A Family Christmas (7 page)

Ben felt dazed. What the hell had his mother been playing at, letting her leg get into that state? What if it needed to be amputated? How would they manage? What if it proved fatal? What about young William? Oh God, just when he was on the verge of asking Emma to marry him. Well, that would have to be postponed. He only just caught the bus to Millington; the lasses would be waiting for news and he dreaded having to give it to them.

It had been a strange day for the Grey brothers too. John had found the pit terrifying at first. After the corn mill it was not only hard work – which he didn’t mind – it was also claustrophobic, which he did. Working in a space too low to be able to stand upright meant an aching back after just a couple of hours and kneeling in a foot of water didn’t go down too well either. What he did like about the new job was the cameraderie amongst the men. The way they shared their drinking water and advised him on which sandwich fillings would have turned stale by snap time. The most embarrassing and sickening thing about the pit was the lack of facilities for use as a toilet. The men had no
alternative
but to relieve themselves by squatting down in the presence of work mates. At the end of the shift his muscles felt as though he had been in a fight with Little Arthur’s bull. However, he accepted Ben Gabbitas’s invitation to join him for a pint at the Rising Sun and felt better after the liquid refreshment and a dip in the slipper bath at the Miners’ Club.

‘Don’t worry,’ Ben told him, ‘the first day is always the worst. Now if yer don’t mind I’ve got to go take me mother to see the doctor. See yer tomorrer.’

‘Thanks, Ben. It would have been a lot worse without somebody to talk to.’

‘Oh, somebody’d ’ave looked out for yer; they’re not a bad bunch of mates.’

‘No, I’ve realised that.’ Ben Gabbitas had already gone, intent upon persuading his mother to get her leg seen to.

James Grey had felt just as strange in the wire mill, even if not quite as overworked. In fact he was embarrassed during the first couple of hours to be given a brush and ordered to sweep up. However he set to willingly and was then given what he considered real work: die polishing. The dies consisted of a series of steel cone-shaped devices through which metal rods were drawn until they reduced to the size of wire required. The work wasn’t as heavy as James had expected, the most important task being the setting up of the machine and making sure it was kept maintained. When the
two
brothers compared jobs later James realised how fortunate he was to have landed himself in the wire mill rather than the mine.

Young Robbie thought he was the luckiest lad in Millington. Like James he had begun by sweeping the floor. A whole sack of shavings had been gathered up as Robbie made sure he swept in all the corners and beneath the work bench. Mr Grundy didn’t say much but he didn’t complain either, so Robbie thought he must be satisfied. After that Robbie had been told all about the various kinds of wood and what each could be used for. Then he had been set to work smoothing down and polishing a coffin lid. He loved the smell of the timber and the beeswax – in fact he loved everything about the workshop. He also liked the way Mr Grundy nodded approvingly when he came to inspect his work. It was true the man didn’t smile much, but Robbie could understand why; the joiner was so engrossed in his work that nothing else seemed to matter to him. Mr Grundy was happy without having to be smiling all the time and Robbie knew that one day he would enjoy the wood-working just as much as his boss did. At home time Mr Grundy said to Robbie, ‘Aye well, lad, it’s time tha weren’t ’ere. Aren’t tha bothered about goin ’ome?’

Robbie reluctantly put down the polishing rag he was using, looked at his boss and said, ‘No, Mr Grundy, I’m quite happy here.’

Then the man did smile. ‘Tha’ll do all right
Robbie
Grey, tha’r a good lad. Get off for thi tea and I’ll see thi in the morning.’

‘Our Mary and Nellie’ll have to be told,’ Ben said when he had explained about his mother’s forthcoming operation. He hadn’t told them how serious her condition could prove to be. There would be time enough for that after tomorrow.

‘Shall I go and tell them?’ Lucy asked.

‘I’ll go if I can borrow yer bike.’ William would go anywhere as an excuse to borrow his brother’s bicycle.

‘Aye, that might be best. Do yer know where the place is?’ Ben was referring to the manor at Cragstone.

‘Yes, we went one day to look where our Nellie works; it isn’t ’alf posh.’

‘All the way to Cragstone. Who did you go with?’

‘Albert Marshall and Ernie Slater.’

‘You mustn’t go in the grounds; it’s private property,’ Lucy warned.

‘Nobody saw us.’

‘Well if yer know where it is yer can take a note for our Nellie.’

