Broken Rainbows (16 page)

‘Are they doctors too?'

‘My father is, but two of my brothers are teachers, the other's a priest. You're not eating the cakes.'

‘Neither are you.'

‘I eat well enough in the canteen so I think I should leave my share for the natives.'

‘And I think we can spare one for our noble allies.' She slipped a chocolate sponge on to a plate and handed it to him. ‘It's funny to be sitting here again. Haydn and I spent our honeymoon here, but I felt like an impostor, not a guest. I kept expecting someone to order me to the kitchens or linen cupboards to skivvy behind the scenes.'

‘How old were you when you married?'

‘Eighteen. ‘

‘Then you'd just left the workhouse?'

‘I worked for eight months before I married.'

‘Eight whole months?' He smiled as she looked at him. ‘I was teasing you. Sorry, big brother's habit.'

‘I am not your sister.'

‘I don't know about you, but I'd like another cup of tea.'

‘And I'd like to take some of these cakes home for Anne and Brian.'

‘Then ask the waitress for a box.'

‘Not allowed.'

He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. ‘I can see you're not used to being with Americans.'

Mogg was waiting for Evan at the entrance to the cage at the end of the shift.

‘It's settled, you've no need to go to management.'

Alexander heard the word management, and joined them. ‘You're going to check the props?'

‘First thing tomorrow morning.'

‘We wanted today.'

‘No manpower.'

‘How many men have you detailed to the job?'

‘Three.'

‘And you're going to examine the supports at the coal face as well as the main passage?'

‘All of them.' Mogg lifted the lantern he was carrying higher so he could see Evan's face. ‘Satisfied?'

‘I'll let you know after it's been done.' Alexander shouldered his pick and entered the cage.

‘I was talking to you, Evan.'

‘It's the Ministry of Labour you have to satisfy, not me. It would have been a pity to close this pit because of a fall.'

‘Well?' Haydn looked at Tina as she emerged from the kitchen.

‘He insists he's not badly hurt and I'm not to worry. But I thought they sent all the wounded home.'

‘Not if the wound's slight enough to be treated in a front line hospital.'

‘He also says there's no likelihood of him getting leave in the foreseeable future.'

‘What did he send you?'

‘He didn't show you?'

‘Yes, but I'm supposed to report back on how you liked it.'

She opened the box, displaying an ornately worked silver necklace, bracelet and earrings set with brilliant blue stones. ‘It's beautiful.'

‘Oh, Tina, wherever did you get those?' Judy asked as she walked in with Jenny and Ronnie.

‘William. He's been wounded.'

‘But he's fine now,' Haydn broke in quickly. He saw the moisture in Tina's eyelashes. If he knew women, that meant she liked the jewellery, but he'd already decided to write and tell William that his wife would have much rather had him home than a present that had set him back a month's card winnings.

‘Do me a favour, Judy?' Tina's voice wavered with unshed tears. ‘Nip down to the café and ask Gina to come up here when she closes the restaurant so I can go and see Megan. She's been half out of her mind with worry the last month.'

‘Go now,' Ronnie suggested. ‘I'll take over.'

‘Do you mean that? You've been working all day.'

‘I wouldn't have offered if I hadn't. It's a good time to go, Diana was taking Billy to spend the afternoon with her mother and Myrtle, so you can all have a good cry together. Not that William needs, or deserves your tears. But don't forget to remind Diana I'm hungry and waiting for my tea.'

‘You can have pie and chips here.'

‘Women! Give them an inch and they take a mile,' Ronnie complained as Tina grabbed her coat and ran headlong out of the door.

‘Speaking of which, it's time I went looking for my wife.'

‘You haven't been home yet?'

‘No.'

‘Jane's visiting the RAF hospital.'

‘So I've been told, Judy. Good to see you looking so well, Jenny.' Haydn bent his head and kissed his sister-in-law's cheek.

‘You home for long?' Ronnie poured himself a tea.

‘Three days, then I have to go to Bristol to record the next series of shows.'

‘Can I buy you a tea, or a drink in the Hart?' Jenny asked. There had been an awkwardness between her and Haydn since Eddie's death that she was anxious to ease.

