by Joan Jonker
Ginny giggled. ‘Be careful, Mr Sanderson, or I’ll be selling you one. Would you like a black one with two compartments, or a brown with a single compartment?’
‘Alas, my dear, I have no one to buy a purse for. But if I did, I would most certainly buy one from you.’
Dorothy was free then, and came to join them. She never ceased to be amazed at the lighthearted way Ginny spoke to two of the most senior people in the store. She was never cheeky with them, though, she knew just how far to go, and they seemed to enjoy talking to her. ‘Everything’s fine, Miss Halliday, we’ve had quite a busy few hours. I think we will need more stock, though, especially purses.’
Much to Dorothy’s surprise, Mr Sanderson asked, tongue in cheek, ‘Would that be black with two compartments, Miss Sutherland, or the brown with one compartment?’
‘Both, I think,’ Dorothy told him, while thinking Ginny was right, he was a lovely man. And from the look on Miss Halliday’s face, she thought so, too! ‘Although the black do sell better. And I think perhaps we should have more comb sets in stock.’
Mary Halliday made a note on the paper on her clip-board before saying, ‘We’ve been talking to Miss Bleasedale and apparently you and Miss Whittaker will be celebrating your birthday soon. Fifteen is a lovely age to be. I hope you both make the most of your youth while you can. Time has a habit of passing by very quickly.’
‘Oh, we do make the most of it, Miss Halliday. Me and Marie have got loads of friends and we do enjoy ourselves.’ Ginny’s face became animated. ‘We’ll be going dancing after Christmas. It’s only to a church hall, but that’s fine by us because we’ve been told that everyone that goes is a beginner so we won’t feel daft.’
‘Somehow I can’t see you or Marie ever feeling daft, you are both more likely to make a joke of it.’ Mary Halliday looked up at Clive. ‘I think we’d better be on our way, Mr Sanderson, it’s almost break time.’
While Dorothy and Ginny were serving an ever-growing stream of customers, the head supervisor and the Managing Director were making their way up the stairs to the offices. They had reached the top corridor when Clive asked, ‘Do you always have your break in Miss Ormsby’s office or do you use the canteen?’
‘It depends how busy I am. If I’ve time to relax, I will have it with Miss Ormsby and we discuss staff and sales. If I’m rushed off my feet I’ll manage a quick cup of tea in the canteen.’
‘And where do you stand today? Are you rushed off your feet?’
She did have lots to do, but something in his voice made her think twice about saying so. ‘Let’s say I’m not rushed off my feet, but I do have to get these orders to the stock room. As you know, most of the counters are running low.’
‘How about sharing a pot of tea with me in my office?’ There was a shyness about him when he asked, as though saying what he had had taken some willpower. ‘I would be delighted if you would, it would be a change to have someone to talk to.’ Then he looked down at the floor as though embarrassed. ‘Of course you may not want to, Mary, and I would understand because I know your job keeps you very busy.’
If the shop had been running out of stock and there was a panic, or if it was on fire, nothing would have stopped Mary from saying, ‘Oh, I can spare time to share a pot of tea with you, Mr Sanderson, but I do need to get these absentee figures to the wages office first. So while you order the tea, I’ll nip along there.’ And when she left him outside his office, she carried on down the corridor with a spring in her step.
‘Will yer be going to the market one day, girl?’ Flo asked, swinging her legs under the chair. ‘We should be getting a bit in each week for Christmas.’
Beth nodded. ‘Yes, but I can’t go until Saturday afternoon when I get Andy’s wages. Then again, it’ll be packed on Saturday, so perhaps we’d be better waiting until a week day. What d’yer think, sunshine?’
‘I think ye’re probably right, girl, we’d get trampled underfoot on Saturday. Anyway, we’ll ask Dot and Lizzie this afternoon when we go to the shops. Have yer got any money saved up, or are yer skint?’
‘I’ve got a few bob saved, sunshine, which is better than I was last year. At least I don’t have to go crawling to the Maloney woman.’ Beth shivered. ‘Even just thinking about her gives me the creeps.’
‘Then I better hadn’t tell yer what I heard this morning, girl, or yer’ll blow yer top.’
