A Lesser Evil - Lesley Pearse [76]
‘That’s very sweet of you, Dad,’ she said. ‘I appreciate the thought, but I think we’ll manage all right in our flat. The neighbours are very kind, and I’ll need to pop into the office too. I know I can’t type but I could show willing by offering to do filing or something.’
‘Don’t be ridiculous!’ Clara exclaimed. ‘You won’t be fit for work for weeks. And they won’t keep your job open for you anyway, so there’s nothing to keep you in London.’
‘There’s our home,’ Fifi said sharply, astounded that her mother could be so grossly insensitive. ‘And I think they will keep my job open. If you’re thinking we haven’t got any money to live on, we have. We’ve got some savings. You see, we were responsible.’
‘I can see there’s no talking to you,’ Clara said curtly. ‘We might as well have stayed at home.’
At that Fifi began to cry. All she wanted was a hug and some sympathy that she’d lost her baby, surely any woman would understand that?
‘There now, Fifi.’ Her father took out his handkerchief and tried to dry her eyes. He looked ill at ease and awkward, but he’d never been much good at emotional scenes. ‘I don’t really know what to say. I’m so sorry about the baby, and so is your mother, but she’s a bit overwrought at the moment.’
‘Go home,’ Fifi said, still crying. ‘I’m overwrought too, with a lot more reason than Mum. And don’t let her anywhere near Dan, he’s been through enough already.’
Clara turned and walked away, her slender back stiff with indignation. Harry just stood there, looking completely out of his depth.
‘You’d better go after her, Dad,’ Fifi said, sniffing back her tears. ‘Or she’ll be making your life hell too.’
‘It’s guilt that makes her that way,’ he said sadly, bending over to kiss Fifi’s forehead. ‘She’s blaming herself for you losing the baby, but she can’t unbend enough to say so.’
‘I don’t think I care enough about her any more to try and understand,’ Fifi said brokenly. ‘All I did was marry the man I love. Was that so very terrible?’
Fifi walked slowly up the stairs behind Dan who was carrying her small bag containing the things she’d had brought into the hospital. ‘
Everything’s spotless,’ he said, turning to look at her. ‘Yvette came over yesterday and removed all signs of the mess I’d made while I was on my own. She even cleaned the cooker.’
Fifi could smell polish and cleaning fluids, and she knew that the flat bore no resemblance to how it was the day they moved in back in May. But she had the same feeling of trepidation she’d experienced that day; she didn’t feel glad she was home.
‘That was kind of her,’ she said stiffly. ‘I’m amazed she knows how to clean as she never does her own place.’ She knew that was a shabby jibe, but she couldn’t help herself.
‘Everyone’s been very kind,’ Dan said with just a hint of reproach in his voice. ‘Miss Diamond has made us a beef casserole for supper, I’ve only got to heat it up.’ Fifi sniffed disdainfully at this, but Dan went on, ‘Stan’s brought you flowers, and Frank’s brought you some magazines to read.’
Fifi said nothing more, just went into the living room and sat down. It was, as Dan had claimed, spotless. The flowers from Stan were beautiful, roses and pink carnations, clearly arranged in the vase by Yvette.
‘Cup of tea?’ Dan asked. Fifi nodded. She didn’t want to be like this, all sullen and hateful, especially to Dan who had been so brave and uncomplaining about his injuries, but she felt so miserable she just couldn’t help it.
While Dan was out on the landing putting the kettle on, she glanced out of the window and saw Molly Muckle coming out of her house with Mary, the oldest girl. Molly yelled at the top of her voice to Alan, Joan and Angela who were playing down the end of the street by the coal yard. The stridency of her voice made Fifi wince and she wished she had agreed to go home to her parents’ house. How on earth was she going to fill the days here until her plaster came off ? She couldn’t use her right hand,