by June Francis
‘I managed to get a glimpse of him,’ murmured Leonard. ‘We’re almost the same age but one day he’ll be a much more powerful man than I will.’
‘He’ll need a queen when he’s king,’ said Tilly. ‘I wonder if he has anyone in mind.’
Leonard smiled. ‘The newspapers will love it when he decides to take the plunge. There’ll be photographs of them, here, there and everywhere - the races, balls, on yachts. There’ll be no end to the fascination with the gowns and jewels she wears.’
Tilly agreed that it was a fascinating subject and they discussed the royal heads of Europe and the daughters who might make a suitable wife for the Prince of Wales. He knew much more about who was who than she did and the conversation lasted until they arrived at the house in West Derby where the soirée was to take place.
The door was opened to them by a servant and they were ushered into a drawing room at the back of the house. The room was already half full of people and some had drifted out into the garden with their drinks. They were welcomed by their hostess, who smiled at Tilly and said in a condescending manner, ‘What a delightful gown that is you’re wearing, my dear, and you so young and pretty. Where did you find her, Leonard?’
‘We bumped into each other one stormy evening,’ he answered, smiling down at Tilly. ‘That was quite a night.’
‘So you’ve known each other some months,’ said their hostess.
‘Yes,’ said Leonard, taking two glasses of champagne from the tray carried by a circulating manservant and giving one to Tilly.
She thanked him and as their hostess continued to talk to him, Tilly moved slightly away and gazed about her. She was conscious of several glances thrown her way and guessed that some women were admiring her gown and wondering about the designer, whilst others ignored her completely. She was aware that some of the men were casting an eye over her in a way that made her feel uncomfortable and she wished Leonard would stop talking to their hostess and take notice of her.
Eventually, he did so and introduced her to several other people in the room. A couple of the women were friendly and included her in their conversation concerning holidays. One woman was going to the South of France in August, whilst another was taking her children to Devon to a little cottage that her cousin had near Ilfracombe. Leonard stayed close to her most of the time, telling her a little about the different people to whom he introduced her, after they had moved on, in a manner that shocked her a little because it was slightly malicious, if amusing.
It was not until after the mezzo soprano was introduced and was singing her second song that Tilly noticed Leonard was missing. She gazed about her surreptitiously but could not see him anywhere. Then, unexpectedly, she spotted Grant Simpson across the room. He was sitting with a fashionably dressed, extremely attractive woman. Tilly wondered if she was the rich client that she had yet to meet. She hoped he would not notice her because then she would have to tell him that Leonard had brought her here and she sensed the two men had no time for each other.
Leonard appeared just before the mezzo soprano finished her performance. Tilly would have liked to have asked where he had disappeared to but did not like to appear as if she was keeping an eye on him.
A buffet was served in another room and now it seemed that Grant had disappeared but she could see the woman he had been with talking away to another woman. After the food they returned to the drawing room, which had been cleared for dancing. A male pianist was sitting at the piano and he launched into a Viennese waltz.
‘Would you like to dance, Tilly?’ asked Leonard.
‘I haven’t danced much although my sister taught me a few steps so I’m willing to give it a try.’ She found herself thinking of Don’s injured foot and how she’d accepted that it was unlikely he would ever be able to whirl her around a dance floor. She wondered if the blonde ever thought about such frivolities.
‘I should think so, too,’ he said with a gleam in his eye. ‘Show off that pretty gown you’re wearing.’
Tilly was swept onto the parquet floor and, forgetting all about Don and Grant, she gave herself up to the music and the heady intoxication of being held by Leonard. She could feel his breath on her cheek and his hand against her back, pressing her close to him. She thought his lips brushed her ear but told herself that she imagined that fleeting touch.
She was to dance with him several times before the evening came to an end. Tilly had really enjoyed herself and thanked her host and hostess sincerely. ‘Leonard must bring you again,’ he said.
Leonard only smiled and swept Tilly out of the door and down the drive to where his car was parked. It was not until they were halfway home that he asked her whether she had enjoyed herself.
