The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (14 page)

‘Oh!’ Jane frowned as she plonked
herself on the stool behind the counter and flicked her hair over her
shoulders. ‘What did Molly want then?’

‘To warn that your mother knows
about us.’

‘Shit! Who’s told her? Mark
Fisher. I bet it was, getting back at you for thumping him. Devious bastard! He
leaves it all this time so we start to feel safe and then he does that. God, I
hate him!’

‘Surprisingly enough it wasn’t
Mark. According to Molly your mum was cleaning your bedroom, knocked your bag
onto the floor, and when she was putting stuff back she saw a Durex packet in
there.
You
were supposed to be keeping them out of her sight.’

‘I must have forgotten to lock my
handbag,’ she gasped, staring at him in horror. ‘That’s it; she’ll stop me
seeing you. I’m not going home tonight.’

‘Jane, calm down. Your mother
went to Molly’s because she was upset. Molly thought it best to tell her the
truth. So it’s out now, no more lies and sneaking around.’

‘She’ll never accept us, Eddie.
She
thought the sun shone out of Mark’s
arse and
you
were the worst rebel on
two legs. God knows what she must think of you now.’

‘According to Molly she’s
sort
of accepted the situation and she’s prepared to wait until
you
decide to tell her about us. So
you’d better do it soon.’

‘I can’t, Ed. It’s one thing
telling her we’re dating, but now she knows we’re sleeping together. What if
she tells Dad? He’ll kill you and probably pack me off to his brother’s in Ireland.’

‘Jane, we started this affair
with our eyes wide open. There’s no going back. I’m getting divorced then we’ll
be married. We need to put your parents in the picture. We can do it tonight
after work. I’ll come with you.’

Jane ran the back of her hand
over her eyes, smudging her mascara.

‘Okay,’ she sniffed. ‘But if
she
starts having a go at us, that’s it, I’m off!’

He nodded and pulled a
handkerchief from his pocket. ‘You look like a bloody panda,’ he said, wiping
her eyes. ‘If she
does
start then you
can pack your things and come home with me. I’ll call Mum now; tell her what’s
happened, that I’m bringing you home for tea and you might be staying. She’ll
get the spare room ready. There’ll be no chance of her allowing you to share
my
room. We’ll have to save our night
out with Roy and Sammy for later in the week.’

Jane smiled through her tears as
Carl reappeared with a tray of coffee and cakes. ‘I’ll go and wash my face while
you call your mum.’

‘Good idea. I’ve made a worse mess
than you, trying to tidy you up. Cheer up, Jane. I love you.’

‘I love you too, Ed, but it
doesn’t stop me being terrified of facing mum.’

***

Sammy and Pat were sitting on the
top deck of the bus as Eddie and Jane ran across

‘Phew that was close,’ Jane
puffed. The vehicle pulled out of the bus station and she and Eddie collapsed
onto the seats behind their friends.

Sammy turned and frowned. ‘Where
are
you
going, Ed?’

‘Home with Jane,’ he replied and
lit a cigarette. ‘Want one?’ He held out the packet.

She shook her head, eyes wide
with shock. ‘Eddie Mellor, have you got a bloody death wish? You know Jane’s
mum never approved of you
before
you
knocked Angie up! After that, well…’

Eddie took a drag of his
cigarette as Jane explained why he was accompanying her home.

‘Rather you than me,’ Sammy said.
‘Batten down the hatches. World war three’s about to kick off!’

***

Enid
smoothed the creases out of the sheet she was folding. She looked up as Jane
walked into the kitchen, closely followed by Eddie. She was about to order him
out of the house when she saw the pleading looks in the young couple’s eyes and
the way they were holding hands. Molly must have had a word with them, she
thought. It had taken some guts for the pair to face her like this. The least
she could do was hear them out. She mentally counted to ten and fixed on the
brightest smile she could muster. ‘Hello, you two. What can I do for you?’

‘Mum, we need to talk, you know,
about what you found in my room today,’ Jane began.

‘Yes, you’re right, young lady, I
think we do. Go and sit in the lounge while I put the ironing away and make a
pot of tea.’

‘I’ll make the tea,’ Jane
offered.

‘I’ll do it. Go and keep Eddie
company, he looks like he needs it.’ She watched them walk into the lounge and
sighed. The mundane tasks would give her a few minutes to compose herself.

