by Dilly Court
‘Not me, honey,’ he said, grinning. ‘To tell the truth I’ve met up with an old friend at East Grinstead. You’ll remember Helga?’
‘Nurse Halvorsen, the scourge of the ward maids?’ She looked to Nick for confirmation but he was staring at his friend in disbelief.
Danny grinned. ‘I know you dated her for a while and that they used to call her the Iron Nightingale at the hospital, but Helga’s okay.’
‘You’re going steady?’ Ginnie said dazedly. ‘You and Helga?’
‘I might get offended if you keep saying it like that,’ Danny said, laughing. ‘Helga’s doing fine work at the hospital. She’s a very competent nurse and she’s not one of these women who need reassurance all the time. No offence meant, Ginnie. Just don’t keep the poor guy dangling for too long.’
‘Shut up, Danny.’ Nick’s dark eyebrows drew together in an ominous frown. ‘This is strictly between me and Ginnie. You’ve done your bit, now leave it to us.’
Ginnie backed away. ‘I’ve got to go or I’ll lose Shirley and Steven. Call me, Nick. Give me your phone number and I’ll let you know how things are going.’ She hurried off before she could say something she might later regret. The conversation had become too personal and she needed time to think.
It was waiting for her on the hall table when she arrived home. The summons to attend a tribunal at the council offices was the final insult. Steven read it carefully and his expression was serious when he looked up and met Ginnie’s anxious gaze. ‘This is it,’ he said, folding the sheet of paper and putting it back in the envelope. ‘We’ve got until Monday to make our case.’
Mildred stood in the kitchen doorway, wringing her hands. ‘We could lose everything. If we can’t pay the rent we’ll have to move out and if we’re lucky the council might put us in one of those prefabs they’ve been building. Oh, the shame of it. I’ll never be able to face the Mother’s Union again, and as for the Townswomen’s Guild – I’ll be drummed out for sure.’
‘Stop it, Mum,’ Shirley said, clutching the baby in one arm and patting Travis on the head as he clung to her skirts. ‘Don’t talk like that. We’ve got a plan, haven’t we, Ginnie?’
‘I’d like to go round to Monk Avenue and have it out with Mallory face to face,’ Ginnie said angrily. ‘How dare he spread these lies about me?’
Steven handed her the envelope. ‘Put this somewhere safe; we might need to refer to it. We’ve got three days to prepare and we must put the time to good use. We can’t afford any slip-ups.’
‘You’re right,’ Ginnie said, making an effort to sound calmer, even though her pulses were racing and her stomach was churning. What happened next would mean the difference between solvency and bankruptcy. All the hard work and hope that she had put into making the shop a going concern were in jeopardy, and all because of one man’s malice.
‘Are you going to stay with us, Steven?’ Ever practical Mildred backed into the kitchen. ‘The kettle’s boiling, I’ll make a pot of tea, and then I’ll think about supper. I suppose you’ve been living like kings up there in Avril’s pub.’
Steven shook his head. ‘No one cooks better than you, Mrs Travis. You could have made a living as a restaurateur.’
Mildred plucked the knitted potholder off its hook and picked up the bubbling kettle. ‘Really? Do you mean that, Steven?’
‘Indeed I do. If you can make tasty meals using the minimum of ingredients think what you could do if there was no rationing and no expense was spared.’
Ginnie felt a smile bubble up inside her. She exchanged amused glances with Shirley. ‘It’s true, Mum,’ she said, warming to the subject. ‘Auntie Avril is a brilliant cook, but you’re just as good, if not better.’
Shirley beckoned to Steven. ‘Mum’s laid tea out in the dining room. Come and sit down and we can go over our plan.’ She shot a sideways glance at Ginnie. ‘Don’t look at me like that. I’m in this just as much as you are. Mallory’s insulted me and turned his back on his grandchildren. I want to see him kicked out of the council – that’ll do for a start.’
