It was Jinnie who brought her the news that this year it was not to go ahead. Simeon had stated that he couldn’t afford it, nor was Mr Josiah prepared to make his usual contribution. Bella was not only hurt and disappointed by his decision, she was incensed. However hard up these men of business were, surely their difficulties couldn’t be compared with the sufferings of the children, and Christmas was the time for children, wasn’t it? She felt as if her father was taking it out on them because of a foolish estrangement with his own daughter. It was untenable.
She determined to raise the money herself and after much badgering and hectoring of local firms, all declaring their poverty and how they were in imminent danger of closure, Bella managed to scrape together sufficient money to fund the Breakfast.
She asked Dan if he would help her to supervise it.
‘Why me for heavens’ sake?’
‘Because you’re used to children, having all those brothers and sisters.’
‘Nay, don’t ask me. I’m sick of childer. Our house is always full to bursting with the little blighters. I like to get away from them on my days off, thanks very much. Ask Jinnie.’
‘Spoilsport.’ She pulled a face at him but didn’t take his comments too seriously. He was merely afraid of seeming soft in front of his mates. But he’d be there. She was perfectly sure that he wouldn’t let her down.
Christmas Day came and Jinnie and Bella, together with Mrs Blundell and Violet went along to the chapel early to start frying sausages and buttering bread. Moments later, Mrs Heap arrived with her eldest, both of them carrying a tray of mince tarts.
‘I’ve been up half the night baking these,’ she cheerfully remarked, plump cheeks aglow with her efforts.
‘Eeh, Aunt Edie. Thee deserves a gold clock,’ Violet told her, taking the loaded tray from the poor woman’s aching arms.
By eight o’clock a queue of children stretched half way round the block. At half past eight the Superintendent of the Sunday School arrived to let them in and nearly two hundred faces, washed clean in honour of the day, lit with pleasure at the sight before them. Rows of trestle tables draped with white cotton cloths and decorated with sprigs of holly; a beautifully adorned tree on the platform. Best of all, the wonderfully delicious aroma of frying sausages. Not a mouth didn’t water at the thought of the feast ahead.
For a moment pandemonium threatened as children began to run about in every direction, pushing and shoving in their scramble to find a place. Bella stood helplessly flapping her arms, her voice lost in the din as she desperately tried to maintain order amidst a sea of battling children, fearful one of them might be trodden underfoot by the stampede. Miraculously, more because of the promise of good food than anything she did, every small bottom finally found a seat and every plate was filled. Soon there was the satisfying sound of chewing, though the chatter only abated by the very slightest degree.
In frighteningly quick time every crumb was gone, every plate licked clean, the special treat of sarsaparilla had been relished to the last drop, and once more the clamour and hubbub rose by several decibels.
There seemed to be twice as many youngsters this year than ever before, probably because this was their best chance of getting fed today. Bella wondered if it were possible to organise so many children into some sort of game when the door opened and in strode Father Christmas, grinning from ear to ear above a cascade of flowing white whiskers. He wore a floppy hat and a home-made cotton jacket and baggy trousers which someone had attempted to dye red but had gone a slightly streaky pink. He carried a sack over his shoulder and on his feet were huge black clogs. He looked superb. Even more surprisingly, he was closely followed by Edward, carrying yet more parcels.
‘Ho, ho, ho! Now then, what’s all this racket about? We can’t have none of that nonsense here. Stand in line if you want a present.’ The voice was unmistakable. Dearest Dan. Oh, how she loved him. It came to Bella, like a small shock, that it was true. She did indeed love him. She’d loved him all along and it was only in this moment that she’d fully realised it.
‘Quite right,’ Edward was saying, in his most agreeable tones. ‘We must have order before we can have the fun.’
Bless them both. Hadn’t she known that they wouldn’t let her down.
She would never forget the look of wonder on the children’s little faces as each one collected an apple, orange, a few precious nuts and one of Aunt Edie’s mince pies. Pure delight.
