Sing as We Go (18 page)

‘I’ll get them,’ he said at once and hurried out of the room.

The second the door closed and they were alone, Beatrice sat up and said in a strong, clear voice, ‘I don’t know what you think you’re playing at. My Anthony will never marry the likes of you.’

‘Really?’ Kathy replied keeping her voice pleasant. ‘And how do you know what “the likes of me” is exactly, since you haven’t taken the trouble to find out anything about me? I could be anyone.’

‘Exactly!’ Her glance scanned Kathy from head to toe and her lips curled again. ‘Just look at you. Cheap shoes and handbag and a cotton dress. Home-made, I shouldn’t wonder.’

‘The dress was bought at the store,’ Kathy replied calmly.

‘A “sale” item, I’ve no doubt.’

Now the woman had hit the nail on the head, so Kathy remained silent, while Beatrice gave a smirk of satisfaction.

‘You’re a nobody,’ she hissed as they both heard footsteps on the stairs. ‘And the best thing you can do for Tony is to disappear out of his life. He’ll never marry you. I’ll make sure of that . . .’

As the door opened, she lay back against the pillows again and closed her eyes and gave a weak gasp.

‘Here we are, Mother.’ He was carrying a small brown bottle and a glass of water. He hurried across the room and knelt on the floor beside her chair, holding out the glass. She opened her eyes and raised herself a little, wincing as she did so. She took the water with a trembling hand and held out her other hand for him to shake a pill out of the bottle into her palm.

‘Thank you, darling,’ she murmured and lay back again, adding bravely, ‘I’ll be all right now. It was just such a shock. Such a terrible shock. You know I can’t do with visitors and for her to tell me such news . . .’

‘I’m sorry, Mother—’

What more penitent noises he might have made were cut short by the sound of the back door of the house banging.

‘That’ll be Dad,’ Tony said and got to his feet. ‘I’ll go and tell him what’s happened. Kathy – ’ his voice was firmer now – ‘you’d better come with me. We’ll leave Mother to rest.’

As Kathy rose reluctantly, Tony took hold of her elbow and propelled her towards the door. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled brightly. ‘I’ll see you again, Mrs Kendall.’

Again, there was a fleeting vicious look in Beatrice’s cold eyes. ‘I don’t think so,’ she murmured so that only Kathy might hear.

In the kitchen, Kathy came face to face with the man she had encountered briefly in the street. He was sitting at the table, reading his newspaper. He had not changed from his working clothes and lines of weariness were etched deeply into his face.

He looked up as Tony and Kathy entered. He nodded briefly at his son but his glance rested on Kathy. He smiled at her and some of the tiredness disappeared from his face. His eyes were dark, like his son’s, and kindly.

‘Hello, love. You’re the lass I saw out in the street a while back, aren’t you?’

Kathy nodded.

‘Never forget a pretty face,’ George Kendall chuckled. ‘I’d shek yar ’and, love. But ah’m a bit mucky.’

Kathy stared at him in amazement. He spoke with a broad Lincolnshire dialect. She warmed to him at once. Stepping forward, she held out her hand and her smile was wide and genuine as she said, ‘I’m used to good honest muck, Mr Kendall. Born and bred on a farm. Please, don’t get up,’ she added swiftly as he made to rise. ‘You look as if you’ve had a hard day.’

‘Aye well, I have to tek the overtime when I can, lass. Needs must.’

‘Can I make you a cup of tea or a meal even?’

‘Aw no, lass, I couldn’t possibly impose on you like that. You’m a guest . . .’

Kathy laughed. ‘I’m hoping to become family . . .’

‘Kathy, please . . .’ Tony began warningly, but she ignored him. Somehow she knew instinctively that she would not get the same reaction from Mr Kendall that she had had from his wife. She was right. A beam spread across his face. ‘Well, I nivver.’ He glanced at his son. ‘Ya’ve got yasen a good ’un here, lad.’

Tony smiled thinly, still uncomfortable.

Kathy glanced around the neat kitchen. Whoever kept it so clean and tidy, she wondered. Perhaps they had a daily help.

‘What can I do? Tell me what you’d planned for your evening meal and I’ll get it ready.’

‘Ah well, I haven’t got much in, lass. Haven’t had time to stand in the queues. I’m not hungry when I get in from work. The Mrs eats like a bird and I thought Tony’d be out again. If I’d known he was bringing you home, though, I’d have got something nice in.’