‘I’ll give Mum a hand,’ Ginnie said firmly. ‘We’ll eat first and talk later. Mum’s obviously gone to a lot of trouble for us.’ She went to join her mother in the steamy atmosphere of the kitchen, where an invisible tapestry of childhood memories was imprinted forever on the walls. There was still the small dent in the plaster where Shirley had had a teenage tantrum and thrown the rolling pin at her. It had missed because Shirley was a rotten shot, but it had broken their mother’s favourite vase when it landed in the sink. Shirley had had her pocket money stopped for six weeks to pay for the damage. All the tears and tantrums of adolescence together with shared laughter and the small triumphs that were part of daily life were here, recorded in the brickwork. This was home, and Ginnie knew how much it meant to all of them, and their mother in particular. She watched her bustling about making tea as she had done countless times in the past, creating meals out of next to nothing, conjuring up birthday cakes like fairy castles or crinoline ladies, and making her special toffee as a treat after tea on Sundays. Seeing her through the eyes of a grateful daughter, Ginnie felt her throat constrict with tears of gratitude, and all past hurts were forgotten, because that’s what love meant. ‘Thanks, Mum.’
Mildred stopped what she was doing and stared at her, eyebrows raised. ‘Whatever for? It’s only meat and tater pie, which is mostly taters, and a bit of salad from the garden.’
‘Thanks for putting up with all this. You’ve been a trouper, cooking and cleaning and keeping house for us while I’ve been at the shop, coming home at all hours. You’ve had nappies and babies’ bottles to contend with and you’ve never uttered a word of complaint. It’s not what you thought you’d be doing at your time of life.’
‘I’ve only done what I’ve been doing for the last twenty-five years and more. I did it for your dad and now I’m doing it for you and Shirley. The babies are a bonus. It makes me feel young again to have little ones in the house.’
Ginnie leaned over to kiss her mother’s lined cheek. ‘You’ve been a brick, and I won’t allow Mallory to make our lives a misery. I’m going to hold on to that shop as if I was a survivor from the Titanic hanging on to a life raft.’
Mildred dabbed her eyes with the hem of her pinafore. ‘You are so like your dad, Ginnie. He’d be so proud of you.’
‘I won’t let you lose your home, Mum. I’ll do whatever it takes to beat Mallory.’
‘I know you will, love. You were always a determined little thing. Once you’d set your mind on something – that was it. Now take the tea tray into the dining room and I’ll get the pie out of the oven. It’s nicer hot than cold, I always think.’
Ginnie picked up the tray and was about to take it into the dining room when Shirley emerged, holding her finger to her lips. ‘Shh.’
‘What’s up?’
‘Steven’s on the phone. He’s speaking to his office in Southampton and I think something’s gone terribly wrong.’
Chapter Twenty-Two
Toni began to cry and Shirley retreated into the dining room followed by Ginnie. Travis was sitting on the floor sucking the baby’s dummy and Toni was imprisoned in the wooden playpen, howling miserably. ‘Naughty boy,’ Shirley said, unplugging the dummy from her son’s mouth and popping it into Toni’s. She glanced at Ginnie with a shrug. ‘It’s family spit,’ she said defensively. ‘I can’t sterilise every single thing.’
Ginnie bent down to pick Travis up and he sobbed into her shoulder. ‘Big boys don’t suck dummies,’ she murmured into his curls. ‘Big boys get chocolate if they’re very good.’
Travis stopped crying to gaze into her face. ‘Choc?’ he said hopefully.
‘He’s not supposed to have sweets.’ Shirley took him from Ginnie and dumped him unceremoniously in his high chair. ‘You shouldn’t encourage him.’
‘It’s only a penny bar. I bought it in the station cafeteria when we stopped for a cuppa.’
Mildred hurried
into the room and placed the pie on a table mat. ‘What’s the matter with Travis?’
‘Nothing, Mum,’ Shirley said hastily. ‘He pinched baby’s dummy and I scolded him, and now Ginnie’s trying to bribe him with chocolate.’
Mildred shook her head. ‘Never mind that. I think Steven is in trouble. I only heard the tail end of the conversation but he didn’t sound too happy.’
‘I’m not, Mrs Travis.’ Steven stood in the doorway, his expression serious. ‘I’ve just spoken to Esther and she told me there’s a letter in the post terminating my employment.’
Ginnie sank down on her chair. ‘Oh dear. It’s all my fault. This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t spent so much time trying to help me.’
‘I didn’t fit in. The senior solicitors liked to do everything their way and they wanted a yes man. That’s just not me. I’m not even sure if I want to work in the law now.’
