straight-back, padded chair, her feet on a footstool. She wore a yellow cotton sweatshirt and white trousers. Oversized gypsy earrings dangled from her tiny ears. She seemed delighted to have a visitor.
‘I’m Kathleen Cartwright from next door.’ She extended her hand and the woman seized it, although her grip was surprisingly limp. Kathleen knew immediately she had something wrong with her. ‘How do you do?’
‘I’m very well, dear. I’m Anna Burrows and my sourpuss of a husband is called Ernie.’
‘He seemed very charming to me.’
Anna’s blue eyes danced with mischief. ‘He’s just putting it on. He’s a monster when there’s no one else around to protect me.’
‘I’m sure that isn’t true,’ Kathleen protested.
‘Of course it isn’t true. He’s an old darling. I adore him, but I didn’t think
The Red Flag
was right for a doorbell. I don’t want all and sundry knowing our politics.’
‘You should be proud of your beliefs,’ Ernie shouted from the hall.
‘Now you’re eavesdropping, Ernie. Make Kathleen and I some tea, there’s a dear. Or would you prefercoffee, Kathleen? And we’ve got sherry: medium, I think it is.’
‘Tea would be fine, thanks.’ She must be ill. She wasn’t the sort of woman who would ask her husband to do things if she was able to do them herself.
‘You’re not from Liverpool, are you, dear? I can detect a trace of an accent, but not from round here. I’d say Yorkshire. Am I right?’
Kathleen gasped. ‘You’re quite remarkable. I didn’t think I had any sort of accent, but I was born in Yorkshire and lived there all my life, until now, that is.’
‘I’m good at accents.’ She looked very pleased with herself. ‘I was on the stage when I was young. I even made a film once,’ she said proudly, ‘but I’ve never met anyone who’s seen it.’
‘What was it called?’ Kathleen had belonged to a film society in Huddersfield where obscure films were sometimes shown.
‘
The Fatal Hour
, but it’s not the one with Boris Karloff. Mine was made in Hungary before the war. I was only eighteen. I’m not sure if it was ever released. Ernie’s tried to track it down, but no luck, I’m afraid.’
‘I’d love to see it,’ Kathleen said sincerely. She found Anna Burrows quite delightful. Then Ernie came in with the tea, and she saw the way he glanced at his sparkling wife, the way she looked back at him, her blue eyes full of love. He put the thin, china cup in her hands. ‘Can you manage it, luv?’ he said gruffly.
Is this what Steve and I will be like when we’re this old? she wondered. If Anna had made a film before the war, she must be in her eighties.
‘Now, Kathleen,’ Anna said firmly when Ernie had returned to fixing the doorbell. ‘All I’ve done since youcame is talk about myself. Tell me, dear, what do you do? I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me you were a film star or a model. You’re beautiful enough.’
It was almost an hour later when Kathleen returned home. Steve was coming out of the bathroom, rubbing his wet hair with a towel.
‘I thought you’d left
me
,’ he grumbled. ‘What took you so long?’
‘I just met this marvellous couple,’ she enthused. ‘Anna’s had multiple sclerosis for years, but it doesn’t get her down, not a bit. And Ernie’s wonderful. He waits on her hand and foot and it’s obvious they love each other very much.’ She paused for breath. ‘Anyway, you’ll be pleased to know we’re taking them to lunch.’
Steve didn’t look even faintly pleased. ‘Are they posh?’ he asked.
‘Anna is, Ernie isn’t. He was very impressed when I said you’d been a miner. Anna asked us to lunch first, but we decided we couldn’t all fit in their little car. The boot isn’t big enough for her wheelchair and it usually goes on the back seat, so I said I’d take them in ours.’ The Mercedes was actually hers, but she wanted Steve to think of it as belonging to them both.
‘I suppose
‘I’m Kathleen Cartwright from next door.’ She extended her hand and the woman seized it, although her grip was surprisingly limp. Kathleen knew immediately she had something wrong with her. ‘How do you do?’
‘I’m very well, dear. I’m Anna Burrows and my sourpuss of a husband is called Ernie.’
‘He seemed very charming to me.’
Anna’s blue eyes danced with mischief. ‘He’s just putting it on. He’s a monster when there’s no one else around to protect me.’
‘I’m sure that isn’t true,’ Kathleen protested.
‘Of course it isn’t true. He’s an old darling. I adore him, but I didn’t think
The Red Flag
was right for a doorbell. I don’t want all and sundry knowing our politics.’
‘You should be proud of your beliefs,’ Ernie shouted from the hall.
‘Now you’re eavesdropping, Ernie. Make Kathleen and I some tea, there’s a dear. Or would you prefercoffee, Kathleen? And we’ve got sherry: medium, I think it is.’
‘Tea would be fine, thanks.’ She must be ill. She wasn’t the sort of woman who would ask her husband to do things if she was able to do them herself.
‘You’re not from Liverpool, are you, dear? I can detect a trace of an accent, but not from round here. I’d say Yorkshire. Am I right?’
Kathleen gasped. ‘You’re quite remarkable. I didn’t think I had any sort of accent, but I was born in Yorkshire and lived there all my life, until now, that is.’
‘I’m good at accents.’ She looked very pleased with herself. ‘I was on the stage when I was young. I even made a film once,’ she said proudly, ‘but I’ve never met anyone who’s seen it.’
‘What was it called?’ Kathleen had belonged to a film society in Huddersfield where obscure films were sometimes shown.
‘
The Fatal Hour
, but it’s not the one with Boris Karloff. Mine was made in Hungary before the war. I was only eighteen. I’m not sure if it was ever released. Ernie’s tried to track it down, but no luck, I’m afraid.’
‘I’d love to see it,’ Kathleen said sincerely. She found Anna Burrows quite delightful. Then Ernie came in with the tea, and she saw the way he glanced at his sparkling wife, the way she looked back at him, her blue eyes full of love. He put the thin, china cup in her hands. ‘Can you manage it, luv?’ he said gruffly.
Is this what Steve and I will be like when we’re this old? she wondered. If Anna had made a film before the war, she must be in her eighties.
‘Now, Kathleen,’ Anna said firmly when Ernie had returned to fixing the doorbell. ‘All I’ve done since youcame is talk about myself. Tell me, dear, what do you do? I wouldn’t be surprised if you told me you were a film star or a model. You’re beautiful enough.’
It was almost an hour later when Kathleen returned home. Steve was coming out of the bathroom, rubbing his wet hair with a towel.
‘I thought you’d left
me
,’ he grumbled. ‘What took you so long?’
‘I just met this marvellous couple,’ she enthused. ‘Anna’s had multiple sclerosis for years, but it doesn’t get her down, not a bit. And Ernie’s wonderful. He waits on her hand and foot and it’s obvious they love each other very much.’ She paused for breath. ‘Anyway, you’ll be pleased to know we’re taking them to lunch.’
Steve didn’t look even faintly pleased. ‘Are they posh?’ he asked.
‘Anna is, Ernie isn’t. He was very impressed when I said you’d been a miner. Anna asked us to lunch first, but we decided we couldn’t all fit in their little car. The boot isn’t big enough for her wheelchair and it usually goes on the back seat, so I said I’d take them in ours.’ The Mercedes was actually hers, but she wanted Steve to think of it as belonging to them both.
‘I suppose
Similar Books
