A Family Christmas (22 page)

‘Yes, she could have been killed if she’d fallen down the stairs, but you didn’t, did you? You’ve been out and up to something. Why are you lying?’ Louisa went to the hook where Prudence had hung her coat, the back of which was covered in dry mud. ‘Well?’

Prudence began to cry. ‘I don’t feel very well. I’m going to bed.’

‘Herbert, aren’t you going to ask her where she’s been?’

Herbert was red in the face. ‘I don’t know what’s
got
into you, Louisa. Are you seriously suggesting Prudence is telling untruths? Why should she go out during the night?’

‘You tell me, Herbert.’ Louisa stormed up the stairs and into the bedroom where she slammed the door, releasing some of her pent-up anger.

Robbie heard the commotion, saw that it was still dark and buried his head beneath the blankets. Whatever was happening, he was keeping out of it. There was no way he was venturing out of his room in the middle of the night, ever again. Especially for someone as crazy as Prudence Goodman.

‘Whoever would want to do such a thing?’ Little Arthur stood in disbelief, gazing at the poison. His nightshirt, which would have reached the knees of a taller man, was covering his bare feet. He had known something was wrong the moment he had heard the din Gertie and Gussie were making. Unfortunately he hadn’t been in time to catch the culprit, just to see them hurrying away along the lane.

‘Nay, lad, I’m sure I don’t know. Oh, Arthur, what if they’d poisoned the pond and we hadn’t known? We’d ’ave lost everything. By tomorrer all’t cattle and horses’d be dead, not to mention flock. Even the geese depend on that pond for drinking watter. It doesn’t bear thinking about.’

Little Arthur suddenly hurried to where his wellington boots stood by the door and slipped them on under his nightshirt.

‘What are yer doing, Dad?’ Dot had put on her clothes.

‘I’m going to cover’t horse trough. It’ll have to be emptied first thing in’t morning in case it’s been poisoned, but for now I’ll just put summat over it to stop it being drunk out of.’

‘I’m going down for the constable.’ Dot put on her coat.

‘Aye, it should be reported. If there’s a lunatic about it might be Barker’s farm or one of the others next time. But I’ll go. Damn it all, Dot, it’s the middle of the night and there’s a mad man out theer, somewhere. I’m not ’aving you going by yerself.’

‘I’ll be OK. I know the path blindfold and can run all the way down. I can come back with Bobby Jones. You and me mam have a hot drink and build the fire up for when we get back.’

‘Well, if yer sure.’ Dot was already on her way. ‘Wait, I’ll walk on’t lane and stand by’t stile until yer get to’t bottom. Then I’ll put some planks over’t trough.’

Boadacea threw a shovelful of coal on the fire and moved the kettle onto it. Then she sat on the bench, her elbows resting on the table, her head in her hands, and tried to make sense of what had happened. Both her mother’s family and the Greenwoods had lived on this hillside from the day they were born and in all those years to her knowledge, not one wrong word had been uttered between them and anyone in Millington. Indeed, both she
and
Little Arthur had gone out of their way to help anyone in need. So why should anybody wish them harm? Try as she might, no sense could be made of it. There was one thing for sure: if it hadn’t been for the geese they would have lost everything. Oh well, she’d better get dressed. Boadacea looked down at the voluminous flannel nighty and despite the seriousness of the occasion couldn’t help but smile. It wouldn’t do for Bobby Jones to see her in her nightwear. No, it wouldn’t do at all. It might put him off women for the rest of his life.

She went and put on some clothes, then lifted down a side of bacon from a hook in the low-beamed ceiling. She’d cut a few slices whilst she was waiting. Bobby Jones would no doubt make the interview last until breakfast time and she knew he was partial to a bit of home-fed, a couple of new laid eggs and a few doorsteps. She suddenly experienced a deep sense of relief that her family and livestock were all safe. There were some wicked people in the world but you couldn’t go through life worrying about when they might turn up. All you could do was thank God for the good things in life and so long as she had Little Arthur and their Dot she had a hell of a lot to be thankful for.

