‘I don’t think it’s as simple as that,’ Ruth said.
‘George was so ashamed and promised he would never do it again, but you’re right, Ruth, it wasn’t that simple. Despite his promise it took a long time before I could trust him again, but I never regretted my decision. My mum was right. I’d have been as miserable as sin without him.’
‘Well I never, Nelly Cox. You’re full of surprises,’ Sadie said. ‘I’ve never told anyone until now. but I thought it might help Sally to know that she isn’t the only one whose husband has strayed.’
‘How can I forgive Arthur? He made love to Patsy in
our
flat, on
our
sofa and I saw them! No, that wasn’t love, it was lust! I can’t forgive him, I just can’t,’ and with that Sally ran out of the room.
‘Oh dear. I thought telling Sally about George might help,’ and then looking heavenward she added, ‘Sorry, George, but I know you’ll understand.’
‘Nelly Cox,’ Sadie said, her eyes narrowing suspiciously, ‘I think you made it up. Your George was never unfaithful.’
‘Well, not as far as I know.’
‘You crafty moo, but thanks for trying,’ Sadie said.
‘You never know, when Sally’s had time to think it over, it still might work,’ Nelly said. ‘Now then, Ruth, about me furniture.’
Ruth hoped it wouldn’t work and impatient to get rid of Nelly she said, ‘It’s good of you to offer, Nelly, but I can’t think of anything I need. I’m sure there are others in the lane who could make use of it.’
‘All right, I’d best knock on a few doors then, but will you tell Sally that I’m sorry, that I didn’t mean to upset her?’
‘I’m sure she knows that,’ Ruth said, glad to see Nelly out. She then glanced upstairs wondering if she should go up to have a word with Sally, but then her daughter appeared. Ruth felt that sympathy would only bring tears again so she said brusquely, ‘Come on, I could do with a hand with the washing up. Your father will be back in about half an hour and we’ve still got to talk to the children.’
When Andrew returned with the children, his eyes went straight to Sally. ‘Are you all right, my bonny lass?’
‘I’m fine,’ she said, but that was far from the truth.
‘If you feel ready to tell the children now, I’ll go and fetch Denis.’
‘Yes, all right.’
It was fifteen minutes before he returned, a dishevelled- looking Denis with him, but at least the man was still sober. Tommy looked from his father to Andrew, and when they sat on the sofa, he squeezed between them.
Sally waited, but when nobody spoke, she asked, ‘Do you want me to tell them?’
‘Yes, lassie, that’s fine with me. What about you, Ruth, and you, Denis?’
Both told her to go ahead and taking a breath, Sally said, ‘Tommy, Angel, I’ve got something to tell you.’
When she had finished speaking, Tommy looked bewildered, but Angel took it all in a very matter-of-fact manner, almost as if she had already sensed the connection. She looked at Andrew, then at Tommy, smiling with satisfaction before saying, ‘He’s only your uncle, but he’s
my
granddad.’
Sally saw the crushed look on Tommy’s face. ‘That’s enough, Angel!’ she rebuked.
Ruth held out her arms, beckoning Tommy to her. ‘Come here, love, because there’s something else I don’t think you realise.’
She waited until the boy was in her arms and then turned to Denis. ‘Do you want to explain it to him, or shall I?’
‘You do it.’
‘Tommy, sweetheart, I’m very fond of you, we all are . . .’ Ruth said, then floundered, unsure how to explain. ‘Err, and well, it isn’t surprising that we love you because, you’re part of our family. Sally is your cousin.’
‘My cousin? My real cousin?’
‘Yes, darling, and that makes me your auntie.’
Tommy stared up at her, his eyes wide as he said, ‘Blimey!’ They all laughed and it broke the tension, but as Ruth looked at Denis she saw a calculating look in his eyes.
‘Well, isn’t this nice?’ he said, smiling slyly. ‘One big happy family. It’s nice to know that Tommy will always have someone to look after him when I’m at work.’
Ruth’s smile was guarded. She still wanted to take Tommy on permanently, but this wasn’t the time to broach the subject. ‘Yes, Tommy has us now, and we’ll make sure he’s treated right.’
