by Joan Jonker
Rebecca was livid. ‘Oh, it’s Polly now, is it? A dirty, common flower-seller, and you have no objection to sitting next to her at the table, or in the study? She probably has filthy habits and is entirely lacking in etiquette.’
‘Miaow! Your claws are showing, my dear sister, and it does not become you. I for one have no objection to Polly, I thought she was pretty and friendly. I also think she’ll be lots of fun.’
Rebecca moved to stand in front of him and drawled, ‘Oh yeah, I’ll ask me mam.’
Justin laughed. ‘I rather think you’ll live to regret trying to make a fool of Polly. She does speak with a heavy accent, I agree, but I don’t find it in the least unpleasant. And accent aside, I think she’s probably a damn sight more clever than you or I will ever be.’ He picked up a book from the tallboy and flicked through the pages. ‘Close the door on your way out, Rebecca, please.’
Grinding her teeth, Rebecca banged the door. She’d get rid of the girl with or without her brother’s help. There were ways of getting rid of staff you didn’t like, she’d done it before.
Chapter Nineteen
‘Of course I’ll mind the little feller for yer,’ Dolly said. ‘He can ’ave a bite to eat with us, save you worryin’.’ She grimaced as she pulled at a bone in her stays which had worked its way through the material and was digging into the flesh beneath her breast. ‘I must be barmy wearin’ these things when they give me hell. Walkin’ round in agony just for the sake of vanity, I want me flamin’ bumps feeling.’
‘I wouldn’t care if yer looked any different with the blinkin’ things on, but yer don’t!’ Ada said. ‘Yer look the same, with or without the stays on.’
‘Thanks, pal! Yer certainly know how to make a girl feel good. Just like my feller.’ Dolly jerked her head in the direction of Les who had his head buried in the Echo. ‘He’s always payin’ me compliments, too! It’s no wonder I’ve got a bleedin’ inferiority complex.’
Ada laughed. ‘You, an inferiority complex? That’ll be the day, Dolly Mitchell. I wish I was as sure of meself as you always seem to be. It would be a good one who could get the better of yer.’
Les lifted his head and nodded. ‘Yer right there, Ada, I’ve been trying for seventeen years to get the better of her but I don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell. She’s got an answer for everything.’
‘Oh, I wouldn’t say that, light of my life! There’s one place in this house where yer always get yer own way.’ Dolly’s thumb pointed upwards to their bedroom. ‘Yer’ve got no complaints in that department ’cos I’m very co-operative.’
A blush was covering Les’s face as he winked at Ada. ‘See what I mean about her havin’ an answer for everything? My best bet is to just sit tight an’ say nowt.’
‘Yer have my sympathy, Les. I don’t know how yer put up with her.’
‘Ay, whose side are you on? I’ve just offered to do yer a favour, ’cos yer supposed to be me best mate, an’ all I get is the height of abuse from yer!’ Dolly folded her arms across her tummy and hitched up her bust. As she did so a look of pure bliss crossed her face. ‘Oh God, that’s lovely! The ruddy bone’s not diggin’ in now.’
‘Dolly, take the flamin’ things off! I’m blowed if I’d put up with that just for the sake of lookin’ an inch thinner.’
‘It’s all right for you talkin’, Ada Perkins, but yer’d soon change yer tune if yer had my tummy.’ Dolly gently rubbed the sore spot. ‘I’d better get them off, though, otherwise I’ll end up with a ruddy big sore an’ have to go to the doctor’s.’ She began to chuckle. ‘Can yer imagine the poor man’s face if I ’ad to undress in front of him? He’d think he needed a new pair of glasses.’
‘A doctor’s used to seein’ all sizes and shapes, Dolly, he wouldn’t think nothin’ of it.’
‘Oh, aye – would you like to show him one of yours?’
‘I wouldn’t have to, sunshine, would I? ’Cos I’m not stupid enough to wear somethin’ that was killing me!’ Ada began to button her coat. ‘I’d better get in before Polly thinks I’ve got lost.’
‘Our Steve’s in there. He took a pack of cards with him so they could have a game of rummy.’ Dolly tilted her head. ‘I don’t think he’s very happy about Polly leaving, he looked dead miserable when she told him.’
‘He’ll still see her, she’ll be comin’ home regularly.’ Ada closed her eyes. ‘Don’t start me off, Dolly. I’ve shed enough tears today to sink a flamin’ ship!’
