Pack Up Your Troubles (27 page)

‘So what did happen?’ said Connie.

‘All I remember is Ga coming in and giving me hell. She bashed me half to death with a hair brush. I could hear you upstairs being sick and she was telling me I was a pimp. I had no idea what the word meant but she was hopping mad.’

‘I know she told you to go,’ said Connie, ‘but why did you stay away?’

‘I was about ready to go anyway,’ said Kenneth. ‘I was coming up to sixteen and it was just the excuse I needed. The only trouble was, just as I was going out of the door, she told me she’d tell Mum about you and Stan if I came back. I kept away because I didn’t want to ruin your reputation.’

‘Me and Stan?’ said Connie. ‘There was no me and Stan. He was horrible. I hated him.’

‘She said he’d got you pregnant,’ Kenneth said quietly.

‘What!’ Connie stood up. ‘That’s awful. How dare she? Nothing happened, Kenny, I swear.’

The two of them fell silent and Connie sat back down. ‘He was nothing but a creepy little maggot.’

‘I knew if Ga told Mum she would skin me alive,’ said Kenneth staring at the floor. ‘Ga said she would protect you and that no one would ever know what you two had been up to. She made out as if it was all my fault.’

‘How?’

‘Because I had invited him,’ said Kenneth. ‘She even accused me of taking money from him.’

‘What money?’ Connie shook her head. ‘You mean the money on the table?’

Kenneth took in his breath. ‘How did you know about that?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Connie. ‘I can’t remember exactly. Kenny, I tried to tell Ga it was nothing to do with you, but she wouldn’t listen. Who did the money belong to anyway?’

Kenneth shrugged.

‘But Ga said Stan had paid you to take me to bed.’

‘That’s a barefaced lie!’

‘And I was thirteen, for goodness’ sake,’ said Connie. ‘What did I know about stuff like that?’

‘So I stayed away all this time for nothing,’ said Kenneth.

Connie’s heart went out to him. ‘Well, we’ve found each other now, Kenny. We have to tell Mum that you’re alive. I can’t keep this up much longer.’

‘Not yet.’

‘But why?’

‘There’s something else,’ he said. ‘I’ve met someone.’

Connie was completely taken aback. ‘Met someone?’

‘I know,’ said Kenneth. ‘I find it pretty amazing too.’

‘It’s not that,’ Connie said quickly and her brother laughed as her face flushed. ‘Who is she?’

‘One of the nurses,’ he said. ‘Her name is Pearl.’ His eyes misted over. ‘She’s wonderful.’

‘Do I get to meet her?’

‘She’s on duty today,’ he said. ‘She’ll be bringing the teas around in a minute.’

Connie was totally gobsmacked. What a surprise! She hadn’t expected that, and yet why not? Kenneth was still a young man. She rubbed his arm affectionately. ‘I’m really happy for you,’ she smiled.

‘Ah, here she is.’

Connie looked around as a small woman with her mousy blonde hair pushed back in a French plait walked towards them. She was smiling.

‘Darling,’ Kenneth called, ‘I want you to meet my sister.’

Connie stood up and Pearl reached for her hand. Her handshake was firm. ‘Pleased to meet you,’ she said.

She sat with them on the lawn as Connie and Kenneth drank their tea. With a little gentle probing, Connie found out that Pearl had nursed her brother from the beginning of his stay at the Royal Victoria and somewhere along the line, they’d fallen in love. Certainly when Pearl looked at Kenny, Connie couldn’t help being aware that she gazed at him as if he was as handsome as Tyrone Power or James Stewart.

‘About Mum?’ Connie asked as she was leaving. ‘I should tell her.’

‘Soon,’ promised Kenneth.

On the way home, as she dozed on the train, she finally pieced together the events of that day. The only thing that eluded her now was why. Why did Ga send Kenny away for good? What possible motive could she have?

For her third day off, Connie was going to Chichester with Eva. They knew there was a market there and it would make a lovely day out on the train. Connie had to be careful not to spend too much. All these train fares were beginning to eat into her money but she’d never been to Chichester before and the long journey meant that she and Eva could talk.

‘Steven is taking me to meet his parents at the end of the month.’

Connie grinned. ‘Does that mean your romance is no longer a secret?’

Eva nodded. ‘It’s getting harder and harder to deny it,’ she said candidly. ‘I’m about to enter my third year of nursing and he’s got another two. We’re planning to marry as soon as he graduates.’

