‘Oh no, you don’t,’ Stella glared, forcing her back into the armchair. ‘You are poorly, and you’ve had more than a shock after . . .’
‘After what, Mummy?’ George asked, his worried face looking between Ruby and Stella.
Stella took command. ‘I’m going to the cafe and I will tell Marge you won’t be in for a few days. I’m sure she’ll understand. Frank, you get that note written then wash the crocks up, and Donald, you hurry along and wash your face, tidy yourself and get off to the coalyard. You sit that lad of yours down, lovey, and tell him what’s been happening,’ she finished, giving Ruby a sympathetic look.
Ruby thanked Stella and beckoned to George to snuggle up under the blanket with her. As her friends set about their tasks, she gave her son a gentle squeeze before she cleared her throat. It was bad enough having to tell the lad his nanny had died, but to say his dad had scarpered with all their money was not going to be pleasant.
‘Has something happened?’ he asked.
‘You know how your nan was poorly with her dodgy ticker?’
‘And the men took her to the cottage hospital on a barrow?’ he said with a smile. ‘Then I ran home to let you know . . .’
‘Yes, you did very well. I’m proud of you for being so brave and not getting upset.’
‘I did have a little cry when I was in bed last night at Stella’s house. I am only five,’ he pointed out solemnly.
For all the seriousness of their situation, Ruby felt herself smile. ‘I know, my sweet, and you are allowed to cry. It isn’t a crime.’
‘Daddy told me he would be annoyed if he ever sees me cry,’ he replied. ‘I didn’t want him tanning my backside like Freddie Martin down the road’s dad does.’
‘Your daddy would never strike you, and he won’t be telling you off again,’ she said, holding him closer still while surreptitiously wiping her eyes on the blanket. She had wanted to continue telling him about Milly’s death, but perhaps George had given her an opportunity to explain about Eddie doing a vanishing act. She wouldn’t have to let him know about the missing money and her problems. ‘Daddy has gone away, and I doubt we will see him again,’ she said, choosing her words with care.
‘Did I do something to make him go away?’ he asked with trembling lips.
‘No, my love. Your daddy loves you very much. His leaving has nothing to do with you.’
George thought for a few seconds. ‘Perhaps he ran away with a floozy?’
Ruby couldn’t help but laugh. ‘Whatever made you think that?’
‘Nanny said he probably had a fancy woman, and when I asked what that was, she said it was the same as a floozy. She wouldn’t tell me any more. She said I had small ears, and people with small ears shouldn’t know such things.’
Ruby felt tears sting her eyes. She could imagine her mother parting with her pearls of wisdom about Eddie and his wrongdoings.
‘I doubt your daddy had a floozy; Nanny would have been joking. She was probably pulling your leg.’
‘I don’t think she was, as she said a rude word after that. Shall I tell you what she said?’
‘No, thank you. Georgie, about Nanny Milly. She was very ill, you know . . .’
‘Is she brown bread? One of the men pushing her on the barrow said she’d probably be brown bread before the night was out. How can she be brown bread?’
‘Well . . . the man meant he thought Nanny would be going to heaven before too long.’ She hated herself for falling back on using the word, but ‘dead’ sounded so brutal – and so final for a little boy to hear.
George sighed. ‘Do you mean she has died?’
Not for the first time, Ruby thought that her son was an old soul in a young body. ‘Yes, my love. Nanny died early this morning. It was very peaceful, and I don’t think she suffered. She did tell me to send you her love, and to say she would be watching over you to see no harm befell you.’ The more she spoke, the more she thought she was digging a hole for herself. Her mother had not given a message for her grandson, or for anyone else for that matter. Had she committed a sin for telling fibs? ‘It is just you and me on our own from now on,’ she added, giving him another squeeze.
‘Did Nanny remind you to give me Grandad’s medals? She said I can have them when she pops her clogs.’
Ruby ignored the way George spoke; he was only repeating her mother’s much-used words. ‘I have no idea what she would have done with them. But if we come across them, then they will go to you as the only man in the family.’
