Dream a Little Dream

by Joan Jonker

  Abbie moved back from him and gazed into his eyes. ‘I don’t want you to buy me anything, Dad, I have everything I need. But there is one thing you could do that would make me very happy.’

  ‘You only have to name it, my dear.’

  ‘Take me to see Milly, please? I know you said you would, and you always keep your promises, but I’ve set my heart on seeing her soon.’

  ‘I haven’t had time to visit or call on her and her parents yet, I’ve been rather busy the last day or so. I’ll definitely make an effort on Monday or Tuesday, though, and you have my word on that.’

  ‘I can’t wait to see her. We were very good friends you know, Dad, and never once did we have an argument or fall out.’ Abbie grinned. ‘Well, maybe a little one over a skipping rope, or who was better at hopscotch. But it only ever lasted five minutes and then we’d see the funny side and double up laughing.’

  Robert smiled, remembering how close the two young girls had been. ‘A right pair of gigglers you were, my dear. And I think it right you meet up again. A good friend is a friend for life.’

  ‘My friend Rowena isn’t of the same opinion. When I told her about Milly, she said we’d be like strangers after not seeing each other for ten years and wouldn’t have a thing in common.’

  But because Robert had been seeing Milly on a regular basis during those ten years, he was in a better position to judge. ‘I think Rowena will be proved wrong, Abbie, but just let’s wait and see, eh?’

  ‘Yes, OK, Dad.’ She flung her arms around his neck and planted a noisy kiss on his cheek. ‘I’ll have to hurry and get washed and changed for dinner, otherwise I’ll be blotting my copy book. And I don’t want any dark clouds spoiling this day for me.’

  ‘Oh, before you run off, my dear, did you happen to come through the kitchen when you got home?’

  Abbie shook her head. ‘I came to the front door and used my key to let myself in. Why?’

  ‘I wondered if you’d met Jessie, our new junior maid. She joined the staff this morning and I’ve left her in the capable hands of Agnes to be shown the ropes. She’ll be helping Kitty with the housework mostly, but she can also give Agnes a hand when needed. She’s only fourteen, as pretty as a picture and a likeable lass. This is her first job, so naturally she’s shy and more than a little frightened. Unfortunately she got a very cool reception from your mother and Victoria, which I could see upset her. So I’m hoping you and Nigel will make up for their rudeness by showing Jessie we are not a family of ogres. I know I don’t have to tell either of you to be nice to her, because it isn’t in your nature to be otherwise. She needs this job, and Agnes and Kitty need the help she can give them.’

  ‘Ah, the poor thing!’ Abbie felt a wave of sympathy. It must have been a terrible ordeal for a young girl, facing two women who no doubt looked down their noses at her. ‘I’ll slip along to the kitchen now and welcome her.’

  Robert tapped a finger on his temple before standing up. ‘I’ll come with you. I need to tell Agnes about some arrangements I’ve made for Monday, so I’ll do it now while I think on.’

  Edwina and Victoria were seated at the dining-room table when Nigel made his appearance. Taking his usual chair next to his sister, he said, ‘Good evening. I thought I was late, but I see Father isn’t here yet.’

  Victoria turned her head and raised her brows. There was sarcasm in her eyes and in her voice. ‘Where on earth have you been all day? Mother and I were beginning to think you’d left home.’

  Abbie, watching from the opposite side of the table, saw her brother’s face flush as he gave a nervous smile. They’re going to make fun of him, she thought, like they always do. Why does he allow them to tease him, and make him the butt of their cruel jokes? He never stands up to them, but he might with a little help. ‘I’ve been out all day, too,’ she announced suddenly, ‘but I don’t suppose you gave a thought as to whether I’d left home or not. Probably because you couldn’t care less whether I did or didn’t!’

  Three pairs of eyes fastened on her. ‘I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to Nigel,’ Victoria said. ‘So kindly keep your thoughts and remarks to yourself.’

  ‘Oh, am I not entitled to join in a conversation then? Perhaps you’d like me to sit quietly and suck my thumb, or, better still, make myself invisible?’

  ‘Don’t be impertinent, Abigail,’ Edwina frowned. ‘You speak when you are spoken to, and not before. Do I make myself clear?’