Afterwards, when they’d all dashed off home to show off their prize, Dan removed his beard, pulled her tightly into his arms and kissed her underneath a piece of mistletoe he just happened to have handy. Bella felt herself go weak right through to her toes. His kisses filled her with an aching need that was quite unlike anything she’d experienced before, linked as they were with the most delicious sensation of being cherished.
‘Marry me.’ The words, half whispered against her ear, were indistinct.
‘What did you say?’
Dan grinned and tweaked her nose. ‘Can I see you later? I’ll ask you properly then.’ She shook her head, the soft glow in her hazel eyes silently revealing her newly discovered love even as she explained how she was expected for Christmas lunch at Seedley Park Road.
‘Difficult as it will be, I must go. Pa and I can’t carry on indefinitely in this fashion, hardly speaking to each other. I must try, somehow, for a rapprochement. Besides, I owe it to Jinnie and Edward. They have enough to contend with being temporarily unemployed, without endless family squabbles.’
‘Tomorrow then. Perhaps we’ll have more time to talk. Mam’ll expect you for dinner anyroad.’
Bella nodded happily, unable to do anything to prevent the smile from spreading across her face. ‘Tomorrow. We’ll spend all of Boxing Day together. Happy Christmas, Dan.’ And placing her hands one on either side of his dear face, Bella kissed him. Within seconds she was once more pressed hard against his chest and she could hear Edward’s voice, teasing them.
Put my sister down, Dan Howarth, you don’t know where she’s been.’
But Dan wasn’t listening. They stood in the empty hall, wrapped in each other’s arms, oblivious to the ‘ladies’ tidying and gossiping and chuckling around them as the kiss went on. It was then that she felt the bolt of excitement in some secret place deep inside, reminding her of Violet’s homespun wisdom, for a new dish was indeed being cooked up between them. And Bella knew it would taste nothing like cold porridge.
Christmas Dinner at Seedley Park Road was an awkward and dismal affair, more like a wake than a festive occasion. Even the holly wreath hanging on the mahogany front door added to the funereal tone. It was true that there was a Christmas tree decked with candles in the hall though these were only lit for a short time, for fear of the branches catching fire. A seasonal log fire blazed in the parlour. Kisses and gifts were exchanged and they all sat down to dine as if they were a perfectly ordinary and loving family, bent on enjoying the festive season together.
Simeon carved the goose which Mrs Dyson had prepared with Jinnie’s help and Sam served, dressed in a new satin waistcoat provided by Emily, since she considered his usual attire not to be in keeping with the glories of her dining room. Nobody mentioned Tilly and when Bella asked after her, the question was met with blank looks from both her parents. It seemed heartless after the years of service the little maid had put in. She’d worked for the Ashtons ever since she’d left school, when she took her first job with them as a scullery maid.
Edward said, ‘She must be back from Irlam because I did hear that someone spotted her queuing at the workhouse for a basin of soup.’
Simeon’s head snapped up and he glared at his son. ‘I’ll not suffer your implied criticisms at this table today of all days, thank you very much. I did what I could for the girl. Gave her a month’s pay in lieu of notice. She was warned months ago to find herself another position.’
‘But there aren’t any other positions to be had,’ Edward rightly pointed out. ‘And I was
n’t meaning it as a criticism, Father. It’s just that when I heard of her plight, I thought it must be miserable to be hungry at Christmas. Poor Tilly.’
There was a small silence while everyone considered their loaded plates. Emily briskly brought them to order by reminding them all that dear Mrs Dyson had spent hours slaving in the kitchen and the least they could do was to justify her efforts by enjoying every morsel. ‘There is absolutely nothing we can do about Tilly right at this moment.’
‘Perhaps over the next day or two, one of us could go to the workhouse and see if we can find her,’ Bella suggested, feeling guilty that until today poor Tilly’s plight had quite slipped her mind. ‘See if we can’t do something to help.’
Simeon said. ‘Will you go, Bella? I’ll give you a Christmas Box for her.’ And for the first time in months, father and daughter looked upon each other with something close to understanding, rather than animosity.
