A Promise Between Friends

by Carol Rivers

  ‘Take out the letters “h” and “n”,’ he agreed, ‘and replace them with an “a”. Another of our little secrets. And although I never read Pete’s diary, he said it was safer for him to refer to me as Joanie.’

  ‘You knew he wrote a diary?’

  Johnnie nodded. ‘Pete was very eloquent. I admired him so much.’

  Ruby felt more confusion, followed quickly by an overwhelming dismay. This man had known Pete intimately. He’d loved him. Just like Larry and Stuart were in love. And she’d accepted their relationship. So why was it so difficult to accept Pete and Johnnie’s?

  ‘Do you know the reason why Pete died?’ Ruby could hardly bring herself to ask that question.

  Johnnie pulled up the collar of his camel coat. ‘I believe it was that monster Ronnie Raymond. He wasn’t satisfied with prostituting us, he intended to make us his prisoners forever. It was all about money with Ronnie. We weren’t people to him. We were animals. To be trained to do as he wished.’ Johnnie looked into the distance. ‘One day, Pete told me he’d had enough. He was braver than me. I was always the coward.’ Johnnie sniffed back his tears. ‘So Pete went to Ronnie and said it was the end of the road. He could do his worst. We were in love. And we were going away together, out of his reach.’ Johnnie’s handsome face crumpled. ‘It was, of course, a bluff. Ronnie didn’t fall for it. After all, he had photographs, information, ugly, plenty of despicable evidence at his disposal. The dirt would follow us wherever we went. Why should he let us go? And so he threatened to go first to your parents.’

  ‘Oh God,’ Ruby whispered. ‘Poor Pete.’

  ‘He took it very badly. That was his worst nightmare. He loved his family so much. So Pete became a beaten man. He knew we’d never escape Ronnie’s clutches. I – I blame myself for not guessing he might do something terrible. But he hid his emotions. Just like he hid everything else. He was a professional. And so he took the only way out.’ Suddenly Johnnie’s shoulders sagged and he cupped his face in his hands. His sobs rocked his body and Ruby felt like crying too.

  Now the truth was dawning on her. Pete had been living a lie and was too ashamed to confide in her. But the knowledge that he almost had, that he had wanted to, was in a way liberating. For the past three years she had lived with a question mark in her life. That question had now been answered. And for all its implications, she at last knew the reason for Pete’s tragic passing.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Ruby looked at the distressed young man sitting beside her. He said he had loved Pete and that Pete had loved him and they had shared the guilt and heartache together. Ruby felt that pain too as she thought of a criminal like Ronnie Raymond and the untold evil he had done. ‘Thank you,’ she said softly. ‘For having the courage to tell me.’

  ‘P-Pete would have wanted you to know,’ Johnnie stammered. ‘And though we were forced into an intolerable situation, our love remained strong right up to the end.’

  It was some while before either of them spoke as they sat on the bench under the leafless trees of the square.

  Finally Johnnie composed himself. ‘What can you think of me?’ he said quietly. ‘I wasn’t even at Pete’s funeral. I was so afraid.’

  ‘You loved him and that’s what counts.’

  ‘Do you really mean that?’

  Ruby nodded. ‘But I wish Pete had told me on that day at the house. I would have been shocked. But I would have understood – eventually.’ Ruby added with a husky sob, ‘And perhaps I might even have stopped him from taking his life.’

  ‘No, Ruby. Ours was a forbidden love. It was destined to end badly. And both Pete and I knew it.’

  Ruby dried her eyes on a handkerchief, then passed it to Johnnie. ‘What are you going to do now?’

  ‘I’m leaving the country. Pete and I were planning to go to Spain on the money we made for that bastard. We intended to buy a villa. He hoped that one day you would join us.’ Johnnie dabbed at his eyes. ‘We had so many dreams. I think of Pete everywhere I go in London. You can’t choose who you fall in love with,’ Johnnie said bleakly. ‘Now I have to find a way to live without him.’

  ‘I hope you find happiness.’

  ‘Pete was the only one. Always will be.’ He sniffed, returning her hanky. He looked over to the house. ‘I hope Ronnie Raymond burns in hell, just as his house has.’

