Diamonds in the Dust (16 page)

‘They’re here!’ Lily was thrilled about Stan coming home, rushing to the front door as soon as Alan’s car turned into the street.

Tom caught hold of his little sister at the gate, and Dora joined them so they could wave and let him know how pleased they were to see him home again. They waited while Reg helped Stan out of the car.

‘Oh, he’s still on crutches,’ Lily said, disappointed.

‘It’ll only be for a little while.’ Tom ruffled his sister’s hair and smiled down at her. ‘Then he’ll be able to walk without them.’

Stan looked across and smiled at them, then called, ‘I could do with one of your special cups of tea, Lily.’

‘I’ll put the kettle on.’ Lily was fighting to open the gate, but was still being restrained by her brother.

Winnie walked over to them. ‘Stan wants you all to come in.’

‘Are you sure?’ Dora was hesitant. ‘He probably needs peace and quiet on his first evening out of hospital.’

‘Not a bit of it.’ Winnie’s smile was one of pure joy. ‘I haven’t seen him this lively since he was hurt. He’s free of pain, Dora!’

‘That’s wonderful. And we’d love to come in … if you’re sure it’s all right?’

‘Positive!’

Tom was just as eager to see Stan again. Keeping a firm grip on his sister he opened the gate and made straight for the car.

‘Come on, Dora,’ Winnie urged. ‘He wants to see you.’

‘He’ll need something to eat.’ Dora walked beside Winnie.

‘We’ve already thought about that, and I’ll see to it. He’s got plenty of food because I’ve stocked his larder today.’ When Dora walked into the front room, Stan was already in his favourite armchair, his leg resting on a stool. He looked up and smiled, making emotion well up inside her. What a difference! The deep lines of strain that had marred his strong features were already smoothing out. Lily was standing beside him, holding his hand.

Alan came up to Dora and spoke softly. ‘It does your heart good to see the improvement, doesn’t it? I owe him a debt I’ll never be able to repay.’

‘Right!’ Winnie called for attention. ‘Reg is going to the chippy. Who wants fish and who wants pie?’

The orders were called out and Reg wrote them down,
but Alan shook his head. ‘Not for me, Reg. As much as I’d like to, I can’t stay.’

‘Thanks for bringing me home, Alan.’

‘My pleasure. You look after yourself, Sergeant, and soon we’ll both be able to take Dora dancing.’

‘That’s a date, Captain.’ Both men grinned at each other, the mutual respect obvious. They came from different backgrounds, but their experiences in the trenches had made them equal.

‘I’ll drive you to the chippy, Reg.’ Alan waved to everyone and left, promising to come back the next evening.

‘I’ll put the plates in the oven to warm.’ Winnie went to the kitchen and Dora followed.

‘You can’t pay for all this food, there are three of us. I’ll go home and get my purse.’

‘Stan’s insisted on paying by way of celebration. He’ll be offended if you don’t accept.’

‘Oh, I didn’t realise that. It’s kind of him.’

‘He’s a kind man.’ Winnie smiled indulgently as she thought about her brother. ‘He can be a bit sharp at times but he’s a strong man, and I thank God for that. I don’t think he would have survived if he hadn’t been.’

‘I know. Tom and Lily adore him. I don’t know what we’d have done without him.’

Winnie gave Dora a sideways glance. ‘And what about you? Do you adore him as well?’

Dora busied herself finding the salt and vinegar, speaking quietly. ‘I like him very much.’

‘As much as you like Alan?’ Winnie persisted.

‘Alan’s good company and he’s pleased because we treat him like a human being and not a damaged casualty of war, but his world is different from ours.’ Dora looked up, a slight smile on her face. ‘His father was a general and since he retired he’s become a barrister. Can you imagine what his family would say if he brought home a housemaid?’

‘You’re not serious about him then?’

‘Good gracious, no! He insists the class barriers are crumbling, and between himself and Stan that’s true. But for the rest of us they still exist. It would never do for us to be more than friends.’

Reg arrived back with his arms full of packets wrapped in newspaper. It was a scramble to get it all dished out on the hot plates. And rather than disturb Stan, they decided to eat in the front room like a picnic.

This was greatly enjoyed, especially by Lily. As soon as they’d finished, Winnie took the plates into the kitchen, made tea and ordered Dora to sit down.

‘We want to tell you what’s been happening in the investigation to find your mother,’ Reg told them. ‘We haven’t said much because it’s all supposition and coincidence, but you should know what little we’ve found out.’

