When the Clouds Go Rolling By

by June Francis

‘Let the little lass go,’ he growled, ‘or it’ll be the worse for ye, laddie.’

  ‘Get out of my way,’ snarled Flora’s captor. ‘I’d shoot you as soon as look at you.’

  ‘Yer asked for it,’ said Mr Moran and he went for him.

  The sound of the gun going off so shocked Clara that, for a moment, she could not move. Then she stared in dismay at Mr Moran as he buckled at the knees and fell to the ground. Blood seeped through the fingers clutching his shirt just beneath his shoulder.

  Freddie was not so immobilised and he launched himself at the gunman. A smack on the jaw with the butt of the gun sent Freddie crashing to the ground. Terrified that the man might yet shoot again, Clara darted forward and seized hold of Flora. ‘Let her go!’ she cried.

  ‘You bloody let go,’ said her captor, struggling to hold the girl.

  Clara was aware of the smell of peppermints and eau-de-cologne as she gazed into the snarling face. She saw what she was later to think of as pure evil in the vivid blue eyes. Her heart was pounding with fear but still she refused to let go of Flora. The girl had begun to stir and struggle and Clara had trouble holding her. Then the sound of the gun going off so close to her ear almost deafened her. She felt the wind of the bullet as it narrowly missed her cheek. Then, suddenly, she and Flora were tumbling backwards.

  Clara landed on her back on the pavement, still holding the girl. She lay there, gasping for air, half expecting to hear the gun go off again. Instead, there was the sound of running feet and she managed to lift her head and realised that the gunman had escaped. Hastily, she looked in Freddie’s direction and saw that his eyes were open. He smiled lopsidedly at Clara and got to his feet.

  People began to appear as if from nowhere. ‘He’s got away,’ said one of the neighbours. ‘What’s the world coming to when one hears guns going off outside your own front door on an Easter Sunday?’

  Freddie did not answer but went over to Clara. ‘Are you OK?’ he asked, taking Flora from her. The child clung to him.

  ‘Just a bit shaken,’ replied Clara, noticing that his jaw was bruised and swollen.

  He looked relieved. ‘Thank God for that. Blast! I should have been of more help, but Hanny was right, if it was Bert – and who else could it be? – he was bloody strong.’

  ‘He smelt of peppermints and eau-de-cologne.’

  Freddie stared at her. ‘It is our Bert. I remember he used to be forever sucking mints. Damn. I wish he hadn’t got away.’

  ‘Never mind him now. What do we do about him?’ asked Clara, gazing down at Mr Moran, who still lay on the ground, bleeding from the shoulder.

  The woman who had spoken before, said, ‘I have a telephone. I’ll call the local exchange and ask them to get in touch with the police and the hospital.’

  Freddie thanked her. A man standing nearby was complaining that such hooligans should be hanged and offered to go in search of the bobby on the beat.

  Suddenly, there was a commotion from the direction of Hanny and Kenny’s home. Joy, Tilly, Alice, Seb and James came into view. Alice looked frightened and immediately went up to Freddie and took Flora from him. Her daughter put her arms round her neck and said, ‘Mummy, Mummy, the nasty man hit me!’

  ‘I know, sweetheart. Emma’s daughter said a man carried you away.’ Alice hugged Flora to her. ‘Is this him on the ground?’ she asked in a shaking voice as she turned and looked down at the prone figure.

  But before Flora could speak, Clara said, ‘It wasn’t your father.’ She watched the colour drain from Alice’s face as she recognised the man. ‘He stood up to him and got shot for his bravery.’

  Tilly looked down at the injured man. ‘Isn’t he the one we saw the other day, Clara?’ Her voice trailed off and she took a deep breath before adding, ‘You did say “your father” to Alice, didn’t you?’

  ‘Yes,’ said Clara, looking at Alice. ‘Bert had a gun.’ She turned to Freddie. ‘At least, we presume that’s who it was, don’t we?’

  Freddie’s eyes were stormy. ‘I don’t think it was a coincidence that the man who attempted to abduct Flora was dressed just like this poor fella. I’m sure it was Bert. I just didn’t think he’d have a go at us so soon. I should have gone after him. In fact, I think I will try and find him.’

  Clara grabbed his sleeve. ‘He’s had a running start on you and, with it being Easter, he’ll have lost himself in the crowds by now.’

