by Kitty Neale
‘Craig dragged Pamela and the boys out for an early-morning walk. He thought I needed a bit of peace.’
Gloria noticed her sister’s eyes flit to the empty wine bottle next to the bin. ‘I see, bit of a sore head, have we?’ she teased.
‘It isn’t too bad, but I won’t be drinking that French stuff again. The others will be back for their breakfast soon so I’m doing egg sandwiches. Do you want one?’
‘No, thanks, I’m watching my weight. I’ll just have an apple and a glass of water.’
Jenny looked at her sister in disbelief. Gloria had never worried about her weight before and for good reason. She had developed early, had a perfect figure and was lucky she could eat whatever she liked without piling on the pounds. ‘What’s brought this on? You look the same as always so why are you worrying about your size?’
‘Hughie commented on my backside. He said it looked big in those trousers I was wearing.’
Jenny’s hackles rose. She didn’t like the idea of Hughie criticising Gloria, especially as it wasn’t true. ‘That’s rubbish. There’s nothing wrong with your figure.’
‘It wouldn’t hurt to lose a few pounds.’
She hadn’t met him yet, but Jenny doubted Hughie was the right man for her sister. If he felt anything for Gloria, he’d be praising her, not slating her.
Lizzie sat at the kitchen table that had once been so familiar to her. ‘It was good of you to let me in last night,’ she said.
‘I could hardly leave you out on the streets at silly o’clock in the morning, but I ain’t happy about this. You take fucking liberties, you do,’ Henry said belligerently.
‘Would you like some breakfast, Lizzie?’ Audrey asked quietly.
‘No, she fucking wouldn’t,’ Henry barked. ‘If she wants something to eat, she can get it herself. Don’t you go waiting on her.’
Audrey’s body tensed, her voice barely above a whisper as she said, ‘Sorry, Henry.’
Lizzie felt sorry for her and said, ‘Thanks, Audrey, but why don’t you sit down, and I’ll do us all a nice fry-up. It’s the least I can do after staying the night.’
Audrey looked at Henry as though waiting for his approval, and when he nodded his head she pulled out a chair and sat down.
‘Right then,’ Lizzie said as she set to work. She cut some bread and put it under the grill to toast before putting lard into the pan to fry some eggs.
‘I saw Jenny yesterday,’ Henry said, his tone milder.
‘Oh yeah, how is she?’
‘She looks happy with this bloke of hers. He was all right, nice lad.’
‘And the rest of them?’
‘I didn’t see Pam and the boys, but Gloria was there, looking all grown-up.’
‘She may look grown-up, but she’s still only sixteen. Where are they living?’
‘In Osward Road. I went round to give Jenny a card.’
‘A card. What for?’ Lizzie asked, then her eyebrows rose as the penny dropped. ‘Of course, it was Jenny’s birthday, but with everything that was going on yesterday it slipped my mind.’
‘Yeah, about that. Look, Lizzie, I couldn’t give a toss that you got chucked out, so don’t go thinking you can stay another night. Once you’ve had your breakfast you can bugger off.’
‘But, Henry, I haven’t got anywhere to go,’ Lizzie begged as she placed the food on the table. ‘Please, you’ve got spare rooms. Can’t I stay for a bit, just until I get myself sorted?’
‘No, you can’t. What do you think this place is, a fucking hotel?’
‘Henry, I can pay, look …’ Lizzie reached round to where her coat was draped over the back of her chair and pulled the jewellery from the pocket. She slapped it down on the kitchen table. ‘That lot’s gotta be worth a few bob. I’ll take them down to the pawnshop when it opens tomorrow.’
She watched as Henry picked up one of the earrings, then the ring. She saw the corners of his mouth begin to lift and thought she’d won him round, but his smile turned into a chuckle, then a roar of laughter.
‘What … what’s so funny?’
‘You stupid cow! This ain’t worth nothing … it’s just paste.’
‘No, Henry, you’re wrong. What would you know about fine jewellery?’
He held out the ring to Audrey and said, ‘Have a butcher’s. It’s fake, ain’t it?’
‘I … erm … I …’ Audrey stuttered.
‘I said look at it,’ Henry snapped. ‘You used to work in a jeweller’s when you was younger, so you’ll be able to say if it’s real.’
