Sing as We Go (20 page)

‘Come away in, cariad,’ Betty insisted. ‘Don’t you think I’m used to wellingtons tramping in and out all day?’

‘Well, just into the kitchen then.’

They were left alone together, just the two of them, sitting in Betty’s warm kitchen over a cup of tea. They talked non-stop, Edith wanting to know everything that had happened to her daughter since she’d left home. She’d heard snippets from the Robinsons, but it meant so much more to hear it from Kathy herself.

Edith held her daughter’s hands tightly. ‘Are you happy, my darling? Truly happy?’

‘I’m happy with Tony, Mam. You’d love him, I know you would. But – but it’s his mother . . .’ She went on, the words spilling out about Beatrice Kendall’s possessiveness.

When, at last, Kathy fell silent, Edith smiled gently. ‘I can understand it. A mother’s love is something very special. Some say, the strongest love there is. But sometimes, it can become “smother” love and that can be dangerous. But I feel for her. She must be desperately anxious about him being called up.’

‘Along with thousands of other mothers. Why can’t she just let him live his own life? You did with me.’

Fresh tears welled in Edith’s eyes. ‘It wasn’t easy, darling. In fact it was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.’

‘Then – then why did you let me go?’

‘Because it was the best for you,’ she said simply, and her unselfish love for her daughter was summed up in those few words.

There was a soft knock and Morry poked his head around the kitchen door. ‘I hate to do this, but you’ve been here nearly an hour, Mrs Burton, and . . .’

‘Oh my Lor’,’ Edith cried, jumping up at once, her eyes wide with fear. ‘If he’s woken up . . .’

Morry moved into the room and put his arm around her shoulders. ‘I’ll park in the lane and we’ll walk up to the farm and then sneak into the henhouse . . .’

‘No, no, I’d best go on my own. If he sees you there, he’ll start asking questions. I’ll be all right.’ She hugged Kathy swiftly. ‘Whatever happens, it was worth it just to see you, darling.’

‘Oh, Mam,’ Kathy said shakily and hugged her hard in return.

Later, Kathy kissed Morry on the cheek. ‘That was the very best Christmas present you could have given me. Thank you.’

Morry didn’t answer but the look in his eyes said it all. I’d do anything for you, Kathy. Anything at all.

Nineteen

‘Mr Kendall, whatever are you doing here?’

The man stood awkwardly in the centre of the millinery department, twirling his cloth cap through his agitated fingers and looking decidedly uncomfortable. Kathy hurried towards him. ‘Is something wrong?’

‘ ’Fraid so, lass. Can you tell me where I can find our Tony?’

‘Of course. I’ll take you straight to his office.’ She put her hand on his arm and was about to lead him through the maze of departments and corridors when she saw Muriel coming towards them.

‘Ah,’ she murmured. ‘I’d better ask permission to leave the floor. Miss Curtis, Mr Kendall needs to see his son on a matter of urgency. May I take him up?’

Muriel nodded towards Mr Kendall, who smiled thinly. ‘Of course, but come straight back. Stella is on her lunch break and we’re quite busy this morning.’

As they hurried up the stairs, Kathy asked, ‘What’s wrong? Is it Mrs Kendall?’

‘Sort of, lass. She’s had a nasty shock and fainted clean away. Good job I was at home. I’ve been on nights and I was in me bed. I heard this thump and went downstairs and there she was on the floor with a letter in her hand.’

‘A letter? A letter had caused her to pass out?’

He nodded grimly. ‘It’s Tony’s call-up papers, lass. He’s got to go.’

As they reached the top of the stairs, Kathy stopped and turned to face him. ‘But – but I thought your wife said she could arrange a deferment for him?’

Sadly, George shook his head. ‘She’d like to think she could, love. But the truth is there’ll be nothing she can do. Nothing anyone can do. He’s not in the sort of job that could get deferment. Now she’s clinging to the hope that he’ll fail his medical.’ He leaned closer and lowered his voice. ‘She even asked our doc if he’d write a certificate saying Tony has a weak heart.’

Kathy gasped and her eyes widened. ‘He can’t do that, surely?’

‘Of course he can’t. Something like that could end his career.’

‘Then – then Tony’ll really have to go?’

‘ ’Fraid so, lass. Now, where’s his office?’

‘I don’t care what he says, I’m going to their house.’

‘I wouldn’t,’ Jemima warned. ‘It’s snowing like mad out there. There’s a couple of inches fallen already and a lot more on the way by the look of the sky this afternoon. With the blackout too . . .’ Seeing the determined look on the girl’s face, Jemima stopped, sighed and shrugged.

