A Family Scandal

by Kitty Neale

  ‘I love those ones.’ Penny was wistful. If only she could get a date who’d take her to concerts like that. It would be worth the bad journey home to be able to say she’d seen the Stones. Everyone was talking about them and she was sure they’d be properly famous for ages. ‘Give me those cigarettes, I’ll have one meself.’ She paused as Rhona’s mother came into the room.

  ‘Morning, Penny.’ Marilyn Foster was a lively woman of nearly fifty, with an uncontrollable frizz of brown hair. ‘Nice to see you. Have you had any breakfast? I was out cleaning earlier so I’m making some toast now, do you want any?’

  ‘No thank you, Mrs Foster,’ said Penny politely, pulling her skirt further down her thighs. She was a bit in awe of Rhona’s straight-talking mother.

  ‘Well, you’re always welcome.’ Marilyn made for the door again. ‘Rhona’s going to be lonely without Mavis nearby so you must feel free to drop in at any time.’

  Rhona pulled a face as her mother went out. ‘She thinks I’m still at school sometimes. I don’t need to have her making my friends for me.’

  ‘Course you don’t,’ said Penny, taking a deep drag. ‘Ah, that’s better. No, but you will miss her though, won’t you? You and Mavis were really close.’

  Rhona nodded. She was guiltily aware that she’d been the one person who wasn’t delighted when the news came that Pete had finally bought the big house and the family would be moving from Harwood Street. Mavis had come round thrilled to bits and Rhona had had a hard job trying to appear enthusiastic. For some reason, though they were polar opposites in temperament, she and Mavis had got on like a house on fire. Maybe it was because they were so different. Rhona’s wild years had started when she was sixteen, when she’d discovered the joys of dating all available gorgeous men, and she had even tried flirting with Tommy before the penny dropped that he was interested in only one woman.

  Mavis hadn’t judged her, unlike all the other women and even girls her own age who’d found out – and it wasn’t as if Rhona made a secret of her enjoyment of sex. Mavis had been baffled, more than anything. Having had such a bad marriage, which she’d entered into when she was just sixteen herself, she couldn’t understand why her friend bothered. Rhona had tried to explain the fascination: the thrill of the chase, the knowledge that your body drove men mad, and the fun that was to be had. But Mavis was unconvinced. Her priorities lay elsewhere, but she enjoyed hearing Rhona tell of her exploits, maybe because she herself wanted nothing more than to stay home to look after her beloved children. Rhona sighed. Even though Mavis hadn’t moved far away, it wouldn’t be the same in future.

  ‘No point in sitting around moping,’ she said now. ‘Right, that’s Kenneth done for. I wouldn’t go out with him again if he came round here begging on his hands and knees. I’d shove him back out the door and sing him “It’s All Over Now”. What are you up to tonight, Penny?’

  Penny shrugged. She didn’t have a date and had no plans, much the same as every Saturday night, though she hated to admit it. ‘Not sure. Why?’

  ‘Let’s cheer ourselves up and go down the Talisman club. We don’t need no men to get us in, we’ve just got our wages so we can pay for ourselves. What do you reckon?’

  Penny’s eyes shone. ‘I’d love to … but me mum—’

  ‘Don’t worry about her. Say you’re staying round here. Mum won’t mind, she just said you’re welcome any time. Then neither of us will be stuck trying to get home alone. I don’t fancy that two nights in a row.’

  ‘OK, right, you’re on.’ Penny pulled a face. ‘What’ll I wear? I got this new skirt but nothing to go with it.’

  ‘Let’s go and sort that out right now.’ Rhona got up and drew the old dressing gown she’d been wearing more tightly around her. ‘I’ll just go and get out of this then we can go down the market and see what they have to offer. Can’t have you showing me up,’ she said, though she wasn’t averse to having a friend slightly less attractive than herself. Rhona had no doubts about why men made a beeline for her, but it often helped to have a willing accomplice who didn’t threaten to steal the best-looking guy in the room. Penny fitted the bill perfectly: pretty but not stunning, friendly but not too confident, curvy but not drop-dead sexy. It wouldn’t hurt to get her dressed up a bit.

