East End Jubilee (3 page)

Eddie looked crestfallen. ‘I did it for us, sweetheart. Look what a lovely morning you’ve had. You’d have been at home with your ear glued to the gram if Olga hadn’t
sported out.’

‘Don’t try to talk your way out of it, Eddie, it’s me you’re talking to, your wife.’

He pulled her close again. ‘Go on, say something nice for a change, I dare you.’

She gave in a little then. Eddie was right. It had been a lovely morning. And all because of the telly and Olga’s hospitality.

‘We’re gonna dance the night away,’ Eddie promised her. ‘I’m gonna swing you round the street until you beg me to stop. Then after the kids are in bed we
can—’

‘Eddie!’

He grinned. ‘All right. All right.’

‘You’d better go while I’m in a good mood.’ Rose’s beautiful dark brown eyes sparkled.

‘See you in a cock linnet, then.’ He gave her another kiss and disappeared.

Eddie Weaver, why do I fall for your patter every time? She sighed softly as the National Anthem prompted a short pause for solemnity. Then everyone let loose to Elgar’s ‘Pomp and
Circumstance’.

The great royal procession travelled jubilantly back to Buckingham Palace cheered on by thousands of well wishers. Rose wanted to treasure every moment of the historic day. Suddenly there was a
close-up. Inside the coach, a little white handbag lay on the seat. It seemed a tiny, vulnerable human idiosyncrasy, not of the Queen, but the young girl left behind.

It wouldn’t be an easy road to travel, Rose thought. But it will be a lot easier than yours another little voice cried in her head. She’s rich and you’re poor. Money will make
a difference. It always did. But as the girls came back to sit with her, Rose decided money wouldn’t buy happiness or add to the love of her family. She was just reminding herself how lucky
she was when there was a noise in the street. Rose thought it was probably the men erecting the tarpaulin over the benches. It was still raining and everyone wanted to eat, drink and be merry in
the dry.

‘Blimey, is that the coppers?’ someone screeched.

‘Yeah, what do they want up ’ere on Coronation Day?’

‘Half a crown to go away I suppose,’ Rose heard Cissy cry.

‘Struth, there’s a rumpus!’

Everyone rushed to the window. ‘’Ere, Rose, it’s your Eddie! He’s taking a right hiding.’

The two girls wriggled from her arms and ran to join the others. Rose heard Donnie scream, ‘Daddy!’

In that moment, Rose knew her life had changed forever.

Rose rushed into the street. The men had stopped pulling the waterproof covering over the benches.

‘What’s happened?’ Rose ran over but a big policeman blocked her path.

‘And who might you be?’

‘I’m Mrs Weaver. Where’s my husband?’

‘His wife, eh?’ The policeman wiped the dirt from his face with the palm of his hand and replaced his helmet. He was out of breath and his uniform was all crooked. Another policeman
was limping towards the police car. He, too, was replacing his helmet.

‘Your husband is what happened, that’s what.’

Rose pointed to the car. ‘Is he in there? I want to speak to him.’ She tried to go round but he blocked her way.

‘You’ll have to speak to the guv’nor first. He’s inside.’

Rose turned to follow the policeman’s nod. The door of her house was open and a stranger was standing in the hall. ‘What’s he doing in my house?’ She didn’t wait to
hear the answer. Her heart was pounding as she rushed in and confronted the man. ‘Who are you?’

He looked her up and down. ‘My name is Inspector Williams.’ He was dressed in a raincoat and wore a trilby hat pulled over his forehead. ‘We have a warrant to search the
premises.’ He flourished a piece of paper in her face.

‘What are you looking for?’ Rose stared at him.

‘We’ve reason to believe there may be stolen goods here.’

‘Stolen goods!’ She laughed in astonishment. ‘That’s ridiculous. There’s nothing under this roof that would interest you. All our stuff’s been in the family
for years.’

‘Well, then, you won’t mind us looking.’

‘I do mind,’ Rose said indignantly. ‘Wouldn’t you if someone went in your home without permission? And what about my husband? Why’s he in that car?’

Just then a uniformed officer trod heavily down the stairs and disappeared into the front room. As Rose was about to follow, there were screams outside. Her heart turned over. It was
Marlene.

‘Let my Daddy go,’ she was screaming as Rose ran out. The policeman by the car was trying to dodge the tips of her black patent shoes.

‘That child’s a menace,’ he complained as Rose swept Marlene into her arms.

