‘I’m fine,’ she finally gasped out. ‘Sorry …’ She caught at her mother’s arm to try to pull her away.
Edie was having none of it. Freeing her elbow from her daughter’s grip, she confronted Rob with her hands on her bony hips. ‘I ain’t told Jimmy ’cos I don’t want no trouble. But if yer father finds out you’ve smashed me best china he’ll be after you. He ain’t scared of you ’cos you done all right fer yerself …’
‘You’ve got your china. I bought some for you,’ Faye muttered and again jerked on her mother’s arm to drag her away.
‘And it was good of you to lay out yer own money for it, love,’ Edie said with a significant nod. ‘But that’s just tat; what he broke on purpose were your gran’s bone china wot she had when she got married to yer granddad, God rest ’em. I remember she told me it came out of Bourne & Hollingsworth,’ Edie lied. ‘I remember she said it were worth quite a lot, that set.’
‘How much was it worth?’ Robert asked drily, his shrewd eyes focused on Faye’s evasive gaze.
A wave of heat rose up from her throat and Faye knew she was blushing guiltily. She flicked back her blonde head and boldly stared at him, chin up, inviting him to do his worst and expose her as a cheat and a liar.
‘Wouldn’t get no change out of a guinea,’ Edie stated shamelessly. In fact the set had been one of her own wedding gifts when she’d married Faye’s father. When her sister-in-law gave it to them she’d complained to her new husband that it was nothing more than Petticoat Lane crap, and secondhand crap at that, with a chipped cup and tea-stains. It was worth no more than a bob or two, even back then.
‘A guinea, eh?’ Rob mockingly considered it. ‘As much as that? I’d’ve said ten bob, if you’re lucky. He looked at Faye. ‘What d’you reckon it was worth?’
‘How should I know?’ Faye shrilled. ‘It was just a bloody tea-set.’ She caught her mother glaring at her. ‘Five pounds,’ she said suddenly with deliberate defiance. ‘That’s what I reckon it was worth.’
Edie choked. ‘Don’t be daft, Faye,’ she burbled. ‘A guinea’ll set us straight.’ Her greedy eyes, then her fingers, darted immediately to the coins Rob had dug from a pocket and exposed on a palm. As though she feared he might grab them back, she set off at a trot along the road. ‘Goin’ to the shop …’ was sent back over her shoulder. The next minute she’d disappeared from view in the direction of the off licence. If she couldn’t get a meat pie, a few brown ales would soon cheer the miserable bugger up.
‘Why didn’t you tell her?’
‘Why didn’t you?’
‘Why d’you give her more? You got money to throw about?’
‘Seems I have …’ he said, self-mockery tugging at a corner of his mouth.
‘You think I’m a greedy cow, just out for meself,’ Faye stated, her fierce gaze clashing on his watching eyes. ‘Well, I’m not. I haven’t spent a penny of that fiver. I bought her the tea-set out of me wages to replace the one you broke.’
‘Going to give me it back, were you?’ he taunted.
‘No … Yes … I’ll give it you back,’ Faye choked. ‘If I had it with me, you could take it now and good riddance. I never asked you for it.’
‘I never said you did.’
Faye knew her cheeks were scarlet and she hated him knowing of her embarrassment. Despite her insolence she felt mean and greedy, and that made her insides squirm. What did she care what he thought of her? But then, it was because she had an inkling of what he thought of her that her stomach was churning.
Since she’d turned fourteen, and filled out, men looked at her all the time. People told her she was pretty. She knew she’d only got the job in the baker’s because Mr Travis had taken a fancy to her. There hadn’t been a day had gone by since she’d started her job when he’d not found an opportunity to squeeze past her at the counter and rub his groin against her hip. Or his hands would sit a little too long on her waist while he pretended to shift her out of the way so he could use the till drawer. She could guess why Jimmy’s son was so generous to her. If the lecher had made her brother, Michael, drop his box of china he’d probably have given him a tube of glue.
He had a fancy for her. And him just married too! But then old Mr Travis was married with four kids. His wife often brought them all into the shop and Faye was always pleased to see them. The randy old sod usually let her off early on those occasions his family turned up.
Briefly she met his eyes and knew he’d read her thoughts. He didn’t seem put out that she had him down as a womaniser; in fact, it looked as if he was about to smile. She started off quickly after her mother. His next words stopped her in her tracks.
‘You saving up to get away from them and get a place of your own?’
Momentarily she hesitated, but why deny it? If anyone knew what hell it was being around Jimmy, he probably did. She nodded and took a glance at him. ‘Yeah … I can’t stand it any more,’ she said quietly. ‘But you’ll still get your money back. I was going to give it to you anyhow.’
‘’Course …’ he murmured in a tone of voice that let her know he reckoned she was lying.
‘No need to be so bloody sarky,’ she shouted and angrily lunged towards him as though she might lash out. She froze as the bakery door opened and Mr Travis came out.
‘Hello, Robert,’ her boss blurted in surprise before swallowing audibly. ‘I’ve not seen you in a while.’ Mr Travis jangled the keys in his hand and blinked over his shoulder at them. ‘But I … er … I’ve been expecting to see you, of course,’ he said in a quiet, nervous tone that was so unusual Faye stared at him. The Mr Travis she knew was an arrogant, confident individual. She’d heard him snap at customers who asked for credit. He didn’t give way even when they were just a penny short of what they needed and promised to pop it in tomorrow. They had to suffer the shame of having bread or cakes unwrapped and returned to the rack. Now he’d come over all meek and mild, fiddling with the key in his hand and looking from one to the other of them. ‘Do you want to come in or … will you come back tomorrow?’ He cleared his throat.
‘I’m not here to see you,’ Robert told him.
‘Oh … I see …’ The relief in Mr Travis’s voice was accentuated by his gasping chortle. He gave Faye a long look. ‘I’ll see you in the morning, Faye,’ he said before striding away.
‘You working in the baker’s?’
Faye nodded. ‘He thinks you’re your brother – he called you Robert.’
‘It’s you thinks I’m my brother. Do you want a lift home?’ He was already by his car and his half-smile told her he anticipated a rebuff even before he’d raised his eyes to see her shake her head. ‘Suit yourself.’ A moment later the car was on its way up the street.
‘Any work going hereabouts, Til?’
Tilly halted in her march to the shop and swung about to find Jimmy lounging against a railing. She suspected he’d been loitering out of sight, waiting for her to pass by before emerging from the hallway of the house where he lived. It was a hot August afternoon and he was wearing a vest belted into his trousers. She remembered he’d liked to display his biceps when younger; now the muscles looked withered and the skin covering them crêpey. The sight of the cobra twisting on his left arm caused a stabbing tension in her guts. The faded tattoo aroused memories she’d believed she’d buried long ago with her sister.
‘Why? What’s it to you?’ Matilda scoffed. ‘You going to change the habit of a lifetime and get off yer arse for an honest day’s pay?’ She strode on without a backward glance. Ten minutes later she came back down the street with her twist of tea and bottle of milk to find he was in the same place, waiting