‘But you’ll be leaving again soon, I take it?’ she asked sadly.
Giving a throaty little laugh, he gathered her hands in his to give them a gentle squeeze. ‘As a matter of fact the course is right here at Manchester University, so I’m going nowhere.’
‘Oh, I’m so glad.’
Outside, in the blistering August heat, Alex stood growling to himself as he watched the young man grasp Cathie’s hands in such a loving manner. What right did he have to touch her? The thought of some other man’s hand possibly caressing her breasts made him grow hot with rage. Cathie belonged to him. She was his property. Admittedly, they were somewhat at odds right now, but he fully intended that to change. He would win her back one way or another, or at least savour the delight of her body if he failed to do so. He deserved that much, at least.
He certainly wasn’t interested in her stupid mother. Rona was now proving to be something of a problem, blaming him for losing her daughter’s company, and, more importantly, her help around the house. She even kept insisting that he should leave. What complex creatures women were.
As for this idiot, his presence in Cathie’s life had always been a hindrance. How infuriating that despite having successfully scuppered the fellow’s job at the Co-op he was now back, no doubt hell-bent on creating yet more havoc. Alex decided that he’d make bloody sure Allenby regretted coming back home and didn’t stick around too long.
Savouring a beer at the Pack Horse, he went over various possibilities of how he could achieve this. Much as he’d like to strangle the chap with his own tie, engaging in another fight held no appeal. But there were others ways of dealing with him, maybe by getting the damn fellow arrested.
Alex had built himself some useful connections among the dock workers, and as the Co-op had large quantities of goods delivered straight from supply depots at the docks, including meat, which was still in short supply, he could very easily arrange for orders to this particular shop to be cut down, or even go missing altogether. As nothing had gone wrong before Allenby had returned, it should be easy enough to lay the blame on him. With the right word in the right ear, he could ensure that Cathie’s old friend received his due comeuppance.
Later that evening, when darkness fell, he walked over to the docks to make the necessary arrangements. He knew he could trust these new mates of his, as they were poorly paid and would lose out on a large share of the deal if they ever revealed what was going on. Alex smiled at his own cleverness. Revenge could be so sweet.
Cathie and Steve quickly fell into a routine of meeting up regularly, even though he was not currently engaged in any charity work, since he was about to start a teaching course. They would enjoy the odd evening at the Crown on Byrom Street, often known as the Top Hamer, named after the lady who had owned it back in the thirties. Cathie never felt she could stay long as she’d left Brenda in charge of little Heather, but it felt good to spend even a little time with him, and to find their friendship flourishing.
There was the odd occasion when he didn’t turn up, as promised, and feeling far too embarrassed to enter a pub alone Cathie would wait outside for a little while, then sadly go back to the flat alone. She would feel deeply let down as just seeing how fit and well he was now, and really quite good-looking, filled her heart with joy. The next time he would be there as usual, apologising for not being able to come before but giving no indication about what exactly had kept him away.
She did once risk asking if something was troubling him.
‘To be honest, there is. I’ve been put in charge of sending and receiving deliveries and something is going wrong. There are too many occasions when we don’t receive the right quantities of goods in an order, but I can’t quite put my finger on why that is.’
‘Where are these orders coming from?’ Cathie asked.
‘Our supplier down at the docks. I’ve had a word with him and he insists they are all sent out correct: meat, fruit and veg, everything. He seems to be accusing me of getting it wrong, but I’m no idiot and do check that we receive the required pounds of potatoes we ordered, shoulders of lamb, sausages, pork chops or whatever.’
‘Might it have something to do with shortages?’
‘I thought that might be the case at first, yet time after time the actual quantity delivered does not match the amount charged on the invoice.’
‘Oh, dear! That won’t do you any good at all, Steve, having already been sacked once from the job.’
‘I’m fully aware of that, and did go to see the boss at the warehouse, which resulted in a blistering row as he furiously defended his staff. I wish I could work out exactly what, why or who is getting these orders wrong. Anyway, how are things with you?’
