Missing Person (14 page)

‘What does Boots say?’ asked Vi.

‘He’s tryin’ to slow Sammy down. He says if we let the company go, it’s gone for ever. Then there’s all the workers that run the yards. Boots ain’t too keen on them bein’ handed over lock, stock and barrel with everything else, specially as the company owns the freeholds of some of the yards. Sammy says that’s why the offer’s as good as it is. Forty thousand.’

‘Forty?’ Vi went faint. ‘It’s nearly criminal, anyone ’aving that much money.’

‘No-one’s goin’ to have it all, Vi. It’ll be divided up among the fam’ly shareholders.’

‘Yes, but it’s still makin’ me dizzy,’ said Vi.

‘Even Sammy’s got a touch of that,’ said Tommy. ‘Boots ’asn’t. Well, you know Boots. ’E was born with immunity.’

‘Well, he never runs after money like Sammy does,’ said Vi.

‘But it’s Sammy who’s made the businesses what they are,’ said Tommy, ‘right from when ’e first started Adams Enterprises and saw to it we all had shares in each company. Sammy’s sharp, but he’s also fam’ly-minded. We’ve all got our own ’ouses now, and cars. We’re up in the world all right, Vi, even without what we’ll get if the scrap metal company is sold.’

‘I’d like to hear for myself what Boots ’as to say before I do any votin’,’ said Vi.

‘Hold on,’ said Tommy, ‘you and me’ll vote the same way, won’t we?’

‘Well, of course, lovey,’ said Vi, ‘you’ll vote your way and I’ll vote my way, it’s the same for both of us.’

Tommy grinned.

‘Same privilege?’ he said.

‘Same privilege, Tommy.’

‘I’ve just found something out,’ said Tommy.

‘’Ave you, Tommy?’

‘Yes, I’ve just found out you’re not just a pretty face.’

Vi smiled.

‘Will the meetin’ be soon?’ she asked.

‘Sammy’ll let everyone know.’

‘Well, I think it’s all goin’ to keep me awake tonight,’ said Vi, fair-haired and soft-eyed.

‘I’ll be with yer, Vi.’

‘Doin’ what?’ asked Vi.

‘Well, if you’re goin’ to stay awake,’ said Tommy, ‘we might as well do something mem’rable.’

Vi laughed.

‘Go and do something mem’rable with your son and daughter,’ she said, ‘like standin’ them on their heads to stop them racketin’ about.’

Lizzy discussed the possible sale with Ned. Ned said it was entirely up to her to decide how she voted. They’re your shares, Eliza, and it’ll be your money if the sale goes through. Our money, said Lizzy. What money you’ve got is ours, so what money I might have is ours. We’re married in case you’ve forgotten. All the same, said Ned, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t have your own nest egg. It’ll be a family nest egg, said Lizzy. Four thousand pounds, she thought, crikey. That’s if the company’s sold. She’d already wondered what could be done with it. She and Ned and their children really had all they needed because of Ned’s well-paid job as manager of a wine merchant’s store in Great Tower Street. They didn’t need a larger or posher house. The one they’d always had was the kind she’d dreamed of having during the years when a girl could only dream. No, if she used some of the money, she’d use it for Ned, who’d been a loving husband, a good dad and a generous provider.
There’d
been ups and downs, of course, but Ned was the one who’d made her dreams come true. So she’d thought of using some of the money to get a local builder to enlarge the attic and fit it up as a posh billiards room with easy access. Ned was gone on billiards and another game called snooker. He sometimes played at a City club in his lunch hour. Converting the attic would cost a lot, of course, but the idea was favourite with her at the moment, although she was keeping it to herself.

‘That Sammy,’ said Chinese Lady, presiding in her upright way at the supper table, ‘what’s he want all this money for?’

‘His family,’ said Boots.

‘Sounds reasonable,’ said Mr Finch.

‘Am I goin’ to get some?’ asked young Tim.

‘Someone might find you ten bob,’ said Emily.

‘Well, I won’t say no to that, will I, Dad?’ said Tim.

‘You’ll be a mug if you do,’ said Boots.

‘There, look what the talk of money’s already doin’ to a boy who didn’t ought to be thinking about more than pennies,’ said Chinese Lady. ‘Might I ask if anyone’s heard that Sammy’s hard-up?’

‘I haven’t, Nana,’ said Rosie, ‘but I know I was hard-up myself until I earned that seven-and-six from Daddy.’

‘Talked it out of me, you mean,’ said Boots.

‘If you don’t mind,’ said Chinese Lady, ‘I want to know if Sammy’s suddenly got hard-up.’

‘I shouldn’t think so, Mum,’ said Emily, ‘not when he’s spent all his life makin’ sure he wasn’t.’

‘Then what’s he want all this money for?’ demanded Chinese Lady.

‘His family,’ said Boots.

