Beware This Boy (15 page)

It didn’t seem right to go through the charade of celebrating Beatrice’s birthday as if there was nothing the matter, when everything was the matter. Eileen waited until Ted and Phyllis had got settled, hats and coats off, hands warmed, and sitting down.

Then she told them about their Brian. Neither of them said a word at first, then Ted spoke. “Am I hearing you right? You’re sitting here cool as a cucumber telling us that Brian has run away from the army and is hiding out in this house?” He jumped up as if he was going to run upstairs and confront Brian on the spot. Joe grabbed his arm and pulled him back into his seat.

“Nobody’s cool here, Ted, but going off half-cocked isn’t going to help anybody, least of all Brian. We’ve got to talk about what to do.”

“What d’you mean? Isn’t he going to turn himself in?”

“He doesn’t want to do that, no.”

Phyllis had looked up at the ceiling when Eileen said Brian was upstairs but she hadn’t moved. She sat, still and pale-faced.

“Dad, did he come here first?”

“He was actually hiding out in a bombed-out house down the road a couple of streets. He’d been there since Friday. Young Jack found him and brought him here.”

“Our Jack?”

Joe nodded.

“He never said a word to us,” burst out Ted.

“We made him promise not to until we sorted things out,” said Eileen.

“Is Brian all right?” Phyllis asked finally. Her voice was flat and expressionless.

“Physically he’s well enough,” said Joe. “Just exhausted, but mentally he’s not too good.” He nodded over at Eileen. “Your sister can talk about that.”

“Look, Ted, Phyl, I know this is a terrible shock. It was to us as well. But Mum and Dad and me have had a talk. Brian is adamant he’s not going to turn himself in. If he’s caught and tried as a deserter, it could go very badly for him.” She paused, not wanting to be cruel but needing to let them know what was at stake. “The army considers desertion a serious crime …”

They both stared at her. Phyllis reached for her husband’s hand but he ignored her.

Eileen continued. “We don’t know how long the war will last, nobody does. The three of us here are willing to hide him until such time as it’s all over. But in the meantime we’ll need help with food. We’d have to share our rations.”

“Jesus,” said Ted. “We can barely make do ourselves. How can we support another mouth?”

“We can do it if we’re careful,” said Beatrice.

“And I’ll thank you to watch your language, Ted,” said Joe.

“The question is, do you want to?” Eileen addressed both her sister and brother-in-law, but they all knew it was Ted who had to be convinced.

Phyllis pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and clutched at it. “Of course we want to. But how did it come to this? What did he say?”

“You can ask him yourself if you like. Shall I call him down?”

“No, wait a bleeding minute,” exclaimed Ted. “I’m not ready to talk to him. I’ve got to get some facts straight first … In my book cowards run away from their duty, and I don’t hold no truck with cowards. Brian has got a lot of explaining to do, if you ask me.”

“Are you saying you’d turn in your own son?” Phyllis cried.

“Don’t put words in my mouth, Phyllis. All I’m
saying
is I’d like to hear his story before I make any decision. I’m a government employee, don’t forget. Do you realize that if we do cover up for him and he is found, we’re going to be in serious trouble ourselves?”

“Yes, we do realize that, Ted,” said Joe. “And the three of us here are prepared to take the consequences. You can either leave it to us and keep your mouth shut or you can help out – or you can report him to the authorities.”

Ted grunted.

Phyllis turned to Eileen. “Does Vanessa know he’s here?”

“Not yet. We thought it best to just start with the immediate family.”

“I thought when they took their bleeding vows that made her family,” snapped Ted.

It was Joe’s turn to raise his voice. “Look, Ted, I can understand you’re upset by this news, but I don’t allow cursing in this house in front of women.”

“Sorry, Dad,” muttered Ted.

“Would he stay here?” asked Phyllis.

Beatrice answered that one. “This house is probably the best because we have that spare room.”

Ted was leaning forward in his chair, his head in his hands. “He’s always been trouble, that boy, but I never dreamt he’d get this low. No moral fibre, that’s the problem. I always suspected that was the case and now I know.”

Eileen had never been overly fond of her brother-in-law and right now she felt positive dislike. “There are many good men who crack under the strain of war. Perhaps you could hold judgement until you’ve spoken to him.”

“Cowardice, I call it. And then to just land on Mum and Dad’s doorstep and expect they will take him in? Pure selfishness. But then he always was Brian first, wasn’t he.”

Eileen suddenly became aware of footsteps on the stairs, too late to protect Brian from his father’s words. Brian opened the door and stood on the threshold. Now that he was cleaned up and shaved, he looked like the boy who had come to stay with them when he was fourteen.

He tried to smile. “Hello, Mum. Hello, Dad. Sorry to be such a trouble.” He burst into racking sobs, half turning against the wall. Phyllis flew across the room and put her arms around him.

“Oh, Brian. Don’t cry, son. We’ll take care of you. Don’t worry.”

Ted stared at the floor.

Phyllis stepped back. “Oh my, Brian, you’re freezing. Come over to the fire and get warm.”

Still crying, Brian let his mother lead him to the chair by the hearth. As he passed his father, Ted reached out a tentative hand and patted his back. “Don’t take on so, Bri. We’re a family. We’ll sort it out.”

Phyllis knelt beside her son, pressing his head into her shoulder.

After a moment, Eileen went over to them and thrust a handkerchief into Brian’s hands. “Buck up, Bri. Where there’s
life, there’s hope. At least we’ve got you alive.” She looked over at her father. “Dad, why don’t you and Ted get us some tea? You men can do it for a change. It is Mum’s birthday after all, and I think a piece of that cake you brought, Phyl, would be nice.”

