by Nancy Revell
‘I was just thinking the other day how awful it would be for Hannah if she were to lose her job at Thompson’s. Especially as I can’t see the little Jewess getting employment anywhere else – refugees like Hannah are usually last in line for any kind of work.’
Miriam put a clown-like frown on her forehead as she looked at Gloria.
‘Poor Hannah and Aunty Rina. They’d struggle something rotten, wouldn’t they? Probably end up in one of those awful workhouses.’ She paused. ‘And they won’t accept charity, you know? Hannah and her aunty Rina may both look as timid as church mice, but they’re as stubborn as mules when they want to be.’
Miriam puckered her lips.
‘From a palace in Prague to the slums of Sunderland. That’s quite a fall for your little bird … Do you think she would be able to flutter back up?’ Miriam asked. ‘Or not?’
Gloria could feel her hands start to clench. She’d had no idea Hannah’s aunty was up to her neck in debt.
‘And “Big Martha” – that’s what everyone calls her at the yard, isn’t it?’ Miriam asked the question as though she really did want to know the answer.
Gloria didn’t say anything.
‘Well, a little birdie told me—’ Miriam suddenly tittered. ‘Not Hannah, of course! Silly me, trying to be clever and making a play on words.’
Gloria glanced across at Jack and they exchanged worried looks.
‘Martha,’ Miriam continued, ‘has the most intriguing family history. Honestly, you couldn’t have made it up. And if truth be told, I don’t know if I would have believed it myself if I hadn’t seen the proof with my own eyes.’
At this point Miriam went over to the sideboard and picked up a copy of an old newspaper, which, judging by its yellow colour and old-fashioned print, must have dated back at least a couple of decades.
‘Have either of you ever met Martha’s parents?’ Miriam asked, swinging her gaze between Jack and Gloria. ‘I’m guessing by Jack’s blank expression that he hasn’t, but I’m also surmising that you probably have, Gloria – and if you have, then you will agree with me that it doesn’t take a genius to work out that Martha is as different from both her mother and father as can be.’
Gloria’s mind was working overtime. It was true. She had met both Martha’s parents on a couple of occasions over the past year and a half and neither of them bore any kind of resemblance to their daughter. It had flittered through Gloria’s head that it was more than likely that Martha had been adopted, especially as she was an only child. Gloria had no idea, though, if Martha knew whether or not this was the case – she certainly hadn’t made any kind of reference to it during the whole Pearl and Maisie drama.
‘Well …’ Miriam said, shaking out the newspaper and turning it around so that both Jack and Gloria could see the front page.
‘No offence, Gloria, but you can read, can’t you?’
Gloria had to refrain from going over to Miriam, ripping the newspaper from her hand and slapping her around the face.
‘Of course I can read!’ she snapped.
Miriam put her drink down on the dresser, walked over to Gloria and showed her the front page. Then she walked over to Jack and sat down next to him on the sofa so that he, too, could see the article.
Neither of them had to say anything. The photograph – or rather the mugshot – on the front page alongside the story said it all.
‘The similarity is striking, is it not?’ Miriam stood back up, leaving the paper on the oval-shaped coffee table.
A sepia photograph of a woman’s large, round face, slightly bulging eyes and a half-smile showing off a wide gap between her two front teeth stared up at them all. The rest of the woman’s body could not be seen, but it was clear she was of substantial build.
Gloria’s eyes were glued to the image of the woman.
She was the double of Martha.
The two words making up the headline and emblazoned in big bold black lettering across the top of the page said all there was to say:
CHILD KILLER!
Gloria vaguely recalled the court case of a woman from one of the mining villages who had been hanged after it was discovered she had killed at least five children – most of them her own – although it was believed she had murdered others. It had taken a while for her crimes to come to light as she had slowly poisoned each of her victims and made a great show of trying to nurse them back to health. Gloria particularly remembered the court case as she had read the headlines when scouring the newspapers for news of Jack’s marriage to Miriam all those years ago.
