When Beattie had finally departed for home, barely able to put one foot in front of the other, and the children were all in bed, Adina collapsed onto the couch and kicked her shoes off with a grateful sigh.
Beryl had been moving her clothes and Cathy’s to the vicarage over the last week and now it suddenly sank in that her friend was gone for good. Loneliness closed around Adina like a shroud. It would be just her and the children from now on, and whilst she loved the little ones she knew that she was going to miss Beryl dreadfully.
Feeling suddenly restless, she gazed around as if she was looking at the house for the very first time. She had never changed a single thing in it since Fliss and Theo had left it, but now she felt the urge to put her own stamp on the place and make it her own. She had never been too keen on the flowered wallpaper in there and decided that she would get some nice striped paper and redecorate it. She could perhaps tackle the hall then. She had never papered a wall in her life before but decided that now was the time to learn. She would need something to fill her hours while the children were at school. And one thing she had discovered over the last couple of years was that she was capable of being totally independent, which was just as well, for she realised with a little start that the children in her care were all she had now apart from her sister, and she was far away in Nuneaton with her own family. It was a daunting thought, but Adina was determined to survive.
Slowly climbing the stairs she looked at the wedding dress that Beryl had carefully laid across her bed when she had gone upstairs to get changed into her going-away suit. Now as she tenderly fingered the parachute silk, a tear slid down her cheek. The dress she had once made so lovingly for herself had been worn by both Ariel and Beryl now, but she knew that she would never wear it, and as she carefully wrapped it up, her dreams finally crumbled into ashes.
Part Five
A Promise Kept
Chapter Forty-Seven
December 1970
‘So will that be all right then?’ The anxious social worker gazed at Adina over the rim of her china cup. ‘I know it’s frighteningly short notice, two weeks before Christmas, and I’m not pretending that Emily is the easiest girl in the world to handle. But her current carers are adamant that they won’t keep her for another single day and I really don’t know who else to approach. You have such a good record with teenagers.’
‘It will be perfectly all right,’ Dina told her calmly. ‘I have a bedroom all prepared as Mary left last week, so you may bring Emily here as soon as you like.’
‘Ah, Mary,’ the woman smiled. ‘You did such an excellent job with that girl. She was a right little handful when she first came to you. I feared that you would never manage her, but you turned her around. How did her wedding go? I hear you organised everything for her, right down to her wedding dress.’
‘Oh, I didn’t buy it,’ Adina told her. ‘It was one I made many years ago, and over the years I’ve restyled it so often for different girls I’ve cared for that I wonder how the material stands up to it. Still, at the end of the day she looked beautiful, and that’s all that matters, isn’t it? But then I suppose all brides do. They seem to have a sort of glow about them, don’t they? And I think Simon will be good for her. He’s such a lovely, hardworking young man and just the sort of person Mary needs to keep her in line, so all’s well that ends well with that one. I just wish I could have had that sort of success story with all of them, but one thing I’ve learned over the years is that some are beyond help, more’s the pity.’
She smiled at the social worker, thinking what an attractive young woman she was. She was dressed in a pair of bell-bottom trousers and a bright gypsy blouse heavily embroidered with ric-rac braiding and laced up the front. She had taken the place of Miss Higgins, who had retired two years earlier, and although Dina knew that Claire Sutton must be at least in her mid-twenties, with her long straight hair spilling about her shoulders she appeared to be much younger. Adina was now forty-six years old but no one would have guessed it. She still had a flawless unlined complexion and her hair was still dark, if not quite as vibrant as it had once been. Over the years she had cared for almost fifty children, some for just a short time, others for years, and she was now well respected by the local Social Services Department, although single carers were still frowned upon for the majority of the time.
