She's Out

by La Plante, Lynda

  Downstairs, Gloria picked up a transmitter. ‘She’s obviously serious about it. This gear must have set her back a few quid.’

  They heard Dolly coming down and started to make conversation.

  ‘What time did Angela leave?’ Dolly asked as she walked in.

  ‘She went out in style,’ Gloria said, then repeated what had happened, only a little shame-faced that she hadn’t told Dolly immediately.

  ‘She tried to top herself,’ Ester said, but then Julia interjected that she had called the hospital and she was off the danger list. They were unsure, however, if the baby would be all right.

  Dolly sighed. No matter what she felt about Angela she was sad. Dolly yawned. ‘You go and see her tomorrow, Julia, take her a few things. Just check on her.’

  ‘She’d not get me whippin’ in grapes, she deserves all she gets, the nasty little snitch,’ Gloria said.

  Dolly yawned again.

  ‘So, you gonna tell us, Dolly, what all this gear is for?’ Ester sat next to her.

  ‘Yes, but not tonight, I’m too tired. We’ll discuss it in the morning.’

  ‘Is it the security wagon?’ Ester asked.

  ‘Nope. Like I said, we’ll talk about it tomorrow, I’m run ragged now.’

  ‘It’s the train, isn’t it?’ Connie said.

  Dolly slowly got up. ‘Yes, it is.’

  ‘The mail train?’ Ester asked, springing to her feet.

  ‘That’s right.’

  Julia was resting one foot on the fireguard. ‘You’ll never do it, Dolly. I spoke to Norma. She said the security for the drops is really tight and there’s no access by road. You’d never get a truck or a car up there without the cops knowing. That’s why they chose this station, for its inaccessibility.’

  ‘We wouldn’t be doing it by car.’ Dolly was on her way to the door.

  ‘On foot? How the hell could we carry big fat mailbags?’

  Dolly cocked her head to one side. ‘We wouldn’t carry them and we wouldn’t be going by car, or on foot.’

  Ester smirked. ‘Helicopter, is it?’

  Dolly opened the door. ‘We hit the train on horseback.’ They fell about laughing. Gloria snorted like a braying donkey. Then they saw that Dolly wasn’t smiling. She looked from one to the other, her voice quiet, calm, without any emotion. ‘Julia gave me the idea, so as from tomorrow we start to learn to ride. Every one of us. If we can’t do it, then we look for something else. There’s a local stable within half a mile of here. They’ve got eight horses. We’re all booked for the early-morning ride so I don’t know about you lot but I need to get some sleep. Goodnight.’

  She shut the door behind them and not one of them could speak.

  ‘I’ve never been on a horse,’ Connie said lamely.

  ‘Me neither – well, nearest I got was a donkey ride on Brighton beach,’ Gloria said.

  ‘It’s bullshit, isn’t it, Julia?’ Ester said flatly. ‘She’s joking.’

  Julia prodded the fire with the poker. ‘I don’t think she’s joking. One, she’s laid out for all that equipment, two, she was up by the woods, checking out the station. I think she’s serious. That’s why she’s made Connie, me, even you, Ester, start checking it out.’

  Overhead, the chandelier creaked as Dolly walked along the floor above them. Her footsteps sounded ominous and the long shadows cast from the fire were scary as they loomed large across the big dilapidated room. One after another they opened their mouths as if to say something but nothing came out. They were all thinking the same things. Was Dolly serious? Was the robbery for real? But it was Julia who broke the atmosphere, laughing softly. ‘She’s pulling our legs. Let’s have a drink.’

  Chapter 13

  Angela was sitting hunched on her side, a sodden piece of tissue in her hand. She had cried herself into exhaustion. She didn’t look up or turn when the door opened as she thought it would be a nurse. She knew it couldn’t be her mother – she hadn’t called her, hadn’t wanted to speak to anyone. She felt so sick and sad; she had never meant to hurt the baby but now it was too late. She was no longer pregnant; she had miscarried early that morning.

  ‘There’s grapes and some clothes to change into.’

  Angela recognized Dolly’s voice but was afraid to look at her so she just curled up tighter.

