Winter on the Mersey(85)
‘Whatever do you mean?’ Kitty demanded.
Sarah met her eye and gave her a knowing look without Tommy noticing. ‘Well,’ she said, ‘the thing is, the twins are gorgeous, of course they are, but they’re having trouble settling. It seems as if one of them’s always awake. It’s all right for Mam and Pop, they’re in the front bedroom, but my bedroom is right next to Violet and the babies and I can hear them crying all the time. I’m having trouble sleeping too, and it’s starting to affect my work. I can’t seem to make up the hours.’
Tommy looked concerned. ‘That must be awful,’ he said in his best man-of-the-world voice. ‘I know I don’t work as well when I haven’t slept properly.’
‘Exactly, I’m glad you understand,’ said Sarah seriously. ‘So, and this is the cheeky bit, I was wondering, if I could have your room while you’re away, Kitty?’ She looked at the two of them. ‘Even if it’s only for a night or two, that would let me break the habit. At the moment I just lie there even when they’re quiet, waiting for one of them to start again. If I was over here I could turn over and go back to sleep.’
Kitty raised her eyebrows. It was a clever idea. It would put her mind at rest, Tommy would think they were doing Sarah a favour and, in truth, Sarah probably could do with a couple of nights of unbroken sleep. But she couldn’t appear to leap at the idea or Tommy would smell a rat. ‘Well …’ she began. ‘It won’t be for long – are you sure it wouldn’t be more trouble than it’s worth?’
‘Don’t be silly, Kitty,’ said Tommy at once. ‘We have to help Sarah. Look at all the things she’s done for us. Now it’s our turn.’
Sarah looked hesitant. ‘If you’re sure I won’t be in your way …’
Tommy shook his head firmly. ‘Not a bit. You have to come and stay here. I insist.’
Kitty nodded. ‘Tommy, if you feel like that, then I won’t object,’ she said. ‘Sarah, you’ll be very welcome to my room. It’s all settled.’
‘It’s not fair!’ Georgie stamped his foot in an uncharacteristic burst of temper. ‘Auntie Sarah is going to stay with Tommy. I want to go too.’
‘Good heavens, Georgie, we can’t expect Tommy to look after you and Auntie Sarah, now can we?’ Nancy crouched down so that she was on the same level as her son. She wasn’t sure what all this was about. Ruefully she told herself that she’d got off lightly so far – Georgie had by and large been a compliant little boy, rarely complaining, happy to go to whichever babysitter Nancy could find for him. The only thing he really objected to was his Granny Kerrigan’s food, and she could hardly blame him for that.
However, since Tommy had moved back home, Georgie had grown to idolise him more and more. Given half a chance he’d have followed him everywhere. He’d started to ask for clothes like Tommy’s, and Nancy had caught him in front of the mirror trying to brush his hair so it looked the same. The older boy could do no wrong. Nancy tried in vain to persuade her son that Tommy had to have a bike for work and that Georgie didn’t need one. ‘Maybe when you’re bigger,’ she said with her fingers crossed behind her back. She didn’t want Georgie riding off and falling down potholes.
‘I’ll help look after them,’ Georgie said. ‘I’m good at helping, Granny Feeny said so. And I’m old enough. I’m going to school soon.’
Nancy nodded, even though she sometimes found it hard to believe – her little boy almost old enough to go to school. In some ways she dreaded it – it was such a milestone for them both. Yet she knew he would love it as he was a sociable little chap, and it would give her more freedom in the daytime. For a moment she imagined more secret trysts with Gary in the early afternoon. Then she brought herself up short. Although of course Gary couldn’t say anything definite, he’d given her to understand he would be back in action soon. He still hadn’t asked her to come back to America with him, but she was certain he was building up to it. Perhaps Georgie wouldn’t have long to spend at his infant school in Merseyside …
‘Mam, you aren’t listening,’ he protested. ‘Let me stay one night with Tommy and Auntie Sarah. Just one.’
Nancy thought again of lying in Gary’s arms. Maybe they could snatch an entire night with each other, one last time before he went back into action. ‘All right,’ she said. ‘We’ll ask. You’ll have to be good and do what they tell you, mind.’
‘Of course,’ said Georgie, offended by the idea that he would do anything else.
‘Let me help you with your case, Kitty.’ Frank reached for the rather battered overnight bag that Kitty had brought with her on to the train.
‘Thank you, but I can manage,’ Kitty said, rather more sharply than she’d intended, but she didn’t want to feel beholden to him for anything, not even something as small as him lifting her case on to the rack. Now she knew he’d wanted someone else to accompany him on this trip, she vowed to keep her distance, or at least as much as possible, given they would be travelling together in the same small compartment of the carriage.
Frank showed no outward reaction to her refusal but inside he was seething. So she thought he wasn’t capable even of putting a case on a rack. It wasn’t as if he’d lost an arm, but she had to make her point. She still saw him as someone who was lacking in some way, and he was lesser in her eyes for it. Just when he’d thought they might be getting closer again – but no, he’d got that completely wrong. He’d misread her face in the firelight at New Year. It had been a trick of the light, not a softening towards him. Well, two could play at that game.