Lily of Love Lane (43 page)

Hattie moved a large brown paper bag and its smelly contents from a wooden chair and sat down gingerly. ‘I wish I could. No offence to your mum, but I’m dying for a place of me own.
I might as well still be looking after me own parents and Sylvester like I was before. Only now I’ve got them as well. I think you did the right thing, moving out.’

Ben took off his coat and made the tea. ‘This ain’t a palace, I know, but I’ll get round to doing it up one day. Do you want to go in the other room?’

Hattie looked at him suspiciously. ‘Not if it’s full up with stuff.’

Ben laughed and set the cups before them. ‘Tell you what, I’ll leave the gas on, warm us up a bit.’

Hattie peered into her cup. ‘Is the milk fresh?’

‘No, it’s condensed.’

‘Oh, well, I’m thirsty so I’ll drink it.’ She cautiously sipped the tea.

‘So what is it you want that’s brought you to me doorstep tonight?’ Ben said after a while.

Hattie shrugged lightly. ‘I just thought I’d say hello.’

There was a teasing glint in his eye. ‘You’ve done that so what is it really?’

Hattie sighed as she put down her cup. ‘I’m just a bit worried about Lil.’

‘Lil?’ The smile slipped from Ben’s lips. ‘What about her? What’s wrong?’

Hattie flapped her hand. ‘Nothing, nothing. It was just she called round to see me at work today.’

‘She did?’ Ben frowned as he stared at her. ‘What did she want?’

Hattie knew she had to be careful. ‘I think she might be a bit lonely. You see, she’s all on her own still.’

‘You mean he ain’t come back yet?’

‘No, apparently not.’

‘I didn’t like leaving her there in the first place. Should have taken her home, but you know Lil.’

Hattie nodded. ‘Yes, I do. But it occurred to me you could call by if you’ve got time. It wouldn’t seem out of place, as you go there so often. You could just say you was
passing by.’

Ben nodded thoughtfully. ‘I was going to knock on the door as a matter of fact. See if she’d like a lift home sometime.’

‘I’m sure she’d be pleased to see a friendly face.’ Hattie sat forward and lowered her voice. ‘But don’t say I told you anything, all right?’

‘Why’s that?’

‘She’d think we was both feeling sorry for her. And you know how stroppy she gets over her gent.’

Ben nodded slowly. ‘You ain’t wrong there, Hat.’

‘Well, as much as I’d like to sit here gassing I’d better get back before Reube gets home from the Quarry.’

‘I’d join him there for a quick one, only I’m gonna call round for Mr Next Door to drive him down the Mission Hall. There’s a meeting on tonight for all the old
boys.’

‘Yes, I know,’ Hattie said as she stood up. ‘Personally I don’t understand the politics much. Though Reube says Spain is all the talk down the pubs. It seems to have
taken over where the Blackshirts left off. Some of the young blokes have boasted they were going off to join the International Brigade. Reube says they’re only doing it as there ain’t
nothing else to do in the docks. They don’t really understand the ins and outs, but think they’ll get all the glory.’

‘They won’t find much of that in Spain,’ agreed Ben. ‘There’s all sorts out there, knocking each other about for the hell of it. I hear these intellectuals in the
back of me cab, all pretending to know what they’re talking about. But I tell you what, whether it’s commies, lefties, fascists, nationalists or idealists – even for a dimwit like
me, I can hear the same old story. They all want the power. And the colour of power is blood red.’

Hattie looked at him carefully. ‘You mean it will be a bloodbath, like the papers say?’

‘Aren’t all wars?’

‘Yes, but it was different for us, the British. We was fighting the Kaiser for a good cause.’

Ben shrugged. ‘I don’t know about that.’

‘But your dad gave his life for his country. And me brother was gassed for it. We’ve got to believe it was for something.’

‘That’s what they’d have us believe.’

‘Who?’

‘The blokes with the power. The manipulators.’

‘Blimey Ben, you sound as though you should be down that meeting yourself,’ Hattie shivered. ‘Anyway, time to go.’ She made her way cautiously to the front door, avoiding
the hurdles.

Hattie sat in the back of the cab listening to Ben and his neighbour as they drove to the Mission Hall. It made her shudder again, all this talk of war. Even at work, one of the machinists had
been boasting that her son was in full-time employment now. He had moved to Birkenhead docks and had helped to build a ship that cost over three million pounds to construct. It was called the
Ark Royal.