‘How exciting,’ Connie enthused. ‘Did you go and see Queenie? Was she all right about it?’

‘She was fantastic,’ said Eva. ‘She said she couldn’t face coming to the wedding …’

‘Understandable,’ Connie interrupted.

‘But she wants to help me with the reception. Will you be my bridesmaid when the time comes?’

‘Oh Eva, I’d be thrilled.’ Connie paused. ‘It looks like your romance won’t be the only secret out in the open at last.’

They spent the rest of the journey talking about Emmett and his wife and Connie’s visit to Kenneth the day before. The one person they didn’t talk about was Roger. Every time Connie went into Eva’s room, she’d look at the photograph of Roger she kept on her dressing table. It wasn’t very big, and Roger was standing a long way from the camera, but Connie’s eye was always drawn to it. She had to be careful Eva didn’t see her looking, because she didn’t want to give her ideas. In the end Connie had to ask. ‘How’s Roger?’ she said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Eva grinned knowingly.

‘Only asking,’ Connie said quickly. Because Roger hadn’t written for some time, Connie found herself thinking about him all the time. She’d started worrying that something may have happened to him. Had he been injured by a bomb? Had he been … no, if he had, Eva would have told her. Eva seemed unconcerned about her brother but Connie knew they wrote to each other at least once a week, so he must be all right. She didn’t want Eva jumping to conclusions. Roger was a friend.

‘He’s doing some sort of training course,’ said Eva. ‘They have to keep up-to-date with things. One of his mates was killed last week.’

So that was why he hadn’t written. The revelation hit Connie hard. Roger was a nice man. She hated the idea that his life was in danger all the time.

‘Are you all right?’ Eva asked. ‘You look a bit pale.’

‘How can you stay so calm about it?’ Connie accused.

Eva gave her a long hard stare. ‘Years of practice but inside I’m screaming.’

They were sitting opposite each other and as her friend turned her head to look out of the window, Connie moved to sit next to her and hold her hand. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I was being crass and stupid. It must be hell for you.’

‘And you?’ said Eva.

‘I don’t want to think of him that way,’ said Connie. ‘He’s just a friend. I’m done with men.’

‘Oh, Connie …’

‘I mean it. I was so wrong about Emmett.’

‘There’s plenty more fish in the sea,’ said Eva.

‘Now you sound like my mother,’ said Connie, resuming her usual seat.

*

Stan had put it off long enough. It hadn’t come as a shock this time. He’d had the clap before but this time he was frustrated. That slut had virtually offered herself to him. If he hadn’t been so weak this would never have happened. It didn’t take much to work out who had given it to him this time. He smiled grimly. She wouldn’t be giving it to some other mug; he’d make sure of that. She’d looked so young that he’d felt sure he was the first but she obviously wasn’t as unsullied as he’d thought. It was unfortunate that he’d had to go to his mother’s doctor, but there was no alternative. Still, the man was close to retirement, and he still knew his stuff. Of course, he had insisted that he hadn’t been with anyone.

‘It must have been on the lavatory seat. Those public toilets down by the seafront leave a lot to be desired,’ he’d said and the doctor didn’t argue. He knew and the doctor knew he was talking out of the back of his head, but so long as his mother never found out, he didn’t care. It began with an itch, but as soon as the discharge came, he knew what it was. Damn it and he’d been so careful. He’d never liked going to one of those tarts, but there were times when the need was so strong and no one else was available. He didn’t want to wear a rubber and the girl had looked very young. She’d looked cute in that gym slip. His mouth tightened. Next time he’d put something over her mouth. Not that there would be a next time. He couldn’t stand women prattling away all the time. He had enough of that from his mother. She never shut up.

‘Venereal disease is much easier to treat these days,’ the doctor told him.

He was glad. The last time he’d had a dose of the clap, he was in hospital and had to miss the whole of the VE celebrations because by then he was on his third day of treatment. Thirty-four grams of sulfathiazole by injection over a period of five days. It was bloody painful but it had done the trick.

According to the doc, the VD clinic was at the back of the hospital and down a lane. Apparently, they were very careful about privacy and made sure that no one would be able to see him arriving or identify him. It was open Monday, Wednesday and Friday evening and from nine till noon on Thursday. He decided to go as soon as possible.

Twenty-Two

Chichester was wonderful. Connie and Eva strolled around the shops for a while and in among the market stalls. They had decided to make a day of it and although there was little money to spend, she and Eva enjoyed browsing.

