Outside, Reenie turned to Jim. ‘What was that all about?’
‘God knows. But seems odd, a necklace in the pocket like that . . .’ He shrugged.
‘Aunt Ethel’s worried about your mum. We all are. And she was scrubbing the pavement again this morning. She’s still grieving hard for Gladys.’
Jim sighed. ‘It’s not just about Gladys, though. I reckon Edie’s part of the problem. She’s broken Mum’s heart by refusing to speak to her. I just wish I knew what was behind it. But she won’t tell anyone what happened; she just disappeared up the hill and then married Bill without inviting any of us to the wedding. I’d have expected Mum to be up there demanding to be seen, but she’s stayed away. I don’t know what to make of it. But if I had to guess, whatever it is, Mum knows she’s in the wrong.’
Reenie shook her head. ‘There’s always something with you lot, isn’t there?’
Jim looked down at her with a small frown. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, aside from everything that happened with Gladys, Bert and Susan, there was Hester and the spying, and the fact that Jasper is Lily’s dad and then there was that bloke that turned up working at the hospital . . . What was his name?’
Jimmy tightened his lips. ‘We don’t talk about him.’
‘But isn’t he your brother? Born on the same day as you?’
‘I said, we don’t talk about him,’ Jimmy snapped. Then, seeing her hurt expression, he softened his tone. ‘Sorry, love, but all that stuff – Dad having another son, Jasper being Lily’s dad . . . I try not to think too much about it.’ He huffed. ‘But yeah, you’re right: there is always something. Let’s hope we can go a few months scandal-free, eh?’
Reenie took his arm. ‘There surely can’t be anything else, can there?’
Jimmy grinned. ‘I’m pretty sure all the skeletons have been shaken out of the Castle closet.’
‘Well, even if there are more, I don’t mind. I love you, secrets and all.’
Just then her attention was caught by a tall man with a black beard and shaggy black hair on the other side of the square. His shoulders were drooping with weariness as he walked with his head down towards Perkins’ Fish, which stood next door to her aunt and uncle’s grocery shop.
Wilf Perkins worked on the lifeboats, and from the look of him he’d had a bad night. Reenie’s heart went out to him. Every boat and ship that sailed through the Channel was in constant danger, not only from bombs and shells, but also from the terrifyingly fast German E-Boats, not to mention the mines that littered the water. Phyllis Perkins had talked with pride about how many lives her son had saved, but he’d also lost a few. And though they rarely spoke these days, Reenie knew it must weigh on his mind.
On impulse, she stepped into the road, causing a bus to beep loudly and a cyclist to swerve round her. But she barely noticed. ‘Wilf,’ she called.
He stopped and waited for her to approach.
‘Are you all right?’ she asked, putting her hand on his arm. Their relationship hadn’t been good for many years, but even so, she hated to see him looking so defeated.
Instead of dismissing her as he had so often in the past, Wilf covered her hand with his own and gave it a squeeze. ‘I was going to come and see you later. Right now, I need some food and sleep, but after . . .’ He shuffled his feet. ‘Can we talk?’
Reenie’s eyes widened. ‘Why?’
He shook his head. ‘Later, Reens, all right?’
‘Has someone died?’ she asked.
He smiled sadly. ‘Lots of people have died. And not a thing I could do about it. But no, it’s nothing like that.’
‘What then? You’re worrying me.’
Jimmy walked up then. ‘All right, Wilf, mate. Tough night?’ he asked sympathetically.
Wilf stared at him with a strange expression then nodded. ‘Yeah. Yeah, you could say that.’
‘Sorry to add to your woes, but Donny and Fred have been in trouble again,’ he said with a slight laugh. ‘Your mum’s banned Fred from going to the football.’
Wilf grimaced. ‘Just what I need,’ he muttered shortly.
There was an awkward pause and Reenie shifted uncomfortably, feeling annoyed. Wilf had never been much of a talker, but this felt more like rudeness. Although, his attitude had only changed once Jimmy had arrived, she realised, glancing between the two men in bewilderment.
