by Kitty Neale
Slowly Lily lifted her head again to meet his eyes. ‘You haven’t upset me. I…I like you too.’
Pete’s eyes widened with amazement. ‘You…you do?’
‘Yes, but I feel like my life is on hold. I can’t move forward, I’m stuck, waiting for Ron to show his face.’
‘Lily, you’ve done all you can to find him. I understand that you feel your life is on hold, but he may never turn up. How long are you prepared to wait?’
‘I dunno, Pete. I wish I did. Mind you, if he does come home I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive him for putting me through this.’
‘Yeah, he’s my mate—at least he was—but I could kill him for doing this to you, and to Mavis.’
Lily smiled. ‘I wouldn’t want you to go that far.’
Once again, Pete’s face reddened as shyly he said, ‘Lily, if I’ve got a chance with you, I’m prepared to wait, for as long as it takes.’
‘Oh, Pete,’ Lily said as she looked at this man, one who had been so good to her since Ron had disappeared. He’d not only paid for her mother’s funeral, but since then, despite her protesting, he’d never failed so turn up without something for the cupboard, along with a joint for Sundays, which she’d insisted that he share. She knew the neighbours were talking and hated it, making sure that at least Kate knew that she and Pete were just friends. When he left she made a great show of calling goodbye before loudly closing the door, but despite that she suspected the gossips were still at it. With her conscience clear, she could still look them in the eye, and would continue to do so. No matter what she felt for Pete, no matter how frustrated, she was still a married woman. ‘I can’t expect you to wait. It wouldn’t be fair.’
‘I don’t mind.’
‘You may not be saying that if another eight months passes.’
‘Lily, you’re worth waiting for, and I’d happily take on Mavis too.’
‘You’re right about her. She is blossoming and hardly a child now,’ Lily said, smiling fondly at Pete. Mavis had been working for Mrs Pugh for a year now, and, as the woman had predicted, she had taught the girl a lot. The coat she had once given Mavis had been too big for her at first, but now she was filling it out, and since working for the woman her daughter had become almost fastidious with cleanliness. She washed from top to toe almost every day, and how she had managed that in the outhouse during the cold winter months was beyond Lily. Still, with the house cleaning experience she’d gained, another job had come in, then another, both in Chelsea. Mavis now worked six hours a day, and at weekends she still did another two for Mrs Pugh. Mavis was earning a fair bit of money, and Lily didn’t know what she’d do without it.
‘Lily, I know I said I’d wait,’ Pete said, snapping Lily out of her thoughts, ‘but surely there’s no harm in a cuddle?’
No, there isn’t, she decided, and rising to her feet Lily stepped into Pete’s arms. It felt wonderful to be held, to feel his muscular body against hers. She pressed against him, aroused by the touch of a man after so long, but then gasping she pulled away. ‘No, no, we mustn’t.’
‘It’s all right, Lily, I just want to hold you. I won’t let it go any further.’
She sank back into his arms again. She was still married to Ron, yet the temptation was so strong, her need so great that Lily wondered how much longer she could hold out before she allowed Pete to give her the comfort she craved.
‘Mavis, you’re early,’ Alec Pugh said as he stood aside to let her in.
‘I’m sorry. I hope your mother won’t mind,’ she said, taking off her coat.
Alec’s eyes widened. Mavis looked lovely, the blue of her cardigan deepening the blue of her eyes, and dark, shiny hair framing her face. She no longer looked like the scruffy and dirty waif who had first come to work for his mother, but when had she changed? Why hadn’t he noticed?
‘Er…er, I’m sure Mother won’t mind,’ he said, feeling suddenly tongue-tied. ‘She’s in the living room. Go on through.’
Alec followed Mavis, to hear his mother say, ‘Mavis, how pretty you look. Happy birthday, my dear, and here, I’ve got something for you.’
‘Oh, you shouldn’t have.’
Alec couldn’t take his eyes off of Mavis. It was as though he was seeing her for the first time; the gentle curve of her cheek, full lips, and her pretty white teeth when she smiled.
‘Go on, Mavis, open it,’ he heard his mother urge. ‘It’s from both Alec and I.’
