‘I’ll just go and fill the coal scuttle. I’ll come tomorrow and do the same, shall I?’ David’s comment startled her out of her puzzled musings.
‘Thank you, David, it does cheer the room, doesn’t it?’
‘And tomorrow, before you get home with Sadie?’
She searched her mind for an excuse then remembered she had a genuine one. ‘Not tomorrow. Sadie is going to stay with Mr and Mrs Martin. I’ll be out all day helping Mrs Glover. It’s sooner than I expected but she’s expecting visitors next week and wants it done straight away. Pity really. I’d hoped to get the front bedroom walls papered this week. I set everything out ready to start, but now it will have to wait.’
‘Forget it for a while. I don’t think you should be climbing stepladders until you’ve lost the bruises from the last time,’ he said jokingly. ‘The work will get done. Just be a bit patient.’
She was apprehensive when the day of the landlord’s inspection came and spent as much time as she could spare making sure the place looked clean and tidy. Mr Davies was a man in his fifties formally dressed in a dark suit and a smart overcoat. His shoes shone with much polishing and he wore gloves. He said very little at first but seemed satisfied with what he saw.
‘I’ve bought it for my parents,’ he explained. ‘My father is retiring in April and they’ll move here.’
‘I’ll be finished and gone long before then,’ she said.
‘Fine, but if you still need a place, you can stay after the work is done. We can arrange for a small rent to help cover the expenses.’ He glanced at the accounts and told her not to spend any of her own money when he noticed there were a few items not listed. ‘I’ve opened an account at the local paint shop. Just get what you need and I’ll deal with it.’
‘Is there anything else you’d like me to do?’
‘You’ve hurt your hand. Don’t try to do anything until it’s better. There’s plenty of time.’ He looked around the room where she spent most of her time and asked, ‘What about Christmas? You don’t seem to have made any preparations. No trimmings?’
She couldn’t tell him that she hadn’t given the festival a moment’s thought. ‘I don’t want to risk marking the newly painted walls,’ she told him.
‘I’ll come next week to put up the curtain rails. I’ll bring a tree.’
‘Thanks,’ she murmured, wondering what she would use to decorate it.
Mrs Glover was one of Sally’s favourite clients. She helped her with the work, making her feel more of a friend than a person employed to clean. Sally knew some of the work would be difficult with a bruised hand and shoulder but was determined to do the best she could to please the lady.
It was a tiring day, washing curtains and ironing them. Brushing walls and lifting carpets. Cleaning windows and the inside of cupboards and wardrobes. Washing light fittings and occasionally used china and glasses. Mattresses were moved and the old-fashioned springs dusted. Sally and the young woman hired for the day to help didn’t stop, even drinking tea and eating sandwiches as they worked.
When Sally went to collect Sadie from the Martins at six o’clock she wondered how she’d continue to place one foot in front of the other. To her relief, Valmai had the table set for four and a casserole, sending out tempting smells, was ready to serve.
They stayed until eight o’clock then Valmai walked them home. She took her bicycle and gave Sadie a ride, so she’d be able to ride back. Sally wished it was she sitting on the bike and being pushed.
She got Sadie ready for bed and the little girl was almost asleep before she had kissed her goodnight, then she undressed and after the briefest of washes, fell into her own bed completely exhausted.
The plan was to finish the last of Mrs Glover’s tasks the following morning and despite her aching body and throbbing hand and shoulder, she rose early. After the usual chores and before Sadie awoke, she went upstairs to look at the room she was due to wallpaper, to plan in her mind the best place to begin and check the length of the pattern on the paper and consider the waste a large pattern would mean. She wondered whether she’d ordered enough paper. When she opened the door she shouted in dismay. Someone had started the job. Two walls were papered but the sheets weren’t straight. Staring in disbelief she could see that whoever had done it had used the door jamb as a guide instead of checking it was upright. So the paper had been hung at an angle. Very slight, but enough for her to know it wouldn’t do. It would all have to come off and more paper bought. Who could have been so stupid? She used anger to avoid precipitate tears. Not Valmai, but who else had a key?
