Dreams Can Come True (23 page)

“There’s nothing wrong with living in this one, Hannah. I don’t want our children growing up like you did, like one of those plants that you have in your conservatory.”

“Rubbish, there’s nothing wrong with the way I was brought up. At least I had a decent education, the fruits of it you can see.”

“So you’re saying that I was dragged up,” he had said, feeling dangerously close to them having their first row.

“I’m not saying that, Eddie, but let’s face it, bringing up children over a pub’ is not how I would choose to bring up mine.”

“I’ll have yer know me mother was from a very good family in Formby. She was educated just like you, it wasn’t her fault that dad wouldn’t move from the pub’.”

“Eddie, Eddie, let’s not get caught up in trivial argument. I would like to go back if you will come with me, but not if it means you’ll be unhappy in the place.”

They had agreed then that they would both give the matter much thought, but not until the next morning as Eddie felt the need to carry Hannah quickly to their bed.

She was there waiting to greet him as he walked up their path. Her face flushed with baking and a little bit of flour on her pretty nose. Oh, she was so beautiful, he sighed to himself, his spirits uplifting at the very sight of Hannah. He would follow her to the ends of the earth if that was what she wanted him to do.

“Have you come to a decision, Eddie?” she asked him eagerly, in the measured tones she had been taught at college that always gave him a thrill.

“I’ll tell yer in a minute, come here and give me a hug.”

He clung to her far longer than he usually did, when he came home from work. It was if he wanted her back in the bubble, where they couldn’t be disturbed.

“I’ve got some things that worry me, but without them I would say yes. Though, you’ve worked so hard on this place, Hannah, do yer really want to leave all this?”

“Well, I have my reservations as well, Eddie, but I can see the advantages for both of us, especially in the winter months. Remember only a month ago we were blocked in with snow.”

“Hmm, I remember. I didn’t have to go to work and we were snug as a bug in a rug.”

“Yes, but when we have a growing family we’ll need to feed them, take them to school and back again; we can’t just spend our time in bed.”

“Sounds just perfect to me, Hannah, but you want me to be serious, don’t yer? Well, yes I’ll give it a go. But what are we going to do about you know what? We’ll have the servants and Maggie listening and I know how you cry out in bed.”

“The servants don’t live in, Eddie, and I’ll just have to learn to be quiet. It is a small price to pay, curtailing our lovemaking. Anyway, I think I’m expecting as you know, so it’s not as if we’ll be doing it every day.”

“What happens if Michael comes home? He’s not going to be in the Army forever and he might not be happy that we’re living there.”

“Oh, Mikey will be in India for years yet. According to Mother there’s skirmishes all over the place. She reads the broadsheets avidly to see if she can get any news.”

“Well, I think you’ve nearly won me over. There’s just me family now. How is Maggie going to like Maddy and Ted dropping in? Not to mention Uncle Johnny, who I believe was a suitor of hers.”

“You’ve hardly seen your mother since our wedding. Only that one time when you went to the village after work. You said she heaped a load of profanities upon your head. I can’t see her having the nerve to drop in at Selwyn Lodge.”

“Oh, Hannah, I do love you. You do me heart good just to listen. I take it with your ‘profanities’, yer mean me mother was heapin’ curses on me head.”

Sam tied his horse up to the railing outside Piper’s Cottage. He was in the middle of his milk round but he had called in to see Annie, as one of their youngsters was ill. As soon as she heard his footsteps on the path she was standing in the doorway, cradling little Joe.

“How is he, did yer get the doctor, Annie?” The tot was flushed and his eyes were puffy and red.

“I did as yer said Sam, but he thinks Joe’s only teething. He’s probably right, says it’s the back ones that are coming through.”

“Thank God fer that then. You’d think we’d know all about teething with having the other three.”

“I’ve give him a hard biscuit to chew on, and I went up to the chemist too and got him a bottle of something to calm him. You’ll never guess who I saw up there. Maggie Haines, of all people. I’ve not seen her to talk to fer years!”

“Is the kettle on, Annie? I’ll come in and have a drink. It’s so hot today that I’m worried the milk will go off.”

“The kettle’s just boiled, so take Joe and I’ll go and make yer a brew. Anyway me and Maggie got talking and you’ll never guess what she said.”

