by Dilly Court
‘Not on your part maybe, but I knew.’ Shirley buried her face in her handkerchief.
Ginnie opened her mouth to argue but the congregation shuffled to their feet as the pall-bearers brought the coffin into the church. The service was about to begin.
When it was all over Steven caught up with Ginnie in the church hall. He handed her a glass of sherry. ‘You look as though you need this.’
She took it with a grateful smile. ‘I’m not too keen on sherry, but it will give me Dutch courage so that I can face Mr and Mrs Mallory. I know I shouldn’t say it but they aren’t my favourite people.’
‘I didn’t think much of Mr Mallory when I met him after Livvie vandalised your shop, but you’ve obviously made it up with her and I think Laurence would have been pleased about that.’
She took a sip of the drink and pulled a face. ‘I don’t think this stuff has ever seen a grape. But you’re right, Steven. Laurence never wanted there to be a rift between our two families.’
‘I take it that there haven’t been any more paint attacks?’
‘Livvie is my right-hand woman now. We work really well together.’
‘And how are you, Ginnie? You seem to have taken responsibility for everyone and everything.’
‘I’m fine. I like working hard and I’m beginning to make a go of the shop. One day it’ll be Travis’s Department Store and will rival Selfridges or even Bloomingdale’s.’
He shot a suspicious glance in Danny’s direction. ‘I sense the American influence again, Ginnie.’
‘As I told you before, Danny is just a friend.’
‘Have you known him long?’
‘What is this? The third degree?’
‘No, I didn’t mean it to sound that way.’
He looked so crestfallen that she took pity on him. ‘Shirley and I met Danny when we were staying with my aunt in Shropshire. The Americans were based in Lightwood Common and we became friends with some of the officers at the military hospital. I worked there for a few months.’
‘I sense there was more to it than that.’
She looked him in the eye and the temptation to talk about Nick was overwhelming. ‘Do you really want to know, or are you just being polite?’
‘I’d like to think you could confide in me, Ginnie. Laurence was my best friend and I know he was fond of you too.’
She spotted two chairs set apart from the main body of the hall in what was possibly the coldest and draughtiest spot near the outer door, and they sat side by side, on the edge of the proceedings. It was like watching a play and Ginnie felt an odd sense of detachment. Steven spoke first. ‘I’m a good listener, if you feel like talking.’
She had not intended to unburden her troubles on a virtual stranger, but once started the suppressed emotions bubbled to the surface and she found herself telling him everything from the first moment she met Nick until the day she walked away from an impossible situation. Her voice broke when she spoke of Nick’s terrible affliction, but she managed to hold back the tears. ‘That’s the story so far,’ she said with a rueful smile. ‘Danny and I are flying to Los Angeles next week.’
‘Thanks for confiding in me. It can’t have been easy.’
‘Thank you for listening.’ She stood up. ‘I’d better check on Shirley. She might be feeling a bit tired by now and she’ll want to get home to the baby.’
He rose hastily to his feet. ‘I’m staying in the same hotel as your aunt and her fiancé. Can I see you again before you go away?’
‘I’m going to be frantically busy at the shop.’
‘You have to eat. Maybe I could take you to lunch tomorrow?’
‘Maybe . . .’
‘That’s fine. I’ll pick you up at one.’ He smiled apologetically. ‘I don’t mean to be pushy but I enjoy your company and we were both fond of Laurence. I’ll miss him.’
‘And so will I. He was one of the good guys.’ She met his amused glance with a shrug of her shoulders. ‘Sorry for the Americanism, but it has more to do with Saturday mornings spent at the Odeon watching cowboy films than anything I picked up from Nick or Danny. I had a crush on Gene Autry.’
‘I was more a Tom Mix and Tex Ritter fan myself.’ Steven glanced over her shoulder and frowned. ‘I can see Laurence’s father glaring at me. I think I’d better go over and offer my condolences. It’s not going to be easy but I can’t put it off a moment longer.’
‘Of course you must, but if I were you I’d avoid Mrs Fuller, the big lady with the tiny hat perched on her blue rinse. She’s been eyeing you like a blackbird spotting a juicy worm, and she’s heading this way with her unmarried daughter Bernice in tow. I’m not saying anything against Bernice but she’s one of Livvie’s old set – the Monk Avenue bitches. Best avoided, Steven.’
