Playing With Fire Read online

  Her thoughts turned to Vera Crabtree, as she tried to remember if any of her family were still living at home. She must ask Aunt Edith. Poor Donald. His face appeared before her mind. He would be devastated, seeing the woman he loved pregnant by another man. And . . . what if her cousin decided to stay in Darlington? What would happen to her then? God alone knew the answer to that.

  Chapter Four

  While Susan was tripping the light fantastic around the dance floor in Donald Murphy’s arms at the Pali, Alison was doing likewise at the Orpheus.

  The dance was almost over when, to her surprise, she saw Jim Brady approaching their table. ‘Look who’s here, Graham,’ she muttered.

  Graham rose to his feet at once, hand extended in welcome. ‘Why hello, Jim. It’s good to see you.’

  ‘You too, Graham. I’ve just arrived. Hello, Alison. I trust you are well?’ His eyes roamed over the table noting that there were only two glasses. ‘Is Susan not here tonight?’

  ‘No!’ Alison’s voice was abrupt. She volunteered no further information.

  Embarrassed, Graham said, ‘We haven’t seen you in a while, Jim. Where have you been hiding yourself?’

  ‘I’ve been busy, Graham.’ He smiled slightly. He wasn’t going to admit that he’d been broke lately. Couldn’t afford to go out. That was nobody’s business but his own. Besides, these people wouldn’t know the meaning of the word skint.

  The music started up and he said, ‘Graham, is it all right if I dance with Alison?’

  ‘Be my guest.’

  ‘Huh! Have I no say in the matter?’ Alison cried, greatly affronted.

  Both men grinned at her chagrin. ‘Please may I have this dance, Alison?’ Jim extended a hand and smiled disarmingly, sure of her reply.

  God, but I’d love to turn him down, she thought angrily; wipe that smirk off his face. But she wanted to question him about her sister, so needs must. With a great show of petulance, she allowed him to lead her on to the dance floor.

  Waiting until they were out of earshot of Graham, she looked up at him and demanded, ‘What did you do to my sister that sent her scurrying over to England in such a hurry, eh?’

  ‘Susan’s in England?’

  She could see that he was flabbergasted, but taunted, ‘As if you didn’t know!’

  ‘On my honour, I didn’t. I came here tonight looking for her. I’ve missed her terribly. I couldn’t stay away any longer.’

  ‘Well, I’m afraid you’ve left it too late. You’ve no chance of seeing her. She took off weeks ago and is now staying with Aunt Edith in Darlington. She’s got herself a job and all. What do you think of that?’

  Jim was dumbfounded; didn’t know what to think. Perhaps it was as well. Now he wouldn’t be able to ask her forgiveness and beg her to be friends again. After all, he could still not offer her marriage.

  ‘Tell me something, Jim. Has she run away to hide something from us?’

  She watched him closely. His brow furrowed and he looked bewildered. ‘I don’t understand. Hide what?’

  ‘Come off it. You know damned well what I’m getting at. Is she pregnant? Is that why you dropped her?’

  His jaw dropped and his face stretched with horror. Then, grabbing her by the upper arm, he hustled her off the dance floor and into a corner. ‘Explain yourself, miss,’ he said tersely.

  Flustered, she cried, ‘My dad is convinced she ran away because she’s . . .’ The words refused to come. ‘In the club.’ She shrugged. ‘You know what I mean?’

  ‘Well, let me tell you something, Alison Cummings. If Susan is pregnant, it’s not my doing.’

  ‘Huh! You would say that anyway, wouldn’t you?’

  The urge to strike her accusing face was so strong that Jim turned on his heel and walked away. Her dad, with his filthy mind, was absolutely wrong. There was no way Susan could possibly be expecting a baby. He hadn’t laid a finger on her and, as far as he knew, there had been no one else in the picture at the time. He lifted a hand briefly in farewell in Graham’s direction and headed for the door. Tomorrow night he would go to the Club Orchid and find out what Ruth Vernon had to say. Susan and she had been as thick as thieves. If anyone knew anything about Susan, it would be Ruth. He would clear Susan’s name once and for all.

