Eve of the Isle (27 page)

Eve was beginning to feel more like her old self by Wednesday. The apple cider infusions that she drank each day and the crushed lavender heads that she rubbed into her joints were working. She wanted to forget about Shadwell and get on with her life.

But when Archie called round that afternoon, Peg was quick to tell him what had happened.

He shook his head in disbelief. ‘And I thought you was having a romantic interlude!'

‘Knew she wasn't,' muttered Peg as they sat in the kitchen.

‘I'd have looked for you too, gel, if I'd known.' He scratched the stubble on his big chin. ‘Come to think of it, I should 'ave turned the cart round when I saw you walk past the park.'

‘Wouldn't have made any difference,' said Peg, glancing at Eve. ‘Like a dog with a bone she is when she wants something.'

‘Don't I know it,' Archie agreed. ‘Good thing an' all as she got herself back into business whereas many would've given up.'

‘Archie,' Eve interrupted, ‘would you ask Queenie to send me some stock?'

‘You going back to work then?'

‘She ain't this week,' said Peg, flattening her palms
on the table. ‘She's just back from the brink of death.'

‘On Monday p'raps?' ventured Archie, giving Eve a sly wink. ‘I'll tell Queenie to sort you out a nice bit of stock.'

‘Archie, I lost me money bag.'

‘Did those sods take it?'

‘I don't know. But how will I pay Queenie for the stock?'

‘Queenie'll be all right. I'll have a word in her ear. You flog the first lot and pay her after.'

‘Thanks, Archie.'

He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. ‘I'd better go now as I left the Irish running me stall. They're doin' well an' all.'

Eve thought of the outside world, how everything was going on as usual. When would she feel her old self again?

At the door, Archie put his arm round her. ‘Come on, give us a smile.'

‘I should be working.'

‘You'll be there soon enough.' He grinned at Peg. ‘You stay on your feet too, gel. Don't want to pick you up off the floor again.'

‘What's this about you on the floor?' Eve asked when he'd gone.

‘I had one of me turns, that's all. But a sniff of the salts did the trick.'

Eve felt guilty again. She had caused a lot of worry to her nearest and dearest. Is that why she hadn't heard
from Charlie? Did he, too, think she had been irresponsible?

Eve was up early on Friday morning. Standing at the kitchen window, she found herself staring into space. She was once again trapped below the surface of the water, the eerie sound of silence all around her. What had happened then? Her chest had felt as though it was being crushed by a great weight. She had known what it was like to drown. Then suddenly she was transported to the land. She was looking over Charlie's shoulder at herself, lying on the ground. When she told Jimmy this, it sounded far fetched, but it was true. What had happened in those minutes before Charlie brought her back to life?

Suddenly a movement caught her eye. Eve came back to the moment with a jolt.

A pair of feet were protruding from the closet.

Her heart raced, she hadn't known anyone was there.

Slowly she opened the back door. A rush of warm May air flowed in. The early morning sun shone on the piles of broken slates. A ship's hooter sounded in the distance.

Eve stepped cautiously forward and stopped at the sound of loud snoring. ‘Hello?' she called warily.

Was it a tramp? It was a woman's legs with a nasty cut on one of her ankles.

‘Hello?' Eve said once again, creeping forward.

The figure stirred. A face surrounded by tangled grey hair rose towards her.

‘Joan?' Eve gasped. She couldn't believe it was Peg's sister.

‘Who the 'ell are you?'

‘It's me, Eve.'

‘What you doing round 'ere again?'

Eve bent down beside her. ‘This isn't Bambury Buildings, Joan, it's Isle Street.'

Joan's head wobbled. ‘Don't talk daft.'

‘I'm not. You're in our lav.'

‘Where's that cow of a sister of mine then?'

‘She's indoors. I'll get her.'

As Eve stood up, Joan fell back and began to snore again.

Chapter Sixteen

P
eg was in the front room, folding her mattress behind the couch where it was kept during the day.

‘Peg, you'd better come with me.'

‘I'm packing me bed away.'

‘Leave it for now.'

Peg turned, a cigarette dangling from her lips. ‘Blimey O'Reilly you sound as if—' She stopped when she saw Eve's expression. ‘What's up?'

