Two Strangers (12 page)

‘Can he speak at all?’ Vicki asked.

‘Oh, yes, miss. He used to chatter a lot, but he’s learnt to keep his mouth shut. It’s safer, you see.’ Dave pulled a face and sighed. ‘It’s something I was never able to do, and that’s why I got covered in bruises.’

Appalled by the way these children had obviously been treated, and knowing full well what it was like, she held out her hand to the little boy. ‘Will you come with me, Alfie? We’ll go to the kitchen and make tea and some sandwiches while Harry and Dave get a bed ready for you.’

He edged away from her, not prepared to let go of his brother.

‘It’s all right,’ Dave assured him. ‘You can trust her, ’cause she’s been treated rough like us, and she was chucked out to fend for herself. She understands, and she’s ever so kind. Go on, she’ll give you something nice to eat, and then you can have a sleep in a lovely bed. She won’t hurt you, Alfie. No one here will hurt us. I’ve always told you the truth, haven’t I?’

Still holding out her hand, Vicki could have cried in sorrow for this traumatized small child, but she managed to keep a smile on her face.

Never taking his eyes off Vicki, Alfie slowly released Dave’s hand and then took hold of hers.

She grasped it gently, pleased with this small victory, and smiled at Dave, who nodded his approval. ‘Let’s go and see what we can find in the larder, shall we?’

The child was shaking as she led him to the kitchen, and she desperately wanted to hug him and tell him everything was going to be all right. But that would only frighten him more, and she couldn’t give him that assurance because it might not be true. The people these boys had been with might soon come looking for them, and there was no telling what Harry intended to do about that.

She sat the boy on a chair and opened the larder. ‘Now, let’s see what we’ve got here. Are you hungry?’

The only response was a nod again, but at least that showed he was listening and understood what was being said to him. ‘There’s a fresh loaf of bread, cheese and ham. Oh, and there’s one of Mrs Howard’s lovely cherry cakes.’

Alfie never took his eyes off her as she prepared the food, and she kept on talking to him, ignoring the silence from the little boy. Dave seemed to do that, and he knew his brother and what they had endured better than anyone. By the time the plate was piled high with sandwiches, Harry and Dave came downstairs and joined them in the kitchen.

‘Cor, look at all that grub, Alfie,’ his brother exclaimed, sitting beside him and smiling broadly. ‘You’ve got a lovely bed all to yourself, but don’t look so worried. We’re in the same room. You won’t be on your own. I won’t never let that happen again. I had to leave you, you know that, but I’d promised to come back for you as soon as I had somewhere for us to stay. And I did, didn’t I?’

Another nod.

Dave put his arm around his brother’s shoulder and turned Alfie to face him. ‘You mustn’t worry no more. I’m getting a job so I’ll be able to look after you, and no one’s gonna take us away from here. I won’t never let that happen. I’ll fight anyone who tries to do that. You’re safe now, Alfie.’

Vicki had been listening carefully to this conversation as she made the tea. Dave was very aware how troubled his little brother was, and was doing his utmost to make him feel secure.

She poured out the cups of tea and sat down at the table. ‘I’ve made some cheese and some ham sandwiches, so everyone help themselves. What would you like, Alfie – cheese or ham?’

He just stared at her.

‘Have one of each,’ she said, putting two sandwiches on his plate, and then took the same for herself.

‘Eat up, Alfie,’ Dave said through a mouthful of bread. ‘They’re smashing.’

While the boys were eating, Vicki spoke quietly to Harry. ‘What are you going to do?’

‘Keep them.’

She had never seen Harry look so angry or so determined.

‘But what if someone comes looking for them? Alfie is very young.’

‘A friend of mine works on the local council, and I will damned well report this to him if it becomes necessary. They must never be allowed to go back to the people they were with. Do you know, they’ve hardly had any schooling! I can put that right.’ Harry sighed deeply. ‘I’m going to need help and I know just the two people for the job.’

‘I’ll do what I can as well,’ Vicki assured him. ‘I’ll even move in here to help with the boys, if you want me to.’

Harry smiled. ‘I’ve been used to looking after a school full of children, so I should be able to manage two. And I think you had better cut the cake.’

‘My goodness,’ she exclaimed. The sandwich plate was empty. ‘You really enjoyed those, didn’t you?’

