by Dani Oakley
He growled with frustration. He needed a drink, and now he’d smashed up his spirit bottles, he would have to go downstairs to the club. The last thing he wanted to see was a bunch of soppy idiots prancing about, thinking they were all amazing dancers, but the need for alcohol burned his throat. He knew he would never be able to sleep tonight unless he drank himself into oblivion.
So he stalked out of the flat and down the stairs to the club.
He didn’t love Babs anymore, and if he was honest, he hadn’t done for a long time, but he hated the thought of her being with anyone else, especially his own brother. Tony had always been one to toe the line and follow Martin’s direction, so he didn’t like seeing this new rebellious streak in his brother.
He pushed open the door and stalked into the bar area.
The bar staff turned in surprise to gape at Martin, and for the first time, he realised there was a new girl there tonight.
Her eyes widened as she looked at him.
He snarled at her. “What the bleeding hell are you looking at?”
“Nothing,” she muttered with her head down, looking at the ground.
Martin helped himself to a new bottle of whisky and was about to take it upstairs when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
He whirled around, adrenaline still running high, ready to take on anyone who dared to approach him.
“Sorry, boss.” The man who’d approached him was Terry O’Connor. One of the lower tier of Martin’s men. He worked on the door. He’d never caused any trouble in the past, so Martin just narrowed his eyes and asked, “What do you want?”
“I thought you’d like to know that Ruby was in earlier. She didn’t stay long, but I thought I should mention it after you told me to keep an eye out for her.”
Martin’s hand gripped the bottle he was holding tightly. The scheming little cow. Martin had expressly forbidden her from coming to the club at night. He wasn’t having his daughter mixing with the kind of dirty little perverts that frequented his club.
In his eyes, Ruby was very different from all the other girls who came to the club. She was special. She was his daughter.
Terry O’Connor watched Martin warily, and it was some moments before Martin nodded. “Thanks for letting me know. Good man.”
And with that, Martin changed his mind about going back to the flat. He put the bottle of whisky down on the side of the bar and shouted at one of the barmaids to put it back and then he followed Terry O’Connor to the door.
Outside, the two other men on the door exchanged worried glances.
Terry said, “She didn’t stay for long, Martin. Maybe she was just looking for you?”
Martin could tell from the worried expression on his face that he thought he’d gotten Ruby into trouble.
Martin didn’t reply. He walked past the men on the door and ignored the group of teenagers queueing outside the club.
He couldn’t believe Ruby had lied to him. All right, he knew she was a little bit headstrong. She took after him there, but she’d always been an obedient girl. Surely she could see he was doing this for her own good.
Martin walked quickly as the rain started to fall heavily. He felt his hair sticking to the top of his head and pushed it back roughly.
It only took him five minutes to walk to the family home in Poplar. There was still a light on, so someone was up. His mother had never been one for late nights, so he guessed it was probably Ruby who was still awake. He didn’t knock but opened the door with his key and stepped inside.
He walked quietly into the kitchen, so quietly Ruby didn’t hear him come in.
He stopped in the kitchen doorway, watching her. She bent her head down over the gas hob, humming to herself as she stirred a saucepan of milk, ready to make cocoa.
The perfect image of a home-loving girl. Who would have thought she’d been up to mischief earlier?
“Are you going to tell me what you were doing in the club tonight?”
Ruby dropped the wooden spoon she’d been using and spun around.
“Dad! I didn’t hear you come in.”
She looked so young and so innocent.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Martin pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat down.
He watched as the look of surprise on Ruby’s face was replaced by one of stubborn irritation. “I just popped in. I didn’t stay long. I just wanted to make sure everything was running smoothly. I told you we’ve been understaffed, and I had to employ a new barmaid. I wanted to make sure nothing had gone wrong.”
“I was upstairs, Ruby. I’m quite capable of keeping an eye on my own club.”
He noticed the tilt of Ruby’s chin and her raised eyebrow and thought for a moment that she might be about to argue with him, but she thought better of it and stayed silent.
All at once, Martin felt his anger slide away from him. She was probably right. She’d been the one to keep the club ticking over. Martin had been bored with it. Although once it had been his pride and joy, it didn’t seem enough anymore. Nothing would be enough until he got all of his old land and businesses back into the Morton Empire once more.
Perhaps he was being too hard on her.
“I don’t like being disobeyed.”
He watched Ruby pour the hot milk into a mug.
She asked, “Did you want one?”
It felt like an eternity since he’d last had cocoa. His mother had always made him and Tony one before they went to bed. He was about to refuse, but then he changed his mind. “Go on then.”
Ruby reached for another mug and poured half the cocoa into it.
She brought both mugs to the table and sat down opposite her father.
“I know you only want what’s best for me,” Ruby said. “But I’m not a child. And I don’t think you are treating me fairly.”
Martin’s eyebrows flew upwards. He couldn’t have been more surprised if somebody had slapped him around the face with a kipper.
“I’m not treating you fairly?”
Ruby missed the warning tone in his voice and carried on. “That’s right. You need to trust me more. I’ve never let you down, have I?”
