Scandal in the Village (11 page)

When Bel went over to the school at eight o’clock on Monday morning to open up and check the heating had come on she was unprepared for what she saw chalked in letters two feet high out in Jacks Lane. The words were strung in a line along the tarmac. ‘I LOVE GEORGIE’. The letters were written in a kind of dancing, prancing, sprightly style which added to the potency of their message.

Her lovely open friendly country woman’s face became flushed from her hairline right down to her throat. She’d kill him she would. There was a limit. She’d wondered why he hadn’t been in the house when she got up, they usually left together, him for his newspaper and then work and her for the school. She’d scrub it off with the playground broom. But she’d have to do her own jobs first. No, she wouldn’t. She’d scrub it off first and then see to the school.

Bel did check the heating before she collected the broom and bucket from her broom cupboard in the school kitchen and went out, the water in the bucket sending up swirls of steam into the early winter cold. She began with I and then progressed to LOVE …

‘What’s this then?’

Bel looked up to see who was speaking to her. It was the postman, Ted.

‘You can read I’m sure, at least I hope you can.’

‘Oh, I can. Don’t need to see it all anyways. I’ve already read it.’

‘You’re early this morning then.’

‘No, not really, it’s outside the pub as well, saw it there first. Bryn done it has he?’

Bel seethed. ‘Outside the pub as well?’

‘Just seen it.’

She snapped, ‘No, it isn’t Bryn.’

‘Who is it then? Who’s daft enough?’

Bel pondered for a moment and then answered by denying all knowledge of who it could be.

Ted laughed. ‘Whoever it is they’re stupid to do it right outside the pub. Bryn’s like a bear with a sore head just lately, tore me off a strip just for delivering a letter of his to one of the weekender’s cottages by mistake. Course they didn’t come back for two weeks did they, so his letter was really late. Weren’t my fault. Didn’t do it on purpose. He can have a nasty temper and not half.’

Bel finished scrubbing of GEORGIE, picked up the bucket and left Ted to ruminate on his own. He delivered the school post, and two letters to Miss Pascoe and then went to the Store. There was quite a pile of post for Jimbo, he heaved it onto the counter and shouted into the back.

‘Mr Charter-Plackett! I’ve left the post on the counter.’

Jimbo came through from the storeroom carrying a box of apples.

‘Morning Ted. Thanks.’ Ted reached into the box and chose an apple. He raised his eyebrows at Jimbo who nodded and Ted sunk his teeth into the reddest part of it. When he’d swallowed his first mouthful he said ‘Someone’s written “I love Georgie” on the road outside the school. In chalk. In big letters.’

Jimbo swung round to face him. ‘Has Bel seen it yet?’

‘Just scrubbing it off. Was her face red!’

‘I’m not surprised.’

‘Know who did it then, do yer?’

‘I can give a good guess.’

Ted took another large bite of his apple. By the time he’d emptied his mouth sufficiently to be able to speak Jimbo had disappeared into the storeroom again. Ted saw the lovely Comice pears. He tested one for ripeness checked Jimbo wasn’t about to come back in and popped it in his mail bag, but only just in time.

Ted asked, ‘Who is it then?’

‘I expect you’ll know soon enough. It’ll be Dicky Tutt.’

Ted’s jaw fell open. ‘Dicky Tutt! Dicky Tutt! Never.’

‘On your bike, Ted, I’m busy.’

‘In yer van, yer mean. I’m mechanised now. Well, I never. Poor Bel.’

‘Bye to you, Ted, and I’d have given you that pear if you’d asked.’

Ted blushed. ‘Sorry.’ He went to take it out of his bag.

‘Don’t bother, but don’t do it again.’

Jimbo wasn’t quite sure how to greet Bel when she came to work after finishing at the school. But she came in with her usual cheerful greeting and made it difficult to broach the subject.

‘Morning all. Isn’t it bright and sunny today? We’d better make the best of it while we can. What would you like me to start on this morning Mr Charter-P?’