Stan told them how the name Duval kept turning up, and everything they’d done in the last weeks. He left nothing out.

Tom was shaking his head. ‘But you’ve no proof Mum was using that name. And why would she? It doesn’t make sense.’

‘I agree it’s confusing.’ Stan leant forward. ‘Didn’t your mother ever talk about her past, what part of London she came from or anything like that? Do you know where she met your father?’

‘She came from where all the big ships are,’ Lily piped up. ‘Dad was on one of them.’

Dora and Tom looked at their sister in astonishment. ‘How do you know that?’

‘She told me once when I was sick and not at school. Long time ago, but I remember.’

‘Was your dad unloading the boats?’

Lily gazed at Stan, screwing up her face in concentration. ‘Don’t think so. She said he sailed on them.’

‘Oh, that’s right.’ Tom slapped his head. ‘Dad told me once that he’d been in the merchant navy but had given it up when they’d moved to London.’

Reg was now pacing the floor. ‘Why didn’t you tell us this before?’

Tom shrugged. ‘Can’t see what it’s got to do with Mum disappearing.’

‘Probably nothing, but we need every scrap of information.’ Stan looked questioningly at his brother-in-law before turning his attention back to Tom. ‘Do you know what port he sailed from?’

‘No idea. Why, do you think Mum’s gone back there?’

‘It’s something we’ll have to look into. What do you think, Reg – Southampton or Portsmouth?’

‘We’ll have to make enquiries at both, but first we must search the flat. There might be something there.’

Stan agreed. ‘We’ll go in the morning.’

‘We’ll come with you.’

Both men looked sharply at Tom, and Reg shook his head. ‘I don’t think so.’

‘It’s no good you saying no to us!’ Dora was on her feet now. ‘You seem to think this Duval woman is our mother. I don’t for one moment believe that’s true, so let’s clear this up once and for all. If there’s anything in that flat belonging to Mum, then we’ll know.’

Tom was standing shoulder to shoulder with his big sister, feet slightly apart, an expression on his face that left no doubt about his determination. He wasn’t going to back down on this point. ‘We’re grateful you’re looking for Mum, but you seem to have wasted a lot of time chasing after some other woman.’

‘Now look here, young man,’ Reg bristled at the youngster’s tone, ‘the name Duval has cropped up too many times for us to ignore it!’

‘Have you considered she might be a friend of Mum’s?’ Dora was also very sceptical. She didn’t want to argue too much with these men who were trying to help them – Stan’s family had been very kind to them and the last thing she wanted to do was seem ungrateful – but like her brother she’d had enough. They had stayed in the background while the investigation went on, but things had been kept from them. They would not allow that to happen again.

Stan studied the two rather angry youngsters. ‘We’ve considered every angle, Dora,’ he said gently. ‘There’s no denying that the name has a strong connection to your mother. They’re both missing – if it is two women – and finding one might lead to the other.’

Alarmed by the heated discussion, Lily looked from one person to another, then ran to Winnie who was sitting quietly with her daughter. ‘Why they shouting at each other, Auntie Winnie?’

‘They’re not shouting, dear. They don’t agree with each other, that’s all.’

Lily was shaking her head vigorously. ‘Oh no, Tom’s mad, and so’s Dora.’ She left Winnie and ran to her brother and sister. ‘Stop it! Stan’s just come out of hospital. You’re upsetting him!’ She stamped her foot. ‘I won’t let you do that. He’s got to be looked after or he won’t get well.’

There was a stunned silence as all eyes turned on the little girl who was now standing protectively beside Stan. Her bottom lip jutted out, daring them to raise their voices again.

‘Who would have believed it?’ Reg ran a hand over his face, trying to control his amusement. ‘The three Bentley children have thorns.’

Dora winked at Lily, making her giggle, then she turned to Reg. ‘What time shall we be ready in the morning?’

‘We? Tom and Lily have to go to school.’

‘They’ll be having the day off. All three of us will be coming to have a look at the flat.’

‘I don’t think Lily should come—’

‘I’m coming!’ Lily stopped Reg in mid-sentence. ‘I don’t know where we’re going, but I’m coming. Aren’t I, Dora?’

‘You most certainly are. We’re all in this together.’

Lily nodded proudly. ‘And I’ve got to come because I’ve got to look after Stan.’

‘My God, Stan, you’ve made a conquest there!’ Reg could hardly contain his laughter.

Stan grinned. ‘Might as well give in, Reg. And they’re right, if there’s anything in the flat belonging to their mother, they’ll spot it.’