“I do remember one occasion when you locked that nun in the cupboard of your old school,” Martin said pointedly, trying not to smile as he spoke.
Ruby narrowed her eyes, well aware her father was teasing. “That was a long time ago.”
Martin chuckled remembering his fierce pride in his daughter. She’d always had far more spark and life about her than Derek.
He sipped his cocoa. It didn’t quite hit the spot like whisky would have, but it wasn’t bad.
“It isn’t always easy,” Martin said. “Seeing you growing up. You don’t understand what it’s like in the real world.”
“But I’ll never find out if you keep me locked indoors wrapped in cotton wool, will I?”
Ruby met his gaze with a stubborn look.
Martin nodded. “Perhaps you’re right.”
“Really?” Ruby brightened.
“Yes, I’ll let you work at the club, but only when I’m there in the flat upstairs.”
Ruby smiled and then held out her hand to her father. “Deal?”
“Deal.”
They sat and chatted for a few minutes, Martin drained the last of his cocoa and enjoyed feeling normal once more. The anger had gone almost as quickly as it had come.
When Ruby took both mugs and began to wash them up at the sink, she tensed up. Martin could tell there was something else she wanted to mention.
He knew it was going to be about Babs, and he was tempted to stand up and say he had to get back to the club, but he didn’t. That wouldn’t be fair.
So he waited while Ruby built up the courage to say something.
When she finally washed up the cups and left them on the draining board, she dried her hands on a cloth and turned around.
“When Mum gets home, can she stay here?”
Martin sighed and got to his
feet without answering Ruby’s question. He walked out of the kitchen and into the small front room and stared out through the window at the darkness. He didn’t bother to switch on the light.
“Is everything all right? I know you don’t like to talk about her, but she’s getting out next week,” Ruby said gently.
Martin gave a cold laugh. “I’m well aware of that.”
He turned back to face his daughter. “She’ll stay here,” he said. “Your grandma will go back to her house, and we’ll see how things work out. I can’t make any promises. You’ve got to remember that your mother’s been away for a long while, and she might find things difficult when she comes out.”
Ruby nodded slowly.
“I’m not going to be her favourite person, that’s for sure.”
“But things will be all right between you? I mean…”
Martin nodded. “Of course. Your mother and I have got our problems, but you’re too young to be worried about stuff like this. Just let me deal with it.”
Ruby nodded, and she opened her mouth to say something else, but instead, she turned her head sharply to the right.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Martin asked.
“I thought I saw somebody outside. On the other side of the road, staring at us.”
Ruby turned the light on.
Martin whirled around, staring intently out of the window.
It was dark, but the street lights were still on.
“I can’t see anybody.”
Ruby moved closer to the window and stood beside her father, staring outside. “There’s nobody there now. But I could have sworn I saw someone.”
Martin turned and put his hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “It was probably just someone walking back from the pub. Nothing to worry about. Your grandmother’s here, isn’t she?”
Ruby nodded. “Yes, she’s taken her pills, so she won’t wake up until the morning.”
Martin nodded. “All right. If it makes you feel better, I’ll go and have a look outside on the way back to the club. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.”
Ruby nodded. “I’m probably just overtired.”
* * *
After her father had left, Ruby spent a long time standing by the front room window, looking out. Although she’d agreed with her father that she had probably imagined it, she was sure she’d seen someone standing out there. She shivered.
It wasn’t unheard of to have people walking up and down the street at this time of night, so she couldn’t understand why she suddenly felt so afraid.
Chapter 11
The next morning, Ruby woke up feeling terrible. She blinked at the bright sunlight streaming through her bedroom window and was shocked to realise how late she’d slept.
She’d spent most of the night tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She wasn’t sure whether that was because she was worried about what was going to happen when her mother came home, or whether she was concerned about the figure she’d seen lurking around outside. Probably a combination of both, she thought with a sigh as she pushed back the bed covers and tried to stretch the kinks out of her body.
Out of bed, the cold draught hit her, and she shivered, quickly reaching for her dressing gown. She could hear noises downstairs and knew it must be her grandmother. She was surprised her grandmother hadn’t woken her. She usually called Ruby for breakfast to make sure she was up.
Even though Ruby didn’t have regular hours when she worked for her father, she still liked to be up bright and early. She hoped her father didn’t find out about her late start today. It would hardly help persuade him she should take on more responsibility if she couldn’t even get herself out of bed in the morning.
She made a quick visit to the bathroom and then headed downstairs to talk to her grandmother.
As Ruby stepped into the kitchen, her grandmother said, “I heard you moving about. I’ve just put you a couple of boiled eggs on.”
“Thanks,” Ruby said, fastening the belt on her dressing gown before sitting down at the kitchen table. “I don’t know why I slept so long.”
Her grandmother said nothing at first. She poured Ruby a cup of tea and then set it down on the table in front of her. “I thought you could do with a little extra sleep. You’ve been looking tired lately.”
“I’m fine, really.”
