Hearts of Gold (18 page)

He lowered his voice to a whisper that carried to every dusty corner. ‘Should we fail, should we show mercy, the rot that lies within will contaminate us all. It will contaminate you.’ He turned to Mrs Richards, Glan’s mother who sat in the centre of the middle pew, the layers of her well-covered body quivering. ‘And you …’ He clamped his hand on Mrs Evans who lived above the fish and chip shop. ‘Should we turn our backs and ignore the cancer, it will grow. Feed upon our fragile hearts of godliness. We
must
be strong.’ He paused for breath, allowing the full effect of his words to sink in. ‘The Lord taught that there are times when to be merciful is to be weak. There is only one path open to us. We must cast out the devil that is among us. Cast out …’

‘Cast out …’ the deacons and their wives took up the chant. Soft at first, it built into a deafening crescendo.

‘Out! Out! Out! Out! Out! Out!’

Maud gripped Bethan’s arm, pinching her flesh until it burned. Casting fallen women out of chapel was a rare feature of John Joseph’s ministry. As far as Bethan knew it had only happened twice before for the simple reason that John Joseph flanked by a full complement of deacons generally visited the miserable girls in their homes as soon as the news broke, before they had time to set foot in chapel.

But infrequency didn’t make these occasions any the less dreaded by most of the women in the congregation. Even now the only ones who seemed to be enjoying the proceedings were John Joseph, his deacons and the privileged women in the second pew.

Bethan grit her teeth and held Maud’s hand, the object of her uncle’s scorn was trapped in the centre of a pew four rows in front of them. Her heart went out to the pathetic creature.

Phyllis Harry, the Phyllis who lived with Rhiannon Pugh.

Bethan turned to Haydn, and saw shock etched on his face. The same thought was in both their minds. Phyllis was in her late thirties, and plain. She’d never done any harm. In fact there probably wasn’t a child on the Graig she hadn’t been kind to at some time or another. Turning a blind eye when they’d smuggled baby brothers and sisters into the White Palace under coats, or in through toilet windows. Handing out boiled sweets in the intermission to those who didn’t have the halfpennies to buy ice-cream cornets.

A buzz hummed around those who weren’t chanting. Only one word was intelligible above the noise. A word that voiced the question uppermost in Bethan and Haydn’s minds.

‘Who?’

‘Who could the father possibly be?

Coat billowing, John Joseph sailed down the aisle with the deacons following, a tide of grim-faced lieutenants in his wake. He halted alongside the pew in front of the one where Phyllis sat, white-faced and immobilised by terror.

It emptied as if by magic, the occupants melting into the aisles on either side as they tried to lose themselves amongst their fellows.

John Joseph walked into the wooden pen and halted in front of Phyllis. Only the back of the pew stood between them. He leaned over and jabbed his forefinger into her chest. She shrank from him, hitting her spine on the pew. Wincing, her eyes fogged by tears, she edged sideways in a futile attempt to escape.

‘Only the devil would have the gall to sit here, in His house. You …’ He lunged after her, stepping out of his pew before she could reach the end of hers. ‘You are not fit to walk the same earth that our Lord trod.’

Eddie rose to his feet. Haydn, realising what was in his brother’s mind, grabbed hold of Eddie’s coat.

Crouching on hands and knees Phyllis slid out of the pew backwards, trying to edge around John Joseph. Then, as the chanting increased in intensity, the first stone was thrown, hitting Phyllis high on her left cheekbone, drawing blood.

Neither Bethan nor Haydn saw where it came from.

Afterwards Bethan realised that her uncle must have primed the deacons for them to have carried stones into the chapel. Phyllis screamed, more from fear than pain. The congregation, whipped into frenzy, surged towards the back of the chapel – and Phyllis.

She struggled upright but the crowd hemmed her in on every side. One of the deacons’ wives spat on her, the spittle trickling, down the sleeve of her yellow and green print dress. Another tore off Phyllis’s hat, threw it to the floor and pulled Phyllis’s hair. Sickened, Bethan turned away, holding Maud close to her.

‘Eddie!’

She heard Haydn’s cry and saw her younger brother, fists flying, fight his way towards Phyllis. But before he could reach her John Joseph fell silent. He held up his hand and the crowd parted, allowing the chocking, sobbing woman to stumble towards the doors at the back of the chapel.

Eddie clambered over their pew, forced his way through and reached the doors before Phyllis. He wrenched them open and in the only gesture of sympathy he was able to make smiled at her. She didn’t even see him. Tripping over the worn door mat she fell, grazing her knees on the pavement outside. Eddie tried to go after her, but a bellow from John Joseph froze him in his tracks.