“She said she’ll do up Thistledown and Ashlea for us all and we can get to know her daughter and go to Lilac Cottage for afternoon tea.”

Annie looked at Sam puzzled. How did he know what she and Maggie had been talking about?

“No, she never said that, but Lilac Cottage was mentioned. Her daughter and husband are moving into Selwyn Lodge and Lilac Cottage will be up fer rent!”

“And so..?”

“Don’t yer see? We could move into Lilac Cottage. I passed it by on the day of Mam’s funeral and they’ve done it up beautifully. They’ve added on, so we’d have more space and there’s enough land at the side for a stable as well. You know, I could grow me own vegetables and I know there’s an orchard, because me and Ernie used to scrump there when we were kids. Oh, Sam, all me dreams would come true if we could move into Lilac Cottage. Will yer go to see Mr. Arlington as soon as you’ve finished? Sam, will yer do that? Maggie said the tenancy would have to be through you.”

Katie lay asleep on her new bed that she had bought soon after Ruthie’s funeral. It had been bought with a Bounty voucher, a cheque enabling a person to purchase an item, then regular payments being made whilst having the use of it. She and Ernie had gone by train to Chester to the designated furniture shop that dealt with these vouchers from the Sheldon Company. Ernie had ordered a new bed too, as he had taken over Lenny’s room when the poor lad had died. Now their mam had gone, they were free to do whatever they liked and they had nothing against her old enemy, Maggie Haines. In fact, if truth was told, many people in the village relied on Maggie’s Bounty vouchers. They made a difference giving presents at Christmas time, buying a gift for a happy couple on their wedding day, renewing clapped-out furniture, furnishings and bedding and kitting the children out with brand new clothes whenever necessary.

The old palliasses they used to sleep on had been thrown in the garden, ready for burning. The rickety chairs would be next to go, when they had paid for their vouchers by at least a third. Katie had already seen an upholstered moquette settee and a colourful rug. All they had to wait for was a visit from the agent so they could start paying rent for the property.

Katie had been on a night shift at the hospital. It was easy to sleep down at Thistledown Cottage because there was no one to disturb her there. Ernie was up at the farmhouse helping old Briggs, who still had one or two acres of meadow that he’d not sold on.

She slumbered on in a dreamless sleep, not hearing a persistent knocking upon the front door. If it had touched her consciousness at all, her thoughts would be that it was only Sam, her brother in law calling with the milk.

A few hours later and refreshed from her sleep, she spotted a single sheet of paper that had been pushed under the door. Though it was addressed to Mr. Tibbs, not Miss, Katie read it anyway.

“Mr. Tibbs,” she read out. “ Would you kindly present yourself as soon as possible at the offices of the Sheldon Property Company. I have tried to contact you on a number of occasions, but you have not been in. Please ask for Mr. Arlington.” The writer had signed it, Richard Clegg.

Katie’s heart plummeted as she sat down and studied the words. So this was it then, the news that they’d been waiting for at last? What if they couldn’t meet the rent that they’d be asking? Nurses Home, here I come?

“Eddie, there’s something I want to discuss with you. Could yer come into the drawing room for a moment? Olive, you can bring in the tea.”

Maggie sat on the chaise longue and motioned to Eddie to sit near her on a chair. They sipped their tea from delicate porcelain cups and Eddie felt he was in heaven.

“Eddie, I know you and Hannah have only been with me fer a few days, but there are certain rules we must follow if our life together is to be harmonious. The servants are used to following a routine here, so I would thank you not to hang around engaging them in conversation. They must be encouraged to call you Sir or Mr. Dockerty, especially Olive, who I have heard calling you by your Christian name. Joan must be allowed to get on with her cooking and it isn’t your job to bring in coal for the range. Do yer understand what I’m getting at? These people are my servants and that’s what they get paid for.”

Eddie’s face was a picture. His mouth started twitching and Maggie felt sure he was trying to suppress a giggle. Suddenly all Hannah could hear as she came down the stairs was her husband and stepmother beside themselves with mirth.

“What’s so funny, you two?” she asked as she came across the pair of them, seeing Maggie with tears of laughter running down her cheeks.

“Ask this noggle head you’ve brought to live with us, he’ll have me in the funny farm the way he’s carrying on!”