  ‘You know Ronnie Raymond died in the fire?’ she asked.

  For a long moment he said nothing, then looked into her eyes. ‘Oh yes, Ruby. I know. Ronnie couldn’t be allowed to live, you see. He had to pay for Pete’s death. Someone had to put a stop to all his evil.’

  She shuddered, feeling a coldness go over her. Had Johnnie had a hand in Ronnie Raymond’s death? Had he deliberately set the fire? Is that what he was saying? She couldn’t bring herself to ask. The expression in Johnnie’s eyes was now pure hatred. She was glad when he stood up.

  ‘Thank you for meeting me today, Ruby. I’ll give you a lift back to the East End.’

  But Ruby shook her head. ‘No thanks, I’ll make my own way.’

  ‘If that’s what you want.’

  ‘Good luck, Johnnie.’

  ‘Good luck, little kitten.’ He smiled. ‘Yes, your brother always called you that. But I can see that the little kitten has now grown into a beautiful cat.’

  Again tears were close as Johnnie Dyer walked away. She watched his tall, upright figure disappear into Greek Street. And then she sat down again on the bench.

  She wanted to think about Pete, about how much he had wanted to share his secret with her. This knowledge was bitter-sweet. For she wished he had. She knew that she would have loved him all the more for sharing with her and tried to help him solve the problems that had eventually led him to take his life.

  It was late afternoon before Ruby left the square. Thinking over all she now knew, she, too, saw that Johnnie and Pete’s love had been doomed. If it wasn’t for her dear friends Larry and Stuart she would never have met Johnnie and the true story of Pete’s life would never have been revealed. Pete had lived in a shadowy, sordid world and Ronnie Raymond was the reason Pete had taken his own life. There had been no satisfaction for Raymond though, as Johnnie had taken it into his own hands to meet out justice. The punishment, it seemed to Ruby, had been fitting for the likes of an evil man like Ronnie Raymond.

  She found herself looking up at the historic monument of Marble Arch. She had walked miles, her feet taking her towards the shops of Oxford Street and their sparkling lights. The dusky afternoon made them seem even brighter. Over her head the decorations were illuminated. People were rushing here and there for their last-minute shopping.

  This was where she had come so often, buying anything she desired, spending money like water. Anna had encouraged her. Just like Ronnie Raymond had encouraged Pete.

  It wasn’t long before Ruby had turned towards the Edgware Road. She knew she had to see Dower Street one last time. With each step, she remembered the life of luxury she had enjoyed at Anna’s – and had chosen to give up.

  As she turned the corner, she saw number 10, standing elegantly in the gloom. Ruby shivered in the cold, grey evening. Hidden in the shadows, she paused on the other side of the road. The lights of number 10 were switched on and there was movement inside the house.

  Then the front door opened.

  Ruby moved down onto the steps of a basement. As she peered through the iron railings, her tummy tightened. Who would come out of that door?

  It was Janet who appeared on the doorstep. The house-keeper hurried down the white steps, carrying two small suitcases. She waited on the pavement looking left and right. The lights in the house went out.

  Ruby’s heart pounded. Who was Janet waiting for?

  A car came slowly along and stopped. Ruby fell back, catching a painful breath when she saw it was the Buick. Her stomach twisted as Nick climbed out and greeted Janet. He quickly took the suitcases and stowed them in the boot of the car.

  Janet disappeared into the ho
use again. Ruby blinked rapidly as, a few seconds later, Anna stepped out and hurried down to Nick. She was dressed in the same pale fur coat that Nick had given Ruby to model. Bitter tears stung Ruby’s eyes. Her body seemed ice cold as Nick took Anna in his arms and kissed her.

  Ruby held tightly to the railings. This was the man she thought she had loved. The man who she thought had loved her. He wasn’t hurt, or lying injured somewhere, or waiting cold and alone in a prison cell.

  He was here with Anna.

  Their kiss was long and passionate. If only she could make her legs move, Ruby thought in a daze, she would run across and confront them. But all she could do was stare helplessly as Nick assisted Anna into the car.

  The roar of the Buick’s engine rumbled into the night.

  And the car disappeared.

  When Janet came out of the house again she took a key from her purse and locked the door.