‘Sally?’ a voice called and at once she knew. David!
‘I’m up here. I hope you didn’t do this,’ she said, fury making her voice tight in her throat. ‘Someone has interfered and ruined this job and now I’ll have to take it all down and start again. And buy more wallpaper – which I’ll have to pay for.’
‘What’s wrong with it?’ David ran up the stairs and looked at the walls. ‘I matched the pattern as best I could. I thought you’d be pleased.’
‘Mummy?’ Sadie called and, pushing past him, Sally ran down the stairs and began talking to her daughter, ignoring David’s comments, knowing that if she looked at him she’d scream in frustration. Why did nothing go right for her she wondered?
Valmai was waiting at the nursery to see if she was all right and her anger and despair burst from her and she told her what had happened. ‘Please, don’t offer to help,’ Sally said as they parted. ‘I can’t stand the thought of someone else doing a poor job. I want the landlord to be pleased with everything I do and he’ll be around again next week to check on my progress.’
‘What was David thinking of? I’ll help you to take the wallpaper off and then I think you should go away for a couple of days. You’re worn out and you can’t hide the fact that you’re finding it painful to use that hand. You aren’t in the right frame of mind to do anything at present. I’ve got a friend in Saundersfoot. Pretty little place. She’ll have you there and won’t charge much, it being out of season. Go, love, and relax for a couple of days. You’d benefit from a break. Just you and Sadie.’
Sally was about to argue. There wasn’t time. She had to finish the room. She had to conserve her savings. There were a dozen reasons why she should refuse, but then, as she stared into Valmai’s kindly face, she suddenly felt more calm and in control. In that moment she changed her mind about two things. One, she would go away for the weekend and two, she would never move far from Valmai and deprive her of her granddaughter. Whatever happened between herself and Rhys, Valmai didn’t deserve such treatment.
‘Thank you. You’re right and I’ll do that. Just me and Sadie, somewhere near the sea.’
She went on the train and found the cottage advertising bed and breakfast and Mrs Daniels offered to provide an evening meal. ‘I don’t usually, mind, but as I’m not busy and you’re only staying for the weekend I’ll let you come in for a bit of lunch too if you find the weather too much for little Sadie.’
With Sadie in her pushchair and wrapped cosily with fluffy blankets, Sally explored the small town. Many places were closed for the winter but the beach sheltered from the wind during those few days was a fascination for Sadie. They even managed to survive the cold weather long enough to build a sandcastle and gather some shells and pretty pebbles.
The contrast between beach and town was marked: the cold, empty sand and rocky coast and the bright, overheated, glittery shops in their brightest displays. Carols were sung by small groups of people collecting for charities and from out of some of the shops other seasonal music emerged and distorted their efforts. Yet still the approach of Christmas hadn’t penetrated Sally’s thoughts. Probably because she had never had a home where her parents had indulged themselves in all the excitement and gaiety of the celebration.
Her parents had died when she was young and her memories of the years before were vague. They hadn’t been there to set traditions: large amounts of luxurious
food, the stocking filling, the secrets, the mysterious and colourful parcels under the Christmas tree. Those things had always happened to other people and without a home of her own, no one with which to share the joy if it all, she didn’t know how to begin.
She tried not to think of the empty house she presently called home and the mess of the wallpapering that would be waiting when she got back and the tension eased from her. She felt anger every time she thought of David and his stupid attempt at helping but pushed it away more and more easily as the hours passed. She felt calm, philosophical about the disasters that had befallen her and better able to cope. There was nothing that she couldn’t deal with. Once her hand and shoulder were strong again, she would look for work, build a new career. She wasn’t a failure, she had just trusted the wrong person, that’s all. A human mistake, not a criminal or negligent act.
The good feeling lasted until she reached the railway station to begin the journey home. A young man she had noticed once or twice on the beach stood near the entrance and she smiled politely and he spoke to her, as a stranger might.
‘Have you and your little girl enjoyed your break?’
‘Yes, thank you.’
