A Family Christmas (33 page)

‘Well then, you’d best get yer coat on.’ The housekeeper took a coin out of the pocket of her apron and slipped it into Lily’s coat pocket. ‘Keep that for ever you’re in need of it.’ That was the final straw and the tears rushed to Lily’s eyes.

‘Ooh, Mrs Cooper, I don’t want to go. I won’t be able to talk to yer if I’m worried and I’m going to miss yer.’

‘Course yer going to miss me, yer silly lass and I shall miss you. But we shall get over it. Now then,
Mr
Smith’s back wi’ Mr Grey. Yer mustn’t keep ’em waiting, not after he’s been good enough to give yer both a lift to’t station. Well, ’ave yer got everything? Come on then, give us a cuddle and don’t start weeping again, yer daft haporth. Say ta ra to yer sister and be off with yer. And behave yerself.’

‘I will. Ta ra Molly. I’ll write if I’ve time.’

‘Ta ta, Lily.’ Molly wished it was her going to live in Blackpool.

Lily picked up her bag as Mr Smith drew up at the kitchen door. It wasn’t a very big bag because she didn’t have much to put in it. Her dad had done his best and sent her mam to the market to buy Lily two pairs of warm knickers, two vests and two pairs of stockings. Her shoes had had to make do with a new sole and heel. Nellie had promised her a new uniform. ‘So long as yer warm underneath yer’ll not go far wrong,’ her dad had told her. ‘I’ve heard tell ’ow cold it can be in Blackpool.’ He seemed to think he was sending his daughter off to the North Pole, Lily thought.

She began to panic as she climbed in the back of Mr Smith’s car and wished she could change her mind and not go. Then she calmed down as she remembered Robbie would be there to look after her. She turned and waved to the two figures standing at the door, then at Larry who was clearing soggy leaves off the drive. She ought to have reminded their Molly not to let him take advantage
of
her, but it was too late now. She was off to Blackpool on a train. Suddenly the apprehension gave way to excitement; she was going to live in Blackpool, she really was. Who would ever have thought it?

The queue stretched from Will’s stall to the fish stall and Will was rushed off his feet. He tried to fit in a joke or two between serving – it was what the ladies had come to expect. He threw a turnip on the scale and told the woman how much her goods had come to, then he moved to the next customer; he could be weighing out while the first woman fumbled about in her purse to pay him. Then his customer smiled and the world seemed to stop. ‘Betty Brown Eyes.’

‘Hello, Will.’ Her eyes twinkled as she held out her basket. ‘Are you going to serve me or aren’t you?’

Will felt his face redden as he gathered himself together. ‘Yes. Course I am. It was just a surprise seeing you here, that’s all.’ Will had thought of Betty constantly but didn’t think someone like Betty would look twice at someone like him.

‘Well I told you I lived in Cragstone. Now, can I have some spring cabbage?’

Will picked out the best from the box. ‘How much do yer want?’

‘Well, it’s for four of us – my gran’s staying for a few days. I think that should do.’ Will weighed it and placed it in the wicker basket. ‘And I’ll take
some
carrots, a couple of pounds I think.’ He took his time, not wanting her to leave. He blushed even more as he plucked up courage to ask, ‘Can I meet yer after work?’

On Christmas Eve Betty had hurried away home with her friends before he had had time to ask her out. Now he had been given another chance he didn’t intend letting her go.

‘Well, yes. It’s my day off. What time do you finish?’

‘About six, but I’ll need to go back to Millington and get changed.’

‘So shall I meet you in Millington? There’s a bus gets there at half past seven.’

‘Sure. Shall we go to the second house pictures?’

‘That’ll be lovely.’

‘Are yer serving me or aren’t yer?’ A regular customer called out from further up the queue. Betty laughed and handed over half a crown. Will gave her the change with a dopey look on his face and Betty hurried away.

‘Who’s that then? Yer girlfriend?’ the woman asked. Will didn’t answer. ‘If not, she should be. Nice lass like her is just what yer need.’

‘No, Martha, what he needs is somebody like me to show ’im ’ow to go on. Come up next week when our owd man’s on nights, I’ll show yer, Will Gabbitas.’

‘Hey, if Will needs any instructions I’m before you, Sadie Fisher.’

Will laughed and joined in the banter but his
mind
was on other things. He had a date at last with the most beautiful girl he had ever clapped eyes on. She had been worth waiting for, had Betty Brown Eyes. He couldn’t wait to tell Robbie. Then he remembered Robbie was in Blackpool. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to let Robbie see how happy he was, not with a divorce facing him.

