Lost & Found (16 page)

Pete suddenly reared to his feet again to grab Lily’s arm. ‘Come with me. I want to talk to you in private for a minute. You two wait there,’ he ordered.

Lily found herself urged upstairs, and when they were in her bedroom she shrugged off his grip. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’

‘I’m trying to make you see sense. If you insist that Mavis comes with us, she’ll be sulky, miserable, and what sort of life will we have?’

‘What is this, Pete? Do you want rid of Mavis? Is that it?’

‘No, I said I’d take Mavis on and I meant it, but I don’t think she’s bluffing. She’s growing up, standing on her own two feet, and what if your threats don’t stop her? If she tells our new neighbours that we ain’t married, where will that leave you? Back to how it is now with everyone giving you the cold shoulder.’

‘She wouldn’t dare.’

‘All right, I’ve never been one to care about gossip. If you want to risk it, that’s fine with me.’

Lily didn’t want to admit it, but Pete was right. If Mavis opened her mouth the gossip would start again, and any chance of respectability would be gone. Yet still she balked at the thought of leaving Mavis behind, of losing the wages her daughter would bring in.

‘Well, Lily, have you made up your mind?’

Still thinking, Lily lowered her eyes. Mavis
had
to come with them, and as her mother she’d see to it that her daughter kept her mouth shut. Yet Lily knew she was losing control of her daughter, and doubts crept in.

‘Lily…’ Pete urged.

It was the thought of being back to square one,
of losing any chance of holding her head high in the new neighbourhood that finally swayed Lily, and anyway, if Pete didn’t stint on the housekeeping, she’d still be able to salt a few bob away.

At last she looked Pete in the eyes. ‘All right, maybe I
should
let Mavis marry that stuck-up git.’

‘She could do worse, love.’

‘Come on then. Let’s put them out of their misery.’

Both Mavis and Alec looked delighted, and when Alec said that his mother had suggested that Mavis live with them until the wedding could be arranged, with all the fight gone out of her, Lily didn’t argue.

Who’d have thought it, Lily mused, her eyes on her daughter. The girl was as thick as two planks but had landed on her feet. Unlike her, Mavis wouldn’t be forced to sell junk to make ends meet, but then Pete grinned at her and Lily smiled back. Pete wasn’t like Ron, he wasn’t a gambler, but as always on the few occasions she dared to think about her husband, Lily’s heart jolted.

Once again Lily found her eyes on Mavis, and she gulped. The resemblance to Ron was so marked and she wondered how he’d feel if he knew his daughter was getting married, and that he wouldn’t be there to give her away. This thought sparked off another and she said brusquely, ‘Are you having a church wedding?’

‘My mother suggested the registry office.’

‘Did she now? Well, it ain’t up to your mother. How do you feel about it, Mavis?’

‘I…I don’t mind.’

‘What about family and friends? Will you be having a bit of a do afterwards?’

‘I’m afraid we haven’t really discussed it,’ Alec said. ‘We haven’t any family and, well…there aren’t friends, just acquaintances.’

‘Yeah, same here,’ Lily said, thinking that there’d only been her mother. As for friends, she
had
classed Kate as a friend, but the woman had turned out to be a viper. ‘So,’ she mused, ‘there’s just gonna be us there. Blimey, some wedding this is gonna be.’

‘I tell you what,’ Pete said. ‘How about we go for a meal afterwards, my treat?’

‘That’s very kind of you, Mr…Mr…er…’

‘Culling,’ Pete offered, ‘but there’s no need for formality. Call me Pete.’

‘Thank you, and as I said, it’s very kind of you.’

‘Right then, that just leaves you to sort out the date and then let us know,’ Pete said.

‘Yes, of course. I’ll go to the registry office tomorrow.’

Lily looked at her daughter to find that she was miles away, showing no interest in her own wedding plans. Mavis had always been a bit gormless, but this was something else. Did she really want to marry Alec, or was she just using it as a
way out? Oh, what did it matter? Now that she’d accepted it, Lily had realised that it was probably for the best. Mavis would be all right with Alec and his mother, while she and Pete could make a fresh start. There’d be just the two of them, and maybe this time, just maybe, she’d find the happiness and respectability she craved.

