Mother’s Ruin (15 page)
When Sally awoke in the morning she stretched out her arms. It was early, still dark, and as Arthur didn’t stir she guessed that he was still asleep. Careful not to wake him, she got up and tiptoed from the room, the house silent as she washed and dressed.
With the sun just beginning to rise, Sally made a pot of tea and sat sipping it, relishing being in her own home again. All too soon she would have to leave it to spend the day at Candle Lane.
After drinking another cup of tea, Sally stirred herself and went into Angela’s room. ‘Come on, sweetheart, wake up,’ she said, giving the child a gentle shake.
Sleepy eyes gazed up at Sally. ‘I was flying, Mummy.’
Sally’s eyes widened. She too had dreams of flying, vivid ones of skimming low over rooftops, the moon casting a translucent glow on the tiles. It felt so real, so joyful, and now Angel was experiencing it too. She gazed at her daughter, sure now that Angel had inherited her spiritual gifts, though how they would manifest, was yet to be seen. ‘Did you enjoy flying?’
‘Yes, and I want to go back to sleep so I can do it again.’
‘Sorry, darling, you’ve got to get up.’
Angel pouted a little, but scrambled out of bed and in no time Sally was getting her ready for school.
Later, just as she was preparing breakfast, Arthur appeared, slowly walking across the room on his crutches, his hair tousled and looking to Sally, deliciously sexy.
‘Hello, love,’ she said. ‘You’re up then.’
‘Daddy!’ Angel cried.
‘Morning, princess.’
‘What do you fancy for breakfast?’ Sally asked.
‘What are you having, Angel?’
‘Porridge.’
‘Then I’ll have the same,’ Arthur said, his eyes avoiding Sally’s.
‘Are you all right, love?’
‘I’m fine. Why shouldn’t I be?’
Sally hid a frown. Arthur still seemed tetchy, but maybe his wound was painful. ‘Does your leg hurt?’
‘I’ll get your medicine, Daddy,’ Angel said before he had a chance to answer, and as Arthur indulged her, Sally made breakfast, though with no appetite herself she just poured two bowls.
Sally was all too aware of the strained atmosphere, though she had no idea what had caused it. Thankfully Angel seemed blissfully unaware, her chatter filling the silence, until glancing at the clock Sally saw that it was time to leave. She put the bowls in the sink, rinsed them out and then said, ‘Right, it’s time we were off. Come on, Angel, get your coat on.’
Angel did as she was told, and then ran to kiss her daddy goodbye. Sally went to do the same, but Arthur leaned away. Though hurt, she said, ‘I’ll be back as soon as I can. Your mother will be down later to see if you need anything.’
‘There’s no need. I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself. In fact, I’m going to ring Joe to tell him that I’m ready to start work.’
Sally wanted to argue, to tell Arthur that without his prosthesis it was too soon, but managed to hold her tongue, only murmuring, ‘All right. I’ll see you later.’
He smiled thinly, calling to Angel as they left, ‘Bye, sweetheart, and be a good girl at school.’
‘Bye, Daddy,’ she called back.
Holding her daughter’s hand, Sally made her way to Candle Lane, arriving to find her mother hovering in the hall. ‘You’re here at last. If I don’t get a move on I’ll be late for work.’
‘Nanny, have you got any sweeties for me?’
‘No, sorry, darling, but I’ll fetch some home. Now come on, give me a kiss before I go.’
Angel ran into Ruth’s arms, clinging to her nanny for a moment, obviously bewildered by this new routine. Ruth was finally able to extract herself, saying as an afterthought, ‘How’s Arthur?’
‘He’s fine. See you later, Mum.’
As the door closed behind her mother, Sally went into the kitchen, Angel on her heels. ‘Hello, Gran.’
‘Hello, love, and what are you doing here?’
‘You know why I’m here, Gran. I’ll be staying with you until Mum comes home from work.’
‘What on earth for? You should be with Arthur.’
‘Arthur is fine on his own,’ Sally said, frowning. Since Gran’s stroke she was often forgetful, but until now there had been signs of improvement. Surreptitiously Sally looked at her gran’s aura, but she couldn’t see any signs of deterioration. ‘Did you sleep well last night?’
‘No, not really, my hips were playing up.’
‘I’m taking Angel to school now, but I’ll give you a bit of healing when I get back.’
‘Thanks, love. That always does the trick. Now then, Angel, before you go to school, ain’t you gonna give me a kiss?’
The child ran to her side, grinning widely. ‘I’m Daddy’s nurse now, Gamma.’
