Shelter From the Storm

by Ellie Dean

  As April hurried out of the room to fetch her coat and gas-mask box, Peggy explained to Cordelia where they were going.

  ‘She’s a nice girl, isn’t she?’ said Cordelia. ‘But it’s a great shame she’s in the family way without a wedding ring on her finger.’ She gave a deep sigh. ‘I don’t know what this world is coming to, and I have to admit that I find it rather shocking, but then I’m old-fashioned, I suppose.’

  ‘She needs a home and someone to look after her.’ Peggy cleaned Daisy’s hands and face and sat her on the potty. ‘She’s only just nineteen, Cordelia – almost a baby herself.’

  ‘Mature enough to do what she did,’ said Cordelia briskly. ‘It’s a great pity neither of them showed some self-restraint.’ Her rather fierce expression softened. ‘But in times of war people do things in haste that they are forced to repent at leisure, and I agree that we must all rally round and do our best for her seeing as how her mother has abandoned her to strangers and her young man is away fighting for king and country.’

  She peered at Peggy over her half-moon glasses. ‘Another waif to take under your wing, Peggy. Just mind you don’t overdo things. You have enough on your plate as it is.’

  ‘I’ll cope,’ she said airily. ‘But I’d appreciate your support.’

  Cordelia’s eyes widened. ‘You have it, Peggy, of course you do. I’m surprised you ever doubted it.’

  Peggy praised Daisy for using the potty, emptied it in the outside lav and got her dressed for their journey into town. ‘Ron is a bit reluctant about me taking her in now he knows the situation,’ she said quietly. ‘I do hope he’ll put aside his prejudice and warm to her.’

  ‘You leave Ron to me,’ said Cordelia. ‘I’ve got his measure and know how to handle him.’

  Peggy very much doubted that. Ron could be strangely old-fashioned at times, but in the light of his current shenanigans, he was hardly in the best position to cast aspersions on poor little April. He would need careful handling, and she could only hope that his soft-heartedness would overcome his reluctance.

  April came into the kitchen dressed for the outdoors, her hair brushed to a shine, and with just a hint of make-up to hide the faded bruises. ‘I’m ready when you are,’ she said brightly.

  Peggy finished dressing Daisy and kissed Cordelia goodbye. ‘We might be some time, so don’t fret. And Ron should be back soon to keep you company. I’ve left a list on the table of things I want him to do. Please make sure he does at least some of them.’

  ‘Don’t you worry, dear. I’ll soon sort him out.’

  Peggy rolled her eyes skyward and picked up Daisy. ‘Let’s get going, April. Half the morning’s gone already.’

  They left Cordelia contentedly reading her newspaper, and headed for Camden Road. April was introduced to Alf the butcher and Fred the fishmonger and regaled with some of the exploits they and Ron had been involved in over the years. They continued on down Camden Road to the bakery and ironmonger’s, and then paused for a moment to wave to Rita, who was under a fire engine doing something with an oil can.

  The day was bright and breezy, the salty air coming from a sparkling sea. April would have liked to go down to the promenade to see if there were any reminders of those halcyon days of childhood, but Peggy turned up the hill towards the town hall and council offices.

  ‘We’ll register you with the billeting people first,’ she said. ‘Then we’ll pop into the labour exchange and sign you on. You never know, there may be something you can do, even with your arm in plaster. It’ll probably be something menial up at the factory estate, mind you.’

  ‘Anything will be better than idling about,’ said April. ‘I’m used to keeping busy, and at least I’d feel I’m contributing to the war effort, even if it just means making cups of tea in the canteen.’

  They reached the council offices and Peggy parked the pram by the piles of sandbags, telling the young lad from the Home Guard to keep an eye on Daisy, then led the way inside.

  April was glad to have Peggy beside her as she answered all the questions and filled in the seemingly endless forms to be registered as an evacuee.

  They emerged from the office to find Daisy was being entertained by the boy with a game of pat-a-cake. Having thanked him warmly, Peggy pushed the pram across the street.

