A Wartime Christmas (23 page)

The following day, two more letters dropped through the letter box. One was from Alan, the other from Lil. She opened Alan’s first and was disappointed to read that his
next letter might be a long time in coming. With all that was going on in his absence, she felt a moment’s panic that any reassurance on his part that might relieve her of the worry of Dolly
and Sean would be a long way off. She guessed he was being posted overseas. Where was he going? Was it to the desert? The wireless had reported that the Eighth Army was trying to beat back the
German offensive at El Alamein. Or could it be somewhere in Europe or even further afield? Kay felt close to tears. Alan told her he loved her and missed her. He said his family gave him strength
to fight for his country.

Kay didn’t feel like opening Lil’s letter. She thought she knew what Lil would want. And when Kay read it, as she suspected, Lil was making plans for Doris and Len’s visit at
the end of the summer. ‘August is bound to be good weather,’ wrote Lil. ‘At the worst, it’s wet but warm. Aunty Pops can’t wait to see Alfie.’

With a deep sigh, Kay dropped the letter on the kitchen table. She looked out on the yard where Alfie and Sean were playing. Two little boys, one her own, the other whom she was caring for. What
would her parents say if she wrote and told them about Sean, or worse, the accusations that Dolly had made against Alan? She would, of course, have to keep this to herself when she replied to Lil
and regretfully suggest their visit was postponed.

Kay read Alan’s letter again. ‘I love you, sweetheart, and miss you.’ She could hear his words in her ears, remembering with a sharp pang the last time he had made love to
her.

‘I wish you were here,’ Kay murmured with a sigh and placed her lips on the lined paper filled with Alan’s writing. She closed her eyes and tried to see his face. But all she
felt was an ache inside that she knew would never ease, despite all that had happened, until he was safely in her arms again.

‘It’s me! Dolly. Open up!’

‘Where have you been for the past four months?’ Kay shouted through the locked front door. She was trembling.

‘I’ve had things to do.’

‘Things that were more important than Sean?’

Dolly pounded on the door again. ‘I’m here now, ain’t I? So let me in!’

Kay and Vi looked at one another. ‘Has she got the spiv with her?’ whispered Vi.

‘Don’t know.’

‘What are we going to do?’ Vi looked frightened.

After a silence, the front door burst open. Kay and Vi stumbled back as a splintering noise filled the air. The lock had come away from the wood. The rays of the low sun captured the outline of
a giant of a man who stood beside Dolly. His head was hairless and shiny. He didn’t seem to have a neck; it was lost in the muscle of his shoulders and arms bulging out from his dirty
shirt.

‘Who’s this?’ Kay demanded, trying not to look afraid. ‘Where’s your other pal?’

‘Never you mind,’ replied Dolly, walking in. ‘Now, where’s Sean?’

‘Asleep of course, at this time of night.’

‘Well, you can wake him up.’

‘No,’ Kay replied, folding her arms. ‘Not at this time of night. Come back in the morning.’

Dolly looked up at her companion. ‘I said she was a stubborn cow, didn’t I?’

With a grunt, the man pushed past Kay.

‘You can’t go in there,’ yelled Vi as with his shoulder he barged open the door of the front room. Vi put her hand to her head, swaying, as she grabbed hold of the
banister.

‘You’re upsetting my friend,’ Kay said, rushing to help Vi. ‘Go away.’

‘I want my stuff.’ Dolly poked Kay in the shoulder.

‘I thought you wanted your boy.’

‘Don’t worry, he’s next on me list.’

There were bangs and thumps from the front room, then Dolly’s accomplice appeared again. He shook his sweating head. ‘If you can’t find nothing, you’ll have to give her a
slap or two,’ ordered Dolly.

Vi screamed as two big arms went around Kay and lifted her off her feet. Kay was thrown against the wall. A pain travelled down her arm as she tried to steady herself. The next moment a blow
sent her reeling out on the pavement. Everything swirled in front of her as she realized she had stumbled out in the road, unable to regain her balance. She blinked her eyes fiercely to clear her
vision but swaying, she felt her legs crumple beneath her. Reaching out into thin air, she cried out softly as everything seemed to turn black around her.

‘Kay, drink this.’ It was Babs, holding a glass of water to her lips. Beside her was Paul. He was bending down, frowning as he looked into her face.

