by Joan Jonker
‘He’s got a point,’ Tommy said. ‘Seeing as you an’ me don’t know which way to go, perhaps it would be best if yer sat Polly down and had a heart to heart with her. The girl might not want to go an’ we’ll have had all this upset for nothing.’
‘I’ll do that, love.’ Ada felt some of the pressure lifting. ‘An’ I’ll write yer a letter an’ tell yer what she says, save yer having to wait until next Sunday to find out.’ She gave a long sigh. ‘Now let’s talk about somethin’ else, cheer yer up a bit.’
‘What’s Fanny been up to?’ Tommy was smiling as he asked because he knew Ada would have a funny tit-bit for him.
‘Yer mean Fanny an’ Aggie! Oh yes, me old mate turned up one night – Mr John brought her in the car. She opened the door to me as bold as brass an’ within minutes her an’ Fanny had me in stitches. It was just like old times.’
‘Aggie’s missin’ yer, is she?’
Ada turned her head to make sure there were no nurses in the vicinity before doing her impersonation. ‘It’s bleedin’ miserable, girl, just sittin’ all day lookin’ at four bleedin’ walls!’
Ada climbed the winding stairs to the top deck of the tram, knowing it would be quieter there. She needed a clear head to think things through properly before she got home. The remark made by Tommy about him not being able to get a decent job because he hadn’t been given the chance his daughter was being offered, stuck in her mind. Perhaps she should encourage Polly to take up the offer, try to make something of herself. She deserved it, God knows, because she was such a good kid and it would be nice to see her getting on in the world. But oh, how she’d miss her! Not only because of the help she was around the house, but for her ever-present cheerfulness and ready laughter. And what about Joey? He’d be lost without his beloved sister. But, Ada asked herself, were those things important enough to deny the girl the opportunity of a lifetime?
By the time Ada stepped off the tram she had decided she wouldn’t try and sway Polly one way or the other. The girl must decide for herself. But as soon as she stepped into the living room she was given a stark reminder of what she would miss if her daughter wasn’t there. The table had been set for tea, with a plate of sandwiches and a Victoria sponge cake, and the kettle standing on the hob was just on the boil.
‘Sit down, Mam, an’ I’ll pour yer a drink out.’ Polly turned her ever-ready smile on her mother. ‘How was me dad?’
‘Just about the same, sunshine, but perhaps a bit more talkative. He sends you an’ Joey a big hug an’ a kiss.’
‘Did he like the flowers?’
‘He was delighted,’ Ada said. ‘Over the moon with them.’
‘What about me, Mam?’ Joey enquired. ‘Did he ask how I was gettin’ on in school?’
‘He always asks, son, never fails. An’ I always tell him you’re goin’ to be as clever as our Polly, near the top of the class.’
Joey grinned. ‘I’m goin’ to be cleverer than our Polly ’cos I can beat her at cards, so there!’
Ada glanced from one to the other and asked herself how she could even think of breaking the home up more than it was already. Then her sense of fair play told her to stick to what she’d planned. Let Polly decide for herself.
When tea was over, Ada carried the dishes out. ‘I’ll wash these few things, Polly, it won’t take me a minute.’
‘Can me an’ Polly have a game of snap before I go to bed?’ Joey asked, his face begging her to say yes. ‘I promise I’ll go to bed when yer tell me to.’
‘Yes, okay, son, but seven o’clock sharp yer up those stairs ’cos it’s school temorrer.’
Ada rinsed the few dishes and left them on the draining board while she attached the hose pipe to the tap to fill the dolly tub. She’d leave the washing in steep all night and get most of the dirt out. Then when she came in from her morning job she could rinse it out, put the things through the mangle, and providing it wasn’t raining, she could have them out on the line before ten o’clock. With decent weather, the washing would be dry before she had to leave for Faulkner Square.
As she waited for the dolly tub to fill, Ada’s thoughts went back to Charles Denholme. With a bit of luck Polly might turn his offer down flat. That would save a lot of headaches and heartaches. Then a voice in her head told her that she was being selfish, thinking of herself instead of considering her daughter. And once again Ada determined to let the girl choose for herself without any interference.