Mildred took a seat and began serving the pie. ‘I daresay the war’s to blame for that, Steven. You had five years serving in the Navy and it can’t be easy settling down to civilian life. There must be thousands of young men in your position.’
‘I’m sorry too,’ Shirley said softly. ‘I shouldn’t have persuaded you to come to Shropshire with me.’
Ginnie shook her head. ‘No, I’m at fault. I’ve been obsessed with my own problems and I never gave a thought to how it might affect you, Steven. I’m so sorry, but I’ll pay you for your efforts. I won’t let you be out of pocket.’
‘I’m afraid the money will go to my bosses, but that’s how it should be. I took the case on while I was working for them.’
‘Yes, Ginnie,’ Mildred said, passing her a plate of food. ‘You mustn’t be too hard on yourself. You’ve only done what you had to do.’
‘Thanks, Mum.’ Taking the plate, Ginnie was suddenly aware of her mother’s work-worn hands, the veins standing out like cords beneath the fragile skin. They were a testament to a life spent in the service of her family, but years ago, when their father had slipped the wedding ring on her finger, her hands would have been plump and smooth, like those of a lady. Ginnie met her mother’s curious gaze with a grateful smile. ‘The pie looks and smells delicious.’
‘That’s good, love.’ Mildred’s face flushed with pleasure. ‘It’s not easy to make tasty meals. I thought that rationing would end as soon as the war was over, but it seems to be going on forever.’
Ginnie sat with her food untouched, glancing across the table at Shirley who was cutting up Travis’s meal one-handed, with Toni hooked firmly in her free arm sucking on her bottle.
‘The pie is excellent, Mrs Travis,’ Steven said enthusiastically. ‘The pastry is perfect.’
Ginnie flashed him a grateful smile. He might not be a blood relative, but he had been Laurence’s best friend, and he had willingly involved himself in her affairs. That made him a part of the family – her family. No matter what problems beset her in life she was determined to protect those closest to her. She had not always seen eye to eye with either her mother or her sister, but all that was forgiven and forgotten in the face of adversity. She picked up her knife and fork. ‘This is a fight,’ she said, stabbing the piecrust. ‘We’re going to win. I won’t let that man beat us.’
Later that evening, when supper was cleared away and the children were tucked up in bed, they settled down to work on their plan. Mildred had gone into the front room to listen to her favourite programmes on the wireless, the daily exploits of Dick Barton, special agent, and his doughty companions Jock and Snowy, and weekly adventures of the indomitable amateur sleuth Paul Temple and his glamorous wife Steve, who worked together to solve cases that baffled the constabulary.
‘We could do with Dick Barton to help us now,’ Ginnie said as she closed the door to shut out the sound of ‘The Devil’s Gallop’, the stirring piece of music that introduced each thrilling episode. She took a seat at the table opposite Shirley and Steven. ‘Any ideas as to how to trap Mallory into admitting what he’s done?’
Steven tapped the tip of his pencil on the notepad in front of him. The page was blank except for a series of questions marks and a doodle. ‘We’d have to get him on his own, preferably at the council offices. We’d also have to arrange for a couple of his fellow councillors to listen in to the conversation. Mallory has a wide experience of court cases and he’s no fool. It won’t be easy.’
Shirley leaned her elbows on the table, cupping her chin in her hands. ‘I think if he was angry enough he might forget himself.’
‘He’s only got to look at me and he sees red,’ Ginnie said with a wry smile. ‘I seem to bring out the worst in him just because I told that spoilt brat of a daughter a few home truths before I sacked her.’
‘We know his Achilles heel is his daughter.’ Steven wrote something down on his pad. ‘But I don’t see how we could involve her.’
Craning her neck to read it, Ginnie gave up as his writing was illegible especially when viewed upside down. ‘Maybe we should kidnap Livvie and hold her to ransom,’ she said, chuckling.
Shirley brightened visibly. ‘We could cut off one of her ears and post it to her father.’
‘You girls should join the Mafia.’ The twin furrows on Steven’s brow deepened into a frown. ‘But seriously, we do need to catch him off guard. We have to put pressure on him before we get to the tribunal because the evidence against you is pretty damning, Ginnie, and without a confession from Mallory almost impossible to disprove.’
