Tiger Bay Blues

by Catrin Collier

  ‘… I’m sorry. After what happened, that was in bad taste. I wish it had been possible for us to have spent more time together this last month. I would give a great deal to be with you right now, but it would have been impossible for me to take even a week off for our honeymoon if I hadn’t concentrated on the parish. With Reverend Richards in hospital it’s been a nightmare to sort out the most basic things and then there’s all the work on the vicarage. The builders needed constant supervision –’

  ‘How is the Reverend Richards?’ Edyth interrupted, feeling the need to say something before Peter noticed her silence.

  She was nervous – that was all. Didn’t every bride feel nervous? Even Bella had complained about leaving her reception early and, unlike her and Peter, she and Toby had already made love. There were so many things to think about, so many adjustments to be made …

  ‘The doctor told me that if Reverend Richards continues to improve, they will move him to the convalescent home at the end of next month.’

  ‘That is good news.’ Edyth tried to concentrate on what Peter was saying, but she found it difficult to sound enthusiastic about the recovery of a man she had never met. Particularly in view of the fact that if he hadn’t suffered from ill-health, Peter would never have been given his own parish.

  ‘I’d like you to meet him, Edyth. Perhaps we could visit him after he has moved out of the hospital. He and his wife never had children and he has no close family left, only a distant cousin in England and another in Australia, and they hardly ever write. The parish was everything to him and he put every ounce of energy he possessed into it for over forty years.’

  ‘We’ll call on him as soon as he is settled in the convalescent home.’ She found it hard to understand why she was still shaking when she had fought so hard for her parents’ permission to marry Peter.

  ‘Ask me about the vicarage.’

  They were perfect for one another. Hadn’t Peter said so? And he loved her. Why couldn’t she quell her feeling of unease?

  ‘Didn’t you hear me, Edyth? I said, “ask me about the vicarage.”’

  ‘Is it ready for our return?’

  ‘That would be telling,’ he teased.

  She turned around when she sensed someone behind her. But it was only Mari carrying a tray into her father’s study. ‘Did the furniture arrive?’

  ‘It did.’

  ‘And you’ve arranged it?’

  ‘Not so it can’t be moved.’

  ‘I’m longing to see it.’ She tried to envisage the gloomy sitting room, gloomy no longer but bright and cheerful with new wallpaper and light-coloured paint. But as Peter had refused to disclose the colour schemes the Bishop had allowed him to pick out, she found it impossible.

  ‘Then I’ll cancel the honeymoon, shall I?’

  ‘Now I know you’re joking.’ She lowered her voice, when she heard Mari and her father talking.

  ‘I can’t wait to see your travelling outfit. Did you find that pleated purple coat and bronze-green dress in Gwilym James in Pontypridd?’

  ‘You expect me to tell you that when you won’t even give me a hint about the changes that have been made to the vicarage, and the colour schemes I’ll be expected to live with for years?’ She heard the doorbell ring on the other end of the line and Mrs Mack’s strong Scottish accent.

  ‘I’m sorry, Edyth. That is the secretary of the church council. I’ve called a meeting. I know I’ll only be away for a week but there are a few things to put in place. Don’t worry; I’ll be on the eight o’clock train out of Cardiff tonight and at the church bright and early in the morning.’

  ‘You just wanted someone other than Mrs Price to cook your dinner,’ she suggested mischievously.

  ‘I’ve already eaten. Micah Holsten and his sister invited me to share beetroot soup, roast duck, and peach preserve with them. Be grateful, the Reverend Price wanted to invite both of us to dinner this evening, but I told him that you’d be busy with your family.’

  ‘Mam and Dad have invited all the cousins and aunts as they did before Bella’s wedding, to help with the flowers and the last-minute things.’

  ‘I have written to you today. Hopefully it will be the last letter I will have to send to you. It will certainly be the last time I will write “Miss Edyth Evans”.’

  ‘Thank you, that was a lovely thought. I’ll treasure it.’

  ‘You don’t know what’s in it yet. Sorry, the secretary of the church council is waiting; I am going to have to go. Until tomorrow.’

