A Family Scandal (28 page)

‘Would you?’ Rhona was impressed.

‘Yes, of course. I’ll do it now while it’s still early. Do you want to meet for a drink later to cheer you up a bit? I might have an answer by then.’

‘Don’t you live a good distance away?’ Rhona asked. ‘I thought you were near Gary’s old place.’

‘Sort of but I’m closer to the centre. How about Soho, for old times’ sake? Just a pub, nothing special.’

Rhona thought for a moment. ‘OK, but I can’t stay out late. I’ve got work tomorrow.’

‘So have I, and I don’t want to start the week with a sore head. How about the Dog and Duck? Do you know it?’

‘Of course,’ said Rhona. ‘I’ll see you there, in about an hour.’

Leaving the phone box, she cast a glance at herself in a nearby window. He’d have to take her as he found her. A few months ago she wouldn’t have dreamed of going out with a man without putting on full make-up and the perfect outfit. Now there was no time and, anyway, this wasn’t a date. She was only meeting him to find out if he’d traced what hospital Penny was in. Jeff had previously made it clear that they were just going to be friends, and that was definitely all she wanted as well. She certainly wasn’t interested in anything else. Gary had put her off men for life.

Somehow Mavis managed to get through the weekend, constantly reassuring herself that even though Tommy was still being held at the station it was all a misunderstanding. She’d done her best to explain to the children but it wasn’t easy. None of them knew what would happen next. She tried hard to keep her spirits up, to believe that it would all be sorted out quickly, but she couldn’t get over the sensation of being back in limbo, not knowing what was going to happen, and being powerless to do anything about it. It felt like a punishment for daring to be happy so soon after Alec had died; for dreaming of a bright future.

Tommy had got himself a solicitor, who had managed to send her a message to inform her of what had happened so far. It had arrived by second post on Monday, but as she couldn’t read it, she’d had to ask her mother what it said.

‘He’s been before the magistrate and they’ve set bail … oh my God, Mavis, that’s a huge amount. What have they gone and done that for? He ain’t likely to run off anywhere, not with you and his business here in London. Where would he go? All his family’s here as well. That’s just picking on him, that is.’ She read on. ‘He says he doesn’t like to ask but can we see if Pete could lend him any money? He’s going to ask Stan as well. Finally he sends his love of course.’

Mavis blinked back more tears. ‘Doesn’t he say when we can go to see him?’

‘No, but it may be because he doesn’t want you to see him in that place. You’ll see him once he gets bail. When Pete comes in we’ll ask him about the money.’

The new term had started and Mavis had picked the children up from school by the time that Pete came home later that day. She was pouring a cold drink for Grace in her mother’s kitchen, because Lily kept Ribena there for a treat. Mavis thought the little girl deserved it. It wasn’t her fault that all the adults around her were so upset and distracted.

‘All right, Mavis?’ Pete said heavily, dropping on to a chair. ‘What you got there, Grace?

‘Ribena.’

‘Well ain’t you a lucky girl,’ he said, but it didn’t sound as if his heart was in it.

Lily rushed in, just a minute behind him, back from the hairdresser’s where she’d finally had her roots done. Pete reached up to hug her.

‘Good to see you’re back early, Pete, we’ve got something to ask you,’ Lily said with no preamble. ‘We’ve heard from Tommy’s lawyer.’

‘Oh?’ Pete raised his head. Maybe if Tommy was being released he could still ask him for the money.

‘They’ve charged him and set bail. Look.’ Lily showed him the letter.

Pete groaned and pitched forward, his head in his hands.

‘I know, I know, it’s a lot of dosh,’ said Lily, ‘but we can help him, can’t we? He’s almost family. You must have some put by from all the work you’ve had, and Tommy is sure to pay it back when they let him out. They’re bound to do that soon too ’cos there’s no way Tommy murdered Alec Pugh and I refuse to believe they’ve got even a shred of evidence against him.’

‘Lily, Lily.’ Pete’s voice cracked. ‘I’d love to help, of course I would. Tommy’s a great bloke, but I’ve got something to tell you though I wish I didn’t, especially on top of all this. I hoped to avoid telling you, to find a way out, but I can’t and you’d have to know sooner or later so it might as well be now.’

‘Pete, you’re babbling. What are you on about?’

He ran his hand over his forehead and through what was left of his hair, his eyes closing momentarily before looking at her in despair.

‘What is it, Pete?’ Lily stared at him in sudden concern. ‘Don’t look like that, you’re frightening me. Are you sick or something?’