Arthur had gone home again, but found the empty flat depressing. He made himself a sandwich and switched on the telly, but nothing held his attention. At seven he decided to see if Joe was back from seeing his mother. If he was home and had nothing else to do, they could go out for a drink. Boy, Arthur thought, he needed one.
Thankfully Joe answered the telephone. ‘Yeah, a drink sounds good. I’ll come and pick you up.’
‘No, it’s about time I saw your place, I’ll come to you for a change.’
‘How will you get here?’
‘I can get the tube to Earls Court, or I might come in a cab.’
‘Arthur, that’s daft. Surely it would be simpler if I drive over.’
‘No, I’ll come there. See you soon,’ Arthur said, and before Joe could argue he replaced the receiver.
He decided on a taxi, but didn’t find one until he reached the main road. ‘Earls Court, mate,’ he told the driver, giving him Joe’s address.
Arthur then sat back, watching the passing scenery, doing his best not to think about Sally. When the taxi finally pulled up outside an imposing house, his eyes widened. Blimey, fancy Joe living in a posh place like this. He pulled a face at the fare, thinking it astronomical, and after paying the driver, climbed the wide staircase to Joe’s front door. He looked for a bell, but instead of just one he saw at least eight. Finding one for Somerton, he rang it, waiting ages before Joe appeared.
‘Wotcher, mate, I’d invite you in, but I’m on the top floor and it’s five flights of stairs to get there.’
‘Blimey, Joe, what sort of place are you living in?’
‘It’s a sort of bed-sit with a kitchenette. I like the area and it’s fine for now. One day, when we’ve made a mint, I’ll find something better.’
‘I’m glad you said when we make a mint . . . not if. Now, where’s the nearest pub?’
‘Just around the corner and by the look of you I think you need something stronger than beer.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Come off it, Arthur, we’ve been friends too long for you to fool me. You’re upset about something. Let’s get to the pub and you can tell me all about it.’
With a pint soon in front of him, Arthur said, ‘I went round to see Sally. I tried to apologise, but she wouldn’t have it. She’ll never take me back, Joe, and I’ve got to accept that, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting to drown my sorrows. In fact, along with this beer, I think I’ll have a double whisky. Do you want one or are you frightened I can drink you under the table?’
‘Right mate, if you want a contest, you’re on.’
The two men matched each other drink for drink, until at ten-thirty they staggered out of the pub, singing their heads off as they clung to each other.
Joe was marginally less drunk than Arthur and when he saw a taxi, he raised his hand to flag it down. ‘Come on, Arthur, I’ve found you a cab,’ he said. But when the taxi driver saw the state of them, he drove off again.
Joe grinned lopsidedly. ‘Well, mate, it looks like you might have to kip down in my place for the night.’
‘All right,’ Arthur said, reeling so badly that he ended up on the road.
‘Whoops,’ Joe said, grabbing his arm and pulling him back onto the pavement.
Arthur giggled inanely, unaware of the danger he’d been in as his voice rose in song. It took a while, but Joe finally found his place, though he had a job to fit the key in the lock. ‘Brace yourself, Arthur, we’ve got a lot of stairs to climb.’
Arthur looked up at the first flight, his eyes barely able to focus, and began to stagger up. On and on the two men went, but luckily for Arthur he was so drunk, he couldn’t feel any pain in his prosthesis. He began to sing again, an old Gracie Fields song, maudlin now, ‘Sally . . . Sally . . . pride of our alley.’
Joe joined in, both men impervious to the shouts that rang out in the building for them to shut up. ‘You’re more than the whole world to me.’
During the next few days, Andrew got to know his daughter, finding to his surprise that, like his mother, she had the gift of healing.
It hadn’t taken him long to work out that Sally had no life of her own. He had wanted to take her out whilst Ruth was at work, but with Sadie to look after it proved impossible. It didn’t seem right and he found himself increasingly annoyed. He knew Ruth had to work, understood her financial constraints, but even so, the burden shouldn’t fall only on Sally.
