by June Francis
She ushered them in the direction of the orphanage and as soon as they arrived there, a huffy Kathleen made herself scarce. It was left to Patsy to explain to Matron what had happened. She received a scolding but managed to make her escape with her own damp coat without being told that she needn’t bother coming back for the next few months.
There was no time for her to go in search of Kathleen to arrange where they were to meet before the wedding, always assuming she would come, so Patsy decided she would have to write her a short note when she returned to the Tanners and post it as soon as she could.
Chapter Seven
Patsy let herself into the kitchen and hung up her damp coat. She was just lighting the gas ring when she heard a noise upstairs. Could Mrs Tanner have come home earlier than she had planned? Perhaps she had not won the competition after all.
Patsy left the kitchen and walked along the passage to the foot of the stairs. ‘Is that you, Mrs Tanner?’ she called up.
For a moment there was silence and then she heard footsteps overhead.
‘No, it’s me, Patsy. Where have you been?’
Patsy received such a fright that she put a hand to her breast as if to steady her heartbeat. ‘Mr Tanner! I thought your ship wasn’t due in until tomorrow morning!’
‘We made up for some lost time,’ he said, coming downstairs. ‘Do you know where my wife is?’
He had a bundle of envelopes under his arm and she thought that he looked sad and weary. ‘Mrs Tanner gave me permission to visit my sisters and brother at the orphanage. She was performing in a dance competition this afternoon, but I honestly don’t know where it’s taking place.’
He nodded. ‘How has she been while I’ve been away?’
Patsy hesitated. ‘She’s had a bit of an upset tummy.’
‘I see. Obviously she’s feeling better now if she’s gone out.’
‘It’s this competition, Mr Tanner. She’s dead keen.’
‘So I believe but I’ll say no more on that score. Can you poach me a couple of eggs on toast and bring me a pot of tea? I’ll be in the drawing room.’
‘Yes, Mr Tanner.’
Patsy wondered if he had spoken to one of the neighbours who had complained that his wife had played dance music almost constantly when she was not gadding about and coming in all hours of the night. She felt apprehensive about what might happen when Mrs Tanner arrived home.
She prepared his supper and carried it in to the sitting room. He was gazing into space and there was a typewritten letter open on his knee. What was it about its contents that caused him to look so drawn and unhappy?
‘Your supper, Mr Tanner,’ said Patsy.
David folded the letter and put it in an envelope. ‘Thank you.’
‘Is there anything else you need?’
‘No.’
She was on her way out of the room when he called her back. ‘Wait, Patsy. You mentioned seeing your sisters and brother – did you have a good time together?’
She was pleased that he should take an interest. ‘It was lovely seeing them but our Maureen went and fell in the paddling pool and Jimmy was telling me he wants to be an engine driver. I’d like to do my best to help him get the job he wants but I’m sure it’s not going to be easy. As for our Kathleen, she’ll be leaving the orphanage in the next few days and she’s a bit of a rebel and is kicking up about the job the guardians have found her.’
He smiled faintly. ‘What is it she wants to do?’
‘God only knows! I doubt she knows herself. But I’m hoping she’ll be sensible and stop complaining.’
‘So a lot for you to worry about,’ he said.
‘Yes! Fortunately, I’ve something to look forward to,’ she said, smiling.
‘And what is that?’
‘A wedding next Saturday. Mrs Tanner has given me permission to go. I hope that’s all right with you, Mr Tanner?’
‘Whose wedding is it?’
‘Miss Kirk’s. She’s marrying Mr Bennett.’
He looked surprised. ‘The paragon is marrying her boss! I hope she’ll be happy.’
‘He’s old enough to be her father,’ blurted out Patsy.
‘One presumes she knows what she’s doing,’ said David.
‘Well, she’s got a head on her shoulders, if that’s what you mean,’ said Patsy. ‘She came and wished me a happy sixteenth birthday and brought me some cake, as well as a present from my friend, Tilly, in America. They’re related by marriage. I’ve still got a bit of the cake if you’d like a taste?’
‘A taste of the paragon’s cake,’ he mused. ‘Why not? So you’re now sixteen, Patsy?’
