by Joanna Toye
It was a tactful way of saying that he and Jerome would like their own private celebration too. Lily knew that the Trocadero, a club which had a men-only bar – and where Sid and Jerome had met – was nearby. She suspected they’d be heading there.
The men shook hands again and Lily kissed her brother goodbye.
‘He seems lovely,’ she whispered. ‘But you will be careful, won’t you, Sid?’
The danger in her brother’s chosen lifestyle would always be a worry to her. There was so much prejudice against his sort.
‘Oh, come on, Sis,’ grinned Sid. ‘Love conquers all, you know. If we don’t believe in that, what can we believe in?’
He winked at his sister and lifted a hand as he and Jerome walked away.
Lily and Jim let them go. They lingered in the doorway, dazed by the constant swirl of people, dazzled by the lights, their ears buzzing from the thrum of the crowd. Then Jim took her hand and led her out onto the pavement again. Wandering on, they found themselves in St James’s Park. It was hardly empty, but the crowds were thinner, people seated in groups or collapsed on the ground, sleeping or passed out. They found themselves a space as far away from anyone else as they could. Jim spread his jacket on the ground and they lay back on it, looking up at the sky.
‘My feet are stinging!’ said Lily. ‘You only realise when you stop.’
‘We’ve walked miles,’ Jim replied. ‘All in a huge, big loop. But I wouldn’t have missed it. Would you?’
Lily snuggled closer.
‘No. I’m glad now that we were here. Just us two. And I’m thinking …’
‘What?’
‘That maybe it was meant to be … that we didn’t manage to get married before the war was over. Now, when we do, there’ll be nothing hanging over us.’
‘Except the sky and the stars.’ It was a clear night, and away from the newly lit streets, they seemed incredibly bright. ‘Just think, they’ve been up there all the time. Looking down on us, thinking “what do those crazy humans think they’re doing to each other now? Will they never learn?”’
‘And they’ll still be up there when we’re gone,’ said Lily dreamily. ‘Long gone.’
Jim turned on his side to face her.
‘Yes. But before then, Lily, we’ve got a lot of living to do, you and me. We’ve had to live a half-life till now, but this is our real start. All our future together. And it’s going to be bright just like the stars, I know it.’
He took her in his arms and kissed her, and Lily knew it too.
Author’s Note
It’s no secret that coronavirus has devastated traditional shops. 2021 finally saw the collapse of Debenhams, the last remaining department store in many towns and cities, though the name remains – bought, inevitably, by an online retailer. There’s no doubt shopping has changed for good, which only makes me feel even more nostalgic and affectionate as I step through the doors of Marlows, which now feels like pure social history.
The Victory Girls was written, edited and produced in and between the various lockdowns of 2020/2021. That it’s in your hands at all is down to the tenacity and dedication of the HarperCollins team, led by my editor, Lynne Drew, and supported by Lara Stevenson, Jennifer Harlow, Jeannelle Brew, Isobel Coburn and Sarah Munro. I would be remiss not to thank Lydia Mason, who copyedited the manuscript and helped to polish up the details. Claire Ward and her colleagues produced another brilliant cover – my thanks to them all. Thanks also to my agent, Broo Doherty, who’s been on the end of the phone at all times for virtual tea and pep talks.
I needed a lot of medical advice for this book – not for me personally, thankfully – but for the characters. Dr Mostafa El-Dessouki and Dr Mark Crooks very generously helped me in their areas of expertise. Any mistakes are mine alone.
Step forward, too, the usual cast of friends, in particular Mary Cutler, Claire MacRorie and Debbie Crooks, and my family – Livi and Ash, Clara, Cressie and my husband, John – all of whom allow me to witter on and work things through.
If there’s one good thing about coronavirus it’s that it seems to have sparked a return to reading – specifically books about the war years, which had their own very real dramas, hardships and losses. It’s a comfort, I think, to read about the past and to know we’ve been through worse – and also to read books which reinforce how much good kindness, calm, common sense and caring can do. I hope The Victory Girls does just that.
So finally, my biggest thank you is to you, the readers who’ve warmed to Lily, Gladys, Beryl and their world and tell me so on Facebook or Twitter. Tapping away at the keyboard on my own all day, it’s so encouraging to hear that you love the characters as much as I do. If you can help other readers to find and enjoy the books by posting a review on Amazon or GoodReads and by spreading the word, that would be great too. And do look out for the next Victory Girls book, due in spring 2022.
Jo
March 2021
Keep Reading …
If you haven’t read the first four novels in the Shop Girl series, they are available now
It’s 1941 and as the air raid sirens blare, Lily Collins is starting work in Midlands department store Marlow’s.
But her friendship with young salesman Jim draws her into a swirl of secrets. With the war progressing to crisis point, Cedric Marlow and his staff must battle nightly bombings and the absence of loved ones to keep going.
Click here to buy now
It’s 1942 and as shortages of staff – and goods – begin to bite, young Lily Collins is nervously stepping up to sales junior at Marlow’s department store.
Bombs are still falling and Lily and fellow shop girls Gladys and Beryl need a stiff upper lip to wave boyfriends, husbands and brothers goodbye, especially with a baby on the way and grim news on the wireless.
Community, family and friends rally round as her home town – and the whole country – is tested once again.
Click here to buy now
Summer 1942. Despite grim reports on the wireless and rationing hitting hard, Lily Collins and her fellow shop girls are determined to put out the bunting for a family party.
Then comes the knock on the door that everyone dreads. Lily’s family, always the heart of her world, is rocked to the core. The small Midlands town – and Marlow’s – must face their greatest challenge yet.
Click here to buy now
For Lily Collins and her fellow shop girls at Marlow’s Department store, another Christmas with ration books, shortages of goods and staff – not to mention a store coping with war damage – will be a real challenge.
But the girls rally round and put their worries aside to make this, the hardest wartime Christmas yet, one that their families, and their town, will never forget.
Click here to buy now
About the Author
Jo worked on the production team of The Archers for ten years and then on the scriptwriting team for twenty. She’s written several spin-off books about the programme and on TV wrote for Crossroads, Family Affairs, Doctors and EastEnders. The Victory Girls is the fifth novel in the Shop Girls series.
Jo loves to hear from readers – find out more about the next book in the series on her Facebook page, and do share a review on Goodreads or Amazon if you’d like to, as it really does help other readers.
Also by Joanna Toye
A Store at War
Wartime for the Shop Girls
Heartache for the Shop Girls
Christmas for the Shop Girls
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