The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (16 page)

‘Not a bad idea as a back up
plan. But I won’t mention it until you’ve talked to your mum and dad.’ He
pulled her down onto the rug beside him and ran his hands through her hair.
‘I’m gonna love you all afternoon.’

‘What if Roy and Sammy come
down?’ she said, yanking his T-shirt over his head.

‘They won’t. They’ll be shagging
for England!
Would you rather go upstairs?’

‘No, we’ll stay down here. I like
this nice furry rug,’ she whispered, losing herself to his kisses.

***

‘Fuck, look at that lot!’ Eddie
stared at the seething mass of youths still battling it out on the sea front.
There’d been no sign of holidaymakers as he and Roy
had walked towards the Palace Pier to buy supper.

They watched as deckchairs were
hurled onto the beach and then used by the gangs as weapons. Chanting Mods
roared past them on scooters. The noise was deafening. The police, trying
desperately to control the crowds, appeared to be fighting a losing battle.

‘I wonder if anyone’s been
killed,’ Roy said, frowning as a bloodied and battered Mod limped by, his
crying girlfriend clinging to his arm, her mascara running in black rivulets
down her face. ‘Look, there are TV cameras by the pier. Let’s get out of here.’

‘I’m glad we left the girls at
the house,’ Eddie muttered as they turned back in the direction of The Lanes.
‘We’ll find somewhere else to buy our fish and chips.’

‘We need more dope. There’s only
enough left for a small joint. I meant to buy some from Mac after the gig. With
Sammy hurrying me along I forgot.’

Eddie nodded. ‘I’ll go in that
chippy and get the supper while you see if you can score anything. Should be
easy enough round here.’

Roy
went off in search of supplies. He was lucky in the first pub he tried. A
smartly dressed man caught his eye. Roy
followed him outside and they struck a deal.

‘Thanks, mate.’ Roy
handed over money. ‘Are you in there most nights?’

‘Yeah,’ the dealer replied. ‘But
I’m clearing off now. Too many cops about tonight for my liking.’

‘I think you’re safe down here,’ Roy
replied. ‘They’ve got their hands full on the prom at the moment.’

‘Maybe, but I’m taking no
chances,’ he said and waved goodbye.

Eddie came out of the chip shop,
arms laden with newspaper parcels. ‘Sorted?’

‘Yeah. Nice bloke. Not as cheap
as Mac mind, but better than nothing. Good grief, Ed, have you got enough
bloody food there, or what? Did you get me some mushy peas?’

‘No, Sammy told me not to. Said
you’d fart all night. You’re bad enough without the peas, apparently. Let’s get
some cider then we’re well stocked.’

***

Jane flung open the door. ‘Thank
God you’re back. The riots are on TV. Your mum just phoned, Ed. Call back and
let her know you’re safe. I told her you’d gone to get fish and chips and she
panicked. She said the news looked like the start of another war.’

Eddie rang his mother and
reassured her they were all okay while Jane and Sammy put out the supper. He
strolled back into the room smiling.

‘I’ve asked her to call all your
mums in case they’ve seen the news. I’m starving; let’s get that food down us.’

They tucked in at the kitchen
table then took the bottles of cider through to the lounge and sat down to
watch the riots on TV.

‘I’ve heard enough of this.’ Roy
leapt up and switched off the TV. He fiddled with the dial on Celia’s
radiogram. ‘What frequency’s Caroline on, Sam?’

‘Car-o-line, one nine, nine,’ she
chanted as Roy laughed and tuned
in.

‘That’s better,’ he said as the
powerful voice of Roy Orbison filled the room. He took a matchbox from his
pocket and placed it on the coffee table. ‘There you go, Ed.’

Eddie pulled a foil wrapped
package from the box and sniffed the contents. ‘Bloody Hell! Ready wrapped.
Decent stuff, too. Shall I do the honours, or will you?’

‘I’ll do it,’ Roy
said. ‘Yours always fall apart.’

Jane watched as Roy
re-wrapped the cannabis, held his lighter underneath, then produced cigarette
papers and tobacco. He crumbled a small amount into the tobacco and deftly
rolled a large joint.

