‘Sounds good; we’ll have a look at it today.’ Ben nodded to his friend. ‘And what was the second piece of news?’
‘Chrissie is back at Aldershot again, and I managed to phone her yesterday. I asked her to marry me… and she agreed.’
Amy squealed in delight, throwing her arms around Howard’s neck and hugging him. ‘That’s wonderful! Have you told your parents? When’s the wedding?’
Laughing, he stood up, as everyone wanted to congratulate him. ‘One question at a time. Yes, I’ve told my parents, and we haven’t had time to make any plans. She will be in the army for another three months, so we will probably get married after she’s demobbed.’
‘I haven’t met her yet,’ Ben complained, but he was clearly delighted for his friend. ‘So, when am I going to see her?’
‘She’s hoping to get a few days’ leave soon.’
‘This is so exciting.’ Amy beamed with happiness. ‘You’ll like her, Ben. She’s a lovely girl, and helped to deliver Grace.’
‘I’ll look forward to that. How did you manage a romance in wartime, Howard?’
‘It wasn’t easy, and I’ll be damned glad when she’s out of the services. We didn’t make any decisions while things were uncertain, and we could only see each other occasionally, but we kept in touch as much as we could.’
Mrs Dalton looked thoughtful. ‘Where are you going to live? You could have the whole of the basement, if that would be enough for you.’
Howard sighed with relief. ‘I was hoping you would say that. We’d love to live here.’
‘Oh, well, that’s settled then.’
Amy felt their landlady’s relief. In her excitement about Howard marrying, it hadn’t occurred to her that he would move. This was such a happy house, and it would have been awful if one of them left, but it was large and had plenty of room for all of them.
They settled down again, getting back to the business of the shop.
‘Paintings, Ben.’ Howard did a rough sketch of the upstairs they would use as a gallery. ‘You’re going to have twice the wall space in this shop, so can you repeat that one you gave to Stan, and a few more like it?’
‘I expect I could. I did a lot of drawings in the camp, but one sadistic guard found them and tore them to shreds.’
Amy bit back a gasp of dismay, knowing just how badly that would have hurt his artistic heart.
‘I did more after that, but when they shifted us to another camp, I lost track of them. All I could concentrate on was staying alive. Still, I’ve got the pictures in my head, so I should be able to reproduce them.’
‘Good. Start tomorrow. The more paintings we have, the better.’
Ben grimaced. ‘I know you all liked the painting, and Stan loved it, but do you think the public would buy something like that?’
‘I don’t see why not,’ Amy assured him. ‘It was a study of men and emotions, and I thought it was a compelling subject, and beautifully painted.’
The glance he sent her was one of pure affection, making her heart trip.
‘I finished Grace’s portrait last night, so would you like to see it?’
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ Amy was already on her feet. ‘Have you shown it to Grace?’
‘I want to frame it before I do that.’
They followed each other up to the studio, gathering round in anticipation as Ben removed the sheet covering the picture.
There was a stunned silence, and Amy was speechless as she gazed at her daughter. Grace was sitting on the rough floorboards with her doll beside her, and her head tilted up, looking straight at the man who had been painting her. There was an impish little smile on her face, showing clearly that she had been enjoying herself. The light was coming in from the window behind her, filtering through her mass of unruly hair and casting a shadow on the floor. It was breathtaking, and the eyes looking out from the picture were John’s.
‘Oh, Ben, when did you learn to paint like that?’ Howard was quite overcome, just like the rest of them.
Amy smiled up at Ben. She would have loved to show her gratitude by hugging him, as she had always done. But there was still a reserve about him that made her cautious. He was inclined to make a slight move away if she got too close. He was still having trouble adjusting to freedom. So instead, she just said, ‘Thank you, that is the most beautiful picture I have ever seen.’
‘Glad you like it.’
‘Like it!’ Mrs Dalton sighed. ‘That’s no way to talk about a painting of such exquisite artistry, Benjamin.’
Ted nodded. ‘I agree. You have excelled yourself. When are you going to show Grace?’
‘I’ll frame it tonight and we’ll have a proper unveiling in the morning.’ He gave a wry smile at Amy. ‘She will be my harshest critic, and tell me exactly what she thinks of her portrait.’
