Love Changes Everything (36 page)

Cilla was growing up, she would never be normal, but already she was able to understand a great deal of what was going on in the world around her. She'd carry on helping her to read and write and teach her to do jobs around the home so that she could look after herself if she ever needed to do so. Soon, quite soon, Cilla would be old enough and sensible enough to be left on her own. Trixie was confident that once she was able to take on a full-time job she'd be able to support the pair of them.

She'd always promised herself that 1927 would be a turning point and the year when she'd make a break from Daisy and her dad. Even though they'd still have to stay with them for a while longer she fully intended moving into a room of her own as soon as she could do so.

It wouldn't be a very momentous Christmas, but they'd manage to get through it somehow and next year would be very different, Trixie vowed.

She was still scheming and planning for the future when she fell asleep. Next morning as she helped Cilla to dress her head was buzzing with good intentions but Daisy put paid to those. She had a list of all the extra cleaning she wanted doing before Christmas; unnecessary things such as taking the curtains down and polishing all the brass rings they hung on, as well as turning out all the kitchen cupboards and giving the range an extra polish.

There were so many jobs that Trixie couldn't see how she could fit them all in and do her two jobs as well. It would be Christmas in less than a week's time and there was so much extra cooking to do as well as everything else.

With Christmas Day 1926 falling on a Saturday at least it meant that Steve would not be opening his snack bar that weekend. Trixie had been looking forward to being able to take things easy, but now with all the extra jobs Daisy had insisted must be done it looked as though she'd be working harder than ever over Christmas.

Still, she reflected glumly, there was precious little else to do. Daisy and her father spent more time at the pub and when they were at home they both had a hangover and they were either bickering noisily or else snoring their heads off.

Ella had invited her to come round there on Christmas Day, but in her present mood she felt it would be intruding and she also felt embarrassed because Jake knew what had gone on between her and Andrew.

He must think I'm a right idiot chasing after Andrew, she thought bitterly. Thinking back, she could see that Jake had several times tried to warn her that Andrew was more interested in all the new friends he'd made at the Bank than he was in either of them. She didn't think Jake would have gone to Andrew's party if she hadn't been so keen to go and had begged him to go with her.

Constantly chastising herself for being so foolish was getting her nowhere, she decided. Perhaps buckling down and doing all that Daisy wanted to have done was not such a bad idea; it would at least keep her from dwelling on what could never be. She'd let Cilla help. It would take longer but it was better than letting her sit in a corner and watch.

Christmas Day was as disappointing as Trixie had anticipated. Although she cooked a traditional meal of roast chicken with Christmas pudding to follow Daisy and Sam were too hung-over to fully enjoy it, although Daisy insisted it was what they must have.

I could have served up sausages and mash for all the appreciation I got, Trixie thought resentfully as she cleared everything away afterwards and listened to the pair of them snoring.

Once she'd finished the washing up and Cilla had helped to put the dishes away they went round to Horatio Street. She'd bought a pretty little shawl for Cilla to give Ella, one that she could wear indoors or wear as a scarf under her coat when she went out.

Ella was delighted with her gift and when Cilla opened the present that Ella gave her and found a lovely red jumper, she was equally pleased and hugged and kissed Ella enthusiastically.

‘You need to thank Jake as well,' Ella told her.

With a beaming smile, Cilla bestowed a big kiss on Jake's cheek and received a bear hug in return.

Jake also had a present for Trixie but he waited till they were on their own before he gave it to her.

She gasped with pleasure when she saw the heart-shaped silver locket and then felt overcome with guilt because she hadn't bought him a present after all he'd done for her.

‘I didn't expect one; you'll need all your money for when you set up home with Andrew,' he told her. ‘I thought this might be the last chance I have to give you something,' he mumbled.

Trixie felt the hot blood rush to her cheeks. ‘That won't be happening,' she confessed. ‘You were right when you said he doesn't always mean what he says.'

‘Really!' Jake looked at her questioningly.

‘I'll tell you all about it some other time when we are on our own,' she promised, ‘but will you continue looking for a room for me and Cilla?'

Ivy and Hadyn were there and as they all sat round drinking tea and eating mince pies Trixie listened enviously as they went into details about their forthcoming wedding and all their plans for the future.

Although she tried hard not to think about Andrew, she couldn't help doing so. She wished that she was able to tell Ivy that she was also hoping to get married very soon but she knew that all the plans she'd once had were now mere figments of her imagination.

Instead of wasting time thinking about them she'd concentrate on encouraging Cilla to be more independent so that in time it would be quite safe to leave her on her own once they moved into their own place.

She'd enjoyed not having to work at Steve's place over Christmas although it did make a dent in her savings. She wished now that she hadn't spent out on new clothes for herself and Cilla, although she had to admit that Cilla had loved wearing her new dress and having it admired by Ella and Ivy.

The following Saturday was New Year's Day and she wondered if Steve would decide not to open then as well because he would have had such a late night on the Friday with it being New Year's Eve. He certainly looked very tired when she arrived.

‘I'm going home as soon as Sylvia arrives,' he yawned. ‘She went home just after midnight so she's hoping that the two of you can manage without my help here for a couple of hours while I catch up on my sleep,' he told her.

‘If you want to go right now and not wait for Sylvia, I'm sure I can cope,' Trixie told him.

He looked doubtful, and then shrugged. ‘I'm pretty sure there won't be many people about first thing,' he agreed. ‘They'll all want to sleep off the food and drink they indulged in at parties last night. You two are both looking very fresh,' he added, patting Cilla on the shoulder, ‘didn't you stay up to see the New Year in?'

