by Anna Jacobs
Another friend was about to move into a retirement housing complex, into a brand-new home about the same size as the ones in Sunset Close. Hazel was urging her to buy a house in the same complex, but Winifred had never wanted to live in a group situation. And Hazel’s complex was even worse than the houses down the road because it was a block of flats, rather small to her. She was used to big rooms in a large house.
Winifred would hate to live in a flat for other reasons. She still enjoyed a stroll round her garden, even if she couldn’t keep it tidy. She watched the plants come to life in spring and parade their flowers. She really missed the borders of annuals there used to be.
Growing old presented one with a series of dilemmas. Thank goodness she’d been blessed with good health.
She smiled. And stubbornness!
Chapter Six
As it was starting to get properly light, there was a hammering on the front door and Angus came to the back door to ask, ‘Shall I answer it for you?’
‘No. I can do it.’
He stayed nearby in case it was someone with trouble in mind, but heard her say in a pleased tone, ‘Janey! Come in, dear.’
‘Are you all right, Miss Parfitt? Have you had a fire?’
‘It was in the back garden, not the house.’
‘Thank goodness!’
‘You’re up early, dear.’
‘Millie’s teething again. She was crying half the night. I felt so guilty because she must have disturbed people in the other flats. Nothing settles her down like going for a walk, so as soon as it got light I brought her out. Then I saw the fire engine outside your house and came to check you were all right.’
‘I’m fine, dear. Look at her now, cheerful as you please, the little minx.’
Angus heard the sound of something bumping on the hall floor and saw a young woman bring in an infant in a buggy. He hadn’t met her before, so he went in to join them. The more people who were linked in protecting Miss Parfitt, the better.
‘Do you two know one another? No? Janey Dobson meet Angus Denning. Janey lives near the bottom of the street and Angus is at the very top, number 1, no less.’
He gave a friendly nod to the newcomer. ‘We haven’t spoken to one another, but I’ve seen you going up and down the street, Janey. And this young lady with you.’ He smiled down at her daughter.
‘Yes, I’ve seen you too. This is my naughty little daughter, Millie, who kept me awake half the night.’
The rosy infant in the buggy held her arms out to Winifred, who bent down to kiss her and kept hold of one plump little hand.
The tender smile on her wrinkled old face touched Angus’s heart and he had to swallow hard. When Janey heard details of what had happened, she looked even more shocked. ‘If I’d walked you back the night you got mugged, all this would probably never have started.’
‘No, but you could have been mugged on the way back, instead,’ Winifred retorted. ‘And then Millie might have been hurt. Better that it happened to me.’
‘It shouldn’t happen to anyone. I do worry about you living here on your own.’
‘So do I,’ Angus said.
‘Well, I’m not moving into one of those retirement places. I’d go mad with claustrophobia,’ Winifred said defiantly.
‘Perhaps you should get someone to live here with you, then?’ Angus suggested. ‘Rent out a room.’
‘Who would want to put up with an elderly woman’s fussy ways?’
‘I think I’d be fussy about things if I had a lovely house like this one,’ Janey said.
Winifred stared at her thoughtfully for a few seconds, then changed the subject and began pouring cups of tea and cutting slices of her latest cake.
Angus answered the back door when one of the firefighters knocked.
‘The fire’s out now, Miss Parfitt, but we’ve called the police because it was definitely a case of arson.’
She looked sad. ‘I feared so. But I can’t understand why they’d do it.’
‘Who knows what gets into some of them? The police will be here in about fifteen minutes and, unless we get another emergency call, we’ll stay to speak to them about what we found.’
‘In that case, you must have a cup of tea and a piece of cake while you wait.’
‘That’s very kind of you. I won’t say no and I’m sure my colleague feels the same.’
When the police arrived, Angus heard Janey whisper to Miss Parfitt, ‘Do you want me to leave you to it?’
‘No, stay please. I’d like to ask you about something.’
‘I’d prefer to stay for a while, too,’ Angus said. ‘I want to see if there’s anything I can do about that back fence of yours. I damaged one section to get into your garden to the fire, so the least I can do is repair it. I can perhaps prop it up till I can buy what I need, so that it looks solid on first glance, but I’ll be able to open it and get to you more quickly.’
‘That’s very kind of you, Angus.’
‘The rest of the fence is in a pretty bad state, Miss Parfitt. I’ll see what I can do to strengthen it.’
‘I can’t ask you to do that.’
‘You didn’t ask, and as your garden backs on to mine the fence is my responsibility as well as yours, so I’ll benefit too.’
‘How kind of you to put it that way!’
He could see he hadn’t fooled her.
She sighed and he saw her eyes go towards the window and the smoking, blackened mess that had once been a pretty white summer house.
‘I used to sit there on sunny days, chatting to my young man. Poor Jack was killed in 1944.’
Janey patted her arm and Winifred gave her a sad smile, repeating, ‘I don’t understand why people vandalise things.’
‘No sane person can figure it out,’ Angus agreed.
When the police arrived, they asked Winifred if they could examine the site of the fire before they talked to her, so she went to join Angus and Janey by the window and watch what they did.
