Diamonds in the Dust by Beryl Matthews Read Free Book Online Page B

Lily said with a quiver of her lip. ‘I was hoping Mum would be here when we got home, but she wasn’t. Do you think she’s lost and can’t find her way back? Perhaps she’s lost her memory.’
    ‘Maybe.’ Dora sat down, giving a sigh of tiredness. She knew just what Lily was doing. The little girl was running through every conceivable reason in her head, except the one they were all dreading.
    Tom put plates in front of them. ‘I’m afraid it’s only sausages and mash again. I’ll need more money for tomorrow, Dora.’
    She gave a weak smile. This was Tom’s favourite meal, so they were likely to get it quite often, but he was a real treasure.
    Not many young boys of his age would take over the cooking and shopping like this.
    ‘You going to tell us what’s happened?’ Tom started to eat, never taking his eyes off his big sister.
    ‘I’ve got more bad news, I’m afraid.’
    ‘That’s obvious from the expression on your face. Out with it, Dora.’
    ‘I’m losing my job at the end of the week.’
    ‘Oh, hell! What a time for that to happen.’ Tom dipped his head for a moment while he took this second blow.
    ‘Did they sack you?’ Lily wanted to know.
    ‘No, sweetie, they’re moving to Scotland.’
    Tom put down his knife and fork. ‘Did they ask you to go with them?’
    Dora nodded. ‘But that’s out of the question.’
    ‘Because of us,’ Tom muttered.
    ‘No, Tom! I wouldn’t have gone, anyway. London’s our home and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. We must stay here until we know exactly what’s happened to Mum. Suppose she came back one day and we weren’t here?’ Dora reached out and touched her brother’s arm. He was clearly upset. ‘It’ll be all right. They’re going to give me a good reference, and I’ll soon find something else.’
    ‘Course you will.’ Tom looked up then, a smile on his face, albeit rather forced. ‘Offers of jobs will be rolling in, won’t they, Lily?’
    Lily nodded, her mouth full of sausage, but it was clear that the full import of the news didn’t register with her.
    Dora began to tuck into her meal, trying to appear unconcerned. ‘We’ve got that money we found with Mum’s things, and I’ve still got a bit put by. Then there’s my pay at the end of the week. So we’ll be all right for a while.’
    ‘Nothing to worry about then, eh?’ Tom said, keeping his tone cheerful. ‘Wonder how Stan got on today? He wasn’t in when we came home.’
    ‘He’ll let us know.’
    They had just finished clearing up when Stan arrived, only he wasn’t alone, he had a uniformed policeman with him.
    ‘This is my brother-in-law, Reg. He needs to ask you some questions.’
    ‘Erm … yes, of course.’ Dora was flustered and apprehensive when she saw the stocky man with Stan. She stood aside while Tom showed them into the front room. ‘Please sit down. Would you like tea?’
    ‘No thank you.’ Reg smiled, and both men waited for Dora to sit before they did the same.
    Lily’s eyes were wide with fright, so Tom pulled her towards him, whispering in her ear, ‘He’s not going to eat you.’
    Reg chuckled as Lily continued to stare at him. ‘She doesn’t believe you. Do you want to put her to bed before we start?’
    ‘No.’ Dora spoke firmly. ‘This concerns all of us, and Lily stays. You can speak freely in front of her, sir.’
    ‘Have you found our mum?’ Lily asked, looking braver now her brother had a protective arm around her.
    ‘Not yet.’ Reg opened his notebook and read something written there. ‘Stan’s told me about the book you found. He’s finished going through it, but there doesn’t seem to be anything in it to help us. It’s just a series of names and places.’
    ‘Then why did Mum hide it if it wasn’t important?’ Tom frowned.
    ‘It might well be important, but until we find out what she’s been doing for the last two years, it means nothing to us.’ Reg paused and looked at them all in turn. ‘I want you