Lost & Found (17 page)

Mavis undressed slowly, worn out after seeing to dinner, clearing up, and then getting the children to bed. She’d been upset to see the red marks on James, the tell-tale signs that he’d been more than just smacked. For a while she had lain beside her son, cuddling him, loving him fiercely. It was her fault that James had been punished so harshly, and though doing everything she could to keep her mother-in-law happy, sometimes it just seemed impossible and Edith would go out of her way to complain, to antagonise Alec. Mavis knew that to protect James, she had to try harder to placate her mother-in-law, but it was so difficult to keep the children quiet all the time.

When the children were both asleep she had gone back downstairs, Alec insisting as always that they sat in his mother’s room to watch television until ten o’clock. It was then Mavis’s task to sort her mother-in-law out for the night. It wasn’t easy, the woman virtually bedridden now, and her constant chiding didn’t help.

Mavis did the best she could, washed her, helped her onto the commode, but she dreaded what would happen when Edith could no longer manage even this small task. At six in the morning she would have to be up, Edith waiting to use the commode
again, but there had been times lately when she had gone downstairs to find that it was too late and the sheets were wet.

Alec was already in bed, waiting as usual, his eyes avid as she climbed in beside him. There was rarely a night when he didn’t demand her body, but nowadays, knowing as always she’d be left unsatisfied, reaching out for something that was never there, she was just thankful when it was over quickly.

‘Did you get my mother settled?’

‘Yes, she’s fine.’

‘Good,’ he said.

‘Did you have to punish James so harshly?’

‘I was angry, and that was your fault. In future, I don’t want to find my mother in pain.’

She felt the sting of tears again. James was rarely naughty these days and didn’t deserve to suffer because of her. Thankfully it had been a long time since Alec had punished the boy so harshly, but once again Mavis knew she’d have to try harder, work harder to keep her mother-in-law happy and James safe.

As Alec’s hands moved across her body, Mavis closed her eyes, trying to lose herself in the memory of her dream. Despite the passing of time it still came to haunt her and was always the same. Someone, a man, reaching out for her, yet she still couldn’t see his face.

‘Who are you?’ she asked inwardly, yearning to find out and wishing that, instead of just a dream, there really was someone to take her away from her wretched life.

After Jenny Bonner had dropped her seven-year-old son, Greg, at school, and Mavis her son James, the two women walked home together, Grace in her pushchair. ‘Are you coming in for a cup of tea?’ Jenny asked.

‘Yes, but I’ll have to see if my mother-in-law is all right first. If she is, I’ll tell her I’ve got to get a few things in from the shops.’

‘Why don’t you just tell her the truth?’

‘If I do that she’ll just find one excuse after another to keep me busy and I’ll never get away.’

‘Out, Mummy!’

‘Not now, darling. We’re nearly home.’

‘Want out,’ Grace demanded as she struggled against her reins.

Mavis gave in and, taking her mother’s place, Grace began to push the pram haphazardly along Ellington Avenue. It made conversation difficult as Mavis constantly had to assist with the steering,
and though she knew that Mavis gave in too easily to her daughter’s demands, Jenny kept her own counsel. Mavis had a rotten life, and she was too soft for her own good, but she had to put up with enough criticism from her mother-in-law. ‘See you soon,’ Jenny said as they parted outside her house.

‘Yes, hopefully in about fifteen minutes or so,’ Mavis called.

Jenny went inside, thanking her lucky stars that her life was nothing like her neighbour’s. She had a good marriage, her own home, freedom to come and go as she liked, whereas Mavis was living under her mother-in-law’s roof and tied to acting as her nursemaid. Though she had lived in Ellington Avenue for two years, Jenny had never met Edith Pugh and, from the sound of her, she didn’t want to.

Jenny made a pot of tea, but then her eyes strayed to the letter she had tucked behind the clock. It saddened her that her cousin’s marriage hadn’t worked out, but she had never thought much of his choice for a wife. Of course, she’d have to talk to her husband before she could give Willy an answer, but surely Stan wouldn’t mind? They had a spare room and it was only until her cousin could sort himself out.

Less than fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door and, opening it, Jenny smiled at Mavis. ‘You managed to get away then?’

‘Yes, but I daren’t stay for more than half an hour,’ Mavis said, urging Grace inside.

Jenny found a few of her son’s toy cars to keep Grace amused, and with the child now pushing them around the floor she poured two cups of tea, saying, ‘I don’t know how you put up with that old witch.’

‘That’s funny. James called her a witch yesterday and she was none too pleased.’

‘Good for him. At least he’s got the bottle to stand up to her. Oh, sorry, Mavis. I shouldn’t have said that.’