Audrey picked it up and it didn’t take her long to say, ‘Yes, it … it’s fake.’
Lizzie’s teeth clenched. Dwight had already humiliated her, and now this. ‘The lying, conniving, cheating bastard,’ she seethed. ‘You should sort him out, Henry. Go round there and break his fucking neck. He was after our Gloria, you know.’
‘What, your American fancy man was trying to get hold of my girl?’
‘Yes, he was, though I had no idea what he was up to and only just found out. He’s a sick pervert, Henry, and you ought to show him what for. Give him a good bleedin’ hiding.’
‘You’d love that, wouldn’t you? Me slapping your ex for you. Do I look like I’ve just got off the last banana boat, eh? Well, do I?’ Henry roared, smashing his fist down on the table.
Lizzie jumped. ‘No, Henry, you don’t, but I swear I’m telling you the truth.’
‘You can swear all you like, but I don’t believe you. You’ve only come out with this now because the geezer has conned you and you want payback. Forget it, Liz, I ain’t doing your dirty work for you. Now eat your grub then get out!’
‘Well, thanks for nothing,’ Lizzie said, deflated. It was clear that Henry wasn’t going to let her stay, so not only was she homeless, with fake jewels she was penniless too.
Chapter 20
A week after her birthday, Jenny woke up on Saturday with a feeling of foreboding. She’d spoken to her brothers and though they didn’t seem keen on seeing their dad, they hadn’t been overly upset either. The same couldn’t be said for Pamela. They hadn’t wanted to tell her that he was visiting, but as Jenny realised she would probably hear about it from her brothers, she decided it would be better coming from her. Both she and Gloria assured her that she didn’t have to see him, yet even so she’d wet the bed twice that week.
Rain hammered against the window. Today was so different from last week. Jenny looked at her ring to remind herself of the good things in her life. Surely her dad would only be here for an hour or so, and hopefully, if she handled it well, they’d all get through it unscathed.
The smell of burnt toast wafted up to her room. Jenny threw the bed covers off to trudge downstairs and through the smoky hallway to the kitchen. ‘What’s going on in here?’ she asked, and saw Craig waving a tea-towel in the air.
‘Craig burned my toast,’ Peter said, stifling a chortle.
‘I can see that. Pam, open the back door.’
The smoke soon cleared, and Craig attempted to toast another couple of slices. ‘Do you want some, Jenny?’
‘No, thanks. I’ll just have a cup of tea,’ she said. Her stomach was in knots and she couldn’t face breakfast.
‘I’ve got to go,’ Pam said as she scraped back her chair.
It was early for her to leave for work, but Jenny guessed she wanted to be out of the house in case their father turned up ahead of time. ‘Dad won’t be here until eleven o’clock. You don’t have to go yet.’
Gloria had been in the bathroom and walked into the kitchen with her hair in rollers, her nose wrinkling. ‘Blimey, who’s trying to set the house alight?’
‘Craig,’ the boys answered together.
‘Do you want some toast, Gloria?’ Craig offered.
‘Nope, bread doesn’t do my waistline any favours. Hughie says I should steer clear of the stuff, along with chips, chocolate and cakes.’
Jenny bit her tongue. The more she heard about this Hughie, the less she liked him.
‘Does that mean I can have your puddings from now on?’ Timmy asked.
‘We only have pudding on Sunday.’
‘Ain’t it Sunday tomorrow?’ Timmy asked.
‘Yes, and you’ll be able to have my roast spuds too if you like ’cos Hughie said they ain’t no good for me neither.’
‘That’s not fair, I want them. Roast spuds is my favourite,’ Peter whined.
‘All right, you can share them,’ Gloria said impatiently, then added, ‘Anyway, I probably won’t be here for dinner tomorrow, so you’ll be able to have the lot.’
‘Oh, why’s that?’ Jenny asked but had already guessed it would be something to do with Hughie.
‘Hughie hasn’t said anything yet, but I think he’s going to invite me to meet his parents tomorrow. He’s picking me up around three, so I’ll find out then.’
‘Will you invite him in?’ Jenny asked. ‘I’d like to meet him.’
‘Er … no,’ Gloria answered bluntly.
