Frankie's Manor Read online

  Immediately Frankie became solicitous. ‘You should’ve said, darlin’. Hang on, I’ll have a word with Henry, get him to give you the rest of the—’

  ‘No, no, it’s all right, Frank, I don’t want to make a fuss. It’s just… Well, you know, women’s problems.’

  Frankie’s face cleared. ‘Oh, that. Listen, Princess, I’ve seen a house.’ He pulled his chair further under the table and leaned nearer to her, his eyes bright with excitement. ‘You should see it, Rose. I’ve seen some nice places in me time, hotels and places like that, but—’ He broke off to take a swallow of his drink. ‘It’s like something out of a book. Well! That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I want your advice. I was thinking that maybe you and Mary could come back there with me tomorrow you know, give me your opinion.’

  Rose gazed at the animated face, and found herself grinning at his infectious enthusiasm. ‘This is a bit sudden, isn’t it? But I’m pleased, oh, I am, and so will Aunt Mary be when I tell her. It’ll be nice to know exactly where to find you after all these years. But why do you want us to come with you for a look? You must know if you want it or not.’

  ‘I do, but I still want your opinion. You know me, Rose. Normally I just want somewhere to eat and sleep, but it’s different now. It’s time I settled down.’ He winked and smiled broadly. ‘It’s not like I’m gonna have to do a runner if the police come calling. Those days are gone for good.’

  Rose squeezed his hand tightly. ‘I’m glad, Frank.’

  ‘Me too. So! Will you come and have a look at it with me? I told the bloke I’d come back tomorrow with me family. Well…’ He hitched up his shoulders in a rare moment of self-consciousness. ‘You and Mary are me family, though I expect the feller’s expecting me to turn up with a couple of kids and a wife in tow.’

  Rose felt a warm glow settle over her. ‘Of course I’ll come with you. I don’t know about Aunt Mary, though. How far away is it? Only, you know, she doesn’t go out much any more.’

  Frankie expelled a loud sigh of relief and got to his feet, pulling Rose with him. ‘Don’t you worry about Mary, Princess. I’ll have a cab waiting on your doorstep in the morning. Mary won’t have to walk a step – except round the house, of course.’ Pleased with himself he walked Rose back to the bar and kissed her cheek lightly. ‘You’d better get back to work then, before old Henry has a bleeding turn. Sorry I’ve gotta dash off, it’s business. See you tomorrow, Princess, about tennish… ’Ere, everything all right, is it? I mean with you and Constable Plod? Only I ain’t had me invite to the wedding yet.’ He bent over her and kissed her again. ‘I am invited, ain’t I? After all, who else is gonna give you away?’

  Rose tried to look annoyed, but it was impossible to be angry with Frankie when he was in this mood. She gave him a friendly shove. ‘Everything’s fine, thank you very much. Now clear off, I’ve got a job to get back to.’

  ‘See you tomorrow, Rose.’

  Rose lifted up the barflap and slid back behind the counter, humming a popular time under her breath. It was amazing how Frank had taken the news of her engagement. They had all expected him to go mad but instead he had been as nice as pie, even offering to lend them the money for the wedding. Of course, that was out of the question – Jack had nearly had a fit at the very thought. Still, it had been nice of him to offer. When she looked back at all the fuss and worry she and Mary had suffered at the thought of breaking the news to him, she felt a little foolish. Taking out two glasses from beneath the bar she filled them with ale for the waiting customers, ignoring the inquisitive look Sally was casting in her direction.

  Of all the people to have guessed her secret, Sally was the last person Rose would have chosen. Still, Sally was only guessing and, besides, she wasn’t sure herself if she was pregnant. She was only a few weeks late. There could be any number of reasons for that and she wasn’t going to start panicking until she knew for sure. If the worst came to the worst, then she and Jack would just have to get married straight away. It wasn’t as if she’d gone with any old Tom, Dick or Harry. Jack would stand by her, of that she was certain. So, really, she had nothing to worry about. Whichever way the wind blew, she was safe.

  * * *

  ‘A house! What sort of house? Frankie ain’t said nothing to me about buying no house.’

