The Docklands Girls

by June Tate

  Belle was the next witness to be called.

  She had dressed for the occasion wearing a neat brown costume, white blouse and a small brown hat with a feather in the front, brown leather gloves and matching shoes and handbag. She looked every inch a lady which was her intention, knowing that her past would be brought up and she didn’t want in any way to appear bawdy or common.

  Holding the Bible in her hand, she read out the oath, took a deep breath and waited.

  The solicitor stood up and smiled at her trying to help her relax a little.

  ‘You are Miss Belle Newman, owner of Loxley House, run as a B&B in Shanklin on the Isle of Wight?’

  ‘I am.’

  ‘Do you know the prisoner in the dock?’

  ‘Yes, I do.’

  ‘Tell me how you first met.’

  ‘It was just before D-Day in Southampton. I was working as a prostitute and he was one of my clients.’

  ‘Did you know him well?’

  ‘No. I didn’t remember him at all until I saw him earlier this year, working as a butcher in his brother’s shop and thought he looked familiar.’

  ‘Did he make himself known to you?’

  ‘Yes, he called at the house one evening, reminded me about our earlier meeting and then tried to blackmail me.’

  ‘In what way?’

  ‘He suggested that to buy his silence about my past, which if it was known could ruin my business, he would visit me twice a week for sex. I refused and he threatened me again. I told him in no uncertain terms where to go and shut the door on him.’

  ‘Did he leave you alone after that?’

  ‘For a time, but he would always try to serve me in the butcher’s shop and make me feel uncomfortable. It was obvious there was a tension between us and eventually his brother started serving me instead.’

  ‘Did he call on you again?’

  ‘Yes. He was drunk one night and came to my house. When I opened the front door, thinking it might be someone looking for accommodation, he pushed past me and walked into the kitchen.’

  ‘Please tell the judge what happened.’

  ‘Mr Harrison once again threatened to blacken my name and when I refused to accept his offer of sex for silence, he grabbed me, kissed me forcibly and grabbed my breast.’

  ‘What did you do then?’

  Belle looked over at Kev with distain as she answered. ‘I pushed him away and picked up a kitchen knife and pointed it at him. That stopped him.’

  ‘Did you use the knife on him, Miss Newman?’

  ‘No, sir. But I did threaten to castrate him if he touched me again!’

  There was a sound of laughter in the court, but the solicitor cast a warning glance at Belle and she realised she’d not kept her answer brief and to the point as she’d been told.

  ‘Did Mr Harrison leave then?’

  ‘Yes, sir. He swore a lot and told me I’d pay for this.’

  ‘Did you see him after this visit?’

  ‘No, I didn’t.’

  The solicitor then asked her to tell the judge what happened on the night of the fire and she did so. The solicitor thanked her.

  ‘No further questions, My Lord,’ he said and sat down.

  Harrison’s solicitor stood and faced Belle. ‘How many years did you work as a prostitute, Miss Newman?’

  The other solicitor stood up. ‘Objection! This has absolutely nothing to do with the fire. My learned friend is just trying to cast aspersions on Miss Newman’s character.’

  The judge agreed and told the solicitor questioning Belle to move on.

  The solicitor knew he hadn’t a hope of getting his client off, the evidence was ironclad, the only hope was to plead for his client’s state of mind.

  ‘Did Mr Harrison appear deranged in any way?’

  ‘No, sir. He was very drunk, but he knew exactly what he was doing.’

  ‘But when you refused to agree and you pulled a knife on him, didn’t he become agitated?’

  ‘No, sir. He was just scared in case I used it.’

  He questioned her further trying to insinuate that she’d provoked Harrison, which she denied. She answered further questions and was concise in her answers until eventually, Belle was allowed to step down from the witness box. He then addressed the judge.

  ‘My Lord, my client served in His Majesty’s service during the war, fighting for his country. He came home without any money or a home until his brother offered to take him in. He was still suffering mentally from his experiences in the war and therefore was not in his right frame of mind when he threatened Miss Newman and then tried to set fire to her house.’

