A Woman Undefeated (31 page)

Holding Mikey seemed to bring Alice to her senses. She handed the baby back and bustled off.

“You will have to see to any of the boarders who come in for their meal, Maggie,” she said in her agitation. “They were making themselves scarce today, but Mr Dickinson may come back. What’s yer name, love? I can’t keep callin’ yer the bottle bearer? Oh, it’s Fred’, is it? I’ll go and put some things in that valise Michael bought me fer Christmas, Maggie. I don’t know how long I’m goin’ to be away. That’s the problem. Will yer wait up fer Seamus? No, go and get him after I’ve gone. You can’t stay here on yer own with these male boarders. He’ll be at the Ship Inn. Tell him he can bring Danny around as well if he wants to. There’ll be enough roast and vegetables fer everyone.”

“Alice, yer know that Jack has a cook and a maid livin’ there?” Maggie said. “Won’t one of them be able to nurse him, instead of you rushing over to him?”

“Typical! Just what I would expect from you, Maggie. It should be you that’s rushin’ over to Liverpool, and what’s more you should be livin’ over there with him!”

Maggie managed to get through that weekend, though how she did she’d never know. It was true what Alice had said. Though said in spite, the woman was only letting her know where she thought her daughter-in-law’s place should be. It made Maggie feel guilty and with it came flashes of Jack’s cut and bloody face before her, every time she had a minute to think.

She fed the boarders as best she could, knowing that her
standard of cooking was not as good as Alice’s. Seamus, after being told of the situation, was extremely supportive and helped her out as much as he could.

There was only one time that she had any problem, when Mr Dickinson asked for his bedroom back. She controlled her tongue, though wanted to be scathing. Words like “kicking a man when he was down” came to mind, but she told him politely that Alice and Michael would be bringing their son back home.

She was just getting Mikey settled in the pram on the Monday, in readiness to set off up the hill to Miss Rosemary’s. It had snowed overnight, the kind of snowflakes that didn’t settle for long, but left the ground slushy. She saw Alice come slithering around the corner. Her face was angry looking. Someone was about to get an earful. Probably me, Maggie thought.

“Come in and make me a drink, will yer, Maggie,” she said when she reached her. “I’m perishin’ cold after that journey. Bloomin’ trains. Nasty, draughty contraptions, and then I had to wait half an hour at Hooton, fer a trap to bring me back again!”

“I was just goin’ up to Miss Rosemary’s, Alice.”

“Let her wait, I’ve got something important to tell ye. Aren’t yer interested in knowin’ about Jack?”

Maggie wheeled Mikey’s pram back into the hallway and left him sleeping, while she followed resignedly. Alice was shivering, so taking pity on her, she went to the kettle, which was steaming gently on the hob.

“Sit down there fer a minute.” she commanded, pulling out one of the kitchen chairs.

Maggie did so, while Alice changed her fancy outdoor hat for the lacy thing.

“Well, when I got to the house in Toxteth, the doctor had gone and that maid they got from the agency was seeing to Jack. She was wipin’ his forehead and spoonin’ some gruel into his mouth. Oh yes, he’s come round by the way. Though I believe he took a nasty clout! Anyway, as I said, this young woman seemed to think it was her place to be caring for him. I said to her, “Kitty May,
what do yer think yer doin’, yer the housemaid, not a nursemaid!” Well, yer should ’ave seen the look on her face, she coloured up, left the room, then said she was off visiting her mother. It was a good job the cook was still there to see to us.” Alice paused for breath then continued to prattle.

“I said te Michael after, that I thought there was something funny going on there. I mean, it’s not her job to be carin’ for me son. Only me should be able to do that or a paid professional woman. Michael went all sheepish, I know when he’s hidin’ somethin’ from me. I’ve known him fer more than twenty five years. Well, would yer believe, the next morning, when Jack was able to sit up a little, (ye should see his poor face, Maggie, talk about being beaten to a pulp), he said that he thought I should come back over! He said with me havin’ a business to run, I was needed by the boarders. I said, “What about getting’ a professional nurse in to look after you” and he said he would make do with Kitty May! It appears she looked after her father, when he had the coughing sickness, so she’s used to lookin’ after poorly people. I said ,“I don’t think so. What about doing personal things, fer you?” Michael then spoke up and said he would help with bathing Jack and seein’ to “you know what”, so I said if I wasn’t needed, then I would go. You know, “that one”, had a look of triumph on her face when I said goodbye this morning. Michael said how could anything be goin’ on between them, when there was the cook and himself as chaperones?”