Ben was up bright and early. Being Saturday he liked to get into the city as Saturday’s tips were always a lot more generous. The female shoppers in the West End had
plenty to spare and didn’t stint when he gave them a bit of the old blarney. He enjoyed the frivolous side to his job; it was good to share a joke and at weekends it was easier, as the
punters had time to enjoy themselves.

This morning, though, he drove to Dewar Street. He wouldn’t stop long, just long enough to pass the time of day with Lil. He’d ask her if she wanted a lift home, but he’d throw
it casually into the conversation. If her gent wasn’t back then she might accept. Strange that Hattie had called by. He couldn’t quite fathom that one out. But he could understand her
concern as he’d shared it himself when he dropped Lily back there last time.

Pulling up outside number four, Ben glanced along the road. His lordship’s car wasn’t there. The more he thought about Charles Grey, the more Ben couldn’t take to the fellow.
But then again, Lily could obviously see a lot more in the man than he could.

Ben strolled casually across the road. Not a soul in sight. Taking the white steps in a couple of hops, he used the brass knocker. When no one appeared he knocked again, a little harder this
time. Was she out? He was just about to leave when he heard a noise. ‘Lil, is that you?’

The door opened. His stomach almost came up as she swayed, reached out and by a fraction, he caught her. Sliding his arm beneath her, he lifted her gently in. Booting the door closed behind him,
he stood with her in his arms, his mind in a panic as a cold, clammy sweat crept down the back of his neck.

Ben sat looking into space. He couldn’t believe he was here again. Thank God it wasn’t where they’d taken Mr Kelly, not to that same small room where it had
already been too late to help. But to a ward, somewhere at the end of a maze of passages that looked all alike to him. They’d brought her up here, then told him to go away and return later.
Of course, he hadn’t done that. He’d just walked around, his heart beating like a drum as he’d thought back to what he’d found in that place. Who had been there? and what
had they done to her? Ben didn’t know where to put his anger. It was building up in him like a volcano. He wanted to get hold of someone and . . .

He closed his eyes, trying to block out the mental image of the bruise on her face and the bright red blood that had congealed there. He’d tried to think of what to do first, but instinct
had governed his actions and he’d carried her out to the cab and driven like a bloody lunatic to the hospital. Then they’d asked him all sorts of daft questions. How could he tell them
anything? He didn’t know.

He got up and walked to the window. It was raining outside, the kind of cold heartless rain that went with a day like this.

A voice came from behind him. A small woman dressed in a dark blue uniform and white cap. She addressed him. ‘Mr James? The doctor would like to see you.’

‘Is she all right?’

‘She’s comfortable, yes.’

‘Can I see her?’

‘All in good time. Come this way, please.’

Ben followed, his mind going round in circles. Comfortable. What did that mean? Why couldn’t he speak to her?

The doctor was walking towards them and smiled as he looked Ben up and down. ‘You’re Mr James?’

Ben nodded. ‘Can I see Lil?’

‘Yes, in a moment. I understand you brought Miss Bright here today?’

‘Yes, in me cab.’

‘But you know her personally?’

‘Yes, she’s a close friend.’

‘Well, Mr James, we have treated her wrist and head injuries. But she is still suffering the after effects of being unconscious. She doesn’t remember anything after her fall,
unfortunately. So we have no information between this time and when she said you found her.’

‘Lil said she had a fall?’

‘Yes, that’s correct. Why? Did you think otherwise?’

Ben quickly shook his head. He didn’t want to dispute Lil’s story and perhaps that was what happened. But had she said anything about the house being wrecked?

‘So you know nothing about what happened?’

‘No.’

‘Was Miss Bright in any trouble?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘In any suspicious cases, it’s our duty to inform the police.’

Ben didn’t like the way the doctor was sounding. ‘I don’t see there’s any reason for that,’ he answered. ‘If Lil says she’s had a fall, that’s all
there is to it.’

Ben stared into the doctor’s unflinching gaze. He didn’t know what had happened to Lily. He needed to talk to her before he said anything more.

‘She also tells us that she has no family to inform.’

Ben felt a jolt of shock. Why had she said that? Now he knew that it was no accident. Lily was lying. And he had an unpleasant feeling he knew why.

