The Letter (30 page)

‘Anyway, it was Maud who told me the names of Chrissie’s parents, Mabel and Dr Samuel Skinner. She also told me where Mabel was buried. She still lays flowers on the grave every year. She saved Maud’s baby’s life, you know. He was so tiny when he was born.’ Tina closed her eyes for a second as she remembered her own little girl.

‘Are you alright?’ asked William

‘I’m fine, William. I was just…nothing. Anyway, once I knew the names of Chrissie’s parents, tracing her birth certificate wasn’t too difficult. Shall we have a look at it?’

William had completely forgotten about the certificate. ‘Yes, please.’

Tina spread the certificate out on her knee and William leaned over to get a closer look.

Date and place of birth: 7
^th
March, 1920, 33 Wood Gardens, Manchester

Name (first and middle): Christina

Name and surname of father: Samuel Skinner

Name and surname of mother: Mabel Skinner, formerly McBride

Occupation of father: Doctor

‘That’s the name I need,’ said William excitedly. ‘May I?’ He took the certificate from Tina and studied it more closely. ‘McBride. That’s the maiden name of Chrissie’s mother so it must be the name of her aunt. This will help enormously if I take it back to Ireland. The McBride family.’ William’s eyes shone with excitement. ‘Someone’s bound to remember something.’ His hands trembled as he handed the certificate back to Tina. ‘I’m going to find my mother!’

Tina pushed the certificate back to him. ‘You keep it.’ She delved into her bag. ‘And you might as well have these.’ She handed Billy’s letter and photograph to William. ‘Good luck, William.’ She stood up and held out her hand. ‘It’s been a pleasure meeting you.’

William was on his feet in a second. This stranger’s help and kindness had overwhelmed him and he felt mere words were an inadequate way to thank her. He struggled to find a meaningful way to convey his gratitude and he surprised both of them when he blurted out his next words.

‘Come with me.’

Tina took a startled step back.

‘I mean, please, come with me. To Ireland. I couldn’t have got this far without you and I would really love you to be by my side to see how it all ends.’

Tina thought it was preposterous to even think about going all that way with a man she didn’t even know. She had done her bit. More than most people would have done, in fact. She didn’t owe him anything, and yet as she stared into his dark brown eyes, she suddenly realised how much like his father he looked. The similarities were startling. Billy was dead, but here was his son standing right in front of her, asking her to accompany him on a journey he must have been planning for most his life. And she had made this happen. She had given him the information he needed to trace his mother. She suddenly felt tears well up in her own eyes as she gave the slightest nod of her head.

‘It would be an honour.’

Three days later, she and William boarded a ferry to Dublin.

Chapter 33

Tina heaved open the cumbersome red door of the telephone box and was immediately grateful for the quiet sanctuary it provided. There was something about the inside of a telephone box that immediately calmed her. A feeling of being cut off from the outside world, a place to gather your thoughts and reflect on the chaos going on outside. Of course, most of the telephone boxes in Manchester smelled of stale urine, but this one, here in Tipperary Town was simply delightful, with no obnoxious odours to cloud the senses. She picked up the chunky black receiver and began to dial. After a few rings, Tina’s heart sank as she heard Sheila’s voice on the other end. She had no choice but to push in the first coin.

‘Sheila? It’s Tina. Can you fetch Graham for me?’

Fortunately, Sheila was her usual uncommunicative self and she merely grunted as she placed down the receiver and shouted for her husband. Tina bounced on the balls of her feet as she willed Graham to come to the phone. After what seemed like an eternity, he picked up the receiver.

‘Tina?’

Before she could speak, the pips started and Tina silently cursed as she pushed another coin into the slot.

‘Hello Graham. Look, I haven’t got much money so I’ll have to be quick. You got my note?’

‘This morning. What on earth are you doing in Ireland?’

‘It’s a long story, Graham. You remember that letter I found last year?’

‘No, what letter?’

Tina inwardly groaned. ‘I found an old letter in the pocket of a suit that had been donated to the shop last year. I’m sure I told you about it.’

‘I don’t remember, Tina, but what’s that got to do with you flitting off to Ireland?’

Pip… pip… pip…

Tina was beginning to lose patience. She thrust some more coins into the slot.

