East End Trouble (19 page)

T
hat afternoon
, Martin Morton took himself off to the Diamond household. When Kathleen’s mother, Mary, opened the door, he could hear a baby screaming from inside.

Mary narrowed her eyes when she saw it was him. “Oh, it’s you. I wondered when you might show your face.”

Martin wanted to tell her where to go, but instead he smiled and said, “Lovely to see you, Mrs. Diamond. Is Kathleen home?”

Mary sighed and moved to one side so Martin could enter. “She’s in the kitchen.

Martin walked through the entrance hall towards the back of the house. All the houses in this area were practically identical, with the same layout, so he didn’t need to wait for Mary to show him the way.

Kathleen was in the kitchen, balancing the baby on her hip while trying to fill the kettle at the sink.

“Please stop crying, Jimmy. You’re doing my head in,” Kathleen muttered as she jiggled the baby in her arms, trying to get it to shut it up.

“Kathleen.”

Kathleen whirled around, spilling water onto the kitchen floor, and looked up at Martin in shock.

She stared at him open-mouthed.

“I thought I should come around and see the baby. Sorry I haven’t been round before. I’ve been busy recently.”

Mary bustled into the kitchen behind him. She obviously wasn’t going to give them any privacy, the nosy old bat.

“Well, it’s about time you did the decent thing,” Mary said scornfully.

“If you wouldn’t mind, Mrs. Diamond, I’d like to have a few moments alone with Kathleen.”

Mary looked indignant as if she was going to argue with him, but Kathleen said, “Please Mum. Give us a minute.”

Reluctantly, Mary left the kitchen, closing the door behind her.

Stepping around the puddle of water on the floor, Kathleen walked up to Martin and held out the baby.

Martin stared down dispassionately at the chubby little thing. He had dark hair and dark blue eyes. Martin supposed it could be his. But then he saw something that changed his mind. The baby had a little dimple in the centre of his chin.

He didn’t know anyone in his family who had a dimple like that. He was pretty sure something like that got passed down through the family.

Martin bit down on his tongue so hard he tasted blood. The baby wasn’t his. She was cheating him. If Kathleen thought she was on easy street now, she could think again.

“Don’t you want to hold him?” Kathleen asked, looking up hopefully at Martin.

“Babies aren’t really my thing, love.”

“Oh,” Kathleen pulled the baby against her chest and gazed down at him. “He looks a lot like you, though, doesn’t he?”

Martin forced himself to smile through gritted teeth. “Yeah, I suppose he does. Look, Kathleen, I don’t want things to be bad between us, but Babs told me you went round to the house.”

Kathleen paled. “I’m sorry. It was a stupid thing to do, but I was desperate. I tried to see you at the club, but they wouldn’t let me in.”

“That’s because I was busy,” Martin said impatiently. “Look you can’t see Babs again, do you understand me?”

Kathleen nodded. “Of course, whatever you say.”

“I will provide for my own,” Martin said. “So you have no worries on that score. But I don’t want you going around telling everybody that the baby is mine.”

Kathleen’s face crumpled in confusion. “But he is yours.”

“But it’s not very nice for Babs to have all these people gossiping behind her back, is it? If you keep quiet, then I’ll provide for you and the baby. You’ll want for nothing. Okay?”

Kathleen nodded, but Martin could see the rebellious spark in her eye. The stupid cow didn’t know what was good for her. It confirmed to him that the decision he’d made was the right one.

“Right, I’d better be off,” Martin said, taking a roll of bills from his pocket, peeling off a couple and leaving them on the kitchen table for Kathleen.

“Don’t you want to at least stay for a cup of tea?” Kathleen pleaded. “Look, Jimmy has stopped crying now. He must know you’re his dad. He must sense it.”

Martin stared at her as if she was the most stupid woman on the planet. The baby was only a couple weeks old. “No. I can’t stay. I’ve got things to do. But maybe I’ll see you tomorrow, if you’re free?”

“Yes, of course. That would be great,” Kathleen said, beaming at him.

Martin nodded and then swaggered out of the kitchen, heading down the hallway and then out onto the street.

The silly cow had fallen for it. Hook line and sinker.

A
s soon as Martin left
, Kathleen quickly wrapped little Jimmy in a blanket and put him in his pram.