  ‘I know you lost the baby, Angela, and I’m sorry, sorry for what you’ve done to yourself.’ Dolly laid out the things she had brought. She stood near to the bed, not close enough to touch Angela. ‘Maybe it’s for the best, but it won’t seem like that now.’

  ‘You’d know, would you?’ came the muffled reply.

  ‘No, I don’t really know at all. I ached for a baby, Angela, all my married life, so no, I wouldn’t know what it feels like to lose one, be it my own fault or not.’

  Angela sobbed. Dolly was so cold and hard and she so badly needed someone to put their arms around her. ‘Please be nice to me, Dolly, please.’ Angela turned and held out her hand to Dolly.

  ‘Come to the house and …’

  ‘Can I stay? I’ll cook and clean for you.’

  ‘Pack the rest of your things. That’s all I came to tell you. You have to leave but we’ll keep your things safe until they release you from here. And you should eat those grapes, almost eighty pence a pound.’

  The door closed behind her and Angela flopped back on to her pillow. She felt totally dejected. She wished she’d killed herself properly, wished she had never woken up because she had nothing to live for, and no place to go.

  Dolly walked into the kitchen through the back door, the smell of burning bacon making her wrinkle her nose.

  ‘Oh, sorry, Dolly, it’s me. I can never get the hang of this Aga. I dunno whether to put stuff in the oven or stick it on the top there.’ Connie shovelled charred bits of bacon on to a piece of paper towel, dabbing the fat off it. It broke up into little pieces.

  ‘I been in to see Angela. She lost the baby.’

  ‘Julia told me. She’s just bathing the girls – they’ve had their breakfast.’

  Ester appeared. ‘Serves the little cow right. Any breakfast going?’

  They came in in dribs and drabs but no one seemed inclined to start up the conversation about the proposed robbery. ‘You all got boots, jeans to ride in?’ Dolly suddenly asked.

  Gloria looked down at her wellingtons. Julia arrived with the three children, who hung back shyly at the door. Seeing her, Gloria asked, ‘Will these do?’

  Julia shook her head. ‘No, but there’s no point in wasting good money if you’re only going to go once. Might as well wait and see, right, Dolly?’

  Dolly was eating scrambled eggs and burnt toast. ‘I’ll need to borrow a pair of trousers. You girls are going to be left alone just for a while, I got some things for you to do.’ They were sitting at the big kitchen table as Dolly laid out drawing pads, crayons and picture books. ‘Now you be good, stay put in here and wait until we get back. Don’t leave the house, and I’ll know if you do because I’m gonna ask the builders to check on you.’

  ‘They not comin’ today,’ piped up little Sheena.

  Dolly patted her head. ‘Ah, you don’t know, they come and they go. Just be good girls and watch the clock. When the big hand gets to—’

  ‘I can tell the time,’ said Kathy, one of the twins.

  ‘Good, then you stay put for two hours in here and I don’t want to have to tell you again!’ Dolly was trying her best but she wasn’t used to handling little kids, as well as a houseful of adult ones.

  Julia fitted her out in an old pair of her jeans which were too tight and the flies gaped but, as Julia said, why waste money? They piled into Gloria’s Mini, all five of them, and headed for the local stables.

  ‘I see they bleedin’ downed tools again,’ Gloria said as they drove out of the manor.

  ‘They’ll pick them up again as soon as they get paid,’ Dolly snapped.

  ‘I thought our Connie was supposed to be keeping him happy,’ Gloria sn
iggered.

  ‘I’m already workin’ on him and the bloke in the signal box. I don’t intend to get through all the ruddy workmen. You do it.’

  ‘My darlin’, I’d do it any time and place, it’s a question of willingness, right enough; but not on my part.’ Gloria hooted.

  Dolly closed her eyes. Sometimes Gloria’s constant sexual innuendos really got under her skin. She never missed an opportunity for snide digs and asides about getting her leg over. ‘I wish you’d watch what you say, Gloria, now we got the girls living in. And that goes for us all. Cut down on the swearing.’

  Well, excuuuuuse me for livin’. I can’t help bein’ the way I am, it’s called frustration. I see her getting her leg over at every opportunity and—’

  ‘Shut up!’ roared Dolly.

