A Family Scandal (23 page)

‘Of course I have. You know I always keep some in as it’s your dad’s favourite. Would you like a dollop of strawberry jam in it?’

Rhona nodded. She didn’t care if she never had Babycham again as long as her mum still gave her home-made stew and rice pudding with extra jam. She was out of that vile prison of a cellar, she was home, and nobody was going to hurt her anymore. Even if her head hurt, she was safe at last.

Tommy sat at his desk and groaned at the pile of unopened post that would have to be seen to before he did anything else. His legs were still stiff from the long ride back in the car on Tuesday, but he told himself to ignore them and get on with all the work that had accumulated in the last week. The holiday was over and he had bills to pay.

The phone rang and he was tempted to ignore it but knew he shouldn’t.

‘Tommy, is that you?’

‘Stan, long time, no hear,’ said Tommy. ‘You putting off starting work as well? Not much fun being back at the coal face, is it?’

‘No,’ said Stan’s voice, sounding tense. ‘Have you seen the papers yet?’

‘Are you joking? I’ve got a mountain of paperwork to get through. I can’t be sitting around reading the papers.’

‘Well, you might want to take a look,’ said Stan hurriedly. ‘Make it fast. You have to read the
Mail
before Mavis sees it. She’ll be in a right state.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Tommy felt himself growing anxious in reaction to his friend’s tone.

‘There’s a story in there about a body being found at the foot of a cliff near Torquay. They say it’s a local man called Charles Collier and they’ve put in a photo of him. As soon as Mavis sees it she’ll know it’s Alec Pugh.’

‘What? What did you just say?’

‘Alec’s dead, Tommy. He’s fallen off a cliff on to the rocks and died. They don’t mention his real name, but they say he ran a stamp shop so there’s no doubt about it. You’ll have to tell her.’

Tommy stood up and realised he was shaking.

‘You still there, Tommy?’

‘Yeah, mate.’ He paused, running a hand across his face. ‘Just a bit shocked, that’s all. The
Mail
, you said? Not just whatever the local paper is down there?’

‘Yes, it’s all there in black and white, page five of the
Mail
, with a picture of that slimy bastard, which means everyone will recognise him. How about that for a coincidence? He goes missing for ages, then no sooner do we find him than he winds up dead. When I think about what he did to Mavis and the kids, I can’t say I’m sorry. He made their lives a living hell.’

‘He did that all right,’ said Tommy.

‘Look, I’ve got to go, I’ve got loads to catch up on as well, but I thought you should know as soon as possible.’

‘Thanks, and I’ll go over to see Mavis right away,’ Tommy said and after saying goodbye he replaced the receiver.

Grabbing his jacket he left the office and ran to the corner shop, where he picked up a copy of the
Daily Mail
, and then the
Express
and
Mirror
as well. The woman behind the counter was keen to make conversation but for once he ignored her, running out again and getting into his van. He took a moment to catch his breath and then turned to page five of the
Mail
.

TORQUAY BUSINESSMAN FOUND DEAD AT TOP BEAUTY SPOT

Tommy pulled a face and thought how Alec Pugh would have loved his description, rather than plain old shopkeeper. The man’s face smiled out, posed in front of his premises, with the ‘Collectibles’ sign in the background. There was no mistaking him. Everyone who’d known him in Battersea would recognise him at once, even though he’d aged a little. Tommy skimmed the story but there was not much to tell. The body of Charles Collier had been discovered by some early rising beachcombers on Tuesday morning at the foot of the local cliffs, but the paper didn’t give the exact whereabouts. Nobody appeared to have seen the man fall and police were appealing for any witnesses to come forward. The reporter had managed to find someone to say a few good things about the deceased: how well-mannered he was, how the local community respected him. Tommy snorted. They couldn’t have known him very well, then.

He picked up the other two papers. They had both run the story but in less detail, and the story wasn’t sensational enough to make the headlines in any of the papers. Now though Mavis had to be told, and they would have to think about what to tell the children. Tommy turned the key in the ignition and set off for Peckham. He drove faster than normal, inwardly praying he wouldn’t get pulled for speeding, but at last reached Peckham and found a place to park near the dog-leg bend of her road. He hurried towards her front door, just as her miserable neighbour was coming out.

‘You’re in a hurry this morning,’ she commented sourly. ‘Where’s the fire?’