‘Yes, Mr Tanner. Be seventeen next year and soon be an old woman.’
He smiled. ‘You’ve cheered me up. Go and get me a slice of that cake.’
Patsy had never seen him smile in such a way before and thought it made him look quite attractive. It’s a pity he couldn’t look happy more often. ‘Rightio,’ she said, hastening away.
When she returned he looked grim-faced again and had another envelope open with a letter sticking out. ‘Your cake,’ she said, placing the plate on the table.
He nodded, without looking up.
She stood a moment, waiting, but when he did not speak she crept out. What were the letters he was reading? They hadn’t come through the letter box here, that was for sure. Perhaps they had been sent to his office and he had called in there before coming home.
She made herself some supper and then settled in a chair by the fire with a novel. She was engrossed in the story when David Tanner entered the kitchen with the tray. He placed it on the draining board. ‘Did my wife give you any idea when she would be home?’
Patsy tore herself away from the page. ‘Sorry, Mr Tanner. What did you say?’ She put aside the book and got to her feet.
He leant against the sink. ‘I asked if my wife said when she would be back.’
‘No. But she did say that if she won the competition, then she would be celebrating.’
‘With whom?’
‘She didn’t say.’
He left the kitchen without saying another word.
Patsy carried on reading. After a while her eyes began to droop so she placed a marker between the pages. She visited the outside lavatory, washed her hands and cleaned her teeth in the kitchen before going to bed. Rose was still out and Patsy wondered if she planned on staying out all night. She tried to stay awake and listen out for her but she was too tired and soon drifted into sleep.
Patsy was roused by the sound of a car stopping outside. There was laughter and a male voice mingling with a feminine one that she recognised as Rose Tanner’s. Patsy’s heart seemed to bounce in her chest. She glanced at the alarm clock beside her bed and saw that it was one o’clock in the morning. Heck! What if Mr Tanner was still awake and heard the noise? Hopefully the car was a taxi and the man’s voice that of the driver.
She climbed out of bed and padded over to the window. But if she had wanted to warn her mistress, then it was too late. She heard the front door open and David asking, ‘Do you know what time this is, Rose?’
The silence that followed those words felt heavy and ominous. ‘Please, God, let the man be a taxi driver,’ whispered Patsy.
Rose smothered a nervous giggle. ‘Brendan, can you tell my husband the time, seeing that he doesn’t know it himself?’
‘Don’t try and be smart with me, Rose,’ thundered her husband. ‘You’re drunk!’
‘No, not drunk,’ said Rose, ‘just a little tipsy! And you would be, David, if you’d had an evening like mine. We won, we won!’
‘Perhaps I’d better explain, Mr Tanner, what’s been happening,’ said the man accompanying Rose. ‘It’s not what you might think.’
‘I’d rather you didn’t waste your time and mine by lying to me,’ said David coldly. ‘I know what you and my wife have been up to and I think you’d best go. I need to talk to her, alone.’
‘But you can’t know,’ cried Rose.
‘You’ve been away.’
‘Can’t I? The pair of you should have shown more discretion. Now, Mr O’Hara, I’d appreciate it if you were to leave,’ said David.
‘No, Brendan,’ cried Rose, panic in her voice. ‘He’ll hurt me. You have to stay. You know what a terrible temper he has!’
‘You lying bitch,’ rasped David. ‘It’s you who has the temper. I swear, by God, I won’t lay a finger on you if you come inside quietly. We have matters to discuss.’
‘Don’t believe a word he says, Brendan, he’s out to destroy me,’ said Rose in a quivering voice. ‘Please, Brendan, take me with you!’
‘He’s not going to take you anywhere,’ said David, a sneering note in his voice. ‘Definitely not to America.’
‘Brendan?’ pleaded Rose.
There was the noise of a sash window going up. ‘Will you three shut up down there,’ shouted a man’s voice.
‘Fred, don’t,’ called a woman’s voice. ‘Come back to bed.’
Patsy could imagine Mr Tanner’s embarrassment and anger at the thought of half the road listening to what was going on. She heard a scuffle and then the sound of a door slamming. There was a noise of a fist hitting wood and then the murmur of voices. After that a car door opened and shut, an engine accelerated and the car moved off.