‘Connie!’

Connie spun round when she heard the voice and a second later, a bemused Eva looked on as Connie and Kez hugged and danced with each other in the middle of the pavement.

She was selling lovely handmade dollies’ clothes, beautifully crafted wooden trains, rattles and rockers. Connie could see Simeon’s amazing talent straight away. They browsed among the things and Connie bought Mandy some lovely wall-mounted letters which spelt her name. There was a peg on the ‘a’ so she could hang her dressing gown up if she wanted. Connie loved the bright jazzy colours. After living for so long with dull browns and creams and woodland green, it was so much fun to see reds and yellows and bright blues. Connie wondered where Simeon had found them but the market stall was so busy, there was hardly any time to speak to Kez.

‘Where are you camped?’

‘We’re keréngro now,’ Kez beamed in between customers. ‘Simeon bought a piece of land over Slinden way and we’ve got our trailer there. My kids can go to school and learn to read.’

‘These things are fantastic,’ said Eva after Connie introduced them. ‘I’m sure you’ll do a roaring trade.’

Kez was wrapping another sale in newspaper. ‘She is already!’ laughed Connie.

‘Simeon is talking about getting a shop,’ Kez told them during another brief lull. ‘He’s talking with the bank mush right now.’

Another customer interrupted them, giving Connie another chance to admire more stock, some lovely skittles and a small train.

‘Does Simeon make all of these?’ Connie asked.

‘He makes the wooden stuff,’ said Kez. ‘I dress the dollies.’

‘Where are your kids?’ said Connie, looking around.

‘Pen looks after them while I works,’ said Kez.

‘You look like a real business woman,’ Connie laughed.

‘Thanks to you helping me to read,’ said Kez, giving her arm a grateful squeeze.

Eva wandered off to the next stall. ‘Have you heard from Isaac?’ Connie asked. Kez shook her head.

‘His time must be up soon.’

Kez sold a toy farmhouse and wrapped it in newspaper. As she put the money in her pouch, she sighed. ‘He should be out in a week or so,’ she said. ‘We went up to Portsmouth, but he didn’t want us to see him.’

‘He must be very angry and upset,’ Connie remarked.

‘’Course he is, ’cos he never done it,’ said Kez fiercely. ‘Isaac is a lot of things, but he ain’t no liar. If he says he never took the stuff, then he never.’

‘Clifford told me they found the stuff in his caravan,’ Connie said cautiously.

‘And that’s another thing,’ said Kez. ‘That weren’t his caravan. They found it in Reuben’s caravan.’

She moved to serve someone else leaving Connie to digest what she had said. She hadn’t really thought about it before but Kez was right. Isaac slept behind the hedge in his own tent. In recent times he had progressed into a small touring caravan dating back to the 1930s. It wasn’t at all like Reuben’s traditional gypsy caravan. It was a bit battered but he was doing it up. He also had a small lorry which was why he’d been learning about motors. Connie frowned. Having seen how independent the gypsies were, there was no reason for Isaac to put his stuff in his father’s caravan. What was the point? Reuben was on his last legs and Isaac would have known that when the old man died, everything would go up in smoke, so why hide valuable booty there? Of course he had no idea
when
the old man would die, but it would be one hell of a risk, wouldn’t it?

‘Did your dad have a lot of money?’ Connie asked.

Kez shrugged.

‘You said Simeon has gone to the bank,’ Connie persisted. ‘Did Reuben have a bank account?’

‘You know Reuben never trusted Gorgia,’ said Kez. ‘If he had money, he hid it somewhere.’

Connie looked away with a frown. Like under the floorboards of his caravan, for instance? With no one around to direct them (Isaac in jail and Reuben too ill to protest) the police had searched the wrong caravan, hadn’t they. The money they’d found was Reuben’s and somebody must have planted the missing jewellery in his caravan thinking that’s where Isaac lived as well. So Isaac was innocent after all. She didn’t like him all that much, but nobody deserved to be framed for something they didn’t do. The revelation left Connie with more pressing questions. Who could have done it and why?

‘Ready to move?’ Eva cut across Connie’s thoughts and she nodded. Kez was dealing with a steady stream of customers anyway. She called her goodbyes and Kez gave her the thumbs up. Connie was upset but there was little point in making waves now. Isaac would be out of prison soon.