‘No, not long.’
‘Young David will have to cope for a few days.’ She turned from him, fingers twisting in her sodden handkerchief. ‘Willie, they found Dadda’s watch, the one we gave you and which was lost. Hidden in his workshop, smashed to pieces it was. I can’t think how it happened. Fell probably and got something dropped on it. Sorry.’
‘Don’t be. It was Phil, remember, not you.’
Willie glanced at the figure near the fire. Mrs Spencer hadn’t moved since he had arrived and he didn’t know whether to touch her, say a few words of comfort, but Ada guessed his thought as he began to rise and she shook her head.
‘I’ve often wondered about cash,’ she said. ‘I’m not a complete fool. I’ve tried to persuade him to talk about our finances but he never would. He’s refused to take a penny from me since we were married, insisting it’s the man’s job to provide for his family. Pride, you see, but I did wonder. He never seems that busy, yet we never go short of a thing.’
Willie touched her shoulder, gesturing towards the door and said he had to go. She merely nodded in reply. Then he went back to Annette, promising to call for Ada at 7.30.
The first thing he did when he had greeted Annette and gently kissed their son was to give her the parcel from the china shop. ‘My gift for you, my lovely, wonderful wife, to thank you for all the happiness you give.’ Opening and unwrapping the Ainsley china was a joy for them both, she because it was such a wonderful surprise and he for the delight she showed.
Cecily woke at 6.30 and began her day. She prepared breakfast, attended to the fire and wrote out the list of goods needed from the wholesalers. She didn’t worry too much when Willie was later than usual but she wondered whether Annette’s baby had arrived. Such a pity neither Willie nor Dorothy were on the phone.
She opened the door as Phil’s car stopped outside and was surprised to see Willie driving. Thinking about the baby, she was smiling as she greeted him. As soon as Ada turned to face her she knew that something was wrong. Not the baby, she pleaded silently. But it was Ada who showed distress. She ran out and with an arm around Ada, asked what had happened.
In the room behind the shop, with the shop door still closed and in semi darkness, Ada told her. About the birth of Annette’s baby causing Phil to be caught with stolen silver under his coat.
‘All those burglaries, the police say it was Phil. Been watching him they have, after someone reported that he wasn’t the cripple he pretended to be and was often out at night. Oh, Cecily, I thought he was trying to lose his limp to please me and all the time it wasn’t true.’
‘Best you go home, love, Mrs Spencer needs you now. And what about you, Willie? With the new baby you’ll want to be with Annette. Go on, the pair of you. I’ll manage all right with young David.’
The post flopped through the letterbox when she went to see them off and she picked it up and tucked it in her pocket.
‘Give Annette my love, Willie. Does Dorothy know she’s a grandmother yet?’
‘I’ll call there on my way home. I should catch her before she leaves for work.’
Cecily got through the morning like an automaton. She hardly heard the friendly chatter of her customers, dreading the first remark telling her the news was out. But when she closed the shop at lunchtime no one had mentioned Phil being connected with the burglaries. Perhaps it was a mistake, she hoped foolishly.
She was starting to prepare her lunch when she remembered the letters. She picked up a coat, intending to visit Ada, then her fingers touched the envelopes. She put them on the counter, deciding to read them later, but one caught her eye, large and official, and she slid her thumb under the seal and opened it. When she read the contents she gave a little scream of dismay. Discarding her coat and hat, she ran to the phone and dialled Peter Marshall.
‘It’s me, Cecily. Can you come straightaway?’
He arrived in minutes, alarmed by the hysteria in her voice.
First of all she told him about the arrest of Phil then she handed him the letter with a shaking hand. ‘Ada in serious trouble, and now this,’ she said with a sob.
Peter read the letter and looked at her, his hands holding her shoulders. ‘So,’ he said quietly, ‘Jessie Preston is suing for divorce. I wonder who gave her the idea of citing you, my dear?’ He held her against him and waited for the sobs to subside. ‘Don’t worry, Cecily, you aren’t alone. We’ll deal with this together. Whatever happens, I will always be here.’