‘Sheer perfection. You joining us
tonight, Jane?’ He lit up, drew deeply and passed it to Eddie who took a
lengthy toke.

‘Oh, nice hit,’ he said, an
expression of bliss crossing his face. ‘Try some, Jane. Go on, take a deep breath
and inhale. You’ll get the hang.'

She drew on the joint. The smoke
hurt the back of her throat and her eyes watered. She spluttered and passed it
to Sammy whose eyes lit up as she took her turn.

‘Mm, lovely,’ she said, smiling
at Roy who was busy rolling another.

‘You and Jane finish that and me
and Ed will have this,’ he said, taking a quick drag.

Jane took another toke and
giggled. ‘I feel like I’ve been drinking loads of cider. I’m so-ooo relaxed, so
comfy-womfy!’

‘Comfy-womfy! That bloody Grammar
School education was a complete waste of time,’ Eddie teased.

They laughed, relaxing and
chatting. Jane switched on the TV for the late news. The riots were ongoing
with hundreds of teenagers still arriving in the town.

‘Thank God we’re safe in here,’
she said, snuggling up to Eddie. ‘I’m suddenly very tired.’ She flung her arm
round him and nibbled his ear.

‘Oh yeah!’ Roy and Sammy
chorused, grinning at her.

‘No, honestly, can’t keep my
eyes…’she tailed off.

They looked at her slumped
against Eddie, head lying limply on his shoulder.

‘Too much excitement for one
day,’ he said. He lay her down and placed a cushion under her head. ‘I’ll carry
you upstairs later. I love you.’ He kissed her tenderly, brushing her hair off
her face.

‘Aah!’ Sammy and Roy said softly.

He turned to them and smiled.
‘Well, I’m happy.’

‘We know,’ they chorused. ‘Bout
time too,’ Roy added.

***

Monday afternoon the riots still
raged on. The four strolled towards the pier and back. It was impossible to
walk on the promenade. Attempts to clear the streets were being made and many
smashed shop and hotel windows were boarded up.

‘This is ridiculous!’ Sammy
exclaimed. ‘We can’t even go for a walk without feeling threatened.’

‘Let’s have a wander around The
Lanes,’ Roy suggested. ‘They seem
to have missed the worst of the riots. A few of the shops are open. You can buy
that dress you like.’

‘I will, if it’s still there.’

The orange and white striped
halter-neck dress
was
still on the
rail and fitted Sammy perfectly. ‘That’s cheered me up,’ she said, swinging a
silver carrier bag.

***

Back at Celia’s, armed with
bottles of cider and packets of salted peanuts; they watched the early evening
news. The riots were coming to an end and under control. The newsreader said
after many arrests, the Mods and Rockers were dispersing and massive clearing
up operations had been put into action.

‘I’m sorry we had our weekend
spoiled,’ Eddie said. 'I drag you all the way down here to be stuck indoors.’

‘It doesn’t matter, Ed.’ Roy
poured cider into glasses. ‘Sam and I are grateful for the time we’ve spent
together.’

‘It’s been brilliant,’ Sammy
said, scooping up a handful of peanuts. ‘And the best thing of all, Roy hasn’t
had to get out of bed to go home!’

‘Yeah,’ Roy
nodded. ‘I hate doing that.’

‘
I’ve
had a lovely time
just being with you. So stop worrying,’ Jane said.

'Better than the weekend in The
Lakes eh, Jane?’ Roy raised an
eyebrow.

‘Oh God, I’ll say. Can’t believe
that was only three months ago.’

***

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Vicky clutched the red velvet box
and lifted the lid. She caught her breath and gazed in awe at the beautiful
ruby and diamond cluster ring, nestling against the black satin lining. Cheeks
heating, she replaced the box in Mark’s dressing table drawer. He was in the
shower. She’d spotted him slipping the box into the drawer on Friday night and
presumed it was for her.

They’d spent the Bank Holiday
together. She’d cooked all their meals. Playing at being Mrs Fisher had been
every bit as good as she’d imagined. On tenterhooks all weekend, she’d been
waiting for Mark to pop the question. Maybe he was saving it for today, the
last before his return to Chester.
She plugged in her hairdryer as he appeared behind her, wrapped in a towel.

