Christmas in Peppercorn Street

by Anna Jacobs

  ‘It’s for us. Mum said we should call ourselves Small this time because it’s easy to remember, but we were using her maiden name before, Porter.’

  This time? What had been happening to them? He didn’t ask what her father’s surname was, but he’d bet it was different again.

  It had taken less than an hour to pack all their possessions and Claire hadn’t woken. When they set off again, they left only the cruddy furniture behind and a few pieces of chipped crockery.

  And still Claire slept. The painkillers must be very strong.

  By the time they got to Sexton Bassett and turned in to Peppercorn Street, Gabby was asleep like her mother, with the dog’s head on her lap. Luke drove slowly past the small blocks of flats at the bottom end of the street, weaving in and out of the many parked cars. The road was clearer near the modest houses in the middle stretch with only a couple of cars parked in the street at the top end.

  When he stopped outside Number 4, which was one of a row of five big, detached houses, he smiled, as he always did, admiring the exterior. He loved his new home. It was too big for just him, really, even with the recent addition of Dee, but it was a magnificent example of late Edwardian residential style and he’d fallen in love with it on sight earlier in the year. Inside it had rather a quirky layout and varying levels, because the ground was lower at the back.

  Restoring it as it deserved would be an interesting project, and he’d find room somewhere for a workshop because he enjoyed woodwork and intended to do as much of the renovating as he could himself.

  He turned in to the drive, pressed the remote and waited for the big, old-fashioned roller door to jerk and rattle its way up and allow him to drive into the garage. This had been added later in a haphazard way and was between the front level and the lower area at the rear that had once been the servants’ quarters. It wasn’t nearly as elegant as the rest of the house and needed attention, or knocking down and something more tasteful put in its place.

  In the rear-view mirror he saw Helly raise her head briefly to look round then lay it down again on Gabby’s lap. He closed the garage door before he got out, so that the dog couldn’t go gallivanting off, as his grandmother would have said.

  Leaving Claire, Gabby and Helly in the car with the doors open, he hurried into the house and took the half-flight of stairs to the main living area two at a time. Dee was messing about with her computer in the small downstairs room he’d insisted she keep it in, instead of her bedroom. They’d had a big fight over that, but he wasn’t having her staying awake till all hours fiddling online. Even her phone had to stay on the kitchen table.

  She didn’t even turn her head when he went in, though she must have heard him coming.

  Only then did he remember that they’d had yet another row yesterday evening about tattoos and he’d left for Birmingham before she got up this morning. Clearly she was still in a huff. If tattoos weren’t permanent he’d have agreed to one, but they were, and he’d seen how awful they could look on older, sagging flesh, and how out of date they became.

  Goodness, how long ago and unimportant that quarrel seemed now!

  He stopped by the door and rapped on it to get Dee’s attention. ‘We’ve got guests.’

  She didn’t turn, just shrugged her shoulders. ‘You mean, you have guests.’

  ‘No, we have guests and I need your help.’

  She half turned her head. ‘Why should you need my help with them?’

  ‘The woman – her name’s Claire Small – has been hurt in a road accident. Well, I was involved, actually. My car hit her but it wasn’t my fault. She ran out into the road chasing her dog and I didn’t have time to stop. She’s got a daughter, Gabby, who’s eight. They both fell asleep in the car on the way here. Oh, and the dog’s here as well. They can’t go home because someone needs to keep an eye on Claire tonight.’

  Dee turned round fully, her mouth open in shock. ‘I can’t imagine you bringing a dog home to this precious house of yours.’

  Where the hell did that come from? He got on well with dogs, always had. But he didn’t have time to argue the point. ‘Anyway, I really do need your help.’

  With a loud, aggrieved sigh Dee stood up.

  ‘I’ll carry Gabby in from the car and then her mother, if Claire doesn’t wake up. She’s got concussion and has also taken painkillers that have knocked her out. Her shoulder was dislocated, you see, so it’s very sore. I’d really appreciate it if you’d help me with the dog first and then with unloading the car. We’ll put them in the bedroom with the twin beds – well, it’s the only other one furnished, and we just have to put some sheets on the beds. I think they’ll feel better when they wake up to see one another.’

