Forgive and Forget (5 page)

Leo smiled briefly. ‘I’d best be off. Don’t forget, if you need any help, just you let us know.’

Polly gave a watery smile in response. As he turned away, she called, ‘Please thank yar mam.’

He did not look back but raised his hand in acknowledgement.

‘I can’t be one hundred per cent sure yet, but I think it could be the typhoid, Mr Longden.’ Dr Fenwick turned to Polly. ‘Now, my dear, just keep him on fluids. Even if he protests he wants more, you take no notice.’

Polly nodded vigorously.

William, still sitting in the chair, looking hotter by the minute and yet shivering violently, muttered, ‘Her mam’ll be down soon. She’ll look after me. Sarah’ll look after us all . . .’

Polly let out a startled cry and then clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the noise. Dr Fenwick’s face was grim. ‘Mm. Mental confusion.’ He sighed. ‘That’s another sign.’ He watched the patient for another moment before saying, ‘Perhaps it would be best if I arranged for him to go into hospital now, before he gets any worse.’ He glanced at the young girl standing beside him. ‘At least it would be one less burden for you, child. Can you manage the rest of the family or do you want me to – ?’

‘We’ll be fine, sir. Honest. Mrs Halliday will help us. I know she will.’

‘And your other neighbours? Will they lend a hand?’

There was a brief hesitation before Polly answered. She was not a good liar. Sarah had not been on particularly good terms with her immediate neighbours – the ones who shared the water tap and the privy. They regarded Sarah’s efforts to be hygienic as high-handed and offensive and there’d been many a row in the backyard. Polly didn’t think she could count on them now.

Instead, she said again that Mrs Halliday would look out for them.

Seeming satisfied, Dr Fenwick said, ‘Then I’ll arrange for him to be taken in. It’ll most likely be the Drill Hall, child. They’ve opened up several places to take patients and the Drill Hall’s one of them. The Infectious Diseases Hospital, where your mother went, is full, as I believe is the ward at the County Hospital.’ He fastened his bag. ‘So get a few things ready for him and I’ll arrange for the ambulance to fetch him. Meanwhile, like I said before, if any of the youngsters – or you – feel ill, let me know. At once, mind.’

As the doctor had said, things were a little easier for Polly once her father had been taken to the temporary hospital accommodation. Now she had only the young ones to look after. But it didn’t stop her worrying about her father too.

The baby and Stevie were easy. Though Miriam cried when she was hungry or needed changing, she was a placid little thing and the little boy played quietly on the hearthrug with his bricks. It was Violet and even more so, Eddie, who caused Polly her biggest headaches. Violet was obstinate and difficult, refusing to do anything about the house to help. There were little jobs that the ten-year-old could have managed, but no, Violet took the absence of both parents as an opportunity to do just what she liked. She even refused to go to school until Polly threatened to seek out the attendance officer herself.

‘You wouldn’t?’ Violet blinked in the face of her sister’s anger.

‘Try me,’ Polly flashed back. ‘What’ll Dad say when he comes home? And – and what would Mam have said?’

For a while those words subdued the rebellious girl, but they didn’t work on the tougher Eddie.

‘You’ll be in at eight o’clock and no later,’ Polly ordered.

‘Fat chance,’ the boy sneered. ‘Gonner make me, are ya?’

‘No, I can’t make you, I know that.’ Polly’s eyes narrowed. ‘But there’s those that can.’

Eddie laughed. ‘Oh aye. Who?’

Polly pursed her lips. ‘You’ll see, if you try it, Edward Longden. You’ll see.’

And, of course, Eddie did try it.

By half-past nine on the very same evening that Polly had issued her warning, there was still no sign of her brother.

‘Right, he’s asked for it,’ she muttered reaching for her coat from behind the door.

Violet’s eyes were wide. ‘What are you going to do, Poll?’

‘Never you mind. The less you know, the better.’ As she pulled on her coat and wrapped a scarf around her neck, she glared at her sister. ‘I wouldn’t put it past you to take his side.’