Ignoring her mother’s questions and insistent warnings about Martin Morton, Kathleen headed outside. She needed to talk to somebody — someone who would understand. So she headed to Linda’s house.

Although they were by no means back to their normal friendly terms, Linda had at least stopped ignoring her, and Kathleen was determined to make her come around to her way of thinking. She was the only real friend Kathleen had, and it got lonely sitting at home all day with a baby.

She was so excited after Martin’s visit. She was fit to burst and wanted to share her happy news with someone, but when Mrs. Simpson opened the door, Kathleen couldn’t help but notice the pinched features of the woman’s face. She clearly disapproved of Jimmy.

Kathleen swallowed nervously. “I’m sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Simpson. I hoped Linda would be home?”

Linda’s mother hesitated on the doorstep as though she couldn’t decide whether to slam the door in Kathleen’s face or drag her inside quickly before the neighbours saw. In the end, she decided for the latter, although her welcome was none too warm.

“Linda, you have a visitor,” Mrs. Simpson called up the stairs.

Linda barrelled down the stairs, two at a time. Her shiny, brown hair bounced about her shoulders.

When she saw Kathleen standing there, she paused and exchanged a look with her mother.

All three of them stood there in awkward silence for a few moments before Linda’s mother finally said, “It’s none of my business what you do with your life, Kathleen. But Linda’s life is my business, and I don’t want her to be led astray by your wicked ways. I think it’s best if you don’t call around here anymore.”

Kathleen’s cheeks flamed red.

“Mum!” Linda said as she jumped down the last two stairs. “Kathleen got herself in trouble, but she’s not a bad person. I can’t just drop my friend because she made a mistake.”

Mrs. Simpson gave Linda a look that said that was exactly what she expected her daughter to do.

“I’m not having a daughter of mine following such an example.”

Kathleen stood there in abject misery, feeling completely humiliated. All her excitement and desire to share her news about Martin with Linda had dissipated. She had never felt so embarrassed in all of her life. She’d always liked the Simpsons. She enjoyed the fact that they were a traditional family. Linda’s mum and dad were still together, and Linda and her brother were very much loved by their parents.

Kathleen knew that her upbringing had been very different. Although her mother had brought her up on her own, she at least had the respectability of being married when she’d given birth to Kathleen.

Kathleen tilted her chin in the air. “That’s a very old-fashioned point of view,” she said scornfully. “I am still the same person, you know. And I know a lot of people are looking down their noses at me because I’ve had little Jimmy out of wedlock. But I’m glad I had him. He’s a lovely little baby.”

To Kathleen’s horror, she felt her eyes fill with tears. She bit down hard on her lip. There was no way she was going to burst out crying in front of Mrs. Simpson.

Mrs. Simpson looked at Kathleen as though she were a bit of dog dirt on the street.

“Come on,” Linda said, easing her body between her mother and Kathleen. “Let’s go outside and take Jimmy for a walk.”

Kathleen stepped outside and put Jimmy back in his pram. The little mite hadn’t even woken up. He was completely oblivious to all the trouble he’d caused his mother, Kathleen thought ruefully.

“Don’t be late,” Linda’s mother ordered as Linda stepped out of the front door.

“I’m sorry about that,” Linda said as they walked along the street together. “Mum can be very prim and proper about things, and there has been ever so much gossip.”

Kathleen nodded miserably. When it was just her and Jimmy, it was easier to ignore the gossip. Obviously, she’d noticed the pointed looks in the street, and the fact that people even crossed to the other side of the road to avoid her, but she’d never had a great number of friends, and because Kathleen’s ego was so great, she put it down to the fact that people were jealous. In her mind, most of the silly women responsible for spreading the gossip would give their eye teeth to have a relationship with Martin Morton.

But for the first time, Kathleen realised perhaps it wasn’t jealousy. Perhaps they really were disappointed in her.

She didn’t like that idea at all.

“Your mum is just very old-fashioned. I understand. It’s not your fault.”

Linda looked at her doubtfully. “Most people around here are quite set in their ways.”

Kathleen sighed and looked down at Jimmy, who was now sleeping peacefully. Linda peered over the pram and pulled the blanket out of the way so she could see the baby’s face. “He is ever so sweet, and look at that dimple in his chin. I think that gives him character. My grandma always said a dimple in the chin was lucky. It meant you were going to be lucky in money and love… or something like that.” Linda shrugged and smiled. “It’s a good thing anyway.”