Her curiosity intensified. Should she go downstairs and see what was going on? Had Brendan and Rose driven away or had Mr Tanner persuaded his wife to come inside and finally given in to a violent impulse. Unexpectedly Patsy heard her name being called from outside. She poked her head out of the window and, to her amazement, saw Rose Tanner standing on the front path.
‘Madam, what are you doing down there?’ she called.
‘Mr Tanner has shut me out. I’ve tried the back door but it’s locked. Will you open it for me?’
Patsy was surprised. ‘You want to come inside? What about that man – that Brendan O’Hara?’
‘He’s none of your business! Now… now get down here and let me in!’
‘Mr Tanner might stop me,’ said Patsy.
‘He won’t hurt you. Besides, this is all his fault. If only he’d been honest with me in the first place, none of this would have happened.’ Her voice broke on a sob. ‘I’m going round the back.’
Patsy put on a frock and crept down to the first-floor landing. She almost jumped out of her skin when she saw a shadowy figure. David Tanner was standing outside his bedroom. She waited for him to say something but, instead, he went inside his room and closed the door. She let out a pent-up breath and hurried to the kitchen. As soon as she unlocked the back door, Rose Tanner fell inside.
Patsy picked her up and heaved her onto a chair. Then she fumbled in the dark for the matches and felt her way to the stove. She lit a gas ring and turned it full on before facing Rose. ‘Are you all right, madam?’ she asked.
‘What a stupid question! Of course I’m not all right.’ Rose buried her head in her hands and added in a muffled voice, ‘Everything’s gone wrong, and it was such a lovely evening.’
Patsy felt her ire rising. ‘What do you want me to do, madam?’ she asked in a cool voice.
‘Put a hot-water bottle in my bed.’
The request was so prosaic that Patsy thought she must have misheard her. ‘I beg your pardon?’
‘You heard me! I want a hot-water bottle. I’m going to bed and they’ll both regret what they’ve done to me!’ She placed her hands on the back of the chair and pushed herself up. Patsy stared at her. Tears had caused Rose’s mascara to run, her lipstick was smeared and her features were twisted in an ugly grimace. ‘Never trust a man,’ she said, tears filling her eyes. She staggered away from the chair and made for the door.
Patsy paused to put the kettle on before hurrying after her, concerned that she might fall down the stairs. She followed her all the way up, placing a hand to the small of her back when she seemed in danger of toppling over. At last they reached the landing and Patsy saw her mistress inside her bedroom and helped her undress. She seemed dozy and Patsy drew back the bedcovers and dragged her onto the bed and covered her up. Then she went downstairs and filled a hot-water bottle.
When she returned Rose appeared to have passed out, so Patsy took the hot bottle upstairs and put it in her own bed. She undressed and crept beneath the bedcovers and hugged the hot-water bottle to her. She longed to have someone to talk to about what had just taken place. Joy Kirk? But how could Patsy possibly bother her right now when she was up to her eyes in wedding preparations? She was just going to have to stick it out here and cope with the aftermath of what had happened on her own. It appeared that Mr Tanner had known about the man called Brendan O’Hara all along.
* * *
‘You’ll never guess who I saw at the tea dance competitions last night,’ said Robbie, picking up his knife and fork.
Joy paused on her way out of the dining room. ‘Who?’
‘The great detective.’
‘Grant Simpson! Was he with Wendy?’
‘Yes. But they weren’t dancing but keeping a keen eye on the competitors.’ He cut into a fried egg and forked it into his mouth. ‘You might like to know,’ he added, ‘that Brendan and Rose Tanner won the Charleston and the foxtrot competition.’
‘How nice for them,’ said Joy dryly. ‘Did you manage to speak to Wendy?’
Robbie nodded. ‘She came over and said hello and ever so casually asked me how well I knew Brendan.’
Joy’s eyes sharpened. ‘What did you tell her?’
‘I told her the truth and she told me to tell you that she’d be here today with Minnie.’
‘I haven’t forgotten,’ said Joy. ‘Alice is coming over with my wedding outfit and the girls’ dresses. Fingers crossed they’ll fit without any alterations being needed.’
