Today, she planned to work in the office. Fred had rubbed down and stained the table, using the dregs of the teapot. A rub of beeswax brought the wood back to life. Beatty had re-padded and covered the chair and old curtains from the cottage draped the window, which faced south, and made the room a cheerful place to work. Ruby placed the new ledgers and pens on the desk and smiled at the pile of scrap paper notes left for her by her friends. She had a busy day of book-keeping ahead and looked forward to meeting Tommy’s uncle; according to Tommy, he was going to pay a visit when he’d finished some important business. Tommy, in the meantime, had errands to run for his uncle, but promised to return to sweep the floors at the end of the day. From the day the doors opened, Tommy lost his sour attitude and his bubbly personality returned.
Fred and Beatty worked with the customers and Ruby loved to hear the natural banter between the two. She stretched her arms above her head and went out into the shop to see how business was doing.
Whilst rearranging a row of china cups she noticed a man about to enter the shop. He stood out from the regular customers. His suit, a blue serge pinstripe, was smart, as was the wide-brimmed navy hat on his head. Ruby looked at his shoes, highly polished black brogues. He smoked a cigarette and tossed the last of it into the gutter. When he stepped inside the shop his eyes darted from one shelf to another before he settled his stare on Beatty.
Ruby watched from the far side of the shop. Tommy’s uncle – it had to be him. The man was of average height and build but his face was lean, with a jutting jaw; he sported a thin black moustache across his top lip. He pushed out his chest and held himself tall – Ruby would say peacockish, if there was such a word – as he approached Beatty, behind the counter.
‘You must be Ruby – the one the kid goes on about,’ the man said to Beatty as she looked up to face him. His voice held the hint of an accent, but not the same as Tommy’s.
‘And you are?’ Beatty asked.
‘Not important. I’m here to say I’ll be leaving soon, and the boy will be my mouthpiece. As I said in my message, he’ll collect the rent and take it to my sister. She’s been a customer of yours, and will be again. The boy helps us out.’
Ruby listened as Tommy’s uncle spoke in a rasping voice. His words were clipped, and he didn’t come across as the patient type.
Ruby gave a polite cough and stepped forward, holding out her hand. ‘Actually, that’s Beatty. I’m Ruby Shadwell. I’m pleased to meet you at last, Mr – I’m sorry, Tommy never told us your name.’
‘He’s no need to tell it, but if you have to have a name, it’s Earl. I take it you heard what I’ve just said. Bit young to run a business, aren’t you?’
Ruby doubted Earl was his real name. His eyes were a steel grey and unfriendly, and he showed no intention of shaking her hand so she put it into her skirt pocket. It surprised her to think he’d negotiated a deal on the property, just on Tommy’s word and for a stranger. He came across as a man who’d have enjoyed lording it over a female, much as he did now.
‘The war makes some of us grow up faster than we’d like, Earl. I look younger than I am, and a lady never gives her age,’ she said, adding a hint of theatrical attitude.
‘Spiky. You speak your mind. Good. You need guts in business. You gave a good price when the boy traded with you, I’ll give you that. Honesty earns respect. I repay honesty. The war has ruined some, and others have clawed back to shake things up a bit. We’re the shakers, me and you,’ Earl replied, waving a freshly lit cigarette at her.
‘Thank you, but I’m not a shaker. I’ve no intention of shaking things up. I want a quiet life with a thriving business,’ Ruby said.
‘Ah, but you’ve already joined the club, Ruby. You’ve shaken up the buyers and sellers – I know – I sell. I hear rumours of unrest.’ Earl’s voice was menacing and his face serious, but suddenly he burst out laughing. ‘Gullible. Look at the pair of you. I don’t listen to, or hear, rumours. I start them. You are my rumour this week. I’ve spread the word you’re back in business. Brace yourself, Ruby Shadwell. Good luck.’
Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and left the shop. Ruby and Beatty stared at his back and then faced each other in disbelief.
‘Did that really just happen?’ Ruby asked.
Beatty made a whooshing sound and waved her hand high. ‘There he was, gone.’
They both laughed at the ridiculous way he’d behaved. Ruby stepped around the shop, mimicking his strutting walk.
‘As for that chin –’ Beatty said and stuck out her jaw.
Ruby gasped through her laugh. ‘Call me Earl. I don’t listen to rumours, I start them. What an arrogant man,’ Ruby said when she caught her breath.
Fred came from the back room.
‘You missed a treat, Fred. Tommy’s uncle, home on leave – Earl,’ Ruby said.
Beatty put her hand to her forehead. ‘Fools. He’s not in the forces – no uniform. Government office worker. Pinstripe suit.’
‘Spy, I bet. He was so cagey about his name.’
‘Earl what?’ Fred asked.
‘He didn’t give a surname,’ Ruby replied.
‘There’s your answer. He’s an earl of somewhere. Like Beatty said, government man in a pinstripe.’
With a loud tut, Ruby put her hands up as if in protest. ‘Have you seen the state of Tommy? How can he be the nephew of an earl? The man’s a dreamer. Probably bottom of the pack in his unit, and gets a kick out of playacting the tough man when he’s on leave.’
Beatty grunted her approval at Ruby’s statement. ‘And I still can’t work out why he’s keen to give Tommy what he wants for a friend but doesn’t look after the child’s needs. Still, we can’t judge what we don’t understand. They must do things different in the capital,’ she said with a sniff of indifference, and lifted a flask from a basket behind the counter.
‘Beatty, there’s a kitchen upstairs; you don’t have to bring tea from home,’ Ruby said with a giggle.
‘I am not climbing stairs to put the kettle on and then bringing cups down. No, thank you. I’ll save my breath and bring a flask. If my friends drop in, I could be up and down those stairs all day. Want one, Fred?’
Ruby left Beatty fussing over Fred and went into her office, where the sunshine flowed through the window. She sat at the desk and pondered over Beatty’s comments about the kitchen upstairs. Thanks to Beatty’s loveable nature, she’d drawn in a few local women and in the past two days the shop became a meeting place. They chatted and knitted together, age no barrier.
‘That’s it!’ Ruby shouted.
‘Problem?’ Fred called out.
‘No. Stay there. I’ve an idea.’
Ruby returned to the shop, smiled at her friends, looked inside the room with clothes and back into the main area again. ‘Back in a mo,’ she said and ran upstairs.
An idea had formed and she ran back to her friends. Breathless with excitement, she waved her hand in a random fashion until she’d calmed enough to speak. ‘I want to create a meeting room. Out the back. In the office.’
Beatty laid down her knitting. ‘Pardon me?’