  Nigel hastened to defend his younger sister, and surprised himself by the depth of his feeling of injustice. ‘Oh, I say, Mother, that was uncalled for. Abbie has as much right to speak her mind as any other member of the family.’

  ‘We have a mutiny on our hands, Mother,’ Victoria drawled. ‘What shall we do to punish them?’

  ‘Punish who?’ Robert entered the room and turned to close the door behind him. ‘It all sounds very serious.’

  ‘It was in fun, Father.’ Victoria turned on the charm. ‘We were having a light-hearted conversation, that’s all.’

  ‘Well, I’m glad everyone’s in a happy mood,’ Robert said, taking his seat, ‘because this is a day for celebration. I presume you’ve heard Nigel and Abbie’s good news, Edwina?’

  His wife looked flustered. ‘We’ve only just sat down, so there hasn’t been time for the passing on of news.’

  ‘Only time to talk of punishing someone?’ There was a smile on Robert’s face, but the eyes that stared down the table at his wife were hard. Why did she think he was stupid enough to fall for her lies? ‘Still, be that as it may, this is a day for celebrating. I’m sure you’ll be happy to know Abbie has succeeded in signing on at the commercial college, Edwina, and I know you’ll be delighted for her and wish her well. But before you do, there’s another piece of absolutely brilliant news for you. On Monday, Nigel is joining the family firm. It has been agreed by all concerned that he will begin his training working alongside Jeff.’

  While Robert was watching the stunned disbelief on the faces of his wife and eldest daughter, Abbie rounded the table and put her arms around Nigel. ‘Oh, I’m so happy for you! Just think, both of us in the one day!’

  Nigel pushed his chair back so he could stand up and give his sister a big hug. His face was alight with pride as he gazed down at her. ‘It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but you spurred me into action. I couldn’t have my kid sister working while I sat on my bottom all day doing nothing. And Dad has been very good. I really am indebted to him for giving me another chance.’ His arm still around Abbie, he glanced at his mother. ‘It’s marvellous news, isn’t it, Mother?’

  Her face showing no animation, but fearing a reprimand by her husband if she didn’t answer, Edwina ground out the words through clenched teeth. ‘Yes, marvellous.’

  ‘I wouldn’t get too carried away,’ Victoria said, her top lip curled in a sneer. ‘You’ll probably last a couple of weeks, like you did last time. You are not cut out to work, Nigel, and the sooner you realise that, the better.’

  Robert thought it time to intervene. ‘You have made it very obvious that you are not cut out to work, Victoria, but please don’t try and make Nigel’s decisions for him. I can assure you he is capable of knowing what he wants and more than capable of carrying it out. And I’ve another little surprise for my son, so will you sit down Nigel, please?’

  While her brother sat down, Abbie hurried back to her chair. Her pretty face agog, she asked, ‘What is it, Dad?’

  Robert was savouring every word he was about to say. ‘We all know Nigel is twenty-one in a couple of weeks, which is a big milestone in a man’s life. Well, I’ve decided to bring his birthday forward because his present will make life easier for him when he starts work.’ He met his son’s eager eyes. ‘I’m going to buy you a car. Only a small Austin to be going on with, but it will take you everywhere you want to go. You can come with me to the garage in the morning, and if they have one in, we’ll take delivery right away.’

  Nigel was stunn
ed. His mouth was working but his emotions were running so high he could only stutter, ‘I don’t know what to say, Dad.’

  ‘I do!’ Victoria’s eyes were blazing. ‘I wasn’t given a car for my twenty-first, so if anyone deserves one it should be me. I’m nearly two years older than Nigel, Father, or had you forgotten?’

  There was a knock on the door and Robert lifted his hand for silence. ‘We’ll discuss this later.’

  Jessie opened the door and stood aside to let Agnes pass with the heavy soup tureen. The girl’s eyes were everywhere, taking everything in so she could tell the family when she got home. She should have finished work by now, but because she was late starting she offered to make the time up by helping in the kitchen. That meant she would get a full day’s pay and her mam would be over the moon.

  ‘Shouldn’t Jessie have left by now, Agnes?’ Robert asked. ‘I don’t want her parents to think we’re overworking her.’