  Slowly Ruby climbed up the steps and crossed the road.

  ‘What are you doing here?’ Janet asked, looking surprised.

  ‘Is Anna going away?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Janet tried to pass by, but Ruby grabbed her.

  ‘I’m sure you can tell me,’ she said, suddenly filled with anger. ‘Would you rather I call the police?’

  Janet shook her hand away. ‘What do you want to know?’

  ‘Everything.’

  The housekeeper stared ahead coldly. ‘The agency has closed. It’s over, Ruby. Whatever you’ve come back for, it’s too late.’

  Ruby remembered what Paula had told her that day in Hyde Park. ‘Was Anna raided by the police?’

  ‘How do you know that?’

  ‘Never mind. Just tell me where Anna and Nick are going.’

  The small woman gave a long, uncaring sigh. ‘Have it your own way, much good it’ll do you. They’re leaving the country.’

  Ruby felt her legs buckle. ‘Do you know where?’

  Janet shrugged. ‘Europe, America, Australia – the choice is yours.’

  ‘But what about the agency girls?’

  ‘What about them? Anna and Nick don’t care. They’re off to pastures new.’

  She laughed coldly at Ruby’s shocked expression. ‘You surely couldn’t have thought a man like Nick Brandon had eyes for a silly, greedy little upstart like you?’

  Ruby gulped back the tears as Janet watched her.

  ‘Wake up, you little fool,’ Janet continued. ‘He used you, just as Mrs Brandon did.’

  Ruby’s mouth fell open. ‘Mrs Brandon?’

  ‘Oh yes, she is his wife and between them they have a good thing going. He with his warehouses and she with her girls. They juggled you between them. You were a pawn in their game. Not that you were the first. There were others before you and will be again. Wherever they go, they will attract more gullible victims. Girls falling over themselves to snatch what the Brandons tell them is a glamorous new career.’

  Ruby sank back against the railings. ‘Did Paula know they were married?’

  ‘Everyone did, it seems, except you.’

  ‘Why didn’t she tell me? I thought Paula was my friend.’

  ‘You have no friends here. They all did what Anna told them and kept their mouths shut. And when they didn’t, well, you know for yourself what could happen to someone who crossed her.’

  Ruby stared at this unremarkable woman who had just delivered a blow equal to the impact of a bus and was now staring at her with undisguised pity.

  ‘Go home to the East End, Ruby, where you belong.’ She pushed past, shoulders squared as she marched off along the pavement.

  Ruby stared up at 10 Dower Street and the memories crowded back. She was both ashamed and angry. How could she have been so blind?

  Well, she was blind no longer. Good riddance to bad rubbish, as they used to say as kids. With her chin held high, she made her way back to Marble Arch, leaving Dower Street behind her forever.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  ‘Merry Christmas, one and all!’ It was Kath who opened Bernie’s newly painted red front door on Christmas Day. ‘Hello, Ruby, Mr Payne – Maggs! Welcome everyone!’ She kissed them on their cold cheeks as they stepped in. ‘Let me take your coats.’

  Ruby thought how lovely Kath looked in her red dress, with sparkly festive twine wound carefully in her long dark hair. Since knowing Clem she had certainly blossomed.

  ‘Thank you for inviting me,’ Maggs said, touching her newly permed hair as she slid off her coat. ‘Now, how can I help you, ducks? I’d like to make myself useful.’

  ‘This is your day off, Maggs,’ Kath replied with a grin. ‘But if you like, you could give Clem some help in the kitchen. I left him with the carving knife and instructions to slice the turkey breast first, but I’d feel happier if you could keep an eye on things.’ Kath hung the coats on the hall stand. ‘Mr Payne, why don’t you go through too and get Bernie to pour you a beer?’

  ‘Don’t mind if I do,’ Ruby’s dad said, swiftly disappearing down the hall.

  ‘Let’s have a chat before the party gets started,’ Kath whispered, pushing Ruby into the front room.

  ‘Oh, this is lovely,’ Ruby gasped as she gazed at the freshly decorated walls glowing in the light of a modern cone-shaped lampshade. In front of the window was a small Christmas tree, complete with coloured balls and tinsel. ‘Last time I saw this room, there was just a stepladder and a pot of paint.’