Chapter Fifteen
THE SHOP OPENED later than usual and Cecily was unaware of the voices outside demanding to be served, or the bangs on the glass shop door by the more impatient. She and Peter stood discussing the implications of the solicitor’s letter telling her she would be cited in the divorce proceedings between Danny and Jessie.
‘I’d never dreamed Jessie would do such a thing. A divorce? Isn’t separation enough? She surely doesn’t want to remarry? What other reason can there be?’
‘Humiliating me, changing the focus from her maybe. Knowing people are talking about her and perhaps laughing at her? An immoral woman is more exciting gossip than a foolish one.’
‘People aren’t always sympathetic or kind,’ Peter said sadly.
‘Don’t I know it! When the truth came out about Myfanwy I experienced plenty of gossip, the conversations that suddenly stopped when I appeared, and the knowing looks and the half smiles that didn’t reach the eyes. But Jessie? I can’t believe she’d do this.’
‘Someone must have encouraged her. I agree it doesn’t seem to be in her nature to make you face this. Not from any affection for you,’ he interrupted as Cecily began to speak, ‘but facing the humiliation of standing up in court and telling the world that her husband had been unfaithful, and having people remarking that some of the fault must be hers. She doesn’t seem brave enough for all that.’
‘I feel ashamed, and very sorry for Jessie. Whatever I feel for Danny, and how I feel about this,’ she said, waving the letter, ‘she’s suffering and she’s done nothing to deserve it apart from – like me – loving Danny who doesn’t deserve her love.’
‘How d’you feel about him now?’ he asked, holding his breath as he waited for her reply. ‘However guilty you feel, most of the blame is his, surely?’
‘I think—’ There was a sudden increased banging on the door and she pulled away from his comforting arms. ‘I think I’d better open the shop before someone breaks the door down.’
‘Will you be all right?’
She straightened up, brushed her hair back over her shoulders with an impatient hand and forced a smile. ‘Of course I will.’
He went through and opened the door, hoping none of the impatient customers would have heard the news about Phil. Brave as she was, Cecily needed at least a little time to prepare for the gossip with the exaggerations and inventions of a new source of excitement. When he left an hour later, she was busy dealing with the early morning rush and smiling and laughing with her customers as though she hadn’t a care in the world.
The morning seemed neverending. The clock on the living-room wall and visible from the shop seemed hardly to move between her glances, and the customers more anxious to chat than usual making the time drag even more. Her thoughts were on Ada and she was impatient to go and see what she could do to help her cope with the arrest of Phil. She had never really liked Phil, had found him a bit edgy, unable to meet her eye and relax with her. She had begun to think the fault was with her, that her mistrust of him as a husband for Ada had created his uneasiness, but now all her mistrust returned. Ada had deserved someone better. Anger grew as she thought of him causing such anguish for Ada and between such thoughts were panics of her own, with the threat of a court case hovering over her. Why was life so difficult for them? She and Ada did nothing out of the ordinary, apart from her stupid infatuation with Danny. Few people were completely innocent of misdeeds and nothing disturbed the run of their day-to-day lives, but she and Ada faced problem after p
roblem.
The minutes passed and no one mentioned the arrest of her brother-in-law and she began to think it had been a mistake and he had been released – but Willie would have let her know.
When at last the hands of the clock moved to one o’clock, she ushered out the last few customers and grabbed her coat. As she drove to her sister’s home she tried to rehearse what she would say. She parked the car and ran in, hardly waiting for the door to open on her sister’s stricken face before pushing in and holding Ada and allowing her tears to fall.
They stood for a long time, neither speaking, just holding each other until Ada’s sobs ceased. Then they went into the room where Cecily saw Mrs Spencer sitting like a statue, staring into the fire. She didn’t react to Cecily’s greeting or her words of sympathy, just stared at the fire, unaware of its need for coals, or the ash spilled onto the hearth. It was the first time Cecily had ever seen anything out of place in the normally neat room and as Ada sat down, she went to the fire and piled on some coal and brushed the hearth as though that insult to Mrs Spencer’s house was the most important thing.
