Towards a Dark Horizon (27 page)

He lifted my file down from the shelf. ‘How much money do you want, Ann?’

‘Fifty pounds, Mr Pringle.’

His head came up sharply from the file and he gave me a piercing look. ‘Fifty pounds?’

I wasn’t going to mention losing Dad’s money every week but he must have guessed.

‘I forgot to say congratulations to your father, Ann. I believe he got married to Mrs Connors last week. Mrs Pringle and I were sorry we couldn’t manage to go the wedding party on Saturday but it was our bridge night.’

Bridge night? The other Mrs Pringle, Dorothy, also had her bridge night on the same evening. It was a revelation how the other half lived.

‘Thank you, Mr Pringle. It was a surprise about the marriage but it’s done now so that’s that.’

He studied me once more. ‘Fifty pounds is a lot of money, Ann. Are you sure you want so much?’

I nodded. ‘Lily needs some things and I thought I would keep the money for a standby – for the odd emergency. It’ll save me coming back for more if I get enough out now.’

He didn’t say anything for a moment then he wrote in the file.

‘I won’t be able to get the money tonight, Ann, as the bank has closed. Can you come back tomorrow?’

Whether it was the disappointment or my cold but a spasm of coughing shook my body. I gasped, ‘I’m sorry, Mr Pringle, but I can’t seem to get rid of this cold.’

He left the office and came back with a glass of water.

‘I think you should see a doctor, Ann. You look white and shaken. Do you want me to get a doctor for you?’

I took the water and sipped it. The spasm passed. ‘No, honestly, Mr Pringle, I’ll be fine. It’s just a really bad cold.’

He looked worried. ‘I wish you had made an appointment, Ann, and I could have had the money waiting for you instead of you having to come back tomorrow.’ He took out his wallet. ‘Let me give you some money in the meantime and you can get the balance tomorrow.’

I was mortified with shame and my face turned a deep purple. ‘Oh, no, Mr Pringle, that will not be necessary. I don’t need the money right now as it’s just for Lily or the odd emergency.’

He gazed at me sternly. ‘Well, if you say so, Ann, but you would confide in me if you were having any problems, wouldn’t you?’

I nodded. If only he knew the truth. At that moment I had only enough money in my purse to get Lily her tea from the chip shop and that was all.

I tried to smile but even my jaw ached. ‘Of course I would, Mr Pringle.’

He stood up. ‘Well I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, Ann, and I’ll have the money waiting for you.’

I was glad to escape and I grabbed Lily’s hand and we hurried out into the street.

‘We’ll take your chips to Granny’s and you can eat them there, Lily.’

She smiled at me and placed her small hand in mine. Once again, I was furious at Dad for abandoning her. To make up for this, I asked her, ‘What do you want from the chip shop for your tea?’

She gave this some thought and then she said, ‘Can I have a fishcake supper, Ann?’

I had to laugh. This was her favourite dish from the chip shop – especially when the small Italian man who owned the shop shook loads of salt and vinegar on it. He would ask her in his broken English, ‘You, wee lassie, want some salt vinegar on your chips?’

Lily would nod solemnly and he would make a big show with the two containers on his counter. Normally I made soup every day and things like mince and tatties so this fishcake supper was a huge treat for her.

The chip shop was crowded but, as it was only a tiny shop, we didn’t have too long to wait. The wonderful smell of cooking made my hunger even more acute and I was kicking myself for not taking the kind offer of money from Mr Pringle. It was, after all, my own money so why should I feel so much shame for being hard up? Still, I would have my fifty pounds tomorrow.

The owner leaned over the counter and beamed at Lily. ‘Och, it’s wee lassie, Lily. What you want tonight?’

Lily looked important. ‘A fishcake supper, Mr Nettie.’

This was her nickname for him. When she had been very small his Italian name had been too difficult for her to pronounce and the name had stuck.

The rain started as we made our way up the Overgate and I carried her chips under my coat to keep them dry. On reaching the house, I was grateful to see the cheery fire in the grate but less cheerful to see Bella sitting at the table with Granny. They were conducting a post mortem on the party.

As Lily ran ahead to get her plate from the cupboard, Granny turned to Grandad. He was sitting at the fire with his pipe and evening paper. ‘Bella and I were just saying that your jardinière went down a treat. Margot was fair pleased with it.’