Linda behind her post office grille felt full of pity for Bel. Such a nice person she was, blasted shame she was having to put up with all this from Dicky. She’d seen the message in the lane, couldn’t help it, plain as day from their bedroom window it had been. She’d watched poor Bel start scrubbing away but then the baby had wanted attention and she’d had to press on. And here she was cheerful as ninepence, as if nothing had happened. She’d kill her Alan if he ever did anything so blatantly obvious. Come to think about it she’d kill him if he even so much as looked at another woman never mind advertised it. Linda called across, ‘Good morning, Bel. My stationery shelves could do with filling up, there’s quite a few gaps.’

Jimbo rounded on her. ‘Those shelves are your responsibility, Linda, not Bel’s, she has quite enough on her plate at the moment. You’ve no customers so kindly attend to them now if you please. Bel, start shelf filling in the groceries will you, I’ve an appointment in half an hour and I’ll need you to be on the till while I’m out. OK?’ Jimbo looked at Bel and studied her face for a moment but her guard never slipped, and he had to let the moment pass.

At a quarter to ten, only fifteen minutes after Bel had come to start work the door banged open and in came Bryn. His appearance in the Store was very unusual in itself for it was always Georgie who shopped, never Bryn. Linda was glad Jimbo hadn’t left yet for she rather suspected that by the look of him Bryn might possibly be quite furious; his face was purple and there were beads of sweat on his forehead, and his fists were clenched, and he was positively
grinding
his teeth.

Straightening up from filling the gaps on the bottom shelf with packets of envelopes, she said the first thing that came into her head. ‘Good morning, Mr Fields. Has something upset you, you don’t look well.’ He was towering over her and as a precaution Linda stepped back a little. ‘Is there something I can get you?’

Through clenched teeth and in a tightly controlled voice he said, ‘Bel Tutt in?’

‘Could be.’

‘Either she is or she isn’t. Well?’ As though on cue Bel came through from the back with a clip board in her hand. The moment she saw Bryn she began to retreat. ‘I want a word with you! Come back here!’

Bel hovered in the doorway seemingly unable to make up her mind as to what she should do. In the background she could hear Jimbo on the telephone and Mrs Jones in the mail-order office furiously stapling things together as though there was no tomorrow. She could see Linda beside Bryn looking frightened and beginning to back off towards the outside door.

Bel took a deep breath. ‘There’s a little word you’ve forgotten.’

There was a moment’s silence and then Bryn said ‘Please.’

Slowly Bel moved forward and went to stand beside the till. She rested a hand on the counter as though for support and waited.

‘Have you seen what’s been chalked on the road outside my pub?’

‘No.’

‘I love Georgie. that’s what. I … love … Georgie.’

‘I didn’t do it.’

‘I don’t suppose for one minute you did. But your Dicky did.’

‘Did he?’

‘You know damn well he did. I’m up to here.’ Bryn stepped towards Bel and tapped the edge of his hand on his forehead ‘up to here, with your Dicky. I’ve banned him from the pub but still he’s getting at me. Tell him from me’ – Bryn stabbed at his chest with his finger – ‘if this tomfoolery doesn’t stop I shall have him. God help me I will. I’ll have him and I’ll squeeze him till there’s not a drop of breath left in his stunted little body. Right!’ He wrung his hands together as though they were around Dicky’s throat.

‘I’ll give him your message.’

‘If you don’t, I shall. He’s to leave my Georgie alone. Alone! Right? Or else as God is my judge, I’ll see there’s an end to him.’

‘Right.’

‘You can also tell your Tom Thumb from me that’s he’s a pipsqueak, he’s a stunted, undersized, blasted little squirt. A dwarf.’ Bryn paused for breath searching for the most damaging thing he could say without committing a total breach of etiquette. ‘A bloody evil little dwarf.’

By the time Bryn had finished this speech he had an audience of Mrs Jones, Jimbo, two assistants from the kitchens, Harriet, Linda and Grandmama. She’d come in halfway through the tirade and been standing listening open-mouthed to what he was saying. As he moved to leave she stepped forward and blocked his way out. In her most superior voice she upbraided him for his outburst.