‘Yes, thank you,’ she said, giving a delicate yawn and stretching like a cat.
‘Then you’ll come out with me again?’
She smiled at him. ‘I should like that.’
‘They liked you. I wouldn’t be surprised if I was asked to bring you along to more occasions like this,’ he said, with a satisfied smile. ‘People are so interesting after they’ve had a few drinks and let their guard down.’
Tilly did not argue with him. She had made certain that she did not drink too much. Fortunately, she did not care for the taste of champagne. When the car drew up outside the shop and Leonard did not make any immediate move to get out and open her door, she thought that it was odds-on favourite that he was going to kiss her. Especially when he reached out and put an arm round her shoulders and brought her close to him.
Then a voice said, ‘Now, none of that, young man.’
Immediately, Tilly realised it was Mrs Wright and swallowed a groan. She must have been watching out for her from the bedroom upstairs. ‘I’d better go,’ she whispered. ‘Thank you for a lovely evening.’
‘My pleasure,’ he said stiffly, withdrawing his arm.
She sensed his annoyance and found herself whispering an apology for Mrs Wright’s interference. She fumbled for the door and managed to open it without much difficulty. ‘Goodnight.’
‘Goodnight, Tilly,’ said Leonard, and he drove off without mentioning when next he would see her.
‘I’ve seen him before,’ said Mrs Wright, gazing after the car, ‘but I can’t remember where. Someone obviously with a bob or two.’
Tilly kept quiet and walked towards the side door, which was open. She had no intention of revealing Leonard’s identity because Mrs Wright was bound to tell her brother. He would tell Eudora and she’d tick Tilly off for going out with him and remind her that he was not for her.
Tilly hurried upstairs to her bedroom before she could be asked any questions. She wasted no time washing her face and cleaning her teeth and almost fell into bed, but once there she found she could not sleep. Would Leonard ask her out again? If he did, she would definitely not have him picking her up outside the shop. She tried to imagine what it would have felt like being kissed by him and her body tingled as it had done when she had danced with him. Eventually she fell asleep to have a weird dream with Grant chasing after Leonard with a shovel and Rita Wright standing on the sidelines waving a pair of handcuffs. She woke suddenly and wrote down the dream in a notebook she kept by her bed, just as she had sometimes done in the past.
When Tilly woke on Saturday morning and read what she had written down, she wondered what it could mean; if it meant anything at all. She managed to avoid seeing Mrs Wright, who was in the shop when Tilly came downstairs. She rushed her breakfast and left the house by the side door and headed for the Bennetts’ house. She had also been lucky enough to escape too much questioning from Wendy and played down her enjoyment of the party.
Although it was still early, the morning sun was hot and the grass in the park was turning yellow. There had been no rain for a while and the newspapers talked of a drought. As she walked along Newsham Drive, Tilly hoped she might see Leonard but there was no sign of him.
As Tilly went round the back of the Bennetts’ house she looked about h
er for her father and the Doyle children, only to be greeted with the news that Joy had taken all the children to the park and that Mal had run Eudora to the Seamen’s orphanage in the car. ‘Presumably to discuss with her cronies what to do with these children. That baby kept me awake half the night,’ added Robbie, yawning.
Tilly remembered what his sister had said about her brother not being used to small children. ‘So you wouldn’t have liked a large family, Mr Bennett?’ she said.
Robbie cocked an eye at her. ‘I realise, Tilly, I’ve had a lucky escape leading the life I have. I’m just hoping this doesn’t go on for long and Eudora can work something out for them quickly. It’s not that I don’t feel sorry for the poor kids. I do.’ He paused. ‘So are you off to the hall for a rehearsal this morning?’
She nodded. ‘I’ll come back here when I’ve finished and see if there’s anything Mrs Bennett wants me to do.’
He yawned again. ‘I’m sure we’ll have a house full by then and she’ll find you something.’
