Bill Bailey's Daughter

by Catherine Cookson

  ‘All right. All right.’ As Bill raised his hand to check further description of where the poker might be, because he had heard it all before, he said, ‘Have you thought what’ll happen if that fella makes a case of it?’

  ‘Aye, boss. Aye.’ Davey turned sideways and looked towards the floor; then jerking his head up again, he said, ‘But I couldn’t do anythin’ else, boss; ’twas more than flesh an’ blood could stand. It didn’t take very long, though, after I saw him lyin’ there for me to know that they’ll throw the book at me. Aye, begod, second time for actual bodily harm, they’ll throw the book at me all right! An’ I’d like to bet they’ll not take into account that the two blokes that are inside now doin’ their time are only there ’cos I collared the first one, will they?’

  ‘I don’t know about that; but they might remember, Davey, that you knocked him about an’ all.’

  ‘Aye, well, he didn’t miss me either, did he now? I was in a bit of a mess meself, wasn’t I now?’

  ‘But you’re not this time, Davey, are you?’

  ‘No.’ Again Davey looked towards the floor. ‘No,’ he said, shaking his head; ‘but, boss, nobody’s goin’ to get me to say I’m sorry for what I did. The only thing I’m sorry for—’ and he now looked up at Bill again as he repeated, ‘the only one thing I’m sorry for is the effect this is gona have on the lad: if I go along the line for however long or short a time, what’ll happen to him?’

  ‘I don’t think you need worry about that part of it, at least what’ll happen to him physically; it’s what’ll happen to him in his mind concernin’ you. You should think about that, you big galoot.’ Bill’s voice had risen; and now leaning across the table and his hands splayed out flat on it, he stared up into Davey’s distressed countenance as he repeated, ‘You never stop to think.’

  For a moment Davey didn’t say anything; then he said, ‘Can I ask you a straight question, boss?’

  ‘Yes, go ahead.’

  ‘If some bloke called you a big-mouthed Scouse, would you stand an’ say thank you very much?’

  Bill sat back in his chair. He had something there. If anybody had used that term on him he knew that his reaction would have been just the same as the Irishman’s. ‘What I would do is not in question,’ he said. ‘Perhaps I would have the sense to remember I had a wife and family to see to. You know, although you care for the lad you seem to forget your responsibility at times. Now, go on. I’ll send somebody to the hospital to see how the fella’s gettin’ on. On your way, call in at E block and tell Bert Ormesby I’d like to see him for a minute.’

  Davey didn’t move, but he said, ‘One last thing, boss. What’ll happen if they come an’ pick me up? I mean, about the lad. He won’t go to his granny’s on his own. He hasn’t any feelin’ for her nor her for him. But somebody’ll have to take him an’ tell her she’ll have to put up with him.’

  ‘You needn’t worry on that score; he can pig in with Willie if it should be necessary. He’ll be all right.’

  ‘Aye, boss. Thanks. Aye, thanks.’

  When the door closed on Davey, Arthur Milburn looked at Bill and, smiling, said, ‘It’s funny; even when that fella’s in trouble you still want to laugh at him. He’s got that way about him. I suppose it’s like the comedian says, “It’s how I tell ’em.”’

  But Bill was in no mood to concur. ‘He’s a bloody fool,’ he said; ‘and I’ve got enough on me mind at this moment without worryin’ about him and his troubles.’

  He now picked up the phone, and when the voice on the other end said, ‘Fellburn 837260,’ he said, ‘You all right, dear?’

  ‘Oh, yes. Yes, Bill.’

  ‘Sure?’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘No sign of it?’

  ‘Not a murmur.’

  He heard Fiona laugh before saying further, ‘If it doesn’t start today Katie’s lost her five pounds.’

  ‘Oh, aye. And mind, I’ll take it. I’ll tell her I’m not goin’ to wait until she gets it out of the bank, so you loan it to her and we’ll just watch her face when she hands it over, eh?’

  ‘Oh yes; and she’ll shed blood because she’s been saving for as long as I remember.’

  ‘Love.’

  ‘Yes, Bill?’

  ‘If…if there’s any sign at all you’ll give me a ring?’