‘Yer’ll get used to it, girl, an’ it’s not as though it’s for ever. Time passes quickly an’ she’ll be home before yer know it. An’ you being able to pack up yer morning job should make yer happy. No more gettin’ up at half-four – yer won’t know yer born.’
‘I know, I keep pinchin’ meself to make sure I’m not dreaming. Anyway, will yer see me out, Dolly?’ Ada looked across to her neighbour’s husband. ‘Bye for now, Les. An’ put yer foot down with this one, d’yer hear?’
‘I’ll do that, Ada!’ he called after her. ‘I’ll put me foot down with a firm hand.’
Ada stepped into the street and looked up at her friend. ‘I didn’t want to say anythin’ in front of Les, but I’ll pay yer five bob a week for minding Joey for me. Is that all right?’
Dolly waved a hand. ‘I don’t want nothin’ off yer, the little feller’s no trouble. And what he eats is harmless.’
‘I want to pay yer, Dolly, and I can afford it. Mr John is making me other wage up, and I’ll be gettin’ a few bob off Polly even though I won’t have her to keep. So while I won’t be on Easy Street, I’ll be able to manage fine with just Joey an’ me.’
‘I won’t say the money won’t be welcome, girl, ’cos an extra five bob a week would be a godsend. But I couldn’t charge yer for mindin’ the little feller for a few hours – I’d feel mean. After all, we’re friends, an’ yer don’t charge friends for doin’ them a favour.’
‘Dolly, count it as doin’ a little job. I go to work an’ I get paid, so why shouldn’t you? If it weren’t for you minding Joey, I wouldn’t be able to take the job, would I?’
‘Are yer sure yer wouldn’t be leavin’ yerself skint?’
‘Quite sure. If the time ever came that I couldn’t afford to pay it, yer know I’d tell yer. But Mr John has his friends in once a month now an’ I get an extra few bob for that.’
‘I’ll put Joey to bed when yer have to go out at night, an’ I’ll sit with him until yer come home. That way I’ll make sure I get me fair share of the cakes an’ sarnies.’ Dolly hugged herself, a beaming smile on her face. ‘Five bob a week’s not to be sneezed at, girl! I might even buy meself some new stays.’
‘You dare, an’ I’ll clock yer one,’ Ada said. ‘I’m not givin’ yer good money so yer can inflict pain on yerself.’ She turned to move away. ‘Is that a bargain then, Dolly?’
‘It’s the bargain of a lifetime, girl, an’ I thank yer. In fact, me whole family will thank yer ’cos there’ll be extra grub on the table.’
Ada slid her front-door key into the lock. ‘I’ll see yer tomorrow, Dolly. Good night an’ God bless.’ She closed the door behind her as Polly opened the living-room door.
‘I’ve been worried about yer, Mam!’
‘I slipped next door and stayed longer than I intended.’ Ada shrugged off her coat. ‘Hello, Steve.’
‘Hello, Mrs Perkins. I’ve been hearing all about Polly’s new job.’ Steve laid down his hand of cards. ‘She’s goin’ up in the world, isn’t she?’
‘It depends what you mean by goin’ up in the world, sunshine.’ Ada could see the hurt and disappointment in his eyes. ‘Having plenty of money an’ living in a big house doesn’t always bring happiness. We may have nowt, but we’re better off than some of them.’
‘Steve’s being daft,’ Polly told her. ‘He thinks I’ll start speakin’ posh and go round with me nose in the air. But I won’t, will I, Mam?’
‘I should hope not, love, because me an’ yer dad wouldn’t like that. We love yer just the way yer
are.’
‘An’ I love you and me dad, an’ nothing will ever change that. Same as Steve is me best mate. He always had been an’ always will be.’
‘There you are, Steve. She can’t say fairer than that, can she?’
But Steve wasn’t happy. Why couldn’t things have stayed as they were? He’d been waiting for what seemed a lifetime for Polly to reach fourteen so he could take her to the pictures. Then everyone would know she was his girlfriend. But that dream had faded into the distance when she’d told him there was a fifteen-year-old boy in the house and she’d be taking lessons with him and his sister. Justin … what a stupid name for a boy, he must be a right cissy. But cissy or not, he lived in a mansion, had plenty of money, and worst of all he’d be living in the same house as Polly and seeing her every day. All this was enough to send Steve into the depths of despair.