  ‘I’ll rummage through my cupboards and collect up the baby clothes Daisy can no longer get into,’ she said as they walked along the pavement. ‘I know I’ve given some away already, but you’ll need to start collecting all the little things your baby will need. These things can’t be left to the last minute, you know.’

  ‘That’s very kind of you, Peggy, but—’

  ‘But nothing,’ she replied briskly. ‘They’re only sitting there going to waste, and I can’t think of anyone I’d rather give them to.’ She parked the pram once again, checked that Daisy was keeping warm and led the way into the labour exchange. ‘Oh, Lord,’ she sighed. ‘Look at the queue. We could be here for hours.’

  ‘I tell you what, Peggy. Why don’t you leave me here and go and do the rest of your shopping. If I’ve not finished by then, go home. I can find my own way back.’

  ‘Well, if you’re sure,’ she replied hesitantly. ‘I do have a lot of shopping to do, and I promised to pop in and see Ted this morning . . .’

  ‘I’ll be fine, really.’

  ‘Very well,’ she said reluctantly. ‘But I’ll pop in again later to show you the way to the doctor’s. It’s best to register today while we’re both in town.’

  April nodded and smiled her thanks before turning back into the crowded room. What did she do now? She’d never been in such a place before and hadn’t the first idea of what was expected of her. She eyed the shuffling queue at the far counter and then looked at the people stoically waiting on the hard chairs.

  ‘You look a bit lost,’ said the cheerful girl at the back of the straggling queue who was holding a baby swaddled out of sight in a white blanket. ‘First time, is it?’

  April nodded. ‘What’s the procedure?’

  ‘Well, you’ve got to queue up here and sign in. Then you sit down over there and wait for your name to be called.’ She grimaced as she rocked the baby in her arms and regarded the crowded room. ‘It could be a while, but then this place is always busy.’

  ‘Oh, well, I’ve got all day,’ said April.

  ‘You might need it,’ the girl replied with an impish grin. She shuffled forward and the baby began to whimper. ‘Oh, crumbs,’ she sighed. ‘He’s waking up, and he’s bound to cause a fuss because he’s teething.’

  April smiled as the girl drew back the blankets to reveal a great shock of curly black hair and a little red face screwed up in readiness to howl his displeasure – but it was the lack of a wedding ring on the girl’s finger that caught her eye.

  The girl caught April staring, and her expression became defiant. ‘His name’s James Elroy,’ she said. ‘After his father – though neither of us have seen hide nor hair of him since I fell pregnant and the American army shipped him out.’

  ‘He’s beautiful,’ April said truthfully as she gazed at the squirming infant who was slowly becoming mollified by his mother’s embrace.

  ‘Not at two in the morning, he isn’t,’ the girl said wryly. ‘He wakes everyone, and my landlady is getting fed up with it.’ She reached the head of the queue, signed her name in the large book on the counter and waited for April to do the same before hurrying to find two empty seats next to one another.

  ‘My name’s Shirley, by the way,’ she said. ‘Shirley Ryan.’

  ‘April Wilton. Have you always lived in Cliffehaven?’

  Shirley gave a wry smile and shook her head. ‘My home was a small village in Hampshire until I fell for this one.’ She kissed the baby’s cheek and propped him over her shoulder to distract him from his grizzling. ‘Small villages harbour small minds, and when you’re the daughter of a parish councillor who produces a baby without the benefit of a wedding ring, life can become impos
sible. My father threw me out, but my mother found me a place here and stays in touch. It seemed easier somehow to just stay on here once James Elroy was born.’

  April knew exactly how Shirley must have felt about that. ‘So your father hasn’t relented then?’

  Shirley’s smile faltered. ‘He made it plain he wanted nothing to do with me unless I had him adopted.’ She nuzzled the baby’s cheek. ‘But I just couldn’t do it, could I, precious boy?’ she crooned. ‘You’re far too gorgeous to give away, aren’t you?’ She blushed as she met April’s amused gaze. ‘Silly, I know, but I do adore him.’

  ‘It’s not surprising,’ murmured April. ‘He is very sweet. But isn’t it difficult, trying to cope with him on your own? How on earth do you manage to work and look after him?’

