Many a Tear Has to Fall, page 23
‘But it must be of some comfort to you having someone else other than your Uncle Lenny who remembers your parents and can talk about them,’ said Maggie earnestly.
Josh agreed. ‘At least Dorothy used to play with Mam, and can bring her alive in a different way when I hear her and Uncle Lenny talk about when they were kids. Girls played different games, so Dorothy has different memories of Mam. Ones that never fail to make me laugh.’
‘So you like Dorothy?’ said Maggie.
‘Yes.’
‘Don’t you like her?’ asked Deirdre.
Maggie glanced at her and smiled. ‘Of course I like her. I’ve got to understand her little ways and she seems to understand what I’m about. Just like I thought …’ She stopped abruptly.
Her sister stared at her. ‘Go on. I’d like to know who else understands you, because I’ve a feeling you weren’t going to say me or our Jared.’
Maggie said, ‘No, I wasn’t. Perhaps that was a mistake.’
‘Trouble with families is that they take each other for granted,’ said Billy. ‘With outsiders, most of us are on our best behaviour, especially when we first meet them. Although there are some people we can never relax with and be ourselves.’
‘Don’t you think that it’s natural to put on your best side with people, because most of us want to be liked?’ Josh took a handful of salted peanuts from the dish on the coffee table.
‘Even children do it, and they generally show their emotions more easily than adults do,’ said Deirdre. ‘Hiding our feelings is something we learn as we get older. Sometimes we find out too late that there are people we just shouldn’t have trusted.’
‘Just like Tommy,’ murmured Maggie, and smiled brightly at Jimmy. ‘So what’s the gossip from the McGrath household?’
‘Forget him, Maggie,’ he said. ‘I met him before you did, and wouldn’t have trusted him as far as I could throw him. If you hadn’t known what he was like before he was arrested, you’d have found out about it after it was all over the front page of the Echo.’
‘I never saw the articles,’ Maggie said, ‘but Lenny and Dorothy told me some of what was written about him. I know he saved a child’s life. I’ve been thinking that I must go to the Central Library some time and look them up.’
They all stared at her.
Dot said, ‘Now you’ve brought Tommy into the conversation, I can only say you showed sense when you finished with him after discovering the kind of bloke he really was. When you went off with Dorothy, we all thought it was for the best. We didn’t want you behaving out of character and going all soft on us by feeling sorry for him. That’s why we didn’t mention it.’
‘I can understand why you kept quiet but …’ Maggie was aware that Josh was listening, and wondered what he knew about her relationship with Tommy.
‘We were told he was a charmer,’ said Dot. ‘But he was also a criminal. Most likely he would have had every penny off you if you didn’t already keep a tight grip on your purse and Jared a proper eye on your trust fund.’
‘Are you saying I’m mean?’ said Maggie indignantly.
‘No, just one of those people who often used to say, “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is yours”,’ said Dot.
Maggie was dumbstruck, knowing she could not deny the truth of her sister’s accusation. Obviously Dot knew only too well the kind of person she used to be. ‘I’m not like that any more, and I can tell you something: Tim – or Tommy, should I say – never asked me for money.’
‘Shall we change the subject?’ Billy said hastily, glancing at Josh. ‘Maggie, you were going to tell us what life on the boards was like with Dorothy Wilson?’
Her sister refilled Maggie’s glass. ‘I still love you, despite your faults. Now take a deep breath and tell us some anecdotes.’
‘Let her have a drink first,’ said Jimmy.
I wonder …’ said Maggie, then took a mouthful of Babycham and thought it tasted very different from the real stuff.
‘What do you wonder?’ asked Dot.
Maggie hesitated and stared at Josh. ‘I shouldn’t say. I could be mistaken.’
Dot said, ‘What is it?’
‘Say it, Maggie,’ said Josh lightly. ‘I think we can trust those at this table to keep a secret.’
She cleared her throat. ‘It could be that Lenny’s thinking of retiring.’
‘He’s not that old,’ said Dot.
‘But he is getting on,’ Deirdre put in.
‘Early forties, I reckon. That’s not old,’ said Dot.
‘What do you know, Maggie?’ asked Jimmy.
