The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (13 page)

She looked into his kindly green
eyes and smiled through her tears. ‘Thanks, Richard, for loving me I mean.’

‘Loving you’s the easy part. I’m
not allowing you to go back to the flat alone. God knows what Eddie might do if
the fancy takes him. If you can’t face telling him with me, then we’ll go and
collect your stuff now and take it to my house. Leave him a note. There’s
really nothing more for you to say to him.’

She nodded and wiped her eyes.

‘You can give him my phone
number, but not the address,’ he continued. ‘We don’t want him turning up
causing trouble. You’ll have to talk to him to arrange access for Jonny, but my
solicitor will advise you on that. The bruises on your arms are fresh. You can
show the solicitor those today.’

‘Ed never used to be violent,
Richard. It was after Jane Wilson came on the scene that he changed. He dated
us both until she ditched him for playing around. She took him back and that’s
when I told him I was pregnant.’

‘I remember when he was giving
you and Jane the run-around. You came to work and cried on my shoulder.’

‘And you took me out and bought
me a meal to cheer me up.’

‘And we made love on the back
seat of my car,’ he said. ‘From that moment I was smitten. But you were
determined to get Eddie back from Jane’s clutches.’

‘Well,
you
were engaged to
Louise,’ she reminded him. ‘You married her three months later.’

‘We all make mistakes,’ he said
with a wry smile.

‘I’ve lost Eddie to Jane for good
now.’

‘He’s having an affair? You never
said.’ He grinned triumphantly and ran his hands through his hair.

‘I didn’t know until this
morning. He wouldn’t admit to it outright. He’s got a new job at the shop where
she works. That’s what sparked off the latest row. He hadn’t even bothered to
tell me. I only found out when he appeared in his smart clothes.’

‘That’s brilliant. An affair with
Jane is just what we need. You can divorce him on two counts now. Violence
and
adultery. I’ll re-arrange today’s
appointments and phone my solicitor. We’ll get you settled at my place.’ He
knelt in front of her and placed his hand over her stomach. ‘I don’t want
anything happening to you or this baby.’

She smiled and stroked his thick,
dark curls. ‘It’s very early days, Richard. What if there isn’t a baby?’

‘I think there probably is. You
said yourself you’re never late. We did nothing to prevent it. Meantime, I’ll
get some practice in with Jonny.’

Angie took a deep breath, still
stroking his curls as the tears slid silently down her cheeks.

‘Richard, there’s something…,’
she faltered as the door flew back on its hinges and the junior stylist
appeared.

‘Oooh, sorry,’ Carol apologised.
‘Am I interrupting something?’

Richard got up from his knees and
raised his eyebrows. ‘Has anyone ever told you to knock?’

‘Well, yeah. But I thought you’d
like to know that Mrs Castle can’t make her appointment this morning.’

‘That’s good. I’ll let you off
the hook then. Ring my clients; reschedule for later in the week. I’m taking
Angie home. She’s not feeling too well.’

‘Sorry to hear that. Nothing
serious, I hope?’

‘Just the usual, you know,
women’s problems,’ Angie muttered, blushing slightly as Richard squeezed her
hand.

Carol nodded in sympathy. ‘Tell
me about it. Men don’t have a bloody clue!’

Richard rolled his eyes as she
left the room. ‘Right, Angie, let’s go home. By the way, what were you going to
say when she barged in just then?’

‘Oh, nothing. It’ll keep for
another time.’

***

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

APRIL 1964

Jane said goodbye to the young
man she’d finished serving and looked up as Eddie ran down the stairs, his
smile a mile wide. ‘What did Mr Gregson say?’

‘I can have Jonny every weekend.
He needs to agree it with Angie’s solicitor. If she doesn’t raise objections,
it should be okay.’

‘That’s brilliant. Will your mum
look after him while you work?'

‘I’m sure she will,’ he said,
lighting a cigarette. ‘I’ll work through my lunch hour, seeing as John gave me
time off this morning. Do you fancy a curry tonight with Roy and Sammy to
celebrate?’

‘I’d love to, but we don’t get
paid until Friday. I’ve hardly any money left and I know
you’re
almost
skint.’

‘I’ll borrow a few quid from Mum.
Pay her back from Friday’s gig money.’