‘Then I’ll just see what I can rustle up for us,’ Kathy said and began opening cupboard doors.

A little later, she set the three plates of food – an omelette with potatoes and vegetables – on the table and called Tony and his father to sit down, saying, ‘I’ll just take a tray into Mrs Kendall.’

Tony leapt up and almost snatched the tray from her hands. ‘I’ll take it.’

She stared at him for a moment and then capitulated prettily. ‘All right. I hope she likes it.’

Tony disappeared and as she sat down, George Kendall said, ‘Thanks for this, lass. It’s a rare treat for me to sit down to a meal someone else has made.’

Kathy picked up her knife and fork and smiled at him archly. ‘Well, it could become a regular habit if you’ll allow me to visit often.’

The man sighed and wrinkled his forehead. ‘Truth be told, I’d like nowt better, but the missis . . .’

‘Ah. Yes. Of course,’ Kathy said gently, but then added briskly, ‘Come on, eat up before it goes cold.’

They ate in companionable silence, but Tony did not return to the table and the meal Kathy had prepared with such love and care went cold upon the plate.

‘It doesn’t surprise me,’ Jemima said tartly when Kathy told her about Beatrice Kendall’s hostile attitude. ‘Not one bit. I did warn you.’

‘What’s supposed to be the matter with her?’

An amused smile played on Jemima’s lips. ‘You’re quick on the uptake, Kathy. No one knows. She’s an invalid. That’s all we know. Heart, probably. But how much of it is real and how much is put on, your guess is as good as mine.’

Kathy giggled. ‘You mean she enjoys ill-health.’

‘Exactly.’ Jemima laughed but then her expression sobered. ‘But it’s George and Tony I feel sorry for. They’re in such a difficult position.’

‘Why? Why don’t they just call her bluff?’

Jemima smiled at her. She was becoming very fond of this rather outspoken but straightforward young woman. She had quite forgiven her for the deception over her blossoming friendship with the store’s young manager. Jemima was honest enough to admit that, in Kathy’s position, she would have done just the same. ‘Think about it for a moment, my dear. How can they? If she really
is
ill, such an action might precipitate a heart attack and how would they feel then, eh?’

Kathy was thoughtful for a moment. ‘Yes,’ she said slowly. ‘I do see.’ Then she added vehemently, ‘How – how horrible of her to behave like that.’

‘Oh yes,’ Jemima said calmly. ‘She’s horrible all right. I’d even go as far as to say evil. The silly, spiteful woman is not only ruining her own life but George’s and her son’s too. And how – how any mother can – can do that to her own son, I don’t know.’

To Kathy’s surprise she heard a quaver in Jemima’s voice and the older woman turned her head away quickly and struggled to find her handkerchief. Shocked and at a loss to know what to do or say, Kathy sat silently, but Jemima had recovered in a second and turned back with a bright smile on her face. ‘Tread carefully, Kathy, where Beatrice Kendall is concerned. That’s the only advice I can give you. I can’t tell you not to fall for her son. It’s too late for that, I know. But I’ll tell you now, I just don’t know how much Tony is prepared to stand up to his mother. Not even, my dear, for you.’

‘You shouldn’t have done it, Kathy. You could have made her really ill.’

Kathy stared at him. Was he really so naïve?

They were standing in Jemima’s front room. He had arrived a few moments earlier and, as he stepped in through the back door, both women had seen the agitation on his face.

‘Good evening, Tony,’ Jemima had said calmly, rising from her chair. ‘You two go through to the front. I’ll make some tea.’

And now they were standing facing each other, Tony with an angry frown on his face, Kathy with shock and disbelief.

She sighed and put her hand on his arm. ‘Tony, listen to me. She’s not as ill as she’s making out. When you went out of the room, she—’

‘How can you say such a thing?’ Tony said harshly, his voice rising in anger. ‘How
dare
you?’

‘I dare because I love you and I can’t bear to see you taken in like this—’

‘Taken in? What on earth do you mean, Kathy? And what gives you the right to say such things about my mother. For heaven’s sake, you’ve only just met her. You don’t know her at all. You don’t know the years of suffering she’s borne. How could you?’

‘When you went out of the room, Tony, she was perfectly all right. She sat up and told me that you would never marry the likes of me. She’d see to that, she said.’

Tony stared at her. ‘I don’t believe you. You’re making it up. You—’

‘I don’t tell lies,’ Kathy shouted, incensed that he refused to hear a word said against his mother. Was he so blind that he couldn’t see through her devious ways?

