by June Francis
‘We really don’t need Dougie, do we, to enjoy ourselves in Liverpool?’ said Lila bracingly, rousing Emma from her thoughts.
Emma agreed. ‘Can you afford the train fare?’
Lila nodded. ‘I haven’t been giving Mam my wage packet unopened for the whole of the summer. I suddenly thought, I’m twenty-one, what am I thinking of handing it over, just like that, at my age? I’m also doing half the housework, cooking and looking after Dad, so I deserve more than I was getting. I give her what I think is a fair whack, and keep the rest for myself.’
‘Blinking heck!’ exclaimed Emma, even more surprised. ‘You’ve kept that a secret. What did your mother say?’
Lila smiled nervously. ‘She ranted, but I stood my ground, even though my knees were knocking. Eventually she just had to accept it. Same as me having given up my job. She hit the roof and called me a daft bitch and threatened to throw me out of the house if I didn’t get another job straight away, but I think she’s bluffing. She needs me there, but it’s time I had a bit more life of my own.’
Emma shrugged on her coat. ‘She’d have more of a fit if she knew you were considering looking for a job in Liverpool. How will they cope without you?’
Lila’s mouth drooped at the corners. ‘That’s my problem. Dad can be a pain at times but I do worry what he might do if he were to get really down. He used to be such an active man. I did take him out in the wheelchair during the summer, just along the road, but it’s not the same as him striding across the fells.’ She sighed.
‘It’s so upsetting for you all,’ said Emma, pulling on her hat and matching gloves, knitted from the wool she had found in spring.
‘I probably won’t look for a job in Liverpool,’ said Lila, ‘but I’m looking forward to seeing the shops.’
‘Well, keep a tight grip on your handbag when we get there,’ warned Emma, opening the door and leading the way. ‘Your mother will only say I told you so, if it were to get snatched.’
On arriving in Liverpool, Lila not only hung onto her handbag but clung to Emma’s arm as if her life depended on it. They shared Emma’s umbrella as they made their way through the rain to the Forum cinema. ‘I don’t know why your sister couldn’t meet us in Lime Street station,’ complained Lila.
‘I didn’t think of it this time,’ said Emma, understanding how her friend felt in light of the horrible weather. ‘Be thankful we weren’t in that train crash involving those three trains at Harrow last week.’
‘I know, it was awful,’ said Lila, seizing hold of part of the umbrella as the wind threatened to blow it inside out. ‘All those people killed! I’d have thought twice about taking the train if I’d remembered that before we set off.’
‘Well, we’re here now,’ said Emma brightly. ‘And I think I can see Betty standing on the steps out of the rain.’ She lifted the umbrella higher and waved frantically, shouting, ‘Betty, I’m here!’
She saw her half-sister’s face brighten. Then, as Emma began to cross the road, she caught sight of Dougie. Instantly she turned in the opposite direction and barged back across the road with her umbrella held in front of her like a shield, hauling Lila with her. They narrowly missed getting hit by a van and fortunately reached the pavement in one piece.
‘You’re mad!’ cried Lila, her face pallid as she tugged her arm free from Emma’s. ‘We could have been killed! What were you playing at?’
‘We made it, didn’t we?’ said Emma in a slightly breathless voice. ‘I thought I saw Dougie.’
‘So where is he?’ asked Lila, gazing about her.
Emma’s eyes darted here and there but she could no longer see him. Her face fell. ‘He’s vanished.’
‘Hard luck,’ said Lila, shaking her head at her as she smoothed her coat sleeve. ‘But next time, think twice, luv, before dragging me with you and putting our lives in danger. We both could have been killed, and how would me mam and dad manage then?’
‘Sorry,’ said Emma, biting her lip.
‘Are you OK, Emma?’ asked Betty, appearing beside her. ‘You gave me a fright. I thought you were going to be hit by that blue van.’
‘I know. It was stupid of me to do what I did, and all because I thought I saw Dougie Marshall,’ she said crossly. ‘No, not thought. I did see him. Maybe he saw me and didn’t want to talk to me.’
