A Winter Baby for Gin Barrel Lane

by Lindsey Hutchinson

  Dolly was amazed at the huge copper vats with pipes, valves and gauges attached. There were sacks of barley grain and juniper berries, massive water vats as well as barrels and casks.

  ‘The gin is made from barley grain mash. The cold water is run through the condenser here and this is where we add the alcohol and botanicals. The bottom of the still is heated to seventy-three degrees Celsius so the alcohol turns to a gas. This gas rises up through the top of the pot still, then passes through the condenser, which is filled with cold water. The gas then becomes a liquid once more and the final distillate then trickles into a barrel. Burton’s distillery does this all over again for a higher proof solution of water and alcohol.’

  ‘So giving a smoother gut-rot,’ Dolly said with a smile.

  ‘Indeed. I’m surprised you remember that.’

  Dolly relished the opportunity to learn more about the distillery but eventually they hailed a cab. Dolly peppered Wilton with questions for the whole journey back to the Palace.

  Once they had reached Gin Barrel Lane, Wilton did not linger after seeing Dolly inside the Palace, and headed straight back to his work.

  ‘You’re back, then,’ Sadie said as Dolly took a seat in the kitchen.

  ‘Yes, I’ve been to Darlaston to see the distillery.’

  ‘It’s all right for some, gallivanting round the countryside while others have to work.’

  ‘It’s a perk of being the boss, Sadie,’ Dolly replied.

  ‘Ain’t it just. We have liver and onions for tea tonight.’

  Dolly smiled. ‘My favourite.’

  ‘Have you had a word with Jack yet?’ Sadie asked.

  ‘No, I… I haven’t found the right time,’ Dolly said. When she had returned from the Emporium in such a lather, she had confided to Sadie about what Bess had told her and her cook had agreed with every word.

  ‘You’d better find time, else ordure and wind will come together in one mighty shit-storm!’

  Alice collapsed in a fit of giggles and Sadie shot her a look of disdain, silencing her in an instant.

  ‘I’ll do it tomorrow.’

  ‘Make sure you do because I’d hate to see you two fall out.’

  Dolly nodded and went to take her turn behind the bar, her mind on what she would say to Jack the following day.

  23

  Dolly took a cab early the next day, wanting to be at the Emporium before it opened its doors to its thirsty customers. She had no idea what she would say to Jack or how she would broach the subject, but she knew something had to be said.

  Entering via the back door, she spoke quietly when she saw her friend. ‘I need to speak with you, Jack, somewhere private.’ She ignored the glances from Bess and Gwen and followed Jack into the room set aside for diners.

  ‘I need a word an’ all,’ Jack said as they sat at one of the tables already set with glassware and cutlery to see how it might look when the room was opened to the public.

  ‘Jack, I…’

  ‘Hang on, Dolly, what I have to say is important.’

  Dolly nodded, glad of having a short reprieve before she had to speak.

  ‘I’ve worked my arse off getting this place up and running for you.’

  ‘I know.’

  Jack held up a hand to forestall her. ‘Hear me out before you say anything else. I’ve decided it’s time for me to move on. I’m quitting Dolly, I’ve had enough.’

  The colour drained from Dolly’s face as Bess’s words echoed in her mind. If you go on like this, you will lose Jack – both as a manager and a friend! She’d left it too late! Jack was leaving – her one true friend in all the world was deserting her.

  ‘Ain’t you got anything to say?’ he asked, watching Dolly play with a fork on the table.

  ‘I… Why?’ Dolly was in shock at his decision.

  ‘You know why, Dolly, you’ve known for a while.’

  ‘Jack, you can’t give all this up just because…’ Still Dolly could not voice her thoughts. How could she tell him about her feelings for Wilton? She would never be able to find the words.

  ‘What will you do? Where will you go?’ Dolly felt a myriad of emotions assaulting her brain.

  ‘I don’t know but not back to the Crown that’s for sure. I couldn’t put up with Mum hanging out of my ear every minute of the day.’

  ‘Jack, she’ll be devastated! It was hard enough for her to let you come here!’

