Arthur was waiting impatiently for his father on Monday, and looking out of the window, he saw Patsy leaving her flat. He eyed her appreciatively. Patsy didn’t seem repulsed by his leg, and he had lightly flirted with her, hoping to make Sally jealous. He shouldn’t have done it of course and had been surprised when the girl flirted back. He was also surprised that Joe had broken up with her, and wondered why, but no doubt he’d soon find out.
Patsy disappeared from view just as he saw his father’s car drawing up outside, and Arthur hurried to let him in. ‘Hello, Dad.’
‘Hello, son, I’ve sorted the men out so are you ready for the off ?’
‘Yes, let’s go.’
As they travelled to Roehampton, they mainly spoke about the removals business, but more than once Arthur saw his father glance around, until finally he said what was on his mind. ‘Are you worried about adapting to an artificial leg, son?’
‘No, I can’t wait to get rid of the crutches.’
‘Don’t expect miracles, son. It’ll take you a while to adapt to a false leg.’
‘I’ve had practice in the gym and they were right, with a below the knee amputation it wasn’t too bad. The leg just needed a bit of adjustment, that’s all,’ Arthur told him, his thoughts turning to Sally. She was repulsed by his stump, so would having the false leg make any difference?
* * *
‘When we get home, Daddy should be there and he’ll have his new leg,’ Sally told Angel.
Angel smiled, as she skipped along beside Sally, and when they walked into the living room it was to see Arthur standing by the hearth. Her eyes travelled straight to where his trouser leg was usually pinned up to see that he looked whole, two black shoes now visible.
‘Well, what do you think?’ he asked, for once his tone soft.
‘It’s amazing,’ Sally told him.
‘Daddy . . . Daddy, show me,’ Angel cried, and running up to her father she began to tug at the leg of his trousers.
‘Leave it, Angel. Let me sit down,’ Arthur said, and taking a cane he limped towards a chair where he flopped down.
Angel looked puzzled. ‘Does it hurt, Daddy?’
‘Yes, a bit, but it’s my own fault. I’ve been trying all day to walk without a cane,’ he said, as he pushed up his trouser leg to show Angel his prosthesis.
‘It looks funny, Daddy.’
Sally focused on Arthur’s aura and frowned. Surely it was a bit soon to go without crutches, let alone a cane.
‘You might find it funny, Angel, but from the look on your mother’s face, she doesn’t feel the same.’
‘But . . .’ Sally began to protest, but Arthur cut her short.
‘Don’t worry, I’m used to it,’ he said bitterly, covering the prosthesis again.
‘Arthur, please, what do you mean? Used to what?’ Sally asked.
‘Forget it,’ he said, turning his attention back to Angel.
‘I can’t just forget it.’
‘Tough, I’ve got nothing more to say.’
‘What’s wrong?’ Angel asked worriedly.
‘Nothing, darling,’ Sally said hastily, moving towards the kitchen. ‘I’ll make a start on dinner.’
They made the effort for Angel’s sake, but as soon as the child was put to bed Sally got the silent treatment from Arthur. When she asked if his stump was hurting she got little more than a grunt in reply, and was about to offer him some healing when Patsy paid them a visit.
Arthur perked up as soon as he saw her. ‘Hello, Patsy, you look nice.’
‘Well thank you, kind sir,’ she said. ‘I see you’ve got your prosthesis. How are you getting on with it?’
‘All right, except it’s a bit sore at the moment. I think I’m going to have to take another day off work tomorrow.’
‘Never mind. It’s early days yet and sure to get easier,’ she consoled.
On hearing that, Sally was worried. Arthur’s stump must be more than just sore for him to take another day off and she’d take a look at it as soon as Patsy left.
‘Any chance of a coffee?’ Patsy asked as she sat down.
It seemed Patsy intended to stay for a while so any chance of looking at Arthur’s leg would have to wait. ‘Yes, of course. Do you want a coffee too, Arthur?’
‘No,’ he said shortly.
At his tone, Patsy’s eyes met hers, but Sally just shrugged before leaving the room. She returned to find that for the next two hours all Arthur’s attention was focused on their neighbour, his eyes frequently straying to the yards of leg Patsy had on show again.
Unable to help feeling jealous, Sally rose to her feet, and picking up the cups she marched into the kitchen.
Pasty smiled as Sally walked out of the room, the stupid cow playing right into her hands. As she had told Joe, there were plenty of fish in the sea, and from what she’d seen, this one was definitely ready to be caught. Joe may have slipped from her fingers, but she’d make sure that Arthur didn’t. He was a good- looking bloke, tall, with a bear-like build and his missing lower leg didn’t bother her. She was more interested in the money he was going to make from the building game and the good life that would be on offer. Patsy crossed her legs, making sure that Arthur got a good view, and smiled when she saw his eyes darken with lust.