The door swung open and Jemima came into the room carrying a tray with three cups of tea on it.

‘Now, you two, just stop this arguing. Sit down and drink your tea and talk about the situation calmly.’ She set the tray down on a low table and sat down. ‘Come along,’ she added briskly as the two younger ones remained where they were, glaring at each other. Woodenly, they moved to sit in chairs either side of the fireplace.

‘Now,’ Jemima began as she handed them each a cup of tea. ‘As I’ve told you before, you’re very welcome to meet here if you don’t want Kathy to come to your home, Tony.’

‘But I could do so much to help with the housework and the cooking. His poor father looks worn out. He’ll be the one having the heart attack, if they don’t watch out. Not her.’

‘She’s no right to say that Mother is malingering. No right at all. She’s only just met her. How can she possibly know?’

Now they were not talking directly to each other but were using Jemima as a go-between.

‘I could tell. When he went out the room, she sat up and spoke normally. The moment she heard him coming, she flopped back on the pillows and acted all weak and faint. And he – ’ she jabbed her forefinger towards Tony – ‘won’t believe me.’

‘That’s how her illness is. She can be fine one day. She even does a bit of cooking if she feels up to it . . .’

Kathy snorted and muttered. ‘I bet that’s not often.’

Tony glared at her resentfully, but went on, ‘Of course the housework, cleaning and that, is too much for her, but she gets a meal ready for us now and again.’

‘Really?’ Kathy murmured, sceptically.

Jemima sipped her tea thoughtfully. ‘So, Tony, are you really saying that you don’t want Kathy to come to your house any more?’

‘Not if she’s going to treat my mother like that, no.’

‘And how – exactly – did she treat her? I mean, I realize she’s said things since that you don’t agree with, but surely she didn’t say them to your mother.’ She swivelled to look at Kathy. ‘Did you?’

‘Of course not,’ Kathy denied hotly.

‘I don’t know what was said when I was out of the room fetching Mother’s pills.’

‘I’ve told you – ’ now Kathy was speaking directly to Tony again – ‘she said she’d make sure you never married me.’

‘Do you want to know what I think?’ Jemima set her empty cup and saucer back on the tray. ‘Well, I’m going to tell you whether you want me to or not,’ she added. ‘I think that Kathy should continue to visit your home, that she should help with the cooking and perhaps a little cleaning too. Make herself useful. She should treat your mother with respect and make no reference whatsoever – ’ here her tone became even firmer – ‘to your mother’s – er – condition. She should accept it just as you and your father do.’

‘You sound as if you don’t believe it either,’ Tony said.

Jemima shrugged. ‘How can I possibly tell? I haven’t seen your mother for years. Nor am I likely to, except perhaps,’ she added impishly, ‘at your wedding.’

‘I don’t think that will be happening for a while yet,’ Tony began, while Kathy looked crestfallen at his words.

‘You’re likely to get called up before long,’ Jemima reminded him gently. ‘Wouldn’t you want to get married before you go?’

‘I don’t expect to be going. Mother says she’ll be able to organize a deferment.’

‘Really?’ Jemima said dryly. ‘The only way I could see that happening is if you got yourself a job on Kathy’s father’s farm.’

‘And
that
won’t happen,’ Kathy murmured. ‘Not in a million years.’

‘Mother will ask her cousin to apply for a deferment for me. I’m needed at the store.’

‘If the store remains open, your job could be done by a woman,’ Jemima remarked.

‘A woman? A woman as manager?’ Tony laughed.

But Jemima’s face remained stonily straight. ‘And why not, pray? Women did extraordinary jobs in the last war, so why not in this one? Kathy’s age group might well be called up too, but I won’t be. And for your information, young man, I could do your job standing on my head.’ She got up and picked up the tray.

‘Miss Robinson – I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.’

‘You haven’t. I can’t blame you for thinking all women and weak and ineffectual, now can I?’

It was an oblique reference to his mother and they were all aware of it, but it had been said in such a way that Tony could not accuse her of it. Instead, he rose with a sigh and opened the door for her. As she passed by him, she paused and said, ‘Now the two of you talk this through – sensibly. You have a problem and you must both deal with it.’

He closed the door behind her, leant against it for a moment and looked across at Kathy. Then he moved towards her and opened his arms wide. With a little sob, she rose and flew across the space between them.

‘I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be horrid about your mother. But I couldn’t bear it if she came between us.’