‘I’d be glad to,’ Bella agreed, offering a soft smile and seeing a flicker very close to warmth in her father’s eyes before he dropped his gaze and, snatching up his knife and fork, briskly instructed them all to eat as he’d paid a fortune for the goose. Exchanging a quick glance of contentment with Edward, Bella tucked in.
The Christmas pudding followed, flaming merrily in its drenching of brandy. After the substantial main course, eaten largely in silence, Bella was tempted to decline on the grounds she was too full to manage another crumb. Except that in his present grumpy mood Pa could very easily dismiss Mrs Dyson for incompetence if any food was left untouched, and Bella knew that she would have put enormous effort into the preparations, no doubt waiting patiently in Lipton’s Grocers while the currants, raisins, sultanas, sugar, candied peel and cherries were weighed out on the big brass scales. They would then be packed into little blue bags, the corners carefully pressed and folded into place and carried home in Mrs D’s huge wicker basket. After this would come the painstaking washing, cleaning and drying of the fruit, the chopping of the candied peel, the crushing of the sugar loaf, the sieving of the flour; the mixing, the beating, and finally the hours and hours of steaming to produce this delicious treat.
‘Another slice, Isabella?’ Emily politely enquired of her daughter, clearly on her best behaviour today.
‘Yes please.’
Following dinner Father was soon snoring in his chair while Emily retired to her room for a short nap. Edward, Jinnie and Bella took a stroll around the park, ‘in order to shake down this excellent food and make room for more,’ as Edward described it. Certainly the fresh air was welcome after the stuffy oppressiveness of the house.
‘I like that Dan of yours. Looks like you’re pretty fond of him too,’ her brother drily remarked and paused, as if challenging her to repudiate this statement. Bella neatly avoided answering by turning the conversation on to whether he’d managed to find work. She regretted the question almost at once as a shadow crossed Edward’s face. ‘Dan says he’ll ask down at the docks, see if there’s anything going, loading and such like.’
Bella bit back the comment on the tip of her tongue that loading wasn’t at all what he was trained to do, and even managed a smile. ‘Why that’s wonderful.’
Jinnie suddenly blurted out, ‘I’ve found a job,’ and oblivious to their astonished exclamations of surprise, calmly announced that it was part time, cleaning offices. ‘It has to be done early morning before the staff come in. It’s only two hours a day but it’s better than nothing, don’t you think?’
‘Why, that’s splendid news,’ Bella agreed, not daring to glance at Edward but all too aware of his bleak misery that his wife should find employment so easily while he remained on the dole. She prayed Dan’s offer would pay off, though she did wonder what Emily’s opinion would be of her privately educated son working as a labourer on the docks.
‘It’ll help tide us over,’ Edward grudgingly agreed, and Bella hugged his arm, urging him to be patient, while she squeezed Jinnie’s hand, offering what consolation and comfort she could to them both. ‘Wait and see, the New Year will bring a new beginning and good fortune for us all. Is trade getting any better at the mill? You might even get your old job back there eventually.’
Edward shook his head. ‘Some say that it’s left wing reactionaries who are destroying people’s confidence and that’s why orders are poor. Yet I think the answer has more to do with the future of India than anything we can do here. But let’s not talk any more about serious issues, not today,’ he said, deliberately jovial. ‘It’s Christmas, and the sun’s shining. Let’s enjoy the holiday for God’s sake.’
Tea followed with Christmas cake, crumbly Lancashire cheese and mince pies, and Bella thought she might never need to eat again for a week. She couldn’t help wondering what Christmas fare would be found on the tables of her ‘ladies’: Mrs Stobbs, Mrs Blundell, Mrs Heap and even the Howarth’s. After tea Emily insisted on playing a few carols on her pianoforte and they all attempted to sing in tune, Bella taking the blame as usual whenever they found themselves out of time with her mother’s fumbled notes.
