Laceys of Liverpool by Maureen Lee Read Free Book Online

closing, it already has, but I can take over the lease if I want. It costs twenty-five pounds. Oh, Dad!’ She turned and put her arms round his waist, pressing her face against his rough working shirt. ‘I’d give
anything
if Myrtle’s could be mine. I’m good at hairdressing, everyone ses. I’d’ve hated to leave, anyroad, but now, with the way things are at home . . .’
    ‘I know, luv,’ Danny said gently. His mind rapidly assessed his few possessions. What could he pawn? Nothing worth anything much, he realised. There was only the furniture, the bedding, oddments of crockery and cutlery, a few ornaments, his books. He felt guilty for having so many shirts, for not having put away a few bob a week for a rainy day. But he was a man who liked a good time, a man free with his money. His hand was always first in his pocket when it came to a round ofdrinks. He enjoyed buying presents for his grandchildren. He liked feminine company, perhaps a bit too much, and the various lady friends he’d had over the years hadn’t come cheap. There was a ten-shilling note in his wallet upstairs. At that minute he was worth about twelve and a tanner.
    ‘It’s so horrible at night, Dad.’ Alice’s hands tightened round him. ‘The girls go out, not that I blame them. I encourage them to. I put Cormac to bed as early as possible. He doesn’t mind if I leave the light on, so there’s just me and John downstairs. He won’t even have the wireless on nowadays. It’s as if he can’t stand anything cheerful. I stay in the back kitchen as much as possible, but there’s a limit to how long you can wash dishes and do a bit of baking for tomorrer, so I try to get on with some sewing. It’s hopeless trying to read. I can’t concentrate, knowing John’s glaring at me. Oh, Dad!’ she cried. ‘He accuses me of having affairs. He’s got this thing in his head that I’m having it off with other men. As if I would! He’s the only man I’ve ever wanted. Now Myrtle’s has gone,’ she groaned. ‘At least it was something to look forward to. I loved it there. It was like a fairy-tale world, all bright and shiny.’
    ‘There, there, luv.’ Dan stroked her hair. He’d definitely be having a word with John Lacey. He’d never known his daughter in such a state, as if she were at the end of her tether. He furiously tried to think of a way of getting twenty-five pounds and wondered if there was a bank he could rob and get away with it. He thought of a possible solution and his nose wrinkled with distaste. ‘What about asking that Cora woman?’ he said. He couldn’t abide Cora Lacey.
    ‘Cora!’ Alice stopped crying and looked at him. ‘It didn’t cross me mind. We’re not exactly friends.’
    ‘She’s never been exactly friends with anyone,’ Dannysaid curtly. ‘But she never seems short of a few bob, though Christ knows where it comes from. Billy earns a pittance clearing bomb sites. There’s no way he could afford to pay for a house in Garibaldi Road.’
    ‘She works for the landlord, Horace Flynn,’ Alice explained. ‘She does his books, whatever that involves. I suppose he let her have the house as a favour.’ Horace Flynn was one of the most notorious landlords in Bootle, who chucked people on to the streets without so much as the blink of a fat eyelid.
    ‘I reckon it involves more than doing his books.’
    ‘Oh, Dad!’ She sounded shocked. ‘You’ve got a dirty mind. I’ve never known anyone so strait-laced as Cora.’ She put a finger thoughtfully to her chin. ‘I might go round and ask her. It won’t do any harm. All she can do is say no.’
    ‘And she might say yes. Would you like me to come with you?’ He entirely forgot about Phyllis Henderson.
    ‘No, ta, Dad. It would be best if I went on me own.’
    ‘You’d better get a move on. It’s almost half past seven. Does John know where you are?’
    ‘I said I was coming round to yours with the mince pies.’ She laughed bitterly. ‘He probably