The House by the Brook

by The House by the Brook (retail) (epub)

  ‘If they see us they’ll tell us off, won’t they?’ Violet said.

  ‘Badgers Brook isn’t for sale you know,’ he replied with a frown.

  No one came and the fire slowly died out. Rhodri darted forward and moved the unburned wood so it was caught in the flames, then went back to Violet. ‘My wife was the one for fires. Marvellous she was. She could burn anything.’

  Violet’s eyes glowed in the flickering light from the final burst of flames. ‘She was my grandmother, wasn’t she?’ He seemed surprised, and smiling widely, agreed that she was. ‘Can I come with you again, Grandfather?’

  ‘I’ll throw something up at your window if I’m going anywhere interesting,’ he promised.

  ‘Gravel, or a piece of stick.’

  Like conspirators they parted at the house with whispered goodbyes, and Rhodri waited until the face reappeared in the window and the thin arm rose in a final wave before going inside for a few hours of sleep. He was whistling softly, the tune the early morning cyclist had been whistling: ‘When I’m Cleaning Windows’.

  He and Violet went out several more times, one night spending hours watching as the badgers from the sett in the wood foraged for their nightly feed. Time was forgotten as they saw the animals play, chasing each other between the rows of crops in the farmer’s field, eating noisily and with obvious enjoyment the grubs and small creatures they found. The crunch of peas in their powerful jaws wouldn’t please the farmer, although he objected to their snacking on his crops far less than he did to poachers. After all, the land had been theirs for many years, long before the ancient oaks had been cut down.

  After watching the badgers depart, back to their sett, they had sat in the kitchen of Badgers Brook for a long time, talking about the magical scene they had witnessed. When they suddenly realized that it was light they hurriedly ran out of the front door and towards the town.

  Police were everywhere. Roger called to let the others know she was found and ran to her, his relief showing in the anger he displayed. ‘Where have you been, you stupid girl?’

  Marie was sobbing as she ran and hugged her. ‘Are you all right? Did he hurt you? Did he make you go with him?’

  Tearfully, trying to hold on to Rhodri’s hand. Violet protested they’d had a lovely walk, but Rhodri was grabbed and taken away in a police car.

  Marie and Geoff were confused. They had no idea he’d been out. The following day the doctor made it clear she had failed her father-in-law, given him insufficient care, especially when he saw the room where Rhodri had been sleeping. ‘It won’t do, Mrs Masters. It really won’t do.’ The hospital took him back and insisted that it might be a long time before he was again released into her care.

  *

  The shop Marie had been employed to manage was depressing. The outside was painted brown but much of the paint had worn away, the weather having taken its toll through many winters and summers. The window was dressed to attract the older woman and had very little appeal even to the limited custom it hoped to coax through its door. Heavy vests, huge knickers, lisle stockings and corsets had been given valuable window space, and these Marie hid away in a drawer hoping she would never be asked for them. It was no longer going to be that kind of shop. Clothes were rationed but, after all, the coupons were used, and she was determined that, once she had taken over, more ladies of the town would be spending their precious allocation with her.

  Living behind Geoff’s shop, it was easy to spend time browsing through the tins of paint, choosing suitable colours. The changes would be dramatic rather than tentative, she decided, and she chose a buttercup yellow for the paintwork outside and a paler primrose yellow for the shop itself.

  ‘I swore I’d never touch another paint brush,’ she said to Geoff with a wry smile, ‘but it seems that if I want the work done I’ll have to do it myself or accept the state of the place as it is. I’m determined to make a success of this, so out come the tools and on come the old clothes again.’

  ‘I’ll help,’ Geoff promised.

  Cleaning the place was hard, but compared to the awful mess they had dealt with in Badgers Brook the job was a small one. She found some curtaining in a second-hand shop which she draped across the space – little more than a cupboard – that had been allocated as a fitting room, and in a week the place was transformed. Mrs Nerys Bowen was delighted.