‘No thanks.' He looked back at Ronnie. ‘Judging by that smug look on your face there's no need to ask how you and Diana are enjoying married life.'

‘Nothing like it.' Ronnie poured out two more teas for the girls. ‘If you get a move on you might catch that taxi pulling into Station Yard.'

Alexander stepped out of the tin bath. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he opened the back door and heaved the tub into the yard, emptying the scummy water directly down the drain. Shivering, he hurried back into the washhouse, and ran a sinkful of cold water. Studying his face in the cracked square of mirror propped against the window, he soaped his flannel and washed it out well. When he was finally satisfied it was clean, he rubbed it around his eyes. No matter how thoroughly he scrubbed himself after a shift, vestiges of coal dust always lingered in his eyelashes, reminding him of a chorus girl's eye-black. He'd long since given up trying to remove the grit embedded in his hands and nails. He wondered how long it would take him to feel really clean after he finally finished working in the pit. Always supposing he managed to do so.

Hanging his filthy working clothes on a peg ready for the morning he reached for his clean underclothes, shirt and trousers. A splash of cologne, a fingerful of goose grease slicked through his hair – Vaseline had been impossible to find the last month – and another fingerful rubbed into the cracked and broken skin on his hands and he'd made himself as presentable as he knew how.

‘Your meal's ready.' Phyllis carried the saucepan to the table as soon as he emerged.

‘Just don't ask what it is,' Evan warned as Alexander sat opposite him.

‘Austerity stew, and the children ate it without a murmur,' Phyllis asserted.

‘They have no memories of anything better.' Evan pulled her to him as she passed, hugging her round the waist to show there was no malice in his teasing.

‘I'm sure it's delicious, Phyllis,' Alexander said as he helped himself to a slice of bread.

‘I wonder where Jane is?' She put the stew back on to the stove and unbuttoned the overall she always wore in the house. ‘She promised she'd be back in time for us to go to Alma's.'

‘And she will, love.' Lifting Anne from the playpen Evan sat her on his knee and handed her a lump of bread soaked in gravy. ‘Why don't you leave the children with us for five minutes and go and get ready?'

Phyllis was walking down the passage when the door opened and Haydn walked in.

‘Oh my God …'

He put his finger to his lips. ‘I want to surprise everyone.'

‘Jane's not back yet. She's -'

‘… visiting in the RAF hospital. I heard in the café.'

‘But Anne, Brian and Evan are in the kitchen. Oh, Haydn, it's so good to have you home in one piece.' Always a little shy with Evan's children, she hesitated for a moment before offering him her cheek to kiss.

‘Phyllis?' Jane opened the front door, slamming it into Haydn's back. ‘Haydn? What are you doing here?'

‘That's a fine greeting for a husband after ten months' separation.' Haydn swept her off her feet, only to drop her when he noticed Tomas D'Este standing behind them.

‘I can see this isn't the best time to make your acquaintance – ' Tomas studied the insignia on Haydn's lapels. ‘Captain Powell.'

‘You've been promoted?' Jane asked, trying to hold Haydn at arm's length so she could look at him in the crowded passageway.

‘Don't worry, it isn't a serious promotion.' He scrutinised Tomas before offering him his hand. He was too young, exotic-looking and charming for Haydn's liking. If Jane wanted to take up charity work in a hospital, why hadn't she approached old Dr John or Evans? ‘You must be the doctor who's lodging with my sister?'

‘Tomas D'Este. Pleased to meet you. And I'm sorry Jane's late. It's my fault. She had great success with one of my patients today. Quite transformed the man.'

‘Please come on in, Captain,' Phyllis pressed him. ‘I know Evan would like to meet you again.'

‘No, really, I don't want to intrude.'

‘You wouldn't be.'

‘It's all right, Phyllis, you go and change. I'll see to everything.' Jane stood next to Haydn, wanting to kiss him, but holding back. A hundred and one questions crowded in on her, but it didn't seem to be the right time to ask, not in front of Phyllis and Tomas.

‘We've eaten, but there's enough for you, Haydn, and you, Captain D'Este, if you'd care to join Jane and Haydn.'

‘Oh God I didn't realise we were that late.'