‘And don’t go to the front door, go round the back.’ Lucy always worried about doing the right thing. It got on young Will’s nerves sometimes.

‘I know that, I’m not daft.’

Ben gave him the note. ‘Right, off yer go, straight there and back don’t forget.’

‘I can’t do that; there’re some corners to go round,’ Will grinned.

‘Go on, and be careful down the hill,’ Lucy warned. ‘Are you sure the breaks are working?’

‘Positive! Will one of you go and tell our Mary?’

Ben looked from Lucy to Jane.

‘Well I was just going out.’ Jane couldn’t meet her brother’s eye.

‘Oh I’ll go,’ Lucy snapped. ‘Though how you can go out when me mam’s so poorly I don’t know.’

‘Well it won’t make any difference if I stay in, will it?’

‘No, Lucy. Our Jane’s right. There’s no reason to sit here moping. You take the note to our Mary’s and then you can go out as well, if yer like.’

‘No, I’ll come back and wait for our Will. You go out, Ben. You’ve done your share today by taking my mam to hospital.’

‘Well I don’t know, I reckon I ought to be here for yer all.’

‘Go on, there’s nothing going to happen tonight. Go on.’

Ben really wanted to see Emma and explain what was happening. He didn’t doubt she would support him in any way she could; she was an understanding lass was Emma Scott. All the same he knew she was expecting him to pop the question and he felt bad about putting it off. ‘Well, I will go out for an hour, if yer sure.’

‘Course I’m sure.’ Lucy sat in her mother’s rocking
chair
and picked up Annie’s copy of
My Magazine
but she couldn’t concentrate. She was always grumbling about her mother, but the house wasn’t the same without her. She stood up and decided to give the kitchen a good bottoming, make it nice for when her mam came home. She took up the pegged rug Annie had made and took it outside to shake, then she washed the floor before replacing it. By the time Will came back the furniture was polished and the pot ornaments on the dresser and mantelpiece all washed and sparkling.

‘Our Nellie’s coming over tomorrow after she’s finished cooking dinner. Why do they ’ave their dinner at night, Lucy, just when everybody else are ’aving their teas?’

‘Because the people at the manor are all posh. Besides they are all businessmen and are at work all day.’

‘I wish we ’ad a kitchen like that.’

‘Did you go in?’ Lucy was curious what it was like.

‘Aye and she gave me some chocolate pudding with custard on. I didn’t believe our Nellie had made it, but Mrs Cooper said she had. She isn’t ’alf a good cook, our Nellie.’

‘Right then, do you want to come with me to our Mary’s?’

‘I’ll go meself if I can take our Ben’s bike.’ Will knew it was getting late and it would mean staying up longer.

‘Go on then. Just tell her to pop over tomorrow after tea. Tell her our Nellie’ll be here.’ There was no point in worrying her until after the operation and they knew what was going to happen. Will didn’t need telling twice.

This time Lucy relaxed in the chair and closed her eyes, wondering what tomorrow would bring. She knew operations were sometimes dangerous, but surely nothing could happen to Annie Gabbitas. She had always been there for them and even if she had shouted and sometimes clouted them the house wouldn’t be the same without her presence. Lucy could remember a time when her mother hadn’t been miserable; she could even remember her mam and dad dancing round the table and kissing each other. In fact Annie always used to kiss her dad when he left for the pit and again when he came home. Lucy tried to think when it was that things had changed. It must have been after their Will was born. That was when her dad had become ill, yes, that was it, when her dad had began having time off work because of his cough. That was when Annie had changed. Before that she had made little treats for them, like apple dumplings and ginger parkin. Even though they had never had new clothes Annie used to buy them pretty ribbons for their hair and gather wild flowers from up the banking and arrange them in a pot on the dresser.

Lucy wiped her eyes on her pinafore and told herself not to be daft: crying wouldn’t help. She vowed
to
look after her mam for as long as she needed her. She also promised herself that when she married and had children of her own, she would always try and be of good spirits and even if her husband became ill she would make sure it was a happy home.

She suddenly saw a picture forming in her mind, a picture of John Grey, but she dismissed it before the tears started again. She wouldn’t be going to the dance on Saturday – probably not for weeks if she was looking after her mam. By then John Grey would have found himself another girl; he was far too handsome to bother waiting for the likes of her.

