by Dani Oakley
A young girl like Ruby shouldn’t be stuck indoors working all day, and if he was honest, he didn’t want Ruby to live a life like he and Babs had. In an ideal world, Martin would have liked her to find a sensible young man with a good job and settle down. Martin was well prepared to put the fear of God into whoever was brave enough to marry Ruby, and he would do everything in his power to make sure she lived happily ever after.
The trouble was his daughter was stubborn. And he wasn’t convinced she would go along with his plan.
Ruby looked up from the bar and grinned at him.
“Morning, Dad. Is Nan all right?” she asked putting down her pen and getting off the stool to come around to give him a kiss on the cheek.
Their family had a rather weird set-up at the moment. Martin still lived in the flat above the club, and Ruby had moved back into the family house a few streets away. Of course, a girl her age couldn’t live alone, so Violet made sure she was there in time for dinner and spent every night there. Ruby’s grandmother would then return to her own little house during the day. Martin thought it was a waste of her paying rent, or rather him paying her rent, but Violet had insisted on keeping her house going. As she pointed out, when Babs was released, the last thing anyone wanted was for Violet and Babs to be under one roof.
Martin had to admit she had a point. Separately, they both drove him to distraction. Together, they were his worst nightmare.
“She’s fine,” Martin said. “Besides, you know that. You must’ve seen her at breakfast time.” Ruby grinned at him. “Yes, but I was asking to make sure you did go and see her like you promised.”
Martin frowned. Sometimes he felt like there was a role reversal in this relationship. Ruby treated him more like a child than the other way around.
“What are you up to?” he asked suspiciously, looking over the bar at the paperwork she had in front of her.
“I was just working out the staff shifts for this week. We are going to be a little short staffed, so I’m going to do Sue’s shift behind the bar.
Martin’s eyes bulged. “You what?”
Ruby let out a heavy sigh. “She has three youngsters, and they’ve got chickenpox. And you know what her husband is like. He can’t be trusted to look after the children. Besides, I’m perfectly capable of running the bar.”
That wasn’t the point, and she knew it. Martin narrowed his eyes. The last thing he wanted was to have his daughter around the lecherous blokes that came to the club. He was fine with her organising things, but he did not want his own daughter working behind the bar.
“No,” he said scowling. “I forbid it.”
He saw the fire in Ruby’s eyes, and for a moment, he thought she actually might be about to disobey him. But as quickly as the flicker of rebellion appeared, it vanished as she suppressed it, bowing her head.
“Don’t you trust me?” she asked in a quiet voice.
Martin took a deep breath. “I trust you. I just don’t trust all the blokes in here every night. You’re too young.”
Ruby’s head shot up, and she glared at her father. “Too young?” She raised her eyebrows.
Bloody hell. He’d said the wrong thing again, what was it with the Morton women that made it so easy for them to get under his skin.
“I said no. And that’s an end to the matter.”
Instead of arguing with him as he’d expected, she turned around and went back to work on her staff rota, keeping her back to him to show her obvious displeasure.
“God give me strength,” Martin muttered. If his mother and daughter weren’t the death of him, Babs could very well be when she got out of prison in less than a week.
He made for the stairs that led up to the flat above the bar, wishing his son Derek showed half the nous that Ruby did with the family business. Martin would be made up if Derek returned to the East End and wanted to run the club.
He’d always been a man who wanted to control his own life. And although he got on all right with his brother, Tony, it was never a partnership. It was always Martin’s business. But if Derek would show an interest, Martin thought he would quite enjoy showing his son the ropes.
Of course, Derek had gone all bloody weird and posh since Babs had sent him away to that poncy private school.
The last time Martin had spoken to him, he barely recognised the boy. He spoke like he had a plum in his mouth, and to Martin’s horror, he found himself tongue-tied and nervous in the presence of his own son.
He was proud of him in his own way. Derek had stayed on at school for his A-levels and even achieved a place at university.
Martin was now sending money every month, and Derek was living in student accommodation in Southampton. He was the first person in their family to go to university. Part of Martin wanted to be proud and to boast to anyone who would listen, but at the same time, he was deeply hurt his son wanted nothing to do with him. Not that he would ever admit that.
Martin took one last look at his daughter, who was still pointedly ignoring him, and then opened the door and headed up the stairs to the flat.
Ruby was a very good-looking girl and looked very much like Babs had at the same age.
Unless Ruby’s potential suitors had a good job and an engagement ring in their pocket, Martin wouldn’t let any of them anywhere near her.
He had made the right decision. He didn’t care how long she gave him the silent treatment. He wouldn’t change his mind. Ruby would not be working behind the bar.
Chapter 5
Just before eleven o’clock, Jimmy Diamond left the workshop and headed for the cafe on the corner to get bacon rolls for the lads. They usually got bacon or sausage rolls for their elevenses every workday morning to keep them going.
Jimmy’s nan said he must have hollow legs. She’d made him porridge that morning and given him a packed lunch that Linda had just brought round.
Jimmy was always quick to volunteer to go to the cafe. Charlie Williams joked that it was because he fancied the girl who worked behind the counter. Jimmy just smiled and let him go on thinking that.