They consulted the firefighters, pointing and nodding to one another, then discussing something earnestly, with long pauses and more pointing.
After the fire engine had driven away, the police came to examine the threatening note. They donned rubber gloves to take it down from the door, putting it and even the nail that had been used to hold it into a protective plastic bag.
Only then did they come inside to talk to Winifred.
She was glad to have Angus and Janey with her, because the thought of being targeted by arsonists was still making her feel a bit shaky. What if they came back and set her house on fire while she was asleep? Would she be able to get out in time? And where would she go?
Sometimes she felt every one of her eighty-four years sitting heavily on her shoulders. At other times she felt as young as Janey – inside her head, anyway.
Once they’d gone through all the questions twice, one of the officers asked Winifred if she’d come to the police station and look at photos of local youths who had been in trouble with the police for break-ins and vandalising property.
‘You might recognise one of them. You said you got a good look at your attacker.’
‘Yes, I did. I’m sure I’d recognise him again if I saw him. I’ll book a taxi and come tomorrow, if that’s all right. I feel rather tired today after all the upset.’
He patted her arm. ‘You take it easy till you’ve recovered. We’ll send a police car for you tomorrow afternoon, if you like, though we can always postpone it if you still don’t feel up to it.’
Angus intervened. ‘I think it’d be better if I brought Miss Parfitt to see you, then it won’t be obvious that she’s trying to identify her mugger.’
‘Good thinking. Very kind of you, sir.’
When the two officers finally left, Angus said, ‘Don’t hesitate to call me if you need help, Miss Parfitt. I mean it. Any time, day or night. Promise you’ll do that.’
‘I promise.’
But he wondered if she would. She was so fierce
ly independent.
Once he’d gone, Winifred turned to Janey, who was collecting the dirty plates and teacups. Millie was now sleeping soundly in her buggy.
‘Never mind clearing up now, dear. I want to talk to you about something important. Please sit down.’
Janey looked at her in surprise, wondering what she could want. She took the seat indicated opposite her companion.
‘Before I start, I want you to promise me that you’ll answer truthfully. I don’t want pity to make you do something you don’t really want.’
‘OK. I promise.’
‘Then here we go.’ She took a deep breath and said hesitantly, ‘I’ve been wondering if you’d consider coming to live here instead of in that flat.’
Janey gaped at her. This was the last thing she’d expected to hear. ‘But—’
‘No, let me finish. I have a lot of rooms that I never use and you’d have your own bathroom, but you’d have to share the kitchen and washing machine with me. You could stay rent-free and just share the costs.’
Janey could see how nervous the old lady was, so spoke gently. ‘Why?’
‘So that I won’t be on my own.’
‘Are you sure it’s not because you’re feeling sorry for me and trying to help me?’
‘No. It’s because I think we can help one another. I hate to admit it but I believe I’ve reached a stage in life where someone ought to be around in case I need help. I don’t need a personal carer – I’d absolutely hate that – but if I fell, no one would know, or hear me, even if I called out for help.’
Janey looked round the kitchen, feeling as if she was seeing the place for the first time. ‘It is a very big house for one person.’
‘Yes and … it can get lonely, so it’d be good to have some company now and then. Not that I’d expect you to spend all your time with me.’
Her voice came out a bit husky as she admitted, ‘I get lonely too.’
‘I thought you did. The house isn’t centrally heated, but I’m thinking of putting it in. I inherited some money and when I get it, well, I can make things a bit more comfortable.’
‘It’s pretty comfortable now.’
‘It’s not bad, but if you choose to come here, I’ll do something about the upstairs before next winter. I live down here during the cooler months, in what used to be the housekeeper’s room, and I’m thinking of staying down here permanently because of the stairs. Come and see.’ She took Janey into the rooms that led off the kitchen, a large bedsitter with a neat little shower room.
‘You have a nice outlook over the back garden from here,’ Janey said as they went back into the kitchen. She was glad Auntie Winnie wasn’t pressing for a decision immediately, because she wouldn’t have known what to say. It had come as such a surprise.
‘Before you decide anything, let’s go upstairs and I’ll show you the bedrooms.’
‘Good idea. We can leave the kitchen door open, then I’ll hear Millie if she wakes.’
Auntie Winnie walked up the stairs slowly but steadily, Janey noted, but she did hold on to the rail. And she wasn’t out of breath when she got to the landing. She did really well for her age, better than Mr Shackleton, who must be ten years younger than her.
‘There are six bedrooms, two dressing rooms and one bathroom on this floor and more bedrooms in the attics.’ She opened each door as they came to it. ‘You could have your choice, except for this room at the front, which I used to occupy in the summer and in which I keep my spare clothes.’
She threw open the door next to it. ‘There are two bigger bedrooms besides mine. This one might suit you, because it has a dressing room next to it where you could do your studying or put Millie to sleep while she’s so little. Or you could take a nearby bedroom for Millie. I know you’re sharing a bedroom with her in the flat but it isn’t very big, is it? As she gets older, you might both find it easier if she has her own place to sleep.’
Janey went across to the window and looked out on to the street. The ‘small’ dressing room was the same size as their shared bedroom at the flat. The bedroom was as big as the whole flat. She went back to join the old lady on the landing. ‘It’s a lovely big room.’
