Christmas for the Halfpenny Orphans

‘I was the one who talked him into having the op. The tumour had grown to the point it was going to kill him or leave him severely impaired. If he dies now I shall be left wondering if he might have had a few more months if he’d refused …’

Angela’s heart went out to him. She suspected he wouldn’t take the death of a friend easily and she wished she could have gone with him to support him. However, Mark would never have allowed it.

She was reaching for her jacket, ready to leave for the evening, when the phone rang. Angela hesitated and then reached for the receiver. ‘Angela Morton here.’

‘Angela, my love,’ her father’s voice came down the line. ‘How are you? I’m planning to pop up to town this weekend, and I thought perhaps dinner and the theatre later? I can stay overnight and we’ll have lunch the next day before I go back.’

‘Oh, Daddy, it is lovely to hear from you, and I’d love to go out to dinner with you on Saturday. I’ll try to get tickets for a show. Shall I book them and a room for you?’

‘No, I’ll see to the room,’ he said. ‘It’ll be good to see you, and we need to have a talk. It’s about your mother – but we’ll discuss all that when I see you.’

‘Is something the matter? Mother isn’t worse, is she?’ Angela’s mother had been drinking heavily for months before her breakdown the previous Christmas, when it had all come out. It had taken months to persuade her to go to a special clinic in Switzerland for treatment, and in the end it was Mark who had persuaded her to do so.

‘No. In fact from the sound of it she’s feeling better. I’ll tell you all the news at the weekend. I won’t keep you.’

‘Yes, all right. Lovely to hear from you. I’ll look forward to the weekend.’

She frowned as she replaced the receiver. Her mother’s behaviour had been erratic for some time, but the breakdown last Christmas had come as a shock. Despite his attempt at reassurance, Angela couldn’t help feeling anxious about whatever it was her father wanted to tell her.

Mark had known of Mrs Hendry’s illness for months but he hadn’t told Angela – and she’d been angry with him for that. Perhaps that was one of the causes of this rift between them. Angela had been in the wrong; Mark could not betray a confidence, and it was her father who should have told her but he’d kept it to himself. In the aftermath of the breakdown Angela had offered to give up her work at St Saviour’s, but her father wouldn’t hear of it.

As she set off homeward along Halfpenny Street, Angela’s thoughts were preoccupied with things she could do nothing about. She turned the corner and passed the newly restored and recently reopened pub with its hanging baskets bringing a touch of welcome colour. The scent of the blooms was no longer overpowered by the tang of city drains, thanks to the efforts of the road sweeper who’d been hired to keep the pavements and gutters clean. He was an ex-soldier – his limp a relic of the war, if she was not mistaken – and he never failed to tip his cap in greeting whenever they passed on the street.

She could hear the tooting of a car horn somewhere and out on the river there was a hooter blaring from one of the barges. The vacant spaces left by Hitler’s bombs made the area seem more rundown than it actually was, but some headway had been made in clearing the rubble and one or two new buildings were going up, bringing a sense that things were moving on at last. There were still shortages, and rationing had yet to be lifted on essential items such as sugar, butter, canned and dried fruit, chocolate biscuits, clothing and petrol. Yet there was a growing feeling, encouraged by upbeat newspaper reports, that they were finally leaving those dark years of war and devastation behind.

More and more of late, Angela was aware of a vague sense of wistfulness, of needing something more in her life. She longed to be going somewhere nice for a change instead of another charity meeting. It would probably be very dull, since the housing charity was made up of a few well-intentioned people who wanted to contribute but seemed incapable of actually doing anything. Until Angela had taken over as secretary, their meetings had been spent going round and round in circles, talking endlessly and never reaching a decision. By sheer force of energy, she’d managed to galvanise them into approving funding for new housing to be built on the site they’d acquired. Now if she could only get them to come to a decision on which builder would carry out the work …

The Methodist hall, with its walls clad in dark oak wainscoting and drab grey paint, and a permanent odour of musty old books in the air, was not the most welcoming of venues. As usual, the old-fashioned radiators were proving unequal to the task of heating the draughty interior, and Angela was debating whether to hang her coat on the hallstand or keep it on for the duration of the meeting when she was hailed by Stan Bridges, Chairman of the Housing Society.