‘You’ve already said that,’ remarked Chinese Lady. ‘D’you mean he’s got money himself, but keeps Susie and his children short of it? I hope that youngest son of mine’s not turnin’ into a miser, I don’t hold with havin’ any misers in this fam’ly.’

‘It’s nothing like that, old lady,’ said Boots. ‘I think he simply fancies buying a dukedom and making Susie his duchess.’

Chinese Lady stared. Mr Finch emitted a slight cough, which was his usual way of warning her not to take Boots too literally.

‘Sammy fancies what?’ she said.

‘Being a duke, Nana,’ said Rosie.

‘Or a country squire, say, with a butler,’ said Boots. Rosie smothered a giggle.

‘I’m hearin’ things,’ said Chinese Lady.

‘I’ve been hearin’ them since my weddin’ day,’ said Emily.

‘Well, it’s no good me talkin’ to your husband,’ said Chinese Lady, ‘he’ll only say more things that don’t make sense. So p’raps you’d better ask him if he’s bein’ serious or not.’

‘Are you bein’ serious, Boots?’ asked Emily.

‘I think Sammy is,’ said Boots.

‘Grandpa, do dukes wear crowns?’ asked Rosie.

‘Ducal crowns?’ said Mr Finch. ‘I think so.’

‘Crikey, will we have to bow to Uncle Sammy, Nana?’ asked Tim.

‘If I catch anyone in this house bowing to that youngest son of mine, I’ll send for the doctor,’ said Chinese Lady. ‘But you can all be sure there’s not goin’ to be any dukes or country squires in my fam’ly while I’ve still got breath in me body. Nor misers, neither. Wait till I next see Sammy, I’ll give ’im something to think about. Besides, there’s our other
relatives
, Susie’s dad and her brother Freddy. I’m not havin’ them put out of work by this firm that’s after gettin’ their hands on one of the fam’ly businesses. I wouldn’t be able to look Susie’s mum in the face. Em’ly, Tim’s got his elbows on the table.’

‘Elbows off, Tim,’ said Emily.

‘And ask Boots what he’s smilin’ about.’

‘Dad’s not smilin’, Nana,’ said Tim.

‘Well, he looks as if he is,’ said Chinese Lady.

Rosie couldn’t have agreed more. Boots always did look as if there was a smile lurking about somewhere.

Susie was speaking to Sammy.

‘Sammy, I’ve been thinking. You can’t sell all the yards, you’ve got to keep one, the one that employs Freddy and my dad.’

‘But, Susie, I can contract for them to—’

‘Sammy, I’m talkin’ to you.’

‘Yes, I’m hearin’ you, Susie.’

‘But you’re not listening. I said we’re not to sell all the yards.’

‘In a deal like this, Susie, it has to be all.’

‘Sammy, my dad and Freddy won’t want to work for Johnson’s, they like workin’ for us.’

‘Well, I’m flattered, Susie, but—’

‘I don’t want any buts, Sammy.’

‘Well, nevertheless, Susie—’

‘Sammy, you weren’t brought up to use words like that. Even Boots doesn’t say nevertheless. Only people on the wireless do. Suppose someone like Mr Greenberg heard you say nevertheless? He’d think it meant you could see round corners, and no-one trusts people who can see round corners. Sammy, you talk quite nice mostly. Not like Boots, of course. Well,
he’s
got a natural way of bein’ lordly without actually soundin’ stuck-up.’

‘Listen, if anyone can see round corners, Boots can.’

‘No, he can’t, he wouldn’t want to. It’s a sneaky sort of thing. Anyway, when I’m talkin’ to you, Sammy, don’t say nevertheless. It means you’re goin’ to try and do what I don’t want you to do.’

‘Susie, when it’s a matter of business—’

‘You’ve got to keep that one yard, Sammy.’

‘Well, as I mentioned, Susie, in this kind of a deal—’

‘Bother the deal,’ said Susie. ‘Who needs it?’

‘But wouldn’t you like a country mansion?’

‘Sammy, I don’t like feelin’ I’m talkin’ to a brick wall. I’ve got you and the children, and a house that’s as good as a mansion.’ Their house on Denmark Hill was large, handsome and much admired. ‘And I don’t want to go and live in the country away from everyone.’

‘I’ll do some thinkin’, Susie.’

‘That’s better,’ said Susie.

Sammy wondered how he could get around the problem. Well, I don’t have a brainbox for nothing, he thought, and it’s not every day that a fortune’s looking me straight in the eye.

Tilly went out that evening to take a finished skirt to a customer in Penrose Street, opposite the East Street market. The customer, happy with the skirt, paid for it, and Tilly began the walk back to her lodgings. Approaching the pub on the corner, she saw a woman emerge. Her hat was a little askew, and she had a tipsy smile on her face. Agnes Harper had been treating herself to a lively hour in the pub. Tilly recognized her as the next-door neighbour of Mr Rogers.

‘’Ello, dearie,’ said Mrs Harper, mellow with well-being, ‘’ow’s yer good self?’

‘Fine, thanks,’ said Tilly.

