by Cathy Sharp
‘Why not? You should ask Mrs Morton, ask her to help you,’ Tilly said. ‘You never know, she might give you the chance.’
‘I did ask. She said maybe—’ Kelly said, breaking off when Cook came in from the scullery.
‘Gossiping again, Kelly? Have you scrubbed those jacket potatoes yet? And I want you to clean those ox hearts again. I’m going to stuff them and I’m not satisfied that you’ve washed them thoroughly.’
Kelly grimaced at her friend as she got up to return to the back scullery, even though she still had five minutes of her break left. There was no arguing with Cook, especially when she was on the warpath. Cleaning offal was one of Kelly’s least favourite jobs and she never ate the stuff herself; it turned her stomach to think of eating anything from the insides of an animal. However, she had no choice but to clean them when Cook was able to get what she considered a nutritious treat for the kids. The shortages during the war had meant that everyone had been forced to eat more offal: tripe and onions, liver, or chitterlings fried and eaten with vinegar. Heart stuffed and roasted in the oven was one of her father’s favourite dishes.
Holding the hearts under a running tap, Kelly forced the gruesome task from her mind and thought instead about the man who had saved her from a nasty accident that morning. He hadn’t even told her his name, and she hadn’t told him hers. She knew he worked on the railway, and he knew she worked here in the kitchen – but that was all. A sigh left her as she realised that, even if he’d told her his name, even if he’d asked her out, she wouldn’t have been able to go. Her family needed her at home and she couldn’t see that changing anytime soon …
Kelly emerged into the cool night air and pulled up her coat collar. Her bus was pulling up at the stop and she started to run for it when a hand reached out and caught her arm, making her jump. Startled, she looked at the man who had hold of her arm and for a moment thought him a stranger, but then she realised it was her saviour from the morning.
‘It’s you,’ she said, surprised because he looked so different in his suit with his hair slicked back and smelling of a nice citrus scent from the lotion he’d used. ‘I didn’t recognise you.’
‘Look a bit different when I’m clean, don’t I?’ he said and grinned at her. ‘I hope you don’t mind me coming here like this – but you didn’t tell me your name and all I knew was that you worked here.’
‘I’m Kelly Mason,’ she said. ‘You didn’t tell me your name either.’
‘Steve Jarvis,’ he said. ‘Railway engineer, single, live at home with me mother and sisters. I’m honest, hard-working and I’ve got a good job …’
Kelly giggled. He made her want to laugh and be happy. There was something about his carefree manner that she really liked, and she didn’t object when he walked beside her.
‘Were you running for that bus?’ Steve asked as it drew away from the stop. Kelly nodded and he looked apologetic. ‘Sorry I made you miss it, but I’ve been standing here for hours, and I didn’t want you to run off before we’d introduced ourselves. Have you got far to go?’
‘Standing here, on a cold night like this? You daft thing,’ Kelly said, staring at him in surprise. ‘Why didn’t you come in and ask for me? Oh, you didn’t know my name.’
‘Will you come for a cup of tea?’ he asked. ‘I’d ask you for a proper date, but after tonight I’ll be working all hours.’
‘I wish I could, but I have to get home,’ Kelly said, knowing there was a pile of ironing waiting for her. She saw the disappointment in his face and relented. ‘Well, maybe just a quick one, but I’ve got a lot of jobs to do this evening. It’s Mammy – she’s not well and there’s three still at school and one at home, besides me and Pa.’
‘I’ve got five sisters,’ Steve said. ‘Me pa died two years ago so I took over as the breadwinner – but Maggie’s at work now and Sheila starts after Christmas at the jam factory. Still, I know what it’s like havin’ a family to look out for.’
Somehow his confession made it seem all right. Steve had commitments of his own. He wouldn’t expect her to drop everything to go out with him all the time, and with his family to keep he couldn’t afford to get married, so perhaps they could be friends.
‘What are your sisters like?’ she asked and tucked her arm through his. ‘Our Cate is nearly eleven, but she’s a proper lazy little madam.’
