Home Is Where the Heart Is (11 page)

‘Sorry I was late. Been a bit busy. But I’ve missed you, sweetheart,’ he told her, as he finally returned with a glass of wine each, and settled himself beside her.

‘It feels like a lifetime since I saw you last, even if it was only a week.’

‘Then let me remind you of it,’ he said, giving her a quick kiss.

Davina gave a soft groan. ‘I need far more than that, but Mrs Phillipson, my dictator of a landlady, would never allow it. What about your place?’

Alex shook his head. ‘With Ma and Pa around? Not a chance. We’ll have to think of some other solution. Perhaps a visit to the Midlands Hotel some time, or one out of town where no one will know us.’

Davina flickered from a thrill of anticipation to a puzzled frown. ‘Why would that matter? We’re a couple, aren’t we? You aren’t even engaged to that silly wench anymore, so what’s the problem?’

Instead of answering, he slipped an arm about her shoulders and kissed her again, at first soft and then much harder. ‘You’re so gorgeous. Irresistibly lovely.’

She couldn’t help but giggle with delight, wrapping her arms about his waist to hold him close, before noticing
people were glancing their way and giving little sniggers. Alex also glanced about him at the crows packing the bar, and eased himself off her. ‘It’s a bit busy here. We’ll find somewhere quieter next time. In fact, I can think of somewhere right now, once it stops raining.’

Fortunately, they found that the rain had indeed stopped as they came out of the pub later. The night was now cold and frosty, but Davina made no objection when Alex decided they should take a short walk towards the canal. Moments later, he led her down a flight of stone steps to a cobbled platform beside the lock, lit by an old street lamp. A wooden footbridge, leading to the towpath opposite, spanned the canal. But just before this was a bench set in the lea of a wall topped by metal posts. Dropping on to the seat, he pulled her to him. Davina happily straddled his lap, quivering with passion as he at once began to kiss and caress her face, neck and breasts, then quickly pushed himself inside her, gasping in his urgency.

‘What would I do without you?’ he sighed when he finally released himself, sinking back and giving a little shudder, although whether from the cold or the thrill of their coupling she wasn’t too sure.

‘What indeed?’ she whispered, sliding her hand between his legs. ‘Can we do that again, please, a little slower this time?’ It was so wonderful that she’d won him back. All she needed to do now was to persuade him to marry her. And this was a pretty obvious way to achieve that dream.

Watching Alex scuttle out through the door of the pub with his arm still wrapped about the girl, Steve battled with himself to sit tight and not race after the fellow to punch his nose in, rather as he’d done to him that time. What a bastard! How could he treat Cathie so abominably? She was a lovely girl, so sweet and kind, if rather shy and nervous as a result of all the traumas she’d suffered in life.

Steve could sympathise with that feeling as he’d suffered quite a few traumas himself. There were days when images and memories haunted him: the sight of dead bodies lying around, the stench of burned flesh, guns blasting and the sound of explosions. They would carry him back to a time he’d much rather not remember.

Even now his leg was aching or would sometimes feel stiff with pain despite no longer being there. The doctor assured him the problem would eventually ease, he just had to be patient. Patience had never been a part of his temperament in the past, certainly not with Cathie when they were kids together. But she’d proved to be such a good friend, helping him to deal with his injuries, that his feelings towards her had changed.

Oh, how he loved her! What he wouldn’t give to have her love him instead of this idiot. But what could he do? Should he tell her that he’d seen her fiancé kissing another woman? Would she believe him? She rarely believed a word he said, because of the foolish jokes he used to play
on her. Yet he also understood the emotional trauma of losing someone you loved. A subject he preferred not to dwell upon.

But, as far as he was aware, their relationship was now over, and they were no longer engaged, so he was probably worrying unduly. This woman might well have been the real reason Alex had called it off, and nothing to do with the baby at all.

All he could do, Steve decided, was to keep an eye on the bloke, and watch how things developed. Then he’d make whatever decision seemed appropriate.