‘I’ve booked a table at The Black
Boy in Prestbury for lunch,’ he said, splashing on Brut. ‘Get your glad rags on
because it’s a posh place. I thought we’d have a treat, seeing as it’s our last
day together.’ He bent to kiss her and she smiled.

‘Any particular reason for this
treat?’

‘Not really.’ He reached into the
wardrobe and took out a white shirt and smart black trousers. ‘We’ve been
cooped up most of the weekend. It’ll be nice to go out.’ He threw on his
clothes and brushed his hair. ‘I need to make a quick call while you finish
getting ready.’

‘Alright.’ Vicky switched on the
hairdryer. He was going to propose today over lunch. Good job she’d remembered
to bring her best black dress and shoes.

***

Phone in hand, Mark listened to
make sure Vicky’s hairdryer was turned on then dialled a number. ‘Can I speak
to Beth Robbins, flat three please? Yeah, it’s Mark. Thanks, I’ll hold.’

Staring at his reflection in the
hall mirror he listened to an exchange of voices in the background, then Beth
said, ‘Hi, Mark. Why haven’t you called all weekend? Is your mum ill?’

‘Hi, Beth. Mum’s okay, thanks.
I’ve been so busy looking after her that I haven’t had a minute to ring you,’
he lied. ‘I’ll get her in a home one day then we can spend every weekend
together. I’ll be back tomorrow.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Any news? Shit! Don’t
cry, Beth, I’ll sort it.’ He cocked his ear as the noise from Vicky’s hairdryer
ceased.

‘Mum’s calling, I have to go. See
you tomorrow. Yeah, me too. Bye.’ He slammed down the receiver. ‘Fucking hell!’
he muttered, trudging back upstairs. ‘Now what?’

He ran his hands through his
hair. What the hell should he do? And where was bloody Tony when he needed him?
Swanning around Blackpool with Sarah. He’d know what to
do, he always did, but then, Tony wouldn’t get himself into this mess
in the first place.

He smiled at Vicky as he walked
into the bedroom. ‘You’re looking very sexy. Shame we’ve got to rush, but we’ll
be late if we don’t get our skates on.’

She sat down on the bed and
smiled. ‘Did you call Maude?’

‘Err, yeah. She was having a moan
because I haven’t seen her for weeks. She’s bloody lucky I bother at all after
what she did to me.’

‘You could pop in and see her
next week.’

‘I’m not coming home. Someone at
work’s having a party. I’ll be staying over there.’

‘Would you like me to come to Chester?’

‘No. It’s invites only. Mine
didn’t say to bring a guest.’ There was no party, but if Beth
were
pregnant, they’d need
time together while they decided what to do. He supposed he should offer to
marry her. She was a fit bird, they never argued and she was a great shag. But
he was enjoying having a girl in each town. Besides, no matter how much he
denied it, he still wanted Jane.

‘Mark, I asked if you’d be home
the following week.’ Vicky’s voice broke into his thoughts.

‘What? God,
I
don’t know. Stop being clingy. This is a no-strings relationship.
We agreed at the beginning, right?’

‘But I thought - well - with you
buying the ring and booking the table…’ Vicky faltered, her eyes filling with
tears.

‘What ring?’ He frowned. ‘What
you on about? Why the hell are you crying?’

‘The ring in your drawer,’ she
sniffed. ‘The ruby cluster ring you put there on Friday night. I thought it was
for me.’

‘You’ve rooted in my drawer?
You’ve no right to go through my private things.’

‘I didn’t. I saw you put the box
in there. I was curious, that’s all.
Why
have you bought an engagement ring if it’s not for me?’

‘It’s Jane’s ring. I take it to Chester
and bring it back at the weekend. It’s all I have left of her, apart from my
memories and photographs.’

‘You do
what?
’ Vicky stared at him. ‘Why? You’ve got
me
now. Why the hell do you still want Jane? She dumped you. I’m
gonna chuck that ring away.’ She jumped up and made for the drawer. Mark
grabbed her and pushed her back onto the bed.

‘Get off me,’ she yelled, lashing
out at him. ‘You’re a bloody nutter.’