Constable Jones liked to get his head down for a couple of hours on the night shift. There was never much going off in Millington after the pubs had closed at ten. Except on Saturdays, when there might be a couple of fist fights after the dance
finished
, usually between the Cragstone lot and the gang from Warrentickle, falling out over a girl. He had sent the lad out for a final check along the main road and had just dozed off in front of the police station fire. He was in the middle of a dream and in another second he would have known the name of the winning horse in the Grand National. So he didn’t take kindly to being disturbed. Neither did he fancy the trek up the hill to Greenwood’s Farm, but at least he’d be sure of a welcome when he got there. He couldn’t believe it when Arthur showed him the poison. No ordinary householder could have acquired such a large quantity. It must have been stolen from a large establishment such as the steelworks or a school. ‘I’ll ask around and see if there’s any gone missing,’ he said. ‘They’ll surely have records at the town hall about who’s been allowed such a large amount. Other than that there’s not a lot I can do. Now if you had a description of the person it’d be a different kettle of fish.’

‘You could keep a lookout and mek sure it doesn’t ’appen again.’

‘Oh aye, I shall be doing that. I’ll put my lad on to keep watch, don’t you fret.’

‘Aye well then … seeing as we’re all up, what about a bit of a fry up?’

‘That’d be right welcome, Arthur. Right welcome.’

Chapter Fifteen

JANE HAD JUST
finished polishing the teacher’s desk in Class Three. Another room done. Only the Baby Class now and she’d done for the weekend. She looked round the room with pride. The windows were sparkling and the wooden floor shone. The cobwebs had been removed from behind the book cupboard and the nasty smell of dirty flower vases and wet raincoats had been eliminated. The headmaster had commented that it was a pleasure coming to school these days and in an effort to help Jane carry on with the good work had told the teachers that each child must put their chair up on the desk before going home. This made Jane’s job so much easier and she had never been happier than she was since marrying James and taking over the school. She moved on with her polish and dusters and was just polishing the door of the Baby Class when Robbie came along the corridor.

‘Hello, Robbie. You’ve finished early, haven’t you?’

‘Aye, I wondered if I could talk to our James, but there’s nobody in.’

‘No, he’s on afters and won’t be home till gone ten.’ Jane perched on one of the little desks. ‘Is there something wrong?’

‘Yes, but I’ll come back when our James is in.’

‘Come on, you can tell me. A trouble shared is a trouble halved; well, that’s what my dad used to say,’ she added wistfully.

‘My mam used to say that too,’ Robbie answered.

‘Well, come on then, out with it.’

‘I need to move from the vicarage. I wondered if I could move in with you, just for a while until I find somewhere else.’

‘Oh?’ Jane felt rather threatened. If Reverend Goodman took umbrage at Robbie leaving it might mean them losing their home and her job. ‘Well, it could be awkward, Robbie. We shall have to think about it.’ Jane had never seen Robbie so downhearted. ‘Why do you want to leave?’

‘It’s OK. Sorry to have bothered you.’

‘Here, come back. We need to discuss this. Come on, tell me what’s wrong.’

‘Prudence. She’s pestering me all the time and I can cope with that. But now she’s started luring me into her room when she’s half-naked, and when I don’t respond she makes out it’s me who’s after her. I wouldn’t touch her with that sweeping brush, Jane. She’s creepy. Besides, I love Dot. I’m going to marry her when I’ve saved enough.’

‘I see.’ Jane frowned. ‘I agree, she is creepy and it could cause trouble with Dot. It’s just that with
us
living in church property it could be awkward. Why don’t you have a word with Herbert?’

Robbie laughed. ‘What? He can’t see anything but the light shining out of her backside. Sorry, Jane. Anyway, I can see it could be awkward. Don’t you worry about it. I’ll be OK.’ Robbie went along the corridor and through the cloakroom, which now smelled of bluebells the children had placed in jars, instead of urine and dirty drains. Robbie’s shoulders were down and he dragged his feet along the school yard. Jane watched him through the window of the Baby Class – so called because it was where the five-year-olds began their learning. They would have to come up with a solution, but apart from them being in church property, Jane didn’t fancy their honeymoon period being gatecrashed by a lodger, even if it was her brother-in-law.

‘All aboard,’ the driver called as he pulled up on Top Row. The curtains were still drawn at most of the houses, it still not being quite light.

Will carried out the bags for Lucy. Napkins, baby powder, clean clothes and nightwear. ‘Blimey, anybody’d think we were going for a month,’ he quipped. He went back and fetched a smart attaché case, loaned for the occasion by Mrs Rawlings. In this was packed all the wedding finery. Shirts put away after the last wedding had been brought out again. Clean underwear and Lucy’s new dress. All packed
carefully
to avoid creasing. Bernard stood, still half-asleep, waiting to take his first ever ride.

