The Buffer Girls (32 page)

‘He did – so out he went.’

‘You don’t really mean it?’

‘I most certainly do.’

‘But he’s your son and heir. What does your wife say?’

‘She doesn’t know yet. But there’s
nothing she can do about it. She’ll do whatever I say.’

Belle was thoughtful. Arthur was so sure of his wife’s compliance, but Belle wondered if his confidence was misplaced. Every mother will fight for her son, she thought. But for now, she
said no more. Now, she must entertain her wealthy protector and sooth his anger, especially as perhaps now . . .

But she would think about that
later.

‘Lizzie, I must talk to you.’

Josh had decided that, of the two women, he preferred to face Lizzie first. So, on the Tuesday evening after work, he knocked on the door of the Dugdales’ home.

‘Then I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it,’ Bess Dugdale said, heaving herself out of her chair.

Oh dear, Josh thought. This is getting harder by the minute.

When the door had closed
behind her, Josh took Lizzie’s hands in his and looked her straight in the face. ‘You’ve been a good friend to all of us since we got here. No one has
helped us more than you and your mother – and Mick, if it comes to that – and I’m very fond of you, but I’ve never led you on, never let you think it was ever going to be
more than that.’

Lizzie stared back at him, a faint blush appearing
in her cheeks, her eyes bright with anger already as she realized what was coming.

‘Oh yes, you have. You’ve kissed me, Josh Ryan. On the night of the ball. And you wanted more, if I’d let you. Don’t deny it.’

Josh sighed. He couldn’t deny it, not any of it. He was a virile young man and she was an attractive girl, who’d made no secret of the fact that she wanted there to be more between
them. And there had been a point – a very dangerous point on the night of the most recent ball, when over a year had passed and he still hadn’t heard anything from Amy – that
he’d been tempted to let things take their course with Lizzie. But something had held him back. And now he knew why. Deep down, he’d always loved Amy.

There was no easy way to tell her, so he said bluntly, ‘I’m going
back to Ashford. I don’t belong in the city. I only came because it was what my mother wanted.’

‘Are you indeed? And what if I kick up a right stink? Your mother likes me. And Emily’s my friend.’

‘Emily tried to warn you from the start that I was promised to Amy, didn’t she?’ When Lizzie made no reply and avoided meeting his steady gaze, he insisted, ‘Didn’t
she?’

‘I didn’t believe
her. I thought it was because this slut, Amy, was her friend and she was being loyal to her.’ Now her head snapped up again. ‘But I’ve been her
friend and she’s not being loyal to me now, is she?’

‘This has nothing to do with Emily. Nothing at all.’

Lizzie’s eyes narrowed. ‘I could ruin her, you know. Her and her precious business. The girls would all follow me – do what I said.’

‘And you think that would win me over? That I’d give in to your threats? My sister is made of sterner stuff than that, Lizzie.’ He forbore to tell her that Emily had gone to
Ashford today for her own reasons. He was seeing Lizzie in her true colours now and he didn’t like what he saw. He’d had a very lucky escape, because, if the truth were known, when
he’d heard nothing from Amy for so long,
he’d started to become dangerously fond of Lizzie. But thank goodness he’d paid a visit to Ashford when he did.

‘Where is Emily, by the way? She hasn’t been in work today.’

‘She’s gone to Ashford.’

‘Oh, to see her
best
friend, has she?’ Lizzie said bitterly.

Josh ran his hand distractedly through his hair, wondering whether or not to tell Lizzie exactly why Emily had rushed back
to Ashford. He decided to say nothing; Lizzie was in a bad enough mood
already.

Then, as if suddenly realizing she was alienating Josh rather than winning him over, Lizzie smiled coquettishly up at him and wound her arms around his neck. ‘Oh Josh, don’t you know
I love you? I didn’t mean what I said about Emily. I was angry and hurt. I thought – I thought you liked me.’

‘I did – I
do, Lizzie. I like you very much and if – if things were different, then perhaps . . .’ He broke off.

‘Then why? Why are you going back to Amy?’

‘Because – because I love her. I’ve never stopped. And besides, she’s had my baby.’

‘What?’ Lizzie gasped, her arms fell from his neck and she stepped back. Then her eyes narrowed as she asked nastily, ‘How can you be sure it’s yours? You
left there over
a year ago.’

‘Because the little chap’s almost a year old,’ Josh said quietly. ‘I know he’s mine.’

