One Rainy Day (7 page)

Her words lifted Andrew’s spirits, for although he was upset at knocking over a stranger, he was sad for a different reason. The girl had had an effect on his emotions, and that had never happened before. He sighed inwardly, knowing he would probably never have the chance to see that wonderful face again.

‘Mr Andrew, you are very welcome.’ The owner of the restaurant, André, shook Andrew’s hand while smiling at Charlotte. ‘And this lovely lady is the sister you were telling me about? How lucky you are to have such a charming sister, but why have you been hiding her?’

The accent was as attractive as the man, and Charlotte was delighted. ‘My brother has been keeping you a secret until now, which was very naughty of him.’

‘I can’t agree with you in his presence, for he is one of my valued customers. But you are welcome here any time, as long as you ring first. Now let me show you to your table, and Alphonso will relieve you of your coats.’

When they were seated, Charlotte voiced her pleasure.
‘This is a charming place, Andrew. Why have you not mentioned it before?’

‘I can answer your question with one of my own. Why have you never been to my office before? There was no reason for me to mention a restaurant to you when I didn’t think you would ever be down in this neck of the woods.’

A waiter came to the table then, and sister and brother took their time to choose from a menu where each dish sounded mouth-watering. ‘Oh, I can’t make up my mind,’ Charlotte said, ‘What are you having?’

‘I don’t eat much at lunch time,’ her brother told her. ‘If I did I wouldn’t be able to eat three courses again at home. I will skip the hors d’oeuvre, and the dessert, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have what you like. Everything will be excellent, so whatever your heart desires.’

Charlotte closed the heavily embossed menu. ‘I’ll have whatever you’re having. Frances would be upset if we were to refuse our dinners, and Jane too!’

Andrew handed the menus to the waiter. ‘Two fillet steak, medium rare, with all the trimmings. And would you ask the wine waiter for a bottle of his best red wine, please?’

While they were waiting, Charlotte asked, ‘Will you be telling Mother and Father about the unfortunate incident with that very pretty girl? Or would you rather put it behind you?’

Andrew took a few seconds to consider. ‘Oh, I think I should tell them. They’ll probably tell me the same as the young lady, that I should look where I’m going. But my shoulders are broad. I can take a ticking off.’ And as he spoke, that unforgettable face appeared in his mind’s eye, and his heart flipped.

As Andrew was describing the events of the morning to his parents in their comfortable drawing room, the encounter was also the topic of conversation in another house on the opposite side of the city, far removed from the luxury of the Wilkie-Brooks’ mansion.

Poppy Meadows was standing in the middle of the living room, while her mother eyed the damage done to the back of her raincoat.

‘The dirt will wash out, that’s no problem. But the tear is jagged and won’t be easy to repair.’ Eva Meadows put her hand to her chin and let out a sigh. ‘I’ll have a go, Poppy, and do my best.’

Her twenty-year-old son, David, was looking on. A handsome man, he was eighteen months older than his sister. He was very proud of her, and also very protective. ‘Why should Poppy suffer because some stupid bloke doesn’t look where he’s going and knocks her flying? He should fork out to pay for the damage he’s caused.’

‘He did offer,’ Poppy told him. ‘To be fair to the man, he did offer to buy me a new coat.’

‘You should have taken him up on it,’ David said. ‘It would teach him to be more careful in future. He could have seriously hurt you.’

‘Well, he didn’t hurt me. Except I’ve probably got a bruise on me bottom, but no one is going to see that. And me pride was hurt. I must have looked so stupid lying flat out on the ground, with me belongings strewn all over the pavement. The post I was carrying was in a right mess, but the clients were very nice about it and said accidents couldn’t be helped. In fact one client wanted me to sit down and they’d make me a cup of tea.’

‘Well I still think you should have let the bloke reimburse you,’ David said. ‘He’s probably got more money than you.’

‘I’m not taking money off a strange man.’ Poppy’s eyes flashed. ‘What do yer think I am?’ She was quite indignant. ‘He looked like a toff, and I wasn’t going to lower myself to him. He was with his girlfriend, and the coat she was wearing must have cost a fortune. They talked like toffs as well.’ Then Poppy had a vision of Charlotte, and added, ‘The girl was very nice, though, and very helpful. In fact they were both nice to me.’

Eva, a widow of forty-two, worked in a local factory as a seamstress. Her husband had died of TB when he was only thirty-five, leaving her to bring up eleven-year-old David and nine-year-old Poppy. Life was hard then, and she had little time to grieve for the husband she’d adored. Forced to take a full-time job, she had worked all the overtime she could get so they could stay in the six-roomed house that held so many memories of her beloved husband. Still, life was easier now, with her nineteen-year-old daughter bringing in a regular wage, and in a few weeks’ time David would finish his apprenticeship as an engineer and start earning a man’s wage. Her son was the spitting image of his father, and had the same mannerisms, the same crooked grin and the same sense of humour.

