‘Does it cost a lot?’
‘Depends what you want.’
Nell covered her face with her hands and began to weep.
Joe looked at the kitchen clock – nearly half past two – then at Mary, his eyes asking his wife whether it was right for him to speak.
Mary nodded.
Joe unfolded his arms and went over to the fitted dresser that ran along the back wall. ‘Nell, why don’t you leave the kids here with me? I’ll knock us up a bit of bread and jam, and we can have a listen to the wireless or have a game of snap, while you and Mary go round to Price’s, they’re the ones who did my mum’s and dad’s for me.’
‘But George and Lily have just got something to see to after they close the stall, then they’re going to be back home.’
‘I’ll let them know where you are,’ said Joe, handing Tommy a pack of cards from the drawer.
‘Thanks, Joe, but I’d better leave a note for them. From me, letting them know what I’m doing. I think that’s what I should do.’
‘Whatever you reckon’s best, sweetheart.’
‘Thanks, Joe. Will you two be all right here with Mr Lovell?’
‘Yeah,’ said Tommy, dealing out the cards into three hands. ‘Bread and jam and cards, I should think so.’
‘Me too,’ said Dolly, kneeling up on her chair.
Mary looked at their eager little faces. It either hadn’t sunk in yet that their father was dead, or . . . No she didn’t want to believe that they were glad about someone dying, even if they had been terrified of him at times. But, if she were truthful with herself, if she were a child having to live in that flat then being rid of him would have probably had her cheering from the rooftops. God forgive her for even thinking such a thing.
‘Go on then, Nell,’ she said. ‘You go and leave your message for George and Lily, and I’ll get my coat.’
Nell wrote three versions of her note before she was satisfied with her efforts.
Dear George and Lily,
I have gone to Price’s to make arrangements. I will be back as soon as I can, and I will bring in fish and chips for your tea.
Nell
Nell propped the note against the sugar bowl on the kitchen table and then took out the money from the tin tea caddy. She counted it. Almost seven pounds. She put two pounds back, and then took them out again.
How much was the funeral going to cost? And how on earth was she going to manage without the money – however mean – that Stephen gave her each week?
Chapter 41
Mary stood respectfully to one side of the big overstuffed armchair that the funeral director, Stanley Price, had drawn up for Nell.
‘These are slightly unusual circumstances, Mrs Flanagan.’
He raised his hand to still Nell’s objections.
‘I think for form’s sake we’ll stick with Mrs Flanagan, it makes it easier all round, especially as you say there are young children involved. Now down to details, the coroner has released the body?’
‘His adult children are identifying him this afternoon, and the policemen said it shouldn’t be too long after that, sir,’ murmured Nell.
‘It’s Mr Price, my dear. Now, what were you thinking of for the day?’
‘I don’t have a lot of money, Mr Price.’
‘We’ll worry about that later, but we do have a basic arrangement that is very popular. A hearse, plus two mourning carriages – all pulled by two horses each of course – and including the coffin and cemetery fee.’
He saw Nell throw a look at Mary.
Mary ducked her head. ‘That pays for the burial,’ she whispered, ‘at the City of London and Tower Hamlets it’ll be. Over in Bow.’
Nell shook her head.
‘Southern Grove. Nell, I know it sounds a long way, but—’
‘No,’ Nell whispered back, ‘I mean all those horses and carriages.’
Mary sighed. ‘It’s expected, love. And you can’t really get away with much less than that.’
Nell thought of the twins, and Lil saying she didn’t want to be shown up. The last thing she needed was to antagonise her and George. She returned her attention to Mr Price. ‘I see,’ she said non-committally.
‘Right, we’ll look at some samples then shall we, Mrs Flanagan? You’ll be wanting to choose the type of wood and so on.’
If Stanley Price’s experience was anything to go by, even the misers could usually be shamed into spending just that little bit more. And rightly so, he justified his thoughts to himself, it was after all the most important day in a person’s life – so surely it was only right that you were expected to put on a good show for them, and no one helped a person put on a better show than Stanley Price and Sons.