‘Thanks for the warning. See you tomorrow, so don’t forget.’ Steven cast an anxious look at the redoubtable Mrs Fuller and the equally reluctant Bernice and fled. Satisfied that she had saved him from an embarrassing few moments, Ginnie went to look for Shirley with a view to taking her home.
‘She left ten minutes ago, darling,’ Avril said, making an extravagant gesture with her left hand. ‘Poor girl, she looked exhausted and Danny offered to take her.’ She waved her hand beneath Ginnie’s nose. ‘What do you think of my ring?’
Lionel seized her hand and raised it to his lips. ‘Hardly appropriate, my dear. I don’t think a wake is the right time to flaunt your diamonds.’
Unabashed, Avril caressed his cheek. ‘I’m proud to be engaged to a man of the cloth, and this is a church hall. Maybe I ought to get up on the stage and announce our good news to the world.’
‘No!’ Ginnie and Lionel cried in unison.
Lionel slipped his arm around Avril’s waist. ‘Time and place, my dear. Time and place.’
‘I was just joking.’ Avril chuckled mischievously. ‘Isn’t he just adorable, Ginnie? This time it really is for keeps. I’m going to nurture my darling Lionel as if he were a hothouse flower. Nothing is too good for him.’ Her smile faded. ‘Uh oh! Here comes my dear sister. Now I’m really in for it.’
Mildred advanced on them, looking majestic in her toque, but her expression was thunderous. ‘Avril Parkin you’re showing me up again.’ She turned to Lionel with a pleading look. ‘Can’t you make her behave like a woman of forty-eight instead of acting like a silly schoolgirl?’
‘Forty-seven, darling,’ Avril said, frowning. ‘You always add an extra year on to my age.’
Lionel gave her a hug. ‘You don’t look a day over thirty-five, my love.’ He turned his smile on Mildred. ‘And you are obviously the younger sister, Mildred. By the way, that’s a splendid hat. I’m sure I saw Queen Mary wearing one quite similar.’
Mildred’s scowl was replaced by a smile. ‘You did. This is an exact copy. The shop assistant in Ann Paget’s on the High Street told me so, but now I must circulate. That’s what you should be doing, Ginnie. I saw you having a tête-à-tête with Steven Carter. It won’t do. This is not a church social.’ She sailed off to speak to one of her Women’s Institute cronies and Ginnie heaved a sigh of relief.
‘Well, go on,’ Avril said, winking. ‘Do what your mother says, Virginia.’ She caught her by the hand as she was about to walk away. ‘Come and have dinner with us tonight, darling. We can’t impose on Mildred and I’m sure that your sister will be worn out by then and will need to put her feet up, so please say you will.’
‘Yes, do,’ Lionel added eagerly. ‘The other guests are all commercial travellers or ageing spinsters who live there permanently. We would really enjoy your company.’
‘And I can tell you all about our wedding plans,’ Avril added, dimpling. ‘You must come, and Shirley too, if she’s not too tired. Maybe she could bring Danny as he seems to be very attentive and I gather he’s going to work here for a while.’
‘Danny and Shirley?’ Ginnie shook her head. ‘No, Avril, you’ve got it all wrong. He’s just a friend.’
‘If you say so, darling.
Now you must promise to have dinner with us. I want to hear all about your proposed trip to the States. Mildred told me you were planning to go and see Nick, and personally I’m delighted. Aren’t we, Lionel?’
His lips twitched. ‘Are we? Yes, I suppose so, Avril my love. Nick is a good chap but you need to think very hard before you devote your life to a blind man, Ginnie. It won’t be easy and you’re still very young.’
‘He might not want me,’ Ginnie said simply. ‘But I have to find out for myself. I understand what everyone is saying, but it’s between him and me.’
Chapter Fifteen
Juggling a complicated emotional crisis at home and making certain that the business ran smoothly in her absence tested Ginnie’s patience to its limit. Livvie was to manage the shop and Ida volunteered to help out when necessary, even if it was only to act as cashier and answer the telephone. Jimmy promised to carry out Livvie’s instructions without arguing, but Ginnie asked Fred Chinashop to keep an eye on things and step in if there was any bickering.
