The Teashop Girls

by Elaine Everest

  Ben stepped forward and shook Flora’s hand. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs Neville,’ he said. ‘I’d best be on my way now.’

  ‘Oh please, you must come in for a drink. Would you like to eat your meal with us?’ she said, noticing he was carrying a newspaper-wrapped parcel of food similar to her daughter’s.

  ‘That’s very kind of you, but I must be on my way. My friends will be waiting for their supper. I wish you a good evening, Rose,’ Ben said, before turning and walking away.

  ‘Goodnight, Ben, and thank you,’ Rose called out as he disappeared into the snow. It seemed to be falling more steadily now.

  ‘I’ll need to put these in the oven for a while,’ Rose fussed as she walked past her mum into the house, waiting for Flora to close the door and pull the heavy curtain over it to block out any light and draught from under the door.

  ‘He seems very nice, from what I could see,’ Flora said, following Rose to the kitchen. ‘Where did you meet him? I hope he wasn’t a customer at the teashop. We don’t want you getting into trouble now you’re being promoted.’

  ‘Mum, I know the rules,’ Rose sighed. ‘I met him at a dance the other week and then again the other day. I doubt I’ll ever see him again,’ she added quickly before heading into the front room to greet her friends.

  ‘I think you will, my girl.’ Flora spoke to the empty room. ‘I can feel it in my water, and I’m not usually wrong.’ She gave a shiver as a feeling of foreboding swept over her and she grasped the back of a chair. ‘Please God, don’t let history repeat itself,’ she whispered as she thought back to a time when she was younger than Rose was now, and had fallen in love with a man in a uniform.

  ‘I couldn’t believe it. Old Butterworth’s face was like thunder when she came out of her office. I thought you’d got the sack for sure. Are you sure you aren’t making it all up?’ Katie asked, after Rose had told them the ins and outs of what happened in Miss Butterworth’s office.

  ‘Talk about coming up smelling of roses,’ Lily laughed. She felt no malice towards her friend. ‘I’m so pleased for you, and on top of that, old Butterworth is leaving.’

  Rose stopped collecting the plates from their meal and sat down. ‘I think it’s rather sad that she can’t work and has to go to look after her sister. From the little I’ve learnt, they only have each other. Fancy being in that position. If anything should happen to her sister, she will be alone in the world and not have a penny to her name unless she can return to work. It doesn’t bear thinking about,’ she said, looking downcast.

  ‘Rose, you are too soft for your own good,’ Lily joshed. ‘That woman has never made any attempt to make friends with anyone and seems to enjoy making our lives hell. Don’t waste your breath on her. Now, get rid of those plates as I have these we can look at,’ she said, pulling a pile of magazines from her bag and placing them on Katie’s lap.

  Katie picked up one of the magazines and flicked through it. ‘Why are you showing me these?’

  Lily turned a few pages and pointed. ‘Look – this is all about how to have a wedding, and this one is how to make your own wedding dress . . . It seems very simple.’

  ‘If you can sew it does; I’m going to save up and buy one. That’s one of the reasons for getting married later in the year.’

  Rose got up and lifted the tray of plates. Perhaps now was the time to say something? She took the tray over to the sideboard and went back to her friends. ‘Katie, what does Jack say about all of this?’

  Katie gave a sweet, dreamy smile. ‘He said he’d go along with whatever I decided. He knows a wedding day is for the bride. He’d be happy if we dashed down to the registry office and got it over with in a few minutes.’

  Lily was horrified. ‘Do that and people will start to talk. Why, they will think you’re in the family way. You don’t want a reputation, do you?’

  Katie shook her head sadly. ‘That’s another reason I want a nice wedding in a church, with you two as my bridesmaids. You’re the closest thing I have to family – not counting my Jack, of course.’

  Rose knelt down in front of her friend and took her hands. ‘Katie, what if Jack gets taken overseas before then and, God forbid, something happens to him? Wouldn’t it be better to have that memory of a wedding and all that it entails?’ she said gently. ‘Why, if you married now you could have a baby by Christmas. It would be your new family – you, Jack and your own child. Think of that. It would be something to remember him by if . . . if anything should happen.’ Rose faltered over her last words. It didn’t bear thinking of what this war could do to couples.