A
lex kicked his feet against the cold as he paced back and forth down the alley. Where was the blighter? The chap was supposed to be here by ten o’clock. Glancing at the clock through the post office window, he saw that it was almost half past. Frustration and anger pulsated through him. Maybe this had been a bad idea. What if a policeman spotted him, and arrested him for loitering? Not a pleasant prospect. He’d thought this scheme worth the risk in an effort to make some real money, which was in desperately short supply. Now he was beginning to wonder if this Eddie fellow had led him down the garden path.

Alex heard the roar of an engine and, nerves jittering, quickly stepped back into the shadows. The delivery van drew to a halt and, as the driver jumped out, he left the door swinging open before plunging into the post office. The agreement was that he would do that while he went in to ask directions.

Wasting no more time on second thoughts or doubts, Alex sprinted to the van, dragged out the couple of boxes
that had been left strategically placed and, after placing a fiver on the driver’s seat, carried them away at speed. Within seconds he was back in the shadows of the alleyway, and could hear the driver calling out a thank you to the postmistress, before leaping back into the van and driving off. In just two minutes, the chap had earned himself five quid. Not a bad morning’s work.

Heart beating madly, Alex looked down at the two large boxes he’d tucked behind a dustbin and burst out laughing. So what had he earned? This wasn’t the moment, or the place, to investigate. He lifted the boxes back into his arms and marched smartly away, heading for the allotment where his late grandfather used to grow vegetables and keep hens. In theory it now belonged to his Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe, but, being quite old now, neither of them spent much time there. Having helped himself to the key from the kitchen rack, he let himself into the shed where he deposited his booty.

When he opened the boxes up, Alex was delighted to see that they were packed with cigarettes and cigars, exactly as he had hoped. Not only that, but also a small parcel of lighters, quite pretty ones in silver.

‘How easy was that?’ he chuckled to himself, convinced that he could sell all of this stuff for an excellent price, with the assistance of his new mate, Eddie. Life was definitely on the up and up.

A few days later, his inside pockets stuffed with notes and the shed once more hosting only garden tools and seed
potatoes, Alex decided to call upon Rona for a cup of tea, as he liked to do at this time of day. She was an intriguing and sexy woman, despite her age, most voluptuous and deliciously flirtatious. Not necessarily his type, but he did love to tease and flirt with her.

Today, when she handed him a mug of tea and a slice of cake she again claimed to have baked herself, despite it being in a box with the name Co-op written on it, he thanked her for helping him win Cathie back. ‘Is she aware that you told me something of your family history, or at least the baby’s, which I freely admit I found fascinating.’

Rona shook her head, giving a sly little grin. ‘Nay, lad, that’s just between you and me. I did think thee might change your mind when you learned of what was sitting in a bank account left by my late daughter’s generous husband. The child is well provided for, so taking her on will not prove to be expensive.’

‘That’s something of a relief,’ Alex admitted. ‘Particularly considering the sad state of the economy and lack of jobs.’

‘Aye, although it does work both ways. Bearing in mind the status and wealth of
your
family, I decided pairing the two of you off could bring nowt but good.’

Alex burst out laughing. ‘Touché, then it’s a deal, and it will be a secret well kept. I’d hate Cathie to think I was only marrying her for the money,’ he said, a carefully bland expression marking his face. ‘She’s a lovely girl and I’m sure she’ll make me a wonderful wife. I couldn’t be happier.’

‘Just make sure that you provide her with an equally wonderful husband. My own experience of marriage was not a good one, but I want Cathie’s to be, particularly as the lass clearly loves you. I thought it might help for you to understand the financial situation with regards to little Heather. The child will cost you nowt.’

‘Oh I do, I do, and will honour your wish to provide her with a good life.’ At least to begin with, he thought, until I get my hands on that blessed cash. What happens after that rather depends on how I feel about being stuck with someone else’s offspring. ‘Now I have something for you,’ he said, handing over one of the cigarette lighters as a gift. ‘You deserve a present for helping to bring us together. I couldn’t have achieved such a satisfactory result without you.’

‘Ooh, don’t mention it, lad,’ Rona said, as she excitedly opened the box. ‘I’m available to help at any time, in any way. Just say the word.’