She still had a great affection for Rebekah, Esther and Christopher, the first children she had cared for, although they had long since flown the nest. Rebekah had married a handsome young builder at just eighteen whilst Esther had spurned marriage and had trained as a nurse before going on to become a very successful doctor. Christopher had also done well for himself and now had his own thriving veterinary practice in Battersea, but they all kept in touch, and Adina was very proud of all of them. They had once taken the place of the little girl she had lost and she knew that she would always have a soft spot for those three.
Now, Claire Sutton glanced at the watch on her wrist and gasped. ‘Crikey, I’d better get off. Will it be all right if I drop Emily off to you later this afternoon?’
‘Of course.’ Adina placed her cup and saucer down and followed the young woman to the door. ‘Goodbye, dear. I’ll see you later.’ Once she had closed the door on her guest she looked about with satisfaction. The house was almost unrecognisable now to how it had been when she had first lived there, and over the years she had changed the décor and the furniture in each room to her own taste.
The clock on the hall table chimed one just then so she hurried down into the kitchen to put the kettle on. Beryl would be round to see her shortly just as she did each week, and Adina was looking forward to a cosy chat. Over the years since her marriage to Father Mick, Beryl had given birth to four more children and was now the mother of two girls and three boys whom she doted on almost as much as their father. Thankfully she had settled to life as a vicar’s wife as if she had been born to it and seemed thoroughly happy with her lot. At times there had been a shortage of money but never love, and she still adored her husband as much as she had on the day they had married.
She arrived spot on time at one-thirty and plonked herself down at the kitchen table as Adina poured them both a cup of tea and pushed a plateful of sandwiches towards her.
‘So how’s tricks?’ she asked amiably as she helped herself to a corned-beef one.
‘Fine. I have another placement coming later this afternoon and I’m also interviewing a new help in about an hour or so. I do miss Beattie since she retired, I have to admit, although she certainly seems to be enjoying herself. She’s off shopping with her sister most days.’
‘And have you been to the doctor’s yet?’ Beryl asked sternly. Adina had lost a lot of weight just lately and she was concerned about her.
‘No,’ Adina admitted. ‘I haven’t had the time, to be honest, but don’t look so worried. I will go as soon as I get the chance. And I’m sure it’s nothing serious. I probably just need a good tonic.’
‘Hmph, you do too much, that’s the trouble.’ Beryl bit into her sandwich. ‘What with running round after the children and all the sewing jobs you do, you’re running your blood to water.’
‘Ooh, hark at the pot calling the kettle black,’ Adina laughed. ‘And what have you got lined up for the rest of today?’
‘Well, when I leave here I’ve got to go to the church hall and get the stalls organised ready for a jumble sale we’re having on Saturday, an’ then . . .’
Her voice trailed away as she saw Adina’s raised eyebrows and she quickly changed the subject.
‘So who’s this person you have applyin’ for a job then?’
Adina shrugged. ‘I don’t know that much about her, to be honest,’ she admitted. ‘Although her references are good. She’s twenty-four years old and is studying to become a nurse, so she needs a part-time job.’
‘Will she be living in if she’s suitable?’ Beryl was now on her third sandwich and wolfing them down like there was no tomorrow as she hadn�
��t had time for any breakfast and had just realised how hungry she was.
‘She’s quite welcome to stay if she wishes to. I’ve certainly got more than enough room now that I only have one placement and another one coming later today. I thought we might be able to come to some sort of an arrangement if she was agreeable, where she could have her room for free for helping out a certain number of hours per week. It gives me more time to get on with my sewing jobs if I have someone to assist with the housework.’
‘Let’s just hope she’s better than the last one then, the idle little devil,’ Beryl muttered. ‘She wouldn’t have known what cleanin’ were if it had come up an’ slapped her in the face. From what I could make of it, you ended up cleanin’ up after her an’ then she just ups an’ leaves without a by your leave, takin’ the contents of your purse with her. I’m tellin’ you, good reliable help is hard to find nowadays. I reckon they broke the mould when they made old Beattie, bless her. Now she was a worker, if ever there was one . . .’
