‘I was furious and went into the shop to confront the dealer – it was a waste of time and I got nowhere.’
‘Yes, and that’s how we met,’ Val interrupted. ‘Cheryl came to see my employer, but unfortunately she had signed a receipt saying “sold as seen”. There was nothing Mr Warriner could do. In my eyes the dealer had cheated her, stolen from her, but he had the law on his side. Yes, I work for a solicitor, but sometimes I think the law is an ass.’
‘It’s dreadful,’ said Betty.
‘Yes, and Val was so kind,’ Cheryl went on. ‘She saw how upset I was and, as it was her lunch break, she invited me to join her for a coffee. I told her how the money would have given me security, the means to buy perhaps a small flat, but instead I’m forced to remain in nurses’ quarters. It’s awful, and my grandmother would turn in her grave if she knew I’d been cheated, but I still think it’s nothing compared to what happened to Paula.’
Betty looked surprised. ‘Oh, you’ve met her too.’
Cheryl felt colour flooding her cheeks, scrabbled around for an answer, and was glad when Val came to the rescue.
‘Yes, Cheryl has met Paula, and in fact they’ve become friends. We’re all meeting up in the park tomorrow, Betty, so why don’t you join us?’
Obviously puzzled, Betty’s eyes flicked between them, but then she said, ‘All right, yes, I’d like that.’
‘Good, and shall we say midday?’
‘That’s fine.’
‘Right then, now, if you’re ready to go, Cheryl, I’ll run you home.’
‘Thanks, Val. I don’t know what I’d have done if I hadn’t met you, and I know Paula feels the same. We know you’ll be able to help us, and we’re very grateful.’
Betty’s brows were creased as she rose to her feet. ‘Right, well, I’d best be off. Bye, Cheryl, it was nice to meet you, and … and I’ll see you tomorrow.’
When Cheryl had said goodbye, Val showed Betty out, fingers crossed that her ploy had worked. When she closed the door she turned to Cheryl. ‘Come on then, let’s get you home.’
They climbed into her car, Val then saying, ‘I think the timing was right. Betty has heard your story now and, after the hint you dropped, she must be intrigued.’
‘Maybe, but when she hears what we plan to do, she’ll probably run a mile. When are you going to tell her?’
‘When we all meet up tomorrow.’
‘That soon? Are you sure you’re not rushing it?’
‘Maybe, but I can’t afford to waste any more time on Betty and I think it’s worth the risk.’
‘I spoke to Paula yesterday and I must say she seems rather taken with Betty.’
‘Paula needs mothering and Betty seems to sense that. I’m afraid I’m not very demonstrative, but Betty thought nothing of holding Paula when she broke down.’
‘That’s nice, but I’m more like you. In my profession we have to grow an outer shell or the awful things we see would be too much to cope with.’
‘I can understand that, but how you do it is beyond me. Just the sight of blood makes my stomach turn, let alone vomit and bedpans.’
‘It has its rewards.’
‘Not in the way of pay, that’s for sure.’
‘There’s worse off than me, but back to Betty. Do you think she’ll want to join us?’
‘I’m not sure, Cheryl. She’s a nice lady, but very bitter about what happened to her; she’s rather meek and unworldly. She may find the whole idea too frightening.’
‘I wouldn’t blame her for that.’
Val frowned, sensing an undertone in Cheryl’s voice. ‘Are you changing your mind? Do you want to back out?’
‘No, but what we intend to do is frightening.’
‘As long as our planning is meticulous, with every last detail covered, nothing can go wrong.’
‘I hope you’re right, Val.’
‘I am, so stop worrying.’
When she dropped Cheryl off outside her quarters, Val called goodbye, but drove home chewing worriedly on her bottom lip. Cheryl seemed to be getting nervous and she didn’t want this fear to show in front of Betty. Maybe it was a mistake for them all to be there when she revealed their plans – perhaps it would be better if she told Betty in advance. Somehow she would have to broach the subject without putting herself, along with the others, in a bad light. And so for the rest of the journey, she worked out her strategy.
Betty was puzzled. She’d heard Cheryl’s story and felt sorry for her, but why had Val seemed so eager that Cheryl recount it to someone who, let’s face it, was a stranger? It had been the same with Paula, the girl talking about her terrible ordeal when they first met, and what did Cheryl mean about Val helping them? How was she supposed to do that? Betty felt there was something going on, strange undertones, something she couldn’t put her finger on, but when Val said she was running Cheryl home, she knew it was her signal to leave.
It was only nine o’clock and a long evening stretched out in front of her with just a wireless for company. Though she was saving to buy a television, it would be a long time before she had enough money, and now that she was baking again, there was a lot less going into the kitty. When there was a knock on her door, Betty went to answer it, surprised yet pleased to see Val.
‘I’m sorry, Betty, when I offered to drive Cheryl home it felt as if I was chasing you out. However, on the drive home I’ve been thinking, and if you’re not busy, can we talk?’
‘Yes, of course.’
Val took a seat, then pulling out her cigarettes said, ‘Do you mind if I smoke?’
‘No, go ahead,’ Betty told her, fetching an old saucer that Val now used for an ashtray.
Val lit up and took a long pull on the cigarette, releasing a stream of smoke before she spoke. ‘I wanted you to meet Cheryl, to hear her story, but I shouldn’t have been evasive about the reason. It was wrong of me, and I’m sorry. I should have been open with you from the start and can only say in my defence that I have to be cautious.’
‘I don’t understand. Cautious about what?’
‘You know what happened to me, Betty, how Mike Freeman ruined my life, my career. You’ve heard that Paula was raped, and how Cheryl was swindled, but you may not have noticed that we all have something in common.’
‘We’ve all been badly hurt. Is that it?’
‘Yes, but in every instance the men who hurt us got away with it. In my case, Mike’s career has flourished, and the dealer who swindled Cheryl gained financially too. The man who raped Paula is still free, living his life without punishment – and there’s always the risk that he might rape another poor young woman.’
‘I know, and I thought the same. What happened to me was awful, but like Cheryl, I think it’s nothing compared to Paula’s ordeal.’
‘I’d hardly call it nothing. Your husband cheated on you, and from what you’ve told me he’s living the good life whilst you struggle financially.’
Betty heaved a sigh. ‘Yes, that’s true.’
‘Wouldn’t you like to pay him back? Wouldn’t you like to see him suffer for what he