Having risen from her bed to attend Laurence’s funeral, Shirley had chosen to ignore her mother’s dire predictions that she would suffer long-term consequences if she refused to take an adequate amount of rest. When she had a spare moment to give it any thought it seemed to Ginnie that her sister had undergone a complete metamorphosis. Almost overnight Shirley had changed from a fun-loving flirt to a devoted mother who protected her infants with the ferocity of a tigress. She shunned any attempts to help her and the daily routine in Cherry Lane revolved around the children’s needs. Ginnie was secretly looking forward to getting away from a house where it was difficult to get into the bathroom because Shirley was bathing one or both of her babies. The kitchen was as hot and humid as a tropical rain forest with nappies hanging from the clothes airer, and it was impossible to walk into the sitting room without treading on a teddy bear or knocking over a pile of wooden bricks. When the baby slept everyone had to speak in a whisper and tiptoe around in case she awakened, and the moment Toni uttered the smallest whimper her mother was at her side, snatching her from her cot to check that her nappy pins had not come undone and examining her tiny body in case she had suddenly developed a rash.
Colin observed all this frantic activity with his thumb plugged firmly in his mouth, and his first tottering steps were applauded by his grandmother and Ginnie, but largely ignored by his mother who was fussing over the baby. Mildred compensated by resurrecting the old wooden ladder from the garden shed and clambering up into the attic. Ginnie had followed her upstairs, wondering what on earth had caused this sudden desire to explore the roof space. ‘Mum, are you all right up there? For goodness’ sake be careful.’
Mildred poked her head through the open hatch. ‘Help me down with this box. It’s full of your old toys. I’ve kept them all these years.’ She passed a large and extremely dusty cardboard box down to Ginnie. ‘I’ll leave the doll’s house until Toni’s old enough to appreciate it, but we might find some things in there for young Colin. Poor little chap, he’s had his nose put out of joint and it’s not fair.’ She climbed down, pulling the hatch cover back into place. ‘Take it downstairs for me, there’s a good girl.’
Ginnie took the box to the sitting room where Shirley was resting on the settee. They sorted through the items one by one, and Ginnie resurrected her old jack-in-the-box, which made Colin crow with laughter, and a clockwork celluloid duck riding a tricycle that skittered about the floor. Her rag doll, Sally-Anne, lay crumpled and grubby in the bottom of the box, her yellow wool hair matted and in need of a wash and her gingham dress sadly faded. Sally-Anne had been the only doll that Ginnie had played with, and that was only on rainy days when it was too wet to go outside to race around with the local children, playing tag or hopscotch. Even though she had been three years her senior Shirley had been happy to stay at home and have tea parties with her dolls seated on the floor around her. ‘Now I know why you used to spend all your time dressing and undressing your dollies,’ Ginnie said, grinning. ‘You were in training to be a mum.’
Shirley looked up from changing Toni’s nappy. ‘Don’t be daft.’
‘Think about it, Shirley. You’re a born mother. It must have been obvious to the grown-ups from the start, if they ever stopped to think about it.’
‘I didn’t plan to get pregnant,’ Shirley said indignantly. ‘It just happened.’
‘Twice to be exact. That’s no coincidence.’
‘Keep your amateur psychology for someone who likes to listen to you talking rubbish. I love my kids, but I’d give my right arm to be flying off to America tomorrow.’
‘I know it’s tough for you, but I’ve got to do this just as you had to go and see Laurence in the convalescent home.’
A wry smile twisted Shirley’s lips. ‘Well, don’t come back with a bun in the oven like I did.’
Ginnie gurgled with laughter. ‘Don’t let Mum hear you talking like that. You’ll get a slap round the legs with a wet floor cloth and I can remember how much it hurt.’
‘I think I’m a bit too big for that now.’ Shirley wrapped the baby in her shawl and tucked her in the crook of her arm. ‘Well, good luck, Ginnie. You’re the bestest sister a girl could have and I hope it goes well for you, I really do.’
‘And you’re a fantastic mum. I’m proud of you too.’ She scrambled to her feet. ‘I’m off to the shop one last time to make sure that Livvie knows exactly what she’s doing.’
‘You and that shop,’ Shirley said, laughing. ‘I bet you’ve got Travis’s Furniture Shop engraved on your heart.’