‘Angela, just the person! I’d like you to meet Henry Arnold,’ he beamed, ushering her towards an extremely attractive young man. ‘Henry, this is Mrs Morton, one of the unpaid angels who keep our little charity run—’ He broke off as the door opened to admit another new arrival, then hurried over to greet them, Angela and her new companion immediately forgotten.

‘Mr Arnold, I had no idea you would be coming tonight,’ Angela said, extending her hand to him. ‘I knew we had whittled the list of prospective builders down to three, but I thought it was to be decided this evening …’

‘Please, call me Henry,’ he said, giving her a smile that lit his blue eyes with a dazzling brilliance. ‘I think I precipitated things rather. Stan Bridges is the director of a firm for whom I have recently built a block of offices and he mentioned over a drink that this project was open for tender.’

‘So you thought you would jump the gun and present yourself uninvited?’

The note of annoyance in her voice was too pronounced to be mistaken, and Henry Arnold’s expression betrayed a flash of pique that gave way to amusement. ‘You’ve got me wrong, Angela,’ he said, a faint northern accent discernible. ‘Stan asked me to come this evening to meet you and some of the others. You see, he thinks my proposition is too good to be missed.’

‘And what is your proposition, exactly?’ Angela replied coolly. She didn’t care for his presumption in using her first name without invitation.

‘I’ve been invited to pitch my plans to you this evening,’ he said. ‘Basically, I’ve told Stan that I will not only match any offer from my rivals, I’ll take twenty per cent off it – and give as good quality or better.’

‘And what will you get out of it?’

‘The pleasure of knowing six families will have decent homes to live in at rents they can afford,’ he replied. ‘I’m a wealthy man, Angela. My father made a fortune up north from his mills – and I’ve taken up where he left off. Since I came out of the Army I’ve gone into building on my own account and there’s more work than I ever dreamed of. Once the brick ovens really get going again, we’ll see houses shooting up all over the country. We’re building a better Britain, and everyone must benefit from that – I hope you’ll agree?’

‘Yes, I do agree that we want decent homes at affordable rents,’ Angela said, wondering why she’d immediately felt hostility towards this man. She knew the charity board would be likely to agree to his proposals – how could they refuse such an offer? Yet she wondered what the catch was – what he hoped to gain. He struck her as altogether too smooth, too good to be true. ‘But why should you offer us such a bargain?’

‘I make my money from the rich men who can afford large office buildings in the centre of London and other big cities. My firm is delighted to take every penny we can from them, but when it comes to deserving causes, I’m a different animal. I like to help those who need it – and I’m told you’re the same.’

‘I support good causes, but I don’t have the kind of fortune I imagine you have at your disposal.’

The corner of Henry Arnold’s mouth lifted in what she took to be a superior smirk. ‘Not many do, Angela. My father gave me a damned good start and I’ve built on his work. I dare say I could live in comfort for the rest of my life without lifting a finger – but why should I? Particularly when I can use some of my money to help those that need it.’

‘I can’t think of a single reason,’ Angela conceded, realising she was beaten. He seemed insufferably arrogant, but she supposed he had every right to be given his wealth and his good works. ‘I suppose I must thank you for coming to our aid. Twenty per cent is a lot of money – but I intend to get those other estimates, Mr Arnold. I will specify exactly what we want, and I shall expect to get it.’

‘Naturally. I wouldn’t expect anything less of you. I’ve been informed you’re very efficient – a dragon lady, I’m told, when it comes to protecting your children at St Saviour’s.’

‘A dragon lady? I’ll take that as a compliment. I’m only too happy to go into battle for the home and do whatever I can to help Sister Beatrice. Now she is a dragon lady if ever there was one.’

