A Rare Ruby (4 page)

‘Hello, Mrs Watson.’ He gave her a sweet sickly grin, then he turned on Ruby. ‘What’s she doing here?’

‘Come looking for a job.’

‘Her mother takes in washing. I reckon she’s after your customers.’

Ruby couldn’t believe her ears. ‘What?’ she screamed out.

‘Is that your little game, madam? You’d better get out then, before Mr Stone comes down and throws you out.’

‘I didn’t. I wasn’t. You mustn’t believe him. It ain’t true. I just want a job.’ How could he do something like this? She looked at him. ‘Why are you saying this?’

‘Just looking after me own interests, and that of Mrs Watson here.’

Mrs Watson gave him a smile. ‘Come on, lad, let’s get this lot sorted.’

Ruby stood and watched them push the pram away. In just a few days her hopes of starting up her own business and working had been dashed. All the love she’d had for Ernie Wallis had gone. Why had he done that? She could kill him for it. She marched defiantly down the road. She would show him. She wasn’t going to give up that easily, but she knew, deep down, things never went that smoothly for the likes of her.

 

It was very quiet when Ruby pushed open the kitchen door. She stood for a moment unable to take in all the mess.

‘What happened?’ she asked, rubbing her nose. The smell of soot filled her nostrils and was going to make her sneeze.

‘Bloody chimney, that’s what.’ Her mother was busy pulling the washing off the clothes horse.

Ruby looked at her father who had soot over his face. He began to laugh.

‘And you can bloody well stop laughing,’ shouted her mother.

His face suddenly crumpled and his laughter stopped. Ruby had never heard her mother shout at him before.

‘Got to wash this lot again. Mrs Prince wants it back tonight. I know she takes these sheets to the pawnshop till Friday. Those poor kids won’t be able to have any dinner till then.’

‘You put them in the copper, I’ll clear this mess up.’ Ruby got down on her hands and knees and, with the small dustpan and brush, began carefully to sweep the soot away. She didn’t want it flying all over the place.

Her father grinned as he sat silently watching her. She wanted to laugh; he had rubbed soot over his face and left dirty streaks. Ruby wondered what was going through his mind. Normally nothing that happened around him seemed to affect him, but today he was different: he was taking an interest. Ruby looked at her mother; she had never seen her so tense and distressed.

When the room was clean and the washing back on the clothes horse, Ruby sat at the table and looked up at the small clock on the mantelpiece. It had been a wedding present from her mother’s mother and father. They would have been upset if they could see what had happened to their daughter and her family. Like her father’s parents, they had been dead a long while, since before that dreadful war had started. Ruby wished she had a gran and granddad, it must be nice to visit old people who knew your parents when they were young.

Her mother sat at the table. ‘Cheer up, love. I know this has been hard work, but thanks for clearing the mess up.’ She touched her daughter’s hand.

At first Ruby couldn’t speak. ‘That’s all right,’ she whispered. ‘But it ain’t that.’

‘What is it then?’

‘Nothing.’

‘I know you’re at a funny age, and everything seems worse than it really is, so come on, what is it? What’s upset you? I’m sorry I shouted at your dad, but he seems to have forgotten it.’

Ruby looked at her father clutching the poker and staring into the fire. He always told her he could see pictures and wanted to draw them. What was in his troubled mind?

‘Ruby, where was you this morning?’ asked her mother.

‘I went for a job.’

‘What? Where?’

‘At the laundry.’

‘And?’

‘I didn’t get it.’ Ruby went into great detail of how she’d first thought of starting her own business, then how she’d met Elsie, and then how Ernie Wallis had dashed her hopes of getting a job. ‘Don’t laugh at me, Mum. I want to help. I don’t want to live like this.’ She waved her arm at the clothes horse. ‘I want to be able to go and buy a skirt.’

Her mother went to her and held her close. ‘I won’t laugh and I can understand how you must feel. You’re growing up and I’m sorry things are so hard. But I’m sure they’ll get better.’ She gently pushed her daughter away. ‘Look at your dad. I do believe he’s improving a little.’ She smiled. ‘Who knows, one of these days he may even go out to work again.’

‘Do you really think that, Mum?’

‘As I said, who knows? You’re a good girl, Ruby. D’you know why you was called Ruby?’

Ruby shook her head.

‘Your dad always said you was his bright little jewel and very precious. He was right, you know, and to us you are indeed a rare Ruby.’