The boys nodded, and Dave grinned. ‘Alfie had four and has drunk all of his tea.’

‘Well done,’ Harry said, putting a slice of cake on the little boy’s plate. ‘You try that. It’s the best cake in London. And another cup of tea, I think, to wash it down. Same for you, Dave?’

‘Yes, please, Mr Harry.’

When it was time for the boys to go to bed, Dave insisted that Alfie could share his bath, and Harry agreed, knowing that would be the best for the little boy. He needed careful handling; he hadn’t said a word yet, or even smiled.

As soon as Vicki got her hands on their clothes, she gave them a good scrub and then hung them in the kitchen to dry overnight. The boys each used one of Harry’s shirts to sleep in. She would need to go to the market and buy them more clothes. They only had what they were standing up in. When they had run away, it hadn’t entered their minds to bring anything with them.

After she had made sure they were settled in their beds, Vicki went downstairs again. Harry was in the front room, and she sat in an armchair, sighing raggedly. ‘They are both tired, and I don’t think you’ll have a peep out of them tonight. You could be taking on a load of trouble, Harry.’

‘Maybe. To be honest, though, I’ve missed the children at the school since retiring. I’ve been mulling over an idea for a while now, and this has helped me to make up my mind.’

‘What idea?’

‘There are too many children being mistreated and lacking a proper education, like those two upstairs. There are five bedrooms in this house, and an attic not being used. With a bit of work, that space would make another two rooms. I’m going to turn this house into a boarding school.’

Vicki gasped. ‘But how will you manage? And where will your pupils come from?’

‘I’ve thought it through very carefully.’ Harry laughed at her astonished expression. ‘My friends, Edward and Pearl Hunt, will jump at the chance to become involved. He was a teacher as well, and his wife is a cook.’

‘That sounds ideal, but how do you know they would be willing to help?’

‘Because I talked this over with them some time ago, and since then they’ve been urging me to do something about it. And to answer your other question, I’ll get the youngsters off the streets if I have to.’

‘But they won’t be able to pay anything towards their keep, and it will be expensive.’ Vicki was struggling to grasp just how Harry was going to do such an ambitious thing.

‘I’ve got enough, Vicki, and I might as well put it to good use. If I get short of money, then we will have to run some money-making schemes.’ Harry leant forward, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. ‘If I can help just a few to have a better life, then I’ll be a happy man.’

‘Oh, Harry, I think it’s a wonderful plan!’

He nodded. ‘So do I. But this isn’t going to be easy and there will be some difficult times ahead. It also means that, for a while, I might not be able to spend as much time as I would like on finding your two strangers. It might take a little longer than we’d hoped.’

‘I’m not worried about that. Helping the children is more important. I’ve waited this long, and a delay won’t make any difference. You just tell me if you discover anything that might lead to finding Bill, and I’ll follow it up. You are going to have your hands full from now on.’

‘I know I am, but there will still be quiet times when I can do a bit of investigating.’

When Harry smiled and relaxed back in the chair, she couldn’t help noticing that he looked ten years younger. Retirement hadn’t suited him, and now he had a purpose in life again. And that was doing something he loved – looking after and teaching children. She was happy for him and determined to give him all the help she could. Her job at the shop and her loyalty to Bob and Flo would come first, of course, but from now on her spare time would be spent here. ‘You’re not going to be able to work in the barber’s any more, are you?’

‘I’ll work that out with Bob when I bring Dave with me in the morning and explain what happened. I don’t think Bob has made much effort to find anyone because he could see I was enjoying being useful again.’

‘You’ll have to bring Alfie with you, as well. He can’t be left on his own.’

‘I wouldn’t do that. The poor child is traumatized enough, and at this point it would be cruel to separate him from his brother. Dave really cares for him. It must have been desperation that made him leave him behind when he walked out.’

Vicki sighed. ‘Dave clearly didn’t have any choice, but he went back for him the moment you said he could live here. Has he told you the name of the people he was living with?’

‘Not yet, and I haven’t pushed him, but he has given me a couple of clues without realizing it. He puts on a brave face, but he’s still frightened they might be sent back there. It could take a while for that fear to go. I’ll find out eventually and then I’ll make sure the couple are dealt with. I’ll do everything in my power to see that Dave and Alfie never go back to them. The way they’ve treated those boys is criminal.’

