The Teashop Girls

by Elaine Everest

  ‘Fancy a woman going into war like that!’ Katie said. ‘From what someone said at our teashop, there are lines of soldiers wading out to get onto the smaller boats while enemy planes are coming in and firing at them. It’s made me wonder if my Jack’s over there.’ She looked worried.

  The two girls looked up as planes flew overhead, heading out to sea.

  ‘It’s comforting to know they’re going over there,’ Katie said as her chin started to wobble. ‘They could be saving Jack’s ship . . .’

  Rose put down the cake she was about to slice and took Katie’s hand in her own. ‘Now, there’s no need for all these tears. If your Jack is out there he’s on a bloody great big ship, not bobbing about like a cork in a bathtub like these poor chaps. Come on, chin up!’

  Katie swallowed hard and did her best to smile. ‘Gosh, I don’t know what came over me. I’m just feeling a little sorry for myself. I’ll be fine in a minute. Let’s talk about something else, shall we?’ She picked up her knife and tackled the cake in front of her. ‘Wasn’t it truly wonderful of Mildred to give us her house? Why, I didn’t even know she had one. What a dark horse she is. When do you think we can move in?’

  ‘I can’t think of any reason why you and Lily cannot move in as soon as we’ve sorted out some furniture,’ Rose said, relieved that Katie’s sadness had passed for now. ‘I’m going to stay in my flat, as I need to be close to work. It will be preferable to cycling to work every day. You know what I’m like on a bike. Mind you, I’ll be round every chance I’ve got to enjoy that lovely garden,’ she added, thinking it would give more room for Katie and Jack as well as Lily and the baby when it came along. ‘You didn’t seem too surprised about Lily being pregnant,’ she said as she handed a full tray of cakes over to a Nippy and started to slice up pork pies. ‘We need more tea over there,’ she called out to two of the women manning the tea urn.

  ‘To be honest, I expected as much when she went dashing off to stay with you,’ Katie said. ‘I’m disappointed in her, as I thought she had more sense than to be so generous with her virtue.’

  Rose smiled at Katie’s old-fashioned words. ‘I do think there is more to this than meets the eye. Can we just be kind to her for now, do you think? At the end of the day, there’s a child on the horizon who we can spoil, and who will call us aunty. We also have Mildred’s lovely house to enjoy. Whatever could go wrong?’

  ‘I think of Lily as a sister, so I’ll forgive her, whatever happened to put her in this situation. Do you have any idea who the father might be? You never know – he may offer to marry her . . .?’

  Rose just shook her head and didn’t speak as Nippies arrived to replenish their trays. ‘Perhaps in time we will know a little more, but it doesn’t change what has happened, so we will have to live with things and be as supportive as we possibly can.’

  ‘Miss Neville, there’s a soldier asking after you,’ one of the Nippies said, pushing through to the front of the queue, where staff were waiting for more food. ‘He’s over there by that bus that’s just pulled up.’ She pointed.

  Rose felt her heart skip a beat. Could it be Ben? She’d not heard a word from him since that magical night in London. It seemed such a long time ago now. When he hadn’t written, she’d put him to the back of her mind and decided that perhaps the romance she longed for wasn’t to be. She left Katie in charge, and pushed her way through the crowd to where the lorry was parked as weary soldiers climbed aboard. Her heart plummeted as she searched the many faces looking for that one special person.

  ‘Miss Neville? We thought you might be about. I hope you didn’t mind me asking that other Nippy if you was here?’

  Rose spun round on her heels as she recognized the familiar accent. ‘Why, it’s . . .’

  ‘Corporal Jenkins, Miss. We shared that journey to London a while back when you helped us get out of the snow. I didn’t expect to see you here – and still a Nippy? I thought as how you was off to London to be something important for Joe Lyons?’

  ‘It’s good to see you, Corporal Jenkins. It’s good to see all of you,’ she added, spotting other familiar faces. ‘I’m a manageress now at the Margate teashop. I wore the uniform today as I’m down here helping out with my staff,’ she explained, straightening her cap where it had come slightly adrift. ‘Were you rescued?’