  ‘Lovely. I haven’t been down there since I got this skirt.’ Penny stood up. ‘I might look for some new false eyelashes as well. Now that I’ve got the hang of them I feel naked going out without them.’ She giggled. ‘First time I tried them my mum screamed the house down – thought it was a big spider in the basin.’

  ‘Can’t say I blame her,’ said Rhona, ‘but it’s a good idea. Might get some more meself.’

  Mavis was already getting to know her new local market, armed with a list of items needed for the house. It was daft, she told herself as she recalled the familiar ache she always felt when she had said goodnight to Tommy. What she wouldn’t have given to have him stay the night … Pull yourself together, she muttered. It’s not as if he hasn’t made it obvious he’d like to stay, but you don’t let him and you know why perfectly well. So stop feeling sorry for yourself.

  For some reason she’d never really explored this market, even though it was just round the corner from Peckham Rye station. She’d often come down Rye Lane to get to the big shops, and had window-shopped at Jones & Higgins, although she knew that such fine goods would never make their way into her cramped rented house. But now – why not? She might have to get most of her list from the market but perhaps she could treat herself to one or two things from the prestigious store where the more well-off members of the local population bought their homeware.

  Meanwhile she had to buy a tea strainer. When she’d got round to unpacking her own crockery and kitchenware it was nowhere to be found, and she couldn’t keep running downstairs to borrow Lily’s. Grace wanted a new purple pencil case to match her room. She also wanted a purple dress and coat along with a matching scarf for Little Ted, but Mavis had pointed out that the pencil case would be the most useful and she couldn’t have everything. The little girl had sulked for a minute over breakfast but soon cheered up when her mother had tuned the wireless to Radio Caroline. Grace was already a dab hand at singing along with the pop songs, effortlessly learning all the words.

  Mavis stopped to check the price of some cleaning materials, which were bound to come in handy. ‘Do you three for the price of two on those,’ said the stallholder. ‘Genuine Ajax, that is, none of your cheap imitations you’ll get elsewhere. Got a lot of floors? This’ll sort you out. My missus swears by it.’

  Mavis nodded and agreed to take three, reckoning that if she didn’t need them all then Lily surely would. ‘And some dusters, while you’re at it.’

  ‘Throw them in for nothing,’ offered the stallholder, picking up a small packet. ‘Now how about some rubber gloves? Lovely soft hands, you got,’ he added as he took her money and lingered for just a moment too long.

  ‘Thanks,’ said Mavis, moving hastily away. Rubber gloves could wait. She made a note to get any scouring powder elsewhere in future. She felt like running back to the house but told herself not to be silly. It was only a bit of harmless flattery, the bloke was just a bit on the creepy side. No doubt other women loved it and kept coming back for more. Anyway she’d have to get Grace something or there’d be tears and recriminations all weekend. Then if she got her daughter something it was only fair to find a little present for James too. He was so good, he hardly ever complained when Grace got more attention, so she had to try extra hard to make sure he didn’t miss out.

  All around her the crowds were growing, bargain-hunting women and men enjoying their morning off, young children being dragged along by their parents, one getting a clip around the ear for trying to take a piece of fruit off a stall. ‘I was only lookin’,’ the boy wailed. Mavis couldn’t blame him; the display was colourful and would have tempted anyone.

  ‘You keep your thieving hands to yerself,’ snapped his mother, smacking him
again. ‘You’ll go without yer dinner if I catch you doing that again.’

  Mavis looked away. After witnessing what Alec had done to James, she couldn’t bear to see a child being hit, even if it wasn’t anything more than a light tap. Lord knows she’d been on the receiving end of it herself, first from her mother, then from her husband, and she never wanted to be in that position again.

  Noticing a stall selling toys and stationery, Mavis wandered over when she spotted a flash of purple. Exactly what Grace wanted – a plastic pencil case. She picked it up and added a set of coloured pencils for James. They’d come in handy for school even if he wasn’t as keen on drawing as his sister. Thankfully the stallholder took her money without trying to get to know her. He was engaged in conversation with another customer, something about some old roads being knocked down to make room for new houses. The same thing was happening in many parts of London; houses being demolished to make way for towering blocks of flats.

