Angel of the North (12 page)

Marie took care not to let it show, but she was proud of her baby brother. Alfie had guts and initiative. He’d proved it by thrashing Ernest, and by finding his own way home. I can look
after myself, he’d told her, and she thought he probably could. So now she’d better telephone the police in Bourne and tell them to call off the search for Alfie – not that
they’d been looking very hard.

It would have been the perfect solution if she could have sent him to Dunswell, but Auntie Dot had brought her own children up, and obviously wasn’t keen on taking on any
more. So Marie decided to give him a fair chance to prove himself before she tried any more experiments with evacuation.

‘I’m sorry you missed the funeral, Alfie. I sent the money for your fare, and Pam and Mr Stewart took it down to Mrs Morton’s for you on Tuesday afternoon, and again on
Wednesday,’ she told him, as they stood beside the freshly dug earth of their father’s grave later that morning.

He looked swiftly up at her. ‘I never heard her. They had me locked up in the back bedroom. Why didn’t she come to Dad’s funeral herself?’

‘She didn’t want to.’

Alfie looked down at the grave again. ‘Poor old Dad.’ His voice was full of compassion, but there were no tears this time.

‘Well, it’s like she said, he wouldn’t know whether she was there or not. He wouldn’t know anything about it, would he?’

‘If he’s in heaven, he knows everything. But because she’s with posh folk, our Pam thinks she’s posh an’ all. We’re not good enough for her now. I’m
not, anyway. She didn’t want to be seen with me, in Bourne.’

‘She’ll have to forget about being posh before very long. Mam will be coming home soon, and I’ll need our Pam to come and look after her while I’m at work.’

‘I’ll look after her.’

‘You can’t. You’ll have to go to school, and there might be things to do that Mam wouldn’t like to have a boy doing. But I’ve been thinking, Alfie. I’ll give
you a week’s trial. If you shape up, you can stay at home. If not, you’ll have to go to Uncle Alfred’s, or be evacuated again.’

‘I’m not going back to Mrs Morton.’

‘Do what I tell you, then. For a start, you’ll have to get up and get yourself off to school every day, and behave yourself when you get there. And make sure you do get there –
no twagging. Aunt Edie hardly ever goes out, so I’ll ask her to keep a key for you, so you can let yourself in when you come home.’ A thought suddenly struck her. ‘By the way, how
did you get in the house? I was sure I’d locked that door before I went to the funeral.’

‘Got the spare set of keys out of the outside lav.’

‘Oh, yes! I’d forgotten they were there. All right then, you’ve told me you can look after yourself, and you’ll have to. You had plenty of complaints about Mrs Morton and
Ernie, and they had a few about you as well. The main one was you roaming the streets till all hours at night. Well, here, you’re undressed and in bed for eight o’clock, and make sure
you lock the door and take the key out of it, and close all the blackout curtains before you go. Any trouble, and I’ll be packing you off again, so be warned. And if there’s an air
raid, you get down to the shelter.’

‘I won’t cause any trouble, Marie. I’ll help. You’ll wonder how you ever managed without me.’

‘I doubt that,’ she smiled. ‘Now get your coat. We’re going up to Mr and Mrs Elsworth’s. I’ll ask him if he minds taking us up to Beverley Westwood. Mam will
be glad to see you, anyway.’

Her mother would be more than glad to see Alfie, Marie thought. Thank God she’d been spared the task of telling her that he was missing.

‘Good Heavens,’ Mr Elsworth exclaimed. ‘How did you get here?’

Alfie took the question literally, and treated him to a blow-by-blow account of the whole escapade.

Danny hung on his every word, his eyes round with admiration. ‘Good for you, Alfie! I’m glad you gave that stinker a good thrashing. That’s just what I should have
done.’

Alfie grinned, basking in glory and not shy of giving himself even more credit. ‘One of the other lads at the school tried to get back to Hull before, but the police picked him up and
billeted him with a different family. Well, I wasn’t going to let them collar me. No fear.’

To Marie’s surprise, Mrs Elsworth’s smile stretched from ear to ear. She seemed unable to take her eyes off Alfie. ‘Oh, no fear! No, indeed!’ she laughed.

‘Sounds like something out of the
Boy’s Own Paper
,’ Mr Elsworth said. ‘It shows initiative, anyway, Alfie. It’s a pity you’re not old enough to help
us at the ARP post. We’re going to need runners, if Jerry puts the telephone lines out of action.’

‘I’ll be a runner,’ Alfie volunteered. ‘I don’t mind.’

