The Oyster Catchers (22 page)

Tom shook his head. ‘No, not in any physical danger, anyway. She’s over the worst and she’s strong, she’ll get well but she needs someone with her all the time, see.’

‘And you think it ought to be me?’ Fon said bitterly. ‘You don’t understand, Tom, I can’t leave my job here. I’m needed, Katherine is not well enough to look after Patrick.’ She paused, feeling as though she was a traitor to her mother, but Fon had made a vow to Katherine and she would keep it at all costs.

‘Ask our Sal, let her come home, or Gwyneth, she’s only working down the road, let her see to Mam.’

Tom looked shocked almost as if Fon had slapped him. ‘You’re not coming?’ he said in disbelief.

Fon shook her head. ‘I’m not coming,’ she repeated. ‘I wasn’t consulted about all this baby business, was I? I was left in the dark, little Fon who couldn’t be told the truth. Well, I’m sorry, Tom, I can’t help, not this time.

‘Anyway, if you think I could live in the same house as that Joe Harries, the man who caused all this trouble, you can think again.’ She breathed deeply.

‘I’ve got my place here now, Tom, and I’m happy. I’m treated like a grown woman for the first time in my life. I’m sorry to upset you, Tom, but there it is.’

Tom rose to his feet. ‘Will you at least come to visit then?’ He spoke so anxiously that Fon relented a little. She glanced at Jamie and he smiled and nodded.

‘Go on you, you’re due a day off anyway. I’ll manage here for a few hours, don’t worry.’

Fon slipped into Katherine’s room and leaned over the bed. ‘Katherine,’ she said softly, ‘are you awake?’

Katherine opened her eyes and smiled. ‘I’m hardly ever asleep,’ she said ruefully. ‘What is it? I heard a strange voice in the kitchen, didn’t I?’

‘It’s my brother, Tom, he’s taking me home for a few hours. Mam isn’t very well, but I’ll be back, you needn’t worry about that.’

Katherine’s thin dry hand grasped Fon’s. ‘I have your word on it?’ she said anxiously and Fon smiled.

‘I’m not leaving here, I give you my word before God that I will look after Patrick and Jamie as I promised.’

She straightened. ‘Mam’s feeling sickly but I have two sisters who can care for her and then there’s Joe, it was his child Mam lost so she’s his responsibility.’ Fon moved to the door.

‘If I sound hard, I’m sorry but it’s too long a tale to go into now, I’ll tell you all about it one day.’

‘It will have to be soon,’ Katherine said softly, but Fon was closing the door and didn’t hear her.

Joe rubbed his hands against the oily rag as he tried futilely to get the white lime from the cracks in his skin. He stared down at Fon Parks, his brow creased as he attempted to understand her hostility to him. He was doing his best by her mam, wasn’t he?

‘She’s a bit mixed up, like,’ he said, ‘your mam hasn’t got over the loss of the babbi yet, not in her mind at any rate.’

‘Where is she?’ Fon faced him, a small, red-headed freckled creature looking much as Nina had done when she was young, Joe suddenly thought with a searing pain of nostalgia.

‘Out back, hiding herself away, as usual,’ Joe said suddenly feeling alone, unable to cope with Nina’s attitude of despair.

‘I’m not staying, mind,’ Fon said quickly. ‘I’ve only come on a visit, Tom is coming back for me in about an hour.’

Joe sighed heavily, Tom had wanted to beat the living daylights out of him, his intention had been clear to see from the moment he was brought off the ship in Port Eynon. But the boy had been saved from danger himself only to find his mam fighting for her life and the knowledge seemed to serve to make him more bitter.

He had turned on Joe, his face red with the beating he’d taken from the sea and the gales, but the anger in his eyes had nothing to do with his ordeal on board the floundering ship.

‘Why did you bring her here in that condition?’ He spat out the words, his big fists clenching as though he was holding himself back. ‘You must be out of your mind, man.’

Joe had no spirit to fight his son’s anger. ‘She insisted on coming,’ he said dully, ‘I had to come with her or watch her travel alone, there was no stopping her. And no one was to know the baby would come this early.’

It was Joe’s attitude of total submission that prevented Tom from venting his anger on him there and then.

‘I’ll go see Mam then, shall I?’ Fon’s voice cut into Joe’s thoughts; he flung down the rag he’d been holding and nodded briskly.

‘Aye, go on you, I’ll shove the kettle on the fire, a cup of tea always helps things along.’