‘I’ll have be quick now, Graham. When the pips go again, that’s it. I’ve no more coins left. Just listen and don’t say anything, OK? Last year I found a letter in the charity shop and noticed from the post mark that it hadn’t been posted. I opened it and was so moved by the contents that I vowed to myself that I would deliver it one day to the rightful recipient. Anyway, to cut a long story short I’ve come to Ireland to try and trace Chrissie Skinner, she’s the one the letter was written to. I’m with her son. He’s also looking for her. I just wanted to let you know that I’m alright and not to worry about me.’

Graham sounded utterly confused. ‘You’re with who? When will you be back?’

As the pips went for the final time, Tina ignored his questions and hurriedly said goodbye.

As she replaced the receiver she could just hear him shouting into the phone. ‘I’ll never stop worrying about you!’

Back at Mrs Flanagan’s guest house, William was waiting for her in the lounge.

‘Everything OK? You want some tea?’ His mouth was full as he spoke and his words came out muffled.

Mrs Flanagan had set out a tray with a steaming pot of tea and warm potato cakes with smoked salmon, and William had tucked in eagerly. He swallowed down his food, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and tried again.

‘Sorry about that. These potato cakes are delicious. Did you manage to speak to your friend?’

Tina sat beside him on the couch and began to pour herself a cup. ‘Yes, I did thanks. I left him a note to say where I had gone but he worries about me. It’s alright now though.’

William took another bite. ‘This Graham? Is he an old boyfriend?’

Crumbs spilled from his mouth as he spoke and Tina frowned. ‘Do you Americans always speak with your mouth full?’

William took a swig of his tea and grinned. ‘I’m sorry. It’s a terrible habit, I know. I’m not very refined, I’m afraid. Just a country boy, really.’

She glanced at her watch. ‘It’s only four o’clock in the afternoon. What meal is it you’re having anyway? Late lunch, early tea?’

‘It’s Mrs Flanagan. She thinks I need fattening up!’

He shrugged his shoulders and Tina smiled.

‘To answer your earlier question, Graham is just a very good friend that’s all. He’s been a huge support to me during the last twelve months or so and I owe him a lot. It wouldn’t be fair of me to just take off and not let him know I’m alright.’

‘More like a father figure, then?’ asked William.

Tina considered this. ‘More like a brother, I suppose.’

Mrs Flanagan popped her head round the door. ‘More tea?’

‘You’re too kind, Mrs Flanagan, but I think we have enough here.’

‘Very well. You just give me a shout if you need anything else.’ She backed out of the room, leaving William and Tina alone once more.

‘So what’s the plan then?’ asked Tina.

‘Well, tomorrow morning I’m going to take you to meet Grace Quinn. After all, if it hadn’t been for her I would never have gone to Manchester and we would never have met. We’ll see if she can remember the McBride family and where they might have lived.’

Tina smiled. ‘Sounds like a plan.’

Tina thought Grace Quinn’s cottage was just charming and would not have looked out of place on a chocolate box or a jigsaw. The white stone walls positively dazzled in the sparkling sunlight and Tina had to shield her eyes as they walked up the crazy-paved pathway to the bright red door which was perfectly framed by a smoky-blue wisteria. Once inside, they were greeted with warmth by Grace, who was delighted William had brought Tina to meet her. They sat round the kitchen table and William took out his notebook.

‘Christina Skinner’s mother was called Mabel McBride before she married. Which means her sister was called Miss ‘something’ McBride. Does that name mean anything to you, Grace?’

Grace clasped her hands in front of her on the table and thought hard. She desperately did not want to disappoint this young man and the sweet girl he had brought with him, but she had to admit that she was not familiar with anyone called McBride.

‘I’m sorry, William. I really am, but that name doesn’t mean anything to me.’

William tried to hide his disappointment. ‘Don’t worry, Grace. I’ve come this far and I’m not giving up now. I learnt so much in Manchester, you wouldn’t believe it.’

He leafed through his notebook and pulled out Billy’s letter. ‘Here Grace, read this.’

Grace placed her glasses on the end of her nose and read the letter. ‘This is incredible. Where did you get this?’