  Buying was a complicated business and something Marie had never done. Nerys, a lady of sixty-two, dealt with officialdom with a confident manner and a very loud voice, leaving Marie to select the clothes she wanted to stock. It was June, and with the early arrival of hot summer days, the holiday season was well into its stride. Even so, Marie was careful not to over-stock on summer things. Autumn was when she planned to start her advertising campaign.

  The arrival of the New Look, with designs showing an hourglass figure courtesy of Christian Dior, aroused great interest, but Marie only bought a few moderate examples. The best were so smart they would be remembered, and the fashion-conscious wouldn’t like wearing them too many times. With fourteen clothing coupons needed to buy a suit, it was an extravagance many would avoid.

  As usual with a new business, people came out of curiosity but many were tempted by the bright new dresses and jackets that Marie had chosen as a speciality for the season’s outfits.

  The shop was in Steeple Street, on a corner opposite Geoff’s hardware store, and Violet was content to go there after school, watching her mother’s skilful sales technique and occasionally helping in the fashion shop by tidying the small space. She began taking a sketch book, drawing the outfits and some of the customers.

  One day as Marie was serving their supper she showed her book to Geoff.

  ‘Who’s this?’ he asked, pointing to the round-faced woman with short, tightly curled hair and small rather piercing eyes, drawn cartoon-like standing beside the shop’s counter.

  ‘Oh, she’s called a couple of times but she never buys,’ Violet said airily. ‘A nosy parker, Mam says, wanting nothing more than a snoop around. Why, d’you think my drawing’s good?’

  ‘Very good,’ Geoff said seriously. The drawing, although in the exaggerated style of a cartoon, looked remarkably like the woman who had been arm in arm with Ivor.

  Was she snooping, as Violet had remarked? Not to examine the clothes on sale, but to report back to Ivor? To assure him that his wife was managing well without him and he needn’t worry? He watched as Marie, smiling at her daughter and sons, served the stew she had prepared using bacon bones begged from the grocer for flavour.

  She seemed to be coping so well after the shock of Ivor’s departure. He couldn’t tell her what he’d learned about Ivor’s own situation. If she found out form someone else, then it would be him to whom she would turn for comfort, and he wanted that more and more every day.

  *

  Effie went back to Ivor and assured him that she had seen Marie and the shop where she now worked and all seemed to be well with her.

  ‘And you’re sure my father isn’t with them?’ Ivor asked anxiously.

  ‘Quite sure. They have rooms in Geoff Tanner’s house, but don’t worry. I gathered from talking to a few people that Marie and Violet share a room, so you don’t have to worry about Marie being disloyal.’

  ‘Her loyalty’s certain. And more than I deserve.’

  ‘I did see your father there earlier, but I gather he’s been taken away by ambulance, wandering around at night and taking a young girl with him.’ She omitted to tell him the young girl had been his daughter.

  ‘And they’re all safe?’

  ‘Safe and apparently very happy,’ she said, hoping his dream of going back to them would slowly fade. ‘I think they are happier, from what you told me about them, more settled. Marie is relaxed and she smiles a lot. The boys are working hard. I suppose they’ve begun to pull together, that always brings families closer, doesn’t it?’

  ‘We were all very happy until I found my father and tried to help him.’
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  ‘Maybe you were, maybe you weren’t,’ she said, ‘but if you’d been really together, you and Marie, wouldn’t you have told her the truth before you married her?’ He looked stricken but didn’t reply. She went on softly, ‘Now you can tell me anything, anything at all, can’t you?’

  ‘Yes, but with Marie there was so much more at risk than with you. I loved her. I always will.’

  It was Effie’s turn to look stricken. ‘Of course, I can understand I’m not so important, Ivor, dear. But your reluctance still shows a lack of trust in Marie, doesn’t it?’

  Ivor was too unhappy to realize he had hurt her feelings.

  A few days later he told her he was considering a change of occupation. ‘Instead of going from house to house collecting the weekly insurance payments, I’ve been offered a position in the office. My employers know I’m studying for an accountancy qualification and they encourage me. They’re promised me time to study and even offer financial assistance to pay for books and other needs.’