‘Huh! I wouldn’t be too sure, if I was you. But that’s your pigeon.’

Lizzie knew she was beaten. There was no way she was going to prise Josh away from Amy and her child, who, he believed rightly or wrongly, was his.

And now her devious mind turned back to how she
could reap her revenge, if not on Josh, then on his sister. But she decided she would think about the matter carefully. She would plan her tactics
and she would say nothing to Josh. Once he was back in the countryside with his precious Amy, then Miss Emily Ryan had better watch out. Didn’t they say that ‘Revenge is a dish best
served cold’? Then that was how it would be: cold and calculating.

Now she played the heartbroken, jilted girl. She allowed the tears to flow until Josh was moved to put his arms around her and say, brokenly, ‘Lizzie, I am sorry. Truly I am. I
wouldn’t have hurt you for the world.’

She sobbed all the harder against his shoulder, but they were crocodile tears. Inside, she was seething with anger. No one, but no one, humiliated Lizzie Dugdale and got away
with it. If she
couldn’t hurt Josh directly, then she would do so by ruining his beloved sister.

And she knew just the person to help her do it.

Josh had been unable to talk to his mother that morning before he’d been obliged to go to work. After he’d seen Lizzie, as his mother stood at the sink washing up
after their meal, he put his arms about her waist and said, ‘Mam, I have something I need to tell you. Please – leave that for now. Dry your hands and come and sit down.’

Martha had not missed Emily yet and knew
nothing about her journey to Ashford. Emily was often as late as this coming home from work and so her mother had thought nothing of her daughter’s
absence from the tea table.

‘Don’t tell me you’ve lost your job again, Josh Ryan, because if you have—’

‘Come and sit down with Dad and I’ll tell you both.’

Martha snorted. ‘Huh! He’ll not know what’s going on. All right.’ She dried her
hands on a rough towel and sat down on the opposite side of the range to where her husband
spent his days.

‘I think he understands a lot more than you think, Mam,’ Josh murmured, thinking back to what Emily had told him about the letters and how Walter had managed to communicate the facts
to her.

‘Mebbe, mebbe not. Anyway, never mind about that now. Out with it. What have you been
up to?’

Josh moved a chair closer and sat between them. ‘I’ve been back to Ashford to see Amy and I’ve decided to give my notice in here and go back there permanently.’

‘You’ll do no such thing, Josh. You’re getting on nicely here and—’

‘Mam, just listen, please. Amy has a baby – a little boy – and it’s mine.’

‘Well, if you think that, you’re more stupid than I thought you were.’

‘He’s nearly a year old, Mam. I know he’s mine.’

There was a noise beside him and he turned to see his father holding out a shaking hand, his mouth working as if he were trying to ask a question, but no sound would come out.

Josh took his father’s hand between his own. ‘Yes, Dad, you have a grandson. A wonderful little boy called Harry.’

Walter nodded, and it might only have been
his shaking that made it seem so, but Josh was sure that, for a brief moment, his father gripped his hand. He took it as a sign that Walter was pleased
with the news and that he agreed with what Josh intended to do. Which was more than could be said for Martha. ‘I’ll not let you. You’re still under age. You will do as
you’re told, Josh Ryan, and—’

‘No, Mam, I’m sorry but I will not. My
duty is back in Ashford. Our old house is still empty . . .’ He paused and decided not to tell her about Trip at present.
‘I’m sure you could get the tenancy back, if you asked.’

‘I have no intention of asking anyone for anything. We’re not going back.
You
’re not going back.’

‘Yes, I am. I’m going to marry Amy.’

‘Over my dead body.’

‘Don’t say things like that, Mam, please, because
it’s what I’m going to do.’

‘You’re not old enough to get married. I won’t give my consent.’

‘Then I shall wait until I am. The villagers have been very good towards Amy and I think they will be with me, once they know I’m back for good. And I’ll make sure they know
that it’s
you
standing in the way of me doing the honourable thing.’ He didn’t like threatening his mother, but it was
all he could think of to do.

‘You can’t get the tenancy of The Candle House.’

‘No,’ he said quietly, ‘but Mr Clark can.’

Mother and son stared at each other in a battle of wills.

Walter made a noise in his throat and waved his hands.

‘I think,’ Josh said quietly, ‘Dad agrees with me, don’t you?’

This time Walter nodded vigorously; there was no mistaking his meaning.