‘And if, like me, you thought that perhaps it was just a coincidence that Big Martha looked the same as this monster – ’ Miriam pointed to the newspaper in disgust ‘ – then I’m afraid that would be wishful thinking.’ Miriam walked back over to fetch her drink. ‘Because you see, I just had to know, and a friend of mine who works in the council offices in the births, marriages and deaths department confirmed it for me.’
This was the only lie that Miriam had told thus far, for, of course, it had been Georgina who had unearthed the shocking revelation about Martha’s true parentage.
Gloria and Jack were both dumbstruck.
‘I know!’ Miriam said. ‘Words fail, don’t they? Imagine finding out that that “thing” there – ’ again she pointed down to the article ‘ – was your mother?’ She looked at Jack and Gloria. ‘But then again, you would just be thankful you’d survived to tell the tale, wouldn’t you?
‘Oh,’ she said, again pretending that she had suddenly just thought of something, ‘you don’t think Martha was also fed poison and somehow managed to survive, do you? Mind you, who knows? What’s the expression people like to use – “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”? Well, judging by Martha’s incredible physique this may well have been the case for her.’
Miriam tilted her head to the side as if in deep contemplation. ‘The thing is, it does make you wonder how Martha might react should she find out about her mother – especially as, for all we know, she may not even know that she’s been adopted … I mean, she’s got the strength of half a dozen men rolled into one, but the mind and intelligence of a child – and a backward child at that.’
This, Gloria thought, was where Miriam was wrong. Martha was no one’s fool. Her mind was as sharp and as intelligent as the next person’s – and she had an uncanny sixth sense. Miriam, however, was probably right in guessing that Martha’s parents had not told her that she was adopted, and even if they had, there was no way they would have told her the truth about her birth mother.
‘Oh,’ Miriam said, ‘and can you imagine the reaction from others if they were to find out who Martha’s real mother was? How she was spawned by a monster? Gosh,’ Miriam faked a tremor, ‘I’d dread to think.’
Gloria stared at Miriam. She knew exactly the reaction it would have. Martha would become the talk of the town, something that would send her straight back into the shell she had taken so long to come out of. She would be ostracised, stared at in the street and whispered about behind her back. Martha might be built like a man mountain, but she was an incredibly sensitive soul underneath her huge, physically tough exterior. It would, in effect, destroy her, as it would her mother and father. It would ruin all of their lives in one fell swoop.
‘But, anyway,’ Miriam said, ‘enough about poor Martha. I’m sure her secret’s safe with us.’ She narrowed her eyes as though to gauge Jack and Gloria’s reaction. ‘And enough about such deadly serious matters.’ Again she laughed. ‘Oh dear, I really must stop these puns.’
She walked back towards the window.
‘Your other two young girls, Dorothy and Angela,’ Miriam said, ‘they are quite a hoot by all accounts. They say “like father like son”, well, I think with these two it’s more “like mother like daughter”. What is it with women these days? They seem to want double helpings of everything.’
Gloria looked at Miriam, puzzled.
‘You look confused, Gloria? But y
ou of all people should understand. Angie’s mother, as well as Dorothy’s, and your own dear self – you’ve all got something in common. One’s not enough, is it? You all want to have your cake and eat it. And to be fair to you all, you’ve managed to get away with it so far … I mean, look at Angie’s delectable mother. Can’t stop spewing out children, which makes it all the more surprising that the woman finds the time not just for a husband, but for a lover as well – and quite a young, strapping one at that … I do hope she doesn’t get caught out, though.’
Miriam drew breath.
‘Have you seen the monster of a man she’s married to?’
Gloria hadn’t actually seen Angie’s dad, but she had seen the marks he had left on his daughter’s face after cuffing her for simply not doing the shopping, or making a noise when he was trying to have a lie-in. God only knew what he’d do to Angie’s mother if he found out she was having it off with another man.
‘And as for Dorothy’s mother!’ Miriam’s voice rose. ‘Well, she’s taken the whole concept one step further. The woman’s actually got two husbands! Can you believe it? Couldn’t be bothered to divorce the first one, so she just marched straight back down that aisle and married the next one that came along!’