Beth shook her head in disbelief. ‘What d’yer mean, this morning? It’s morning now!’
‘I mean early morning, before the streets are aired.’ Flo’s chins quivered. ‘Anyway, yer know our Wendy goes out the back way in the morning when she goes to school, ’cos it cuts a corner off ? Well, I had some stuff to put in the bin so I went down the yard with her. And as I was waving her off, the woman what lives at the back of us, Mrs Graham, her yard door opened. And we got talking, like yer do, and she was calling Ma Maloney for everything under the sun. Yer think my language is bad, girl. Well, it’s mild to what she came out with.’
‘Don’t tell me Aggie Graham borrowed off her? I thought she had more sense.’
‘No, girl, she hasn’t, but her neighbour has. Yer know the one with the four young children, Vera Duffy? Well, she lives every week hand to mouth, ’cos as yer can imagine it must be hard going keeping a husband and four kids on the money a bleedin’ labourer earns.’ Flo’s bosom left the table when she took a deep breath, then when she blew out, it settled itself down again. ‘Aggie was saying Vera borrowed a pound off Ma Maloney a few months ago, but couldn’t pay it back. So what did the old faggot do? She gave her another pound loan on top. And now the poor woman is out of her mind because she doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell of paying it back. She’s up to her neck, and with the interest mounting up each week, she can’t see any way out.’
‘I’ve said all along that woman shouldn’t be allowed to charge so much interest. Vera Duffy will owe her four pound now, not two. Someone should have Ma hung, drawn and quartered.’
‘Aggie’s quite worried about Vera. Said the woman was so frightened of her husband finding out, she was thinking of putting her head in the gas oven.’
Beth tutted while shaking her head. ‘I think we should get a group of women together who’ve been stung by this she-devil, and frighten the life out of her. I’d be quite prepared to face her and say I’m going to report her to the police, but I would expect some back-up.’
‘You can count on me, girl, I’d be delighted to see her get her comeuppance. And Dot and Lizzie will be right behind yer.’ Flo had a sudden thought and banged one fist on the table. ‘Aggie was saying there were a dozen women in her street who would willingly choke the moneylender, so I think between us we could get a small army together.’
Beth’s eyes narrowed. ‘This is what we’ll do.’ She told Flo of her plan and ended by saying, ‘Don’t forget, no one is to say a word to Vera Duffy. We don’t want her any more worried than she is already.’
‘And where do yer want us to meet tomorrow, and what time?’
‘Outside here, at ten in the morning. And for heaven’s sake, sunshine, don’t tell your feller in case it gets back to Andy. He wouldn’t be very happy if he knew what was going on.’
‘My lips are sealed, girl, yer can rely on me.’ The chair creaked ominously as Flo’s bust and tummy began to shake. ‘Haven’t yer overlooked something? If I snitched on you, I’d be giving the bleedin’ game away on meself! Now I might look daft, and I might act daft, but I’m not that flippin’ daft in the head.’
‘Don’t I know it! Ye’re as cute as a box load of monkeys, you are, sunshine!’ Then Beth remembered something. ‘Ay, your Amy’s starting young, isn’t she? I saw her talking to Seamus O’Leary in the street last night, and her mouth was going fifteen to the dozen. She takes after you for talking.’
‘She’s a damn sight worse than me! She can talk me under the table any day. She used to be so quiet until she left school, now we can’t shut her up. It’s going to work what’
s done it, it’s brought her out of herself. Fourteen going on forty, that’s her.’ Flo jerked her head back and sent her layers of chins rippling. ‘My Dennis says that if our Wendy turns out to be the same when she leaves school next summer, him and me won’t be able to get a word in edgeways with the two of them at it. He’s threatening to spend every night in the pub getting drunk, or packing a case and going to live in the Seamen’s Mission.’
Beth chuckled. ‘Yer’ve got to be a sailor before they let yer in the Seamen’s Mission, sunshine, so he’d never get in.’