George wriggled out from beneath the blanket and stood in front of Ruby with his hands on his hips. ‘Didn’t she tell you where she’d hidden them?’
Ruby thought of the empty box Eddie had emptied of any valuables while Milly lay on her deathbed only two roads away. She couldn’t tell her son that his dad had pinched the medals. However badly her husband had behaved, she needed to keep his memory as positive as possible in her son’s eyes. If Eddie ever did return home, she couldn’t bear to see George upset by knowing what he’d done. He could make his own mind up when he was an adult; until then, she’d do her best not to sully her son’s memories with her bitterness. Besides, she still loved Eddie, regardless of what he’d done. Love was something you couldn’t turn on and off. ‘Nanny never told me what had happened to the medals, George. But if we find them then they are yours.’
George looked thoughtful but accepted Ruby’s words. ‘I’m hungry. Can I have something to eat?’
Oh, to be young and so innocent that you could move from learning about the loss of a loved one to thinking about food, Ruby thought to herself. ‘There’s a fresh loaf of bread and some cheese in the kitchen. Shall I make you a sandwich?’ she asked, getting to her feet cautiously in case she felt dizzy again. Holding out her hand, she took George’s and they went out to the kitchen.
Ruby wiped the crumbs from her son’s mouth. ‘Why don’t you go out into the back garden and play for a little while? It will do you good to get some sun on your face. I’ll stay here, in case Stella or Frank knocks on the door,’ she said before watching George skip quite happily out through the back door.
Rinsing the plates, she left them to dry on the wooden draining board before filling the kettle and putting it back on the hob, ready for when her friends returned. She looked round the small kitchen, remembering the plans she’d had for the house. Nothing grand, but a bit of distemper in the outside toilet, a piece of lace curtain at the windows; and, when she had time, she’d planned to make a couple of new rag rugs for their bedrooms. Milly had taught her how to make the rugs out of scraps of old fabric. There was no point now, as no doubt the landlord would be slinging them both out on their ears once he knew she didn’t have a penny to her name. Deep in thought, she didn’t at first hear the front door being knocked frantically. It was only after she heard her name called through the letter box, followed by more knocking, that she hurried to open the door.
‘Oh my goodness,’ Stella panted. ‘I thought something had happened to you.’
‘I was tidying the kitchen. Why are you out of breath?’ Ruby asked as she led Stella into the living room and watched her sit at the table, breathing deeply and trying to compose herself.
‘There’s a right kerfuffle round at the cafe. Someone has been in there and helped themselves to what money was left under the counter, as well as bits and pieces of food. Marge is doing her nut and accusing you of all sorts to the policeman.’
‘Oh God, I was supposed to have opened up this morning as Marge was wanted elsewhere. With everything that’s gone on, it completely slipped my mind. I’d best go down there and see what I can do to help.’
Stella shook her head. ‘No, don’t go near the place unless you want to be arrested.’
‘But why would anyone want to arrest me? I’ve not done anything wrong apart from not turning up from work,’ Ruby said, looking confused.
‘The thief got in through the front door. He had a set of keys . . .’
Ruby looked to
where her bag was placed, where she always left it on the floor by the cupboard under the stairs. ‘I have a set of keys. Marge gave them to me on Saturday so I could let myself into the premises.’
‘You’d best check they’re still there, as my gut is telling me that they will be gone, along with your Eddie,’ Stella said angrily.
‘Please, no, they must be there,’ Ruby cried as she grabbed the bag and tipped the contents out onto the table. ‘I know I put them there along with my wages on Saturday.’
‘What happened to your wages?’ Stella asked.
‘He took them . . . I know he took them,’ Ruby said as she sat opposite Stella and put her head in her arms and sobbed. ‘Whatever can I do?’
‘Crying like a baby is not going to help you, is it?’ a little voice said from the back door.
