‘All right. What is it?’
‘Harriet Duval.’
An hour later Stan sat back disappointed. ‘Damn it. Nothing!’
‘Don’t tell the children about this, Stan. It’s unlikely, but if the mother was working under a different name, then there’s something very wrong here. It might mean she didn’t want anyone to know who she was. There could be several reasons for that, and all of them unpleasant.’
Stan ran a hand over his eyes. ‘I agree we keep this to ourselves for the time being. Duval could turn out to be a different woman and the name in the notebook might be just a coincidence. But it isn’t a common name, and I’ve got a strong feeling they’re one and the same. I hope to God I’m wrong!’
‘I agree with you though, it can’t be ignored. What was Mrs Bentley like?’
Stan thought for a moment, trying to picture the woman. ‘I only saw her walking past the house. She was always smartly dressed, and she had an air about her that made her seem unapproachable.’
‘I never met her.’ Reg gazed into space thoughtfully. ‘I’ll tell you one thing, the more I look into this case the less I like it. I’m tempted to stop the investigation and leave it unresolved.’
‘Dora would never accept that.’ Stan spoke with certainty. ‘And neither would I.’
‘I know, and I doubt if I could walk away from it now either.’ Reg grimaced. ‘Those poor little blighters!’
‘The one I’m most worried about is Lily. She seems rather emotional and delicate. Tom’s a strong lad, even if his temper is a bit suspect, but he’ll fight for his sisters. Dora has a determined streak and she’ll keep the family together whatever it takes. She’s a young woman of eighteen now, and from what I’ve seen of her so far she’s a very capable one.’
‘And lovely when she pushes aside her worries enough to smile.’ Reg gave Stan a speculative look. ‘She’s a nice girl too. She’ll make some man a good wife one day.’
‘I agree with everything you say, but don’t look at me. I wouldn’t burden any girl with me for a husband. I’m not a fool, Reg. I know my future outlook isn’t good.’ Stan smiled grimly and changed the subject. ‘So, what are we going to do next?’
‘Start again, only looking for two women this time. What we badly need is someone who knew Mrs Bentley well.’
‘She didn’t seem to have any friends. She was always alone when I saw her. And not even her children know that much about her.’
‘That’s how it seems.’ Reg patted Stan’s shoulder. ‘Nothing more you can do today, so go home. You look worn out.’
Without a word of protest, Stan left the station, regretting he hadn’t come on his bike. It would have been easier than getting on and off the bus. How he hated this constant struggle to do even the simplest things in life. But that was how things were, and he had to get on with it.
He had reached his house when Lily came tearing towards him, and he could see immediately that she was distressed again. Tom and Dora were right behind their sister.
‘Have you found my mum?’ Lily was gazing up at him with pleading eyes.
‘Not yet—’
‘Why? Why?’ Tears began to flow down her cheeks, and she waved clenched hands at him. ‘I told Dora and Tom you’d find her for us. But you haven’t! You’re not trying hard enough!’
‘Lily!’ Dora caught hold of her sister. ‘You mustn’t talk to Stan like that. He’s out every day with the police, and you know it isn’t easy for him. Say you’re sorry for being so rude.’
When Lily just stood there, Dora stooped down. ‘Sweetie, if it wasn’t for Stan and his family, we’d be completely on our own, and even more frightened than we are. They’re being very kind to us. Now, I want you to say you’re sorry.’
Lily wiped her hand across her eyes, and looking down at her feet, touched his hand gently. ‘I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry. I want my mum to come home.’
Stan felt as if the heart was being ripped out of him. He remembered fear, confusion and the feeling of utter helplessness he had experienced in the trenches, and knew that these youngsters must be feeling something like that now.
Without thinking what he was doing, he swept Lily up in one arm, leaning heavily on the stick to keep his balance. ‘Shush now, I understand. We’ll never give up trying to find her, no matter how long it takes, Lily.’
‘Thank you,’ she muttered, her head tucked into his shoulder.
‘Now, let’s go indoors and have a cup of tea together.’