Eva shook her head to clear the memories, and smiled at her daughter. Poppy was still standing in the middle of the room, and she raised her brows questioningly. ‘A penny for them, Mam. You were miles away then.’

‘No, I was only thinking what we could do with the coat for the best. I could wash it tonight, let it dry for a day or so, then take it into work with me and do the best I can. It won’t be perfect because of the ragged tear, but it would do you a turn until you got another.’ Eva sighed. ‘But what could you wear in the meanwhile?’

Poppy shrugged her shoulders. ‘I’ve got that grey three-quarter-length, though heaven knows that’s seen better days. Still, if I wear a colourful scarf to brighten it up, it wouldn’t look too bad. Not tonight, though, ’cos I’ve got a date. I’ll wipe the dirt off this coat as best I can, and hope no one notices the blinking tear.’

‘Who’s the date with?’ David asked. ‘Anyone we know?’

Poppy slipped the raincoat off and draped it over her arm. ‘You don’t know him. His name’s Pete and I met him at the Grafton. And before yer give me the third degree, he’s tall, dark and handsome, and a smashing dancer.’

‘Julie usually goes to the Grafton with you,’ Eva said, her eyes narrowed. ‘Is she going on the date with you?’

‘She met a bloke as well, Mam, and she made a date with him. His name is Jim, and they’re going to the flicks. But we’re not going out as a foursome. I don’t know where I’m going with Pete; probably to the pictures.’

‘Why don’t you ever bring any of the blokes home with you?’ David asked. ‘You know our mam worries about you, which she wouldn’t do if she knew who you were going out with.’

‘You’re a fine one to talk,’ Poppy said. ‘What about the girls
you go out with? Yer’ve never brought one home for Mam to see if she approves.’ Then her mouth stretched in a smile and her eyes twinkled, ‘I know, Mam, it’s because the only girls he can get are either cross-eyed or buck-toothed.’

David’s guffaw brought a smile to his mother’s face. She was proud of both her children, and happy that they got on so well together. ‘I’ll tell yer what, sis, I’ll bring my date home if you’ll bring yours.’

‘I’m not bringing a bloke home when I’ve only just met him. If I said I wanted him to meet my mother, he’d think I was serious about him and run so fast I wouldn’t see his heels for dust.’

Eva leaned against the sideboard, her arms across her tummy. ‘D’yer know anything about this Pete? Tall, dark and handsome isn’t enough. I’d rather yer had a steady boyfriend who was honest and hard-working. Being a good dancer doesn’t mean a thing. Yer can’t spend the rest of yer life dancing.’

‘Mam, I’m nineteen! It’ll be a few years before I think of courting and getting married. And I don’t know how we went from me not having a coat to wear, to me going to the flicks with a bloke who is nice enough to keep me company, but not the sort I’d fall head over heels for. When I do meet someone I really like I’ll let yer know. But I warn yer, it might be a long time, because my ideal man would look like Cary Grant, sing like Frankie Lane and dance like George Raft. Oh, and he’d have to be rich enough to keep me in nice clothes.’ Poppy took a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. ‘That’s the longest speech I’ve ever made, and I’m back to square one with no coat to wear.’

‘If you’re only going to the pictures, you can wear the raincoat,’ her mother said. ‘No one is going to see it. It’s dark out and dark in the picture house.’

David left his seat to put his arm across his sister’s shoulder. ‘I go on full pay soon, kid, and although it’ll take me a few weeks to sort me money out, I promise I’ll go half with yer for a new coat.’

‘I’ll help out, too,’ Eva said. ‘The three of us can each put ten bob away for four weeks, and that should be enough for a good coat.’

‘I can’t let yer do that,’ Poppy said, her eyes wet with tears she was determined not to shed. ‘You’re the best mam and brother anyone could have, and I love yer very much. But I’m a big girl now, and I’ve got to learn that if I want anything, I’ve got to save up for it. I can’t sponge off you. I earn a wage same as you, and if I have to stay in every night for a few weeks, it won’t kill me.’ The threat of tears gone, her eyes filled with mischief and she giggled. ‘If Pete turns out to be good company, I won’t need to use my own money. I’ll see if he takes me in the best seats tonight, and if he does I’ll know he’s not skint and make another date with him. That’s if he asks me, of course.’

‘You shouldn’t do that, sweetheart,’ Eva said. ‘It wouldn’t be fair on the poor man if you lead him on just for the sake of using him.’

