When Wishes Come True (27 page)

‘Mrs Sinclair doesn’t deserve her.’ Rita stretched forward to put her cup on the table. ‘But yer want to watch yer don’t get too fond of the girl, Bessie, ’cos if yer do, yer’d only be heading for a load of heartache. I can’t see them staying in this street for much longer, it’s not posh enough for Her Ladyship.’

‘Ah, well, now, I think there’s something in the wind.’ Bessie lifted the corner of her pinny and wiped it across her mouth. ‘Nothing’s been said, but I think our posh neighbour is up to no good, and I’d lay odds there’s a man involved.’

Rita sat forward, her eyes wide with interest. ‘A man! Oh, go ’way, what makes yer think that, sunshine?’

‘Intuition, girl, that’s all. I might be miles out, but I’m not very often wrong. I know it’s going to make me sound like a nosy so-and-so, but I set two little traps for her tonight and she walked into them. Not that it proved anything beyond doubt, and I really don’t care what she gets up to as long as Amelia doesn’t get hurt in the process, but I’ll be interested to see how things go in the next few weeks.’

‘If yer think yer can get so far with yer story and then not tell me the rest, yer’ve got another think coming, Bessie Maudsley!’ Rita sat back. ‘I’m not moving from this chair until I’ve heard the lot. And another thing, didn’t we agree that in this house we’d call the girl Milly and not Amelia? She’s only a kid and she’s got such a lovely, cheeky smile, she’d suit being called Milly.’

‘Yeah, I do call her Milly when we’re on our own. But when it comes to six o’clock she’s Amelia. Anyway, back to what I was telling yer. I don’t know anything for sure, so it might only be me imagination. But whichever way, I don’t want yer to pass anything I say on to Aggie. If the queer one got to know I’d been telling tales about her, she’d have me ruddy guts for garters and I’d never be allowed to have Milly again.’

‘If yer don’t get on with it, sunshine, it’ll be midnight and my feller will be out looking for me. Or he might even decide to teach me a lesson and lock the front door and go to bed!’

Bessie pictured Rita’s placid husband and chuckled. ‘That’ll be the day, when Reg Wells puts his foot down with you! He started off the wrong way when yer got married, by being too soft with yer. It’s too late for him to change now. Anyway, yer don’t know when ye’re well off, having such a good husband.’

Rita nodded her head vigorously. ‘Yes, I’ve got a husband in a million and I love the bones of him. He’s got one fault, though, and that is he’s dull! He never comes home from work with any juicy bits of gossip for his wife who has had a bloody miserable, boring day. And that is why I rely on you, and why I’m sitting here waiting for you to put some interest back into my life. But trying to get it out of you is like getting blood out of a stone. So instead
I’ll
give
you
a piece of gossip that will have yer falling off yer chair.’

It was Bessie’s turn to sit forward in anticipation. ‘Go ’way! What have I missed?’

Rita puckered her lips and slowly nodded her head. ‘Keep tight hold of the arms of the chair, sunshine, ’cos ye’re in for a shock. D’yer know Doreen Brown, her from number sixteen at the top of the street?’

‘Yer mean, the nice-looking blonde woman?’

‘Yeah, that’s her. Blonde hair and a smashing slim figure. Well, didn’t she go and run off with the milkman this afternoon! The whole street saw them. Running like hell they were.’

‘Ooh, I can’t believe it! She seemed such a nice girl. And she’s got two young children and a very handsome husband, too!’ Bessie looked genuinely shocked. ‘He’s the man who delivers our milk in the mornings, isn’t he?’

Rita let a smile appear. ‘That’s right, but yer don’t need to worry, yer’ll get yer milk in the morning as usual. Him and Doreen were only running for the twenty-two tram to take them to the Atlas.’

‘Well, I’ll be blowed!’ Bessie said, chortling. ‘I must be getting slow on the uptake, ’cos I fell for that hook, line and sinker.’

‘Ye’re not only getting slower on the uptake, sunshine, ye’re getting a damn’ sight slower on the out-take! I’ve been here half an hour and still haven’t heard enough to whet me appetite for a bit of excitement. So come on, Bessie, tell me why yer think there’s dirty works at the crossroads regarding yer neighbour?’