‘I told him that, girl, but like everything else, he had an answer to it. He said it’s easy enough to buy one of the peaked caps the merchant seamen wear, so he could mug himself to one of those and a navy blue reefer jacket.’ This time the chair gave some very serious creaking and Flo’s bosom and tummy lifted the table from the floor. ‘I told him it would be cheaper to sell the girls off in marriage. You know, like they do in those foreign countries. Two camels and yer daughter’s off yer hands.’
‘Oh, yer might have a problem there, sunshine, ’cos I haven’t seen no camels down Walton Road or County Road.’ Beth was straightfaced. ‘Mind you, that’s not to say there isn’t any, ’cos my eyesight’s not what it used to be.’
‘Oh, I thought of all that, girl, and I told him. But he said there’s always a couple of stray cats in the entry, and if the men were foreign and didn’t speak English, they wouldn’t know the difference.’
Beth’s head went back and she roared with laughter. ‘Yer know, sunshine, you and your feller have some really intelligent conversations. Me and Andy couldn’t keep up with yer, yer’d leave us standing.’
‘That’s only what we get up to in the living room, girl,’ Flo said. ‘Yer’d never guess what we get up to in the bedroom.’
Beth pushed her chair back with some speed. ‘No, sunshine, and I don’t want to know. That is strictly between you and Dennis. Now, will yer go and get yer coat because Dot and Lizzie will be here any minute.’
Flo’s shoulders were shaking as she made her way to the door. ‘I hope ye’re not as shy in the bedroom as yer are downstairs, girl, or poor Andy must be a very frustrated man.’
‘Out, woman, before I throw yer out!’ When Beth closed the door on her friend she was chuckling inside.
‘Shall I pour, Mary, or would you like to be mother?’
‘I’ll pour, Mr Sanderson, I’m not used to being waited on. Besides it’s a woman’s job, really, so you can sit and watch.’
‘If I can call you Mary, why can’t you call me Clive? I would like that very much.’
Mary Halliday cursed the blush she could feel covering her face. ‘I don’t think that would be right. You are my boss, and it would sound disrespectful.’
‘Outside we can behave in a businesslike manner, Mary. But this is my private office, surely we can be friends while we’re in here?’
‘Of course we can be friends, inside your office and out. But I don’t want to appear to be getting too familiar. What if I should slip up and one of the staff heard me?’
‘Oh, would that be so terrible? I’m just an ordinary bloke, Mary, who would like to be your friend. It gets very lonely sitting here alone day after day, studying books and figures. The only time I have company is at the board meeting once a month. I meet Sarah, of course, and yourself, but usually the meetings are brief and we only discuss business. At least that’s how it was for years until you suggested I took an interest in the shop and the staff. That has made such a difference to my life, and I am grateful to you. And now I am asking for one more favour from you. While we are in my office, please call me Clive.’
How could she refuse a man she had admired so much, for so long, from afar? ‘If that is what you wish, Clive, then so be it.’ Mary placed a cup of tea in front of him. ‘I believe that is how you like it, not too strong and with milk and two sugars.’ When he smiled and nodded she sat down and straightened her skirt over her legs before picking up her own cup. ‘I’m going to enjoy this, I feel quite parched.’
‘I’m not surprised, you have a very demanding workload. I had no idea the amount of work you put in until you were kind enough to introduce me to the workings of the shop and the stock room. On top of making sure the two departments run smoothly, you also have to keep a tab on absenteeism and breakages, etc. That is a lot of responsibility for one person, and I really feel we should take on another supervisor to take some of the weight from your shoulders.’
‘Oh, no, that won’t be necessary, Clive, I like to keep busy. A full day’s work then when I get home in the evening, after making myself a meal, I’m ready to put up my feet and relax, listening to the wireless.’ Mary, who wore her dark hair combed back into a businesslike bun in the nape of her neck, tilted her head. ‘I don’t want to sound inquisitive, but I know that like myself you live alone. Who caters for your needs, Clive, like keeping the house in order and cooking meals for you?’
‘I have a housekeeper who’s been with me for years. She doesn’t live in, she comes to the house after I’ve left for work and keeps the place spotless. She attends to the washing, ironing and shopping. There’s a hot meal ready for me every night, and after washing up, she goes to her own home. I really don’t know what I’d do without her.’
‘You live in a big house, do you?’