‘That’s nice, and do you wear your uniform?’
Angel puffed with importance as she answered Sadie, ‘Yes, and I take my daddy’s temture.’
‘Temperature,’ Sadie corrected, ‘and my, ain’t you a clever girl.’
‘Come on, Angel, it’s time to go,’ Sally urged.
Angel reluctantly left Sadie’s side, but not before Sally called, ‘I’ll be back soon, Gran.’
Sadie pursed her lips as her granddaughter left the room. It wasn’t right that Sally had to come round here every day to look after her, yet despite protesting, nobody listened. She didn’t need nursing, and even if she did, it wasn’t Sally’s place to do it.
Ruth had to work, Sadie knew that, and though she loved her daughter, there was no getting away from the fact that she had a selfish streak. All right, it would be a bit humiliating to apply for National Assistance, but surely that was better than laying the burden of her care onto Sally.
Her elder daughter was as bad, going off on a cruise and then deciding not to return for what sounded like some time. Sadie sighed heavily. Though her daughters were similar in looks, both pretty with brown hair and blue eyes, they had very different personalities. As children, Ruth had been the needy one, whilst Mary had always been self-sufficient, growing into an uppity and bossy adult.
Sadie had no idea where Mary got that from, but then she smiled and finally chuckled. If truth be known, Mary was the daughter who was the most like her. She might appear hard, but it was just a veneer that hid a soft and vulnerable core.
With a wriggle, Sadie shifted in her chair to ease a cushion behind her back and then dozed lightly until Sally returned.
Sally smiled when she saw her gran having a nap, but she soon woke up and the rest of the day passed as normal. When Ruth came home from work and it was time for them to leave, Angel looked bewildered. ‘Can’t I stay here?’
‘Don’t you want to see your daddy? After all, it must be time for his medicine.’
That did the trick and running up to Ruth, Angel said, ‘Sorry, Nanny, I’ve got to go.’
‘I know, darling. Give me a kiss and I’ll see you in the morning.’
Angel flung her arms around Ruth’s neck, kissed her cheek and then ran to Sadie to do the same. Sally hovered impatiently, anxious to see Arthur, until at last they were hurrying home. Tentatively she opened the door. Arthur grinned when he saw Angel.
‘Well, there’s my girl.’
There was no such greeting for Sally, but as their eyes met, he managed a tight, little smile. ‘I rang Joe and invited him round. He said he’d call in on his way home from the site, so he should be here soon.’
‘If he’s coming straight from work, he might be hungry. Do you think I should ask him if he’d like some dinner?’
‘Yes, good idea.’
Angel, obviously feeling left out, wormed her way onto Arthur’s lap. ‘I got a star for my drawing today, Daddy.’
‘Well done, sweetheart.’
‘Arthur, before I make a start on the vegetables, can I get you anything?’
‘No, thanks,’ he said without raising his head. ‘Now then, Angel, what else did you do at school today?’
It was silly really, but Sally felt oddly rejected as she made her way to the kitchen. She began to prepare the food, thankful that there was an extra pork chop, and it was almost ready when the doorbell rang.
‘Hello,’ Joe said when she went to answer it. ‘I hope you don’t mind me calling.’
‘No, of course not. In fact, I’ve prepared extra so you can stay for dinner,’ she told him, thinking that at least Joe’s visit might help with the tense atmosphere.
This proved to be true. When they walked into the living room, Arthur grinned at Joe, and greeted him with a cheery, ‘Hello, mate.’
‘Can I get you a drink, Joe?’ Sally asked.
‘A coffee would be great.’
‘What about you, Arthur?’
‘Yes, the same please.’
Sally went through to the kitchen, relieved that Arthur had spoken civilly to her. Was it just because Joe was here, or would he keep it up?
Joe made a fuss of Angel, but Arthur saw that she was a little shy with him. It wouldn’t last, but for now she was being unusually quiet. Sally came back into the room and as she handed them the drinks, Arthur asked, ‘How are things going on the site, Joe?’
‘We’re progressing well. The foundations for the first row of terraces are in and so far we’re keeping to schedule.’
‘That’s good. I can’t wait to start work. You’ve waited long enough and it’s time I pulled my weight.’
‘There’s no hurry, and it’s amazing what you managed to achieve from that hospital bed. The brochure you designed is great, along with the name of the development. “The Meadows”, it has a nice ring to it.’
‘Have you had the brochures printed?’
‘I had to get an artist’s mock-up first, but yes, have a look,’ Joe said, reaching into his briefcase to pull one out.
