Farewell to Lancashire (13 page)

The young men moved aside and the lad went across to the far corner, turning his back on them and pretending to tidy a shelf.

Her uncle grabbed his wife’s arm as she tried to push past him. He looked at Cassandra. ‘Please wait outside. I’ll be with you in a few moments.’

Isabel struggled to get free of him, failed, then yelled, ‘You trollops would do better to go away from here, and the further the better! I’ll call the police if you come here again. You don’t fool me. I’ve seen you with my own eyes fornicating with a man in the churchyard.’

With an exclamation of annoyance, Joseph pulled his wife into the rear of the shop. She fought him all the way, shrieking, scratching his cheek and clawing at his eyes, seeming to have lost all self-control in her fury at seeing his nieces.

Pandora shuddered as they went outside and stood in the shadows to one side of the shop. ‘She looked like a madwoman.’

‘What did she mean by saying she’d seen you in the churchyard?’

Cassandra sighed. ‘I was kissing Reece goodbye, that’s all she could have seen.’

‘Oh. I’m sorry he left.’

She didn’t answer that. It’d make her tearful and she needed all her wits about her now.

After a few minutes, the taller of the young men came out. ‘Mr Blake says he’s sorry to keep you waiting and if you’ll go round the side, I’ll let you into the packing room.’

He went back into the shop without waiting for an answer, but he’d spoken kindly.

The sisters did as he asked. The side door opened almost immediately and he beckoned to them. ‘Please wait here.’

They found themselves in a long narrow room lined with shelves loaded with packages, boxes and bottles. There was a square white sink at one end, a bench all along one side, empty bottles waiting to be filled with vinegar or other liquids. Bulging sacks and wooden crates stood underneath the bench. The room smelled of tea, sugar and spices. Everything was immaculately clean. How good it must be to work here, Pandora thought wistfully, much more pleasant than inside a noisy mill.

They had to wait longer than a moment or two, but at last the door opened and their uncle joined them, looking dishevelled and harassed, dabbing at the scratch on his cheek. ‘I’m sorry to keep you waiting. My wife is – well, you saw that she’s not – um, not herself today. What’s happened? Are you in trouble?’

‘While three of us were away today, our house was broken into by two men,’ Cassandra said. ‘They destroyed our furniture, smashed doors and threatened my father, who is bedridden. They said they’d come back and kill us if we didn’t leave town.’

As he listened, his expression went from politeness to shock. ‘Is my brother all right?’

‘They didn’t touch him but he’s badly shaken. Because the seizure has left him partly paralysed, he was helpless to stop them and could only lie there while they manhandled my sister.’

‘They didn’t touch the rooms we’ve let to other families,’ Pandora added. ‘So someone must have planned this carefully to hurt us ... and only us.’

He didn’t say anything for a moment, closing his eyes with an expression of anguish on his face. When he looked up, he said quietly, ‘Wait here. I’ll close the shop early and get my coat and hat. I want to see for myself.’

Cassandra looked at him in surprise. ‘You’re coming to our house?’

‘It’s more than time I made peace with my brother, don’t you think?’ Looking upwards to the rooms above the shop, he added, almost to himself, ‘And then afterwards I’ll talk to
her
. I’ll find some way of stopping her from hurting you again.’

When they reached the house, Joseph looked at his nieces. ‘I’d like to speak to Edwin alone, if that’s all right with you?’ He felt the things they had to say to one another after all these years of estrangement were best said in private.

‘You won’t do anything to upset him?’ Cassandra asked.

‘I promise I won’t.’

Inside the house, he inspected the damage with a feeling of sick horror, then followed his oldest niece up the stairs.

She opened the bedroom door, beckoned to Maia to come out, then said, ‘Here’s someone to cheer you up, Dad.’

His brother’s face lit up at the sight of him and Joseph tried hard to conceal his shock at how old and worn Edwin looked. To his dismay, his brother had the translucent look that often meant a person was close to death. Somehow he knew he was only just in time to say goodbye.

