by Anna King
Jimmy whirled on her, his face aghast. ‘What! You can’t leave now, Amy. I need you here. James will be up at any minute looking for his mother. I don’t know what I’m going to tell him, but whatever I say isn’t going to make his pain any less when he finds she’s left him again.’
Amy, her face set, answered reluctantly, ‘I’m sorry, Jimmy, but, like I said, I’ve got to go out. It’s… it’s urgent, or else I wouldn’t leave, you know I wouldn’t. You’ll just have to manage without me. And you won’t be on your own. Bessie will help.’ She got to her feet. ‘I’ll be as quick as I can, but I really must go now.’
In an instant Jimmy was barring her way, his eyes pleading. ‘Please, Amy. Whatever it is, can’t it wait? Can’t I help with whatever this urgent matter is?’
Amy’s gaze faltered, her heart beating rapidly. Could she ask Jimmy? After all, he knew her better than to think she would take advantage of him, and it would save her the ordeal of facing Richard and begging for money on Phil’s behalf. Her mind struggled with her conscience, and she was on the verge of confiding in Jimmy when the door burst open and James ran into the room clutching a gaily wrapped present.
Smiling broadly, he looked at Jimmy and Amy, then, his eyes darting around the large room, his smile faltered. ‘Where’s Mummy? I’ve got her present. Bessie helped me wrap it up. Where is she, Mister?’ The child’s voice rose higher, betraying his growing fear. ‘Has she gone shopping again? She will be back soon, won’t she, Mister?’
Jimmy and Amy exchanged anguished glances, their sorrowful expressions not lost on the boy, who immediately let out a loud wail and began to rush around the room as if expecting to find his mother hiding behind the furniture.
His throat dry, Jimmy said kindly, ‘Come here, mate. I want to talk to you.’
James backed away, his eyes accusing. ‘What have you done with my mummy? She said she’d wait for me. She promised… She promised! What have you done with her?’
Frantic now, he looked to Amy for reassurance, but saw only a deep sadness reflected in the girl’s lovely features, and he knew. Knew that once again his mother had deserted him. Before Jimmy and Amy’s eyes, the boy seemed to age. His head dropped onto his chin, and his small shoulders slumped in despair as he whispered, ‘She’s gone again, hasn’t she?’
His heart wrenched with sadness, Jimmy swept the forlorn figure up into his arms. ‘I’m sorry, James. I’m so very sorry.’
For a few brief moments the boy remained still against Jimmy’s chest, then, like a wild animal, he began to scream and hit out at the man holding him.
‘Let me go. Let me go, Mister. I’ve got to find my mummy. I want my mummy. I want my mummy.’
Jimmy held on tighter to the squirming body, his heart almost bursting in torment at his son’s anguish.
Unable to witness the poignant scene any longer, Amy backed from the room, her throat thick with tears. There was nothing she could do to help Jimmy now, he would have to deal with the situation himself. Before letting herself out of the house, she told Bessie that Jimmy needed her, then quietly, her eyes blinded by tears, she took a deep breath to fortify herself for the meeting with her uncle.
*
When Bessie entered the room she stopped dead in her tracks, her hand clutching at her throat as she saw her Jimmy sitting on the settee holding the boy tight in his arms. The only sound in the room was the child’s quiet sobs. Jimmy sensed her presence and made a motion with his head for her to leave, and Bessie, for once unable to help her beloved Jimmy, dumbly left the man and boy alone.
Stroking the soft hair, Jimmy murmured words of comfort, until the child, his tiny body quivering with emotion, pulled away from Jimmy’s grasp and asked haltingly, ‘She’s not coming back, is she, Mister? My mummy’s not coming back. She’s left me for good, hasn’t she?’
Swallowing hard, Jimmy held the quietly sobbing boy at arm’s length and said tenderly, ‘No, son, she’s not coming back.’ For the child’s sake, Jimmy attempted to justify Heather’s desertion. ‘She wanted to stay, but she couldn’t. You see, she wants what’s best for you, and… Well, she thinks I can look after you better than she can. That’s why she left. It doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you, she does, she loves you very much…’
The boy squirmed in Jimmy’s arms, then, his voice low and resigned, he answered sorrowfully, ‘No, she doesn’t, Mister. My mummy doesn’t love me. I tried to make… make her love me, I… I tried so hard, but… but I just couldn’t.’ Lifting his gaze to Jimmy’s, he asked fearfully, ‘Can I stay here till after Christmas, Mister? I’ll be good, honest I will.’