‘Everything on?’ the driver enquired. Then came Mr and Mrs Slater and Ernest, who had been invited as Will’s friend. The elder Slaters were being left on their own, much to their delight. ‘And think on, behave yerselves or else.’

Mr and Mrs Marshall were all dressed up, Mrs Marshall sporting a new hat the colour of Colman’s mustard.

‘Don’t get drunk,’ Lewis called out of the bedroom window. Lewis and Kitty had always been closer to the younger girls than Nellie.

‘Right then, where to next?’ The driver asked when they all seemed to have settled down.

‘Our Ben’s,’ Lucy told him. ‘Then to pick up our Jane and Mary, not forgetting Robbie and Dot. After that we need to call at the manor.’

‘Fair enough, as long as somebody shows me where they all live.’ Will perched himself on the front seat in order to navigate until everybody was on.

Ben and Emma were waiting with a crate of Nut Brown to be consumed on the journey. Mrs Slater warned her old man not to forget he was giving Nellie away. ‘Don’t you dare get too much ale and show me up in church.’

‘As if I would. I’m right proud to be standing in for Bill Gabbitas. The best mate I ever had, and I shan’t let his daughter down.’

At the manor Mrs Cooper was trying to curb young Lily’s enthusiasm.

‘Oh Mrs Cooper, I shall ’ave to go for another tiddle. Don’t go wi’out me will yer?’

‘Goo on then, and hurry up. Yer’ll not be able to be peeing all’t time once we set off, yer know.’ Larry was almost as bad, hopping from one foot to the other. Mrs Cooper thought it a shame that Molly’s mam hadn’t let Molly come. The poor lass had been in tears.

‘Do I look all right, Mrs Cooper?’

‘Course yer do. I’ve told yer a dozen times. Anybody’d think you’d never been to a wedding before.’

‘I ’aven’t, nor on a chara.’

‘Aye, well, even so stop getting in such a tizzy or yer’ll end up being sick.’

By the time they were all aboard and on their way it was coming daylight and the rising sun was colouring the countryside with vermilion and gold. ‘Just look at that for a sight,’ Mr Marshall said as they followed the road over Woodhead. ‘Finest sight in Yorkshire, that is.’ It would have been hard to argue at that moment, with the reflecting colours in the reservoir to their left. They could see a train on its way to Glossop.

‘Puffer train.’ Little Bernard pressed his nose against the window. ‘Like Mammie’s picture book.’

‘Yes,’ John agreed, hoping Lucy hadn’t heard Evelyn being mentioned. It seemed to upset her much
more
than it did Bernard. The little boy seemed quite happy to talk about her.

Mrs Cooper had been given a seat at the front with Lily beside her and Lily could hear Larry, Will and Ernest Slater giggling on the back seat. She could feel their eyes on her and longed to go and join the young ones. Mrs Cooper watched Lily fidgeting and turning round, glancing in the direction of the lads.

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, Lily, goo and sit at the back if yer like. Yer wearing me out just watching yer.’ Lily was off like a tornado, before she’d got the words out. Mrs Cooper sighed and spread her backside across the two seats. ‘Ah, that’s better.’ She watched John trying to keep little Bernard happy. She thought it was daft, him struggling with the little lad on his knee when there was a spare seat beside her.

‘Give ’im ’ere; he can kneel up beside me,’ she said. Mrs Cooper wished she had grand-bairns of her own. The little boy knelt beside her and chatted away to her about moo cows and baa lambs and then he settled down and slept, his head on Mrs Cooper’s knee. She closed her eyes and dozed and stroked Bernard’s hair. Give her a toddler any day than a daft giggly teenager like Lily. Even so, she loved the lass just as she did Nellie, and would grow to love the new cook before many weeks had gone by. She would miss Nellie though, who was the nearest thing to a daughter she would ever have.
So
she would enjoy this day, if it was the last thing she ever did. She would keep her eye on Lily and Larry though; that Blackpool air might make ’em irresponsible and them being like her children, she would make sure they came to no harm. At least she wouldn’t have little Molly to worry about.

‘I can see the tower, look, over there.’ Mr Marshall pointed out the landmark to the youngsters, who had never even seen the sea, let alone the tower. Everyone was relieved to be nearing the end of the journey with a few hours to spare before the wedding. The marriage ceremony might be important to the oldies, but to the youngsters the sea was much more exciting. Lily changed her mind, however, when they arrived at Nellie’s new house and Nellie took her upstairs.