‘What d’you want me to do, love?’ she asked. Ada shook her head.
‘I’ll get us something to eat, shall I? That’s the first thing. I’m starving. What would you like? Poached eggs? Or a sandwich?’ Again Ada shook her head. Cecily looked at Mrs Spencer, who still hadn’t moved on acknowledged her presence. ‘Right, then, eggs it is.’
She went into the back kitchen and searched through cupboards to find what she needed and began to prepare the meal, chatting as she did so, not expecting or needing a response. She set the table then changed her mind and put three plates on separate trays and took them in. First to Mrs Spencer, who made it difficult for her to place the tray conveniently but who eventually began to eat, then Ada and finally herself.
They ate in silence and when it was time to go back and open the shop, she asked Ada what she should bring for their supper. Ada shook her head indifferently so Cecily announced that she would bring fish and chips.
‘Don’t bring Van,’ Ada whispered.
Cecily didn’t reply. She fully intended to bring her daughter. Van had always got on well with Mrs Spencer and a young, bright young girl might be just what was needed in the gloomy, sad house.
Ada went with her to the door and explained briefly what had happened, repeating what Cecily had already learnt from Willie. ‘Tonight we’ll talk about it properly,’ she said. ‘I can’t explain now, there isn’t time.’ She hugged Cecily and added, ‘There’ll be plenty coming to the shop with the gossip this afternoon.’
‘I’ll ignore them. That’ll shut them up.’
The shop was filled from the moment it reopened after lunch to the final minutes as people heard about the arrest of Phil. To all questions and comments, Cecily gave the same answer. ‘I know nothing about it.’
Willie came during the afternoon and, although it was never his job, he served a few customers, ignoring the questions and comments completely. Some discussed it among themselves as though Cecily couldn’t hear, and when it was time to close Cecily was exhausted. ‘I feel like I’ve been pushed through the mangle,’ she said. ‘Now I must go and see Ada, and, if I may, I first want to see this handsome son of yours and congratulate Annette.’
Peter came as she was about to close the shop door and followed her into the living room. ‘I came at lunchtime,’ he said, ‘but guessed you were with Ada. I won’t stay but if you need company when you get back, phone me and I’ll come.’
‘I didn’t tell her about the divorce. She has enough to deal with at present. It will keep. Sadly, it won’t go away.’
‘Don’t leave it too long or she’ll hear about it from others.’
Dorothy was sitting with Annette and the baby in the pleasant home she had made in Willie’s small house, and as the time for Owen’s shop to close drew near she looked anxiously out of the window, dreading to see her sister-in-law, afraid her face would show the guilt she felt at the complaint to the police about Phil. Although, she reassured herself, she wasn’t responsible for him carrying stolen silver and being knocked over by the doctor’s car. That made her feel a little better but the guilt remained; she had reported her suspicions and made them take more notice of him. They would have watched him and eventually caught him, without the intervention of the doctor’s car.
She heard the car stop outside and looked up. ‘Annette, dear, this is Cecily come to see our darling baby so I’ll slip out of the back door. You don’t want too many people crowding you.’ She picked up her knitting and reached for her coat and with a kiss for her daughter, she slipped away.
Cecily smelt her perfume when she went in. California Poppy. ‘Is your mother here?’ she asked, after admiring the baby and picking him up for a cuddle, and taking the tea Willie had made.
‘Yes, she just went home to get Owen’s meal. Spoilt he is and hates to be kept waiting.’
Cecily didn’t mention the arrest of Phil; all the talk was about the baby and their plans for him. She saw the room they had made ready and the gifts he had received but afterwards she couldn’t remember a word of what had been said or anything she had seen. Her thoughts were on her sister, and the letter from the solicitor and wondering how they would cope with it all.