  ‘Please, please don’t worry. Of course I will. You know I will. But the way I’m feeling I could go days.’ Then her voice changing, she said, ‘But I hope I don’t; it’s getting so heavy my legs are giving way. What would you say if they were all wrong and it’s triplets?’

  ‘Three hurrahs.’

  ‘I had a card from Mother. It came just after you left. She had a wonderful journey; America is wonderful; the people are wonderful; she feels wonderful. I’m still very puzzled in that direction.’

  ‘You’re not the only one. I’ll be home early.’

  ‘You will?’

  ‘Definitely. Just after five.’

  ‘Good. Goodbye, dear.’

  ‘Goodbye, love.’

  ‘No sign of it yet?’

  Bill shook his head in answer to Arthur Milburn, saying, ‘She can’t go on much longer; and she’s tired. And so am I. I want this bairn badly, Arthur, but I don’t think I could go through it again. I’m sure I couldn’t.’ And when Arthur Milburn burst out laughing, he said, ‘You can laugh; it’ll be your turn some day.’

  ‘Not if I know it…not if I know it.’

  ‘I said that once. Funny how circumstances make you change your mind. Aye.’ He picked up his pen again. How circumstances make one change one’s mind. He knew all about that.

  The family were together in the sitting room, Katie holding centre stage. She had just handed Bill five pounds and, as he sat looking at it on the palm of his hand, his face expressing surprise, Fiona put in quickly, ‘Where did you get that, Katie?’

  ‘From my bank.’

  ‘But when?’

  ‘When I was out on Saturday.’

  ‘But…but I could have had the baby on Saturday, or yesterday, or even today.’

  ‘I knew you wouldn’t.’

  ‘The oracle has spoken.’

  ‘You shut up, our Mark.’

  ‘Well, well!’ Bill’s voice brought Katie’s attention from Mark.

  ‘What made you so sure, hinny?’

  ‘I don’t know. I just felt…well, if the baby came, well and good, but if it didn’t I wanted to have it ready, because I knew if I didn’t…well, I mean have the money ready, Mam would offer to lend it to me supposedly and I would hand it to you; then at a convenient time you would hand it back. I didn’t want that.’

  ‘You didn’t want me to hand it back?’

  ‘No, I didn’t; I’d…I’d made a bet and I wanted to stand by it. It was a matter of…well—’ She jerked her head to the side, and when Mark put in, ‘Ethics?’ she glanced quickly at him and said, ‘Yes, I suppose that’s as good a word as any, but not what I meant.’

  Fiona and Bill exchanged glances and Fiona thought, She’s too young to think this way, too young to act like this; she’ll be old before her time; while Bill thought, If the one that’s coming is a girl and is a patch on her, she’ll do. Suddenly he put his arms out and jerked Katie into them, and when he kissed her she put her arms around his neck and leant against him for a moment, until Willie’s voice brought her on the attack again as he said, ‘Scene 101, retake, retake.’

  ‘I will! I promise you I’ll slap your face right and left.’

  ‘Katie! And you, Willie.’ Fiona drew in a long breath, then went on, ‘I might as well tell you I’m getting very tired of your wrangling. At this moment I’m tired in all ways, but more so by the fact that you two are forever at each other’s throats. What’s the matter with you?’ She was looking at Willie, and his answer was, ‘Well, she must always be front of the picture. She’s a know-all.’

  ‘And you’re a numskull and you’ll never be at the front of the picture.’

  �
��Right!’ Bill’s voice was not loud. ‘I’ve heard enough and I’m ashamed of you both. Yes, I am at this minute, I’m ashamed of you both. There’s your mam not knowin’ where to put herself ’cos the waitin’s gettin’ her down, but what do you two do? Instead of being a comfort to her or tryin’ to help you’re goin’ on like two guttersnipes. That’s what you are, two guttersnipes.’ He now pointed at Willie. ‘Give Sammy Love the chance to be in your place and he wouldn’t be actin’ like you, I can tell you that. As for you, miss’—he was now pointing—‘there’s two sides to you, and there’s one of them I don’t like. Now get yourselves away out of my sight and out of your mother’s sight.’