The next morning, they made a great production of the unveiling. Howard stood Grace on a chair in front of the easel, holding her firmly in place, and Ted bowed, giving her a little bunch of daisies to hold. She laughed, bouncing up and down in Howard’s restraining hands.
‘Are you ready?’ Ben twitched the sheet.
‘Let me see. Let me see!’
With a theatrical flourish, he whipped away the sheet.
She stopped moving, staring at the picture, open-mouthed and silent. Then she glanced from one person to the next, then back to the picture. ‘I’m on the floor. I wasn’t sitting on the floor, Uncle Ben. I was on that chair… And you’ve painted my dolly.’
Amy smothered a laugh at her daughter’s puzzled expression. ‘Uncle Ben only needed to sketch you first, then he painted you like that because it made a better picture.’
‘It’s called artistic licence,’ Howard explained. ‘He didn’t want to make you sit on the floor for ages and ages. It would have been uncomfortable for you, and you wouldn’t have been able to keep still.’
‘He did make me sit for a long time.’ She sniggered. ‘Do I look like that?’
Putting a hand over her mouth, Amy had to turn away when she saw the look of mock dismay on Ben’s face. She knew he was pleased with the painting, because she had seen it in his eyes the night before, but he was now going to tease Grace.
‘Oh, she doesn’t like it,’ he moaned, mopping his eyes with a paint rag. ‘My career is finished!’
Mrs Dalton and Ted were having as much trouble as Amy, but, somehow, Howard was managing to keep a straight face.
‘I do like it, Uncle Ben.’ Grace gave him a hesitant smile, tipping her head to one side. ‘My dolly’s pretty.’
That was too much for all of them, and they collapsed in helpless laughter. Grace’s face was so expressive.
Ben swung Grace off the chair and into his arms, facing the picture. ‘Don’t you think you look pretty?’
She giggled, squirming round to see her mother. ‘Is that really me, Mummy?’
‘Yes, darling, that’s exactly how you look. Thank Uncle Ben for doing such a lovely picture for you.’ It warmed her heart to see him with her daughter, because around her, he was more like the Ben they had known before the war.
‘Thank you.’ Grace kissed his cheek, looking happier now her mother had told her the picture was like her. ‘Can I have it in my room?’
‘You tell me where you want it and I’ll hang it for you right away.’ He put her back on the floor.
‘Please. Please.’
They all trooped downstairs, and, after making Ben hold it in place all around the room, it was finally put on the wall next to her bed. Every time she looked at the picture, she giggled.
‘I’ll get Oscar and let him see it.’ Grace tore off to the garden to find the cat.
Ben was shaking his head and chuckling. ‘I’m not sure if she likes it or not.’
‘She loves it,’ Amy said. ‘We’ll be having all the neighbours and children from the street in to see it.’
‘Oh, Lord, yes.’ Mrs Dalton looked at the clock. ‘A couple of them are coming this afternoon, so
I’d better make a cake.’
Because the celebrations were still going on, Ted hadn’t bothered to open his shop, so they all decided to have a look at the place Howard had found, except Mrs Dalton, who was already busy with her baking.
‘Off you go,’ she ordered Amy. ‘I’ll look after Grace.’
*
The shop was the other end of the King’s Road from their previous one, and even from the outside it was obvious that it had been neglected for a long time, and was in a dreadful state.
Ben slanted Howard an incredulous glance. ‘You’re joking, right?’
‘Don’t judge it yet.’ He took a key out of his pocket. ‘The owner said if we were willing to spruce the place up, we could have it rent free for the first three months, and cheap for the first year of opening. Wait till you see the space inside. It’s perfect.’
It was a struggle to open the door and, even though Ben was getting his strength back, it took all three men to shift it enough for them to be able to get inside.
‘How on earth did you ever get in to have a look round, Howard?’ Ted was puffing after the effort.
‘I got it open enough to squeeze through.’ Howard began to pace around, his slight limp hardly noticeable now, pointing out the finer points with enthusiasm.
Ted was scratching the bald patch on top of his head and muttering under his breath. Ben was silent, and Amy wide-eyed with disbelief.