‘My man, have you given one moment’s thought as to how Bel must be feeling? She too is an injured party, you know, just as much as you. Your behaviour is most reprehensible, you should be ashamed of yourself. Have you ever given a thought as to why Georgie appears to find Dicky so fascinating? Or indeed as to why Dicky finds Georgie so engaging? Have you given it your earnest consideration? Oh no! I don’t expect you have. Foolish man. Go home and think about it. And don’t march in here laying down the law ever again. These are business premises not a fairground boxing ring. Such language! Venting your spleen on Bel in this way. It’s absolutely disgraceful! Now, get out!’

She opened the door and waited for him to leave. Which he did, but not without throwing a fevered glance at Bel as he left and saying to Grandmama, ‘And you, Duchess, are an interfering old
hen
,’ before he slammed the door behind him. There was a stunned silence as the Store reverberated with the sound of the door slamming.

The first to recover was Grandmama. She brushed her gloved hands together as though ridding herself of something thoroughly unpleasant and looking round at everyone she smiled. ‘Well, now, is anyone serving in here this morning or not? I want notepaper and envelopes and a tub of single cream, for I’ve someone coming for coffee. Chop, chop! Bel go in the back and get Jimbo to give you a brandy out of bis first aid box. You look as though you need it. Good morning, Harriet.’

‘Good morning to you.’

Slowly everyone resumed their places, Mrs Jones went back to her mail-order office full of admiration for the dignified manner in which Grandmama had dealt with the situation, it took class it did to give a dressing down like that, class, nothing less. Linda to the bottom stationery shelf for notepaper and envelopes, careful to choose the most expensive she could find. Bel, white and trembling, disappeared with Jimbo in her wake. Harriet went to the chilled shelves for the cream.

‘My word, Mother-in-law, you certainly gave him what for. I have never in all the time he’s been here known him explode like that. Things must be serious for him to behave like that.’

‘They are, Harriet, they are.’

‘You know?’

‘I do. that’s fine, Linda. Thank you. In very good taste, I must say. Tot it up for me, Harriet, I’m in a hurry. I’ve Muriel coming for coffee.’

‘Indeed. I thought you two weren’t exactly … you know … friends.’

Grandmama looked uncomfortable. ‘There’s been a slight hiccough which I intend to paper over today. That doesn’t sound quite right but you know what I mean. Thank you, my dear. See you soon.’

Grandmama left feeling well satisfied with her morning’s work. Now all she had to do was butter up Muriel and then all would be right with her world. There was nothing quite like a demonstration of power to make one feel … what was the phrase she was after? Cock of the dung heap? Oh dear no, that wasn’t it. Ten years younger? On top of the world? She’d think it over while she got the coffee things out. Pity she’d no family silver to bring out, but there you couldn’t have everything.

After taking coffee Muriel went home to lunch very amused by Grandmama’s attempts to apologise for her loss of temper and for spreading the rumour about Caroline. She, Grandmama, was a very proud woman and it must have cost her a lot to apologise so profusely. Muriel’s kind heart could do no other than accept graciously and they had parted the best of friends. At least on the surface, for Muriel was tempted to wait to see what other escapades Grandmama might get up to.

‘Ralph, my dear, have you heard?’

‘No, I don’t expect so.’

‘Oh there you are!’ Muriel stood in the doorway of his study and admired Ralph, his snow white, well barbered hair, his fresh complexion, his alert brown eyes and, to her, his wonderful aristocratic nose. ‘You grow more handsome each time I see you!’

‘Thank you, my dear. Is that the news? that Ralph Templeton grows more handsome every day?’

She laughed. ‘Of course not! that was an aside. No, Grandmama tells me that Bryn has been in the Store and told Bel off quite cruelly about Dicky, and I’ve just seen her crossing the road to school and said how sorry I was and that she was to ignore him and she said she was, but I said it must be very difficult and she said it was, so I said she’d have to put her foot down and she said you know Dicky so I said I do and he’s a very naughty boy so she said that’s just right that’s what he is so I said would she like you to have a talk with him and she said …’

‘Muriel!’ Ralph raised a hand in protest. ‘Muriel! I am not getting involved in someone else’s marital affairs. Please.’