Daughters of the Mersey (8 page)

‘Do you think it would be a good idea to let Nanny Bridge look after her as well as the twins?’ Elaine suggested.

Leonie’s sandwich was suspended halfway to her mouth while she thought about it. ‘An excellent idea,’ she said, ‘but would she not find three children too much for her?’

‘I don’t think so. The twins sleep most of the time. I think she’d probably enjoy having a toddler to look after too.’

‘We could share the cost,’ Leonie said. ‘I’d get a lot more work done while I was here, and it would be better for Amy. She needs to be able to run about more.’ Leonie was relieved because Amy had reached the stage when she was active and needed a lot of attention. Her fingers were into everything. Instead of getting on with their work, everybody spent time talking to her and playing with her, even the customers did, and it took longer to produce the finished work.

Leonie found it a long walk to take Amy to Elaine’s house on her way to work, but it was worth it and sometimes the nanny took the children out for a walk and delivered her back to the shop late in the afternoon.

A week or two later, Elaine told her that Nick was insisting on paying her share of the nanny’s salary. She said he felt he should do more to help with the support of his child.

‘Has he seen her while she’s been there?’

‘No, he comes for dinner when work is over for the day. Except sometimes he comes on Sundays, but Amy isn’t with us then.’

Despite her efforts, Leonie had not been able to stop thinking of Nick and often wondered how he was getting on. She’d had
to school herself not to ask Elaine about him. Occasionally, though, Elaine dropped snippets of information about Nick. He was well and had settled down in Chester. He’d bought a new car.

On Amy’s first birthday Leonie wrote Nick a long letter about her health and how she was growing. She had Amy’s photograph taken to send to him. He replied to thank her and said he’d like to send Amy cards and little gifts but thought it wiser not to, that Steve would not want her to know of him. It would be better for Amy if he left the fathering to Steve for the time being. Perhaps when she was grown up and able to understand, she could be told about him. Leonie thought that very unselfish of him.

The years began to pass, at Christmas she sent him a card and wrote a few sentences about Amy’s progress on it. On her birthdays she always wrote him long letters about Amy’s development and tried to remember all the funny things she said and did. Nick always replied to thank her; he told her his practice was proving successful and that he still loved her and would welcome her if she changed her mind about staying with Steve.

Leonie’s business was also growing and she needed to take on another seamstress. Ida introduced Maggie, a younger woman she’d worked with for many years, who would work in the afternoons after Ida had gone home. Leonie enjoyed what she was doing and she was earning more than enough to cope with the household expenses.

Steve continued to have bad moods and at times he railed at both her and the children. Her relationship with him did not improve and that drove her closer to her children. They were growing
up. Milo was very like Edward his grandfather; he was outgoing and had lots of friends, the sort of person who needed people around him. He enjoyed company and in this way he was the very opposite to Steve.

The family likeness was evident in the features of her older children but they had very different colouring. June was the beauty of the family with a perfect fair complexion and pink cheeks. Leonie envied her long curly hair. It was the colour of manuka honey and developed golden highlights in the summer. Milo’s hair had a reddish tinge, but a dark red, not ginger or carroty; it must be a family throwback because she’d not seen it in any living family member.

Milo was open about what was going on in his life, while June was not. In that way she was more like Steve, who rarely spoke of his interests. Leonie tried to get her to talk about her school and her friends but she revealed very little.

Amy was an altogether sturdier build than her half-siblings but she had lovely rounded limbs and a pretty face. Leonie couldn’t stop herself searching for a resemblance to Nick. Amy had inherited her own straight hair, and it was not a beguiling colour like June’s, but then Nick had straight hair too. Amy had dimples in her cheeks and they must have come from Nick. Leone knew she hugged her more than she had her two older children. Amy was her love child.

Most people found her delightful because she would smile up at them and talk to them; she’d even edge up to sit on their knees. Leonie had been half afraid Steve would take against Amy, but she watched her do that to him and he treated her with as much affection as he’d given Milo and June when they were very young.

Nurse Bridge and Mrs Killen were equally enamoured
of her and very happy to take charge of her. She shared her sweets and toys with other children and expected them to share theirs.

From an early age, the children played outside and ran wild with their friends. Milo had always known there was a sailing dinghy in one of the two sheds in the two-acre garden.