‘Do you like what you see?’ she quietly asked.
‘Who wouldn’t?’
‘Joe for one,’ she said.
‘He must be blind.’
‘Who must be blind?’ Sally asked, as she came back into the room, her back rigid.
‘Arthur’s talking about Joe.’
‘I see,’ Sally said stiffly, then affecting a wide yawn.
‘I should go,’ Patsy said, saying goodbye prettily to Arthur. ‘It’s time for my beauty sleep.’
‘You don’t need it, but bye for now,’ Arthur called.
As Sally walked with her to the street door, Patsy could see that she was annoyed. She didn’t want to alienate her yet, not while she still needed time and access to work on Arthur. ‘Sally, I hope you haven’t got hold of the wrong idea. I could see that Arthur was a bit down in the dumps and there’s nothing like a bit of harmless flirting to cheer a man up. It can’t be much fun for you when he’s in that sort of mood and I was just trying to help.’
‘Oh, I see,’ Sally said. ‘I feel silly now. I was actually jealous.’
‘Really? That makes me feel awful.’
‘It’s all right. Now that you’ve explained I’m fine about it.’
‘Thank goodness for that, after all, I wouldn’t want to lose my new-found friend.’
‘You haven’t,’ Sally said. ‘In fact I should thank you for trying to help.’
What a mug, Patsy thought as she went up to her flat. Taking Arthur from Sally would be like taking candy from a baby.
Sally was feeling a lot better as she closed the door. She hadn’t liked the way Patsy had flirted with Arthur, but knew now that it had been harmless.
‘I’m going to bed,’ Arthur said as soon as Sally went back to the living room, wincing with pain as he gripped his cane tightly.
Determined to check his stump, Sally was about to follow him when an awful premonition washed over her. Something was going to happen, something dreadful. Other than his stump, Arthur was fine, and panicking now she rushed to the telephone.
Sally’s fingers trembled as she dialled her mother’s number, her voice high as she said, ‘Mum, it’s me. Is Gran all right?’
‘Yeah, and we’re just off to bed. What is it? Have you had one of those funny feelings again?’
‘Yes, so keep an eye on her, Mum.’
‘All right. See you in the morning, love.’
Sally replaced the receiver, finding that despite her mother’s reassurance, the awful feeling remained with her. Sick with worry she turned the lights off and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. In their bedroom the lights were off and she whispered, ‘Are you asleep, Arthur?’
There was no reply and with his stump so sore she got into bed, careful to keep a distance between them. Sally lay on her back, the feeling of foreboding still with her as her eyes closed on a prayer for all those she loved.
Ruth was sitting on the sofa beside Tommy, the boy sound asleep now. She was fuming. It was bad enough that Laura was back on the booze and the boy unfed, but tonight he had turned up with bruises on his face. She’d been ready to go round to have it out with Laura, but Tommy had insisted that he’d got into a fight with a rival gang.
Ruth stroked Tommy’s hair. She had grown so fond of him, wanted to keep him safe, but if she made waves with the authorities they’d just take him from Laura and put him in a home.
Her thoughts turned to Sally and the earlier telephone call. She had to admit to being a bit worried, especially as nine times out of ten Sally’s premonitions turned out to be right. Her mother had been fine when she went to bed, but deciding to check on her, Ruth went to her room and quietly opened the door.
‘Bugger off. I ain’t dead yet.’
‘Oh, Mum.’
‘Look, I’m all right, now go and get some sleep.’
‘Tommy’s still here.’
‘If you keep this up, Laura will find out and then there’ll be trouble.’
‘If she doesn’t keep her hands off of Tommy, the trouble will be from me. Goodnight, Mum,’ Ruth said, leaving the door slightly ajar.
She wasn’t going to wake Tommy, he could stay where he was for the night and she’d doze beside him on the sofa, close to her mother’s room in case she was needed.
Arthur had been uncommunicative again the next morning, yet as always he was fine with Angel. He hadn’t yet put on his pros- thesis, and worriedly, Sally asked, ‘Is your stump still sore?’
‘Yes,’ he said curtly.
Angel went into nurse mode again, demanding he took his medicine, and at least her constant chatter made the strained atmosphere a little more bearable.
Sally thought about her premonition as they walked to Candle Lane, surprised to find Tommy there, her mother telling her on an aside that the boy had stayed the night.
‘Tommy,’ Angel said, running up to him. ‘My daddy’s got a false leg.’
‘Blimey, what’s it made of ?’
‘I dunno.’
‘I should fink it’s made out of wood,’ Tommy said. ‘You can carve wood into all sorts of shapes.’
‘You’re clever, Tommy. I wouldn’t have thought of that,’ Angel told him.