‘Yes, a huge sprawling place, as big as a barn.’ Clive placed his cup and saucer on the tray. ‘You see, my father was a doctor and he needed a big house to have two rooms to use as his surgery and waiting room. Then, after he died, Mother refused to move, she wanted to stay there because it held so many memories.’ He leaned forward and there was a boyish smile on his face. ‘I really shouldn’t be boring you with tales of my family, you must be finding it very dull.’
‘Not at all, I find it interesting.’ Mary felt light-headed to be actually sitting so close. This was something she would not have thought possible. And if it never went any further than sitting having a cup of tea in his office, she would be satisfied. ‘What happened to your mother, did she die?’
‘Good heavens, no! Mother is very much alive and living in a hotel for gentlewomen in Bournemouth. She decided to retire there after visiting a friend. I speak to her twice a week on the telephone, and I visit whenever possible. It is quite a distance to travel, and Mother understands why my visits are infrequent. But I don’t really believe it worries her because she has made many friends down there and is very happy.’
‘You do surprise me. I took it for granted that, like myself, you had lost both parents. But my home isn’t a big sprawling place, it’s very modest and easy to manage.’
Clive wasn’t to know it, but his mind was running along the same lines as Mary’s. It was such a pleasant change to be talking in a friendly manner with a member of the opposite sex. Particularly one as pretty as Mary. She wasn’t in the full bloom of life, but neither was he, and he could never feel so comfortable with someone younger. ‘Perhaps you would like to see my house? I could ask my housekeeper to make tea for us one day, perhaps on a Wednesday afternoon when we’re both free? I would very much like that, but perhaps I am putting you in a difficult position where you would find it hard to refuse under the circumstances? Please don’t be afraid to put me in my place, Mary, I would quite understand.’
There were many thoughts running through her head. What would the staff think if they found out? Then she steeled herself. Why couldn’t she do what she really wanted to do without worrying about what other people thought? She had reached a stage in life when she must grasp what happiness came her way with both hands. And this was more happiness than she could ever have imagined in her wildest dreams. ‘I would like that very much, Clive, thank you for asking me.’
The gentle smile that crossed his face sent her heart lurching.
There were fourteen women outside Beth’s house the next morning at ten o’clock, and they were being very loud and vocal. A couple of them were known big mouths, and were talking b
lack eyes, etc. Beth thought it best to put things straight before they started. ‘Just listen for a minute, if yer will. We’re doing this for Vera Duffy, who is terrified of her husband finding out about Ma Maloney. But she’d be even more terrified if she knew we’d caused trouble with the moneylender and fists were flying. She certainly wouldn’t thank us for that. So I propose we approach the woman quietly and with dignity. Have I got your promise on that?’
Flo hitched up her bosom and nodded vigorously. ‘Yes, yer have, girl, I’ve told everyone we don’t want no trouble, or Vera will stick her head in the bleedin’ gas oven. So we’ll go along with whatever yer say.’
‘D’yer know what ye’re going to say?’ Dot asked. ‘Have yer got it planned in yer head?’
‘Pretty much, but it all depends on what Ma Maloney says when she knows why we’re there. She might tell us to sod off, or she might be understanding.’
‘There’s not much hope of that, lass,’ one woman shouted. ‘All that old devil understands is money.’
‘We’ll see how it goes and take it from there.’ Beth took hold of Flo’s arm, Dot took Lizzie’s, and they led the way down the street and through two entries to the back yard of the moneylender.
Ma Maloney was standing by her door as usual, waiting for her customers. She was surprised when she saw the large group of women coming down the entry, but it didn’t worry her, she thought they were taking a short cut to the shops. Even when they came to a halt and gathered around her door, she didn’t think anything was amiss. Nothing to worry about, anyway. ‘What the bleedin’ hell are yer standing there for? Go on, sod off, the lot of yer, I’m waiting for someone.’
Beth lifted her hand to stem the growls she could hear behind her. ‘We’re here to talk about one of your customers and issue an ultimatum to yer. Vera Duffy – yer know her, don’t yer? First yer lent her a pound, then when she couldn’t pay it back yer lent her another one to get her even deeper in debt.’