‘Where’s Emily? Why isn’t she home? She’ll side with me,’ Martha said. ‘She’ll not want to go back, not now she’s got a nice little business
going. Why you couldn’t be more like your sister, I don’t know.’

Josh laughed, but without any bitterness. ‘Yes, you’re right, Mam. Emily should have been the boy. She came first and got all the ambition and drive. I just want a quiet life with
Amy
and my son.’ As he said the last words, there was the light of love in his eyes and a glow of pride. And Martha knew that, this time, she had a real battle on her hands. But she was not
ready to capitulate yet.

She sighed and asked again, ‘Where is Emily?’

‘She’s gone to Ashford.’

Martha stared at him for a few moments. ‘Whatever for? This has nothing to do with her.’

‘Well,
no, not exactly, but you see, when I went back, I found poor old Trip sleeping rough in our old home. He was in a dreadful state.’

Now, Martha’s mouth dropped open and she gaped at her son. ‘Thomas Trippet? Why?’

‘He’d had a huge row with his father and Mr Trippet threw him out of his work and his home too, by the sounds of it.’

‘But – but he’s Arthur Trippet’s heir to his company.
His
only
heir. Why on earth would he do a thing like that?’

‘He found out that Trip had been meeting Emily every Sunday and when he forbade Trip to see her any more, he refused.’

‘And he disowned him because of that?’

‘Apparently.’

‘Then Trip’s the fool and Emily must tell him so. He can’t lose his whole future because of her.’

‘He’s in love with her and she with him.’

‘Stuff and nonsense. He should marry someone of his own class. Someone who will bring more to the marriage than she ever could.’

‘Mam, this is your own daughter you’re talking about. And we’ve just been saying how ambitious Emily is. She’d be a marvellous wife for him. In fact,’ he grinned,
‘I think she has more drive than he has.’

‘You think her little tin-pot business, running a team
of buffer girls, is a resounding success? It’s hardly “big business”, is it?’

‘“Little acorns”, Mam. You know what they say about “little acorns”?’

But her only reply was a snort of derision. And if Josh thought she was finished, then he was very much mistaken.

When Emily arrived back in Sheffield on the Wednesday evening, it was to walk into a maelstrom of anger and recriminations. The quarrel between Martha and Josh had escalated
but, strangely, amidst it all, Walter seemed unperturbed and able to ignore the shouting going on all around him.

‘You’re an ungrateful little brat, Josh Ryan,’ Martha screeched. ‘You’ll live in poverty
all your life. You’ll never amount to anything.’

‘Then Emily will do that for you. She’ll amount to something.’

‘Nonsense, she’s a girl. What can a girl do? She’ll get pregnant like that little slut, Amy, and bring more shame on this family.’

‘There’s no need to talk about me as if I’m not here,’ Emily said, removing her hat and coat. ‘Besides, I shall be marrying Trip and, yes, I
might get pregnant
then, but not before. Sorry, Josh.’

Josh shrugged. ‘Don’t apologize. I did wrong by Amy, but I mean to put it right.’

‘I know you do and you’ll be happy with her. But,’ she went on, turning towards her mother, ‘what are you going to do, Mam?’

‘Oh, somebody’s actually thinking about me, are they? That’s very kind of you, I’m sure.’

Emily touched her mother’s
arm. ‘Why don’t you take Dad back to Ashford – back home? He’d be so much better there.’

Suddenly, Martha’s shoulders slumped as if all the fight had gone out of her. ‘So, you don’t want me to stay here with you?’

‘There’s no need, Mam. Dad – and you – would be better off back home. You’ll be back amongst friends and there’s your little grandson to get to
know.’

Slowly Martha lifted
her head. ‘I suppose you’re right,’ she said slowly. ‘You don’t want me, do you?’

‘I’ll always want you, Mam, but I don’t
need
you here to look after me.’

Martha glanced towards her husband. ‘He would be better off back in the countryside. You’re right about that. All right, then. Once Josh is settled, we’ll go back, that is, if
we can get the tenancy of our old home back.’

‘I’m
sure you will.’

‘And I’ll move in with Amy, her dad and – my son.’ The pride with which Josh spoke the final two words was not lost on his family.

‘If you’re sure you’re doing the right thing, Josh,’ Martha said flatly, ‘then I won’t oppose your marriage to Amy any longer. I’ll sign whatever papers
you need.’