A Perfect Christmas (29 page)

‘Being realistic, Jan, I think I’d best find another job before she gets back. I don’t need to work at the firm any longer, do I, as I’ve found out the information I needed and can’t get any further in my search for Lucy until I can tackle Nerys face to face about it.’

Guilt flamed in Jan’s eyes and she said reproachfully, ‘I never stopped to consider the consequences there could be for you when I bamboozled you into working at Rose’s.’

‘I’m just as much to blame because neither did I at the time. Too bent on finding Lucy’s whereabouts to think further than that.’ He smiled at her. ‘You were just trying your best to find a way to help me, that’s all.’

Jan looked thoughtful. ‘Well, now we’ve got to make a plan for how we’re going to get you up to the office to tackle Nerys when she does come back. I suppose I’ll have to ask permission from Hilda to use the telephone as I have an emergency, then get hold of you at your new workplace as soon as I hear word Nerys is on the premises. Then you’ll have to make up some damned good excuse to your new boss and hope he’ll give you permission to go out, then get over to the factory as quickly as you can, hoping Nerys doesn’t leave meantime. It’s going to be like planning a military operation.’ Jan heaved an exasperated sigh. ‘God, all we want is the chance for you to talk to the bloody woman. How hard can it possibly—’ She stopped dead in mid-flow and, to Glen’s surprise, started laughing.

‘What’s so funny?’ he asked her.

‘Us. We’re still not thinking clearly. Pair of old duffers we are. The answer is staring us in the face. We follow her daughter home after work. She’s not old enough to drive so keep everything crossed she doesn’t catch a taxi or get the family car to pick her up. Hopefully she catches the bus like the rest of us menials.’

Glen was feeling mortally inadequate for not thinking of this solution himself but he was glad Jan had. It seemed to have the best potential for his achieving his goal. He said enthusiastically, ‘I’ll do it tomorrow night. I’ll . . .’

Jan piped up, ‘You can’t be the one to follow her, Glen. Caitlyn Thomas knows you, and if she catches sight of you tailing her she could get suspicious. I need to be the one to do this. Tomorrow’s Saturday and the office staff don’t have to work like us factory lot do so I doubt she will. It’ll have to be Monday night. Oh, dear, seems like a long weekend’s in front of us. Anyway, I’ll tell Hilda I’ve got somewhere important I need to be straight after work so I’ll have to leave as soon as the hooter blows. I’ll hide somewhere I’ve got a good view of the factory gates and as soon as I see Miss Thomas coming through them, I’ll tag on behind her, keeping at a safe distance. Hopefully she’ll be in too much of a hurry to get home to take much notice of what’s going on around her. And it’s dark that time of night, so that’s on our side . . .’

The plan sounded a good one to him but, regardless, several problems struck him. He said to her, ‘But, Jan, you’ll have been on your feet all day and be tired. And it’s freezing weather. You could catch your death if for some reason Caitlyn Thomas stays late in the office.’

She told him, ‘Well, I’ll be sitting down on the bus, and I’ll make sure I wear two pairs of knickers.’

He grinned. ‘Well, it seems it’s all go then.’ Another thought struck him then. ‘But Caitlyn knows you too, Jan. You brought a tray up to the office this morning so she’s seen your face, hasn’t she?’ He eyed her quizzically. ‘Er . . . by the way, why were you acting so oddly when you brought it in this morning?’

She looked at him for a moment before shifting awkwardly in her seat. ‘Well . . . er . . . you see, I wasn’t entirely honest with you . . . I didn’t lie, but I didn’t tell you either as I didn’t want to upset you since you believed at the time that the young woman in the office was your daughter. If I had told you I’d met her, you would have asked me what she was like, and I didn’t want to tell you so—’

He cut in, ‘You’re babbling, Jan. What is it you’re trying to tell me?’

‘Just that I crossed paths with . . . well, the girl we now know is Nerys’s own daughter, not yours, the first morning she came in. In fact both of us have come across her before. She was the girl in the church who kicked up a fuss when we went inside that night to rest.’

The incident came back to Glen. ‘Well thank goodness she hasn’t recognised us this time around, considering the state we were in then. She’d know the information I’ve told her about my background is a pack of lies.’

