Sarah couldn’t believe her ears. Yet again, Freda seemed to be the one getting what should have been her, Sarah Gilbert’s, dream – a loving relationship. If only Alan had taken the manager’s job at Woolworths, and then there might have been a chance of more children. Instead her husband acted like a stranger to her, closer to Freda than to his own wife, and three of her friends were expecting babies instead of her. Life just wasn’t fair, she thought to herself as unshed tears began to gather. It was time to leave.
‘Excuse me, I need some air,’ she said, pushing through the many people she knew so well as she headed towards the front door of the shop. Behind her she could hear Alan call after her as he followed. Exiting the building in a hurry, she became aware of a short, stocky man with dark hair, wearing a long black coat. He was followed by two men she could only describe as looking like thugs. What were they doing here?
‘I’m sorry, the business is closed today. This is a private celebration,’ she tried to explain as the man with the long coat shoved past her, ignoring her words. The tension and disappointment that had been burning inside her burst in a torrent of anger. ‘Excuse me, I am speaking to you,’ she said, poking him in the back before grabbing the collar of his coat. ‘I told you. This is a private event. Please leave right now.’
The man spun on his heels and hissed into her face as the two thugs closed in. ‘Let go of me, woman, or you’ll end up regretting the day you laid a finger on Frank Unthank.’
Sarah was aware of a sudden silence. This time it wasn’t because of one of Vera’s silly comments, but something more palpable. She shivered as the air around her filled with menace tinged with fear. However, she stood her ground. Despite her personal problems with her husband, this business was his and it was built with the love and support of his family and friends. No one was going to barge in like this man was trying to do. Sarah wrinkled her nose as the odour of stale onions and cologne filled her nostrils. ‘I have no idea who you are, but I do know every person on our guest list, and it does not include anyone called Frank Unthank. Nor does it include these gentlemen,’ she hissed back, placing her hands on her hips. ‘Now, I suggest you all clear off out of here before I call the police.’
Bob, who up to now had been sitting quietly beside Ruby, was on his feet and standing alongside Mike, who had joined Sarah on the pavement outside the shop. ‘Now, Mr Unthank, we don’t want no bother. This is a family celebration. If you have business with Alan Gilbert, or anyone else on the premises, I suggest you come back another day, if you don’t mind.’
Sarah frowned as she spotted Freda reaching for Alan’s arm to hold him back. Something was going on here that she didn’t know about . . . something more than her concerns about Alan and Freda being close. A thought came to her. ‘The man who caused the fire in my husband’s workshop – he was an Unthank. Any relation to you?’ she asked, giving the short, bulky man a steely stare.
Frank Unthank shrugged his shoulders. ‘My youngest son. He was a fool to get caught. He will pay his dues, serve his time and be back working with me before too long – mark my words.’ He glared, looking over Sarah’s shoulder to where Alan stood. ‘That’s another score that needs settling. I’ll bide my time. However, I’m here to deliver this,’ he said, taking a white envelope from his pocket and holding it out to Alan. Sarah watched as Alan stepped forward and took it without saying one word.
‘Follow that to the letter – or else your little girl friend could have an accident. She made me promises she hasn’t kept,’ Unthank said, pointing to an ashen-faced Freda before returning his gaze to Sarah. ‘Nice to meet you, Mrs Gilbert. Perhaps we will meet again.’ He nodded towards the premises behind her. ‘And it’s a nice place you have here. You’d best take better care of it than you did of your workshop.’ With an unpleasant smile, he turned away.
Sarah threw herself at her husband, beating his chest with her fists. ‘What’s this all about? I demand you tell me right now. Why is he after you? And you . . .’ she said, looking to where Freda stood frozen to the spot. ‘Are you carrying on with my husband?’
By now, nearly everyone in the workshop was gazing out at the scene through the open doors. Betty hurriedly whispered in Douglas’s ear, then he banged his hand on the counter for attention. ‘Ladies and gentlemen – may I have your attention, please? The time is fast approaching for Lemuel and Sadie’s wedding. I suggest that the bride and her family go back to Freda’s to prepare. Perhaps Alan and those who are in the know about what has just happened here can stay and have a discussion.’