‘I’ve seen his brother a few times at Irene’s house and also at the Gianellis’. I did think to ask how his brothers were and I’ve a feeling he told me that the one you like is on a training course.’ Betty glanced curiously at the woman, standing the other side of Emma.
‘A course!’ said Emma, her eyes brightening. ‘Does that mean he could have been away somewhere?’
‘Probably. I could ask Norm, if I see him again,’ said Betty.
Emma smiled. ‘Thanks for telling me. It’s possible my letter didn’t reach him until it was too late for him to arrange a meeting.’
There was a silence and then Lila said, ‘So are you going to introduce us, Emma?’
‘Sorry,’ said Emma hastily. ‘Betty, this is my friend, Lila Ashcroft. I’m sure I’ve mentioned her in my letters. She had some time off, so decided she’d like to come and have a look at Liverpool.’
‘I see,’ said Betty, sounding slightly put out. ‘Seems you brought the rain with you, Miss Ashcroft.’
‘I don’t know about that,’ murmured Lila. ‘Probably it swept in from the sea and you got it first and passed it on to us.’
Emma sensed an atmosphere. It had never occurred to her that they might not take to each other. ‘So, what are we going to do with ourselves now it’s raining?’ she said brightly.
‘An afternoon at the pictures?’ suggested Betty.
‘That sounds sensible,’ said Emma.
‘I can go to the pictures at home,’ said Lila, adjusting her hat which had been knocked askew by the umbrella. ‘I came here to look at the shops.’
Betty exchanged glances with Emma. ‘Perhaps we could go to the Tatler cinema in Church Street and your friend can look in the shops on the way.’
‘That sounds fine to me,’ said Emma. ‘Lead on, then, MacDuff!’
‘So you’ve read Macbeth,’ said Betty instantly. ‘I’m studying that for my English Lit. GCE. It’s a bit dark, full of witches, ghosts and murders.’
‘We had our own witches not far away,’ said Emma. ‘Ever heard of the Pendle witch trials?’
‘No!’ exclaimed Betty, her eyes widening. ‘The only other witches I’ve come across are in Enid Blyton and Grimm’s fairy tales, although I’ve grown out of them now.’
Emma said casually, ‘So how old are you?’
Betty smiled. ‘I’ll be sixteen next month.’
‘What date?’ asked Emma, trying to work out the sums in her head.
‘The same day as Prince Charles,’ replied Betty.
Fourteenth of November, thought Emma.
Lila burst out, ‘Isn’t it time we made a move? We’re only here for a few hours.’
‘Sor-ry,’ said Betty, pulling a face, ‘but we’ve only been here a couple of minutes at the most. She led them past St John’s indoor market in the direction of Clayton Square, unaware that they were being watched.
Dorothy had been shopping and, a few moments earlier, was in a hurry to get home out of the rain. Then she had caught sight of Betty outside the Forum cinema. That had surprised her because, on such a horrible day, it would have made more sense for her cousin to visit one of the local cinemas, rather than come all this way in to town. The next minute, she saw Betty waving to someone. Then her cousin bolted across the road and had stood talking to a couple of women for a while before the three of them had headed off in the direction of Clayton Square.
Dorothy wasted no time in following them. She had felt protective of her younger cousin since Aunt Lizzie was killed. Now Dorothy watched as the two women and Betty dawdled along the pavement, gazing in the windows of Owen Owen and then turning the corner into Church Street. They looked in the s
hop windows of Bon Marché and George Henry Lee’s.
Eventually they came to the Tatler cinema, where the programme ran continuously, showing newsreels and cartoons, and stopped outside. They did not go in immediately but stood talking. Then Betty and one of the women went inside the cinema and the other crossed the road to gaze into the shop windows on the other side.
Dorothy’s curiosity got the better of her and she decided to follow Betty and her companion into the cinema. She bought a ticket and was shown to a seat. On the screen was a newsreel about the queen, and the broadcaster was providing the latest information to do with the arrangements for Her Majesty’s coronation next June. It still seemed a long way off to Dorothy, so she didn’t take much notice. The next item of news was about the situation in Korea.