‘I’ve not even seen him. If his father hadn’t come looking for him, I wouldn’t even have known.’ She was feeling hurt that Tony hadn’t sought her out at once to tell her that his call-up papers had come.

‘He left the store to go home to his mother,’ Jemima said.

‘Now why doesn’t that surprise me?’ Kathy said, unable for once to keep the bitterness from her tone.

For once, Jemima gave up. ‘Be careful, dear. Wrap up warmly. It’s bitterly cold. I’m just thankful it’s Sunday tomorrow.’ She stroked the cat on her knee. ‘Taffy and I intend to stay snug and warm by the fire.’

Kathy trudged through the darkness, pulling her coat tightly around her and squinting against the driving snow that stung her cheeks and caught her breath. But her anger and resentment drove her on. She was ready to do battle, but when she arrived at the Kendalls’ home Kathy found Beatrice Kendall in a state of collapse. She could see at once that this time the woman’s distress was genuine. Beatrice lay back on the sofa, looking thin and white. Tony sat on a footstool beside her, chafing her hand as if trying to bring some warmth, some life almost, back into her.

He glanced up, a mixture of pleasure and apprehension on his face, as his father ushered Kathy into the stuffy, cluttered room.

‘Look who’s here,’ George said cheerfully. ‘Come to see if she can lend a hand. Isn’t that kind of her?’ Before giving anyone time to make a comment, George went on. ‘Tell you the truth, lass, I’m glad to see you. I could really do with a hand in the kitchen. I’ve to go to work. I’m late for me shift already with all this to-do and I haven’t had time to cook Tony a meal or try to tempt Beatty with a little something. Mind you, I’ve done the shopping, so there’s everything you need. I could only get sausages at the butchers. The shortages are starting already, I reckon. There’ll be enough for you, an’ all. I shan’t have time to stay to eat.’

‘Can I make you some sandwiches to take with you?’

‘Oh no, lass,’ he smiled. ‘Me pack-up’s all done. I just haven’t time to eat now. Still,’ he laughed and patted his rotund stomach. ‘Won’t hurt me to miss a meal for once, will it? Now, I’ll show you where everything is and if you could make a milky rice pudding for the Mrs, she might manage a bit of that.’

‘I couldn’t eat a thing,’ came Beatrice’s quavering voice from the couch. ‘Whatever are we going to do? I can’t bear it. This is going to kill me.’

‘Now, Mother, don’t take on so. Please. I’ll be all right and I’ll come home just as often as I can.’

‘But I’ll never see you,’ the woman wailed. ‘You’ll want to be with – with
her
, won’t you? She’ll take you away from me.’

‘Kathy can come here, then I can be with both of you.’

Beatrice raised her head from her pillow and pointed a trembling finger at Kathy. ‘I won’t have her here. I won’t have her in my house. Get her out!’ Her voice rose hysterically. ‘
Get her out!
’

‘Now, now, Beatty. You know I’ve got to go, and this lass here has kindly offered to cook Tony’s meal for him. You don’t mind her doing that, surely?’ Before his wife could answer, he took Kathy’s arm. ‘Tek no notice, lass,’ he whispered as they left the room. ‘She’s overwrought with the news. She’ll calm down in a bit. Let’s leave Tony with her. It’s him she wants with her when she has a bad turn.’

Don’t I know it! Kathy thought, but she said nothing.

George left for work and Kathy busied herself in the unfamiliar kitchen. First, she made up a rice pudding, as it would take the longest to cook. She peeled potatoes and set them to steam and then found a frying pan for the sausages. ‘Bangers and mash,’ she murmured, and smiled, thinking that it was hardly what she would have wished for as a meal she was preparing for her future husband.

When everything was ready, she tapped on the door of the sitting room and entered carrying a tray set with a snowy white tray cloth and a bowl of the rice pudding with a dollop of jam in the centre.

‘Mr Kendall thought you might be able to eat a little rice pudding. I hope you like it.’

Beatrice raised her head and glared up at her.

‘Isn’t that kind of Kathy, Mother? Now let me help you sit up.’

As Kathy leant forward to place the tray on Beatrice’s lap, the woman suddenly lashed out, hitting the tray upwards. The rice pudding splashed down the front of Kathy’s blouse and skirt, and the bowl and tray clattered to the floor.

