Bia's War Page 8

  “We both hoped that Dennison would calm down after a couple of weeks and that things could return to normal, but we didn’t allow for Dennison’s state of mind. I truly believe that the man was bordering on insane and that he should have been committed for the sake of public safety because, three days after calling at Sam’s house, he called at the shop.”

  “The first we knew of his arrival was when the shop door was slammed back against the doorjamb with a force almost strong enough to shatter the door frame and Dennison entered my shop, screaming that he wanted his shop-girl back, he wanted her back now and he would flatten anyone who got in his way.

  “Every person in the shop turned to see who was causing such a commotion, then shrank back against the shelves to keep out of Dennison’s way. I was in the kitchen behind the shop, with the door open so that I had a clear view of what was happening from where I was standing making pastry for the next batch of pies. My blood ran cold when I saw who it was who was causing the disturbance, but I breathed a sigh of relief when I remembered that Hannah was upstairs doing some housework for me. The only member of staff in the shop at that time was Annie and I knew she would do all she could to stop Dennison getting through to the kitchen. I could also tell that the pig butcher hadn’t seen me, because he was making sure that Hannah wasn’t hiding behind one of the displays.”

  “Making as little noise as possible, although it was doubtful whether Dennison would have heard a bomb explode above the noise he was making, I tiptoed through to the back yard, where Simon and Peter were filling the cart with the boxes of orders for delivery that afternoon.”

  “‘Simon,’ I hissed at him, as quietly but as forcefully as I could, ‘go upstairs to my bedroom and you ask Hannah to lock the door so that you are both safe inside my room. Don’t open it for anyone except me. Do you hear me?’

  “Simon opened his mouth to question why I was asking him to do something so unusual, but there was a massive crash from inside the shop and he paled and then ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, through the kitchen and up the stairs. I offered up a short prayer that he would do as I had asked and that Hannah would have heard the noise and guessed what was going on. Only pausing long enough to check that Simon was on his way to safety, I then turned to Peter.”

  “‘Run to the iron works and ask the gatekeeper to get Sammy. Tell him Butcher Dennison is on the rampage and we need him here at the shop. Don’t give up until the gatekeeper gets Sammy Lymer. Do you understand?’”

  “I could have screamed at the slow way in which Peter absorbed my request. He was wide-eyed and obviously afraid because of the crashing noises now emanating from the shop and he stood and stared at me. God forgive me, but in my panic, I took hold of his arm and shook him like a dog shakes a rat. It was too much for Peter and he turned his troubled face to me, his mouth turned down and starting to tremble.”

  “’Get to the ironworks and ask the gatekeeper to get Sammy Lymer. He’s urgently needed at the shop. Do you hear me, Peter?’”

  “And I shook him again, my fear communicating itself to him. I’d never laid a finger on the lad until that moment and he was only used to smiles and soft-spoken requests coming from me. He stared back at me, his pet lip trembling as he tried in his oh-so-slow way to understand why I was being so rough with him. I could feel the panic and alarm rising in my chest as more noise came from the shop and it was at that moment when the pig butcher appeared in the kitchen, spittle covering his face and his hair sticking out all round his head. He glanced around the kitchen, obviously searching for Hannah and me and then he noticed that the back door was open and he could see Peter and me standing in the yard.”

  “‘Go, Peter, go!!’” I screamed at him, the time for whispering being past and, thankfully, the sight of the overweight butcher galvanised Peter into action and he set off through the open back yard gate, heading for the ironworks. Dennison made as if to follow Peter, as if he thought Peter would lead him to Hannah, so I stepped across the yard until I was standing facing him as he moved out of the kitchen and entered the backyard. I was only inches from his swinging fists, but I was overwhelmed by the anger I was feeling at his intrusion of my home and I stood my ground in front of him, oblivious to the fact that I should have been scared to death of him. I should have been cowering away from those massive fists which had already killed his own unborn child, but my own fury was so white-hot within me that he should dare to enter my inner sanctum, unbidden, that I threw caution to the winds.”

  “I stood, ramrod-straight and in total control of every muscle in my body, and stared him straight in his eye, something which I later learnt that his wife had never managed to do. I then addressed him as though we had met on our way into church.”

  “‘And what can I do for you, Mr Dennison?’ I asked, in a very restrained and quiet manner. ‘Do you need some stores which I can supply or have you come for some of my famous pies? If so, please come back into the shop and we can serve you where I serve all my customers’ and I stepped closer to him and continued to stare straight into his bloodshot eyes. From that distance, I was very aware that he stank of alcohol, bad breath and unwashed body and clothes and it took a great deal of resolve not to shudder and step away from him. I knew, however, that my attitude was affecting him in a way to which he was clearly unused and it was in my interests to keep him off balance. It may have been my quiet tone or the fact that I was so close to him, but whatever it was, the bluster seemed to go out of him a bit and he shook himself like a dog before he replied.”

  “‘I’ve come for my servant-girl, Mrs High and Mighty,’ he said when he managed to remember where he’d left his mouth. ‘You stole her from me and I want her back. She’s coming with me now, whether you like it or not.’”