‘Not much,’ said Maggie cautiously. ‘I know Dorothy is waiting for the date to be finalized for when filming starts in Hollywood, but before then she’s going to be in a musical in New York. Now I know about Josh, I’ve been thinking that Lenny might have decided to accompany her and leave Josh to look after the business.’ She looked at Josh, who remained silent.
‘I don’t know why the pair of them don’t get married,’ said Dot, taking a chocolate from a cut-glass dish. ‘What d’you say, Josh?’
He just raised an eyebrow.
‘Maybe it’s because she knows her fans would prefer her to remain single?’ said Deirdre.
Jimmy said, ‘You do know that Dorothy Wilson is Nick’s mother?’
They all stared at him in disbelief, thinking about DI Walker’s adopted son.
‘You’d better be careful what you say, Jimmy,’ warned Billy.
Jimmy took a long drink of his Guinness. ‘I’m not kidding. Our Irene told me, and it was Betty who told her. She had it from Bobby who had it from her mum Lynne. Apparently Lynne and Dorothy were in the same home for unmarried mothers during the war. Bobby’s father was killed when his boat was torpedoed, and Lynne was able to keep her baby with the help of her grandmother. Dorothy Wilson had hers adopted.’ He said softly, ‘What have you to say to that, Mags? I even know who the father is. At the time he had no idea she was pregnant. She didn’t tell him because she was so hellbent on being an actress.’
All the time Jimmy had been talking, Maggie had been remembering what Dorothy had told her the day she had seen Norm in London. ‘So she had him adopted,’ murmured Maggie. ‘Anyway, Nick has turned out all right. He’s in the police cadets now.’
‘The couple who adopted him as a baby are both dead,’ said Deirdre. ‘The mother died when he was a young teenager and then the father was murdered by his own brother, who managed to escape to Canada.’
‘Bloody hell!’ exclaimed Billy, getting up and fetching himself a bottle of Guinness. ‘Do you want one, Josh?’
‘No, better not.’ He was frowning.
‘Anyway, getting back to Nick. The brother was another just like Tommy,’ said Jimmy. ‘It was all about money, and the brother didn’t care who he hurt. When things went wrong he made a run for it.’
Maggie was shocked by his comment. ‘No, Tim wouldn’t kill anyone!’
‘I think that’s enough, Jimmy,’ said Dot, glancing at her sister’s face. ‘You can’t compare murdering your brother with driving a getaway car.’
Jimmy reddened. ‘OK! I take back what I said.’
Deirdre burst out. ‘Nick was fortunate to be adopted by decent people. When I think of the handicapped children I care for. At this time of year it breaks my heart that they’re not part of a proper family. I doubt they’ll ever be as fortunate as Nick.’
‘And some of them are such affectionate kids, too,’ said Dot, a slight choke in her voice.
Billy changed the subject. ‘So what d’you have to say, Josh, about the chances of your uncle and Dorothy getting married?’
Josh smiled faintly and stood up. ‘I think it’s time I was going. With Uncle Lenny away, I have a lot of organizing to do. Thanks for the dinner, Dot. Drop by at the coffee bar anytime and I’ll cook you a free special.’
She smiled at him. ‘Will do. I’ll bring my sister, too.’
‘I’ll go and get your overcoat,’ said Maggie hurriedly, wishing Dot had not said that. He might think her sister was trying to push her into his arms. She rose and left the living room.
Josh was talking to Billy in the hall when she came downstairs, and she overheard mention of Cyprus and Archbishop Makarios. They broke off their conversation, and Billy left them as she handed Josh’s hat and coat to him.
‘It was nice seeing you,’ she said.
‘Same here.’ He shrugged on his overcoat.
‘You didn’t think I said anything out of place about your Uncle Lenny and Dorothy?’
He smiled faintly. ‘I could have stopped you if I’d wanted. Anyway, the news will soon get round that there’s a new face in the kitchen at the coffee bar. I’m more concerned about what Jimmy said about Dorothy having had an illegitimate child and that getting out. It mightn’t do her career any good.’
‘I thought you were going to say that you were worried about Lenny finding out, because I’m pretty sure she’ll have told him.’
He nodded. ‘I know they’re close.’