“Is that what yer thinkin’, Alice, that they’ve formed a relationship between them?” Did she feel a sense of relief and hope that what she was saying was true?

“That’s what I’m thinkin’, Maggie, and it isn’t right. He’ll always be a married man. Oh, I wish you’d think again and go back with me son. We had some happy times when we all lived here as a family.”

“But Alice, yer know all the reasons that Jack and I are not together,” Maggie said, gently. “And if he’s found someone else to love him, then I’ll be happy for him. It’s not as if they live over
here and would be flouting themselves around fer everyone to see.”

“It’s a sin fer yer to even be thinkin’ that way, Maggie! By all the saints, would yer listen to yerself. If you were me daughter, I’d wash yer mouth out with water and a bit of soap!”

Over the next few days, Maggie decided to distance herself from Alice’s ranting. She seemed to have taken a personal affront that her daughter-in-law was the cause of things “going on” in Jack’s Toxteth place and she couldn’t wait for her husband to get back, so that she could give him a piece of her mind. He was letting things happen under her nose and he should be full of shame.

It seemed to Maggie that Alice was finding “the goings on in Toxteth” more important than Jack returning to good health, and she worried for his future, because he had another fight planned in another month. And what was going to happen to the plans that Alice had for Christmas? Maggie still wanted to spend the day with Miss Rosemary, as that was what she had promised to do.

It was nearly time for the annual Christmas market and Maggie was looking forward to it eagerly. To buy gifts for little Mikey was her greatest wish, although she knew he was too young to appreciate them.

Then Michael came home and there was bitter feuding, though the couple tried to keep their quarrels quiet, so that the rest of the household couldn’t hear. It seemed that Jack wasn’t going to be coming home at Christmas. He was better now and would be resuming his training. He had sent Maggie ten pounds, to spend on whatever she wished.

Whatever was being said between Michael and Alice, Maggie didn’t want to know and was glad to be out of the house. When she had asked Alice for permission to have her Christmas dinner with Miss Rosemary, it was freely given. Though she was told very firmly that Mikey had to spend his Christmas day with them.

Strangely enough, Alice also expressed a wish to look after Mikey more often. She had said that Maggie could leave him with
her in the afternoons, her excuse being that now the weather had turned chilly, with a biting, blustery wind, Mikey would be better off staying in the warmth with her. Maggie was quite surprised, as Alice had asked her in a pleading tone, which was very unusual. Whatever the reason, she was glad to be given breathing space of her own.

The Christmas market was everything that she remembered and more. This year though, Maggie had plenty of money to spend on presents and was dressed more like the type of person she had always aspired to be. A young English gentlewoman, demurely dressed, with plenty of coins in her bag. She wore a pelisse around her shoulders. It was padded and from the same heavy velvet as her blue velveteen, but she had to wear her button boots, because on the day she visited the market, the wind was very raw.

“Well, Missis, I’d a niver ‘ave recognised yer, if yer hadn’t ‘ave come up to me and said ’ello”, said Lily, standing in the same place with her barrow and with a few more lines upon her face. She was stamping her feet in a pair of big old boots and this time her hands, under her thick black shawl, were caressing a bottle of gin.

“Wot can I do fer such a finely dressed young lady? Not a lot here fer yer on me barrer this time, I’ll be bound.”

“Oh Lily, it’s lovely to see yer again, so it is,” Maggie cried. “I’ve bin workin’ hard at me job at the dressmakers. Do yer remember yer sent me there, when I was after buying a cloak? Well, since then I’ve given birth to a wonderful little boy named Mikey and we don’t live at the farm any longer. We live on the promenade down by the sea.”

