Battles Lost and Won (17 page)

They glared menacingly at Ben. ‘You be careful, mate.’

‘I assure you I have no intention of harming Ruth.’

The men looked startled at Ben’s upper-class accent, and the rest of the customers were beginning to take an interest.

‘Captain Russell is a friend of ours,’ Ruth told the men in an effort to defuse the situation. ‘You can relax. We’re not going to come to blows. He’s trying to help me and I’m being stubborn.’

‘Ah, women are good at that.’ One of the men smirked and turned his attention to Ben. ‘Captain, you say? Fought in the war, did you?’ When he nodded, the man asked, ‘Where were you?’

‘The Somme.’

‘Behind the lines, I suppose.’

Ben shook his head. ‘I’m only a captain. I was in the front line with my troops.’

‘Ah, and a bloody massacre that was.’

There were murmurs of agreement, and the men drifted back to their own table.

‘Now, where were we, Ruth?’

‘You swore at me. What were you going to say after that?’

The looked at each other and burst into laughter. Ruth found it impossible to dislike this man. ‘Eat your bun,’ she told him, ‘and we’ll start again.’

He took a bite, chewed, and then nodded. ‘Not bad. I am not used to being disobeyed, so are you going to be more reasonable this time?’

‘I’m always reasonable, but you can’t expect to win every battle. I can’t understand why your mother left me that particular brooch. What on earth did she expect me to do with such a valuable piece of jewellery? I wouldn’t like to sell it, and I certainly couldn’t wear it.’

‘You could always keep it for your wedding day,’ he teased. ‘Or you could keep it for your sister, Sally. I’m sure she’d love it when she’s older.’

Ruth hesitated this time, and sensing a victory, Ben said gently, ‘Take it, Ruth. It is Mother’s way of apologizing to you.’

‘I don’t seem to have much choice.’ Ruth curled her fingers around the delicate box and looked up. ‘But I’ll have that signed letter from you. It will make me feel easier. Mrs Law, on the next stall, will witness your signature.’

Ben sat back with a sigh of relief. ‘Thank you, Ruth.’

She stood up. ‘We’d better get back and see how they’ve been getting on.’

After Ben had paid for the tea and two extra buns for the children, they walked back to the market, stopping once to buy writing materials.

Lilly saw them and came running, still clutching her doll. ‘We’ve sold lots. It was fun.’

Mrs Russell was pointing out the fine stitching on a garment to a customer when they arrived at the stall. She seemed quite at home in the role of market trader.

‘My goodness!’ Ruth exclaimed when she saw the empty spaces on the stall. ‘You have been busy.’

When the customer left carrying her parcel, the captain’s wife smiled, her face glowing. ‘Do you know, Ben, I think I’m rather good at this, and so are Lillian and John.’

‘I’ve got lots of money, Ruthie.’ John patted the bag he had tied around his waist.

‘In that case I think you and Lilly deserve a reward.’ She took the bag from him and gave him some coins. ‘Go to that stall where you bought your wooden toys, and buy something for yourself, Lilly and her little brother. Oh, and you mustn’t forget Eddie and Sally. Then when you come back the captain has bought you both a bun from the cafe.’

‘Thanks, Ruthie.’ He gave her a brilliant smile, and then looked doubtfully at Lilly. ‘You’d better come and choose something.’

The girl grinned and clasped his hand as they walked away.

Emma laughed at the sight of the pair of them hand in hand. ‘It looks as if he isn’t so scared of her now.’

‘As long as she doesn’t try to kiss him again,’ Ruth said drily. ‘Now, Captain, you promised me a letter.’

Sales that day had been exceptionally good, not even counting the huge amount Mrs Russell had bought. That wasn’t normal trade, so Ruth didn’t include it in her day’s takings. She would put it aside for a rainy day. Her dad’s job seemed secure at the moment, but it wasn’t wise to take it for granted because so many men were out of work. It was even tough at the market, and that was why she had sent John to buy something from the man who made wooden toys. People were watching the pennies and didn’t have anything to spare for luxuries.

John smiled up at her as they made their way home. ‘We had a good day today, Ruthie. Thank you for the toys. The man was ever so pleased when we bought so much from him.’

‘I expect he was. We must help people when we can. Times are hard.’

The boy nodded. ‘Why are some people rich and others poor, Ruthie? It don’t seem right.’

‘I know how you feel, John, but it’s always been like this. A lot of things need to change before it gets better. Men need decent wages and secure jobs. Many of the slum houses should be torn down and new ones built to buy or rent at reasonable prices.’