Grandad looked pleased. ‘I knew she would like it because I’ve got a good eye for a bargain.’

‘Does she know you bought it from Jumping Jeemy?’ Lily asked as she sat at the table.

‘It doesn’t matter where I bought it from, wee lass – it was still a grand bargain and why Hattie didn’t want him to deliver it for me is a mystery.’

Bella hadn’t enjoyed the party. ‘I didn’t think it was that good,’ she said sourly. ‘There was no sing-song or any drink – just those wee dinky glasses of sherry that have no kick – and as for those sandwiches … well, there was hardly a mouthful in each one. You wouldn’t have had to be hungry, that’s for sure.’

Granny tried to be more charitable. ‘Och, well, Bella, that’s the way some folk are. They do everything in wee drops. It’s supposed to be artistic or so I’m told.’

‘Well, it might be bonny when it’s set out on the table but we all want a good feed at a party. A good plate of steak pie, peas and tatties then rice pudding or custard or something sweet.’ She smacked her lips as she imagined this feast. ‘And we should get a good drink. Farty wee glasses like that are no use to man or beast, that’s for sure.’

Grandad shook his head then retreated behind the newspaper while I had this mental image of Bella with a pint glass of sherry.

Then Granny noticed I was leaving Lily to tuck into her fishcake and chips and wasn’t having anything myself. She raised her eyebrows at me but remained silent in front of Bella. She then stood up. ‘I think I’ll make us something to eat, Bella.’

Bella stared at her and Grandad dropped his newspaper in his lap. He said, ‘But we’ve just had our tea and I expect Bella had hers before she came.’

Bella shook her head. ‘It was more like a wee snack so I wouldn’t mind a bit of supper, Nan.’

Grandad was outraged. ‘Supper? It’s only six o’clock.’

Granny moved over to the stove and didn’t reply. After a few moments, the wonderful smell of soup filled the air and she lit the grill. Placing thick slices of bread under it she stood with her back to us until the meal was ready. She then moved over to the table. ‘Hot soup and toast,’ she said. She looked at Lily. ‘I don’t expect you’ll be wanting anything, wee lass?’

‘No, thank you, Granny. I’m full up with Mr Nettie’s chips.’

I was starving and I realised I hadn’t eaten anything since early that morning. The hot soup warmed me up and the toast was thickly spread with butter. Granny detested margarine and so did I.

My body felt as if it had been kicked by an angry horse. I had aches and pains in every joint and my headache was beginning to come back.

Granny reappeared with the teapot, more toast and some Rich Tea biscuits.

Bella, quite overcome by this unexpected feast, looked at the biscuits. ‘This is what I call a party – the only thing missing is the drink.’

Grandad muttered under his breath, ‘Well, you’ve scoffed all my soup so you’re not getting my bottle of beer.’

Undaunted by this remark, she pulled her famous medicine bottle from her bag. ‘Will you join me, Nan?’

Granny declined so she filled a glass and hobbled over to the sink to put some water in her whisky. Lily couldn’t take her eyes off her. Bella gave her a huge wink. ‘It’s just my medicine, Lily. The chemist makes it up for me just the way I like it.’

Lily, who hadn’t been hungry a moment before, was now gorging herself on the biscuits and looked relieved while Grandad still muttered darkly behind his newspaper.

I hadn’t planned on telling Granny about my visit to Mr Pringle – at least not yet – but Lily began to chatter on about it. ‘I sat on the chair outside while Ann went into the office. The lassie behind the desk kept looking at me in a snooty way but I didn’t make any funny faces at her because I knew Ann wouldn’t be pleased. You’ve got to behave in a solicitor’s office, haven’t you, Ann?’

Bella was agog at this story while Granny raised her eyebrows again. It was obvious that Bella wanted to know the whole story but there was no way I was going to broadcast the fact that Dad had left us almost penniless.

‘I just went in because he likes to see me every now and again,’ I explained before sipping another cup of warming tea. I made it sound like an illicit meeting – something shady and underhand. Bella didn’t believe me. I could see that by her sceptical expression but she poured herself another cup of tea as well and sandwiched two Rich Tea biscuits together with a thick layer of butter.

Grandad saw this move and his paper shook with annoyance. Bella was eating him out of house and home and he didn’t like it – and I was the cause of it. Granny had seen how hungry I was but had made Bella the ploy for making this early supper. Poor Bella – not only was Grandad begrudging her this treat, she wasn’t even the reason for it. I made up my mind to replace all this food the next day when I got my money.