He pinned her down, hands round
her throat. She grabbed the hairdryer and whacked the side of his head. He let
go and she jumped up, holding her neck.

‘What the fuck did you do that
for?’ he said, moving towards her.

‘You were trying to strangle me.’
She backed towards the door.

‘I wasn’t,’ he protested. ‘I
didn’t want you to touch the ring.’

She stared at him for a long
moment. ‘There’s something you should know about Jane.’

‘What?’

‘S
he’s engaged to Eddie Mellor. Sarah told me.’

‘You’re a liar. Tony would have
told
me
.'

‘Tony didn’t tell you because it
would put you in a foul mood. Let her go, Mark.
I
love you, in spite of what you just bloody did. I’m sure you
could learn to love me too given time.’

‘I couldn’t,’ he said. ‘Err,
there’s something I need to tell you. I suppose I may as well get it over
with.’

‘What?’ She stared at him.

‘I’m seeing someone in Chester.’

‘And is she the reason you’re not
coming home next weekend?’

‘Sort of. I lied. There’s no
party. I need to spend time with her. We’ve a problem.’

‘What sort of problem?’ Vicky’s
voice wobbled as she looked at him.

‘She’s pregnant; well it looks
that way.’

‘She’s what?’ Her hand flew to
her mouth. 'You bastard! How could you?’

He shrugged. ‘Sorry. I’ll ring
the restaurant, cancel our booking. I’m not in the mood for eating now anyway.’

‘Sorry?’ she echoed. ‘Is that all
you’ve got to say? Why book the table in the first place? You must have known
this before you called the restaurant.’

‘I didn’t, not for sure. I spoke
to her while you were drying your hair.’

‘So if she’d told you everything
was okay you’d have carried on wining, dining and bedding me?’ She picked up a
glass ashtray and flung it at him. He ducked as she yelled, ‘You’re a fucking
cheating bastard, Mark Fisher, or whatever fancy name you call yourself these
days! Well that’s it, I’ve had enough. We’re through.’

‘Okay. Get your stuff, I’ll run
you home.’

‘Fuck off, Mark. I’ll get a taxi.
I can’t go home. Mum thinks I’m staying at my friend’s until tomorrow. I’ll
have to go there.’

‘Right,’ he said, relieved. Vicky
going now meant he could go back to Chester
right away and stay with Beth. A problem shared and all that, he thought as she
flounced out of the room and slammed the door.

***

Mark turned over as the alarm shrilled
down his ear. He picked up the clock and hurled it across the room, where it
hit the wall, shattering into pieces. ‘
BASTARD
!’
he yelled at the white plastic bits lying on the carpet.

Beth sat up startled, her long
blonde hair tangled from sleep and her blue eyes wide.
 
‘Whatcha do that for? I’ll have to buy
another now.’ She got out of bed, and clutched her stomach. ‘Oh God, I’m gonna
chuck up again,’ she said, running to the door.

Mark stared after her, hoping the
communal bathroom was free. He fell back against the pillows and ran his hands
through his hair, glancing around the shabby, cramped flat. He took in the
paraphernalia she’d crammed into the twelve foot square attic room, which
included a curtained off kitchen, and wondered how such a pretty girl could
bear to live in this chaotic squalor.

Funny how he’d never noticed the mess
at first. Beth always lit candles because the meter was constantly out of
money. Bathed in a warm glow after a shared joint and a bottle of wine, the
room took on a romantic feel. Besides, she was sexy dressed up and even more so
naked, and it was as much as they could do to climb the stairs to the flat
before ripping off one another’s clothes, so the state of the room had usually
been the last thing on his mind.

He jumped up, pulled on T-shirt
and jeans and folded up the bed settee. He stowed the blankets and pillows in a
chest, drew back the faded blue curtains and grimaced. The gloomy morning did
nothing to dispel his black mood and as he filled the kettle and rinsed two
chipped mugs in the grimy sink his thoughts returned to the previous evening.

By the time he’d seen Vicky off
and driven to Chester, Beth had
gone out. He’d sat in the car outside her flat, waiting. She’d been surprised
but pleased to see him.

‘I wasn’t expecting you until
tomorrow,’ she said, throwing her arms around him.