‘The place needs pulling down.’
‘Amy, where’s your vision?’ Howard grinned with excitement. ‘Can’t you just picture shelves all along here, and look at the amount of window space. Ben, you go upstairs. There’s huge scope for putting on a special exhibition, if you wanted to.’
Giving the banister a shake, Ben examined it doubtfully. ‘I admit that the sweep of the staircase is impressive, but is it safe?’
‘Of course it is!’ Howard bounded up the stairs and back again to prove the point. ‘Come on, show a bit of enthusiasm. The low rent will give us a breathing space until we get established.’
‘Being in love has turned his brain,’ Ted murmured. ‘The four of us will never be able to lick this wreck into shape.’
‘I heard that, Ted!’ Undaunted, Howard laughed, giving Ben a shove up the stairs.
As he made his way up, they creaked and groaned under his weight, but they felt secure enough. Once at the top, he could see what Howard was on about. He paced the floor, kicking aside the rubbish as he went, imagining what it would look like freshly painted and lined with pictures. He stopped in the middle of the room and felt a stirring of pleasure. Yes, he could do this. Taking a deep breath, he tipped his head back; it was almost as if he were coming to life again. As the months and years in that prison camp had passed, he had withdrawn into himself utterly. It had been the only way to survive. When he had finally arrived home, he had thought the safe familiarity of his old home would rekindle his zest for life. But the people he knew and loved had changed, just as he had, and he knew that nothing was ever going to be the same. He had to start afresh – and he would. He was still having trouble handling the transformation in Amy. She had grown into a stunning woman, as he had always known she would. The young girl he’d met sitting beside the river no longer existed. In her place there was a mature woman with a young child, and already a widow. She’d loved John completely, and in one cruel night of the Blitz, she had had to face the future without him. Dear God, he wished he had her courage. One look at a blank canvas and he had panicked, terrified he wouldn’t be able to paint again – convinced he couldn’t. It was Amy who had made him realize that he had to accept the changes his experiences had made in him, and in the way he worked. A slight smile touched his mouth. And then there was Grace. He could see her now, standing beside him, accusing, and telling him that he wasn’t nice. What a combination mother and daughter made…
‘Ben!’ Howard yelled. ‘What’re you doing up there?’
Realizing he had been standing there for some time, he made his way down again.
‘Well, what do you think?’
Sitting on the stairs and stretching his long legs in front of him, Ben noted his friend’s animated expression, and nodded. ‘It’s a perfect space.’
‘Told you. We—’
‘But’ – Ben held up his hand to stop Howard – ‘Ted is right. This is too big a job for us to tackle on our own. We’ll need help.’
‘How much help, Ben? We can’t afford to employ builders.’
Amy sat down beside Ben. ‘I can help.’
‘So can I.’ Ted gazed around again. ‘It could look wonderful, if the job’s done properly.’
Howard was shaking his head. ‘We can’t take your money, Ted, nor yours, Amy; you’ve got Grace to support.’
‘You could make me a partner,’ Ted suggested.
‘And I’m going to be in this with you, so I must contribute.’ Amy gave Ben and Howard a ‘don’t you dare argue’ look.
‘OK.’ Ben unwound himself from the stairs. ‘Let’s do as much of it as we can ourselves, and see how it goes financially. We’ll use your money only if it becomes necessary. Do you agree?’
Ted and Amy nodded.
‘Good, now that’s agreed, I’ll go and have a word with Stan and see if he’s found a job yet. If he hasn’t, he might be willing to give us a hand. We must pay him a fair wage, though, as he’s got a family to look after.’
‘That’s a wonderful idea.’ Amy had taken a liking to Stan and his family. ‘Do you think he’ll do it?’
‘I can but ask.’
‘I knew you’d all agree, after you’d thought about it.’ Howard was rubbing his hands together and grinning. ‘I can’t wait for us to get back into business again. I’ll go with Ted and see about the lease.’
‘And I must get back to help Mrs Dalton with our afternoon visitors.’ Amy waved as they all went their separate ways.
