Читать книгу Ruby - Marie Maxwell - Страница 12

‘Any letters for me?’ Ruby asked as she closed the front door behind her. It was always the first question she asked the moment she walked into the house. As she slipped off her coat and hung it on the hallstand she looked around hopefully.

‘No, and I wish you wouldn’t keep going on about it. I’m not as stupid as you think I am, Ruby. I know you mean letters from the bloody Wheatons and you know how much it gets me and your brother going when you keep asking. It’s finished – all of it. You have to forget it.’

Head on one side, Ruby stared at her mother. She couldn’t understand her constantly defensive stance towards the Wheatons, a couple who had done nothing wrong by her at all. Quite the opposite, in fact.

‘I can’t forget about it. And anyway, why should it bother Ray? Or you? I lived with them for five years, they looked after me as if I was their own daughter, and I really want to hear from them.’

‘Well, they couldn’t have thought that much of you as they haven’t even written. Anyway, you should be pleased you had a real family to come back to. Lots of evacuees ended up in orphanages, you know. Homes were bombed, whole families killed, and that was it. Instant orphans. You’ve got all of us … well, apart from your father.’

Sarah Blakeley looked over her shoulder at her daughter and they locked eyes. She was kneeling halfway up the stairs, brushing the narrow carpet to within an inch of its life with a brush and dustpan, and Ruby knew the brass stair rods would be next for a vicious attack of Brasso, followed by the polishing of the banister. Every day of the week was marked by different chores and meals, and nothing was ever allowed to interfere with that domestic routine. Sarah’s whole life was run to a meticulous timetable.

Ruby was convinced that her mother worked herself into the ground, both at home and at work so that she was permanently exhausted and therefore too tired to think about her grindingly monotonous life. Ruby felt for her, but at the same time couldn’t understand why she didn’t do anything about it. Being subservient to a husband was to be expected, but to answer in this way to a son was something else entirely and, as far as Ruby was concerned, not what her mother should accept.

‘Yes I know, Mum, and I am grateful you’re all alive and the house is still standing,’ Ruby continued, trying but failing to keep her tone reasoned, ‘but just because I have family here doesn’t mean I can’t have a second family there. They were good to me and you should be pleased.’ Her voice got stronger along with her frustration. ‘A lot of evacuees were treated like skivvies. I heard about one who only ever slept in a barn, even in winter, and he wasn’t allowed to go to school, and he had to work all day on the farm to earn a meal.’

‘Don’t you shout at me. And grateful?’ Sarah laughed drily. ‘To them? I should be grateful that they tried to keep my only daughter? It was only because of Ray going up there that they let you come home at all. Just because they couldn’t have their own they wanted to keep you to look after the crippled doctor in his dotage. They’ve ruined you, given you ideas above your station so you won’t settle back here. They did it deliberately.’

Ruby knew her mother was repeating Ray’s words and that it was pointless to argue, but she couldn’t help it.

‘That’s not true, you know it isn’t. It’s just what Ray says …’

‘It is true, Ruby, it is! Me and Ray both met them, don’t forget. Both of them pretending to care but looking down on us all the while. Now stop keep going on about them and how wonderful they are. I mean, how come they’ve no kids of their own, him being a doctor an’ all? Unless he’s not a real man down there.’

Ruby was near to tears at the injustice of it all, but still she wouldn’t back down.

‘Why are you so horrible about them, Mum? They did their best for me and they still want to, I know they do. I could have a career, I could have—’

‘Shut up, Ruby. Just shut up, shut up, shut up!’ Sarah stood up. She stepped down the stairs and looked at her daughter, and Ruby could see the tears of anger in her eyes.

‘I don’t understand …’

‘That’s because you don’t want to.’

Ruby paused when she saw what looked like genuine hurt on her mother’s face. ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter. Just forget I said anything!’

Ruby stopped arguing. She could see that her mother would always follow Ray’s lead and support his opinions. It puzzled her that her own mother didn’t want the best possible for her, but she could also see there was no point in arguing about it.

But she was worried. She’d heard nothing from the Wheatons since their first letter and she couldn’t understand how they could have forgotten about her so quickly. She’d written to them several times telling them how she felt, how she wanted to go back but wasn’t allowed. She had opened up her heart and they hadn’t responded, making her wonder if something was amiss.