‘Okay, sweetheart, but don’t blame me if nothing is going on. It might just be me bad mind. Anyway, here goes.’ Bessie crossed her thin legs, making sure to pull her pinny down over her knees. And she told an enthralled Rita all that had been said in conversation with the woman next door. How she’d casually offered to mind Milly if Evelyn wanted to visit her so-called old school chum on Saturday. And if she wanted to stay overnight, well then, Milly was welcome to sleep in Bessie’s spare room.

‘And did she accept yer offer?’ Rita asked, sitting so near the edge of the couch she was in danger of falling off. ‘Is she staying out on Saturday night?’

‘Oh, she accepted all right, it was what she’d been angling for. Nice as pie she was, I’ve never seen her smile so much. And I’ll tell yer another thing, she’s a bloody good liar. She told me about two weeks ago that she’d been offered this job as a private secretary, and because it meant a rise she would pay me a shilling a week to look after Milly for the two hours each night. Well, now she says her boss is so pleased with her work he’s going to increase her wages again, so she’s going to give me
two
shillings a week to look after Milly.’ Bessie shook her head. ‘And the woman thinks I’m stupid enough to believe every word she says!’

‘But what makes yer think there’s a man involved, sunshine, has she ever mentioned having a man friend?’

‘No, she’s always been very brief with her words until a week ago. Never said anything except “hello” and “goodbye”. And she was always so dead bloody miserable, with a face like a wet week, she used to give me the willies. But these days she’s all sweetness and light. She even looks happy, in her own way, contented like, and that’s what makes me think there’s now a man in her life.’ Bessie pulled a face and held her hand up. ‘But don’t take that as gospel, I could be wrong.’

‘Yer mean, there’s no old school friend?’ Rita asked. ‘That’s a lie as well?’

‘We’ll just have to wait and see what develops over the next few weeks. If she has got a man, and he makes her happy, then good luck to her. As long as she doesn’t stop Milly from coming here.’

But Rita still wasn’t satisfied. ‘Surely if she had a man friend she would have brought him to the house by now, to meet her daughter?’

‘Unless he’s rich, and she’d be ashamed to bring him here.’ Bessie got up to poke the fire and put some life back into it. ‘It might be me being bad-minded, Rita, and in that case I should apologise to the woman if I’m wrong. But it’ll all come out in the wash, and then we’ll see if I’m right or a foolish, bad-minded spinster. Only time will tell.’

Rita glanced at the clock and jumped to her feet. ‘I’d better go, I haven’t done my feller’s carry-out yet. But I’ll be looking forward to the next instalment, sunshine, so keep me informed.’

Bessie saw her to the door. ‘I’ll let yer know if anything exciting happens, girl, but keep it under yer hat in case I’m making a fool of meself.’

Rita turned as she stepped off the pavement. ‘My money’s on you, sunshine! And if yer turn out to be right, well, that’ll be enough excitement to keep me going for a couple of weeks.’ She waved her hand as she crossed to the opposite pavement. ‘Goodnight and God bless, sunshine, see yer tomorrow.’

‘Goodnight and God bless!’ Bessie waited until her mate was safely in her own house before closing the front door. And once in the living room, she told the grate, ‘She’s a good mate, is Rita. And so is Aggie, except she doesn’t think before she opens her mouth. No secret is safe with her, especially when she’s had a couple of milk stouts.’ Grinning to herself, Bessie put the fireguard in front of the fire. ‘This is in case you heard everything I told me mate tonight, and yer decide to spill the beans to the wallpaper. Ye’re as bad as Aggie, yer can’t be trusted.’

Evelyn could hear Bessie’s footsteps climbing the stairs and wondered what she would do without her neighbour. She was a blessing, and it would be wise to keep her sweet. Future prospects looked very rosy, and the time might come when Miss Maudsley would be asked for more help than she was giving now. She would be paid well, of course, for Evelyn would have plenty of money to spare. And the little woman next door wasn’t the kind to ask awkward questions, she was too naive. So far she’d believed everything she’d been told.

Turning on her side, Evelyn drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. She couldn’t sleep, but then she didn’t want to. She wanted to relive over and over in her head the hour she’d spent in Philip’s apartment. In all the time she’d gone out with Charles, and he’d kissed and cuddled her, he had never sent a thrill down her spine the way Philip did when he held her. The first time she felt it, it was so strong it took her breath away. He only had to stroke her face, or kiss her, and her whole body tingled. He was very experienced where women were concerned, that was obvious, but Evelyn didn’t care. She’d never had these feelings before, and even now, lying in bed in the cold room, the very thought of them sent a warmth through her whole body. They hadn’t made love, although Philip had begged her. But as she explained, if their first act of love making had to be rushed, over in fifteen minutes so they could go back to work, then it wasn’t for her. She would feel no better than a woman kept solely to service his sexual needs, and she had more pride than to sell herself like that.