‘No . . . no family as I know of,’ he colluded. Lily didn’t want anyone to know what had happened. Had Charles Grey assaulted her? A surge of anger threatened to overwhelm him,
before he managed to compose himself as he decided that whatever was causing Lily to lie, he would have to go along with it for now.

What did Hattie know, that she hadn’t told him? Had Lil been in trouble when she visited Hattie yesterday? Now he thought about it, Hattie wasn’t likely to have turned up at his
house without good reason. There must be something more to all this. Did it have anything to do with what Noah Kelly had told him about Charles Grey?

As Ben tried to think, the doctor spoke again. ‘Miss Bright has asked to see you, but I suggest you keep this visit short. She will need time to recover both physically . . . and indeed,
in other respects. Meanwhile we’ve given her something to help her rest.’

Ben felt the insides of his stomach curl as the doctor gestured for him to follow. What did he mean, ‘other respects’?

Lily blinked through the pain. She kept slipping in and out of consciousness. What had happened to her since those men had come to the house? One of her arms seemed to be in a
splint. Had that man broken it?

Suddenly she felt her good hand grasped. ‘Lil, it’s me, Ben. How are you feeling?’

She couldn’t say how bad her head, back and arm felt. Or that she felt bruised inside. She tried to smile instead.

‘It’s all right, Lil. I’m here.’

But she wished it was Charles. Where was he? Why hadn’t he come for her?

‘Lil, what happened?’

The doctor had kept asking her that. She didn’t want him to know what happened. She didn’t want anyone to know what happened. She had to protect Charles.

‘The doctor said you told him you’d fallen down the stairs?’

She nodded.

‘That ain’t true, is it?’

‘I want to go home, Ben.’

‘You can’t, Lil. All the furniture is broken.’

She sobbed, trying to turn her head so he wouldn’t see. ‘Don’t tell them about that – please!’

‘I haven’t.’

‘And don’t tell Mum and Dad.’

‘Why, Lil? What’s going on?’

‘I don’t want them upset.’ She knew that if Ben told her parents they would come here. She didn’t want anyone to know what had happened at the house. She wanted to see
Charles, only Charles, who would make everything all right.

Another tear slipped out, followed by another.

He squeezed her hand gently. ‘Look, I ain’t gonna upset you now. Whatever’s happened, you’ve got me and that’s a promise. I’ll let you rest now and be back
tomorrow. All right?’

‘You won’t tell no one?’

‘Course not.’

She nodded, wishing she could leave and go home. Where was home? Where was Charles? What about her baby? Then closing her eyes, she felt her fingers slip away from Ben’s as she fell into
another deep sleep.

That evening, Ben stood in the gloomy hallway of number four Dewar Street. He’d only had a few minutes to glance round this morning as his priority had been getting Lil
to hospital. Now she was in safe hands, he could at least try to discover what had happened. He’d had the presence of mind to slip the front door key into his pocket and the house appeared to
be as they left it. The desk was broken and battered and still lying on its side. The aspidistra was crushed. In the dining room they’d smashed the ornaments, pulled down the drapes and
scattered the ashes of the fire over the rug. He went to the kitchen where the dresser was pulled on its side over the broken china.

Upstairs in one of the bedrooms he found mens’ clothing, which must be Charles Grey’s by the look of it. Dozens of expensive suits, trousers, coats and shirts were ripped to shreds
and scattered over the bed and floor. Now, that was vindictiveness of another sort, Ben thought as he frowned at the damage! If it was a burglary, they had omitted to take the imposing paintings on
the wall. The mantel clock and figures were broken, not stolen. What burglar would miss out on taking the swag with him?

Ben went out onto the landing. Slowly he made his way up the last flight of stairs. Lily had told him her rooms were on the top floor.

Here, little seemed to have been touched. It was as though someone had thrown a few things about; the books and cushions and an expensive-looking coffee table was on its side. But the light
coloured couch was all in one piece as was a modern, black-framed mirror still intact on the wall. Beneath it stood a pink glass statue, depicting a reclining woman. Ben picked it up, drawing his
fingers over its delicate curves. His anger subsided somewhat. Whoever had come in here had taken no real interest in gaining revenge on a woman.

Lily’s bedroom had also escaped the intruders’ attention. It was clearly a feminine room. The frills and fancies were definitely Lil, he could smell her everywhere. On top of the
dressing table were her bits and pieces and a pair of pink slippers poked out from beneath the wardrobe.