‘You’re safe now, Kay, they’ve gone.’

‘Wh . . . what happened?’

‘You fainted.’

Kay sipped the water. ‘Where’s Vi?’

‘I’m over here, gel, in the chair,’ said Vi. ‘Don’t worry, I’m all right. It’s you we’re worried about.’

Kay shuddered as the ugly memories returned. Dolly’s accomplice had broken the door open and forced his way inside. The last thing she could remember was falling down on the road.

‘That rotten Dolly,’ muttered Babs. ‘She and her cronies need sorting out.’

‘Too right,’ Vi murmured in a weak voice. ‘The big lug clumped Kay round her head.’

Kay rubbed the tender bump by her ear. But it was her arm that hurt the worst.

‘Paul drove up in his car just as you fainted,’ Babs told her. ‘The cowards ran off as soon as they saw him. Kay, I think we should get the doctor.’

‘No. I’ll be all right.’ Kay gently moved her arm again. It was painful and tender, but it wasn’t broken. ‘Are Alfie and Sean safe?’

‘They slept all through it.’

‘Breaking and entering is against the law,’ Paul said angrily. ‘And so is assaulting you.’

‘I’ve reported Dolly once,’ Kay replied. ‘I told them the whole story, but it didn’t do any good.’

‘But this time you were hurt, Kay. I’ll take you to the station in my car if you’re up to it.’ Paul held out his hand.

Kay shook her head. ‘No, I still feel light-headed.’

‘In that case,’ said Babs with a sigh as she got up, ‘I’ll make a cuppa and Paul’ll see to the front door.’

When Kay was alone with Vi, she swung her legs down. ‘Are you really all right, Vi?’

‘Yes, love. But shouldn’t you go to the law?’

‘They won’t believe me, and will just ask a lot of questions that’ll only make me feel worse.’

‘Well, if you say so.’

‘Vi, I’m going to see Miss Pearson about Dolly.’

Vi nodded slowly. ‘But will she know what to do?’

‘I don’t know. But it’s worth a try.’

Babs came in with the tea and lowered the tray to the table. ‘Are you sure I shouldn’t call the doctor?’

‘I feel much better now.’

‘Paul’s just mending the door.’

‘That’s kind of him. Babs, I don’t know what would have happened if you and Paul hadn’t arrived today.’

Babs put her hands on her hips. ‘All the more reason to go to the law.’

Kay nodded. ‘I’ll think about it.’

Babs smiled. ‘That means you won’t.’

It wasn’t till later in the week that Kay felt well enough to go to see Miss Pearson. Her arm still hurt, though the bruises had faded. The swelling behind her ear had
gone down and at last she could walk without feeling dizzy.

‘You must report this,’ advised Miss Pearson. ‘Of course, it’s a little late now. But tell them everything that happened and if you can, bring a charge against Dolly and
this man for what they did. And you do have a witness in Vi and your neighbour, although it would have been better if the doctor could have assessed your injuries.’

‘I wasn’t feeling well enough,’ was all Kay could manage.

‘I can’t help you if you don’t. Now, Kay, please do as I say.’

Kay finally gave in. Everyone seemed to think reporting Dolly and the man would do some good. But she suspected that she would be looked on with scorn as she had been the first time.

‘I’ve a complaint to make,’ she told the same policeman. After explaining what had happened, Kay lifted her arm and touched her head, trying to show where the damage had been
done.

Sliding on his spectacles, the policeman frowned. ‘Why didn’t you call on us at the time?’

‘I wasn’t feeling well.’

He drummed his fingers on the desk. ‘We get a lot of family upsets like this. It happens in wartime.’

‘It’s not a family upset,’ Kay insisted, ‘at least, not my family.’

He consulted the book on the desk. ‘That’s not what it says here. From our records it appears your first complaint was made against this person – named as Dolores, or Dolly,
Lewis – back in May. This person visited you to say she was married to your husband and made a nuisance of herself whilst doing so.’

Kay nodded. ‘That’s right.’

‘So what’s that if it’s not a domestic?’

‘What I want to report today is that this woman came back again, with another friend,’ Kay argued. ‘The man assaulted me and my lodger, Vi Hill. Not to mention knocking down my
front door.’

‘Then why ain’t this lodger here too?’