Kathleen beamed down at Jimmy proudly. No matter what anyone said about him, he was definitely a handsome little baby.

She would bring him up to make sure he wasn’t ashamed of his roots. She wanted him to be proud of his father. One day, she would get Martin to come around to her way of thinking, and he would treat Jimmy as well as his other children. Kathleen had visions of Jimmy, Derek and Ruby all playing happily together in the future. Kathleen was so carried away with her daydream, she hadn’t realised Linda was still talking to her.

“Hello? Are you even listening to me?”

“Sorry, Linda. I was just thinking about Jimmy and his future if he stays around here.”

“Why? You’re not going anywhere, are you?”

“I get the feeling Martin would prefer it if we weren’t quite so close to Babs.” She shrugged. “He’s agreed to pay me some money every week and find us somewhere to live.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean, I know everyone around here can be quite judgemental, but at least you know people. If you needed help, you’ve got your mum nearby and you’ve got me.”

Kathleen smiled at her friend. “Thanks, Linda. That means a lot. But I’m going to do what’s best for Jimmy, and I think that means having a relationship with his father. If Martin wants us to move out of the area, then that’s what we’ll do.”

As Kathleen continued to walk companionably along the street with Linda, her head was full of plans for the future. She had no idea what Martin really had planned for her and Jimmy.

A
s good as his word
, the following day, Martin called for Kathleen. This time, there was no sign of Kathleen’s mother, as she was helping out on the stall at Chrisp Street Market.

Martin gave Kathleen his most dazzling smile, and Kathleen felt her stomach fill with butterflies in response.

“Come in,” she said, smiling. “I’ve just put Jimmy down for his nap.”

Martin followed her inside, and she led him into the cramped front room, which was stuffed with lots of mismatched furniture polished to a gleaming shine.

“Can I get you a drink?” Kathleen offered.

“No, thanks. You all right?”

Kathleen blinked in surprise. “Yes, I’m fine. Why?”

“You’re looking tired, girl. You’ve got bags the size of suitcases under your eyes.”

Kathleen turned away and pouted as she put her hands against her face. She was very tired because Jimmy had been up quite a few times in the night, but she hadn’t thought she looked that bad. She’d even put on lipstick this morning because she’d expected Martin might pop in today.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” Martin said. “I’m just concerned. Are you sure you’re getting enough rest?”

Kathleen shrugged. “Well, it’s not easy with a new baby, Martin.”

Martin nodded soberly. “That’s what I thought. You know what you need to do, don’t you? Get out and treat yourself. I tell you what…” Martin pulled a roll of bills from his pocket and peeled off twenty-five quid. He held it out to Kathleen. “Why don’t you take yourself up West and buy a new dress or something, eh?”

Kathleen’s face lit up, but then she bit her lip and shook her head. “I can’t. Getting the pram on the bus is a bleeding nightmare. Plus, I need to take all Jimmy things with me.”

“Surely he won’t need that much. It will only be for an hour or two, and it will do you good to get out of the house. You can’t stay at home all day just because you’ve had a baby. Other women do it. I see prams on the buses all the time.”

Kathleen looked at him doubtfully.

“If I’m not too busy later, I’ll take you out to dinner.”

“All right,” Kathleen said, smiling at him. “It’s really good of you. I could do with a break from washing dirty nappies.

Martin gave a dazzling smile. “That’s my girl,” he said.

K
athleen should have been feeling
happy. She had money in her pocket, and she was making her way to the West End, her favourite haunt.

She’d decided against the hassle of trying to get the pram on the bus and left little Jimmy with his grandmother. But for some reason, she just couldn’t get up the enthusiasm for shopping.

Linda was at work today, which meant she had no one to go with and no one to boast to about the fact that Martin was taking her to dinner. She hadn’t even been able to mention it to her mother because Martin had expressly forbidden her from telling anyone.

She tried to think positively. It was a step in the right direction. This time next year, anything could have happened. Martin could have turfed Babs out on her ear, and it could be Kathleen and Jimmy moving into the fancy house down in the country.

She’d enjoy showing her mother around the big house. Showing her that, despite all her fears, Kathleen had done all right in the end.