‘Mam, our Joey’s yawning his head off. Shall I take him up?’ Polly watched as her mother plunged the dolly peg up and down in the water. ‘Yer look tired, Mam. Leave that an’ I’ll do it when I come down. You sit and put yer feet up while yer’ve got the chance.’
‘No, you take Joey up, an’ when yer come down I’ll have a fresh pot of tea made an’ we can sit an’ have a natter.’
There was a grin on Polly’s face when she came downstairs. ‘He’s a holy terror, our Joey. I was halfway through the story when I saw him close his eyes an’ drop off. And he let me creep as far as the door before tellin’ me he was only pretendin’ to be asleep, then he made me go back and finish the story. The little tinker.’
Ada poured out two cups of tea and handed one to her daughter. She sighed with relief when she sat down. ‘It’s lovely to sit in peace and quiet, rest me weary bones.’ She sipped at the tea, gazing at Polly over the rim of the cup. ‘Did yer see Mr Denholme yesterday?’
Polly nodded. ‘Yeah, I told yer, he came as usual. He doesn’t half have a lot of clothes, Mam. I’ve seen him in about six suits. What it is to be rich, eh?’
‘Did he have anythin’ to say?’
‘I told yer last night he said he’d met you, don’t yer remember?’
‘Yes, you told me that. But did he have anythin’ else to say? Like telling yer he went to see Mr John?’
‘No, we didn’t have that long to talk because I was busy. Anyway, he wouldn’t tell me that, would he? Him and Mr John are friends, so he probably calls to see him quite often.’
Ada’s tummy was churning over but she knew if she didn’t do it now she never would. ‘He had a reason for calling to see him this week, Polly, and his visit concerned you.’
Polly’s eyes flew open in surprise. ‘Me? Why would he go to see Mr John about me? I don’t even know your boss, Mam, so what would Mr Denholme want to see him about me for?’
‘Well, now he knows I work for Mr John, he probably thought his proposal would stand a better chance if it came through someone who knows the family.’
‘Yer’ve lost me, Mam. I don’t know what yer talking about. What d’yer mean by his proposal?’
‘He wants to offer you a job in his house, as a junior housemaid.’
Polly laughed. ‘He’s quick off the mark, isn’t he? I’ve got another eleven months to do at school.’
‘He said you’d be taught alongside his two children, who have a private tutor.’ Ada had trouble keeping her voice neutral. ‘You’d work so many hours a day with the housekeeper, then you’d join his children for lessons. You’d be paid five shillings a week and have yer clothes bought for yer.’
Polly’s eyes brightened with excitement. ‘A private tutor! That would be marvellous, Mam – just think what I’d learn! I might even be taught how to speak French!’
‘So the idea appeals to yer, does it?’ Ada’s heart plummeted. ‘Yer think yer’d like it?’
‘Oh, yeah! An’ I’d be able to give you the five shillings a week, plus what I get at the weekends. We’d be well-off, Mam!’
‘There wouldn’t be any weekend job, Polly, ’cos yer’d have to live in. Yer’d probably get a day a week off, but I really wouldn’t like yer to take that as gospel. Yer’d have to ask Mr Denholme about yer hours and things, but it is a live-in job.’
‘Yer mean I wouldn’t live here no more, not with you an’ Joey?’
‘No, sunshine, yer wouldn’t. The job he’s offering is what they call going into service, an’ that means living in.’
‘What about helping Sarah Jane on a Saturday, or Auntie Mary on a Sunday? Couldn’t I do that, neither?’
Ada shook her head. ‘No, love, yer couldn’t.’
Polly dropped her head while she thought it all through. ‘How would you manage without me? Who’d look after our Joey for yer an’ run all the messages?’
‘I’d have to manage, that’s all. I know next door would see to Joey for me, so that would be one worry less.’
The mention of Steve’s mother had Polly shaking her head vigorously, sending her curls flying in all directions. ‘No, I don’t want to go. In fact I’m not going! I’d be worried sick leaving you with all the work to do, an’ our Joey would miss me somethin’ shocking. And I’d be lettin’ Sarah Jane and Auntie Mary down. I couldn’t do that, Mam, I’d feel terrible. And another thing, I’d never get to see Steve.’
