At least he didn't try it on so much any more. At one point she had been frightened to be near him. Even if Jackie was in the next room he would make a play for her, try to grab her breasts. And then he would laugh at her when he saw how scandalised she was. Now though, Jimmy's rise in the world had put paid to that.
Freddie seemed to be aware of the way Jimmy was progressing, and if this kept him off her back then she was all for Jimmy's rise to power. But the underhanded way Freddie came on to her, made sure she was always wary of him and what he was capable of.
'She dropped it yet?'
Freddie sounded bored. Until he heard the word boy he was not going to let himself get excited.
'Don't you think you should come to the hospital, Freddie? Jackie is having a rough time of it.'
He raised his eyebrows and then, smirking, he winked at Jimmy who couldn't help grinning at his antics. Freddie was funny, there was no getting away from that.
Then Freddie started to laugh. Maggie hated his laugh, it was the ultimate insult. He laughed at you, rarely with you.
'You mean to tell me you hung about all this time thinking I was going to go to Rush Green to hold her fucking hand?'
Jimmy watched them both. They were natural antagonists and he understood how Freddie got on Maggie's nerves, he just didn't fully understand what the problem was with Freddie. He knew Freddie fancied her, that was apparent, but then he knew any man in their right mind would fancy her, and it went deeper than that.
'Want a drink, Maggie, or do you want me to run you back to see your sister?'
Jimmy's words told her she was wasting her time and even though she knew it, she still had to try. If Freddie would only go and see his wife then Jackie would calm down.
She used her trump card and hoped it would work. 'I had better get back to the hospital, your mum looks tired, Freddie, as if she hasn't been sleeping. I'll try and get her to go home.'
Freddie was amazed that his mother was there at all, let alone staying till all hours. Maddie loathed her daughter-in-law, it was one of the main things they had in common these days. He wasn't stupid though, he knew his father was making life intolerable for her with this new bird. It was a bit full on, even he had noticed that. The little bird was taken all over the place with him, and his father was besotted with her.
He had not seen his mother for a few days and he knew his father had not been home for over a week. He was holed up round the girl's flat, with her two bastard kids and her speed habit that Freddie was inadvertently financing, because his father was not bothering to do any actual work. He was disrespecting the woman who had brought up his son, and who had made sure he was clean and fed.
He was suddenly worried about her. She had been a good mother, the only woman he had any respect for at all. He stood up.
'Come on, let's go and see how the old bird's doing,' he said. 'She better have a fucking boy after all this.'
Jimmy was relieved. He had not wanted another night of it in the pub. He wanted to be with Maggie, and just relax.
Freddie was feeling good about himself now, he could be delivered of his son and heir this very night. The thought excited him, he wanted someone to carry on his name. It would make his life bearable. He loved his girls, especially his Dianna, but a son would be the ultimate.
His mother would love him to be there, anyway, she needed him and he knew that. It wouldn't hurt him to make her happy, and turn up at the hospital for five minutes. She was big on family stuff, always had been.
Jackie watched her husband as he gazed down into the handsome face of his son.
He grinned at her then and she smiled bravely. She was feeling OK but she was determined to milk this for all it was worth.
He was perfect, nine pounds seven ounces of dark-haired Jackson. Lena and Maddie were over the moon, and she was experiencing the pride she had felt after all her births. She loved the babies when they were brand new and it was only when the novelty had worn off and everyone stopped coming round that they started to get on her nerves.
But with this child, from the first time she had looked into his eyes it had been different inasmuch as she had felt a physical tugging inside her chest. It was like looking at Freddie. The baby was the living image of his father and she felt the exhilaration of knowing she had at last given Freddie what he wanted.
When Freddie had arrived she had been triumphant. Her mother-in-law had insisted she tidied herself up and brush her hair and she was so glad she had done it. He had taken one look at the baby, and she had watched in sheer amazement as his face had lit up, and for a few seconds he looked seventeen again. All the love she had for him was once more to the fore. The hurt he had caused, and the neglect she had felt over the last six months was all forgotten as they both shared the miracle of their little son.
Maddie and Lena had looked on with relief as they had observed the little tableau, mother, father and son together.
Lena, as thrilled as she was with her grandson, was worried at how fast her Jackie was knocking back the champagne. Her eyes were glassy and she was talking loudly, but thankfully no one else noticed that she was already half pissed and the child was not yet an hour old.
'What a handsome boy, eh?'
Maddie smiled her agreement and enjoyed the look of pure happiness on her son's face. It was so rare these days.
'Maggie said she kicked off in the hospital.'
Maddie nodded. 'It was embarrassing, I wish she wouldn't carry on like that.'
Freddie sipped at his cup of tea and watched his mother's face, scowling now. He knew that for someone like her, his wife's way of carrying on was scandalous. He had to admit that he was coming round to her way of thinking more and more as time went on. No matter how much money he gave Jackie, she was always skint, no matter what they bought for the house, the place always looked like a tip.
Sitting like this, in his mother's lovely front room, he missed the orderly cleanliness of his childhood. He missed the feel of crisp clean bedding he'd had as a child. Maddie had starched the sheets and he had loved the feel of them, the smell of them. She would pop a hot water bottle in for him when it was cold, and he had snuggled down into the warmth and felt safe.
With Jackie, he was lucky if she bothered to sling the duvet on the bed about five minutes before they got in it.
He had been proud of his mother and father when he was growing up, from their lounge diner to the York-stone fireplace. He had felt different from all his contemporaries because his home had been superior in every way.
Now he was working for Ozzy, he felt that his home should reflect his standing, but he also knew he could never trust Jackie with a mortgage. If he got banged up it would all go pear-shaped in no time, since she didn't even pay the rent until they threatened her with eviction.
He picked up money for Ozzy every month from people who owed him for a variety of reasons, and through this collecting he had been given an education. The way some of the people lived had opened his eyes to a life he had never known existed. But the most amazing thing was that they were all like him, they had come from council estates. The difference was that they had made their money work for them.
Ozzy had made him see what he called the big picture. He had sat and listened to Ozzy explaining about this new order, about how Thatcher was going to put money in everyone's pocket, starting with a housing boom. How it had never been cheaper to borrow money, which for people in their game meant easier laundering of their profits. He loved Margaret Thatcher, he saw her as the saviour of Britain, and Freddie had listened and he had learned.