‘I truly thought Eddie loved me and George, and had some respect for my mum. To go like that without saying anything when Mum was fading fast, and then to take her money, is unforgivable. I feel as though I’ve lost everything. My husband, my mother, the wherewithal to give her a decent send-off, and also this house. George’s future looks bleak. What kind of mother am I, to not be able to provide for my son?’ Ruby forced the words out slowly, not wanting to voice her fears.
Stella took her hand and held it tightly. ‘You’ll get through this, my love, and you have friends here to help. Ah, here comes some breakfast – well done, Frank.’
Frank placed the tea tray on a battered-looking side table, the one piece of furniture in the room apart from the armchairs. ‘I made you a bit of toast. Please eat it, as you need to keep up your strength. I’ll just get a chair from the other room, then we can start to make a plan of action. I’ll leave you to pour the tea, Mum, you know I always make a mess,’ he grinned, trying to lighten the sadness that hung heavy in the room.
‘He’s a good lad,’ Stella said as she stirred the hot tea in the teapot. ‘He’ll make someone a good husband one of these days.’
Ruby gave a weak smile. ‘That’s what I could have done with. I didn’t choose so well, did I?’
‘No one is to know what will happen in life,’ Stella said as she passed the plate of toast over. ‘Now eat that up before it goes cold,’ she directed. ‘You need all your strength to see you through today.’
Ruby did as she was told, although the first mouthful was hard to chew, but as the flavour of the melted butter hit her taste buds, she found herself salivating and very soon cleared the plate. ‘That was delicious,’ she told Frank as he returned, carrying a chair.
‘I’ll make some more in a while,’ he said, taking a pencil and a well-worn notebook from the pocket of his jacket. ‘I thought, if you don’t mind, we could make a few notes – a plan of action, so to speak. Do you agree?’
‘If you think it will help, then of course I agree,’ she replied, although she held out little hope of her problems being solved with just a list.
‘Mum, I know you had some thoughts, so would you like to voice them first?’
Stella passed a cup of tea to Ruby before sitting back down with her own drink, leaving Frank’s on the table so he had his hands free to write. ‘I hope you don’t think I’m being nosy, but what provisions had been made for when she passed away? I know lots of old folk, and none of them want to be a burden on those they leave behind.’
‘Of course you’re not being nosy. I’m grateful for your interest. Mum only told me last night, while Eddie was at her bedside, about the box under her bed. From all accounts there were a few bits and bobs of jewellery, along with the money she’d rescued from the pantry where I’d hidden it. She’d noticed Eddie looking at it and whisked it away before he got his dirty hands on it. She also said there was some money in the box to give her a send-off. You both see what was left,’ she added, looking embarrassed.
‘Would you recognize the jewellery if you saw it again?’ Frank asked. ‘We could let the coppers know, and also pay a visit to a few pawnshops?’
Ruby was horrified. ‘Please, no – I don’t want to get the police involved! I’d be so ashamed for anyone to know my circumstances. The jewellery would not have been of much value to anyone. I don’t think my father’s medals would have brought much in either. It would have been nice for George to have had them, though. At the moment I’m more concerned about her funeral.’
Frank noted as he scribbled her words down, ‘You mentioned before that you have two sisters. Is it likely your mother had left anything with them?’
Ruby gave a brittle laugh. ‘It’s highly unlikely. The pair of them had little to do with Mum. I’m dreading having to let them know Mum has died and there’s no money to bury her. No doubt they will see it as their Christian duty to take over and will never let me forget how I chose a bad husband and couldn’t provide for our mother. In fact, the one decision I have made is not to let the pair of them know that Mum has died until I have some sort of answer to how I will cope. They’ve not seen much of Mum over the years, since they moved up in the world. I need to have things straight before they try to help. It may be well meant, but I can’t bear the thought of them knowing our circumstances.’
‘I’m with you there,’ Stella agreed. ‘The less they know the better, for now. Did Milly say any more?’
‘She mainly slept,’ Ruby said, thinking back to the hours she’d spent at the hospital alone with her mum. ‘She did say something about her coat – now what was it? My mind is in such a muddle.’
‘Drink your tea – it’ll come to you when you don’t think too hard,’ Stella assured her, as something caught her eye through the large bay window. ‘It’s our Donald and your George coming over the road. Frank, can you let them in and save us ladies getting up?’ She grinned at Ruby as she raised her little finger and sipped her tea daintily.
Ruby snorted with half a laugh. Stella was a real tonic and