  ‘OK.’

  No snide remarks, he noticed. Wonders never ceased. ‘There are bags of clothing to go up to the bedroom, plus a computer and allied pieces, which can go in the dining room for now. Oh, and there are a few other bits and pieces of food, which can go in the kitchen.’

  ‘How long are they staying? Why did they have to bring food? We’re not exactly short of it. You could feed an army at short notice, the amount of frozen stuff you keep in stock.’

  ‘I don’t know how long they’ll be here for. A day or two, I suppose. Depends how quickly Claire recovers. But Gabby didn’t want to leave anything behind because they’ve already been burgled. Their rented house is a ramshackle place, easy to break in to, you see, with no close neighbours.’

  He ran one hand through his hair, pushing it off his face. He couldn’t think of anything else he needed to tell her now, so said, ‘Come on,’ and set off back to the car.

  After Luke had lifted Gabby out, his daughter grabbed the dog’s lead and started murmuring soothingly to her.

  The little girl didn’t stir as Luke carried her into the house. He hesitated then put her into an armchair in the sitting room. The dog dragged Dee across the room and plonked herself down beside Gabby, as if on guard.

  ‘I think you’ll be safe to let go of the lead now, Dee. We’ll close the door of this room after I bring the mother in. Don’t leave any of the outer doors open, though. Helly is an escapologist.’

  The dog turned to grin at Dee as if she knew they were talking about her and his daughter gave her another stroke, her face soft with pleasure. Whey hadn’t he realised how much she loved dogs? Maybe he should get one for her.

  ‘I’ll bring Claire in now.’

  ‘Right.’ Dee picked up a cushion and wedged Gabby into the armchair, so that she couldn’t fall sideways.

  ‘Good idea.’

  Claire stirred and murmured something as he carried her in and set her down on the sofa, but went back to sleep. She was lighter than he’d expected, too thin. The dog jerked to her feet, hesitated, then stayed beside the child, as if keeping guard on her was her top priority.

  Dee watched all this and forgot that she wasn’t speaking to him. ‘Who are they, did you say?’

  ‘This is Claire, the woman I knocked over.’

  For once the bored, world-weary teenager expression was missing from Dee’s face. ‘Do you know her?’

  ‘No. Never met her before in my life.’

  ‘And you brought her back here why?’

  ‘Because she’s been injured and desperately needs help – they both do. At a guess I think she’s escaping an abusive husband. And look how thin she is. From what the daughter let slip, I’d guess she’s not been eating properly.’

  Dee stared at him as if she’d never seen him before. ‘I never thought of you as a Good Samaritan.’

  ‘I’m not. I just … don’t like to see decent people in trouble. Especially children. And these two are having a very tough time of it, from what Gabby’s let slip. Will you help me get the back bedroom next to yours ready?’

  Dee shrugged, which he took to mean yes, and followed him upstairs.

  The beds didn’t take long to make up and he put clean towels out in the bathroom next door. At least the random modernisation
s had included three bathrooms, old-fashioned now but perfectly usable.

  After that, he carried the child upstairs then went back down for the mother.

  When he came back Dee was already taking off Gabby’s outer jacket. ‘I don’t think we should undress them. That might freak them out when they wake up. Bad enough to wake in a strange place, but not minus your clothes. They can unpack some clean clothes tomorrow from their stuff.’

  ‘Right. Thanks. Good idea.’

  He tucked the child in and Dee did the same for the woman, then reached down to pat the dog again. ‘We’d better let Helly out. Could you do that? They tell her to “be a good girl”. Keep her on the lead, though. We don’t want any more escapes.’

  ‘We should leave a light on, or they’ll panic if they wake up.’

  Dee was nearest so switched on the bedside lamp, then took the dog away without any sarcastic remarks.