His little chest puffed with pride, but then they all heard someone thumping loudly on the front door. ‘Who the flaming hell is that?’ Sadie complained.
‘Tommy!’ a voice yelled. ‘I know you’re in there and I’ll give you five minutes to come home or else.’
‘I’d best go,’ Tommy whispered.
‘I’ll come with you,’ Ruth said.
‘No, don’t. I’ll be all right. She’s all talk when she’s sober.’
‘Oh, love,’ Ruth whispered sadly, but once the boy had gone she became all hustle and bustle, soon leaving for work.
‘Mum looked tired, Gran.’
‘Yeah, well, she spent the night on the sofa.’
‘It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have rung her, but I was worried about you.’
‘Sally, you’ve got to stop this. I keep telling you I’m fine, but you just don’t listen. I really don’t need looking after any more.’
‘Does the doctor agree?’
‘Well, no, but you shouldn’t take any notice of him.’
‘Gran, I’ve told you before. When he gives you the all clear I’ll stop coming round, but until then you’ll just have to put up with me.’
‘You’re as stubborn as your mother.’
‘Yes, but where do we get it from?’ Sally asked.
The morning passed, and Sally was surprised when her mother came home at twelve-thirty. ‘Mum, what’s wrong?’
‘I’m just tired that’s all, and I must look a bit rough ’cos old misery guts agreed to let me have the afternoon off.’
‘Yes, you are a bit pale and dark under the eyes.’
‘A bit of smudged mascara goes a long way,’ she said, sitting down to spit on a hanky and rubbing the dark rings away, ‘and I always look a bit washed out without any lipstick.’
‘Mum!’
‘Don’t look at me like that. Faking it is hardly the crime of the century and to be honest I really am bushed.’
‘That’s my fault. Sorry, Mum, when I rang last night I really was worried.’
‘Yeah, well as you can see your gran is fine.’
Sally nipped her lower lip, wondering now if she should be more worried about Arthur. His stump was sore. Was it infected? ‘Now that you’re here do you mind if I go home? Arthur has taken the day off work and maybe he feels worse than he’s letting on.’
‘Of course I don’t mind, and looking at your gran, like me, I reckon she’s ready for forty winks.’
Sally didn’t need telling twice and called goodbye, hurrying to Maple Terrace, hoping she was worried about nothing. Her stomach was churning with anxiety by the time she arrived, and rushing in she made straight for the living room. She flung open the door then froze on the threshold by the tableau before her. No, no, it can’t be, she agonised, her mind refusing to accept what she was seeing.
With eyes rounded like saucers now, Sally baulked as she finally took in the scene. Bile rose in her throat and her hand rose to cover her mouth in horror. Arthur was sitting on the sofa with Patsy straddled across his lap, both naked from the waist down. The two were heaving and panting, Arthur’s hands gripping Patsy’s hips as he pumped her up and down.
His eyes were closed in ecstasy, but hearing her horrified gasp they suddenly flew open. ‘Sally!’
Patsy turned, a look of triumph on her face, and that was all Sally saw as she turned and fled the room.
She didn’t hear Arthur’s frantic call, she couldn’t hear anything for the blood pounding in her ears. Leaving the door open, she fled, heading for Candle Lane.
‘Get off me, Patsy!’
‘That wasn’t what you were saying a few minutes ago.’
Arthur groaned as he pushed her away and, recalling the look on Sally’s face, he felt sick. Christ, what had he done?
He’d been surprised when Patsy knocked on the door, saying she’d just popped in to see how he was. He’d invited her in and they’d sat on the sofa chatting, just small talk at first, but then Arthur found himself unburdening to Patsy, telling her that Sally no longer fancied him. She had been sympathetic, said he was gorgeous and that Sally was mad, whilst moving ever closer to him. As Patsy’s body touched his, the atmosphere became charged and the next thing he knew, her hand was seductively running up the inside of his leg. He’d responded immediately, and Patsy had seen that, her smile knowing as she raised an eyebrow.
Arthur groaned. He should have stopped her, but felt powerless with lust as she had peeled off her short skirt. Skimpy little knickers followed, and then she was astride him, her tiny hands unzipping his trousers.
It had been all her. She had guided him in, aroused him to fever pitch, but just as he was reaching a frantic climax Sally had walked in.
‘Get dressed, Patsy,’ he growled.
‘Don’t you want to finish what we started?’
‘No!’ he shouted. ‘My wife just caught us, and you saw the look on her face. Haven’t you got any shame?’
‘You said yourself that Sally doesn’t want you now. In fact, I think she’s got her eye on Joe. When we’re alone she never stops talking about him.’
‘Don’t talk rot. Joe’s not only my partner, he’s my friend, and I trust him.’