‘That’s a good idea,’ Mike Jackson said. ‘Gwyneth – would you walk Vera and Sadie back to the house? I think you should stay, Freda,’ he added as she went to follow the women. ‘Let’s clear the air, shall we?’
Freda nodded, and did her best not to look to where Sarah was being comforted by her father.
‘I have to get back to the staff canteen,’ Maureen said, giving Betty a beseeching look.
‘Stay here,’ Betty advised her as she reached for her handbag. ‘I’ll have the canteen covered even if I have to roll my sleeves up and do it myself.’ She patted Maureen’s arm. ‘Your family is more important than work right now.’
Maureen gave Betty a kiss on her powdered cheek before the Woolworths manageress ushered Vera and the wedding party from the shop.
‘I’ll go and ’elp Sadie in case she needs stitching into her frock. As much as I’d like to stay and find out what the hell is going on, I think someone should keep an eye on Vera and her tongue, or the whole town will know something’s afoot. Stay here,’ Maisie instructed her husband. ‘You may be needed, but please don’t get into any fights.’ She turned to Ruby. ‘Do you want to come with me?’
‘I’d best do that, as it’ll take more than one person to keep Vera quiet,’ Ruby said as Bob helped her into her coat. She straightened up with a visible effort after being seated for so long. ‘I take it you know some of what’s been going on here?’ she asked her husband, giving him a disapproving look.
‘I have a feeling I know part, but not all the picture,’ he said, looking at Freda, who nodded her head.
‘You’d better not have been up to no good, Bob Jackson,’ Ruby scolded. ‘I know the Unthank family from old, and there’s many a person come to no good after upsetting them. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to one of my loved ones.’
Bob gave Ruby a quick hug. ‘Now you’re talking daft. We just need to clear up a few things, and then I’ll be at the church.’
‘Well, don’t forget you need to come home for a shave and to put your best suit on. You are not going to church looking like that,’ she said, poking him in the chest.
Bob looked down at what he was wearing. It was his second-best suit, and a new pullover Ruby had knitted only weeks ago. He knew better than to argue.
‘Anyone else coming with us?’ Maisie asked.
‘I’m staying here – I want to know everything,’ Sarah said as she pulled away from her dad and poured herself a glass of sherry from the bottle on the shop counter. ‘I’m not leaving until it all comes out.’ She glared at Alan and Freda.
‘I’d best get going; I’m not really part of this,’ Tony said, picking up his jacket.
‘No, I want you to stay. You’re my friend and I want you here beside me. I don’t like keeping secrets,’ Freda said.
Sarah gave a harsh laugh, poured herself another sherry and raised the glass. ‘Here’s to secrets,’ she declared with a catch in her voice.
Maureen took the glass from her and led her to a chair. ‘Come on, love – I have a feeling you’ll need a clear head if you want to get to the bottom of whatever’s been going on. You don’t want to have a headache when those kiddies of yours wake you up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to tell you Father Christmas has arrived.’
Sarah gave her mother-in-law a weak smile. Saying nothing, she sat down to see what would unfold. Never in her life had she felt so tired or miserable, and it wasn’t the sherry c
ausing it.
Freda perched herself on the edge of the long wooden counter. She would back Alan up if the going got tough. She could see Sarah deep in thought, and was glad Maureen was there to calm her down. She didn’t blame her friend – and yes, she still thought of Sarah as her friend, although this business had come between them even if Sarah didn’t know what was behind the fire in the workshop or the reason Alan had changed in so many ways. Only the new shop and the thought of a light at the end of the tunnel had cheered him in past weeks.
‘Alan, am I right in thinking I’m the only one besides Sarah who hasn’t a clue what’s been going on here?’ Maureen asked. ‘I overheard something between you and Freda and should have tackled the pair of you at the time. I wish I had.’
Sarah looked to Tony and raised a questioning eyebrow.
‘I only know what Freda has told me,’ he apologized.
