The Buffer Girls (23 page)

Nell paused a moment, disturbed by the look on Nathan Hawke’s face, but when he saw who it was, his expression lightened and he smiled. ‘Come in, Nell.’

‘’Lo, Nell,’ Mick said. ‘Everything all right?’

‘Fine,’ Nell said and forced herself to smile at him.

‘Plenty of work?’

‘Yes, we’re very lucky.’

Mick smirked. ‘Oh, I don’t know about “luck”, Nell, but Mr Hawke
here is very pleased with your work and he’s recommending you to all his cronies, aren’t you,
Mr Hawke?’

Nathan nodded, but his stare was still fixed on Nell’s face. She thought he was trying to communicate something, but she couldn’t guess what. Nell knew how to keep her counsel when
necessary, so she smiled brightly at the older man and carefully placed the box on his workbench. ‘That’s
the first half, but I’ll start your next batch first thing on Monday
morning.’

‘No rush, luv, and I should have some more work for you the end of next week.’

‘Nothing from anyone else, yet?’ Mick asked, a sharp edge to his tone.

With a swift glance at Nell, Nathan shrugged, ‘No more than the two I’ve already got for them, but I’m asking around. More work will come along very soon,
I’m
sure.’

‘It’d better,’ Mick muttered. There was an uncomfortable pause before Mick said, ‘I’ll be off, then. Duty calls, and all that. See ya, Nell.’

‘Mick,’ she murmured and waited until the door had closed behind him and the sound of his footsteps receded into the distance.

Nathan heaved a sigh that sounded suspiciously like one of relief. ‘I really don’t like that young man,’
he muttered.

‘Is he – bothering you?’

‘Not really. No more than usual, and I’m glad to help you girls anyway.’ He glanced up at her. ‘You know what’s going on, don’t you?’

Solemnly, Nell nodded. ‘But Emily doesn’t. She’s not been here long and she’s from the country. She’s a lovely girl, and clever, but rather –
naïve.’

‘What about his sister?’

Nell frowned. ‘D’you know,
Mr Hawke, I really don’t know about her. Sometimes I think she knows exactly what’s going on and then, at other times, I think she just
believes she’s got a very clever brother who knows a lot of people who’ll do favours for him.’ She sighed. ‘I honestly don’t know about Lizzie, but I do know that
Emily is as innocent as the day is long.’

Nathan Hawke nodded. ‘I rather thought as much
myself when we first met.’ He paused and then asked gently, ‘And what about you, Nell?’

He’d taken a liking to the girl and not just because she was good at her work. He would be rather disappointed if he found out she was in cahoots with Mick Dugdale.

Nell returned Nathan’s steady gaze, her own open and honest too. ‘I don’t like it, Mr Hawke. I don’t like it at all, but I have to work.
I have to look after my –
mother, and there’s only me who can go out to work. So . . .’ She bit her lip, hoping he understood.

‘I see.’ He sighed and then said, ‘There’s one thing I didn’t say in front of him. The less he knows the better, though I expect he’ll find out. I’ve
got a couple of contacts for you who’ll be pleased to give you some work.’ He stood up and went to his jacket hanging
on the back of the door and fished in a pocket. ‘I’ve
written their names and addresses down. They’re not far from here. Here we are. Can you read it, Nell? I’ve lost my glasses again. I don’t know where I’ve put them. I had
them before Mick came in . . .’ He looked around helplessly.

Nell chuckled. ‘They’re on your head, Mr Hawke.’

He put his hand up and found the spectacles he had
pushed upwards. ‘Oh, yes, so they are. Thank you, Nell.’

Nell took the piece of paper. ‘I’ll get Emily to go,’ she said, without even glancing at the paper. ‘She’s got a way with people that I haven’t and Lizzie
certainly hasn’t.’

‘Oh, I’m sure you—’

‘Now, now, Mr Hawke, no flattery. I’m good at me work, I know that, and, fortunately, I know how to do a lot of the different processes,
but I’m no good with the business side
of things. Emily is. She’s done it before.’

‘Oh yes, I remember Lizzie saying something about Emily having run a small business before. What was it? D’you know?’

So Nell explained what she knew of Emily’s background, finishing, ‘It seems her mother’s no time for her. All her ambitions are for Emily’s brother, Josh. He’s a
nice enough lad and Emily
thinks the world of him, but he’s a bit weak, to my mind. He didn’t stand up to his mother when he should have done.’