‘Why not?’
‘I couldn’t bring him in here! I haven’t been inside yet, but you should see where his parents live. In comparison to this, their house is like a bloody mansion and it’s on the posh side of Wandsworth Common.’
‘Our house is nothing to be ashamed of,’ Jenny said defensively. She and Craig had worked hard to provide this family home and she kept it spotless. ‘I was at school with Hughie’s sister, Deirdre, and she didn’t act as though she’s better than us.’
‘She wanted to fit in so she played it down. Their father wanted them to have a normal education, but really they’re nothing like us. He’s a barrister or something fancy like that and Hughie told me his mother insists that they dress for dinner. I think they must be rich because they’ve got staff too, a cook and a maid.’
‘Don’t let it overwhelm you,’ Jenny advised. ‘Money or not, we’re all the same under the skin.’
‘I did wonder if I should curtsy when I meet them,’ Gloria said with a laugh.
‘They’re not royalty.’
‘Maybe not, but I should learn to speak a bit better.’
‘Is this Hughie’s suggestion?’ Jenny asked.
‘Yeah, he reckons I sound common and if I want to fit in with his friends and family, I’ll need to practise my pro-nun-si-a-shon. Blimey, I can hardly say the word.’
Jenny found herself biting her tongue again. It seemed Hughie wanted to mould Gloria into the type of woman he wanted, but with such different backgrounds she wondered if it was possible. For Gloria’s sake, Jenny hoped so, though she’d have preferred her sister to find a man like Craig. He never judged her or tried to change anything about her. In fact, at least once a day, he’d tell her how beautiful he thought she was. Jenny looked across the kitchen at him and thought how lucky she was. Not only had he rescued her, but he was gorgeous too. She’d found her perfect man and now they had their perfect life. She hoped it wasn’t about to be disrupted by her father.
Henry felt a twinge of nervousness as he approached the house where his children lived. On his last visit he got the impression that his presence wasn’t wanted, but they were his children and he’d come to realise he missed them. He hoped the gifts he’d brought would win them over.
He knocked on the door and plastered on a big smile. ‘Hello, love,’ he said when Jenny opened it, once again struck by her red hair that made her stand out as different from the rest of them. ‘I’m glad this rain has stopped. Nice weather for ducks though.’
‘Come in,’ she answered without returning his smile.
He followed her through to the front room and saw that the boys weren’t there. He hoped Jenny hadn’t changed her mind about letting him see them. She had no right to do that, and there’d be trouble if she had. He’d demand that they, and Pamela, came home with him, but in truth it would be an idle threat. He didn’t really want them, preferring just to visit them now and then. He liked the peaceful life he had now, and the extra money in his pockets, and he didn’t want to give Lizzie any excuse to call round. Still, if needs be he’d show his hand and that would show his stuck-up daughter who was in charge.
Craig stood up as he entered the room and offered him a seat on the sofa which Henry accepted before asking, ‘Where are the boys and Pamela?’
‘Pam’s at work. She’s got a Saturday job. Gloria will bring Timmy and Peter in from the back garden shortly, but first I want to lay down some ground rules,’ Jenny answered.
Henry’s temper flared, though he hid it well. The cheeky bitch, he thought, who was she to lay down rules? If Jenny kept this up he’d sort her out, but for now he took a deep breath and managed to say calmly, ‘Go on then, let’s hear them.’
Craig stepped in to answer. ‘If you raise your voice it will frighten the boys, and obviously there must be no violence.’
‘I’ve never laid a hand on my sons and I’m not about to start now,’ Henry protested. This was none of Craig’s business, and it he’d didn’t keep his mouth shut, he’d bloody well flatten him.
‘All right, Dad, I’ll ask Gloria to fetch the boys in,’ Jenny said.
The men stared at each other in silence until Jenny returned. Henry noticed Peter was holding onto Jenny’s skirt and peeping at him from behind it. Timmy had a firm grip on Gloria’s hand and it looked like he was trembling. It puzzled Henry. He couldn’t understand why they seemed so afraid of him. ‘Peter, Timmy … Look what I’ve got for you in this bag,’ he said, keeping his voice soft as he pulled out a pigskin football that had been kicked into his backyard. Next he pulled out a marionette. He’d found the puppet in a box by a dustbin on his rounds and had mended the strings. It was nearly as good as new.
