A Lesser Evil - Lesley Pearse [100]
‘It won’t be long coming off now, will it?’ the older woman said, looking up and smiling at Fifi. ‘I’m sure you can’t wait. ’
‘Only just over a week now,’ Fifi replied. ‘I’m so much looking forward to wallowing in the bath, it’s not the same when you’ve got to keep one arm out the water. And it’ll be good to go back to work.’
‘I often think it would be nice not to have to go to work.’ Miss Diamond paused reflectively in her sweeping. ‘But however good it appears to be able to just potter about all day, I’m sure I’d be bored with it in no time. I think I’d miss my colleagues too, even though I’m always grousing about them.’
Fifi felt very relieved and pleased that her neighbour seemed in the mood for a chat.
‘I really miss having people to talk to,’ she admitted. ‘Actually, I’ve been quite desperate since Angela’s death. It plays on my mind.’
Miss Diamond gave her a sharp look. ‘You must snap out of that,’ she said briskly. ‘The Muckles are an appalling bunch, they aren’t worth a moment’s thought.’
‘Don’t you want to know exactly what happened? Don’t you ask yourself questions about it? You must have seen people coming and going over there. Can’t you give the police some descriptions of people you’ve seen?’
‘No, I don’t want to know what went on there.’ The older woman sounded very indignant. ‘I have gone out of my way to ignore them and all their visitors. That family are absolute scum, animals that need putting down. Of course it’s awful that the little girl is dead, but at least she won’t have to endure any more. And we’ve finally got some peace.’
Fifi was very shocked at such a cynical view. ‘How can you enjoy peace that was won by a child’s death?’ she asked.
Miss Diamond leaned on the banister and looked intently at Fifi. ‘You remind me of myself at your age,’ she said. ‘Champion of the underdog, a lover of lost causes. It’s admirable to have compassion, Fifi, but you have to temper it with realism.’
‘I am very realistic,’ Fifi said indignantly.
Miss Diamond shook her head. ‘No you aren’t, dear. If you had been you wouldn’t have trusted Dan to find you a flat in London, and ended up here. I heard you laughing when you first moved in. You thought it was romantic living somewhere so crummy. That’s about as unrealistic as anyone can get.’
Fifi bristled. ‘I couldn’t come up here and look for a flat, and this was the only place Dan could find that we could afford. Why shouldn’t I trust my husband to find a place for us anyway? Are you saying there’s something wrong with him?’
‘There’s nothing wrong with him, he’s a decent, very likeable man,’ Miss Diamond said with a shrug. ‘But he hasn’t had the advantages you’ve had, Fifi. If you’d been doing the looking, you would’ve turned this place down, wouldn’t you?’
‘I expect so,’ Fifi agreed. ‘But he was getting frantic for us to be together, and so I made the best of it. So what’s your excuse for coming to live here? I don’t mean to be rude, but it sounds to me like the pot calling the kettle black!’
The older woman narrowed her eyes. ‘I certainly wasn’t as fortunate as you,’ she said with acid in her voice. ‘I was desperate for a roof over my head, and I had to sell my only warm coat just to get the advance rent. Until I got a job I was living on bread and marge, I didn’t even have a shilling for the gas. But I don’t suppose you can possibly imagine that kind of hardship.’
Fifi was stung by the implication that she was a spoiled little rich girl who swam through life without a thought for those less fortunate. But she had come up against this kind of prejudice before and knew the only way to handle it was to carry on, and hope that by showing interest in the other person she would prove herself to be sensitive and caring.
‘It’s hard to believe you’ve ever had hard times. I mean, you’ve got such a good job, you’re so well dressed.’ She paused, not knowing quite what else to say. ‘And you’re a real lady.’
‘I was