  Looking at the girl he loved with all his heart, he wondered why she wasn’t devastated.

  ‘I’m a man now, Dolly, and it’s time to make my own way in life.’

  ‘Please, you can’t go! You should speak to Nellie…’

  ‘No! Can you imagine what she’ll say? You’re a bloody fool, Jack Larkin! Get your arse back there and stop clartin’ about!’

  Dolly could not raise a smile at his imitation of Nellie. Instead, she closed her eyes tight to prevent her threatening tears from forming.

  ‘I’ve made up my mind, Dolly. I’ll be leaving today.’

  ‘No! Jack, please don’t! Think on it some more,’ Dolly begged as she opened her eyes and looked at him earnestly.

  Shaking his head, he said, ‘What was it you wanted to say to me?’

  ‘That’s not important now. Jack, please don’t leave me! What will I do without you?’

  ‘You’ll find another manager easily enough.’

  ‘I don’t mean that! You’re my friend, Jack, and I…’

  ‘That’s just it Dolly – I’m your friend.’

  The meaning was clear to them both. After a moment, Jack stood and strode from the room, leaving Dolly in a state of shock which had her glued to her chair. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared into space. She had failed him, and she felt wretched. It wasn’t even as though she and Wilton were stepping out. Yes, they had become friends over the months, but Wilton had given her no reason to think it was anything more than that. She had let her heart rule her head and now because of that she was losing her soulmate. The thought hit her like a sledgehammer. How had she not stopped to wonder if Jack could be the one for her? Had she been too tied up in her musings about Wilton Burton to see what was right under her nose?

  Dolly thought of the implications Jack’s leaving would bring. Nellie would blame her and that could cause a rift between them. How could she tell Nellie that her son had upped and left? She wouldn’t be able to answer the questions Nellie would rail at her: Why didn’t you stop him? Why didn’t he talk to me? Why didn’t he come home here to us?

  A sob escaped her throat. It was all going wrong. Everything was being spoiled because she had let her feelings take over.

  It was then that Bess came into the room.

  ‘Oh, Bess! I’ve made such a mess of everything!’

  Sitting in the seat Jack had vacated, the cook said, ‘I’m sorry to say this, love, but you have. You wouldn’t listen. I warned you this might happen.’

  ‘I know and that’s why I came this morning. I was going to talk to Jack!’

  Bess nodded sadly. ‘Well, you left it too late, lass, the lad’s gone.’

  ‘What? Already? He said he was leaving today but…’

  ‘Yes, had his bag already packed it seems.’

  ‘Did he say where he was going?’

  ‘No, he just said his goodbyes and thank yous, and off he went.’

  Dolly’s tears burst their banks now and, grabbing her cane, she rushed out to see if she could catch him before he disappeared from her life entirely.

  Out in the street, she sobbed as she looked both ways, but she could see no sign of Jack. If he’d caught a cab he could be anywhere by now.

  She stretched her body in an effort to see over people’s heads, but she wasn’t tall enough. Her eyes scanned folk passing by, searching for sight of Jack’s cap but it wasn’t there. Stepping into the middle of the road she looked first one way then the other but could see no sign of him.

  A carter called out, ‘Get out of the ’ossroad!’
/>
  Dolly stepped back to allow the cart to roll past. Bess was right – she had left it too late!

  Going back indoors, she told everyone rather sharply they would have a new manager in place in an hour. Other than that, she said nothing. She didn’t need to, Bess would explain, she was sure.

  Leaving the staff staring in disbelief, Dolly hailed a cab back to Daydream Palace.

  The moment she arrived, she called for Danny Whitehouse. ‘I need you to take over as manager at the Emporium.’

  ‘But I thought Jack…’

  ‘Will you do it?’ Dolly snapped.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Right, you’ll need to live in so I suggest you rent out your house, it will bring you a little extra money.’

  ‘Fair enough. When do I start?’

  ‘Now. I have to go across the road to see Nellie.’

  Dolly left Danny wondering what the hell was going on. He shook his head at the questions coming from the others as he pulled his jacket on.