He moved towards the bed, glancing round the room. It was furnished only by a narrow bed with ragged blankets, a hard wooden chair and a battered chest of drawers. ‘I’ve been a fool, Edwin, a greedy fool. I was wrong to marry Isabel, wrong to abandon my family.’

‘That – doesn’t matter – now.’

As Edwin stretched out his good arm, Joseph went to embrace him, shocked all over again by how insubstantial his brother’s body felt. He sat down on the bed, keeping one of the wasted hands in his own, listening to the slurred, halting words.

‘I’m so glad – you came, Joseph. I’ve wanted – many times – to speak to you.’

‘And I you. But my wife went into hysterics if I so much as mentioned your name, and I’d promised to sever all connection with my family when I married her, so I kept my word. I thought she’d change her mind later about that, but she never did.’

‘Does she know – you’re here now?’

‘Yes.’ He touched his scratched cheek. ‘I think she’s gone mad.
She
must have arranged this attack on you. It could be no one else, because you’re well liked in the town, and anyway, you have nothing now to tempt a thief. I’m sorry, so very sorry.’

‘It was worth it if it brought you to see me again.’

They were both silent for a few moments then Edwin said, ‘Joseph, I need – your help.’

‘Anything.’

‘I’ve been worried – about what’s going to happen to my girls after I die. There’s no end in sight to this war – and they’re getting thinner and thinner.’

‘I’ll send more food. Maybe that’ll help
you
get better, too.’

‘Don’t pretend. I’m not long for this world – and we both know it.’ He searched his brother’s face and seemed to see something there that reassured him. ‘You’ll look after my lasses?’

‘Of course.’

As Edwin pulled him into a hug, Joseph couldn’t prevent tears from running down his face. They held one another for a long time, then sat and talked quietly.

When the Town Hall clock struck half past nine, Joseph pulled out his pocket watch and squinted at it in the dimly lit room. ‘It’s later than I realised. I must go now. But I’ll be back, I promise.’

‘I know you will. And you’ve taken such a weight – off my mind. I’m glad my girls will have you – to keep an eye on them once I’m gone.’

It was over an hour before Cassandra heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She went out to say goodbye to her uncle.

He smiled at her and took one of her hands in his. ‘I think my brother and I have mended our relationship now. Edwin’s forgiven me, though I don’t deserve it.’

‘I’m glad. He’ll rest easier because of that. You’ll come and visit him again?’

‘Of course. And I’ll send food more often. Um – I gather Isabel’s friends have been picking on you at the sewing classes.’ As she nodded, he sighed. ‘It’s yet another thing she’s done to hurt you.’

‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘It does. It matters very much to me. I hadn’t realised until recently that she was still telling everyone you’re immoral ... which I know you’re not.’

‘We and our friends know we’re not, which is what counts most.’

He patted her hand. ‘I think it’ll help your reputations if I take you walking in the park on Sunday after church. That’ll show the world I think well of you.’

She hesitated to accept. ‘Is it worth it? It’d upset your wife even more and you have to live with her.’

‘Do I? I’m going to see the doctor on the way home. I think she’s insane and if necessary, I want her locked away. I’ll call for you and—’

Could things really be that easy? Somehow Cassandra doubted it. He’d not stopped his wife maligning them, seemed as gentle as her father under that affluent exterior. ‘Let’s wait until you’ve dealt with your own situation before we make any further plans. If your wife is still living with you, your life won’t be worth living if you take us walking.’

‘Perhaps you’re right. Edwin said you were all clever lasses. He’s very proud of you. I’ll send a message when I know how things stand.’

She nodded.

After he’d gone she ran lightly up the stairs and found her father looking far more at peace than he had for a long time.

He smiled at her. ‘Thank you for bringing Joseph to visit me. I didn’t want to die without seeing him again.’

‘We’ll not talk of dying, if you please. We earned some money today singing in Manchester and with the food our uncle gives us, we can afford to feed you properly from now on.’