She felt a trickle of fear down her back, thinking of her brother, Jared. In his last letter, he had made her envious of the tropical climate in Hong Kong and that made the last-minute training his regiment was having to suffer before sailing for Korea sound a bit of a joke. She knew he was making light of the situation, so as not to worry her. Yet she dreaded her mother receiving a telegram, saying he had been killed. It would have been great if he could be home for Christmas but he still had almost a year to go before finishing his national service.
The newsreel came to an end and Dorothy looked about her for Betty and her companion. Then she spotted the two of them several rows in front of her on the left-hand side of the aisle. She divided her attention between them and the screen, while she planned how she could accidentally-on-purpose bump into them on the way out of the cinema. Who was that woman? She remembered Jared mentioning, in a letter, having seen Betty chatting to a bit of a dish dressed in turquoise and green, standing on the steps of the Victoria Monument. He had added that she was no doubt someone with whom their over-friendly cousin had struck up a conversation.
Dorothy now wondered if that was true as she sat through several cartoons, including Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry, until she saw Betty and the woman getting to their feet. Instantly Dorothy rose and, with a whispered ‘Excuse me’, made her way to the aisle and hurried to the rear of the auditorium.
She reached the exit at the same time as her cousin and her companion and feigned surprise. ‘Betty! What are you doing here?’
‘Watching the cartoons,’ countered Betty, startled. ‘What about you?’
Dorothy gave her cousin credit for her swift reaction and said good-humouredly, ‘I asked first. Who’s your friend?’
Betty sighed. ‘Emma, this is my cousin Dorothy. She probably won’t budge until she gets the truth out of me. It amazes me how I can’t go anywhere without bumping into a member of my family.’
Emma smiled and held out her hand. ‘I’m Emma Booth, Betty’s half-sister.’
Dorothy did a double take before taking the hand offered. ‘I’m Dorothy Gregory. I’d like to know where you’ve sprung from.’
Emma said in a whisper, ‘I think we’d better go into the foyer as we don’t want to disturb people.’
The three of them left the auditorium and found a sofa and a chair to sit on. ‘So what’s this all about?’ asked Dorothy, placing her shopping beside her chair. ‘Am I to take it that Betty’s father had another wife before Auntie Lizzie?’
‘That’s right. My mother’s name was Mary Harrison,’ said Emma. ‘She came to Liverpool from my village near Clitheroe when she was eighteen. She met my father here and they married and had me. Then she became ill with consumption, so went back home to my grandparents, taking me with her. She died when I was about five.’
Betty took up the tale. ‘Emma didn’t know I existed until the beginning of this year. Her granddad died and she found a letter from Mum addressed to her grandmother. It told her that Dad had been killed at Dunkirk but his dying wish was that he wanted his two girls to get to know each other.’
‘The letter was dated 1940,’ put in Emma helpfully. ‘So I wrote to your mother, but she didn’t answer my letters, so I then wrote directly to Betty.’
Dorothy shook her head. ‘I can’t believe that your grandmother never told you! That was a bit remiss of her.’
Emma sprang to her grandmother’s defence. ‘I was the only family my grandparents had left after my mother died. I think Gran was worried that I might prefer Liverpool and living with a young stepmother and half-sister instead of two elderly people.’
Dorothy glanced at Betty. ‘So how long have you been keeping quiet about this?’
Betty told her and why.
Dorothy looked surprised. ‘I can’t understand why Mum kept quiet about Emma writing to her.’
‘I think she must have disapproved of our dad because he was an artist,’ said Betty. ‘You know she doesn’t want me following in his footsteps.’
Dorothy frowned. ‘But why should she hold that against Emma?’
Emma said slowly, ‘Maybe she knew my mother and they didn’t like each other?’
‘I suppose that’s possible,’ said Dorothy. ‘I remember your dad, but only from visiting their house when we lived in Liverpool. I remember now that he painted a picture for me. I had it on my bedroom wall for ages. Then we moved house and I never saw it again. Mum told me that it must have got misplaced in the move, but I bet she threw it away.’ She frowned. ‘I loved that picture. I reckoned he was a good artist.’
‘I think so, too,’ smiled Emma. ‘So are you going to tell your mother about my meeting with Betty?’