Their friendship developed over the days and weeks following and they became increasingly close. Steve would often pop into the flat for a chat, although sometimes it would simply be to apologise that he couldn’t make it for their usual meet-up, and, as Cathie knew he was having difficulties, she didn’t like to press him. She was always glad to see him, and the moment he walked in little Heather would run to grab him with a squeal and a giggle, as he was always ready and willing to happily play games with the toddler. One evening. he even offered to babysit when Brenda and Cathie expressed a wish to see Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep at the flicks.
‘He’s so kind,’ Cathie said, as they walked off together arm in arm.
‘He’d stand on his head for you, darling, but it’s him you should be going to see this movie with, not me.’
‘Don’t say that. I’ve no wish to get involved in anything serious right now, perhaps never again.’
Brenda burst out laughing, her round face a picture of good humour. ‘That’s a big decision to make at just twenty-three. I can’t quite see you living as a nun for the rest of your life.’
Cathie found herself giggling at this too. ‘So what about you, Bren? Have you anyone in mind?’ And, as the smile slid from her friend’s face, she wished she hadn’t asked.
‘Maybe one day,’ she said, after a long silence. ‘But like you, I’m in no rush.’
The following Friday when Steve asked if she’d like to go to flicks with him, Cathie couldn’t resist accepting his offer. Sitting beside him in the dark of the cinema did bring to mind the occasions she’d been to the Gaumont with Alex, and how instead of watching the movie he’d spend most of the time kissing and petting her. Now, she and Steve sat side by side without even glancing at each other, let alone touching, which made her feel slightly disappointed. Perhaps he didn’t see her in any other way but as a friend.
He asked her out the following Saturday too, and she gladly accepted, but then he backed off at the last minute, which greatly disappointed her.
‘Sorry, but something urgent has come up that I have to deal with.’
The number of occasions when he let her down seemed to be increasing. Too often he would fail to turn up, or else leave early. A suspicion began to grow in her mind that Steve too might be having an affair with someone. Could it be with Brenda? Surely not. Her old friend was only too aware how devastated she’d been by Davina’s betrayal. Brenda would never be so unkind or cruel. Then who might it be?
Cathie reminded herself that she should stop fussing as she greatly valued Steve’s friendship, even if that’s all it would ever be. Whether she wanted it to develop into anything more was a question she didn’t feel ready to answer just yet, so he was perfectly entitled to have a proper girlfriend. They weren’t a couple as such, only friends.
And maybe she was feeling a bit low because having been deserted by her father, and not receiving the proper love and care from her mother, this had created a sense of insecurity in her. Cathie felt no regrets over leaving Alex, although the way he had treated her hadn’t helped. So perhaps she was just unable to ever trust a man again, despite a strong desire to find someone to love and care for her.
Cathie was beginning to worry about her mother. Was Alex taking advantage o
f Rona too? Feeling the need to know the answer to this question, she left her a note, suggesting Rona join her on Saturday afternoon in Peel Park for a walk. Now there she was, seated beside the statue of Queen Victoria in front of the Salford Museum and Art Gallery. They say that the old Queen suffered badly from loss and family problems too, Cathie thought as she strolled over, so maybe it was an aspect of life one had to accept.
‘I’m so glad to hear you got the baby back.’ Rona regarded her daughter with a rueful smile as Cathie lifted little Heather out of her pram to let her run free. ‘If I’d ever imagined Alex capable of doing such a thing I would never have let him stay.’
‘It was you who told him about that sum of money Heather’s daddy left her,’ Cathie reminded her, as she joined Rona on the bench. ‘That’s all he ever wanted, the only reason he wished to marry me, so poor little Heather would have been given away anyway, once he’d got his hands on that cash. Why on earth did you do that, Mam? It had nothing at all to do with Alex.’
‘I thought if he was to be your husband and bring up that child as his own, he surely had the right to benefit from it. Why weren’t you prepared to share it with the man you love?’
Cathie felt herself simmering with anger and resentment, as was so often the case when dealing with Rona. ‘That money isn’t mine to share. You really do need to keep your nose out of my business.’