She and Van went that evening and collected fish and chips for their supper. Cecily was proud of the way Van sat near Mrs Spencer and talked to her, told her how she loved the pretty room, shining with polish and with bowls and vases of flowers on every surface. Gradually the young girl, with her bright and cheerful presence, eased away Mrs Spencer’s pain. She relaxed her deep frown and answered Van’s many questions.
Telling Ada about the divorce was hard. Distressed as she was, she hated adding to Ada’s worries but, as Peter had reminded her, she had to be told before someone else happily gave her the details of her sister’s latest disaster. She took the news calmly, her senses dulled by her own situation. ‘I’m sorry, Cecily, but you can understand poor Jessie’s need for revenge, can’t you? Danny is her husband.’
‘But they are separated. Although I was partly the cause of that, so it makes me guilty and angry with my own stupidity. Angry with Danny too for – I don’t know, for not being strong, faithful, honest, I suppose. I didn’t chase him. He came to me.’
‘And you never could resist him, could you? Even with a wife you couldn’t tell him to stay away. You were a fool and you know it.’
Cecily was shocked by Ada’s words. She expected sympathy.
‘But having to stand up in court and be named as the other woman in a divorce. That’s something I’ll never live down.’
‘What does Peter say?’ Ada asked.
‘He’s promised to help. There’s nothing he can do to make this easier but he’ll be there, and his friendship will give me strength. He came at once when I phoned and told him I was in trouble. He didn’t ask what had happened, he just came.’
‘He’s the one you should have married.’
‘Peter? But he’s just a friend and besides, he’s too old.’ But she frowned as she said the words. Peter was a loyal friend, never critical, always listening but rarely offering advice, but there when she needed him. ‘He’s just a very kind friend,’ she repeated.
The next time she called, Cecily was glad to see that Mrs Spencer was in the back kitchen setting the table for hers and Ada’s supper. Ada told her that Van had called twice and sat with Mrs Spencer and asked her to show her how to make a cake. ‘She was wonderful,’ Ada said. ‘She coaxed her out of her deep shock just by talking to her and presuming that she would do what she asked. I even heard laughter as the cake making didn’t go quite to plan. She’s a remarkable girl, our Van.’
‘Yes, she is, but since the news of Jessie’s divorce came out and my part in it, she hasn’t spoken a single word to me. She acts as though I simply don’t exist.’
‘You can understand that. The shame of it. It can’t be much less for her than for you.’<
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‘Don’t say that!’ Cecily was horrified at the harsh voice and the accusing words.
‘It’s true. When you went out with Danny, knowing he was married, your actions affected more than you and Jessie. You’ve never considered Van when you do these things.’
‘I’d never do anything to upset her!’
Ada tilted her head and stared at her. ‘Wouldn’t you? Haven’t you already given her unpleasant things to deal with, and her only a child?’
Cecily was upset when she left the house and got into the car. Luckily Van wasn’t with her, she was with Edwin. So instead of going back to the shop she drove to the beach and called on Peter. Without a word he got into the car and directed her to a small public house a little distance from the town. He hadn’t said a word, afraid – from the expression on her face – that she would burst into tears if he were sympathetic. He found them a table and went to order drinks. It wasn’t until they were settled that he asked, ‘Do you want to talk about it, or just sit for a while?’
‘It’s Ada, she’s so unkind. I feel I’ve lost my sister, who’s my best friend, and a stranger is living in her house and wearing her clothes.’
‘With the shock of Phil’s arrest I don’t think she has the heart for anyone else’s problems, even yours, but it will pass. Like most things it will sort itself out. The important thing is not to make things worse by making an issue out of what’s a temporary problem.’
‘Temporary?’
‘Everything passes.’
‘You’re so wise, Peter. I’m so glad to have you as my friend.’
‘A loving friend,’ he said quietly. ‘Nothing that happens will change that.’
She dropped him off at his house and as he stepped out of the car he asked, ‘Would you be willing for me to talk to Jessie on your behalf? I’d be very careful in what I say, but I might find out how determined she is about going to court and perhaps who gave her the courage to start proceedings. I strongly believe that the idea was not her own.’
Goodbye to Dreams Page 25
