by Anna King
‘Bye, Mummy. I’ll see you later,’ James called out happily.
Heather and Jimmy stood side by side as they waved Amy and James off, but as soon as they had disappeared from view, they dropped their pretence of amiability.
‘Well, I’ll be off then,’ Heather drawled casually. ‘Though I wouldn’t like to be in your shoes when you have to explain to James why his mother isn’t coming back for him.’ Shaking her head maliciously, she murmured, ‘No, Jimmy, dear, I wouldn’t like to be in your shoes at all. He’s going to hate you for what you’ve done, and no amount of money or presents is going to make him love you like he loves me. You—’
A furious screech sounded behind them, causing Heather and Jimmy to jump in startled surprise. Then Bessie appeared, her face bearing the murderous look that had recently been mirrored on Jimmy’s own. Brandishing a large wooden rolling pin, she advanced on Heather.
‘Get outta here, yer old trollop, before I bash yer brains in. And don’t think I wouldn’t, ’cos I’d gladly swing fer yer if it meant my Jimmy and the boy were rid of yer fer good. Now, piss off if yer know what’s good fer yer, and don’t show yer face round ’ere again, or yer won’t ’ave any face left ter show.’
Staggering, backwards under the elderly woman’s wrath, Heather shot one last venomous look at both of them.
‘You’ll be sorry for this, Jimmy, and you, you old bag…’
If there was one thing in life apart from money that Heather was proud of, it was her self-esteem, but that characteristic pride that she held so dear was shattered as Bessie, her arm raised high, brought down the rolling pin, narrowly missing Heather by a matter of inches. All thoughts of maintaining a dignified exit dissolved in a flash of fear and, without looking back, Heather ran for her life, conscious of the neighbours’ curious stares at the sight of the well-dressed woman running pell mell down the street with Bessie’s strident words of invective following her.
*
Stopping at the top of the street, Heather slowed down and flagged down a passing cab. Once safely inside the carriage, she began to breathe more easily, her mind seething with rage at the humiliation she had suffered in front of the common rabble who occupied the street where Jimmy lived in such sumptuous surroundings.
Calmer now, she thought back to Jimmy’s query as to why she hadn’t married Sean Finnegan. The answer was simple. She hadn’t married Sean because she hadn’t wanted to spend the rest of her days in that godforsaken rambling house in the back of beyond with the nearest neighbours over fifty miles away. Heather had always loved the bright lights and night life of London, and there had hardly been a day during those eight years when she hadn’t wished she was back home in England.
When she had first realised she was pregnant it would have been the simplest thing in the world to have passed the child off as Sean’s, but to have done that would have meant tying herself to him for life. She had made up a story about her landlord forcing himself on her the night before she had met Sean in the park, adding tearfully that she had been too ashamed to tell him the truth at the time. Sean had been deeply hurt to discover the child wasn’t his, but had raised him as if he were his own, while constantly pressurising Heather to marry him and allow him to adopt the child he regarded as his own flesh and blood. Yet above all she had never stopped thinking about Jimmy, always hoping that one day she would be able to return to London and pick up where they had left off, especially as she would have had the advantage of presenting him with a son, a son he hadn’t known existed. She had consoled herself with the notion that even if Jimmy hadn’t wanted her back, he would have accepted her if only for the sake of his child. Of course, if she’d known Sean was going to drop dead at the relatively young age of fifty she would have married him years ago. If she had, she’d now be a rich woman, for the house and grounds alone had been worth thousands, and that was without the considerable sum of money Sean had accumulated over the years. Numbly she thought of how her life could have been if only she’d married him. For a start she’d have sold the house, cleared out his bank account and been on the first boat back to England before he was cold in his grave. Now, through her own stupidity, she was penniless, except for the measly hundred pounds Jimmy had so graciously given her. Such an amount would have been considered a fortune to most people, but Heather had become accustomed to the good life living with Sean, and she wasn’t going to go back to the life of scrimping and saving she’d endured throughout her youth.
‘Where to, darlin’?’ The cabbie shouted through the hatch in the roof of the cab.