  ‘Too right we were, Miss, and by a lady as well. You could have knocked me down with a feather when we was pulled out of the water and found the skipper of the boat was a lady. She treated us like royalty all the way home.’

  Rose beamed. It could only have been Mildred. How many female skippers of fishing boats could there be? ‘I believe that was my friend Mildred.’

  ‘That’s the name. She nigh on saved our lives. We’d been in the water that long I was turning into a prune. If we’d been in there much longer I reckon the Captain would have been a goner.’

  Rose gasped. ‘Ben . . . Captain Hargreaves . . . is he here?’

  ‘We’ve just seen him off in an ambulance. He took one when a Stuka was strafing the beach, trying to pick us off. He’d pushed a few of us out of the way and copped it himself. He’s a brave bloke – deserves a medal for what he did, and no mistake.’

  The men around him mumbled their agreement.

  ‘But where are they taking him?’ Rose asked urgently.

  ‘We was told he’s heading for Dreamland at Margate. We thought they were joking, what with it being a funfair and all, but it seems parts are being used as a hospital with there being so many of us landing here. They’re going to billet some of us there in the ballroom by all accounts, until they know what to do with us. That’ll be a right old laugh,’ he grinned.

  Rose had heard from her customers that much of the area at Dreamland, a well-known fairground and amusement park, had been turned into facilities for the servicemen. She longed to see Ben but had responsibilities to see to first. ‘Please, let me get you all some food and a mug of tea before you head off. It’s the least I can do after your arduous journey.’ She led them towards where the Nippies were preparing the food and handed them over to one of her staff, saying, ‘Give them plenty to eat, ladies. These men are heroes.’

  ‘I’ve got news for you,’ another familiar voice said.

  ‘So it was you, Mildred, who rescued these men! Here, have a mug of tea and some food,’ Rose said, grabbing the older woman by the arm and taking her to a nearby wooden bench. They both sat down, and Mildred knocked back the tea in one long gulp.

  ‘I needed that,’ Mildred gasped as she wiped her mouth on the sleeves of her overalls. ‘I made some tea on board, but it wasn’t as good as this. I’ll have a bit of a rest and then I’ll be back off again. You wouldn’t believe how many of our lads are over there at the mercy of those bastards.’

  Rose ignored Mildred swearing. No doubt she’d have done the same in her situation. ‘Is it as bad as they are saying?’

  ‘Depends what you’ve heard. If it’s about our men in queues chest-high in the sea trying to reach the boats as the Germans shoot them out of the water, then yes, it’s as bad as that. It takes a lot for me to cry, as you well know, but I do shed some tears when I see what this war has done to our men. I don’t want to frighten you, love, but I think we’re losing this war right now. It’s going to take a lot more than that Winston Churchill spouting words for us to beat Adolf. However, I’ll be back over there raising my fist at him and doing my best to get our lads back home.’

  ‘I know you will, Mildred. Can you tell me if you expected this to happen? Is that why you made sure the three of us knew about the house?’

  Mildred nodded. ‘The last few days, we’ve been talking about the war getting closer to our shores – and if we had the chance, then we’d go and bring the lads home. I didn’t expect all of this,’ she said, looking at the hubbub in the usually much quieter town. ‘It’s busier than the height of the holiday season. We thought it would be a few of our fishing boats popping over there at the dead of night, not a bloody armad
a. That’s one in the eye for Hitler.’

  ‘I wish I could come with you and help,’ Rose said wistfully.

  ‘Now that would frighten Hitler. Imagine a Nippy at the helm of the boat speeding across the Channel? No, love, you stay here and do your bit with the food and drink. It’s more than needed after the time these chaps have had. Did you know I had that Captain you were sweet on come back on my boat? He’s been injured, but he’ll live. He remembered me from when he came up to Sea View. He spoke fondly of you before he passed out. Seems he was confused as to why you’d never answered his letters.’

  ‘I’ve never seen any letters,’ Rose said, feeling bewildered and more than a little hurt. ‘I’ve sent so many, even though he never replied. I gave my new address – but surely, even if they’d been sent to Sea View, someone would have passed them on?’