  ‘Our Hanny babbled something about Bert being alive to me earlier. I told her I didn’t believe it. Are you saying now that it’s true?’ asked Joy in a shaky voice.

  ‘It’s true all right,’ said Alice, hugging her daughter tightly. ‘He would have kidnapped Flora if it hadn’t been for Freddie and Clara.’

  ‘No. Clara said it was your father… my father… who was shot trying to stop him,’ said Tilly in wonder, bending down over Mal Moran. ‘We must take him to the hospital.’

  ‘A neighbour’s phoning for an ambulance,’ said Clara. ‘We need to stem the blood, though.’

  ‘Here, use this,’ said Freddie, handing his handkerchief to Tilly.

  Alice gazed down at the figure on the ground and, for several moments, did not speak or move. Then she said, tightlipped, ‘Are you sure he wasn’t in league with Bert?’

  Joy gazed down at the wounded man and said in an odd tone, ‘This is Mrs Black’s gardener. I couldn’t remember where I’d seen him before. She called him Malcolm but it never occurred to me that he could be Mr Moran. He couldn’t possibly be in league with Bert. My brother hated him for what he did to Mother.’

  ‘Mrs Black! I should have known she’d be involved with him somehow,’ said Alice with loathing in her voice. ‘All this time I’ve wondered where he was and he’s been with her.’

  ‘Not with her,’ said Joy hastily. ‘He lives in the gatehouse. I knew he was from the asylum and I just presumed he was one of her lame dogs. If I’d known his true identity, I’m not sure what I’d have done, because he works hard and has never hurt anyone while he’s been there.’

  ‘If he intended no one any harm, then what’s he doing here?’ asked Alice, her green eyes as hard as glass.

  ‘I can answer that, lassie,’ muttered her father, wincing and shifting uncomfortably on the ground and glancing away from Tilly’s pretty face, so close to his as she attempted to stem the blood. ‘I know ye have reason to hate me, but I’ve never stopped caring for yer, Alice. I’ve longed to beg for yer forgiveness, little as I deserve it. But Eudora insisted that I kept ma distance from ma children. But I grew desperate and wanted to see ye and Matilda.’

  ‘I don’t want to hear this.’ Alice’s voice was strained. ‘You were forever asking Mam to forgive you but you still beat her.’

  A spasm of pain crossed his face. ‘I was mad, lass,’ he groaned. ‘Yer must have realised that. She knew something was up with me when I was getting pains in ma head. She forgave me time and time again because she lived her faith. If I could change things I would, but it’s too late now for that.’ He closed his eyes.

  Tilly let out a cry and held up the blood-soaked handkerchief. ‘This isn’t the right time for recriminations. He’s hurt and, whatever he’s done wrong, if it weren’t for him we wouldn’t have Flora with us now. You heard what Clara said.’ She dropped the handkerchief and, placing her hands beneath her skirts, tugged down her petticoat, while Clara became the focus of several pairs of eyes.

  ‘Yes, Clara, why didn’t you tell us that you’d seen this man loitering outside our house? You knew that Tilly saw a man in the garden the night before,’ said Alice angrily. ‘Is it because you’re friendly with Mrs Black, too?’

  Clara tilted her chin. ‘He couldn’t have been the prowler. He’s not sprightly enough. Besides, Freddie and I didn’t know for certain he was your father.’

  ‘That’s true,’ said Freddie. ‘We were going to tell you when you and Seb came home, but then we discovered that Bert was alive.’

  ‘And Seb said you had enough on your plate to cope
with,’ added Clara.

  ‘OK, I can accept that,’ said Seb, speaking up for the first time.

  Clara looked at him gratefully.

  Tilly was now stemming the blood with her petticoat. ‘He’s my father and I don’t want him to die.’

  ‘You never had to live with him and see our mother suffer,’ said Alice coldly. ‘She was far too good for him.’

  ‘But you heard his explanation,’ said Tilly in a desperate voice. ‘I remember asking you if we had a lunatic in the family because you mentioned his madness, but you still wouldn’t talk about him to me. Instead you clammed up as usual.’

  ‘Calm down, kid,’ said Freddie. ‘An ambulance will soon be here.’

  ‘I’m just scared because of all this blood.’

  ‘Shouldn’t we try and keep him warm?’ asked Clara. ‘He could be in shock.’