Ruby smiled. ‘Mum, can’t we have that woman come and stay here? It will help, if only through the winter.’

‘I was thinking about it when all the soot fell down. Do you really think we could manage?’

Ruby quickly wiped her nose on the bottom of her frock. At last she had got her mother to change her mind. ‘I
know
we can.’

‘Pop over and tell Milly then. But the woman might have got something be now.’

Ruby was out of the door and across the road in no time.

It was a week later and a cold damp Wednesday afternoon. Ruby had just returned from delivering washing when there was a knock at the door.

‘That’ll be Mrs Norton,’ said her mother.

‘I’ll go,’ said Ruby.

‘She come round earlier and brought a flock mattress she said she got from the market. It’s a bit stained and some of the stuffing’s coming out, but I can soon fix that. Just as long as it ain’t got any bugs in it. Can’t stand bugs.’

On opening the front door, Ruby was very surprised to see a young and pretty girl on the doorstep, standing beside a scruffy pram with a torn hood. A few bags were wedged in next to a tiny baby that was almost hidden beneath a pile of covers. She didn’t look old enough to be married and have a baby. Ruby had thought she would be a much older woman.

‘Hello. You must be Ruby. I’ve heard a lot about you,’ she said. ‘It was ever so nice of your mother to take me in.’

‘You’d better come in.’ Ruby stood to one side as Mrs Norton manoeuvred the pram into the narrow passage.

She was the same build as Ruby, slim and not over tall. Her fair hair had been pushed under her tight-fitting shapeless black hat, but a few strands had escaped and hung down in curly tendrils. Ruby noted that her black coat had seen better days. She gave Ruby a smile as her bright blue eyes darted nervously about her.

Mary Jenkins came into the passage. ‘You can leave the pram here for the moment, but we’ll have to find somewhere else for it. We might be able to get it in the room with you.’ She looked up at the stairs. ‘I don’t want him complaining.’

‘This is so very kind of you.’

‘As I told you earlier, you’ll have to muck in with us.’

‘I don’t know what I would have done if I’d had to stay in that house much longer. Not that we were allowed to stay in all day.’ She lifted the baby from the pram; it had a long off-white frock, but wasn’t wearing any socks. ‘We had to go out every morning and not get back till six. It wasn’t so bad in the summer when I had a job, but now I’ve got the baby and the weather’s on the turn.’

‘That’s terrible,’ said Mrs Jenkins. ‘Didn’t you have your own room?’

‘No. I had to sleep on the sofa in the front room, it was very uncomfortable. So you see the floor in your house has got to be better.’

‘I don’t know about that,’ said Mary Jenkins.

‘I know I shouldn’t speak out of turn, but I expect you know that the Manns are very religious and they had Bible meetings every day. That’s why I had to get out: they used the front room for all their chanting and praying. I can’t walk the streets with the baby, not with the winter coming. I’ll be able to pay you rent.’ Mrs Norton smiled and her blue eyes lit up. ‘This must be my lucky day. I’ve managed to get a little job.’

‘You’ve got a job?’ asked Ruby. ‘Where?’

‘Ruby,’ said her mother, shocked. ‘I’m sure Mrs Norton will tell us if she wants to.’

‘I’m sorry,’ said Ruby. ‘But as jobs are so hard to get round here, I was just wondering . . .’ Her voice trailed off.

‘Please, call me Beth. I’m going to work for that Mr Thompson in the Royal Albert.’

‘The pub!’ queried Mrs Jenkins.

‘Yes. I’m going to do his cleaning.’

‘But I thought Mrs Moss did that.’

‘She did, but she had a bad fall and broke her arm, so she’ll be off for a bit. As I said, I was lucky. I met her when she was at the cottage hospital. I was there with little Danny here.’ She patted her baby’s back.

‘Oh dear,’ said Mrs Jenkins. ‘Nothing serious, I hope.’

‘No, not really. He’s having a bit of trouble with his . . .’ She stopped and looked about her. ‘His little thingy,’ she whispered.

Ruby wanted to laugh, but knew she mustn’t.

‘We should have been Jews, then this wouldn’t happen.’

Ruby wanted to ask her mother what she meant, but she could do that another time.

‘What about the boy when you go to work?’

‘Mr Thompson said I could take him with me.’

‘In that case, then you are lucky. Take your bits in the room you’ll be sharing with Ruby here and my son Tom.’