  Mildred shrugged her shoulders. ‘There haven’t been any letters for you; and don’t even start to imagine your mother would have hidden them. She liked Ben, and you know she loves you.’

  Rose shook her head, trying to think straight. ‘I’ll have to ask him where he sent them . . .’

  ‘That’s between you and him. I’m only telling you what he said. Right – I’m off. See you when I see you,’ Mildred grinned, slapping Rose on the back and heading off into the crowd.

  Rose changed back into the suit she usually wore as manageress of the Margate teashop. She couldn’t stop thinking that Ben was less than a mile away from where she was right now, and that he could be in pain and badly injured. There was no time just now to worry about what had happened to stop her receiving his letters. Lily had done well running the teashop, and by all accounts it had been a busy day. News was that troops were still being brought into Margate jetty as well as Ramsgate, so if head office could send more food she’d be out again tomorrow doing her bit. She’d make a telephone call first thing in the morning and let them know what it was like down here, and how their contributions were helping. For now, she only wanted to fall into her bed and sleep – but there was something she needed to do first.

  Heading out into the night, she walked along the seafront in the direction of Dreamland. She could see weary soldiers disembarking from the small boats, and wondered how long it would be before every man was home and safe. Following the beach away from the harbour, she headed towards the place where all holidaymakers spent some of their time while in the seaside resort. Whether they were enjoying the funfair, eating in one of the restaurants or dancing the night away in the ballroom, there was always something going on. For now the place had been taken over by the army, and she wondered whether it would be for the duration of the war, as she too enjoyed dancing and the entertainment at Dreamland. The facade of the main building looked sad and unappealing without the vivid display of lights that brightened it up in peacetime.

  Approaching the main entrance, she was stopped by two soldiers at a wooden barrier that had been placed across the road. ‘Sorry, Miss, you can’t come in here. It’s off limits to the public unless you have written authority. Do you have authority?’

  Rose hadn’t thought for one moment that she’d be denied entry. ‘I don’t. I just wanted to see someone who was brought here this afternoon. He’s been injured and I just want to know how he is,’ she pleaded. ‘His name is Captain Benjamin Hargreaves.’

  ‘I’m sorry, Miss. It’s more than my job’s worth to let a civilian in here. Why, you might be a spy or something.’

  Rose laughed out loud. ‘If I was a spy I’d not have asked to be let in by the main entrance, would I?’

  ‘You never know, Miss, these spies can be crafty.’

  ‘You could be right. By day I masquerade as the manageress of the Lyons Teashop up the road. Why, all my Nippies are undercover agents, don’t you know?’ she snapped back before starting to turn away. She was more than disappointed not to be able to see Ben after all this time! A few minutes wouldn’t have hurt, would it?

  ‘Hang on a minute, Miss,’ one of the gatekeepers called as he flashed his torch into her face.

  ‘Yes, that’s her,’ the other one muttered.

  ‘You’re lucky, Miss; my mate here was in your teashop last week and recognizes you.’ He handed her a slip of paper. ‘If you go down this path and turn left, you’ll find someone to point you in the right direction,’ he said with a nod.

  Rose thanked them profusely, promising toasted teacakes for both next time they were in her teashop, and headed off in the direction they’d pointed out. After a couple of wrong turnings, she found herself at the door of what seemed to be a makeshift ward.

  A nurse in a fancy white starched headdress and long white apron stepped into her path. ‘May I help you?’ she asked.

  Rose handed the slip of paper she’d been given and said, ‘I’m here to visit Captain Benjamin Hargreaves. He was brought in injured this afternoon.’

  She waited patiently as the nurse checked a list she’d taken from a nearby table. ‘Captain Hargreaves does have visitors with him at the moment. I would think they will be leaving soon, if you wish to wait? He’s due to be transferred to the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital early tomorrow for an operation.’

  Rose agreed and stood to one side as a porter pushed a wheelchair into the ward. No doubt it would be some of Ben’s men visiting him. They all seemed on good terms with their officer, and like her, they would have wanted to know how he was faring.

  A bubble of excitement crept into her stomach at the thought that soon she would be holding his hand, and might even be able to sneak a quick kiss. Until this moment she hadn’t realized how much she had missed him and wanted him back in her life.