PART TWO
1962

Sometimes Mavis found it hard to believe that nearly seven years had passed since her marriage to Alec, nearly all of them unhappy ones. She blamed Edith Pugh, her mother-in-law, a woman who had turned out to be nothing but a manipulating harridan. Mavis had longed for a place of their own; she had begged Alec, but she was helpless against her mother-in-law’s guile. Nowadays she had given up, despising her husband, a man who let his mother rule the house, her, and their children with a rod of iron.

How long had it taken her to find out that Edith Pugh was nothing like the woman she’d portrayed before her marriage to Alec? It had been all right at first—well, other than Alec’s incessant demands in bed—but she had thought herself happy. The reading
lessons had continued for some time, but when Mavis still found it impossible, her mother-in-law had eventually lost patience, her scorn making Mavis feel worthless again.

‘Mummy, Mummy, can I come down now?’

‘Don’t you dare let that boy come downstairs. He needs to learn that he can’t talk to me like that and he’s to remain in his room until his father comes home.’

Mavis nodded, too browbeaten to argue with her mother-in-law. At least James had only been sent to his room, but if Alec had been there the boy would have faced a thrashing. She had always thought that Alec was too hard on their son, but both he and his mother insisted that when James was naughty the discipline was necessary. Spare the rod, spoil the child was their adage, and though Mavis had tried to intervene, it only made things worse and her five-year-old son’s punishment even harder. Thankfully James was a good little boy and thrashings were rare these days.

‘Mummy, please, can I come down now?’ James shouted again.

‘No, James, not yet,’ she called, unable to miss her mother-in-law’s smile of satisfaction.

‘Make me a cup of tea and then get the dinner on,’ Edith ordered. ‘Alec will be home in an hour and when I tell him what that boy’s been up to
he’ll get the hiding he deserves. An old witch! How dare he call me an old witch?’

‘He’s already being punished, Mother,’ Mavis said before she left the living room. Of course, it could hardly be called that now, not since it had been turned into a bedroom for her mother-in-law, who these days found the stairs impossible.

Mavis walked to the kitchen, hating herself, this house, her marriage, but most of all hating Edith Pugh, the woman she now had to call ‘Mother’.

Grace, her nearly three-year-old daughter, was sitting on the floor, showing no interest in her colouring books and her expression mutinous. ‘Want James,’ she demanded.

‘I know, darling, but he can’t come downstairs yet.’

‘Why not?’

‘You know why. He was rude to Granny.’

‘Don’t care. Want James.’

Mavis tensed. She knew her daughter wouldn’t be easy to placate. Since James had started school, Grace had lost her playmate and she missed him. The antithesis of her brother, who’d been an easy baby, gentle and amenable even as a toddler, Grace had come into the world fighting, squalling, demanding attention from the start. Now she was doing it again and if the screaming started Edith would take great delight in telling Alec what a useless wife and mother she was, one who couldn’t
even control her own children. ‘Listen, darling, James will be able to play with you soon, but until then why don’t you colour in one of your pictures?’

‘No, don’t want to.’

‘How about a biscuit?’

‘Yes, bickie.’

Mavis felt her knees weaken with relief. Grace was a greedy child, chubby from too many bribes of biscuits and cakes to shut her up, but Mavis was pleased that at least she’d managed to divert another temper tantrum. She gave her daughter a digestive, the child stuffing it into her mouth, while Mavis put the kettle on to make Edith a cup of tea. That done, she’d have to get dinner ready, and with any luck her mother-in-law would leave her in peace until it was ready.

‘More, Mummy,’ Grace demanded, holding out her hand.

Oh, God, Edith was right, Mavis thought as she gave her daughter another biscuit. She
was
a useless mother. If only she could be more like Jenny Bonner, a woman only a few years older than her, who had moved in next door two years ago. Jenny had become a light in her life, a friend and confidante, and Mavis would slip next door to see her whenever she got the chance.

‘Mummy, please, I want to come down now.’

‘Not yet, James, but soon,’ she called, too afraid to abandon the punishment dished out
by the boy’s grandmother, rules that had been set down the moment Mavis had brought her newborn son home from the hospital. If James had cried between feeds, her mother-in-law insisted he shouldn’t be picked up and, as a nervous new mother, Mavis had taken her advice—even though it had broken her heart to hear her baby’s sobs.