  ‘Edyth, I’m waiting for a telephone call.’ Maggie stuck her head around the sitting-room door.

  ‘You can wait.’ Edyth turned her back and plugged her free ear with her thumb but she could still see Maggie in the hall mirror. Her sister made no attempt to move and, unaware that her reflection could be seen in the mirror, stuck her fingers in her ears and wiggled them at Edyth.

  ‘You watch the wind doesn’t blow and fix you like that permanently, Miss Maggie,’ Mari warned, catching sight of her when she left Lloyd’s study.

  Maggie retreated back into the sitting room. She clutched the door until the last moment and Edyth braced herself for a slam, but her sister knew better with Mari watching. She closed it quietly. Mari shook her head and carried on down the passage to the kitchen.

  ‘It sounds like your house is busy.’

  ‘It is. And we’re expecting Harry to arrive any minute, and Bella and Toby are coming in on the five o’clock train.’ After a quick glance up and down the passageway to make sure it was empty, she whispered, ‘Love you.’

  He muttered, ‘Likewise,’ and she suspected that his visitor was close by. ‘See you in church.’

  Edyth replaced the receiver and opened the sitting-room door. Maggie was sitting on the sofa, a picture of innocence, reading an article entitled ‘To Marry or Not to Marry’ in a copy of Good Housekeeping.

  ‘The telephone’s free for your important call, Maggie.’ Edyth knelt on the window seat in the bay and looked out of the window.

  ‘I didn’t know that you were waiting for an important telephone call, Maggie,’ Sali said from her chair next to the fireplace where she was stitching together the pressed pieces of the baby’s layette she had finished knitting.

  ‘One of the girls in school said she was going to telephone me about homework,’ Maggie replied.

  ‘When are you going to stop annoying Edyth?’ Sali asked evenly.

  ‘I don’t annoy her,’ Maggie snapped.

  ‘You never stop,’ Edyth bit back, angry because she couldn’t stop shaking at the thought of what was going to happen in less than twenty-four hours.

  ‘Do you know what your trouble is, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes? Or should it be Mrs Vicar Goody-Two-Shoes? You’re oversensitive,’ Maggie crowed.

  ‘I do wish you two would stop squabbling.’ For once Sali allowed her own irritation to show.

  ‘Considering we’ll be living in different houses, we will after tomorrow,’ Edyth said quietly. She left the room. Before she closed the door she heard her mother say to Maggie, ‘Now look what you’ve done.’

  But she knew that her arguments with her sister were only a symptom of the blight that had hung over the house since her parents had brought her back from Cardiff after her flight from college. No one in the family liked Peter, and try as she may, not even her love for him, his for her, and the thought of the new life they would make for themselves down in Tiger Bay could entirely make her forget their disapproval.

  Chapter Thirteen

  ‘Can you believe it, our taxi turned in the drive at the exact same moment as Harry’s car …’

  The sound of Bella’s voice in the hall brought Edyth running down the stairs, Sali, Maggie, Beth and Susie out of the sitting room, and Lloyd from his study.

  ‘Belle, I couldn’t believe it when you wrote that you and Toby would come back in time for my wedding.’ Edyth flung her arms around her sister’s neck.

  ‘You didn’t think Toby and I would hav
e stayed in America and missed it, do you? Besides, we only had to cut our visit short by a week and by then even Toby was sick of New York. The sights are wonderful and the museums and art galleries heavenly, but it’s so big and noisy. We hardly slept a wink.’

  ‘Really, sis?’ Harry lifted one eyebrow suggestively after dropping two suitcases at the foot of the staircase.

  ‘Because of the traffic.’ Bella’s cheeks flamed crimson, but Toby laughed.

  ‘Don’t you dare lift a single thing out of that car except yourself, Mary Evans,’ Harry shouted to his wife over his shoulder. ‘Davy, help your sister in here this minute. I warned you, that you could only go to Edyth’s wedding if you promised to behave yourself and not lift a finger more than necessary.’

  ‘I’m having a baby, not knocking on death’s door, Harry.’ Mary hugged Sali, Edyth and Bella in turn.