He pursed his lips thoughtfully. ‘Do you think that will ever happen?’

‘I hope so.’ She placed an arm around his shoulder as they walked along. ‘But Dad and me don’t intend to wait for that time to come. We’re both working hard to get us out of the slums. One day we’ll have a nice house away from here, you’ll see.’

He smiled again. ‘I’ll help too.’

‘You are helping, John.’

When they walked into the scullery everyone else was home, and there was a lovely smell of cooking from the large pot bubbling away on the stove.

Ruth sniffed appreciatively. ‘Smells like your famous suet bacon roll, Mum.’

‘I thought you’d both be hungry after a day at the market.’ Daisy took some of the parcels from them. ‘What on earth have you got here?’

‘We’ve had a good day, Mum,’ John told her proudly. ‘The captain and his wife came to see us, and they bought ever such a lot of things. Oh, and Lilly was with them, as well.’

‘Why were they here?’ Steve asked, frowning.

‘They came to the house first, but you were all out, so they came across to the market. I’ll tell you about it later.’

Steve and Daisy nodded, knowing their daughter would rather talk to them alone.

‘What did you think of Lilly?’ Daisy asked her youngest son.

‘All right, I suppose.’ He turned swiftly to Eddie and Sally. ‘Ruthie sold so much today she’s bought us all a present. I chose them, but the man said we can change them if you’d rather have something else.’

‘What did you get me?’ Sally was jumping up and down in excitement.

‘A little dolls’ house, and I got a train for Eddie.’

‘Children, take your presents into the other room while I get the supper ready,’ Daisy ordered. They scooted off, eager to play with their presents.

‘John didn’t say much about Lilly,’ Steve remarked.

‘No,’ Ruth grinned. ‘Don’t let him know that I told you, but she kissed him.’

‘Oh my goodness,’ Daisy laughed. ‘No wonder he doesn’t want to talk about it. But give him a few more years and he’ll change his mind about girls.’

Steve nodded, then turned to his daughter. ‘Tell us what the Russells were doing here?’

She took the velvet box out of her pocket and told them all about it. They were astounded as they looked at the valuable jewel. ‘I didn’t want to take the brooch, but the captain said it was legally mine now. There’s a note from his mother to me, but I made him give me a letter signed by him, and witnessed by Mrs Law. I wanted absolute proof that the brooch was mine so there wouldn’t be any doubt about it.’

‘You did the right thing.’ Steve gave his daughter an affectionate smile. ‘Not that I believe for a moment that Captain Russell would have lied to you, sweetheart, but having those written proofs of your ownership will give you peace of mind.’

Ruth sighed. ‘There was a time when I trusted everyone, seeing only the best in them, but I’m not like that any more.’

‘It’s called growing up, and we’re glad you are more cautious now,’ Daisy told her. ‘What are you going to do with the brooch?’

‘Goodness knows.’ Ruth shook her head and laughed quietly. ‘I certainly can’t wear it at the market. They’ll think I’m charging too much for my goods. Can you put it in the rainy-day box you keep in your bedroom, Dad?’

‘Of course. You know where to find it if you ever need to, don’t you?’

‘Yes, it’s under the loose floorboard by the side of the wardrobe. Oh, and you can put this with it.’ She handed over the money Mrs Russell had given her for the baby clothes. ‘Put that towards the savings for the new house.’

‘You don’t have to do that, Ruthie,’ Daisy told her. ‘That’s only a dream. It might never happen.’

‘Yes it will. Bob always said anything is possible if you set your mind to it. We’ll get out of this place one day if we all pull together. The kids need to go to better schools because they’re not going to get a good education round here.’

‘You’re right about that.’ Steve stood up. ‘I’ll go and put these things away safely, while you girls lay the table. I’m starving.’

‘Don’t be long. It will be ready in five minutes.’ Daisy started to set out the plates for dishing up. ‘Is Alf joining us?’

The back door opened and their neighbour looked in. ‘Love to, if I’m invited.’

‘You’re invited.’ Daisy beckoned Alf in. ‘We want to know how you got on today. Steve hasn’t had a chance to tell us yet.’

The meal was thoroughly enjoyed, and not a scrap left on the plates. A large pot of tea was made and they settled down to talk. The three youngsters had soon disappeared to play with their new toys, but Ruth was now considered old enough to stay with the grown-ups.

‘Did you find another house?’ Daisy asked.