Timmy was the first to cautiously approach. Henry leaned forward with the puppet and showed him how to make it dance. At last Timmy smiled, then asked if he could have a go. Henry handed him the toy and he soon mastered the skill of manoeuvring it.
‘Look, Peter, look at the funny man dancing,’ he said gleefully.
Peter let go of Gloria’s hand and joined in, but after a short while asked, ‘Can we take the ball in the garden?’
‘Yes and perhaps Dad would like to have a kick around with you?’
‘Yeah, you go and set up something for a goal and I’ll be out in a minute,’ Henry said to his sons.
He waited until they were out of earshot, then asked Jenny, ‘Why are they so scared of me? What fucking nonsense have you been feeding them?’
Craig stepped in front of Jenny and answered, ‘With respect, Mr Lombard, Jenny hasn’t told them anything. In fact she never says a bad word about you. Your children are frightened of you because they’ve witnessed your violent temper. They’ve seen you beating their sister, so badly that she was carried off in an ambulance, and they’ve only recently stopped having nightmares about it.’
Some of what Craig said hit home. Yes, Henry thought, he’d been vile to Jenny, yet as he turned it over in his mind, denial set in. He hadn’t been that bad. Overall he’d been a good father and provided for them. They’d never gone hungry, or without clothes and shoes as he had as a child. It hadn’t been easy, bringing them up without their mother, and all right, he might have taken his frustrations out on them, but he wasn’t going to stand for Craig pointing that out. ‘With fucking respect, my arse. My family business has got nothing to do with you, so keep your mouth shut,’ Henry growled as he got to his feet.
Craig stood his ground and said, ‘Before this gets out of hand, I think you should leave.’
‘Yeah, and before I grind your cocky fucking face into the floor.’
Henry saw his daughters, and Craig too, recoil in obvious fear. Good, he thought, that’ll fucking teach them. He glared at them before marching out, slamming the front door behind him, then in blind fury he spun around and punched it.
‘Shit, that hurt,’ Henry ground out as he nursed his hand, sure he’d broken knuckles, but gained some satisfaction in seeing that he’d left a big dent in the wood. It was their
fault. They’d wound him up. They’d ruined what was supposed to be a pleasant hour with his kids and he’d never forgive Jenny or Craig for this. Never, and it would be a mess of their own making if he chose to claim back his younger children.
Chapter 21
Pamela had come home from work and seen the dented front door. She guessed that their father had caused the damage and she’d become withdrawn since, with her nightly accidents resuming. Jenny struggled to keep up with washing her sister’s sheets, especially getting them dry now that the weather had taken a turn for the worse.
Over a week had passed since their father’s visit, and on this Sunday morning it was raining heavily again. Jenny noticed that her brothers seemed bored and restless. Pamela was sitting in a corner reading a book, seemingly in a world of her own. Gloria was busy making herself look beautiful for her man, and Craig was doing some extra hours at work to get a special order fulfilled.
‘Who wants to come and see Gran with me?’ Jenny asked.
Timmy and Peter’s hands shot into the air and they both excitedly said, ‘Me!’
‘What about you, Pam, do you want to come?’
‘Yes, all right.’
‘Get your coats and your wellies on, and boys, no arguing with each other. You know it gets on Gran’s nerves when you two start bickering.’
‘Will Gran have cakes for us?’ Timmy asked.
‘I expect so, she normally does.’
It didn’t take them long to reach Edith’s flat. The boys ran on ahead and knocked on the door whilst Jenny and Pamela caught them up. When the door opened, Jenny was astonished to see her mother.
‘Ain’t you going to say hello?’ she said.
Peter and Timmy wrapped their arms around her waist, both saying, ‘Mummy!’, clearly pleased to see her.
‘What are you doing here?’ Jenny asked.
‘Your gran is putting me up for a while. Come on in. She thought you might call in to see her today.’
As they walked in, the boys jabbered at their mother with excitement, talking over each other, but this already seemed to get on her nerves. ‘For Gawd’s sake, shut up, the pair of you,’ she demanded. ‘I can hardly hear myself think.’