  ‘I haven’t a clue,’ he said over the noise of the bar, ‘but I’m to take over immediately.’

  With that, he left for the Emporium.

  Over at the Crown Saloon, Dolly did her best to explain what had happened, and as she suspected, Nellie shot questions at her one after another. Nancy wept into her apron and Fred tried his best to console her.

  ‘Fred, take a couple of men and get out there. See if you can find my boy!’ Nellie said urgently.

  With a nod, Fred moved as fast as his lumbering frame would allow.

  ‘Now then. Tell me again exactly what’s gone on,’ Nellie said sternly. She wasn’t going to let it rest until she had the truth.

  24

  Dolly tearfully related again what had transpired in the soon-to-be dining room at the Emporium.

  ‘You had no idea? Really?’

  ‘Bess and Sadie both told me Jack was sweet on me and was jealous of Wilton Burton, but I didn’t really believe them.’

  ‘A blind man could see that he is in love with you!’ Nancy snapped.

  ‘Maybe he is and that’s why he’s left,’ Dolly said quietly. ‘Bess warned me this might happen.’

  ‘And you did nothing about it?’ Nellie asked sharply.

  ‘That’s why I went over there this morning. I was going to talk it out with him, but he didn’t give me the chance!’

  ‘Have you any notion as to where he might have gone?’

  Dolly shook her head.

  ‘Christ, what a mess!’ Nellie dragged her hands down her face and Dolly was shocked to see how old her friend suddenly looked. Why had she not noticed this before?

  ‘I’m so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen.’

  ‘It ain’t your fault, gel,’ Nancy said, trying to make the girl feel a little better.

  ‘It is though, Nancy. If I hadn’t encouraged him to leave here… I should have been more considerate where his feelings were concerned!’

  ‘Well, it’s too late now, ain’t it?’ Nellie thundered.

  ‘Nell!’ Nancy boomed.

  ‘Oh, bloody hell! I’m sorry, Dolly, it’s just – I’m scared for the lad. God knows what could happen to him out there.’

  ‘Fred will find him, you’ll see,’ Nancy said, laying a comforting hand on her friend’s arm.

  ‘I hope to God he does!’ Looking up at the other two women, Nellie’s emotions overcame her and she burst into tears. Before a moment passed, all three were sobbing their hearts out.

  A couple of hours later, Fred returned.

  ‘No luck, Nellie, I’m sorry. I’ve sent out the urchins with messages to as many pubs as I could think of. Hopefully someone will have seen him.’

  ‘Thanks, Fred,’ Nellie answered sadly.

  Dolly left, saying she should check on Danny Whitehouse, who she’d put in charge of the Emporium in the meantime, and see if there had been any word of Jack.

  They agreed to let each other know if anything was heard of Jack’s whereabouts.

  Hailing a cab, Dolly made the journey to Watery Lane, feeling the worst she’d ever felt in her life. She’d lost a real true friend, all because she’d been wrapped up in herself. She had been too cowardly to talk to Jack and now he’d gone, added to which everyone held her responsible, which of course she was.

  Entering the Emporium, she saw Danny was busy working the bar, so she sidled into the kitchen.

  Bess and Gwen gave her a cursory glance as she dropped onto a kitchen chair.

  ‘So, we have a new manager,’ Bess said.

  Dolly nodded.

  ‘He seems nice enough.’

  ‘He is,’ Dolly said quietly.

  ‘Any news on Jack?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘It’s no use you moping about, you need to get on with your work. News will come sooner or later.’

  ‘I can’t work! I’m worried sick!’

  ‘If you make yourself bad, that won’t help anybody!’ Bess snapped. ‘Stop feeling sorry for yourself and buck your ideas up!’

  Dolly burst into tears yet again and Gwen rushed to put an arm around the sobbing girl’s shoulders.

  ‘Look at what you’ve done now! Can’t you see she’s a mess? Leave her be!’

  Bess, feeling suitable chastened, put the kettle to boil. Tea, the best panacea in the world, was what was needed now.