  ‘I’m going inside,’ said Alice, glancing at Seb. ‘Are you coming? I think Kenny should know about Dad.’

  ‘You know what’s happening here, Alice,’ said Joy abruptly. ‘You’re forgetting about the gunman in all this. If it was our Bert with a gun, he’s far more dangerous than your father and a real worry to us.’

  Alice muttered, ‘I wouldn’t argue. I’m leaving now to speak to Kenny.’ She walked away.

  For a moment Seb lingered, gazing down at the man whom Alice had expressed fear of for years but who now had helped save his daughter from a fate he did not want to contemplate.

  He pitied not only his wife but his father-in-law, too, but could not speak his thoughts aloud. Instead, he followed Alice indoors.

  Clara went and fetched a blanket and returned as quickly as she could. She was trying not to allow her emotions to get the better of her but there were several moments when she had wanted to scream herself. One, when Freddie had fallen to the ground and she feared Bert might shoot him, and secondly, when he had handed the handkerchief to Tilly and not her. It was natural, of course, as it was Tilly’s father and she was kneeling beside him, and yet it had felt to her as if it was another sign of their closeness, and it made her feel unsure of him. Still, she had to hide her feelings.

  She covered most of Mal with the blanket. A few minutes later Kenny arrived on the scene. ‘You shouldn’t be here, Tilly,’ he said. ‘Alice is really upset about all this and wants you to have nothing to do with him.’

  ‘I don’t know what Alice told you,’ said Freddie, getting up from his haunches. ‘But your father acted bravely.’

  ‘I’m not asking you for a character assessment for him, Freddie,’ said Kenny sharply, facing him. ‘I know what he’s done. Why don’t you, Tilly and Clara go indoors and get yourselves a drink? I’ll stay with Dad.’

  Tilly’s lovely face was drawn. ‘No. I’m not a child. I’d rather wait and see him into an ambulance.’

  Kenny’s face was suddenly overshadowed by anger and sadness. ‘Someone else can do that. You know nothing about our father. Believe me, he’s no hero, so you’ll do as I say.’

  Tilly’s mouth set in a determined line. ‘I know you and Alice want me to hate him but I can’t. If it’s true that he’s sick, then he needs caring for. He didn’t sound mad when he spoke to me. I think the past should be forgotten.’

  Clara had been listening and could not remain silent any longer. ‘He told me that factories were dangerous places and that lead had damaged his brain.’

  Kenny stared at her. ‘I know the doctor’s opinion but there was more than one reason for his behaviour when Alice and I were children. Believe me, I’ve tried to forgive him for what he did, but there’s still memories that hurt. It’s worse for Alice. Now, if you don’t mind leaving with Tilly, Clara?’ he asked in a restrained voice.

  Clara decided she had had enough and looked at Freddie. ‘I’d like to go home, please. Could you give me a lift to the railway station?’

  Before he could answer there was a clanging of a bell and an ambulance arrived on the scene. Within minutes, the wounded Mal was safely loaded into the ambulance.

  There were tears in Tilly’s eyes. ‘I want to go with him,’ she said.

  ‘No, Tilly.’ It was Joy who spoke. ‘Mrs Black will have my life if I don’t keep my eye on him and see he’s cared for. I’ll need to report back to her about what’s happened here when she returns.’ She beckoned her brother over. ‘A word, Freddie.’

  He drew close to her and she said in his ear, ‘I find it worrying, all this talk about Bert. He could return here, in disguise, and watch all our comings and goings. I’m going to be in the house on my own without Mr Moran around to keep a watch out until Mrs Black gets back from Scotland. I wonder if you’d like to come and stay at the house until she does?’

  Freddie understood his sister’s fear. ‘OK. I’ll take Clara home first. I want to see her safely to her door.’

  ‘Perhaps she’s realising now what she’s let herself in for, getting involved with us,’ said Joy, in earshot of Clara.

  He looked at Clara who stared at him blankly. Frowning, he turned back to his sister. ‘Will I pick you up at the hospital and take you to Eastham or will you come back here and wait for me?’

  ‘I’ll stay at Chester Infirmary until you turn up,’ said Joy. ‘I’m not going to be wandering the streets if Bert’s on the prowl. But you do realise if the police get involved in this, they’re going to want to speak to you and Clara?’