  ‘It’s the truth! I’ve not had a good seeing-to in years and it’s not for want of trying, lemme tell you.’ Dolly knew it was pointless attempting to change Gloria. ‘Mind you, this horse ridin’, they say it gives you a climax, did you know that, Dolly? I’m lookin’ forward to it.’

  When they got to the riding school Sandy, a young stable girl with a high-pitched Sloane Ranger voice, began to bring out the horses, all shapes and sizes, as her assistant saddled them up. Julia began sorting through hard hats, which were compulsory, and they switched them around and tried them all on. Sandy kept on taking sly looks at the group of women and couldn’t help tittering as they appeared to be first-timers, apart from Julia who had obviously ridden before and was there to offer as much assistance as was needed, which turned out to be a lot. Just getting them mounted took considerable time, and when Julia left they all looked petrified, including Dolly. When her horse suddenly bent his head to eat some grass, she almost came off with a high-pitched ‘Help!’

  They had a two-hour lesson and at the end of it they could all mount and dismount, knew how to use the reins, and had been led up and down the field. Gloria wandered into the stables, cocksure, as if she had just won the Grand National.

  ‘It’s quite easy, isn’t it?’

  Sandv smiled. ‘Yes, if you’re a natural.’

  ‘You think I am, then?’

  ‘We’ll see. You haven’t really been riding yet.’

  ‘Course I have. We been round the field ten times.’

  ‘There’s more to it than that, Gloria.’

  By lunchtime none of them could walk. Their legs were stiff, thighs in particular, and everyone moaned. Dolly had booked them in for another lesson in a second stable twenty miles away. They cranked themselves into the Mini again.

  ‘I don’t think this is a good idea you know, Dolly,’ Gloria gasped. ‘I mean, I’m knackered after just two hours – and my legs! I think I’ve done serious damage to them.’

  Julia waved them off and decided to take the little girls out for a walk, but before she could set off, Big John arrived and said he needed to speak to Mrs Rawlins. Julia told him she was not at home but asked if she could help. ‘Well, it’s just that she’s supposed to pay me the second instalment. We’re behind now, and she did say today. I’ve got the lads on another job until she pays, but this scaffolding needs finishing and we got all that cement ordered and the sand.’

  ‘I’ll tell her to give you a ring.’

  ‘I hope so. This was a cash deal and she’s put me in a very difficult position.’

  ‘She’ll call you.’

  He hung about a moment, then asked, ‘Connie here, is she?’

  ‘She’s out.’

  He returned to his truck; he was determined that until he saw the colour of Mrs Rawlins’s money he was not going to finish anything off or order another bag of cement, nothing. The reality was that he had been so desperate to get his firm off the ground that he’d stretched himself to the limit. He had a nasty feeling that his inexperience was going to teach him a hard lesson.

  The afternoon riding session brought grave doubts that any one of them would be capable of ever being let off a leading-rein. Out of the four Connie was the best and the most confident, Gloria the worst. She yelled and shouted abuse to the embarrassment of the others and the very country stable girls. When they returned to the manor, Dolly was certain they could never do it and she would have to think about something else.

  She sat with the children, made them their tea and read them a story. The Three Little Piggies was requested yet again by Sheena and for half an hour Dolly lost herself in the story and in the warmth of the three little girls. They were gradually becoming less dependent on each other, more open. Dolly constantly repeated that the manor was their home, no one would take it away from them; it was theirs, their mummy knew where to write to them and when she was back she would know where to find them. That was why she had brought them to the new place.

  Early next day Dolly drove into the village, toured the second-hand shops, and returned laden with hacking-jackets, jodhpurs, second-hand riding boots plus two men’s riding coats. Some of the clothes were in good condition, some not so good, but she laid them all out, choosing the best for herself. That morning the lesson was booked for ten and, creaking in agony, the women argued and fought over each item like ten-year-olds. Gloria stuffed two pairs of thick woollen socks inside a pair of men’s riding boots as they were far too large; Connie squeezed into a pair that were too small but highly polished which she’d grabbed before Gloria. They didn’t look any more professional – on the contrary, they were like something out of a Thelwell cartoon and their riding was no better.