‘She sounds like our Ally,’ Steve said and smiled at her. ‘I reckon it was my lucky day when I hauled you on that bus, Kelly Mason … We’ll have that cup of rosy lee and then I’ll walk you home.’
THIRTY-FOUR
‘This is lovely, Bob,’ Alice said as she looked round the holiday cottage that her husband had hired for them in Bournemouth. ‘Much nicer than being in a hotel.’
‘I thought it would be easier for you with Susie,’ he said. ‘It’s cheaper too, especially this time of the year, but we’re lucky we’ve got a nice spell of weather. It’s cold but it’s better to be frosty than raining.’
‘It’s not cold at all, but lovely fresh air.’
‘We can eat out in hotels in the evenings, Alice. The couple that owns this cottage also runs a baby-sitting service to look after the holidaymakers’ kids. We can leave Susie for a few hours and then pick her up when we get back. I checked them out and they have a proper nurse in charge, so she’d be quite safe.’
Alice nodded; he’d been very good about Susie, helping her to change nappies and walking about with her in his arms when she cried. The first time he’d set eyes on her, he’d decided she looked very like Alice and not one word about the girl being another man’s child had passed his lips since. People assumed he was Susie’s father and when he was asked a question about his daughter, he answered naturally as if he was the proud dad. Alice felt grateful and a little guilty.
She hadn’t told him that Jack had come to the flat or that he’d given her a key. Alice hadn’t heard a word from the police, so she supposed that whatever they’d found in the locker wasn’t of much importance. She’d decided to keep it to herself and was trying to put it out of her mind so she could enjoy this holiday that Bob had chosen for them. He’d been talking about this trip for months, but he’d been unable to get home for long enough to make it worthwhile. Now he had two weeks to spend with her, and Alice was excited at the prospect.
Walking into the bedroom, where a large double bed took up most of the room, Alice felt a tingling inside. This was the first time that she and Bob would sleep together since she’d recovered from Susie’s birth. Until a few weeks earlier, she’d been too sore and Bob hadn’t even tried to touch her when he’d come home for a brief leave. It would be different now. They were on holiday, which meant they had nothing to do but enjoy themselves – and Alice was perfectly able to be a wife to Bob for the first time since their marriage.
Despite feeling a bit nervous, Alice wanted it to happen between them now. She was over Jack at last. It had taken a lot of thinking and a deep internal struggle when he’d asked her to go away with him, but she’d resisted and knew she’d made the right decision. Perhaps she wasn’t in love with Bob, but she liked him and respected him, and he was good to both her and Susie. She was ready to be a proper wife and she was going to try to be happy with her life.
‘There’s another bedroom,’ Bob said, coming up behind her.
Alice swung round quickly. ‘You’ll sleep with me, Bob. I want us to be together, now I’m over it all.’
Bob seemed pleased and slightly amused. ‘I meant for Susie. I asked for a proper cot, so she’ll be comfortable, and we can leave the doors open so you’ll hear her if she cries.’
‘She doesn’t cry much,’ Alice said. He was still smiling at her. Emboldened by the warmth in his eyes, she moved closer to him. ‘I mean it, Bob – it is all over, all that nonsense. I don’t feel anything for him now. I want us to be together properly … as man and wife.’
‘Sure you’re ready? Not still sore after Susie? You had a bit of a rotten time with her, love. I told yo
u I’d wait until you were ready.’
‘I’m ready now,’ Alice said and moved closer. She put her arms about his waist. ‘I’m going to be a proper wife to you, Bob. I want to have more children, perhaps a boy next time, if we’re lucky …’
‘Alice, love,’ he said and put his arms about her, kissing the top of her head. ‘Don’t feel you have to give me a child. Susie is ours. I shall love her as much as any children you give me. Naturally, I’d like a son one day, what man wouldn’t? But most of all I want my Alice to be well. You’re barely over it and the doctor told me that you shouldn’t have another baby for at least eighteen months to two years.’
‘What do the doctors know?’ Alice protested. ‘You won’t let it stop us being together?’