  ‘I do give some good advice then? Suggesting you tried your accountancy exams?’

  ‘I’ll always be grateful to you for that, and for listening to my tale of woe.’

  ‘Wait a moment, this is beginning to sound like goodbye.’

  He still dreamed of one day returning to Marie and the children, but apart from missing them dreadfully, he had no complaints about his new life. ‘No, I’m not going anywhere. For one thing I can’t afford anything better, can I? I have to continue sending money to Marie.’

  Effie was a good friend, Ivor mused. She was supportive of his ambitions and, when they went out once a week as a break from the routine of study, she was excellent company, light-hearted and easy to talk to. She boosted his confidence when he felt low and by encouraging him to achieve his qualification she unknowingly reinforced his belief that one day he and Marie would be reunited.

  Borrowing a car one day he took her out for a drive. He felt she deserved it after all the help she had given him. They went to Pembroke and found a secluded beach, where they sat for a while and talked. It was then that she began to talk about her own background and admitted that when she was only sixteen she’d had a child.

  ‘You poor girl! What happened to it?’ Ivor asked, at once concerned.

  ‘I was sent away and the little girl was taken from me straight after the birth. I wasn’t allowed to see her.’

  ‘Didn’t the father intervene?’

  ‘No. He denied it and walked away leaving me to the shame and humiliation. My parents have had little to do with me since. I worked in hotels where the accommodation was part of the wage, and it wasn’t until a few months ago that I found a job that paid well enough for me to afford this boarding house.’

  ‘Where is the father now? Do you see him or at least know where he lives?’

  ‘Oh yes. I know where he lives.’

  *

  Jennie began to look out for Bill’s return whenever he went out. Working shifts at the railway station he was at home at irregular times. Despite her determination to avoid him, his comings and goings were the pattern of her pleasure. After trying to ignore him, keep out of his way, he had worn her resistance down and now she was waiting for the small gifts of his attention like a lovesick schoolgirl.

  When he was in the house, darting glances at her, looking at her with longing, she was alive. When he was away from her it was as though all the warmth and love she yearned for had been taken from her. Occasionally they would find themselves alone in the house and he would hold her in his arms as though she were the most precious thing. Then he would ease away from her with an expression of such regret that her need of him increased to a pitch where she was prepared to take a chance on their being discovered.

  There were times when she wondered if he was playing with her affection, teasing her for his own amusement. He had never wanted her to marry his father, believed her to be a cheap tart, and this could be his revenge. But then she would see him, recognize the hurt in his eyes and know that although theirs was an impossible love, it was real.

  The inevitable happened one evening in late June, when Ernie had gone to his club to meet friends. Believing she was alone in the house, Jennie had bathed and was sitting listening to the wireless, dressed in a silky kimono, a shawl around her shoulders, drinking a cup of tea before going to bed.

  The door opened and closed and, although it was early, she called, believing it to be Ernie.

  ‘I’m in here, Ernie, dear. Would you like a hot drink before bed?’

  ‘Dad won’t be home for more than an hour. He’s at his club.’ His breathless voice startled her and she stood up. As she turned he came towards her so they collided, and neither had the strength to move away.

  *

  There was a celebration at the shop in Steeple Street. Geoff had told them that Badgers Brook was ready for their return. He also told them he had bought it and the tenancy was safely in Marie’s name. ‘Only until Ivor comes back,’ he added, ‘then the rent book will be transferred to him.’ He wanted to be sure she didn’t turn the offer down for fear of proprietary interest on his part.

  ‘It was meant to be,’ he told Marie and an excited Violet and the twins. ‘Apparently a couple of prospective purchasers went to see it but couldn’t find it. Someone had taken down the For Sale notice and burned it in the wood.’

  ‘It was us!’ Violet shouted. ‘Grandfather and I did it! He said it was wrong, that the house was ours, and said the notice had to be burned. So he took it into the wood and I gave him some matches and we had a wonderful bonfire.’