  He followed her downstairs and heard her go down to the lower level and open the back door. He hadn’t realised how practical she could be … when she wanted. She was almost a woman now, had only another year of school left.

  When she came back he watched her start petting the dog again and saying soppy things to her. When Helly licked her nose suddenly, she chuckled. She was amazingly pretty when she chuckled.

  How much of her life he’d missed! Damn Angie!

  ‘She’s a nice dog, isn’t she, Dad? Friendly. She doesn’t seem to be hurt.’

  ‘No. It was the woman I hit not the animal she was chasing. Luckily I’d slowed down a lot by then.’

  ‘I think Helly’s hungry.’

  ‘There isn’t much dog food left and it looks like cheap, nasty stuff. Is there something in the pantry we can add to it?’

  ‘Bound to be. I’ll have a look.’ She came out of the huge, old-fashioned pantry holding a tin of stewed steak. ‘This should be OK for her, maybe mixed with some of that dry stuff of theirs.’

  ‘She already had some pizza this evening, so we won’t give her a huge helping.’

  ‘She might have eaten, but she still looks hungry and she’s too scrawny for a dog that size.’ Without asking, Dee opened the tin and dumped half of its contents into a shallow bowl with some of the lumps of dog food, then filled another bowl with water.

  Helly snapped that lot down in a few gulps and splashed water all over the floor as she quenched her thirst.

  ‘Shall I make us a cup of warm milk?’ he suggested.

  ‘Yeah. Good idea.’

  They watched a late news programme on the TV, then both yawned at the same time.

  ‘I suppose I’d better let the dog out again,’ he said.

  ‘It’ll be safer.’

  He led the way down and called Helly to join him, then put on her lead, saying ‘Be a good girl’ once they got outside.

  The dog sniffed her way round the nearer part of the garden, dragging him with her and ignoring the rougher ground at the rear, then did as required and pulled him back to the door.

  Once they got inside, he frowned at her. ‘Your legs and feet are all wet again, Helly.’

  Dee came down from the kitchen. ‘Get out of the way, Dad. I’ve found an old towel and a blanket. I’ll rub her down then make up a bed for her here. We can leave the upstairs door open.’

  ‘I doubt she’ll stay. She seems determined to keep watch on that child. Let’s see if she’ll settle down in the bedroom with them.’

  Helly condescended to settle down on the old blanket in between the two beds.

  ‘She’s a nice dog, aren’t you, darling.’ Dee bent to stroke the dog and she nuzzled her, then they left their guests alone.

  ‘Have you had something to eat?’

  ‘Of course I have. It’s nearly ten o’clock, Dad.’

  ‘What? So it is. The pizza’s worn off and I’m hungry again, so I think I’ll grab a bowl of muesli.’

  Dee lingered to chat to him, something she didn’t often do. ‘They’re all three of them very thin, aren’t they?’

  ‘Yes. I think they’ve been extremely short of money.’

  ‘And yet she has a new computer.’

  ‘Gabby says her mother works from home.’

  ‘Hmm. Wonder what she does.’ She raised her arms above her head, stretching and yawning. ‘Call me if you need anything else. I’m going to bed now.’

  ‘Dee?’

  She turned at the door.

  ‘Thanks for your help.’

  She shrugged and went upstairs. She did a lot of shrugging when communicating with him. But she’d talked to the dog non-stop when she was around.

  He stood for a moment then decided to pour himself a beer. He’d more than earned it tonight. He sat sipping it as he watched a current affairs programme on television. What the hell had he got himself into?

  His whole life was unsettled at the moment. All that was certain was that his days of rushing all over the place on business and working seven-day weeks were over now. The company he’d started many years ago had been sold. He’d done well, was proud of the conservatories he’d designed and built, but when one of the biggest builders of conservatories in the country had made him an offer, he’d decided to take it.

  He didn’t want to get into a fight with them for market share, didn’t care about building his company up into a national chain himself or setting it up for franchising, either.