Five pounds, he asked for. She had been right to choose the coffin that Mr Price had suggested after all. Nell could have kissed him on his whiskery chops. She could afford that – just – and have enough left over to see her through next week, maybe a little longer if she was careful. She handed him the money.
‘Thank you, Mrs Flanagan, that will cover the deposit. The office will issue a full account when I’ve done the final tally. Probably, let’s see, another ten pounds should cover it.’
When Mary saw Nell’s expression, she took her by the arm. ‘Let’s get back home, eh love? It’s been a long day.’
‘I’ll just take in these fish and chips, Mary, then I’ll pop over for Tommy and Dolly, if that’s all right? I won’t be long.’
Nell sounded so weary, Mary wanted to wrap her in a blanket and let her sleep until she wasn’t tired any more, but what chance did she have with the twins wanting nursemaiding?
‘You take your time, love. Tell you what, give me the kids’ tea and they can eat it with me, Joe and Martin,’ Mary said, holding up the newspaper-wrapped parcel of fish and chips that she’d bought for her own family.
‘Thanks, Mary, but you’ve done enough.’
‘Don’t be daft. Hand them over. Joe was like his old self when he got the cards out earlier, you’ll be doing me the favour.’
As Nell was rewrapping the parcel of food after taking out the children’s saveloys and chips, the door of the Flanagans’ flat opened. It was George. He took the food from Nell and turned round to go back in.
‘You’ve got visitors,’ he said, without stopping on his way back to the kitchen. ‘I’ll send them out here so’s me and Lil can eat in a bit of peace. They’ve been driving me mad. Talking bloody non-stop.’
‘But who—’
‘You’ll see.’
George went into the kitchen, leaving Nell to be confronted by the sight of the same two police officers who had broken the news of Stephen’s death walking along the passage towards her and Mary. The officers didn’t look very impressed at being sent out of the kitchen, and they remained firmly inside the hall while it was made clear from their attitude that Mary and Nell could stay right where they were – outside on the landing.
As one, Mary and Nell looked over to Ada Tanner’s front door. It was closed. For now.
‘Would you rather have this discussion in private, Mrs Flanagan?’ said the taller of the two. ‘We could go to the station, if you prefer.’
‘I’d rather stay here if you don’t mind.’ She turned to Mary, her face pale with fear. What did these men want with her? ‘I’ve got to pick up my children soon.’
‘As you wish.’ He took out a notebook from his pocket. ‘During the course of our enquiries we’ve learned from one of your neighbours that you often had facial injuries. She informed—’
‘Informed?’ interrupted Nell as she and Mary again both looked over their shoulders at Ada Tanner’s front door.
‘Informed us of the matter this afternoon. And, as I noted,’ he flipped open his notebook, ‘you have signs of injuries on your face now. Would you mind telling us how they happened, Mrs Flanagan?’
‘I forgot I’d left the cupboard door open, and when I stood up I banged into it.’ The practised lie came out like the fa
miliar lines of a favourite song, but her voice gave away her nerves. ‘Now, if you don’t mind, I have to give my children their tea.’
The policeman took a while to answer. ‘That’ll be all for now.’
By the time the two men had reached the landing below, Nell was shaking. What if they thought she had something to do with Stephen’s death? What would happen to her children?
Chapter 42
Nell stood in front of the mirror that ran the full length of the inside of the wardrobe door. She was studying her reflection, considering the black two-piece costume and cloche hat. Every inch the grieving widow.
She hadn’t even thought about what she’d be wearing to the funeral until the parcel had arrived from Sylvia the day before.
The funeral.
Nell was dreading it, and she was missing Sylvia so much. But, as usual, what choice did she have but to try and stop the boat from rocking? She couldn’t risk upsetting George and Lily, especially not now, not in her position. She closed the wardrobe door, picked up her bag and took a deep breath. Time to drop the children round to Sarah Meckel’s shop.