‘What on earth did you do that for?’ For once, Tony was angry. ‘Kathy was only trying to help.’

‘Get – her – out – of – my – house,’ Beatrice gasped. Then she clutched dramatically at her chest and moaned. ‘Tony – my pills. Fetch my pills.’

As Tony hurried out of the room once more, Kathy stood looking down at Beatrice. ‘You know, if you carry on like this, you will lose him. Sooner or later, he’s going to see right through you and then – he’ll go.’

Through gritted teeth, Beatrice spat, ‘Get out.’

‘Oh, I’m going – for now. But I’ll be back. You won’t get me to give up like poor Muriel Curtis did.’ As they heard Tony returning, Kathy leant forward. Putting her face close to Beatrice’s, she said, ‘You won’t get rid of me quite so easily. I promise you.’

‘We’ll see about that, won’t we?’ Beatrice hissed and then flopped back against the pillows as Tony entered the room.

As he passed close to her, he faltered and looked into Kathy’s face. ‘I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over her. It must have been an accident. I’m sure she didn’t mean to do it.’

Swiftly, Kathy made her decision. She smiled sweetly. ‘Of course not, darling. I’ll go and clean myself up and then I’ll see to this.’ She indicated the smashed bowl on the floor and the splashes of rice pudding on the carpet.

‘Oh, I’ll see to it . . .’ Tony began, but Kathy interrupted firmly, ‘No, your dinner’s waiting for you in the kitchen. As soon as you’ve given your mother her pills, you go and get it. I’ll keep an eye on her and fetch you if she needs you.’

‘Well . . .’ He was torn between the two of them, and to tell the truth he was very hungry. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast.

Kathy went back to the kitchen and cleaned the front of her blouse and skirt as best she could, then, finding a dustpan and brush and a cloth to mop the carpet, she returned to the front room.

‘Off you go,’ she said gently to Tony.

‘You’ll fetch me if she needs me.’

‘Of course I will.’

With that he left the room, but as the door closed behind him, Kathy moved towards the sofa and bent over Beatrice.

‘Round one to me, I think,’ she said softly.

Twenty

‘I’m to join the RAF. I’m to report on Monday, the nineteenth of February.’

Kathy could see both excitement and apprehension in his eyes. She wound her arms around his neck and laid her cheek against his shoulder, as she whispered, ‘You will be careful, won’t you?’

His arms tightened around her. ‘Of course I will,’ he said gently. He smoothed the hair back and kissed her forehead. ‘Do you really think I’d endanger our future together?’

She raised her head and looked up at him. ‘You really think we have a future together?’

‘Of course.’ It was obvious he was shocked that she could doubt it. ‘Oh darling, I know Mother’s difficult and I’m so sorry for what happened the other day.’

Kathy smiled weakly but said nothing.

‘I had a long talk with Dad last night. He – he told me a lot of things about the past that I hadn’t either known or realized. It – well – I suppose it explains a lot of things.’ He paused. Still Kathy said nothing. She’d never been one to pry into the secrets of others. If Tony wanted to confide in her then he would. If not, then it was really none of her business what had happened in his family’s past. All that concerned her was – their future. Hers and Tony’s.

‘His advice to me was that I should take this opportunity to cut loose the apron strings, as he put it.’ Tony smiled. ‘And the very best piece of advice he gave me was to say that I should marry you and be quick about it before some other eligible chap snaps you up behind my back.’

Kathy gasped and stared up at him in surprise. Then she threw back her head and laughed aloud. ‘Well, that’s the best I’ve heard yet. That a young man is “under orders” from his father to get married.’

Tony laughed with her, though slightly sheepishly. ‘So, what do you say? Will you marry me? Right away? Before I go? I mean, there’s only just over three weeks.’

Kathy hugged him tightly. ‘Oh yes, yes,
yes
!’

‘Can you arrange everything for the Saturday before I go?’

‘Just try and stop me.’

‘We might need a special licence. I’ll sort that out. Will you want to get married at home? In your local church?’

Kathy bit her lip and tears sprang to her eyes. Wordlessly, she shook her head. Her girlish dream had been to float down the aisle of the little village church on her father’s arm to the sound of her friends in the choir singing for her. But it was not going to happen. Apart from anything else, her father would more than likely stay away from her wedding. But if that happened, she knew the very person she would ask to give her away. Ted Robinson. She didn’t know quite how Morry would take the news, but Amy and her parents would be thrilled for her. And Amy of course would be her bridesmaid. That had never been in doubt.