She placed three mugs on a tray
with a sugar basin then steeling herself carried the tray into the lounge. Her
daughter and Eddie were on the sofa, holding hands and looking deep into one
another’s eyes. He was stroking her hair with his free hand, telling her not to
worry. Enid swallowed the lump that
rose in her throat. She recognised the look of love when she saw it, and these
two were so absorbed in one another, they hadn’t even heard her come into the
room.

‘You
can
let go of him, Jane. He won’t disappear into thin air.’ She
managed a smile as she placed the tray down on the coffee table and got two wary
smiles in return. She sat down on the chair opposite and began. ‘Right then,
who’s going to start, or shall I tell you what
I
know, and you can fill me in on the details?’

‘We know what you know, Mum,’
Jane said. ‘Eddie’s spoken to Molly. We love one another. I was too frightened
to tell you. You hated me going out with him before. Now it’s even worse
because he’s married and got a child.’

‘I’m in the throes of getting
divorced, Mrs Wilson,’ Eddie said, spooning sugar into his tea. ‘I want to
marry Jane as soon as possible.’

‘Right, enough!’ Enid
held up her hands. It’ll take about three years for you to get a divorce. You
can’t marry until then anyway. It will give you time to decide if marriage is
what you really want. What about your responsibilities to your wife and little
lad?’

‘They’re living with Angie’s
boyfriend,’ he replied. ‘I’m trying to get custody of Jonny. But for now I pay
towards his keep.’

‘And what if you
do
get
custody?’ Enid frowned. ‘Do you
expect Jane to take on a mother role? Because I’ll tell you now, seeing to your
own kids is bad enough, but looking after someone else’s is bloody hard work.
You ask Tom and Molly Mason if you want confirmation of that. They’ve
really
got their hands full with Sammy, Pat and Susan.’

Eddie nodded. ‘Tom and Molly are
the happiest couple I know. When I got Angie into trouble, I didn’t know where
to turn. Roy told Molly. She took
me on one side and said the same thing had happened to her and Samuel. They
married when she was seventeen with Sammy on the way. But she and Samuel were
very happy and they’d probably still be married if he hadn’t been killed.’

‘I didn’t realise Molly had told
you her life story,’ Enid said.

‘Molly’s not ashamed of her past,
Mum,’ Jane chipped in. ‘She knows all about problems and how to solve them
better than you do.’

‘Apparently so,’ Enid
said dryly. She turned to Eddie. ‘My daughter means the world to me. I trust
you to look after her properly. Otherwise, you’ll have me to answer to, not to
mention her father.’

Jane stared at her mother in
amazement. ‘Mum, are you saying it’s okay for us to see one another?’

‘I am, Jane. Just act
responsibly, that’s all I ask.’

‘Oh, Mum.’ Jane jumped up and
flung her arms around her. ‘Thank you. We won’t let you down, we promise. Don’t
we, Ed?’

‘Absolutely, Mrs Wilson. Thank
you for giving me another chance. I’ll make you proud of me one day. You
and
my own mum, you both deserve it.’

‘What about Dad?’ Jane asked.

‘You leave your dad to me. I’ll
tell him what I think he needs to know.’

Eddie stood up and shook Enid
by the hand. ‘I’m taking Jane to my parents’ place for tea, if that’s okay?
Thanks again, Mrs Wilson, for being so understanding.’

‘Enid,
please. Mrs Wilson sounds stuffy. I know you use Christian names
for Tom and Molly. Ben and me need to move with the times.
Though heaven only knows what I’ll do with our Pete.’

‘Why? Where is he?’ Jane asked.

‘Upstairs sleeping off a
hangover.’

‘Never!’

‘Oh yes he is. He rolled in here
drunk as a skunk, threw up then collapsed on his bed.’

‘Oh dear,’ Eddie grinned. ‘I
remember Roy and me getting plastered at that age. I bet Pete’s been on the rec
behind the school. That’s where all the kids hang out with bottles of cider.’

‘No doubt,’ Enid
said. ‘Anyway, Ben can take responsibility for sorting him out. I’ve enough
coping with you, Jane. Go and have your tea with Eddie’s parents and I’ll see
you later.’