The chiming of eight o’clock brought Bella to her feet with some relief and she went at once to ring the bell for Sam to fetch her coat. ‘I’d best be off home. I don’t want to be too late.’
Simeon insisted they all take a glass of sherry by way of a night cap, which Bella didn’t feel able to refuse. She wouldn’t have declined Edward’s offer to walk her home either, had she not seen the glance that passed swiftly between husband and wife. The pair were clearly longing for some time alone after the strain of the day, and she knew that Jinnie would have some explaining to do over the new job. ‘No need,’ she insisted. I’ll be perfectly all right, as always.’
She kissed each of her family in turn, first Edward, then Emily and finally she approached her father. Apart from that fleeting moment over their shared concern for Tilly, Simeon had barely acknowledged her presence all day but for all he remained obstinate, Bella was equally determined to prove that it was not her wish for them to be at odds.
‘Goodnight and Merry Christmas, dearest Pa. I’m glad we can at least still enjoy a civilised meal together. I hope you will never forget that I love you.’ Emily, unused to such blatant expressions of affection in recent years, jerked her head up from her needlework to frown at her daughter while Bella placed a gentle kiss on top of her father’s head and waited hopefully for his response. None came. Simeon moved not an inch and finally Bella let out a weary sigh, collected her hat and made for the door.
It was only when he heard the parlour door click shut that Simeon lifted his haunted gaze to stare blankly after her.
In the hall Bella embraced Jinnie with genuine fondness. ‘It’s so lovely to see you happily settled with Edward but take care not to upset him over you working and him not. Give him time to get used to the idea. You mustn’t risk trouble between you.’
‘Oh, I won’t Bella, don’t worry. We are happy. I adore him. If only he could find a job, though. It’s a real worry, it is that.’
‘Remember what I said. It’ll be the New Year soon. A new beginning, a new future for you both.’
‘More like a cob of coal for the first-footer, and a big bill from t’coal man.’
Bella was still giggling as she hurried down Liverpool Street. The sky was like soft ebony velvet pricked out with diamonds but there was a piercing cold nip to the clear air. If it hadn’t exactly been a white Christmas there was certainly frost about. She tucked her scarf tighter about her neck and trotted along as fast as the icy pavement would allow, offering the compliments of the season to whoever she met along the way.
As she crossed streets and courts and scurried past back entries, Bella kept her chin down and her eyes straight ahead, not wishing to examine too closely the shadows that lurked within them. It was annoying that her bad experience with Billy Quinn had destroyed some of her confidence. It was as if she had lost the freedom to move about her own district.
With no small sense of reli
ef, she finally reached her own front door, quite out of breath but inwardly pleased with herself for having got through the day so well, and without anyone squabbling. She’d even managed to show her father that she still cared about him. Stubborn old fool. When would he ever come out of his sulks and accept that life was changing? Or that she was grown up and a modern girl now. She shivered as a cold draught of icy air chilled her and Bella glanced back over her shoulder, as if she half expected to find someone standing there. The small court, and the street beyond, were both empty.
She pushed her key hurriedly into the lock and almost stumbled over a bundle left on her step. What on earth was this? She picked it up to peep inside, and nearly fell over with shock.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Bella sat up most of that night in stunned disbelief. Why would someone leave a baby on her doorstep? It wasn’t a new baby, probably about three or four months old, a girl, and though she seemed somewhat fretful, the shawl wrapped about the child was clean enough. Tucked inside was a feeding bottle, sadly empty. Perhaps this was the reason she’d been abandoned. There was no note pinned to the cotton night-gown, no means of identification.
Bella boiled some milk and water, added a pinch of sugar and fed the mixture to the baby, hoping for the best. She suckled hungrily, her small hands taking a firm grasp on the neck of the bottle. Afterwards she seemed to settle and was fast asleep in seconds, snuffling gently. Bella sat on in her kitchen chair with the child snuggled in her lap, a tumult of emotions playing havoc with professional common sense. So many questions jostled in her mind.
The Favourite Child Page 26
