Part 7 (1/2)

Blanche kept her rival's head at an awkward angle while yanking her into the alley. 'I've told you to leave me husband alone, but I saw you cosying up to him again earlier in the week.' Blanche emphasised her words with a tug on Joyce's hair.

'Get off me, you mad cow!' Joyce tried to prise Blanche's fingers away from her scalp. Unable to do so, she punched at them in frustration, worsening the pain in her head. 'He don't want you no more. Why don't you ask Nick yerself if you don't believe me?'

There was nothing more likely to infuriate Blanche than the truth. Every time the post came in the morning she was expecting to see a solicitor's letter bearing news of the divorce proceedings.

'He's married to me and that's how it's gonna stay,' Blanche bellowed, as though hoping it might come to pa.s.s the louder she shouted. 'Understand what I'm saying, do you, you stupid scrubber?' She delivered a stinging slap to her opponent's cheek, making her howl.

'Get off me!' Joyce shrieked.

A man came out of the cafe and, hearing the commotion, strolled over.

'What you two up to then?' Charlie Potter grinned as he saw the waitress who'd just served him being treated like a rat by a terrier. He'd always thought her a bit above herself. She'd banged down his cup and saucer once when he'd pinched her backside in the cafe, slopping tea down the front of his trousers.

He knew the names of both women and he could guess what the argument was about: Nick Raven. The fellow had been on Charlie's mind lately. Potter never forgot people who got the better of him, especially when women had been watching his humiliation. Nick Raven had made him look a prat in front of Nurse Finch and his own wife on the night the little c.h.i.n.k b.a.s.t.a.r.d was born.

Chuckling, Charlie pulled the two women apart and wedged his hefty body between them. Joyce immediately dodged sideways and let rip with her nails down the side of Blanche's face, then turned and fled, swearing over her shoulder.

'You remember what I said, you f.u.c.kin' b.i.t.c.h,' Blanche yelled, her chest heaving with exertion. She was enraged that Joyce had managed to get in the final blow. 'What d'you think you're doing sticking yer oar in?' she stormed at Charlie. 'I would have floored her.'

'I reckon you would've 'n' all, darlin'. She scarpered pretty quick. Your face is bleeding,' Charlie pointed out to Blanche, grinning. He'd needed a boost because he was almost out of money and had nothing to do but go home and take it out on his wife and kids. Seeing two young women having a sc.r.a.p had cheered him up nicely.

Blanche flicked him a dark glance, brus.h.i.+ng herself down.

'I know you.' Charlie was unperturbed by her contemptuous look. 'You're Nick Raven's wife.'

'That's right,' Blanche snapped. 'That's who I am. Shame she don't remember it, the little tart.'

'Ah ... playing away, is he?' Charlie said, as though it was news to him. He'd known since Blanche started sleeping with Wes Silver that Nick had dumped his wife and not long after started seeing other women. He might hate the bloke but he had to give Nick credit for how he'd played it: cool as you like. No drama, no punch-ups, no nothing; he'd just kicked Blanche out, back to her parents, and carried on regardless.

'Nuthin' will come of it with her, darlin',' Charlie crooned, eyeing Blanche up and down. She was a comely sort with a good pair of t.i.ts on her, and he started feeling h.o.r.n.y despite her face looking a mess and her hair matted. 'That Joyce ain't a patch on you fer looks, is she? Nick'll come to his senses.' He s.h.i.+fted back against the wall and crossed his arms, watching as she dabbed at scarlet scratches with a handkerchief.

He might be as old as her dad, and a bit rough and ready, but he knew the right things to say, Blanche realised. She peeped at him from beneath her lashes, noticing he had quite a rugged attractiveness. He wasn't that much older than Wes Silver; she reckoned he might be a few years the wrong side of forty. She recalled now that she had seen him with Wes once or twice, acting as his sidekick, but couldn't bring to mind his name.

'Still working fer Wes, are you?' She smiled coyly. 'Forgotten yer name though, sorry.'