“Aren’t yer wed to that fighter, Jack Haines? Only me son went to a fight on the dock road a few weeks past and someone said the fighter ‘ad a wife and kid who lived in luxury, Parkgate way.”

“Hardly luxury, Lily. Jack bought the property fer his parents to run as a boardin’ house. He had to work very hard to get the money and I still ’ave to work.”

“Better than standin’ here on a cold winter’s day, eh, queen?
Now is there anythin’ on the barrer yer’ll be wantin’, ‘cos I’m sure yer must be getting’ on.”

Maggie felt stung by Lily’s attitude. Just because she had pulled herself up by her boot straps and had made something of her tattered life, didn’t mean that Lily had the right to begrudge her. Though, as she walked away empty handed from the stall, she felt sorry. Maggie was beginning to feel extremely blessed with what she had in her life and if truth were told, it was Lily who had sent her to the dressmakers in the first place. She resolved to go back to the barrow, when she had finished shopping. There had been a small black shiny reticule that had caught her eye, and she had been just about to purchase it for Alice. If it was still there, then she would buy it. It would bring a smile to Lily’s face and Maggie knew that Alice would love it.

Maggie handed over the capon she had bought to Miss Rosemary. The good lady was just shutting her shop and told her that she would purchase the vegetables next day. Then Maggie went to Ezra’s, to get the ingredients for the plum pudding. She planned to make it that evening, as it was Christmas Eve next day. She spent the following morning wrapping up the presents, including Alice’s reticule, that couldn’t be left on Lily’s stall, even if the owner was ill mannered. She finished off the parcels with pretty purple ribbon, left over from the dress she had made.

Satisfied with everything, Maggie settled herself to look out of her bedroom window. There had been no mention of her moving to the back bedroom again, of which she was heartily glad. There seemed to be an unspoken understanding between her and Alice, though nothing was ever going to be the same again.

Christmas Day saw Betty and Maggie sitting very much at ease with one another, having enjoyed a good cooked dinner of Christmas fayre, including Maggie’s moreish pud’.

The family had gone to church together, including Mikey, who had been clucked over by the women of the congregation and had been given a golden sovereign by his godparents. Alice had loved
her reticule, saying that she would treasure it always, Michael was given a cheap silver chain for his fob watch and Seamus was given a striped waistcoat, which he seemed very taken with. She had decided only to tie a brightly coloured bauble to dangle from Mikey’s pram, but had bought him a little woollen jacket and a matching bonnet, to wear over his little gowns. It would be a while yet before he began to wear breeches, probably when he was three. Maggie thought the tradition of breeching was namby pamby, but to do it earlier could have caused a disagreement between Alice and her.

Maggie had bought a gift for Miss Rosemary and there was one for her too. The parcels sat side by side on the living room chiffonier, as they both felt embarrassed initially, as to who would open them first. They decided to open them together and were both amazed to see that they had chosen a similar theme! Maggie had bought a wooden casket, ornately carved with little birds, with sheets of good quality paper and envelopes inside. It had cost her more then all of the family presents put together, but it was something she had to buy for her friend. Betty had bought her an ornately decorated silver ink stand, with a silver handled quill and two spare nibs. They were both taken aback at their choices and flung their arms around each other, spontaneously.

They sat together later, nibbling on a mince pie each. Alice had them sent over, with the compliments of the season to Miss Rosemary. The dressmaker and Alice had only met once, when Alice had called into the shop to look at some fabric, as Maggie had said she would get round to making her a dress one day.

“Well, that was very nice, Maggie,” Betty said, as she put her cup and saucer down on the occasional table nearby. Maggie agreed that it was.

“Now, I want to talk to you seriously about something,” she continued. “I’ve given it a great deal of thought after you told me the situation regarding Alice and her making you play musical bedrooms. What I would like to know, Maggie, is if you and Mikey would like to live with me?”

She couldn’t believe her ears! Miss Rosemary asking her and Mikey to move into this place? She would like a shot and began to say so, but Betty put a hand on her arm and said she had better explain.

“I’m not talking about moving in here, dear. You can see there isn’t the room for us all. No, I shall use these rooms for storage. I want to move to Selwyn Lodge. You, Mikey and me!”