This was news to Alec. He’d had no idea it was Mavis’s birthday, but he watched as she unwrapped the gift.
There was a small gasp of pleasure as Mavis held up the necklace. Alec frowned. Surely it was one of his mother’s? The aquamarine stone in the small pendant looked familiar, and wasn’t the chain gold?
‘Mrs Pugh, I can’t take this,’ Mavis protested.
‘Nonsense, of course you can. You’ve come a long way, Mavis, and it’s no more than you deserve. Now come on, put it on and let’s see how it looks.’
Mavis’s fingers trembled as she unfastened the tiny clasp, and when she put the chain around her neck, fumbling, Alec found his eyes widening again, astounded at his mother’s words.
‘Alec, don’t just stand there. Give Mavis a hand.’
Shyly he moved forward and as Mavis lifted the back of her hair, he found himself transfixed by the sight of her long, white neck. His hands shook, but at last he managed to fasten the chain, hoping that Mavis had been unaware of his nerves.
‘It looks lovely on you, Mavis. Don’t you think so, Alec?’
‘Er…yes, very nice.’
Mavis spun round, her eyes sparkling. ‘Oh, thank you, thank you both so much.’
‘You’re welcome, my dear. I have another surprise too. I managed to ice the fruit cake you made yesterday, and after you’ve finished work I’d like to ask you to join us for a birthday lunch.’
‘Me…you’re asking me to lunch!’
‘Yes, that’s if you haven’t got to rush off?’
‘No, no, I haven’t.’
‘Good, and now we’ve sorted that out, I think I’d like a nice cup of coffee. Mavis, would you mind making it, and Alec, you can give her a hand.’
‘It’s all right, I can manage,’ Mavis protested.
‘I know you can, but Alec can carry the tray through.’
Mavis left the room without further protest and Alec followed. His mother usually advised him to avoid girls like the plague, so what the hell was she up to? Perhaps she still saw Mavis as a child, had been blind to the gentle swell of her breasts, but Alec certainly wasn’t. Mavis was sixteen now, old enough, but if his mother saw that he was interested in her, she’d get rid of her like a shot.
Mavis was pink-cheeked as Alec stood watching while she made the coffee. When she came to Mrs Pugh’s during the week, he wasn’t there, and even at weekends she saw little of him. In fact, until now he’d hardly spared her a glance, and, feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny, she wished it had stayed that way. She would never forget her first encounter with Alec. It had been over a year ago and she’d still been at school. He had made her feel like dirt, but recalling how dreadful she must have looked maybe it wasn’t surprising. Mavis loved working for Mrs Pugh and had been taught so much, not only about cleaning, but personal hygiene too. She wondered if Alec knew that his mother allowed her to take a bath every week. When it came to housework, at first she’d thought that Mrs Pugh’s standards were excessive, but her lessons had served to make sure that the other women she worked for had no room for complaint.
‘It…it’s ready if you’d like to take it through,’ she stammered.
‘Aren’t you having one?’
‘Me? No, I’ve got cleaning to do and had better make a start.’
‘Surely as you’re early, there’s no rush?’
‘Well, no, I suppose not, but I’d rather get on with it.’
‘Please yourself,’ he said rather curtly as he picked up the tray to take through to his mother.
When Alec left the kitchen, Mavis breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, he had made her feel uncomfortable, even more so when his eyes had continuously strayed to her breasts.
She had just begun to relax when Alec came back in again, saying, ‘Mavis, my mother insists that you join her for coffee.’
‘Oh…oh, right,’ she said. ‘I’ll just get another cup.’
When they returned to the living room, Edith Pugh said, ‘There you are, Mavis. Do sit down, my dear, and, Alec, pour the coffee.’
He did as he was asked, and Mavis was surprised to see how his hands shook as he handed her a cup. ‘Thank you.’
‘Alec has just been promoted, Mavis. Isn’t that wonderful?’
‘Er…yes.’
‘Of course, I’m not surprised. He works in the accounts department at Tate & Lyle and is very well thought of.’
Surprised, Mavis looked at Alec. ‘You’re…you’re an accountant?’
‘No, I’m just a wages clerk.’
‘Yes, but it’s a very important position,’ his mother insisted.