'Yeah ... on and off, I work fer Wes, when I ain't on s.h.i.+ft down the docks. Busy man, me ...' Charlie's chest expanded boastfully. 'Got fingers in lots of pies, I have, luv, 'cos it keeps the money rolling in, see. And we all need that, don't we?' He gave her an exaggerated wink. 'Me name's Charlie, in case yer interested in remembering it this time. Charlie Potter.'

As far as Charlie was concerned, Blanche Raven was a nice cla.s.sy bird and he wouldn't mind at all getting to know her better. She might fight and swear; she might have dropped her drawers for Wes till he gave her the elbow, and went home to his wife, but in comparison to the rough old sorts like Beverly, who hung about down by the docks and were his usual targets, she was a princess.

Nick might not have cared in the past what his wife got up to but Charlie reckoned he wouldn't take kindly to him s.h.a.gging his wife. It would also make a point to Lottie Raven that Charlie Potter could have women far younger than her if he wanted to.

'Bit shaky on yer pins, luv, after that set-to? Want me to walk you home, do you?' Charlie crooked an elbow at her for her to hold. 'Take you on the bus, if you like.'

'Not got a car then?' Blanche returned. She knew what he was hinting at, and it wasn't just a bus fare paid for out of the kindness of his heart. But she had her requirements in a man: enough money for a good drink and a decent dinner came top of her list. A car to sw.a.n.k about in wasn't far behind.

'Nah ... getting an Austin soon, though.' Charlie felt deflated. 'Please yerself ...'

Blanche stuffed the bloodied hanky in her pocket, feeling a bit miffed. She enjoyed flattery and attention from any man even one like Potter with little to recommend him. She certainly liked to choose to walk away first from a bit of flirting. 'Let me know when you get that car,' she taunted Charlie as he swaggered off up the road, then smirked when she saw his big hands form fists at his sides.

'It's yer own bleedin' fault you're in deep s.h.i.+t, so don't come crying round here. You won't get no handouts from me.'

Ruby had known she'd get little sympathy from her mother-in-law, but she'd hoped she might get at least a s.h.i.+lling off the woman seeing as when Violet was short recently she'd lent her half a crown, and never got it back. But it seemed that Vi Potter wasn't even going to let her in the front door let alone clear her debt.

''Ere ... you hang on a mo, Vi.' Ruby tilted her chin to a combative angle, wedging a foot over the threshold. 'Ain't after no handouts. You owe me half a crown and if you ain't got it all to give back you can find at least half.'

'I'm givin' you nuthin'!' Violet spat. 'Go ask yer husband for money.' She pulled the door open wider to sneer, 'Oh, yeah, that's right, you can't, can yer, 'cos if you do he'll probably knock yer teeth down yer throat fer making him a larfin' stock.' Vi looked Ruby up and down with despising eyes. 'Tell yer wot, Ruby, it's a bleedin' shame yer didn't give Ivy Tiller the job of turnin' up and helping out. She'd've sorted you out a bit of graveyard luck with that one.' Vi snapped her head at baby Paul, asleep in the pram. 'But too late now, ain't it, so why don't you go find the Chinaman wot knocked you up and ask 'im to give yer summat? 'Spect he'll want you to give him summat in return, but then yer used to doing that, ain't yer, gel?'

Charlie's mother slammed the door in her daughter-in-law's face. Ruby knew exactly what Vi had been hinting at: a few rogue handywomen could be persuaded to lose an unwanted baby and cover it up as a stillbirth. Ruby was used to her mother-in-law being spiteful, even in front of her grandchildren, but she'd sunk to new depths with that remark. But Ruby let the woman's callousness pa.s.s, concentrating on getting some money as none of the kids had eaten yet that day. She quietened Pansy, who was sitting atop the pram coverlet, grizzling. She hammered on the door, ignoring Violet cursing colourfully from behind the panels.

'Give us a coupla bob or I'm not leaving. Me kids are hungry and that good-fer-nuthin' son of your'n don't give a toss about their empty bellies.'