Ruby looked up to where George was standing, his head cocked to one side and his hands on his hips. Her young son was perfectly mimicking the way her mum had always spoken to him when he cried. ‘You are right, love,’ she said, cuffing the tears from her eyes before starting to chuckle. Stella joined in with the laughter. George was so comical. More banging on the front door caused them to stop. ‘Would you get that, please, Stella?’
Before Stella could move, George had raced past them and was at the door, reaching up to turn the latch. He returned much more subdued. ‘There are policemen at the door, Mummy. Shall I ask them to come in?’
‘It’s all right, love, I’ll get this,’ Stella said, patting him on the head. ‘Why don’t you go back outside to play?’
George nodded his head. He knew something was up and he wasn’t meant to listen.
Stella showed the two uniformed men into the front room and offered them seats. Ruby followed and looked up gratefully as she spotted Frank about to knock on the front door. She felt so much less afraid with her friends around her.
As he stepped over the threshold, slightly out of breath, Ruby held the door open. ‘I take it there’s news about Eddie?’ he asked.
‘Yes. And it gets much worse,’ Ruby said quickly as they both went into the room to see what the policemen had to say.
The senior policeman introduced himself as Sergeant Daniel Jackson. The younger constable looked no older than Ruby, and his red face and perfect uniform suggested he must be new to the job. ‘This is Constable Robert Jackson, who is here to take notes,’ the older man said before giving a slight cough, at which Constable Jackson jumped to and pulled a notebook and pencil from his pocket.
‘Do all policemen in Erith share the same surname, or are you related?’ Stella enquired politely.
‘PC Jackson is my son. He joined the force two weeks ago. However, that is neither here nor there. Do you think you could sit down while I ask my questions?’
Frank quickly brought in three chairs from the other room whereupon they sat down waiting for the policeman to speak. ‘I’m sure I know you from somewhere,’ Frank said to the younger officer as he held out his hand to shake.
‘Possibly the bowls club, or perhaps the police male voice choir. We do have a few members who don’t belong to the force,’ Robert said with a grin.
‘It’d be the bowls club – I’m not much of a singer,’ Frank smiled back. ‘Do you live round here?’
‘Cross Street, with my wife and young nipper,’ he replied. ‘You . . .?’
Another cough from the sergeant brought their conversation to a halt. ‘Mrs Caselton, I need to ask you a few questions about a theft at the cafe where you work. Are you happy for these people to remain in the room?’
‘Please, I’d like them to stay. I have no secrets and Mrs Green has been with me since my mother passed away in the cottage hospital early this morning.’
‘Please accept my condolences,’ he said, looking a little uncomfortable. ‘Would you be able to explain your movements since leaving the cafe on Saturday evening?’
Ruby took a deep breath and explained that she had been at home until Sunday afternoon, when she got word of Milly’s collapse. Stella and Frank chipped in to confirm what they knew.
‘Are these the keys that were left in your possession for you to open up the cafe this morning?’ he asked, pulling the keys Ruby had been searching for from his pocket.
‘Yes – I recognize the knots in the piece of string that keeps them together. I thought they were in my bag. I didn’t get to the cafe to open up as my mind was elsewhere. Since coming back here early this morning, I’ve not left the house.’
‘Can anyone confirm that? Your husband, perhaps?’
‘I was here alone. My son slept over the road at Mrs Green’s house,’ Ruby said, giving Stella a worried look. She hoped he wouldn’t ask about Eddie. Explaining what her husband had done would feel too much like washing her dirty linen in front of these policemen.
‘About your husband, Mrs Caselton . . .’
Ruby froze. What could she say?
‘May I speak, Sergeant?’ Stella asked.
‘If it is relevant to the break-in at the cafe,’ the sergeant said, linking his fingers together on his lap.
‘I feel it is,’ she said, giving Ruby a questioning look. When Ruby nodded for her to continue, she went on to explain how Ruby had found her mother’s money and possessions missing, along with Eddie’s clothes. ‘Eddie Caselton has abandoned his wife, taking valuables and their money with him,’ she said, trying not to show any emotion in her voice in case the police officer thought she was biased in her opinion of Ruby’s husband.
