The Tangling of the Web (26 page)

Angela bit her lip before saying, ‘I suppose it did. But I still need time.’

Josie had now crossed over the room and she tried to put her arms about Angela, but Angela managed to stave her off. ‘Look, darling,’ Josie pleaded, ‘I’m sorry – truly sorry.’

Angela nodded and she held out her hand to Josie. ‘M-mm-um,’ she said, stuttering over the word, ‘I don’t know if you heard what Aunt Sally just said, but she was pointing out that in some cases “sorry” is not enough. But what I will say to you is that just now, “sorry” is definitely not sufficient to make up for you abandoning me, but given time it may be what we will have to settle for.’

Tears of rejection oozed from Josie eyes, but Angela didn’t see them, as she had already turned and was making her way to the door.

It was as if some magic voice had called out to the assembly to rush and say farewell to Angela, because everybody dashed for the door. Unfortunately, Sally, and more importantly Josie, were at the back and could not push themselves forward.

‘Oh Sally,’ Josie cried. ‘She’s gone and I don’t know if I’ll ever see her again. All I wish is for her to look on me as her loving mother, but will that ever happen?’

Enclosing Josie in a strong embrace, Sally whispered in her ear, ‘I can tell you, and don’t ask me how I know, that you and I will throw confetti over her next year, and in the following years you will become the most travelled member of our family when you are forever jaunting over the Atlantic to see your grandchildren.’

‘You really think so, Sally?’

‘I know so. And now let’s try and make some sense of old Jock’s confessions.’

‘What do you mean, Sally? He’s told you. He fathered all of us except Daisy. Mind you, you must hand it to Mum for having the audacity to palm Luke off on Paddy Doyle.’

Sally laughed. ‘Now, should we not have known? After all, Paddy is short in stature and Luke resembles a long drink of water!’

‘Know something? For the first time I feel sorry for Mum. Imagine spending your life being used like an old shoe by the only man you ever truly loved. No wonder she became the she-devil she was.’

‘Yeah, and Josie, I also feel so very sorry for Luke. How on earth will he ever be able to tell Paddy the truth – and if he doesn’t, will he be able to go on as if nothing is amiss?’

‘Talking of Luke, here he comes, and as I am the manageress of this pub, I must go and gather up the glasses.’

Luke sat down on a chair opposite Sally. ‘Been some day, has it not?’

‘Aye, it sure has.’

‘Sally, Luke stammered, ‘I won’t be able to sleep easy if you don’t … forgive me.’

‘For smashing my face and then attempting to kill me?’ she replied, looking him straight in the eye.

‘You somehow knew it was me?’

‘Yes, and why?’

‘Firstly I wouldn’t have killed you, because up until today I thought you weren’t worth doing time for. Please try …’ he reached forward and covered her hand with his, ‘… and understand that I’ve always been plagued by thinking of Mum’s last minutes and up till tonight I thought you had somehow … surely I don’t need to spell it out. Oh Sally, I only wanted you to have a sample of how frightening it must have been for her if you had.’

‘You know, Luke, you have a nerve to ask me to forgive you … but I do. And why, you’re wondering? Well, because sometimes when I’m driven too far I’m afraid too of what I’m capable of. So let’s forget the past. We have a future – a good future. So let’s call a truce and get on with our lives.’

‘Suppose you’re right, Sally. And I promise I’ll no longer be jealous of you.’

‘You – are jealous of me?’ Sally exclaimed while pulling her hand free.

‘Aye, I have always wanted to be like you, and I’m delighted I’m your full brother.’

Rising, Sally went over to Luke and she put her arms around his neck. ‘Know what?’ she chuckled as she nuzzled her nose into his cheek. ‘The best thing about today is that you, my dear brother Luke, my dear departed brother Peter, my sister Josie and myself have had the good fortune to discover we are all
full
brothers and sisters, because you see …’ She now walked over to pat the old tearful man on the shoulder. ‘… We are all Jock Thomson’s bairns.’

Standing up, Luke lifted up his glass of whisky, and huskily he announced to family and assembled friends, ‘Everybody please drink to that!’