  “His voice rose as he got to the end of the sentence and he started remembering both why he was there and that people were generally afraid of him. By that time, however, I was in such a white-hot rage with him that I did what no other person had ever done before to him in the whole of his stupid, stinking, fat life. I stepped even closer to him, so that my nose was within half an inch of his and I was almost overpowered by the stench from his mouth, body and clothes. It was nausea-inducing but my fury so intense I overrode my sense of smell as well as my fear.”

  “ ‘You get off my property this instant and stop acting like a schoolboy bully in a playground with me, Mr Dennison.’ I said, putting as much sarcasm as I could muster into saying his name, but still not raising my voice above a church-pew-during-a-funeral whisper. ‘Take your drunken brain home for a rest and don’t you ever come threatening me again.’”

  “My voice was so quiet and controlled that the pig butcher couldn’t decide whether he had heard me properly or not, but he took a step backwards to give himself breathing space and the time to try and think up an answer. Something, I don’t know what it was, made me step towards him so that we were once again nose-to-nose.”

  “‘Don’t even think about it, Mr Dennison.’ I said, as quietly as before. ‘Get off my property and go and sober up before you do something you will later regret.’

  “I could hear that a crowd had gathered behind me, at the open backyard gate and I prayed that if the butcher turned violent then they would stop him before he did me any real damage. I couldn’t rely on anyone to intervene when he started causing me pain, I could only hope, but that didn’t stop me. I continued to step forward every time he retreated and I continued to let him know that I wanted him off my property. He was finding it very difficult to understand that I wasn’t going to buckle under his bullying attitude, I think because he was so used to his poor little wife cowering in front of him. The fact that I didn’t let him intimidate me was what was holding him back from letting his fists fly, so I continued to press forwards, but, at the same time and with a detached part of my brain, I was trying to work out where I went from there. We would eventually run out of back yard and when his back was up against the wall, he could turn nast
y again.”

  “What did you do next?” Victoria was horrified at the thought of the pig butcher hurting her grandmother.

  Nana Lymer smiled at Victoria’s shock.

  “I was at a loss as to what to do next and I was terrified that he would turn violent again if I gave him chance to think and then inspiration struck me. In the same formal but soft voice I had used all along I said,

  ‘I am very sorry about the loss of your son and I couldn’t begin to imagine the grief and misery which you must be feeling. But that wasn’t my fault, nor was it Hannah’s and you won’t feel any better for taking your anger and despair out on us. Peter has gone for the constable, Mr Dennison. Don’t you think it would be wise if you left before he arrives? You could get into very serious trouble for brawling in the street and, just think on, you can’t run your business if you are in a police cell.’”

  “That was where I made my first mistake in dealing with the pig butcher. Mentioning his business reminded him of the reason why he was there in my shop and the spittle flew from his slack mouth and splattered across my face as he yelled at the top of his voice.

  ‘I can’t run my business without someone to work for me and you’ve stolen my servant girl. I want her back or I’ll break every shelf in your shop and then I’ll break every bone in your body.’

  “I didn’t think it was possible to get any angrier than I already was, but feeling the filthy wetness hit my cheeks and having him screaming abuse in my face froze my rage even further. It was so intense an anger that my sensible brain ceased to function and I acted purely on instinct when he prodded his meaty stinking forefinger into my chest as he threatened to break my bones. I could clearly see his ugly red-veined face, but it had a scarlet aura around it that hid everything else from my view. I could see his huge, round, slobbering, drunken, ugly face, but I was blind to the rest of the world. He had dared to prod me in my chest and I couldn’t stop myself from responding as all reasonable thought left my head. I lifted my hand until it was level with his chest and I jabbed my forefinger into an expanse of flabby, dirty shirt-front, at the same time screeching at the top of my lungs for him to ‘GET OFF MY PROPERTY.’

  “I don’t know whether it was shock that I had dared to poke him or surprise because my voice was suddenly so loud right in his face, but he took an involuntary step backwards. I don’t kid myself that it was because I was strong enough to topple him with one finger, drunk as he was, or that he was frightened of me for even a single second, but step back he did and the tin bath which should have been hanging on its hook on the backyard wall but for some reason wasn’t, caught him behind his knees and his legs buckled under him and he fell backwards into the bath. Because it hadn’t been hanging on the wall, the bath had about two inches of cold rainwater in the bottom of it and this fountained out around him as his heavy body dropped into it, splashing me from head to foot with a shock like ice.”

  “What the cold water was doing to Dennison’s nether regions, I neither knew nor cared, but the cold was enough to tip me over the edge into absolute fury and I grabbed his wet hair and shook his head until his teeth were rattling like hailstones on a tin roof, screaming all the time for him to ‘GET OFF MY PROPERTY.’”