Adina nodded in agreement and they then went on to chat about Beryl’s brood until it was time for her to leave.
At exactly three o’clock the doorbell rang and Adina quickly checked her hair in the hall mirror, straightening the row of pearls she was wearing over a powder-blue twinset before opening the door.
A very attractive young woman was standing on the top step. She was smartly dressed and had long thick fair hair which shimmered down her back, and a heart-shaped face. When she smiled Adina noticed the dimple in her cheek. She was wearing the minimum of make-up and Adina was impressed by her natural beauty.
‘Do come in,’ she invited, crossing her fingers that this girl would turn out to be better than the last one. ‘Would you like a cup of tea?’
‘No, thank you.’ Adina noticed that she spoke beautifully. She was obviously from a good family, if the way she spoke and held herself was anything to go by.
‘Won’t you come into the drawing room?’
The girl followed her, her eyes settling on the Christmas tree standing next to the television set, which was one of Adina’s more recent purchases. She had started to celebrate Christmas each year for all the children who passed through her door, and now actually enjoyed the festival herself.
‘Do sit down.’
The girl gracefully did as she was told and once Adina was seated opposite her she asked, ‘So how did you hear about the job?’
‘I saw it advertised in the shop window at the bottom of the street,’ the girl replied, and holding her hand out she told her, ‘My name is Amelia Forbes but my friends call me Melly.’
Adina shook her hand, warming instantly to the girl. She had such a nice personality and such a ready smile that it would have been hard not to.
‘Adina Schwartz,’ she introduced herself. ‘And now, tell me a little about yourself.’
The girl’s face momentarily clouded. ‘I’m doing my SRN Course at St Bart’s Hospital. I’m in my final year now and am engaged to be married to a junior doctor. At present I’m living in the nurses’ quarters, but it isn’t ideal there, to be honest. Rather cramped, if you know what I mean. So I thought if I could get a part-time job and be able to live in, I would be much happier. Richard and I are getting married next August, so I could only do the job until then. I hope to be qualified by that time and then Richard and I are going to live in Devon to be closer to his family.’
‘I see.’ Dina appreciated the girl’s honesty. ‘And what about your family?’
The girl’s face clouded. ‘My mother passed away last year, so apart from Richard I have no one now,’ she told her.
‘I’m sorry.’ Without thinking, Adina reached out to squeeze her hand sympathetically. There was something about the girl that she had instantly taken to, so she went on, ‘Shall I tell you what hours I’d need you to work and what that work would entail?’
‘Yes, please.’ The girl nodded eagerly.
‘Well, I’m a foster mother so I usually have at least two young people staying here at a time. And I also run my own sewing business, dressmaking and alterations, et cetera. So as you would expect I’m usually quite busy, which is where you would come in. I usually employ someone part-time to help out with general cleaning and washing and ironing. Twenty hours a week should do it, and for that I could offer you a very small wage and a room.’
‘That sounds perfect,’ the girl said. ‘Would you need me to work set hours?’
‘Not at all,’ Adina assured her. ‘I’d be quite happy for you to do the jobs around your work hours at the hospital to suit yourself, as long as they all got done.’ She smiled ruefully before admitting, ‘I’m afraid the last two girls I’ve employed haven’t worked out very well at all for different reasons, so how about we do it on a trial period? Say for a month? And then we can both decide if we’re happy with the arrangement.’
Melly held her hand out. ‘It sounds fine to me. I could do a couple of hours each evening and then fit the rest of the hours in on my days off. When would it be suitable for me to move in?’
‘Perhaps I ought to show you your room first to make sure you’re happy with it,’ Adina suggested and the girl rose and followed her, looking about curiously as they climbed the stairs.
Adina led her to the room that had once been hers when she had first come to stay with the Montgomerys. ‘Why, it’s wonderful compared to what I’m used to in the nurses’ home.’ Melly smiled widely and Adina felt herself relax.