‘True.’ Reg nodded in resignation, then turned to Dora. ‘I’ll call for you at ten tomorrow morning.’

‘Thank you, we’ll be ready.’ Dora then held out her hand to Lily. ‘Come on, sweetie, time we left Stan in peace.’

When the Bentleys had left, Reg sighed. ‘I need a stiff whisky. What about you, Stan?’

‘A double will go down well. You know where I keep it, Reg.’

Winnie and June were busy in the kitchen as the men settled down to enjoy their drinks. Reg looked intently at his brother-in-law. ‘You look worried, Stan. I think there’s something else on your mind.’

Taking a gulp of whisky, Stan grimaced. ‘It was Tom’s remark that we’ve been wasting our time.’

‘Meaning?’

‘Well, we’ve been concentrating on London. But what if she wasn’t a Londoner? Why is the woman such a mystery, Reg? Somehow we’ve got to find out more about her.’

‘Hmm, you’re right, of course, but no one seems to know a damned thing about her! Perhaps we’d better start looking into the father. He was a merchant seaman and only moved back to London after he’d married her. We need to find out what port he sailed from.’

Stan downed his drink. ‘This is such a tangled web, and I’m beginning to imagine all sorts of unpleasant things.’

‘We’ll get to the bottom of it eventually, Stan. Try not to worry. You’ve got to get well again. Another drink?’

‘Thanks.’

‘We won that argument,’ Tom said as soon as they were back in their own house, obviously very satisfied with the outcome.

‘I never had any intention of losing. They’re wrong about that other woman and the flat. You were right to say they’ve been wasting their time.’ Dora headed for the stairs to put Lily to bed, and Tom followed. ‘They have been wasting their time!’

‘Reg didn’t like us telling him that, did he?’

‘We can’t worry about hurting his feelings, Tom. And anyway, once Lily waded in, that was the end of the objections.’

‘I stopped you all, didn’t I?’ Lily told them proudly, and then gave them a stern look. ‘You mustn’t upset Stan. He’s got to get better and then he can take care of us.’

Dora was stunned. ‘We can’t expect that of him, sweetie. He’s agreed to help us find Mum, but we can’t expect more than that of him.’

‘He told me he would.’ Her bottom lip trembled. ‘What we going to do without Mum?’

‘Hey, what’s all this?’ Tom sat on the edge of Lily’s bed. ‘You’ve got us to care for you. Isn’t that good enough?’

‘Oh, yes, but you’re not very old, and you need someone to love you as well.’ Lily gave Dora a hesitant
glance from under lowered lashes. ‘Now Stan’s going to get better you could marry him, and then we’d have a big family. I’d like that.’

‘I expect you would!’ Dora dug her brother in the ribs to stop his spluttering laugh. Their sister had obviously been turning this over and over in her mind, and the idea had to be squashed at once. ‘Lily, things don’t work out like that. People have to fall in love before they marry. I like Stan very much, but he told me that he’ll never marry.’

‘Oh. He’d make a lovely dad.’ Lily thought this over for a few moments and then smiled again. ‘Alan’s nice too.’

‘Lily!’ Dora was laughing now. ‘Alan comes from a posh family. He’d never want to marry me. Anyway, I like him as a friend, that’s all.’

‘You’ll soon find someone. You’re very pretty, Dora.’

‘Thank you very much.’ Dora kissed her sister. ‘Now, I think it’s time you stopped making all these plans for me and went to sleep.’

‘Hmm …’ The little girl snuggled down under the blankets and then popped her nose out again, a saucy grin on her face. ‘I did stop you all arguing though, didn’t I?’

‘You certainly did. We’re very proud of you.’

Tom ruffled her hair. ‘Next time I get in a fight I’ll expect you to come and rescue me.’

She reached out to catch hold of Dora’s hand. ‘Will Stan be all right on his own tonight?’

‘Of course he will. He has his family looking after him.’

‘We’re his family as well. And I’ll look after him tomorrow.’ She yawned and fell asleep immediately.

Downstairs again Tom opened the cocoa tin and looked inside. ‘We’ve just got enough for two cups. Do you want one, Dora?’

‘Please.’ She sat down and stared thoughtfully into space. ‘It looks as if our sister has adopted Stan and is trying to get me married off. She’s looking for a father figure in her life, isn’t she? Someone to make her feel secure.’

‘That’s because she’s frightened.’ Tom put two cups of steaming cocoa on the table and sat down. ‘And let’s be honest, Dora, we’re all frightened.’