  Rose was busy laying the table for supper. Jack had said he would come when he had finished his shift, and Rose wanted to talk to him. It seemed ages since they had last had a good heart-to-heart. Lately it had been just work, saving and… Yes, well, that was what she wanted to talk to him about. These past few weeks had been terrible. And even if she wasn’t pregnant, the worry she was living with now wasn’t something she wanted repeated. Tonight she was going to get Jack to set a date for the wedding, even if she had to tie him to a chair to do it. They had wasted enough time as it was.

  ‘You gone deaf or something, Rose? I asked you a question.’ Mary’s belligerent tone cut across Rose’s troubled thoughts.

  ‘I’m sorry, Aunt Mary, I was miles away.’

  Mary frowned at her niece. ‘I said, Frankie didn’t tell me anything about buying a house. He was here a few days ago and he never mentioned it then.’

  ‘I don’t think he knew then, Auntie.’ Rose tried to placate her. ‘From what he told me, he only saw it for the first time today, and now he wants our opinion.’

  ‘Humph. Well, I’m glad someone’s settling down. Which is more than I can say for your Jack. Not that I’m rushing you.’

  ‘Auntie,’ Rose began patiently, ‘I’ve explained it a dozen times to you. Jack wants to get a bit of money behind us before we get married, and a bigger place to live.’

  Mary grunted. Swivelling round to face Rose, she wagged a reproving finger at her niece. ‘Bigger place my arse. There’s families living ten to a room round these parts, so don’t go giving me that old malarkey about this house being too small fer us all. Now, I know I wasn’t keen on you two getting wed at first, but I’ve got used to the idea, and it’s about time it was sorted out properly. And it ain’t just me what thinks so either. Frankie was saying exactly the same thing the other day, so you have a word with Jack about it, and don’t let him keep putting you off. He’s dragging his feet, me girl. So if I was you, I’d do something about it. Otherwise you’re gonna end up an old maid like me. An’ I want to see some little ’uns around me before I pop me clogs.’

  It was an unfortunate speech in the circumstances, and Rose felt herself growing hot. ‘You’re only fifty-four, Auntie. Don’t go putting years on yourself. Anyway, Jack’ll be here soon so don’t go getting at him the minute he puts his nose around the door.’

  As if her words had conjured him up, the front door opened and Jack called merrily, ‘Hello. You both decent, or am I out of luck again?’

  Rose rushed to meet him and fell into his open arms. ‘You’re early. I didn’t expect you for another half-hour. Supper’s all laid out. You sit yourself down with Auntie, and I’ll get the kettle on.’

  Jack gave Rose a gentle squeeze, released her and grinned at the woman in the armchair. ‘Evening, Mary. How’ve you been?’

  Scratching at a warm spot below her ample breasts Mary snorted. ‘If you was to come round more often, you’d find out, wouldn’t you?’

  Rose sighed. ‘I’ll get the tea.’

  Leaving Jack and Mary alone, Rose made the large pot of tea, her ears straining to catch the muted conversation from the parlour.

  As she carried the large tray into the room she said, ‘Tea’s made.’

  The supper of crusty bread, cheese and pickles was eaten in comparative silence. Jack cleared his throat several times as if about to speak, then smiled inanely before carrying on with his meal.

  Finally, as if the words were being wrenched from his tongue he blurted out, ‘Listen. There’s something I need to talk to you both about.’ Both women looked at him expectantly. He picked up his knife and began to run the edge distractedly over the tablecloth.

  Rose not
ed this and felt a stab of alarm. When he added, hesitantly, ‘I’ve found a place for us to live. It’s ours if we want it,’ apprehension settled in the pit of her stomach. But these were the words she had been waiting for, so why was she suddenly so frightened?

  ‘Where?’ The word came out so quietly that Rose wasn’t sure that she had spoken aloud, until Jack began to fidget uncomfortably, refusing to meet her eyes.

  Busy with her food, Mary was unaware of the sudden tension in the room. ‘Bleeding hell! Now, ain’t that a coincidence? First Frankie finds a place to live, and now you two.’

  Jack glanced up absently. ‘Frankie?’

  ‘Yeah, he’s taking us to see it tomorrow, ain’t he, Rosie?’ Mary looked to her niece for confirmation, but Rose’s attention was fixed on Jack. There was something very wrong here.

  ‘What’s the matter, Jack?’ she asked quietly. ‘You seem a bit on edge. Just where is this house you’ve found for us?’

