The Girl from Kingsland Market

by June Tate

  The guests stood to give the toast, a few of the women quickly dabbing their eyes with a handkerchief at his heartfelt speech.

  Phoebe looked at Ben. ‘That was so lovely of you,’ she said, tears brimming her eyes.

  Ben took her hand and kissed it. ‘It’s now your turn to sit back and have me shoulder any responsibilities and I couldn’t be happier. I love you, Phoebe, and I love Tim too. You see, we’ll all be so happy together.’

  The wedding party moved into another room where there was a three-piece band playing softly and a bar had opened at one end of the room. The guests mingled and chatted until it was time for the bride and groom to have the first dance. Ben took his bride in his arms and held her close as they danced slowly to a waltz, to be joined eventually by many of the guests.

  Tony, who’d gone along with Marj, took her onto the dance floor. ‘What a splendid day this has been, love. It’s great to see two people so happy – well three, really, because young Tim is in seventh heaven too.’

  ‘I can’t tell you ’ow delighted I am to see the girl settled,’ Marj answered. ‘She’s been through so much and now she ’as a man to take care of her and Tim.’

  Tony looked down at the woman in his arms. ‘Don’t you think, love, that it’s time for us to make our relationship more permanent?’ He saw the look of surprise on her face and continued. ‘Listen, Marj, neither of us is getting any younger. I don’t want to die a lonely old man. I love you, you daft woman, and I think it’s time we got married!’

  She started to argue. ‘You’ve just got carried away with the day, you daft bugger. Besides, I’ve been on my own too long. I’ve got selfish doing what I want when I want.’

  ‘But we could do that together. You know I’m an easy-going chap, I won’t make demands on you. We’ll sort out a way to live together and be happy. Oh, Marj, be brave, girl! I’m good husband material, trust me.’ He beamed at her. ‘You won’t get a better offer, so don’t let me slip through your fingers or you’ll live to regret it.’

  She stopped dancing and looked at him, then she lifted her hand and stroked his cheek. ‘You’re a good man, Tony, and maybe you’re right. I do get lonely and Phoebe was only telling me off about it quite recently.’ She leant forward and kissed him softly. ‘All right – if you’re sure?’

  ‘I was sure the day I moved into the market!’ He picked her up and swung her round. ‘Come on, let’s get a drink to celebrate, but we’ll keep this to ourselves today. We don’t want to take any limelight from the newly-weds.’ They walked off together to the bar.

  Ben’s family stayed overnight in the hotel so they could take Tim home with them and allow Ben and Phoebe to spend a few days in London. As it was winter and near to Christmas, they decided to do this and then they could go away in the summer with Tim for a good holiday. They all said their goodbyes after breakfast the following morning.

  While Ben and Phoebe had been celebrating, in Wormwood Scrubs the atmosphere was very different. There was always a feeling of menace about the place. It was like sitting on the edge of a volcano, waiting for it to erupt … and finally it did!

  Harry Matthews was aware that Percy was resentful about his power over the other inmates and he intended to teach him a lesson, as he always did with any newcomer who was trying to show his supremacy. He waited until Percy was scrubbing the floor outside of his cell and he walked over to him and said, ‘My cell floor wants scrubbing down. See to it!’

  Percy looked at him, his face puce with rage. ‘You can fuck off, Matthews! I’m not one of your lackeys. I scrub down the corridors and nothing else!’

  Quick as a flash, Matthews bent down, picked up the bar of soap and rammed it into Percy’s mouth, nearly choking him as he did so.

  Percy could scarcely breathe and Matthews pushed it down his throat a bit further.

  ‘Now, you do as I say or you’ll be taking your last breath. Do I make myself clear?’

  Percy just nodded and gasped as Matthews removed the bar from his mouth and tossed it in the bucket of water, which splashed all over Percy’s prison clothes. Matthews hauled him to his feet. ‘In here, you do as I say when I say if you want to stay healthy. Understand?’

  Unable to speak, Percy just nodded.