  Katie snatched her hands away, looking horrified. ‘Nothing is going to happen to Jack. I keep telling you, it will all be over by Christmas. Besides, Jack said he’d take care of that side of things, so there won’t be a baby for a while,’ she added shyly. ‘That’s a man’s responsibility.’

  Lily raised her eyebrows at Rose over their friend’s head. ‘I overheard someone in the teashop saying that the reason there are so many troops on Thanet at the moment is because they are being shipped over to France and beyond before too long. That means your Jack could be amongst them. They are bound to be sending them out by ship, and with Jack being a sailor . . .’

  ‘I heard something similar. A person I know said we should live for today, as we have no idea what will happen in the future,’ Rose said, trying hard not to upset Katie.

  Katie stared wide-eyed at her friends. They could see she was taking in what they were saying. ‘I’d never forgive myself if . . . But what about the arrangements and everything?’

  ‘We could help you. That’s if you want us to?’ Lily said. ‘Rose, would your mum have the wedding breakfast here? There won’t be many of us, and she has that big dining room. I reckon we could get a discount on food from good old Joe Lyons, don’t you?’ She looked desperately at Rose for suggestions.

  ‘I reckon so, and I do have an idea for your wedding breakfast, but I’ll need to speak to someone first before making rash promises. Is that enough for you and Jack to think about bringing the wedding forward?’

  ‘I suppose so,’ Katie agreed. ‘But we’d need somewhere nice to live as well . . .’

  ‘What’s wrong with the room you rent at the moment? If Jack does go off to war, you can look around while he’s away and make a nice home for him to return to. What do you say?’ Rose didn’t add that with many rooms being taken over by the military, Katie might have a problem finding something cheap and cheerful in which to start her married life. Hardly a day went by without a customer in the teashop moaning about billeting officers knocking on their door.

  Katie nodded her head slowly. ‘It does all make sense,’ she agreed, ‘but I’d need to discuss it with Jack first.’

  Rose grinned at her friends. ‘I’ll go and make us a cuppa, and then we can make some plans for you to tell Jack about,’ she said, picking up the tray and heading to the kitchen.

  ‘Give that tray to me – I’ll rinse those plates through while I’m doing this lot,’ Flora said as she stood by the white stone kitchen sink. Miss Tibbs was nearby, with a tea towel in her hand. ‘Are you having a nice chat with your friends?’

  ‘Yes, it’s nice to get together away from work. Mum, can I ask you something?’ Rose perched on the edge of the large wooden kitchen table.

  ‘Fire away,’ Flora said.

  ‘It’s Katie. She’s thinking of getting married.’

  ‘That is lovely news. Her and Jack have been courting for quite a while now. I’ll pop in and congratulate her when I’ve done here. When is the happy day to be?’

  ‘Soon, we hope – it doesn’t pay to leave things too long now we are at war.’

  ‘I agree with you, dear,’ Miss Tibbs said. ‘I know many a spinster who wished she’d married her beloved before he went off to fight the war to end all wars. Not that it did,’ she sniffed.

  ‘Oh, that’s awfully sad to hear. Did you lose your sweetheart during the first war?’

&nbs
p; Miss Tibbs’ laughter filled the room. ‘No, dear, I couldn’t be doing with the noisy, messy creatures. I much preferred the company of my lady friends when I wasn’t working.’

  Rose felt her face twitch and dared not look at her mother. Miss Tibbs was a darling and much loved by all who lived at the Sea View guesthouse. She was like the grandmother that Rose never knew. ‘I was wondering, Mum . . .’

  ‘You were wondering if I could help out?’ Flora smiled.

  ‘Would you? That would be just great,’ Rose said as she jumped to her feet and hurried over to hug Flora. ‘She doesn’t have a mum to help organize the wedding. Could we have the wedding breakfast here, do you think?’

  ‘I don’t see why not,’ Flora said. ‘It won’t be the first party this house has seen.’

  ‘Perhaps I could contribute something to her trousseau?’ Miss Tibbs suggested.