‘Not half as much of a menace as you lot,’ Rose cried angrily.

‘What’s happening, Mum?’ Donnie arrived beside them. Her small chin was wobbling.

‘It’s all right, pet. Come here.’ She hugged them tightly as the man in the raincoat walked towards them.

‘You do realize your husband attacked two of my officers?’

Rose looked up at him. ‘What do you mean, attacked? Eddie wouldn’t hurt a fly!’

‘He prevented us from our search by using physical violence.’

‘Well, I still don’t believe you,’ Rose declared, trying to see into the car. ‘I want to speak to him.’

A surly smile crept across the policeman’s hard mouth. ‘I’m afraid that’s not possible.’

The whole neighbourhood had now gathered round and Rose decided this was her one chance of speaking to Eddie. If the inspector refused again he would have to do so in public. ‘Just give me
a few minutes,’ she pleaded in a voice that everyone could hear. ‘It’s about the kids.’

There was a look in his eyes that she didn’t like, but finally he nodded. ‘Two minutes,’ he growled.

Rose flung herself at the open window of the car. Eddie sat inside, squashed between two policemen. His nose was bleeding and his hair was all over the place.

‘Oh Eddie, what’s happened to you?’

He tried to lean forward. ‘They just barged their way in the house and sent me flying.’

‘What do they want? Why are they taking you away?’

‘They keep harping on about a Whitechapel job. But I ain’t got a clue what they’re talking about.’

‘Did they hurt you?’

He gave her a shaky smile. ‘No, don’t worry about me, I’m all right. Take care of yourself and the kids. I’ll be back just as soon as I sort it all out.’

‘Oh, Eddie!’

The window went up and she was pulled back. She felt like screaming at the inspector to leave them alone.

‘Look Mummy, they’re taking Mrs Parker’s telly away.’ Marlene pointed across the road. Two policemen carried the television from Olga’s house and packed it into a
van.

What connection had the television to Eddie’s arrest? Rose wondered in panic. ‘Where are you taking my husband?’ she demanded as the inspector climbed into the passenger
seat.

‘To Bow Street to help with our enquiries,’ he answered gruffly as the driver started the car.

‘How long will that take? How will I know what’s going on?’ she yelled as the car began to move away.

‘Try phoning,’ he threw over his shoulder as the window went up and the car sped off followed in hot pursuit by the van. Rose stood in the road, watching them disappear.

‘Where’s Daddy going?’ Donnie’s face was white.

She swallowed. ‘To the police station, pet, to help the policemen with their enquiries.’

‘Why?’

Before she had time to reply Olga came hurrying towards them. ‘Do you realize your husband sold us stolen property?’ she shouted all red in the face.

Rose bent down to the girls. She didn’t want them to hear any more unpleasantness. ‘Go inside and wait for me.’ She gave their shoulders a gentle push, then turned to Olga.
‘What did you just say?’

‘That television was stolen. The police have taken it away and I don’t suppose we shall see it again.’

‘Who told you that?’

‘The policemen of course.’

‘Well, there must have been some mistake—’ Rose began but Olga shouted over her.

‘Yes, the mistake was in trusting your husband.’

‘Leave it out, Olga. Eddie is an honest man. He wouldn’t do anything dodgy.’

‘Oh no? I was questioned like a common criminal. As if they thought I had something to do with stealing it.’

‘Well, I’m sorry for all that,’ Rose apologized, wishing hard that she hadn’t lost that argument with Eddie over the telly and wishing even harder she could turn back the
clock.

‘We’ve been swindled and all you can do is stand there and say you’re sorry!’ Olga screamed as they stood in the middle of the road.

‘Eddie wouldn’t touch anything that was stolen.’ Rose knew she wasting her breath.

‘They might have thought we were involved if we hadn’t got a receipt!’

‘Well, if you’ve got a receipt, doesn’t that prove Eddie wasn’t out to cheat you?’ Rose felt as though she was sinking in quicksand.

‘It proves your husband sold us a stolen television!’

Rose lifted her chin. ‘I’m sorry for the trouble of course, but you’re judging Eddie before you know all the facts.’

Olga laughed coldly. ‘There is only one fact. We have just lost fifty honestly earned pounds. We might as well have thrown it down the drain.’

Rose nearly choked as she heard the price the Parkers had paid for the television. Fifty pounds was a small fortune in Rose’s book.

Just then Len Silverman appeared. ‘Leave the child alone,’ he said quietly to Olga. ‘She is upset.’