Ruby looked at her grandmother. Violet Morton was showing her age. The lines on her face were more pronounced, but it was more than that… Violet Morton had always had a stiff, upright way of holding herself, so despite her diminutive size, she gave the impression of being taller and a force to be reckoned with. This morning, though, her shoulders were slumped.
Ruby obviously wasn’t the only one feeling the stress of the situation. She felt guilty for not considering her grandmother’s feelings before.
“I’m sure things will work out,” Ruby said. “It will probably be a bit strange for everybody at first after Mum gets out, but we’ll find a way to make it work.”
Grandmother Violet gave her a weak smile. The next words out of her mouth couldn’t have surprised Ruby more.
“I’m proud of you, Ruby. Don’t ever forget that.”
For a moment, Ruby was speechless. Violet wasn’t exactly one for kind words or sentiment.
“Oh, I won’t.”
Violet smiled. “I know we’re not a family who are fond of talking about that sort of thing. We are hard at times because we’ve had to be. But I admire what you’re trying to do.”
Now Ruby was really confused. She turned and asked her grandmother, “What do you mean?”
“You’re trying to do something with your life. You want to make something of yourself, and it’s not easy. God knows, I’ve experienced it first-hand.”
“Did you want to do something different with your life then? I mean…apart from marrying Grandad and having Dad and Uncle Tony.”
Grandma Violet’s smile became softer, and she said, “A long time ago, I had a dream about running my own shop. I used to work in a department store in Chrisp Street. The place is closed down now. You probably wouldn’t have heard of it. But I was good at my job. I memorised the codes for all the different items people could buy, and Mr Carpenter, the man who ran the store, said I had a talent for it.”
“So what happened?” Ruby asked.
The smile left Violet’s face, and her sharp eyes turned on Ruby. “I met your grandfather,” she said bluntly. “And that was that. He swept me off my feet for the first few months, and then I came back down to earth with a rather large bump.”
The family hardly ever talked about Ruby’s grandfather. The only thing she knew about him was that he’d worked for the council and then dropped dead only a few days after retirement.
Her curiosity piqued, Ruby asked her grandmother, “What do you mean, came back down to earth with a bump? Weren’t you and Grandad happy?”
“As happy as any married couple, I suppose,” Violet said. “I can’t help thinking I wasted the best years of my life, though.”
Ruby’s eyes widened. She had never imagined her grandmother having ambitions to be anything other than a housewife. Uncle Tony and Ruby’s father were everything to her. She couldn’t imagine her grandmother having a life outside of her family.
“Dad thinks I should get married and forget about becoming part of the family business.”
Violet pursed her lips and then said, “That’s his opinion, but it’s not his decision to make. It’s yours. In this day and age, women have more opportunities. They’re showing men what they are made of. I wish I had the same chance in my youth.”
Ruby raised her eyebrows. She’d never really thought about her mother or grandmother being young and having their own desires and ambitions.
“Well, don’t look so surprised, young lady. We were all young once, full of foolish dreams and hopes for the future.”
“Do you think I’m being foolish?”
Grandmother Violet hesitated for a moment and the
n shook her head. “I hope you stick to your guns, my girl. You’re too young to get married. There’s plenty of time for that. I’m not sure I approve of you being part of your father’s business. But if that’s what you want, you’ll have my support.”
Ruby smiled. Her grandmother continued to surprise her. Maybe she had softened a little. Maybe when her mother got out of prison, they would all be able to get on with each other after all.
Grandma Violet got up to see to the boiled eggs and then stuck her hand in her apron. “Oh, I almost forgot. There was a letter for you.”
She pushed the envelope across the table to Ruby and then turned back to finish making breakfast.
Ruby recognised the handwriting on the outside of the envelope and suppressed a sigh. She had a feeling the letter wasn’t going to contain good news.
She pulled it towards her and quickly opened it, pulling out the handwritten letter inside. It was from Derek.
She quickly scanned the letter’s contents and then gritted her teeth.
“Bad news?” her grandmother asked as she buttered some bread.
“It’s Derek. He says he can’t come back next week, after all. Something about exams.”
Ruby felt tears prickle the back of her eyes, and her fingers itched to scrunch up the letter and throw it in the bin.
She’d been so close to Derek once. They’d been a team. It had been them against their parents, especially when their mother tried to send them off to boarding school, but after Ruby had come back to the East End, and Derek had remained at school, they’d drifted further and further apart. She felt like she didn’t know him any longer. How could he not come back home when their mother was being released from prison? Surely he could spare a couple of days? He had only seen her twice in the last six years. How could he be so heartless?
Ruby tried to blink away the tears and pretend she didn’t care.
Violet put the breakfast on the table and nibbled on a piece of bread and butter as Ruby tapped the shells of her eggs with the back of her spoon and removed the tops.
A boiled egg and soldiers had always been her favourite breakfast when she was a little girl, and as she dipped a narrow strip of toast into her egg, she realised Grandma Violet had done this on purpose. She was trying to make her feel better because she knew the letter had been from Derek, and she must have guessed he was going to try and wriggle out of his responsibilities.