  ‘She wanted to stay, Mr Robert, to make up for the time she lost this morning.’ The housekeeper was well aware of the tense atmosphere. What a bloody happy family this lot were! Then she mentally corrected herself. Three of the family were smashing people, it was the two stuck-up bitches who spoilt it. The faces they had on them now, anyone would think they had a sour lemon in their mouths. ‘The girl’s doing very well, Mr Robert, she’s quick and picks things up in no time.’

  ‘As long as she doesn’t pick things up that don’t belong to her,’ Victoria said. ‘You should keep your eye on her because you’ll be held responsible if anything goes missing.’

  As Agnes was later to tell Tilly Woods next door, if she hadn’t already put the soup tureen on the table, she would have emptied it on someone’s head and taken great delight in doing so. ‘I’ll pretend yer never said that, Miss Victoria. Wicked words thought of in a wicked head and spoken with a wicked tongue. And to think you went to a finishing school which was supposed to make a lady out of yer! I’m glad I went to a corporation school – they taught us manners there and it didn’t cost nowt.’

  The housekeeper went to stand beside Jessie who, thankfully, was so busy eyeing the ornaments and curtains, she didn’t hear all that was said. ‘Jessie will be watching me serve the dinner, Mr Robert, is that all right? It’s the only way she’ll ever learn.’

  ‘Of course, Agnes.’ Robert had managed to keep his temper under control simply because he could tell from the young girl’s face that she hadn’t heard what was said. ‘She is in your care and is to take orders from no one else.’

  With a satisfied nod of her head, the housekeeper put her arm across Jessie’s shoulders and led her from the room. But had she lingered for a few seconds outside the door, as she often did, she would have been more than satisfied when all hell broke loose.

  ‘I am ashamed of you!’ Robert was on his feet, his curled fists resting on the table. He was so angry the veins in his neck were standing out and his face blazing. ‘I am ashamed to say that you are my daughter. The sooner you marry and leave this house, the better.’

  ‘Agnes was right, you are wicked,’ Abbie shouted. ‘How could you say such a horrid thing about Jessie when she’s never done you any harm? I don’t like you, Victoria, you aren’t a nice person.’

  ‘I agree with what my Dad and Abbie have said.’ Nigel touched his sister’s arm so she had to turn and face him. ‘You’ve said many hurtful things, Victoria, and I’ve let them go over my head. But you are getting worse and I can no longer stand by and say nothing. What you said about Jessie was bad. To accuse a young girl of being a thief on the first day she starts working here, shows you have an evil streak which will one day get you into very serious trouble.’

  ‘For heaven’s sake, what’s all the fuss about?’ Victoria didn’t turn a hair. ‘I didn’t say the wretched girl was a thief, I merely hinted that she could be. And if anything does go missing, don’t say I didn’t warn you.’

  ‘Could we please put a stop to this shouting,’ Edwina said faintly. Not for all the tea in China would she speak against her eldest daughter. ‘We don’t want to fill the servants’ mouths.’

  ‘If, by servants, you mean Agnes and Jessie, then I think your dear daughter has already filled their mouths for them. And if they come back and find the soup hasn’t been touched, then that is something more for them to talk about. So do your wifely duty, Edwina, and serve the soup while I dispense some home truths to our eldest offspring.’

  When her mother rose to do as her father had asked, Victoria knew she didn’t have any immediate support. So she kept her voice level. ‘Father, I don’t need any lectures, thank you.’

  ‘Oh, but you do! I’ll get this over quickly so we can all eat our meal, perhaps not in peace because that word seems out of place in this room, but in quietness. So I’d like to go back to your remark about wanting a car. You said if anyone deserves one, it’s you. Now I’d like you to tell me why you think you deserve a car.’

  ‘Because I’m the eldest, that’s why!’ Victoria was losing patience. Why couldn’t the man see why it should be her getting a car, and not Nigel? ‘I would have thought that would be obvious to you, Father. You pride yourself on being a fair-minded man, but in this instance you seem to be bloody-minded.’

  ‘I wouldn’t like you to think I’m not a fair-minded person,’ Robert said, in a deceptively mild tone. ‘So, I’ll do the same for you as I have for Nigel. And as I will do for Abbie when the time comes. The day you find a job, and start work, I will be more than happy to buy you a car. You see, my dear Victoria, that will be the day you have earned one.’

