Kay Brellend 3-Book Collection: The Street, The Family, Coronation Day. Kay Brellend

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СКАЧАТЬ to collect it this afternoon.’

      Once the sound of their older daughters clattering down the stairs had died away Jack gave Tilly another kiss, then another that was hungry enough to take her head back against his arm.

      ‘D’you reckon Fran ’ud do us a turn and look after Lucy for a bit?’ The words had been whispered against Tilly’s thick, fiery hair. Jack touched the crisp collar on her best embroidered blouse and tenderness flowed through him. She’d tidied herself prettily for him and he knew taking that sort of trouble wasn’t easy for a woman in a place like this.

      Jack knew that once Lucy’s birthday tea party was over there’d be entertainment for the adults in the Keiver household. The neighbours would come by and it would be like old times; a warm feeling bathed his insides as he remembered those good days. Life was never easy in The Bunk but compared to what he’d experienced on the Somme it seemed wonderfully carefree.

      ‘I’ll see if Fran’s in and will have Lucy in hers for half an hour,’ Tilly breathed against his cheek

      ‘Half an hour?’ Jack growled with a wolfish smile. ‘Better make it an hour, love, I’ve not seen you in a while.’

      ‘Wish Dad didn’t have to go back,’ Beth said as they walked along in the direction of Hornsey Road.

      It had been exactly the phrase that had been rotating in Alice’s mind. She sighed and nodded. ‘Got to keep cheerful though and make it a nice break for him,’ she warned her younger sister.

      ‘Sounds like it’s dreadful over there, don’t it?’ Sophy said, biting her lower lip. ‘He looks really tired and much older, don’t he?’

      Alice nodded and blinked her eyes. They’d been reading in the newspapers for months about the terrible carnage in France. Having their dad back, and looking whole and healthy, if a bit grizzled, was a huge relief. The dreadful battles on the Western Front had killed and wounded so many. Their dad’s leave was less than a week this time so Alice knew they must squeeze every last drop of enjoyment from his visit.

      ‘Let’s hurry up ‘n’ get the cake and pop and go home,’ Alice blurted, suddenly unwilling to waste a precious minute more than was necessary that could be spent with her father. Her sisters nodded and linking arms the three of them huddled together in affection before breaking apart and trotting on.

      ‘Want to go for a walk round and about?’

      Alice raised her eyes to Geoff’s face. They were standing out in the street, getting a breath of fresh air. It was summer and still light and warm despite the lateness of the hour. The atmosphere upstairs in the Keivers’ front room was stifling due to the crush. Sophy and Danny were having a fine old time regaling pop-eyed people with the wonderful life they enjoyed in Essex.

      ‘I’ll get me coat,’ Alice said and darted back inside. A moment later she was back at Geoff’s side. ‘Little Lucy’s had the best day,’ she told him as they strolled. ‘Dad got her a present from France; a doll with yellow hair and a red dress. Pretty little thing, it is. Can’t imagine how she’s sleeping through all that din!’ She chuckled. ‘Out like a light she is with her dolly in her arms …’

      ‘Did she like her party?’

      Alice nodded vigorously.

      ‘You were right about Sophy and Dan,’ Alice said.

      Geoff gave her a quizzical look.

      ‘They’ve both turned into a right couple of fatsos,’ Alice said on an impish chuckle.

      ‘He’s got four chins,’ Geoff said with a guffaw. ‘Glad now I didn’t go,’ he said self-mockingly. ‘Sooner stop here ’n keep me figure.’

      Alice gave him a playful punch. ‘Well, I’m glad you stopped here ’n all …’

      Suddenly they both started to attention and chorused, ‘Oh, no!’

      They’d hardly got to Blackstock Road when the air-raid siren had started, prompting Geoff to grab Alice’s hand and jerk her around. They began to run back towards Campbell Road.

      Breathlessly they hared up the stairs and hollered over the racket, ‘Air raid!’

      Music and singing died away and a score or more faces stared at them. Jack’s fingers had stilled on the piano keys; now he lifted them to hover just above, and everybody tensed and listened. The whine was audible, and so was the much fainter drone of engines.

      ‘Lights out,’ Jack bawled and quickly candles and lamps were extinguished. An unspoken consensus of opinion seemed to have been reached by all: stay put and hope for the best, for nobody moved.

      By touch alone Jack started to play the piano in the dark and then he started to sing too. He broke off to bellow, ‘Well them Hun buggers can’t hear us, can they?’

      Laughter rippled through the room, getting more raucous as Jack continued to play with great zeal. After a moment everybody had joined in singing ‘Pack Up Your Troubles’.

      Alice was in front of Geoff and as she felt his arms come about her in the dark, she sensed the reverberation of his singing voice through her coat. She leaned back against him, closing her hands over his, clasped together on her waist. She felt suddenly warm and unafraid and glad that her dad and Sophy were here with them. If the worst happened, and a bomb was dropped on them, at least she’d be with the people she loved and they’d all go together. When the droning was at its loudest, so was the choir, rising in a defiant crescendo of sound that seemed to shake the house. When danger was past, and the lights were eventually relit, the company seemed rather subdued. Within half an hour the party had finished and the neighbours had dispersed.

       Chapter Nineteen

      ‘’Ere, Til! Wait up!’

      Tilly swung about to see Beattie Evans pounding the pavement behind her. She halted at once for her neighbour looked flustered and that indicated she had something import ant to tell her.

      Beattie wobbled to a stop and wheezed in air. ‘Never guess who I just seen. Strutting bold as yer like up the top end …’

      Tilly raised her eyebrows in enquiry.

      The exertion of catching Tilly up and delivering that little speech seemed to have taken all Beattie’s breath and for a moment she simply fanned her face.

      Impatient to be on her way Tilly made a guess. ‘If you’ve caught sight of Jimmy ‘n’ his tart out walking you don’t need to tell me nuthin’ about them. I know they’re still carryin’ on, and I don’t need nobody telling me my sister’s a fool.’

      Despite Jimmy’s promises that he’d soon escape Nellie’s clutches and be back home with his wife and kids, Fran still tolerated him spending most of his time with his fancy piece. Tilly reckoned that it was Nellie who was keen to be rid of Jimmy. She’d glimpsed her recently in Holloway Road with heavy powder clogged on a puffy eye. Tilly could put two and two together. Jimmy would cling onto Nellie while she was earning and he could take a cut of the money. He was obviously employing his fists if necessary to ensure he got as much as he wanted.

      ‘Ain’t him!’ Beattie blasted out a cackle. СКАЧАТЬ