Across a Summer Sea (9 page)
N
EXT MORNING MARY FORGOT the events of the previous night and her lack of sleep as soon as she saw the wondering expressions on the faces of the children and heard the excited cries of delight from Katie and Tommy. Lizzie’s eyes were shining and she held up the little wood and paper dolls for Mary to exclaim over.
EXT MORNING MARY FORGOT the events of the previous night and her lack of sleep as soon as she saw the wondering expressions on the faces of the children and heard the excited cries of delight from Katie and Tommy. Lizzie’s eyes were shining and she held up the little wood and paper dolls for Mary to exclaim over.
‘Dolls. Pretty dolls. Father Christmas brought them for you, Lizzie,’ Mary mouthed slowly.
Lizzie nodded and stroked Mary’s cheek as an added sign that she understood. It was a gesture Mary had taught her and now it brought tears to Mary’s eyes; she hugged Lizzie’s thin little body to her, wishing for the thousandth time that Lizzie could have been born like her brother and sister. She swallowed hard. ‘I told you Father Christmas would come.
And
we’re going to have a lovely big dinner. Doesn’t the room look great?’
And
we’re going to have a lovely big dinner. Doesn’t the room look great?’
‘He must have been here for ages to have put all those decorations up. Did you see him, Mam?’ Katie asked, all agog.
Mary laughed. ‘Good heavens no! I was fast asleep too. Now, we’d better get ready for church.’
‘What’s the matter with me da’s face?’ Tommy asked as Frank, looking very much the worse for wear, came into the kitchen. One side of his face was swollen and his eye was beginning to close, the flesh around it turning purple and blue.
‘Your da slipped and fell in the jigger on the way home from the party,’ she whispered. ‘Happy Christmas, Frank,’ she continued in a louder, cheerful voice, determined not to dampen the festive spirit. ‘We’re about to get ready for church. Shall I make you a cup of tea and something to eat?’ she enquired of her husband, who had sat down in the armchair and had leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
‘I’ll have the tea and then you get off to church. I’m not going.’
Katie glanced quickly at her father. It was unheard of, not going to Mass on Christmas morning, but, seeing the look on her mother’s face and her tightly compressed lips, she made no comment.
Lovely! Mary thought. How was this going to look? How was she going to explain this away to Father Heggarty without telling a pack of lies?
They met Nellie and her family also on their way to church.
‘Happy Christmas, Mary, luv! How’s
he
this morning?’ Nellie asked.
he
this morning?’ Nellie asked.
‘Looks as though he’s had an argument with a horse and cart!’ Maggie muttered darkly. Frank McGann’s behaviour was getting beyond a joke, in her opinion, not that she would dream of saying anything to Mary.
‘Not feeling up to Mass either,’ Mary added.
‘Oh, there’s quite a few like that this mornin’,’ Nellie said, shooting an irate glance at Fred who looked decidedly hungover and had needed a gallon of tea and some very strong words on her part to make him accompany them.
‘I’m really sorry about last night, Nellie.’
‘Oh forget it, Mary. It’s all done and dusted now. Let’s enjoy the day. Our Violet’s having her dinner with the new family, thank God. She wanted to come home but I told her, “Violet, this isn’t your home now, girl. You’re a married woman, your place is with your husband. You can’t be running home to me after a few hours!” Girls these days, I ask you!’
Mary smiled. She knew that even if in time Violet discovered she’d made the wrong choice Nellie would send her back with the admonition ‘You’ve made your bed, now you’ve to lie in it!’ However, she sincerely hoped that Violet would be happy - although there was no guarantee of it. She’d thought she was happy, until last night. The thought depressed her so much that she quickly turned her mind to the preparation of the food that awaited her when she returned home.
She was annoyed when, after Mass, Frank had announced that he was going to the pub for ‘a hair of the dog’, but said nothing. She had set the table, the chickens were in the oven and she and Maggie were preparing the vegetables.
‘Don’t let this dinner get ruined, Frank. It’s not often we have chicken!’ Maggie had called after him with false cheerfulness. There were many women who, after scrimping and saving and slaving to put a veritable feast on the table, saw all their efforts ruined when the men stayed too long in the pub and came home incapable of anything. Mary was doing her best to make it a special day and she wanted Frank to do his part.