Clearly relieved to have something to do, the two men rose immediately and went into the kitchen.

“I didn’t think Ted’d betray his own flesh and blood,” said Beatrice quietly to Eileen.

Eileen hadn’t been at all sure which way Ted would jump, but she nodded. “When they come back, why don’t you open your presents. It’ll take our minds off things for a bit. After that we can go over the arrangements. All right with you, Brian?”

He half grinned. “Thanks, Auntie.”

Phyllis shifted slightly. “Ooh, I’m getting a cramp in my leg. I’d better stand up.”

Brian clung to her for a moment before letting go, and she slid into the chair beside him. Childlike, he leaned his head on her shoulder. She stroked his hair with one hand and wiped away her own tears with the other.

The two men returned with the tea things, eyeing the women nervously. Neither man was comfortable with too much sloppy emotion.

Eileen brought the presents over to her mother. They all oohed and aahed as each gift was revealed. A pair of knitted slippers from Ted and Phyllis; a box of Cadbury’s Milk Tray from Jack; a book from Eileen by one of Beatrice’s favourite writers, Georgette Heyer. Beatrice waited until the end to open the present from Joe, which turned out to be a pair of gold earrings.

“Oh, Joe, they’re smashing. But where on earth will I get to wear them these days?”

“Turn your card over and you’ll get an answer.”

She did so and smiled in delight, reading, “ ‘For my wonderful wife, one voucher for two people to the Hippodrome, to be redeemed when she deems fit. Joe.’ How thoughtful.” She made him put his face close to hers and gave him a kiss.

Eileen and Phyllis exchanged glances and spontaneously they clapped their hands. They knew how much their father disliked going out anywhere; it was indeed quite a sacrifice for him to do this for his wife. “Good for you, Dad. And you might even enjoy yourself.”

Joe shifted in embarrassment. “Beattie deserves it. But I’m assuming they’ll fix it up before we go.” The music hall had been damaged in an October raid.

“I don’t care if we have to sit on the bricks. If they’re putting on a show, we’ll go,” said Beatrice. “No excuses for you, Joe Abbott.”

As she watched them all, Eileen could feel her throat grow tight with emotion. They still had a lot of hurdles to overcome. Ted had softened for the moment, but she didn’t know how long that would last. How long any of them would last, for that matter, when the reality of hiding another human being indefinitely hit them.

“Note down the time of your call, sir, and where it’s going. All trunk calls have to be reported.”

The Steelhouse Lane desk sergeant had obviously been dragged in from retirement for the duration and wasn’t happy about it. If he could pass on his resentment to others he would. However, Tyler did as he was asked without comment and waited while the operator connected him to Whitchurch.

Sergeant Basil Gough answered.

“Guffie? Tyler here. How are things going?”

“It’s not easy without you, sir, but we’re struggling along.” As always, Sergeant Gough’s delivery was deadpan. “How is the investigation coming?”

“I haven’t got much done yet. The factory’s closed down today so I only got to interview three people. Technically four, if you include a poor bugger who was working at the site. He’s lost his memory and one eye. Basically I’ve just walked around and tried to get a sense of the procedures. Damned if I could see anything obvious, except it was all bloody dangerous, if you ask me.” He paused. “You remember the Land Girls, Guffie? The ones billeted at the Somerville estate this past summer?”

“Indeed I do, sir.”

“Well, one of them moved to Brum not too long ago. Sylvia Sumner is her name. She’s one of the workers badly hurt in the explosion.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that, sir.”

“I went over to the hospital.” Tyler stopped for a moment. He was glad he was talking to somebody who knew him well. “It was shocking to see her, Guffie. She’s not much older than our Janet. Eighteen at the most. Part of one arm and a hand were blown off.”

“Poor lassie. Could she shed any light on what happened?”

“Not so far, but she’s pretty doped up. I’ll go back. But why I’m calling is because I’m going to need some help. The plods here are spread as thin as jam on bread. I want to get young Eagleton over here. Do you think that’s possible?”

“I’m sure we can arrange it. The only activity we’ve had today is Norton’s ram getting out of the field. In search of some ewes, apparently. Eager was instrumental in catching him. I’m sure the lad would be glad of more of a challenge.”

“Good. Tell him to take the first train he can get.”

“Yes, sir.” There was a pause, then Gough said, “If you are in need of further help, I myself would be happy to come. I haven’t been in the city since I was a nipper.”

“What? There’s no excitement going on here, I can tell you. Besides, the entire Shropshire constabulary would collapse without you.”

Gough coughed. “Not the entire constabulary, sir, but perhaps the Whitchurch division.”

They hung up, and under the sharp scrutiny of the sour-faced desk sergeant, Tyler wrote down the time.

“I beg your pardon, Inspector, but there was a message for you from Mr. Mason. He said to inform you he is delayed in Nuneaton overnight.”

“Good thing you remembered to tell me, Sergeant. I was prepared to wait up for him.”

The sergeant regarded Tyler suspiciously, not sure if he was being reprimanded or not. “I didn’t forget, sir. I was just waiting for the opportunity to give you the message.”

Tyler grinned at him. “We have an expression where I come from, Sergeant. ‘If my aunt could piss standing up, she’d be my uncle.’ ”

The sergeant scowled. “Yes, sir.”

“In case any other messages come in, you will have the opportunity to give them to me in the common room, where I will be spending the next hour.”

Tyler left him to contemplate that and went upstairs to the common room. He was tired. He’d been right not to expect a good night’s sleep. But he also felt the need for some company.