Maybe This Time

by Anna King

  He had no sooner uttered the words than Rory strolled through the door, looking relaxed and happy. Pat stared at him, all signs of humour wiped from his face. Then, resuming his seat, he said grimly, ‘You seem to ’ave perked up since I last saw you. In future if you want some time off, just ask instead of lying. Just ’cos I’m your brother don’t mean you can take the piss—’

  His words were cut off as Paddy slammed his knife down on the table.

  ‘We’ll have none of that language in this house, Pat. Ye know well enough not to swear in front of your mother or our Jane. I don’t want to be having to tell ye again. Now, all of yous, sit down and have your dinner, and we’ll be having no more ructions, d’ye understand?’ His eyes swept over his sons. ‘If you’ve any quarrels between yous, ye can sort it out in the yard.’

  Both Pat and Rory dropped their gaze, each muttering, ‘Sorry, Dad’ before tucking into their dinner.

  Minutes passed before conversation started up again, the awkward moment easing quickly. Addressing Pat, Rory said quietly, ‘I did come home for a kip, Pat, but I couldn’t sleep so I went for a walk. Sorry, it won’t ’appen again.’

  As Pat lifted his eyes, Rory couldn’t meet his brother’s gaze and quickly turned his attention to his food. Mollified, Pat nodded.

  ‘Too right it won’t, mate,’ but the words were said with clipped humour, which only added to Rory’s guilt.

  Putting a good-sized portion of cod and chips into his mouth, Rory chewed quickly then looked across the table at Jane and said fondly, ‘All right, love?’

  Annie, who had been watching her family carefully, saw a startled look enter Jane’s eyes. Usually even one word from Rory would light up her daughter’s face, but not today. Instead she dropped her gaze, mumbling, ‘I’m fine, thank you, Rory.’

  Now Annie’s gaze shifted to Rory, and she saw the genuine surprise etched on his face.

  ‘’Ere, what’s up, Jane? Has someone upset yer? ’Cos if they have, you just tell me and I’ll soon sort ’em out.’

  ‘You’ll do no such thing, Rory.’ Annie’s sharp voice cut Rory’s words off. ‘If Jane says she’s all right, then she’s all right. Now get on with your dinner, I’ve had enough upsets for one day.’

  An uncomfortable silence once again settled on the people present, and they were all relieved when the meal was finished and they could get up from the table.

  Leaving the men to their own devices, Jane carefully stacked the plates, her mind whirling. She had to gather her wits before facing her mother. She’d had plenty of time to think since seeing Rory and Cathy in the park, and the more she reflected, the more she convinced herself that if anyone was to blame it was Cathy Meadows. A woman like that knew how to manipulate men, and as much as Jane hated to admit, even to herself, that Rory was different, when it came right down to it he was still a normal man, and therefore just as susceptible to the attraction of women like Cathy.

  But her brother was no fool. Perhaps he was simply toying with Cathy to get his own back for the way she had treated him. Jane’s eyes lit up. Of course, that must be the reason. It wasn’t a very nice thing to do, but she couldn’t blame Rory if that was the case. Cathy Meadows deserved everything she got. Oh, why hadn’t Jane realised earlier what Rory was up to? It all made sense now, because there was no way her brother would let himself be used again. He was much too smart to fall for the same trick twice. Feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders, Jane carried the crockery into the scullery, where her mother was standing by the sink waiting for her.

  ‘Well!’

  The one word spoke volumes, and Jane sent up silent thanks that she’d been given time to compose herself. If her mother had got her on her own earlier, she knew she wouldn’t have been able to lie. If that had happened… A shudder rippled through Jane at the very thought of her mother’s reaction if she had told her what she’d seen.

  ‘I’m waiting, Jane. And don’t even bother trying to lie to me. Something happened today, and ye’ll not be leaving this room till ye tell me the truth.’

