Lily of Love Lane (44 page)

Ben breathed in Lily’s essence. For a moment he forgot his mission as he gazed around him, picturing Lily here, seeing her sitting at the window and gazing out over the rooftops of London.
Had she been happy here? What was her true relationship with Charles Grey? Had they ever shared this bed?

Ben shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. Then, seeing Lily’s bag on a chair, the bag he had carried many times to the car, he took it to the wardrobe. Pulling out her clothes he
folded them into the bag. On top of these, he added the contents of the chest, her purse and personal effects. When he had everything, he hurried back downstairs again. By the upturned desk, he saw
something he had missed before; pages torn from a book.

He examined them, frowning as he read the text. Then pushing these too into the bag, he cast his eyes round for the last time. Taking a final look at number four Dewar Street, he let himself
out. With Lily’s bag safely beside him, he drove the cab quickly towards Stepney and home.

T
he following day, Lily was moved to another ward. There were six beds on either side and a young girl was in the bed next to her.

‘What’s wrong with you?’ she asked as Lily was fussed over by the nurses.

‘I fell down the stairs.’

‘Did you break anything?’

‘Yes, me wrist.’

‘Come on now, you two,’ a nurse interrupted as she drew the curtains round Lily’s bed. ‘You can get to know each other later. But now it’s a bed wash for you, Miss
Bright.’

It was the first of many, Lily was to discover, as with her arm in a sling, she couldn’t do much herself.

The day seemed very long and no doctor came round.

‘It’s Sunday,’ said the girl whose name was Violet. ‘Unless one of us is very bad, they don’t bother. Are you having any visitors this afternoon?’

Lily shrugged. She just wanted to close her eyes and make it all go away. She didn’t have any personal effects. They were all at the house. The nurse had put her in a hospital nightgown
and given her a toothbrush and flannel. She felt bruised and battered and was desperate to ask about her baby. Was there still life inside her?

Lily nibbled at the meal they brought round. She wasn’t hungry. Her wrist ached a lot, although the nurse had given her a pill to relieve the pain. The stitches in her head had crusted
over and she had no comb to use on her hair. They had given her one to use, but it was her left hand that wasn’t affected and she couldn’t find the energy to do a parting.

She was fast asleep when she felt a touch. ‘Lil?’

She opened her eyes slowly. ‘Oh, Ben, it’s you. I was wondering if you’d come.’ She looked round the ward. It was full of visitors.

‘Course I was coming. Here.’ He held up a bunch of flowers.

‘Oh, thanks.’

‘And here’s some other things.’ He put her bag on the chair.

Lily pushed herself up. ‘Me bag! How did you get that?’

‘I went back last night.’

Lily sat forward abruptly and felt dizzy. Ben gently pushed her against the pillow. She looked up at him. ‘Was Charles there?’

‘No. No one was.’ He sat down on the chair, glancing round the busy ward. ‘Lil, how are you feeling?’

‘I’m all right.’

‘You’ve had a big bang on your head and that wrist looks painful.’ He frowned. ‘Do you remember how you did it?’

‘No.’ She didn’t want to say anything in case it implicated Charles.

‘You told the doctor you fell down the stairs. But you also told him you didn’t have no family. Now, Lil, I don’t know what’s going on, but look at it from my point of
view. I call on the hop and find you looking like death warmed up. I can’t help but think if I wasn’t there, what would have happened?’

‘Charles would have found me.’

‘He ain’t found you yet, has he?’

Tears sprang into Lily’s eyes. She didn’t want to cry, but a little of the truth hurt.

He squeezed her good hand. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. But I’m worried for you. It don’t look to me like you fell down the stairs.’

‘I don’t want to talk about it for now.’

He nodded. ‘If that’s what you want.’

‘So there was no one at the house?’

‘Not a soul.’

‘Did they . . .’ she caught herself in time. ‘Were me rooms all smashed up?’

‘No, most of it was in order. I brought all your things in the bag as I didn’t know what you would want.’

‘All I want is to go home. Charles said he would come back soon.’

He nodded patiently. ‘Well, until that happy day, you’ll have to make do with me as your visitor.’

Lily knew she was being unkind to the one person who had helped her in all this. But she couldn’t help herself. She was confused and hurt and she was taking it out on Ben.