An hour ago, Ada would have been relieved and happy at Polly’s words. But after listening to her daughter’s reasons for refusing, she could only feel sadness. The girl had been delighted at the prospect at first, Ada could tell by her animated face and the eyes sparkling with excitement. It was only after she’d had time to think about the people who, in her mind, she’d be letting down, that the flame of excitement was dimmed. And while Ada loved her for her thoughtfulness, she didn’t think the reasons given were the right ones to be turning down Mr Denholme’s offer. Polly was thirteen years of age, far too young to worry about how people would manage without her. She couldn’t live her life around other folk, she had to start thinking of herself.
‘Polly, if it weren’t for worrying about me an’ Joey, and Sarah Jane and Mary, would yer consider taking the job?’
‘Oh yeah, then it would be different. But I’m not leaving me mam an’ me brother, or me friends, in the lurch. That would be selfish, just thinkin’ about meself.’
‘Most of us have a selfish streak in us, sunshine, it’s only natural. Take me, for instance, I don’t want yer to go because I’d miss yer so much an’ I’d miss the help yer give me. That’s being selfish, thinkin’ of meself and not takin’ into consideration that you’d be betterin’ yerself if yer took the job. Yer dad wants yer to take it, he was all for the idea. Yer see, he reckons if he’d had a decent education he’d have been able to get a good job and he’d have made a better life for all of us.’
‘Me dad did his best, he couldn’t have done no more.’ Polly was quick to defend her father. ‘He’s a good dad, the best in the world! And we did have a good life – we were happy until he got sick.’
‘I’m not running yer dad down, sunshine. Yer know I love the bones of him. But he thinks if yer given a chance to get on in life then yer should grab it with both hands. An’ it’s not as though yer’d be goin’ to the ends of the earth. If yer didn’t like it, or were homesick, yer could walk out of the door and be home in ten minutes.’ Ada leaned forward and smiled into her daughter’s face. ‘An’ if I missed yer too much I could always march up there an’ drag yer home.’
Polly was thoughtful as she ran a finger round the rim of her cup. ‘I’d like to know a bit more about it. I like Mr Denholme an’ I know I could get on with him. He’s a toff, but he’s not stuck-up with it. But what about his wife an’ children? If they’re snobs I wouldn’t want to be in the same house as them.’
‘Guessing and wondering isn’t goin’ to get us anywhere, so put it out of yer mind for now. Tomorrow I’ll ask Mr John to arrange a meeting with Mr Denholme at Faulkner Square. That’s on neutral ground an’ yer’ll be on equal terms. I’ll be with yer ’cos there’s questions I want answers to as well. Me an’ yer dad love yer, Polly, an’ I know he’ll be relying on me not to let yer go anywhere unless I’m sure in me own mind that it’s the right place for yer to be.’
‘Before yer do that, Mam, are yer sure that if I didn’t like it I could just walk out of the door? I wouldn’t even think of goin’ if I was tied down and had to put up with it even if I hated it.’
‘You have my promise on that, sunshine. But what I’ll do, I’ll ask Mr John to sit with us. He’s got more on top than us, he’d know what questions to ask. An’ he’d make sure you understood everything that was going on.’
Polly suddenly started to giggle. ‘I think Mr Denholme might be gettin’ more than he bargained for. Instead of a girl going to him to be interviewed for the lowly post of junior housemaid, he’s got to come to Faulkner Square to be interviewed by three people to see if he is suitable! I wouldn’t be surprised if he told Mr John we could all take a runnin’ jump.’
‘That’s his privilege, love – but after all, he was the one who started the whole thing.’ Ada laughed. ‘That’ll teach him!’
Chapter Eighteen
‘Charles, the whole idea is ridiculous!’ Victoria Denholme looked at her husband as though he’d gone mad. ‘In the first place you have no right to offer a girl a job without my first seeing her! I’m the one who has to deal with the staff. What if I don’t think she’s suitable?’
Charles tipped the ash off his cigar into an ornate glass ashtray before answering. ‘I didn’t tell you about her before because I wasn’t sure her family would allow her to take the post. I think she’s very suitable, Victoria, and I’m sure you’ll agree I am entitled to have some say in who we take into our employment? I have never interfered before, because as long as the house was running smoothly I wasn’t that interested. However, I am interested in helping this young girl and I expect you and the children to welcome and respect her.’