‘Because she’s at home, looking after the boys. One of them is my son, Alfie, the other is Dolly’s son, Sean. The boy who she left with me the first time she came.’

The sergeant slid his pencil behind his ear. ‘Look, whatever it is you’ve got to complain about, madam, you need evidence. You need witnesses. And if an assault has been committed,
then it’s fair to say we’d need to examine the victim or victims, which in this case is you and your friend. Well, one of you is standing right in front of me looking none the worse for
wear and the other is at home with the kids. The alleged incident took place some days ago, and you don’t know where the alleged attackers are now.’ He heaved a big sigh. ‘Have I
got that much right?’

‘Yes, but—’

‘So where do you suggest we start?’ asked the policeman, opening his arms. ‘We’re light on just about every aspect of this alleged happening. All we have is your version
of a story that might or might not be true.’

‘Why don’t you believe me?’

‘It’s not up to me to believe anything. I only write down the facts.’

Kay was furious. As the people behind her made shuffling noises, she knew she was wasting her time again. She turned and, as she had before, tried to hold her head high as she left the police
station, wishing she’d never done as Miss Pearson had advised.

It was almost a week later when Miss Pearson called round. ‘Did you go to the police?’ she asked as she sat on the couch in the front room.

‘Yes.’

‘What happened? I’ve been waiting to hear from you.’

Kay told her what the policeman had said and Miss Pearson looked very disappointed. ‘Kay, I’m sorry, but you should have reported it at the time. Now there’s little my
department can do.’

‘So I’ve just got to wait for her to call round again and break in?’ Kay was still very angry. Every time she touched her stiff arm, she was reminded of that night.

‘We can only take Dolly to task when we have evidence of negligence towards Sean or violence towards you.’

‘Isn’t abandoning him enough?’

‘From what you’ve told me, I believe it could be. But first we’ve got to find her and that, at the moment, is our problem. There are so many displaced families in the East End,
indeed all over London. Reaching them is almost impossible unless they register with the authorities. And I’m afraid to say, for one reason or another, many don’t.’

Kay’s anger slowly ebbed. She knew it was her fault that she hadn’t agreed to let Paul take her to the police station to report the assault. Perhaps if she had, they would be out
searching for Dolly.

‘There is one thing I can do,’ said Miss Pearson thoughtfully. ‘I could write an official letter to Dolly saying she must present herself at our offices at once. I shall stress
that failing to do so will result in the involvement of the police and welfare services. I’ll request she brings all her current information, including her address and her identity papers.
Coming from an official source, this might be enough to make her think twice before she or her accomplice acts violently or tries to take Sean again.’

‘But you don’t know her address.’

Miss Pearson took a breath, meeting Kay’s eyes. ‘You’ll have to hand the letter to her in person.’

Kay didn’t think Dolly would be put off by a letter, even if it was an official one. Would she even bother to read it? But, as Miss Pearson was trying so hard to help, Kay agreed.

‘Meanwhile, I may be able to arrange a place for Sean at Quarry Street School.’

At this, Kay sat up, excited. ‘The children next door go there!’

‘I’ll speak to the head teacher, Mr Barnet.’

Kay knew Sean would do well at school if given the chance. He could draw and colour very well and she read to him and Alfie each night. She also knew this young woman was doing everything she
could to help and for that, Kay was very grateful. ‘Thank you, Miss Pearson.’

‘It’s Jean, actually. May I call you Kay?’

Kay nodded, beginning to feel that at least there was someone who understood Sean’s plight. Next time Dolly arrived, she would have a surprise. It was only a letter. But words, it was
said, were mightier than the sword.

Kay, Babs and the four children, the three elders wearing their navy-blue and grey uniforms, were making their way to school in the gloomy light of a misty September morning;
Jean Pearson had been true to her word and found a place for Sean. Kay watched the children run ahead, and every so often, Sean glanced round to catch her eye. She smiled as she always did, the
brief reassurance that all was well now an understanding between them.

Kay hadn’t had to buy much for Sean as Babs had given her all Tim’s outgrown clothes. Even the satchel had cost next to nothing, bought second-hand from the market, she reflected
with pride.

Both Kay and Babs wore headscarves and winter coats, and had shopping bags looped over their arms since they’d decided to call at the market afterwards.

‘Just look at them,’ said Babs, nodding to the four youngsters. ‘You won’t find better pals anywhere.’