A Rare Ruby Read Online Free PDF Page B

babies. Where is he?’
    ‘Mrs Norton’s just feeding him. She’ll be in in a minute.’
    ‘Can I hold him?’
    ‘We’ll see.’ Ruby felt sad as she watched her father sink down in the armchair again and pull his blanket round his shoulders.
    ‘Who’s that?’ he asked later, pointing at Beth Norton when she came into the kitchen.
    ‘Mrs Norton. Our lodger. You know, I told you about her,’ said Ruby, who was standing at the table, ironing.
    Beth sat next to Mr Jenkins. ‘Hello, this is my baby. His name’s Danny.’
    ‘Hello, Danny.’ Thomas Jenkins gently took his hand.
    The way he looked at the baby, Ruby thought her heart would burst.
    Mary Jenkins came into the room. ‘You finished that ironing yet, love?’
    ‘Just got to do the last few handkerchiefs and pillow cases,’ said Ruby.
    ‘When you’ve finished that you can take Mrs Bell’s washing and collect the dirty lot.’
    ‘Where’s Tom?’ asked Ruby.
    ‘Collecting from Mrs Morris. It’s getting dark and I don’t like him going round that way, they’re very rough.’
    ‘Can’t he come with me?’
    ‘No. I want him to fetch some coal when he gets back. You’ll be all right.’
    ‘But it’ll be dark be the time I’m finished.’
    ‘I’ll put Danny on the floor then I can finish off that ironing for you, Ruby. Is Mrs Bell’s very far?’ Beth Norton asked Mrs Jenkins.
    ‘The buildings.’
    ‘The buildings?’ she repeated with a look of horror on her face.
    ‘Do you know it?’
    ‘I’ve heard about it,’ she said quickly.
    ‘It’s not too far and, Ruby, if you go now it won’t be too dark. And you don’t need to take the pram.’
    Ruby shuddered. She didn’t want to argue, but she didn’t like going round to the buildings in the dark. They were near the docks and were very old and dirty with broken windows. She had been told that a lot of women who lived there entertained the sailors and dockers. She was always frightened when she had to step over a pile of rubbish that sometimes turned out to be a tramp or a drunk. Her mother never went round there so she really didn’t know what it was like. Rubbish filled the stairway and gangs of boys stood on the corners, and she had heard some terrible tales of what they did to girls on their own. What if they stole the money? Her mother should have sent her out earlier, before it got so dark.
    Outside it was raining that fine drizzle that made everything feel dreary and damp. Ruby dragged her coat round her and pulled her hat down over her flyaway hair. She hurried as fast as the flapping soles of her boots allowed. The sound of the ships’ mournful sirens filled the air and as she went past the high wall surrounding the gasometer, she could hear footsteps; someone was walking behind her. She couldn’t look round. Fear made the sweat run down between her tiny breasts. As they got closer she wanted to run, but knew she would fall over if she tried. The sole of her boot had started to come off and was beginning to slow her down. How she hated all this poverty. Why couldn’t she get a job like Beth Norton and not have to go out on nights like this to deliver washing?
    ‘What you doing round this way, Ruby Jenkins?’
    Although she could have flung her arms round Ernie Wallis’s neck she was so relieved to hear his voice, she was still very angry with him.
    ‘Here, you ain’t coming round this way looking for washing, are yer?’ he asked as he fell in step with her.
    ‘No, I ain’t. And I don’t want to talk to you after what you told that Mrs Watson.’ Deep down Ruby knew that wasn’t true, she wanted to talk to him more than anything else in the world, but she wasn’t going to let him know it.
    He laughed. ‘I shouldn’t worry about it, they’re always looking for girls to work there.’
    ‘D’you think I should try again?’
    ‘Don’t ask me. So what are you doing round this way at this time of night?’
    ‘I’m just taking some washing back.’ She had to