The Grey brothers had settled in well at the vicarage. It was an old stone house next to the church – quite spooky – with three large square bedrooms and one smaller one. Louisa Goodman had arranged the smaller one for Robbie and placed two single beds in another for John and James. The food was plain but wholesome and the brothers endeavoured to repay their hosts by lending a hand with any tasks that needed attending to. The Sunday after their arrival a starling had flown down the chimney and flapped blindly around the kitchen. John had caught the poor thing, cleaned it up and released it into the garden. Then he had cleaned up the soot fall and given the walls a fresh coat of lime wash. It had all been done while the Sunday service was taking place. Louisa said Herbert always kept the commandments and on the Sabbath would never
have
agreed to the work being done. She did concede however that it had been a sort of emergency and since Herbert had been unaware of what had happened he couldn’t really complain. Another night James had volunteered to cut the grass in the graveyard, glad of the fresh air after the confines of the wire mill.

Young Robbie was spending more and more time in the joiner’s shop. Mr Grundy had suggested the boy should keep to the hours originally agreed, but when Robbie told him he enjoyed staying over and wanted to learn as much as he could, Mrs Grundy had suggested the boy join them for their main meal and then return to work under the guidance of her husband. So now Robbie could look forward to a little extra in his pay packet every Friday. He had been taught how to mix glue and how to stain wood and he also knew what all the different tools were for and how to care for them. Evenings at the vicarage were usually spent with a book from Herbert’s small but well-stocked library. Sometimes they would partake of a game of dominoes and the elder brothers had been taught to play bridge.

John had been devastated when Lucy Gabbitas hadn’t turned up with her sister on the night of the dance. Kitty explained about Mrs Gabbitas being in hospital and John wondered why Jane had decided to come along, leaving her younger sister with the responsibility of taking care of her brother.
It
made John admire Lucy more than ever and though he danced most of the dances with Kitty Marshall he never stopped thinking about Lucy. Actually John was relieved when the evening came to an end. He had been left with the impression that Jane was of a rather shallow nature, but as James seemed to be besotted with her he thought he was maybe being a little hard on the girl. John was cheered slightly with Kitty’s parting words: ‘I’ll tell Lucy you were concerned about her mother.’

‘Oh, aye, you do that. Oh and Kitty! Will you tell her I’ll be waiting when her mother’s better?’

Kitty grinned. ‘Aye, it’ll make her day if I tell her that. She really likes you.’

‘Really?’ John grinned.

‘Aye, really.’

Kitty liked John too. If Lucy hadn’t been her best friend she might have tried to entice John Grey away from her, but like Lucy, Kitty Marshall was loyal to her friends and family.

Chapter Six

ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT
the whole Gabbitas family went to visit Annie, with the exception of William who, at eleven, was considered to be too young, and Jane, who made the excuse that she would stay and see to her brother, even though they all knew the real reason was that she was squeamish about hospitals. They were met by the matron, who invited Ben into her office and explained that it had been necessary to amputate his mother’s leg below the knee. It was hoped that all the necrosis had been eliminated and Annie was as comfortable as could be expected. Ben and Mary were the first to be allowed into the ward. Annie looked so small and ill amongst the pillows that Mary promptly burst into tears. Now instead of fearing her mother, Mary just pitied her.

‘Nay, lass, crying’ll alter nowt,’ Annie told Mary. ‘Me leg’s gone now and glad I am to be rid of it.’

‘Oh, Mam, why didn’t you see the doctor sooner?’

‘I don’t know, lass. I just kept putting it off. I expected the Borax to heal it up and get it better. Anyway, it’s gone now.’ A tear slid down her pale cheek and Mary leaned over and placed her arms
round
Annie’s shoulders. ‘Anyway, I shall manage once I get used to a pair o’ crutches. How’re me bairns?’

‘Our Lucy and Nellie’re here. Our William isn’t allowed in.’

‘And our Jane’ll be too busy I expect.’

‘She’s keeping an eye on William.’

‘She didn’t need to. Mrs Slater’d ’ave seen to ’im.’ Mr and Mrs Slater had always been there through any crisis affecting the Gabbitas family; in return Annie and Bill had given any assistance required by their neighbours. Unlike others on Top Row they had never fallen out over any of their children’s quarrels and simply ordered them to go out and play nicely. The women had attended each other’s confinements and acted as godparents to each other’s children. Indeed William and young Ernest Slater had been baptised on the same day.