Because her mother allowed Ray to have the upper hand in the household, Ruby’s life was becoming increasingly unbearable. In fact, it was becoming the same as her mother’s: a grind of mind-numbing domesticity. Her hopes of escape were pinned on her grandmother’s support and the hope that the Wheatons still wanted her to live there.

She grabbed her coat again. ‘I’m going to the phone box. I’m going to telephone them. They wouldn’t have forgotten my birthday last week, I know they wouldn’t. Something must be wrong …’

‘Don’t you dare go running off, Ruby. You come back here this minute! Don’t you dare phone them. I’ll send Ray after you …’ her mother shouted after her as she slipped out of the front door without closing it, but Ruby took off down the road regardless.

She had no idea where she was going until she was halfway down the street and saw the open gate. On the spur of the moment she swerved in and cautiously knocked on the front door.

‘Well, if it isn’t Ruby Red!’ Johnnie Riordan smiled as he opened the front door and saw her standing nervously on the step. ‘Long time no see, missy. I thought you might have done a runner. What’s up? You look upset.’

‘Just out of breath,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry to ask, I want to make a telephone call but I left in a hurry and my purse is indoors and I don’t have any money for the phone box. I can give it back to you but I don’t want to have to go back for it right now …’ she hesitated. ‘Ray is due home soon and if I go back I might not get out again.’

‘Course you can. Come in.’ He stood back. ‘You can come and meet my big sister, Betty Dalton, while you’re here. She’s great, is our Betty. Keeps us all in line.’

His voice raised at the end of the sentence and he looked over his shoulder.

‘I’m not deaf, you know. I can hear you talking about me,’ a voice echoed down the hallway.

‘You were meant to,’ Johnnie shouted back. ‘I like to keep on your good side.’ He looked back to Ruby and grinned. ‘Come and meet Ruby Blakeley. She lives up the other end of the road.’

Betty Dalton came towards them and smiled cautiously. ‘Hello, Ruby, nice to meet you. How are you settling back here? My brother told me all about your evacuation. You were really lucky, from what I’ve heard – so lucky, in fact, you nearly didn’t come back!’

‘Nice to meet you too, Mrs Dalton. Yes, I was very lucky,’ Ruby answered nervously.

‘Call me Betty. Have you got time for a cuppa?’

‘Erm, I was just going to the phone box …’

‘A quick one then. Come through to the back room. I’ve baked a cake and it’s still warm. Does that persuade you?’

‘That’d be nice, thank you very much,’ Ruby said politely as she stepped into the house and followed Betty Dalton down the hall into the light and airy breakfast room. The houses in this part of the street were larger than those at the top end, with three storeys and inside facilities. The room was light and inviting with long sash windows decorated with pretty lace curtains and a dark red velour cover on the table in the side bay.

‘Sit down and I’ll make the tea.’

The woman went through to the kitchen, leaving Ruby sitting opposite Johnnie at the long rectangular table. She stared nervously at her hands, wondering what Ray would say if he ever found out she’d been inside the house of his sworn enemy.

Johnnie smiled. ‘You look nervous but there’s no need; Betty’s not going to tell Ray you’ve been here.’

‘How did you know I was thinking that?’ Ruby asked.

‘Because I know how you feel about Ray.’

‘Here you are.’ Betty brought a tray through and set it down. To Ruby’s surprise she sat down with them.

As they made polite conversation Ruby looked from brother to sister. She was fascinated that there was no physical resemblance between them. Betty was not much over five foot, with pale skin, dark brown, tightly permed hair, and oval brown-flecked eyes. She wasn’t unattractive, but there was nothing about her that stood out, in contrast to her tall, good-looking and charismatic young brother. Emotionally, however, Ruby could feel the link between the two. It was instantly obvious that the siblings adored each other, and she felt a little pang of envy. She’d seen the same connection between Marian and Keith Forger, her friends in Cambridgeshire, and it saddened her that she didn’t have that closeness with any of her brothers.

Even Arthur was different now he was older and in the thrall of his two older brothers. If just the two of them were together it was almost like the old days when, despite being younger, Ruby had been the protector whom Arthur adored. But his fear of Ray and Bobbie was so great that if they were around he would either ignore her or bully her exactly as they did. It made her hate Ray even more.