‘Stop apologising,' Phyllis called back as she ran upstairs.

Haydn led the way down the passage and opened the door. Tomas stepped back, and not only out of consideration for Haydn's homecoming. Used to the cool, open spaces of the hospital wards he was suffocated by the steamy, claustrophobic warmth of the kitchen. He looked around while he became acclimatised.

The kitchen was crammed with huge pieces of darkwood furniture, more suited to an old-fashioned villa than the back room of a terraced house. Opposite the door an immense range belched out heat, its brass boilers and rails gleaming in the immaculately blackleaded iron frame. Above it hung a wooden rack draped with neatly folded clean clothes. Sandwiched in the corner next to a cupboard that filled an alcove, was a wooden playpen crammed with home-made toys. A single, small window covered with patchwork curtains was set above a chair to the left. Patchwork cushions and covers covered the only two easy chairs. The overall effect was of a clean, welcoming, orderly household where there wasn't much money to spare, and he felt not only a pang of homesickness, but envy. He knew instinctively that this was a real home, with all the attendant emotions that meant. How long would it be before he could embrace his father the way Jane's husband was hugging his now?

He watched as Haydn took Anne into his arms. Jane was right, there was something of the celebrity about him. The kind of extraordinary good looks he had seen in studio portraits of Hollywood stars. He found himself wondering about their life together. Did Haydn make all Jane's decisions for her, or was their marriage a real partnership, like that of his parents? The kind of marriage he wanted for himself.

‘So you finally decided to pay us a visit?' Evan attempted to conceal his feelings by turning aside and tickling Anne.

‘The minute they gave me leave.' Haydn smiled at his daughter who promptly screwed up her face and began to cry.

‘Hey, sunshine. I'm your daddy. You wait until you see what I've got for you in my kitbag.'

‘She'll be fine in a moment, won't you, darling?' Jane relieved him of their daughter. ‘Dad,' she turned to Evan, ‘you remember Captain D'Este.'

Tomas stepped forward. ‘Pleased to meet you again, sir. I'm sorry we didn't have much chance to talk last time.'

‘You were sleeping on your feet, and I'm sorry I didn't see you standing there. You must think us an ill-mannered lot.'

‘Not at all.' He shook Evan's hand.

‘You will stay and eat with us?' Evan offered.

‘Thank you but I have to get back to town. We have all been given orders to eat in the canteen.' He turned to Jane: ‘Thank you for the sterling work you did today. I hope to see you when you can next spare an afternoon.'

‘I'll look forward to it. Thank you for the ride home.'

‘I'll see you out.' Haydn opened the door.

‘Good-looking fellow,' Evan observed as Jane went to the stove.

‘Is he?'

‘Some women might think so.'

‘Especially the ones who are American mad,' Alexander chipped in sourly.

‘Good, you've found the stew, Jane.' Phyllis bustled in carrying her hat and coat.

‘I've brought cakes from the New Inn.'

‘Shouldn't they have been consumed on the premises?' Alexander enquired.

‘Americans seem to have a way of bending the rules.'

‘I've noticed.'

‘Don't go doing any housework,' Phyllis warned. ‘Make the most of Haydn's leave.'

‘All three days of it.' Haydn closed the door behind him. ‘Any chance of you getting the same, Jane?'

‘I'll have to go in tomorrow to beg, but management's more sympathetic these days. I should manage it.'

‘If we'd known you were coming we wouldn't have promised to go down Alma's. On the other hand, you could come with us,' Evan suggested, as Phyllis persuaded Brian to lay aside the book he was reading and put on his coat and shoes.

‘I'll call in and see her before I go back,' Haydn said. He could hardly take his eyes off Jane as she walked around the kitchen with Anne on one arm, clearing dirty plates and setting out clean ones. He pulled a chair to the table as she returned Anne to her playpen so she could ladle out two portions of stew. He watched his daughter for a moment, before daring to lift her on to his lap. When her face crumpled again, he gave her a piece of bread and she sat back, dipping it into his gravy and sucking on it.

‘That poor child is going to be as round as a barrel,' Alexander warned as he reached for his jacket. ‘Every time someone eats a meal in this house they sit her on their lap and feed her.'