The Liberty Girls

by Fiona Ford

  Alice’s calm evaporated at the sight of her sister as she remembered what Rose had told her earlier. She knew she couldn’t put off talking to Joy any longer. ‘Can I have a word with you?’ she whispered.

  Joy jumped in surprise. ‘Now? I’ve only just arrived.’

  ‘It’s important,’ Alice hissed, getting to her feet.

  The sisters made their way out to the staff entrance with Joy grumbling under her breath. The sunshine was still gloriously warm, but Alice felt a shiver run down her spine at the thought of what she was going to have to say to Joy.

  ‘Is it true?’ she demanded, getting straight to the point. ‘Has Shirley Allbright been in touch with you?’

  ‘How do you know about that?’

  ‘Rose told me. She was worried about you. Is it true?’ Alice snapped.

  ‘Yes, it’s true,’ Joy replied almost smugly. ‘So what?’

  Alice couldn’t believe what she was hearing. ‘“So what”?’ she hissed, grabbing her little sister by the shoulder and shaking her. ‘So what? That old cow nearly landed you in prison, you stupid girl. What the hell are you doing hanging about with her again?’

  Joy’s nostrils flared with rage at Alice’s outburst. ‘It’s none of your business. I can be friends with who I like.’

  ‘Not Shirley Allbright you can’t, she’s nothing but trouble,’ Alice thundered, and then gasped in realisation. ‘That was why you were nicking them purses and that watch at work, wasn’t it? You wanted to impress Shirley.’

  Joy’s cheeks flamed with colour at being caught out. ‘It wasn’t like that.’

  ‘Then what was it like?’ Alice asked, hands on hips, this time refusing to be fobbed off.

  ‘She’s just got out of prison. Needed some help getting back on her feet,’ Joy said matter-of-factly. ‘I’ve only done the odd job for her.’

  ‘The odd job?’ Alice echoed in disbelief.

  ‘That’s right,’ Joy replied, oblivious to her sister’s tone. ‘And now I’ve told her that it’s over. I won’t be doing any more for her.’

  Alice shook her head in disbelief. After all the progress her sister had made, she hated to think of Joy returning to her old ways. ‘Sweetheart,’ she tried again. ‘This isn’t going to get Dad to love you any more, you know. Don’t think that he’s going to hear from Shirley how well you’re still doing at thieving – it’s not going to make him come back. You have to understand that.’

  Joy screwed her face up with anger. ‘Alice, it’s not like that, I keep telling you. I know Dad’s long gone – he’s not interested in either of us, never has been. It’s just about respect, ain’t it? Shirley’s an old mate of Dad’s. We may not like her but, well, she’s down on her luck and you have to look out for your own – you know all about that, you’d do anything for your Liberty girls.’

  ‘No, Joy, I would never do anything like that for my girls,’ Alice said impatiently. ‘And more importantly they would never ask me to either. Look, aside from the incident with the purse you’ve been doing so well and it’s been a pleasure to see you turn your life around. Surely you don’t want to go back to your old ways?’

  ‘It’s about loyalty, Alice. I have changed, I am different, I’ve just got to help Shirley out.’

  Alice let out a sigh of despair. ‘I warned you that I wouldn’t tolerate you getting up to your old tricks again. Any more funny business, I said, and you’d be out on your ear.’

  Panic crossed Joy’s face. ‘Now come on, Alleycat, don’t be like that. I’m just doing a mate a favour.’

  The use of her childhood nickname wasn’t enough to make her change her mind. ‘And I’m doing my son a favour. I don’t want him having the same upbringing we did, Joy.’ Alice thundered. I don’t want to worry about what trouble will be brought home to my door every night and I don’t want my child worrying about that either. Now, I’m sorry, but if you’re knocking about with Shirley Allbright you’ll have to go. I mean it this time: I want you out of the house first thing in the morning.’

  Chapter Thirty

  ‘What the hell’s going on?’ Dot cried, bursting into the kitchen.

  ‘You might well ask,’ Alice replied furiously, as she continued to gather armfuls of clothes and scoop them into a crate.

  ‘I am asking,’ the landlady said, her tone unyielding, as she leaned against the door frame and watched Alice continue to sift and pack. ‘It’s just gone six in the morning and the place looks like the Blitz.’