‘I really don’t know what’s come over you, Charles,’ Victoria said, a hand to her forehead. She was a very elegant woman, tall and slim, with blonde hair and startling blue eyes. ‘You tell me she’s the girl you buy your flowers off – in other words, a barrow girl! In the next breath you tell me she’s not only coming to live in, but that she’s to be taught alongside the children. I must say, I find the whole thing intolerable and ask that you cancel the arrangement immediately.’
‘I’m sorry, darling, I don’t often refuse you but on this occasion I’m afraid I must.’ From the depth of his armchair, Charles spoke quietly. ‘Polly is a delightful child and once you meet her I’m sure you’ll be enchanted by her.’ He looked at the gold watch on his wrist. ‘She’ll be here, with her mother, in an hour’s time and I want you and the children to give them both a warm welcome and treat them with the utmost respect.’
Victoria shook her head. ‘No, I can’t do it.’
There was an edge now to Charles’s voice. ‘Can’t – or won’t, Victoria?’
‘You’re asking too much, Charles. You get this notion into your head that you want to help this … this waif, and we are all to suffer for your grand display of benevolence.’
‘Did you say, waif, Victoria? Oh dear, you are in for a shock. Polly is from a working-class family, and proud of it, but she has a lot of virtues I find sadly lacking in my own children. And I have to say, darling, that you disappoint me. I thought you would be happy to help someone less fortunate than ourselves. We live a very sheltered life in this house, we have never wanted for anything. We buy the best clothes, the best food, and are waited on hand and foot, our every whim catered for. But we were fortunate, you and I, to be born into wealthy families. We didn’t have to toil for our money, it wasn’t earned by the sweat of our brow. It was always there and we’ve taken it for granted. But I believe it’s time that we, as a family, stood back and gave a thought to how fortunate we are. I began to step back the day I met Polly Perkins. I began to wonder what would happen if I was suddenly broke, absolutely penniless. Would either of my children do what Polly does, to help me out? Would they be prepared to stand on a street corner selling flowers to earn the princely sum of one shilling per day? I reached the sad conclusion that they would not. So while we think we have everything that we want in life, there are many things we do not have. I hope that when you meet Polly Perkins you will understand what I mean.’
‘It would appear to me, Charles, that you care
more for this girl than you do your own children.’
‘No, Victoria, you are wrong. I am fond of Polly, but I love my children dearly and she could never take their place. But they are ignorant of how people outside our circle live. So while Polly will be gaining an education otherwise not open to her, it is my hope that Justin and Rebecca will learn something from her.’ Charles saw the look of bewilderment on his wife’s face and said softly, ‘I do love you, Victoria, and I hope that you love me enough to trust my judgement and have an open mind when Polly comes. Don’t shut your heart to her, my darling, give her a chance for my sake.’
When the bell sounded, Victoria went into the hall to see the maid making her way towards the front door. ‘I’ll answer it, Lucy. You return to the kitchen to help Mrs Nightingale prepare the dinner.’ While waiting for the maid to reach the end of the long, wide hall, she was telling herself that Charles was really going too far with this nonsense. Why, he’d practically ordered the children to like this girl. It was so unlike him she just couldn’t comprehend the whole sorry situation.
Victoria opened the door and looked down into two smiling faces, identical except for the age difference. ‘Mrs Perkins?’
Ada nodded. ‘This is me daughter, Polly.’
‘Come in, come in.’ Victoria was at a loss. They weren’t at all what she had expected and she was unsure whether she should shake hands or not. She decided against. If the girl was coming to work here it wouldn’t do to get too familiar. ‘Mr Denholme’s in the drawing room, please come through.’
‘Polly!’ Charles’s smile was wide as he left his armchair. He took the girl by the shoulders and with a cheeky grin, asked, ‘Have you got your blue velvet dress on?’
‘Don’t be daft, Mr Denholme, course I haven’t! I’ve come straight from school an’ I couldn’t go to school all dolled up, I’d have got me leg pulled soft.’
‘Only because they’d be jealous, Polly.’ Charles turned to her mother and extended a hand. ‘Ada, it’s good to see you. This is Victoria, my wife.’
