Loving, Living, Party Going (28 page)

'Women can't be masons. They aren't accepted.'

'Can't they,' he retorted. 'That's all you know then.'

'It takes all sorts to make a world,' she remarked.

'You're telling me,' he said. Holding one of her hands in his he shut his eyes and appeared to want to rest. 'I'd tear the 'eart right out of 'er,' he added in a weak voice.

'I had a look over that little house Charley,' she murmured soft after a moment.

'You what?'

'Where we're goin' to live when we're married,' she explained.

'So you did did you?' he said stirring in his seat.

'Why whatever's the matter now?' she asked. 'You wished me to surely?'

'I shouldn't wonder if my ideas hadn't changed,' he said cautious. 'About where we plan to find a home together,' he added.

'What's come over you Charley?' she enquired. She began at last to show signs of alarm.

'What experience I've had, and I've 'ad some mind, has gone to show that it's no manner of use hanging on in a place where you're not valued,' he said.

'But there are the little extras,' she cried. 'That two or three quid a week you speak about.'

'Oh well,' he answered, 'it's no more'n can be picked up in any butler's job if you know the ropes. No, what's goin' on over in Britain is what bothers me. The way things are shapin' it wouldn't come as a surprise if places such as this weren't doomed to a natural death so to say.'

'Go on with you,' she replied. 'Why if Mrs Tennant loses all her dough there'll always be those that took it. Don't you tell me there isn't good pickings to be had in service long after our children have said thank you madam for the first bawlin' out over nothing at all that they'll receive.' She was beginning to speak like him.

'That's as may be girl,' he countered, 'but from all accounts there's some lovely money going in munitions.'

'Yes and then once this old war's over it's out on your ear with no work.'

'Yet you've just argued that there'll be jobs in service we can go back to,' he complained.

'Stay in what you know, that's what I always maintain,' Edith announced although she had never before expressed an opinion one way or the other.

'Well you may be right but it's this country gets me down.'

'You're fed up, Charley, on account of your stomach.'

'It's too bloody neutral this country is.'

'Too neutral?' she echoed.

'Well there's danger in being a neutral in this war,' he said, 'you've only to read the newspapers to appreciate that.'

'I thought you'd given up listenin' to such talk,' she complained.

'And then my lad going over to give 'imself up, to enlist.'

'What's that to do with you an' me?' she grumbled,

'I'm unsettled. There you are. This has unsettled me Edie.'

'Charley what's the matter? You tell. Nothing serious is it dear?'

'I received a letter this morning.'

'You've had bad news?'

'Not exactly,' he admitted.

'Then who was it from?' she asked.

'My mum wrote me.'

'Your old mother? Well what did she say?'

'She's not comin' over mate, that's what."

'Not coming over?' she repeated in quite a loud voice. 'Why then we can have the little house all to ourselves dearest.'

'If we want to live there in the end,' he said.

'Whatever are you saying?' she cried really disturbed at last.

'I wrote to 'er see,' Raunce explained with some embarrassment, 'and what I said was I'd like to have her out of that awful air raid business. I know he's never been over Peterboro' yet but the way he's going it might be any minute now. I said she could do worse than come here and told 'er what you and I had thought of. It would be a weight off my mind I said and how you would look after 'er better than my sister Bell ever did.'

'Well what did she say?'

'I got the letter here,' he said. 'She writes she reckons that would be cowardly or something.'

'Can I see it?' she requested serious.

'No I won't show it to you,' he answered.

'Then there's matters disobligin' about me in it,' she cried.

'To tell you the truth there's no mention of you at all.'

'Well whoever's heard,' she exclaimed.

'I can't understand that part,' he went on. 'I said as clear as clear we were thinkin' of getting married but it's just as if she'd never bothered to read to the bottom.'

'Well I never,' Edith said cautious.

'It's that bit about being afraid that gets me,' he muttered.

'Afraid to marry me she means?'

'Not on your life. I told you she never mentioned you Edie. No she reckons we're 'iding ourselves away in this neutral country.'

'Here let me read it.'

'No mate I don't want you to get a wrong impression of the old lady, seeing that we're to be man and wife.'

