A Mother Forever by Elaine Everest (free children's online books txt) 📕

Ruby and Stella laughed at his words. ‘First you have to find a job, and then a girl who is willing to marry you,’ Ruby said as she tickled him until he was in fits of laughter.

‘Someone will soon snap him up,’ Stella smiled. ‘He’s such a handsome little chap. What do you think you will do when you leave school, George?’

‘I’m going to work at Vickers and build things,’ he answered seriously. ‘Mrs Grant said her husband would give me a job.’

Stella gave Ruby a bemused look. ‘Mrs Grant?’

‘It’s a bit of a long story, but in a way, you and Sarah played a part in our meeting the lady.’ Ruby went on to explain their meeting with the woman in the cemetery, and her benevolence over the years as she took an interest in George. ‘We still correspond regularly, although it’s mainly George who writes these days. She has also become a very good customer at Frank’s bookshop, recommending many of her friends to visit and make purchases.’

Frank joined them and sat on the edge of Ruby’s bed. Knowing Ruby would be having visitors, he’d moved some of his clothes from his room to her wardrobe and laid out his grooming kit on top of a chest of drawers. To all intents and purposes, it looked as though they shared a room and a bed. ‘It was Mrs Grant who suggested I should dedicate a section of the shop to antiquarian books. It brings in different customers.’

‘Don’t forget my idea,’ George chirped.

‘Do tell,’ Stella smiled at the lad.

‘Books that have been much read and well-thumbed that we put outside in baskets for people who are poor to rummage through,’ he said seriously. ‘We sell them for a farthing each.’

‘I see you are listening to Frank and learning the right bookselling words,’ Ruby said indulgently.

‘The lad is an entrepreneur,’ Stella declared.

‘What’s that?’ he asked.

‘Someone who will go far, and be very rich.’ Ruby smiled at her clever boy.

‘I like the sound of that,’ he exclaimed.

Stella chuckled. ‘You’ll soon be changing the name of your shop to Frank Green and Son,’ she said as she caught George’s hands to help him from the bed. ‘You have the starting of a dynasty, Frank.’

Ruby opened her mouth to correct Stella, but thought better of it. A sadness engulfed her as she thought of Eddie, and how quickly he seemed to have been forgotten by his own son.

22nd June 1911

Eddie marched down Manor Road with a spring in his step: it was the first time he’d done this in a long time. His life was about to turn a corner. After staying away from his wife and son for so long, he felt that soon he’d be able to return to his rightful place as head of the household of number thirteen. The thought that Ruby still loved him, as she’d assured him during his last visit, brought joy to his heart.

Cedric Mulligan was dead – killed in cold blood by someone who owed him a lot of money and could not pay. Many secrets had been buried along with him, but once Eddie had been to the police with his evidence, the harshness of his life would finally be put to bed. Wanting to live closer to his wife, in the spring of this year he’d become a lodger in Arthur Street in the neighbourhood known as Northend, on the other side of Erith. Although only a ten-minute walk away, it could have been the other side of the world as far as his wife was concerned; it was away from the town centre, and he knew she would never have cause to visit. Yes, it was a risk living there, but he’d taken many risks since the day he left Alexandra Road six years ago.

His work now was honest if tiring, but he felt fit and healthy and at peace with himself. In the course of the various jobs he had tried, he’d found he enjoyed working in the open air as much as possible. Since the warmer weather, he’d secured a good job working in one of the brickfields on the marshes close to the river. He was part of a team producing bricks that were either used locally or transported via the river to all parts of the country. The downside to this job was that come the colder weather, the work would cease until the following spring, as bricks could not be produced when the weather was damp or cold. But Eddie knew that now he’d be able to find more work close to home. People tended to have short memories, and after several years away he was sure his previous wrongdoings would have been forgotten. With new businesses and shops springing up all over the town, Eddie’s life and his future looked good. This was why he had risked venturing out to see Ruby during daylight hours, rather than skulking around late at night dropping the occasional envelope through her letter box.

Although he wasn’t ready yet to move back into their home, he would do so once he’d imparted the information he knew to the police. Eddie would be able to lay his cards on the table, explaining to Ruby more about why he’d run away. He also wanted to get to know his son. He’d missed enough of watching George grow up as it was, and wished to repair any damage that had already been done.

Reaching the corner of Alexandra Road, he stopped by the side of a fence. There seemed to be a group of people leaving number thirteen and heading towards his end of the road. He frowned as he saw Ruby pushing a pram, with a man putting his hand on George’s shoulder in a fatherly manner. Eddie recognized an older woman – Stella Green from across the road – and was that not Derek Green and his younger brother following behind? Eddie