‘I’d like to use it, Pa,’ he said one night over supper. ‘It’s called
Dido
and the sails seem fine, all they need is new ropes. They’re all there, Duggie Jenkins and I spread them out to see.’

‘It’ll be no use to man nor beast now,’ Steve said shortly. ‘It’s been lying there far too long.’

‘Duggie’s dad came to look at it and he says it can be repaired.’

‘What business has he got coming into our garden and what does he know about boats?’

‘Did it belong to Edward?’ Leonie asked to deflect his ire.

‘No, it was Raymond’s.’

‘Your Uncle Raymond was killed in the Great War, love,’ Leonie told their son.

‘There are times when I wish I’d been killed too,’ Steve said irritably. ‘It would be better than this.’

‘No, Pa, you don’t. Nobody wants to be dead,’ Milo said in disbelief. He put down his knife and fork. ‘Does that mean I can take over the dinghy?’

‘Miles, don’t you listen to what I say? If you put
Dido
in the river, it would sink. The wood must be rotten by now.’

‘Mr Jenkins says it is clinker built and all it needs is a couple of planks replacing and he could show us how to do it.’

‘Don’t expect me to pay him for that. It’s not safe, Miles, you could
drown yourself and those boys. It would be better to leave it alone.’

‘But Pa, please look at the boat. If you talk to Duggie’s dad you’ll see he knows all about—’

‘No I will not. Your mother and I would be very worried if we thought you were out on the river in that. There are huge tides and strong currents, quite apart from the big ships out there.’

‘I want to learn, Pa. I want to learn everything about boats. Can I ask Mum to have a word with Mr Jenkins?’

His father flared. ‘No, I said. Don’t argue. We need to eat our meals in peace. You’re giving me indigestion.’

Leonie turned to her son and surreptitiously put her finger across her lips.

‘Sorry, Pa,’ Milo said. ‘I didn’t mean to upset you.’

When the meal was over, the children helped Leonie to clear the table, while Steve went off to his study.

In the kitchen, Milo said, ‘Mum, we really want to try to put that boat in order. Duggie’s dad is a boatbuilder, he knows what he’s talking about. He thinks it would be a great project for us boys. He doesn’t want to be paid. He says it’ll be good for us all and we’ll learn a lot.’

‘But you’ll need wood,’ Leonie said, ‘and money for paint and things.’

‘Yes, and I’m going to get a job to pay for them.’

‘Milo,’ she cautioned. ‘You’re only fourteen.’

‘Lots of boys start work at fourteen.’

‘But not you, you have to stay at school.’

‘Mum, John’s auntie runs a fish and chip shop near Rock Ferry Station. They need a Saturday boy, I can get that job.’

Leonie pulled a face. ‘What would Pa say?
You working in a fish and chip shop?’

‘He won’t like it.’

‘I’m not sure I like it, Milo.’

‘The work is cleaning up and potato-peeling. I only get to cook and serve when I’ve been there a while and they’ve shown me how. What harm is there in that, Mum?’

Leonie pursed her lips. Milo knew it wasn’t the sort of job a boy at a private school was expected to take. ‘But you go to school on some Saturday mornings.’

‘Only to play games and I don’t have to. When I get to serve, it’ll teach me to add up quickly and all that and I’ll be earning money to buy stuff to mend the boat.’

‘All right,’ Leonie said, drying her hands. ‘Perhaps I’d better take a look at this boat. I knew there was one there but I haven’t been near it for years.’

It was covered with thick dust but didn’t look too bad. Milo pointed out the planks that needed to be replaced. ‘Mr Jenkins says it would be quite easy and then the whole boat will need to be recaulked and it’ll be as good as new.’

Leonie couldn’t see any harm in letting the boys do that.

After supper the following evening, Milo came running back from the shed while Leonie was preparing a meal for the next day.

‘Mr Jenkins is in our shed, Mum. Come and talk to him. He’s quite keen for us to do the boat.’

Leonie found two men waiting for her by the shed. One came forward, he was heavily built and wore rimless glasses.

‘Good evening, Mrs Dransfield, I’m Henry Jenkins, Duggie’s father.’ He put out his hand. ‘It’s very good of you to let the boys have
the freedom of your premises. Duggie treats it like a club and loves to come and meet his friends here.’