  He sat down, knowing that this was as weak a plea as could ever be offered.

  The Crown Prosecution leapt from his seat. ‘My Lord this is complete fabrication. Kevin Harrison is in complete control of his faculties. He is a man without principals and saw an easy way to make money. When that didn’t work, he decided to get his revenge. He knew exactly what he was doing.’

  ‘Do you have any witnesses to call?’ the judge asked Harrison’s solicitor.

  ‘No, My Lord.’

  Kev was livid. ‘I want a different solicitor! That man is an idiot and I’m going down because of him,’ he yelled.

  The judge glared at him. ‘Silence! You will be going down, as you put it, because it has been proven without a doubt that you set fire to this house. Fortunately for you, Miss Newman escaped or you might well be standing in front of me on a charge of murder! It is obvious to me that you knew exactly what you were doing, you are a danger to the public and perhaps your time in prison will convince you of the error of your ways. I sentence you to five years’ imprisonment.’

  Kev went white and his legs gave way. The two policemen standing in the dock held him up and eventually led him away.

  Tom walked Belle away from the courthouse and to the nearest pub where he ordered two large gin and tonics. They sat together, relieved that the unpleasantness was over, but Belle was wondering about the fallout and said as much.

  ‘That could be my business down the drain, Tom.’

  ‘I don’t think so for one moment. There was only reporters from the local paper there – no nationals – I made sure of that and as I told you, love, it’ll be a nine-day wonder. This season’s over, by Easter next year, who’s going to remember?’

  She was comforted by this. ‘Of course, I hadn’t thought of it that way.’

  ‘There you go! You ought to shut up the house for a week and go away. Take a holiday, recharge your batteries.’

  ‘That’s a nice thought but at this time of year where on earth would I go?’

  ‘Does it matter about the weather? Go to a nice hotel, have someone wait on you, cook your food, clean your room. Relax. Sit and read a book, have a couple of drinks.’ He paused. ‘If you don’t want to go on your own, I’ll get someone to run the shop for a week and come with you.’

  She looked at him in surprise. ‘You’d do that?’

  ‘Yes, of course I would. I’ve not had a break for a couple of years, but there’s a friend of mine, John, a good butcher who helps me out when I have to be away on business, I could get him in.’

  She beamed at him. ‘You’re a good friend, Tom, I don’t know what I’d have done without you since the fire.’

  ‘For a bright woman, you can be really dumb at times!’

  ‘What?’ She looked at him and chuckled. ‘No one has ever told me that before.’

  ‘Oh for God’s sake, Belle! You must surely know by now that I’m in love with you!’

  She didn’t know what to say. Yes, she’d wondered, especially lately as her own feelings for this lovely man had grown, but she’d learnt in the past from her dealings with men that there was usually an agenda and hadn’t wanted to let her own feelings surface in case she was disappointed.

  ‘Say something, Belle, don’t just sit there. At least tell me if I have a chance with you.’

  ‘It would be a stupid woman who wo
uld let such a fine man as you get away! I’m not that dumb!’

  His laughter echoed round the bar and folk looked over to see what had caused it. They saw the big man lean over and kiss the woman he was with and were delighted to see her kiss him back.

  ‘How about Bournemouth? We could drive through the New Forest, stay a couple of nights in Lyndhurst, then on to Bournemouth for the rest of the week. What do you say?’

  ‘That would be wonderful. When do you suggest?’

  ‘I’ll get in touch with my friend this evening, see when he’s free, then I’ll come round and let you know. When we have the dates we’ll inform the police and they can keep an eye on the house.’

  ‘I’ll have to cancel my bookings at the Dolphin Hotel,’ she suddenly remembered. ‘I booked in for two nights.’