  Almost shame-faced, Jack stammered, ‘Now look, Rose… and you too, Mary. Just listen to what I have to say before you jump down me throat!’ Growing ever more flustered, Jack threw down the knife and leaped to his feet. He brushed a heavy lock of hair back from his face. ‘I’ve been offered me own station. There’s a house to go with it, three bedrooms, so there’ll be plenty of room for all of us. There’s other blokes who’d kill for a chance like this, but the Inspector offered it to me. This afternoon it was, just after seven. I’d popped back on me late break and he’d left a message for me. The only snag was, I had to give him his answer straight away. Like I said,’ he appealed to the silent Rose, ‘it’s a chance of a lifetime to have me own station at my age, so I had to say yes, didn’t I, love? I mean, I’ll never get another opportunity like it. I—’

  Rose pushed back her chair and went to stand behind Mary, her hand gripping her aunt’s shoulder as if to prepare her for a shock. ‘Where is it, Jack? Where exactly is this marvellous place?’

  Her face was stony, and Jack, seeing the angry suspicion in the bright blue eyes, felt his anger take hold. He clasped his hands tightly behind his back and rocked on his heels. ‘It’s a small village, just outside Southampton. My transfer’s been approved by the Inspector, and I’ll be able to move in at the end of the month.’

  ‘Southampton!’ Mary screeched, her large body jerking in panic. ‘Why the bleeding hell did you want to go and ask for a transfer there?’

  Fighting to keep calm, Jack said patiently, ‘I didn’t ask for a transfer there, Mary. It just came up, and I’d’ve been a fool to turn it down. It…’ But neither woman was paying him any attention.

  Struggling to get off the chair, Mary’s face was beginning to turn an alarming shade of purple. ‘Well, you can forget about me, mate. I ain’t gonna go and live in some godforsaken hole. Oh, no, lad. Not on your nelly.’ Then she glared up at the stricken Rose. ‘Did you know about this, girl? Cos if you did, then it was a bleeding nasty trick. You know I’d never move outta London – I said it all along, didn’t I?’ Stabbing a finger at Jack, she raged, ‘Or is that why you’ve arranged to move to the other side of England, so as you won’t have to take me along with you?’ She shrugged off Rose’s hands and breathed heavily. ‘Well, don’t you worry about me, I can take care of meself. And I hope you’ll be very happy, the pair of you.’

  Rose was stunned to the heart of her being. How could he? How could he have done such a thing without consulting her first? Or was Mary right? Had he arranged it all behind her back? It seemed strange that a young officer like Jack would be given the chance of his own station on the spur of the moment. Things like that normally took months, years, to arrange. Oh, no. No, he couldn’t do a thing like that. Not Jack. Yet he had taken up the transfer. Even knowing how upset Mary would be, and that she would never move out of London, he had accepted the move to Southampton. A place that would seem like the other side of the world to someone like Mary Miller.

  An icy numbness gripped Rose. ‘I think you’d better go, Jack.’ She heard the chill in her voice and was surprised to find how calm she sounded. ‘Aunt Mary’s right. It was a nasty trick to pull. But if you’re set on moving away, then you’ll go by yourself.’

  Jack made to move towards her, his hands outstretched. ‘Rose… Rosie, love. I know it looks bad but I swear I knew nothing about it until this evening, I—’

  Rose shrank away from his touch, her lips trembling with passion. ‘Get out, Jack. The wedding’s off.’

  Jack’s face blanched, then he tried to laugh, but succeeded in uttering only a hoarse croak. ‘That’s a bit melodramatic, ain’t it, Rosie? Look, I’ll come back tomorrow, after you’ve had time to think it over and—’

  With an anguished cry Rose lashed out at him. The unexpected blow sent him reeling backwards, and as he stretched out a hand to steady himself, Rose came at him again, her fists pummelling at his face and shoulders. ‘Get out! Get out of my house, you bastard!’ She was screaming, unable to control herself as she saw her world being blown apart.

  Jack tried to catch the flailing arms, but it was hopeless. Ducking another well-aimed blow, he backed out of the room, his arms shielding his face and head. When the key Rose had given him fell out of his pocket, he tried to pick it up, only to have it snatched from his grasp.

  ‘And I’ll have that back as well!’ Rose shrieked.

  Jack staggered back, his hand fumbling for the doorknob behind him, then he was in the hallway and at the front door, and finally, dazed and shaken, he reached the safety of the street.

