Johnny Swanson - Eleanor Updale [37]
‘What?’
‘The advertisement. The Langfords haven’t been in touch?’
‘No.’ Johnny slumped down into a chair.
Winnie took the seat on the other side of the table. Her voice was almost normal now. ‘I’ve been trying to find the Langfords too, you know. When I ran into Hutch today I was on my way back from the sanatorium. I went there on the bus after you’d gone to school.’
‘You didn’t tell me you were going,’ said Johnny, hoping to switch the blame and make Winnie feel guilty now.
‘I wasn’t sure I would go until the last minute,’ she said. ‘I thought they’d just turn me away and say I was being nosy if I asked if they knew where Dr Langford was. But then I had an idea. I had that letter of recommendation from Mrs Langford. I could pretend I was going to see if they had any cleaning jobs.’
Johnny stopped himself pointing out to Winnie that what she’d done was a kind of lying. ‘Did they know where the Langfords have gone?’ he asked.
‘No. In fact, they hadn’t even noticed that Dr Langford was away. He doesn’t have any work there just now. That case he was helping with … well, I’m afraid the little baby’ – she paused, and tried to break the news kindly – ‘passed away.’
Johnny felt another blow to his stomach. ‘It was Olwen’s baby sister, wasn’t it?’
‘Yes. I’m sorry, Johnny, but I think it must have been.’
‘Does Olwen know? What about her mum and dad? They’re in the sanatorium too, you know.’
‘I wasn’t going to ask about them, was I, Johnny? I don’t even know them. Neither do you. I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with them. You only talked to that Olwen once, didn’t you?’
‘Yes, but I liked her. She was nice to me. We could have been friends. And it must be horrible for her, worrying about her family, all alone and far away.’
‘At least she won’t be ill, if they got her away in time. But listen, Johnny. I’ve got something else to tell you. It turned out that I didn’t have a wasted journey.’
‘What?’
‘Well, as it happens, they do need cleaners. I’m going to start work at the sanatorium tomorrow.’
Johnny was horrified. ‘What? You can’t!’
Winnie began to sound enthusiastic. ‘You should see it, Johnny. It’s a really nice place – huge wards, and workshops, a library, a gymnasium, gardens. And it’s good money. They have to pay well there. People are too frightened to go.’
‘Of course they are! And they’re right. It’s dangerous. Dr Langford as good as told me that himself. He told me not to visit. You might get their disease. Phthisis. It’s TB – consumption. You might die. Olwen’s sister died!’
‘I’ve got no choice, Johnny. The rent goes up in a couple of weeks.’
‘But I can get us money,’ said Johnny, desperate to tell her about the advert scam, but terrified of making her as angry as she had been before.
‘You? How? Don’t be silly. I’m the one who should be providing for you.’
‘I won’t let you go to the sanatorium,’ Johnny insisted, throwing in his own bit of news. ‘And anyway, what if the Langfords are back? You can work for them again. Remember? I told you. I saw lights up at the house tonight.’
Now Winnie was angry again, with a rage that had been buried by the fury over Auntie Ada. ‘That’s another thing!’ she yelled. ‘You shouldn’t have gone there. You promised you wouldn’t.’ She was almost crying. ‘Oh, Johnny, what’s happening to you? You’ve lied to Hutch. You’ve invented this silly aunt. You’ve disobeyed me. Don’t we have enough troubles without all this?’
They were both weeping now, and both furious. Johnny picked up the cake and threw it against the wall. His mother jumped to her feet, knocking over her chair. She grabbed her coat from the hook on the back of the door.
‘I’m going out,’ she said. ‘I’m going to look for those lights of yours.’
‘I’ll come too,’ said Johnny, reaching for his jacket.
Winnie pushed him back. ‘Oh no you won’t. I want to be by myself. I may be a while. You get off to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.’
She slammed the door behind her, and