Kathleen got on the double-decker bus and paid the conductor.

She stared out of the rain-splattered window and wondered what the future might hold.

She wished she’d worn something a bit more comfortable. She’d convinced herself that her body had sprung back to its original form shortly after giving birth, but the dark red dress that had previously been one of her favourites was feeling very tight around her waist.

She shuffled around in the seat and tugged at the dress, trying to get comfortable, which earned her an annoyed look from the old lady on the seat next to her.

Kathleen was relieved to be finally free of the steamy confines of the bus when she stepped out onto Oxford Street. It had stopped raining, and the sun was coming out. Kathleen took that as an omen things were going to get better.

She did a bit of window shopping first, enjoying the confidence of knowing that she had money in her pocket. If she wanted to buy something she could.

She saw one small boutique called Lydia’s that had a gorgeous bright yellow dress in the centre. The waist was narrow, but the skirt flared out and looked terribly elegant.

Kathleen glowed with excitement. If she could wear that dress tonight for dinner with Martin, he’d be so impressed.

She stepped inside the boutique and the bell above the door rang. The shop was far more spacious inside than she’d expected, and there were a number of customers perusing the rails.

Kathleen looked around the shop searching out the yellow dress, but she couldn’t find it, so in the end, she walked up to the sales assistant standing beside the counter.

“I’d like to try on that dress,” Kathleen said in her poshest voice, pointing at the dress in the window.

The sales assistant looked her up and down, rather cheekily in Kathleen’s opinion, but then gave her a tight smile.

“We’ve only got two left. I’ll get them for you. Wait there,” the sales assistant ordered, pointing to a spot by the ladies fitting rooms.

Kathleen did as she was told, and when the sales assistant returned, she had the beautiful bright yellow dress in her arms.

“I was mistaken,” she said. “We only have one left.” Her gaze raked over Kathleen’s figure. “I’m not sure it’s in your size.”

“Thank you,” Kathleen said politely, although she thought the sales assistant was a cheeky mare.

She took the dress inside the changing room, even though the sales assistant seemed very reluctant to hand it over.

She quickly stripped off her own dark red dress and examined the label inside the yellow dress, looking for the size. She frowned. What was that silly sales assistant on about? The dress was the perfect size for Kathleen. She’d never needed a bigger size than that in her life.

She stripped off. Standing there in her petticoat, she shivered as she ran her fingers over the luxurious fabric of the yellow dress. She grinned and slipped the beautiful flared dress over her head.

It was a struggle. She tugged and tugged and finally pulled it down, but there was no way she was going to be able to do up the buttons on the back.

She stared at her image in the wall-mounted mirror in shock. She looked horrendous. The dress pinched the skin around her arms making them bulge outwards, and the yellow fabric rippled around her body leaving no lump or bump unseen.

Distressed, Kathleen tried to pull the dress over her head, but it got stuck halfway. She gave a cry of dismay and yanked on the dress again.

It wouldn’t budge.

Close to tears, Kathleen called out for some assistance.

Very sheepishly, she asked, “Could you help me? The dress has gotten stuck.”

The sales assistant stepped inside the dressing room and gave a snort of disapproval.

What happened next was the most humiliating five minutes of Kathleen’s life. The sales assistant made Kathleen bend over at the waist and used her foot on Kathleen’s leg to give extra purchase as she pulled.

When the dress was finally yanked off, Kathleen tumbled backwards, landing on her arse on the floor.

The sales assistant began to frantically check the yellow dress for damage, while Kathleen grabbed her red dress and pulled it on quickly.

She reached for her coat, and the sales assistant said, “Not so fast. If there’s any damage to this dress, you’re going to be paying for it.”

She spoke in such a large booming voice Kathleen knew everyone in the shop must have heard her.

Her cheeks flamed with embarrassment, and she wanted to curl up into a little ball, but instead, she thrust out her chin and screamed, abandoning any pretence of her posh accent, “Like hell I will. It’s a bloody horrible dress anyway!”

And with that, Kathleen stormed out of the shop with the sales assistant protesting behind her.

Outside the shop, Kathleen quickly buttoned up her coat and kept her head down, feeling stupid.

That was it. There was no way she was going to have lunch today. She was going to get her figure back if it killed her.