‘Well, me and Jim aren’t banned, so we’re off there now. But from the looks of you, I’m guessing you won’t be joining us,’ Reenie said brightly.
Wilf shook his head. For a moment, his eyes seemed to focus on the arm Jim had put around Reenie’s shoulder, then he turned and went into the fish shop.
‘I hope he’s all right,’ Reenie said worriedly as they walked away. ‘I mean, Wilf’s a moody bugger, but he seemed more . . . I don’t know, upset, than usual.’
‘The things those lifeboat men must see would make the strongest man weep. Churchill goes on about the pilots being heroes, and they are, but that lot going out into danger day and night to save lives are just as heroic.’
Reenie looked over her shoulder; Wilf was standing at the door of Perkins’ Fish watching them, though the shadow cast by the green and white awning that stretched over the front of the shop hid his expression. Yes, they were heroes, and she knew Wilf had seen things no one should ever have to deal with, but he’d been doing the job for months now, and she’d not seen him look so disturbed in all that time.
She tried to put it to the back of her mind as she and Jim made their way up Castle Street, but the look on Wilf’s face when he said he needed to talk wouldn’t leave her. They’d been close when they were younger – more than close. He’d taught her to sail and to fish, and they’d spent hours out on the water, laughing and joking as she helped pull the catch in. She’d loved him so much, and she’d thought he’d loved her too. But in fact, he’d just seen her as a sister at best, a mate at worst. As she’d discovered when he suddenly proposed to her sister June.
She felt the familiar tightening of her throat as she remembered that day; so long ago now, but as fresh in her mind as if it had happened only yesterday. God, she’d been a fool. Her heart went out to her younger self as she remembered how she had cried for hours, her head buried in her pillow as she’d tried to muffle the sound.
Her nephew Freddie had been born soon after the wedding – a little too soon, in fact, so it was clear that while she and Wilf had been spending time together, he’d also been sleeping with her sister.
To be fair, Wilf had never made her any promises, nor had they shared anything but the occasional innocent kiss. But he must have known how she felt. Yet he’d snuck around behind her back and left it to June to break the news to her. Her sister’s expression when she’d told her had been a mixture of triumph and malice. How she’d hated her in that moment.
June had died of cancer when Freddie was tiny and, God forgive her, Reenie had felt nothing but relief that she was gone; it was a secret shame that she had never told another soul.
‘Penny for them?’ Jimmy asked.
She shook her head and smiled up at him. ‘Oh, nothing. I was just worrying about Wilf.’
Jimmy’s eyebrows rose. ‘I thought you didn’t like him.’
‘I don’t,’ Reenie said quickly. ‘But I’ve known him all my life. He’s family. Anyway, we used to be good friends.’
‘Did you?’ Jimmy sounded surprised and Reenie realised that during the years she and Wilf had been close, Jim had still been at junior school. In fact, he’d only been ten when she’d left school at fifteen. And when she’d had her heart broken, Jimmy had still been running around in short trousers. She didn’t usually notice their age difference, but just then, she felt ancient. Jim was twenty-four now, and she was nearly thirty. Thirteen years ago, he’d been eleven, while she’d been considered an adult. But she’d just been a girl, she thought. With a fragile heart.
‘It was a long time ago,’ she said airily. She’d never talked about her long-ago feelings for Wilf to anyone – not even Marge or Marianne, her two closest friends. And thank God she hadn’t; she wouldn’t have been able to bear their pity when he’d married June. Still, there was no point revisiting old hurts, she thought, squeezing Jimmy’s hand. Especially as she’d found love again with a man who actually seemed to love her back.
Wilf watched them until they turned into Castle Street and disappeared. Then he made his way slowly up the stairs to his bedroom and slumped down on the bed, rubbing his hands over his face. He was exhausted, but felt too anxious to sleep. Instead his mind kept going over what had happened that night. What he’d seen . . . who he’d seen . . .
What the hell was he going to do? Because whatever he did, he had a feeling Reenie would get hurt.
And God knew he’d hurt that girl enough.