  25

  When Jack had walked out of the Emporium and his life within it, he had no idea where his feet would take him. With just his wages and a few clothes in a bag, he went from pub to inn to tavern looking for work. He found nothing and his spirits dipped. He had genuinely believed he would be able to walk into another bar job somewhere easily, but no one was hiring.

  All morning he searched the town and by lunchtime he realised he was out on a limb. He had a little money, but no home and no work. The chill wind reminded him he needed to find shelter before the evening set in.

  Buying a pie and a bottle of lemonade for his dinner, Jack found a bench to sit and eat his food. As he chewed, he pondered his predicament. Hardly stopping to think what he was doing, he had left a comfortable life behind and now found himself alone, homeless and unemployed. He chided himself for being so rash; he should have thought about it more before he made his move. Then again, it was breaking his heart to think Dolly might be in love with Wilton Burton. How could he have stayed and watched their relationship grow into something more than friendship? If he had stayed, then resentment towards Dolly would have set in and he couldn’t bear that thought.

  His mind turned to Nellie, the only mother he had ever known. Taking him in from her doorstep she had raised him as her own and he loved her dearly. She would probably be going out of her mind with worry and he felt badly about that. However, he knew that if he’d spoken to her about his intentions, they would have argued. She would have tried to cajole him into staying and when that failed she would have bullied him.

  He’d been gone only a few hours and already he missed everyone, and his heart ached to be back amongst them all. But he was an adult and had made his choice. How could he return with his tail between his legs now? He could not crawl back begging to be forgiven, apologising for the hurt he had caused. What about the hurt he was feeling? Would anyone understand that?

  Finishing his drink, he took the empty bottle back to the shop and was given a halfpenny refund. Looking around, he wondered which way to go next.

  Back at the Emporium, Dolly wailed, ‘I need to go and search for him!’

  ‘And where would you look? You have no clue which route he took,’ Bess said sensibly.

  ‘He’ll come back when he’s tired and hungry,’ Gwen added.

  ‘No, he won’t. He’s too pig-headed to do that.’

  ‘Dolly, you have to resign yourself to the fact that he’s gone. It’s up to him now to decide his own fate,’ Bess said.

  Knowing the words were true didn’t make Dolly feel any better. She just wanted Jack home, and she said so.

  ‘Is it be
cause you were the cause of him leaving? Or because Nellie holds you responsible? Or is it something more?’ Bess asked.

  Dolly looked at the cook and the woman nodded. ‘I thought so. Dolly, my wench, you ain’t in love with Wilton Burton; your heart belongs to Jack Larkin! I’d guess that it always has.’

  26

  ‘I’ve always thought of Jack as my brother until…’ Dolly began.

  ‘Until now. Put it this way. If Wilton Burton disappeared from your life tomorrow, how would you feel?’

  ‘I’d be sad, he’s a lovely man.’

  Bess nodded. ‘Sad. Now look at Jack. He’s done just that and you feel – what? Bereft? Lost, lonely?’

  ‘Yes, all of those things,’ Dolly mumbled.

  ‘There you go then! You can do without young Mr Burton, but Jack…?’

  ‘Oh, Bess! I didn’t think… I had no idea until today!’

  ‘Love don’t always hit you between the eyes like a poleaxe gal, sometimes it grows slowly, and if you ask me that’s the best way because then it usually lasts a lifetime.’

  Dolly drew in a shuddering breath. ‘It’s too late now.’

  ‘It’s never too late. Someone will know where that lad went, so we just have to find out who that person is.’

  ‘How?’

  ‘Ask around.’

  ‘Fred has sent the urchin runners out already.’

  ‘Then that’s the first step. The next is for Gwen and me to ask around the other servants.’

  ‘I’d be very grateful if you could.’

  ‘Leave that with us. What you need to do now is to stop fretting. There’s enough of us and Birmingham ain’t so big as to hide him for long.’

  ‘What if he’s not in Birmingham? Maybe he caught a train to another town!’

  ‘Then somebody will have seen him at the station.’

  ‘Do you really think so?’

  ‘I do. Now quit worrying and get off home and have a rest. Wait for word, it will come eventually.’