Maggie sat with Mr. Arlington in the chambers of the Town Hall Planning Officer. Newly created to this position, Mr. Hobbs was quite a pompous young man.

“We have studied the architect’s drawings that you resubmitted for our approval, Mrs. Haines,” he said importantly. “I must say with only twenty four houses being proposed for the site, we can now see the wood from the trees!”

He sat back in his chair and smiled widely at his little joke. He realised that neither of the people opposite him at his desk shared his small frivolity and arranged his face back into a serious one again.

“As we have said before, so I won’t bore you with reiteration, these plans are best for the foreseeable future. The previous ones would have put a great strain on the village’s existing resources, for example the sewage system and the water supply. As we are trying to work within our budgets, we don’t want the cost of the aforementioned to have to rise again. So if we are agreed, you can now put out for tender to build twenty four houses on what we shall be naming Claypool Road.”

“And what about the proposed row of terraces that we have applied to build along Town Lane?” Mr. Arlington inquired, knowing that Maggie was too annoyed to speak.

“Won’t be a problem, Mr. Arlington. There is already that type of dwelling on that road, so your plans should pass through the committee without much discussion. You can take it from me that those buildings can go ahead.”

“I told you, Maggie, that your plans for low cost dwellings wouldn’t meet with their approval,” said Mr. Arlington, as they walked down the high street from the Town Hall. “You may as well get on with it, or some other developer will come along and they’ll be given the go ahead. Just do as Hobbs tells you and forget your dreams of houses for the masses. Think of the money you’re going to make from it anyway. Now, is this job going to be too much for our company? Do you want me to approach any other firms to put a tender in?”

“Do sit down, Mr. Tibbs, Miss Tibbs. I see you have received our communication regarding Thistledown Cottage. It’s good of you both to come in.”

Mr. Arlington sat down heavily behind his desk. He was feeling his age today. If it wasn’t for all the excitement that was going on with the Sheldon companies, he would go into retirement. Alice was constantly nagging him to give his notice in to Maggie, but who would she get to replace him? Mr. Peel was happy in his Bounty voucher kingdom and Richard Clegg had a lot to learn still. You couldn’t throw away the experiences of twenty-odd years.

He smiled encouragingly at the two young people before him, who were looking distinctly nervous. Even Katie felt a bit shaky, and she dealt with her dragon of a Matron every day.

“Can yer tell us how much the rent is going to be, Sir?” asked Ernie timidly. “Only neither of us have well-paid jobs and you’ll know that we lived rent-free before.”

“It still will be rent-free, young man, but only for the near future. The council in its wisdom has decided that all properties deemed insanitary are to be demolished and your cottage is one of them, I’m afraid, along with the other cottage further up the lane.”

“But, Sir,” gasped Ernie, looking at his sister in alarm. “We’ve nowhere else to go and that place is all we’ve known since we were children. Tibbses have lived at Thistledown Cottage for nearly forty years!”

“Yes, yes we are aware of that, but remember things have changed now. It isn’t a tied cottage anymore. It belongs to the Sheldon Property Company.”

“Then how will we be paying no rent on it for the near future?” asked Katie, puzzlement showing in her pleasant face.

“Because you will be getting first refusal on a property to be built on Town Lane. You can stay at Thistledown Cottage until then.”

“But we’ve got no money to go buying a new place to live in, never mind find the rent if that was to be asked for instead. I told yer before that neither of us have well paid jobs…”

Ernie went pink in the face and hot round the collar. The frustration of trying to make this man before him understand their situation was causing him to break out in a sweat.

Mr. Arlington opened a drawer in his desk and brought out a paper. He explained, as he knew that they had probably never seen one before, that it was a money order.

“Given to you by Mrs. Haines, in memory of your mother. Fifty pounds, a good deposit, and you can borrow the rest at a very low interest from the Sheldon Property Company!”

“Well, I never,” said Annie in amazement, as she looked at her two siblings, when they arrived breathless on her doorstep later.

“She’s given yer fifty pounds as a deposit on a new house to be built up on Town Lane? How much are they costing? When will yer move in? You look like startled rabbits the pair of yer. Come in anyway and tell me all about it. Then I’ll tell you my news, it’s just as good as yours!”