  Jane knew her mother meant what she said and quickly came up with an excuse for her behaviour at the dinner table. Not able to quite meet her mother’s steely gaze, she lowered her head and said, ‘It was nothing really, Mum. Just some men in the park. They stopped me on my way back home and started making fun of my face. They’d been drinking, and they frightened me, but a policeman came along and they walked off.’ Jane kept her head down, amazed at the ease with which the lies were rolling off her tongue. ‘I know I shouldn’t have been so upset, but it really scared me. And I didn’t want to tell you, because I knew you’d think it was your fault. Then, when Rory asked if I was all right, I got myself into a state. You know what he’s like, Mum. He’d have gone mad, and it wouldn’t have done any good.’ She lifted her gaze to meet Annie’s, and saw the relief in her mother’s eyes. ‘I’m sorry I worried you, Mum. You won’t say anything to Rory, will you?’

  Annie took the greasy plates from Jane, her face averted.

  ‘Now, what sort of an eejit d’ye take me for? Of course I won’t. But if ye ever see those men again when we’re out, ye tell me, and by God, they’ll rue the day they ever clapped eyes on ye. Now, get yourself away upstairs and rest. I’ll see to the washing-up. G’wan now, do as I say.’

  Kissing Annie’s cheek, Jane didn’t offer any argument. She’d never lied to her mother before and was beginning to experience guilt. She almost ran from the room, afraid her conscience would get the better of her, and in doing so cause her to spill the real truth.

  Left alone, Annie slumped in relief. Thank God her suspicions had been proved wrong. When Rory had come through the door after Pat had just been telling them he had let Rory come home early for a sleep, she had immediately thought the worst. Her fears had been given further substance by Jane’s reaction to her favourite brother, thinking her daughter must have seen Rory with the Meadows girl, but thankfully the reason for Jane’s nervousness had now been cleared up. Yet for a while back there Annie had been almost certain…

  She shook her head, her rough hands immersed in soapy water as she scrubbed the greasy plates. She should have known that her Rory had more sense, not to mention pride, than to get mixed up with that common trollop again.

  * * *

  The rest of the evening was uneventful, but later, when everyone had gone to bed, neither Annie nor Jane could get to sleep, and in each case for the same reason. For no matter how hard they tried, neither woman could shake off the unvoiced but nagging thought that she was fooling herself regarding what Rory was doing in his spare time.

  And they both also knew that neither of them would know a moment’s real peace until Cathy Meadows returned to her fancy man.

  Chapter Seven

  ‘’Ere, watch what you’re doing your end, yer clumsy git. You nearly dropped the bloody thing on me foot.’

  ‘Stop moaning, you miserable bugger, and put your back into it, otherwise we’ll be here till midnight.’

  ‘All right, all right,’ Pat snapped back. ‘I didn’t know it was gonna be so heavy. The bleeding thing weighs a ton.’

  Josie watched from below as Pat and Shaun struggled to ease the upended double bed out of her parents’ room. The mattress had been removed and was propped up against the landing wall, alongside the door, which had been taken off its hinges. But no matter which way the two men attempted to manoeuvre the cumbersome bed through the doorway, it remained stuck tight.

  ‘It’s not going to budge, is it?’ Josie called up the stairs, her voice betraying her disappointment, for as long as the bed remained in the house, she would never be able to rid herself of her mother’s presence, or the painful memories it evoked. ‘Look, thanks for trying, both of you, I’m really grateful, but I don’t want to take liberties. If you could just push it back to where it was…’

  ‘Give over, Josie, we’re not giving up that easily.’ Pat was breathing heavily from the exertion of the last half an
hour. ‘If it was possible to get it in the room, then it stands to reason there must be a way to get it out. All we’ve gotta do is find out how.’ Wiping the sweat from his face with his shirtsleeve, he looked first at Shaun, then at Josie. ‘We could chop the legs off, but it seems a shame to ruin a good bed. I mean, look at the workmanship.’ He ran a hand over the thick carved legs, his face showing his admiration for the craftsman who had built the bed. ‘And besides, I don’t like to be defeated.’

  Josie stared at the two men, her eyes filled with a silent plea.

  ‘I honestly don’t care what you do. If that’s the only way to get rid of it, then that’s the way it’ll have to be. I just want it out of the house.’ A shiver ran down her spine. ‘I haven’t had a proper night’s sleep since the funeral. It’s like me mum’s still in the house, haunting me.’ She smiled wanly. ‘I know I’m being silly, but I can’t help how I feel.’