‘Yes, but do you trust Sally?’
Arthur pondered her words. Joe was a good-looking bloke, and unlike him he was whole. It was no wonder that Sally was attracted to him, and no doubt Patsy still felt the same about him too. In fact, it was possible that she was annoyed that Sally fancied him and so this was payback. ‘What is this really about, Patsy? Is it jealousy? Do you still want Joe? Is that it?’
‘No, I don’t. We didn’t really click, and maybe it’s because from the first time I saw you, I fancied you something rotten.’
‘I doubt that. Just get dressed,’ he said, unable to help watching as Patsy slowly began to pull her knickers over her hips. He licked his lips, despite everything, tempted again, but then heard a sound in the hall. ‘For God’s sake, Sally’s back! Quick, get your skirt on!’
Patsy had just stepped into it when the sitting-room door opened, and Arthur’s breath left his body when he saw who was standing on the threshold. ‘Mum,’ he gasped. ‘What are you doing here?’
He saw his mother’s eyes narrow, saw the way her lips tightened, and then she advanced across the room, her face livid as she marched up to Patsy. ‘You, miss, finish putting your skirt on and then get out! And you, Arthur, I suggest you zip up your fly!’
Arthur looked down in horror and quickly fastened his trousers.
‘Get out!’ he heard his mother say again and, hastily pulling up her skirt, Patsy walked out.
‘How could you, Arthur! And with a tart?’ she cried, as soon as the door closed.
‘She isn’t a tart, Mum. Patsy is a mobile hairdresser and she lives upstairs.’
‘Oh, and that’s supposed to make a difference, is it? She knows you’re a married man, and as far as I’m concerned that makes her a tart. How could you do this to Sally?’
‘Sally doesn’t want me and she’s made that plain.’
‘Don’t give me that as an excuse. I’ve known Sally since she was ten years old and she’s like a daughter to me. She loves you, and doesn’t deserve this,’ she said, wringing her hands. ‘Don’t you realise that if Sally finds out this could be the end of your marriage?’
‘She already knows.’
‘What! Sally knows? But . . .’
‘She caught us and ran out. I can’t believe you didn’t bump into her.’
‘Well, I must admit I was surprised to find your street door wide open. I rang the site, but Joe told me you were taking the day off. I thought it the ideal opportunity to talk to you about your father.’
‘Talk about what?’
‘It’s just that I’m a bit worried about his health. His back’s playing him up but he won’t see anyone about it.’ Elsie then shook her head impatiently. ‘That hardly seems important now, not after what I’ve just seen. Arthur, what on earth possessed you?’
‘Patsy doesn’t find me repulsive and . . . well . . . she offered.’
‘She offered!’ Elsie spluttered.
‘Yes, Mum, and she made all the moves. Unlike Sally, she doesn’t see me as a cripple.’
Elsie’s eyes narrowed again and Arthur could have kicked himself. He wouldn’t put it past his mother to have a go at Patsy, and quickly said, ‘I’ve been home for ages now, but Sally has hardly been near me. In bed she keeps her distance, and she can’t bear to look at my leg.’
‘If Sally is keeping a distance between you, there must be a reason, and I can’t believe it’s because she finds you repulsive. Are you sure you aren’t imagining it?’
‘Yes, I’m sure. Sally makes me feel less than a man and I can’t stand it.’
‘All right, maybe she is having trouble adjusting, but that’s still no excuse for what you’ve done. Look, I’ll go round to Candle Lane and talk to her.’
‘No, Mum, keep out of it, and anyway, what makes you think she’ll be at Candle Lane?’
‘Where else would she go?’
‘I said keep out of it.’
‘Why? Don’t you want her back?’
Arthur pondered his mother’s words. Yes, of course he wanted Sally back, but if she couldn’t stand the sight of him, what was the point? His thoughts turned to his daughter, and he groaned. If he and Sally didn’t patch things up, when would he see Angel? He couldn’t think straight. ‘Mum, I don’t know what I want at the moment, and to be honest, if Sally can’t accept me the way I am, there’s no future for us.’
‘I can’t believe you, son. Sally caught you with Patsy, she must be heartbroken, and all you’re thinking about is yourself.’
‘I doubt she’s heartbroken,’ Arthur retorted, pushing away the memory of the horror on Sally’s face when she had seen him with Patsy. ‘She’s got her eye on someone else.’
‘Rubbish! You’re just saying that to salve your conscience.’
‘No, I’m not. Patsy told me that she fancies Joe and that she never stops talking about him.’
‘I don’t believe it. I’m going to see Sally.’
‘No, Mum,’ Arthur called, but he was wasting his breath. Elsie stormed from the room like a ship in full sail, calling, ‘I’ll be back.’