‘I thought I’d surprise you and
come back early so we can talk about our problem,’ he said, following her up
the communal staircase to the top floor.

‘Do we have to? Can’t it wait until
tomorrow and we can just enjoy our night together?’

‘No, we need to make plans. I
decided on the drive over that we should get married right away.’

Her jaw dropped and she sat down
on the sofa. ‘Married? Who said anything about getting married? You said you’d
sort it, not marry me. I
don’t want
to get married. I don’t want a baby either. I’m eighteen, I want a life. I’ve
got a job in a Torquay hotel for the summer. Clare from work fixed it up for
us. We start next month, or at least we’re supposed to.’

‘You never said anything to me
about going to Torquay,’ Mark said.

‘I
was
going to tell you. The time never seemed right and with you
going back home for weekends, I didn’t think you’d be that bothered.’

‘Well you’ll have to cancel the
whole thing. You can’t go off to Torquay if you’re pregnant. There’s nothing
else for it, we’ll have to get married.’ He paced the room. ‘It’s the right
thing to do.’

‘I don’t want to get married,
Mark,’ she repeated. ‘I don’t love you and you don’t love me. It was a bit of fun.
Clare knows someone who had an abortion. She gave me the phone number of the
man who did it. He lives the other side of Chester.
Thing is, I can’t afford it.’ Tears tumbled down her cheeks and she impatiently
brushed them away.

He sat down beside her, taking
her hand. He allowed himself a little moment of silent celebration, then
immediately felt guilty. ‘Are you sure about this? We’ll be right in the shit
if something goes wrong.’

‘The girl Clare knows is fine.
She was back at work after a couple of days.’

‘What about adoption?’

‘No!’ She shook her head. ‘That’s
one road I am
not
prepared to go down.’

‘Okay, abortion it is,’ he said.
‘I’ll pay, I’ve got the money.’

‘But it’s forty pounds,’ she said
tearfully. ‘Where will you find that sort of money at short notice?’

‘I was engaged earlier this year.
I saved money for my wedding. It can come out of that.’

‘What happened? To your fiancée,
I mean?’

‘She changed her mind. I’d rather
not talk about it tonight.’

‘Poor Mark. Do girls
always
let you down?’

‘Not all.’

Beth strolled back into the room,
disturbing his reverie. She smiled wanly at him and pulled on her dressing
gown.

‘Feeling better?’ He spooned Camp
coffee into the mugs and added water.

She accepted the coffee and sat
down on the bed-settee, shivering

‘You cold?’ Mark turned on the
gas fire which reluctantly spluttered to life, and sat down beside her.

‘Not really. Just a bit shaky.’
She smiled and patted his knee. ‘Thanks for putting the bed away and money in
the meters. The bathroom’s free if you want to get ready for work.’

‘I’m phoning in sick this
morning,’ he said. ‘You should too.’

‘But I need to work to pay
towards the abortion.’

‘I told you last night I've got
the money. You’re not fit to go anywhere and we need to get in touch with that
guy. I think you should see a doctor first though, just to check you really are
pregnant.’

‘Mark, I
know
I’m
pregnant. I don’t need to see a doctor. I’m never late. I’ve been throwing up
for England.
How much more proof do you need, for God’s sake?’

He shrugged in answer and sipped
his coffee.

‘Why are you so bloody grumpy
this morning? Now you’re getting off the hook I thought you’d be jumping for
joy.’

‘Come on, Beth, I’m hardly off
the hook. I offered to marry you, didn’t I? I rushed back as quickly as I could
so we could talk. But you’d already made your decision.’

‘Yeah, of course you rushed
back,’ she sneered. ‘As soon as your bloody mother untied her apron strings!
It’s pathetic the way she rules your life. She won’t let you take me home with
you at the weekends. I’m not even allowed to phone you. I have to wait until
you
decide to call
me
. If you hadn’t been desperate to know how things were yesterday,
you wouldn’t have bothered calling me until you came back to Chester.’

He sucked in his cheeks to hide
his amusement. Beth was saying what Jane had said about Maude ruling his life,
except this time it wasn’t Maude’s fault. He wondered what she would make of
his predicament and laughed out loud.