Family Drama 4 E-Book Bundle (26 page)

‘That’s better,’ he said, his eyes back on the road. ‘For a moment there you looked like a lamb going to slaughter.’

He concentrated on his driving then, speaking briefly about the arrangements, whilst Pearl hardly listened. She was an awful person, dreadful, hurting a man who had shown her only kindness. Oh, Derek – Derek, what have I done …?

‘Sorry, what did you say?’

‘For Christ’s sake, Pearl, what’s the matter with you?’

‘Nothing, it’s nothing.’

‘Well, if you want to change your mind, now’s the time to do it. We’re almost at the registry office.’

For a moment Pearl was tempted. She wanted to run, to hide. To never have to face Derek, or Connie, again.

‘Well, girl,’ Kevin asked as he pulled into the kerb, ‘what’s it to be?’

She turned to look at him, her thoughts still
racing. She couldn’t do it, couldn’t run. She was carrying Kevin’s baby, he was the father and she needed him. Maybe there was a way out. When they were married, perhaps she could persuade Kevin to find a job out of the area. ‘I don’t want to change my mind.’

‘Right, come on then, let’s get this wedding booked.’

He smiled, and Pearl’s stomach fluttered. He was so handsome, and he was being so nice, but things changed when they walked into the registry office.

The wedding proved difficult to arrange, neither of them anticipating that with Pearl being underage, without a birth certificate, or parental permission, there’d be complications. Legal advice was suggested, and when they left the registry office Kevin was in a foul mood.

He flung open the car door. ‘Christ, that was a complete waste of time and I don’t see how a solicitor can help. He won’t be able to conjure up a flaming birth certificate out of thin air.’

Pearl hung her head, thinking it was no more than she deserved. Derek’s face returned to haunt her, the pain she had seen in his eyes. She had hurt him badly and still couldn’t get Connie Lewis’s words out of her mind.

They drove back to Battersea in silence, Kevin’s mood still dark, and as they turned into the yard at the back of the café, he finally spoke.

‘Come on, we’d better get this over with and tell my mother.’

They sat in the living room, Dolly saying after they explained what had happened, ‘They must know what they’re talking about if they suggested legal advice, but a solicitor’s going to cost a pretty penny. Have you got any savings, Pearl?’

She shook her head. ‘No, I’m afraid not.’

‘Bloody hell, I ain’t made of money, but I suppose I’ll have to pay. You’d better make an appointment tomorrow and let’s hope it doesn’t take long to sort out.’ She scowled. ‘More bloody expense. Take her home, Kevin. I’ve had enough for one day.‘

Pearl rose to her feet, her shoulders slumped as she left the room. They made their way downstairs and as Kevin unlocked the door a blast of cold air hit them.

‘You don’t need me to walk you home – there’s no point in both of us freezing – and I ain’t too pleased about all this either. I was hoping to tap my mother for a few bob, but I ain’t got a hope in hell now.’

She nodded, just wanting to get away from Kevin and his nasty mood. He was upset, and she couldn’t blame him, but as he closed the door behind her, she almost ran back to Bessie’s.

Bessie was sitting by the fire, one side of her face red from the heat.

‘Blimey, what’s up, love?’

There was concern and sympathy in the old woman’s eyes and seeing this, Pearl flopped onto a chair. She then spilled her misery out in a torrent – the run-in with Connie Lewis, followed by what had happened at the registry office.

Bessie said nothing, letting her cry until there were just juddering sobs. She then leaned forward, saying softly, ‘Come on now. A solicitor will soon sort things out.’

Pearl drew in another shuddering breath. ‘If he doesn’t, it’s no more than I deserve.’

‘Don’t be silly. You can’t beat yourself up over the things Connie Lewis said.

‘She’s right. I … I’m not a nice person.’

‘Rubbish. You were only a child in that orphanage and did what you had to in order to survive. It doesn’t make you a bad person.’

Pearl looked tiredly at Bessie. ‘But I still carried on when I left. I wanted protection and Derek seemed an ideal choice.’

‘Gawd, love, I wish you’d stop being so hard on yourself. When you left the orphanage you were still a youngster and had to strike out on your own. You came to a new area without any friends or family, and of course you were nervous. It’s a bit rough around here and it ain’t surprising that you felt the need for someone to look out for you.’

‘But that doesn’t make it right.’