‘Marriage on the cards, you think?’
He smiled and opened the front door. ‘Goodnight, Maggie. Take care.’
‘You, too.’
She watched him walk down the path, wondering how old he had been when his parents had been killed. He was younger than Billy. It could be that Josh was the same age as Tommy, and yet Josh seemed more mature. She supposed that was not surprising, considering he had seen his parents die and had no siblings to stand by him. As well as having been in sunny Cyprus where there had been terrorism and British soldiers killed. He stopped at the gate and waved. She waved back and then closed the door.
Twenty-Seven
Maggie picked up the envelope from the doormat and went into the kitchen. Recognizing the handwriting, she took a knife from a drawer and slit open the envelope. She took out the single sheet of Basildon Bond blue notepaper and went to the window overlooking the garden. As she had thought, the letter was from Norman. He hoped to be home sometime in March or April and looked forward to seeing her. Obviously he wanted to pick up where they had left off in London.
Well, he could keep on wanting! She gazed out over the dreary garden with its scrawny lawn and flowerbeds that showed a number of daffodil and narcissi shoots. She hoped it wouldn’t snow. Her nephew might love it, but she was going into Liverpool that evening and would rather not have to contend with slushy pavements. She’d had a rotten cold which she had passed on to Emma. Thank goodness, she was over it now, but she could not wait for the weather to warm up. The only real sign of spring, besides the shooting bulbs, was a single purple crocus under the apple tree.
Dorothy and Lenny had provided their friends and customers with a surprise last week by announcing in the local press that they were man and wife, having tied the knot at Caxton Hall register office in Westminster on New Year’s Day. They had managed to keep it quiet for weeks, but soon they would be leaving for America. All day today, Lenny’s customers would be welcome to a free celebratory coffee, milkshake, or glass of wine, and a slice of wedding cake. Then this evening their special friends were invited to a buffet, with drinks and live music. No doubt Josh would have organized the buffet while Maggie was still dithering over what to wear. Both Emma and Dot had told her they didn’t know what she was worrying about because she would look lovely in whatever she wore. While that was nice to know, it did not help to solve her dilemma.
Eventually she settled on a lime green shot-silk top with a scooped neckline that was trimmed with gold lace, and a green flared skirt splashed with red poppies. She placed in a shoe bag a pair of gold leather high-heeled shoes to change into when she arrived at Lenny’s. Or should she be calling it ‘Josh’s place’ now? she mused. Having no wish to catch a heel in the cracks in the pavement, she put on a pair of flatties.
She brushed her long blonde hair back over her shoulders, keeping it in place with a silky gold-coloured crocheted Alice band. She applied make-up and finally put in the jade earrings she had treated herself to at Christmas, and the matching neat little jade cross on a gold chain.
She took a last look at herself in the mirror before reaching for her tweed winter coat trimmed with fur at the neck and cuffs. She picked up her handbag and shoe bag and went downstairs with the coat over her arm. The newlyweds had stipulated no wedding presents, so she was unencumbered by such, and was glad of it because the shoe bag kept bumping against her thigh.
‘Well!’ Her brother gazed at her with a ghost of a smile. ‘They’ll see you coming all right in that lime green blouse.’
Maggie wrinkled her nose. ‘You think it’s too bright?’
‘No, it’s fine.’ Emma darted a warning glance at her husband. ‘You look lovely, Maggie. Young and fresh.’
‘There’s certainly a hint of spring about you,’ Jared said. ‘D’you want me to give you a lift to the station?’
‘Thanks, that would be jolly.’
‘Jolly?’ He looked at her askance. ‘Well, I hope you have a jolly time, but come home sober and in one piece.’
‘You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be on the last but one train, so if you don’t mind meeting me then, big brother?’ Maggie asked as she skipped to the front door ahead of him.
‘Of course he will,’ said Emma, who had followed them out. ‘Enjoy yourself, lovey!’
Maggie had every intention of doing so, because she did not doubt there would be people there she knew, including some members of the music group. She was looking forward to hearing them and wished she could play a musical instrument. All the way on the train into town, she was thinking about a variety of things that she would have liked to have learnt when she was younger, but at least she could cook now and was looking forward to tasting what Josh had chosen to serve for the buffet. She was also able to knit and sew, and that had come in handy on several occasions. She was hoping it would prove useful again in the weeks to come.
