Both bewildered and annoyed, Dolly stared at the untouched pot of tea. If Bernie had drunk at least one cup he wouldn’t have been in any fit state to drive off without telling her where he was going. He’d said he had things to sort out, but what did that mean? Was he going to see Kevin again, was that it?
She hurried to the telephone, but again she was unable to get through. She tried the operator, her voice reflecting her impatience. Only a short while later, Dolly huffily replaced the receiver. The line would be checked, but there had been no indication of how long it would take.
It was only when she sat and thought about it that Dolly came to the conclusion that Bernie wouldn’t have gone to Ealing. He’d made his feelings about Kevin clear, had said that he never wanted to see him again – but how dare he speak for her? There was no way she’d allow Bernie to turn Kevin away from their door, and to that end she would make sure that soon he’d be incapable of protesting against anything.
With no idea where Bernie was, or how long he’d be out, Dolly had to get rid of the tea, but she had already decided to make sure that this didn’t happen again. When Bernie came back she’d add two pills to the next pot and then the soppy old sod would be completely under her control.
It was time to get things moving, to get poor Kevin away from that awful Rupert. No matter what it took, Dolly wasn’t going to let anything stand in her way.
In Battersea, Lucy had taken Clive to school and then she was going straight to Bullen Street to view the flat. Pearl had convinced Nora to stay with her and as soon as she asked her if she’d like to dust the shop, a smile appeared on Nora’s face as she set to work.
Like Lucy, Nora’s love of housework always amazed Pearl, and at first she had felt guilty at seeing her take on so much. They were tasks that Pearl felt she should be doing, but when she had tried to help it had upset Nora. She had retreated to her room and it had taken hours to persuade her to come out, with only the promise of letting her do the housework finally doing the trick.
‘Lucy back soon?’ Nora asked.
‘Yes, I should think so.’
‘I don’t want her to go.’
‘I know, sweetheart, but she won’t be far away and you’ll see her nearly every day,’ Pearl consoled.
‘Clive too?’
Pearl smiled. ‘Yes, of course.’
Nora seemed placated and shortly after that Lucy returned, entering the shop flushed with happiness. ‘Pearl, the flat is lovely. I was hoping for the ground floor, but that only had one bedroom so I’m upstairs. It’s smashing though, with a brand new modern kitchen and a newly fitted bathroom. You’d never believe it was once an old scruffy terraced house. Everything is brand spanking new: the paintwork, the wallpaper, and even the doors and windows.’
‘It sounds lovely. When can you move in?’ Pearl asked.
‘Now if I want to,’ Lucy replied, flourishing the keys, ‘but of course I’ll have to get my furniture out of storage first.’
‘Then you’d better give them a ring to sort it out.’
‘Thanks, Pearl,’ she said, hurrying towards the telephone.
Pearl found it lovely to see Lucy so happy. After all she had been through she deserved it, and now Pearl started thinking about what she would buy her as a house-warming gift.
‘Talk about luck,’ Lucy said as she replaced the receiver. ‘They can deliver it tomorrow.’
‘That’s good. And as you’ll need a couple of days to sort yourself out, the last thing you need to worry about is Nora. She seems happy enough in the shop and I’m sure I can find enough to keep her occupied.’
‘Pearl, are you sure?’
‘Bessie managed without any help, and I’m sure that I can too.’
The smile disappeared from Lucy’s face. ‘I … I know that Nora is settled now, and I suppose you don’t really need me.’
‘Of course I do,’ Pearl said hastily. ‘I just wanted to put your mind at rest by saying that I could manage.’
Lucy looked relieved. ‘Thanks, Pearl, that was thoughtful of you, but for a moment there I thought … well … that I was out of a job.’
‘There’s no chance of that,’ Pearl said and meant it. She had grown very fond of Lucy, and as she did a lot – the laundry, the cooking – she really didn’t think she could manage without her.
It was after midday when Kevin returned to Ealing. He found Rupert sitting in the drawing room, legs crossed and a glass of whisky in his hand. ‘Do you want one?’ Rupert offered.
