A Woman’s Fortune

As Evie woke up very early in a strange room, the light streaming through the uncurtained window, and remembered the upsets of the weekend and her parting from Billy, she was comforted to see the familiar bulk of Sue in her own sagging bed close by.

‘Awake, Evie?’ Sue smiled. ‘New home, new life, lass. Shall we be up and at it? I’m keen to see what that shop part is like. I had a few thoughts about it in the night. Let’s get your dad busy taking down the boards and we’ll see better what’s what.’

‘Gran, you always know how to make the best of things,’ Evie said, feeling less anxious. ‘So much to do … I’ll go down and make a pot of tea while you get up.’

It was impossible for Evie to feel miserable for long with Sue’s remarkable energy and enthusiasm rallying her.

Sue and Evie were up and making toast when Peter appeared, playing a cheery ditty on his penny whistle.

‘You’re in a good mood,’ Evie remarked to Peter, as he smiled at the music, quietly tapping his toes.

‘No school,’ said Peter simply.

‘But you’ll have to go sometime.’

‘Not for ages and ages. It’s the summer holidays from the end of this week. Mum and Dad won’t send Bob and me to school for one week, will they, Grandma?’

‘They haven’t even had the chance to think about school, Pete,’ Sue replied. ‘I reckon you’re safe now until September.’

‘Yippee! Though I won’t tell Bob just yet. Let him stew, like.’

‘Don’t be cruel,’ laughed Evie. Within five minutes it was smiles all round. The music was jolly and lifted their spirits.

‘You can help your dad with those boards and let some light into the front,’ said Sue, as Michael and Jeanie came running in.

Peter gave his father a look that said he’d rather not help him but his words belied that. ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘I’m good on ladders – if we have one, that is?’

‘Saw one round the side yesterday when I fetched the key,’ Michael told him. He took a piece of toast and went off with it to find the ladder and his tools. All their things had been unpacked so quickly from Fergus’s van the previous evening that it was difficult for everyone to remember where they’d put their belongings.

‘You sound keen to get on,’ said Jeanie to her mother, sounding anything but keen herself. She looked as if she hadn’t slept at all and her eyes were red.

‘No point in delaying,’ Sue replied. ‘You never know what you’ll find.’

‘You’re right, Mum, of course,’ Jeanie pulled herself up, ‘though it’ll have to be an awful lot better than I think it’s going to be if we’re to stay here. The place is rundown – and a shop, for goodness’ sake!’

‘I’ll have no defeatist talk,’ Sue answered, though she was smiling. ‘We don’t even know who owns it, and we’ve yet to meet Brendan’s friend Jack Fletcher, either. Or maybe he owns it? I’m confused about that, I admit.’

‘Me, too,’ said Jeanie. ‘I expect someone will appear to tell us – especially if they want some rent,’ she added.

‘Come on, get that toast down you – and you too, Peter,’ Sue commanded, passing over mugs of tea. ‘It could be our lucky day.’

‘Give over, Mum. No need to go overboard,’ said Jeanie, but she winked at Evie and Peter.

‘Maybe there’ll be buried treasure,’ said Peter, as he led the others through to the front, bringing the plate of toast with him. ‘A secret cellar full of gold.’

‘Aye, and I’m the Queen of Sheba,’ said Jeanie. ‘Where’s Bob? Is he getting up?’

‘Sort of. He said his stomach aches but I told him to stop whingeing and see if it felt better when he came down,’ said Peter without a trace of sympathy. ‘I think he’s worried about going to a new school. I haven’t told him yet we’re not going,’ he grinned.

‘I’ll go and tell him and see if he’s all right. You know what he’s like with his sensitive stomach.’

It took most of the morning for Michael and Peter to remove the boards from the window to the street and stack them out of the way, while Jeanie and Evie found some dusty curtains in the attic and tried to get the place cleaner and more comfortable, and Sue unpacked their boxes. The whole family went to view the unboarded shop from the pavement, eager to see if it looked more promising than it had the previous evening.

‘At least we’ll be able to see out,’ said Michael. ‘And it’s a big room.’

‘A big room for what?’ snapped Jeanie, her anger with him not yet dampened down. ‘And everyone else can see in now, too. What are we going to do there, sit having our tea like goldfish in a bowl?’

Robert started pulling fish faces, his mouth silently working like a guppy until Peter gently cuffed him round the ear.

‘No, love, I only meant—’

A young woman with a baby in a pram and a toddler clutching her arm came along the pavement and the Carters moved aside to let her pass.

‘Good morning,’ the woman said, smiling. ‘Nice to see the old shop opened up.’

‘Morning,’ said Michael. He peered into the pram, turning on the charm in front of the pretty lady. ‘Now that’s a bonny baby … We’re new here and know nowt about the place. What was the shop, do you know?’

‘Yes, I can hear you’re not from round here,’ said the woman, but kindly. ‘It was a general household store. Mr Pendle sold buckets, brooms, seeds, string – you know the kind of thing. There’s still a call for it but people go to the new shop in the village now. Mr Pendle was old and couldn’t keep the business going when his health started to fail. That was a while ago. I’d heard that Mr Bailey was talking about finding new tenants.’

‘Mr Bailey?’ prompted Sue.

‘Frederick Bailey. The owner.’ The woman looked puzzled, evidently expecting Sue to know that.

‘Oh, aye? Well, Mrs …?’

‘Lambert. Josie Lambert.’ She held out her hand to shake Sue’s.

‘Mrs Lambert, we’re all very pleased to meet you.’ Sue introduced herself and her family. ‘Would you care for a cup of tea? I’m sure we can find summat for the little ’un, too, though I’m afraid we’ve nowt suitable for the baby,’ she added. ‘It’s nice to meet new folk and we know no one around here. If you have a few minutes we’d be glad to learn about the old place and this Mr Bailey.’

‘Yes, I can spare a few moments. Thank you.’ Mrs Lambert parked the pram and lifted the baby out, murmuring to her and smoothing her fine blonde hair. ‘Come along, Archie,’ she told the toddler, smiling.

‘Archie – that’s nice,’ said Evie, taking the child’s hand and leading him in, though he clutched his mother’s skirt in his other little fist.

‘Excuse the mess. We only got here last night,’ said Jeanie.

‘It’s all right,’ said the friendly woman, though she perched rather tentatively on the chair in the dismal kitchen. ‘So how did you come to be here if you don’t know Church Sandleton?’

Michael and Jeanie exchanged looks.

‘A friend of a friend had heard of a job hereabouts that might suit,’ said Michael vaguely. ‘It’s a pretty part of the country … good place to bring up children,’ he improvised, looking at young Archie and his baby sister.

‘Would that be the job at Clackett’s market garden?’ asked Mrs Lambert, accepting a cup of Ribena for Archie and tea for herself. ‘I heard Mr Clackett was looking for some help.’

‘If the job’s still going,’ said Michael. Having been working all morning at the front he couldn’t have failed to notice the sign for Clackett’s a few yards further down on the other side of the road.

Sue gave him a meaningful look. ‘So do you know Mr Bailey?’ she asked Josie Lambert. ‘We haven’t met him yet.’

‘Oh, no, I don’t know him personally. He lives in Redmond but he’s seen about the village sometimes. Drives a smart car and owns here and a couple of other properties.’