  Rose kissed her cheek. ‘Katie would just love that. She was looking at pictures of wedding dresses just now. Would you, with all your expertise in the dressmaking world, be able to advise her?’

  Miss Tibbs cocked her head to one side as she thought about Rose’s request. Rose could see the elderly lady was taken with the idea. ‘As you know, I was trained as a tailor rather than a dressmaker, but I have a feeling I might just have a little something stored in my chest up in the attic that belonged to my late sister. Come along and help me, Rose. We mustn’t keep the bride-to-be waiting.’

  Rose beamed as she followed Miss Tibbs. With luck and some help from her friends, Katie would have a lovely wedding to remember.

  Flora watched her daughter leave the room and smiled to herself. A wedding in the family of friends would be something to look forward to in these dark days. She’d watched Katie grow from the frightened young girl Rose took under her wing that first day at school, and seen her blossom into a beautiful young woman. Katie had been a part of this family for as long as she could remember, but she had always refused to move into the Neville home, wishing instead to forge her own way in life. At least they could give her the send-off she deserved as she set out on the unknown road to married life. Flora looked down to where she’d been unconsciously twisting her own gold band. At least the girl wouldn’t be setting out with lies and deceit hanging over her head; they were a heavy cross to bear, as she knew only too well.

  ‘Miss Tibbs, this is absolutely lovely,’ Katie said as the older woman held up the most beautiful lace wedding gown any of them had ever seen. ‘However can you bear to lend it to me?’

  ‘It’s no use to man or beast packed away in my chest. At least you will have a beautiful day, and I’ll be able to revisit my memories of when Lucinda walked down the aisle. You look so much like her, my dear. It will be painful for me to watch, but I know my dear sister would have wanted another bride to enjoy wearing the dress we so lovingly made between us.’

  Rose reached into her pocket for a handkerchief, noting that Lily was already sniffing into hers. Katie, however, was jumping up and down for joy. ‘This is so wonderfully kind of you. What happened to your sister? Was she let down at the altar, or did she die young in childbirth?’

  Miss Tibbs gave a belly laugh. ‘I have no idea what became of her. She was only married to Cedric two years before she ran off with his brother. I thank the Lord she was never blessed with children; think of the shame that would have brought on our family! One of the few times we spoke after that, I asked her what she would like me to do with this beautiful wedding gown. Her answer was unrepeatable.’

  Flora felt herself starting to grin as she saw the open mouths of the three girls who had been swept up in the story of the wedding gown before having it dashed at their feet. ‘Then this time the dress will bring much luck to Katie and her beau. Why don’t you slip it on? We’ll see if it will need altering. It has survived very well, Miss Tibbs.’

  ‘It was packed with love and care in tissue and lavender bags. The dress knew its time would come.’

  Rose shivered, and hoped that Katie would have more luck than the first owner of the dress. ‘What became of your sister’s first husband?’ she asked.

  Miss Tibbs’ eyes took on a faraway look. ‘Cedric was a most handsome man. He never married again, and he died of a broken heart in 1918. Some said it was Spanish influenza, but I knew he pined for over twenty years hoping my sister would return. Why don’t I help you into the dress? I have some pins in my room. Help me find them, Katie, then we can make a start on the alterations down here in the warm,’ she said.

  The heavy wooden door closed after them, and Lily started to roll about on the stuffed sofa, holding her sides as tears ran down her cheeks. ‘Oh my, do you think Miss Tibbs held a torch for the lovelorn Cedric before he died from unrequited love?’ she said, before blowing her nose and trying to compose herself.

  ‘It is more likely the story has been embroidered over the years. Miss Tibbs can be quite fanciful at times. Whatever you do, please don’t let her know you have been laughing. She would be mortified. I do wonder if she was saving the dress for you, Rose?’

  Rose shuddered. ‘I do hope not, Mum.’ Second-hand dresses carry second-hand tears, she thought to herself, though she wouldn’t have said so in front of her friend. ‘I’m bigger built than Katie, so the dress most likely wouldn’t have fitted me. However, I do wonder if the dress is as old as Miss Tibbs has said, as it doesn’t look as heavily boned as a gown from that time,’ she said, examining the dress closely. ‘Perhaps this was something she made for a woman who never married? Even so it is beautiful,’ she said, running her hands across the lacy fabric and touching the delicate pearl buttons on the cuffs. ‘It’s a dream wedding gown and I hope that one day Miss Tibbs will make one for me,’ she sighed.

