while you’re there. The Sullivans are good folk but you don’t want to let slip our business to the entire houseful in case it accidentally gets passed on.’
Michael collected his boots from where he’d thrown them out of the back door, put them on and went to fetch Brendan.
It was late that night that Evie let Billy out through the back door and the Carters went wearily to bed. To Evie it felt as if years had passed since she’d gone to Mrs Russell’s that morning with Grandma Sue.
There wouldn’t be another wash for Mrs Russell, though. When Annie came with the bundle on Wednesday she’d find the house empty and the family gone. Evie felt sorry to be letting down the kindly widow and the other loyal customers.
Brendan had shown himself to be a true friend that evening. He’d listened to Michael’s account of how he’d been kicked out so unfairly from his job and commiserated wholeheartedly. He’d been less sympathetic about the card game and the debt to Mr Hopkins – ‘I told you not to go near the King’s Head, Michael. You may as well be playing cards with the devil himself as that Hopkins fella’ – and then he got down to practicalities in a way that made Evie think how lucky Mary was to have such a clear-thinking and sensible father.
Not only had Brendan got a cousin with a big van, who could transport them and as many of their belongings as could fit in it, but he also had a friend who lived well over a hundred miles south. Brendan’s friend Jack knew of an empty property that he thought the Carters would be able to rent, at least until they found something better. Jack had his ear to the ground and he said he’d look out for any jobs going for Michael, too.
Brendan fixed all this up from the public telephone box outside Mr Amsell’s shop, waiting for incoming calls to learn the facts and confirm the details, and writing them all down. The arrangements for renting the empty place were hazy, to say the least, but the Carters had the address and Brendan’s word on the reliability of his friend. In the circumstances, even such vague progress felt like something to be positive about.
Not long after Brendan came over, Jeanie had been persuaded to come downstairs and she’d brought the boys down with her to join in the discussion.
‘They’re in this with us. It affects all of us, and Peter and Robert need to know what’s going to happen … and why,’ she said, looking at Michael with her eyes narrowed.
‘You’re right, lass,’ said Michael. ‘It’s all going to be an exciting adventure, eh, fellas?’
Robert nodded dumbly, not really understanding. Peter, his mouth a tight line, looked away, ignoring his father.
Brendan had brought a couple of bottles of Guinness across with him ‘to help things along’, which pleased Michael, who emptied and refilled his own glass with remarkable speed.
By the end of the evening Sue’s bold handwriting covered several pages of the writing pad and the plan for the Carters to move had a timetable. Fergus Sullivan, Brendan’s cousin, was bringing the van at dawn on Sunday morning and the family were to have everything they wanted to take packed ready and piled by the front door, to be loaded quickly and discreetly.
‘I’ll come over and give you a hand,’ Billy said. ‘It’s my day off and I’m used to getting up early.’
‘Thank you,’ Jeanie said. ‘What will we do without you?’
‘Oh, Mum …’ Evie’s heart was heavy with her grief. ‘We’re going to have to find out, that’s for sure.’
Now, as she climbed into bed in the stuffy attic room and wished Grandma Sue a goodnight, she felt hot tears running down her face. One more day in this house, the only home she had ever known. Even now she could hardly believe it. And in about … she totted it up quickly … thirty hours she would be parted from Billy.
Please, let it not be for ever, she whispered.
‘It’s here,’ said Peter, who had been looking out of the front window for Fergus Sullivan’s van.
It was four o’clock on Sunday morning, the summer daylight pale. To the Carters, the air felt unusually clear. All the previous day they had packed their belongings, choosing carefully what was essential and what could be left behind. Even some of the furniture was to remain here because, as Sue reminded her family, the van would need to be loaded as fast and as quietly as they could do it so they could make their escape.
‘Escape’ – as if from a prison, Jeanie thought. As if staying here would be a punishment instead of the life she had made for herself and her family. She was finding it difficult to be civil to Michael even now, though she’d tried to encourage her children to pack up their belongings and clothes with light hearts and a sense of adventure. Evie and Peter were old enough to pretend they were excited for Robert’s sake, but as Robert was not a naturally light-hearted child anyway they soon abandoned this pretence.
Evie was in charge of extracting suitcases from under beds and she helped Robert to fold his clothes into one of them. There was so much to do in so little time, and keeping busy helped prevent her from becoming more upset. She knew Mum and Grandma Sue were furious about the move but it was no good stoking the flames of their anger with her own.
Peter had been very quiet since the decision to go had been made. He’d packed a duffel bag with his few treasured possessions, and silently helped bring items downstairs until the front room was full of boxes, cases and bagged-up bits and pieces, mainly chosen by his mother.
Sue, with Evie’s help, had been busy finishing the washing. Luckily, it was the end of the week, so they weren’t due to take in any new bundles. All that remained was collected by the owners, who came to the back door, so there was no need to hide the evidence of the approaching early morning flit piled high in the front room. It was an uncomfortable lie to call a cheerful ‘See you next week’ to loyal customers, but there was no alternative.
Now, as a large dirty white van pulled up in front of the house, it was time to move. Evie had imagined a huge removal lorry but this was half the size and had no name painted on the side.
Fergus was let in through the front door and greeted Michael, Jeanie and Sue with a friendly handshake and a smile.
‘Right, let’s be having you,’ he said, speaking softly so as not to disturb the quiet of the sleeping street. ‘Beds first and we’ll see what else we’ve got room for after that.’
‘What! I’m hoping to take the settee and the chairs and table, at least,’ said Jeanie. ‘And the mangle has to go.’ She was realising it was the size of the van that would dictate what went with them and what was left, not the speed of loading it.
‘I’ll do what I can, Mrs Carter, don’t you worry,’ beamed Fergus.
During the next hour it became clear to Evie that this was his answer to everything, and his smile never faded.
Brendan came over to help and the men began to load the heavy items while Sue supervised them and ticked items off her list. Evie packed up some smaller things that they’d needed the previous day, and Jeanie got weepy and wrung her hands.
As Evie was wrapping the last of the crockery in newspaper, being extra careful with Grandma Sue’s precious cup and saucer, there was a tap at the back door and Billy let himself into the kitchen.
‘Hello, Evie. Let me take that box through to the front,’ he said quietly, coming over and giving her a hug. ‘You all right?’
‘Oh, Billy, thank you for coming to help. I’m that glad to see you.’
‘Now don’t get upset. You know why this has to be done.’
‘We’re going away from everything