‘There are plenty to choose from in these hard times, and the prices are reasonable. We saw a couple of possibilities, but the one I liked the best was more than I can afford. If they haven’t sold it in a couple of weeks I’ll go round and again and make them a lower offer.’

‘It’ll be worth a try, Alf,’ Steve told him. ‘It was a sturdy house, and in the same street as your other one.’

Alf nodded. ‘I’m in no hurry, so we’ll see how it goes. Fancy me talking about buying houses. Who would have thought that the pathetic drunk who came home from the war would be buying houses? It’s hard to believe.’

‘You’re putting your unexpected windfall to good use,’ Daisy told him. ‘And that’s the right thing to do.’

‘If you do buy another one will you live in it?’ Ruth wanted to know.

‘I can’t do that, Ruthie. I’ve got to stay here in case Bob comes back one day. After all, I want him to be able to find me because I’m doing this for him. I want to see he has a secure future.’

‘Do you really think he will turn up after all this time?’ Daisy sounded doubtful.

Alf’s expression changed to sadness. ‘To be honest I think he’s washed his hands of us, but I still cling to the hope that he will come home. Daft, I know, but I’d like to be able to put things right between us.’

Ruth said nothing. She had adored Bob from a little girl, and in her eyes he hadn’t been able to do any wrong. That was no longer how she thought. He had walked away from his dad, leaving him to fight the drink on his own, and what a struggle that had been. She couldn’t forget how she had cried out for her friend when the Russells had thrown her out. But he’d run away again, and she didn’t think she would ever feel the same way about him again. If he walked in now she would leave the room. That was how low her opinion of him had dropped. He didn’t deserve what his dad was doing for him. Of course, she kept all these thoughts to herself.

‘How did you manage to get Ruth to take the brooch, darling?’ Emma asked her husband as they settled in the sitting room after dinner.

‘It was difficult. She was adamant that she didn’t want it, and I understood because it has unpleasant memories for her. I do think Mother could have left her something else, and not that particular item.’

‘So do I.’ Emma sighed. ‘But it was stated clearly in her Will, and if we hadn’t taken it ourselves, she would have sent it straight back to us by the next post.’

Ben took the cup of coffee from his wife. ‘And then we would have had the unpleasant task of asking Steve Cooper to accept it on his daughter’s behalf. Mother put us in a difficult situation – again.’

‘I know, but I really think she wanted to make amends, and thought this was the way to do it.’ Emma studied her husband carefully. ‘You like Steve Cooper, don’t you?’

‘He’s a fine man and deserves better than he’s got. I admire him for the way he defends and protects his family. I wish I could get to know him better, but after accusing his daughter of stealing, the gulf between us is too wide.’

‘It was too wide even before that happened,’ she pointed out.

‘You’re talking about the class barrier, and I don’t agree. The war broke down a lot of the old prejudices, but unfortunately the divide between the rich and the poor is still too great. Why the hell isn’t the government doing more for these men and their families? They fought for this country, and what have they come back to? Unemployment, bad housing and poverty. Dear Lord, Emma, what did we fight for?’

Emma didn’t get a chance to answer because Lilly came in holding her little brother’s hand. She was still clutching the doll Ruth had given her, and Robert had a small wooden train in his other hand.

‘We’ve come to say goodnight,’ Lilly announced. ‘Robert’s very pleased with his toy, aren’t you?’

He smiled, toddling straight over to his father to show him.

‘I had a lovely day today, Mummy, and it was nice to see Ruth again. Do you think she would come and visit us, and bring John with her? He’s a bit bossy, but I liked him.’

‘I don’t think they would come here, darling,’ Emma told her daughter.

Lilly pulled a face. ‘I suppose not. We’ll just have to visit them. I think I’ll marry John when I’m older. Night, night.’ She beamed at them both. ‘Come along, Robert.’

Ben was laughing quietly as the children left the room. ‘Now, that really would break down a few barriers!’

Where had the time gone? Bob had only intended to stay for a couple of weeks until he found something else, and it had turned into more than two years. His attitude had been that he was just passing through, but had gradually changed as he’d learnt the skills necessary to care for the men. He had quickly discovered that not only was he good at it, but he gained a lot of satisfaction from the work. His respect for the men and everyone who cared for them had grown, and so had his understanding about the suffering the war had caused. So many men without visible injuries were carrying scars inside – like his father and Captain Russell. The work here had been an education, making him look deep inside himself, and questioning his feelings, motives and actions. He didn’t always like what he saw.