Sally’s story continues in

WHEN SORRY
IS NOT ENOUGH

Read on for an exclusive preview …

The highly polished storm door of the guest house in Seaview Terrace opened and Sally stepped out. Breathing in the fresh sea air deeply, she allowed her eyes to scan the horizon. Since she had arrived here three years ago she had never tired of this panorama. Today the sun was rising on an ebb tide and the small ripples on the blue sea danced like diamonds in its rays. Inhaling again, she was delighted that she could see the ships lying at anchor in the Forth Estuary and also straight across to green hills of Fife. She shrugged before admitting there were also days when because of the dreich Scottish weather you couldn’t see over to the bus stop on the other side of the street, never mind over to the fair Kingdom.
But,
she smiled as she thought,
it isn’t like that today.

‘You’re getting a lovely day for your trip,’ Maggie, who had come to stand behind her, observed.

Sally half turned. Maggie, traitor Maggie, whom, against her better judgement, she had hired as a cleaner three years ago for her recently acquired bed and breakfast, was in a jubilant mood. ‘Aye,’ was all Sally mumbled in reply because she was thinking back. Thinking back to Maggie, who had tried to commit suicide when Sally’s ex-husband Harry had dumped her for a younger model. If that was not enough to damage her confidence, she had then found herself sectioned and imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital and had to beg to be released, and when she was she had the added ignominy of finding out how difficult it was to get work when employers thought you were an oddball. This meant she had constantly begged Sally, the only true friend she had ever had, to take her on in one of the two public houses Sally had the tenancy for. Sally at first resisted Maggie’s pleas to hire her, then she wickedly thought,
Would that not be poetic justice for Maggie: to become my scrubber, so I can swan about in my finery chatting to the guests?

Maggie was unaware that Sally was thinking back to the time when she had stolen her husband, feckless Harry, from her. This uncaring act had left Sally financially crippled, so she had to go out to work to keep herself and her three bairns. However, if Sally was being truthful, which she didn’t like to be whilst dealing with Maggie, Harry deserting her and the children had been the best thing to happen to Sally in her troubled life. She was now wealthy, an acknowledged Leith businesswoman who had helped to clean up the Jungle pubs, a valued member of the Licensed Trade Association Committee and the owner of both this guest house, which the Scottish Tourist Board had awarded a ‘Highly Commended’, no less, and the brand-new car sitting at her door.

Her meanderings, however, were halted when Maggie, who was not as submissive as she had been when Sally had given in and hired her, pointedly said, ‘I know the car is brand new so it shouldn’t break down, but with you only passing your driving test last week, do you not think it’s being
irresponsible
to be driving all the way to Peterhead and back so soon? I mean, I would miss you if you got yourself killed.’

This backchat from Maggie put Sally’s back up. She knew that she now depended on Maggie to run the bed and breakfast whilst she attended to all the problems that arose in the pubs and in her family. She was also aware that Maggie was growing stronger in her self-confidence and had been questioning Sally’s judgements in a way that became more recalcitrant as time went by.

Sally knew she should shove Maggie right back into her shell where she belonged, and she was more than capable of doing that, but not today. Today she had to get to Peterhead Prison. Her brother Luke was depending on her to try to get Joe Kelly, or Irish, as Luke had nicknamed him, a lad he had befriended when he was a raw recruit police constable on the Shore beat in Leith, to talk about what he knew about the murder of his wife, Marie.

Luke had had mixed feelings when he had been selected, as a reward for coming first in Scotland in the police promotional exams, to be seconded for two years to the New York Police Department. This had meant he’d had to leave before Irish’s trial and it looked as if, at best, he was abandoning Irish or, at worst, stitching him up. In America, any thoughts he’d had had of enlisting for the Hong Kong Police were put on hold.

The American police experience had been good for Luke. Now he was returning to Edinburgh, and as his appraisals from America were excellent, it had resulted in him being promoted to Detective Sergeant. Unfortunately he would take up his duties in ‘C’ Division and not in Leith, where he wished to be.

‘Maggie,’ Sally found herself crooning, ‘now you will remember that you haven’t to let the single room at the front of the house, as that is where I intend to house Luke when he comes home.’

‘Are you sure he will be coming this soon?’ huffed Maggie.

‘Yes, I am,’ was Sally’s emphatic reply.

‘So you are thinking that as it’s Daisy’s wedding on Saturday that he won’t want to miss it?’ sniped Maggie.

