A Rare Ruby Read Online Free PDF Page A

Where?’
    ‘At the laundry.’
    ‘And?’
    ‘I didn’t get it.’ Ruby went into great detail of how she’d first thought of starting her own business, then how she’d met Elsie, and then how Ernie Wallis had dashed her hopes of getting a job. ‘Don’t laugh at me, Mum. I want to help. I don’t want to live like this.’ She waved her arm at the clothes horse. ‘I want to be able to go and buy a skirt.’
    Her mother went to her and held her close. ‘I won’t laugh and I can understand how you must feel. You’re growing up and I’m sorry things are so hard. But I’m sure they’ll get better.’ She gently pushed her daughter away. ‘Look at your dad. I do believe he’s improving a little.’ She smiled. ‘Who knows, one of these days he may even go out to work again.’
    ‘Do you really think that, Mum?’
    ‘As I said, who knows? You’re a good girl, Ruby. D’you know why you was called Ruby?’
    Ruby shook her head.
    ‘Your dad always said you was his bright little jewel and very precious. He was right, you know, and to us you are indeed a rare Ruby.’
    Ruby smiled. ‘Mum, can’t we have that woman come and stay here? It will help, if only through the winter.’
    ‘I was thinking about it when all the soot fell down. Do you really think we could manage?’
    Ruby quickly wiped her nose on the bottom of her frock. At last she had got her mother to change her mind. ‘I know we can.’
    ‘Pop over and tell Milly then. But the woman might have got something be now.’
    Ruby was out of the door and across the road in no time.

Chapter 3
    It was a week later and a cold damp Wednesday afternoon. Ruby had just returned from delivering washing when there was a knock at the door.
    ‘That’ll be Mrs Norton,’ said her mother.
    ‘I’ll go,’ said Ruby.
    ‘She come round earlier and brought a flock mattress she said she got from the market. It’s a bit stained and some of the stuffing’s coming out, but I can soon fix that. Just as long as it ain’t got any bugs in it. Can’t stand bugs.’
    On opening the front door, Ruby was very surprised to see a young and pretty girl on the doorstep, standing beside a scruffy pram with a torn hood. A few bags were wedged in next to a tiny baby that was almost hidden beneath a pile of covers. She didn’t look old enough to be married and have a baby. Ruby had thought she would be a much older woman.
    ‘Hello. You must be Ruby. I’ve heard a lot about you,’ she said. ‘It was ever so nice of your mother to take me in.’
    ‘You’d better come in.’ Ruby stood to one side as Mrs Norton manoeuvred the pram into the narrow passage.
    She was the same build as Ruby, slim and not over tall. Her fair hair had been pushed under her tight-fitting shapeless black hat, but a few strands had escaped and hung down in curly tendrils. Ruby noted that her black coat had seen better days. She gave Ruby a smile as her bright blue eyes darted nervously about her.
    Mary Jenkins came into the passage. ‘You can leave the pram here for the moment, but we’ll have to find somewhere else for it. We might be able to get it in the room with you.’ She looked up at the stairs. ‘I don’t want him complaining.’
    ‘This is so very kind of you.’
    ‘As I told you earlier, you’ll have to muck in with us.’
    ‘I don’t know what I would have done if I’d had to stay in that house much longer. Not that we were allowed to stay in all day.’ She lifted the baby from the pram; it had a long off-white frock, but wasn’t wearing any socks. ‘We had to go out every morning and not get back till six. It wasn’t so bad in the summer when I had a job, but now I’ve got the baby and the weather’s on the turn.’
    ‘That’s terrible,’ said Mrs Jenkins. ‘Didn’t you have your own room?’
    ‘No. I had to sleep on the sofa in the front room, it was very uncomfortable. So you see the floor in your house has got to be better.’
    ‘I don’t know about that,’ said