Where to indeed, Heather thought miserably. Then her face cleared, her eyes narrowing, as a germ of an idea entered her mind.
‘Nowhere. Just wait here, please, until I tell you otherwise.’
The cabbie shrugged. ‘All right, darlin’. You’re paying.’
Heather smiled grimly. After today she wouldn’t be the only one paying. And pay they would. Sitting back more comfortably on the padded seat, Heather prepared herself to bide her time, waiting patiently for the opportunity to strike.
Chapter Twenty-one
The East End markets were always busy at weekends, but this being Christmas Eve, Roman Road market was packed almost to the point of bursting, with everyone on the look-out for a last-minute bargain. Which was a delight for the stall holders, but not so pleasant for the customers, who were forced to move along the long, narrow road at a snail’s pace, while fighting their way past the huge throngs of people crowding knee deep at most of the stalls. Normally Amy loved this time of year, and the hustle and bustle of last-minute Christmas shopping combined with the good-natured camaraderie and high spirits that could only be captured at this almost magical time in the season. But today she was in a hurry, as too was her small charge, though both of them for different reasons. The child was anxious to get back to see his mother, and Amy was equally anxious to get to Richard’s factory and try and have a word with him concerning Phil’s disastrous state of affairs.
The animosity she had first felt after discovering what her brother had done had quickly disappeared. It had never been in Amy’s nature to hold a grudge, and while she couldn’t condone his behaviour, she could understand he couldn’t help himself. Gambling was like an illness. Phil couldn’t help the way he was. Since the day Jimmy had sacked him, Phil hadn’t left the house. In fact he’d hardly left his room, except to make himself a meal. Only yesterday, as she’d been about to go out, Phil had been on his way to his room carrying a breakfast tray when the milkman had knocked on the door. At the sound, Phil had turned white with fear, his hands trembling so badly Amy had had to take the tray off him before it crashed to the floor. Amy knew he owed money to someone called ‘Big George’, because Phil, having no one else to confide in, had told Amy all his troubles. And with each day that passed, the interest on the debt kept rising, and there was no way it could be paid off. Phil was too frightened to leave the house to look for work in case the bookie’s thugs were lying in wait for him, Becky couldn’t go out to work, not with Maude to look after, and Amy herself certainly couldn’t earn that sort of money. Even if she took Jimmy up on his offer of working for him, the wages, though they amounted to three times what she earned in the teashop, still wouldn’t be enough to cover Phil’s debts. There was only one way Amy could think of to get Phil out of trouble, and that was to go and see Richard and ask for his help. She knew she was the only one with any hope of succeeding in getting Richard to lend her the money. Phil certainly wouldn’t dare ask, not after the way Richard had treated him on their last meeting. And Becky wouldn’t ask Richard for a favour even if she was starving to death. So it was up to Amy. Only she had to be quick, just in case Richard decided to leave work early today on account of it being Christmas Eve.
Finally shoving her way to the end of the market, Amy, still gripping James’s hand tightly for fear of losing him in the crush, leant back against a wall and gave a big sigh of relief. ‘Phew! That was a bit of a tight squeeze, wasn’t
it, love?’ She grinned down at the boy who was still hanging onto her hand for dear life.
‘I got squashed, Amy. And everyone kept stepping on my feet, and pushing me in the back. Sure, and I wish Jimmy had come with us, then he could have carried me on his shoulders, like he did when we went up the West End.’
Amy arched her eyebrows playfully. ‘If that’s a hint for me to give you a lift, then you’re wasting your time, young man. I’m worn out myself. Anyway, it’s only a ten-minute walk home from here, so come on, best foot forward, my little soldier.’
James giggled. ‘You are funny, Amy, so you are. And I wasn’t hinting, honest I wasn’t.’ He lowered his eyes, then glanced up impishly. ‘Though I wouldn’t say no, if you were offering.’
Amy’s laughter joined his as hand in hand they made their way back to the house with James chattering all the way.
‘It was nice of Jimmy to give me the money to buy my presents, wasn’t it, Amy?’