‘I wish I was. You’d all be all right then. No, it’s much worse.’ Pete paused, unable to get the words out. ‘It’s like this. I can’t lend Tommy any money because I haven’t got any. In fact I was gonna ask him if he could help me out, but then he got arrested.’

‘No money! Don’t be daft, of course you’ve got money.’

‘No, and I’m so sorry, Lily. I didn’t want it to come to this. I been working away like mad, trying to sort it all out, but it’s no good. If I don’t get something in soon, we’re gonna lose the house.’

Lily and Mavis stared at him in disbelief. ‘No, that can’t be right,’ Lily gasped. ‘I don’t believe you. We own the house, it’s all done and dusted. You must have got your figures all wrong or something. The stress of what’s happened to Tommy must have addled your brain.’

‘No, Lil. I wish that was all it was.’ Pete sighed heavily. ‘Listen to me, both of you.’ And he poured out everything that he’d been keeping to himself since they’d moved in: the mortgage loan, the big construction project that he was sure would fund it, the problems at the council with the elusive official who had the final say-so, and then the final letter from the bank. ‘So, you see, they’ll want the house back.’

‘The house?’ Lily repeated, as if in shock.

Mavis grabbed the back of a chair to stop herself falling. They were going to be homeless, and this on top of Tommy being accused of murder.

Pete just nodded.

‘But you own the house,’ said Lily, baffled.

‘You do don’t you?’ Mavis added, dread settling on her like a heavy chill despite the heat of the day.

‘Not quite.’ Pete sighed deeply. ‘I got it on a mortgage, like I said. A big one. If I can’t make the payments then the bank will want it back. That’s the whole building, but when I took out the mortgage I didn’t think there would be a problem. When I did the deal everything was fine, money was coming in regular from small jobs, but there was a big job coming up which I pinned everything on and I was as good as promised I’d get it. There was nothing to worry about, I thought nothing could possibly go wrong.’ He spread his hands. ‘How was I to know it would all come to a standstill? I’ve been going to meetings about it since we moved in, and they always say everything’s fine, the contract’s just around the corner, and I believed them.’ For a minute it looked like he was going to break down but he shook his head and straightened his shoulders. ‘I’ve been hoping against hope to spare you this, but things have gone too far. Tommy getting arrested was the last straw.’

Lily gaped at him. ‘Oh my God, Pete. What are we gonna do?’

Pete looked at her with desperate sadness. ‘As of this moment, sweetheart, I don’t know. I just don’t know.’

Lily gazed around her kitchen, every bit of which had been put together with such love and hope. She wouldn’t let the bank have it. This was hers and nobody was going to take it from her. ‘We’ll pawn or sell stuff,’ she said. ‘I’ve had to do it in the past and I can do it again. I’ll sort out stuff I can get good prices for and though it’s been a while since I did any selling, I doubt I’ve lost my touch. We’ll raise some money. The bank isn’t going to turf us out of our home.’

Mavis nodded resolutely. ‘You can have my locket,’ she said as she drew it out from the neckline of her dress. ‘I think it is worth quite a bit. Tommy gave it me as an early birthday present,’ and now she had to hold back a sob at the memory of it.

‘And the christening presents,’ said Lily, determined now. ‘Bobby was given all sorts of stuff for his christening, some of it real silver. We’ll use that and pay it back to him when he’s older.’

Pete shook his head. ‘I don’t want you losing all your precious things. I know you mean well but it’s a drop in the ocean compared to what I owe.’

‘If it puts us off being evicted for even a week or two, it’s worth doing,’ Lily said as she held out her hand. ‘Mavis, I hate to take your locket but I will.’

Mavis handed it over. ‘Tommy would understand, and I’ll go all out to sell more sketches.’

Pete looked away as if he couldn’t bear to watch. ‘I hate to do this to you. I should have been able to stop it but no matter what I did it wasn’t enough. All this trouble because one man is away from his office. You wouldn’t think it could happen and nobody seems to know when Andreou will get back.’

‘Andreou? That’s a strange name,’ said Lily as she took the locket. ‘Don’t worry, if I pawn it, we can make sure you get it back one day.’

‘Yes, I know, Mum,’ said Mavis, more to comfort Pete than because she actually believed it.

Grace had been sitting there watching them all this time but now she spoke up. ‘It’s not a strange name. My friend’s called that.’

Everyone looked at her.

‘Really?’ said Lily.