Lily nodded and allowed Tom to take her from Stan. It was then he realised that Dora was supporting him.
‘Give Tom your door key, Stan,’ she said firmly.
‘Right jacket pocket.’ He spoke through clenched teeth.
Dora found the key and gave it to her brother. ‘Take Lily inside, Tom, and put the kettle on.’
There were beads of sweat running into Stan’s eyes, and he didn’t think he would be able to move.
‘Take your time. Would you like me to get your crutches for you?’
‘No!’ Stan spoke more sharply than he meant to, but he didn’t like them seeing how weak he was. Pride, he supposed, but that was all he had.
‘You shouldn’t have picked Lily up. She’s too big and heavy.’
‘She’s also upset – you all are – and I hate to see it.’ Stan drew in deep breaths in an effort to override the pain, and began to move forward.
‘You need to rest.’ Dora placed an arm around him.
At that moment, Tom rushed out of the house and held Stan from the other side. As much as he hated doing it, he had to let them help him inside.
As soon as he was sitting down, Tom handed him a cup of tea. While he drank it, he tried to decide whether to tell them anything about his visit to the factory. Lily was still upset, and staring silently out of the window. He knew that all the Bentley children were desperate for some news, however small. Perhaps he could tell them a little …
‘I went to the factory today and spoke to the manager.’ They were immediately alert, and he could feel three pairs of eyes looking at him hopefully. ‘It seems they did have a night shift there, but it finished a few months after the end of the war.’
Dora leant forward in her chair, waiting for him to continue.
‘I showed the foreman your mother’s photo. He thought she looked familiar, but he couldn’t say for sure that she’d worked there.’
Tom turned to Dora. ‘But if she had been there, then she didn’t lie to us. She could have worked there – for a while, anyway.’
‘It’s possible,’ Dora agreed. ‘But why didn’t she tell us when she left?’
‘Perhaps she didn’t want to worry you,’ Stan offered.
‘Hmm, it was towards the end of the war that Dad was killed, and she was terribly upset, so she could have just forgotten to mention it.’ Dora still looked doubtful.
Lily was listening intently to all of this. ‘Mum was always telling us that we wasn’t to worry.’
Stan felt it was time to change the subject before he revealed more than he wanted to. ‘Have you had any luck finding a job, Dora?’
‘No, but I’ll try again on Monday.’ She went to the table by the window to collect the teapot, and saw the rent man coming down the street. ‘We’ll have to go now, Stan. Thank you for telling us about the factory. Will you be all right now?’
‘I’m fine, and Winnie will be here soon.’
‘You take care now and rest.’
Stan watched them leave and then laid his head back, closing his eyes. He’d taken to these youngsters from the moment they had come to him, and prayed for a happy outcome for this, but that hope faded with each day that passed.
Chapter Eleven
‘Come and sit down. We have to talk.’ After another fretful night, Dora had come to a decision. They couldn’t go on like this. Tom and Lily looked just as weary when they settled down to see what she had to say.
Dora didn’t waste any time. This was going to upset th
em, but it had to be faced, and the sooner the better for all their sakes. ‘It’s just over a week now and there’s no sign of Mum, so we’ve got to start thinking about ourselves. We don’t know what’s happened to her, and we must accept the fact that we might never know.’
Lily made a sound like a stifled sob, and Dora grasped her hand. ‘We need you to be brave, sweetie.’
When Lily nodded, Dora continued. ‘We’ve also got to admit that we didn’t know her as well as we thought. She had secrets, and I think Stan knows more than he’s telling. It looks to me as if he’s trying to protect us from something.’
‘I thought that, too,’ Tom admitted. ‘He’s a good man, but I’d rather know the truth than go on like this.’
‘We all would. And until the truth comes out we’ve got to get on with our lives.’ Dora hesitated. ‘We’ve got to assume that Mum isn’t coming back.’
‘Never?’ Lily whispered.
‘Yes, sweetie.’ Dora didn’t know how she was managing to sound so calm. ‘If she could, or wanted to, she would have come home by now. She’s either left us … or she’s dead. Whatever’s happened, we’ve got to look out for ourselves.’