‘Well, he is your dad, after all, James, and that’s what dads do for their children.’ A silence fell on them as they approached the top of the road leading to Jimmy’s house. Then, picking her words carefully, Amy asked, ‘What do you think of Jimmy being your dad, James? I mean, do you like him, even just a little?’
‘Oh, yes, Amy. I like him a lot. I didn’t at first, but that’s only because I was scared. He’s been very kind to me, and it’s nice having a dad. It’d be even nicer if him and my mummy lived together, like other mummies and daddies do.’ Lifting his large green eyes to Amy’s he asked hopefully, ‘D’ye think they will, Amy? I mean, live together some day?’
Amy averted her eyes. God forbid! she thought, horrified at the mere notion. There was only one woman Amy wanted to see installed in that house as Jimmy’s wife, and it certainly wasn’t that painted trollop she’d encountered earlier.
Quickly changing the subject, Amy let go of James’s hand and shouted brightly, ‘I know, let’s play a game. I’ll count to five, then we’ll start to run. Last one home’s a stinker.’
With a whoop of joy, James bounded off, his short, sturdy legs racing over the cobbled pavement.
Shifting the small bag of presents James had bought to her other hand, Amy was about to give chase when the door of a waiting Hackney cab was rudely thrust open, narrowly missing hitting Amy full in the face.
Startled, Amy was about to make some form of protest when she saw the red-haired woman jump from the carriage and run in James’s direction. In a flash Amy knew what the woman’s intentions were. Obviously Jimmy had been as good as his word when he had declared he would be keeping James. Now it seemed Heather Mills had other ideas. Well! Not if she could help it. Her face set in grim lines of determination, Amy raced after the running woman. Within three long strides, Amy caught up with Heather, and, without stopping to think, grabbed at the abundant hair and pulled as hard as she could. Caught by surprise, Heather let out a cry of pain, but before she could retaliate, Amy kicked her legs out from under her and, with a smothered shout of frustrated rage, Heather went down onto the cobbled pavement like a sack of coal.
James, still playing the game, was blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding behind him, his only thought being to beat Amy back to the house.
Without even pausing for breath, Amy was off like lightning, her long legs eating up the short distance that separated her from James. By this time, James was only a few yards from the house, and with a quick, fervent glance over her shoulder, Amy saw a bedraggled Heather, no longer looking so high and mighty, being helped back into the carriage by an amused cabbie. Knowing the danger to James was over, Amy slowed her footsteps, allowing the child to reach the house first.
‘I won, Amy. I won,’ he cried out in delight.
Panting for breath, Amy smiled weakly. ‘Yes, you did, love. Now, let’s get inside quick, otherwise everyone will be wondering where we’ve got to.’
Bessie answered the door, her lined face creased in worried frowns. ‘Where on earth ’ave yer been? Jimmy’s been going…’ Roughly Amy pushed her way into the house, slamming the heavy door behind her. Bessie looked first at the sweating face of Amy, then down to the excited child, before returning her attention to the perspiring young girl.
Still breathing heavily, Amy mouthed over James’s head, ‘She tried to snatch him in the street. I only just got to him in time.’
Bessie stepped back, her hand flying to her mouth. ‘Oh, me Gawd! Did the little ’un see anything?’ she whispered back, her anxious eyes darting to the child, who was running towards the kitchen, eager to get his carefully chosen presents wrapped and delivered.
Amy shook her head tiredly. ‘No, thank goodness. He was running on ahead at the time. But, oh, Bessie, I was that frightened. I didn’t stop to think. I just grabbed her hair and knocked her to the ground, then chased after James. The last I saw, she was getting into a carriage at the top of the road.’
‘Bessie, Bessie, quick. We’ve got to wrap up the presents, but you mustn’t look at yours, else it won’t be a surprise, a’tall.’
James had run back into the hall to find out what was keeping Bessie and Amy.
Tenderly lifting the child into her arms, Bessie buried her face into his neck. ‘All right, me lad. I won’t look, I promise.’ Pulling her head back, she stared deep into the boy’s eyes and summoned up a smile. ‘Tell yer what, lad. Let’s me and you go and wrap up the presents now, while Amy goes and has a word with yer dad, eh?’