  Turning to walk away, Mavis thought she saw a familiar face, which stopped her in her tracks. An older woman slammed into her back. ‘’Ere, what do you think you’re doing?’ the old harridan roared. ‘Almost made me drop my bags, you did. You wanna watch what you’re about.’

  ‘Sorry,’ Mavis said, shaken and distracted. It couldn’t have been who she thought it was. He didn’t live round here – he’d left Battersea years ago and as far as she knew he had no reason to come back to any part of South London. Maybe it was a trick of the light – he’d have changed a lot since she last saw him. What would it have been since she’d last seen him? Ten years? She was jumpy after the creepy stallholder, that was all it was.

  Clutching her shopping bag tightly, Mavis headed in the opposite direction, trying to enjoy the spectacle of the Saturday morning market in full swing. There were some teenage girls laughing at a clothes stall, holding up dresses in the latest styles, hurriedly copied from the West End shops and run up in cheaper fabrics. One of them waved around a miniskirt that was little more than a pelmet, giggling wildly. Another had a top in sharp geometric patterns that was an exact imitation of something Mavis had seen on Top of the Pops when she’d been round to her friend and former neighbour Jenny Bonner’s. It made her think of Rhona and her outrageous outfits. She wondered how her young friend would get along now she’d moved away from Harwood Street. Don’t be daft, she told herself. It was high time Rhona went out with girls of her own age, and she might even be relieved not to see so much of Mavis. Mavis had always felt herself to be very staid in comparison to her energetic young neighbour, but she knew she’d miss her. It wasn’t just for the gossip and scandalous stories; underneath the good-time girl exterior, the young woman had a heart of gold. She just preferred to keep that a secret, in case some man decided he’d like to break it.

  Feeling better, Mavis headed back towards the main road, Peckham Rye. There was still time to pay a visit to the high-end store of Jones & Higgins. But she’d gone off the idea. Maybe when she did go, she could drag Jenny along – her house had a few good-quality things in it and she’d know what a fair price was. The decision made, her mind turned back to that oddly familiar face in the crowd.

  If her suspicions were right, Mavis knew she had every right to feel uneasy. What in heaven’s name would have brought Larry Barnet to Peckham?

  Chapter Four

  Jenny Bonner stared at her husband. ‘Do you really have to do this? What about me? What about Greg? He’s only ten. It’ll be a big change.’

  Stan Bonner rubbed his head, pushing his hand across his receding hairline. He’d known this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation. ‘I realise that, love. It’s not ideal. But if I want to get on in the firm there’s no getting away from it. I’ve got to travel more, and as I said, it’ll often mean staying away for several nights in a row.’

  Jenny shook her head, worried and upset. For a moment she had the horrible thought that this was Stan’s excuse to get away from her, that maybe there was another woman in his life. Then she came to her senses. Stan loved her and wasn’t the type to stray. ‘When does it start, Stan? Are you sure there’s nobody else who’ll do it?’

  ‘That’s not the point, love.’ Stan tried not to show his impatience. He wasn’t happy either but he knew what would happen if he didn’t agree to do as his boss asked. ‘Plenty of the others would do it. The thing is, they picked me out. That means they like me and I could be in for a promotion. That’d be good, wouldn’t it? Get you more things, and for Greg too.’

  Jenny could tell she was on a losing streak but tried again. ‘What about Greg? He’ll be doing his eleven-plus soon. He’ll need you here to help him. I didn’t stay on at school for long enough to be of much use. He’ll get all those practice papers and then he’ll fail because his mum wasn’t clever enough to show him how to work them out.’

  Stan came across the kitchen and put his arms round her. ‘Don’t say that, love. He’s a bright boy, and he’ll be fine. You’re bright too and it wasn’t your fault you didn’t stay on at school. Your mum needed you to go out to work, to earn money to help her out.’

  Jenny leaned against him and seemed to sag, the fight going out of her. ‘I won’t like it when you’re away. I’ll miss you.’

  ‘I’ll miss you too, but we want a good life for Greg, don’t we? I’ll be earning more money, and if I get promoted we’ll be in clover.’