‘I suppose you’ll want me out of the way,’ said Robbie, wiping yolk from his chin with a finger and licking it.
‘If you don’t mind.’
‘No. I thought I’d go and spend my winnings.’
Joy looked surprised. ‘You mean you won on the Grand National yesterday?’
He grinned. ‘Aye. Jack Horner. It was an American-owned horse and I had a tip-off from Brendan. He sure knows his horses.’
She hesitated. ‘Do you want to invite him to the wedding?’
‘I already have. Didn’t think you’d mind,’ said Robbie. ‘As I told you, we go way back.’
‘I presume he won’t be bringing Mrs Tanner.’
‘No. Apparently Mr Tanner is due home today.’
‘That will stop their gallop,’ murmured Joy. ‘Did Mr O’Hara say he would definitely be coming to the wedding?’
‘He said he would let me know.’
‘That’s all right, then. Anyway, I hope you enjoy spending your winnings.’
‘You bet I will.’ He smiled to himself.
Joy closed the door, glad to be away from the tempting smells of bacon and eggs. It had been a terrible struggle sticking to her diet but she had lost weight and felt the better for it. She felt bad, though, about not offering Alice and the girls some of her delicious home-made scones or cake when they arrived. Still, they needed to fit into their wedding outfits so none of them would want to put on an ounce.
* * *
‘This is lovely material,’ said Joy, fingering the pale-pink taffeta skirt of Wendy’s bridesmaid’s dress. ‘You do like it, don’t you?’
‘Of course!’ replied Wendy, flicking back her mousy hair and regarding herself in the mirror.
‘So do I,’ said Minnie, nudging her elder sister out of the way so she could get a better look at her own reflection. She was a blonde, voluptuous eighteen-year-old, who normally had plenty to say for herself.
‘Hanny has opted to wear a deeper pink as matron of honour,’ said Alice. ‘You’re both happy with the design and the fit?’
‘Oh, yes,’ said Wendy, her face breaking into a delighted smile. ‘I can’t wait to see Grant’s face when he sees me looking so… so…�
� She was lost for words and turned to Joy. ‘I’m sure Uncle Robbie will be knocked for six when he sees you walking down the aisle.’
Joy gave a faint smile. ‘He’s convinced I’m making too much of a fuss and that the money could be better spent elsewhere.’
‘It’s probably Mam who said that to him,’ said Minnie. ‘She’s spitting nails about it all. I won’t repeat her words.’
‘I can imagine,’ said Joy.
‘Never mind what Mam thinks,’ said Wendy, placing an arm around Joy’s shoulders and hugging her. ‘We’re made up you’re going to be our aunt. She’s just jealous that you’re going to have more influence over Uncle Robbie than she will.’
Joy patted the hand resting on her arm. ‘It’s really nice of you to say so. I couldn’t ask for two nicer young ladies for nieces.’
‘All this work, though, has made up my mind that when I get married I’m only having the one bridesmaid and that’ll be our Minnie,’ said Wendy. ‘It’ll be simpler and less expensive.’
‘Have you set a date yet, love?’ asked Joy.
‘No! But I’ll sort Mam out, don’t you worry.’ Wendy’s eyes gleamed with determination. ‘We’ll definitely be tying the knot this year, whether she likes it or not. We’ll probably have to have Grant’s widowed sister living with us but I’ll cope with that. We just need to find the right place for the three of us to doss down together in comfort.’
Minnie said, ‘The trouble with Mam is that she doesn’t want to lose the money you hand over. It’s the same with Uncle Robbie getting hitched again. She had her eye on this house and the money Aunt Eudora left him when he pops off.’ She gasped and put a hand to her mouth. ‘Sorry, sorry, Joy, I shouldn’t have said that.’
‘No, you shouldn’t have,’ rebuked Wendy, scowling at her. ‘You’ve got no tact.’
‘Stop worrying,’ said Joy firmly. ‘What Minnie said is nothing new to me. I know how your mother’s mind works where money is concerned.’
‘She just doesn’t appreciate how generous Uncle Robbie’s already been to our family,’ said Wendy earnestly. ‘After Dad was killed, Uncle Robbie saved our skins when he came back from America to help us out.’