Olga turned on him fiercely. ‘And so am I, old man!’

‘It’s all right, Len. I can fight me own battles,’ Rose said shakily, taking his arm.

‘You haven’t heard the last of this.’ Olga lifted her shoulders and marched off. Rose could almost see the steam coming out of her ears.

‘I’m truly sorry, Rose,’ the widower apologized as he pushed his fingers through his thin grey hair. ‘It is me who is the cause of your trouble. One of the policemen
asked if I knew of anyone owning a new television. He said they were prepared to search in every house so I had better speak up.’ His thick grey eyebrows knitted together. ‘I did so,
unfortunately. I hope you are not angry with me.’

Rose was aware that the retired jeweller kept his home as a shrine to his dead wife, Lena. He hated any intrusion into his life. Since her death ten years ago, the word was he hadn’t moved
a stick of furniture. All her clothes and belongings were still in the wardrobe. ‘Forget it, Len. Olga would have told them if you hadn’t,’ Rose said kindly.

‘Is there anything I can do to help?’

‘No, thanks all the same.’ Only a miracle could help now, Rose thought as she hurried back home. Upstairs the girls were sitting on Donnie’s bed looking lost and alone. Rose
hugged them hard. ‘Don’t worry, Daddy will be all right.’

‘What’s he done wrong?’

‘Nothing. The police have made a mistake.’

Donnie shuddered. ‘Everyone was looking at us funny, like we’d done something wrong.’

‘Well, you haven’t and neither has Daddy.’ They had no reason to be ashamed. Whatever the police thought, Rose knew her husband wasn’t guilty of any crime. He worked hard
for his living, even though she didn’t like the idea of him dealing in pubs and cafés, anywhere, in fact, he could turn a profit. He never cheated anyone and was always the first to
offer help if someone was in trouble. There was no way Eddie would deliberately take something that didn’t belong to him.

‘Those policemen were horrible.’ Donnie’s brown eyes filled with tears. ‘They hurt Daddy.’

‘But he fought them back.’ Marlene wiped the dirty tears from her cheek with the back of her hand. ‘I saw from Mrs Parker’s window. I tried to kick one of them
too.’

Rose took the little hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘You were sticking up for Daddy I know, but you mustn’t kick people.’

‘They came in our house without asking.’

‘Well, they did have a search warrant.’

‘What’s that?’

‘A piece of paper that says you can search someone’s house.’ She pulled them along. ‘Let’s go in and see if they’ve left the house tidy.’

What had the police expected to find, Rose wondered as they all filed in looking this way and that, first in the front room and then in the kitchen. The front room was her pride and joy with the
green moquette couch standing in front of the window and the big shiny radiogram sitting against the far wall. On the mantel was Rogues’ Gallery, photos in brown wooden frames of all the
family dating back to her grandparents. On the wall above was a large round bevelled-edge mirror that had always been part of the house for as long as she could remember. There were a few rust
spots that had begun to creep over its surface, but if you didn’t look too close, it looked as good as new. To soften the austerity of the room she had made her own flowery cushions and a
thick hearthrug sat cosily in front of the black leaded Victorian fireplace. A large brass coal scuttle and companion tongs rested on the ornate brass hearth surround and a framed needlework
tapestry her mother had made hid the emptiness of the grate behind. It was slightly askew and some soot had come down on the shiny green tiles. Whoever had been searching up the chimney had found
nothing but cobwebs!

Other than this, the room seemed to be as it was although a few pieces of china looked out of place on the shelves above the radiogram. Rose replaced them asking herself why the police would
want to search their modest little home. God knew they had very few possessions and what they did have had been in the family for years.

Then she thought of the one item of value in the whole house. Not of material importance but certainly of sentimental value. She ran upstairs. Her mother’s necklace was kept in the bottom
drawer of the dressing table. The slender row of imitation pearls meant the world to her. She pulled out the drawer and saw Eddie’s socks in a muddle. It was her practice to turn each pair
into a ball after washing and lay them side by side. Her hands went shakily to a navy blue pair, well worn and long ago rejected by Eddie.

‘Are you looking for Nana’s necklace, Mummy?’ Donnie asked as she came to stand beside her mother.

‘Yes, darling.’ Rose shook out the socks and a dainty row of pearls slithered out. ‘They’re still here,’ she sighed in relief as she pressed their comforting shape
between her fingers. Whenever Rose held them she felt close to her mother.