‘Mrs Daniels is my aunt and she told me you were here to rest after an accident.’
‘Hardly an accident,’ she said with a smile. ‘I slipped when I was painting a wall. Just bruises, nothing dramatic. Getting covered in paint was the worst thing.’
‘I’m Geraint.’ He held out a hand and she shook it.
‘I’m Sally and this is—’ She smiled and waited for her daughter to speak.
‘My name is Sadie Travis,’ she provided.
‘Hello, Sadie.’
He bent down and talked to the little girl until the train arrived, then helped her into a carriage and sat near them. He didn’t force his attentions on them, just an occasional remark, and once or twice picking up a book or a toy Sadie dropped. Then when they reached the station and the train squealed to a stop he helped her down with the pushchair and her small case while she held Sadie’s hand. She thanked him and they went out of the station together and bumped right into Milly Sewell.
She said nothing when she saw the young man pick Sadie up and fit her into the pushchair, she just waited until Sally looked at her. Then she raised an eyebrow and muttered to her friend, ‘Another mysterious father, d’you suppose?’ Sally heard the words as Milly intended her to and she hurried away without a goodbye to the friendly young man. Humiliated and aware that the restful interlude was well and truly over, she almost ran back to Greenways, her shoulder agonizingly painful as she dragged the suitcase and pushed her daughter’s pushchair. She was in a place where critics were determined to think the worst of her and home meant hours of hard work and little comfort. Something would have to change.
The fire was alight when she opened the living-room door and the warmth was a wonderful welcome. For a while at least she could wallow in the pleasure of the knowledge that not everyone was as unpleasant as Milly Sewell; the town held more people who were kind than were unpleasant.
Valmai had left food and a note on the table to welcome her home and that helped too. But it wasn’t until Sadie was asleep that she could face walking up to look at the disaster in the bedroom. She took a deep breath, convinced it would look even worse than the first time and switched on the light. The room was completely decorated. The wallpaper perfectly hung, a matching lampshade added, and even in the poor light she could see that the windows had been cleaned of paint splashes. The floor had been thoroughly scrubbed and the room smelled refreshingly of pine soap.
Who could have done this? Certainly not David. Could Valmai have made such a good job of it? There was no one else. It was too late to find out tonight. Once Sadie was asleep she couldn’t go anywhere, so she settled beside the glowing fire and thought about the good friends who must have somehow arranged this wonderful surprise. Tomorrow she would find them and thank them.
Her Monday jobs kept her busy until lunchtime and after collecting Sadie she went to the butchers to buy sausages and in the doorway as she turned to leave was Milly Sewell.
‘Nice time with your new friend, was it? Saundersfoot’s a bit cold for me in December but if you’ve got love to keep you warm I don’t suppose it matters what time of the year, does it?’
‘Sadie and I were on our own and—’
‘Sorry, Mrs Sewell, but I’m closing for an hour,’ the butcher interrupted. ‘I might serve you if you come back later, if there’s anything left.’ The butcher ushered the woman out of the shop but continued to serve others who were waiting. ‘And any such comments from any of you and you’ll be banned, the lot of you. Right?’ He winked at Sally and continued to serve a very subdued queue.
Sally didn’t go back home. She knew Valmai finished around lunchtime and went to her house. Sadie ran excitedly towards the shed and Sally chased after her, arriving in time to see Gwilym, out of his chair, exercising his limbs. She stared, embarrassed at the man’s expression of, what? Shame? Guilt? With the aid of sticks he walked back to the bench to hide his disability.
‘Hello, I hope you don’t mind us calling. We want to ask Mrs Martin about the miracle of the ruined bedroom.’ She spoke light-heartedly as though she had not witnessed his movements. Sadie climbed into his lap and began talking about sandcastles and train rides.
The sound of a bicycle bell announced Valmai’s arrival and Gwilym said, ‘Not a word to Valmai. She’d be keeping on, pushing me to get out and I can’t, see. I just can’t.’
‘One day something will happen and you’ll have to,’ was all Sally said, before turning to greet his wife.