Shirley’s words echoed in Ginnie head as she stood beside Danny in the airport lounge, waiting to board the aeroplane. Her palms were moist and her heartbeats quickened when the call came for their flight, and she had to force herself to act nonchalantly as she followed Danny towards the gate. She wondered if the other passengers felt the same, but they were chattering amongst themselves and sauntering across the tarmac as though taking a flight across the Atlantic was like catching a bus. As they drew closer to the waiting DC-4 Ginnie was overawed by the splendour and size of the four-engine propeller-driven aircraft. She had seen aeroplanes flying overhead but faced with one on the ground she was amazed at the size and beauty of the machine. It was almost impossible to imagine that anything so large could take off and soar into the sky. In a few moments she was going to find out. She clutched Danny’s hand. ‘I’m a bit nervous.’
He gave her an encouraging smile. ‘There’s nothing to it. We’ll be touching down at Shannon and then Gander, Newfoundland, and on to LaGuardia.’
‘And then another plane to Burbank. Yes, I know, but I still can’t believe I’m going to see Nick again.’
He stood back to allow her to climb the steps into the aeroplane. ‘Better believe it, honey. We’re on our way.’
Ginnie’s heart was pounding as she entered the cabin and was shown to her seat. She sat back and closed her eyes, opening them as the stewardess offered her a boiled sweet. She took one, not wanting to offend the woman, who was smiling graciously. ‘Thank you.’ She glanced anxiously at Danny. ‘What’s this for?’ she whispered. ‘We aren’t at the pictures.’
‘When we take off you and gain height your ears will pop,’ he said, chuckling. ‘Sucking a sweet helps.’
She clutched it tightly in her hand. ‘Anything else I should know?’
‘No, honey. Sit back and enjoy the flight. It’ll take seventeen hours plus to get to the Big Apple.’
‘I can’t believe I’m doing this. Does Nick know that I’m coming?’
‘No. I guess he’s going to have the surprise of his life.’
Exhausted, feeling grubby and in desperate need of a change of clothing, Ginnie followed Danny out of the airport building in Burbank. According to her watch it was elevenses time in England but it was the middle of the night in California, and it was cool. She had imagined stepping out into blazing sunshine and blue skies but the street lights were reflected in puddles as th
ough there had been a sharp shower of rain. She glanced up at Danny. ‘It’s not how I thought it would be.’
‘Wait until it gets light. This is the coolest month of the year but I can promise you sunshine most of the time.’ He took a step forward as a pick-up truck drew to a halt at the kerb.
The driver opened the door and climbed out. ‘Hi, Danny. Right on time.’ He held his hand out to Ginnie. ‘Hi, you must be Ginnie. I’m Bob.’
Danny picked up their luggage and tossed it into the back. ‘This is Nick’s brother, Ginnie. In case you hadn’t guessed.’
Despite exhaustion and the disorientation of being in another time zone, Ginnie managed a smile. ‘I can see the likeness.’ She shook his hand. ‘Hello, Bob.’
‘Hop in. You must be worn to the bone with all that travelling.’
Too tired to argue, Ginnie climbed in beside him, followed by Danny. It was a short drive to the Millers’ house on the outskirts of Eagle Rock, but Ginnie slept all the way and awakened only when the pick-up pulled into the drive outside the Millers’ home. It was too dark to see much detail but the house seemed enormous, gleaming whitely in the moonlight. Bob lifted their luggage from the back of the truck and led the way up a flight of stone steps. He ushered them into a spacious entrance hall. The starkness of the whitewashed walls was offset by the colourful Moorish design of the tiled floor, and the earthy tones of terracotta pots spilling over with Boston ferns.
‘Everyone else is asleep,’ he said in a low voice. ‘So I’m the welcoming committee. Can I get you guys anything to eat or drink, or would you like to catch up on some sleep?’
Ginnie rubbed her hand across her eyes. ‘I’d like to go to my room, if that’s okay.’
‘Sure, honey. I’ll show you where it is.’
She followed him up a wide staircase with an ornate wrought-iron balustrade, and once again she was struck by the size of the house compared to her home in Cherry Lane. He opened the door at the far end of the landing and ushered her into the room. ‘See you later, Ginnie. Sleep well.’ He placed her suitcase on a carved cedar chest and left the room, closing the door behind him.