  Ruth Vernon was surprised when Jim, for the first time ever, asked her to dance with him the following night in the Club Orchid. ‘This is a surprise,’ she exclaimed. ‘Where’ve you been?’

  ‘Oh, here and there. Look, I’ve a favour to ask you. Could we sit this one out and talk?’

  ‘I’m with Dougie Smith. If we sit out together, he won’t like it. He’ll wonder what I’m up to.’

  Jim’s disappointment was so acute that she asked, ‘Is this about Susan?’ He nodded eagerly and she pondered for a moment. ‘Go down to the bar and get yourself a drink and buy me a Coca-Cola. I’ll explain to Dougie what’s happening and I’ll meet you over there,’ she nodded towards the door, ‘in ten minutes. Okay?’

  ‘Thanks, Ruth. I won’t forget this.’

  Ten minutes later they sat outside the ballroom, on the stairs that led to the ladies’ cloakroom. Ruth touched her glass to his. ‘Cheers.’ She added warningly, ‘If I’m very long, Dougie says he’ll come looking for me.’

  ‘This won’t take long. Tell me, did you know that Susan was living over in England?’

  Ruth nodded, but explained, ‘Mind you, she went off without saying a word to me, or anyone else for that matter. Just took off out of the blue. I only found out when I phoned her house and Alison told me.’

  ‘But why go to England? She must have hinted at something.’

  Ruth’s shoulders lifted in a shrug. ‘I honestly don’t know. I do know that she was terribly cut up about you, but I thought she was coming to terms with it.’ She paused and reflected. ‘To be truthful, I got an awful shock when I heard the news. Alison wouldn’t even give me her address, but eventually I received a letter from Susan and she apologised for not telling me she was leaving.’

  ‘And she didn’t say why she went away?’

  ‘No, not a word.’ Ruth gave him a glare from her big, brown eyes. ‘But I think that’s obvious, don’t you? She was running away from you, so she was.’

  Relieved to hear this, Jim said tentatively. ‘Her father thinks she was hiding her pregnancy.’

  ‘Mr Cummings thinks that?’ Ruth gasped, her head swinging from side to side in denial. ‘He’s got it all wrong. She would have confided in me. She’d have needed someone to talk to.’

  ‘Alison thinks that if her sister is pregnant, I’m the one to blame.’

  ‘Well, that’s understandable! You’re the only one Susan was seeing. She was nuts about you.’

  ‘She didn’t see anyone else after we split up?’

  ‘No, she was too heartbroken.’

  ‘Then she’s not pregnant. I never laid a finger on her. And that’s God’s honest truth.’

  ‘I’m glad to hear that, Jim. It would have caused a lot of problems.’

  ‘Will she be home at Christmas then?’

  A sad shake of the head. ‘I’m afraid not. I received a present from her yesterday morning and a letter. She says she won’t be home.’

  ‘Did she say why?’

  ‘Some cock-and-bull story about not wanting to leave her aunt.’

  ‘Ruth, can I please have her phone number?’

  ‘Unfortunately her aunt isn’t on the phone.’

  ‘Her address, then?’

  ‘Jim, I would have to ask her permission first. Give me your address and, if she says all right, I’ll post it on to you. That’s the best I can do. After all, she must have left to get away from you. What other reason would she have? And who knows, maybe she’s met someone else.’

  Jim searched his pockets and found an old receipt. Quickly he jotted down his address on the back of it. Ruth’s remark that Susan might have met someone else dismayed him. ‘Let me know as soon as you can, won’t you, Ruth?’

/>   ‘Sure. I’d better go now, Jim. See you around.’

  Graham watched dumbfounded as Jim left Alison standing in a corner and, with a wave of farewell in his direction, left the room. He hurried to meet her. ‘What was all that about?’

  ‘Nothing.’

  ‘Come off it, Alison. It’s obvious something’s wrong. Surely he didn’t chance his arm?’