Trixie shook her head. ‘No. I decided there was no point in doing so,' she admitted. ‘Like Cilla, I was tucked up in bed well before midnight.' What she didn't add was that she had been woken in the early hours of the morning by her father and Daisy when they'd come home roaring drunk. They'd been singing at the top of their voices and crashing into every piece of furniture there was. When she'd heard Daisy yelling her name and shouting that they wanted her to make them a hot drink she'd cowered down under the bedclothes and hoped they'd go off to bed and not come banging on her bedroom door.

They'd still been sound asleep when she and Cilla had left that morning but the place had looked a shambles. All her hard work at cleaning and making it look nice over Christmas seemed to have been wasted.

The morning at Steve's Snacks was so uneventful that Trixie found herself telling Sylvia all about what had happened between her and Andrew. She even told her how he had invited her to go and live with him then rescinded his offer when he knew it would have to include Cilla as well.

‘I think you have had a lucky escape, my girl,' Sylvia told her severely. ‘You are right when you say that all he wanted was someone to look after him without any obligation on his part. It's lucky for you that you discovered what he's really like before you left home.'

‘I know that, but I still have to get away and find a place of my own. I'm more convinced than ever that Daisy is going to do Cilla some harm.'

‘As long as she is with you all the time then I don't think she's going to have much success, do you?' Sylvia smiled. ‘Keep saving and looking for a room you can afford. One will turn up, never fear. I'll ask around as well.'

‘Jake says there wasn't much point in doing so over Christmas but that now the holiday is over he'll start looking again,' Trixie said hopefully. ‘He really is a very good friend and I do appreciate the way he takes Cilla out and about while I'm working here.'

Sylvia nodded but before she had a chance to say anything they had a stream of customers and for the next couple of hours they were so busy serving mugs of steaming hot tea, coffee and cocoa that there was no time for talking. Very few people seemed to be hungry; they were all demanding hot drinks because it was such a cold day.

Even Cilla was complaining about being cold which was very unusual because normally she didn't seem to notice what the temperature was. By the time they were ready to go home she was shivering uncontrollably and when Sylvia put a hand on her forehead she found it was burning hot.

‘Cilla's running a temperature,' she warned Trixie. ‘The best thing you can do is get her home and to bed right away. Have you got a lemon? If so, give her some hot lemon and put a dash of whisky in it if you have any. Nip it in the bud before it turns into something serious.'

They spent a restless night, Cilla was tossing and turning and complaining that her throat hurt and so did her chest. Trixie was up several times making her drinks and trying to soothe her.

By the morning it was quite obvious that Cilla was far from well. She not only had a head cold but a sore throat and a cough as well and was feeling very sorry for herself. It was quite clear that she wasn't well enough to go out. What worried Trixie was that it meant leaving her at home when she went to do her cleaning job.

She wondered if she could manage to go to work without Daisy knowing that Cilla was there on her own or whether it would be better to tell Daisy that Cilla was ill and warn her to stay away from her in case she caught whatever Cilla had.

When Trixie tried to explain to Cilla that she would have to leave her when she went to work Cilla didn't want her to go and became very upset and tearful about being left on her own with Daisy.

‘She won't even know you are here if you keep quiet,' Trixie told her. ‘I won't be gone all that long and I'll bring you back some nice sweets to make your throat feel better,' she promised.

Chapter Thirty-Two

The first thing Trixie heard when she got back was Cilla sobbing. They were deep, painful sobs that tore at her heart. She sensed it was not because Cilla had been left on her own but for some other reason; it sounded as if she was in terrible pain.

Without waiting to take off her outdoor clothes Trixie picked up a candle and rushed into the bedroom. Cilla, her face red and blotched, was not only sobbing but was also writhing in pain and clutching at her chest as if trying to pull something away from it.

‘There, there,' Trixie placed the candle on top of the chest of drawers and then crouched down beside the bed, stroking her sister's hair back from her tear-stained face. ‘Is your chest hurting because you've been coughing so much?'

‘No, no, it's burning,' Cilla sobbed hysterically.

Gently Trixie pulled back the bedclothes and started to undo the front of Cilla's nightdress, and then she stopped in surprise. Strapped across Cilla's chest was a big wad of brown paper that looked like a parcel. As she loosened the string that was holding it down and pulled it away she saw that on the underside it was coated with something thick and sticky, some kind of paste that was yellow and evil smelling.

Taking the utmost care she peeled it away and then stared in horror. Underneath it Cilla's skin was covered in blisters and in places raised in red weals.

‘Oh, my God! Whoever did this to you, my luv?' she whispered, her own eyes filling with tears.

She didn't need Cilla to answer. She knew there was only one person who could be so sadistic as to treat someone as helpless as Cilla in such a fashion.

Hearing a noise behind her she looked up to see Daisy standing in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest, watching her every movement.

‘So you don't think much of my mustard plaster, then?' Daisy observed with a sour laugh.

‘How could you do such a thing?' Trixie said angrily. ‘How could you torment her like this?'

‘My mum and dad always swore by a mustard plaster for a bad chest,' Daisy told her. ‘I thought it would make her better more quickly. Do you think it's done the job?' she asked, moving closer and peering over Trixie's shoulder so that she could see better.

‘No, I don't! She's in absolute agony. You must have made it far too strong and it's going to take weeks for her chest to heal,' Trixie exclaimed furiously.

‘It won't take long for her cough to improve, though,' Daisy observed. ‘Mustard, treacle and brown paper; that or goose grease. My dad swore by them both and Sam seemed to think it was a good idea.'

Trixie didn't bother to answer. She was too concerned with wiping away the residue of the mustard plaster and trying to decide what she could put on the tender, broken skin to cool it down and at the same time help it to heal.

She couldn't think of anything in the house that would do that and she daren't risk leaving Cilla while she went to ask Ella in case Daisy hurt her further.