‘I’m not saying it does, I’m just saying it’s understandable. Listen, girl, we all make mistakes, but hopefully we learn from them. You’ve had a hard lesson and you can let it sink you, or you can take it on board and grow.’

‘How can I do that when I’ve ruined Derek’s life?’

‘Look, you can’t change what’s happened. Derek will get over it in time, and, who knows, eventually he might meet someone else.’

‘Oh, I hope so, Bessie.’

‘He’s a nice bloke, and though not much to look at, I’m sure someone out there will appreciate his good nature. Now come on, buck yourself up. As I said, you’ve had a hard lesson, one to teach you that you can’t hide behind someone else. You’ve got to stand on your own two feet.’

Pearl’s nod of agreement was half-hearted. It was impossible – she’d never have the courage. It was women she feared now, especially the likes of Connie Lewis, Mo Price and her future mother-in-law. Oh, if only she could get Dolly to like her, to establish a good relationship. Nobody messed with Dolly and it would be wonderful to have the woman batting on her side.

Derek Lewis stepped out of the dark doorway, the lamplight hitting his face as he threw a last glance up at Bessie’s window before moving away. He was
being stupid, he knew that, but was unable to stop himself from shadowing Pearl. She hadn’t left Bessie’s house during the whole weekend, but still he’d watched.

When Pearl emerged that morning, he’d only had a brief glimpse of her before she ran into the café. Then when she finished her shift he’d been horrified to see his gran attacking her. He’d stepped in to break it up, but Pearl hadn’t even looked his way, and that had hurt. Christ, he was being a mug and he knew that, but he just couldn’t get Pearl out of his mind.

Everyone was now saying that Pearl was a tart, and she was pregnant to prove it, but he still had doubts. He wanted a word with Kevin, to hear his side of the story, but the bastard was keeping his head down. Derek threw a look towards the café, and his shoulders lifted. There he was now, and moving swiftly Derek covered the distance between them.

‘I want a word with you,’ he growled.

‘Look, Derek, none of this was my fault,’ Kevin said hastily.

‘Yeah, that’s what I’ve been told, but I’d like to hear it from you. If you’re so innocent, how come you’ve been avoiding me?’

‘I haven’t. I just didn’t want to rub salt in the wound, that’s all. Christ, mate, we go back years and I knew how cut up you’d be.’

‘Yeah, right, so how come you had it off with my girl?’

‘’Cos, like you, I was taken for a mug. Pearl told me that it was over between the two of you, and I believed her.’

‘You could have checked that with me first.’

‘Yeah, maybe, but at the time she was stripping off, and naked Pearl’s hard to resist. She threw herself at me like a cat on heat.’

Derek pictured the scene, feeling sick to his stomach, but then shook his head in denial. ‘That doesn’t sound like Pearl.’

‘I was shocked too. She looks such an innocent, but she ain’t, mate, and if you must know, I wasn’t the first either.’

‘You … you mean …?’

‘Yeah, believe me, she was no virgin.’

Derek found himself gawking. ‘Are you sure?’

‘I’ve had enough women to know.’

Yeah, Derek thought, that was true enough. With his looks, Kevin had never been short of women. Everyone was right then: Pearl was a tart. He felt a wave of disgust. ‘Christ, I could do with a drink.’

‘Come on, I’ll buy you a pint,’ Kevin said. ‘I could do with one too, and you should think yourself lucky. At least you ain’t stuck with marrying her.’

‘Yeah, I’m beginning to think you’re right,’ Derek
said, deciding that Kevin was welcome to her, yet even as this thought crossed his mind he knew it would still take him a long time to get over Pearl Button.

Chapter Twenty-Six

When Pearl saw a solicitor, there had been no swift solution. He had written to the orphanage and was now awaiting their reply. He also advised that without a birth certificate, the only way forward was to swear an affidavit. When asking what this meant, he explained that it was a sworn oath, in his presence, that she was the person she claimed to be. It sounded a daft procedure to Pearl, but one that she complied with.

It was now the eve of Christmas and Pearl was on her way to work, something she dreaded every day. As she scuttled out of Bessie’s door and into the market, she kept her head low, but as usual there were murmurs as soon as the costermongers saw her. She glanced up from under her lashes, saw Derek turn his back as she passed, the man beside him doing the same. Derek would never forgive her – Dolly’s story had seen to that – but she missed him and his gran.