‘No one would realise the man that was in the church is the same one sat opposite me now,’ Jan said. ‘There’s no comparison. In my opinion she was too concerned at the time that we’d spoil her wedding to take much notice of us. At least, I assume it was her wedding, only as she’s still a Miss, something must have stopped it happening. Perhaps her fiancé didn’t like her attitude and called it off before it was too late. If that’s the case I do feel a bit sorry for her. She will have had a hard lesson to learn.’

Jan paused for a moment. ‘That first morning, I had a run-in with her and she ended up sacking me. Accused me of committing treason! Thankfully the boss’s secretary arrived then and I made a quick exit, glad the young woman hadn’t asked for my name. I did tell Hilda what had happened but she just told me to get on with my work and she’d deal with it. Thankfully I heard no more. I was acting strangely this morning because I was concerned she might recognise me and remember, but I don’t need to worry about bumping into her now with the union agreement to reinstate those she sacked unfairly, do I?’

Glen smiled. ‘I wondered why you were behaving differently. Now I know.’

‘Please don’t hold it against me for not telling you what she was like. How could I tell you that the daughter you were longing to get to know again was . . . well, as I thought at the time, a nasty piece of work who had escaped from the lunatic asylum?’

‘Jan, if the roles had been reversed, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you either. I only hope I can sleep tonight, thinking about what we hope to do on Monday. I do hope nothing happens to put a spanner in the works.’

She nodded in agreement. ‘Me too. I think some hot milk is called for. Hopefully between that and the beer we’ll both get a good night’s sleep.’ When she returned with cups of warm milk, Glen thanked her for his and said, ‘Tomorrow afternoon I thought I’d come home and get changed then take a trip around the area and have a look at the factory vacancies boards, to see if there’s anything suitable going.’ He would have liked to ask Jan to accompany him, but didn’t want to in case she preferred to have some time to herself while he was out. He would have been very surprised to have learned how disappointed Jan was that he didn’t ask her.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

E
arlier that evening Cait put the key in the lock and let herself into the house. After today’s revelations she found she could no longer consider this as her home. Home was a warm, welcoming place, and she now realised she had never known anywhere like that. If she had children of her own, she vowed, she would never make them feel like intruders in their own home, only to be tolerated until they were old enough to make their own way in the world. Until she got her own place, though, which she meant to do as a matter of urgency, she had no choice but to stay here.

As she closed the front door behind her, she flattened her back against it and heaved a weary sigh. She had never meant anything so much in her life as when she had said she didn’t want to be the old Cait any more but a much nicer person. It was such hard work, though, constantly having to think about what she was going to say before she said it, and in what tone of voice, and the only thing that kept her persevering was the vision Glen Trainer – or her saviour as she now saw him – had conjured up for her of herself as an old woman, sitting by herself with no one in the world to turn to, no one caring whether she was alive or dead. The thought terrified her.

As exhausting as she had found it, she had to admit that making her apologies to Jane Trucker for her previous appalling behaviour had made her feel a bit better about herself. When she had asked the capable secretary if she would be willing to help source a temporary manager as Cait herself had no clue how to proceed, and also to talk her through anything else that was required of her in order for the company to keep running in the meantime, it had been surprisingly uplifting to see the lines of strain fade from the older woman’s face. Jane’s shoulders had sagged in relief on hearing she was no longer expected to shoulder the burdens she had been carrying for the last few days, and her gracious response to Cait had been that it would give her pleasure to help in whatever way she could.

Hearing her arrival, Agnes came to greet her, saying, ‘Oh, I’m glad you’re home, Miss Thomas. I just wanted a word before I left for the night. I’ve banked up the fire for you and your dinner is keeping hot in the oven.’

Cait had expected the daily to have gone home by now and desperately wanted to start running herself a bath as the sooner she did, the sooner she could get into bed and fall sleep after her tumultuous day. Agnes’s waylaying her caused her to forget her resolve to change her attitude. ‘Just what is it you want to speak to me about, Dalby?’ she replied carelessly.

It was the hurt look in Agnes’s eyes that reminded Cait if she carried on like this she would indeed become that lonely old woman Glen had prophesied. To Agnes’s surprise she followed up her rudeness with, ‘Forgive me, Agnes, I’ve had a tiring day. What was it you wanted a word about?’