'Good-fer-nuthin' son, is he?' Vi screamed, yanking open the door. 'You've got a bleedin' cheek, you sc.u.mmy wh.o.r.e.' She launched herself forward, clumping Ruby on the side of the head and making Pansy howl in fright.

Violet was a hefty bruiser of a woman, even though she'd turned sixty-one a few months ago, and she never let anybody disrespect any of her family despite being aware that most of her eight kids were wrong 'uns.

In fact, Charlie, in Vi's mind, had turned out the best of the lot of them. He'd got a good job and had contacts with important people. Wes Silver had come over and had a cup of tea with her in the past. Vi had almost burst with pride at the look on some of the neighbours' faces when his posh car drew up outside and out he got in all his flash togs to knock on her front door.

At Christmas-time, Charlie always brought her in a load of hooky stuff that'd stuck to his fingers when the containers were being unloaded at the docks. Her eldest son looked after her far better than his useless father ever had. But thankfully, Greg Potter was long gone to meet his maker and her new man treated her better probably because he knew that he'd get a clump if he didn't.

Stan Wright had moved in with her a decade ago, leaving his wife and young family back in Islington. That had suited Vi: the last thing she'd wanted was to have to raise another woman's brood of kids when her own had all reached an age to be kicked out from under her feet to make their own way in the world.

Ruby had been knocked sideways by Vi's punch but regained her footing and shoved the pram to one side so Pansy, sobbing her heart out, didn't get knocked off the top of it if things turned really nasty. She might not have her mother-in-law's brawny build or vicious nature, but she'd go down fighting for the money to buy a loaf of bread.

'Put something in that or I'll make sure all yer neighbours'll hear what I've got to say about your precious son.' Ruby shook an open hand in front of Violet's face. 'Big man, Charlie, eh?' She lifted up her daughter's lank hair to display a bruise on a temple. 'That's all he's fit for: bullying women and little kids.' From the corner of an eye, she saw a dirty sc.r.a.p of net curtain twitch next door. 'Go on, shall I?' she mouthed at Vi. 'Can see old Maude's got her ear pressed to the winder so she don't miss nuthin'.'

Violet's lips tightened in rage, but she'd glimpsed her neighbour being nosy too. She hawked and spat onto Ruby's palm. 'You wanted summat ... have that!' She slammed the door in Ruby's face but a moment later a small silver coin dropped out of the letter box.

'And another, you tight-fisted b.i.t.c.h.' Ruby swooped on the sixpence. And then on the next as it fell at her feet.

'I'll be back tomorrow for the rest, so make sure you've got it ready to hand over,' Ruby bawled against the door panels, pocketing the coins with one hand and wiping slime off the other onto her coat. 'And don't bother pretending you ain't in, Vi, 'cos I'm already on to that one.'

Ruby let the brake off the pram. With a soothing stroke at her daughter's wet cheek to try to quieten Pansy's hiccuping sobs she trudged off up the street towards the bakery.

Ruby had already forgotten about her hateful mother-in-law and was calculating how far she could stretch a s.h.i.+lling if she settled for stale brown loaves, broken biscuits and sterilised milk.

'Get some bickies fer tea, shall we, Pans?' she crooned at her distressed daughter.

Pansy used her knuckles on her eyes to dry them, nodding solemnly. 'None fer Daddy ...' the girl whispered, making her mother stare at her in surprise. Her daughter rarely uttered a word and answered everything with nods or shakes of the head. It was one of the reasons Charlie set about the girl, because he saw her silence as her defiance. With an enlightened smile Ruby wondered if it was Pansy's way of showing him her hatred; her daughter had come out with that cute remark without any prompting.

'Nah ... none fer 'im,' Ruby said and, leaning forward, planted a rewarding kiss on the top of Pansy's dark head.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

'I warned you you'd end up with food poisoning if you didn't clean the place up!'

Kathy's voice was sharp with exasperation, but as Jennifer retched into the sink, she carefully anch.o.r.ed her sister's hair back from her face in one hand while the other rubbed at her heaving spine till the tension went out of it.