  ‘Then what are you standing about for, get in there and scrub!’ He shoved the bucket nearer with his foot. ‘And do a good job or you’ll have to do it again!’ He walked away.

  Percy tried to swallow. His throat hurt and he heaved as he tasted the part of the soap that had stuck to his gullet. But beneath the fear that he’d felt, he was seething. Nobody treated him like that and got away with it. His turn would come and when it did, he’d take it with both hands!

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  It was Christmas Eve and the newly-weds were well settled in the home they now shared. Phoebe and Tim had decorated the tree and Ben had helped with the room decorations. Now, Phoebe and Tim were preparing the vegetables and stuffing the turkey, waiting for Ben to come home. Beneath the tree were presents wrapped in Christmas paper and on the wireless Christmas carols were being played.

  Ben arrived soon after, his coat collar turned up against the cold outside. ‘Oh my, that smells good,’ he said, sniffing the air.

  ‘I’ve made a shepherd’s pie for dinner,’ Phoebe told him as he leant over and kissed her.

  ‘You all right, Tim, are you being a good lad and, helping your sister?’

  ‘I’ve peeled the potatoes, the carrots and the parsnips.’

  ‘He’s been a great help,’ Phoebe said. ‘I’ll make a chef out of him before I’ve finished.’

  Tim pulled a face. ‘I didn’t want to stuff the turkey, though.’

  Ben burst out laughing. ‘No, son. I wouldn’t fancy that either.’ Turning to his wife he asked, ‘What time are Marj and Tony arriving tomorrow?’

  ‘About noon. I thought we could all have a drink, then open our presents before lunch.’

  Tim’s face was a picture of dismay. ‘Do I have to wait until then?’

  ‘We wouldn’t be that unkind, Tim,’ said Ben. ‘You can open yours before breakfast and we’ll open our main present, saving the other small thing for later.’

  They sat together to eat their dinner. The shepherd’s pie and vegetables were followed by bread and butter pudding. As Ben finished his, he looked at Phoebe. ‘That was really lovely, darling. I knew you were a good cook long before we married because Tim told me so. He also told me what a good housekeeper you were. Naturally, I couldn’t let another man discover such a gem, so I decided to propose.’

  Phoebe looked at her brother. ‘What on earth made you do that?’

  He beamed at her. ‘I did it so Ben would marry you. I wanted a dad and I wanted him as my father … and it worked!’

  ‘You devious little monkey!’

  The boy looked at Ben. ‘What does devious mean?’

  ‘It means that you were extremely clever, and I owe you a debt of gratitude, young man, because you were right.’

  ‘Oh, you two!’ she exclaimed. ‘I’m outnumbered when you get together.’

  ‘We men have to stick together, isn’t that right, Tim?’

  The boy giggled softly. ‘Yes, that’s right − sorry, Phoebe.’

  She just shook her head, but smiled as she did so, then the plates were cleared. ‘As you two have decided to stick together, you can share the washing-up, I’ve finished for the night,’ and she sat down.

  Ben looked at Tim with a look of mock horror. ‘We’ve been rumbled, old son, so I think it’s best that we do as she asks or we won’t get any turkey tomorrow. Come along. I’ll wash and you wipe!’

  Phoebe sat and listened to the banter coming from the kitchen and was content. Considering Ben had never had children he was so natural with Tim. No one would know he wasn’t his real father and she knew how lucky she and Tim were. She said a silent prayer of thanks and thought that her father wouldn’t object that another had taken his place, not with Ben. They would have
liked one another had he been alive to meet him, of that she was certain.

  Christmas morning arrived and, like most children at this time, Tim was up early. When he came downstairs in his pyjamas, he found that Ben was already up and had lit the fire and was preparing the breakfast.

  ‘Merry Christmas, Tim! Phoebe will be down in a minute. Would you like a cup of tea while we wait?’

  ‘I’ll have one!’ Phoebe had arrived. ‘We can open the presents and then have breakfast, what do you say, Tim?’

  He was already on his knees in front of the tree, shaking any gift with his name on it, trying to guess what was inside.