When Tilly arrived at the hall she was disappointed to find that Gabrielle had not turned up but had left a message saying that she was sorry but she could not make it that day. So Tilly returned to the Bennetts’ house to find three of the children in the kitchen with Joy. She was showing them how to make gingerbread men. Tilly sat down and watched them enjoying themselves. ‘You’re good at this, Joy,’ she said. ‘But aren’t you tired after taking them the park earlier?’
Joy nodded. ‘I’m enjoying the change and, to be honest, it’s Patricia that does most of the running around after them. I just wheel the pram and keep my eye on them. I find it hard to believe from their behaviour that they’ve lost their mother.’
‘I think as long as they have Patricia there, they’ll be OK,’ said Tilly.
Joy lowered her voice and said, ‘Mrs Bennett told me that Mrs Doyle wasn’t the best of mothers. Still, she was their mother and they’ve no parent now, and the uncle sounds a real bad ’un and could end up with a noose round his neck.’
Tilly nodded. ‘I wonder what the committee will decide to do with them. It would be sad and wrong if they were to be separated.’
‘They wouldn’t be the only brothers and sisters for that to happen to when they’re orphaned, Tilly,’ said Joy. ‘You should know that by now. Even when they’re taken care of by aunts and uncles, most can’t take all the children when the family is as large as this one.’
Tilly sighed. ‘I know.’
It was not long after that that Eudora came home. Tilly thought she looked tired. She was relieved to learn that Eudora had told the committee that she was willing to have the Doyle children living with her for the foreseeable future. Tilly could not help asking, ‘What will Mr Bennett say?’
‘He’ll do whatever I have decided,’ said Eudora after the barest hesitation. ‘I’m sure it won’t be for long. You, Tilly, can help here with the children instead of going out visiting other families.’
That suited Tilly. ‘What about their schooling? And I’ll need to have time off to practise for the concert,’ she said.
Eudora nodded. ‘I’ve had a word with one of the committee members whose husband is on the PCC of St Margaret’s church. She thinks he might be able to arrange for them to attend the school there. It’s high church and they have lay sisters teaching the children. The Doyle children are Catholics so they should feel reasonably at home there. Mrs Doyle’s funeral is on Wednesday. I presume you’ll want to attend, Tilly?’
She nodded. ‘I’ll get a message to Grant Simpson and tell him I won’t be able to come in that day.’
So it was settled that Mondays and Tuesdays Tilly would help care for the youngest Doyle children and also Saturdays when she was not rehearsing. She asked Patricia how she felt about the decision.
‘Better than being separated,’ muttered Patricia, glancing up from the primer she was struggling to read. ‘But it won’t last.’
‘Nothing lasts for ever,’ said Tilly. ‘Hopefully when change comes it’ll be for the good.’
Patricia did not answer but lowered her eyes to the book again.
The next day, Sunday, was Tilly’s eighteenth birthday, so she visited her family. Alice had made a cake and Tilly managed to blow out all the candles in one go but what she remembered most of that day was her conversation with her sister that mainly revolved around her evening out with Leonard Parker and whether he had complimented her on the dress and asked her out again.
Tilly said, ‘He said my dress was lovely and that I was pretty but as for asking me out again, Mrs Wright sent him away before we could arrange another outing,’ she said.
‘He will be back,’ said Alice confidently.
Tilly hoped so but she was not counting her chickens yet. Perhaps she would see Leonard tomorrow morning when she was at the Bennetts’ house again.
To Tilly’s disappointment there was no sign of him or his shiny black car. She tried to put him out of her mind and went to have a few words with her father, who was cutting roses for the house. He had forgotten her birthday but she did not mention it.
‘Hello, Dad! How are you today?’
He rolled his eyes. ‘I’ll be fine as long as those bairns keep out of my garden.’
‘It’s natural for them to want to play outside,’ said Tilly.
‘There’s the park across the road,’ he said.
Tilly smiled, thinking she couldn’t argue with that.
Suddenly she sensed movement and glanced to the neighbouring wall. She caught a glimpse of the woman before the head bobbed down.
‘Here, lass, take these flowers in for Eudora,’ he said.
