All is Fair Read online

  Since Suzie had disappeared off the scene several months ago, Donny and Ren had been inseparable. Both would have liked nothing more than to marry, but with Donny unable to divorce Suzie until they found out where she was, they were content just to live together, regardless of what some narrow-minded people thought of them.

  The tiny woman was giggling as she greeted Velda and Gem. ‘Look at you two sitting there like you’re on holiday while the rest of us are running around like headless chickens to be ready for opening.’

  Velda replied drily, ‘Well some of us are better at our jobs than others, so have more time for sunning ourselves. I expect you’re rushing to get Donny’s dinner.’

  ‘Well, I am, but I’ve time for a—’

  Velda cut in. ‘You’d best not dilly-dally then. You don’t want him coming in and finding his dinner not ready. I’ll see you after work tonight as usual, and we’ll have a catch-up then.’

  Ren looked both bemused and a mite hurt that the woman she considered her second mother was making it very obvious that her company wasn’t wanted.

  As she went on her way, Gem looked at Velda quizzically. ‘Are you annoyed with Ren for some reason? You obviously didn’t want her to come and join us.’

  ‘Yes, I know I was short with her and I will explain why to her later. Knowing Ren as I do, she will be most understanding. But had she joined us, you wouldn’t have got around to telling me what’s worrying you, and you’d then have had an anxious wait until you could get me on my own again to ask me for my help. I think we’ve caught up with all the gossip now, so are you finally going to tell me what it is that’s on your mind?’

  Gem gawped at her. ‘How did you …? Oh, never mind. Your sixth sense, womanly instincts, psychic powers, whatever you care to call it, kicking in, I see.’ She clasped her hands together and sighed heavily. ‘There is something I’d like your advice on, please, Velda.’

  ‘It’s not to do with Jenny, is it?’ the older woman enquired worriedly.

  Jenny was Gem and Solly’s eldest child. Gem had fallen pregnant with her when she was thirteen and Solly fourteen. Despite their youth and naivety, for both of them it had been love at first sight when Gem had sneaked to the fair with her friend behind her parents’ back, and for the rest of the week they had spent as much time as possible together. When it came time for the fair to move on, the thought of not seeing each other again for a whole year was unbearable to them both. They had known it was wrong, but their need for each other had overridden all their common sense. Three months later, Gem’s mother realised her daughter was pregnant. Despite her obvious anger, Gem was determined to keep the child, and adamant that she and Solly would become a family and raise it together when the fair returned the following year.

  The pain of childbirth was unbearable for Gem, hardly more than a child herself at the time, but nothing compared to what she then suffered on being told by her mother that her much-wanted baby had died. Despite her resolve to tell Solly the truth when the fair returned and they reignited their relationship, the time just never seemed right, and anyway Gem was reluctant to put her beloved husband through the loss of their child when she had grieved enough over it for them both.

  Twenty-two years later, to their utter astonishment, they found out that their baby had not died after all, but was very much alive, when she turned up unannounced to vent her wrath on the mother she believed had chucked her away like a bag of rubbish because she’d been an inconvenience. Only then did she discover that that was not at all the truth; that her mother had very much wanted her, but her selfish grandmother hadn’t been prepared for the stigma of an illegitimate grandchild, and had had her whipped away for adoption straight after the birth. Shocked to the core to learn all this, Jenny had disappeared off for a while to come to terms with this turn of events, leaving Gem and Solly uncertain whether they would ever see her again. To their utter joy, she had turned up out of the blue at the end-of-season party last October, very keen to be part of her real family, and had been living with them ever since.

  Gem smiled, her eyes softening tenderly. ‘I’ve no worries over Jenny. She’s settled in so well, it’s hard to believe she’s only been with us a few months. The boys adore her and she them. The way the three of them rib each other, it’s hard to believe they haven’t known each other all their lives. As you know, I was worried she wouldn’t settle, as the life we live is far different from the one she had with her adopted parents, but she’s taken to it like a duck to water. Anyone who didn’t know her background would think she was a born show woman.’