‘I’d treat yer to a port and lemon, but I’d best get back ’ome now.’

‘I don’t drink, anyway,’ said Tilly.

‘Do yer good, a little drop of this and that,’ said Mrs Harper, her speech slightly slurred. ‘’Andsome woman like you. Would yer like to walk ’ome with me?’

Tilly, hardly taken with the woman, could think of all kinds of things she’d rather do.

‘I’ve got some calls to make,’ she said.

‘Oh, got some men friends, ’ave yer, ducky?’ said Mrs Harper and winked.

‘Not that kind,’ said Tilly.

‘I never ’eard there was different kinds,’ said Mrs Harper, ‘I thought they was all the same.’ She swayed a little.

‘I must get on,’ said Tilly. She crossed the road into East Street.

‘You are drunk,’ said the man the neighbours knew as Wally Harper, husband of Agnes Harper.

‘’Ere, I ’eard you say that,’ she said, taking her hat off and looking at it in bleary fashion. ‘But I’ll ask you to repeat it, as I don’t know I like it.’

‘You are drunk.’

‘Well, fancy that, ain’t I a naughty girl?’

‘People notice such things.’

‘Well, course they do,’ she said, ‘and they don’t ’old it against a woman who likes a little drop of this and that. At least, they don’t round ’ere or in the East End, I don’t know about where you come from.’

‘You are not being paid to get drunk but to keep house for us.’

‘All right, keep yer shirt on. I ain’t drunk, anyway. Never been one over in me life, just a bit jolly. ’Ow’s Percy?’

‘Talking.’

‘Been ’aving a chat with ’im again, ’ave yer?’ she asked.

‘He’s an amusing bird. Sit down.’

She sat down, and the two men made coffee for her and themselves. She was quite sober when she went to bed later.

CASSIE ARRIVED AT
ten past eight the following morning, Friday. She was her usual sprightly self, not a bit put out by all the tricks her young charges had got up to yesterday. Dan apologized for their behaviour. Cassie said he didn’t have to, that she had just the same kind of trouble with Freddy, and that it never got her down.

‘Me dad asked where their mum was,’ she said.

‘She’s away a lot,’ said Dan.

‘Oh, lor’, poor woman, fancy bein’ away all that much,’ said Cassie. ‘Never mind, Mr Rogers, I’ll look after them this mornin’ and see to their midday meal.’

‘Would you keep them out of the yard?’ asked Dan.

‘Oh, I’ll take them ’ome with me again,’ said Cassie, ‘and make sure they don’t try to feed me parrot to me cat.’

‘If they do, take them to the Zoo and feed them to the lions,’ said Dan.

‘Oh, ’elp, I don’t want to be fed to no lions,’ said Bubbles.

‘Nor me,’ said Penny-Farving.

‘Behave yourselves, then,’ said Dan, and went up to knock on Tilly’s door.

‘Keep out,’ called Tilly.

‘I’m off now,’ called Dan. ‘Just thought I’d let you know me little angels are goin’ along to Mrs Higgins after Cassie’s left. Mrs Higgins has promised to have them for the afternoon.’

‘That won’t solve anything,’ called Tilly. ‘You can’t marry Mrs ’Iggins. Go and fetch Gladys Hobday ’ome. Good mornin’. Oh, I measured the gels for their new dresses yesterday, and I’ll be startin’ them in a day or so.’

‘Good as one of the fam’ly, you are, Tilly.’

‘Hoppit,’ said Tilly.

With Cassie having taken the holy terrors to her home, Tilly had a busy and undisturbed time at her sewing-machine. At one stage, when she was holding a child’s dress up to the light to inspect the stitching, she experienced the feeling that eyes were watching her. She turned her gaze to the window, and there, at the opposite window, framed by the curtains, was the face of Mrs Harper, her expression wooden. It changed, however, as Tilly caught sight of her, and a neighbourly smile appeared. She waved to Tilly. Tilly nodded and managed a smile of her own. The face disappeared. The knob of the blind cord did a little jig as a withdrawing head of hair brushed it.

I think I’ve got a nosy neighbour, Tilly said to herself.

All went well for Tilly until three-thirty in the afternoon, when she had to go down and answer a knock on the front door. Mrs Higgins stood there, with Bubbles and Penny-Farving.

‘’Ere we are, Miss Thomas,’ said the good lady, ‘I’ve brought the children back.’

‘Beg your pardon?’ said Tilly.

‘It’s us,’ said Penny-Farving.

‘Yes, I told Mr Rogers I’d ’ave them till half-past-three,’ said Mrs Higgins. ‘Now I’ve got to do me shoppin’ and I don’t want to leave them with Alice,
not
while she still can’t get about much on ’er feet. They’ve been behavin’ themselves except for tryin’ to put our cat through me mangle. Ain’t they a pair of little loves? Well, I’d best get down the market now.’ Off she went, and in went Bubbles and Penny-Farving to gaze up at Tilly with angelic smiles.