  ‘Me too. I’ll do it from here if you like. The landlord won’t mind if I use the phone I’m sure,’ and he went up to the counter then off into another room. He soon returned and sat down.

  ‘There, all sorted.’

  Belle sat back enjoying the feeling of a man taking care of her. For so long she’d had to manage life alone. Being Belle, she had just got on with it, but she remembered telling Cora how lonely she was and now it appeared that life was going to change and she loved the idea. She would write to Hildy and tell her all that had happened and that at last she, too, had a man in her life. All it needed now was for Cora and Simon to get together and the three of them would have found happiness.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Hildy was having a hard time. Milt had gone to Germany and she was now alone on the base. A wife of one of the officers had called on her, a charming woman who told her it was part of her job to make sure all army wives were being taken care of – especially those whose husbands were deployed abroad.

  ‘Believe me, Mrs Miller, I know how it feels, I’ve been there. It’s part of being an army wife.’ She then told Hildy that classes were held for those women who were pregnant and suggested she went along.

  ‘Having your first child is daunting and you’ll be with other women who are in the same position as you. There is a nurse there to advise you on everything to do with caring for your newborn. They even have a life-sized doll so you can practise bathing a baby!’ She laughed. ‘I know that sounds ridiculous but believe me after doing so a few times, the first time you have to bath your child, it doesn’t seem quite so scary.’ She gave Hildy a printed list of various activities arranged for the wives: a book club, one for quilting, a choir. ‘Do you sing?’ she asked.

  Hildy burst out laughing. ‘Certainly, but out of tune I’m afraid.’

  ‘Have you been to see the doctor?’

  ‘Yes. I’ve to see him in a month unless I’m worried.’

  ‘Good. Now here’s my number, you can call me if you have any queries or concerns.’ She rose to her feet. ‘Please don’t worry, Mrs Miller, there’s no need to be lonely here whilst your husband is in Germany. Don’t shut yourself away; it’s not good for you.’

  Several other wives called over the next few days, which was a surprise and a delight and suddenly Hildy didn’t feel so alone. An army vehicle drove some of them into town for a shopping spree, picking them up several hours later. She found it was fun and she was getting used to their joie de vivre and became a little less reticent herself.

  When the mail was delivered, she read the letter from Belle with relish as it brought her closer to home. But she was shocked at what had transpired – the fire, the court case – and was even more surprised on reading the enclosed cutting from the local paper where she learnt of Belle’s colourful past which the reporter had detailed. She was very familiar with Canal Walk and the area where the prostitutes worked, in fact it was such a familiar sight it became the norm, especially during the months leading up to D-Day and after.

  Hildy was not judgemental. To her mind, knowing the hardships suffered ever since the war had been declared, where everyone had to do the best they could to survive, she felt the girls were perfectly entitled to earn their money their own way. But when she thought more about it, she wondered how they could have sex with a stranger? It must have been a hazardous occupation, but she knew Belle, she knew she was a strong woman and no doubt her hard-earned money had bought her the house on the Isle of Wight. She was happy for her. At least she was away from the mean streets of Southampton, living in Shanklin, a beautiful, quiet, middle class area which could not have been more different.

  She smiled as she read on about Belle’s planned holiday in Bournemouth with Tom. She hoped for Belle’s sake something good would come from this liaison. Then she opened another letter, this time from Cora who also told her of the fire. Hildy was surprised when she read that she was back in touch with Simon. Through an exchange of letters, Cora had briefly touched on her earlier relationship with the policeman but Hildy had sensed there had been more to it than her friend had told her, now she was going to spend a few days with him when Belle closed the house.

  Hildy made herself a cup of coffee and sat digesting the news from England. It seemed romance was in the air for both her friends and she was happy for them. She pulled a face then chuckled. There was no romance for her with Milt away, but her baby was growing within her and she filled her time planning for Milt’s return, thankful that it would be a couple of months before the birth. He wrote regularly, telling her of his time in Germany. How he missed her and how much he was looking forward to returning and becoming a father.

