visit because of Matthew. His newborn son was the apple of his eye and he wanted to know what he looked like before he grew older. But he felt ashamed that his two daughters had to see him here. It was the last place on earth they should be, even if Hewis was a palace compared to Brixton.
For the next ten minutes he attempted to satisfy all their questions. Where did he sleep, work and eat? Could he read books or listen to the wireless? Eddie considered each question gravely then, as usual, responded with humour.
He knew he looked shabby in his dull blue shirt and coarse grey trousers. He hated his short haircut and felt embarrassed about his appearance. As for his Rose, she looked wonderful. He wanted to reach out and touch her thick brown hair, to run his fingers through it. He loved her so much and felt ashamed that she had to see him this way. But from somewhere deep inside he dredged up a smile.
‘You should see what I pile on me dinner plate,’ he told Marlene with renewed enthusiasm. ‘Sausages, bacon, onions, pies, you name it, I eat it.’
‘Auntie Em makes even better pies,’ she trilled as she climbed on his knee. She glanced at her baby brother snuggled in the crook of his arm. ‘Matthew only drinks milk though, until he’s wee-eened.’
Eddie laughed. ‘I bet he’s a right guzzler. But I can tell you right now he’ll be on eggs and bacon in no time at all.’
Donnie laughed softly as she leaned against her father’s shoulder. ‘Oh, Daddy, babies eat everything mashed up till they get some teeth.’
‘Ain’t he got no teeth, then?’ Eddie stared at her innocently. ‘Well, we’ll send him back to fetch ’em shall we?’
All the children burst into laughter. He felt a warm glow inside him as he cracked jokes right, left and centre. The experience of being with his estranged family was as painful as it was pleasurable.
‘Now what have you all been doing while I’m on me holidays?’ he asked cheerfully.
Marlene giggled. ‘You ain’t on your holiday, Daddy, you’re in prison!’
‘You’re only jealous,’ Eddie responded with a wink. ‘It costs a lot to stay here, you know.’
‘Daddy!’ Marlene slithered off his knee. ‘That’s fibbing!’
‘It ain’t, Toots. See that bloke over there, the one with the big fireman’s hose?’ They all looked very slowly to where Eddie inclined his head. A few tables away a small man with a very large nose sat talking to a well-dressed older woman.
‘Yes,’ they all said expectantly.
‘He’s worth a fortune is old Solly. Made his bees and honey in the rag trade. We got a lot in common, though. They failed to get him on tax evasion so they framed him for fraud. But the beak only sent him down for six months and the fuzz are seething. His lawyers are sorting it out right now.’
‘Where does he live?’ Donnie asked wide-eyed.
‘He’s got a manor in the country and a castle in Scotland. With a moat an’ all.’
Everyone gasped.
‘He said we could all go up for a holiday if we want.’
‘When?’ both girls asked at once.
‘Soon as I get me marching orders.’
‘When’s that?’
‘Next year.’
He saw Marlene wasn’t impressed. ‘That’s a long time off. Anyway, I bet he ain’t got a castle!’
‘If you don’t believe me, Toots, go and ask him.’
‘We don’t speak to strangers,’ Donnie said before her sister could reply. ‘Mummy says so.’
As Matthew whimpered in his arms, Eddie turned to Rose. She raised her eyebrows and nodded. ‘It’s me new rule, Eddie.’
‘And a fine one it is too,’ he agreed vehemently. He looked back at his daughters. ‘Your mother’s right, Princess. No speaking to strangers, unless you know them!’ He chuckled at his joke.
‘Especially,’ Marlene added with emphasis, ‘strange men in brown cars.’
‘Yes, Toots, especially strange men in—’ Eddie stopped as he realized what he was saying. ‘What brown car?’ he asked, puzzled.
‘The one Mummy saw in the street the other day.’
Eddie turned to his wife. ‘What’s she talking about, love?’
‘Oh nothing much,’ Rose dismissed. ‘It was a car that was parked outside the Dixons’.’
‘Mummy
’s seen it there before, though,’ Donnie continued. ‘Haven’t you, Mummy?’
Rose nodded. ‘Yes, yes, I have.’
‘Mummy told us not to go near it and we’re to run and tell her if it parks in the street again.’
Eddie looked at his wife. ‘What’s all this about, Rose?’
‘I . . . I didn’t like the look of the driver, that’s all.’
‘Why not?’ Eddie felt a coldness building inside him, an icy fear that he had pushed to the back of his mind ever since the beatings at Brixton.
‘It’s just me being fussy. You know what I’m like with the children.’
Matthew wailed loudly and Eddie looked down at his son. With a rush of protectiveness he stroked his finger across the furrowed brow now turning pink with annoyance. A tiny fist clenched, followed by a bellow that made Eddie’s heart contract with love.
‘He probably needs changing,’ Rose said as she bent to lift the wriggling bundle into her arms. ‘Em, would you take him out to the car? I’ve left a bag with clean nappies in and filled a bottle with water. A drop or two will settle him till the next feed.’ Eddie watched in silence as his sister-in-law carefully wrapped his son against her chest, adjusting the shawl to his body. Eddie felt full of regret as he watched the activity around him. Matthew would be walking on two sturdy legs by the time he was home.
‘Come along, children,’ Em called.
‘I don’t want to go,’ Marlene said sullenly. ‘We only just got here.’
‘Do as your Aunt says,’ Eddie said gently, reaching out to draw his two daughters into his arms. He wanted to hold his children close, to protect them, but how could he in here? ‘Send me some nice pictures, girls and Will, you tell the bloke that brought you here – what’s his name?’