‘I think you'd better come and see.'

They went out to the yard and Eve pointed to the closet.

‘Is that someone in there?' Peg demanded. ‘In our lav, in our backyard? Bloody cheek!'

Eve nodded. ‘Before you say any more go and see who it is.'

Peg went over. She stepped back, her hand to her mouth. ‘It can't be!'

‘It is.'

‘What's she doing here?' Peg's face was filled with suspicion.

‘I don't know. She must have come round in the night.'

‘Look at the state of her. She's got no stockings on and what's she done to her ankle? It looks nasty.'

‘She must have hurt herself.'

Peg went closer. ‘I hardly recognize me own sister and, blimey, don't she pen and ink!'

The twins joined them, wearing only their pants, yawning and rubbing the sleep from their eyes. ‘What's going on? Who's that in there?' They tried to look in but Eve dragged them back.

‘Pooh!' Samuel held his nose.

Albert giggled. ‘Smells like the drains again.'

Peg nodded. ‘She don't look very healthy, does she boys? I reckon your Aunty Joan has been on a bit of a bender.'

‘But why would she come here?' Eve said. ‘I would have thought this was the last place in the world she'd want to visit.'

‘Not in her right mind she wouldn't,' agreed Peg. ‘There's only one answer and that is she's got nowhere else to go.'

‘What do you mean?'

‘Didn't tell you this,' whispered Peg, ‘but Joan's old man has got himself another woman. Jimmy went over to Bambury Buildings when you was missing.
He caught Harold and her on the apples and pears.'

‘How did Jimmy know it was Harold?' asked Eve disbelievingly.

‘It was Harold's ugly mug all right.'

‘Where was Joan?'

‘Dunno. Jimmy didn't wait to find out. Had more important things on his mind.'

‘So you think it might be Harold's philandering that put her in this state?'

‘I ain't taking no sides,' said Peg harshly. ‘I tried to warn her years ago but she wouldn't take no notice. Accused me of leadin' him on, like she did you.'

‘Even so, we can't leave her here,' Eve said and turned to the two boys. ‘Run up to Jimmy and wake him. Tell him we need his help.'

When they were gone, Eve made a last attempt to rouse Joan, but all she got was snoring.

Samuel and Albert were sitting at the kitchen table after they had finished their tea. They had been at school all day and had bolted their food, eager to find out what had happened to their aunt.

‘Is Aunty Joan gonna live with us?' they wanted to know.

‘Yes, until she's better,' Eve told them as she cleared away the dirty dishes.

‘What's wrong with her?' asked Samuel. ‘Has she had a row with Uncle Harold?'

‘I don't know,' replied Eve. ‘And you mustn't ask.'

‘Has she got a bad leg? Will it fall off?' Albert was eager to know the gory details.

‘No, 'course not.'

‘She ain't gonna sleep with us, is she?'

Eve smiled as she made them rinse their sticky hands after eating the jam roly-poly she had cooked for tea. ‘Aunty Joan will share Peg's mattress. So don't go banging about or she'll think a herd of elephants lives upstairs.'

The boys burst out laughing.

‘As you've been very good you can go out to play. But remember, I don't want you going down to the river.' She had become very nervous about them playing near water.

‘Can we go to Joseph's?'

‘Yes, but don't get in his way. And don't stay late as you've got to be up early for confession.'

They sped off. Eve sighed. She seemed to be full of ‘do's and don'ts' these days. Was it because of what had happened at Shadwell that she was so anxious?

Just then Jimmy rode in on his bike and let it fall down by the wall. He pulled off his cap as he came in the kitchen. ‘How's the patient?'

Eve cut him a slice of roly-poly. ‘She's in the front room with Peg. Now, sit down and eat this whilst it's warm.'

Eve sat beside Jimmy. ‘Did you find a job?'

‘No. I went up as far as Aldgate, asked at the markets, but work is short everywhere.'

‘Oh dear.' She felt responsible as she guessed he had lost his position at the PLA because of her.

‘There's always tomorrow,' he grinned, licking his lips.

Just then Peg appeared, her cheeks flushed and her hair all over the place. ‘You look like you've been eight rounds with Jack Dempsey,' Jimmy laughed.