Violet grinned and her dark eyes were full of mischief. ‘Oh, I would.’ The younger girl stood up, stretched and yawned. ‘I’m off to bed, if little squealer doesn’t keep me awake.’

‘And about time. You should have been in bed hours ago. And don’t call Baby that. She’s a good little thing.’

Polly pulled her coat closely around her as she closed the door quietly and set off down the street towards the Hallidays’ house.

‘’Ello, love. What brings you out this late?’ Seth asked as he peered at her through the darkness.

‘Is Leo at home, Mr Halliday?’

‘He is, lass. Come away in.’ He ushered the shivering girl into the kitchen. ‘Bertha – Leo, mek room by the fire. This little lass is freezing.’

‘Aw, Polly, love. Whatever’s the matter? Is it your dad?’

Polly shook her head. ‘No. He’s all right, as far as I know.’ She glanced at Leo, who’d risen from his chair and was gesturing for her to sit down in it.

She gave him a wan smile and sat down. ‘I – I’ve come to ask for some advice. From – from Leo really, I suppose.’

Polly glanced around the three kindly, concerned faces, her gaze coming to rest on Leo’s. She drank in the sight of him; his curly fair hair, his bright blue eyes and his generous mouth that was nearly always smiling. For a brief moment, she allowed herself to dream, but then she pulled herself back to the reason for her visit.

‘It’s our Eddie. He’s playing me up summat rotten. It started a bit when Mam was first ill.’ At the thought of her mother, her voice broke a little but she carried on bravely. ‘You know, staying out late if he thought Dad was out and wouldn’t notice. But since Mam died and – and Dad got ill, Eddie’s got worse. He’s stopping out until all hours. I don’t even know where he is – or who he’s with.’ Polly’s head dropped as she strove to hold back the tears.

She felt Leo’s hand on her shoulder as his mother said, ‘Aw, Polly love, don’t cry. We’ll see what we can do.’ She looked up at Leo ‘Have you heard owt?’

Polly looked up to see Leo shaking his head. ‘No, but I’ll go down the station this minute and make enquiries.’

‘Oh – I don’t want to get him into trouble. I mean, not with the coppers.’

‘He already is,’ Leo said, but he was laughing.

Polly gasped and clutched her throat. ‘What d’you mean?’

‘He’s in trouble with me for upsetting you. And I’m a copper, aren’t I?’

Polly relaxed and smiled too. ‘Oh yes. Just for a moment, I thought you meant . . .’

He patted her shoulder. ‘You go back to the little ones, Poll, and I’ll go out and see if I can track that rascal down.’

As she stood up to leave, Bertha asked bluntly, ‘And what about young Violet? Is she behaving herself?’

Polly pulled a wry face. ‘Yes – and no. I have a job to get her to go to school, but she’s going at the moment ever since I threatened to tell the attendance officer mesen if she didn’t.’

‘I know she’s only ten, but she’s a little madam, that one. You’ll have to watch her, Polly.’

‘I assume Eddie’s not been going to school either?’ Leo asked quietly.

Polly shook her head. ‘Not since Mam died.’

The three Hallidays exchanged a worried glance.

‘You know, this could all be to do with losing your mam, love. Kids deal with trouble in different ways and maybe this is Eddie’s way. He’s trying to block it all out of his mind and mebbe, by staying out with his mates, he can forget it for a while. Though it’s not fair on you, lass.’

‘I just – I just don’t want the authorities to put us in the workhouse.’ Polly covered her face with her hands.

Bertha reached out towards her and Leo put his arm round her shoulders. Even Seth said at once, ‘Don’t you worry about that. We’ll see that doesn’t happen. Now let me see you home and Leo’ll see what he can find out.’

‘I’ll come in with you. Just to make sure he’s not come home since you left,’ Leo added, pulling on his overcoat.

The three of them walked up the icy street and entered the Longdens’ home. There was no one in the kitchen or the scullery.

‘Just nip upstairs, Polly, and see that he’s not sneaked straight up to bed,’ Leo suggested.

When she came downstairs a few moments later, Polly shook her head. ‘No, he’s not there. He must still be out. Oh, where can he be? It’s nearly ten o’clock now.’