To get back on safer ground and away from Grandad’s wrath, Bella mentioned the party again. ‘I thought Margot looked really bonny in that frock, Ann. And Hattie’s face was put out of joint even though she tried hard enough to dress smarter than her.’

We all chuckled at the memory. Then I remembered Rosie and I asked how she was.

Granny shook her head. ‘Well, she’s gone back to her work but yon lassie is not well. She’s heartbroken over your father and, although we’ve all told her she’ll get over him in time, she won’t listen to reason.’

I wondered what Dad was doing this minute. Lily and I were penniless at least until tomorrow and Rosie was beside herself with grief. What a world, I thought.

We all sighed with relief when Bella stood up to go. ‘I’d better head for home, Nan. I like to be in the house before it gets dark. It gives me a chance to light the gas mantle when I can still see it. If I do it in the dark I often break the damn thing and have to buy another one.’

Grandad muttered, ‘Aye and it’s not before time.’

Thankfully, she was so busy wrapping a gigantic scarf around her neck and she didn’t hear him because it covered her ears and half her head.

I was slowly thawing out with the warmth of the room and I didn’t relish going out into the cold street and back to the equally freezing cold flat. The fire would have long gone out and, although it was the month of May, the wind made it feel more like January. Shakespeare certainly had it right when he mentioned the rough winds shaking the darling buds.

Granny noticed my shiver as I thought of the journey ahead of me and she suggested, ‘Why do you not stay the night, Ann? You can cuddle down with Lily in her bed.’

Lily’s eyes lit up and she looked disappointed when I shook my head.

‘I’ve got some things to do so I’d better get away home.’

Granny came with me to the top of the stairs. ‘I didn’t want to say anything in front of Bella or the bairn but are you getting enough to eat, Ann? I noticed that Lily had her tea but you had nothing.’

I was feeling too weary and tired to lie to her. ‘I was at the solicitor’s office to see Mr Pringle. I’m taking some money out of my legacy to tide us over. The day Dad got married I was expecting his week’s wages but he’s obviously got to hand them over to Margot now.’

She was so angry that she shook with rage. ‘That’s a bloody disgrace. Do you want me to see him and knock some sense into him?’

‘Oh, no, Granny, don’t do that. You see he wants Lily and me to go and live with them – to sleep on the bed settee in yon living room. Can you see Margot wanting us messing up her bonny green room?’

Granny was still fuming. ‘It doesn’t matter what they want. He should still support Lily and he can’t toss away his responsibilities like that.’

I tried to defuse her anger. ‘But, if he has to give us money every week, then maybe Margot will insist that Lily goes to live with them. This way I can keep us both and they can’t ever take her away from me.’

She still wasn’t convinced – not totally. ‘It’s still a disgrace that a laddie of mine can completely forsake his bairns for this flashy woman. Although I didn’t say much to Bella, I don’t like Margot very much. I think she’s a bit on the scheming side but I hope I’m wrong. When you think of what a great person Rosie is, it would make you cry.’

I agreed with her and set off home. Another heavy rain shower was bouncing off the pavement and I pulled my coat tightly around me. It seemed as if I was forever getting soaked – no wonder I couldn’t get rid of this cold. Back at the house, although I had intended to answer Greg’s letter, I changed my mind and went straight to bed with my hot-water bottle. But, in spite of its warmth, I couldn’t stop shivering and, when I finally fell asleep, it was a restless kind of slumber filled with vivid and weird dreams.

When I woke in the morning, I was glad I had made my appointment with Mr Pringle for the early afternoon. That way I could pick up my money then head for the school to collect Lily. We would do a grocery shopping on the way home and I would get the cupboards stocked up again. The coalman was also due and I would get the coal bunker filled up. If I could get a large fire going then I would soon feel better.

Mr Pringle seemed pleased to see me again. He handed over a white envelope. ‘I’ve kept the money in low denominations, Ann.’

I looked puzzled.

He explained, ‘I’ve got the money in ten shilling and pound notes except for two five-pound notes. It will be easier for you to spend them.’

I never thought of that and he was right. Not many people knew of my legacy and it would look strange if I started to flash five-pound notes around the Hilltown.