When Polly was seeing him to the door, he blurted out, ‘Yer’ll still come to the pictures with me when yer leave school, won’t yer?’
‘Of course I will! I said so, didn’t I?’
‘Things were different then, yer weren’t leaving home.’
‘I’m not leaving home! At least, I am for a while, but I’ll be back. This will always be my home no matter where I am. The only reason I’m goin’ is because I want to learn as much as I can.’ She would have liked to explain to him how her brain was eager for knowledge, and how much she knew she could learn from Mr Westly that she’d never be taught in a classroom of forty children. But the downcast look on Steve’s face stopped her from saying these things. ‘Providing me mam will let me, an’ if you still want to, I promise I’ll come to the pictures with yer on me fourteenth birthday. That can be me birthday present from yer.’
‘I’ll hold yer to that promise, Polly.’ Still Steve lingered. ‘Have yer still got the ollie, the bobby dazzler?’
‘It’s in me drawer upstairs, I wouldn’t part with it.’
‘An’ I’ve still got the card yer gave me.’ He couldn’t think of anything else that would keep her, so he stepped into the street. ‘I’ll see yer temorrer night, eh?’
‘Yes, temorrer night. Ta-ra, Steve.’
‘Ta-ra, Polly.’
When Ada walked through the ward door her hand was ready to wave to Tommy, who was always watching for her. But he was lying flat in his bed and when she approached his smile was weak. Ada’s heart sank. ‘What’s wrong, love, are yer tired?’
‘I feel a bit off today, but it’s nothing to worry about.’ He struggled to a sitting position, his breathing laboured. ‘I got yer letter.’
Ada forced a smile. ‘She starts temorrer an’ she’s had me moth-eaten over what to take an’ what not to take. I managed to get her two half-decent dresses from the market yesterday because she said she’d look a nit if she had to wear her gymslip.’
‘I’m glad she’s goin’, love, even though I know it’s piling more work on your shoulders. At least she’s getting a start in life, which is more than we ever got.’
‘I know it’s not quite the thing to say when you’re lying here in hospital, but we haven’t done too badly, Tommy. We’ve got each other an’ two lovely children. What we’ve lacked in material things we’ve made up for with love.’
‘The day I met you was the luckiest day of my life,’ Tommy said, a trace of sadness in his voice. ‘You’ve given me all the love a man could ever ask for, and you’ve given me two lovely children.’
‘Ay, come on, don’t be getting maudlin! Yer sound right down in the dumps today.’ Ada was shocked by Tommy’s appearance but she was determined not to let it show. ‘I’ve got some news that should cheer yer up, seein’ as yer worry about me working too hard.’ She told him about her new job and how Dolly was going to mind Joey. ‘So I can have a lie-in from tomorrow – be a real lady of leisure.’
‘I’m glad about that, love, ’cos I have been worried about yer. If I ever get the chance, I’ll thank Mr John for bein’ so good to yer.’
Ada didn’t allow the feeling of guilt to stay. ‘What d’yer mean, if yer get the chance? Yer mean when yer get the chance. He always sends his regards and says to tell yer he’s looking forward to meeting yer.’
Tommy didn’t have the strength to stay in the sitting position and he slid down in the bed. ‘I’m tired today, love, although God only knows why ’cos I haven’t done anythin’ to make me tired.’
‘Perhaps yer didn’t get a good night’s sleep? I think it’s best if I leave, then you might be able to drop off.’
When Tommy didn’t protest, Ada became more worried. He definitely seemed to have deteriorated a lot since last week. She bent to kiss his brow and whispered, ‘I’ll see you next week.’
‘Write to me before then. I enjoyed gettin’ yer letter – it made the week seem shorter.’
Ada nodded. ‘I’ll get Polly to put a note in with it. Joey isn’t up to writing yet, but he can sign his name on Polly’s, that’ll please him no end.’
Tommy reached out to take her hand. ‘I love you, Ada, more than yer’ll ever know.’
‘And I love you so much, sweetheart, if I said it a million times over it wouldn’t be enough. And the children idolise yer, so you just hurry up an’ get better so we can have yer at home with us.’
Once in the corridor, Ada hastened to the Matron’s office. There was no reply to her knock so she paced up and down outside until a passing nurse said she’d try to find Matron for her.
‘Yes, Mrs Perkins?’ Matron approached, short and stocky with dark hair, her walk brisk and efficient.