‘Only the devil’s paramour would run after the devil.’

Colour flooding into his cheeks, Eddie slammed the door shut and thumped his fist impotently on the jamb.

‘The hymn.’

Flustered by John Joseph’s abrupt order, Hetty began to play, mixed up the notes, and it took another curt command from her husband for her to realise that she was still playing “There Is A Green Hill Far Away”.

People shuffled back to their seats. John Joseph returned to the rostrum, singing every step of the way. He’d stage managed the affair brilliantly. The words that resounded into the air, thrilling the congregation were “Fight The Good Fight With All Thy Might.”

Eddie didn’t return to his seat. When Bethan looked back she saw that he’d remained standing in front of the closed door, staring at John Joseph.

‘Christ is thy strength and Christ thy right,’ John Joseph bellowed. ‘Lay hold on life and it shall be …’

The deacons picked up the collecting plates. Another musical note joined with the singing – the quiet clinking of coins.

Bethan reached for the white straw bag she’d bought to go with her new dress and fumbled for her purse. She clicked it open and felt the coins inside. Taking out two joeys – silver three penny bits, she slipped one to Maud and held the other in her gloved hand.

The collecting plate was full by the time it reached her. It always was at Easter. People who couldn’t afford to put food on their tables more than once a day always seemed to find pennies for the collecting plate. They were too afraid of John Joseph not to.

She waited for Maud to lay her offering on the plate, then turned to pass it to the pew behind her. As she did so she glimpsed one of the deacons handing Eddie a server. Eddie took it, and passed his hand over the plate before returning it to the deacon with a wry smile. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she’d seen Eddie remove, not add coins. The notion troubled her and she glanced back when the hymn had finished.

Eddie slipped his hands into his pockets as he returned to his seat alongside Haydn.

Then she knew for certain. She looked nervously at John Joseph. He’d closed his hymnal and was beginning the prayers. If he’d noticed anything he would have announced it to the assembly. Of that much she was certain. Two castings’ out in one day would have been too good an opportunity to miss.

Eddie was the first to leave the chapel. William and Haydn weren’t far behind him. Bethan followed as soon as she mustered Maud and Diana.

‘Straight home?’ Haydn asked, looking to Bethan.

‘I’m calling in on Rhiannon Pugh.’

‘There’s nothing you can do, Beth,’ Haydn said.

‘What you’re trying to say is I’ve my reputation to think of,’ she retorted hotly.

‘Our mam will already be there,’ William chipped in trying to defuse the situation.

‘Your mam hasn’t got a reputation to care about,’ Glan smirked as he joined them.

‘You take that back right now.’

‘Or?’ Glan taunted.

‘Or I’ll punch you on the mush.’

‘Not here, later on the mountain if you have to,’ Haydn whispered, looking to the chapel doorway as he stepped between them.

‘Name the time and place,’ Glan retorted.

‘The old quarry, three o’clock this afternoon.’

‘I’ll be there.’

John Joseph, with a deacon and three middle-aged women walked into a puddle of sunshine on the pavement and remained there talking. Diana forced a smile, took hold of her brother’s arm and pulled him round the corner, the others following at a slower pace.

‘Push off, Glan,’ Diana ordered vehemently once they were out of earshot.

‘It’s a free country.’

‘You’re not wanted.’ Eddie crossed his arms over his chest and blocked Glan’s passage. ‘Get the message.’

Glan took the hint. As the others climbed the flight of stone steps that led from Graig Street to Leyshon Street, he retreated around the corner.

‘Beats me why she came to chapel in the first place.’ William brought up the topic uppermost in everyone’s mind.

‘Beats me how John Joseph knew.’ Haydn leaned against the railings and waited for Bethan and Diana to walk up the steps. ‘I didn’t even realise she was knocking around with anyone.’

‘Whoever he is, he’s a right bastard to leave her to go through that on her own.’

‘Eddie! Language!’ Haydn reprimanded.

‘Well he is,’ Eddie protested.

‘I agree with Eddie,’ Diana said warmly. ‘From a woman’s point of view …’

‘Woman!’ William choked on the square of chewing gum he’d put into his mouth.

‘We are women too,’ Maud insisted. ‘Everyone knows girls mature long before boys.’

‘And who told you that, rat’s tails?’ Eddie pulled the plait that stuck out beneath Maud’s straw hat.