  Sandy, the stable girl, led them all into the field connected to the stables and they proceeded to learn how to trot with gritted teeth and loud moans.

  Julia remained at the house with the children, cooking breakfast and taking them on a ramble around the grounds. They were shrieking with excitement when she brought out Helen of Troy and they each had a turn at being led round the yard. None of them had been in the country before or ridden a horse, and their excitement touched Julia. As a child she had wanted for nothing, she even had her own pony, and it made her realize just how wonderful a place the manor could be for kids like Kathleen’s.

  There was a lot more they needed to sort out but no one seemed inclined to open up the subject. It was obvious to everyone that the riding was a fiasco, the reality of the robbery far removed. Yet it hung in the air, unspoken, and as Dolly seemed disinclined to discuss it, no one else did.

  It was early afternoon by the time everyone had cleaned themselves up, and the washing machine creaked under the weight of all their dirty clothes. The boots were lined up and the little girls given the task of cleaning them for fifty pence a pair. Dirtier than ever, polishing away, Sheena seemed to have a considerable amount of boot polish round her mouth but, seeing they were happy, Dolly said nothing and called all the women into the office.

  They stood around, waiting, as Dolly closed the door and crossed to her desk. She picked up a small black notebook and sat down. ‘Right, it’s obvious we’re gonna need two lessons a day.’ She jotted down the costs and they all exchanged glances. ‘In the meantime, we’ll just carry on as if we’re progressing, even if we don’t seem to be.’

  Gloria leaned on the desk. ‘I got to be honest, Doll, I’m not cut out for this riding business. It’s me size, you see. Being small I can’t get me legs round the horse.’

  Ester snorted. ‘Get them round that Eddie, though.’

  ‘Chance’d be a fine thing. I’ve not had ’em round a male for a lot longer than you!’

  Dolly was irritated. ‘Shut up. Now we ride twice a day, two hours a session, and that’s final. You get a small horse.’

  Gloria pulled a face and sat in a winged chair. ‘You’re payin’.’

  ‘Yeah, I am paying for everything, so shut up and listen, all of you.’

  Dolly had that edge to her, flicking through the book, jotting down expenses. Julia stood by the window. ‘The builder was here, Dolly. You know he’s got a delivery of bathroom equipment arriving and he’s a bit sore. He could start causing tr
ouble.’

  Dolly moistened her lips. ‘Yes, I know. We’ll start with him.’

  Dolly pointed at Connie and told her to keep Big John happy, to see him as much as possible and give him five grand that evening.

  Gloria swung her legs. ‘All right for some. I wouldn’t mind keeping him happy – got a nice arse.’

  No one paid her any attention; they were listening to Dolly as she described the old cesspit half a mile from the house. ‘I need to get it cleared, see how deep it is, so this afternoon, Gloria and Julia, that’s your job.’

  ‘Oh, great! I just got meself cleaned up,’ moaned Gloria, but again she was ignored.

  ‘Connie, when you see the builder, I want you to order via his firm, without him knowing, about twenty kilo-bags of lime.’

  ‘Why? What do we need them for?’ Connie asked.

  ‘To fill the pit,’ Dolly said patiently.

  She jabbed a finger at Ester. ‘You have an assignment. I want you to find out just how tough it is to unhitch a train carriage.’

  ‘Oh, sure,’ Ester said, smiling as if it was as simple as buying groceries.

  ‘I’m serious. The mail carriage is in the centre of the train, it’s an ordinary carriage. I want to know how you can unhitch it.’

  ‘How the fuck do I find that out?’

  ‘You’ve got a big mouth, Ester. Use it. Off the top of my head you can go to the railway museums, chat up a guard, not at the local station – any way you think – but I need to know how hard it is to unhitch, if it’s done manually or—’

  ‘Fine, I’ll do it,’ Ester interrupted.

  Dolly ticked her memo in the notebook, turning a page. ‘Tonight, Connie, you go and see your boyfriend in the signal box. This time you find out the layout, how many alarms there are, how long it takes to get the law to the station.’

  ‘You must be joking,’ stuttered Connie.

  ‘No, love, I’m not. We have to know exactly what goes down when that mail train arrives, what he does, what—’

  Connie broke in, ‘How do I do that?’