David Carlisle and Douglas Billington looked at each other before David spoke. ‘Along with our wives, we felt something wasn’t right. We had a chat and wanted to help. Hence offering you the premises for your business,’ he said. ‘We will stand by you, even if it means breaking the law. Friends come first.’
‘Now come on, lads. No one is talking about breaking the law. I’m thinking Alan and Freda are just in a bit of a fix. Isn’t that what Mike and I came across down in West Street a while back?’ Bob gave Freda an encouraging smile. ‘Why don’t you start by telling us what happened to you?’
Before Freda could respond, Alan walked into the middle of the room. He’d been leaning against the wall, watching his friends and family discuss his life. ‘I should speak, as I’m the one who caused all this mess. No,’ he said as Freda tried to interrupt, ‘I’ll tell everything.’
Sarah watched her husband as he explained how his workshop had started to go downhill after the GPO took away the contract for the maintenance and repair of their fleet of motorbikes. He had tried his utmost to find more work, and a glimmer of hope had come with the offer to bid for a smaller company’s fleet maintenance. But it had meant stocking up on parts, and he had needed money.
‘You should have come to me, Alan,’ George said, as he shook his head in sadness. ‘That’s what family are for.’
‘I wanted to sink or swim on my own,’ Alan replied.
‘You could have told me . . .’ Sarah said in disbelief. ‘You could have told me the business was in trouble. We could have thought this through together . . . That’s what married couples are meant to do – not keep secrets from one another.’
Alan ran his hand through his hair as he shook his head. ‘I thought I had the answer. I was told about someone who would give me a loan. It seemed the perfect answer. I’d borrow the money. Stock up on spares and win the new contract. No one need know, and the business would soon be thriving again,’ he said with a pleading look to Sarah.
‘But why tell Freda when you couldn’t tell me?’ she wailed.
‘Alan didn’t tell me. I found out, and I tackled him face to face,’ Freda said. ‘Then I made things worse. I tried to pay off some of the loan using my savings, but I angered Frank Unthank even more.’
‘You paid off some of my debt? Why didn’t you tell me?’ Alan said with a look of horror on his face.
‘Because it was the afternoon I knocked Tony off his bicycle, and with Lemuel arriving and promising to help, I thought it was best kept quiet. The money doesn’t matter.’
‘And I begged her not to say anything,’ Alan said, looking embarrassed.
‘I told Tony. The secret was chewing me up inside and I didn’t know who to turn to,’ Freda added, as Tony reached out and squeezed her hand to reassure her.
‘I was happy to be your confidant,’ he said.
‘Surely you knew how much money was owed?’ Maureen asked with a shocked look on her face. ‘Didn’t the man send you letters and statements? That would be the businesslike thing to do.’
‘Frank Unthank doesn’t do things by the book,’ Mike Jackson said. ‘He works outside the law, but no one has so far stepped forward with enough information for us to nab him. He deals in threats and violence. That’s the language he knows best.’
It was Lemuel’s turn to step forward. ‘I have seen the paperwork,’ he said to Maureen. ‘Unthank does not send statements – he sends threats, and with hundreds of pounds added for interest, the sum more than trebled. Not long after that the workshop caught fire. His son, who broke in, didn’t know I’d be there. The workshop should have been empty with you all at the wedding reception.’
‘I assume Unthank is even more angry, now that his son’s had his collar felt and will go to prison,’ Bob said thoughtfully. ‘How long do you think he’ll get, son?’ he asked Mike.
‘Six months at the most. He has a good solicitor, and from what I’ve been told their angle is that he went in through an open door and was helping himself to a few things when the fire started.’
Alan groaned. ‘Six months or six years, Unthank will be just as angry. I need him off my back or he’ll go for my family next. He said as much today.’
‘Then we pay him what he wants regardless of the interest, and that way he has no argument with any of us,’ George said. ‘I’ve got the money and it’s yours. It will come to you both when I’m gone, so you may as well have it now. I don’t want to be attending your funerals any time soon. That’s not the natural progression of life. Now, what’s the tally?’
Alan went to a small safe under the counter and pulled out a folder. Without saying a word, he passed it to George Caselton. He couldn’t have looked any more ashamed if he’d tried.
