The Fleethaven Trilogy (127 page)

‘Look out!’ Rob suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled
her towards him and Ella turned to see, just behind her, a
boy flinging his partner over his shoulder in a flurry of
petticoats, the sharp stilettos of her shoes slicing a dangerous
arc close to where Ella had been dancing.

‘Thanks,’ she mouthed to Rob and they moved away a
little.

‘Hey, you aren’t bad at this,’ he yelled above the noise.
‘I’ll bring you again if you dance like this.’

Later, breathless, she stood beside him as he bought her
a Coke.

Want a scoop of ice-cream in it?’

‘Eh?’ Her eyes widened.

‘It’s ever so nice.’ Janice nudged her. ‘Go on, try it. I’ll
have one too, Rob, and then it’s time you danced with me
for a change.’

From the edge of the dance floor, sipping the Coke with
a spoonful of vanilla ice-cream floating on the top, she
watched as Janice claimed Rob in a slow number, dancing
close together as a singer crooned romantic lyrics.

‘You dancing, then?’ She heard a voice at her shoulder
and turned to see Jimmy standing there, his hands thrust
into his pockets. She felt a sudden flash of empathy for
Jimmy Souter. With his spiky carroty hair and a face
covered with freckles, he hardly ever seemed to get a
girlfriend. Girls flocked around Rob’s dark good looks,
but Jimmy just seemed to tag along in his wake, on the
fringe of the action but never quite part of it. Bit like me,
Ella thought, and, setting down her glass, she held out her
hand. ‘Course I am.’

Jimmy danced stiffly, his hand hot against her back
through the thin material of her blouse. He held her away
from him so that he could look down at his feet, placing
them with deliberate care, and she heard him muttering,
‘Forward, side, together . . .’

‘Don’t worry about it, Jimmy. I can’t dance either.’

He looked up in surprise. ‘Can’t you? I saw you dancing
with Rob earlier. You looked great together.’

‘It’s Rob. He’s such a good dancer, he makes anyone he
dances with look good.’

‘Mind you,’ Jimmy said, nodding his head so that the
hair he had tried to smooth down so meticulously sprang
up in untidy tufts, ‘our Janice is a smashing dancer. They
look good together, don’t they?’

Ella was obliged to look across to where Janice and Rob
were dancing. They seemed even closer now; Janice’s head
was snuggled against his shoulder, her arm possessively
around his neck. Ella’s only consolation as they danced by
was that, above Janice’s head, Rob gave her a broad wink.

As the dance ended, Rob pushed his way through the
crowd to her. ‘Phew, I’m melting in here. Let’s get out for
a bit, El. Have you finished your drink?’

She looked about her. ‘I put it down somewhere . . .
Oh, there it is. Wait a minute.’

The ice-cream had melted into a white froth on top of
the coke and she drank it down. ‘Janice is right. It is
nice.’

‘Somebody’s bright idea.’ Rob grinned as he grabbed
her hand. ‘Come on.’

‘Rob – Rob . . .’ They heard Janice’s voice but Rob only
gripped Ella’s hand tighter and pulled her away, threading
their way through the dishevelled dancers queuing for
drinks and towards the double doors leading to the stairs.

Outside they breathed deeply in the sharp night air.
‘Phew, that’s better. That smoke gets on your chest after a
bit, doesn’t it?’

‘I saw Janice smoking earlier.’

He said nothing, but as they walked along the sea-front
towards the road leading down to the beach, she felt his
arm come around her waist. ‘We’ll just take a breather and
then we’ll go back. Okay?’

‘Mmm.’ Was it okay? she thought to herself and almost
giggled aloud. It was what she dreamed about, walking
arm in arm with Rob in the moonlight. To think it was
really happening.

‘Let’s go and look at the sea.’

They stood at the edge of the sand where the road gave
way on to the beach and listened to the soft lap-lap of the
waves, distinct in the night air, the moonlight shimmering
on the tip of each wave.

‘I love this place, you know, El,’ he murmured softly,
his eyes gazing out across the vast expanse of silver ocean.
‘I don’t ever want to leave it.’

For a moment, she laid her head against his shoulder
and sighed. If only he were to say the word, she, too,
would stay here for ever. Momentarily, his arm tightened
about her waist and she raised her head to look into his
face. He turned to look at her, but his features were in
shadow and she could not read his expression. She felt his
breath on her cheek and his face was close to hers.