  ‘Bernie’s worked hard to finish the house,’ Kath nodded. ‘He wanted to have it ready for today.’

  Ruby looked around once more. She walked over to the heavy, patterned drapes that hung each side of the window. ‘These curtains are very good quality.’ She ran her fingers over their softness and smiled ruefully. ‘I can see Tina had a say in choosing these.’

  ‘That’s where you’re wrong,’ Kath said with a grin as she stuck a poker in the fire and the scarlet flames roared up the chimney. ‘Bernie has surprisingly good taste. And anyway, the two lovebirds have split up.’

  ‘They have?’ Ruby frowned at this news. ‘But I thought Tina and Bernie were going strong.’

  ‘He didn’t have his heart in it.’

  ‘Why was that?’

  ‘He said he wasn’t ready to settle down. Tina, of course, was mad keen to start a family.’

  ‘Well, Bernie’s not getting any younger.’ Ruby sat on the comfortable new settee. ‘All he really needs now is someone to share this house with him.’ She recalled how empty and desolate this room had once seemed, but now it felt like a real home, except perhaps for the finer details of a woman’s touch.

  ‘I’m so happy you agreed to come to us for Christmas,’ Kath said eagerly. ‘I’ve been dying to introduce Clem to friends and family.’

  ‘Do I hear wedding bells?’ Ruby asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

  ‘It’s early days yet,’ Kath declared but Ruby noticed she was blushing deeply. ‘We’ve both got our careers to consider. And for now, we are having the time of our lives at the Windmill.’

  ‘Who would have thought last year,’ Ruby said on a long, wistful sigh, ‘that I would be sitting here this Christmas, talking to a real-live Windmill girl, the star turn of the chorus line?’

  Kath blushed again. ‘Not quite yet, Ruby.’

  ‘You were made to be a dancer with those long legs of yours. Just look at you, all glammed-up and a real head-turner. As for me, well, it’s obvious, ain’t it? I’ve got big boobs and a wiggle but I’ve no talent and I’m broke.’ Ruby half-laughed, trying to hide the cheap and tacky blue sheath dress that she had found on the market stall.

  ‘Ruby, you are gorgeous, you know that.’

  ‘Thanks, but I miss all me nice clothes.’

  Kath chuckled. ‘Cheer up, you’ll soon get a job again. And be back down the shops spending all that money you ain’t got.’

  Ruby smiled. She had learned a very big lesson, that money and the life it bought wasn’t everything. It had hurt deeply to know that she had been a willing victim to
Nick and Anna. But after careful consideration, she had taken steps to redress the balance; a thought that now gave her some comfort.

  Kath knelt on the furry brown rug by the fire and looked into Ruby’s eyes. ‘So, from what you told me on the telephone last week, I take it that Nick and Anna are long gone?’

  ‘Yes. And I wish them the worst of luck.’

  ‘That doesn’t sound like you.’

  ‘I’ve grown up a bit, Kath, and got to thinking. What they did was unforgivable, to me and to the other girls. In fact it was fraud.’

  ‘Who told you that?’

  ‘I went to the police and told them everything.’

  Kath sat back on her heels in alarm. ‘You did what?’

  ‘I thought about what Janet said,’ Ruby replied, folding her fingers together on her lap. ‘There would be other girls like me. If not in England then abroad. Some would believe their lies and end up with broken hearts if not broken morals. Or perhaps both. Like I nearly did. So, I decided to tell the law.’

  ‘What did they say?’

  ‘I had to write a statement about Anna and the agency that was really a high-class brothel and Nick with his warehouse of furs, and of course McBride and the man from the Soviet Union.’

  ‘Crikey, Ruby, that took some nerve.’

  ‘The detective told me that Interpol would be informed as Nick was already on their wanted list for other scams in this country. I got a ticking off for not reporting him and Anna immediately. They said I was withholding evidence.’

  ‘What did you say to that?’

  ‘I said better late than never. What could they do to me that hadn’t been done already?’

  Kath giggled. ‘My God, Ruby, talk about a woman scorned!’

  ‘I just hope there’s justice in all this. And most of all, no one else gets caught up as I did. I was such a fool.’