Bob laughed softly, looking down at her with love. ‘No, I shan’t, Alice, but I’m going to take care of you. It’s my responsibility to make certain you don’t fall for a child too soon. I’ve seen women who give birth year after year until they’re worn out and their health has gone. I love you too much to let that happen to you, love. We’ll have a baby, but not for a year or two. I want my pretty Alice to myself for a while … you look so lovely in that dress. You should wear blue often, Alice. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so pretty.’
‘I’m not pretty, Bob,’ Alice said, blushing. ‘You can’t really think—’
She got no further because he took her into his arms and kissed her, his mouth gentle and sweet as he caressed her. His tongue ran softly between her lips, teasing and arousing. Alice gave a sigh and melted into his body, wanting the kiss to go on and on. Bob ran his finger down her cheek, a smile in his eyes as he stroked her hair back from her face.
‘I’ve always thought you the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen,’ he said. ‘I love you, Alice. I wasn’t sure you would ever look at me, but I was smitten that first night at the dance Eric dragged me to. I never thought I had a chance with you then, but when you married me I knew you would be faithful – at least, I hoped it would be that way.’
‘I wouldn’t leave you, Bob,’ Alice vowed. ‘I liked you at the start, but now … I want it to be you and me always. You have to believe that, Bob, believe that I do care for you …’
‘Say it, Alice. Say you love me.’
Alice hesitated, and then she knew as she looked up at his face. Bob would never be the dashing hero that Jack Shaw had appeared to be, but he was steady, dependable, and loving – and she’d come to appreciate him. A tiny lie wouldn’t do any harm.
‘Yes, Bob, I do love you. I didn’t expect to, but I—’
Alice gave a shriek as he suddenly swept her off her feet and carried her to the bed. He dropped her down and she laughed, gazing up at him as he bent over her, beginning to strip off his shirt. She caught a glimpse of firm, tanned flesh and then, even as she started to fumble with the buttons of her gingham shirtdress, they heard a wail from the next room.
‘Oh, Susie, not now,’ Alice cried. ‘She’s ready for her feed. I’m so sorry, Bob.’
‘Get your things off and settle in bed, and I’ll bring her to you,’ Bob said, and shook his head as she tried to apologise. ‘Babies need feeding and they always have to come first. Once she’s settled, I’m coming in that bed with you and I’m not getting out again until the morning!’
THIRTY-FIVE
‘I’m glad you asked me over this evening,’ Mark said as Angela filled his wineglass. ‘I wanted to talk to you about the Board meeting tomorrow.’
‘Yes, I’ve been meaning to ask if you’ve discovered anything more about Henry Arnold’s reason for offering us this “marvellous deal”, as he calls it.’
‘On the face of it, the deal is sound enough,’ Mark said, ‘but I have a feeling it may turn out to be conditional on the Board agreeing to sell Halfpenny Street.’
‘Oh no, they can’t – they won’t?’ Angela looked at him in alarm. ‘Even if they want to build this splendid new home in the country, we can’t sell St Saviour’s. Surely they know how important it is to be where we are, at the centre of need? If we weren’t there, the local police wouldn’t have anywhere to bring the children. I thought that we should stay where we are for some years yet, even if we’re only a halfway house and most of the children eventually pass on to the country home.’
‘Several of the Board think it’s too good an opportunity to miss – especially as we’ve received a large offer for the building at Halfpenny Street.’
‘What offer – why haven’t I heard of this before?’
‘I wanted to make some inquiries before telling you, Angela,’ Mark said. ‘I was certain there had to be a reason for the offer, but it’s taken me a while to get answers to my questions.’
It took an effort to control her anger. How long had he known about this, and yet he’d not said a word to her. ‘Does Sister Beatrice know?’
‘If she doesn’t, she will tomorrow. She wrote to inform me that she will be attending the Board meeting, and she will be back at work soon after.’
‘I can’t tell you how pleased I shall be to see her back, Mark.’
‘Been feeling the pressure?’
‘Yes, sometimes … but please, go on.’
‘They’ve offered fifteen thousand for the property and another five as a contribution towards the move.’
Angela gasped: it was far more than she’d expected, surely more than the property was worth. ‘I don’t understand. They could buy any number of properties in the Spitalfields area for that price.’