  ‘Sometimes it’s very hard,’ Shirley confessed. ‘But he’s worth it, even if I do have to work strange hours and put up with sly looks and snooty tutting.’ She grinned. ‘It seems I’m a scandal, and no better than I should be, but actually I’ve realised it’s only the naïve girls who get caught – the more knowing and flighty ones know how to protect themselves.’ She gave a regretful sigh. ‘I did love his father, you know. Thought we’d be together always. How stupid is that?’

  April knew exactly how stupid it was, but she didn’t know Shirley well enough to share her own experiences. ‘How are you going to be able to carry on working and look after the baby with no one to help you?’ she asked.

  Shirley’s eyes were suspiciously bright. ‘You’re the first person to ask me that,’ she said softly. ‘Most just leave me to get on with things and couldn’t care a fig.’ She blinked rapidly and shot April a watery smile. ‘I’m hoping to get a place at Goldman’s uniform factory. Mrs Goldman has set up a crèche for working mothers, and although the cost will come out of my wages, it’s not a lot and will be worth it to know he’s being looked after properly.’

  ‘I didn’t realise employers did that sort of thing,’ said April.

  ‘Well, they’ve had to now there’s a war on,’ Shirley replied. ‘It’s all hands on deck, isn’t it, and girls want to do their bit even if they do have little ones. Besides, I need the money – Mother can’t always help me out with Father breathing down her neck over every penny of her housekeeping.’ She shrugged. ‘You don’t get anything free in this world, so you’ve got to get on and make the best of things, haven’t you?’

  Shirley cocked her head as her name was called. ‘That’s me. It’s been lovely talking to you, April. Could we meet up again, do you think?’

  April saw the wistfulness in her expression and knew they were both in need of a friend. ‘Yes, I’d like that very much. Tomorrow, perhaps, if neither of us has a job to go to?’

  Shirley waved her hand at the woman who was calling out her name. ‘Yes, I’m coming,’ she shouted back. She hitched the baby more comfortably over her shoulder and turned back to April. ‘Tomorrow, midday at the kiosk down on the seafront,’ she said quickly before she hurried off.

  April watched her go to one of the four counters and sit down. She seemed such a pleasant girl, and clearly from a good background. How strange it was that they should meet so fortuitously, and have so much in common – even though Shirley had yet to know that. April admired her enormously, for she hadn’t hidden away from the world, but had faced up to her responsibilities with great optimism and against all odds. She had kept her baby and was making a new life for herself down here, far from family and friends.

  April sat and thought about that, and wondered if she’d ever have the courage to do such a thing, for it would mean sacrificing so much, and surely a baby would be better off with two adoptive parents who could afford to look after it properly?

  ‘April Wilton. Desk three.’

  Snatched from her thoughts, April glanced out of the window. There was no sign of Peggy, so she nervously approached the stern-looking woman behind the desk.

  Without preamble she was asked her name, home address, billet address, age and previous work experience. There was a tricky moment when she had to reveal she’d left the Wrens, but she managed to gloss over it by citing a crisis in the family that had since been resolved.

  She had to show her identity card and the letter confirming her billet with Peggy, which had so recently been signed by the clerk at the council offices, and give a short resumé of her skills and experience in the workplace. Even as she talked, she realised she had very little to offer – and hadn’t yet revealed she was expecting. Thankfully, that question had not been asked.

  ‘Your injured arm will make it almost impossible to place you,’ the woman said. ‘But I will add your name to my list, and when you’ve fully recovered, you must come in again.’

  ‘Is there nothing I could do in the meantime? I’ve got quite adept at using one hand, and I’m sure I could sweep a floor or answer telephones.’

  The woman looked down her rather long nose and took a deep breath before she reluctantly sifted through the large box of index cards. She pulled one out and examined it thoughtfully. ‘I do have a vacancy on the telephone exchange. It’s to provide cover while the usual telephonist is recovering from a bereavement.’ The pale blue gaze settled on April. ‘Mrs Downes is expected to return to work in four weeks, and so the job isn’t permanent.’