His smile vanished. ‘You went singing on the street
like beggars
? Oh, Cassandra, did you have to?’

She met his gaze without flinching. ‘Yes. There was no other way. And we sang well, too, gave them pleasure in return for their money. I don’t regret doing it. We all have to eat. We’ve been selling furniture and other things, but there’s very little left now except for Mum’s locket and I’ll never part with that.’

He shook his head sadly. ‘Well, you must do what you think best, my dear girl – who am I to judge? – but I can’t like the thought of you doing such a thing.’

She didn’t want to prolong the discussion. ‘I’ll fetch you some supper now.’

‘I’m not hungry.’

‘You have to eat.’

He sighed. ‘A small piece of bread, then.’

‘How about pieces of bread in hot milk with sugar? We bought some food with the money we earned. A bowl of pobbies will slip down easily.’ Her mother had always given them pobbies when they weren’t well.

‘All right.’

But he ate only half before pushing the bowl away and saying apologetically, ‘I can’t force myself to eat any more, love.’

When Cassandra went downstairs, exhaustion struck her and suddenly she could hardly move one foot in front of the other. Her sisters fussed over her, persuading her to eat the rest of the soggy pieces of bread he’d left before she went to bed, because you couldn’t waste good food.

But like her father, she wasn’t hungry, just wanted to lie down and sleep. She forced the cold mush down stoically then left them to clear up and went to bed. She would be at the sewing class as usual in the morning.

It had become a point of honour not to let her aunt’s friends drive her away.

And if her uncle stopped his wife from hurting them and sent food for her father, surely things would improve a little?

Joseph called at Dr Turner’s house on the way home, explained what had happened and asked him to come and examine Isabel. ‘I truly believe she’s gone mad.’

But when they got home, they found her sitting sewing. She shot one quick glance at the doctor and sighed. ‘I’m sorry I lost my temper, Joseph. I don’t know what came over me.’

His heart sank. He knew she hadn’t changed but when she behaved like this, in a gentle, ladylike way, no one would consider her mad enough to be locked away. ‘I asked Dr Turner to come and see you, I was so worried.’

She took out a handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes. ‘I’m ashamed of myself, having hysterics like that. I think perhaps I need a tonic, doctor. This war in America is getting everyone down. To see the operatives looking so hungry and hopeless – well, none of us can escape the worry of what will happen to our town, can we?’

Joseph escorted Dr Turner downstairs and couldn’t resist saying, ‘She’s play-acting. She doesn’t care about the operatives and she hates my nieces so much that I’m afraid for their safety.’ He hesitated, but had no proof Isabel had arranged the attack, so said nothing more about that.

‘I don’t think she’s mad, but she is at that age when women get upset easily, hysterical even. I’ll send round a tonic for her, and you must try to keep her quiet and happy, if you can. The irrationality is only temporary, however. In a year or two this stage of life will have passed and she’ll be calmer again.’

‘I’ll try to do as you say.’

But Joseph moved his things to another bedroom that night, something which made her curse and throw an ornament at him. He also decided to lock the door before he went to bed. A faint squeak woke him with a start some time later and he saw the door handle turning, then turning back again.

He’d been right not to trust her. And he’d be very careful from now on. One day she’d betray herself and he’d have her locked away.

Until then, it would be better not to be seen with his nieces in public. But he’d go round to visit his brother again. He’d not let anything stop him from doing that. He had a lot to make up for and, if he judged correctly, very little time in which to do it.

He fell asleep trying to work out how to help his nieces without driving his wife to do something desperate. And he must make sure they’d be all right if anything happened to him. At his age, you didn’t know how long you had left, whatever your state of health.

In April things improved suddenly for the sisters. Because the numbers of people out of work were now so high, it was decided by the local Relief Committee that the ladies of the Methodist Chapel were to run another soup kitchen and hold sewing and reading classes for members of their own congregation.