Peg took her tobacco tin from the windowsill and flopped down on a chair. ‘You're not far off the mark, my lad. She's got the delirium tremens, wanting her flamin' gin and it took all me willpower not to give her a right-hander.'

Eve smiled. ‘I never thought we'd manage to get her in the bath.'

Peg laughed. ‘She fought us tooth and nail, didn't she?' It had taken the best part of the day to wash and disinfect her and the air had turned blue as Joan and Peg had battled.

‘Don't know why I'm laughing,' cackled Peg, drawing deeply on her roll-up. ‘I've got to sleep with her tonight.'

‘You can sleep with me, there's plenty of room in me bed,' said Eve.

‘No, she might run off. Or break something. Or set the house on fire.'

‘Do you think she would?' asked Jimmy, looking alarmed.

Peg and Eve both nodded, keeping straight faces.

‘I think I'll lock me door tonight,' said Jimmy taking his dish to the sink. ‘In case she tries to get in.'

Peg and Eve burst into laughter.

‘It ain't funny really,' chuckled Peg, ‘the poor old girl don't know if she's coming or going.'

‘I can give her something to help,' said Eve.

‘Tell her it's a drop of the old Lincoln's Inn,' said Jimmy and everyone laughed again.

‘Do you want me to cycle over to Bambury Buildings?' offered Jimmy as he put away his clean dish and spoon.

‘Someone should tell Harold,' Eve nodded.

‘Yeah, but he won't care,' Peg retorted, stubbing out her cigarette in the saucer and immediately rolling another. ‘We'd better see what she says when she's sober.'

They were considering the prospect of a sober Joan when there was a knock at the door.

‘Now who's that?' demanded Peg, frowning. ‘I wonder if it could be Harold?'

Jimmy went to answer it.

Eve and Peg listened to the quiet murmurings. And Eve's heart jumped fiercely as Charlie walked into the kitchen.

Charlie smiled at the three faces staring up at him. He was glad to see Eve looking better, but he didn't want to get in the way. ‘Hope I haven't called at an inconvenient time.'

Peg laughed. ‘What's one of those when they're at home?'

‘I could call back later.'

‘No, sit down,' Eve said quickly, ‘I'm glad you've come.'

Peg crooked a finger at Jimmy. ‘Look sharpish, son. Let's leave these two alone. S'pect they have a lot to talk about.'

Jimmy put on his cap. ‘I'm going on the hunt again.'

‘What for?' Charlie asked.

‘Lost me job, didn't I.'

‘I'm sorry to hear that.'

‘Don't matter, me old plate.' He grinned and shot out the back door.

‘If you hear a shemozzle from the other room, ignore it,' said Peg as she left.

‘What was that all about?' Charlie asked Eve.

‘We found Joan outside this morning. She was worse the wear for drink. We gave her a bath, but she's got a dreadful temper. We don't know how long she's been away or what's happened between her and Harold. Jimmy saw him with another woman.'

Charlie didn't say that he wasn't surprised. He thought Harold Slygo was a devious man that day he had come into the station to ask about Eve. The Kumar case was not open to discussion and Charlie had been quick to tell him so.

‘How are you feeling now?' he asked.

‘Better, thanks.'

Charlie felt an angry knot in his stomach. She looked so fragile and pale. Who would want to harm her? He felt protective. ‘I hope you're getting some rest.'

‘I'm not going back to work till Monday. Charlie, Jimmy told me what you did. How you jumped in and pulled me out. I wouldn't be sitting here now if it wasn't for you.'

‘Can you remember who did it to you?'

‘No, I was blindfolded. It came off when I dropped to the water.'

‘Did they threaten you or take anything?'

‘I lost me money bag, but I don't know if they took it. It could have come off when I fell.'

‘Eve, the police will want to speak to you—' he stopped as she shook her head.

‘Charlie, I can't do that.'

‘Don't you want those men brought to book?'

‘I've already caused a lot of worry and I've got Samuel and Albert to consider. If anything happened to me . . .'

‘Nothing is going to happen to you,' Charlie said fiercely. ‘I can promise you that. Eve, you may have been robbed and were left to die. Don't you want to see justice done?'