She saw the pair out and watched
as they strolled hand in hand down the garden path. She had to admit they made
a fine couple. Jane’s lovely slender figure, her pretty looks and the glossy
mane of dark brown hair that was her daughter’s pride and joy, and Eddie, so
strikingly handsome that she found herself wishing she were twenty years
younger. She made a mental note there and then. If Mark Fisher phoned this
week, as he was wont to do, she’d tell the lad it would be best not to call
again.

***

CHAPTER TWELVE

'Come in,’ Maude called. She
looked up as Cadet Nurse Cook entering the room, carrying a laden tray.

‘Morning, Mrs Fisher. Got you
some nice scrambled eggs and toast. When you’ve finished I’ll help you pack,
ready for the transfer. I bet you’re really looking forward to getting out of
hospital.’

Maude blinked back tears that
threatened constantly. ‘I’d feel better if I knew I was going to my own home.’

‘But your son’s booked you a
place at The Firs. It’s a lovely nursing home. The grounds are beautiful and
every room has a grand view.’

‘I prefer to be in my own bed at
night. Now if you don’t mind, I’ll have my breakfast in peace.'

‘Certainly, Mrs Fisher. I’ll be
back in half an hour. The ambulance is booked for
ten thirty
. They don’t like to be kept waiting.’

‘I’ll be ready.’ Maude dismissed
the girl with a wave of her hand and poked the rubbery egg around the plate,
pushing it away in disgust. ‘What I wouldn’t give for a half decent breakfast,’
she muttered. Still, with what Mark had told her about The Firs, they would
probably serve up good food.

Leaning back on her pillows, she
thought about the time since her accident. The day’s in-between had felt like
nothing short of a nightmare. Mark avoided visiting at first, sending in a
neighbour with toiletries and clothing. The neighbour told her Mark had to go
to Chester in connection with his
job transfer, and would visit when he was able. She felt abandoned by him and
there had been no explanation, no messages or
phone calls.

When he eventually turned up she
smelled drink on him and immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was still
upset over his broken engagement. But at the mention of Jane he became
aggressive, told her to shut her mouth and left as quickly as he’d arrived.

He visited again two days later
and announced his plans to put her in a nursing home. When she protested that
she required no further nursing and was ready to go back to

Maude went over the ensuing
conversation in her head, wondering if she could have handled things better.
Mark had taken her completely by surprise and she was unprepared for his verbal
assault.

‘Where did you find them, Mark?’

‘In the sideboard cupboard,
waiting to be discovered,’ he replied. ‘It’s easy enough now to understand why
we never got on. You’re not my flesh and blood.’

'I should have told you,’ she
said, a sob catching her throat. ‘I could never find the right time. I’m so
sorry. But please understand that everything we did was in your best interests.
Jack was devastated by Amelia’s death.
He
couldn’t keep you because of his wife and children. I was the only other person
who knew the truth. It made perfect sense for me to become your guardian and
raise you as though you were my own. After all, I’m the one registered as your
mother on the birth certificate.’

‘I know all about the deception.
But you promised Jack you would tell me about Amelia, and you never said a
bloody word. I have to find out by piecing everything together from a pile of
letters. I was looking for documents relating to the house and whether it would
be paid for if you died. Instead I find that you don’t own it. It’s actually
mine and has been since my father instructed his solicitor to change the deeds
a few years ago. You know what sickens me most though?’

‘What?’ she sniffed, plucking at
a stray thread on the candlewick bedspread.

‘You sat at the dining table with
me and Jane and watched us pouring over the figures we’d worked out to save for
a deposit on a house, wondering how we could best juggle the money so that Jane
could give up work to start our family. All the time, not ten feet away, was
the bloody proof that I actually owned the house we were living in. You could
have made it so easy for us. Would you ever have told me?’

‘No. I was frightened of being
left on my own,’ she admitted. ‘I always said you and that girl were welcome to
live with me when you married.’

‘Oh yeah. The suggestion went
down like a lead balloon. Jane hated your guts. Why would she want to live in
the same house? No wonder she called off the bloody engagement. All she could
see was years ahead of us living with you. That’s enough to put any girl off
for life.’ He clenched his fists before continuing.

‘I don’t want to be known by your
name anymore. My surname is now Saunders-Mainwaring, after the two people who
brought me into the world. My father’s solicitor is changing it by deed poll.’

‘Whatever you say, Mark. But
please don’t turn your back on me,’ she begged. ‘You’re all I’ve got. I gave
everything up to look after you.’