Arthur was pleased with the artist’s impression. The site was in Reading, the houses clustered around a central green. ‘It looks good, but I’d like to see the site.’
‘If you feel up to it I’ll drive you there tomorrow. Well, that’s if Sally doesn’t mind.’
‘You don’t need to consult my wife. This is my decision, not hers.’
‘Fine, I’ll pick you up around seven.’
‘I’d best get back to the kitchen,’ Sally said. ‘Dinner is nearly ready.’
As Sally left, Arthur took a sip of his coffee and then asked Joe a few more questions about the housing development. He tried to take it all in, but with no experience of the construction game he felt out of his depth. There was so much to learn. Was he up to it?
‘Do you mind if I have a bit of a wash up, Arthur?’
‘Help yourself, mate. The bathroom is just across the hall.’
As soon as Joe was out of sight, Angel chirped, ‘Daddy, you haven’t had your medicine.’
‘You’d best go and get it then,’ he said as Angel scurried off.
It wasn’t long before Arthur had dutifully taken his mock medicine, and after Sally laid the table for dinner, they all tucked in. Arthur found that with Joe’s lively conversation his tension had eased. It could be that Sally was fine about his leg and last night he’d been imagining things. He was probably being over- sensitive and later, when they went to bed, things would be different.
At seven-thirty, Angel was tucked up for the night and Sally was about to wash up when she heard a ring on the doorbell. She dried her hands and went to see who it was. ‘Hello, Patsy.’
‘I just popped down to say hello. I thought it was a bit much when you had just moved in yesterday, but hope it’s all right now.’
‘Of course it is. Come on in,’ Sally replied as she took in Patsy’s outfit. Her upstairs neighbour was wearing a navy and white striped mini-dress, with white knee-length boots. Blonde hair framed her pretty face and her make-up had been skilfully applied. ‘I love your dress, Patsy.’
‘It’s from Biba in Kensington. I couldn’t resist buying it.’
Sally looked down at her own outfit, feeling frumpy beside Patsy as they walked into the living room. ‘Arthur, Joe, this is Patsy Laurington. She lives upstairs.’
Joe jumped to his feet, his hand outstretched. ‘Pleased to meet you.’
‘It’s nice to meet you too,’ she said, her neck craning as she looked up at him, their hands still clasped.
Sally could see that Patsy was flushing prettily, but she wasn’t surprised. Joe was a good-looking man and if she wasn’t mistaken, there was an instant attraction.
‘Put her down, Joe,’ Arthur joked.
Their hands dropped and Sally then introduced Arthur. ‘Patsy, this is Arthur, my husband.’
‘Hello,’ Patsy said. ‘I expect you’re pleased to be home after all that time in hospital.’
‘Yes, I am,’ he said.
‘Patsy, sit down,’ Sally invited. ‘Can I get you something to drink?’
‘A coffee would be nice.’
‘I’d like one too,’ Arthur said. ‘What about you, Joe?’
‘Yes, great.’
‘I’ll give you a hand,’ Patsy said, following Sally through to the kitchen. ‘Joe seems nice.’
‘Yes, he is.’
‘Is he married?’
‘No, he’s single and as far as I know he hasn’t got a girlfriend.’
‘What does he do for a living?’
‘I think I told you before about my husband getting involved in building houses. It’s a new venture and Joe is his partner.’
‘Is he now,’ Pasty said. ‘That’s interesting.’
For a moment Sally thought she saw a calculating look in her eyes, but then Patsy smiled at her without guile, saying, ‘Well, I wish them the best of luck.’
The rest of the evening was pleasant, and when asked by Joe about her line of work, Patsy told him she was a mobile hairdresser.
‘Do you cut men’s hair?’
‘Err yes, but I don’t get many male clients.’
‘Did you hear that, Arthur? Patsy here could give you a bit of a trim.’
‘What’s wrong with my hair?’
‘Well, mate, you’ve got to admit it’s a bit long.’
‘Maybe, but no offence, Patsy, I’d rather stick to the barbers,’ Arthur said, then yawned widely.
Joe glanced at his watch and then rose to his feet. ‘It’s nearly eleven and as we’ve got an early start in the morning, I’d best be on my way.’
‘Yes, I’ll be off too,’ Patsy said.
Sally saw them out and returned to the living room to see Arthur standing with his crutches tucked under his arms. ‘I’m going to bed,’ he said. ‘Are you coming?’
She had seen him yawning and though tired too, Sally said, ‘I’ve got a stack of washing up to do first. I’d rather do it now than tackle it in the morning.’
‘Suit yourself,’ he said abruptly.