She knew she should count herself lucky to have so many people offering their help, but not everyone was so kind. The moment Nell stepped out of the bedroom, Lily was on her.
‘Where did you get that from then?’ Lily pinched the hem of Nell’s jacket, feeling the quality of the barathea cloth.
‘I borrowed it from a friend.’
‘What friend?’
‘One of the women I talk to down in the laundry.’
‘If you’re lying to me . . .’
Nell could feel the sweat trickling down between her shoulder blades. ‘Course I’m not. Why would I?’
‘Just so long as you never nicked any of Dad’s money to get it, because you remember, Nelly girl, we’re his family. And you are not.’
Nell would have been less worried about her and the children’s future if there actually had been any money lying around for her to steal. At least she’d have known she’d have been able to feed them.
‘Sorry I can’t chat now, Lily, I’ve got to get Tommy and Dolly round to Sarah’s.’
As Nell hurried away to the kitchen to collect her children she heard Lily’s voice loud and clear. ‘Can’t even take her little bastards to the funeral. Prefers to leave them with a bloody Jew.’
Nell stood by the graveside. The soft drizzle had stopped and the sky was now a clear, late summer blue, and droplets of water on the trees and shrubs were sparkling in the warm sun. But Nell didn’t notice anything about what in other circumstances she would have thought was a beautiful day.
She was feeling sick after the slow, jerky ride she’d had in the second mourning carriage. George and Lily hadn’t thought it appropriate for her to travel in the first one following the hearse – that place held far too much importance for the likes of her. And she was still thinking about what Lily had said about her leaving the children with Sarah. Should she have brought them along to the funeral? Nell had asked Mary and Sarah what they thought she should do, and they’d both agreed that Tommy and Dolly were too young to take in what was going on, but now Nell wasn’t so sure that she’d done the right thing. She could only hope she hadn’t offended the twins.
The priest continued to mumble the words that she wasn’t taking in, and then he began to sprinkle holy water over the coffin. She bowed her head. What had things come to when she was standing at the grave of her children’s father, yet all she could think about was that she might have offended those two?
The priest finished with the water, but continued with his incantation.
Nell raised her head a little and looked about her under lowered lashes. She could see the Lovells – Mary, Joe and Martin – the three of them standing at a carefully respectful distance. Martin caught her eye and she looked away.
Next, her gaze fell on Ada and Albert Tanner; they’d shuffled their nosy way right to the front and had positioned themselves next to the twins. Over their squat shoulders Nell could see a handful of other neighbours from Turnbury Buildings, women she knew from down in the laundry with their generally uncomfortable-looking husbands, with whom she was on little more than nodding acquaintance. Much of their discomfort doubtless came from the fact that Florrie Talbot, who probably knew some of the male neighbours considerably better than Nell, was standing very close to them. She was looking surprisingly young and fresh-faced without all her usual powder and paint.
Then Nell spotted Sylvia and Bernie – Sylvia glamorous as ever, despite being grim-faced, and, unusually, not even bothering to straighten up Bernie’s outfit. He was almost bursting out of the skintight black suit that looked as if he had last worn it not only a number of years ago, but also quite a few stone ago. The majority of the mourners, however, were not at all familiar to Nell; they were mostly men, some well dressed, others almost ragged. But there were two men that she had recognised and she wished sincerely that she hadn’t. They were in the background, standing in the shade of a broad yew tree – the two policemen who had broken the news to her about Stephen’s death. They weren’t wearing their uniforms, but Nell would have recognised them anywhere.
What did they want? What were they doing here? And why didn’t they just leave her alone?
With the final handful of soil tossed onto the coffin, the interment was over and people began stepping away, ostensibly to inspect the wreaths, but actually to light cigarettes and to break the atmosphere with a little light banter. There weren’t many tears being shed for Stephen Flanagan.