‘You look tired, Lil. I’ll love and leave you for now.’ He stood up and put the flowers on the cupboard. ‘I’ll call by again tomorrow.’

‘You don’t have to.’

‘No, I don’t, that’s true. But I will.’ He stood awkwardly in his best suit, shirt and tie with his hair smoothed back like he always liked to do it for best.

Lily felt her bottom lip tremble. Why was she being so unpleasant? She felt so alone and unhappy. All she could think about now, though, was whether her baby was still alive. Even more than
Charles. What if she had lost it?

‘Keep your chin up, gel.’

She managed a smile. But after he had gone, she turned her face to the pillow. She was glad the girl next to her had lots of visitors. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. She just wanted to
be at home with Charles.

The next day Ben called at the hospital after work. He took some chocolates and an illustrated magazine.

‘That’s nice, thank you.’ Lily was sitting up, her bruised face was healing and there was only a slight shadow there. But Ben cringed as he looked at it. To think of her being
hurt upset him so much. All the more, if he let his imagination wander.

‘How is the arm?’ he asked as he sat down.

‘I saw the doctor this morning. He said it will be in plaster for a few weeks.’

‘Can you come out before then?’

‘Yes. They want to take the stitches out first. And get me back on me feet. I walked around a bit today.’

‘Is there anything you want?’

‘No, you brought it all. Have you gone round the house again?’

‘No. There was no reason.’

‘Have you still got a key?’

‘Yes, I kept it in case.’

‘Would you go tomorrow and see if Charles is there?’

Ben felt his stomach churn. He didn’t want to meet up with Charles Grey just yet. As he didn’t know the ins and outs of what had gone on, it wasn’t for him to judge. But Lil
had been hurt and it was under Grey’s roof that it had happened. Lil was keeping stumm but couldn’t she see that the bloke was not exactly rushing to her bedside in concern?

‘I know I shouldn’t ask you,’ she said in a whisper. ‘You’ve done more than enough for me already.’

‘If you want me to, I will.’

He looked at her in the hospital bed, the sling on her arm, her bruised face and cut head. Her tiny body under all them hospital covers, she was like a little girl. Her lovely hair needed a bit
of a comb. He would ask her if he could do it, but he didn’t have the nerve. He tried to think of a joke to crack, but he was too choked up. The more he looked at her the more he was certain
there hadn’t been a fall down the stairs. The more he thought and thought, the more he wanted to get hold of the bugger who had made all this happen. He wasn’t certain whether it was
Charles Grey or someone else, but one day he’d find out. And then woe betide the person responsible, as his anger would know no bounds.

Lily looked at the chocolates that Ben had brought her. Together with the flowers that the nurse had put in vase, they made her little space feel more homely. All day she had
been thinking about what the doctor had told her this morning. Her baby was still alive. He had survived. When the doctor told her, she had felt a great, overwhelming relief. It had been a shock to
think that she had felt so deeply about her child. The little life had come by accident, but with great love. She and Charles had made a person between them. Now she knew he was still inside her,
she was happy. Charles would put the house in order and they could return to a peaceful life.

Whoever those men were, Charles would not let them come again. Soon they would be a family. They would make him as happy as Delia had.

Lily closed her eyes as she lay there. She saw Charles, his dark eyes and beautiful smile. Oh, Charles, come to me soon. I miss you.

It was Friday again when Hattie knocked on Ben’s door. She hadn’t heard from him or from Lil, either. She had waited all week, thinking Reube might have seen his
brother. But he hadn’t. Hattie didn’t like the silence.

Ben opened the door. ‘Oh, it’s you, Hat.’

‘Yes, it’s me.’

‘You’d better come in.’

‘I see you’ve cleared up,’ she tried to joke as she entered. The hall was still full of things as she stepped over them. But as she neared the kitchen Hattie stopped. Her eyes
widened at the sight of the dark brown bag. ‘That’s Lil’s!’ she exclaimed, her gaze travelling to Ben.

He pushed back his hair and nodded.

‘Is she here?’

‘No, but I’ve seen her.’ He beckoned her into the kitchen. ‘Sit down, I’ll put the kettle on.’

Hattie sat down at the kitchen table, careful not to let her sleeves touch the surface of the table cluttered with dishes. Her heart was racing as she watched Ben’s slow movements. What
was he about to tell her?