  Jenny nodded, her head pressing against her husband’s shoulder. She loved her house – it was big for three of them, and to begin with they’d hoped there would be more children, but none had come and now they were used to having lots of space. Greg had his own bedroom and there was a spare room. Stan was an insurance salesman and had a little space he called his office, though now that he was going to be away from home for long periods, it would hardly be used. ‘I suppose if you get promoted, it’ll be worth it.’

  ‘That’s the spirit.’ Stan pulled back so he could look into his wife’s hazel eyes. ‘I’m doing it for you two. This chance has come just at the right time. Greg’s old enough to understand, and he’s not so little that you have to run round after him anymore.’

  ‘I liked running round after him.’ Jenny gave a sniff. He’d been an adorable little boy, and she never begrudged him a minute of her time. She didn’t like to think of him growing up and getting independent. But Stan was right. That wouldn’t be far away.

  ‘I know you did. You were, you are, a wonderful mother. I’m proud of you.’ Stan gave her a squeeze, thinking again how he’d miss her gorgeous curves while he was on the road. ‘It’ll break my heart spending nights away from the pair of you. You know that. But you’ll be fine. You could ask Tommy over, if that would make it easier.’

  Jenny hugged him back. ‘I might. He must get lonely in that flat down in Wandsworth. He hasn’t really got any mates there, and Mavis will be busy sorting out her new place. He might be glad of a few evenings round here.’ Jenny had been close to her cousin Tommy when they were little and when his marriage had failed his mean mother had refused to take him in, even temporarily, so he had come to stay with them. That had been two years ago, but the cousins had stayed close, particularly when Tommy had started to date Mavis, Jenny’s great friend and former next-door neighbour from when she’d been married to Alec. ‘I’ll ask him.’

  ‘You do that. I’d feel better if I thought you weren’t on your own every evening when I’m away.’ Stan was relieved. It looked as if he’d be able to accept his boss’s proposal with a clear conscience. ‘I suppose there’s still no sign of him staying over in Peckham?’

  Jenny shook her head, pulling away from her husband. Her brown hair, which these days was cut in a neat bob, swung around her face. ‘You know very well that Mavis won’t do anything until the whole mess with that evil husband of hers is sorted out, and that might take years. It’s a crying shame.’

  Stan pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sat down. He’d never had much to do with the Pughs when they’d lived next door and had fou
nd it hard to believe what had gone on only a few yards from their own happy home. ‘Yeah, what a bastard, ’scuse my French. It’d be better off for everyone if he washed up dead somewhere, wouldn’t it? That would solve everything.’

  ‘I wouldn’t wish that on anybody – but yes, you’re right. After what he did to Mavis and James, it would be no more than he deserves. Mavis has had to bring up their children without a penny of support from him, despite all that money Alec will have gained from selling the house.’

  The sound of ‘Please Don’t Go’ blasted out from the Talisman club as Rhona and Penny pushed their way through the entrance lobby. Penny had been worried that she wouldn’t get in as she knew she looked younger than she actually was, but the doorman had taken one glance at her blonde hair and curvy figure and waved her straight through. She giggled nervously as she surveyed the crowd. Everyone seemed very sophisticated and confident. She straightened her shoulders. They were no better than her and she wouldn’t stand in a corner waiting to be asked to join in.

  ‘Shall we dance?’ she shouted in Rhona’s ear, struggling to make herself heard above the twanging guitar booming from the speakers.

  ‘Let’s get a drink first,’ Rhona shouted back. She didn’t want to seem too eager. That might put some men off and she wanted to have the chance to scout the place properly before deciding who was worth bothering with and who wasn’t. ‘If we wait until later the bar might be too busy. This way.’ She led her friend around the tables crowded on the edge of the dance floor and across to the bar. The floor was already a little slippery from spilt drinks but she didn’t care. ‘Oh baby, please don’t go …’ she sang to the song under her breath, as she headed for a gap in the press of people attempting to catch the bar staff’s eyes. She had a rule: to buy her own drink to begin with, and not to rush into accepting one from the first man who offered. She didn’t want to risk getting stuck with a total moron for half the evening. She’d mentioned this technique to Penny on the way here on the bus. They’d sat at the back on the top deck, smoking and getting themselves in the mood for a proper night out. Penny had been slightly unsure of her new top but Rhona had assured her it was exactly right, and not too low-cut at all.