At that moment, the thin wailing of a hungry baby sounded upstairs.

‘You stay here, Polly,’ Seth said at once. ‘See to the little ones. I’ll go with Leo.’

‘I don’t know how to thank you,’ she began as she moved towards the stairs, but both men waved aside her thanks as they left by the front door.

Outside, Leo muttered to his father. ‘That little bugger. I’ll knock his head off if I catch him. Worrying young Polly like this. Teking advantage, that’s what he’s doing.’

‘Aye well, don’t be too tough on the lad. He’s just lost his mam and his dad’s in the hospital. He’s frightened. They all are.’

‘But he’s not being fair to Polly. She’s a star the way she’s trying to cope and he’s just a little . . .’ His tirade tailed off into an expletive.

‘Let’s get him found first and then we’ll see what we can do.’

It was almost midnight when Polly, sitting huddled in front of a dying fire, heard a soft knock on the front door. Her heart in her mouth, she rushed to open it hoping that it was Eddie. But Leo stood there alone.

In the shadows, she couldn’t read his expression, but there was sorrow in his voice as he said softly, ‘Can I come in a minute, Polly?’

Wordlessly, she pulled the door wider. ‘You haven’t found him?’

‘Actually,’ Leo said, stepping across the threshold and following her through the front room into the kitchen, ‘I have, but it’s not good news, I’m afraid.’

Polly’s hand flew to cover her mouth. ‘He’s not hurt, is he? What’s happened?’

‘No, nothing like that. He’s at the police station.’

‘The police— Oh no! Is he in trouble?’

‘’Fraid so. He was caught stealing in the market this afternoon. He was arrested and taken to the police station, but he was refusing to say anything. He wouldn’t even give his name and address. It wasn’t until I turned up tonight that they found out who he was. I’m sorry, Polly, but I had to tell them.’

‘Of course you did. You couldn’t do anything else.’ Polly was forced to agree, but a tiny part of her wished Leo hadn’t told them.

‘I’ve told them about your mam and how your dad’s ill too and they’re going to let him go with a caution. This time. The stallholder, Albert Thorpe – I don’t know if you know him?’

‘I might,’ Polly murmured. ‘I go to the market a lot, but I don’t know names.’

‘When Mr Thorpe heard about what’s happened to your family, he decided, in the circumstances, that he wouldn’t press charges.’

‘Then where is Eddie? Why hasn’t he come home?’

Leo gave a wry laugh. ‘The custody sergeant thought it would be a good idea to keep him in a cell just for the night. Give him a sharpener, he called it. A taste of what he could expect if he breaks the law again.’

Polly pursed her lips and nodded. ‘And when he does come home, he’ll have me to face, an’ all.’

Leo watched her little face harden and her green eyes glitter.

He wouldn’t want to be in Eddie Longden’s shoes when he got home the following morning.

Eddie had hardly stepped through the door before he felt the flat of Polly’s hand smack his cheek.

‘Oi, what’s that for?’

‘What d’you think it’s for? Ending up in a police cell. That’s what it’s for. Wait till our dad hears about this.’

Eddie gripped her arms so firmly that his fingers dug into her flesh. ‘Don’t you dare say a word to Dad. Or else . . .’

Though he was stronger than she was, Polly was not going to let him beat her. She thrust her face close to his, her spittle raining on his face. ‘Or what, Eddie Longden? You don’t frighten me and – if I have to – I will tell Dad. When he’s better.’

Eddie’s face twisted in a sneer. ‘
If
he gets better.’

‘Oh, don’t you worry, Dad’ll get better. He’s not weak from childbirth like poor Mam was. I’m going to see him today.’

His grip tightened and Polly pressed her lips together to stop herself crying out in pain. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he was hurting her.

‘And you’re planning on telling him? About me?’

Polly put her head on one side, considering. ‘That depends.’

‘On what?’

‘On if you get yourself to school every day until he comes home and you’re in by – let’s say half-past eight.’

Eddie grimaced. ‘I’m leaving school in the summer when I’m twelve. What difference does a few days or weeks make now?’