  Phoebe went over to the tree and picked out a couple of presents. ‘Come on, Ben, hurry up!’

  They sat on the floor in front of the fire. Phoebe handed a big square parcel to her brother. ‘You start!’

  The boy was so excited he tore the paper off as fast as he could, so anxious was he to see what mystery was inside. When at last he opened the box, he gasped with glee as he looked at the Hornby train set with its engine, rails and carriages and with a small station building to complete the set. ‘Oh! Oh! I’ve always wanted one of these!’ He got to his feet and hugged and kissed his sister and then Ben. ‘Thank you so much!’

  Phoebe then handed a parcel to Ben. ‘I hope you like it.’

  Inside was a warm navy dressing gown, tied with a cord belt. ‘That’s for when you get up early in the morning,’ she said, ‘your other one was old.’

  Ben put it on over his pyjamas and paraded around pretending to model it, to their great amusement. He then bent down and retrieved a parcel for his wife and handed it to her.

  Inside was a beautiful nightgown in pale ivory, trimmed with lace. Phoebe took it out of the tissue paper and held it up against her. ‘Oh, Ben, it’s beautiful. Thank you.’ She went and kissed him. ‘But I won’t be modelling it now, if you don’t mind! I’ll wait for later.’ She gave a knowing look to her husband.

  While Ben cooked breakfast, Phoebe put the turkey in the oven and started to lay the table in the dining room in readiness. Then, after eating breakfast and clearing away, they all got dressed, ready for the day ahead.

  Marj and Tony arrived at noon and were greeted warmly by all. ‘I’ve not seen you since the wedding,’ Phoebe cried as she hugged her dear friend.

  ‘Well, you’ve been away and then getting settled, it takes time. Everything all right, love?’

  ‘Oh, Marj, I couldn’t be happier. Ben’s such a lovely man and he and Tim get along so well, you’d think Ben was his real father.’

  ‘Just as I thought it would be. But now we’ve brought this with us.’ She looked at Tony and grinned as she produced a bottle of champagne. ‘It’s to celebrate.’

  ‘What are we celebrating?’ Ben asked. ‘Anything in particular?’

  Tony walked over to Marj and put an arm around her. ‘We’re celebrating another wedding. Marj and I tied the knot last week!’

  For just a moment there was a shocked silence, then everybody started talking at once. Marj held up her hand. ‘Tony proposed to me while we were dancing at your wedding. He persuaded me that we could be happy together and, to my surprise, he actually said he loved me!’

  Phoebe hugged the pair of them. Ben kissed Marj and shook hands with Tony. Tim was prancing around with joy.

  ‘We went and got a special licence and grabbed a couple to be witnesses, then we went off to the Polygon for a champagne lunch. Tony has sold his house and we’re living in mine,’ Marj told them. ‘I haven’t chucked him out, as yet, so the future looks promising!’

  Ben quickly produced some glasses and they all drank a toast to the happy couple − even Tim was allowed a little sip from a glass.

  It was a day filled with happiness. They exchanged gifts after lunch and sat chatting and drinking by the fire as Tim set out his railway. He’d been given one or two pieces in his extra gifts to add to the station scene and his train chugged around the track all the afternoon.

  It was quite late when eventually Marj and Tony left to go home. Everyone was tired but relaxed, pleased that there would be another day to rest before returning to normal. Phoebe was happy not to have to face the market in the cold ever again. Tony and Marj had said they’d continue for a while before retiring. Phoebe was delighted for her friend. She liked Tony and was sure he was the right person to take on her lovely but fiery friend. She climbed into bed and snuggled up to Ben. ‘Thank you for such a lovely Christmas.’

  He held her close. ‘I enjoyed it too. To have my own family made it really special, and then to learn about Tony and Marj made it even better. Now go to sleep, darling, you’ve worked hard today.’ He nuzzled her neck. ‘I will be waking you in the morning, so get some rest!’

  It was a new year and Phoebe settled down to married life. At first she missed her friends in the market, but not having to stand in the cold. Marj sometimes popped round on her way home to keep in touch and Ben was busy with a new case.