Andrew’s thoughts turned to Angel and he smiled. Since finding out that Tommy was her cousin, she now treated the boy as if she owned him. When she bossed him about, Tommy took it well, but Andrew could already see rebellion on his face. Tommy loved being part of the family and was obviously testing the water, but sparks would fly soon, he was sure of it.
Yes, Andrew thought, smiling softly, Angela was rather bossy and spoiled, but even so he was falling under her spell. She was a delight, and he was already becoming very, very fond of her.
His thoughts now returned to his nephew and his approaching birthday. Thankfully they had been able to change the date of the funeral, and it was now being held on Monday.
With only a couple of days left to buy the lad a present, he glanced at the clock. Denis was still in bed. Had the man got anything for his son? Andrew doubted it. With this in mind he decided to try to make it up to Tommy and buy him something a little bit special. He’d pop round to ask Sally for suggestions.
‘Hello, lass,’ he said as she opened the door. ‘I’m just off to find something for Tommy’s birthday. I’m not sure what to get him. Do you have you any ideas?’
‘Come in, Dad,’ Sally invited, ‘I’ll put my thinking cap on.’
Dad! For the first time she had called him Dad, and Andrew smiled with pleasure.
‘Hello, Sadie,’ he said, his smile still wide as he walked into the kitchen.
Sadie just grunted a greeting and Sally pulled a face. ‘Gran’s not in the best of humour today,’ she whispered.
‘I may be old, but I ain’t deaf,’ the old woman snapped. Andrew had come to recognise that Sadie could sometimes be testy, and though Sally said it was rare, he didn’t know how she put up with it.
‘Dad, how about a train set?’
‘What? Sorry, I was miles away.’
‘I suggested a train set for Tommy.’
‘Yes, good idea, and where will I find one?’
‘There’s a large department store at Clapham Junction. It’s called Arding & Hobbs and is right on the corner, you can’t miss it.’
‘Right, I’ll try there.’
Andrew kissed Sally on the cheek, called goodbye to Sadie, getting only a grunt in reply, and made his way to the bus stop, wishing he had his car. It had made sense to travel to London by train, but nowadays he was unused to public transport.
As he stood waiting for a bus his eyes were once again scanning the area. He would miss his new-found family when he went back to Scotland, but seeing the huge factories belching out smoke, he certainly wouldn’t miss the polluted air.
At six-thirty that evening, when Joe dropped Arthur off outside his flat he said, ‘You don’t fancy a drink tonight, do you, Joe?’
‘No thanks, mate. I haven’t recovered from last Sunday yet, and still can’t remember getting home.’
Arthur managed a smile. ‘When I woke up in your flat it gave me a bit of a turn. Christ, mate, it’s a dump and I reckon you should find something better.’
‘I will, one of these days. See you in the morning.’
‘Yeah, see you,’ Arthur said, his mood low as he walked into the flat. After a day on site he hated coming home to emptiness, and even though he hadn’t liked living with Sally’s mother in Candle Lane, it was better than this. God, he missed Angel, missed the way she always ran to greet him, her cheeky little face lighting up in a smile.
As he flopped onto a chair, Arthur’s head sank to his chest. It wasn’t just Angel he was missing, it was Sally too. Memories of the happiness they’d shared plagued him. Her joy when he came back from Australia, their wedding, and then the excitement of moving into their first home.
Things had started to go wrong when they’d moved back to Candle Lane. There had been no privacy and with Angel in the same bedroom, no sex. Then there had been his prolonged stay in hospital, and the loss of his lower leg. He cursed himself for misjudging Sally, and now squirmed in his chair. She had always been intuitive and now he wondered if she’d picked up on his phantom pains, mistaking them for real ones. If that was the case, no wonder she had kept a distance between them in bed. Once again he cursed himself for not speaking to her, but he’d been afraid in case she really did find him repulsive.
The telephone rang. It was his mother. ‘Hello, Mum.’
‘Arthur, I just rang Ruth and she told me you went to see Sally on Sunday. I’m surprised I had to hear it from her.’
‘There was no point in telling you. Sally won’t come back.’
‘Don’t give up, son.’
‘Mum, my marriage is over and I’ve got to accept that.’
