course I enjoyed it. I just love being with you.’
Michael grinned, and propped himself up against the pillow with his elbow. ‘Do you know what? That is the first time either of us has ever mentioned that daunting L-word. Do you love me, Nancy? I love you, I am proper sure of that.’
When Nancy nodded shyly, Michael held her in his arms and sighed deeply. He had always been a player ever since he had lost his virginity at thirteen years old, but no girl had ever made him feel the way that Nancy did. Even though he wasn’t positive that he could always remain faithful to her, he was sure she was the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
‘What’s up? You look very serious all of a sudden,’ Nancy said, laying her head on Michael’s chest.
‘You’re gonna have to tell your parents about us soon, and I’m gonna have to tell my family. It’s the only way forward, Nance.’
Nancy felt fear engulf her stomach. ‘Oh, I can’t do that. Say my dad chucks me out?’
Kissing his girlfriend on her forehead, Michael said the words he thought he would never hear himself say. ‘If your dad chucks you out then we’ll move in together, Nance. In fact, we can even go better than that. We can get married.’
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Albie Butler hadn’t expected his family to go into meltdown over him supposedly staring death in the face, but he had thought Roy and Michael would have shown a bit more concern. Nearly two weeks it was now since Albie had been invited to dinner at Queenie’s house, and he had not heard hide nor hair from any of his family since.
Counting out the loose change in his pocket, Albie shuffled despondently towards the bar. He only had enough money left for a couple of drinks, and once that had gone he would have to suffer starvation and dehydration until he got his unemployment benefit handout on Thursday.
‘The usual, Albie?’ the barmaid asked.
‘No, just a pint today, love. Times are hard at present, so no more chasers for a while. Big Stan not been in today?’ Albie asked, hoping the man was about. Ever since he had told him that he had cancer, Stan bought him a drink or two virtually every day.
‘No, not seen him today. ’Ere, ain’t that your son just walked in, Albie?’
Albie looked around and was shocked to see Vinny walk towards him. Roy or Michael, he might have expected to pop in and buy him a pint, but not his eldest.
‘Get me dad a chaser. I’ll have a large Scotch on the rocks, and have a drink yourself,’ Vinny ordered the barmaid.
‘Thanks, son. It’s a nice surprise to see you, I must say. Was you local? Or, did you make a special trip to see your old dad?’
Ordering his father to sit down at a table, Vinny sat opposite him and smirked. ‘No, I was local. Popped over the hospital to see a pal of mine, who just happens to be a doctor there. Was worried about your illness, you see. But, you ain’t got one, have you, Dad? I knew when you stuffed two big bowls of Mum’s lamb stew down your gullet there was fuck all wrong with you, and surprise, surprise, the hospital you are supposedly having regular treatment at has never even heard of you. What a devious, wicked old fucker you are, eh?’
Knowing he’d been caught like a kipper, Albie Butler hung his head in shame. ‘I’m sorry, Vinny. I just missed yous kids so much, I said it out of pure desperation. I knew none of yous would have agreed to see me unless you thought I was dying. Have you told your brothers and your mother yet? They will hate me more than ever now, I know they will.’
‘Nope, and I might even keep your despicable lie a secret if you do something for me in return.’
‘What? I’ll do anything, boy, anything you want, providing you don’t tell anyone what I did. I will never be able to show my face round ’ere again if you do.’
‘Well, this is the deal. Tonight, I am holding a joint surprise engagement party at the club for Roy and Brenda. Unbeknown to Roy, I’ve invited his fiancée’s family over from Ireland. I want you to have a quiet word in the mother and father’s shell-like. Tell them that Roy is a ladies’ man. Say that he’s never been faithful to any bird in his life, and you have good reason to believe that he’s already cheated on Colleen, blah, blah, blah. You know what to say, being a serial womanizer yourself, eh, Dad?’
Albie didn’t like the sound of his task at all. Roy wasn’t a bad lad, and it was obvious that Vinny wanted to ruin his brother’s relationship for his own selfish means. ‘Can I ask why you don’t want Roy to marry this Colleen?’ Albie asked his son.
‘After what you’ve done, you don’t really have the right to ask me anything, Dad, but I will tell you anyway. I don’t hate Colleen, but Roy has changed so much since he met her. He has little interest in the club, our family, or bettering his life like he once did. If he gets hitched and starts banging out sprogs, then things will just get worse. Apart from a bit of help from Michael, I will have to run the business nigh-on singlehandedly, and I ain’t willing to do that.’
Albie sighed wearily. He hated the thought of ruining his son’s happiness, but what choice did he have? ‘The thing I don’t understand, Vinny, is when Roy and the rest of the family find out what I’ve done, they will hate me anyway. I don’t stand to gain much, do I?’
‘You gain them never knowing what a wicked old con-man you are. I mean, what type of father tells his four children he is dying when he isn’t? As you said earlier, your life is over in the East End if that one ever gets out.’
‘OK, I’ll do it,’ Albie said, thoroughly miserable.
‘Good! I also want you to tell Colleen’s mum and dad the story of you being hospitalized that time with all your broken bones. Tell ’em it was Roy who beat you up though, not me. Anything you can think of which will make the family want Colleen to end her engagement to Roy, you tell ’em. Then in return, in a few weeks’ time, I will tell the family that I went to the hospital with you and your cancer is now in remission, OK? I will also try and smooth over what happens tonight for you. Your excuse for your outburst will be that you have more tests at the hospital tomorrow, and you were so worried about being told you only had weeks to live, you got plastered and didn’t know what you were saying. With a bit of luck Colleen’s family won’t make a fuss at the party, and will speak to their daughter on the quiet, so what you said might not ever come to light anyway.’
‘What time do you want me to get there?’ Albie mumbled.
‘Seven o’clock, and take that to have a drink or two before you arrive,’ Vinny ordered, throwing a twenty-pound note at his father. Then, without a backward glance, Vinny strolled casually out of the pub.
When Nancy got home from work she immediately knew that something was wrong. The mood indoors had been very frosty ever since she hadn’t come home one night last week, but today she could have cut the atmosphere with a knife.
‘Sit down, Nancy,’ Donald growled.
Her mum and Christopher were sitting opposite each other in the centre of the dinner table, her dad at the head, so Nancy sat down on the chair opposite him. ‘Have I done something wrong?’ she asked anxiously. Since making love to Michael, Nancy had wanted to shout their relationship from the rooftops, but somehow she