  ‘Violet, love, I think it’s best you keep it as our secret. Can you do that?’ Geoff asked. ‘If you tell anyone we might have to give the house back.’

  ‘We can tell grandfather though, can’t we?’

  ‘I’ll take you with me when I go to see him,’ Marie said, hugging the excited child, ‘and you can tell him yourself.’

  Violet clapped her hands and danced around. ‘He said his wife – my grandmother – was very good at fires, but I think he’s very good too, don’t you?’

  Anxious looks passed between Marie and Geoff, who said, ‘I think that’s part of our secret too.’

  Violet nodded agreement.

  Rhodri came out of hospital after three weeks, and soon began going out at night again. Sometimes, when she was woken by gravel chattering against her window, Violet went with him. She would appear at the door with whispered greetings and offer her hand before walking with him to watch the badgers until dawn began to lighten the summer skies.

  *

  Effie told Ivor the news she had learned from a visit to the local shops not far from Steeple Street. ‘Your Marie is moving back to the house near the wood now the repairs are done.’ Putting the strongest slant on it she said, ‘Geoff has bought it for her. That’s a surprise, isn’t it? People are beginning to suspect they’re getting close. What do you think’? She touched his arm affectionately. ‘No one has suggested that he’s moving in with them, mind, but it’s possible.’

  ‘Of course it isn’t. Marie wouldn’t do anything to embarrass the children, for one thing.’

  ‘I just wanted to prepare you, so you won’t have such a shock. After all, everyone knows you left her, so there’ll be some sympathy for her.’

  ‘I don’t want to think about it,’ Ivor said angrily.

  ‘Pity, because I’ve had an idea that you might like to consider. If we shared a room, it would be much cheaper. You could put a bit of money by for the future.’

  ‘We couldn’t do that!’

  ‘Don’t worry, I’m not suggesting anything improper. We could arrange for the room to be partitioned at night, so we have a private sleeping area each.’ She put a newspaper in front of him and pointed to an advertisement in the rooms to let column, tapping it with her stubby fingers.

  He pushed it away, and after a pause she said sadly, ‘All right then, I might as well tell you. There are rumours about your wife and
Geoff, and it seems highly possible that they are more than friends.’ She was lying, but doubted whether he would go and investigate. He couldn’t face his wife, and unless he heard a denial from her lips he would never be sure. Working on his sense of failure would be easy. He was so ready to believe that Geoff was a better man than he.

  She concentrated on making herself indispensable to him. She anticipated many of his needs, bought his newspaper on mornings he was a bit late, ran errands in her lunchtime, returned his library books and chose others; she took his shirts to the laundry and collected them. She wanted him to know he could rely on her, believe that she cared.

  One morning a letter came for him and she stared at the envelope as though X-ray vision would reveal the contents. It was hand-written but didn’t look official and she was tempted to open it. Could it be from his wife? If so she didn’t want him to see it. After a glance around to make sure she was unobserved she slipped it behind the hall mirror. He didn’t need any contact with Cwm Derw; she would fill his life from now on.

  He was more relaxed with her, accepting her friendly overtures, and flattered her with praise for her thoughtfulness. Sharing a room with him would be a big step forward in her plan to make him forget Marie and the children. She would make him think of his earlier life as a boring overture to the big performance, herself and Ivor in the love of the century.

  Over the next few weeks as June drifted lazily out in a heat haze to make way for July, they went to see several rooms, many of which he discarded as being impossible to segregate into his and hers sleeping quarters. In the first week of a hot, steamy July, they found one that suited and moved in.

  The letter from Geoff, telling Ivor of his father’s release from hospital, remained hidden behind the mirror in the lodging house from where Ivor and Effie had just moved.

  Nine

  ‘I can’t believe we’re moving again!’ Marie stared at the chaos of boxes around her then looked at Geoff. He stood with one hand on a hip, waiting for her to tell him which of the mysterious symbols indicated the first box to be loaded on to his van.