  ‘Don’t be silly!’ She was silently debating whether or not she should tell Graham about her father’s accusation against Susan. If Jim was telling the truth, and somehow she believed he was, it would be foolish to besmirch her sister’s good name by repeating her father’s insinuations. She decided against telling him.

  ‘He wanted Aunt Edith’s address and, when I refused to give it to him, he stormed off,’ she lied, then asked tentatively, ‘Did I do the right thing?’

  Quickly Graham agreed with her. ‘You sure did! She’s better off without him. Still, you must try and persuade her to come home for Christmas. It’s unthinkable that she should stay over there.’

  ‘She phones me mam every Wednesday night, so I’ll stay in this week and have a word with her. But, mind you, I don’t think it will do any good.’

  ‘It’s worth a try. She should be with her family at this time of year.’

  ‘You’re right! I’ll do my best to persuade her.’

  Donald strode along North Road trying to get his mind around the enigmatic puzzle of Susan Cummings. What age would she be? Twenty? Twenty-one? Certainly no more than twenty-two. And she had a failed marriage behind her. She had confessed to being in love with another man. Where was this other man? Had she left her husband, only to find out this man didn’t love her in return? Or had he a wife he refused to leave? Was that why she had come over to Darlington? He really must make an effort to get Edith on her own and find out just what the situation was. Suddenly he realised he had no need to do that. He had no designs on Susan. They would just be good mates, and mates took each other on trust. He would make sure he was around when she needed him. If she wanted to confide in him about her past, she would tell him in her own good time. That would be a bonus; a sign of her trust. Meanwhile he must not pry into her private affairs. After all, he was in the same boat as Susan with a failed romance behind him. They needed each other, and he had certainly been no comfort to her tonight. What must she be thinking of his silent condemnation? That’s what it had amounted to, condemnation. He was thoroughly ashamed of his attitude. At the first opportunity he would seek her out and put matters right.

  The chance of earning some extra money for Christmas had encouraged Donald to work every night. It was Friday, the day before Christmas Eve, when they had stopped for the holiday break, before he was in a position to call and ask Susan if she would still accompany him to the dance on Boxing Night. Who knows, perhaps if he played his cards right, she might even agree to go out to the pub with him tonight for a drink?

  He sang lustily as he showered, causing his mother to eye him suspiciously when at last he put in an appearance. She had sorrowfully watched him nurse a broken heart and was fearful of him making another mistake on the rebound.

  ‘What has you so happy?’

  ‘Mam, I’m going to ask a very beautiful girl to come out with me for a drink and I’ll be the happiest man in the world if she says yes.’

  A worried frown gathered on Mary Murphy’s brow. ‘Now you be careful, son,’ she warned. ‘You know what happened the last time.’

  ‘That’s all in the past, Mam. This girl and I are just good friends. No strings attached. So you have nothing to worry about.’

  ‘Do I know her?’

  ‘No, but you’ll have heard of her. She’s Edith Devine’s niece.’>

  ‘Jack’s cousin?’

  He nodded. ‘You’ll like her, Mam. There’s no nonsense about her.’

  ‘Will you never learn? Has that family not caused you enough heartache?’

  ‘Mam, I’ve explained. We’re just good friends.’ He gave her a hug and an affectionate kiss on the cheek. ‘Stop worrying about me and don’t wait up, I might be late.’

  ‘Donald, no matter what you might think, there’s no such thing as platonic friendship between a man and a woman. Do you hear me? You take care!’

  ‘I will, Mam, I will.’

  His assurances rang in Mary’s ears long after he had gone. She sent a prayer heavenwards. ‘Please, dear God, don’t let him be hurt again.’

  It was almost nine o’clock when Donald eventually arrived at Edith’s house. He stepped into the hall and raised his hand to knock on the kitchen door, but hesitated as animated voices reached his ears. They seemed to have company. One well-remembered voice stood out from the rest, causing a fist to close around his heart. ‘That was a lovely meal, Mrs Devine. It’s great to be home. Thank you for having us.’