'Your sister's put her up to it,' she said.

'My sister Bell?' he laughed. 'You wait till you meet.'

'You don't love me,' she wailed.

'Oh honey,' he said with a sigh, 'you'll never know how much I do.' But he made no move towards her. She had gone quite white. She chanced a quick look at him, noted that he seemed exhausted.

'Why dearest,' she exclaimed, 'd'you feel all right?'

'It's our plans,' he said. 'We'd just about got everything settled when this comes along.'

'But we could live here without your mother,' she pleaded. 'Oh you don't realize how I'll look after you,' she went on, 'and by this means I'll have twice the time to do it. Because I was never aiming to give up work at the Castle. Mrs Tennant can't get help. She'll be glad to have me over six days a week only the seventh I must keep for our washin'.'

He leant over to kiss her. She allowed it. Then she interrupted him.

'No Charley,' she said, 'we got to discuss this.'

'She's funny that way,' he remarked as though in a dream.

'What are you getting at?' she asked sharp.

'She's obstinate mother is. Always was. I remember when the old man wanted to chuck his job on the railway because 'e'd been made a good offer I can't exactly remember where now but I know it would've meant more money. Well she wouldn't 'ear of it, wouldn't even let it be mentioned twice. They had a rare argument at the time. I was only a kid but I can hear them now. But she got her way. He stayed where 'e was. And I couldn't say that he lost by so doing.'

'Yet she wishes us to throw this place up.'

'Yes Edie, but it's different this time.'

'I'm that bewildered,' she said.

'Now love,' he said in a voice that was weak with exhaustion, 'you're not to worry.'

'But we'd laid all our plans,' she objected and seemed to be fighting back the tears. Then she gave way. 'Oh our little 'ouse,' she sobbed. She turned to him like a child, and held out her arms. With a quick movement she got onto his knees. She merged into him and copiously wept.

'There sweet'eart there,' he comforted. She was crying noisily. He appeared to grope for words. 'Don't take on love,' he said. He shifted his legs as though the weight was beginning to tell. 'This would occur just when I'm not quite up to the mark,' he exclaimed. She gave no sign of having heard. 'There's other places,' he tried to appease her. 'Well find you a lovely home,' he ended, and fell silent.

'Don't stop,' she sobbed into his ear.

'Why,' he said, 'I love you more than I thought I was capable. I'm surprised at myself, honest I am. If my old mother could see her Charley now she'd never recognize 'im,' he murmured.

She at once got off his knees. She started blowing her nose and cleaning up. He leant forward, gazed awkward into her face. 'I never seen anything like your eyes they're so 'uge not in all my experience,' he announced soft 'Yet for eighteen months I didn't so much as notice them. Can you explain that?' Then, perhaps to distract her attention, he invited her to witness what he saw, the peacocks that had been attracted. For these most greedy of all birds had collected in twos about and behind the lilac trees, on the scrounge for tit-bits.

'Oh those,' she answered. 'It's wicked the way they spy on you.'

'They've been raised in a good school,' he remarked.

'There,' she said giving her face a last dab. She did not look at him. 'I'm sorry I did that. Well then Charley what's next?'

'You mustn't blame this on my old lady ducks,' he replied. 'She gets pig'eaded at times the way all old people do. But that's not to say she hasn't wounded me because she has and where a man feels it most, right in my pride in myself,' he explained. 'She knows I'm barely an age for this war, yet awhiles anyhow, yet she seems to think I'm not in it all I might be, d'you get me?'

Edith stayed silent

'Oh this pain,' he suddenly groaned. 'It will nag a man.'

'I got some bicarbonate indoors will soon see to that,' she said.

'I was wonderin' if you could just nip over and fetch us some,' he suggested green in the face.

'We haven't finished,' she answered grim. 'There's a lot I want to get straight first.'

'What's that love?' he asked.

'What are we goin' to do then?' Edith continued. She spoke calm.

Raunce leant forward. In an effort to pull himself together perhaps, he squinted terribly.

'We got to get out of here,' he said.

'Leave this place?' she asked.

'There's nothing else for it sweetheart,' he replied.

'And go to the Agency in Dublin to find us another Charley?'