Vicki agreed, but she was still worried. ‘You might not be allowed to keep them, Harry.’

‘I know that, but I’ll get my friends to move in here. As a married couple, they will have a much better chance of being considered suitable to look after them.’ Harry smiled. ‘Don’t look so worried. I know what I’m doing.’

‘Of course you do.’ She stood up. ‘I’d better go. I’ll see you at the shop tomorrow.’

Harry laughed. ‘All three of us. Bob and Flo don’t know what’s facing them.’

‘You should be on your way to Harry’s,’ Flo said when she found Vicki stacking the towels ready for use. ‘You’ve still got another day off, remember?’

‘Harry is coming here first so I thought I’d make myself useful while I waited. I’ve checked the appointments and you won’t be too rushed today, but the rest of the week is booked solid.’ Vicki walked to the window and looked up the road. ‘The clouds are breaking and it looks as if it will be a nice day. Yesterday was dry, as well.’

‘Vicki! You’re chattering, and you never do that. Are you nervous about something? What’s going on?’

Another glance up the road made Vicki smile. ‘You are about to find out. I hope you’re ready for a big surprise.’

Twelve

Bob and Flo studied the two nervous boys standing in the shop. Bob rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ‘Dave we know, but who is this little fellow?’

‘This is Dave’s brother, Alfie,’ Harry explained.

‘I see … And what are you doing with two children now, Harry?’

‘It’s a long story, Bob, but the short version is that I’m going to open that school I’ve been talking about for ages. It will be for children like these.’

‘Ah. I thought that was just a dream of a man who wasn’t happy with retirement.’

‘It was, but now I’m going to make it happen. These boys have given me the push I needed. And coming to know Vicki and what she went through, of course.’

Everyone was lost for words, just staring at the children as if they couldn’t believe their eyes, and Sid was laughing quietly at the scene. Vicki could see this was making Dave and Alfie very uneasy, so she winked at them and grinned. Alfie then edged towards her, pulling his brother with him, The little boy caught hold of her hand, clearly needing some kind of reassurance that everything was going to be all right. She grasped it, still smiling.

‘Well, it’s a good thing this is a quiet day, because we want to know what you’ve planned, Harry. And I suspect this is going to involve us as well.’

‘Only as far as Dave is concerned, as we’ve already agreed. But I won’t be able to work here full-time any longer, of course.’

‘Of course.’ Bob turned to his wife. ‘Put the kettle on, Flo. This could take some time.’

‘I’ll do that,’ Sid told them, already heading for the kitchen.

‘There’s an apple pie in the larder, Sid. Get that out as well. I expect these boys are hungry.’ Flo then turned to the young child. ‘Would you like a nice big slice of pie, Alfie?’

He tried to hide behind his brother without letting go of Vicki’s hand. His reaction made Flo frown. ‘You don’t have to be frightened of me, Alfie.’

‘He’s had a rough time,’ Vicki told her softly.

‘I can see that now. Come on, young man, and tell me all about yourself.’

‘He don’t talk much,’ Dave told her. ‘He can, but he stopped because the people we was with sloshed him if he opened his mouth. They was always telling us to be quiet, so he don’t say nothing now. But he’ll be all right soon – won’t you, Alfie?’

There was no response.

‘Oh dear, Vicki,’ Flo said under her breath. ‘I know Harry has dealt with children all his working life, but I hope he fully understands what he’s taking on.’

‘I believe he does. He’s good with them, and, whatever happens, these boys must not go back to the abuse they have suffered.’

‘We ain’t never gonna do that!’ Dave’s mouth was set in a grim line. ‘I won’t let those monsters get their hands on my Alfie again!’

Alfie whimpered. It was the first sound Vicki had heard him make, so she bent down to him. ‘It’s all right, sweetie, you’re safe with us now.’

‘You don’t have to be afraid no more.’ Dave hugged him and ruffled his hair affectionately. ‘I wouldn’t never have brought you to anyone who was cruel. These are all kind, like I’ve already told you. Mr Harry’s gonna look after us and teach us lots of things. We’ve got lovely beds to sleep in, we’re clean and have full bellies, and Vicki’s gonna see we’ve always got a good haircut.’ He laughed. ‘Won’t you, Vicki?’