‘Yes, but we’re in the way,’ Mark told her with a frown. ‘Apparently, there is a scheme under discussion to pull two whole blocks down and rebuild – new shops, mainly, but also a large hall for the council and various other projects, including a health centre. St Saviour’s stands dead in the middle of the whole scheme. I doubt if it could go ahead if we refused to sell.’
‘Why Halfpenny Street? Why not build somewhere else? There are plenty of areas that need renovation.’
‘The consortium already own quite a few properties that need to come down in the area. I gather they’ve been engaged in discussions for a while with a firm that wants to build a huge shopping centre. I’m told it’s the coming thing for the future – a sort of super-market.’
‘Well, they can jolly well go and build their shopping market somewhere else!’ Angela glared at him. ‘The Board won’t take the offer, will they?’
‘What’s to stop them?’ Mark arched his brows at her. ‘On one hand, they’ve got this generous offer, the like of which will probably never come again – and on the other Henry Arnold has promised them a large plot of land in the country. The money would build a new home for us and quite possibly keep it running for a couple of years. I know some of the Board are going to think it a splendid offer. I’m surprised you don’t.’
‘You know what I think,’ Angela said. ‘We do wonderful work where we are – in the slums, where we’re needed. I’m quite certain Sister Beatrice will not agree to a move. The staff are Londoners and won’t want to move—’
‘What about you? A nice country house and a less stressful job as the Warden …’
‘No!’ Angela stared at him in horror. ‘Oh, Mark, you can’t think I’d want that – to leave Halfpenny Street? Besides, I don’t want Sister Beatrice’s job; we’re a good team. And the children would hate being carted off to the country, away from everything they know. Yes, a country holiday would do them good, and I’m hoping to take them on trips to the sea next summer, but—’
‘Good,’ Mark said and smiled at her. ‘Then I can count on your support when I come up with an idea of my own for the Board to consider.’
She looked at him warily. ‘I’m not sure what you mean …’
‘Oh, Angela, I do love you,’ Mark said and laughed out loud. ‘You adore those children, don’t you? And you’re willing to fight like a tigress for them – and believe me, my darling, we do have a fight on our hands. I agree that we need Halfpenny Street for another ten years at lea
st, but I’m hoping we can find enough money to fund a cottage – in Norfolk, perhaps, somewhere near the sea and big enough for, say, twelve children at a time, if four share a room …’
‘A holiday home?’ Angela said. ‘Oh, Mark, do you think we could?’
‘I think we might. I have somewhere in mind – but first we have to win the Board over to our way of thinking. Henry Arnold is involved in this shopping market business, Angela. I’m not quite sure how at the moment, but I’m hoping to have the answer by tomorrow.’
‘You can’t tell me now?’
‘No, at this stage it is only a suspicion, but I think he has more reasons for pushing this move than he has declared to the Board.’
Angela nodded. It was clear that Mark had said all he was prepared to say, and she wasn’t about to quarrel with him tonight. They’d been moving closer of late and she didn’t want to do or say anything that might spoil it.
‘In that case, I shan’t press you,’ she said softly. ‘You see, I do trust you, Mark.’
He smiled strangely. ‘That’s good. I’ll see you tomorrow then. Goodnight, Angela …’ And then he was gone, leaving her wishing that he had stayed.
Angela looked at the people grouped around the long shining oak table. Every member of the Board was there, including Sister Beatrice, an invited member for this extraordinary meeting. She appeared very much fitter, if a little thinner, and there was a new sprightliness in her manner. Like everyone else present, she was looking expectantly at the man who had called this meeting.
Henry Arnold had put his motion to buy the land for building a proposed new home some weeks previously and, on Mark’s advice, had been outvoted by five to two on agreeing the purchase there and then. It hadn’t gone down well with Arnold when the Board agreed to give Mark the time he requested, and now he asked his question in a tone that failed to mask his irritation.
‘Is Mr Adderbury ready to tell us why he wanted the delay? Or are we to be asked to wait yet again? I need an answer and this delay is ridiculous!’