He stood in the window and watched as Fon went out of the back door. Nina was sitting in the old rocking-chair, a crumpled heap of clothing, a far cry from the lusty woman she had been only a few weeks ago.

‘Mam.’ Fon’s voice drifted to where Joe stood watching. ‘Mam, are you feeling better?’

He saw Nina look up indifferently and nod her head. ‘I’m as right as I’ll ever be, girl. Not that anyone round here gives a damn about me, mind.’ Her voice was thin, thread-like, as though it was too much of an effort to speak.

He saw Fon stand up straight and look down at her
mother almost angrily. ‘That’s not true, Mam, and you know it,’ she said sharply.

Joe looked at the girl as though seeing her for the first time, no one else had dared to speak to Nina in that tone of voice, everyone was too busy humouring her, trying to jolly her out of her torpor.

‘Well, Gwyneth won’t give up her job.’ Nina’s voice had taken on the whining quality which Joe had learned to dread. ‘And Sal, she’s so wrapped up in herself that she scarcely bothers to call to see me.’ She stared up mutinously at her daughter.

‘And you, Fon, my youngest, this is the first time I’ve seen you since I was took ill.’

Fon put her hands on her hips and her pale skin was suddenly flushed.

‘For goodness’ sake, Mam, pull yourself together!’ Fon spoke angrily. ‘You chose to live with Joe, you didn’t give two figs for me then, or for Gwyneth and Sal, did you?’

‘Well!’ Nina was speechless for a moment and then her voice rose to something like its normal pitch. ‘How dare you speak to me like that, girl, I’m your mother, remember?’

‘Aye, I can’t be allowed to forget it, can I?’ Fon said in a hard voice. ‘The minute you need someone, send for Fon, well, it won’t work, Mam, so you might as well get up off your backside and sort yourself and your home out before you lose everything.’ Fon carried on speaking in spite of her mother’s gasp of disbelieving anger.

‘Have you seen that kitchen? It’s filthy! And Joe, he looks as though he’s worn the same clothes for weeks, you’ll be having him run back to his little wifey if you don’t watch it.’

Joe held his breath, wanting to walk away from what was, after all, a private conversation between mother and daughter, but he was fascinated by the transformation that was coming over Nina.

‘How could you be so cruel?’ she said and there was a touch of hysteria in her voice. ‘You know I could have died down there in Port Eynon, don’t you?’

Fon softened now, kneeling beside her mother’s chair, taking her hands gently.

‘I know, Mam, but you didn’t. You can get well, you can live a full life again, there are those who can’t.’

‘What do you mean?’ Nina asked and Joe wondered that for the first time in weeks Nina seemed interested in something other than her own well-being.

‘The lady I work for, she’s young, Mam, not much older than me. She is dying, there’s nothing can be done for her and she is leaving her baby and her husband and she is facing what future she’s got left with such courage, Mam. I have vowed to be there to look after her family when she goes and I can’t, I won’t, let her down.’

Suddenly Nina was crying, real tears that were for once not for herself. Joe made to move towards the back door but he saw that Fon was crying, too.

Mother and daughter clung together drawing comfort from each other and Joe turned away knowing he was not needed.

It was late afternoon when Tom came for Fon; he had a young lady with him but she remained in the trap, her hands folded modestly in her lap.

‘Is Fon ready?’ Tom asked gruffly and Joe beckoned him to come inside.

‘She’s done wonders with your mam,’ Joe said softly and together, they stood in the kitchen watching as Fon said something and Nina smiled, a smile that warmed her eyes as well as her mouth.

‘What happened?’ Tom forgot his hostility in his surprise and Joe felt relief run through him.

‘I don’t know what it was that did the trick, but I do know Fon went for her mother hammer and tongs. It’s brought Nina out of her fit of the vapours, thank God!’

Joe and Tom went into the garden and Nina, looking up at them, smiled a little hesitantly. ‘I hope you two are going to let past quarrels rest?’ she said. ‘Otherwise I can see myself sinking into a decline again, mind.’

Joe, searching her face, saw that Nina’s threat was made more in anger than in earnest.

Joe looked at his son and Tom shrugged; both men accepted the prospect of an uneasy alliance between them as the pattern for the future.

‘I’m glad you brought Fon to see me,’ Nina said, as she rose to her feet and clutched Joe’s arm, heading through the back door into the kitchen. ‘She’s grown up, mind, there’s more sense in her young head than many an older one, believe me.’ She stood and looked out of the window and saw the young woman waiting for Tom and grimaced ruefully.