‘No, thanks,’ Kevin said, going into his act. ‘Sorry, Rupert, I tried, but it was forty grand or nothing. I still think it’s a bargain so if you want to go ahead he’s already had a bill of sale drawn up by his solicitor.’
Rupert frowned, ‘Goodness, he really is in a hurry.’
‘Yes, he is, but if we delay we run the risk of someone else coming along with a better offer. I got a tip from one of the bar staff that another man has been taking a lot of interest in the club, taking note of how many customers turn up, and clocking what goes into the till. He must have worked out, as we did, that the place is a goldmine.’
‘I don’t mind moving quickly, but I’d prefer my own solicitor to look at the books and such, let alone this bill of sale.’
‘Fine,’ Kevin bluffed, ‘do that, and as I hoped you’d agree to the conditions I’ve got it with me. I suppose I can get hold of the books too, but if your solicitor can’t look at the lot today, and this other bloke makes a better offer, I think we can kiss goodbye to the club.’
‘Oh dear, I don’t want that to happen, but I don’t know what else to suggest.’
Kevin kept his cool and spoke persuasively. ‘Look, I’ve seen his yearly accounts and the profit margins look impressive. Not only that, as a solicitor has drawn up the paperwork, it’s bound to be kosher. After all, these legal bods aren’t going to chance anything coming back on them. Now if it were me, I’d go ahead and seal the deal rather than risk losing the club, but if you want to act like a cautious old man, it’s up to you.’
Kevin knew his barb had hit the mark when Rupert bristled, ‘I’m not that old.’
‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that, but you don’t seem to realise how much the club means to me. I can run it for you, and increase the profits, I’m sure. I could then go on living here with you, knowing that I’m paying my own way, whereas if the sale falls through …’ Kevin choked, the sentence deliberately left unfinished.
‘Oh, please, don’t get upset,’ Rupert cried. ‘Nothing is going to fall through. Give me that paperwork. I’ll sign it now and you can take it back to him.’
Rupert had reacted just as Kevin had hoped, but still with a subdued voice he asked, ‘What about the money?’
‘I’ll write him a cheque, made out to cash, and you can take that along too.’
Rupert scrutinised the document, reading every line. To make it look legitimate, an old contact had told Kevin about a less than honest solicitor’s clerk who would draw it up for the right price. It had cost Kevin more than he’d expected, and now he just hoped it was good enough to fool Rupert.
‘It all looks fine to me,’ Rupert said at last, signing the document with a flourish.
‘Brilliant,’ Kevin enthused.
‘It still rankles that I can’t be there with you to complete the deal, but as the idiot is so totally homophobic I suppose at this stage it’s better not to rock the boat. However, once everything is finalised and he can’t back out, we’re going to my club in style.’
‘What are you going to do? Hire a Rolls-Royce?’
‘Yes, good idea,’ Rupert said. ‘I’m also going to reward you for everything you’ve done for me.’
‘Reward me? How?’
With a small smile, Rupert said, ‘It’s going to be a surprise, dear boy.’
There was something in his eyes that worried Kevin, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. No, he decided, he was imagining things, and shaking his head, said, ‘You’ve done enough for me already, and now I just want to prove that I’ve got what it takes to make the club a success.’
‘You’ve already proved yourself to me,’ Rupert said as he held out the cheque.
Once again, Kevin tensed, worried by something in Rupert’s tone, but as the cheque was flourished, greed took over and he wanted to snatch it from his hand. With a quick intake of breath, Kevin managed to remain composed as he said, ‘I’ll get over there straight away, and I’ll insist that his solicitor is present when we finalise the deal. I’m not sure how long that will take, but I’ll be back as soon as I can.’
‘I can’t wait, and as we’ll have something to celebrate I’ll put a bottle of champers on ice.’
‘Sounds good to me,’ Kevin said as he forced himself to give Rupert a hug, thankful that it would be for the last time. He wouldn’t be coming back, but of course at the moment Rupert didn’t know that. By the time he worked it out the cheque would be cashed and it would be too late for him to do anything about it.