‘Are you sure, Grace?’ asked Mavis. ‘You’ve got lots of friends. You might be getting mixed up.’

Grace put down her Ribena with dignity. ‘I’m not silly. I’m not a baby and I don’t get mixed up.’

‘No, of course not,’ said Lily. ‘So who’s your friend?’

‘She’s Maria Andreou and she’s in my class at school. She learnt to swim with her granddad, I told you that ages ago. Everyone knows her because she always goes at the front of the line and her name gets called first on the register. It’s because it begins with an A,’ Grace explained.

‘Maria. Maria.’ Mavis tried to picture the girls in Grace’s class as they poured out of the school gates each day. ‘Is she the one with the very dark hair?’

Grace nodded. ‘Yes, it’s black. Darker than yours, Mummy. It’s because her granddad comes from far away.’ She stopped as she remembered something. ‘She’s been sad since we started school again. Her granddad died. You’re not going to die, are you?’ She looked up anxiously at Pete. ‘I don’t want you to die. Is that why you’re all sad?’

Mavis reached down and hugged her daughter tightly. ‘No, none of us is going to die. Not for a very long time. I expect Maria’s granddad was very old and got sick, but we aren’t old yet so you don’t have to worry.’ She thought for a moment. ‘Is her mummy the one with the black hair too, all piled up on top of her head?’

‘Yes, and she puts her sunglasses on her hair,’ said Grace. ‘I’m going to grow mine so I can do that when I’m big.’

‘Sounds like the same family,’ said Pete, scratching his head to recall the personal details. ‘Someone did say something about family illness, back in Cyprus or somewhere like that.’

Lily looked at Mavis over the top of Grace’s head. ‘So you know her mother, do you?’

Mavis shook her head. ‘Not really. Only in passing, you know, going in and out of the playground.’

‘Still, you know her a bit. Enough to talk to her.’ Lily gave her a significant stare.

‘Mum, I’m not sure if that would be a good thing …’ Mavis trailed off. It seemed like such a long shot. The woman was always so glamorous, she’d thought her unapproachable and somebody she was unlikely to mix with. Then again, what did she have to lose? If she did nothing they’d probably lose the house. ‘All right,’ she said, touching her neck where the locket usually was. ‘I’ll speak to her.’

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Penny looked up as the curtain that surrounded her hospital bed moved. ‘Penny, is that you in there?’ said a voice.

Penny gave a small smile. ‘Rhona. How did you manage to get in?’

Rhona slipped around the edge of the curtain. ‘With difficulty. Bleedin’ matrons asking questions, am I related, do I know what the time is.’ She gazed heavenwards. ‘As if I wouldn’t have come earlier if I could have. Jean let me leave half an hour early as it was.’

‘You didn’t tell Jean you were coming here, or why,’ Penny exclaimed, alarmed. ‘I don’t want anyone to know.’

Rhona settled herself in the visitor’s chair. ‘I told her I had a dentist’s appointment. She won’t know any different.’ She reached into her bag and brought out a selection of magazines. ‘Here. I got you these.’

‘Thanks.’ Penny looked relieved. ‘I thought it was going to be grapes for a minute. I’m sick of the flipping things. Never liked them in the first place, especially when I had to stack the boxes down the warehouse.’ She grinned.

‘Me neither.’ Rhona took in her friend’s appearance as she half-sat, half-lay on the bed. ‘You look a bit better, Penny. How do you feel?’

Penny’s face grew serious again. ‘That’s the funny thing. I ought to feel awful but I don’t. I was so miserable before, what with being sick all the time and being petrified about what my mum would say when she found out I was pregnant. Then when you told me that Gary had gone without so much as a word I thought my heart would break, but the pain I felt was losing the baby. Now, lying here, I’ve had time to think and I know now that it was the best thing that could have happened.’

‘I know I said you look better, but you still look a bit pale. Are you all right?’

‘Yeah, I am now. You don’t want to know the details, but I think it was touch and go for a bit. That’s why they’re keeping me in. The miscarriage was quite an early one but I did lose a lot of blood. They said I was lucky. If you hadn’t called the ambulance so quickly, I might not have made it. Thanks, Rhona.’

‘Well your mum would have done it if I hadn’t,’ Rhona pointed out.

Penny looked rueful. ‘If you remember the state she was in when she saw me, I doubt she’d have acted as swiftly. She was really nice when she thought I was dying, but as soon as I began to recover she started calling me a disgrace to the family and a slut and everything. She’s furious with me and now I dread her visits. I just hope she calms down soon.’