  The door opened again as the porter left the ward, and she leant forward, trying to look through the closing gap. What she saw froze her to the spot. She could see Ben sitting up in bed, and beside him, leaning over and kissing his cheek, was a young, smartly dressed woman – and with her were two children. As the door closed, she heard one of the children call out, ‘Goodnight, Daddy.’

  Turning on her heel, Rose fled from the ward, not wanting to see the woman or the children – it was just too painful. What a fool she’d been, to think Ben was a single man without any family ties! Ben had used her. She could only count her blessings when she thought of how easily she might have ended up in the same predicament as Lily, after her one night of passion with the man she’d believed she truly loved.

  14

  ‘They are leaving us here to die,’ Miss Tibbs wailed into her damp handkerchief. ‘We will be murdered in our beds,’ she added, looking up to see who was taking notice.

  ‘Get over it, old woman,’ Anya snapped. ‘You think this is all personal against you? Then you are mad as box of frogs. The army goes away for a reason.’

  Flora rubbed her fingers on her temples and sighed. The headache that had been threatening all day had arrived with a vengeance. She’d hoped that once they’d cleared up after their evening meal and gone to the sitting room to relax and listen to the wireless, she would start to feel a little brighter. ‘Please, can you stop your bickering for a while? No good can come of it. The army is being moved out of Thanet because of the threat of invasion. No doubt plans will be made for civilians as well – so then you’ll have something else to complain about,’ she snapped.

  Miss Tibbs was startled by Flora’s words. ‘Well, I’ve never known you be so sharp with me before. Perhaps I should pack my bags and leave. I’ll not stay where I’m not wanted,’ she said, slowly getting to her feet while dabbing her eyes as a fresh flood of tears threatened.

  ‘Oh please sit down, Miss Tibbs. I’m sorry if we appear sharp, but there’s a lot to consider right now.’

  ‘Life will go on,’ Mildred said philosophically. ‘As long as we can eat and don’t get bombed out of our beds, then we will be all right.’

  ‘What – even if the Nazis are marching along the seafront?’ Miss Tibbs declared, looking horrified. ‘Surely we should move out now and find somewhere to live away from
the harbour. If the army’s going inland, then so should we.’

  ‘Where do you think we go to, old woman?’ Anya said, turning on Miss Tibbs. ‘I have been in this position before. I see my home and family burn to the ground. Do you see me having hystericals? Walk in my boots and then shed your tears.’

  Flora frowned. Whatever was Anya saying?

  ‘She means walk a mile in her shoes,’ Mildred mouthed to Flora.

  ‘I do believe we should listen to Anya, as she can tell us what to expect. Why don’t we make a plan so we are prepared for whatever happens?’

  Anya looked at the women who had become like family since she came to England. ‘A plan is good. It will keep our minds from worrying, if nothing else. What do you want us to do, Flora?’ she asked, giving her a slight smile.

  ‘I suggest we share what we know is happening – and I don’t mean tittle-tattle,’ Mildred interrupted.

  ‘What is the teetle-tattle?’ Anya asked.

  ‘Mildred means idle gossip. Things that we know are untrue,’ Flora explained.

  ‘I see.’ Anya nodded her head slowly as she digested what Flora and Mildred had said. ‘So if I am told something while I am being a Sally at the teashop, it could be teetle-tattle?’

  ‘It could, but then, it might also be true,’ Miss Tibbs retaliated. ‘How are we to know?’

  ‘Then I suggest we share all our news each evening over dinner. That way we can decide what is true and what is gossip.’

  ‘You’ve forgotten something,’ Miss Tibbs said, warming up to the idea. ‘What if we don’t have any dinner to eat?’

  ‘Now you are being daft and worrying over nothing,’ Flora all but exploded. ‘While the men of this country lay down their lives to keep us free, you are worrying about where your next meal is coming from . . . Has the butcher’s shop closed? Has Mrs Peabody given up running her grocer’s shop just because her husband has joined up? Times may be getting tougher now we have rationing, but we can do our bit by coping and keeping a smile on our faces . . . can’t we?’ she added, seeing the astounded faces in front of her.