  ‘Bill’—there was an appeal in Fiona’s voice—‘let them be. They’re on edge like me, like us all. Come here.’ She held out her hands widely, and after a moment’s hesitation they both walked towards her and she put her arms around them and looked from one to the other as she said, ‘How can I go into hospital and feel at peace knowing that you two are likely to keep this up? Now I want you both to promise you’ll call a truce, at least until I come back. Now, now! Don’t you dare say it’s her.’ And then turning towards Katie, she said, ‘And don’t you dare say it’s him. It’s both of you; and you’ve got Mamie at it too because she takes her pattern from all you older ones.’

  Then endeavouring to lighten the situation, Mark went up to Bill and said, ‘I want to be loved an’ all,’ and pulled a face, but the answer he got was, ‘You’ll be loved, me boy, with a kick up the backside, and it’ll be so hard that me boot’ll knock your teeth out.’

  At this, surprisingly Willie started to laugh and he turned his face into his mother’s shoulder; Fiona, too, laughed, and Katie gave a wriggle.

  ‘There’s somebody in the hall.’ Mark was hurrying towards the door when it opened and Nell entered.

  ‘What’s the matter? I thought you had gone home ages ago.’

  ‘Of course I went home ages ago, but now I’m back, and so is Bert. He’s in the kitchen with Sammy.’

  With outstretched arm, Nell staved off Willie’s dart for the door, saying, ‘Stay! Stop! Remain where you are; all those three at once, Master William. This is your dad’s business now. Anyway, what you all down here for?’ She looked about. ‘You should be upstairs. As for you’—she pointed to Fiona—‘why aren’t you in bed?’

  ‘I’m just about to go, Mrs Bossy Boots. But first of all I’m going into the kitchen.’ She hung on to Bill’s arm and he helped her up from the couch. Then, looking at the four children, she said softly, ‘Stay where you are now. We’ll come back and tell you what’s happening.’

  ‘You’ll do nothing of the sort; you’ll go straight upstairs following your kitchen visit, and I’ll stay here and put this inquisitive lot in the picture.’

  Bill had scarcely pushed open the kitchen door to let Fiona enter when Sammy’s voice hit them both, saying, ‘I’m not going to me granny’s; I can stay by meself in our house. I’m used to stayin’ by meself. If you send me to me granny’s I’ll only come back. ’Tis a waste of time.’

  ‘Sit down. Sit down. Well what’s the latest, Bert?’

  ‘Well, boss, the fella must have pressed the charge. I told you I thought he was puttin’ it on a bit. All right, his nose was broken and his lip’s split but it would take more than a couple of punches to put a fella like him into shock. That’s what the nurse said. I told you. I sort of put it to him when I saw him that Davey was sorry and that if he let the matter drop he wouldn’t lose by it. But no. He’s always appeared a spiteful individual since he first came on the job. Had a lot to say in the mess cabin, and by what I hear he’s been in and out of more jobs than all the fellas put together. Anyway, Davey got word to me after tea. It was through one of the policemen. He brought Sammy along to ask if I would take him to his granny’s. And the pollis heard what Master Samuel’—he wagged his finger at the small boy—‘thinks about his granny. And when he emphasised the fact that he could stay alone, the pollis wasn’t having that. And so I said Nell and I would see to him. But he wasn’t for staying with us either. So…well, boss, I thought I’d better come along and see if you had any ideas.’

  ‘I’m not askin’ to stay here, I’m not; I can stay by meself. I did it all the time.’ The boy suddenly swung round and went towards the sink, yelling now, ‘Bloody people! If they put me dad in prison I’ll kick all the buggers to hell…I will! I will!’

  ‘Here! Here! Enough of that!’ Bill had swung him up now and through the air and planted him with a none-too-gentle plop on the chair. ‘I thought you had left that language behind you. Goin’ to a private school and comin’ out with…’ He stopped at a signal from Fiona and, following her pointing finger, he noted now that tears were running down the face of the drooping head. And she addressed Bert in an over-loud voice, saying, ‘There’ll be no need for Sammy to stay alone in his own house, Bert; he has stayed here with Willie before and he may stay again as long as he likes. Come on, Sammy.’ She held out a hand towards him. But apparently he didn’t see it. So she slowly stooped and picked up one of his from where it was hanging between his knees, and she led him, with his head bowed, from the room.