To keep Kevin safe she had gone along with Dolly’s lies, but it didn’t seem possible that only a short time ago she had felt a part of this community. Now she was an outcast. A costermonger hawked, the globule landing in front of Pearl’s feet, and as she began to run, her stomach heaved.

‘Yeah, that’s it, do a runner, and keep going until you’re out of Battersea,’ the man shouted.

‘Yeah, you tell her, Billy,’ a woman customer cried.

Still fleeing, Pearl flung open the door of the café, almost falling inside. She didn’t stop until she reached the kitchen, her breath coming in gasps as she pulled up in front of Dolly.

‘Huh, judging by the state of you, I can see that the locals haven’t stopped giving you a hard time.’

‘Some of them are still spitting at me.’

Unsympathetic, Dolly shrugged her shoulders. ‘As soon as they find another bit of gossip to titillate them, they’ll lay off. In the meantime you’ll just have to put up with it. Now I suggest you get on with the spuds.’

Pearl hung her coat up, after which she started to peel the potatoes. She had learned how to cook vegetables competently now and, glad to be out of the way, had no wish to return to the dining room. However, despite trying to please Dolly, she’d been unable to make any grounds. Her future mother-in-law continued to pretend that every
thing was fine when anyone else was in hearing range, but alone she dropped the act and made her feelings plain. Pearl knew she’d have to try harder, but despite always being polite and working hard, nothing she said or did seemed to please Dolly.

‘Come on, Pearl, get a move on, and when you’ve finished the spuds, get on with the carrots.’

Pearl increased her efforts, surprised when Dolly spoke again, this time pleasantly. ‘It’ll be nice to have a couple of days off, and I’ll expect you for Christmas dinner tomorrow. In fact, if you come over at about eleven you can give me a hand.‘

‘I … I won’t be joining you for dinner.’

‘Do what?’

‘I can’t leave Bessie. She’s poorly.’

‘If you’re angling to bring her along, you can forget it. I can’t stand the woman. Now as I said, I’ll expect you at eleven.’

Pearl stomach quaked, dreading a confrontation but, worried about Bessie, she had no choice. ‘I’m sorry, but I really can’t come. Bessie’s in bed and needs looking after. I can’t leave her on her own.’

‘She’s on her own now, ain’t she?’

‘A neighbour is keeping an eye on her, but can’t do it on Christmas Day.’

Dolly’s face suffused with colour, but before she
could say anything, Gertie came out of the washing-up room.

‘I’ve finished all the breakfast dishes, Dolly. Can I have a break now?’

‘Yes, of course you can. Get yourself a cup of tea and fetch one for me and Pearl while you’re at it.’

Gertie hurried out, almost colliding with Kevin as he pushed through the doors. He swaggered up to Pearl, flinging an arm around her shoulders. ‘Hello, love. Did you hear from the solicitor this morning?’

‘There was nothing in the post.’

‘Sod it. Well, that’s that. We won’t hear now until the New Year.’

‘If this goes on much longer, she’ll be huge by the time you get married.’ Dolly snapped.

Pearl looked down at her stomach, seeing the tiny mound. Kevin followed her gaze, a small frown creasing his forehead. ‘I hope not, Mum.’

‘Let’s hope he gets a move on then. Now if you don’t mind, Pearl’s got work to do.’

‘All right, I’m off out.’ He gave Pearl another swift hug, ignoring his mother’s scowl as he left by the back door.

Pearl, though, couldn’t ignore Dolly’s attitude. The woman hated Kevin to show her any affection and once again Pearl was filled with dread at the thought of living in the same flat as Dolly. If
Kevin would find a job, they could move away, but he avoided the subject of work. Maybe she should talk to him again – but not in Dolly’s hearing.

When the new administrator started work at the orphanage, she faced a pile of work on her desk, but was gradually ploughing through it. Today, in answer to a letter, she had to search the records. She had found a thin file on Pearl Button, but there was little to read. It was odd that the child had never been placed into foster care, and there’d been no applications to adopt. If she’d been mentally deficient it would have been understandable, these children always difficult to place, but looking at the sparse reports on Pearl’s educational progress, this didn’t seem to be the case.

In an endeavour to find out more about the girl, she had questioned members of staff, finding two who remembered her. Pearl Button had been described as nervous and quiet, but neither said she lacked intelligence.

The administrator picked up the letter from the solicitor again. It seemed that Pearl Button wanted to marry and he was enquiring if there were any relatives on record. There were none.