Sarah looked over her dad’s shoulder as he slid out a bundle of papers and looked at the latest. ‘How much?’ she all but screamed. ‘Five thousand pounds? That’s twice as much as a nice little house would cost. Whatever have you done to us, Alan?’
Alan gave her a look that begged her for forgiveness. ‘I only borrowed four hundred pounds. I’d paid some back, but he kept piling on the interest.’
‘I knocked fifty pounds off that sum,’ Freda said, horrified at how much the money Alan owed Unthank had grown. ‘That was on the day you rescued me at Unthank’s office,’ she said to Mike and Bob.
George raised his hand to silence them. ‘Mike, David, Douglas – will you accompany me to visit Mr Unthank. I’ll give him a personal cheque, and we can put this sorry business to bed before we celebrate Christmas.’
‘I’ll pay you back . . .’ Alan started to apologize.
‘There’s no need. I’d rather have a son in-law who’s alive than a grave to visit. As I said before, the money would go to you both eventually, so I’d rather it be made use of now than sit in the bank. Don’t you agree, my love?’ he said, looking to where Maureen was wiping her eyes.
‘I dare not think what could have happened,’ she sniffed. ‘Thank you, George. At least this sorry business is done and dusted.’
‘But it’s not,’ Sarah said, rising from her chair and facing Alan. ‘You may not have been carrying on with Freda, as I feared, but what you’ve done is just as bad. If you don’t mind,’ she said, turning to George and Maureen, ‘I’d like to come and stay with you for a while, and bring the children. I don’t want to sleep under the same roof as a man who doesn’t love me enough to confide in me. I’ll go home now and pack.’
‘I’ll help you, love,’ Maureen said as she followed Sarah to the door. ‘No, Alan,’ she said as her son made to go after them. ‘Let it be for now, eh? Given time, Sarah may just forgive you. I’ll make sure you get to see the children on Christmas morning,’ she added, looking close to tears again.
‘Sarah . . .?’ Freda said. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you anything. I promised Alan I wouldn’t . . .’
Sarah gave Freda a hard look. ‘You may not have been carrying on with my husband as I thought, but you did enough to ruin my marriage. Please . . . please just keep away from me,’ she said before hurrying from the shop.
Alan slumped onto Sara
h’s vacated seat, a picture of abject misery. ‘What the hell do I do now?’ he groaned.
‘What you do, son, is you get yourself cleaned up and you make sure this fine man here gets to church on time. Nothing is going to spoil his wedding day, and as best man it’s your duty to see it doesn’t. Give our Sarah time, and she’ll come around.’
‘I don’t feel like going to a wedding, not after all this,’ Freda said, looking sad.
George wagged his finger at the young woman. ‘You are going, and you will enjoy yourself. Aren’t you a bridesmaid? It would be a fine thing if the bride walked down the aisle with her bridesmaid missing. That would give Vera Munro something to gossip about, and no one needs that happening.’
Freda gulped back the lump that had formed in her throat and agreed.
‘I’ll make sure she does a good job, sir,’ Tony said as he took Freda’s hand and gave it a squeeze.
‘Take care of her. She’s a good kid,’ Alan said.
‘I’ll do that,’ Tony said with a gentle smile. ‘I’ll do that for as long as it takes.’
15
July 1948
‘Oh Betty, he’s adorable, and so like his handsome daddy,’ Freda cooed as she held young master Billington in her arms. A fluff of blond hair peeped out from a soft lemon bonnet, which Freda was pleased to see was one she’d knitted herself. ‘I can’t believe he’s already a month old; look how he’s grown. You are so lucky, Betty,’ she added as she kissed the baby’s little button nose and handed him back to his smiling mother.
‘I hope you don’t mind me taking over the office like this, Tony?’ Betty said as she handed the baby to Maureen, who was holding out her arms for a cuddle. ‘As it was, I fought my way through the store as customers and staff recognized me. Why, I’ve only been gone four months, for heaven’s sake.’
Wedding Bells for Woolworths Page 26