‘Mebbe you’re right, and it was all my fault.’
Cathie looked upon the sadness in her mother’s face, now looking quite worn and felt a deep sense of regret. Rona seemed to be ageing quite rapidly all of a sudden, anxiety clouding her eyes and marking her face with wrinkles she’d never noticed before. Perhaps her sense of loneliness had led her to make such a mistake. Cathie too had been equally fooled by Alex’s charm.
‘Not to worry, I was a bit of a fool to trust him too, Mam. Is he still around?’
‘Oh, aye. He’s nowhere else to live since his own parents have rejected him. Why don’t you come home, love? I miss having you around.’
‘You miss my cooking, more like,’ Cathie scoffed.
Rona gave a wry smile. ‘That too, but I also miss your company, and this little one, more than I might have expected.’
The toddler was running rings round them, giggling happily. Cathie played at chasing her for a moment or two, and then flopped back upon the bench giving a little sigh. ‘So what about you and Alex, are you …?’
‘Nay, don’t even think such a thing. He’s a mere lad, not my sort at all. But he regrets having been so stupid and is ready to apologise and start afresh.’
Cathie gave a snort of laughter. ‘Well, I’m not. So far as I’m concerned, it’s all over between us. That man’s a selfish prig who never thinks of anyone but himself, and he certainly doesn’t give tuppence for Heather. Don’t let him bully you too, Mam. I’ve no idea where he gets his money from, but I’m quite sure he could afford a place of his own now. It’s time you ordered him to leave and concentrated on living your own life, as I fully intend to do.’ Putting her arms about Rona, she hugged her and, for once, her mother did not pull away but hugged her back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
It was early September and Cathie was out walking in Oldham Street. She could hear sounds of The Messiah emanating from Howards’ Ltd, a famous music shop. Goodness, were they rehearsing for Christmas already? The sound reminded her of the concert she’d helped Steve to organise almost a year ago. So much had happened since but she felt a warm glow inside that he seemed to be back in her life, at least as a friend. It was as she was looking at shoes in Saxone’s window, wishing she could afford to buy herself a new pair, when she spotted the old man whom she’d accidentally bumped into with the pram. He was standing by the hot potato cart buying himself some lunch. Picking up little Heather to sit the toddler astride her hips, she quickly hurried over.
‘Hello, I hope you are well and your knee isn’t giving you any gyp?’ she said with a smile.
‘By heck, what a surprise seeing you again, lass. I’m fine, thanks. How about you?’ Glancing at her hand, his smile vanished. ‘What’s happened to your ring?’
‘Ah, well, that’s rather a long story, which I won’t bore you with,’ she said.
‘I’m not easily bored. Let me buy you a hot spud, then you can tell me all about it. The name’s Percy, by the way.’
They sat together like old friends on the same low wall, just off Oldham Street, where she’d previously tended to his bruised knee. Cathie quickly related a brief version of how her engagement had come to a catastrophic end. ‘I handed him back the ring and chose my little niece here instead,’ she said, indicating Heather, who was sitting on the wall beside them happily chewing on a small piece of baked potato.
Percy was silent for so long that Cathie began to wonder if she perhaps had bored him, after all. Then he began to speak. ‘Normally, when a young lass loses the man of her dreams I’d offer heartfelt sympathy, but on this occasion I’d say you’ve done the right thing.’
‘Oh, I think so too. If he doesn’t care for children, and is a womaniser, he’s not the man for me.’
‘In addition, love, the chap’s a thief.’
Cathie blinked. ‘I beg your pardon, what did you say?’
‘That ex-fiancé of yours stole that ring from my shop. Mebbe I was a bit too trusting fetching out so many trays just because he was an ex-servicemen, but after he’d gone I soon realised I’d been robbed. It was my good fortune to be knocked by this babby’s pram that day, and had it been anyone else I would have reported seeing that ring. I instantly recognised it, as it’s extremely valuable. But, as you were so kind, and so obviously innocent, I couldn’t bring myself to do that. I did wonder afterwards if mebbe I’d made a mistake by not warning you. So, I’m glad to hear the engagement is off.’