Now this really did shock Gloria. She knew that Dorothy’s mother had been married and that the marriage had broken up. Dorothy never really talked much about her father, but from the bits and pieces she had picked up, the impression she’d got was that he hadn’t been missed. But, like Miriam had just claimed, did Dorothy’s mother then just conveniently forget she was still legally bound and go ahead and tie the knot with Dorothy’s stepfather?
Gloria was now convinced that Miriam had employed some kind of private eye. There was no other way she could have got to know what she had.
‘You probably don’t know the proper word, Gloria,’ Miriam said, ‘but such behaviour is called bigamy, which, if you don’t know, is very much against the laws of the land and can mean a spell in prison, or at the very least a hefty fine.
‘But more than anything, for someone like Dorothy’s mother, who has the kind of social standing that goes with living in any of the houses next to Backhouse Park, even if she got off with a fine, or some kind of slap on the wrist, it’s the shame of it all.
‘Of course, as it stands now, no one’s going to find out. They haven’t so far, have they? But,’ Miriam sighed, ‘you just never know … What if the information that I have been given finds its way into the wrong hands? Makes you wonder if the new husband would stick around? I’m sure he has no idea his marriage is not worth the paper it’s written on … And then there’s Dorothy’s four little half-siblings. They’ll be just like your Hope. Bastards. Every last one of them. Oh, it just doesn’t bear thinking about.’
Gloria looked at Jack, who shook his head in disgust. It was a look Miriam caught.
‘Jack, I really don’t think you have any right to sit there shaking your head. This is all your doing. You must realise that, don’t you?’
Again, Jack refused to bite back.
‘But, I couldn’t stand here and chat about Gloria’s women welders without mentioning Polly, could I, Jack?’ Miriam’s voice had returned to its sickly sweetness. ‘Especially as I know how close you’ve always been to Arthur – and Polly’s fiancé, Tommy. You and I know all about that boy, don’t we? I mean, we saw him grow up. He clearly followed in his granddad’s footsteps, didn’t he? But,’ she paused briefly, ‘it also seems young Tommy takes after his mother too. Both a little fragile up here,’ she said, tapping the side of her head.
Both Jack and Gloria knew well that Tommy’s mother had killed herself, unable to deal with the death of her husband, leaving Tommy to be brought up by Arthur and Flo.
‘Playing with explosives is hardly the best occupation for someone like Tommy, I’m sure. Still, I guess no one sane would volunteer for such a job. I heard they call what Tommy’s doing out there in the Mediterranean a “suicide mission”.’
Miriam walked round the back of the sofa and put both her hands on Jack’s shoulders. He flinched from her touch.
‘Wouldn’t it be just terrible if Tommy thought that his pretty Polly had tired of waiting for him, especially as she’s working with so many other young men day in and day out … It would turn that poor boy’s mind.’
Jack stood up, his fists balled and his face flushed red with rage.
‘This is one step too far, Miriam!’ he yelled.
Gloria came over and took Jack’s arm.
‘Oh, Jack,’ Miriam said with a little laugh, ‘calm down! I’m sure no such malicious rumours will make it out to Gibraltar. I’m just letting my mouth run away with me … I am naughty.’
Miriam walked back to the drinks cabinet. ‘Are you sure you don’t want a drink, darling? I know how much you like your single malt?’
Jack glared by way of response.
‘And you, Gloria? Sure I can’t tempt you? No? Dearie me, I do hate drinking on my own. Still, I think this is quite the occasion, so I will allow myself to indulge.’
As she spoke Miriam poured another splash of gin into her glass.
‘Anyway, last but not least – my husband’s favourite.’ Miriam gave Jack an angelic smile.
‘Rosie.’
Chapter Fifty
At the mention of Rosie’s name Gloria felt herself stiffen.
‘Pretty little thing, shame about that awful scarring on her face, though …’ Miriam paused for effect. ‘Still, what can you expect if you choose to do a man’s job? Comes with the territory, I suppose. Having said that, though, Rosie’s not at all mannish outside of work, is she?’
Gloria froze.