  ‘You’re welcome, Margaret. I only wish you were home for good.’

  Jack’s voice came next, sounding worried. ‘Mam, do you think Susan will be all right in that wee spare room?’

  ‘Your dad got a mate to store all the rubbish he won’t part with, and that single bed up there is very comfortable, so it is. I wanted her to go into a guest house, but she said she was all right. She’s been sleeping there since Monday.’

  Careful not to make any noise, Donald backed out on to the pavement and hurried down the street. He felt gutted. The old feelings of betrayal had returned to torment him. Why did they have to come back now, just when he was getting over her? But then, there was no need for him to see Margaret. He would make himself scarce until they left.

  At the corner of the street he almost bumped into Susan. Seeing his distress, she gripped his arm in concern. ‘You saw them, then?’

  ‘No. I heard their voices.’ A bitter laugh accompanied these words. ‘That was enough to send me scampering away.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Donald. I wish I could have prepared you, but I didn’t know where you lived and I didn’t want to ask Aunt Edith. It would have taken the joy out of their coming, if you know what I mean? She’s sure to be worrying about the effect it will have on you. I hoped you’d come and see me before they arrived.’

  ‘I’ve been working every night. It’s you I was coming to see, but when I heard their voices I just couldn’t go in.’>

  ‘They arrived this afternoon. I offered to stay behind and get the stall ready for tomorrow’s last-minute rush. I wanted to give them some time alone. Get the awkwardness out of the way. I dread it, so I do. I’m going to be in the way, I know I am, but I couldn’t find anywhere to rent and I’ve nowhere else to go.’

  He nodded. ‘I heard them talking about you. They were wondering if you would be comfortable in the spare room. I wish I could be of some help.’

  She took the bull by the horns and cried, ‘You can!’

  ‘Can I?’ he said in bewilderment. ‘How?’

  ‘You can rent me the house next door.’

  He gazed at her blankly for some moments. Then the penny dropped. ‘Of course you can stay there! How come I never thought of that?’

  Relief made her voice shake. ‘Oh, Donald, you don’t know what this means to me.’ She looked at him anxiously. ‘Will you come back with me now? You could help me move my stuff in.’

  He backed off a little. ‘I don’t think that would be a good idea, Susan. Look, here are the keys. I’m sure Billy and Jack will give you a hand with your stuff.’

  She moved close and stared earnestly into his eyes. ‘Does this mean I won’t see you while they’re here? I’m depending on your company, Donald.’

  ‘Of course you’ll see me. We can meet away from the house.’

  ‘Donald, you will have to face them sooner or later. Please come back with me now and get it over with. I haven’t much stuff. It’ll only take a few minutes to move me into your house, and afterwards we can go out for a drink if you like? Mm, how about it?’

  ‘I’m sorry, Susan, but I just can’t face them.’ With these words Donald turned abruptl
y on his heel and was off.

  Susan pocketed the keys with a sigh. She could understand his reluctance to face the enemy, but she wished he’d been a bit stronger. It would be better in the long run.

  She had almost reached the house when he again fell into step beside her. ‘You’re right, of course, Susan,’ he said with a rueful smile. ‘I may as well face the music and get it over with. You will help me all you can, won’t you?’

  A delighted smile brightened her face. ‘Of course I will, Donald. But remember, I’ve yet to meet Margaret.’ She stepped into the hall. ‘Are you ready?’ she whispered. He nodded and she pushed open the door.

  Jack rose to his feet at once and came towards her, a welcoming smile on his face. The smile faltered when Donald followed her into the room.

  It was Billy who broke the awkward silence. ‘Come in, Donald, and pull up a chair. Would you like a beer?’

  Relieved that there was no sign of Margaret, Donald replied, ‘No thanks, Billy. Hello there, Jack. How’s things with you?’

  ‘Hello, Donald.’

  Before tension could set in Susan quickly intervened. ‘Donald has suggested I move into his house next door while Jack is here. He’s come to help me move my stuff in.’>