‘You’ve got a date then.’

***

Eddie’s parents had welcomed him
home with open arms. Now that Angie’s affair with Richard Price was common
knowledge they were very supportive.

When his dad was told of his
relationship with Jane he’d sucked on his teeth and sighed heavily. ‘Bet Jane’s
parents aren’t too happy at her getting involved with you again, lad. They used
to say you were a right bad lot. What the hell must they be thinking now?’

‘Actually, Dad, Jane’s not told
them yet,’ Eddie admitted. ‘She says she’ll do it when she’s good and ready.’

‘She’d best shape herself,’ his
mum said. ‘Pickford’s a small town. Some nosy devil’s bound to see you together
and tell tales.'

His dad nodded his agreement. He
offered Eddie a cigarette. ‘Your mum’s right, Ed. Jane should tell them as soon
as possible. Another thing, let’s have no repeat of the Angie affair.’ He
pointed his cigarette at Eddie. ‘You be careful with Jane, or you’ll have her
father down on you like a ton of bricks.’

‘Dad, I’m nearly twenty-one. I
think I know what’s what these days.’

‘Twenty-one or not, you’re still
as daft as a brush. So you think on what your dad’s telling you.’ His mum
blushed and hurriedly changed the subject. ‘Anyway, he’s got a proposition to
put to you, along with your Aunt Celia’s agreement. Haven’t you, Fred?’

‘What’s that then?’ Eddie smiled
and flicked ash into the fire. Dad’s sister Celia lived in Brighton
and as her only nephew Eddie was the apple of her eye.

‘You used to dream of having a VW
Beetle before you saddled yourself with a wife and kiddie,’ his dad began.
‘We’ve an endowment we took out on you as a little lad. It paid out recently.
There’s a good deposit to put towards a car. If you sell your motorbike you’ll
have a bit more cash to pay off the balance. Celia’s prepared to pay half the
installments if you can meet the other half.’ He sat back, face wreathed in a
benevolent smile. ‘Look on it as an early twenty-first present from us all.’

Eddie’s jaw dropped. ‘Dad, are
you sure? I don’t deserve it, not after all the trouble I’ve caused you both.'

‘Aye, well it’s behind you now.
Things'll get better. I reckon you deserve a lucky break. We could have a look
round the car showroom on your day off. Perhaps arrange a test drive.’

‘Brilliant! Thank you. I’ll call
Aunt Celia now and thank her, too. I'll tell her about my new job and that I’m
back with Jane. She liked Jane the one time she met her.’

‘She knows you’ve left Angie, so
it won’t come as too much of a surprise,’ his mum said. ‘Celia’s off to America
next month for six weeks. You’d best call her right away then she can make
arrangements to send some money before she goes.’

***

Wednesday was Enid’s
usual day for cleaning upstairs. She yanked Jane’s bed away from the wall to
clean behind it. Jane’s best handbag slipped off the corner of the headboard,
spilling its contents onto the carpet.

‘Damn and blast it! Why doesn’t
she fasten the bloody thing?’ She got down on her knees to retrieve the errant
makeup and loose change and popped them into the bag. Something nestling at the
bottom caught her eye. She delved in and pulled out a small flat box, eyes
widening as she realised she was holding a Durex packet.

‘What’s she doing carrying these
things around?’ she muttered. More to the point, why is the packet almost
empty? To her knowledge, since Mark, Jane didn’t have a boyfriend. Anyway, her
daughter was a good girl. Certainly not the type who’d give her favours freely
to a man before marriage. Wasn’t she? Not that she’d ever discussed the subject
of sex with Jane. It had never cropped up.

She rose to her feet, heart
pounding. The walls of the little room crowded in and she flopped down on the
bed. The black and white pin-ups of
The
Beatles
and the scruffy, unwashed
Rolling
Stones
grinned mockingly at her. That Mack Jigger, or whatever the devil he
was called, was positively leering, she thought, shuddering. What was the world
coming to? All the debauchery you read about in the papers caused by these wild
groups of lads. Was her innocent daughter being led into the seamy side of
life? ‘Who’s doing the bloody leading?’ she said out loud.