‘Oh, Mam, I was joking! You should know me better than to think I’d really give any bloke the runaround for the sake of a few bob. I like nice clothes, yer know that, but I’m fussy how I come by them. And if you’ll tidy the raincoat up as best yer can, I’ll wear it until I’ve saved up for a new one.’

David left his chair and made a dash for the door. ‘I bags the bathroom before you, sis. I didn’t realize the time with all the talking. If I don’t put a move on I’ll be late for my date.’ Taking the stairs two at a time, he called down, ‘Ten minutes, kid, I promise.’

Poppy stood in the hall with hands on hips and shouted up the stairs, ‘You sneak, David Meadows! What sort of man would treat a lady like that?’

‘A man who doesn’t want to keep a lady waiting, that’s who.’ The bathroom door closed on his voice promising, ‘Ten minutes, kid.’

Poppy put her arms round her mother and hugged her tight. She could remember her father, and knew how much her mother missed him. And she remembered how hard she’d worked to keep the house going. ‘I’ll stay in tonight, Mam, and keep you company. I know it’s mean to let Pete down, but if I ever see him again I’ll say I didn’t feel well.’

‘You’ll do no such thing, Poppy Meadows; that would be a mean trick. And you shouldn’t tell lies, ’cos God will pay you back if you do. So let’s see if we can sponge the dirt off the raincoat and make it presentable. Not that your date will worry about how it looks, anyway. He’ll be too busy looking at your pretty face.’

In the kitchen Eva spread the raincoat over the scrubbed wooden table. ‘One thing yer have to be thankful for, sweetheart, you’ve had plenty of wear out of it.’ She ran a clean cloth under the tap, then wrung the excess water out. ‘If it had been a good coat, I would have agreed with David that yer should have let the bloke buy you a new one.’

Poppy was leaning against the sink, watching. ‘I could never do that, Mam; my pride wouldn’t let me. Anyway, there’s no point in dwelling on it: what’s done is done and we can’t turn the clock back. At least I was knocked down by a very handsome toff, and not a scruff.’

Eva lifted her eyes from the coat she was wiping down. ‘Oh, so he was handsome, was he?’

‘Yes, I’d say he was. And his girlfriend was beautiful. Well
dressed, make-up perfect, and the perfume she had on certainly wasn’t one and eleven a bottle like the one I use. But for all that, both of them were really nice to me. They were genuinely upset by what happened, and even asked me if I would like to go with them to get cleaned up.’

Eva showed her surprise. ‘You didn’t mention that before, sweetheart! Where were they going to take you?’

‘I couldn’t tell yer that, Mam, because I just wanted to get away as soon as possible. They came out of one of the office buildings, but I was so embarrassed I couldn’t tell yer which one, except it was in Castle Street, on the left hand side going up.’

‘Don’t you think yer were a little hasty, sweetheart? You weren’t pushed over on purpose. It was an accident.’

‘I know that, now I can think straight. But it wasn’t exactly pleasant lying flat on the pavement and having people gathered around me. I felt really stupid. Hysterical, really. I even started laughing, so yer can tell how hysterical I was. And I took it out on the man and his girlfriend. I was really rude to them, and I’m sorry now. But it can’t be helped; it’s over and done with.’

Eva lifted the coat off the table and held it up for inspection. ‘I’ll stand in front of the fire with it while you’re getting washed. It’s come up all right, so no one will ever notice.’

‘You’re an angel, Mam.’ Poppy gave her a hug. ‘I’ll run up and get meself ready ’cos I’m late already. I’ll wear me blue dress; it’s me favourite.’

Peter Broadhurst had been standing by the bus stop for twenty minutes and was giving up hope. Three buses had stopped while he’d been there, and each time he’d had to stand back so the driver wouldn’t expect him to jump on board. He was
a nice-looking man, over six foot and well built. With black hair, deep brown eyes, a dimple in each cheek and healthy teeth, he was never short of girlfriends. And he wasn’t used to being kept waiting. He looked at his watch now and saw it was nearly eight o’clock. He’d never waited this length of time for anyone before. But this date was one he’d looked forward to, and he was disappointed. The girl he’d arranged to meet, who’d said her name was Poppy, was the most attractive girl he’d ever seen. And she wasn’t coy or fawning like some girls, which he couldn’t stand. Poppy, if that was really her name, had refused when he’d asked her for a date, and it had taken all his powers of persuasion to talk her round. He gave a sigh of disappointment, because he’d been looking forward to seeing her again. Still, he’d been let down and there wasn’t a thing he could do about it. He turned the collar of his overcoat up and was about to walk away when he saw her hurrying towards him.