Jimmy’s eyes flew open in amazement. ‘Of course you can stay here. You’re going to stay with me for ever. Haven’t you been listening to me, son? Your mummy left you with me so that I could take care of you. And that’s what I want to do, if you’ll let me.’
Like an old man, James shook his head. ‘Thanks, Mister, but you’ll get fed up with me after a while. All my uncles did, except for my Uncle Sean. But… but, if I can just stay here for Christmas, you can put me in the orphanage afterwards.’
Jimmy almost leapt in the air at the child’s mournful words. Grabbing James’s arms, he looked deep into the frightened green eyes and said firmly, ‘Now you listen to me, James. You’re not going to any orphanage. Good God! Whatever put that idea into your head?’
The boy’s shoulders lifted dispiritedly. ‘My mummy said she’d have to put me into an orphanage one day, because she couldn’t afford to keep me.’
With a loud groan of despair, Jimmy cried, ‘Oh, son, you poor little sod. Orphanages are only for children who haven’t any parents. And you have. At least, you have me. I’m your dad, James, and nothing or no one is ever going to take you away from me again.’
The child stared back into Jimmy’s eyes, searching for some sign that maybe this man was telling the truth. But he had been let down so many times during his relatively short time in England, he didn’t trust anyone any more. All of his newfound uncles had started off being kind to him, but they had soon grown tired of having him around, even though he had tried his very best to be a good boy. But in this man’s eyes, James could see only love and tenderness, and for the first time since Sean Finnegan’s death, James felt the first stirring of hope that maybe, just maybe, he had found a real home at last. A place where he could stay for ever without living with the constant fear of rejection.
Placing his small hands either side of Jimmy’s face, he asked timidly, ‘You’re not just saying that, are you, Mister? You really won’t get fed up with me and put me into an orphanage.’
His entire body swelling with love, Jimmy gulped loudly and, keeping the boy’s gaze steady, he said thickly, ‘I’ll never get fed up with you, James. Your place is with me now… That is, if you want me.’
Fresh tears spurted from the child’s eyes, and with a cry of relief he threw his arms around Jimmy’s neck and hung on for dear life.
‘I… I want you. I want to stay with you and Bessie… and Amy.’
Jimmy felt the child’s tears wet against his neck and gave up the struggle to hold back his own. He thought in this quiet, precious moment he couldn’t feel any more emotional, until the boy, his arms still clinging to Jimmy’s neck, whispered, ‘I love you, Mister. Can… Can I call you Dad, please, Mister? I’ve always wanted a daddy. Can I call you Dad, Mister, please?’
For an answer, Jimmy held fast to his son and, his voice thick with tears, murmured, ‘I’d like that, son. I’d like that very much.’
Chapter Twenty-two
‘Well! Well! This is a pleasant surprise. And to what do I owe the honour of this unexpected visit, my love?’
Richard Fisher, his fleshy face alight with pleasure at the sight of his lovely young cousin, came from around his desk and took her in his arms.
‘You were lucky to find me here. I was just about to leave. There’s still a lot to do for the party tonight, and seeing as Rebecca is still unwell, I’ve decided to take
the worry off of her and deal with the preparations myself.’
Squirming uncomfortably, Amy released herself from Richard’s embrace, her stomach churning at what she had to say next. Gathering all of her courage, she asked quietly, ‘Uncle Richard, I’ve come to ask you a favour… Not for me,’ she added hurriedly. ‘It’s for Phil.’
Richard stepped back, his beady eyes narrowing suspiciously, his mind already knowing where this conversation was heading. ‘Phil, eh? Well, it doesn’t take a genius to work out why you’ve come to me, if it concerns that no-good brother of yours. I suppose you want me to bail him out of the mess he’s got himself into, eh! Is that it, Amy? Is that why you’ve come to me?’
Deeply embarrassed, Amy lowered her head and whispered, ‘Yes. I know he’s done wrong, Uncle Richard, but he’s truly sorry for the trouble he’s got himself into. And… and I’m not asking you to give me the money he owes, it’ll only be a loan. I’ll pay it back somehow. And once Phil’s paid back his debts, he won’t be afraid to leave the house, and… and he’ll soon find work, then together we’ll repay you as soon as possible.’