He ignored her pleas. ‘I’ll make
sure you’re taken care of. I’ve made the nursing home arrangements. The council
have reserved you a ground floor flat in a new block in Pickford. You’ll have
your pension and I’ll arrange a small allowance for the first twelve months.
After that, I owe you nothing.

‘You always called Jane a gold
digger,’ he went on, ‘but
you’ve
been lining your pockets for years from
the money Jack gave you to look after me. So why did you always plead poverty?
You could have bought me my bass guitar one hundred times
over with what
I’ve
seen stashed away in your bank accounts. Yet you
made me pay for it on the drip. So don’t you dare come after me for anything
else.’

He ignored the tears coursing
down her plump cheeks as he paced up and down the small room, waving his arms
agitatedly in the air.

‘All your stuff’s in storage.
Tony’s moved in as my lodger. He’ll take care of things during the week while
I’m in Chester. We’ve started to
decorate and Sarah and Vicky are helping us choose the new colour schemes.’

Maude clutched her chest. This
was it, her one big dread. He'd disowned her because of her deception. If only
she’d had the guts to come clean years ago, they could have worked it out
together. Now it was too late and he was staring at her with hatred in his
eyes.

‘Sarah and Vicky. Who the hell
are Sarah and Vicky? You’ve no right to do this to me after everything I’ve
done for you. I brought you up; made sure you had a good education and got a
decent job at the end of it.’

‘But it wasn’t what
I
wanted, Maude. I
wanted to go to Art
College, not work in a bloody bank.
You never once asked me what I
wanted
to do.’

‘Amelia was an artist,’ she
choked. ‘She was good, too. The water colour in the hall, the one of the
harbour where you used to count the boats when you were a little boy, that’s
one of hers.’

‘I saw her signature when I took
it down. I’ve kept it. It’s the only thing I’ve got of my mother’s. And Sarah
and Vicky are mine and Tony’s girlfriends. That’s right, Maude, I’ve got a new
girl.’

‘Well let’s hope she treats you
better than Jane did,’ she snapped.

‘It’s not serious, just a bit of
fun ’til I get Jane back. Because I will, you just watch. She’ll be running
back to me as soon as she knows you’re no longer around my neck and I’ve got a
house, paid for, that we can make our own. We can start our family right away
and she’ll be mine, lock, stock and barrel.’

‘But she doesn’t love you,’ she
yelled, wanting to hurt him for what he’d done to her and lashing out in a way
she knew would anger him. ‘She doesn’t love you or want to marry you. She won’t
come back now she’s taken up with her married bloke. She’s nothing but a cheap
little trollop!’

At this he’d stormed out of the
room without a backward glance and now, here she was, starting out on the first
leg of the journey of her miserable new life.

***

Mark placed the orange cushions
he’d brought home from Chester on
the new sofa and stepped back to admire his handiwork. The colour was just
right against the chocolate brown velvet and the lounge looked fantastic. All
the hard work had paid off and the magnolia painted walls were a perfect
backdrop for the framed prints he’d bought.

There wasn’t a trace of Maude in
the room now other than Amelia’s harbour scene, which hung above the old tiled
fireplace. Newly framed in a smart gold leaf finish, he thought it perfect for
the chosen site.

Tony sauntered in from the
kitchen carrying two glasses of beer, well topped with froth. ‘I can’t get the
hang of bottled beer, it pours abysmally. Sorry for the big head on your pint,
but hey, I’m a bank clerk, not a barman!’

‘Looks all right to me,’ Mark
said. 'What do you think to the finishing touches? You and Sarah did a really
good job of getting the painting finished this week. I do appreciate it, Tony.
I love Friday nights, coming home, seeing the progress you’ve made.’

‘Think nothing of it, mate. It’s
great living here. Sarah loves playing house. Stops her nagging me about
getting engaged. This is what women like, looking after us men. Making meals,
pampering to our every whim. She even did my washing in that new Bendix
machine. It’s too complicated for me.’

Mark laughed. ‘We'll cook tonight
for the girls; give them a treat. I got steak we can shove under the grill,
mushrooms and salad and a couple of bottles of red wine. Get ’em in the mood
for a bit of loving later.’

‘You still okay about seeing
Vicky?’ Tony said, frowning as Mark shrugged. ‘She thinks the world of you. It
bothers me when I know you’re determined to get Jane back.’