She hesitated. ‘The police haven’t bothered you again, have they, Dad?’
‘More pictures, more questions,’ he muttered. ‘I told them that I’d know the man if I saw him again. Mr Bennett said I’m not to heed them. But apparently there’s been another burglary in a house in West Derby. That’s not far from here.’
Tilly stared at him. ‘West Derby? Did they say exactly where?’
‘Aye, but I’ve forgotten. I told them I’ve never been there – don’t know it!’ He looked harassed.
Tilly said no more but kissed him on the cheek and went inside.
Chapter Twenty-One
‘Good morning, Tilly,’ greeted Grant, breezing past her to open the door. It was now Thursday, the day after Mrs Doyle’s funeral. Eudora had decided that only Patricia should attend the service. It was a sad little ceremony and Tilly was glad when it was over.
‘Good morning, Mr Simpson.’
‘How are you today?’
‘I’m well, Mr Simpson,’ she replied. ‘How are you?’
‘Fine, fine.’ He took the stairs two at a time but she followed more sedately. It was not until they were inside the office and the kettle was on that he said, ‘So what were you doing at the party last Friday? Did you know there was a robbery there on the Saturday evening?’
‘So it was there!’ exclaimed Tilly. ‘That woman you were with, is she the client with the missing jewellery and pedigree cat?’
‘The very one.’ Grant’s eyes gazed directly into Tilly’s. ‘I told her I wanted to do some undercover work to catch this thief, so she agreed to take me along to parties with her. Though she refuses to believe that any of her friends could be in cahoots with the robbers and passing on information.’
‘So you believe there’s more than one man involved?’ asked Tilly slowly.
He nodded. ‘She’s told me that it’s nearly always the same people at these affairs.’ He filled his fountain pen from the inkwell. ‘One of them is Leonard Parker, but you know that. You were there with him, weren’t you?’ He glanced up at her.
‘Yes! And I had a lovely time,’ she said with a hint of defiance.
He stared at her thoughtfully. ‘Are you going out with him again?’
‘Perhaps.’
Grant forced a smile. ‘Good. Then you can keep your eye on him if he takes you along to any
more parties.’
‘You mean, you want me to spy on him?’ asked Tilly, aghast.
‘I know,’ he murmured, seemingly concentrating on filling his pen. ‘It could be dangerous. I suppose I shouldn’t have mentioned it to you. You’ll be happier here typing and filing.’
Tilly hesitated. ‘I want the burglars caught for my dad’s sake but Leonard might not ask me out again. I haven’t seen or heard from him since the party, and although I’ve been to the Bennetts’ house I haven’t seen his big black car either.’
‘Perhaps he’s away.’
‘That’s what I thought.’ She felt hurt that if Leonard had gone away he had not bothered to let her know. There had to be some way of finding out. She was tempted to speak to his older relative next time she popped her head above the wall and ask where he had gone.
Tilly decided to change the subject for now. ‘So how is the divorce case going and have you seen anything of Mr Nuttall?’ she asked.
‘I know he’s back from holiday because we passed the time of day in the street,’ said Grant. ‘His wife still isn’t A1.’
‘Then what about the next time you see him mentioning the concert for the orphans? You could say that you wondered if his wife might be interested in doing a turn?’
‘OK,’ said Grant. ‘As for the divorce case, that’s sorted and you can type up my notes and an invoice for my fee.’
Tilly nodded and set to work.
On Saturday she went to the Bennetts’ and asked Joy if Mr Parker’s car had been seen at all.
‘No,’ said Joy. ‘Apparently, he’s gone to America.’
‘America! But surely he wouldn’t take his car,’ said Tilly.
Joy shrugged and Tilly said no more.
July turned into August and the good news was that the wheat harvest had been bountiful and cheaper bread was forecasted. Wendy also pointed out to Tilly the changes in the laws to do with banns of marriage.
‘Apparently some people were claiming residency in a parish simply by leaving a suitcase in a room. For some reason it’s believed that bigamy was often the result of such marriages,’ said Wendy.