‘This is very kind of you, Mrs Jenkins.’

‘As I said, we need the money. Ruby, give Mrs Norton a hand. When do you start working at the pub?’

‘Tomorrow.’

Ruby lifted the two bundles from the pram and put them on the floor.

‘Come on, son. I think it’s time for your feed, then a nap.’ Beth Norton took a brightly coloured crocheted blanket from the pram and wrapped the baby in it.

‘What time do you have to do your cleaning?’

‘In the morning, about seven.’

‘That’s all right then. I’ll be up long before then.’

Ruby could see her mother was trying to put Beth at ease, but there was a kind of undercurrent she couldn’t understand. Was Mary worried at what Mr Cox might say? Would he throw them out? That was a threat that hung permanently over them. But surely her mother could tell him?

‘You said your husband was in the Navy. Does he come home very often?’ asked Mrs Jenkins.

‘No.’ It was very abrupt. ‘I haven’t seen him for a while. Not since I had the baby.’

‘That’s awful. You must have been very young when you got married.’

‘Yes. I was.’

‘I don’t think he’ll be able to stay here when he comes home.’

‘Don’t worry about that. He’s the other side of the world.’

‘Will he know where to find you when he does get back?’

Beth Norton blushed and looked flustered. ‘Yes, I did write and tell him, and Milly in the dairy said she’ll show him where I’m staying, but I don’t know how long it’ll be before I see him again. It could be months.’

‘I expect he’ll be pleased to know he’s got a son. Most men like that.’

‘I hope so.’

‘Shall I make a pot of tea, Mum?’

‘Yes, and I must get on. There’s always washing and ironing to be done in this house.’

‘I don’t mind giving you a hand if you ever need it.’

Ruby could have kissed Beth Norton. Perhaps some of her luck was going to rub off on to them.

In the kitchen, Ruby put the kettle on the hob.

‘What’s that?’ asked her father when the baby cried.

‘It’s all right, Dad. It’s our lodger’s baby.’

‘Baby.’ He smiled and sat up. ‘We got a baby?’

‘Yes, Dad. A little boy.’

‘I like babies. Where is he?’

‘Mrs Norton’s just feeding him. She’ll be in in a minute.’

‘Can I hold him?’

‘We’ll see.’ Ruby felt sad as she watched her father sink down in the armchair again and pull his blanket round his shoulders.

‘Who’s that?’ he asked later, pointing at Beth Norton when she came into the kitchen.

‘Mrs Norton. Our lodger. You know, I told you about her,’ said Ruby, who was standing at the table, ironing.

Beth sat next to Mr Jenkins. ‘Hello, this is my baby. His name’s Danny.’

‘Hello, Danny.’ Thomas Jenkins gently took his hand.

The way he looked at the baby, Ruby thought her heart would burst.

Mary Jenkins came into the room. ‘You finished that ironing yet, love?’

‘Just got to do the last few handkerchiefs and pillow cases,’ said Ruby.

‘When you’ve finished that you can take Mrs Bell’s washing and collect the dirty lot.’

‘Where’s Tom?’ asked Ruby.

‘Collecting from Mrs Morris. It’s getting dark and I don’t like him going round that way, they’re very rough.’

‘Can’t he come with me?’

‘No. I want him to fetch some coal when he gets back. You’ll be all right.’

‘But it’ll be dark be the time I’m finished.’

‘I’ll put Danny on the floor then I can finish off that ironing for you, Ruby. Is Mrs Bell’s very far?’ Beth Norton asked Mrs Jenkins.

‘The buildings.’

‘The buildings?’ she repeated with a look of horror on her face.

‘Do you know it?’

‘I’ve heard about it,’ she said quickly.

‘It’s not too far and, Ruby, if you go now it won’t be too dark. And you don’t need to take the pram.’

Ruby shuddered. She didn’t want to argue, but she didn’t like going round to the buildings in the dark. They were near the docks and were very old and dirty with broken windows. She had been told that a lot of women who lived there entertained the sailors and dockers. She was always frightened when she had to step over a pile of rubbish that sometimes turned out to be a tramp or a drunk. Her mother never went round there so she really didn’t know what it was like. Rubbish filled the stairway and gangs of boys stood on the corners, and she had heard some terrible tales of what they did to girls on their own. What if they stole the money? Her mother should have sent her out earlier, before it got so dark.