East End Jubilee Read Online Free Page B

Daddy.’
    ‘But he fought them back.’ Marlene wiped the dirty tears from her cheek with the back of her hand. ‘I saw from Mrs Parker’s window. I tried to kick one of them
too.’
    Rose took the little hand and gave it a squeeze. ‘You were sticking up for Daddy I know, but you mustn’t kick people.’
    ‘They came in our house without asking.’
    ‘Well, they did have a search warrant.’
    ‘What’s that?’
    ‘A piece of paper that says you can search someone’s house.’ She pulled them along. ‘Let’s go in and see if they’ve left the house tidy.’
    What had the police expected to find, Rose wondered as they all filed in looking this way and that, first in the front room and then in the kitchen. The front room was her pride and joy with the
green moquette couch standing in front of the window and the big shiny radiogram sitting against the far wall. On the mantel was Rogues’ Gallery, photos in brown wooden frames of all the
family dating back to her grandparents. On the wall above was a large round bevelled-edge mirror that had always been part of the house for as long as she could remember. There were a few rust
spots that had begun to creep over its surface, but if you didn’t look too close, it looked as good as new. To soften the austerity of the room she had made her own flowery cushions and a
thick hearthrug sat cosily in front of the black leaded Victorian fireplace. A large brass coal scuttle and companion tongs rested on the ornate brass hearth surround and a framed needlework
tapestry her mother had made hid the emptiness of the grate behind. It was slightly askew and some soot had come down on the shiny green tiles. Whoever had been searching up the chimney had found
nothing but cobwebs!
    Other than this, the room seemed to be as it was although a few pieces of china looked out of place on the shelves above the radiogram. Rose replaced them asking herself why the police would
want to search their modest little home. God knew they had very few possessions and what they did have had been in the family for years.
    Then she thought of the one item of value in the whole house. Not of material importance but certainly of sentimental value. She ran upstairs. Her mother’s necklace was kept in the bottom
drawer of the dressing table. The slender row of imitation pearls meant the world to her. She pulled out the drawer and saw Eddie’s socks in a muddle. It was her practice to turn each pair
into a ball after washing and lay them side by side. Her hands went shakily to a navy blue pair, well worn and long ago rejected by Eddie.
    ‘Are you looking for Nana’s necklace, Mummy?’ Donnie asked as she came to stand beside her mother.
    ‘Yes, darling.’ Rose shook out the socks and a dainty row of pearls slithered out. ‘They’re still here,’ she sighed in relief as she pressed their comforting shape
between her fingers. Whenever Rose held them she felt close to her mother.
    ‘The wardrobe door’s open.’ Donnie pushed her head inside.
    ‘Probably thought we had a television hidden there,’ Rose grumbled as she returned the pearls to the socks.
    ‘They pulled everything out of the toy box,’ Donnie said haughtily. ‘Marlene’s tidying them up.’
    Rose smiled. ‘What a waste of time, searching a lot of old teddy bears!’ They laughed as, hand in hand, they went to help Marlene.
    What was going to happen to Eddie? Rose wondered as they arranged the toys back in the box. He wasn’t a criminal. They didn’t have a lot of money to flash round. One week she had
barely enough to make ends meet, the next she managed to buy a few extras. She never quite knew how much Eddie would bring home and, since he wouldn’t agree to her working, one wage was all
that ever came into the house.
    Rose looked around her daughters’bedroom. You certainly couldn’t call a wardrobe, chest of drawers and two single beds, luxuries. All the furniture had belonged to her parents who
had been