  Velda reminded her, ‘But she was born a show woman, dear, just that she never had a chance to live the life of one until now, thanks to your mother. Anyway, if it’s not Jenny you’re worried about, then it’s got to be one of the boys.’

  Gem shook her head. ‘Not either of my boys this time.’ She paused for a moment, sighing heavily. ‘It’s Solly, Velda.’

  Velda looked surprised. ‘Solly!’ She frowned. ‘Now why would that lovely husband of yours be causing you worry when I have never known him give you a moment since you married him? Don’t tell me you think he’s playing around behind your back, because I won’t believe it. There’s only one woman for Solly, and that’s the one he’s married to.’

  Gem smiled wanly. ‘It might sound complacent of me, but I know without doubt that Solly would never betray me. Something is worrying him, though, and he won’t tell me what it is. Every time I ask him, he tells me I’m imagining things and that he’s fine, but I know he’s not telling me the truth. Running a fair is far from easy, Velda, as I’ve no doubt you know, having been with Grundy’s for over thirty years yourself. Solly wasn’t expecting to be in charge; he thought Sonny would become ringmaster on his father’s death. Suddenly being solely responsible for keeping the punters wanting to come to Grundy’s and looking after all the people who work for us as well as his own family… well, it’s enough to cause the strongest of men sleepless nights. Not to mention coping with all the problems we face on a day-to-day basis and dealing with those who think us fair folk are the scourge of society and should be banned from entering their villages and towns.’

  ‘So, you think it’s the worry of being in charge that’s bothering him?’

  Gem grimaced. ‘Yes… no… I’m not sure, Velda.’ She heaved another deep sigh before she added, ‘As you know, Solly was absolutely devastated over his father’s death. How on earth Big Sam came to be on the helter-skelter at that time of night, and after the long journey he’d had that day, let alone fall off it, will always remain a mystery, but I thought Solly was coming to terms with it. He’s got to the stage where he can laugh at some of the things his father did and said, and talk about him at length without getting upset.’

  She eyed Velda meaningfully then and leant over to pat her hand affectionately. ‘Not that you ever get over losing someone you love. Big Sam was the love of your life and he loved you back. If it hadn’t been for the cruel hand Mother Nature dealt you when you were born, the two of you would have been together.’ She sighed heavily yet again. ‘But then I suppose Solly didn’t just lose his father, but his brother at the same time.’ She shook her head, eyes filled with bewilderment. ‘How could Sonny do that, just disappear off leaving Solly to pay his debt to those gangsters and possibly facing a prison sentence had the police believed that he was involved with them too.’ Her voice became harsh then, her eyes flaming in anger. ‘If Solly hadn’t been brave enough to help the police put those villains behind bars for a very long time… well, we could have lost everything that this father had shed blood, sweat and tears building.

  ‘Big Sam would be turning in his grave if he knew what Sonny had been up to behind his back. In a way, I’m glad he’s no longer here, because it would have broken his heart. I don’t care how nasty this makes me sound, Velda, but wherever Sonny is now, I don’t wish him well. I hope he’s being kept awake at night by nightmares about the mess he left us in. But somehow, I doubt it.
I bet he’s living the life of Riley somewhere, and not one penny of what’s paying for it would he have earned honestly. Selfish man that he is.’ She paused and took a deep breath, shooting Velda an apologetic look. ‘Sorry, Velda, I do feel very venomous towards my husband’s brother.’

  Velda smiled at her in understanding. ‘It’s just how I would feel if I was in your shoes. Sonny being Solly’s brother is immaterial.’ Her eyes glinted in amusement. ‘I just hope he never shows his face around here again, or I fear he’ll be finding out whether a right hook from you is as painful as the one I gave that woman’s obnoxious husband. Now, enough of Sonny. It’s why you’re worried about Solly that’s concerning me.’