  ‘You’re huge, Mary. The baby looks as though it’s about to arrive any minute,’ Bella said tactlessly.

  ‘Mary, sit down before I have a heart attack,’ Harry ordered, stepping out of the way when his two young brothers-in-law galloped through the hall to the kitchen in search of Mari, or what was more likely, orange juice and biscuits.

  ‘Come into the sitting room and sit down out of this crush.’ Sali slipped her arm around Mary’s shoulders and led her out of the hall. ‘You must be parched after that long journey. I’ll get us some tea.’

  ‘I’ll go next door with the taxi driver and drop off our luggage, Mrs Ross.’ Toby kissed Bella’s cheek.

  ‘Don’t forget to leave Edyth’s wedding present here.’ Bella hugged Edyth again. ‘I can’t wait to see your gown.’

  ‘Edyth, where are you displaying your presents?’ Harry asked, when David walked in from the car carrying a large, and by the look of strain on his face, heavy box.

  ‘They’re in the conservatory.’

  ‘Congratulations, Edyth.’ David said flatly. ‘The vicar’s a lucky fellow.’

  ‘Thank you, Davy.’ He looked so devastated Edyth was glad to follow Bella up the stairs and into her bedroom. Negotiating the packing cases that littered the floor, she closed the door and pointed to the gown hooked on to the outside of her wardrobe.

  Bella unbuttoned the calico cover. ‘Oh my, it’s velvet.’

  ‘Just as well the weather’s gone cold. It was horribly expensive, but Mam said it cost about the same as yours, and she kept insisting she couldn’t treat any of us differently to the others.’

  ‘You’re wearing Grandmother’s veil and tiara.’ Bella picked them up from the dressing table.

  ‘Do you mind?’

  ‘Not at all. I think it’s lovely. I hope all the others wear them, too. It’s the something old and the something borrowed, as well as a bit of Granddad and Grandma carrying on down the family. A new family tradition that started with us.’

  ‘With you,’ Edyth corrected. ‘You were the one who found them when we cleared Granddad’s house.’

  ‘Just think, around twenty years from now our daughters could be wearing them on their wedding days. And in between there’s Uncle Joey and Auntie Rhian’s girls as well as the rest of our lot.’ Bella replaced them on the table. She sat on Edyth’s bed, wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. ‘When I read your letter telling us that you were getting married – and to a vicar – I checked my diary to make sure it wasn’t April Fool’s Day. When we left, you were set on going to college.’

  ‘The Bishop told Peter he would only be given the parish on Cardiff docks if he was married,’ Edyth interrupted. Not wanting to discuss the events that had led to so much upset and argument, she picked up the tiara and polished it absently with her handkerchief.

  ‘But you do love Peter?’ Bella asked.

  ‘Very much,’ Edyth said seriously. ‘And I’m certain that he loves me.’

  ‘That’s all right, then,’ Bella returned her smile. ‘And,’ she added archly, ‘you can’t keep your hands off one another?’

  ‘Peter’s a vicar –’

  ‘Don’t tell me he prays first?’ Bella joked.

  ‘I’ve only seen him once in the last month. He’s been so busy in the parish. The last vicar has been ill …’

  The sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs interrupted them. ‘Belle, where are you?’ Toby shouted.

  ‘In Edyth’s room and she’s dressed, so it’s safe to come in,’ Bella called back.

  ‘Which door is it? There’s a whole pile of them out here.’

  ‘Making me move just when I was comfortable,’ Bella grumbled, but she left the bed. Toby was standing in the middle of the landing.

  ‘There are two parcels with Edyth and Peter’s name on them. Are they both supposed to go with the wedding presents?’

  ‘That’s men for you,’ Bella sighed dramatically. ‘They can’t do a thing without you giving them precise and exact instructions. Be warned, you’ll have to run around after Peter from morning till night.’

  ‘That’s charming, Belle; you make us sound like untrained dogs.’

  ‘Aren’t you?’ Bella asked innocently. ‘Of course both parcels are for Edyth and Peter, darling. If they weren’t, I wouldn’t have written their names on them.’