Sylvia left Bernie to his mates from the pub, and went over to the twins. She said something to them and then joined Nell.
‘Anything I can do, Nell, anything at all,’ she said. ‘You only have to say, and I’ll be there. Have you got that?’
Nell cast a nervous look at the twins in case they disapproved of her talking to Sylvia, but they seemed preoccupied with accepting condolences from a huddle of the men she didn’t recognise.
Sylvia carried on. ‘Nell, we’ve put on a bit of spread at the Hope. You know my Bernie got on well with Stephen, and it’s just our way of saying so, of seeing him off. And don’t worry, I’ve squared it with them two over there.’
‘How did you do that?’
Sylvia let out a little puff of laughter. ‘I was on a winner before I’d even started. They weren’t going to say no to free booze and food, now were they?’
‘Are you sure they don’t mind? I don’t want to upset them, Sylv.’
‘Now let’s see, Lil’s exact words to George were –’ She put on a whining voice. ‘ “At least she’s taken the trouble, not like Nell, the selfish cow. So we can hardly refuse, can we George? Sad as it is for us today, we’d better at least put our face round the door. Show respect to Dad, God rest his soul.” ’
Nell said nothing.
Sylvia shook her head. ‘Some people, eh, Nell?’
She could see that this was going to be tricky, that Nell would be reluctant to go back to the pub if the twins were going to be there. ‘You know what it’s like, Nelly darling, people will expect you to show up.’ She shrugged. ‘It’s like you’re obliged. Come on, you won’t have to stay for very long. Let’s make a move, that priest looks like he could do with sinking a couple or three whiskies.’
Chapter 43
Nell managed a sip of tea and a mouthful of ham sandwich that left her mouth as dry as if it had been swabbed with cotton wool. All around her people were drinking, eating, and now openly laughing. A release from sadness or a sign that they couldn’t give a monkey’s about Stephen Flanagan? Nell really didn’t know. What she did know was that she had to get away from there – from the crowds and the noise. She looked around until she found Sylvia. She was busily pulling pints and pouring shorts behind the bar for all those eager to make the most of the free food and drink.
Nell struggled to get to the front of the throng. Clearly, her place in the pecking order of mourners wasn’t very high.
Sylvia indicated to one of the extra bar staff – brought in especially for the day – with a downward jab of her index finger to her place behind the bar, and then squeezed her way round to speak to Nell.
‘How are you doing, darling?’
Nell pressed her lips tightly together, afraid she’d start weeping with the fear that was welling up inside her.
‘Want another drink? Something a bit stronger than tea this time?’
Nell found the strength to speak. ‘No thanks, Sylv. I just wanted to say thanks very much for everything. But I’ve got to go and pick up the children. Sarah will be getting busy with people coming home from work, and I don’t want to take liberties with her. She’s too good to do that to.’
She made a tiny gesture with her head to where George and Lily were getting stuck into the big enamel bowls of jellied eels from the buffet. ‘And I’d like to get back home before those two notice I’m missing.’ Nell dropped her chin. ‘I really meant it when I said how grateful I am, Sylv.’ She ran her hand down her jacket. ‘The suit, it was so kind of you, and really beautiful. I’ll drop it back when I’ve sponged and pressed it.’
‘Don’t be silly, Nell, you keep it.’
‘But I can’t—’
‘Don’t say another word – it’s yours. What good would it be to me? It’d come down to my bloody ankles.’ She touched Nell on the cheek. ‘And you’ll be expected to wear black for a bit, won’t you?’
‘Oh. I suppose I will. I hadn’t really thought.’
‘And don’t worry, you won’t have to wear that every day. I’ve got you a few other dark bits upstairs that I picked up for you – only from down the market – and stockings and that. I’ll drop them round.’
Nell felt her heart begin to pound. She couldn’t have Sylvia turning up at the flat. What if the twins saw her?
‘That’s so nice of you, Sylv, but would it be all right if I popped round here for them?’
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