‘Maggie, is that you?’ At the sound of that voice Maggie paused, gazing across the street towards the Philharmonic pub.
‘It can’t be!’ she cried in astonishment.
‘It is,’ said her cousin, freeing her arm from that of the man at her side and almost skipping across the road towards Maggie.
‘But I thought you weren’t coming over until after Easter, Betty,’ said Maggie.
‘Change of plan. I’m having another baby, so we decided to bring the holiday forward.’
‘Congratulations.’
‘Thanks.’ Betty slipped her arm through Maggie’s. ‘You’re looking well. Better than I thought you would after hearing all your woes from Emma and Irene.’
‘Don’t remind me.’
Betty scrutinized Maggie’s face. ‘OK! Enough said. But you know what you’ve got to do, don’t you?’
‘Yes,’ and Maggie sang the words of a famous Frank Sinatra song.
‘You always did have a lousy singing voice,’ Betty chuckled.
‘No, I did not!’ protested Maggie. ‘I remember me and Mam coming back from shopping in town and you and I ended up having a singing competition and I won.’
‘Rubbish,’ Betty said firmly. ‘My rendering of Frankie Laine’s “Ghost Riders in the Sky” was definitely the best.’
‘You have to be joking! Mario Lanza could knock the socks off Frankie Laine. I remember how Mam and I loved his singing.’ Maggie sighed. ‘Happy days!’
‘Sometimes they were and sometimes they weren’t,’ said Betty quietly.
For a moment they were both silent, remembering the past.
‘So this is Maggie.’
Maggie looked up at the owner of the voice. ‘You must be Stuart,’ she said, stretching out a hand.
‘That’s right!’ He solemnly shook hands with her. ‘It’s good to meet you, Cousin Maggie.’
‘Good to meet you, too.’ Maggie was thinking that Betty had done well for herself. Not only was her cousin’s husband not bad looking, with a very nice American accent, but he had a decent job as an architect and lived in a very nice part of San Jose in California, if the photographs she had sent to Emma were anything to go by.
‘I think we’d better get a move on,’ he said, freeing her hand. ‘Dorothy and Lenny will be waiting for us.’
‘You’re going to the party?’ She was surprised.
‘My stepsister, Lynne, told us about it, so we rang Lenny and asked if we could join them,’ said Stuart.
‘And, of course, he said yes, because Betty worked for Lenny a few years back,’ said Maggie.
‘And I stayed at the same hotel on Mount Pleasant as Dorothy when I was over here so we got to know each other,’ said Stuart.
‘Yeah, you’re not the only one who can say “I know a famous actress”, Mags.’ Betty chuckled.
‘Is that where you’re staying, at the same hotel?’ Maggie asked.
Betty nodded. ‘There really isn’t the room at Lynne and Sam’s, with their little ones as well as Nick and Bobby. They’re going to be at the party, too, because she’s helping out with the catering and Nick’s in the band.’
‘What about your little girl?’ asked Maggie.
‘She’s far too young to enjoy an adult party, so the proprietor of the hotel is keeping an eye on her for us,’ Betty said.
The three of them began to walk along Hope Street. Even before they reached the coffee bar, they could hear the sound of music and voices. There was a man on the door who asked their names and ticked them off on a list before allowing them in.
Betty exchanged glances with Maggie. ‘I didn’t expect security.’
‘Maybe it’s because Dorothy is famous,’ said Stuart.
Maggie had been expecting the party to take place downstairs with the tables and chairs pushed back against the wall so there would be room for dancing, but they had been directed upstairs. She sat on the bottom stair and changed into her high heels before following Betty and Stuart up to the flat.
The main living room was much larger than she had thought it would be, and there were already a number of familiar faces to be seen. Amongst them were Monica and Nick. Maggie thought about having been told he was Dorothy’s son. Was he aware of it? She noticed that Betty and Stuart had found their hosts and were busy chatting to Lenny and Dorothy. There was no sign of Josh, and Maggie decided that he could be in the kitchen.