  ‘Perhaps we can worry about that when the time comes for you to marry,’ Flora said. ‘It’s not as if there’s a groom on the horizon, is there?’ she added, fishing for a response from her daughter. The answer came from another source.

  ‘If she doesn’t make a habit of stepping on his feet, there could well be a handsome army captain who is quite keen on our Rose,’ Lily grinned, and Flora smiled. The young woman’s words made her think once again of her own past, and the path she’d taken.

  5

  ‘Have you got any fags on you? I’ve run right out, and I’m not up to going down the road to get some more.’

  ‘What, again?’ Lily asked as she pulled off her coat and gas mask, hanging both on a hook on the hallstand. She wrinkled her nose. ‘Have you been frying onions? This place reeks of burnt lard. Can’t I go out for the evening without having to come back to your mess?’

  ‘That’s no way to speak to your father. Look out, or I’ll take my belt to you.’

  ‘But you’re not my father. And considering it’s me that pays the rent and everything else around here, I think it’s about time you got off your fat, lazy backside and sodded off.’ Lily put her hands on her hips and glared at George Jacobs. ‘And if you raise even one finger to me, I’ll call the cops. I’m not some frightened kid anymore, and now Mum’s gone, I don’t have to mind what I say.’

  Lily ignored the moans coming from where he sat, in the only armchair in the room. She set about opening windows, letting in the cold night air along with a flurry of snow. She was careful to mind the blackout, and didn’t give a damn if her stepfather was feeling the drop in temperature. She did her best to keep out of the way of his wandering hands when he’d had a few too many, and had taken to putting a chair against her bedroom door after his uncomfortable drunken advances. She was a grown-up now, and didn’t have to put up with what he’d done when she was a kid. To this day she slept with a knife under her pillow. Anyone outside of her home would only see that kindly Lily was still taking care of the man her mum had married in a moment of pity, who had claimed to be an invalid. Although weak, her mum had been a caring woman. Lily would not let anyone know about the animal living under her roof. If only she could meet somebody and run off to marry him, it would solve all her pro
blems. She envied her friend Katie, who was about to embark on a new life. Even Rose had a caring mother, and Lily envied them both, although she was not one to show it. It was a shame that George Jacobs was too old to serve his country. She knew he’d been approached to join the Local Defence Volunteers, and Flora Neville had suggested to Lily on more than one occasion that perhaps her stepfather, as he liked to be known, could help out at their ARP unit.

  She looked at the dirty plates in the sink before putting a kettle onto the hob, then using a brass poker to stir up the ashes enough to heat the water. She’d make herself a cuppa and use the rest of the hot water to clean up his mess. He could go swing if he expected a meal at this time of night; as far she was concerned, he could go without. It must have been the couple of drinks she’d enjoyed at Flora’s house to celebrate Rose’s news that had given her the courage to stand up to him. Lily knew she had to do something, as his drunken ways were getting worse. She was often afraid to go home after work, never knowing what to expect. Perhaps she could join one of the services, or move away – she’d heard there was good money to be made working in munitions. She contemplated the idea as she stacked the dirty plates in the sink. It made her sad, as she loved the town where she’d grown up; as much as she moaned each day, she was very happy working in the Lyons teashop alongside her friends. With Rose off to manage the Margate teashop, the future would be very different, but she clung onto the knowledge that she’d still see her chum outside of work.

  With her mind far away as she tackled the dirty crockery and pondered her future, she didn’t hear George coming up behind her. Before she knew what had happened, he’d grabbed her around the waist and pushed her against the hard, cold stone sink. She was trapped. You bloody fool, she thought to herself as she struggled, you should know what he’s like by now. ‘Stop it, George. I’ve told you before – leave me alone!’

  ‘Be nice to me, Lily. You know you like it really,’ he slurred into her ear.