Tommy gave her a brief nod and after knocking on the door, Lily answered almost at once. Bobby was just behind her, looking as if he was about to be taken to nursery as he was dragging a colourful canvas bag along the floor behind him. ‘Where’s Mavis?’ Tommy gasped. ‘Has she seen the newspapers?’

‘Not that I know of. Why, what’s the matter?’ Lily asked worriedly.

‘There’s something she needs to see.’

They turned as they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. ‘Tommy! This is a surprise!’ Mavis’s face broke into a delighted smile. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you until tonight. What brings you here so early?’

Tommy’s mind went blank. He didn’t know how to begin. ‘I’ve got something to show you … tell you,’ he blurted out.

‘Come upstairs then,’ Mavis invited.

‘I’ve got to take Bobby to his playgroup, but it’s just around the corner so I won’t be long,’ Lily said, leaving with obvious reluctance.

Tommy followed Mavis upstairs, and after holding her in his arms for a moment she lifted her face for a kiss, then saying, ‘What is it that you want to show me.’

Tommy bit on his lower lip and frowned. ‘Mavis, you’d better sit down.’

Her smile faltered. ‘There’s something wrong, isn’t there? What is it, Tommy?’

Tommy gently pushed her onto a chair at the table, and then sat down next to her. He pulled out the newspaper, turned it to the relevant page and placed it between them. ‘There’s no easy way to say this, love. Alec is dead.’

Mavis’s face didn’t alter. It was too much to take in. ‘What did you just say?’

‘Alec is dead. Look, here it is in black and white.’

Slowly Mavis pulled the newspaper towards her. She looked at the page, looked away then looked back again. Her hand went to her mouth as she saw the picture and as she still struggled with her letters, Tommy read it to her.

‘Oh God, what a terrible thing to happen.’ She shivered, but then began to babble, ‘Torquay, that was just down the road from where we were staying last week. We could have bumped into him. Thank God we didn’t and that the children didn’t see him. It doesn’t bear thinking about …’ She glanced up, saw Tommy’s expression and her eyes narrowed. ‘Tommy, you knew. You saw him, didn’t you?’

Tommy couldn’t deny it. She knew him too well. ‘Yes, it’s true. I did see him and so did Stan. It was only towards the end of our holiday. We didn’t say anything because we knew it would upset you.’ He watched her carefully, waiting to see what her reaction was.

Mavis was in shock, not knowing what to think. On the one hand she suddenly felt desperately sorry for Alec. He’d been a vindictive cruel husband and father but nobody deserved to die like that. He must have lain there for hours in the darkness, his body mangled on the rocks. She’d seen those cliffs, and could imagine only too clearly what the scene must have looked like. She half-closed her eyes to block out the picture in her mind. Yet on the other hand … this was the day she’d been waiting for, for two long years. It was the end of her time in limbo. She had wanted a divorce, but not to find out that Alec was dead, yet dreadful as it was, she was finally free. It was all too much. Before she could stop herself a sob broke from her throat and in the next moment she was in Tommy’s arms, crying unstoppably. The tears ran down her cheeks and soaked his shirt.

‘There, there, you don’t have to cry.’ Tommy stroked her back and held her as she wept. ‘He can’t hurt you ever again. He can’t touch the children, none of you have to live in fear of him anymore.’ He rested his face on the top of her head. ‘You’re all right now. I know it’s a bad way to die but you don’t have to be afraid from this day onwards. Don’t be sad for him, he didn’t deserve it.’

Mavis gave a gulp and the tears slowly stopped. ‘It’s not that, Tommy. It’s the shock, I suppose. Relief as well, mixed with guilt that I feel relieved. Not knowing where he was all this time preyed on my mind. I kept expecting him to turn up one day, to threaten me, or to try to take James and Grace away.’

‘Well you won’t have to worry about that anymore,’ murmured Tommy, shutting his eyes in thankfulness that she would never know how close to the truth that last fear came. ‘He’s gone, Mavis, gone for good. You’re too kind-hearted, he doesn’t deserve your tears.’

She shook her head and looked up at him, her eyes still glistening. ‘I’m not crying for him, really I’m not. It’s sad though, because he was the father of my children and now he’ll never know how they grow up.’

‘His choice,’ said Tommy abruptly. ‘He disappeared, so that was his loss, and now he’s lost his life.’