As Ben made his way to Stan’s, there was a spring in his step. Oh, it felt good to be doing something about a new shop. It was going to be a challenge, and that was just what he needed. He would be working hard and planning for the future – a future many poor devils wouldn’t have.
41
They had hoped to have the shop ready within two weeks, but it was turning out to be a much bigger job than anticipated. In addition to the amount of work needed, there were other delays. Grace had caught chickenpox from the neighbours’ children. She was miserable, itchy and fretful, taking up a lot of Amy’s time. Then Chrissie and Howard had decided to marry as soon as she was demobbed at the beginning of August. As Chrissie had little time to help with arrangements, Howard was always tearing off somewhere or other. Amy hadn’t known that Chrissie didn’t have any family of her own, so with Mrs Dalton’s help they had taken on the role of Chrissie’s parents. Ted was helping at the new shop whenever he could, but Ben and Stan were tackling the bulk of the work.
They would be lucky if they could open in another two weeks, Amy thought as she hurried to the bedroom.
The sight of her darling Grace, sitting up in bed, covered in nasty blister-like spots and looking a picture of misery, brought tears to her eyes.
‘Mummy,’ she wailed. ‘I can’t scratch with these on.’ Her little hands waved around, showing the pink woollen gloves tied securely to her wrists.
‘I know, darling, but you mustn’t scratch; it will only make things worse.’ Sitting on the edge of the bed, she pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from Grace’s face. ‘You’ll soon be better now.’
Her bottom lip trembled. ‘I don’t like staying in bed. Can I get up, please?’
‘How’s my favourite girl?’ Chrissie arrived, looking smart and efficient in her uniform.
‘Auntie Chrissie,’ Grace sobbed, ‘make me better.’
‘Let me have a look at you.’ Winking at Amy, she took hold of Grace’s wrist, pretending to take her pulse, then she examined the spots. ‘Hmm, if you stay in bed for one more day, you’ll be feeling much better by tomor
row.’
‘But I itch.’ Grace’s eyes swam with miserable tears.
‘I have something to ease that.’ She took a bottle out of her bag. ‘We’ll dab this on those nasty spots to make them keep quiet, shall we?’
Grace nodded as Chrissie undressed her, and began smoothing the white liquid over the affected areas.
Amy was having a job to stop her own tears from overflowing; she hated to see her normally happy daughter so unwell. It hurt, but all they could do was let it run its course. There were already signs of the spots drying up.
‘There.’ Chrissie put the stopper back in the bottle and left it on the bedside table. After slipping Grace’s nightdress back on, she said, ‘Does that feel better?’
‘It feels all cold.’ Grace gave a watery smile. ‘And it doesn’t itch quite so much.’
‘Good girl.’ Chrissie stood up. ‘Put some more of that on at bedtime, Amy, and that should help her sleep.’
‘Thanks.’ She smoothed her hand over Grace’s tousled hair. ‘You’re being a very brave girl, so I think a treat is in order. Would you like some jelly?’
‘Yes please, Mummy.’
Collecting a dish of red jelly from the kitchen, Amy returned to Grace and fed her until it was all gone. As her eyes began to close, Amy kissed her gently. ‘You have a nice sleep now.’
‘Ah, she finished it all, then.’ Mrs Dalton gave a satisfied nod at the empty dish.
‘Yes, and she’s asleep at last. The poor little darling had an awful night.’
‘And that means you did, as well.’ Chrissie tapped the chair beside her. ‘Sit down for a while, Amy, you look tired out.’
‘Thanks.’ She sighed with relief. It seemed as if she hadn’t stopped for days. ‘It’s lovely to see you. How much leave did you manage to get?’
‘I’ve only wangled three days.’
‘Have you seen Howard?’ Mrs Dalton asked.
‘Yes, I popped into the shop on my way here.’ Her smile spread. ‘You should have seen the state of them. But through the dust and frantic sawing, the shop is taking shape.’
‘I should be helping, but I can’t leave Grace while she’s so poorly.’ This had fretted Amy. She hated leaving them to do all the work, but Grace came first in her life. Her grandparents hadn’t been able to come and help because Mildred had never had chickenpox, but as soon as Grace was no longer contagious, they would be here on the first train.
One Step at a Time Page 36