‘Well, it’s just that you know I usually finish on a Saturday the same as Sunday, after I’ve cleared up dinner about two o’clock, and the rest of the day is me own? Well, I’m . . . er . . . very aware what day tomorrow should have been for you and it could be difficult for you to get through it on your own. So what I’m trying to say is that with your parents not being here, I’m willing to stay on in case you might feel the need for someone to talk to. I can do the same on Sunday if you’d like me to.’ Agnes hurriedly added, ‘Please don’t think I’m being impertinent, Miss Thomas, ’cause I don’t intend to be. What I am is concerned for you, that’s all, one woman to another.’

Not that she was a woman who deserved Agnes Dalby’s concern after the way she had treated her since she’d come to work for them, Cait thought, overwhelmed with shame. She realised now just what the poor woman had had to put up with, being treated with such hostility by her employer in order to see that she stayed in her place and did not feel at liberty to poke her nose into their affairs. But now Cait wondered just why her mother had felt such a need to keep people at arm’s length. It had to be her ownership of the factory since it was never mentioned, but just why she felt the need to keep that a secret Cait couldn’t fathom.

Because of the events of today and the exhaustion she was feeling, she had temporarily forgotten that tomorrow should have been her wedding day. It was going to prove a hard day to get through. Although the new Cait she was desperately trying to turn herself into should grab Agnes Dalby’s offer of friendship, she felt the need to be on her own so that she could cry and wail for as long and loud as she liked, hoping this would help her over her grief for the loss of Neil and allow her to move on into the new life she was going to make for herself.

‘Thank you, Agnes, but I’ll be fine. Now why don’t you get off home? You’ve not been paid to be here, remember.’ She smiled and added, ‘But I want you to know I’m grateful for what you’re doing for me. Goodnight.’

With that she turned and made her way upstairs, leaving a very confused Agnes wondering if she had misheard her expression of gratitude. Uppermost in Agnes’s mind, however, was a feeling of amazement at the change in Cait’s behaviour. What could possibly have happened to the girl today to bring about this miraculous change in her personality?

As soon as Cait woke the next morning, the significance of the date hit her and a vision of Neil swam before her. She wondered how he was feeling right now – more than likely celebrating his lucky escape from her, she thought – and at this her face crumpled and a flood of tears began to flow. She had never felt so lonely and desolate in all her life. Then suddenly some words Glen Trainer had said to her resounded in her mind.
The only one who can help you is yourself
. She wasn’t doing anything to help herself lying here thinking of painful things that could only make her miserable. She couldn’t stop painful things happening to her in the future, but she could make sure that when they did she had her own circle of friends around her to turn to for comfort. The first thing she must do was find herself a place to live so that the new Cait she was more than ever determined to become had somewhere to invite new friends back to.

She had just arrived at the bottom of the stairs, intending to make herself some toast then go to the nearest newsagent’s and buy a copy of the
Mercury
, when she froze as she heard a key being inserted in the front door. It opened and to her surprise she saw Agnes walk in.

She couldn’t fail to spot the worried expression on the old woman’s face, which immediately turned to one of relief when she saw Cait.

‘Oh, you are up and about, Miss Thomas. I . . . er . . . I’m so used to working I didn’t know what to do with myself. I thought I’d just drop by and . . . er . . . fold that washing I put on the pulley in the utility room yesterday. And I might as well iron it while I’m at it. While I’m in the kitchen I could mash a pot of tea. Would you like a cup, Miss Thomas?’

Cait smiled at her. ‘I know you’re really here because you’re worried about me, and I appreciate that. Yes, I’d like a cup of tea, Agnes, thank you.’

The old woman smiled back at her before she went off to mash the tea.

Cait stared thoughtfully after her. This turn of events had come about because of her own small display of consideration for Agnes last night. Agnes wanted to repay her by showing some back. Cait felt she now understood how friends were made. Suddenly she didn’t feel so alone any more. She had made her first friend.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

A
t mid-morning the following Monday, Glen was fighting to keep his concentration focused fully on the bags of coal being emptied down the chute into the boiler room, in an effort to stop himself from worrying over the outcome of Jan’s planned escapade tonight. He was desperate for its success, not relishing at all the prospect of a repeat performance should it fail. He didn’t think his nerves would stand that. He was going to have to be patient, though, as by his calculation it was going to be at least seven o’clock before Jan got back to the flat. And that was provided she didn’t face any setbacks during the operation. He was thankful that he had spotted a couple of job vacancies while he’d been out walking at the weekend. He was going to go straight after work tonight, not only because he really needed to find himself another job but because applying for them would help occupy some of the time, instead of pacing the flat, waiting for Jan to come home.