‘Ah well, maybe the lass will be the one to make the family’s fortune.’ He chuckled. ‘That’d be one in the eye for the mother, wouldn’t it?’

Nell laughed with him, then said, ‘Oh, before I go, I nearly forgot what I came for, apart from bringing your work back.’ Swiftly,
she explained about their plans to take another
girl on.

‘I’ll see what I can do for you,’ he promised, and on that happy note she returned to their workshop waving the piece of paper with two more addresses on it.

The work flowed in steadily. Ida joined them when Nathan discovered an old buffing machine in the small workshop above his own.

‘Ruby must’ve left it,’ he told Nell. ‘I’ll
get it running again for you, so you can set your friend on if you’ve got enough work coming in now.’

‘We have, thanks to those two names you’ve given us and they, in turn, have already recommended another “little mester”, who can put work our way. And, in case
you’re worried, I don’t think Mick knows anything about them. Emily sees to all the paperwork and Ida now collects and delivers
the work at the end of each week.’

‘So you don’t think Lizzie has told her brother?’

‘I can’t be sure, of course, but I don’t think so. Not yet, anyway.’

‘Let’s hope she doesn’t. I don’t want him paying them a visit. They’re good friends of mine. We play bowls together.’

Emily continued to meet Trip every Sunday. He was interested and excited to hear all about her venture, but he was apologetic about Josh having been sacked from
Trippets’.

‘D’you know why?’ Emily asked him bluntly. ‘Was it because his work wasn’t up to standard?’

Trip shook his head and seemed, to Emily, to be avoiding meeting her gaze. ‘I don’t think so. George Bayes
said he was getting on nicely.’

Emily thought she might know the reason after what her mother had admitted, but she didn’t want to tell Trip. She didn’t want to cause any trouble between him and his father, so
instead she said brightly, ‘Anyway, Josh now has a good job at Waterfall’s and he really likes it.’ She forbore to say that he was happier there than he had been at
Trippets’. ‘And
our little business is doing very well.’

‘That’s my girl,’ he said, seeming relieved that she had adroitly changed the subject. He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked through Weston Park one late September
afternoon. Already, there was an autumnal chill in the air. ‘I’m so proud of you. I hope the work keeps coming in for you, though, because times are hard. Mr Bayes had to lay
off three
women in our buffing shop only last week.’ Trip sighed. ‘I know it’s unfair, but he lays off the women first and gives their buffing jobs to men. He feels the men have families to
support, whereas—’ He stopped and bit his lip.

‘Whereas,’ Emily went on, ‘you don’t think women have the same responsibilities as men.’

Trip sighed. ‘Some of them do, I know, but unfortunately there’s
nothing I can do to influence Mr Bayes.’ He laughed ruefully as he added, ‘And certainly not my
father.’

‘I know.’ Emily squeezed his arm. Trip was a kindly young man with none of his father’s ruthlessness in his nature.

‘Oh look,’ Trip said suddenly, ‘there are Josh and Lizzie. They’re talking to some woman sitting on that bench over there. Let’s go and say hello. I haven’t
seen Josh
for weeks.’

Emily sighed but before she could argue, Trip was leading her towards her brother and Lizzie. She was disappointed to see that Josh and Lizzie were still walking out together on a Sunday. The
more they appeared together in public, the more people would think that they really were a couple. And this was something she could do nothing about either. She was beginning to think, after
all
this time with no word from Amy, that perhaps the girl had met someone else back in Ashford and if that was the case, then she really couldn’t blame Josh for keeping company with Lizzie.

As Emily and Trip approached, Josh looked up and waved. ‘Hey there, you two, come and meet our new friend, Mrs Beauman.’

Beside her, Emily felt Trip give a little start and she glanced at him to
see that he was staring at the well-dressed, pretty woman sitting on the park bench. But he recovered quickly and
together they went forward to greet her. Emily smiled and shook her hand whilst Trip bent gallantly over Belle’s hand and kissed her gloved fingers. ‘I’m delighted to make your
acquaintance,’ he murmured.

Josh explained swiftly. ‘Some weeks ago, Mrs Beauman felt unwell here
in the park and Lizzie and I took her home.’ He glanced down at her again. ‘We haven’t seen you
since. Are you quite well now?’

‘Quite, thank you.’ She smiled as she glanced up at Emily and Trip. ‘Aren’t you going to introduce me?’