  There had been some pilfering in the docks. In a warehouse, cases of wine were being stolen before shipping, and Ben with some of the force had been keeping watch on the warehouse. After some time and several shipments safely delivered, without results, the team was stood down. Ben hated unsolved cases and one evening before he went home, he entered the docks, chatted to the policeman on the gate and walked to the warehouse to take a look. There was an eerie feel about the place. Usually during the day, the docks were buzzing with workers, cranes moved goods, trucks arrived and left. Ships docked and unloaded their cargo. Ships funnels blew their mournful cry … but now, nothing. Only strange shapes against the skyline, the odd cat fighting for scraps or chasing rats and mice. For once the noisy gulls were silent.

  Just as he was about to leave, he heard the sound of a vehicle approaching and hid away in the dark.

  A van pulled up in front of the warehouse. Ben realised it would have had to show a pass to get through the man on the gate, so he waited. The van slowed and backed up to the door of the warehouse. Two men got out. With a pair of wire cutters they broke the chain across the door and then smashed the lock before entering.

  Ben realised he didn’t have time to call for backup and looked around for something he could use as a weapon. He found a heavy piece of wood. Gripping it tightly, he entered the warehouse. The men were just in front of him, looking at the stacked cases of wine.

  ‘Police! What do you think you are doing?’

  They turned, at first startled at the voice, but after seeing Ben was alone, they pounced on him. He tried to fend them off but between them they knocked him to the ground, hitting and kicking him. Eventually, he cried out in pain and lay still. The men took one look at his bloodied countenance and ran out of the building, leaving Ben slipping in and out of consciousness.

  At last the policeman from the gate found him. He’d become suspicious when the driver of the van had seemed in a great hurry to leave the dock and he came to investigate. He immediately called for an ambulance and reported his finding to headquarters.

  He waited with Ben, trying to comfort him when he came to, but he was concerned; not knowing how seriously injured Ben was, he didn’t try to move him. He just covered him with his tunic to try and keep him warm until the ambulance arrived.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Phoebe woke suddenly and sat up in bed. She realised that someone was banging on her front door. Grabbing her dressing gown, she hurried downstairs as Tim came out of his room and followed her. Opening the door, she saw a policeman standing there.

  ‘Mrs Masters? Can I come in?’

  Her heart sank and she opened the door wider to allow him to enter. He asked her to sit down.

  ‘What’s wrong? It’s Ben, isn’t it?’

  ‘I’m afraid so. He’s been injured and is now in the hospital. If you get dressed, I’ll take you there.’

  ‘Is he dead?’ she asked, her heart beating like a hammer.

  ‘No, Mrs Masters, he’s been injured du
ring a raid and is now in hospital. He was attacked by a couple of criminals. That’s all I know, I’m afraid.’

  She and Tim rushed upstairs and hurriedly dressed. Neither of them spoke in the rush to get ready.

  Once in the hospital, they were led to a waiting room, given a cup of tea and told to wait until someone could see them. The two clung together for comfort for what seemed an eternity, until a nurse came to them and sat beside Phoebe.

  ‘What’s happened to my husband?’

  The nurse held her hand. ‘It’s too early to say anything about his condition,’ she said. ‘Your husband was attacked and sustained some injuries, nothing life-threatening, but we had to wait for the X-ray. He’s now in surgery. I’ll send for a cup of tea for you both, but you’ll have to wait until he comes out of surgery. Try not to worry, he’s in safe hands, I promise.’

  Tim started to cry. Phoebe held him close, unable to speak, because she knew if she tried, she’d be in tears too, which wouldn’t help her brother.

  Getting to her feet, the nurse said, ‘This might take some time, so make yourselves comfortable. I’ll bring you a couple of blankets to keep warm.’

  Wrapping themselves in the blankets, the two of them tried to make themselves comfortable. Phoebe made Tim lie on a settee and covered him.

  ‘Try and get some sleep, Tim. We may be here for a while.’

  ‘If I fall asleep, you will wake me when somebody comes, won’t you?’ he asked anxiously.