Rough Justice by Gilda O'Neill Page B

finished drawing down the last finger of her gloves, ‘if you change your mind, Joe’ll make you a nice cup of tea, won’t you Joe?’
    Ada threw up her hands. ‘I don’t know about Mary and Joe Lovell, you two are more like Mary and Mary Ann Lovell. A man making another woman tea while his own wife’s out at work? I ask you. What are things coming to?’
    Joe stood up straight and proud, pulling back his shoulders as he stared Ada directly in the eye. ‘And I’ll have the flat all shipshape and your tea on the table when you get home, Mary.’
    ‘Thanks, love,’ said Mary, but she was distracted, looking about her, frowning. ‘Nell. Where is she?’
    Only Martin had noticed Nell slipping away down the stairs. Why hadn’t he had the guts to go after her?

Chapter 14
    ‘Blimey, hold up out there, I’m going as fast as I can.’ Sylvia tucked a stray lock of her bright auburn hair behind her ear and stretched up to slide back the brass bolt. ‘We’re not open for hours yet, so if you think you’re getting a drink, you’ve got another—’
    As she opened the pub door, Sylvia let the cleaning cloth she’d been holding drop to the floor. ‘Nell, darling, whatever’s up?’ She took Nell by the hand and drew her inside, over to the fire. ‘What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing coming out without a hat and coat on? It’s ready to snow again out there.’
    Nell couldn’t bring herself to look at her friend; she didn’t want to lie to Sylvia, but she’d walked for over an hour without thinking and had found herself standing outside the pub, with no idea where else she might go. What was she supposed to do, wander the streets until she collapsed from the cold? Maybe that wouldn’t have been such a bad idea, to have just fallen down in a heap and not to have woken up again.
    ‘Nell, I asked you a question, darling.’
    ‘I’m sorry, yeah. I just thought I’d pop roundand see you. But I can tell you’re busy. I’ll come back later on.’
    Nell tried to pull away, but Sylvia was having none of it.
    ‘You’ll do no such thing. You sit yourself down there and I’ll make you a cup of tea with a little something extra in it to warm up your insides for you.’ Sylvia pushed her none too gently onto a chair by the fireside. ‘You had your breakfast yet?’
    Nell shook her head.
    ‘Somehow I thought that’s what you’d say.’
    Bernie poked his head around the door beside the bar. ‘I thought I heard voices.’ He didn’t look impressed to see Nell there. ‘Everything all right?’
    ‘Yes thank you, Bernie,’ said Sylvia pointedly.
    ‘There is work to be done, you know, Sylv.’
    ‘I do know, thank you, Bernie.’
    ‘Just so long as you do.’ He looked at Nell. ‘Give my regards to Stephen.’
    ‘Why would she bother to do that?’ snapped Sylvia. ‘He’s in here every bloody night yakking away to you, I’m surprised you’ve not offered him a sodding room.’
    Sylvia and Bernie were too busy glaring at one another to notice the deflated look on Nell’s face as she took in Sylvia’s words – Stephen was in the Hope every night. Now Nell knew she really did have nowhere to go.
    ‘So, you say you’ve missed me.’ Sylvia was looking at Nell with her head cocked on one side,trying to figure out what was going on as she watched her friend hardly touch the thickly buttered hot toast that she used to scoff down almost as fast as Sylvia could churn it out for her. ‘And that’s why you came out in the freezing cold with no hat and coat on, with your apron flapping and your hair all over the place?’
    ‘That’s right.’
    ‘Well, like I said, Nell, it’s always lovely to see you, sweetheart, but if there’s anything wrong, anything you want to tell me – say, how things are indoors maybe – well, you know me, I’m a good listener.’ She laughed without any hint of humour. ‘And why wouldn’t I be? I’ve had enough practice running this place. You wouldn’t believe some