Ada cleared her throat. ‘It’s about me husband, Matron. He doesn’t look well today.’
‘Come into the office.’ When they were both seated, the usually stern face showed signs of sympathy. ‘Your husband isn’t well, Mrs Perkins. He has deteriorated within the last few days. The doctors are baffled because he was responding to treatment and there seems no reason for the setback. It’s not unusual for a patient to have a short relapse, then recover and respond once again to treatment. We are hoping this will happen in your husband’s case. So there’s no cause for concern at the moment and he certainly isn’t in any immediate danger. But if you are worried, and it would put your mind at rest, then I suggest you ring the ward each day and speak to Sister.’
‘Yes, I’ll do that.’ Ada stood up. ‘Thank you, Matron.’
‘We would certainly notify you of any major change in your husband’s condition – that is normal hospital procedure.’
‘I understand, thank you.’
Weary in mind and body, Ada walked slowly to the tram stop. She wouldn’t say anything to the children; it was no use upsetting them. Better to wait a week and see if Tommy’s condition changed. She sighed as she boarded the tram, asking herself what her husband had ever done to deserve this. And on the long journey home she prayed that God would listen to her prayers to make him better.
At half-past eight the next morning, Polly stepped into the street clutching the old battered suitcase of Dolly’s. Inside the case were three changes of clothing … socks, knickers, vests and dresses. She was wearing the only coat she possessed and the only pair of shoes. Ada had managed to find a small handbag on a second-hand stall at Paddy’s market, and inside was a comb, a handkerchief and a shilling piece.
‘Well, that’s it, Mam.’ Polly was smiling but her quivering lips told of her inner fears. ‘I’ll be home the first chance I get.’ She bent to gaze into Joey’s face. ‘You be a good boy for yer mam, d’yer hear?’
Joey’s face crumbled. ‘Don’t go, our Polly! I don’t want yer to go.’
Ada put her hand on his shoulder. ‘Come on now, sunshine, big boys don’t cry. Give Polly a nice kiss and tell her she’s got to come an’ see yer soon.’
Polly put the case down and held him in her arms. ‘I promise I’ll see yer in the next three days.’ Thinking of the shilling in the handbag she made another promise. ‘An’ I’ll bring yer some sweets.’
‘Come on, Polly, you don’t
want to be late on yer first morning.’ Ada gave her daughter a quick kiss, eager for the girl to be gone before the tears started. ‘An’ don’t forget what I’ve told yer. No one is any better than you so don’t let them treat yer like a skivvy. They may have more money than you an’ they may speak posh, but God made us all, we are all equal in His eyes. So while I’d expect yer to be polite and respectful, an’ do yer job properly, just remember you’re as good as any of them. An’ please, if yer get a spare half-hour, let us know how yer gettin’ on. I’m working days now, an’ it’s only a stone’s throw to Faulkner Square.’
‘I’ll try, but I’ll have to see what me jobs are first, get used to the routine.’ Polly picked up the case and said, ‘I love yer, Mam, and you too, our Joey.’ With that she walked quickly away, her back straight and her head held high.
Ada watched until Polly turned the corner at the top of the street, then she took Joey’s hand and led him indoors. ‘Come on, sunshine, it’s time for school.’
Polly’s heart was pounding as she rang the bell. It took sheer willpower not to turn around and run away. And when the maid, Lucy, opened the door with a surly expression on her face the urge to flee became greater. It was her mother’s parting words that forced her feet to take her into the hall and keep the smile on her face. She was as good as anyone and she wasn’t going to let them get her down. ‘Good morning, Lucy.’
There was no polite greeting in reply. ‘You’re to go to the kitchen and take your orders from Mrs Nightingale.’
Oh well, Polly thought, shrugging her shoulders, if that’s the way she wants it that’s the way she can have it. She made her way to the back of the house and when she entered the kitchen and found Mr Denholme there, her spirits lifted. ‘Good morning, Mr Denholme.’ Polly gave him a beaming smile. ‘Good morning, Mrs Nightingale.’
Whether it was the presence of her employer, Polly would never know, but the cook managed a brief smile and an even briefer, ‘Morning.’
‘Polly, my dear.’ Charles’s pleasure at seeing her was genuine. ‘Welcome to the Denholme household. Here, give me the case and I’ll have Lucy take it up to your room.’