  ‘I’m not telling anyone anything,’ Joy said, her tone calm, from her position at the kitchen table. With her hands in her lap and a steaming cup of tea beside her, she didn’t look the least bit bothered by what her sister was doing.

  Sensing she wasn’t going to get an answer, Dot walked across the room and took the crate from Alice’s hands. ‘Well, someone had better tell me soon because I’m not being denied my beauty sleep for no good reason,’ she hissed as the sound of heavy footsteps echoed on the stairs. ‘And by the sounds of it I’m not the only one that’s been woken up at the crack of dawn.’

  Sure enough, Luke ventured into the kitchen, his eyes struggling to adjust to the harsh kitchen light that illuminated the otherwise blacked-out room. ‘Alice, what are you doing?’ he asked, bleary-eyed.

  ‘What should have been done weeks ago,’ said Alice, continuing to put things in the crate. ‘Kicking Joy out.’

  Dot looked at each of the sisters in wide-eyed astonishment. ‘What do you mean? What’s happened?’

  ‘I’d rather not say,’ Alice said, shooting her sister a warning look. ‘But what I will say is she was warned and she ignored me.’

  Joy rolled her eyes. ‘Not this again. Alice, I’ve told you I’m not having anything more to do with Shirley.’

  ‘Not Shirley Allbright?’ Luke sighed, helping himself to a cup of tea from the pot that stood on the table. ‘Come on, Joy, I thought you’d left her behind a long time ago.’

  ‘And what would you know about it?’ Joy snapped. ‘Shirley’s had a hard life, not that you’d understand that. You’ve always looked down your nose at me and Alice, coming from fancy Scottish stock.’

  Luke scratched his head as he tried to wake up. ‘Joy, I don’t know where you think I come from – my parents are hardly laird and lady of the manor. I was raised in a tenement in Aberdeen but I still knew better than to knock about with the Shirley Allbrights of this world.’

  ‘Luke’s right,’ Dot said, pulling out a chair. ‘She’s always been a bloody pain in the ’arris. I remember when she nicked all the washing off me line one summer.’

  ‘Oh come on, Dot, she was only having a laugh,’ Joy protested.

  ‘Only having a laugh? I caught the cheeky cow trying to sell my bloomers down the Lane the next day!’

  ‘And that’s exactly my point,’ Alice said, drumming her forefinger on the table for emphasis. ‘You were warned I wouldn’t tolerate your old tricks and I meant what I said last night: I want you out.’

  Joy ran a hand through her messed-up curls. ‘And where am I supposed to go?’

  ‘Work? You told me a lot of the girls live in; well, you can do the same.’

  ‘Come on.’ Joy scoffed. ‘You can’t expect me to live in a tiny hotel room. And besides, who will help you out with Arthur? I’ve been babysitting a lot for you these days. You won’t have me on tap like you have been.’

  There was silence then as Alice digested what Joy had just said. She made a good point; she had been a godsend of late with Arthur and best of all her son seemed to like his aunt. Still, she thought, shaking her head, it was obvious Joy had not turned over a new leaf and she couldn’t risk the poor influence she would have over her son.

  Suddenly Luke’s voice broke the silence. ‘I’ll take care of him when needs be.’

  Alice looked at her husband in grateful surprise. ‘You will?’

  ‘Of course.’ Luke shrugged. ‘He is my son and, like you, I don’t want him exposed to bad behaviour,’ he continued, looki
ng pointedly at Joy. ‘I know what I said before about caring for children being woman’s work, but, well, we’re all making sacrifices with this war, aren’t we? I don’t mind taking my turn.’

  ‘Oh Luke,’ Alice cried, pausing from her mission to gather up Joy’s belongings to throw her arms around her husband’s neck. ‘That’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said.’

  ‘Get away,’ he laughed, pushing Alice from him. ‘I’m just doing what’s right, that’s all. And now there really is no reason for your sister to stay, especially when she can’t follow our rules while she’s under our roof.’

  With that Joy got to her feet and leered at Luke. ‘You’ve always hated me! I bet my sister kicking me out the door is like Christmas come early for you.’

  ‘No, Joy,’ Luke said, meeting her angry gaze. ‘I get no pleasure from this whatsoever, but I agree with my wife: until you can behave you’ll have to go.’