She opened the window to let in
some air. The pink and white floral curtains fluttered in the breeze above the
dressing table with its clutter of makeup jars and perfume bottles. She picked
up Jane’s balding, one-eyed teddy bear from the floor and placed him on the
pillow, a sob catching her throat.

She ran a duster over the chest
of drawers, closed the lid of the record player and straightened a stack of
singles that was in danger of toppling off the edge, her mind racing. What
should she do? Call Jane and tackle her? Wait and tell husband Ben of her
findings? ‘No, bad idea,’ she mumbled. ‘He’ll go bloody mad and anyway, I
should find out who the packet belongs to.’

Perhaps Jane was looking after
them for a friend. Maybe they were Sammy’s. That made perfect sense. Sammy’s
boyfriend was a right cocky devil and they probably got up to allsorts. Then
the doubts came rushing back. Why didn’t Sammy keep them in
her
handbag? Pushing the Durex box into
her apron pocket she made her way downstairs to the kitchen and brewed a pot of
tea.

She clutched her mug, looking at
the packet that now lay mocking her on the kitchen table, until she could stand
it no longer. Before she changed her mind she ran out into the hall, stared at
the telephone for a few seconds, snatched up the receiver and dialled Flanagan
and Grey’s number, almost collapsing with shock as a softly spoken male voice
answered.

‘Good morning, Flanagan and
Grey’s, Eddie Mellor speaking. How may I help you?’

She slammed down the phone as
though it had bitten her ear. Eddie Mellor? What the hell was Eddie Mellor
doing answering Flanagan and Grey’s phone? Was he working there? If so, why on
earth hadn’t Jane mentioned it? A feeling of dread crept into her heart. Surely
her daughter wasn’t carrying on with Eddie Mellor? There had to be a better
explanation.

She whipped off her apron and put
on her coat. There was one person who might be able to throw some light on
this, her friend, Molly Mason. Molly’s daughter, Sammy, Jane’s best friend, was
engaged to Roy Cantello, who, Enid
knew, was a close friend of Eddie Mellor’s. Pushing the Durex into her pocket
with her keys, she left the house.

***

Molly answered her front door to
the urgent knocking and smiled broadly.

‘Enid,
come on in. I was about to make coffee. Will you join me?’

‘Please, Molly.’ Enid
stepped into the hallway and took off her coat.

‘Come through to the kitchen,’
Molly invited. ‘I’ve some nice biscuits. Might as well enjoy them while we can.
When the hungry hordes are here later they’ll scoff the lot. I’ve never known
anybody eat as much as Roy Cantello and not put an ounce on. Take a pew.’

Enid
draped her coat over the back of a kitchen chair and sat down, sighing loudly.

‘Oh dear! Why the big sigh?'
Molly placed two steaming mugs beside a plate of chocolate digestives.

‘I’ve made a discovery that I’m
not too happy about,’ Enid began as
Molly sat down opposite. ‘I wondered if
you
had any idea what might be
going on.’

‘Try me,’ Molly said and broke a
biscuit in half.

‘I was cleaning Jane’s bedroom
and found this.’ Enid placed the
contraceptive packet on the table. ‘When I called her at work to tackle her
about it, Eddie Mellor answered the phone.’

‘I see. I knew something like
this would happen.’

‘What do you mean?’ Enid’s
voice raised an octave. ‘Molly, what do
you
know about my girl that
I
don’t?’

‘I’m sorry, Enid.
I warned Jane not to keep things from you as you’d find out sooner or later.’

‘Find out what, exactly? What the
hell is she up to? Tell me now, or else I’ll go down to Flanagan and Grey’s and
drag it out of her.’

‘It’s not my place to say,’ Molly
began. ‘But you mustn’t go down to the shop and cause a scene. They’d never
forgive you. It would be so embarrassing for
you.’

‘Well
you
tell me what’s going on then, and I won’t do anything until she
comes home.’

‘You won’t like it,’ Molly
warned. ‘Jane’s having an affair with Eddie. He left his wife and he’s living
with his parents. He’s working with Jane, training as manager for the new
store.’

Molly took a sip of coffee as Enid
stared at her, her face draining of colour. ‘From what Sammy told me, Eddie’s
ex is having an affair with someone she
works
with and she’s living with him,’ Molly continued. ‘Eddie’s in love with Jane
and she with him. That’s why she broke off her engagement to Mark Fisher.’