Thankfully, he had returned home a couple of hours later, fairly sober but in not much better humour. However, despite his sullen manner, the meal had been great and they’d all eaten far too much. Tommy had gone out to play with his mates. Katie and Lizzie were playing quietly with their toys and Frank and Maggie were dozing by the fire as Mary quietly cleared the table. She would leave the dishes in the scullery until later: she didn’t want to disturb them. Glancing up, she saw through the tiny window the back-yard door open and Richie Seddon come up the yard.
Her hand flew to her mouth. If he knocked he might wake Frank and there’d be another scene. Quickly she opened the door and went out.
‘Richie, what are you doing here? Hasn’t there been enough trouble?’
He looked concerned. ‘I just came to see if you were all right, Mary.’
‘I’m fine. Things are great, thanks. Now will you go, please? I’ve the washing up to do.’
‘Don’t you ever stop working, Mary? You wait on them all hand and foot.’
‘Well, you know the saying. “A woman’s work is never done.” It’s true.’
He looked at her closely, noticing the frown lines on her forehead and the dark shadows under her eyes. ‘You look far from
fine
. You look tired and upset. I’m sorry, Mary.’
fine
. You look tired and upset. I’m sorry, Mary.’
She managed a smile. ‘That’s all right, Richie. It . . . it wasn’t your fault. Now, I really must go and I’m sure you have far more exciting things to do than stand here in the cold talking to me.’
‘Like what?’
‘Oh, Richie! Just
go
!’ she urged, still smiling and giving him a gentle push.
go
!’ she urged, still smiling and giving him a gentle push.
‘All right! I’m on my way. Happy Christmas, Mary.’
She relented a little. ‘Happy Christmas, Richie, and thanks for calling.’
She watched him close the door and shook her head before turning and going back into the house.
Unknown to her her absence had been noticed. Frank had woken, thirsty, and had gone into the scullery for a drink of water. With narrowed eyes and his mouth set in a grim line he watched the brief conversation. By God! She was determined to carry on humiliating him! Even now they were probably planning their next meeting. Rage surged through him. So great was the force it made him shake. Oh, he’d been drunk last night, but not too drunk to realise what they’d been up to out in Nellie’s yard. Probably everyone had known, had been sniggering behind his back. ‘That poor, stupid fool Frank McGann being led a fine dance by his wife and her fancy feller and right under his nose.’ The memory of her laughing with Richie’s arm around her waist brought other images, darker images into his mind to torment him . . . and now they were together again. In his back yard, planning God knew what other things! Well, he’d had enough of this and he wasn’t going to belittle himself again by tackling Richie Seddon. No, he’d deal with
her
.
her
.
Mary was startled to see him standing in the scullery. ‘Frank! I thought you were dozing!’
‘And you made the most of it, didn’t you? Planning your next meeting with
him
!’
him
!’
Mary was horrified. ‘Frank, I was doing nothing of the kind! How could you even think such a thing? He . . . he came to see if I was all right and I sent him away. I chased him off!’
‘And you expect me to believe
that
, after last night? You must think me a bloody fool. You couldn’t wait to see him again. “Oh, it’s all right, Richie, Frank’s asleep and anyway you taught him a lesson last night, he won’t bother us again!” ’ He mimicked her voice cruelly.
that
, after last night? You must think me a bloody fool. You couldn’t wait to see him again. “Oh, it’s all right, Richie, Frank’s asleep and anyway you taught him a lesson last night, he won’t bother us again!” ’ He mimicked her voice cruelly.
‘Frank! Stop it! Stop it, it’s not true. None of it is true!’ she cried.
‘Don’t lie to me, Mary. Even young Nora Phelps knows what you and he get up to.’
‘Nora knows nothing. There is nothing to know. Frank, please, this is crazy, stupid . . .’
Her words made him squirm with humiliation. ‘Oh, so now I’m crazy and stupid? Well, I’ve had enough of it. I want you out of here in an hour! And you can take the kids with you. I’m not breaking my back to keep a roof over your heads, food on the table and clothes on your backs, let
him
do it! Let him buy you fancy white blouses and tartan jackets. Let him pay to dress you up like a tart!’
him
do it! Let him buy you fancy white blouses and tartan jackets. Let him pay to dress you up like a tart!’
Shocked though she was Mary fought back. ‘Like a
tart
? Frank, I bought those things in Paddy’s Market. They were probably third- or even fourth-hand. I buy nothing for myself. You buy me nothing.’
tart
? Frank, I bought those things in Paddy’s Market. They were probably third- or even fourth-hand. I buy nothing for myself. You buy me nothing.’