‘Dora’s right, Lily.’ Quiet tears were rolling down the little girl’s face and Tom handed her his handkerchief. ‘Stop crying, and let’s see what Dora thinks we ought to do.’
Lily obediently mopped her face and blew her nose, then gave her brother back his handkerchief. ‘I’ll be brave.’
‘We know you will.’ Tom ruffled her hair. ‘We’ll be all right. We’ve got Dora, and she has all the brains in this family.’
Dora felt herself sag slightly. The burden had just been placed firmly on her shoulders. That was only to be expected because she was the eldest, and she was determined not to let her brother and sister down. ‘Is it agreed that we don’t want to move from here?’
She received vigorous nods. ‘Right. I must concentrate on finding a job, but it might take a while. I’ve worked out that we have enough money to last another two weeks if we’re careful, but when that’s gone there are things we can pawn. Once I’m working again we might be able to redeem them.’
‘That won’t matter,’ Tom said. ‘There are plenty of things we can do without. Mum’s bits and pieces can go first.’
‘Agreed, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Now, the other thing worrying me is Stan. We’re putting a great strain on him. I suggest we stop pestering him and allow the police to get on with their work.’
‘I didn’t mean to shout at him.’ Lily was looking upset again.
‘We know that.’ Tom patted his sister’s hand. ‘And Stan understood, so don’t you fret about it. But Dora’s right, we’ve got to leave him in peace. He isn’t strong enough, and he’s wearing himself out by running around for us.’
‘I won’t do it again, but can we see him sometimes? I like him.’ Lily was clearly worried about this.
‘Yes, we’ll see him about once a week and ask if there’s any progress in the investigation.’ When Lily accepted, Dora started to relax. She had been dreading having this conversation, but keeping her family together was all that mattered to her now, and she would do whatever was necessary.
She sat back as the tight knot inside her eased. ‘If either of you have any worries, or ideas how we can manage better, I want you to say so. We’ll sit down every evening and talk things through.’
‘Good idea.’ Tom smiled easily for the first time in days.
When Lily did the same, Dora knew she had been right to make them face the loss of their mother. ‘It’s a nice day, so I suggest we go out somewhere. We’ll take sandwiches and make a day of it, shall we? Where would you like to go?’
‘To the park with the lake in it.’ Lily grabbed hold of Tom’s arm. ‘Have you still got that boat? We could sail it.’
‘It’ll probably sink.’
Lily giggled. ‘Then you’ll have to go in the water and get it.’
Dora never ceased to marvel at the rapid changes in her sister’s mood. One minute she could be crying and the next, laughing. Lily had a much more emotional nature than either herself or Tom. ‘Is Regent’s Park all right with you, Tom?’ she asked.
‘Perfect on a day like this.’ He turned his attention back to Lily. ‘Come and help get the sandwiches ready. What do you want in them? Or is that a silly question?’
‘Jam!’
Tom sighed. ‘It was a silly question. Better take a wet flannel with us, Dora. Or we could always dip her in the lake to get rid of the sticky mess.’
With a shriek, Lily attacked her brother, laughing as he fended her off.
‘Stop fighting, you two,’ Dora ordered, trying to keep her expression stern. This day out had been a good idea. It was already taking their minds off the distress they were suffering. It was only a temporary relief, but welcome nonetheless.
An hour later they set off with a variety of sandwiches, and the wooden sailing boat rescued from the cupboard under the stairs. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and they were looking forward to a day in the park.
There were quite a few people about, but they found a spot by a tree where they could watch everything going on around the lake. The warmest day in May so far had brought families out with children and grandparents. There were also a few young men who had been disabled during the war. It always tore Dora apart when she saw them.
One young man came and sat quite near them. He had lost a leg and a hand, and he was on his own. Dora smiled at him. ‘Lovely day, isn’t it?’
He seemed startled that she should speak to him, but he smiled back and nodded.
‘I’m hungry, Dora!’ Lily yelled as she raced back from the lake where she had been playing with Tom.