  ‘We’ll have to go and bail him out,’ Bill said to Bert.

  ‘Well, it’s no use tonight, boss. I said those very words to the pollis and he said nothing could be done until tomorrow morning when he’ll be coming up before the magistrate. And he said a funny thing. He said that you’ll be able to get him out if he pleads guilty, but if he pleads not guilty he’ll go back inside and have to wait on his case coming up.’

  ‘No!’

  ‘Aye. That’s apparently what the system is. Guilty and you’re let out on bail, not guilty and you’re kept in. Seems daft. But those are the very words the pollis said.’

  ‘Did he say what time or give you any idea when he’ll come up?’

  ‘Well, I understand they start at ten.’

  Bill sighed. ‘I’ll be there then if it’s possible. But what if something happens in the night?’—he thumbed towards the ceiling—‘in that case, you’ll have to go and stand bail for him. Whatever the amount is put your name to it and I’ll see to it. Anyway, Davey wouldn’t scarper, at least I don’t think so. But what I do know is, he’s dead scared of Durham, and that being so, I don’t understand why he doesn’t control his bloody temper. Come on; let’s go in and see how things are goin’. Talkin’ of tempers, they’ve been flyin’ here the night too. Master Willie’s been on his high horse, so Mr Samuel Love’s presence may do something to fetch him off it. Funny that. Talk about opposites clickin’; if ever there were two opposites they are it.’

  What was he talking about, opposites clicking; if there were ever two opposites like Willie’s mother and himself, they were it too. There was a lot to be said for opposites getting together.

  Davey’s case came up at eleven o’clock on the Tuesday morning. He pleaded guilty and was bailed on the assurance of five hundred pounds. The surety was one William Bailey.

  A weak sun was shining when they came out of the court; and they walked along the street, neither of them speaking. And then Davey said, ‘I never thought meself to be worth five hundred quid, boss. But I can assure you of one thing: you won’t lose your money; I won’t scarper. Even if I hadn’t a youngster to see to I wouldn’t scarper. But by God! I was sick to the bottom of me bowels in that cell last night. And I might as well tell you I’ve got a dread on me that’s weighin’ me down: just the thought of Durham turns me into a jelly, boss. It does. It does.’

  ‘You’re a bloody fool. You know that?’

  ‘Aye, boss, I know that. But it’s a way a man’s built. I said afore, put yourself in my place on that day. I’m unlucky, that’s me. I’m an unlucky sod. Here I am, fair set, a good steady job, a house that I never dreamt of, me kid at a private school. Eeh, my, that alone should make me think twice! But no, out goes me bloody fist. But why the eighth of January before the case comes up? Why couldn’t they do it next
week and I’d be out of me misery? I’d know one way or t’other.’

  ‘Thank your stars you’ve got a little time to clear your head and get yourself a lawyer.’

  ‘A lawyer?’

  ‘That’s what I said, a lawyer; for what d’you think you’re going’ to do? Talk to a judge and jury yourself?’

  ‘Aye, I could, and do it better than some of those fellas.’

  ‘So you think. But it’s a lawyer you want, and we’ll have to look around.’

  ‘Is he still in hospital, the bloke?’

  ‘No; as far as I can gather he came out this morning.’

  ‘Well, I suppose I could say thanks be to God for small mercies. But there’s part of me says now that since I have to suffer for it I wish I’d made it a three week job. There’s another thing, this’ll likely have queered me pitch with Jinny. You know you told me to try me hand, well I did, and she had promised to do a show with me next week in Newcastle.’

  ‘Well, this’ll test her. Look at it that way: if she can’t stand by you in this then to my mind she’s not for you.’

  ‘Ah, well, time’ll tell, boss. But I want to say thanks for taking the boy in last night. I told him if anything should happen to go to his granny’s an’ not to bother you; and when it did he told me flatly he wasn’t goin’ there. Bairns should love their grannies, shouldn’t they? And grannies should love their bairns. But still, I never loved me ma nor she me, so what can I expect. God Almighty! It’s a funny life.’