‘Never you mind.’ She linked arms with Diana and they walked on up the street, their noses in the air.

‘Look out,’ William shouted to the neighbours who’d moved their kitchen chairs into the street to enjoy the spring sunshine. ‘Their ladyships are airing their maturity.’

‘Don’t you three ever let up?’ Bethan said irritably.

‘Sorry, Beth,’ Haydn apologised.

‘You could at least sound sorry.’

‘I am. I really am.’ He held out his hands, palm up.

‘You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to tread the boards in the Town Hall instead of scrubbing them.’

‘Ouch, Beth, that hurt. Come on, I’ve said Iʼm sorry. What more do you want me to do?’ He dropped the pose and slipped his arm round her shoulders. ‘Don’t let it get to you.’

‘Don’t let what get to me?’ She asked, removing his arm.

He shrugged and grinned at her. ‘The weather?’ he suggested mildly.

‘Now you’re being ridiculous.’

‘I see that uncle of yours has been at it again.’ Mrs Plumett, who lived two doors down from Megan, nodded to Bethan and Haydn.

‘He’s no uncle of ours,’ Eddie said warmly.

‘Shame on him,’ Mrs Plumett continued as if he hadn’t spoken. ‘Nice girl like Phyllis too. She deserves better than that. Caring for Rhiannon the way she has all these years. Your mam’s up there now, doing what she can,’ she said to William. ‘And Rhiannon’s already said that Phyllis will go to the workhouse over her dead body. As long as she has a roof over her head, she’ll see that Phyllis has one too. Mind you,’ she whispered, dropping her voice, ‘If you ask me Rhiannon hasn’t been looking too well lately and then … well …’ she pulled the edges of her cardigan together, trying to make the sides meet across her vast bosom, ‘there’s no saying what’ll happen then. Phyllis could end up on the street yet. You know what Fred the dead is like?’ she prattled on, referring to the local undertaker cum builder who owned a fair number of the houses in both Phillip and Leyshon Street. ‘He won’t let a woman like Phyllis take on the rent book, you can be sure of that,’ she finished, triumphant in the knowledge that she’d been the first to think that far ahead.

‘I’m sure that whatever needs doing to help Phyllis or Rhiannon will be done,’ Bethan replied noncommittally.

‘Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure of that if I were you. You know John Joseph and his brigade. Holier than thou and a moth-eaten blanket. Still, you being a nurse and working on the labour ward, you could do a lot if your uncle lets you.’

‘You can count on me to do whatever I can.’

‘And I’m sure Phyllis will be grateful. I must go or my old man’s dinner will be burnt.’ With that she ran through her open front door down the passage and into her back kitchen.

Bethan heard the washhouse door slamming and Mrs Plumett calling to her neighbour over the wall.

‘In five minutes it’ll be all over the Graig that you approve of Phyllis. And that, dear sister, as far as the gossips go, makes you no better than her.’

‘Seems to me Maud’s right.’ Bethan glared at him. ‘It’s always the women who are left to clear up the mess.’

*      *      *

Before going to chapel Elizabeth had prepared the Sunday dinner of rolled breast of lamb, stuffing, mint sauce, roast potatoes, cabbage and gravy to celebrate Easter. She’d also given her children strict instructions to hurry home after the service to help her put the finishing touches to the meal. But angry and restless, Bethan stuck by her decision to visit Phyllis.

She went to Rhiannon’s house alone, making Maud and the boys walk the long way home past the Graig Hotel but she saw neither Rhiannon nor Phyllis. Megan had taken charge of the house, and she was keeping most of the neighbours, particularly the gossips, firmly at bay.

Rhiannon and Phyllis were sitting in the front parlour, in itself an event, for no one had entered the room except to clean it since the funeral of Rhiannon’s husband and son.

The door was firmly closed and Megan was ferrying cups of tea through from the kitchen when Bethan knocked and walked in.

‘Oh it’s you, love,’ Megan said, dropping the aggressive stance she’d adopted.

‘I came to see if I could help,’ Bethan murmured rather inanely. Now she was actually in the house she felt quite useless. And nosy. Just like Mrs Plumett.

‘If I thought you could do anything to help I’d take you in, love, but they’re best left on their own for a bit. Rhiannon needs to get used to the idea of Phyllis being in the family way. I’ll be back in a minute.’ Megan pushed open the door with her hip and took in the tea. When she left she carried out two empty cups and saucers stacked in one hand. She closed the door and took Bethan into the back kitchen.