‘Arthur, Sally has got a lot on her mind at the moment and it may be that you just went to see her at the wrong time. Didn’t she tell you that her father has turned up?’
‘No, she didn’t, but I bet Ruth soon showed him the door.’
‘No, love, I don’t mean Ken Marchant. I mean Sally’s real father.’
‘Really! I bet that was a shock.’
‘According to Ruth, he’s a lovely man and he and Sally hit it off immediately. The only problem is that after Laura Walters’ funeral, he’ll be returning to Scotland.’
‘Hang on, Mum, you’ve lost me. What has Sally’s father got to do with Laura Walters?’
Arthur listened to his mother’s explanation and his jaw dropped. It sounded too fantastic to be true, a chance in a million. ‘So this means that Sally is Tommy’s cousin.’
‘Yes, but Arthur, as I said, with all this going on you probably caught Sally at a bad time. Now that things have settled, go to see her again.’
‘No, Mum, it’d just be a waste of time.’
‘If you love Sally, you can’t just give up. Can’t you see that you have to put up more of a fight if you want her back?’
‘Mum, don’t go on about it.’
‘All right, I’ll say no more, but sometimes I could kick you, son.’
‘Thanks, Mum, and if that’s all, I’ll say goodbye now.’
‘I’ve said my piece. Bye, Arthur.’
As Arthur replaced the receiver he wondered if his mother was right.
He went into the kitchen to make himself something to eat, and as he prepared a meal, Arthur decided to give it one more try. He’d go to see Sally again, but not yet, not until he’d properly rehearsed what he was going to say.
Joe didn’t drive to Earls Court; he was on his way to Clapham Common. He was still sure that Sally and Arthur would get back together, unable to believe that two people who so obviously loved each other could remain apart. It had been a bit sticky when Arthur had asked him out for a drink again, but he’d managed to fob him off, and was now on his way to meet Patsy. Even if Arthur managed to get Sally back, he doubted she’d return to Maple Terrace with Patsy living upstairs, but that was something he hoped to remedy.
Patsy had been surprised to hear from him, and at first she’d been hostile, but he knew her now, knew what buttons to push, and finally she’d agreed to meet. Joe sat in the pub, eyes on the door, brows lifting when she walked in. There was no getting away from the fact that she was a stunner, her dainty innocent looks giving no clue to her occupation.
‘Hello, Patsy. What would you like to drink?’ he asked, as she sat beside him.
‘A vodka and lime,’ she said curtly.
He went to the bar and was soon back, placing her drink on the table. ‘Thanks for agreeing to meet me.’
‘Well, I must admit I was surprised.’ And getting straight to the point she added eagerly, ‘You said something about a proposition?’
Joe’s face hardened. ‘Yes, that’s right. I’m proposing that you move out of your flat.’
‘Move out of my flat! But why should I?’
‘I should have thought it was obvious.’
‘Not to me, it isn’t.’
‘Sally won’t move back while you live upstairs.’
She shrugged her shoulders. ‘That’s just too bad.’
‘Does your landlord know what you do for a living, Patsy?’
‘What’s that got to do with anything?’
‘A lot. I wonder how he’ll react when I tell him that one of his tenants is a prostitute who uses the flat to entertain men.’
‘But I don’t!’
‘It would be your word against mine, Patsy, and what about the neighbours? When I tell them what you do for a living, I’m sure they’ll complain too.’
‘You bastard!’
‘It takes one to know one, Patsy. Now I’ll give you until the end of the week, but if you’re not out by then I’ll make it my business to spread the word.’
She jumped to her feet, livid, and snatching up her glass of vodka she threw it in his face. ‘All right, you win, but you can stick your soddin’ drink.’
As Patsy marched out of the pub, Joe pulled out a handkerchief, hastily wiping his face. A few customers were looking at him, doing their best to hide their smiles, but Joe ignored them. As long as Patsy left the flat, that’s all that mattered, and then he was struck by another idea. Arthur had suggested he should find somewhere decent to live, and with the flat above him in Maple Terrace now becoming vacant, maybe he’d approach the landlord. It was certainly better than his place in Earls Court.