‘But Mark’s worth ten of Eddie
Mellor,’ Enid cried. ‘I’ll never
understand that stupid girl. Fancy throwing herself at a ne’er do well when she
can have Mark. Eddie’s a tearaway, always has been. Wait until she comes
home. I’ll wipe the bloody floor with her.’

‘What’s the point, Enid?
She’s old enough to make her own decisions about who she sees and what she does
with them.’

‘Not while she’s under my roof,’ Enid
fumed. ‘She’s not seeing him again. I’ll make damn sure of that. I can’t
believe she's being so sneaky and underhanded. I’m so upset, Molly. I don’t
know my own daughter anymore.’ She sobbed into her handkerchief and Molly
patted her shoulder. ‘
He’ll
be the
one doing the seducing.’ Enid’s
lips trembled. ‘My Jane was a good girl. She wouldn’t have done anything like
that with Mark. He’s a decent lad, always showed a lot of respect for her.’

‘But she doesn’t love him,’ Molly
pointed out. ‘You’ll lose her if you treat her like a child. Eddie’s made a
smashing young man. He’s totally besotted with her. If I were you I’d put that
packet back where I found it and say nothing. She’ll talk to you when she’s
good and ready. Banning her from seeing him won’t get you anywhere.’

Enid
sighed and twisted her wet handkerchief between her fingers. ‘Err, you said
he’s training to be manager?’

‘He is. He loves the job. He’s
trying to get custody of his little boy, too. At least he’s acting responsibly
towards the child. He’s not just upped and abandoned him without a second
thought. Roy’s got him singing
again with the group. It gives him a bit of extra money. He’s a sound young
man. The wild rebel you hated has long gone.’

Enid
drained her mug and put on her coat. ‘I’ll never approve of what they get up
to, but I’m going to take your advice. I couldn’t bear to lose my only
daughter, never have her speak to me again. So I’ve made my decision. I’ll wait
while she tells me about Eddie.’

Molly patted her arm. ‘Accepting
our kids are adults is never easy. But it’s the best way forward.’

***

Enid
walked home, still feeling worried. Back in Jane’s room she popped the packet
into the handbag and pushed it to the bottom out of sight. She picked up her
duster, and ignoring
The Rolling Stones
leering grins, leant across the bed to wipe the dust off the skirting board.
Her head was still reeling, when Peter arrived home early from school,
complaining of feeling ill.

He swayed in the doorway of
Jane’s bedroom, his brown eyes rolling in his head, his green tinged face doing
contortions as he tried to stay upright.

‘Out of here, quick!’ Enid
manhandled him into the bathroom where he vomited copiously down the toilet.
‘Pete, have you been drinking?’ The stench of alcohol was overpowering and she
backed away.

‘Only cider, Mum,’ he slurred,
before vomiting again.

‘Well
that’s
alcohol,’ she
shouted. ‘Oh, for crying out loud, if it’s not one of you, it’s the other.
Where the bloody hell have we gone wrong?’

‘Why, what’s our Jane been up
to?’

‘Never you mind!’ She gripped the
back of his neck and wiped his face with a damp flannel. ‘You just wait ’til
your father gets home. You’ll be for the high jump, my lad.’

She flushed the toilet and Peter
sat back on his heels, grinning. With a wave of his hand he did the best Rhett
Butler impression he could muster and said, ‘Frankly, my dear Mother, I don’t
give a damn!’

***

Eddie dropped the telephone
receiver onto the cradle as Jane ran down the stairs clutching a Boots paper
bag.

‘I got that new Breck shampoo
that Brian Jones uses,’ she said. ‘It’s supposed to make your hair really
shiny. You can try it tonight. You okay, Ed? Something wrong?’

‘You could say that.’ He arched an
eyebrow and turned to Carl. ‘Make us a brew, Carl. Take your time over it. I
need to talk to Jane while the shop’s quiet.’

‘I’ll nip out and get cakes,’
Carl said. ‘That’ll take me a few extra minutes.’

Eddie fished in his trouser
pocket and handed him a ten-shilling note. ‘Buy them with this and get me
twenty Benson and Hedges, please. Sit down, Jane,’ he ordered as Carl left.
‘I’ve just taken a call from Sammy’s mum.’