‘In that case, you can move in as soon as you like,’ she told her. ‘I’m in the middle of a rather large job at the moment. I’m working on a wedding dress and four bridesmaids’ dresses which have to be finished by the end of the month, so the sooner you can move in the better.’ The girl was so easy to talk to that Adina felt sure they were going to get along. ‘I’ll show you the rest of the house now.’ She moved towards the door and once again the girl stared about keenly as Adina showed her from room to room.
They ended up down in the kitchen, which like the rest of the house Adina had modernised over the years, and again the girl enthused about it.
‘Now how about that cup of tea before you go?’ Adina suggested, and taking a seat at the table the girl nodded.
‘That would be lovely, thank you.’
Once they each had a drink in front of them Adina asked, ‘Have you no other relatives at all?’
The girl shook her head. ‘I’m afraid not. My grandfather died before I was born and my grandmother shortly after. I don’t remember her, to be honest. Mummy and Daddy lived in Exeter where Daddy had his own business, but sadly he went bankrupt shortly after the war and he died when I was nine. Since then it’s been just Mummy and me.’
‘You must miss her,’ Adina said softly and the girl nodded tearfully. ‘I miss both of them. They were the best parents any girl could ever have wished for. But at least I have Richard now. I’m sure you’ll like him if you ever get to meet him.’
‘I’m sure I shall,’ Adina said kindly as she stared into the girl’s eyes. They were the colour of bluebells and that, combined with her shining blonde hair and her easygoing nature, made her very attractive indeed. Adina almost felt as if she had known her for years instead of just for a few minutes.
When they had finished their drinks, Adina saw her to the front door where they once again shook hands.
‘Until tomorrow then,’ Adina said, and the girl beamed before tripping off down the steps. It was there that she paused to ask, ‘What should I call you? I didn’t think to ask.’
Adina grinned. ‘Dina will be just fine.’
‘Bye then,’ Amelia said as she set off down the street, and Adina closed the door with a warm glow in the pit of her stomach. Somehow she had a good feeling about this girl.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Within days of her moving in, Adina wondered how she had ever managed without Melly, as she preferred to be known. The girl was great fun and had a wonderful sense of humour, plus she certainly wasn’t afraid of h
ard work although Adina sometimes worried that she was doing too much. She would go to classes two days a week and then spend two days on the wards. Then in the evenings and on her three days off she would set to and tackle the list of jobs Adina had given her to do without a quibble. The week before, the house had been bulging at the seams when Ariel, Brian and their brood had descended on them to deliver their Christmas presents and stayed for a few days. But Melly had taken it all in her stride and dealt with the extra work uncomplainingly.
‘She’s such a lovely girl and so hardworking,’ Ariel had said one day when Melly had set off for the hospital. ‘I’m so pleased you’ve managed to find someone reliable to help out at last.’
‘She’s a little gem,’ Adina agreed. ‘And I have to admit she’s wonderful company too. Nothing is ever too much trouble for her. I’m just sorry that I shall lose her next year when she marries her fiancé. They’re moving down to Devon because they can’t afford to buy a place in London.’
‘Couldn’t they stay here with you?’ Ariel suggested.
‘The thought had crossed my mind. But I think I’ll wait until a little nearer to the time to suggest it. There’s a lot can happen between now and then.’
‘Mm, I suppose you’re right.’ Becoming solemn, Ariel then asked, ‘Are you feeling all right, Dina? You look awfully pale and I’m sure you’ve lost even more weight since the last time I saw you.’
‘Oh, don’t you start,’ Adina groaned. ‘I have enough with Beryl nagging me to go to the doctor’s all the time.’
‘Well, just make sure that you do then, or you’ll have the pair of us nagging you. I’m just glad that you have Melly here to help out now, which is more than can be said for that latest placement you’ve taken on. Now she’s going to be trouble with a capital T from what I’ve seen of her, so just watch out.’
A Band of Steel Page 39