James’s eyes sought Amy’s. ‘Don’t let my mummy come down until we’ve finished wrapping the presents, will you, Amy?’
Her lips quivering, Amy managed a smile. ‘Of course I won’t. Now you go with Bessie like a good boy, and don’t come upstairs until I call you, understand?’
The dark head nodded. All right, Amy. But don’t be long. Sure, and I can’t wait to see my mummy’s face when I give her her present.’
Amy had barely reached the top step when Jimmy appeared on the landing, his face, like Bessie’s had been, etched with worry. And, like Bessie, he also exclaimed, ‘Where on earth have you…’
Wearily Amy held up her hand to silence him. Sweeping past the towering figure, she walked unsteadily into the room and flopped down heavily onto the nearest chair and repeated what she had just told Bessie, her breathless words hitting Jimmy in the stomach like a physical blow. What a fool he’d been to think that Heather would give up her meal ticket so easily. If Amy hadn’t acted so promptly… A shudder rippled through his lean body. The thought didn’t bear thinking about.
Clenching his teeth, his mind swiftly clicking into gear, Jimmy growled, ‘Well, she’s not going to get another chance, I can promise you that.’
Amy shook her head. ‘What can you do, Jimmy? With the best will in the world, you can’t watch over him every minute of every day. And you can’t keep him cooped up here like a prisoner either. He’s got to go out sometime, even if only for a breath of fresh air. And what about his schooling? You can take him back and forth each day, but what’s to stop Heather trying to take him out during school hours, or at play time. She is his mother, after all, and I can’t imagine any teacher trying to stop a mother taking her child out of school; especially a woman like Heather. You don’t argue with someone like her.’
Jimmy stopped his pacing and stared down fondly at the pretty girl. ‘It didn’t stop you though, did it, Amy.’ Then he threw his head back and let out a roar of laughter.
‘Lord! But I’d have given anything to have seen Heather sprawled in the dust. She must have thought it would be an easy matter to take James from you, but she underestimated you, didn’t she, love?’ Remembering the incident when he had tried to see Rebecca, Jimmy grinned, adding wryly, ‘Like a lot of people do, myself included.’ Lowering himself down beside her, Jimmy took hold of her hand and said softly, ‘How can I ever thank you enough, love? I already owe you so much, and now this. I don’t know what to say, except that if you ever need anything, you only have to ask.’
Amy wet her lips nervously. Could she? Could she possibly dare ask Jimmy for the money Phil needed? He would give it to her, she had no doubt on that score, but if she asked him now, it might seem as if she was capitalising on the part she had played in preventing Heather from abducting James. No, Richard was her best hope.
Now the unpleasant incident was over, Amy was suddenly aware of how fast the time was flying by. Getting to her feet she mumbled, ‘Don’t be silly, Jimmy. Did you think I would stand by and let that odious woman take James from you without a fight?’ A shy smile touched her lips. ‘Though I can’t believe I attacked her so viciously. I just saw red. I’ve never hit anyone before in my life. And I didn’t just hit her, I really hurt her, and… and, you know what’s worse, Jimmy?’ She raised her eyes to his, and the glimmer of amusement she felt on her face was reflected in Jimmy’s as she added proudly, ‘I really enjoyed it. Isn’t that an awful thing to admit? But when I grabbed her hair, I pulled so hard, some of it came away in my hands, and when I knocked her legs out from under her and saw her fall, it was all I could do not to give her a good kicking as well.’
As she spoke, Jimmy could visualise the scene, and wished once again he could have been there to witness Heather’s humiliation, her precious dignity shattered, with all the neighbours hanging out of their windows looking on. Then his amusement vanished as quickly as it had come. That woman wouldn’t stop, not now. If she had been determined to snatch James before, she would redouble her efforts after her humiliating experience. Always one for quick thinking, Jimmy’s mind sprang into action.
He had to get the boy away from here, away from Heather’s clutches. And the only way he could be sure his son was safe was to take him as far away from this house as possible. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he forgot Amy’s presence until she spoke.
‘Look, Jimmy, I’ve got to got out for a while. I won’t be too long, but…’