Alec drank the last of his coffee and then stood up. ‘Right, Mum, I’ll go and get your prescription now.’
‘Thank you, darling.’
Mavis too stood up. ‘I’ll get on with the bedrooms.’
‘No, sit down, Mavis. There’s no hurry and we may as well finish this pot of coffee.’
‘See you later,’ Alec called as he left the room.
‘Do pour us both another cup,’ Edith Pugh urged, ‘and then you can tell me why you looked so upset when you first arrived. Don’t look so surprised. I know you tried to hide it, but I’m not blind, you know.’
‘It…it’s just that my father didn’t send me a birthday card.’
‘Oh, dear, no wonder you’re upset.’
When her father had first gone missing and her mother had been so angry that she refused to talk about it, Mavis found herself confiding in Mrs Pugh. She had been so kind, and until now Mavis had clung to her assurances that eventually he’d come home. ‘I don’t think my father will ever come back.’
‘Don’t give up, Mavis. Now come on, cheer up and tell me, did your mother buy you that pretty cardigan?’
‘No, it was Pete, my dad’s friend. He’s always round our place now.’ And unable to stop, Mavis blurted, ‘He…he sits in my dad’s chair, and today he called me his girl. I ain’t his girl, Mrs Pugh. I ain’t.’
‘Mavis, I know you’re upset and it’s understandable, but don’t forget your diction. Ain’t sounds so common.’
‘Yes, yes, sorry,’ Mavis mumbled. She knew Mrs Pugh found her diction grating and did her best to speak nicely in front of her.
‘Oh, Mavis, I can see I’ve upset you. And on your birthday too.’
‘No, no, it isn’t you. It…it’s just that Pete seems to be taking my dad’s place.’
‘He could never do that, my dear. But tell me, you said he’s always at your house. Does he sleep there too?’
‘Oh, no. He comes round a couple of evenings a week, and every weekend, but he doesn’t stay.’
‘And it upsets you to see him?’
Mavis had seen the way her mother sometimes looked at Pete, and he at her, but was unable to articulate her fears, just mumbling, ‘Yes.’
‘Well, then, when he’s at your house, why don’t you come round here? You’d be very welcome.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes, really,’ Edith Pugh said. ‘Come again this evening. Alec is usually busy with his hobbies and it would be nice to have your company. There is so much I’d still like to teach you and it would be the ideal opportunity.’
Mavis was thrilled. She enjoyed being with Mrs Pugh, loved her house, and once again it felt as though she’d found a refuge. ‘I…I’d love that.’
‘Right, that’s settled then. Time to get on with some work, and, after you’ve done the bedrooms, you can help me to make the sandwiches for lunch.’
Smiling now, Mavis went upstairs to the already immaculate bedrooms. She took clean linen from the landing closet, and then stripped off Alec’s bed. They had clean linen every week, and to Mavis this was sheer luxury. How lucky Alec was. He lived in this house with its inside lavatory and bathroom, but most of all, he had a wonderful mother.
Edith was smiling. It was as though the gods were on her side. She had been in dread of Alec bringing a girl home, one who might be strong-minded and, if they married, would want a home of her own. Or one who, even if she agreed to live here, would want to take over and do things her own way. No, no, Edith didn’t want that. After all, she told herself, Alec was fastidious, used to her standards, and he’d be dreadfully unhappy if he married a slovenly girl.
Edith had long decided that, unbeknownst to Alec, she would find him a suitable wife, but had been on tenterhooks, worrying that in the meantime he would find someone that she didn’t approve of.
Edith smiled again. Her worries were over now. In Mavis, as hoped, she had found the ideal candidate. Mavis was lonely, shy, with no friends of her own age and that was just what Edith wanted. Not only that, Mavis was pretty presentable now, and as planned, from the look on Alec’s face today, he had at last noticed her. Yes, she was still only sixteen, but that suited Edith just fine. Mavis was still so innocent, so unspoiled and malleable, the perfect choice.
When Mavis and Alec married, there’d be no question of them finding a home of their own. No, they would continue to live here, and Edith would remain in control, ensuring that as her multiple sclerosis worsened she’d have someone to look after her, and her son would have a perfectly biddable wife.