Tina explained how she had come by the letter and that it was she who had traced Chrissie’s birth certificate.

‘You were right, Grace,’ interjected William. ‘Chrissie’s father was a doctor and her mother was a midwife.’

‘That poor girl, she had no idea that Billy was willing to marry her. When I think of the anguish she went through during the birth and the sadness in her eyes that never left her. Even when she held you for the first time, William, I knew she was overjoyed and her smile lit up the room, but her eyes…if you looked into her eyes, you knew. There was a pain in there that would never subside.’ Grace blew her nose quietly on her handkerchief. ‘What I can’t understand is why didn’t Billy post his letter? I mean it is written with such love and feeling, I just can’t believe he didn’t post it.’

Tina explained how she had gone round to Billy’s parents’ house and Alice Stirling remembered him going out to the post box but she was as mystified as anyone else as to why he changed his mind.

‘Alice told me that Billy went to visit Chrissie the next day, but her father was out on a call and there was no sign of Chrissie. He eventually spoke with her mother, Mabel, who told him Chrissie had already been shipped off to Ireland. She promised she would contact Chrissie, but tragically Mabel was killed in the blackout that night and we have to assume Chrissie never got the message.’

‘I’ve never heard such a heart-rending story in my life,’ sniffed Grace. ‘Do you know what happened to Billy?’

Tina and William looked at each other. William spoke up first.

‘He was killed in action in 1940.’ He opened his notebook again. ‘This is his picture.’

Grace looked at the handsome young man in army uniform.

‘You look just like him, William.’ It was all she could manage. She folded the letter in half again and went to pass it back to William but then stopped herself. ‘Oh look, there’s something written on the back.’ She peered carefully through her glasses at the back of the letter. ‘It just says “Sorry.”’

William took the letter and studied it again. ‘I’ve not noticed that before, have you Tina?’

Tina stiffened at the memory.

William passed her the letter and she stared once again at Rick’s familiar scrawl. One word written on the night he had beaten her so badly that she had lost their beloved baby. Tina felt the familiar feeling of repugnance well up inside her. It started in the pit of her stomach and crept up until it burnt the back of her throat and made her want to retch. She clamped her hand over her mouth.

William placed his hand over hers. ‘Tina? Are you alright?’

She could feel the perspiration break out on her top lip and her whole body bristled with hatred.

‘I’m f…fine…’ she stammered. She handed the letter back to William as she stood up. ‘Grace, would you mind if I used your bathroom?’

Grace glanced at William, a concerned look on her face. ‘Of course, dear, it’s this way.’

Tina took refuge in the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. Her chest and neck were flushed and her face was blotchy and crimson. She clung to the edge of the sink as she breathed deeply trying to lower her pulse rate. Rick had been dead for five months now, but he still had the power to stir these violent emotions in her. She managed to keep her hatred for him buried most of the time. She did not want it to eat away at her life and define who she was. He had sabotaged the last five years of her life and she was determined he was not going to do the same to the next five.

When she had composed herself enough, she returned to the small living room to find William and Grace huddled over a map of the area, a plate of warm and fluffy buttermilk scones between them. It seemed Irish hospitality centred on food. William turned as he heard her come in.

‘We’re just looking at a map, Tina. We’ve found the convent, here look.’ He showed her the place on the map where he had marked St Bridget’s with a red cross. ‘Now, we know that Chrissie lived fairly locally, but in rural terms that could mean a number of miles away.’ William checked the scale of the map and then drew a wide circle around the spot where he had marked the convent. ‘That’s everything within a two mile radius.’ He then drew another wide circle around his first one. ‘And that’s everything within a five mile radius.’ He sat back to look at his handiwork. ‘It’s a bit rough but in the absence of a pair of compasses it’s the best I can do.’

‘My brother is coming round tonight,’ announced Grace. ‘I’ll ask him to mark all the pubs within your two circles and that can be your starting point. Rural communities thrive on their pubs and they really are a cauldron of information.’

William smiled at Tina. ‘Are you up for this?

Tina smiled back. ‘Of course.’ His enthusiasm was infectious and it was too late to back out now. She had no idea whether they would be able to trace William’s mother or not, but she wanted to be at his side whatever the outcome.