‘I’d rather you didn’t, Dot,’ said Betty hastily. ‘I’m convinced Uncle Teddy will put his spoke in and say she’s not to allow it. Remember how nasty he was over the Gianellis? If he knew Maggie and I were going around there for musical evenings he’d probably explode.’
‘You and Maggie are spending evenings at the Gianellis’!’ exclaimed Dorothy.
‘One evening a week, that’s all,’ said Betty hastily. ‘Instead of listening to records like I do at Irene’s house, we have live music. Mrs Gianelli plays the piano, as well as sings, and Mr Gianelli and his son Tonio play the mandolin and the guitar. They sing in Italian sometimes. Operatic stuff as well as ballads.’
Dorothy thought it sounded worth going along to and asked, ‘Who else goes?’
‘When he’s home, Jimmy, Irene’s brother, as well as Norman Marshall. Apparently Irene’s mum knew his mum during the war and Emma has met him and his brother, who’s a policeman. There’s a few other teenagers who come along, too,’ said Betty.
Dorothy’s eyes sparkled. ‘It sounds fun. I think I’d better go along with you both and cast my eye over the proceedings, so that if it ever comes out that you and Maggie have been going there, I can put in a good word for you both.’
A smile flooded Betty’s face. ‘I’m sure you’ll be made welcome. Now what about Emma?’
Dorothy glanced at Emma. ‘What do the pair of you do together?’
‘Go to the pictures like now or have a picnic,’ said Emma. ‘This is only the third time we’ve met but we keep in touch by letter. I send mine care of Irene Miller.’
‘I see,’ said Dorothy. ‘I must admit I can’t see any harm in your getting to know each other. But do remember Mum is responsible for you, Betty. If anything were to happen to you whilst you were out with Emma it would all have to come out.’
‘What could happen?’ said Betty, surprised.
‘I don’t know!’ said Dorothy.
Emma said, ‘I’ll leave it to you and Betty to decide whether you want to tell your mother. After today it’s unlikely I’ll see Betty for a while. What I’d like to do next time is take her to see a pantomime here in Liverpool the week after Christmas.’
Dorothy smiled. ‘That sounds a good idea. I enjoy a pantomime myself.’ She stood up and gathered her shopping together. ‘Well, you seem to have it all worked out and I don’t see what harm you’re doing by meeting up every now and again. I’m not going to say anything for the moment. It’s been interesting meeting you, Emma. See you again sometime.’ She walke
d away.
‘She’s nice,’ said Emma, gazing after her.
‘Yes, she’s OK is our Dorothy,’ murmured Betty, looking thoughtful. ‘So I won’t be seeing you until Christmas is over after today?’ she added.
‘I’m afraid so,’ answered Emma regretfully. ‘Shall we go and meet Lila at Lyons now? I just hope she managed to buy something that she couldn’t get at home and is pleased with it.’
Betty said ruefully, ‘I don’t think she likes me.’
‘She doesn’t know you,’ responded Emma, linking her arm through her sister’s. ‘Not everybody hits it off right away.’
‘But we did, and you hit it off with our Dorothy just now,’ said Betty.
Emma could not argue with that. ‘It’s the way Lila is. She didn’t hit it off with Dougie either.’
‘Perhaps she’s jealous of you,’ said Betty.
‘I can’t think why,’ said Emma.
They left the cinema and headed off in the direction of Lime Street. Emma had expected to find Lila waiting for them outside but she wasn’t there. She peered through the window, thinking she might be inside but could see no sign of her.
‘What do we do?’ asked Betty, shivering in the rain and wind.
‘Go inside,’ decided Emma.
They were just about to do so when Emma heard her name being called. The next moment Lila came running towards them, her cheeks flushed and a bulging shopping bag swinging from her fingers.
‘So there you are,’ said Emma.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ said Lila. ‘I tell you what − tea and cakes is on me,’ she said, smiling.
They went inside the café. Emma was relieved that her friend appeared to be in the best of moods. Whilst they were waiting for their order to arrive, Lila showed them what was in her shopping bag. Emma admired the jumper and skirt; the latter had plenty of fabric, unlike during the war and the years immediately after, when clothing coupons were needed due to a shortage of materials. Then she told her about meeting Dorothy.