  Fuming, Joy turned to Dot, who was watching the action agog. ‘And what do you say about all this? This is actually your house, not this pair’s.’

  Helping herself to a cup of tea, Dot’s eyes didn’t leave Joy’s. ‘Don’t try and bring me into this, darlin’,’ she said evenly. ‘I’m not stupid enough to get in the middle. For what it’s worth though, I think Alice is right. You was warned when you got here what’d happen if you brought any trouble to the door, and I know Shirley Allbright’s nothing but trouble. Now, I don’t know what’s gone on and, to be honest, I don’t want to know, but I will say that if you’re hanging about with her then chances are you’re not going about behaving like a nun yourself, so I think we’ll all be better off if you sling your hook.’

  ‘What if I said I was sorry?’ Joy tried again, her voice pleading. ‘Please, Alice, please help me?’

  ‘It’s no good, Joy,’ Alice said firmly as she glanced quickly at Luke. His small nod of encouragement spurred her on. ‘I can’t risk you bringing trouble here again.’

  With that Joy sprang like a cat from her chair and scooped up the crate Alice had been throwing stuff into. ‘I’d sooner starve on the street than come to you for anything.’

  As she flounced out of the room, Alice sank into the chair feeling weary. ‘Well, that went well,’ she said, smiling weakly at Luke.

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. ‘You’ve done the right thing, love. I’m proud of you; I know it’s not easy.’

  Alice squeezed him tight. ‘Thanks for standing up for me.’

  ‘Anytime,’ Luke said softly. ‘And I know I haven’t been the easiest fella in the world to live with since I got back but I meant what I said. I will help out with Arthur more. I’m not too proud to take care of my own son.’

  With the words she had longed to hear out in the open, Alice felt warm tears of relief trickle down her face. The last few months had been overwhelming and now she had the love and support she longed for. Was it down to Chris? she wondered. Had he managed to have the word with Luke that he promised?

  ‘You know what else isn’t easy?’ she said eventually as she wiped away the last of her tears.

  She felt Luke shake his head against her shoulder. ‘Going to a funeral after all this. Aggie’s being buried today and I’ve volunteered us both up there before the ceremony starts to help with the wake.’

  Luke kissed the top of her head. ‘It’s a good job I love you, Alice Milwood.’

  Later that afternoon, Alice along with Mary, Flo, Rose and Dot found themselves standing in Aggie’s front room around a piano, just as they had six months earlier for Flo’s wedding. Today, however, the girls were there to pay their respects to Agatha Taylor.

  The ceremony and burial had gone without a hitch thanks to Flo’s tireless organisation, but it was clear that the event had taken its toll. The dark shadows under her eyes revealed Flo hadn’t been sleeping as well as she should, while her fingernails were chewed to the quick.

  Now the wake was in full swing, and although Flo wanted to do right by her aunt, Alice could also see that she just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep. Without saying a word, she pushed past the throngs of people and found just what she was looking for: a large bottle of unopened port.

  Uncorking the bottle, she gave it a good sniff to check it hadn’t been tampered with and then poured five generous measures. Laying them on a tea tray she found by the old butler sink, Alice carried the medicine back into the front room and gestured for each of the girls to take a glass.

  ‘Here’s to Aggie,’ Alice said, holding her glass for a toast.

  ‘And all who sailed in her.’ Flo giggled while the others looked at her blankly. ‘Sorry,’ she said sheepishly, ‘it was just something daft Aggie always used to say.’

  Dot linked her arm through Flo’s and gave her a comforting squeeze. ‘There’s nothing as queer as folk, and Aggie was as queer and wonderful as they came.’

  ‘Awfully kind as well,’ Mary pointed out. ‘She would do anything for anyone. Didn’t you say, Flo, she was helping out with the WVS and the Civil Defence League?’

  Flo nodded. ‘And she recently applied to work on the buses.’

  ‘She put us all to shame,’ Mary said wistfully. ‘I’ve signed up to join the Women’s Auxiliary Police Corps in my spare time. David’s furious.’

  Dot peered at Mary over her glasses. ‘Why? That’s a very brave thing to do.’

  ‘He says it’s stupid. That we’re getting married and all I should be thinking about is creating a family for us. Honestly, since his sister was imprisoned it’s all he can talk about.’