Evelyn smiled and clasped her knees tighter. Philip had been full of apologies. He hadn’t meant it to seem like that, but told her he couldn’t control his feelings when she was close to him. And to please her, he said he was taking a long lunch hour tomorrow when he’d go shopping to buy the clothes he’d promised. And when she asked how he would know her size, he tapped his nose and said to leave it to him, she wouldn’t be disappointed. They were going to the apartment again on Wednesday lunchtime, so Evelyn could see what he had bought for her, but then she insisted they shouldn’t meet outside the office until Saturday, when she would be spending the night with him. And when Philip had held her tight, nibbling her ear, his whispered words left her in no doubt that on Saturday she would be taught her first lesson in how to satisfy his sexual needs. And she wasn’t afraid, she was looking forward to it. Even the memory of his hand running down her back brought a thrill which caused her to shiver. When she finally closed her eyes in sleep, there was a smile on her face.

Evelyn reached the apartment a few minutes after Philip on the Wednesday and found he had left the door open for her. She could hear him in the kitchen. When she called his name, he called back, ‘Go straight to the bedroom, my darling, and you will find some presents on the bed.’

He was right behind her, and in time to see the pleasure on her face as she looked down at the array of cream-coloured satin underwear. There was everything she would need from brassieres to cami-knickers, short underskirts, long underskirts with matching lace insets, and several pairs of pure silk stockings. Next to them, laid out on the huge bed, were two nightdresses, one pale blue, the other a deep red. And beside them were matching satin dressing gowns.

‘Oh, Philip, they’re beautiful. But you shouldn’t have bought so much, I feel quite embarrassed now.’

He slipped his arms around her and pulled her tight. ‘There’s no need to feel embarrassed, my darling, it gave me a lot of pleasure choosing things for you. And I can’t wait to see you wearing them.’

Evelyn was more excited than she would let him see. She didn’t want him to think she’d never known what it was like to be rich and wear such fine clothes. ‘You are very clever, Philip, they’re all my size! How did you guess?’

He knew that the truth, that this wasn’t the first time he’d been in the lingerie department of George Henry Lee, wouldn’t find favour, so said what he thought she would be happy with. ‘I chose an assistant I thought was your size, and she was very helpful.’

Evelyn stroked the fine satin of the red dressing gown, then turned her head to ask, teasingly, ‘I believe the women in houses of ill repute wear this colour?’

Philip’s head tipped back and he roared with laughter. ‘In that case, my lovely, when you wear it I shall pretend I am in a house of ill repute. I have it on good authority that the women there are very knowledgeable when it comes to making men happy.’

‘Then I feel sorry for you, because I am only a novice and will need lessons.’ The lovely lingerie had put Evelyn in high spirits, and she found herself being more outspoken than she’d ever been before. ‘Would you like me to visit a brothel to learn the tricks of the trade?’

Philip pulled her even closer. ‘I’ll let you into a secret, my darling. I have never wanted anything in my life as much as I want to make love to you. I want to pleasure you as much as I am certain you will pleasure me. And now, my love, if we don’t make a move, we will be late back at the office. Difficult as it will be, I shall have to keep my feelings in check until Saturday.’

Evelyn was still in very high spirits when she called for Amelia, and her good mood wasn’t lost on Bessie. ‘Ye’re looking very well lately, Mrs Sinclair. Happy, like, as though yer’ve had good news or something nice has happened to yer.’

‘I must say, I am feeling very well, Miss Maudsley. It must be the satisfaction of my new job, that’s all I can put it down to. I have a very good boss, and he’s really pleased with my work. Oh, I shall be getting my raise in pay from this week, so I’ll be in a position to give you the extra shilling from this Saturday.’

Bessie nodded and smiled in a friendly way. ‘It’s nice when yer get on with the people yer work for. Makes going to work each day a bit easier, doesn’t it? You seem to have a very good boss, is he elderly or young?’

Evelyn dampened her enthusiasm. ‘Mmm, I really wouldn’t know. If you were to ask me to guess, I would say somewhere in the region of fifty-five or thereabouts. He has children in their twenties, so that might give you an idea.’