‘So I hear. I know the builder you employed at St Saviour’s – he swears he’d never work for you again even if the alternative was going broke. Sister Beatrice questioned every last thing he did – and he caught the sharp edge of your tongue a few times, I believe.’

‘Indeed?’ Angela glared at him. ‘I merely pointed out various areas where the work was not up to standard and refused to pay until it was finished to my satisfaction.’

‘And will you do the same where I’m concerned?’

‘Certainly I shall.’

‘Good. If any of my men let you down, they won’t work for me again I can promise you. You’ll find my standards are as high as your own, Angela.’

She was about to disabuse him of the notion that they were on first-name terms, when the chairman called everyone to take their seats so the meeting could begin.

‘I’ll call in and see you,’ Henry Arnold whispered to her as they moved towards the committee room. ‘I want to see where you work. I know you’re always looking for funds for your orphans and I might be able to help …’

Angela did not answer. Something told her that he’d come to this meeting in order to meet her and yet she couldn’t for the life of her think why. Perhaps she was imagining it, but she felt he’d deliberately provoked her, trying to gain her interest. If so, his plan had backfired. She was in no mood for arrogant men who thought they were more important than everyone else.

Suddenly a meeting that had promised to be dull and tedious had Angela alert and eager to hear every word. This man would bear watching; his promises sounded generous but all too often when something seemed to be too good to be true, it was. Well, if he thought he could pull the wool over her eyes, he was mistaken. She didn’t care if he were as rich as Croesus, when it came to St Saviour’s she would brook no interference.

SEVEN (#ulink_7a5afa2c-e05a-5067-8acc-1c3976128a55)

‘It’s so lovely to see you, Michelle,’ Alice said as she welcomed her into the ground floor flat that her husband had rented for them. ‘Bob’s away at the moment – the Army sent him to protect someone at a political conference in France – and it feels strange being here on my own with the baby.’

‘I expect you miss him.’ Michelle gave her the small posy of flowers she’d bought in the market on her way over. ‘How are you in yourself?’

‘I’m really well. I get tired when she cries all night, but I know all babies do that and it’s to be expected.’ Alice sighed, feeling scruffy and lacklustre, especially when she looked at Michelle, who was as slim and attractive as ever. Her blue-black hair gleamed with health, whilst Alice felt hers looked dull and lifeless. ‘My sister came by yesterday. She tells me I should be happy that I’ve got a nice home and a good husband, but Mave doesn’t understand how lonely it gets when he’s away.’

‘I can see how you would feel a bit miserable sometimes,’ Michelle smiled. ‘But you’ve got an adorable baby girl and a devoted husband, when he’s home.’ She laughed as Alice pulled a face. ‘Cheer up, love. Angela told me to invite you to the Church Hall on Saturday. She’s having another one of her clothing sales, and she’s putting food on. I said you might help out by making tea – that is, if you felt able?’

‘I’d love to,’ Alice said and hugged her. ‘Mave might lend a hand too, if I ask her. You could both come back here afterwards for a fish and chip supper.’

‘I’ll be on duty in the evening,’ Michelle said, ‘but I’ll have supper with you another time, when I’m back on days.’ Then, after a pause, ‘You are managing all right? I mean, you’re not short of anything?’

The sudden question made Alice laugh. ‘Bob makes sure I have enough money. I’m better off now than I ever was at home, Chelle. Mave asked me the same, offered me a few bob, but I’m all right. I can cook and I’m good at managing my money – but I should like to learn to sew better. Mum couldn’t never be bothered to show us how to do it properly. I thought I might go to lessons at night – it’s two and sixpence a week, but that’s not too bad.’

‘Why don’t you let my mother teach you? She’s a trained seamstress. You could come round ours, chip in for supper – and then, if I’m home I’ll walk back with you.’

‘Would your mum teach me? I could pay her the two and sixpence …’