Mavis heard the handbell, a small brass one that Alec had given his mother when she’d become confined to bed. She was being summoned again—nowadays nothing more than a servant in a kingdom ruled by her mother-in-law.

Alec was on his way home, the early February evening cold after the warmth of his office. He quickened his pace, walking upright, well satisfied with his job and his life. He’d gained a promotion, and then another, until he was now head of his department.

Of course, Alec knew he wasn’t liked by many people, especially the girls he supervised, but that didn’t worry him. Unlike his predecessor, Alec had been determined when he took over the department that it was to be run professionally. He had instigated changes, stopped the girls’ incessant chatter, and among other things, had insisted on a dress code. None of his many changes had been popular, but Alec knew that the now calm efficiency
of his department hadn’t gone unnoticed by the management.

‘Hello, Mother,’ he said as he walked straight into what was once the living room. ‘How are you?’

‘In agony as usual,’ she complained, ‘and it doesn’t help that since I’ve been confined to this room your son has become out of control.’

‘What has James done now?’

‘He called me a witch!’

‘Did he now? Well, don’t worry, Mother. I’ll have a word with the boy.’

‘James needs more than a word. He deserves a thrashing.’

‘Do you really think that’s necessary?’

‘Alec, you have no idea what I have to put up with. I misjudged Mavis from the start, thought the girl had hidden intelligence and that I could teach her to read. As you know, that proved impossible. She’s useless, an idiot who isn’t fit to look after me, or the children.’

‘Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh?’

‘No, I don’t. I’m in so much pain, and need peace and quiet, but Mavis does nothing to stop the children’s unruly behaviour. They were chasing each other all over the house, running in here and then out again, slamming doors until I couldn’t stand it any more. All I did was to ask them both to stop, to stay out of this room, and I had to give Grace
a little smack before she’d obey me. That was when James shouted at me. He said he hated me, that I’m an old witch. Not only that, Alec, I’m in agony and need my pills—but as usual Mavis seems to have forgotten them.’

Alec’s lips tightened. Every day when he came home from work it was to find the same: his mother upset and, since her continual relapses, in great pain. ‘Leave it to me, Mother,’ he said, walking out of the room and along to the kitchen.

Mavis was at the stove, stirring something in a pan, and there was no smile of welcome on her face when she said, ‘Hello, Alec.’

‘Daddy, Daddy,’ Grace said excitedly as she jumped up and ran towards him.

‘Not now, Grace,’ he said crossly.

Her face crumbled, then went red before she flopped onto the floor again, kicking her legs and thumping the lino with little fists as she began to scream.

‘That’s enough!’ Alec yelled. ‘Stop that right now!’

Grace was instantly quiet and Alec glared at Mavis. ‘See, that’s all it takes, a little discipline, yet from what my mother tells me you’ve been allowing the children to run riot. Not only that, how dare you allow James to call my mother a witch?’

‘He didn’t mean it. He was upset that your mother smacked Grace.’

‘That’s no excuse. If the children were upsetting my mother, they deserve to be punished. You know how much pain she’s in, how she suffers, and you should see that the children leave her in peace.’

‘Alec, I do my best,’ Mavis appealed.

‘Well, your best isn’t good enough. Show me your list. I want to see that everything has been done.’

Mavis handed it to him and Alec saw that his mother had drawn a double bed, a vacuum cleaner, windows and an iron. ‘Our bedroom,’ he said. ‘I’ll check it when I go upstairs, but what about the ironing? Have you finished it?’

‘Yes, it’s all done.’

‘Good, but my mother’s in pain. She said you’ve forgotten her medication again.’

‘No, Alec. I’m sure I gave her painkillers less than an hour ago.’

‘You couldn’t have. One look at her is enough to prove that. Now see to her pills while I sort James out.’

‘Please don’t smack him. He’s already been sent to his room. Isn’t that enough?’

‘On this occasion, no, it isn’t. I won’t have my mother upset and James has to learn that.’

Mavis looked distressed as she left the room, but Alec didn’t care. She should care for his mother
properly instead of leaving her to suffer. He went upstairs, taking his temper out on his son as he gave the boy the thrashing he deserved.