Really, though, it was part of his ritual. It was one of the few opportunities he had during the day to keep an eye on Martin Morton.
To get to the cafe, Jimmy had to walk directly past Morton’s Club. Today, he paused on the street just before the club, waiting and watching.
The place had been restored, and it was hard to believe that a few years ago it had been a burned-out shell.
Jimmy licked his lips and swallowed as he looked at the club. He was well aware that the only reason he was alive and safe after Martin had learned he was responsible for the fire, was his closeness to Dave Carter.
Thankfully for Jimmy, Martin Morton had never regained his old position in the East End after he got out of prison, not for lack of trying, though.
Jimmy looked over his shoulder and saw that he was alone on the street except for Mr Johnson, the greengrocer, who was adding apples to a pile on the trestle table outside his shop.
Jimmy dared to walk closer to the club. He didn’t want to be seen. Not because he was doing anything wrong or intended to do anything other than watch, but because he didn’t want anybody else to know his secret. He didn’t want anyone to find out this was the way he spent his time – watching and waiting.
Since the fire, Jimmy had kept his nose clean. He wasn’t stupid. He realised he had messed up big time and was lucky the situation hadn’t escalated.
Straight after the fire, his nan and Linda had watched him like a pair of hawks, making sure he didn’t go anywhere near Martin Morton, but as the years passed, they had relaxed. They thought Jimmy had let his hatred fade, but he hadn’t, not by a long shot.
* * *
When five o’clock rolled around, Mary Diamond paced the kitchen, anxiously waiting for Jimmy to come home. She had prepared a beef stew for dinner, Jimmy’s favourite. She lowered the gas under the potatoes as they came to the boil.
Mary was seriously worried. The day had
started out much like any other until she’d had a visit from Patty Morris.
Patty Morris lived two doors along, and she was a nice enough woman, or so Mary had thought, but today she’d arrived on Mary’s doorstep, expecting a cup of tea and the opportunity to deliver some bad news. According to Patty, Jimmy had been seen standing outside Morton’s club earlier that day.
If Mary had been prepared, she would have hidden her reaction, but as it was, she was so taken aback and so terrified by what it could mean, she launched into a tirade against Patty. She told her to mind her own business and get the bleeding hell out of her kitchen, which wasn’t exactly a clever move. Mary knew by this evening Patty would have told anyone who would listen that Mary Diamond was off her rocker and she would have taken great delight in telling half of Poplar that Jimmy was getting tangled up with Martin Morton again.
Mary saw the potatoes were bubbling away and turned them down to a simmer. She sighed. Why had she lowered her guard? After the fire, she’d been on tenterhooks, waiting for Martin Morton to strike back, but when nothing happened and time had passed, she thought perhaps they’d be able to put all that business behind them.
Jimmy was an angel at home, the perfect grandson. He was polite and brought in a good wage, Mary couldn’t have asked for more from him.
He was growing up now, and she was proud to see how handsome he was. She could see shades of Kathleen in him at certain times, especially those beautiful, dark-blue eyes of his. Luckily, he hadn’t inherited any of his looks from Martin Morton. If anything, he looked a little like Martin’s brother, Tony.
That had been something that had kept Mary awake at night when Jimmy was younger. She worried what he would look like when he got older. She’d fretted over whether she would love him any less if he turned out to look like his father. That hadn’t happened, thank goodness, but Mary was now certain she wouldn’t be able to love Jimmy any less even if he had been the spitting image of Martin. Her love for Jimmy was unconditional.
Because he was a good grandson, Mary had a tendency to be blind to his faults. He’d shown no sign of holding a grudge against Martin, and at first, that had reassured Mary. She’d allowed herself to relax and settle back in the East End without fearing she needed to be constantly looking over her shoulder and worrying about Jimmy trying to get his own back on Martin.
But after Patty’s little outburst today, Mary was anxious. When she thought about it, it really didn’t make any sense for Jimmy to put everything behind him. The man killed his mother, and Jimmy burned down his club. That wasn’t something a boy like Jimmy would just forget or put behind him.
What if Jimmy had been hiding his true feelings all along? Biding his time until the day he could get his revenge.
Mary smiled wryly as she began to drain the potatoes. Ten years ago, she would have given anything for Jimmy to take revenge on Martin for the death of Kathleen, but now the very thought of it struck terror into her heart. She knew that Martin Morton was evil through and through. If Jimmy tried anything, Martin Morton would come down on him like a tonne of bricks.
Mary opened the oven and breathed in the smell of the beef stew that had been simmering away. She loved her new gas cooker. Jimmy had bought it for her last year with his wages.
Mary was a law-abiding woman, and she’d worried when Jimmy started working full-time for Dave Carter. It was all very well to spend his time after school washing cars, but when Jimmy had started working for Dave Carter full-time, Mary had many sleepless nights. But she had confidence in Dave. He’d been very kind to her and Jimmy over the years, and Mary was sharp enough to realise that it was his influence that had kept Martin Morton away from her grandson. The money didn’t hurt either. Dave Carter paid Jimmy handsomely. Jimmy had promised her he wasn’t doing anything illegal and only worked in the workshop, fixing up motors. Mary had chosen to believe him and really hoped he wasn’t lying to her.