‘This does throw a new light on the situation,’ he said, looking to the constable to see if he’d written everything down. When the younger man looked up and nodded, the sergeant stood up. ‘That will be all for now.’
Ruby was confused. ‘I don’t understand. Are you going to chase after my husband to get my money back? What about the things he took from the cafe? Will you be able to charge him for that? It’s not as if I did anything wrong; I’m just the silly cow left in the lurch now he’s sodded off. I can’t even pay the rent on this place, so me and my son will be kicked out in the street come next weekend when the rent’s due.’
Sergeant Jackson looked embarrassed. ‘Mrs Caselton, you have nothing to blame yourself for. If we can prove Eddie Caselton used the keys to steal from the cafe then we can pull him in for questioning. As for your money – I’m sorry, but as the head of this household, your husband has done nothing wrong by taking the money for his own use.’
‘What’s mine is his, do you mean?’ Ruby sniffed, fighting back tears.
Stella put her arm around Ruby. ‘It’s the way of the world, my love.’
‘How about the man abandoning his wife and child?’ Frank asked.
Sergeant Jackson shook his head. ‘How long has he been gone?’
‘Less than a day,’ Ruby said, knowing as she spoke that it didn’t sound significant. Many men were away from home far longer just by going to work. ‘It’s fruitless, isn’t it?’
‘I wouldn’t say that, Madam,’ he assured her as the two policemen stood to take their leave. ‘I will talk to the owners of the cafe, so they know you are not to blame for the theft.’
Stella opened the door, ready to see them out on Ruby’s behalf. ‘I’d do it quickly if I was you,’ she remarked as she looked out. ‘There’s Marge coming up the road now – and she looks pretty angry from where I’m standing.’
The policemen offered to stay, but Ruby refused their help. She had to face Marge alone. ‘If you could just tell her how things stand,’ she said as they quickly closed the door.
Frank went out back into the garden to keep George company, while Stella waited to open the door to Marge. She could see from the bay window that there was a heated discussion going on in front of the house – and she could also see curtains twitching at almost every window on the opposite side of the road. The residents would dine out on this scene for many a day. ‘Are you sure you don’t want me to stay? That Marge can be a force to be reckoned with at times. I’ve seen her in
action before when people have tried it on with her in the cafe.’
‘No, thanks all the same; this is one battle I have to face alone. It’s my husband who’s put me in this mess, and as he isn’t here, it’s down to me to sort it out.’
‘Then I’ll be in the other room. If I hear her leading off at you, I’ll be in here waving your frying pan at her.’
Despite the circumstances, Ruby giggled at the thought. ‘No, Stella, please. I can manage, no matter what she says.’
‘Right, here she comes. I’ll let her in and then keep out of the way. Chin up, love.’ Stella patted Ruby’s shoulder before going to the door.
When Ruby looked back afterwards, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t blown her top at Marge. It could only have been the shock of the past day and losing her mum so suddenly that made her sit and take a tongue-lashing from her employer. Marge rejected an offer of tea and refused to sit down, instead towering over Ruby while she bellowed and fumed.
When she stopped to draw breath, Ruby took the chance to speak. ‘I’m sorry things have come to this, Marge. None of what happened in the cafe was my fault. The policemen must have told you just now that my husband took the set of keys from my bag without my knowing. And I’m sorry I wasn’t at the cafe to open up as planned – but my mother has just passed away in the early hours of this morning, and it was a shock. You will also have been told, I’m sure, that Eddie left me while I was at the hospital overnight. I know this has nothing to do with you, but I want you to understand the situation. I have no idea what has been taken from your business, but I will try to pay it back bit by bit from my wages each week – that’s if it can be proved my husband really was to blame.’ She leant back in her chair, relieved to have got that off her chest. Hopefully Marge would not take too much each week, and she’d still have enough to get by.
Marge gave a harsh, brittle laugh. ‘You sit there thinking I’ll have you back working for me? You’ve got to be having a laugh.’
A Mother Forever Page 12