  At the sound of the front door banging, all the fight oozed out of Rose. She stumbled blindly across the room and collapsed, sobbing, into the armchair.

  Mary, her own voice near to breaking, tottered over and sank into the opposite chair, mumbling tearfully, ‘I can’t go all that way, love. Not at my age. You do understand, don’t you, love? I ain’t just being awkward.’ When Rose continued to sob, Mary felt tears begin to course down her own cheeks. ‘Don’t cry, Rosie, please. You’ll make yourself ill. Come on, girl, give over. We’re better off without him, Rosie love. We’re better off without him.’

  But Rose was inconsolable.

  Chapter Twelve

  ‘Well, what d’yer think, Mary?’ Frankie was acting like a small boy showing off his favourite toy. The eagerness in his face and voice pierced through Rose’s wretchedness, bringing a faint smile to her lips.

  The three were in the reception room of the house in Grantham Avenue which, although it came under the jurisdiction of Hackney, was just on the borders of Bow. They had been all over the house and now he was waiting for the approval of the two most important women in his life. For once in her life, Mary was lost for words. Her eyes gravitated to the ornate ceiling and the tinkling crystal chandelier, then moved slowly over the embossed wallpaper and marble surround of the iron grate, then dropped to where her swollen ankles sank into the deep red carpet. She was glad she’d suffered the agony of wearing her best shoes, yet even in her Sunday-best blue two-piece, she felt out of place in a house like this.

  Rose pulled herself out of her gloom, drew her arm through Frankie’s and hugged him affectionately, determined not to let her misery overshadow his excitement. ‘It’s lovely, Frank, really lovely. If I were you, I’d snap it up quick before someone else buys it.’

  ‘You really think so, Princess?’ Frankie’s handsome face was alight with enthusiasm.

  ‘Yes, I, do.’ she said firmly. ‘You like it and you say you can afford to buy it, so why wait?’ Then she grinned up at him mischievously. ‘All you’ll need to make it perfect is a wife!’

  Frankie looked alarmed. ‘Leave it out, Princess. One wedding in the family’s enough, so don’t try any match-making. I ain’t ever met anyone I’d want to spend the rest of me life with yet. Besides, how could any woman compete with you and Mary?’ The older woman was still standing as if mesmerised so he said, ‘Did you hear that, Mary? Rose is trying to get me married off.’ When she didn’t answer, Frank disengaged
himself from Rose and walked across to her. ‘What’s the matter, Mary? Don’t you like the place? I thought you’d be pleased. You’ve been on at me for years to settle down. Is it ’cos it’s too posh?’

  Mary shifted painfully from one foot to the other. Then she said, drily, ‘It’s a far cry from where you was born and raised, lad, but I’m pleased for you. It was just the surprise, like. I wasn’t expecting anything so grand. It’s not the sort of place I’d be comfortable in, but if this is what you want then you go ahead and buy it, and good luck to you. Though why you want a house with four bedrooms, I don’t know, I’m sure. Still…’ she drew herself upright ‘… I ain’t got to live here.’

  Frank’s face fell. ‘I was hoping you might one day, Mary. I mean, if things don’t work out with Rose and Jack, I thought it would ease your mind knowing there was somewhere else for you to go. But if you’re dead set against it… Well, I’ll have to have another think, won’t I?’ As he spoke, he looked directly into Mary’s eyes, his high spirits dampened by her open, and hurtful, comments.

  Mary met the commanding gaze squarely, then flinched as she saw the joy leave his dark brown eyes. Wetting her lips, she gulped. Gawd Almighty! What was the matter with her lately? All she seemed to be doing was upsetting those she loved most. First Rose and now Frankie. Blinking furiously, she looked at her niece for support, but Rose was staring out of the large bay window, her mind clearly elsewhere – and it wasn’t hard to imagine where.

  Frank, too, had turned away, and as Mary watched him rest an arm, crestfallen, on the marble mantelpiece, a tumultuous surge of emotion swept over her. Desperate to make amends she shuffled over to him and laid a pudgy hand on his arm.

  ‘It was thoughtful of you, lad,’ she said, ‘and don’t think I ain’t grateful, ’cos I am. But you don’t have to worry about me living with Rose and Jack ’cos the wedding’s off. We’re both staying right where we are, ain’t that right, Rosie, love?’