‘It’s all right. I wish I had my son’s courage too, but I just can’t seem to stand up to my mother-in-law.’

‘I don’t know why. She’s confined to her bed now, and would be lost without you. You should try taking the upper hand. When she rings that flaming bell, make her wait until
you’re
ready, and let her know that if she’s nasty she’ll have an even longer wait next time.’

‘I couldn’t do that. She’d tell Alec and he’d go mad.’ Mavis shook her head sadly. ‘You may not believe this, but when I first married Alec my mother-in-law was really nice.’

‘Really?’ Jenny said, her brows rising sceptically.

‘Oh, yes, and she welcomed me into her home with open arms.’

‘So what changed?’

‘I’m not sure, but I know she hated it when Alec showed me any affection in front of her.’

‘Jealousy. I bet that was it.’

Mavis looked startled, but then said, ‘You could be right. When I think about it now I can see that slowly but surely she began to belittle me, telling Alec how useless I was. Nowadays of course, Alec believes everything she tells him and he always takes her side.’

Jenny had heard some of this before from Mavis, and though she could understand what had led her to marry Alec Pugh, she couldn’t comprehend why she allowed her husband to treat her like dirt. Mavis was beautiful, with a figure to turn any man’s eye. She could have done so much better, but instead was stuck with a man who was not only nothing to look at, but also dull, without a shred of humour.

Mavis looked so downcast, and deciding that she needed cheering up, Jenny said, ‘Never mind. You’ll come into your own one of these days, I’m sure of it, and I’ll tell you what,’ she added, taking the letter from behind the clock, ‘have a read of that and you’ll see that you aren’t the only one who’s having a hard time of it.’

Mavis paled as Jenny held out the envelope. ‘No, I can’t read your letter.’

‘Go on, I don’t mind.’

Mavis shook her head vigorously. ‘You read it to me.’

Jenny was puzzled by Mavis’s reaction and continued to flourish the letter. ‘Don’t be silly. Read it for yourself.’

‘I wish I could, but I…I can’t read.’

‘What? Why not? Didn’t they teach you in school?’

‘They tried, but I just couldn’t pick it up. I was considered backward, stupid, and the other kids used to call me Dumbo.’

‘Mavis, I’ve known you for two years, and one thing I’m sure of is that you aren’t backward.’

‘As a child I always thought I was stupid, but my mother-in-law said I have something called word blindness. I was hoping she’d be able to teach me, but it was hopeless. You see, when I look at words they appear to jump all over the page. I also see them back to front and in a jumbled mess. I tried so hard, really I did, despite getting terrible headaches. My mother-in-law would spend hours just trying to teach me one word, but the next time we went back to it I’d find it unrecognisable. In the end she gave up and, to be honest, I don’t blame her.’

Jenny didn’t know what to say, so instead she took the letter from the envelope. ‘Well, love, I’m happy to read this to you, but suffice to say that it’s from my cousin. He moved out of the area when he got married and was doing well, buying a house in one of those new towns.’

‘That’s funny. My father worked in a new town just before he disappeared.’

‘Yes, you told me, and it’s awful that you’ve never heard from him. I know it doesn’t sound as bad, but my cousin says here that he found out his wife was carrying on behind his back, and not with just one bloke either. Now Willy doesn’t even know if their kid is his or not.’

‘How awful for him.’

‘Yes, and to make matters worse, when they filed for divorce his wife got nearly everything. The house can’t be sold until the boy’s an adult, and so he needs somewhere to stay until he can sort himself out.’

‘Oh, dear,’ Mavis murmured, ‘the poor man.’

‘He’s asked if we can put him up, but I can’t understand his mother. My aunt has always been a nasty piece of work, but would you believe she blames him, says he’s a failure and that she won’t take him in.’

‘Does she live in London?’

‘Yes, she’s local, but I keep well out of her way.’

Grace was becoming fractious, obviously tired of the cars now, and apologetically Mavis said, ‘I think I’ll have to take her home. Sorry to rush off, but thanks for the tea.’

‘You’re welcome and I’ll see you later when we collect the boys from school.’

Grace ran ahead of her to the door and with a rueful smile, Mavis said, ‘Back to the witch.’

‘Witch, witch,’ Grace echoed.

‘Now look what I’ve done! She heard me,’ Mavis cried worriedly as she crouched down in front of her daughter. ‘Grace, you mustn’t say that, darling, and definitely not in front of your grandmother.’

It would serve the old woman right, Jenny decided as Mavis stood up again, but kept these thoughts to herself.

‘Bye, Jenny,’ Mavis now said.

‘See you later,’ Jenny called, and after closing the door decided that, as Stan was sure to agree, she’d reply to her cousin’s letter and then get his room sorted out.