‘I’ll remember that.’

Preparations for the wedding were progressing, if rather slowly. ‘I’m afraid if you were dreaming of a rather grand ceremony, it’s not going to happen,’ Alex sadly informed Cathie. ‘It will need to be quite a small celebration. The reason being that we’ll have to pay for it ourselves.’

This came as no surprise to Cathie, as Rona certainly could not afford to finance a wedding, and if Alex’s family
had made no offer to do so either, there would be no other choice. Not that it troubled her in the slightest. Being Alex’s wife was far more important to her than a fancy ceremony. And if his family didn’t approve because of where she lived, or they still believed the baby to be hers, what did that matter? Let them think what they liked. At least Alex believed in her now.

‘You should be aware that I don’t have much in the way of savings, not now that I’m unemployed,’ she told him. ‘But I assume you still have some of your demob money left?’

‘Er, I’ve spent quite a bit of it, as it was intended to allow me three months’ leave before finding a job, which I badly needed since I’ve been overseas for so long.’

‘Weren’t you ever granted leave in Egypt?’ she asked.

‘Yes, we’d go to Cairo, but not very often. And, as I told you, I felt in dire need to get out and about and have some fun. But I assure you that there’s sufficient money left to pay for a wedding, and a few months’ rent in advance on a house or flat, once we find one.’ He said nothing of the pot of cash he’d just earned from a little black marketing deal. The less said about that the better.

‘We’ll manage fine then,’ Cathie assured him, giving him a kiss. ‘We can keep costs low. I shall bake a simple, two-tiered wedding cake, and Mam has some little pottery pillars left over from her own wedding, which I can borrow to hold it in place.’

‘What a talented lady you are,’ he said, pulling her into
his arms to give her yet more kisses and fondle her soft breasts. She wriggled free, giving him a playful tap on the hand.

‘Naughty, naughty, remember that patience is a virtue you must learn to cultivate.’ She laughed. ‘I also have some lengths of parachute silk to make into a wedding dress, which I’ve already started work on.’

Cathie thought of the way she and her mother had been using flawed parachute silk for some years to make their own underwear. But then this was the era of ‘make do and mend’. She could only hope it would prove to be pretty enough to please him, when eventually he viewed her in it. ‘I’ve dyed some of the parachute silk pale blue to make up into bridesmaid’s dresses for Brenda and Davina.’

‘Davina?’ he asked, his eyes widening in surprise. ‘Davina is to be one of your bridesmaids?’

‘Of course, she’s a good friend.’

He took a moment before asking, ‘Even though she gave away your secret about the baby?’

Cathie frowned. ‘What secret? Heather is not a secret. I just hadn’t got around to explaining to you that I wished to adopt my baby niece.’

His mouth twisted into a little smirk. ‘Except that Davina did plainly state the child was yours.’

‘I think you misunderstood or misheard her. I explained it all to you at the time, so let’s not keep going over that.’ Alex looked almost relieved by this remark, which pleased her, although his comment was deeply puzzling. Surely he
wasn’t still suggesting that baby Heather was her child? Had he even listened properly to her explanation? It worried her at times that he seemed far more interested in kissing her than taking part in any sort of conversation between them. Was that the effect of war as well, or because of his loneliness over those long years abroad?

But, as he now seemed happy enough to walk out with her of an afternoon, even if he never touched the pram, let alone the baby, Cathie decided she would set the subject aside and concentrate on their future together. She too must be patient and allow him time to adjust to Civvy Street.

With the shortage of houses being what it was, the task of finding a home of their own was proving to be an impossible task. They walked mile upon mile, scouring every inch of Castlefield before moving on to other parts of Manchester. Here and there they might be offered a single room to rent, but Alex refused to even contemplate one of those, dismissing them all as dingy shambles. Cathie couldn’t help but agree, yet that was the state of the entire country right now, a broken mess on the verge of bankruptcy.

It was becoming increasingly clear that they would have no choice but to move in with his parents. She certainly had no wish to live with Rona, particularly as she appeared to have developed a fancy for Alex. Her rapacious mother simply couldn’t resist an attractive man.