Of course, Edith knew that she daren’t rush things. After all, she didn’t want to frighten Mavis off, but with the girl calling round more often, surely things would move along nicely.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
‘Where the bloody hell have you been?’ Lily snapped as her daughter walked in the door.
‘Mrs Pugh invited me to stay on for a birthday lunch. She even iced a cake for me with candles on it too.’
‘So you just decided to stay.’
‘Well…yes.’
‘How many times have I told you to come straight home after work? You should have been back by midday, but instead stroll in here at four. Didn’t it occur to you that I might be worried about you?’
‘I’m sorry, Mum. I didn’t think.’
‘If you had half a brain you’d have more sense.’
‘Lily, she’s home now,’ Pete placated.
‘I should give her a bloody good hiding.’
‘There’s no need for that. There’s no harm done and I’m sure Mavis won’t do it again.’ And as his eyes flicked to Mavis he added gently, ‘Ain’t that right, love?’
Mavis didn’t answer him and Lily bristled with anger. She was fed up with the way her daughter behaved around Pete, maintaining a surly attitude towards the man who showed her nothing but kindness. She’d spoken to Mavis time and time again, told her it had to stop, but nothing worked. She had always been obedient, doing as she was told without argument, but when it came to Pete her daughter continually defied her and Lily had had enough. ‘Pete asked you a question! Answer it.’
Mavis hung her head, saying nothing, and Lily surged to her feet. She marched up to her daughter and, as Mavis looked up, Lily swung her hand to slap her full across the face. ‘Get out of my sight!’ she spat. ‘Go to your room and don’t come down until you’re ready to apologise.’
Holding her cheek, Mavis fled, running upstairs and out of sight as Pete said, ‘Lily, you shouldn’t have done that. It’ll only make things worse.’
‘She deserved it.’
‘She’s still pining for her dad, and probably thinks I’m trying to take his place. Maybe it would help if I didn’t come round so often.’
‘No, Pete, I’m not going to let Mavis drive you out. It’s up to me who comes to my house, not her.’
‘All right, but let me talk to her. It might help.’ ‘Go ahead, but
she ain’t coming down here unless you get an apology.’
Mavis heard a soft knock on her door, and when it opened Pete stuck his head inside. She turned her back towards him, curling into a ball.
‘Mavis, can I come in?’
She didn’t answer him.
‘Mavis, listen. I know you miss your dad, but, honestly, I’m not trying to step into his shoes. I know I couldn’t do that, but I care about your mum, and you. I’m just trying to look after the pair of you, that’s all.’
Mavis still said nothing and heard his heavy sigh, but when he began to talk again, she just wanted to drown out the sound of his voice.
‘Come on, Mavis, this can’t go on. It’s making your mum unhappy and she’s got enough on her plate as it is. I told her I’d come round less often, but she doesn’t want that. She’s lonely, Mavis, and misses your dad too. For her sake, can’t we at least call a truce?’
When Pete’s hand came out to touch her shoulder, Mavis shrugged it off. ‘Le…leave me alone.’
Pete’s voice hardened. ‘All right, please yourself, but this is your mother’s house and, as she said, it’s up to her who comes into it. She wants me here, so I won’t be staying away. It’s up to you, Mavis. You can make an effort to at least be civil to me, or you can carry on like this and be sent to your room every time I show my face.’
Or she could go round to Mrs Pugh’s, Mavis thought, but then realised that Pete was right. If she wasn’t nice to him, instead of being allowed to go out, she’d be made to stay up here.
‘Well, Mavis, what’s it to be? Can I tell your mother you’ve apologised?’
With no other choice, Mavis nodded her head. ‘Yes.’
‘Good girl, now come on, come downstairs.’
When they walked into the kitchen, Pete said, ‘It’s all right, Lily. Me and Mavis had a little talk and everything’s all right now.’
‘It better be, my girl,’ Lily warned.
‘I…I’m sorry, Mum,’ Mavis said, forcing a contrite expression.
‘I should think so too.’
‘I tell you what,’ Pete suggested. ‘After all this upset, I think we could do with a little treat. It’s still Mavis’s birthday, so how about I pop out to get fish and chips for our dinner?’