‘Oh, sorry. This is my sister, Emily, and this is Mr Thomas Trippet. You may have heard of his father. He owns Trippets’ cutlery works in Creswick Street.’

Calmly, Belle smiled at them but inwardly her heart skipped a beat. At last, she was thinking, I’ve found them. As the young couple had approached, she’d had the feeling that this
might be the young man she’d been trying to encounter for months. He fitted Arthur’s description perfectly, though, to her mind, the girl did not. She showed no surprise on hearing his
name and now her acting
skills came to the fore as she pretended to frown. ‘I’ve heard of the firm, of course, but I don’t think I know Mr Trippet. Tell me,’ she added,
patting the bench beside her and inviting them to sit down, ‘do you work with your father?’

‘“For” rather than “with”,’ Trip laughed. ‘Father believes that I should start at the very bottom and work my way up to deserve the honour of one day
owning
the factory. I’m an only son – an only child, actually – so I suppose I’m destined to take over one day.’

‘Really?’ Belle murmured. ‘An only child, are you?’

‘Yes.’ His face sobered. ‘I should have had brothers or sisters, maybe, but poor Mother suffered two miscarriages after she had me.’

This, Belle had not known; Arthur had not thought fit to tell her details of his life with his
wife. ‘So,’ she said, smiling wistfully, ‘you must be doubly precious to your
parents.’

Trip smiled, but did not answer.

‘He’s precious to all of us,’ Josh laughed, thumping Trip gently on his shoulder. ‘We’ve been friends since childhood and despite living in a grand house in the
village and us being the children of a lowly village candle maker, Trip’s never made us feel inferior
to him.’ Now Josh gripped his friend’s shoulder and said huskily,
‘He’s one of the best, is Trip.’

‘I’m sure he is,’ Belle said softly and looked at the handsome young man with his black hair and his warm, honest brown eyes. She noticed how he glanced at the pretty girl
beside him with love in his eyes and there was no mistaking the devotion in hers when she looked at him.

Belle felt
a stab of guilt as she realized what she had to do.

The following afternoon, Arthur called to see Belle.

She had spent a sleepless night trying to decide if she dared to deceive Arthur, but in the cold light of morning she had resolved to tell him the truth. If he were to find out that she had not
been completely honest with him, he would cast her off and, at her age, there would be
no more wealthy lovers coming forward to take his place. It was very mercenary of her, she knew, but she had
no choice.

As he entered the apartment, he headed straight for the bedroom and began to remove his clothing, so great and urgent was his need of her. Belle waited until he was ready, for he liked to
undress her himself; it heightened his desire. But today, she took little pleasure
in his lovemaking, if it could be called that, for he took her quickly and selfishly. Later, as he settled beside
the fire in the living room and watched her whilst she poured him whisky and soda, he said, ‘So, have you any news for me? Surely you must have found out something by now, or are you
–’ his eyes narrowed and Belle knew she had been right to believe his retribution for deceit would
be harsh – ‘playing with me.’

‘I wouldn’t do that, Arthur,’ she was able to say truthfully as she handed him his drink. ‘It’s not been easy, for I never know which park to go to. I told you some
time ago that I had met a couple, didn’t I?’

‘You did. The Ryan boy and his girlfriend, I believe.’

‘I didn’t get to know their surnames, but yes, the boy’s name was Josh. Well, I met them
again yesterday.’

Arthur grunted. ‘Well, I hope this time you had the sense to find out a bit more. It’ll soon be a whole year since I saw them together at the ball. God knows what might have happened
in that time. You wouldn’t make a very good detective, Belle.’

She put her head coquettishly on one side, trying to restore his good humour. ‘No, it’s not what I’m good at.’

Arthur
had the grace to smile and said, a little less impatiently, ‘Go on, my dear.’

‘Whilst I was talking to them, another couple joined them. It was your son – Trip, they called him – with a pretty girl they called Emily.’

‘Ah!’ Arthur slapped the arm of his chair. ‘I knew it. He is still seeing the little slut. Then I must put a stop to it, but this time I must tread carefully. It will need
some
planning.’ Though he smiled up at her, there was a glint of triumph in his eyes that did not bode well for the happy young couple she had met in the park.

After he had left, Belle sat late into the evening, thinking about Trip and Emily and feeling sorry for her part in what was likely to be the end of their romance.

But still, she reminded herself, at least she now had all her
precious Sunday afternoons for herself once more.