  “I stopped shouting and let go of the butcher’s hair when I realised that I could hear laughter coming from behind me and I turned to see a crowd at my open backyard gate, all convulsed with laughter at Dennison’s plight. Sammy and Peter were just pushing their way through the crowd and both were grinning from ear to ear at the sight of the overweight lump sitting in our tin bath, still snorting from the shock of his fall and his impromptu bath.”

  “‘Are you all right, lass?’ Sammy asked, as soon as he was close enough for me to be able to hear him over the laughter and jeers of my neighbours. ‘I never thought the drunken bugger would come here trying to lay down the law with you, even though I did think he might try going after our Hannah.’”

  “‘I’m all right, Sammy.’ I answered, although I had to admit that I was feeling pretty shaky, more from the anger I had felt than fear, although I wasn’t sure.’”

  “Sammy turned to Dennison, who was just starting to climb out of the bath, all the fight having gone out him, what with the shock of his fall, the cold dousing he had had, and the jeers and catcalls of the neighbours.”

  “‘You ever try coming after my Hannah again, Dennison.’ Sam said, ‘And I’ll run you through with my father’s campaign sword he got in the Crimea. Do you understand me?’”

  “But, before the pig butcher could answer him, a voice shouted from the gateway.”

  “‘You’ve no right coming after women like that. You want to find someone your own size to pick on.’”

  “There were cries of agreement from the gathered crowd out there and Mr Nugent, who lived next door-but-one to my shop, shouted,

  ‘You try attacking Mrs Drinkwater like that again, butcher-boy, and we’ll give you the pasting you deserve. We all know your lad’s been killed at the Front, but that’s not this lass’s fault. She’s only trying to keep a roof over her head, while her lad’s away fighting and you should be ashamed of yourself for trying to attack her. She’s not the size of twopennorth of copper!’

  “There were general cries of agreement at this statement and, to be honest, it was those which reduced me, finally, to tears. Annie came and put her arm around my shoulders and led me into the kitchen, away from the gathered crowd. Hannah had come downstairs with Simon, now that all danger seemed past and, sensible lass that she was, she was putting the kettle on for a restorative cup of tea.”

  “I almost collapsed onto the fireside chair while Annie and Hannah fussed round me and Simon buried his face into my aproned lap, aware that there had been a lot of shouting and banging and not sure if it was all over now. I cuddled him to me, whispering words of comfort which were as much for my benefit as his. Peter followed us into the kitchen within minutes, although Sammy stayed outside until all was peaceful again.”

  “‘He’s gone.’ He announced, as he came through the back door and gratefully took the tea Hannah proffered him. ‘Some of the lads from Westcough’s brewery yanked him out of the bath and are escorting him back to his own shop. The crowd have dispersed now that all the excitement is over so I’ve locked the back gate. I’m going to come with you when you deliver the orders tonight, Bia, just in case the idiot takes it into his head to have another go, although I think he’ll think twice about bothering you again now he’s seen that so many people are against him. Let’s just hope that he’s learnt his lesson now and doesn’t get it into his head to try that trick again.’

  “‘I don’t think he’ll try anything again.’ I said, with far more confidence than I was feeling, nodding down at Simon who was still hiding his head in my apron. ‘He’s had enough of a shock to stop him ever coming back here again.’

  Sam picked up on this immediately.

  ‘That big baby won’t come back for another cold bath, that’s for sure. I don’t think he likes having a bath, the spluttering he was doing.’

  “Simon raised his head from my apron and smiled at Sammy.”

  “‘Dirty man,’ he said, grinning shyly at Sam. ‘Dirty man doesn’t like water.’”

  ‘You are right there, Simon. That dirty man won’t be having another bath for a long, long time.’

  “I smiled at Sammy over the top of Simon’s head, trying to show my gratitude for his instant understanding, but Sam just smiled and gave his head a little shake, brushing off the compliment. Hannah and Annie went back into the shop to serve the customers who were once more queuing for their groceries and Simon followed them. I could hear him asking for a sugar mouse from the jar as he sidled up to Hannah and there was the distinct sound of a large glass jar being lifted from the shelf and then opened.”

  “‘Don’t worry about him, pet.’ Sam said, as he stretched his feet out towards the warmth of the range. ‘Those brewery lads were a bit rough with him as they got him
out of that bath and they carried him like one of his own sides of bacon to get him back to his shop. I’ve had a few words with some of your neighbours while I was out there and they’ll keep an eye out for him reappearing at any time. But I think he’s realised that he’s not welcome anywhere round here now, so you and little Simon will be safe.’”

  “‘Thank you, Sammy.’ I said, relieved that the pig butcher had been warned off in that manner, because I was still shaking from the shock of it all.”

  “‘You’ve got a rare temper on you, lass, when you’ve got your dander up like that. I almost felt sorry for old Dennison, having you nose to nose with him. It’s one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long time, you poking him and him falling backwards into that bath! It’s done me a power of good. I haven’t had a laugh like that in a long time.’”

  “‘Well, I must say, I hope you enjoyed it! I must do it again so that everyone can enjoy themselves.’ I said tartly, a bit put-out by Sammy’s delight in watching Dennison get his come-uppance.”