  He’d never wanted to get super-rich, had just enjoyed creating attractive conservatories based on period designs that people could be happy using. He was set for life financially now, even if he never worked again, which felt very liberating. Well, if he said so himself, his designs had been good and so had the quality of the workmanship in the finished product. Indeed, the company he’d sold to said they’d buy occasional designs from him if he was still doing them.

  He might finish off a few of his half-started designs, but he had other things he’d like to do now, including his main priority: getting on better terms with his daughter.

  Maybe he’d get a dog, though. It’d be company and might help to bridge the yawning gap between him and Dee, who was still a stranger to him in many ways. He’d discuss that with her once he’d got Claire and Gabby sorted out. They could take in a rescue dog, perhaps.

  And he needed to find himself a part-time housekeeper. He didn’t enjoy domestic chores and wasn’t fond of cooking, though he could do what was necessary to feed himself. But he’d have to find someone who wouldn’t be put off by his daughter and her moods. Or by the clutter that the renovations would cause.

  A Christmas carol on the television reminded him that the festive season was looming. Less than a month to go now. It wasn’t his favourite time of year. Well, it wasn’t much fun celebrating on your own as he’d mostly done over the past few years. He’d held office parties for his core staff. This year they’d also been a form of farewell. But he didn’t socialise with his staff otherwise.

  In fact, he didn’t have much of a social life at all. He hadn’t wanted to go out with other women for the first year or two after Angie left him. At first he’d been too angry with her and at the time had been struggling to keep his company in profit as he managed some necessary expansions. She couldn’t have left him at a worse time.

  After a year or two he’d tried online dating sites but found it embarrassing to deal with strange women. There hadn’t been one that he’d have wanted permanently in his life. Some were pleasant enough, but there had never been that spark. Others had proved to be liars, posting glamorous photos on the dating sites, images that barely resembled them, and not telling the truth about themselves in other ways.

  He’d stepped quickly back from most of them after the introductory date in a safe public place. He’d asked a few of them for a second date, but hadn’t managed more than a few weeks even with women he’d quite liked.

  Maybe he wasn’t cut out for marriage.

  But it was lonely living on your own.

  It was also lonely, albeit in a different way, l
iving with Dee.

  Such a shame. He’d worked hard and was now comfortably off, which was very nice. Would his tentative plans and interests be enough to fill his life? Who knew.

  He raised his glass to his reflection in a nearby mirror. ‘Happy Christmas, you poor lost soul!’ he mocked. ‘May Santa bring you some nice presents.’

  But the glass was empty, though he didn’t remember finishing the beer, and he didn’t want another one.

  Anyway, he had to keep a clear head in case anything went wrong with Claire during the night.

  He decided to put on a tracksuit because it might frighten her if a strange man in pyjamas came into her bedroom to check on her. He made sure the house was locked up and the security system was on in the garage, but didn’t arm the system in the house. Then he changed and hung up his business clothes for what he hoped would be the last time.

  Setting the timer on his watch for an hour, he lay down with a sigh. Each time he was woken by it, he went to check on Claire, finding to his relief that her breathing was slow and steady. She only half woke up when he shook her uninjured shoulder gently, answered his question about what her dog’s name was correctly, and immediately went back to sleep.

  Was she still sleeping because of the concussion or the painkillers? Or was she deep down exhausted? Probably a bit of each.

  As the later winter dawn approached, he felt it safe to set the watch for two hours. He was rather tired himself now. And no doubt he’d be kept busy tomorrow.

  Only it was tomorrow now. Give or take. He hoped the day went better than yesterday had.

  Chapter Four

  At Number 5 Peppercorn Street, Janey Torrington happened to be standing near the window as Luke’s car pulled in next door. She was glad he was home. He’d asked them to keep an eye on his daughter while he was away, but she’d only caught one glimpse of Dee, who had come home from school wearing her usual scowl, gone in through the front door and slammed it on the world.

  It felt strange to be asked to watch out for someone who was only a couple of years younger than yourself, but she felt much older than Dee after all she’d been through. She’d been raped and left pregnant at seventeen. You grew up quickly when you became a single mother and were struggling to make ends meet.