‘Tell me about your phone call – unless it’s private, of course?’ Johnnie asked once they were all seated at the table with tea and cake in front of them. Ruby looked cautiously at Betty, unsure of her.

‘It’s OK, our Betty’s the soul of discretion, aren’t you Bet?’

‘Of course I am. I don’t gossip me, but I’m not nosy either, so I’ll go and find something to do if you want me out of the way.’

‘No, it’s OK’, Ruby interrupted quickly. ‘I wanted to ring the people where I was evacuated to but I left home without my purse. I’ve got the money at home but if I go back then I mightn’t get out again. My brother …’ she stopped. ‘I mean, my mother …’

‘It’s all right,’ Johnnie interrupted. ‘Betty knows all about your brothers.’

‘Arthur’s OK,’ she said defensively. ‘He just follows the others. He’s a bit slow – Mum always says he was born with the cord tied round his neck – and even Bobbie would be better if he wasn’t around Ray all the time. Anyway, I had my birthday, and Mr and Mrs Wheaton didn’t even send a card. I don’t understand it. I haven’t heard from them since I got back and I’m worried something’s happened.’

Johnnie and Betty exchanged looks.

‘What?’ Ruby looked from one to the other. ‘Do you know something?’

‘No, don’t know anything, but I can make a bloody good guess,’ Johnnie said.

‘Don’t use bad language in front of ladies, thank you very much, John. You weren’t brought up to do that.’ Betty glared at him fiercely.

‘Sorry, sis.’ He looked from his sister to Ruby. ‘Just wondering if your brother has possibly been nicking your letters.’

‘He wouldn’t do that.’ But as soon as she spoke the words Ruby realised what she’d said, and laughed. ‘Of course he would. I wonder why I never thought of that.’

‘Because you’re not a lying scheming piece of scum like Ray. Sorry, but I have to say it as it is.’

Ruby frowned. At times she hated her brothers but she still felt a certain sibling loyalty and Johnnie’s rhetoric made her feel uncomfortable. She waited for Betty to intervene again but she didn’t.

‘I tell you what, Ruby Red, how about next week I take you to see them? We could go on my motorbike. It shouldn’t take long if I put my foot down – an easy run, almost a straight line, I reckon.’

Ruby caught the glare of disapproval that Betty Dalton flashed at her brother.

‘Ruby’s family wouldn’t approve of you taking her down to the High Street on that old boneshaker, let alone all that way, and quite rightly. You can’t go upsetting them with something like that. It’s none of our business and it’s not right.’

‘I could borrow a car. Bill Morgan would lend me his, if I asked nicely. I’m in his good books at the moment.’

‘Bill Morgan? You know what I think of him,’ Betty snapped. ‘And what about petrol? Where will you get that, or daren’t I ask? I’m telling you, John, you bring trouble to this door and you’ll know about it. Just you remember that.’

‘OK, OK, we’ll go by train. How about that?’

Betty stared at her brother for a few moments. Then, without giving an answer, she stood up and walked out of the room, shaking her head.

‘Sorry; all my fault, that. I shouldn’t have said it in front of her; what the eye don’t see the heart don’t grieve over. She’s very upright and righteous, is our Betty, but she’s got a heart of gold underneath it all.’ Johnnie pulled a face. ‘But I mean it. I’ll take you if you want, but the train is probably best. I’ve never been further than Wanstead Flats on the bike since I got it.’

Ruby laughed. ‘The train would be best. It’s a long way, and anyway, I have to ring them first and see if they still want to see me.’

‘They’ll want to see you. I bet any money you like your Ray’s been playing at postman.’

Johnnie Riordan stood up, dipped into his trouser pocket and pulled out a handful of coins. After a quick glance at the money in his palm he took Ruby’s hand and pressed the coins into it.

‘That should be plenty. Do you want me to come with you?’

‘Would you? But I don’t want us to be seen. Ray’s been worse lately and I don’t want to ask for any more trouble than I’ve got already.’

‘Go to the phone box at the top end of the High Street and I’ll meet you there. I’ll give you a head start and I’ll use the back alleyway.’ He laughed and touched her hand. ‘I could pull my hat forward and turn up the old collar like they do in the films. I’m really good at not being seen!’

Ruby smiled in return. ‘Yes, I expect you are,’ she said.