Moving away from Amy’s tempting body, Richard strutted around the small office, his hands clasped tightly behind his back in the manner of a man of importance. ‘I must say I’m surprised you would want to help Phil after the despicable way he treated you and Rebecca. I knew he was never the most reliable of men, but I never had him down as a man who would steal from his own sisters.’
Amy’s jaw dropped in stunned surprise. Neither she nor Rebecca had mentioned Phil’s betrayal to anyone, so how…!
Richard saw the look etched on her face and gave a triumphant laugh. ‘Oh, don’t look so surprised, Amy, love. There’s not much I don’t know. Word gets around, especially in a place like this.’ Waving towards the window that overlooked the shop floor, he said slyly, ‘I employ over fifty people in this warehouse, all of whom live in the East End. And like I said, word soon gets around. Still, I admire your loyalty, though I can’t say Phil deserves it. I doubt Rebecca would be so forgiving.’
Amy was beginning to feel the strain of the day creeping up on her, and in an uncharacteristic mood, she said stiffly, ‘I don’t have a lot of time, Uncle Richard. Jimmy is expecting me back at the house. If you won’t help me, then just say so, and I won’t take up any more of your valuable time.’
His eyebrows rising in surprise at the steely tone in the usually pliable young girl’s voice, Richard instantly changed tack. ‘Now, now, Amy, love. I didn’t say I wouldn’t help… Here, take your coat off. Make yourself comfortable, while I pull down the blinds so we can have a bit of privacy. We don’t want that rabble below gawping in on us, and starting more rumours, now do we, eh?’
‘I’m not stopping, Uncle Richard. Like I said, I have to get back to Jimmy.’
Pulling down the blind, Richard came over to where Amy was standing by the desk. Clucking and making a fuss as one might do with an errant child, he began to unbutton her coat. ‘Don’t worry about getting back to Jimmy’s, love. I’ll be leaving soon myself, I’ll give you a lift. So you might as well take your coat off and have a hot drink before we go, or else you won’t feel the benefit of it when we get out into the cold.’
Somewhat more relaxed at the genial tone in Richard’s voice, Amy took off her coat and sat down while Richard called down to the shop floor for a tray of hot tea and biscuits to be sent up.
When the refreshments had been delivered and consumed, Amy stirred restlessly on her chair while Richard busied himself in making smalltalk, especially about the forthcoming party, which was the last thing on Amy’s mind. Just as she was beginning to think he would never get to the matter in hand, Richard rose and walked over to a small safe in the corner of the room. Spinning the dial, he opened the steel door, took out the contents and reseated himself behind the desk.
‘This must be your lucky day, love. I had planned to leave an hour ago, but some problem came up that I had to deal with. If I’d left when I meant to, you’d not only have missed me, I wouldn’t have had the money to give you. This lot’ – he pointed at the pile of notes and coins spread across the desk – ‘would have been safely deposited in the bank by now. Well now, just how much does that reprobate brother of yours need to dig himself out of the hole he’s landed himself in?’
Amy felt her entire body slump with relief. So Richard was going to help after all. Thank you, God! She sent up a silent fervent prayer. At least with Phil’s problems resolved for the time being, it would be one less thing for her to worry about.
Smiling gratefully, Amy answered shyly, ‘I’m not quite sure, Uncle Richard. He said he owes some bookie over sixty pounds, but that there’ll be some interest on top of that by now.’ Her trusting eyes looking to the man she called uncle for advice, she asked, ‘How much do you think that interest will be, Uncle Richard?’
Savouring his moment of power, Richard sat back in the leather chair, his fingers held against pursed lips. ‘Sixty pounds, you say. Well now, by my reckoning, and I’m no authority on these matters, you understand, not like your Jimmy Jackson…’ He paused before carrying on. ‘I’m surprised you didn’t ask Mr Jackson for the money. After all, he does seem remarkably fond of you and Rebecca. Seeing as how he’s just paid a small fortune for her nursing, I’m sure he wouldn’t have hesitated to give you the money if you’d asked.’
Amy fidgeted awkwardly on the hard chair. ‘I’m sure he wouldn’t have, Uncle Richard. But this is a family matter, and seeing as you’re family, I thought it would be better if I came to you.’