  ‘Well, if you’re sure, Josie,’ Shaun said. ‘Though like Pat says, it seems a shame.’ He looked at his brother. ‘Let’s give it one last try, eh, Pat?’

  Aware of the passing time and the knowledge that he had to be round Freda’s house by eight, Pat nodded his head.

  ‘All right, bruv,’ he said good-naturedly. ‘One last try, then I’ll have ter be off. I don’t wanna keep Freda waiting, ’specially on a Friday night. An’ I’ve still gotta get ready.’

  Immediately Josie was all contrition.

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry, Pat, I didn’t think. Look, you get off. I don’t suppose one more night will make much difference.’

  Shaun shot Pat a withering look.

  ‘And another few minutes won’t make much difference either.’

  Josie gave a nervous laugh.

  ‘It’s a shame you can’t just unscrew the legs… What?’ she asked, seeing the startled look on both men’s faces.

  Shaun slapped his forehead. His eyes met those of his brother and he saw the same thought mirrored there.

  ‘Nah!’ Pat said. ‘We would’ve noticed, wouldn’t we?’

  ‘Well, there’s only one way to find out, ain’t there? Though we’re gonna be a laughing stock if anyone finds out we’ve been struggling all this time to get this monstrosity through the door, when all we had to do was take the bleeding legs off.’

  Much to the sheepish amusement of the brothers, Josie’s careless remark proved accurate, and with a good deal of banter, mainly to cover up their embarrassment, they set to work.

  Fifteen minutes later, the carved legs and mattress were deposited out in the back yard, ready to be picked up by the rag and bone man in the morning. With most of the hard work behind them, Pat, his mind on Freda and the frosty reception that would greet him, absentmindedly lifted his end of the bed over the banisters and pushed before Shaun was ready. Realising too late what he had done, Pat frantically tried to pull it back, but the wooden base, all that was left of the bed, was too heavy to hold on to.

  ‘Look out!’ he shouted, panic-stricken, as it careered out of control.

  Shaun, who had been climbing the stairs, saw the danger and turned, leaping down the stairs, his only thought being for Josie, who was standing at the foot of the stairs, rooted to the spot. With no regard for his own safety, he dived towards her. His arms enveloping her, they fell, then rolled over out of harm’s way.

  Pat was stunned. He could do nothing more than watch helplessly as the wooden base bounced off the wall and hit the stairs. The noise was deafening as what was left of the bed landed with a sickening thud only inches from Shaun, who was still shielding Josie’s body with his own.

  The silence that followed was almost as deafening. Then suddenly Shaun was on his feet, his face suffused with fury.

  ‘You stupid bleeding bastard. Yer could’ve killed us. What the hell was yer thinking about? Worrying about getting an earful from that fat slag for being late, was yer?’

  As if he hadn’t heard Shaun’s words, Pat vaulted over the wooden base, his face ashen at the thought of what might have happened.

  ‘Gawd! I’m so sorry, it was all my fault. You two all right?’

  Still seething at his brother’s gross carelessness, Shaun snapped back, ‘Yeah, we’re all right. No thanks to you, yer—’

  Badly shaken, Josie stepped between the two men.

  ‘Leave it, both of you. Me nerves are all shot to pieces. The last thing I need is you two fighting.’

  Her voice, breathless with delayed shock, quickly brought the impending fight to an abrupt end.

  ‘Sorry, Josie,’ Pat muttered, unable to meet the eyes of the woman he had almost injured, maybe even killed, through his own stupidity.

  Shaun, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, said quietly, ‘Yeah, me too, Josie.’

  An uneasy silence hung in the air until Pat, his face flushed, said apologetically, ‘I’ll make up the money ’Arry will knock off for the damage, Josie. It’s the least I can do.’ He squatted down and looked at the battered bed. Shaking his head, he noted the deep dents and splintered wood and added, ‘It’s lucky you’ve got thick carpet on the stairs. That cushioned most of the fall. If they’d been covered in lino, the whole lot would probably have smashed to pieces. But like I said, I’ll pay for the damage.’

  Looking at his face, Josie took pity on the hapless man.