To Sally’s surprise she learned that Eric and Rick had papered the room and Valmai had cleaned it.
‘I thought I must be dreaming when I went to assess the damage and found the room finished, and perfectly done too. How can I thank you all?’
‘No need. What are friends for? Now, what about a bite to eat before I have to go back to work. I bet you’re starving, aren’t you, Sadie?’
With Sadie helping by throwing assorted cutlery on the table and setting the table in her own inimitable style, and Sally putting out plates of sandwiches quickly made by Valmai, they ate a pleasant lunch before Valmai set off for work pushing her bicycle with Sally and a chattering Sadie walking beside her.
Waiting for her at the gate was someone she didn’t recognize at first – a smartly dressed young woman in a fur-trimmed coat and a fur hat. When she turned to face them she saw the sharp-featured face within the furry frame, of Amy, Rick’s fiancée. She wasn’t smiling. Oh dear, Sally thought. She looks as though something has upset her and it’s probably me. And I thought we were becoming friends!
‘Amy? This is a nice surprise. Will you come in?’
‘I can’t stay long. I just wanted to ask you not to expect my fiancé to help you out of any more of your so frequent problems.’ Her voice was shrill. Her face showed disapproval and she ignored Sadie completely. ‘He has quite enough to do with the wedding imminent and getting our home ready in time.’
‘I quite understand, I really do, but I don’t ask him for any. He’s just a very kind-hearted man and I’m grateful for his help. But if we both have a word with him and remind him how inappropriate it is, I’m sure he’ll ignore my “frequent problems” and concentrate on yours.’ She ushered the woman inside and lit the electric fire. ‘Stay and have a cup of tea. I’d love to hear about all your plans for the wedding and your future home. It’s such an exciting time, isn’t it?’
‘No, I won’t accept tea. We aren’t exactly friends, and I’d be glad if you’d avoid both of us in future.’
‘Have you been talking to Milly Sewell by any chance?’
‘Well, yes, I have.’
Sally gave Sadie a few toy building bricks and said firmly, ‘Please sit down, Miss Jones. I think you should at least listen to my side of the story, don’t you?’
‘It’s Seaton-Jones, actually.
’
With a smile, Sally said, ‘All right, Miss Seaton-Jones-Actually! Firstly I am not promiscuous. My fiancé, Rhys Martin, ran away when he was afraid the police were about to question him about some robberies. He wanted to train as a teacher and knew if a criminal record was attached to his name he wouldn’t be accepted. So I have been sending money to him each month and in July he had completed two years and presumably qualified. Only he didn’t come home, and when I went to look for him I found out that he hadn’t been to college and certainly hadn’t qualified. What he was doing with my money I have no idea. And why he ran away yet insisted he was innocent, well, that’s another mystery.’ She went on, over Amy’s attempt to speak, ‘Sadie and I have enjoyed a couple of days in Saundersfoot, just the two of us until another kind young man helped us off the train, and—’
‘Really, this is nothing to do with me.’ Amy moved towards the door.
‘No? Yet you were happy to listen to Milly’s gossip, Miss Seaton-Jones-Actually,’ she retorted sharply.
Then Amy smiled. ‘Call me Amy,’ she said.
‘And there’s another thing,’ Sally went on and when Amy looked startled, she added, ‘I have decided to invite a few friends to lunch on Sunday. People I owe a big thank you to. I’d like it if you and Rick would join us. Trays on laps, I’m afraid, but as you see, this place isn’t exactly well furnished.’
‘We usually go to Mummy’s on Sundays, but, yes, thank you, we’ll both look forward to that.’
When Sally showed her the work already done on the house she was impressed. Particularly the troublesome bedroom. ‘I didn’t dream that Rick could do anything like this. Mummy arranged for a decorating firm to do the work on our home.’
‘I don’t know, but I imagine Eric was the guiding hand. He’s such a lovely man, a particularly fine craftsman too. It was just bad luck he lost his job at the age when it’s difficult to start again. His wife took all his savings and left him in serious debt a few years ago, leaving Eric with nothing. And now he never hears from her or his daughter.’
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