Things weren’t looking good for Robbie. His case was an extremely complicated one, according to Paul Tomlinson. ‘If you had stayed with your wife and she had left you, you would have had a case for judicial separation, but it was you who deserted her. Now was there any cruelty involved?’ Robbie shook his head. ‘Any adultery on her part?’

‘No, not that I know of.’

‘On your part?’

‘No, I wouldn’t do that.’

‘Mental illness?’

Robbie looked hopeful. ‘She’s mad as a hatter.’

‘Tell me about it.’ Paul waited, pen poised, but Robbie didn’t know how to explain.

‘Well, she told everyone she was pregnant in order to trick me into marriage, even though I’d never touched her, still haven’t.’

‘Ah, so your marriage was never consummated?’

‘No. I couldn’t bear to be near her.’

‘Hmm!’ The lawyer made notes and played with his moustache as he considered this turn of events. ‘Do you have evidence of this?’

‘Yes. She was examined by the doctor on the day I left. I haven’t been in her company since.’

‘But she was willing to submit to intercourse?’

Robbie almost laughed. ‘More than willing.’

Paul frowned. ‘Unfortunately that changes the situation.’

‘How?’

‘If she had been unwilling the marriage could have been annulled. If she can be persuaded to apply for an annulment on the grounds of your failure to consummate the marriage that could be the solution.’

‘Not much chance of that; she won’t want a divorce. She’s obsessed with me, insane I shouldn’t wonder.’

‘Have you discussed any of this with her family?’

‘What’s the point? It’s her father who made me marry her, and he being a vicar doesn’t help.’

‘I can see that. Well, leave it with me and I’ll be in contact. Do you know of your wife’s whereabouts?’

‘Only that she’s in Liverpool.’ Robbie rose to his feet, then sat down again, embarrassed as he asked, ‘How much is this likely to cost?’

‘Well, divorces don’t come cheap. Can cost anything from twenty-five to five hundred pounds.’

‘Five hundred pounds?’ Robbie stammered. ‘I don’t have that kind of money. I’m sorry, I’ve been wasting your time.’

‘I said it
could
cost that, but it won’t. Tom Johnson is a very good friend of mine and so is Nellie.
You
are part of Nellie’s family. If I can help you I shall and I’ll keep the costs to a minimum. Just leave it with me.’ Paul shifted his chair and rose to his feet and Robbie took the hint that the meeting was over.

‘Well, thanks for seeing me, but it doesn’t sound too hopeful, does it?’

‘It won’t be easy and it could take years.’

‘I don’t care how long it takes, so long as I’m rid of her.’

‘I shall certainly do my best. Good afternoon, Mr Grey.’

‘Good afternoon, Mr Tomlinson.’ Robbie went out into the bitter afternoon. Salty rain lashed against the windows and clouds rolled across the darkening sky. Robbie turned up his coat collar and hurried along the back streets in the direction of the Johnsons’ guest house. He thought back to the day not so long ago when he had been here with Dot. What a fool he had been to fall in with the Goodmans’ plans. What a bloody stupid fool to ruin his life and that of the girl he loved, for someone as despicable as Prudence Goodman. He felt the tears rush to his eyes and found it difficult to swallow. All the sadness of the last few years rose up inside him; the loss of his parents, his home and Dot. He had had his brothers to lean on after the loss of his mother and father, but no one could comfort him now; he would need to sort out this problem on his own. His emotions threatened to
drown
him and he cried the way he used to when he was a small child. The rain mingled with his tears so that passers by never noticed them being shed by the tall, handsome, heartbroken man.

Lucy spat on the iron, testing its heat, and stood it on the upturned basin on the table, placing the cooling one in its place on the fire. The fortnight-old twins were sleeping one to each end of the pram and Rosie had been taken by Mary to the Co-op for Lucy’s shopping. Bernard was playing with Baby in front of the fire and all was peaceful. Lucy loved the smell of fresh, clean laundry and she delighted in the feel of soft, fluffy napkins between her fingers. She skimmed over anything that wasn’t too creased and took extra care with things like shirts and Rosie’s dresses. The knock on the door caused one of the twins to jump, but Peter soon settled down again, to Lucy’s relief. It was Louisa Goodman, standing uncomfortably on the step.

‘Mrs Goodman.’ Lucy smiled and beckoned Louisa into the kitchen.

Louisa relaxed. She hadn’t know how she would be received after the fiasco of Prudence and Robbie. ‘I should have come before, but Jane said you were receiving plenty of help after the births, so I decided to wait until a time when you might need some assistance. It must be hard with the twins and Primrose and Bernard besides.’