‘Quite the opposite,’ Miriam said, with a smirk on her face.
Gloria felt her heart sink to the pit of her stomach.
No, please don’t let her know about Lily’s!
Both Gloria and Jack were now staring, statue-like, at Miriam, as though she were a judge who might – or might not – send a loved one to the guillotine.
‘I mean,’ Miriam said, pausing and taking a dainty sip of her drink, ‘it’s surprising – considering her facial disfigurement – that a man could even bear to look at her. But, I suppose, with the right kind of make-up you can get away with murder. And let’s face it, she must have some good make-up to get away with the rather seedy goings-on I’ve heard she’s been up to.’
She knows! She bloody well knows. Gloria suddenly felt weak and for the first time put her hands on the back of the armchair next to her in order to give herself some support.
‘I mean,’ Miriam continued, ‘the girl’s not much older than Helen. How old is she Jack? You should know, you took her on at the yard when she was barely sixteen.’
Jack simply glared hatred at Miriam and didn’t answer.
‘Oh well, I’m going to guess she’s only in her early twenties …’
Another dramatic pause.
‘And what? Seeing a man twice her age! Old enough to be her father! And from what I’ve heard, the pair of them haven’t exactly been carrying out a chaste courtship. Practically living in sin by all accounts!’
Miriam was so engrossed in her own monologue that she did not see Gloria’s look of sheer relief.
Gloria silently thanked God that whoever had been doing Miriam’s dirty work for her had not unearthed Rosie’s second life.
‘So, there we have it!’ Miriam raised her glass to the air as if in a toast. ‘The women welders of Thompson’s shipyard! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “What an odd, hotchpotch bunch of women, eh?”’
There was a moment of silent standoff before Gloria stepped forward and spoke, knowing that Miriam had now revealed everything she’d had hidden up her sleeve.
‘Go on then, Miriam,’ Gloria said matter-of-factly, ‘let’s get to the crux of the matter. You’ve got yourself some pretty good bargaining chips there. What do you want in exchange?’
‘What I want,’ said Miriam,
‘and what I will get, Gloria, is that you are going to carry on being a single mother to your illegitimate child. You will not tell another living soul about your sordid affair with my husband, and you certainly will not breathe a word about your bastard’s true paternity. If you do all that, every one of your friends’ sleazy secrets will remain just that – secrets.
‘But if you don’t keep shtum about Jack and your bastard baby, I will make sure every one of your women welders are destroyed. I will rip every one of them and their families to shreds. And you will have to stand by helplessly and watch them all suffer, knowing it is all your fault. Your doing. That you did this to them.’
Miriam then turned her attention to Jack, who was standing in disbelief that his wife – the woman he had been married to for more than two decades – was capable of this kind of vile and threatening behaviour.
‘And you, Jack,’ she said, ‘you’re going off to Scotland. To the Clyde, to be exact. You are such a hero. And everyone loves you so much. Everyone wants a bit of you, or rather they want what you know about the new Liberty ships. At least that’ll be what we tell everyone. I’ll be the proud wife, waiting at home for the return of her husband.’
She sighed.
‘The joy about you leaving me for the greater good of the country, though, is that I can still claim you as my husband, but not have to so much as lay eyes on you.’
Miriam let out a tinkling of laughter.
‘But don’t worry about me being left on my lonesome. In these days, those boys in the Admiralty who keep being billeted at the Grand can be so very discreet. So, I – like some of the women we’ve been talking about – can have my cake and eat it.’ Miriam finished off her drink. ‘So you see, just getting back to what you said before, Jack, I do have a choice. Rather a good choice actually.
‘And you, Gloria.’ The combination of the gin, and the fact that she was coming to the end of her monologue, was making Miriam’s tongue loose. ‘You should have kept quiet and convinced that husband of yours the baby was his. Then you might have been able to retain some kind of respectability. As it is, you’ve rather shot yourself in the foot, haven’t you? Now you’re going to have to face the incessant chattering of the town’s gossipmongers. And how they’re going to have a feeding frenzy when they hear all about you and your bastard baby – and how you don’t even know who the father is!