In Peckham, Lily had her feet up on the fender, skirt up over her knees as she toasted her legs in front of the fire. Life was good to her now and she was happy, or so she told herself. Pete was a good man, a good provider, but there was none of the passion in her love life that she’d enjoyed with Ron. There’d been no news of him for over eight years now, yet from time to time Lily still found her mind straying to her absent husband. He’d been a bugger, there was no getting away from that, but Ron had been the only man she had ever really loved and lately Pete had been pushing her to see a solicitor about a divorce. He wanted marriage, but up until now she’d resisted. Oh, she was fond of Pete, yet her feelings for him hadn’t deepened, in spite of all the years they’d been together.

The back door opened, a frizz of brown hair above a round face appearing. ‘Can I come in? I’m all in a tizzy.’

‘Yeah, of course you can,’ she said, pulling her skirt down as Marilyn Foster walked in. ‘What are you in a tizzy about?’

‘It’s my Rhona, and you’re not going to believe it, Lily.’

Lily doubted that. Marilyn’s daughter was a handful, boy mad, and had been since she was fourteen. ‘What’s she been up to now?’

‘I found these in her handbag.’

‘What are they?’

‘The birth control pill, that’s what.’

‘Blimey, she’s only sixteen. How did she get hold of them?’

‘According to Rhona she got them from the clinic, but of course she’s lying. When Enoch Powell announced that they were going to be issued on the National Health last year, he said they were only for married women.’

‘Somebody must have flogged them to her, but surely it’s better for Rhona to take the pill than risk getting pregnant?’

‘Lily, she’s only sixteen and shouldn’t be going with boys yet.’

‘My daughter was married at sixteen.’

‘Yeah, you told me,’ Marilyn said, ‘but I still think that’s too young. All right, don’t look at me like that. You know I ain’t one to keep my opinions to myself and it ain’t something I haven’t said before.’

Lily had to agree. Marilyn had never been slow in speaking her mind, and at first she’d been wary of her neighbour. Gradually though, she’d learned that though Marilyn might be a bit opinionated, she wasn’t a gossip. In fact, Lily had never heard
her say a bad word against anyone, even old Mrs Biggs on the other side who was the bane of their lives. ‘Yeah, I know Mavis was young, but she’s doing all right, at least she was the last time I saw her. James must be five now, and Grace nearly three.’

‘You don’t look old enough to have a couple of grandchildren, Lily. Wouldn’t you like to see more of them?’

‘Thanks, but my mirror tells a different story,’ Lily said, hiding a secret that she had yet to reveal. At the moment she was keeping it to herself, but when she was ready to let it out, Marilyn would be the first to know. Shrugging now, she continued, ‘Yeah, of course I’d like to see more of my grandchildren, but I’ve told you what it’s like. Mavis rarely has time to visit me, and with the reception I get from my daughter’s hubby and his equally stuck-up mother, I hate going there. Anyway, back to your Rhona. What are you going to do about those birth control pills?’

‘I dunno, but I’ll have to make sure her father doesn’t find out that she’s got them. You know Ian. He’d go bloody potty.’

Yes, Lily thought, he probably would. Ian Foster was all right, and he and Pete had become friends, but where his daughter was concerned the man was blind. When Rhona wanted something she
could wrap him round her finger and the daft bloke still saw her as his innocent little girl. Lily was sure that one day he was in for a rude awakening, but so far he was in ignorance of what his daughter got up to. ‘You’re right, but if she got herself in the family way, it’d be even worse. To be on the safe side, maybe you should just let her take them.’

‘It doesn’t seem right, Lily. We were scared shitless of getting pregnant and it kept us in line. These pills take away that fear and God knows what it’ll lead to. Blimey, a girl could sleep with any number of men before she settles down and gets married.’

And Rhona probably would, Lily thought, but kept this opinion to herself. Marilyn was worried enough about her daughter without adding fuel to the fire.

‘I’d best get back,’ Marilyn now said. ‘Ian will be home soon.’

‘Pete too,’ Lily said, feeling sorry for Marilyn as the woman left. To think she had once been worried about Mavis, about boys taking advantage of her, but there was no need for concern now. In fact, on the rare occasions she saw her daughter, she’d been impressed by how good a mother she was, and, thanks to Mavis, Edith Pugh’s house was always immaculate. Yes, Mavis had done
well for herself and was well and truly off her hands now.