‘I called Jane’s mother today
before I left Chester,’ Mark said.
‘She asked me not to phone again. She told me Jane’s dating Mellor, which of
course I already knew. She said they’re serious and he’s getting divorced.’

‘Well there you go, mate. They’ll
no doubt get married in time. Sets you free to move on with Vicky now.’

‘I don’t want to go steady,’ Mark
said. ‘It’ll fizzle out between Jane and Mellor when she comes
to her senses. I need to be free to pick up the pieces. Anyway, I’m also taking
a bird out that I met in a pub in Chester
a few weeks ago.’

‘Really? You dark horse,’ Tony
said. ‘Is she, you know, as good as Vicky in the sack?’

‘She’s better.’ Mark grinned
wickedly. ‘Beth could teach both of us a thing or two. Right, I’ll give old
Maude a quick call at the nursing home, and then she can’t accuse me of
totally
neglecting her. I’ll jump in the
bath and change my sheets before Vicky arrives. Are she and Sarah staying over
tonight?’

‘They are,’ Tony replied as Mark
left the room.

‘Great!’ he called over his
shoulder.

***

‘Can’t wait ’til it’s our turn to
do this.’ Eddie grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing tray and handed
one to Jane. They were helping John Grey and his fiancée Margaret celebrate
their engagement. Eddie had taken a night off from singing with
The Raiders
and had chauffeured Jane and
Stuart in his gleaming black VW Beetle, of which he’d taken delivery the
previous day.

‘We’ll have to wait until your
divorce comes through. Anyway,’ she teased,
‘you haven’t actually
asked
me
to marry you this time round. You’ve just assumed I will.’

‘I don’t see why we can’t get
engaged. It’s the married bit we can’t do just yet.’

‘So, that’s the proposal, is it?’
Jane said, her face expressionless.

‘No, but this is.’ He got down on
one knee and took her hand. ‘Jane, will you marry me as soon as I’m free?’

Her eyes filled with tears as
everyone in the room cheered loudly. ‘Yes, Ed, of course I will.’

He jumped up, hugged her and
rained kisses on her face as she grinned with delight.

John and Margaret brought out
another bottle of champagne.

‘You’ll get it right this time,
mate,’ John laughed as he kissed Jane and shook Eddie’s hand.

‘I know that,’ Eddie replied,
winking at Jane.

‘Congratulations, you two.’
Stuart thumped Eddie on the back and kissed Jane. ‘Mine and John’s act of
playing cupid’s finally paid off, five years down the line.’

***

‘What do you reckon your mum and
dad will think of my proposal?’ Eddie asked as he drove Jane home.

‘I really don’t know. Mum’s
always saying it will be years before we can think of such things.’

‘Am I rushing you?’

She reached for his hand and
squeezed it reassuringly. ‘I want it as much as you do.’

‘Will you tell them this weekend?
I’ll come with you if you like.’

‘I'll tell them tomorrow, Ed. But
I’ll do it on my own. I think it would be better that way.’

‘Okay, if you’re sure. I won’t
tell my folks until you’ve told yours. Would you like to come over tomorrow and
meet Jonny? We could take him to the park, feed the ducks.’

She nodded as they pulled up
outside her home. ‘I’d
love
to meet
him. I’ll see you about two at your mum’s place. I love you.’

‘I love you too, Jane.’ He kissed
her goodnight and drove away singing his head off, feeling on top of the world.

***

‘I can’t say I’m surprised, Jane.
I suppose it was only a matter of time,’ Enid
said. She pulled the belt of her dressing gown tightly round her middle as Jane
broke her good news. ‘But you’re jumping the gun a bit, getting engaged when
he’s only just left his wife. What’s the rush?’

‘No rush, Mum. We want to make a
commitment.’

‘Well, you know your own mind, I
suppose.’

‘I do. I love Ed and I want to
marry him as soon as I can.’

Enid
smiled. ‘Of course you do. You can have our blessing. But be prepared for a
long wait. Divorce is a messy business,
especially when a child is involved.’ She pushed any remaining niggling doubts
about Eddie to the back of her mind. So far he was proving that a leopard can
change its spots. Anyway, it would be years before they could marry; plenty of
time to discover if they were right for one another and not just on the rebound.