  ‘But that’s marvellous,’ said April. ‘My plaster cast is due to be removed about then, and I’ll be able to take up a more permanent post elsewhere.’

  ‘You’ll have to be properly trained to begin with,’ the woman said sternly. ‘Running the exchange isn’t as easy as you might think.’

  April didn’t care how difficult it might prove. It was a job. She’d had some brief experience on an exchange at the secretarial college, and she was a quick learner. ‘I’ll do it,’ she said eagerly.

  The woman eyed her for a long moment and then reluctantly filled in the card. ‘I doubt very much if you’ll be able to manage,’ she said, ‘but at least you show willingness to do something. You’ll find the telephone exchange in the small building at the back of the town hall. Miss Gardener is in charge, and she has asked that any candidate should present themselves there at three in the afternoon when she has finished her shift.’

  ‘Have there been any other candidates?’ April asked breathlessly.

  The woman sniffed. ‘Only one, but she was most unsuitable. Take this card and be prompt. Miss Gardener does not approve of tardiness.’

  ‘Thank you. Thank you very much.’

  April took the card and left the counter. She shot a quick look around the room, hoping to spot Shirley, but there was no sign of her and Peggy was outside preparing to park the pram, so she hurried out to tell her the good news.

  ‘What marvellous luck,’ said Peggy. ‘It’s almost as if the job was made for you. And you’ll get on with Vera Gardener once you accept that her bark’s worse than her bite. She was headmistress at the local girls’ school years ago, and can come across as being a bit bossy.’

  ‘I went to an all girls’ school where the headmistress was a terrible old dragon, so she won’t faze me. But my experience on the exchange at the secretarial college probably won’t help me much as it was very small. I saw the one down in Portsmouth and that was simply vast. What if this one’s the same and I keep cutting people off, or putting them through to the wrong number?’

  Peggy chuckled. ‘I doubt it’s that big. Cliffehaven doesn’t have that many telephones, but I’m sure you’re bright enough to pick it up quickly, and Vera will keep a close eye on you to begin with. Now we really must get you signed on at the doctor’s before he closes for lunch.’

  ‘I met a nice girl in the exchange,’ April said, her spirits high as they went down the hill. ‘Her name’s Shirley Ryan and she’s hoping to get a job at Goldman’s because they’ve started up a crèche there for working mothers.’

  ‘I can’t say I know the girl,’ said Peggy. ‘She must be new to the town. But I’m glad you’re feeling more positive about things, A
pril – it means you’re beginning to settle. As for the crèche, that was Rachel Goldman’s idea. She’s a strong supporter of working mothers and raised a good deal of money to set the whole thing up and provide safe care for the little ones.’

  April found she was smiling as they turned off the High Street into a quiet crescent of stately Victorian villas overlooking a small park. She had the chance of a job, and had met a girl she felt sure she’d get along with very well – but above all she had Peggy, and she thanked her lucky stars that she’d fallen on her feet here in Cliffehaven.

  The doctor’s surgery proved to be a double villa with a wide turning circle at the front. The brass plaque was barely visible beneath the tangled branches of wisteria and clambering roses, and neatly planted flower beds edged a freshly cut lawn at the side. Facing the park and almost surrounded by trees, it was the sort of house which promised security and quiet efficiency.

  Peggy plucked Daisy out of the pram because she’d started to grizzle with boredom. ‘Old Doctor Sayer retired last year,’ said Peggy, ‘but his son’s very nice, and so is the new chap he’s taken on. Doctor Bradford was injured in Egypt and his poor face is a terrible mess, but he’s easy to get along with once you can get past that.’

  She shot April a naughty grin. ‘Just watch out for Eunice Beecham, the receptionist. She’s just got engaged to young Doctor Sayer, and is frightfully pleased with herself. She’s been after him for years and gave my poor Julie a terrible run-around when she worked here as a midwife.’

  ‘I’m assuming Julie was one of your girls?’ asked April with some amusement. ‘Is there any institution in this town that hasn’t employed someone from Beach View?’

  Peggy laughed. ‘One or two,’ she admitted. ‘But I’ve got most of them covered one way or another.’