‘I keep you - or I did. Now you can keep yourself. I mean it. Out in an hour.’
She stared at him in shock. What was he saying? ‘Frank, you can’t mean it? I’ve done nothing wrong, I swear to God I haven’t!’
‘You can swear as much as you like. I’m not putting up with you and your carrying on for another day!’
‘Frank, for God’s sake, it’s Christmas Day! You can’t do this to us! You’ll break the kids’ hearts!’ Mary was beside herself. ‘I won’t go! I won’t go, Frank! I’m not moving an inch and neither are the kids!’
He turned on her. ‘Then I’ll bloody well throw you out! I’ll pick you up and physically throw you out of the bloody door onto the street!’ he yelled.
‘You
wouldn’t
!’
wouldn’t
!’
‘Just try me, Mary!’
She was horrified, she could see he meant it. ‘And the kids?’
‘You should have thought of them before you started whoring around! Get their things together now and get out!’
He turned away and she clutched his arm. ‘Frank, please? I swear I’ve done
nothing
. I swear,
nothing
!’
nothing
. I swear,
nothing
!’
Angrily he shook off her grip and returned to the kitchen.
Mary followed him, almost in tears. She couldn’t believe he was doing this. ‘Frank, you’ve got to listen to me! Please?’
Maggie was awake. ‘What’s the matter now?’ she asked irritably.
Frank turned on her. ‘You stay out of it!’
Mary threw out her hands in a gesture of appeal. ‘Oh, God! Maggie, he . . . he’s throwing us out! He won’t listen to me. He believes I’ve been . . . more than friendly with Richie, but it’s not true, Maggie!’
Anger flooded through Maggie. ‘Of course it’s not flaming well true! You’re a fool, Frank McGann! You don’t know when you’ve got a good wife. Look at some of them in this street. Lazy slatterns. The place like a pigsty and no meal on the table and no washing done and them sitting in the side passage of the Newsham House drinking every penny they get. You just be thankful she’s not like that.’
‘I told you to stay out of it. It’s got nothing to do with you!’ Frank shouted.
Maggie wasn’t intimidated. ‘It’s got everything to do with me, it’s
my
house, in case you’d forgotten!’
my
house, in case you’d forgotten!’
‘And
I
pay half the rent you can’t afford. If you insist and she stays then I go and there’ll be no way either of you can afford the rent. You’ll both finish up in the Workhouse. But it’s not me who’s going, it’s her! You think about that, old woman. Do you want to end your days no better than a bag of bones in the Workhouse? Because if you take her side I’ll make bloody sure that’s what will happen! I’m going to the pub and when I get back I don’t want to see her or the kids here!’
I
pay half the rent you can’t afford. If you insist and she stays then I go and there’ll be no way either of you can afford the rent. You’ll both finish up in the Workhouse. But it’s not me who’s going, it’s her! You think about that, old woman. Do you want to end your days no better than a bag of bones in the Workhouse? Because if you take her side I’ll make bloody sure that’s what will happen! I’m going to the pub and when I get back I don’t want to see her or the kids here!’
As the door slammed behind him Mary sank down in the armchair and began to cry. ‘Oh, Maggie, what will I do? Where will I go? Why is he being so unreasonable? Why won’t he believe me?’
Maggie hastened to comfort her. ‘Oh, Mary! God knows what’s got into him.’ She was thoroughly shocked herself.
Mary was beside herself with worry. ‘He means it, Maggie, he does! I’ve never seen him like this. He’s . . . terrifying!’
In her heart Maggie had to agree. It was a terrible, calculating hatred she’d seen in Frank’s eyes. ‘Try to take no notice,’ she soothed.
‘Maggie, I
have
to. And I can’t put you in danger of losing your home and with it your chance to earn a bit of money.’
have
to. And I can’t put you in danger of losing your home and with it your chance to earn a bit of money.’
‘That doesn’t matter, Mary. I can’t see you all thrown out on the street.’
‘I know you mean well but we have to go. You can’t afford to keep us and even if he went and I worked, if I could get a proper job, we still couldn’t manage. You’d lose everything. You heard him, he’d make sure you ended up destitute. I have to go. I can’t let that happen.’
Maggie knew she was right and she raged inwardly at Frank’s callousness and vindictiveness but she lived in mortal terror of the Workhouse, as did all the poor, and she had no kith or kin to turn to in her old age. ‘Where will you go, luv? What will you do?’
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