In Cullen Street, Kate Truman was at her window again, staring at the house opposite, sure that she’d seen the old bit of filthy curtain moving again. The place had been empty for over a year now, with no sign of new tenants moving in, and to her this reinforced the rumour that Cullen Street was going to be demolished. The area was changing, with streets being torn down and replaced by high-rise flats. The demolition gangs were slowly encroaching, but so far this street and others around them remained untouched.

Yes, the curtain had definitely moved, and after seeing a brief flicker of light in there last night
this now confirmed her suspicions. Someone was in there, and as they were obviously hiding it was someone who didn’t want it known. Was it a criminal? Kate shivered, frightened by the thought. She wanted to tell someone, but from day one she hadn’t got on with the family who now lived next door, taking over Lily Jackson’s house. There was still Olive Wilson, of course, and throwing on her coat Kate left the house, staying on her own side of the road until she crossed to number eighteen.

‘Hello, Kate, come in,’ Olive said. ‘I was just talking to Tommy’s wife on the telephone.’

‘That’s nice, and how is she?’ Kate asked as she managed a thin smile. Olive had been one of the first people in Cullen Street to have a telephone installed and loved the fact that she was one up on her neighbours. She was still one of the few and took every opportunity to rub it in.

‘She’s fine,’ Olive said as they both walked through to her kitchen.

‘I just popped over to tell you that someone’s in number ten.’

‘It’s about time. That house was going to rack and ruin.’

‘I don’t mean officially,’ Kate said. ‘I reckon someone’s hiding out in there, and it might be a criminal on the run.’

‘Who in their right mind would hide out in
Cullen Street? With the nosy parkers around here they wouldn’t last five minutes—you’ve proved that. It’s probably a squatter.’

‘I’m not a nosy parker,’ Kate said indignantly, ‘but I could hardly miss the curtain moving.’

‘Did you spot anyone?’

‘No, but I’ll get my Bill to check it out when he comes home.’

‘Fine, and if he needs a hand to get rid of anyone he can give my old man a shout.’

‘Thanks, Olive,’ Kate said, relieved that if things turned nasty Bill wouldn’t have to handle it on his own.

Edith hated her dependency, the indignity of having to ask her daughter-in-law for help. She rang her handbell, saying curtly as Mavis walked into the room, ‘I need my commode.’

‘Yes, all right,’ Mavis said.

Edith also hated being confined to this room, unable to see what was going on in the rest of the house. Alec said that Mavis was keeping everything up to scratch, but without her supervision Edith doubted it. Not only that, she had lost control of the children, something she abhorred, and she dreaded to think what they got up to now that they were mostly out of sight. For a little while she had been able to use a wheelchair, but even that was beyond her now, her bed the only place
that offered any comfort. ‘You were long enough at the shops,’ she snapped.

‘I’m sorry, Mother, but I was out for less than half an hour.’

‘I don’t see why you have to shop three or four times a week,’ Edith said as Mavis helped her out of bed. ‘Why don’t you get everything we need in one go?’

Mavis hesitated, but then said, ‘It would take too long. Doing it this way I’m only out for a short while.’

‘Yes, yes, I suppose you’re right,’ Edith said impatiently as she was helped onto the commode. Grace was shouting for her mother now, the child making a racket as usual. ‘Go and see what Grace is up to, and keep her out of my room. Her incessant whining drives me mad.’

‘I’m sorry. I’ll try to keep her quiet. Ring your bell when you’ve finished,’ Mavis said meekly as she hurried from the room.

When it was time to summon Mavis again, Edith did just that, grimacing in pain as Mavis helped her back into bed. When alone again she picked up her book, deciding to read for a while, but after only a few pages her vision blurred, a symptom of her illness that was almost impossible to bear.

Impatiently, Edith put the book down. She’d hoped to teach Mavis to read, something that had proved impossible, but giving up the lessons
turned out to be a blessing. When they married, Edith hadn’t foreseen that Alec would become besotted with his new wife. He had fawned over Mavis all the time, so much so that he seemed to resent his own mother’s presence. She’d been unable to hide her annoyance and the kind façade she had presented to Mavis dropped. It had been a mistake. It had played into her daughter-in-law’s hands, the girl then nagging Alec for a place of their own.

Of course, Edith wasn’t going to stand for that, and so she had begun to undermine Mavis in everything she did. The fact that Mavis hadn’t been able to learn to read had served her well, and she had also complained of being neglected, something that appalled her son.

Slowly, Alec’s rose-tinted vision had dimmed, and now Edith smiled with satisfaction. Mavis had had the audacity to try to take her son away from her, something she would never forgive, but the girl would never win. Edith knew that Alec was hers again now; her role of the poor, suffering mother, neglected by his useless wife, simple to play.