  ‘I suppose it’s understandable,’ Rose reasoned. ‘I mean, he must feel all alone now and want to create that with you. After all, family is so important, isn’t it, Alice?’

  The barb in Rose’s tone wasn’t lost on Alice. ‘Yes it is, Rose, it’s extremely important. That’s why I like to ensure my loved ones are not in any danger.’

  ‘Come on now, you two,’ Dot snapped. ‘This isn’t the time or the place to get into what’s gone on with Joy. Rose, I appreciate Joy is your friend but this wasn’t easy for Alice.’

  Rose let out a hollow laugh. ‘You girls always stick up for one another and it’s always me left out in the cold. I should have known it would be no different now.’

  ‘What are you talking about, Rose?’ Flo asked in bewilderment. ‘We’ve always tried to be there for you.’

  ‘I have to say she’s right, darlin’,’ Dot put in. ‘I know you’re hurting over your eyesight, and believe me I understand why, but don’t you think all this moodiness has to stop?’

  ‘Moody?’ Rose gasped. ‘Is that what you think I am? Moody?’

  ‘Well, perhaps not moody,’ Dot began, doing her best to backtrack.

  ‘Oh no, Dot,’ Rose fired, ‘call a spade a shovel, why don’t you? Well, I’m sorry for being a burden. Trust me, I won’t be troubling you so much in the future. Not only have I called time on the first-aid nights, I’ve also cut my hours down. I’m only going to be working one day a week now so luckily for you lot you’ll now be seeing less of me and my moods.’

  Leaving the girls speechless, Rose turned away and stalked across to the other side of the room.

  ‘Would you Adam and Eve it?’ Dot said finally. ‘What on earth is up with that girl?’

  Flo shook her head. ‘I don’t know, but it seems as though she’s getting worse not better.’

  ‘It’s as though anything we say upsets her,’ Alice wailed. ‘I just don’t know how to help her.’

  ‘I don’t myself,’ Dot muttered sadly, ‘but I know we need to try.’

  Just then, a young man approached Flo. Alice knew he was called Eddie, and had employed Aggie to sing in the pub.

  ‘Will you come and sing us a song, love?’ he asked.

  Flo smiled but shook her head. ‘No thanks, Eddie. Aggie was the singer not me.’

  ‘But you’ve a lovely voice,’ Eddie persisted. ‘Aggie always said so. Come on, for her sake.’

  ‘Go on, love,�
� Dot coaxed. ‘We’ll all join in.’

  ‘Yes, that’s a lovely idea. Why don’t you sing “We’ll Meet Again”? That’s a nice one,’ Mary suggested.

  ‘All right,’ Flo said, colouring with embarrassment. She followed Eddie over to the piano and everyone gave a little cheer.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said to the crowd. ‘This was one of Aggie’s favourites. All join in if you can.’

  As Eddie struck up the familiar melody, Flo’s voice wafted out across the room pure and true. It struck Alice that nobody was joining in because Flo’s voice was so melodic that she could quite possibly give Vera Lynn a run for her money. By the time Flo had finished there was barely a dry eye in the house and Alice was astonished to find her own cheeks were wet with tears. Dabbing them with the back of her sleeve, she told herself she was weeping because it was Aggie’s funeral. Yet, deep down, she knew that when Flo had been singing about seeing one another again, one sunshine-filled day, thoughts of Jack had entered her mind.

  As the last notes of the song faded away, Alice felt wretched as she realised she was hoping that the two of them hadn’t had their last day in the sun.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Despite the warm June weather, Alice found herself feeling bleak the day after Aggie’s funeral. Not only was it nearly time to say goodbye to Chris, who was returning to his parish and of course his family in Wales after two weeks away from them, but the news made for horrifying reading. The papers were full of reports that gas was being used to kill Jews the Germans had sent east, and the country was in a state of concern over what Hitler would do next.

  ‘The man is pure evil,’ Luke said fiercely as he jabbed his forefinger at the newspaper, with the latest headline revealing more German atrocities. ‘We have to stop him. This isn’t right.’

  ‘None of it’s right,’ Dot said sadly. ‘I mean, have you ever heard anything like it? Gas to kill folk for being Jewish.’