  Gem took a deep breath before she spoke again. ‘Well, as I said earlier, he’s not been himself for a few weeks now, ever since we started organising the start of the season while we were still at the over-winter place. It’s not just him still grieving for the loss of his father or worrying about keeping the fair running smoothly, but something more than that. You know how easy-going Solly is, takes a lot to make him lose his temper; well, now he snaps at the slightest thing and has become very distracted. Sometimes I have to speak to him several times before I can get a response. People are starting to ask me what’s wrong with him, and several have told me that when he sees them coming over to ask him something, he pretends not to see them and shoots off the other way. If I didn’t do the fair’s books, I’d be worried that it was something to do with that, but although we’re far from rich, we’re managing to pay our bills and put some by towards buying some new rides and whatever, so it can’t be that that’s troubling him. But after what happened in the middle of the night, I knew I couldn’t let this carry on, that I had to do something to help him.’

  ‘What happened in the middle of the night?’ Velda probed.

  ‘Solly’s always been a good sleeper, but he hasn’t slept well for a while now. Last night he got up about one o’clock and I could hear him pacing around the kitchen. I went in and asked him if he’d like a cup of tea or Ovaltine to help him sleep. He flew at me, Velda. Told me to leave him alone and stop constantly asking him what the matter was when there was nothing wrong. He put his coat on and went out, didn’t tell me where he was going. It was after three before he came back. I thought it best to pretend to be asleep after him having such a go at me earlier.’ She wrung her hands, distraught. ‘I’m at my wits’ end with worry.’ She looked earnestly at her friend. ‘I don’t like to ask…’

  Velda was thinking that the behaviour Solly was displaying was not at all like him and she wasn’t surprised Gem was concerned. She patted the other woman’s hand. ‘I’ll do my best to get him to talk to me, dear, but of course I can’t promise he will.’

  ‘Oh, thank you, Velda,’ Gem said gratefully. ‘If anyone can get it out of him, it’s you. You have a way about you that puts people at their ease and gets them to tell you anything.’

  With a twinkle in her eyes Velda said, ‘Well in that case I’ll wheedle it out of him where he keeps his life savings and take myself off around the shops.’ Her eye was caught by a woman making her way through the living-van area a short distance away, and she said, ‘Now there’s someone I don’t envy for all her youth and good looks.’

  Gem followed Velda’s gaze to see Julie Otterman, dressed in her biking leathers, heading towards the Wall of Death. She must have sensed that someone was looking at her, because she glanced across, and when she saw Gem and Velda looking back at her, she smiled and waved as she continued on her way.

  Gem frowned, puzzled. ‘What do you mean by that?’

  ‘Well let’s put it this way. Many women might be jealous that Julie’s nabbed herself such a good-looking husband, but it’s no fun being married to a man with a roving eye, and I also have a suspicion that underneath that charming smile of his lurks something not so nice. My surprise birthday party week was the first time I’d seen them together socially since they joined Grundy’s. As soon as they arrived, it was plain as a pikestaff to me that Julie was nervous. I thought at first it was because this was the first community do they had been to and they wanted to make a good impression, but then I very soon realised that wasn’t the case. Dicky Otterman’s eyes were on every woman but his wife, and Julie was obviously worried that the more he drank, the less likely it was that it was going to remain as just looking.

  ‘I wasn’t watching her all the time, but when I did, she was doing her best to keep tabs on him and how much he drank. A couple of times I saw he’d given her the slip and pounced on one of the women whose man wasn’t nearby. He made a play for your Jenny, but don’t worry, that daughter of yours ain’t silly and gave him short shift, but Cassie Staybright isn’t so smart and they disappeared off together for a while. If Julie was aware, then all credit to her, as she played dumb when he appeared again. But it’s not just his womanising I’m suspicious of. A couple of times at the party, and also when I’ve come across them together at work, I’ve overheard him saying not very nice things to Julie.’ She paused for a moment before she added, ‘I think he’s a bully and…’

  ‘And what?’ urged Gem.

  Velda had a feeling that Dicky wasn’t just a verbal bully to Julie, and even though she knew that what she was saying to Gem would not go any further, she had no concrete evidence. It wouldn’t be right to brand someone of something without proof, even if she knew her instincts were right.

