coat again. ‘I’m going to the phone box. I’m going to telephone them. They wouldn’t have forgotten my birthday last week, I know they wouldn’t. Something must be wrong …’
‘Don’t you dare go running off, Ruby. You come back here this minute! Don’t you dare phone them. I’ll send Ray after you …’ her mother shouted after her as she slipped out of the front door without closing it, but Ruby took off down the road regardless.
She had no idea where she was going until she was halfway down the street and saw the open gate. On the spur of the moment she swerved in and cautiously knocked on the front door.
‘Well, if it isn’t Ruby Red!’ Johnnie Riordan smiled as he opened the front door and saw her standing nervously on the step. ‘Long time no see, missy. I thought you might have done a runner. What’s up? You look upset.’
‘Just out of breath,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry to ask, I want to make a telephone call but I left in a hurry and my purse is indoors and I don’t have any money for the phone box. I can give it back to you but I don’t want to have to go back for it right now …’ she hesitated. ‘Ray is due home soon and if I go back I might not get out again.’
‘Course you can. Come in.’ He stood back. ‘You can come and meet my big sister, Betty Dalton, while you’re here. She’s great, is our Betty. Keeps us all in line.’
His voice raised at the end of the sentence and he looked over his shoulder.
‘I’m not deaf, you know. I can hear you talking about me,’ a voice echoed down the hallway.
‘You were meant to,’ Johnnie shouted back. ‘I like to keep on your good side.’ He looked back to Ruby and grinned. ‘Come and meet Ruby Blakeley. She lives up the other end of the road.’
Betty Dalton came towards them and smiled cautiously. ‘Hello, Ruby, nice to meet you. How are you settling back here? My brother told me all about your evacuation. You were really lucky, from what I’ve heard – so lucky, in fact, you nearly didn’t come back!’
‘Nice to meet you too, Mrs Dalton. Yes, I was very lucky,’ Ruby answered nervously.
‘Call me Betty. Have you got time for a cuppa?’
‘Erm, I was just going to the phone box …’
‘A quick one then. Come through to the back room. I’ve baked a cake and it’s still warm. Does that persuade you?’
‘That’d be nice, thank you very much,’ Ruby said politely as she stepped into the house and followed Betty Dalton down the hall into the light and airy breakfast room. The houses in this part of the street were larger than those at the top end, with three storeys and inside facilities. The room was light and inviting with long sash windows decorated with pretty lace curtains and a dark red velour cover on the table in the side bay.
‘Sit down and I’ll make the tea.’
The woman went through to the kitchen, leaving Ruby sitting opposite Johnnie at the long rectangular table. She stared nervously at her hands, wondering what Ray would say if he ever found out she’d been inside the house of his sworn enemy.
Johnnie smiled. ‘You look nervous but there’s no need; Betty’s not going to tell Ray you’ve been here.’
‘How did you know I was thinking that?’ Ruby asked.
‘Because I know how you feel about Ray.’
‘Here you are.’ Betty brought a tray through and set it down. To Ruby’s surprise she sat down with them.
As they made polite conversation Ruby looked from brother to sister. She was fascinated that there was no physical resemblance between them. Betty was not much over five foot, with pale skin, dark brown, tightly permed hair, and oval brown-flecked eyes. She wasn’t unattractive, but there was nothing about her that stood out, in contrast to her tall, good-looking and charismatic young brother. Emotionally, however, Ruby could feel the link between the two. It was instantly obvious that the siblings adored each other, and she felt a little pang of envy. She’d seen the same connection between Marian and Keith Forger, her friends in Cambridgeshire, and it saddened her that she didn’t have that closeness with any of her brothers.
Even Arthur was different now he was older and in the thrall of his two older brothers. If just the two of them were together it was almost like the old days when, despite being younger, Ruby had been the protector whom Arthur adored. But his fear of Ray and Bobbie was so great that if they were around he would either ignore her or bully her exactly as they did. It made her hate Ray even more.
‘Tell me about your phone call – unless it’s private, of course?’ Johnnie asked once they were all seated at the table with tea and cake in front of them. Ruby looked cautiously at Betty, unsure of her.
‘It’s OK, our Betty’s the soul of discretion, aren’t you Bet?’
‘Of course I am. I don’t gossip me, but I’m not nosy either, so I’ll go and find something to do if you want me out of the way.’
‘No, it’s OK’, Ruby interrupted quickly. ‘I wanted to ring the people where I was evacuated to but I left home without my purse. I’ve got the money at home but if I go back then I mightn’t get out again. My brother …’ she stopped. ‘I mean, my mother …’
‘It’s all right,’ Johnnie interrupted. ‘Betty knows all about your brothers.’
‘Arthur’s OK,’ she said defensively. ‘He just follows the others. He’s a bit slow – Mum always says he was born with the cord tied round his neck – and even Bobbie would be better if he wasn’t around Ray all the time. Anyway, I had my birthday, and Mr and Mrs Wheaton didn’t even send a card. I don’t understand it. I haven’t heard from them since I got back and I’m worried something’s happened.’
Johnnie and Betty exchanged looks.
‘What?’ Ruby looked from one to the other. ‘Do you know something?’
‘No, don’t know anything, but I can make a bloody good guess,’ Johnnie said.
‘Don’t use bad language in front of ladies, thank you very much, John. You weren’t brought up to do that.’ Betty glared at him fiercely.
‘Sorry, sis.’ He looked from his sister to Ruby. ‘Just wondering if your brother has possibly been nicking your letters.’
‘He wouldn’t do that.’ But as soon as she spoke the words Ruby realised what she’d said, and laughed. ‘Of course he would. I wonder why I never thought of that.’
‘Because you’re not a lying scheming piece of scum like Ray. Sorry, but I have to say it as it is.’
Ruby frowned. At times she hated her brothers but she still felt a certain sibling loyalty and Johnnie’s rhetoric made her feel uncomfortable. She waited for Betty to intervene again but she didn’t.
‘I tell you what, Ruby Red, how about next week I take you to see them? We could go on my motorbike. It shouldn’t take long if I put my foot down – an easy run, almost a straight line, I reckon.’
Ruby caught the glare of disapproval that Betty Dalton flashed at her brother.
‘Ruby’s family wouldn’t approve of you taking her down to the High Street on that old boneshaker, let alone all that way, and quite rightly. You can’t go upsetting them with something like that. It’s none of our business and it’s not right.’
‘I could borrow a car. Bill Morgan would lend me his, if I asked nicely. I’m in his good books at the moment.’
‘Bill Morgan? You know what I think of him,’ Betty snapped. ‘And what about petrol? Where will you get that, or daren’t I ask? I’m telling you, John, you bring trouble to this door and you’ll know about it. Just you remember that.’
‘OK, OK, we’ll go by train. How about that?’
Betty