‘I’m not giving them much freedom,’ she smiled, ‘only of this shed and a bit of the garden. Anyway, it’s a long way from the house and keeps Milo out of earshot.’ She learned for the first time that Duggie was in Milo’s class at school.

Mr Jenkins introduced the tall and slender man with him. ‘This is Oswald Hemmings, Gerald’s father. He has a sailing boat called
Seagull
and belongs to the Rock Ferry Yacht Club.’

‘I’ll teach them the rudiments of sailing, Mrs Dransfield, and how to stay safe.’

‘
Dido
is old,’ Mr Jenkins said, ‘and at sixteen feet, a bit heavy for the boys but it’s a classic design. Repairing it and putting it in the water is a practical proposition. Thank you for letting them do it.’

‘Milo couldn’t do this on his own,’ Leonie said. ‘It needs to be a shared project, so I should be thanking you. If you are willing to help them and teach them what they need to know, I’m sure the boys will learn a lot and have a lot of fun.’

Leonie could see only good in what Milo wanted to do. When he was going to bed that night, she said, ‘I’ll have a word with Pa but you must promise that your schoolwork won’t suffer because of the time you’ll spend on the boat.’

‘You let that boy do exactly as he likes,’ Steve said later. ‘I hope he doesn’t drown himself.’

‘Better that he learns the skills now while he’s young,’ she said. ‘Getting
Dido
in the river is still some time off.’

W
HEN AMY WAS FOUR
years old, Leonie put her into nursery school. June was
able to take her there in the mornings but in the afternoons Amy was released an hour before June so Leonie usually went to fetch her.

Amy soon made a little friend in the same class. Her name was Pat Greenway and they usually came out together. Pat was a few months older than Amy but she appeared younger because she was a small and skinny child. She had rather sharp features and skimpy pale-brown pigtails of little more than shoulder length.

Leonie knew her mother by sight but they’d rarely spoken. Amy pulled at her skirt and told her that the Greenways lived at Beechwood only four houses further along the Esplanade. Colleen Greenway drove her own Austin Seven and offered them a lift home. The same thing happened the following afternoon and as they got to know each other, Colleen realised that Leonie’s shop made it difficult for her to collect Amy from school. She offered to pick her up with Pat and take her home to Steve. More often than not Amy walked back along the Esplanade to play with Pat for an hour or so before June and Milo came home, but as time went on Leonie often failed to find her when she got home and had to send June or Milo out to look for her
at mealtimes. Though Steve knew when Amy came home from school, he took little notice of what she did or where she went. Leonie began to worry that the child had too much freedom.

Amy didn’t always see having a brother and sister so much older than her as an advantage. It was like having two mothers and two fathers, there was always somebody on hand bossing her around.

Amy knew Pa had taken a dislike to Pat, he said she was cheeky. ‘You mustn’t go off with her,’ he said, ‘unless you first ask permission. Your mother is worried about what you get up to.’

‘That isn’t fair.’ Amy was indignant. ‘Me and Pat are both six years old and she is told to go out and play by herself.’

‘Well, I’m telling you to stay at home now and play with June.’

‘June doesn’t want to play with me,’ she fumed. ‘Pat has three older sisters and not one of them wants to play with her. Can I ask her in to play here? We want to be together.’

‘No, you’ll make too much noise.’

‘Pa, I want to—’

‘I won’t say it again. Do as you’re told, go and play with June.’

With bad grace Amy gave up. June was doing her homework and took no notice of her. She went to Milo’s room. He was sucking a humbug. ‘Can I have one?’ she asked.

‘Sorry, I haven’t any more,’ Milo said. ‘Duggie gave me this one in school.’

It took Amy some time to accept he was telling the truth. ‘I’d like some sweets.’

‘Go and
ask Pa for a penny then.’

‘He’s cross with me – in a bad mood.’

‘He won’t eat you, go and try.’

‘Why don’t you ask him?’

‘He won’t give me anything. You’re the youngest and his favourite, he’ll give you money.’

Amy doubted she was his favourite. June was in the next room and heard them. She came in.

‘He likes you best, June,’ Amy said. ‘You’re his favourite.’