‘I’ll do it.’ Shirley slammed her hands down on the table in a sudden burst of enthusiasm. ‘I’ll make Mallory as mad as hell because I hate that family. They’ve treated me like dirt and they won’t acknowledge their grandchildren. How low can you get?’
Ginnie reached across to give her a reassuring pat on the hand. ‘I know it’s tough, and I agree entirely, but how do you intend to go about it?’
‘All I’ve got to do is to turn up at the house with the kiddies in the pram. I don’t have to ask for anything – just the sight of me on the doorstep is enough to make old Mallory’s blood boil.’
Steven slipped his arm around her shoulders. ‘What about Mrs Mallory? Surely she must want to see her son’s children?’
‘Apparently not. She’s just as bad as him if you ask me.’ Shirley’s bottom lip trembled but she did not resort to tears, which surprised Ginnie. A few months ago her sister would have been sobbing on Steven’s shoulder in order to gain his sympathy, but this was a different side to Shirley, and one that Ginnie had not seen before. There was a determined set to her jaw and a martial light in her blue eyes. She seemed to be prepared to do battle not only for herself but for her whole family.
‘That’s right. You go and get ’em, Shirley.’ Ginnie gave her an encouraging smile. ‘You were always top of the class in drama at school.’
‘It’s worth a try.’ Steven wrote something in his spidery scrawl. ‘If Mallory thinks you’re going to ask for money that’s sure to bring out the worst in him.’
‘And you could threaten to go to the newspapers with your sob story.’ Warming to her theme, Ginnie leapt to her feet, moving her hand slowly in front of her to indicate a headline. ‘War widow’s hard-hearted father-in-law refuses to help his destitute grandchildren.’
Steven threw back his head and laughed. ‘You’re turning it into a tragic opera, but all this will only work if we can get to him at the council offices just before the tribunal is due to start, and if we have someone on the inside who’s willing to stand witness.’
‘If only we could make a film of it,’ Shirley said dreamily. ‘I’d be the star, of course, and Ginnie could be the comic support.’
Choosing to ignore this remark, Ginnie racked her brains to think of someone they might know who would legitimately be in the council offices at the time of the hearing. ‘We need someone who either works for the council or is on one of the committees. I’ll ask around tomorrow when I go back to the shop. Goodness knows what I’ll find there, but if we don�
��t do something drastic there won’t be a business at all.’
Steven closed his notepad with a flourish. ‘And I’m afraid I’ll have to leave for Southampton. I have to work my notice out, but as you are officially one of my clients I have a valid reason for returning in time for the tribunal on Monday.’
‘You’re such a good friend,’ Ginnie said gratefully.
Shirley flung her arms around him. ‘I’m not surprised that Laurence was fond of you, Steven.’ She kissed him full on the lips, and when he did not resist, she kissed him again. ‘You’re a good kisser too.’ She sighed. ‘That’s for nothing – see what you get for something.’
Ginnie rose to her feet. ‘Put him down, Shirley. Hasn’t Steven suffered enough at our hands?’
‘Actually I enjoyed it,’ Steven said, smiling. ‘I’m not a crusty old bachelor.’
‘Indeed you’re not, darling.’ Shirley patted him on the cheek. ‘I’m going to put the kettle on. I think we all need a cuppa.’ She paused for a moment, shooting a meaningful look at Ginnie. ‘Isn’t it time you told Steven how it is with you and Nick? I think you owe him that.’
‘I’m sorry, Steven,’ Ginnie said when the door closed on her sister. ‘Shirley thinks that I led you on, but if I did it was unintentional.’
‘I hoped that you’d got over Nick, but I realised when I saw you together at Avril’s wedding that I didn’t stand a chance.’
‘And I’m truly sorry. I think the world of you and I wish things were different, but I did warn you from the start.’
He looked away. ‘I know you did and I should have listened, but I was deluding myself.’
‘I don’t know why, Steven. You’re a good-looking guy and you’re funny and charming. You could have any girl you want.’
He gave her a wry smile. ‘Except you.’
‘I’m nothing special. I was always shy when it came to boys.’
‘And I was never much good with women. I didn’t have any sisters and I attended a boys’ school. I dated a couple of girls when I was at university, but there was nothing serious, and then I was called up and joined the Navy.’