The next shop Kathleen went in was one she knew. She wanted something familiar after that disaster. So she turned off the main street and headed to a cheaper, less exclusive store, one she had been to many times before.

There was a pretty black dress printed with pink flowers on display in the window. The skirt was flared, although nowhere near as flared as the yellow dress had been. But Kathleen thought the material might be more flattering, so she headed inside.

“Kathleen Diamond! Is that really you?”

Kathleen looked up to see Carrie Horrocks, a girl she’d been at school with. Standing next to her was Brenda Wightly. The two girls had been inseparable at school. Kathleen had never really liked them, and they’d never been friends as such, but Carrie looked friendly enough as she walked over with a beaming smile on her face.

“Oh, hello, girls,” Kathleen said. “I haven’t seen you for a while. How have you been?”

Carrie wiggled her fingers in Kathleen’s face, showing off a plain wedding band and an engagement ring with a minuscule stone in it. Kathleen doubted it was a diamond.

“I’m married now,” Carrie said. “I’m Mrs. O’Brien.”

Kathleen smirked. She was pretty sure Carrie had married Patrick O’Brien, the same lad she’d been with during their time at school. Patrick worked down at the docks and was a coarse man. Not exactly what Kathleen would consider a catch.

She gave Carrie a fake smile. “Oh, how lovely for you,” she said.

She knew the next part of the conversation would include Carrie asking about her life, and Kathleen considered making something up. Not that she was ashamed of Jimmy, of course, but Carrie wouldn’t understand. She didn’t want to tell either of the girls about Jimmy or Martin. She wasn’t going to give them a chance to lord it over her.

So rather than continue the conversation, Kathleen quickly ducked behind a rail. “Lovely to see you, but I must pick out my dress. I’m in a terrible rush today.”

Carrie exchanged a look with her friend Brenda, and they both smirked.

Kathleen felt her cheeks grow hot. She kept her head down, determined to ignore them and find the dress that she’d seen in the window.

She found it hanging on the second rail. As her fingers closed around it, she felt the material of the dress. It was much thinner than the yellow dress, but it felt soft, and Kathleen smiled. This one would look nice on her.

She carried the dress over to the counter, and the sales assistant, who had a South London accent and was definitely not as snobby as the assistant in Lydia’s, escorted her to the fitting room.

“Just let me know if I can get you another size,” the sales assistant said as she swished the curtain across on the changing cubicle.

Kathleen pulled on the dress and gave a sigh of relief. This time, the dress fit perfectly. Okay, so it was one size bigger than she normally wore, but that didn’t matter. It looked nice, and it didn’t cling to her stomach like her old dresses did.

Smiling to herself, Kathleen took the dress off and carefully hung it back on the hanger. After getting dressed, she carried it back to the sales counter and handed over the money.

The sales assistant rang the transaction up on the till, gave Kathleen her change and then pushed the dress, wrapped up in tissue paper, back to Kathleen.

Kathleen tucked her bag over her arm and prepared to head back to Oxford Street, but as she did so, she had to walk past Carrie and Brenda.

“Oh, goodness,” Carrie said. “Would you look at this awful dress, Brenda?” Carrie held aloft the same dress that Kathleen had just purchased.

Kathleen paused. What was wrong with the dress? She thought it looked very pretty.

Brenda shook her head disapprovingly. “It is ever so low-cut. You wouldn’t catch a nice girl wearing a dress like that.”

“No,” Carrie said in agreement, pretending to be studying the dress very seriously, but Kathleen could see the beginnings of a smirk on the girl’s mouth. “But it would be perfect for a girl who has lost her knicker elastic, wouldn’t it?”

Brenda cackled. “Oh, yes,” she said. “It would be perfect for a girl with loose morals.”

Both girls collapsed into giggles as they turned around and saw Kathleen was still watching their little show.

Kathleen took a deep breath. She would rather have her life with little Jimmy, ten times over, than put up with a boring life married to somebody like Patrick O’Brien.

But Kathleen had never been particularly articulate when she was angry, so instead of saying that, she just screamed, “Get stuffed, the bleeding lot of you!”

Every other customer in the shop and the sales assistant turned to look at Kathleen.

An older lady in the far corner put a hand to her chest and muttered, “Well, I never.”

Kathleen turned on her heels and ran from the shop.