Closing the door to the living room, she hurried along the hall and pulled open the front door. George was excitedly jumping up and down. Standing behind him were two of Stella’s sons.
Frank looked at Ruby’s stricken face as she glanced back over her shoulder. ‘Donald, why don’t you take George into the front room for a little while?’ he said, giving him a wink. ‘I think Mrs Caselton needs my help.’
Donald looked between his brother and Ruby, and could see at once that something was amiss. ‘Come on, Georgie boy, let’s do some more drawing,’ he said, holding out the paper and pencils he’d brought with him.
‘Can I, Mummy?’
‘Of course, love. You run along while I speak to Frank.’
‘What’s wrong, Ruby? You look as though you’ve seen a ghost,’ Frank said, reaching for her elbow and moving her away from the front room while the two boys settled themselves on the floor, laying out sheets of paper between them. ‘They’ll be fine. Dad brought home a pile of paper he was given down at the dock. A packing case had split open on its way to the printer’s and Dad knew the kids would like it for drawing paper. There’s a lot more over at home, if Georgie wants it. Mum said to check with you first . . .’ He watched Ruby closely. She looked a million miles away as she gazed into the distance. ‘Ruby?’
‘Oh, yes, that’s very kind. I’ll thank her when I next see her,’ she replied, again glancing over her shoulder.
‘What’s going on, Ruby? Has something happened?’
Ruby nodded her head as she started to cry silently. ‘I think my mum’s killed Eddie, then she dropped down dead.’
Frank started to laugh, then realized Ruby wasn’t joking. ‘You’re not kidding me – are you?’
‘No,’ she replied, pushing open the living room door. ‘It had only just happened when you knocked. Please, can you help them?’
Frank rushed to where Milly lay and bent down beside her. ‘Mrs Tomkins? Can you hear me?’ he asked as he put his hand to her chest. ‘Does she have a bad heart? I recall her mentioning it to Mum.’
‘She has flutters sometimes, but the doctor told her it was nothing serious. Can you feel a heartbeat?’ Ruby chewed her fingernail anxiously. ‘There’s so much blood; they must both be dead. She gave Eddie such a belter with the teapot.’
‘Her heartbeat is nice and strong. I think she’s just fainted from the shock, but at her age we need to make sure she’s all right. Can you get me a cup of water?’ He moved over to Eddie, who had started to groan. ‘And at least he’s not dead, so your mum won’t be done for murder.’
‘Thank God for that.’ Ruby rushed back to kneel beside Milly and place the cup to her lips. ‘Here, Mum, take a sip,’ she said before Frank pushed her hand away.
‘No, not while she’s out cold. She could choke. Splash her face – it may help bring her round quicker.’
Ruby nodded and started to pat the cold water around Milly’s cheeks. ‘Come on, Mum. Let’s be having you. There’s no point in lying on the hard floor, now, is there?’ she chided. ‘Wake yourself up and we can have a nice cuppa. I brought some pies and buns home from the cafe. I bet you’d like some of them, wouldn’t you?’
Milly fluttered her eyelids and gave Ruby a puzzled look. ‘Why am I laying on the floor?’
‘You had a bit of a funny turn, Mum. We’ll have you on your feet in a tick. Just tell me when you’re ready for us to help you up.’ She stroked Milly’s grey hair back from her face, where it had escaped from a tortoiseshell clip.
‘Give me a minute,’ Milly muttered, wincing a little. ‘My ankle feels funny,’ she said. ‘Do you think it’s broken?’
In spite of the situation, Ruby smiled. She was so relieved her mum wasn’t dead, but all the same, she knew how much Milly enjoyed bad health. ‘Perhaps we can have the doctor check you over later, if you can’t walk on it.’ She carried on chatting to her mum while Frank was seeing to Eddie, who was groaning and starting to swear loudly.
‘What the bloody hell happened? Who thumped me?’ he asked as he put his hand to his head, looking startled when he saw the blood.
‘You’re not badly injured, Eddie.’ Frank helped him to his feet and back onto the chair he’d vacated suddenly when his mother-in-law walloped him with the teapot.
‘What’s she doing down there? And why is there all this bloody mess?’ Eddie gestured around the chaotic room as Frank took a closer look at the gash on the side of his head.
‘Mum fell into a faint, and you tried to catch her but hit your head on the teapot she was holding,’ Ruby explained. ‘You are a little unsteady on your feet due to the drink. I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to make a brew until I can afford another one,’ she added for effect. She knew Eddie wouldn’t be interested in what she made the tea in, as long as there was a hot drink on the table with his meals.
Frank looked at her and grinned. He was surprised at Ruby’s words, but understood she was defending her mother and putting the blame back on Eddie. From the smell on Eddie’s breath and his unsteady movements, he could tell the man had a belly full of booze. What Frank didn’t understand was why a decent woman like Ruby Caselton stayed with a bloke like Eddie. He’d spent a good few hours sitting by her bed as she regained her strength after losing the baby, at first reading to her when she was still weak, and then chatting about this and that. He’d found her keen to ask questions when he mentioned his work and his interests.