'No dear. We've just been in to all that. We'd best clear right out.'

'What and go to America somewhere Charley?'

'Not on your life,' he answered. 'It's back to the old country for you an' me my love.'

'And have me took up as I step from off the ship which brought us across by one of those women police waiting on the dockside to put me in the A.T.S.? 'Ave you gone out of your mind then?'

'Steady on Edie where did you get that from? They don't act in such a fashion, not yet they don't.'

'Out of your very lips and not so long since either. You sat at dinner and frightened my Kate out of her mind almost, so she shouldn't go.'

'Why it was only a tale,' he pleaded.

'How d'you know? You said so Charley.'

'You've got no diplomacy love, that's what's the matter. I didn't want you left with all her work or some dirty Irish judy brought in to help who you'd have to go round after all the time. Sure I pitched 'er a tale. Mind you they'll be forced to it in the end before this war's over, when the casualties start an' they get real short of labour. You mark my words we'll all be in uniform then. But just at present there's nothing of the sort I tell you.'

'And you're certain this ain't just your idea to get rid of me?' she asked tearfully once more.

He put an arm round her shoulders.

' 'Ere,' he said, 'what's up all of a sudden? It's not like you to have nightmares or see shadows followin' you round.'

'I'm that bewildered,' she explained again, settling her cheek against his.

'Now don't you fret,' he comforted. 'You leave all the brain work to your old man. Lucky Charley they call him,' he said in a threadbare return to his usual manner. 'We want to get out of this country and when once we've made up our minds we want to get out fast.'

'Elope?' she cried delighted all of a sudden.

'Elope,' he agreed grave.

She gave him a big kiss. 'Why Charley,' she said, seemingly more and more delighted, 'that's romantic.'

'It's what we're going to do whatever the name you give it,' he replied.

'But don't you see that's a wonderful thing to do,' she went on.

'Maybe so,' he said soft into her ear, 'but it's what we're doing.'

'Oh I can love you for this,' she murmured. 'There I've said it now haven't I? You were always on at me to say. But go on.'

'That's all,' he announced. 'Only once I get hold of Michael we'd best get away out to-morrow.'

'Wait a minute,' she cried in a disappointed voice. 'And how about our month's notice?'

'We shan't hand it in mate that's all. We'll flit.'

'Oh but Charley that would be wrong,' she said in a low voice.

'Right or wrong it's what we'll do. We could get Kate to come along if you was to feel awkward.'

'Awkward?' she asked. 'How d'you mean?'

'Well,' he replied shyly. 'We can't get married before we've put the banns up a full three weeks on the other side. I was just askin' myself if you'd feel it was right our travelling without we were man and wife.'

She laughed. 'D'you reckon I can't protect myself from you after all this time?' she enquired gentle.

'I know you can right enough,' he replied, 'but I couldn't tell the way you'd see it.'

She did not answer this. She said,

'Kate would never come with us, not now.'

'How's that Edie?'

'On account of her Paddy.'

'Go on with that for a tale.'

'I thought you knew dear,' she said.

'Well I did in a manner of speaking but not to place any reliance on it.'

'It's true right enough. She says he needs 'er.'

'Then all I can say is that's disgusting, downright disgusting.'

'Dithtrething and dithtathteful?' she asked.

'No mate it's no joking matter. Why a big, grown girl like her an' that ape out of a Zoo.'

'There's the way things are Charley.'

'But how did this come about?'

'She was lonely,' Edith explained, 'an' she watched us.'

' 'Ere,' he said, 'don't go layin' Paddy at my door. Why it's unnatural.'

'Well she's made her bed an' she needs must lie on it.'

'All the more reason then for us to get quick out of here,' was his comment.

'And not say goodbye to a soul?' she now asked in an excited voice.

'Not to anyone,' he replied narrowly watching her.

'Oh I couldn't,' she cried as though all at once she had despaired. 'I must tell Miss Evelyn and Miss Moira.'

'That's been the cause of half the trouble in this place. Once they get hold of something it's taken right out of control.'

'But it wouldn't be right. Why they're innocent.'

' 'Ow d'you mean innocent?' he enquired. 'There's a lot we could lay to their door.'