‘You’re too young. It’s dangerous work. It must be quite a relief to your sister to have you back safe, and she’ll want to keep you safe. So will your mother.’

‘I’ll volunteer then,’ Danny said. ‘I’m fifteen. I can do it as well as anyone else.’

‘You’ll do no such thing,’ Mrs Elsworth told him. ‘Most of the runners are eighteen, from what I hear.’

‘That doesn’t matter. I can do it.’

‘No,’ she insisted, dismissing the subject. ‘Have you told the people in Bourne that Alfie’s here, Marie? They must have been quite worried, as well.’

‘No, I haven’t.’ Marie had been reluctant to mention it, in case the Elsworths thought she was angling to use their telephone again.

‘I’d let you phone now, but I’m waiting for Charles to ring. He said he would if he got the opportunity, sometime between now and bedtime.’

‘It’s all right,’ said Marie. After all, none of the people in Bourne had shown all that much concern about Alfie, not even Pam. They could wait, especially the Mortons.

The phone rang. Mr Elsworth lifted the receiver, and mouthed, ‘Charles!’ He exchanged a few words, and then said, ‘Guess who I’ve got with me. Marie – yes. And
Alfie. I’ll put her on.’ He handed Marie the receiver.

‘Alfie got to the funeral in the end, then. Did Pam come?’ Charles said.

The sound of his deep voice made her spine tingle. ‘No. Says she’s frightened to come to Hull, because of the raids. She’s got a point.’

‘It would have been better if they’d both stayed away. A funeral’s no place for a kid. But I’m sorry I couldn’t be there, old thing. Was it awful?’

‘Yes, but Alfie didn’t get here in time for the funeral. He came later, under his own steam.’

‘What, you mean he absconded? Went absent without leave?’

‘You could put it like that.’

‘You’ll send him straight back, of course.’

‘No. I’m going to give him a week’s trial.’

There was a long pause, and Marie imagined Charles counting to ten on the other end of the line. ‘You’ll regret it,’ he said, at last.

‘No I won’t. If he doesn’t shape up, he’ll have to go and live with Uncle Alfred in Dunswell. He’s offered to have him. He’s not going back to Bourne, or if
he does, they’ll have to find him another billet. He’s not going back to those bloody Mortons.’

Another long pause followed that. ‘You’re going to be lumbered; I know it. How do you think you’re going to manage to work?’

‘He’s old enough to look after himself.’

Charles sighed heavily, obviously trying to keep his patience. ‘We’ve discussed this before, no point going over it all again. I wish I were there, though. I’d make you see
sense. Any news of your mother?’

‘Your dad’s taking us to see her.’

‘She’ll probably be discharged soon, and then you’ll have something else to contend with. Drop Alfie off at your uncle’s on the way back, and get Pam home. I love you,
Marie, and I don’t want it all falling on you.’

‘I love you, too.’

‘Well, remember what I’ve said.’

‘I will.’

‘Bye, then, sweetheart. Is Mum there?’

‘I’ll drive you to the hospital,’ Mr Elsworth said, as his wife took the receiver.

‘Don’t you dare say anything about what happened in Bourne while we’re there, Alfie,’ Marie warned him. ‘Mam’s too poorly to be worried about all
that.’

‘What do you take me for?’ Alfie demanded. ‘I’m not silly.’

‘Alfie, it’s Sunday tomorrow. Come round, and we’ll go and have a look round Hull together,’ Danny said.

‘All right.’

‘Hold on.’ Mrs Elsworth put her hand over the receiver, and smiled at Alfie. ‘In that case, since Marie will be at work, you’d better come to lunch here,
Alfie.’

Marie smiled her thanks. There was a turn-up, but all to the good as far as cementing family relationships went. Mrs Elsworth obviously didn’t believe Alfie was as black as he’d been
painted, or she wouldn’t have invited him.

Alfie cocked his head on one side and gave her a thoughtful look. ‘Are you a good cook?’ he asked.

Their mother seemed much clearer mentally than the last time Marie had seen her. Marie didn’t go into the details of why Alfie was at home, but let her mother believe
he’d only come back for the funeral.

Mrs Larsen kissed him, and cried over him, and then said: ‘Our Pam didn’t come, then?’

‘No. She was frightened of the air raids,’ Marie said, voice raised.

‘She was always nervous, our Pam,’ their mother said. ‘She should stay away.’

‘Uncle Alfred’s offered Alfie a home for the duration,’ Marie said, after her mother had heard all about the funeral.