Exasperated, Sally almost shouted, ‘Maggie, he can’t miss it. After all, Daisy postponed her big day until now so he could give her away.’

‘Right enough.’ Maggie conceded in a mellowing tone of voice.

‘Oh. Look at the time. I just have to get going. You get inside, Maggie, and do what you are good at: getting squared up and disinfecting the lavatories.’

Sally stood and waited until Maggie had gone indoors before she lightly tripped down the stairs and stood in front of her brand-new gleaming car. She still didn’t have the confidence of a seasoned driver; hence she’d sent Maggie inside. No way did Sally wish Maggie to see that the car, perhaps, had been filled up with kangaroo petrol.

Once the car was up and running smoothly, Sally drove it towards Lochend Road, where Nancy, who ran the Royal Stuart pub for her, had been allocated an Edinburgh Corporation one-bedroomed flat. She had just drawn up to a halt when Nancy appeared. Leaning over, Sally opened the passenger door of her brand-new red Ford Escort Estate car to allow Nancy to get in.

‘Well, if this isnae luxury you cannae afford,’ huffed Nancy as she struggled into the car, ‘then I dinnae ken what is.’

‘Aye, you’re right there. And do you know, I didnae get enough change from seven hundred to buy us a cup of tea.’

‘Dinnae tell me that here’s me thinking as I’m doing you a favour that you would be treating me to high tea,’ queried Nancy.

‘Oh, you’ll get that alright. And maybe bed and breakfast thrown in.’

‘Bed and breakfast, but why? We will have plenty of time to get back home.’

‘Aye, if we went straight home, but on our way back I’m going to detour over country to visit Flora and Shonag at Culloden.’

‘We’re going to Smithton, Culloden, why?’ expounded Nancy, who couldn’t keep the sense of incredulity out of her voice.

‘Know something?’ Sally got ready to confide to Nancy, a woman of the street who she had rescued and now trusted her to be an honest manager for her. ‘I’m no quite sure …’ Sally hesitated, ‘… but I feel in my guts there’s something far wrong there.’

‘Like what?’

‘Don’t know. But what I do know is that Sweet William landed back there a month ago …’

‘Another of his dalliances gone belly up. See, Sally, if he had been a male prostitute with the number of men he has had, he would be a millionaire.’

‘Millionaire?’ queried Sally.

‘Aye. Believe me, there’s no many, like William is who go about touting for business on the streets.’

Sally grimaced. ‘Anyway, what is different this time he has come home is that Flora, my darling mother-in-law, who of late wouldn’t have given him the time of day never mind a buckshee fiver, has gone all weepy when I ask her how things are. All she is saying is that Shonag, his mother, and herself will need to start putting themselves on Queer Street to keep him comfortable.’

Nancy didn’t answer for a minute or two, and when she did she slowly drawled, ‘Beggaring themselves to help him. But why?’ She allowed a long pause before mumbling, ‘Oh surely, good God, no.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Sally demanded.

Nancy shook her head and quickly changed the subject. ‘Aw, here, Sally we’re just about to cross the Forth Road Bridge. I’m always excited when I cross it, how about you?’

Sally did not respond. All that occupied her thoughts was that this was the first time she had driven over this imposing, magnificent structure, but instead of being elated, panic was growing within her. Glancing sideways, she noticed a train crossing the iconic rail bridge and she found herself thinking,
Oh why, oh why did I not suggest that we travel by train?
So engrossed in her deliberations was she that she was unaware of the multiple accident happening in front of her until Nancy screamed, ‘For heaven’s sake, Sally, ram on the brakes!’ Unfortunately, paralysing fear had now engulfed Sally so Nancy had no alternative other than to lean back as far as possible in her seat and then brace herself for the inevitable collision.

This story tells of one family's life in Leith in the early twentieth century. Although it echoes some of the writer's experiences and personal feelings, the characters portrayed in the book are wholly fictitious and bear no relation to any persons, living or dead. Many of the street names, localities and other details from that period in Leith's history have been preserved, however.

First published 2014

by Black & White Publishing Ltd

29 Ocean Drive, Edinburgh EH6 6JL

www.blackandwhitepublishing.com

This electronic edition published in 2014

ISBN: 978 1 84502 769 8 in EPub format

ISBN: 978 1 84502 720 9 in paperback format