Richard gave a satisfied smile. ‘Quite right too, love. Mr Jackson may be a big man around these parts, and he has shown a good deal of interest in our affairs. But like you say, he isn’t family. You did the right thing in coming to me.’ He gave a benevolent smile. ‘After all, that’s what families are all about, aren’t they? Helping one another in times of trouble.’ Turning his attention back to the pile of money on the desk, he began counting out a bundle of notes. ‘I think eighty pounds should cover Phil’s debt, and any outstanding interest he might have incurred… Oh, what the hell! Let’s make it a hundred, just to be on the safe side.’
Amy sat speechless as she watched Richard count out the notes, and felt a lurch of fear. One hundred pounds! How on earth were she and Phil ever going to be able to pay back that huge amount of money? For a wild, reckless moment she was tempted to call the whole thing off. It would take years to pay back a sum of that magnitude. And when Rebecca found out, and find out she would, because she, Amy, would have to tell her… Amy shivered nervously. Becky would go mad when she told her, but what else could she do in the circumstances but to take Richard’s kind offer and hope and pray Phil would get himself a decent job and stay away from the bookies in future? He must do, he must. Especially after the fright he’d had, surely he wouldn’t be so stupid as to risk the same thing happening again. Her mind made up, Amy drew back her slim shoulders and took the money, albeit reluctantly, and placed it carefully in her bag.
‘Thank you, Uncle Richard, you don’t know what a relief it is to have this worry lifted from my mind. And I’ll… I mean, we’ll, me and Phil, we’ll pay back every penny. It will take a long while, I’m afraid, but you’ll get it all back in time.’ She smiled gratefully, and added impishly, ‘With interest, of course.’
Glancing at the clock on the office wall, she cried in alarm, ‘Goodness, I had no idea I’d been here that long. Are you ready to leave yet, Uncle Richard? Jimmy will be wondering what’s happened to me.’
Scooping up the remainder of the money, Richard quickly stuffed it into a large briefcase and rose to his feet. ‘Here, let me help you on with your coat, then we’ll get going. I didn’t realise the time either. I have to get to the bank before going to the house to make sure everything’s in order for the party preparations.’
Feeling as if a load had been lifted from her shoulders, Amy happily let Richard help her on with her coat. She was about to do up the
buttons when Richard’s hands closed over hers.
‘I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. Phil’s a very lucky man to have someone like you to care about him. You’re a lovely young woman, Amy, and I’m very fond of you, you know that, don’t you?’
Amy laughed. ‘Of course I do, Uncle Richard. You’ve always been very kind to me, and now this.’ She pointed to her handbag where the money rested. ‘I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you enough.’
Impulsively she leant forward and kissed Richard’s cheek, and the feel of her soft lips against his face finally broke the control Richard had been holding in check for years.
Grabbing her to him, he held her slim body against his, his arms circling her waist. ‘You don’t have to pay back the money, you know, Amy, love. We could come to some arrangement… if you know what I mean. It’d be our little secret.’
Richard had held Amy in his arms many times over the years, but this time, she began to feel uncomfortable. And what did he mean about coming to some arrangement? Because of her trusting nature and innocent character, she didn’t immediately understand what Richard meant. Then she felt his hand begin to wander over her body, and in that moment she knew. Knew, but still refused to believe what was happening. This was a man she’d known and trusted since she was a small child not much older than James. But when Richard’s wet, slobbering lips nuzzled against her neck, and his hand moved down to stroke her buttocks, Amy could deny what was happening no longer. Disgusted and frightened, she began to struggle, while pleading, ‘Please, Uncle Richard, don’t… Please, don’t,’ but his hands continued to wander over parts of her body that had never been touched before.
‘Oh, Amy, my own darling Amy. You must know how I feel about you. How I’ve always felt about you. Be nice to me, Amy. Be nice to me, and you need never have to worry about money ever again.’
Sobbing wildly, her heart beating so fast she could feel it knocking against her ribcage, Amy continued to struggle and plead for Richard to let her go. But Richard was past reasoning with. Pulling at the top buttons of her dress, he slipped a fat, clammy hand inside her chemise. It was then that Amy, terrified beyond reason, let out a loud scream that shattered the stillness of the office.