  Victoria’s nostrils were white with temper. How dare her father talk down to her! ‘Clarissa Chisholm has a car and she doesn’t have to work for it. It gives people the impression we can’t afford one!’

  ‘Select your words carefully before you speak them, Victoria, because many of them do not apply. For instance, forgetting the family as a whole, can you, as a fully grown adult, afford to buy yourself a car?’

  ‘Not on the allowance you give me, no! But Clarissa didn’t have to pay for her own car, her father bought it for her. So why can’t you do the same for me? Surely it’s not too much to ask?’

  ‘I have three things to say to you, Victoria, and I do not want a reply to any of them. What I do want, though, is your silence and the whole subject closed. Firstly, because your mother wants you to mingle with the right sort of people, hoping you will marry into a wealthy family, you receive twice the allowance your brother and sister get. This money is frittered away on clothes, hairdressing and manicures. To ask for more would be a waste on my part and greed on yours. And we come now to the Chisholms. They are one of the wealthiest families in Liverpool, money and business passed on for the last three generations. They were born into wealth, they know no other kind of life. But we Dennisons are a different breed. You see, we were born into poverty and only through sheer hard work, and the loan of five pound, have we reached the position we are in now. We will never be on the same social scale as the Chisholms and, quite frankly, I wouldn’t want to be. That isn’t to say I don’t have a high regard for Mr Chisholm senior, because I find him an honest, down-to-earth man who is popular with all the club members.’

  Robert took a deep breath and let his eyes travel around the table. Victoria wasn’t even giving him the courtesy of showing interest, preferring to examine each of her nails in turn as though bored rigid by the sound of her father’s voice. This irritated him into saying, ‘I hope I have made my position clear, Victoria, and my words haven’t fallen on deaf ears. And lastly, if by words or looks, you ever again humiliate Jessie in my presence, you can expect me to retaliate and belittle you in front of her. You have been warned.’

  Chapter Seven

  When Alf Higgins climbed out of the car and looked around him he was taken aback by the size of the house and the garden. He’d never been to his wife’s place of work before, and while she was always talking about it, and the wonders within, he hadn’t visualised it be
ing so huge. It was a flipping mansion, and the garden was as vast as a park. ‘It’s a big place yer’ve got here, Mr Robert.’

  ‘Yes, it is, Alf, and I’m glad I don’t have to do the gardening because it’s a full-time job. But it’s very enjoyable to sit in on a summer’s afternoon.’

  Kitty came scurrying around the car. She’d been in the back passenger seat while her husband was given pride of place sitting in the front with her boss. And she could tell by his face that he had enjoyed every minute of it. ‘I’ll go straight in, Mr Robert, otherwise Aggie will have me guts for garters being late on me first day back.’ She looked nervous as she glanced at her husband. ‘Will my Alf be all right if I leave him with yer?’

  ‘Of course he will, Kitty, I’ll take good care of him. I can see Pete down at the bottom of the garden, so I’ll introduce Alf to him, then bring him back for a cup of tea.’

  Kitty wasn’t so sure about this. She was grateful to Mr Robert for his kindness, and it was really good for Alf to get out of their tiny house for a while and enjoy a change of scenery. But her fear was that Miss Edwina would take exception to him being here and cause trouble. And the little woman wasn’t going to let no one make a fool of her Alf, even if it meant losing her job. ‘If you say so, Mr Robert.’

  ‘I do say so, Kitty.’ Robert could almost read her mind. ‘And you are not to worry about a thing, because Agnes has everything under control. Now go and meet Jessie, whom I’m sure you’ll like and who will be a great help to you.’

  Still the little woman was reluctant to move. She squeezed her husband’s hand and smiled up at him. ‘I’ll see yer soon, love.’

  ‘Yes, pet. And don’t worry, I’ll be all right. I’m a big boy now, remember!’

  Kitty’s thin legs covered the ground to the kitchen door. Then, after one last look back, she took a deep breath and pushed the door open. ‘Good morning, queen! I bet yer thought yer’d seen the last of me?’