  ‘Then the quicker we’re on our way the better,’ he said.

  The words were hardly out of his mouth when a bobby arrived. Kenny took Tilly indoors but Clara and Freddie stayed outside, giving the policeman an account of what had happened. Freddie told him of their suspicions about the identity of the gunman. After the police had gone, Freddie instantly said that he would take her home. ‘Do you want to go inside and say your goodbyes?’ he asked.

  She shook her head. ‘I’ll just fetch my things and then slip away.’

  Freddie thought he understood how she felt. ‘I’ll get the bike.’

  It took them just over an hour to reach Liverpool. As Clara got off the bike and smoothed the skirt of her pink costume and accepted her bag from him, she was thinking that perhaps today signalled a parting of the ways, not only from Freddie but Seb and the rest of the family, too.

  ‘You’ll thank Hanny and Kenny for inviting me to the christening, won’t you?’ she said, not looking Freddie in the eye and biting down hard on her lip to stop it trembling. ‘And Seb and Alice, thank them, too, for allowing me to stay at their house.’

  Freddie leant towards her and kissed her lightly on the lips. ‘I’ve enjoyed our time together. This isn’t goodbye.’

  She wanted to believe him but there was such a serious expression on his face that she had her doubts about them ever seeing each other again. She watched him roar off down the street towards West Derby Road and then, brushing the tears from her eyes, she went indoors.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  ‘Nice to see you back,’ said Mary, coming out of the parlour as Clara walked up the lobby.

  ‘Is Gran OK? I hope she hasn’t been a nuisance.’ Clara had a struggle to show real interest.

  Mary smiled. ‘I’m used to difficult patients but, to be honest, I haven’t had to do much for her. She managed to drag herself to the lavatory and to the front door. I put out a chair for her and she sat there, watching the children playing in the street and talking to the neighbours.’

  ‘Goodness, that’s a first,’ said Clara, truly surprised. ‘Where is she now?’

  ‘She’s gone upstairs for a nap. I think she’s tired herself out.’

  ‘I’ll go up and see her in a minute,’ said Clara, rubbing her forehead, where she had the beginning of a headache. Also, her bottom was hurting from where she had landed on the ground after tugging Flora out of Bert’s grasp. ‘Any news from the Palladium or any post?’

  ‘Both as it happens,’ said Mary, gazing at her with concern. ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘I’m fine,’ lied Clara. ‘So what news o
f the Palladium?’

  ‘A Mr Bennett popped round and asked if you’d heard from your aunt recently.’

  Clara was taken aback. ‘Did Gran speak to him?’

  ‘No. It was evening and I met him on the front step. I told him you were away for a few days and that we expected you back in time for work on Monday. He said he would see you then.’

  ‘Right,’ said Clara, wondering why he should be asking her about her aunt. ‘Did he say how Mrs Walsh was?’

  ‘I didn’t think to ask. He did say to let you know that there’s going to be continuous performances from now on. Apparently Liverpool’s Medical Officer believes the flu epidemic is just about over and so life can get back to what passes for normal these days.’

  ‘That must be a relief to you,’ said Clara, pushing open the kitchen door.

  Mary agreed and followed her into the room. ‘We’ve been aware at the hospital that the cases of flu were petering out.’

  ‘People definitely aren’t as scared to go in company as they were a while ago. There were plenty of trippers down at the Pierhead and on the ferries,’ said Clara, removing her hat.

  Mary suddenly seemed to notice it. ‘Now, that’s lovely,’ she said, her eyes warm with admiration. ‘Can I have a look at it?’

  ‘Of course,’ said Clara, smiling as she handed it to her. ‘Try it on if you like. My cousin’s wife, Alice, made it for me as a thank you for looking after her son. She also gave me this outfit.’

  ‘They really go well together,’ said Mary. ‘One gets so fed up of seeing black all the time. May I really try it on?’ she said, going over to the mirror above the fireplace in the kitchen.

  ‘I said so, didn’t I?’ Clara followed her over. It was then that she noticed the picture postcard on the mantelshelf. She picked it up and saw that it was from New Orleans. Her heart seemed to flip over as she read the words in big bold black letters on the reverse side. They were brief and to the point.

  Dear Clara,

  Your letter made me sad. I remember your father, Denny, as a little boy. Perhaps we can meet when I return.