  ‘I’ll put them in the conservatory. David’s helping Mari to carry in more trestle tables. Looking at the size of the pile waiting to be unwrapped I do hope that Peter has been given a large vicarage, Edyth. Must go, the taxi driver’s waiting.’ He ran off whistling ‘Ten Cents a Dance.’

  ‘I hate that song and everyone in America seemed to be singing it all the time, not just on the radio but even the doorman at the hotel and the elevator boy. Listen to me I even sound like an American. Oh, it is good to be back in Ponty!’ she exclaimed fervently. ‘I’ve missed all of you and I can’t wait to move into the new house and get it exactly as I want it. Toby’s looking forward to working in his studio, too. It will be the first he’s designed from scratch.’ Bella went to the window and looked down on her husband who was climbing into the taxi. ‘Is it big?’

  ‘What?’ Edyth was engrossed in buttoning the calico cover back on to her dress.

  ‘Your vicarage? Is it big?’

  ‘I’ve only seen it once but it seemed huge. It’s been redecorated and builders have installed new kitchen and bathroom fittings. As soon as we’re settled, you and Toby must come and stay.’

  ‘I read between the lines of your letters, Edie. I know that you must have had a difficult time persuading Mam and Dad to let you give up college to get married. I didn’t make it easy for you. They were horribly disappointed when I insisted on marrying Toby instead of completing my education.’

  ‘Worst of all was knowing how much I was upsetting Dad,’ Edyth confessed.

  ‘But you love Peter and loving someone is everything. Dad only wants the best for us, but sometimes I think he’s forgotten what it’s like to be young and in love.’

  Bella turned to the door. ‘Come downstairs and see what we bought you in New York. I hope you like them.’

  ‘Them?’ Edyth asked warily.

  ‘Toby and I had such fun choosing them.’

  ‘China figurines?’

  Bella laughed. ‘Your taste was just like mine when we were small.’

  ‘Only because you hit me every time I tried to disagree with you,’ Edyth reminded her.

  ‘Never that hard.’

  ‘That is debatable.’

  ‘I suppose it depends on whether you were on the giving or receiving end of the blows. But this time there isn’t a china figurine in sight. And I won’t hit you, even if you don’t like our presents; I’ll keep them for myself.’

  Much as Edyth adored her father’s brothers and their wives, she occasionally found her cousins, especially the younger boys, exasperating. And when the entire extended family of uncles and aunts and their children descended on the house that evening, along with a few of her parents’ closest friends, she found herself longing somewhat guiltily and ungratef
ully – for the peace and solitude of her own room.

  Everyone had come out of kindness and a desire to help with the last-minute preparations, and they all brought embarrassingly generous wedding gifts along with their congratulations and good wishes for her and Peter’s future. The gifts were so numerous it took the combined efforts of her, Bella, Mari and her mother to arrange them for viewing in the conservatory.

  Supper was a long and noisy affair. Afterwards her father, his brothers, Harry and Toby retreated into the study, ostensibly to smoke, although the clink of glasses soon echoed from behind the closed door. Wishing for peace and quiet more than ever, Edyth helped Mari and her sisters to clear the table and carry in the trays of greenery and boxes of white carnations that Sali had ordered from the florist.

  They set to work making buttonholes and Edyth recalled the evening before Bella’s wedding when they had done the self-same thing. She wondered if it were her imagination, or if they really had been happier then? The only emotion she felt when the last carnation and sprig of fern had been twisted into silver paper was relief. Her mother must have sensed her mood, because she reminded her that she would have to be up early the following morning.

  Edyth kissed her aunts and cousins goodnight, hugged Bella and exacted a promise from her to arrive early the next morning to help her dress, shouted a ‘goodnight’ through her father’s study door and climbed the stairs.

  She undressed, climbed into bed, switched off the bedside lamp and waited, but sleep eluded her. She continued to lie tossing and turning on the mattress, physically and emotionally exhausted, yet unable to stop her mind from racing as she listened to the distant hum of conversation emanating from downstairs. The sound was too faint for her to make out individual voices, except for the occasional eruption of laughter, and there were more of those from the study than the sitting room.