A Lesser Evil - Lesley Pearse [102]
‘You certainly have, you’re a crashing snob,’ Fifi exclaimed. ‘Maybe some of the people around here are a bit feckless and disorganized, but life shouldn’t be just about being careful with your money, it’s for living. I don’t see you having much fun, for all you’ve got a nice flat and a good job.’
The older woman shrugged. ‘Fun, if that means going to the pub and getting blazing drunk, isn’t something I’d want to do. But believe me, Fifi, these people around here will never enhance your life, they’ll laugh at you behind your back, suck you dry and drag you down with them.’
‘That’s rubbish,’ Fifi insisted.
‘It’s not.’ Miss Diamond shook her head. ‘It’s just a fact of life. They resent you for being educated and beautiful, for all the good things in you that they sense lacking in themselves. They resent you even more now because you had the courage to go into that house and find Angela.’
‘That’s not true.’ Fifi began to cry.
‘Of course it’s true! Wise up, girl. They feel guilty because they know they should’ve done something years ago. Of course they’ll tell you it’s their code of never informing on anyone, but that’s just hot air. The truth is almost certainly that most of the people in this street have something to hide themselves, so they wouldn’t dare speak out against a neighbour for fear of it coming out.’
‘So I can’t win then?’ Fifi said through her tears. ‘I’ve been cast out by my own family for marrying a working-class man, but I’m not welcome with his sort either! So what am I supposed to do?’
‘From what I’ve gathered, Dan has no allegiance to anyone but you. So get away from here. Make friends with intelligent, free-thinking people. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, and most of all stop dwelling on what went on across the road. You’ll lose Dan if you don’t.’
With that Miss Diamond turned and swept off down the stairs, leaving Fifi completely astounded.
*
Nora Diamond felt shaky after her words with her neighbour, and instead of finishing the stairs, then moving on to clean the bathroom as she’d intended, she went into her kitchen and got out her bottle of sherry. She didn’t approve of drinking during the day, but Fifi had rattled her, and a small glass of sherry and a cigarette would calm her down.
She hadn’t meant to be so harsh with the girl, but that remark of hers, ‘You must have seen people coming and going over there’, had cut right through her, making her defensive. She knew all too well she should go to the police and give them the name of the man she had recognized going into number 11 on several occasions. But how could she? They would ask how she knew him and she couldn’t tell them that. Besides, she hadn’t seen any of the card players on the night of the last game. Why should she put herself in jeopardy for something which might not even help the investigation?
The sweet sherry calmed her, but she still felt ashamed of how she’d spoken to Fifi. She was a sweet girl and it was clear she was deeply troubled by what she’d witnessed over the road. But Nora couldn’t help her, she had her own troubles, and unlike Fifi she didn’t have a man to protect her.
Later that morning as Fifi tidied up the living room, she found herself blushing with shame at everything Miss Diamond had said to her.
She wanted to discount it all – after all, what did the woman know, she was still living here, for all her good breeding and hoity-toity ways.
But she couldn’t discount everything. Miss Diamond had as good as said that Fifi was silly,