‘Well it won’t be easy, but I shall get into a routine
I
expect.’ She picked up the iron. At one time she would have hurriedly removed the ironing blanket from the table and set out her best crockery, but she didn’t have time for that anymore. ‘I’ll make some tea in a minute, but I really do need to finish the ironing whilst they are asleep.’

‘Of course. Can I take a peep? I promise not to disturb them.’ Louisa felt a rush of emotion as she studied the faces and tiny fingers of the sleeping babies. ‘Oh, Lucy, aren’t they adorable, but so different.’

‘Yes, Peter resembles John and Violet’s like me, I think.’

‘Here, let me do that.’ Louisa took the iron off the basin as Lucy smoothed out a pillow case. ‘Rest your legs for a while. After all they’re no age yet and you must be tired after the births.’

‘Oh, everyone’s been good, especially Mary, and it must be hard for her facing the children every day when she so much desires one of her own.’

‘Well yes, but I expect she gains some satisfaction from being with yours. Still it’s sad for her. I so wanted another child, but it never happened. After the way Prudence has turned out I suppose it happened for the best.’

Lucy didn’t know what to say. She could see the sadness in Louisa’s eyes as she ironed one of Will’s shirts. ‘Oh, Prudence isn’t a bad girl; she just became infatuated with Robbie, I suppose.’ Lucy moved the iron and placed the kettle on the fire, ‘I’ll make some tea.’

‘I’ve brought a sweet cake, I baked it this morning, and if you look in the bag there are some pram sets for the twins.’ Lucy opened the bag and took out a brown paper parcel, inside were two snowy white knitted coats, two pairs of leggings and two tiny caps.

‘Oh Mrs Goodman, they’re beautiful, thankyou so much. I shall keep them for Sundays when we go for our afternoon walk.’

‘As you wish, but if I were you I would let them wear them as much as possible, after all they grow out of things so fast in the first few months.’

‘Yes, maybe you’re right.’

Louisa finished ironing the last garment – a tiny dress belonging to Rosie – and folded the ironing blanket in four. ‘Now is there anything else I can do while I’m here?’

‘No thanks, but let’s have some tea.’ The kettle was singing on the fire and Lucy lifted it off and mashed the tea. ‘Well, how is Prudence?’ She wasn’t really interested but felt so sorry for Louisa; after all she must be missing her daughter.

‘I don’t really know. She doesn’t say much in her letters except that she’s taken a job in the library. I suppose the experience here helped her to get it. She’s always been a strange girl, Lucy. I can’t describe the way she is. There’s nothing I can pinpoint exactly; she’s just strange. Never made friends, always a loner until Robbie came. Then she ruined his life, her own too I suppose. Who will
ever
want anything to do with a divorced woman?’ It was all too much for Louisa and she began to cry.

‘Oh Mrs Goodman, I didn’t mean to upset you.’

The woman brushed away her tears. ‘It wasn’t your fault, and please call me Louisa,’ she managed between the sobs. ‘Nobody ever uses my first name; it’s being the wife of a vicar I suppose. It makes it difficult to make close friends. We’ve plenty of acquaintances but not many friends.’

‘Well, you’re a good friend to me, Louisa. Now let’s drink our tea before the twins wake up and need feeding.’ Lucy smiled at the sight of Bernard, who had dozed off on the rug with Baby cuddled up close.

‘Are you feeding them yourself?’

‘Yes, unlike with Rosie I have plenty of milk. I expect it was the shock of Evelyn’s death at the time.’

‘Bernard’s fortunate to have you, Lucy.’

‘And we are fortunate to have him.’

‘Yes, you are. You’re a good girl, Lucy Grey. There are givers and takers in the world; you are one of the givers.’

Lucy considered what Louisa had said. ‘Yes, I suppose I am. But what I give out is returned to me twofold. Look at the help I’m receiving now. From Mrs Slater, Mrs Holmes – even Mr Holmes and Mr Marshall have begun taking Rosie and Bernard off my hands, walking them up to the allotments to give me a break. Even Mrs Murphy’s been
good
, rocking Rosie to sleep by the fire. You’d think she’d have enough on with all her lot.’ Lucy paused. ‘Oh Louisa, I hope I don’t end up like her though, letting them all run wild. Though they’re all lovable rogues.’

‘Well, I don’t know the family, them being Catholics, but I’m sure you’ll never let your children run amok, and if you ever find them becoming too much for you, you know where I am.’