Her heart began to pound. For a split second, she
thought he was going to kiss her, but then, though his
voice was not quite steady, he said, ‘We’d best be going
back. Me dad’ll be here to fetch us home soon.’ And the
moment, a precious moment, was lost.

‘Well, did ya enjoy yasen, then?’

‘Oh, Gran, it was wonderful.’ Ella clasped her hands
together and twirled around the kitchen table. ‘We danced
and danced. Do you know?’ She giggled, coming to a stop
in front of Esther, and bending forward as if sharing a
secret. ‘I think all the girls were jealous of me having Rob
all to myself nearly all evening, specially Janice. You know
she – she likes him, don’t you?’

Esther was watching her granddaughter thoughtfully.
‘Does she now? And do you like him, Ella?’ she asked
quietly.

Ella opened her mouth to spill her secret and then
remembered: this was her grandmother she was confiding
in.

‘Well,’ she said carefully, ‘of course, I like him. We’ve
been friends ever since I came to – to live here.’

Slowly, Esther nodded. ‘He’s a good lad. I trust him and
there’s not many young fellers I’d say that about. You stick
with Rob, Ella, and you’ll not go far wrong.’

Inwardly, the girl sighed. If only! she was thinking, but
aloud she said, ‘Yes, Gran. And you shouldn’t have waited
up for me. Not when you have to get up so early . . .’

Esther gave a wry smile and wagged her finger. ‘Well,
you’ll be up at normal time in the morning, Missy, else I’ll
want to know the reason why.’

Ella laughed and suddenly put her arms around her
grandmother’s waist and gave her a swift hug. ‘Thank you
for letting me go tonight, Gran. I had a lovely time and I
will be up in the morning, I promise.’

‘Go on with you, Missy,’ Esther said, but she was
smiling as she reached up to turn down the lamp.

‘We’re off to the fun-fair tonight, to celebrate leaving
school.’ Both Rob and Jimmy Souter were determined to
shake the classroom dust from their shoes whatever their
results this time. ‘I’ll pick you up about seven on me bike.’

‘Ta very much.’ She grinned at him. ‘Not so much as a “would you like to come?”’

‘Well, ya would, wouldn’t ya?’

Of course she wanted to go, she thought. She never
missed an opportunity to be with him now if she could
help it. ‘Who’s the “we”?’

‘You, me, Jimmy and Janice.’

‘Ah.’

He bent closer. ‘You and Janice are still friends, aren’t ya?’

‘Ye-es,’ she said slowly, remembering Janice’s scathing
attitude towards her having to be home at an early hour.

He shrugged. ‘Well, she’s all right with me. At least she
was when we went to the flicks.’

Ella frowned. ‘You went to the pictures? Just the two of
you?’

‘Yeah. Any law against it?’

‘When?’

‘Oh, ages ago,’ he said airily. ‘Before exams finished. I’d
only got one exam the next day and that was maths.
There’s not a lot you can revise for maths, is there?’

Ella stared at him. She recalled that had been the night
she’d stayed up late, bogged down with reams of history
revision; the only thing that had kept her going had been
the thought of Rob working hard too. And all the time
he’d been out with Janice Souter.

‘Yes, I’ll come tonight,’ she said, mentally crossing her
fingers that her grandmother would grant permission. No
way was she going to allow Janice to spend another
evening with Rob without her there too.

‘Ya can go when the evening milking’s done and not
afore,’ was all Esther said, ‘and you be in by ten.’

‘Yes, Gran,’ Ella said, feigning meekness, though she
was fuming inside, but she knew if she argued she probably
wouldn’t be allowed to go at all and she needed to see for
herself just what was going on between Janice and Rob.

They wandered around the fun-fair; ate sticky pink candy
floss, tried to crash each other into submission on the
dodgems, clung tightly to each other on the Figure Eight
and ridiculed themselves in the Hall of Mirrors.

The clock tower on the esplanade showed five to ten
when Rob said, ‘I’d better run you home, Ella.’

Janice laughed. ‘Yeah, go on, take Cinder-Ella home,
then you can come back. We’ll meet you near the pier
when our Jimmy’s finished shooting everything in sight.’
They turned to watch Jimmy taking shots at a row of
moving ducks at the back of a stall.

‘Come on, Ella. You’ll be late,’ Rob said, turning away.

Ella frowned. ‘I’m not coming.’

He sighed. ‘Now don’t start all that again . . .’

She glared at him. ‘I’m not going home this early and
this time I mean it.’

He stared at her and then his lip curled and she was
shocked by the look of disgust on his face.