‘I know, but I wouldn’t have my two wonderful children if it wasn’t for him. You’re right, I do see that, it was his decision not to have anything to do with them. I can tell them the truth; that he’s dead, and then they won’t be thinking about him turning up again either. I don’t really think it ever entered Grace’s head, but I could see how James flinched when anyone ever mentioned his father.’ She paused and gave a big sigh, tipping back her head. ‘No, the more it sinks in, and though it sounds awful, the better I feel.’

‘Good,’ said Tommy.

‘And now, at last, I’m no longer a married woman,’ Mavis said. ‘It’s really true. I don’t have to lie, or keep quiet and let people assumptions. I’m a widow, I’m free. Tommy, I’m free.’

‘You are.’ Tommy brought his mouth close to hers and kissed her very softly. ‘You are absolutely and totally free to do what you like. How does that feel?’

‘In light of Alec’s death, it still feels wrong to say it, but I feel bloody marvellous.’

‘Mavis! You never swear!’

‘Maybe now I’m a widow I do.’ She smiled up at him. ‘I can do what I like without fearing in the back of my mind that he’ll come back to make my life a misery again. And you don’t have to worry about going on holiday with a married woman.’

‘I liked it,’ said Tommy with a wicked look on his face. ‘With one particular married woman anyway.’ Suddenly he knew this was the moment. He’d always thought it would be a perfectly planned occasion, yet here was the chance he needed. He paused and grew serious. ‘In fact I liked it so much I want to do it again.’

Mavis shot him a look, puzzled.

Tommy smiled gently and kissed her again. ‘Sorry, I’m talking in riddles. I’ve waited so long to say this that it’s coming out all wrong.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Now you’re free … what I wanted to ask you was … oh Mavis, you know how I feel about you. Will you marry me?’

For a moment there was silence. Mavis gave a little gasp, and then she beamed at him, happiness radiating from her. ‘Oh, Tommy,’ she breathed. ‘Of course I will. I’m the luckiest woman alive to have you. Let’s do it as soon as we can.’

Tommy swept her off her feet and danced with her, twirling her around the kitchen. ‘For richer, for poorer,’ he chuckled. ‘Then you won’t have to have his name anymore either. You can be Mavis Wilson.’

‘Mavis Wilson. Yes. That sounds much better. I never did like the name Pugh.’ She hugged him tightly around his neck. ‘Rich, poor, none of that matters as long as we’re together.’

Tommy set her down and held her close. ‘That’s exactly how I feel too. I’ll never hurt you, Mavis. I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe. I’ll never let the bad times come for you again,’ Tommy said firmly, meaning every word.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Rhona had wondered what sort of reception she would get when she went back to work, thinking perhaps everyone would assume she’d been skiving. So she returned to the factory before her head wound had properly healed and still bearing signs of the bruising, wanting to get back into a normal routine as soon as possible and to forestall any trouble. Her worries were unfounded. When she got there, everyone greeted her like a hero.

‘You’ve done me a favour,’ beamed Jean. ‘Getting that slimy Andy Forsyth arrested was the best thing you could have done.’

‘No! I didn’t give them his name!’ Rhona cried, horrified. She’d been careful to say that before she had seen her attackers, she’d been hit on the head from behind and hadn’t mentioned anything about coming to before they’d left. She knew only too well what happened to snitches and she didn’t fancy the repercussions. Being beaten up once was bad enough.

‘Sorry, that came out wrong,’ said Jean, still grinning like the cat who got the cream. ‘That barman cracked under police questioning and confessed everything. My fiancé heard all about it. The police raided Andy Forsyth’s place and as the daft sod hadn’t had the sense to hide the money, he didn’t stand a chance.’

‘I hope they put him away for a long stretch. Prison’s too good for the likes of him,’ Rhona said as she rubbed her head where it still hurt.

‘But that’s not the best bit,’ Jean went on. ‘It was all too much for our foreman. He’d boasted about Andy getting on in the world and looked down his nose at us, so when he heard what had happened to you he went crazy. He barged into the manager’s office and started shouting, accusing you of putting Andy up to it and demanding your dismissal. The manager was none too happy and sacked him on the spot.’

‘What? You’re kidding.’ Rhona couldn’t imagine the pompous foreman losing his temper like that. He’d been deliberately mean to her, but had never shown any signs of doing anything to jeopardise his own job. ‘I can’t believe it. He was always such an arse-licker around the boss. Has he really been sacked?’