Cathie found herself struck speechless, unable to quite take in what she was hearing. Eventually, she asked the all-important question. ‘So are you going to report him?’
That evening she was still worrying over the old man’s response when Steve arrived for supper, as agreed. He’d brought a bottle of wine for them to enjoy.
‘This is to celebrate the start of my training as a teacher when so many ex-servicemen have not been so lucky. But it’s also to remind you that I will still be around, so this is not goodbye.’ As he said this, he gazed into Cathie’s eyes with such intensity that she began to wonder if her earlier worries had been entirely wrong. Maybe Steve’s caution signified he was simply leaving it up to her to decide the moment when she would feel ready for a change in their relationship. And from the relief she felt, Cathie began to wonder if she could possibly be falling in love with him.
She’d cooked steak and kidney pie as a treat, using up all of their weekly meat ration in order to do so, but it was worth it as his face lit up as he took the first bite.
‘This is delicious.’
‘Thank you.’
As they ate, they chatted for some time about movies they’d seen, music they liked such as ‘To Each His Own’, the latest hit by the Ink Spots. Brenda and Steve did much of the talking, but when they reached the coffee stage, he turned to Cathie with a troubled frown. ‘Is there something wrong? You seem rather quiet, not at all yourself.’
Taking a breath, Cathie finally owned up to what was devouring her thoughts as a result of her conversation with her Oldham Street acquaintance. ‘Quite by chance, thanks to a silly accident with the pram, I met a jeweller called Percy Mullins. He’s a lovely old man who has become something of a friend. But what he had to tell me today was really quite devastating.’
The pair of them listened in horror to what she’d learned.
‘Heavens, Alex Ryman is a complete idiot,’ Brenda retorted as the story of his theft unfolded.
‘A dangerous one too, I’d say,’ Steve added.
Cathie glumly nodded. ‘I rather assumed it to be a cheap imitation diamond ring, not a real one. What possessed him to do such a thing?’<
br />
‘Maybe because he’s involved in black marketeering.’
‘What?’
‘I believe he may well be, which would explain how he happens to have so much money despite not being employed.’
Cathie blinked, suddenly remembering something. ‘So that’s why he had those extra ration books, and what looked like a few loose coupons. I saw those once when little Heather was playing with his gas mask pack. Oh, my goodness!’ And perhaps how he had acquired those silver cigarette lighters that he gave to both Rona and Davina, she thought.
‘It was also the reason he told that lie to the Co-op manager about me being involved in such crimes.’
‘Are you saying that’s why you were sacked?’ Cathie asked in dismay.
He fell silent for a moment, a puckered frown marking his brow. ‘It was indeed,’ he said, as if gathering his thoughts. ‘But I didn’t know at the time that Alex had spoken to my boss and got me sacked, not until I returned. I managed to convince Mr Leeson that it was all a lie, and your assurance that the fight wasn’t my fault certainly helped, Cathie. This old shopkeeper, does he intend to bring charges?’
Cathie flushed with embarrassment. ‘I did ask him that question, but it seems not.’
‘Why?’ Brenda barked. ‘That imbecile needs to be stopped from creating so much havoc.’
Stifling a sigh, Cathie agreed. ‘I’m afraid that’s my fault. Mr Mullins is very kind and understanding, and insists it could mess up my life were he to bring charges against my fiancé for a ring he presented to me. He has no wish to do that. He also said that Alex will no doubt have sold the ring by now, so there would be little hope of ever getting it back, therefore making my life a misery would achieve nothing.’
‘It’s definitely not your fault, Cathie,’ Steve retorted, ‘so don’t even think such a thing.’
She gazed at him then with pleading in her eyes. ‘Please don’t ever challenge Alex over this issue, Steve. He’s still living with my mother, remember, and I’ve no wish for him to take out any ill feeling on her that such an accusation might create. I think we just have to let things lie.’
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