‘You’re daft, then,’ he said and turned away.

‘Rob, where are you going?’

‘Well, I’m off home whether you come or not. I’ve an
early start in the morning.’

‘Oh, what a good boy am I?’ Janice mocked and only
laughed when Rob shot her a disdainful glance.

‘You’re no friend to encourage her. Her gran’ll be that
worried—’

‘No, she won’t. She doesn’t care about me.’

‘If ya think that, then you’re more stupid than I thought
ya were, Ella Hilton.’

He turned with a gesture of impatience and walked
quickly away with long, angry strides.

‘Oh dear me,’ said Janice mockingly. ‘I think we’ve
upset him.’

Ella was staring after him. ‘I – I never thought he’d go.’

‘Oh, never mind him,’ Janice said, tugging at her arm.
‘Ya’ve done it. Ya’ve really done it. I never thought you
would. Come on. We’ve the whole night in front of us
now.’

Ella allowed herself to be led away, but every so often
she glanced back over her shoulder half expecting, half
hoping Rob would come back.

The three of them wandered through the fun-fair mingling
with the crowds. Then Janice spotted a group of youths
lounging against a wall, glasses of frothy beer in their
hands. She nudged Ella. ‘Which one d’ya fancy, then?’

‘Eh? What do you mean?’ Ella gaped at them.

The boys were dressed in tight-fitting trousers, long
jackets and narrow ties as thin as bootlaces. Their thick,
crêpe-soled shoes were purple with bright pink socks.

‘They’re – they’re Teddy Boys,’ she gasped.

‘So? Come on, let’s go an’ talk to them.’

‘But who are they? I mean, do you know them?’

‘Course not. They’re holiday-makers out for a good
time.’

‘Oh no, Janice, I don’t think—’

‘Well, you please yarsen.’ The girl flounced away. ‘Run
home to Grannie, why don’t ya?’

‘Janice . . .’ Ella sighed and trailed after her friend.

On her white high-heeled shoes, Janice swayed as she
walked so that her full skirt swirled provocatively around
her shapely legs. She was soon surrounded by the five lads,
but Ella hung about on the fringe of the group, feeling
foolish.

‘What d’you want to drink, darlin’?’ she heard one of
them ask and, raising his voice, added, ‘and one for your
friend.’

Janice turned and beckoned Ella closer. ‘Come on, Ella.
Come and meet Mike and Andrew and – er – what did you
say your name was?’ She turned to another, laughing. The
youth put his arm about her waist and whispered something
in her ear that made Janice giggle with delight.

‘I think I’ll—’ Ella began, but then one of the group
appeared with a tray of drinks.

‘Go on, drink it, it won’t hurt you,’ Janice urged,
pushing a glass under her nose.

‘What is it?’

‘Summat to cheer you up a bit,’ Janice said.

The group guffawed. ‘That’s it, darlin’, loosen up a
bit . . .’ The laughter was louder, more raucous.

‘It smells funny—’ Ella began.

‘Oh, come on, Ella, don’t be such a baby. You’re
showing me up.’

‘Oh, sorry, I’m sure,’ she flashed and, grabbing the
glass, downed the short in one gulp, to the sound of cheering from the youths. One came over to her and put
his arm around her shoulders.

‘That’s better, darlin’.’ His breath smelt strongly of
beer. ‘’Ow about you and me going under the pier, eh?
Nice and dark there, ain’t it?’

‘I don’t think . . .’ Ella began and glanced at Janice, but
the other girl was already entwined with another of the
youths, his hands running up and down her back and
coming to rest on her bottom. Ella gasped as she felt the
young man’s hand travel down her back to her waist and
then begin to move further down, down . . .

She twisted away, ‘No, I—’ but he caught hold of her
wrist and his face, inches from her own, was menacing
through the darkness.

‘Nar then, don’t be like that. Givin’ me the come on
and then—’

‘I never—’

‘There’s names for girls like you, y’know.’ He pulled
her to him and thrust his wet lips against her mouth,
pressing so hard that his teeth ground against hers. He
held her fast with one arm, while he shoved the other hand
into the front of her blouse, grabbing her small breast and
squeezing it.

‘Let me go!’ she cried, struggling to free herself from his
grasp. Suddenly, she was afraid, very afraid.

‘Leave her alone,’ came a voice from the shadows.

‘Eh?’ The lout half turned. ‘Wha’s it got to do with
you?’ he began, but found himself swung fully round,
forced to release his hold on Ella.