‘Reube going up the Quarry tonight, is he?’ he asked as he put the tea in front of her.

Hattie nodded. ‘Yes, he thought you might be up there as well.’

‘No, I’m going to Poplar Road Hospital.’

Hattie froze. ‘Why?’

‘To visit Lil.’

Hattie put her hand to her mouth. ‘Oh my Gawd! What’s wrong? Is it the baby?’

‘What do you mean, baby?’

Hattie put her hands up to her face. She had let Lil’s secret out. She drew her hands slowly down. ‘I shouldn’t have said that.’

‘Are you telling me that Lil is expecting?’

Hattie watched the colour drain from his face. He sat there staring at her. He opened his mouth, then gave a little choke.

‘She might be. She was going to see the doctor.’

‘Christ, Hat.’ Ben leaned on the table as though he’d been winded. ‘That makes it all the worse.’

‘Makes what worse?’

‘I found her wandering about all dazed on Saturday morning. She said she’d fallen down the stairs and hurt her arm. I took her straight to the hospital.’

‘And you never told me?’

Ben looked at her keenly. ‘She asked me not to tell anyone and I, like you, Hat, kept quiet.’

Hattie felt her cheeks go red.

‘Come to think of it, the doctor said she needs time to recover physically and in other respects. Is he talking about the baby?’

Hattie shrugged. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Someone had been to the house and given the gaff a good going over.’

‘Oh my God, Ben!’ Hattie felt sick. ‘Was it burglars?’

‘If it was, they didn’t take nothing.’

‘Where was Charles Grey in all this?’

‘She don’t know. Just keeps saying he’ll be back.’

‘Poor Lil. Can I go to see her?’

‘She don’t want anyone to know what happened.’

‘But I’m her friend.’

‘I know.’ He shook his head slowly. ‘All she wants is to go back to Dewar Street. She believes he’ll come back for her. But now you’ve told me about the baby, I
suppose I can understand why.’

Hattie began to get angry. ‘She’s waiting for a sod who don’t care nothing for her, or else he would never have let something like this happen to her.’

Ben nodded. ‘I can’t believe she fell down the stairs, Hat. I don’t know who done it, she won’t say, but what kind of bloke leaves a woman –
his
woman
– to face what she had to?’

Hattie sat in silence. What was going on in Lil’s life? Much more than she had disclosed, that was obvious. ‘I want to know if she’s still . . . if she’s still got the
baby.’

Ben frowned. ‘Does he know about her condition?’

‘Lil was going to see the doctor first.’

‘You know,’ said Ben slowly, ‘after what Noah Kelly told me, I think he’s in with some dubious types.’

‘What did Mr Kelly tell you?’

‘There’s the name of Charles Grey being bandied about down the Mission Hall. He was sympathetic to Mosley in his time, until Mosley fell from favour. This Charles Grey has fascist
leanings, does a good bit of travelling abroad to drum up funds for the movement.’

Hattie gasped. ‘Do you suppose it could be the same Charles Grey?’

‘It would be a big coincidence if there was two.’

‘Did Mr Kelly tell Lil this?’

‘He was going to, but asked me to find out what I could first.’

‘And did you find out anything?’

‘Not until Saturday night when I returned to Dewar Street to get Lil’s things. And then I found these . . .’ He stood up and went out to the hall to fetch the bag. Opening it,
he took out some pieces of paper.

‘What are they?’

‘Pages from a book.’

Hattie read the large black print on one of the torn pages. ‘This is that book the Blackshirts were always waving about.’

Ben nodded.
‘Mein Kampf
.’

‘Why is it all torn up?’

‘Someone didn’t go along with his reading.’

‘Do you think it was the people who hurt Lily and broke the furniture?’ Hattie asked after a pause.

‘Looks like it.’

‘So she didn’t fall down the stairs?’

‘Not unless she was pushed.’

Hattie dropped the pieces on the table. She couldn’t believe that this was happening to Lil.

‘Ben, Lil don’t know any of this, else I’m sure she would have told me.’

He brought his hand down hard on the table, making her jump. ‘Do you know, Hat, I don’t give a toss for any man’s politics or his intention to practise them as this is a free
country to choose as you want. But when a life is endangered because of them, a loving and innocent life, then I can find no sympathy in my heart for the coward who hides those beliefs behind a
woman’s skirts.’