‘I’ll speak to my parents, and let you know what they think,’ Alex said. ‘The house in St John Street is quite
large, so perhaps they’ll be willing to let us rent a couple of rooms on the top floor.’

‘With the servants?’ Cathie asked with a giggle.

‘Possibly,’ he agreed. ‘Would that be a problem for you?’

‘Not in the least! As long as I’m with you, darling, I really don’t mind where I live. And at least your house will be clean.’

‘Then assuming I get my parents’ agreement, that’s what we’ll do until we can raise enough money to buy or rent some place of our own, which I’m sure we’ll succeed in doing if we put our heads together and devise a plan. I’m working on it already. What about you? I don’t suppose you have a pot of cash squirrelled away somewhere?’

Cathie burst out laughing. ‘Now who’s dreaming?’

‘You want to bring that foolish girl to live here with
us
?’ Dorothy snapped. ‘Have you taken leave of your senses? I thought you’d ended that stupid engagement.’

‘I’m delighted to say that it’s on again,’ Alex told his mother with an arrogant little smile. ‘She’s a very sweet girl, and does insist that the child is not hers, so I’ve decided to believe her.’ That wasn’t strictly true, but he had no wish to discuss any other reasons he might have of re-establishing their relationship, certainly not with his parents. They might be hard-working people, but possessed upper middle-class aspirations and were so greedy for money themselves that they’d always deliberately kept him short of cash. If he’d
now latched on to ways of improving his own future without overtaxing himself, that was his business, not theirs.

As ever, his father chimed in with the same old question. ‘Have you found yourself employment yet, son?’

‘I’ve a few irons in the fire, so I should soon be in a better financial situation.’ Not for a moment must Victor get wind of his black-marketeering schemes. Life was tough. The shortage of essential items not at all what he’d expected to find on his return. He surely had a right to a better life, not least a home of his own, a wife to care for him and a car? Neither the army nor the state had offered him much in the way of funds, so if the only way to achieve success was by taking part in these cunning little schemes with Eddie, why the hell not?

‘When you do succeed in acquiring a job, let us know. We might then agree to you and your future wife moving in with us, although only for a short time until you find your own accommodation. But, as you will be required to pay us a proper rent, you’ll need a job first. Is that clear?’

‘Crystal,’ Alex grunted, feeling almost as if he were a schoolboy again, coming home from his public school to be lectured for failing to achieve a high enough grade in his exams, or for not being top dog in the football or cricket team, debating society, or anything for that matter.

‘With your background you should be head boy,’ the imperious Victor would sneer. ‘I certainly was.’ Nothing he did seemed to please his father, who constantly accused him of being lazy and idle.

Thelma, their beloved and favourite daughter, could do no wrong in his eyes, being beautiful, married to a rich businessman, and with three children. Whereas he, as their only son, was subject to impossibly high expectations and constant criticism.

Even on the day he’d arrived home, Alex had found the house empty, with no welcome mat in place. Being a Sunday, his parents had gone off to church and then out to lunch at the Midland Hotel, ignoring the fact that their son was due home. They claimed he hadn’t properly informed them of the time of his train, which may or may not be the case. Alex believed he had written to them, but couldn’t be certain, as he’d long since given up worrying about pleasing his disapproving parents. Nevertheless, he should have accepted Cathie’s invitation after all.

‘You need to put more effort into your life, or you’ll never achieve anything,’ his father was now saying, his expression emitting a frown of disapproval.

He didn’t seem to appreciate that Alex had nowhere to go, no home of his own, nothing to do, and little money coming in. Or that he was weary of being given orders and bossed around the entire time, as he had been all his damned life by this man, even before the army took over that role. Why should he buckle down and work his socks off for scarcely any pay? Surely he deserved more of a reward, having spent six years fighting a war, or at least being involved in one. He’d worked long and hard in a hot and scruffy mess tent in the desert, if not actually fighting
and killing people. And he came home with barely a penny in his pocket. Yet the pompous Victor was not prepared to help in any way.