  ‘And I hope she stands up to him, that’s what I was going to say.’

  Gem looked horrified. ‘Oh, surely you’re wrong, Velda. Julie’s never once hinted to us that all might not be what it seems behind closed doors. I never heard her say a bad word against her husband. She’s such a lovely woman. I’m in awe of her having the guts to do what she does. Surely someone who’s brave enough to be a stunt rider on the Wall of Death wouldn’t put up with being bullied by her husband. Trouble is, though, I’ve never known you be wrong about someone.’

  Velda didn’t think she was mistaken in this instance, but regardless she said, ‘Always a first time for everything, lovey. I hope I am in this case.’

  ‘So do I.’ Gem got up. ‘I’d best go and see to the dinner. I left a cheese and potato pie in the oven and it won’t be far off done by now.’ She leaned over and kissed the older woman on her cheek. ‘Thank you again for offering to help.’

  ‘Considering what you’ve done for me, it’s the least I can do,’ Velda replied with sincerity.

  Gem walked a couple of steps away and then a thought struck her and she spun back around to face her friend. ‘Oh, you never answered my question. Is Jimmy’s new girlfriend the Cramps’ daughter? Please tell me it’s not. I can’t bear the thought of having to welcome those awful Cramps into our family.’

  Normally the mischievous side of Velda would have risen to the fore and she would have extracted a bit of fun out of the situation, telling Gem that she had overheard Doreen and Jimmy discussing a trip to the local vicar to arrange their wedding, just to witness her mortified reaction, but at that moment she felt it would be cruel to do such a thing when Gem was already worried enough about her husband. Instead she said, ‘Jimmy’s new girlfriend isn’t Doreen. It’s the daughter of the new family that joined us last week – the Davidsons, with their housey-housey stall. If I remember right, her name is Vivien. Pretty little thing. I say she’s his girlfriend, but whether she is yet… Anyway, by the way they were acting with each other when I saw them, I would say there’s a fancy for the other on both sides.’

  Gem shook her head and said tartly, ‘Well, he didn’t waste any time, did he? Quite the Casanova. He seems to have a different girl every week. Not that me and his father ever get to meet any of them.’

  ‘You will, lovey,’ Velda assured her, ‘when he meets the one he feels worthy of being introduced to you. Same goes for Robbie and Jenny too.’

  Gem looked at her blankly. She had been somewhat miffed that neither Jimmy nor Robbie – or Jenny since she had come to live with them �
� had brought any of their romantic interests home to meet her and Solly. It had even crossed her mind that they were ashamed of them. She hadn’t given a thought to the fact that it was because they didn’t feel the girl or lad in question wasn’t special enough to meet them. Despite her worries about her husband, she felt a warm glow in the pit of her stomach that her children thought so much of their parents.

  Much to the relief of the whole community, the wind suddenly changed direction, sending the dark cloud that had been heading their way to offload its cargo elsewhere, and at two o’clock, under a pale blue fluffy-clouded sky, a warm spring sun beaming down, the lights were switched on, popular music blasted through the speakers and crowds of people from the very young to the very old streamed under the arch with its brightly painted carved words:

  WELCOME TO GRUNDY’S FAMILY FAIR. A GOOD TIME TO BE HAD BY ALL.

  Chapter Three

  The voluptuous young woman serving behind the counter of the back-street corner shop couldn’t have been any older than 17, though it was apparent from the clothes she was wearing and the amount of make-up plastered on her face that she was desperately trying to make herself look older. She eyed her customer with keen interest as she handed him the change from his purchases.

  He was a sandy-haired, pleasant-faced young man in his middle twenties, casually dressed in market-quality dark trousers and thick jumper under a black three-quarter top coat. As he put the change safely away in his pocket, the shop assistant placed her hands on the counter and leaned forward to afford him a view of her ample cleavage bulging over the top of her low cut apple-green jumper tucked into a hip-hugging straight skirt, a black patent leather belt circling her waist.

  ‘Ain’t seen you around these parts before. Moved here, or just visiting?’