She began to lay the table, and on cue, she heard the front door open as Jimmy arrived home from work.
She walked towards the doorway of the kitchen and called out, “Hello, love, did you have a good day?”
She watched Jimmy shrug off his coat and give her a gorgeous wide smile.
“Yes, thanks. We were busy, though. What’s for dinner? That smells gorgeous.”
Mary smiled and told him she’d prepared a beef stew.
Somehow, she was going to have to bring up the fact he’d been seen outside Martin Morton’s club, but she didn’t know how to do it without revealing she was worried about Jimmy plotting revenge.
She watched him carefully as he walked into the kitchen and started to wash his hands.
He always washed up at the workshop before coming home, but even so, it seemed that he always had some kind of engine oil or grease beneath his fingernails.
She waited for Jimmy to sit down and then began to serve the dinner.
“I need to ask you something, love,” Mary said, feeling knots tie themselves in her stomach.
Jimmy’s dark-blue eyes flickered up to hers, and his forehead creased with concern. He reached out a hand to rest on her forearm, and Mary noticed her hands were shaking.
“What is it, Nan?”
With a sigh, Mary dropped down into a chair. She would just have to come right out with it. “Someone told me you were standing outside Martin Morton’s club today.”
Mary watched Jimmy’s face carefully for any sign that he might be holding something back.
But his mouth widened into a smile, and relief washed over his face. “And you’re worried I might be getting ideas?”
Although Big Tim had brought Jimmy home after the fire at Morton’s club and said the only reason the boy stunk of smoke was because he’d tried to save Ruby Morton’s life, Mary knew her grandson well enough to be certain he had lit the fire.
“I go past the club every day, Nan. It’s my job to go and get the boys a bacon sandwich for elevenses. There’s nothing sinister in it. It’s just the quickest way to walk to the cafe.”
Mary closed her eyes briefly. Oh, thank God, there had been no reason to doubt him.
She smiled as Jimmy began to steadily make his way through the mountain of beef stew she’d served up. Mary watched him fondly. She had been a fool to listen to gossip.
And Patty Morris better watch out because the next time Mary saw her, she would be put firmly in her place.
Jimmy polished off his stew and leant back in his chair. “That was delicious.”
Mary smiled indulgently at her grandson. “Are you off out this evening?”
Jimmy nodded. “I’m going to the pictures.”
“With Diane?” Mary asked hopefully.
Diane Harrison was a sweet girl. Six months ago, she had started working at Bevels under Linda, and Linda had given her a glowing reference, so Mary was happy with Jimmy’s choice.
She felt a little misty eyed as she remembered how sweet love was at that age.
Jimmy grinned and said, “Yes, I’m picking her up at seven o’clock.”
Mary nodded approvingly. There was a right and a wrong way to do these things. In her eyes, Jimmy was a gentleman, so of course, he should go to Diane’s house to pick her up, escort her to the pictures and then take her home again.
“Have you met her parents yet?” Mary asked.
She didn’t know much about the Harrisons. They were a little more well-to-do than the Diamonds. Not that that was hard. There had been times over the years when Mary had barely had two coins to rub together, but things were good now. She still had her part-time job at the market, and Jimmy was bringing in a handsome wage.
Jimmy began to clear the table, ready to wash up, Mary brushed his hands away, “Don’t worry about that. I’ll see to it. You go and get yourself ready for your evening at the pictures.”
But Jimmy turned around to put his hands on her shoulders, directing her back to the seat at the kitchen table. “No, I’m more than capable of washing a few dishes. You’re always looki
ng after me. You deserve to take it easy for a change.”
Mary shook her head in disbelief. She didn’t know what she had done to deserve such a wonderful grandson. It was practically unheard of around these parts for a man to get his hands dirty in the kitchen or wash up after dinner.
Mary sat back in her chair and smiled up at Jimmy as he worked his way through the dishes. God had definitely been smiling down on her on the day he’d blessed her with Jimmy.
Chapter 6
After the dishes, Jimmy quickly got changed and combed his hair, so he looked a little smarter for his first meeting with Diane’s parents.
She only lived two streets away, but the houses there were a little bigger and a little less run down.
Diane’s father worked as a bookkeeper, and her mother had been a secretary before she’d given it up to care for her family. Diane had been ready to follow in her mother’s footsteps when she had abruptly decided to take the job at Bevels. She said she wanted to earn her own money.
The money she could get at a sewing factory like Bevels was a lot more than she could earn as a secretary.
When Jimmy had questioned her logic, saying she may earn more now, but that surely a secretary would earn more in the long term, Diane informed him she wasn’t planning to be working for long, so Jimmy had let it drop.
She was a sweet girl most of the time, but occasionally her selfish side would come out. Jimmy knew his Nan approved of her, but he wasn’t sure Diane was a girl he could settle down with. He couldn’t bring himself to end it yet, though. There was something about her that intrigued Jimmy: her perfectly normal family life.
She smiled whenever she talked about her mum and dad, and it was very clear that she loved them, and her parents adored her in return.