‘So am I.’ Tom was right behind his sister.
Dora opened the bag with the food in it, and gasped. ‘My goodness! You’ve made enough for dozens. Lily, go and ask that young man if he’d like to help us eat this lot.’
Without protest, Lily went and sat on the grass next to him. Dora said softly, ‘Go and give him a hand if he needs it, Tom, but be careful. You know how independent some of them can be.’
‘Like Stan. He hates feeling so helpless, doesn’t he?’ Without waiting for an answer, Tom joined Lily, who was chattering away to the man.
It looked as if he was trying to refuse, but Lily and Tom were having none of it. In the end he pulled himself up and came over to where Dora was setting out the picnic.
‘This is very kind of you. My name’s Alan,’ he said, introducing himself politely.
Tom took over. ‘This is our sister, Dora, the chatterbox is Lily, and I’m Tom. Sit down, Alan, and let’s see if we can work our way through these sandwiches.’
Tom was growing up fast, and becoming a real gentleman, Dora noticed. There was a confidence about him as well. But they all needed to be like him if they were going to survive this crisis.
Alan rested his crutches against the tree and sat down. He carried out the tricky moves very well, and they hadn’t felt the need to interfere.
‘I’m having jam,’ Lily announced, ‘but there’s other things like cheese, cold meat or tomatoes. What you going to have?’
Alan frowned in concentration. ‘Oh, such a choice, but I think I’ll have cheese, please.’
Lily handed him the cheese packet so he could take one. ‘Our neighbour, Stan, walks with crutches, or a stick sometimes. He was hurt bad in the war, too.’
‘Lily!’ Dora stopped her sister. She knew that most of the ex-servicemen didn’t like talking about the war.
‘It’s all right,’ Alan told Dora. ‘It’s refreshing to find someone who doesn’t shy away from the subject. Do you know, some people I’ve known for years actually cross the road so they won’t have to speak to me.’
‘That’s disgraceful!’ Tom exclaimed. ‘They ought to be ashamed of themselves!’
‘I can understand it. Many just don’t know what to say when they see me like this.’
> ‘Well, I don’t understand it!’ Dora said indignantly. ‘You’re still the same person you were before the war. Stan’s in almost constant pain, but that doesn’t change the man he is inside. And your injuries don’t change the man you were born to be.’
She stopped talking, looking embarrassed. ‘Oh, I’m sorry. There I go again. I’m not making sense, am I? I know what I mean, but it’s hard to put it into words.’
‘You’re making perfect sense. I wish more people could see it that way.’ His smile was grim. ‘But I must correct you on one point. Those of us who’ve survived the horror of the trenches will never be quite the same.’
‘No, some of you will be stronger, others will always be damaged.’ Dora gave a hesitant smile. ‘Please forgive me, Alan. I get so mad about how little’s being done to help those in great need.’
Tom grinned. ‘If Dora could she would have put all the politicians and generals in the trenches and made them wade around in waist-deep mud while the enemy fired at them.’
‘That did cross my mind from time to time.’ Alan turned his attention back to Dora and studied her intently, respect showing in his grey eyes. ‘I think you’re a remarkable young woman.’
‘There’s nothing remarkable about me,’ she laughed. ‘I’ve always been told I think too much, especially for a female, always wanting to know the reason for everything.’
‘That’s good, don’t change. What do you do with yourself, Dora?’
‘Do?’ She was puzzled for a moment. ‘Oh, I work, of course. Only I haven’t got a job at the moment. I have to find something.’
‘What kind of work?’
‘I was a daily housemaid.’
Alan grimaced in disbelief. ‘What a waste! You’re obviously intelligent. Surely you could get something better.’
‘Work’s hard to come by. I’ll take anything I can get.’
He fished in his pocket, brought out a small notepad with a pencil tied to it with string. He opened the pad with his mouth, rested it on his knee and began to write laboriously.
Noting his struggle, Dora said softly, ‘You were right handed.’
Diamonds in the Dust Page 9