‘Dunswell’s not far enough away. I want you right out of it, Alfie.’ She tore her eyes away from Alfie to look at Marie. ‘They’re sending me home soon. Poor lass,
everything dropping on you. But don’t worry, I’ll look after myself.’

‘You can’t possibly look after yourself, Mrs Larsen,’ a staff nurse cut in as she passed the bed. ‘You might be able to wash and dress yourself and do a bit of dusting
and peel a few vegetables, but you’ll be surprised how tired you’ll get just doing that.’

Their mother looked directly at Marie. ‘Don’t you worry, Marie. I won’t be a trouble. I don’t intend to be a burden on anybody.’

‘You heard what she said, Mam. You’ll be tired even waving a duster about. You’ll have to take it easy at first.’

The nurse caught up with Marie as she and Alfie were leaving the ward and out of their mother’s hearing. ‘Have you got anyone to help you look after your mother? You’re going
to have to leave work if not.’

‘When will you be sending her home?’

‘In a week or so, all being well.’

‘Well, it’s a bit sooner than I thought,’ said Marie.

‘Go and see the Lady Almoner. She might know of some help you can get.’

‘I will, but we’ll manage. My sister will have to come home.’

The words conjured a vision in Marie’s mind of Pam in her pretty Robin Pearl jumper, leaving beautiful Bourne and her piano playing to come back to bombed-out Hull and slave over the stove
and the wash-tub.

‘Alfie arrived home yesterday, Mr Stewart,’ Marie said, speaking from the Elsworths’ house with Alfie beside her. ‘We found him after Dad’s
funeral, much too late for me to telephone you. He was in the Mortons’ house both times you went, as it turns out. They kept him off school because they’d given him such a thrashing he
was covered in bruises, and they didn’t
want
anyone to see him. Anyway, I’d just like to say thank you for everything you did.’

‘You’re very welcome, but I’m surprised at what you say about the Mortons. No, that’s an understatement. I’m shocked.’

Marie had the feeling that Mr Stewart doubted what she was telling him. She repeated the news to Pam, when Mr Stewart had recovered enough from his shock to hand her the receiver.

‘Shall I go and tell Mrs Morton he’s come home?’ Pam asked.

‘If you like. And while you’re at it, you can tell her I’m having him examined by the school doctor, and she’ll most likely get a summons for child cruelty, depending on
what he says about Alfie’s bruises. And another thing: I’m just going to the hospital to see Mam, and I’m expecting them to tell me when she can come home. I’m sorry, Pam,
but your days in Bourne are numbered. You’ll have to come home and help look after her. I can’t do everything.’

She cut Pam’s protests off with a curt ‘Goodbye’.

‘Stay for tea,’ Mrs Elsworth invited them, still in her WVS uniform. ‘Come and see us on your way home from St Vincent’s sometimes, if you like, Alfie,’ she said,
much to Marie’s surprise. ‘It’s not very far out of your way.’

Marie got home from the hospital to find a letter from Charles on the mantelpiece the following Tuesday, along with a summons of her own, to attend the police court for
breaching the blackout. Alfie was already in bed. She went up to him.

‘What? What are they talking about?’ she exclaimed. ‘I’ve never done anything of the sort. I’ve never breached the blackout. There must be some mistake.’

He looked at the summons, and then at her, with guilt written all over him.

‘You know something about this, don’t you?’

‘Sorry, Marie. The ARP warden came knocking at the door on Sunday night. He said a woman down the street had reported us, and when I switched the light off for him he said it was all
right. I didn’t think they were going to send you a summons. It was only the bathroom.’

‘Only the bathroom? Only a day wasted going to court, and a fine THAT WE CAN’T AFFORD! You’ll have me wishing I’d never let you stay at home, if you go on like this. And
you—’

Alfie went pale. ‘It wasn’t me. It was a friend, and it was a mistake. I’ll be careful in future. I’m sorry, all right?’

‘A friend? Who was the friend? I told you not to have anyone in the house when I’m not here.’

‘Not really a friend. Just that nipper from down the street. She was outside, waiting for her mother to come home, and she came to talk to us when the other little uns had gone in. I felt
sorry for her, on her own, so when my pals had gone home as well I let her come in for an hour before I went to bed and gave her some pickled beetroot in a sandwich.’

‘Has this kid you let in got a name?’

‘Jenny. I’m sorry, Marie.’

‘Not half as sorry as I’ll be when I’m standing in front of that magistrate,’ Marie said, her expression grim. She had a summons, and Jenny was the one who had managed to
get it for her. Hannah would be crowing, if she knew. Maybe she did know . . . She was probably the one who reported them, Marie thought. One up to Hannah, if that was the case.