‘I realize that you all have your own lives to lead,’ Nina said, ‘I’ve been a selfish woman these past weeks, haven’t I, Joe, but I think I’m going to get over it a bit now.’

‘Well,’ Tom said in a falsely hearty voice, ‘we’d better be going if we’re to get you back to Honey’s Farm this side of nightfall.’ Tom addressed his remarks to Fon, but at the same time he was glancing over his shoulder at the young woman who was lightly holding the reins of the horse as she sat waiting in the trap.

‘Bye then, Mam,’ Fon hugged Nina and Joe, seeing the genuine love in the girl’s eyes, guessed how hard it must have been for her to talk as sharply as she had done to her mother.

‘Come and see me soon, Fon,’ Nina said softly, ‘and God go with you and give you strength, my lovely, you are surely going to need it.’

Joe watched as Fon followed her brother out on to the road. Tom lifted Fon into the trap and the two young women seemed to be exchanging pleasantries. There was something about Tom’s lady friend that seemed familiar and yet Joe couldn’t quite place her.

He turned to Nina and put his arm around her shoulders. ‘Come on, love, let’s go out and watch them drive away,’ he said gently.

‘Aye, don’t I know the girl from somewhere?’ Nina said puzzled. She clung to Joe’s arm as they stood in the doorway and waved until the trap had bowled away along the street in the direction of Swansea.

Joe turned Nina’s face to him. ‘Have you come back to me now, Nina?’

‘Aye love, thanks to my daughter,’ Nina said softly. ‘I feel as though I’ve been asleep for a long time but now I’m awake again.’

Joe felt hope surge through him as Nina closed the door behind them and stared round the kitchen. ‘Fon is quite right, the place is a mess,’ she said sinking into a chair. ‘I’ll make a start on it tomorrow, you’ll see, Joe, I’ll soon be as right as I ever was.’

Joe bent and kissed her. ‘Thank God for that, my girl, I couldn’t have gone on like we were for much longer, blaming myself and watching you fall more and more into a world of your own.’

Nina touched his cheek. ‘It’s over now, love, all I must do is get strong again, then you can all look out, you’ll feel the edge of my tongue, believe me!’

Joe had just stepped outside to fetch some coal when he heard Nina calling him.

‘Joe!’ Her voice was urgent and he dropped the scuttle and hurried back into the kitchen.

‘What is it? What’s wrong?’ he asked anxiously and Nina stared up at him, with an expression of concern.

‘I’ve just remembered where I’ve seen Tom’s girlfriend before. She’s the one who all the scandal was about, the one who stole Hari Grenfell’s son and nearly got him killed. That girl with my son is that no good hussy, Sarah Miller!’

The sun shone in through the long windows of Eline’s room and dappled the deep green carpet so that in the confusion of light and shade it resembled a field of rich grass. Eline was reminded of her life on the farm; of the ragged fallow fields, the brook running at the bottom of the hill and the smell of the corn; she wondered at the quirk of fate that had taken her away from it all so finally. First to live the life of a fisherman’s wife and then to land in the strange and wonderful position she was in now, working for Mrs Emily Miller.

She had been glad to leave Oystermouth, but she still could see the pain in Joe’s eyes as he had looked at her. And Nina, crouched in a chair, weak and pale as though any movement might shatter her thinly held composure. Eline had turned her back on them and returned to Swansea, putting all thoughts of the past behind her, including her foolish longing for Will Davies – especially, she emphasized to herself, her longing for Will Davies.

Eline had found comfort in the solitude of her suite of rooms and had been gratified at the warmth extended to her by Mrs Miller. And slowly, over the days, her life had fallen into a pattern once more and Eline was grateful.

As it transpired, Eline’s own modification for the side-spring boot had been sold to a big boot and shoe company and both Hari Grenfell and Mrs Miller had given Eline full credit for it, talking about the achievement to anyone who would listen.

‘You have a wonderful future before you if you only
work hard and dedicate yourself to the business.’ Mrs Miller had smiled and some of her natural reserve had melted. ‘I knew you were destined for success, there was something I recognized in you straight away. Welcome back to where you belong, Eline.’

A knock on her door startled Eline from the warm glow that filled her whenever she comforted herself with those words of praise and, even before she rose to open it, she knew that Will would be standing outside. He would be waiting on the beeswax-scented landing, his hair falling across his wide forehead, his eyes, as penetrating as ever, would be looking right into her being.