  ‘Oh, don’t be daft. It was an accident… It’s not like you did it on purpose, and after all, you were only trying to help me. Look, let’s all have a sit-down and a drink. I know I could do with a cuppa.’

  Now that the incident had passed without harm, Pat said awkwardly, ‘Thanks, Josie, but I’d rather get this out to the yard and get off home… if yer don’t mind?’ he added almost humbly.

  ‘No, course I don’t mind, you silly sod.’ Josie, feeling calmer now, added, ‘You get off home. I’ve kept you here too long already.’

  Sensing a chance to be alone with Josie, and stay on friendly terms with his brother, Shaun said quickly, ‘Josie’s right, Pat. You get off. I can manage on me own from here. After all, I ain’t got any plans for tonight.’

  A look of relief crossed Pat’s face, and he swiftly took his leave, with Josie’s words of thanks following him.

  She had barely closed the door behind him when there came a knock. Thinking Pat had forgotten something, Josie pulled it open again, her face falling at the sight of Ida Black on her doorstep.

  ‘Sorry ter bother yer, Josie love, but I couldn’t ’elp hearing the racket from next door, an’ I was wondering if yer was all right.’ Ida’s bird-like eyes drifted over Josie’s shoulder to Shaun and the badly dented piece of furniture lying in the hallway. ‘Oh dear, what’s ’appened, love?’

  Taken by surprise, Josie stood still, only moving when Ida attempted to get her foot over the threshold.

  ‘Hang on, Mrs Black. Where d’yer think you’re going?’ She moved quickly, barring her neighbour from entering, and also to block the nosy woman’s view.

  ‘I’m only being neighbourly, love. I mean, what with you being on yer own now.’

  Josie’s mouth tightened.

  ‘Thanks for your concern, Mrs Black, but I’m all right, so you can go back home.’

  Undeterred, Ida Black tried another tack.

  ‘That ain’t part of yer mother’s old bed, is it, Josie love? Gawd love us, they’ve made a right old mess of that, ain’t they?’ This time her voice was tinged with anxiety, but Josie, after a long day’s work and the events of the past hour, was too tired to notice.

  ‘Look, I don’t mean to be rude, though I’m sure I could be if I tried,’ she snapped. ‘But I’ve been on me feet all day, and I don’t have time to stand here talking to you.’

  As if she hadn’t heard, Ida, her foot still resting on the doorstep, seemed determined to enter the house.

  ‘I’ve been meaning ter call. But after that—’ Conscious of Shaun’s presence, Ida pulled back the words hovering on her lips. She didn’t fancy another run-in with Annie Flynn. Choosing her words carefully, she continue
d, ‘What I mean ter say is, I’m sorry about upsetting Annie, I didn’t mean any harm, honest.’

  ‘Yeah! I’m sure you are, Mrs Black. But like I said, I’m not in the mood for a chat… ‘

  To her amazement, Josie felt herself being pushed aside, and by a skinny middle-aged woman at that. Then her neighbour was in the hall, her eyes fixed on the heavy wooden base. Looking at Shaun, Josie shook her head in bewilderment.

  Shaun, taking in the uninvited woman’s presence, said sharply, ‘You heard Josie, Mrs Black. You ain’t wanted ’ere, so clear out before me mum comes over.’

  At the mention of the dreaded Annie, Ida faltered, then seemed to regain her courage.

  ‘All right, I get the message. Like I said before, I was only being neighbourly, but I’d like a word with yer, Josie… On your own, if yer don’t mind.’

  Her head spinning, Josie screwed up her face, wondering what on earth this woman, whom she’d never liked, could possibly want to talk about. Turning to Shaun, she shook her head as if asking for help.

  Quick on the uptake, Shaun came and stood beside Josie, his arm going around her shoulders protectively. To his delight, Josie didn’t pull away. Instead she leaned against him. His chest swelling, he tightened his hold, his gaze meeting that of the clearly agitated woman.

  ‘Josie’s asked you ter go, Mrs Black, so sling yer ’ook. ’Cos if yer ain’t outta ’ere by the time I count to ten, I’ll chuck you out.’

  Ida looked into the steely blue eyes and swallowed nervously. She had imagined Shaun to be easily intimidated; now she was beginning to see she had underestimated the youngest of the Flynn men.