  Life here in Frankfurt isn’t a bundle of laughs. There is a charged atmosphere; the Russians are not the friendliest of people. We make our own entertainment. We play baseball and go to the movies, that’s about it. But I tell myself it’s not for long. When I return we’ll see about getting somewhere away from the camp and try to live a more normal life in our own little world.

  Hildy read the letter several times, drinking in every word. She would write and tell him about the class for expectant mothers and how the other wives had rallied round as she knew that would please him. She told him also about the baby clothes she’d bought, but not knowing if the baby was a boy or girl, she’d kept the clothes white and pale lemon. When they eventually moved, they could set up a room as a nursery. To this end, she’d already made a list of things she’d seen when she’d been shopping with the other wives and sometimes when she’d ventured into Louisville alone.

  She smiled to herself thinking how by now she’d settled into the American way of life, visiting the beauty parlour, having her hair done and sometimes a manicure to fill her day. She read the books on childcare that she’d been given at the maternity class, preparing herself as best she could to be a mother. She bought knitting wool and patterns to make matinee coats, booties and bonnets, which helped her to while away the time.

  Back on the Isle of Wight, Belle and Cora had cleaned the house from top to bottom, turned off the gas and electricity, locked all the windows and the door, then piled into Tom’s car and headed for the ferry. They would part company in Southampton.

  Simon was going to meet the ferry. He’d taken a week off so that he and Cora could be together. They planned to go to London where they would behave like a couple of tourists, visiting Madame Tussauds, the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey – and shop. Simon had also bought tickets for a West End show.

  When Cora visited him, she stayed at his flat and their relationship had grown closer. When they were together, they were like a married couple, but as for a future together, neither had broached the subject. Simon was soon to take his sergeants’ exam and of course Cora had been busy working with Belle. Both had been content with this way of life, neither had wanted to rock the boat and perhaps spoil what they had.

  When the ferry docked, Tom drove off and when he saw Simon, stopped the car so that Cora could transfer her luggage and leave them. They then went their separate ways.

  As they drove out of Southampton and down to the New Forest, Belle was at last able to relax. The October day was
cool, but bright and they enjoyed the vegetation of the forest, delighted at the sight of the ponies, grazing beside the road, slowing down to let some amble across the road, unfazed by the traffic. They eventually booked into a hotel, handed over their luggage and made for the bar.

  They sat at a table in the window, overlooking the garden. Tom picked up his glass and spoke.

  ‘To a good week and us,’ he said with a smile. ‘I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to sit here with you, away from everyone, on our own at last.’

  With a chuckle, Belle clinked her glass with his. ‘Who’d have thought it? I’m really looking forward to this break. I don’t remember when I last had a holiday.’

  ‘Ah well, my dear, things are going to change from here on in. Both of us deserve to enjoy life. We’ve both worked hard for it, after all.’ He sipped his drink. ‘Don’t know about you, but I’m starving, let’s take our drink into the dining room and eat.’

  Afterwards, they went for a walk around the shops in the main high street. They took their time and meandered to a part of the forest near the hotel, sitting on a bench watching the ponies and other visitors. They stopped for a coffee, and then went back to the hotel and up to their room. Here, Tom drew her into his arms.

  ‘It’s been a while since I made love to a woman, Belle, so I might be a bit rusty!’

  She kissed him back. ‘Let’s find out, shall we?’

  They undressed and climbed beneath the sheets, cuddling into one another, feeling the warmth of their naked bodies close together, kissing and caressing and eventually having sex. Belle relished every moment, knowing that here and now, the man on top of her was there because he loved her, that to him she was special. He was kind and considerate to her needs as well as his own.

  As they lay together after, she kissed his cheek softly. ‘If that performance was when you are rusty, I can’t wait until you feel competent.’

  Tom laughed. ‘You are so good for me and I’m so relieved that I pleased you.’