‘You could have a room on the ground floor as well for your personal sitting room. You may want to invite friends in or just be on your own in the evening. There’s a room with a TV point in it, but no television. But you’d also be welcome to join me in my sitting room any evening. I have a brand-new TV.’
Janey was tempted. Very. But would it be the right thing to do?
Winifred looked anxiously at her. ‘I shan’t be in the least offended if you don’t like the idea. But I thought, well, it won’t cost me anything and it’ll save you quite a bit of money and … I’ll feel safer.’ She waited, not pushing for an immediate answer.
‘I do like the idea, but it’s taken me by surprise, so I need to think it through, if you don’t mind.’
‘I’d prefer you to do that. This is too important to rush into. Look, I’ll go downstairs and sit with Millie. You have another walk round the whole house and think about it. You can go up and look at the attics as well, if you like. You could store things up there.’
‘No, wait! I’ve changed my mind.’
Winifred went very still, then inclined her head. ‘As I said, it’s up to you and if you don’t want to—’
Janey felt emotion well up inside her. ‘I don’t need to think about it because, if you’re quite sure, I’d love to come here.’ Suddenly she was crying, reaching out blindly for Winifred and weeping in the old lady’s arms.
‘It’s been so lonely living on my own. And Mr Jones is moving out of the ground-floor flat when he marries Mrs Gainsford. He’s offered it to me, but I can’t afford it, and anyway, people walk past in the parking area so close to the windows that I’d feel nervous living there without him nearby.’
She let Winifred draw her across to sit down on a dusty old couch on the landing and was surprised to find the old lady crying silently beside her.
‘I can’t think of anything nicer than having you here, Janey. I’m on my own for day after day, unless I walk into town or see Hazel, and I can’t even do that in bad weather. Oh dear, I never let myself weep, but now look at me.’
They both laughed through their tears, then hugged one another again.
‘So you’ll come to live here?’
‘I’d love to. If you’re really sure.’
‘Very sure.’ Winifred hesitated. ‘At least … you don’t think those hooligans will come back again, do you? I wouldn’t want to put you and Millie in danger.’
‘We could get a couple of those false CCTV cameras. Mr Denning might put them up for us where people can see them. They’re quite cheap and no one will ever know they’re not real. I’m sure that’d help keep burglars away. I was going to suggest it, anyway.’
‘What a good idea!’
She hesitated. ‘I’ve been feeling as if you’re a relative for a while.’
Winifred smiled at her. ‘Dan and I did say to consider us honorary grandparents.’
‘It might sound better to other people if I called you Auntie Winnie from now on? They know you’re not my grandmother, but people can have all sorts of aunts and uncles. It’ll seem more natural me coming here if I pretend you’re a relative, and anyway, you feel like one.’
To her embarrassment, Winifred couldn’t stop herself from bursting into tears all over again, this time sobbing loudly.
Janey put both arms round her. ‘What have I said? What’s wrong?’
She clutched the girl’s hand. ‘There’s nothing wrong, nothing at all wrong. You’ve just given me a very wonderful gift, my dear girl. I feel close to you, too, and I wish we really were related. We’ll have to say I’m a great-aunt, though. I’m much too old for anything else.’
So they had another hug and mopped their eyes, after which Winifred said, ‘I’ll go down and keep an eye on Millie while you choose which bedrooms you want.’<
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‘If she wakes and seems upset, call me. She’s getting quite heavy so I don’t think you should try to pick her up.’
‘I know. I daren’t even offer to babysit for you. But I can keep an eye on her while you’re busy, then call you if you’re needed.’
‘I can’t ask you to do that.’
‘My dear, I’d love it and she seems to enjoy me playing with her nearly as much as I do.’
Janey didn’t come down for a while, which Winifred thought was a good sign.
When she came into the kitchen, she smiled and twirled Winifred round the table in a gentle, joyful dance. ‘I think this is going to work out brilliantly.’
‘So do I.’
‘I have to go now because I’ve got classes at tech this afternoon, but I’ll come back later and we’ll work out how to do it. I think I ought to tell Dawn about it, as well. She’s been so kind and likes me to keep in touch. I’m sure she’ll approve, though.’
Winifred wasn’t as sure about that, but surely Dawn wouldn’t say it was a stupid thing to do? After all, her friend’s daughter was a very capable woman, who understood the world and its vagaries. The charity she ran for young girls who got pregnant was highly respected.
She hesitated, then got out her bottle of Christmas sherry, which she hadn’t felt like opening on her own last Christmas. The sun was shining brightly outside and her mother would have been horrified at her drinking in the morning, but this was such a wonderful day, in spite of the burning of the summer house, that she felt like celebrating. People were so much more important than objects.
She got out one of her mother’s best crystal sherry glasses, washed it carefully, then poured herself a half glass of dry sherry. As she raised the glass, she said quietly, ‘To a better life.’
She sat down, thinking hard. She really must do more to bring herself up to date. Especially learning to deal with computers. The classes she’d gone to with Hazel hadn’t been very good, but there must be others. Or she could afford to hire a private tutor.
