by Lesley Eames
‘Sorry?’ Lily didn’t understand.
‘I saw a telegram being delivered.’
Oh, dear. Mr and Mrs Solliford who ran the haberdashery shop next door were quiet and private so Lily didn’t know them well. But they looked to be of an age to have a son in the forces. Of course, telegrams could bring good news instead of bad, but soon afterwards another customer reported that Mrs Solliford wasn’t serving in the shop today because her son had been killed.
A little later still another customer reported that she’d been buying buttons when Mr Solliford had begun to cry. She’d come away and he’d locked the shop door behind her.
Lily waited until the end of the afternoon then, with Mr Bax’s permission, took soup and bread to their neighbours, managing to catch a friend of theirs as he was letting himself into their shop. ‘So kind,’ he said, taking the tray.
‘Please pass on our condolences and let us know if there’s anything else we can do to help,’ Lily said.
She didn’t know how she’d cope if she ever received news of Artie’s death. The thought of it made her shudder but she tried to follow her own advice about keeping her imagination and her worries apart.
Mr Bax was waiting for her, his expression particularly doleful. ‘Have you decided to leave?’ he asked. ‘You’ve been serious behind your smiles today. And I don’t think it’s because of our neighbours’ sad news because you were serious before then.’
Lily sat at a shop table and invited Mr Bax to join her. ‘You know I have ambitions.’
‘You’re a clever girl. It’s natural.’
‘They’re not grand ambitions but I’d like to feel challenged.’
‘I understand, Lily. I’ll be sorry to lose you but, as I’ve said before, it wouldn’t be fair to hold you back.’
‘I haven’t actually found a way of moving forward at the present time.’
‘You’re going to stay for a while longer?’ His face lifted in a smile.
‘Yes. But I’d like you to reconsider my café suggestion, No, wait!’ His face had begun to droop again. ‘I don’t want to put you under any sort of pressure but please hear me out. I know you plan to retire in a year or two. All I want is a year or two of the café.’
‘It wouldn’t be worth the cost of setting it up.’
‘I can do the painting and decorating, and I know I can pick up tables and chairs cheaply because I’ve made enquiries. It isn’t as if they have to match or be in perfect condition because I’ll paint them to fit in with the furniture we’ve already got.’
‘But there’s no kitchen up there.’
‘I can use the downstairs kitchen and carry things up and down the back stairs so I won’t bump into customers.’
‘You’d still need a serving station.’
‘I thought I could use my bedroom for that. I could sleep in an attic.’
He grimaced at the mention of the grimy attics.
‘I could clean it up,’ Lily said.
‘What about the… er… comfort of the customers?’ he asked then. ‘It wouldn’t be practical for them to use the lavatory off the kitchen.’
‘Not all cafés have lavatories for customers,’ Lily pointed out.
‘I suppose that’s true.’
‘You don’t want to risk your retirement money and I understand that,’ Lily told him. ‘What I have in mind might actually make you some money because the property could fetch more if sold as a going concern with a café as a well as a bakery.’
Mr Bax’s mouth opened and then closed, as if this possibility hadn’t occurred to him before.
‘Even if the buyer didn’t want the café, you’d be selling a property that’s clean and newly decorated. And the furniture could still be sold separately.’
‘I can see that a café could be advantageous to me but you’d have wasted your time.’
‘I wouldn’t, though. I’d have had a chance to explore whether a café is what I really want for the future and had valuable experience of managing a business. If you let me manage it.’
‘I certainly wouldn’t have the time to look after it.’
‘A buyer might actually want to keep me on. Even if they didn’t, the experience could help me to get a similar role somewhere else. Banks and landlords might take me more seriously too, if I were ever in a position to open a business of my own.’
Running the café for even a short time would also help Lily in other ways. By keeping busy, she’d have less time for worrying about Artie. And if she made a success of the venture, Artie might feel proud of her. She could be his equal instead of a poor, unfortunate relation.
Lily didn’t mention those reasons to Mr Bax, though. They felt too much like emotional blackmail.
‘There’d be other costs,’ he said. ‘China, silverware, tablecloths…’
‘Why don’t I put some figures together?’ Lily suggested.
‘All right, but don’t forget to include the costs of food and drink. The extra wages too, because we’d need help to run a café as well as the shop.’
‘Thank you!’
‘I’m not making any promises.’
‘I understand. However my figures turn out, please say no if the café idea doesn’t feel right or you just don’t want the upheaval. I’ll have other chances.’
Lily reported the conversation to Elsie and Phyllis when they came over that evening.
‘I knew you’d find a way,’ Elsie said, grinning.
‘Nothing’s settled. I’d hate to put poor Mr Bax under pressure, and I’ll never forgive myself if I’m responsible for delaying his retirement or making it poorer.’
Phyllis was as practical as ever. ‘All you’re doing at this stage is working out a budget. If you want my help, I’ll give it gladly. I’d love to use my brain for once.’
‘I’ll stay out of budgets, but I’ll happily scout around for prices,’ Elsie said. ‘And if the café goes ahead, I’ll help with decorating too, including all the high parts. I’m not called Reach-up-Elsie for nothing.’
Lily’s long working hours made her grateful for all the help she could get. Over the next weeks the budget gradually took shape.
She was particularly cautious with estimates of income because who knew how many customers would come to the café or how much they’d spend? The three tables downstairs could accommodate ten people in all. With a mix of tables upstairs, the café would be able to accommodate another thirty. Not all of the tables and chairs would be occupied all of the time, though.
She divided each day into early mornings when customers might buy breakfasts, mid-morning when they might buy tea and cakes, lunchtimes when they might buy more substantial meals, and afternoons when orders were likely to be lighter again.
She totted all her figures up only to stare at them then calculate them again, being even more cautious about estimated income. She also added a figure for unforeseen expenses or price increases. The responsibility still weighed heavily.
‘I’m not expecting an answer now,’ she assured Mr Bax when she gave him the figures, ‘and please don’t hesitate to say no.’
‘I’ll look at them at home,’ he said.
She bit back any mention of the café the following day. ‘I appreciate your patience,’ Mr Bax told her as he left for the evening. ‘Just bear with me a little longer.’
‘Of course,’ Lily said. ‘It’s a big decision and I don’t want you to feel rushed.’
He said nothing the next day either though to be fair he was even busier than usual because plumbers had to come to fix a problem with the water supply.
Waiting was hard.
‘At least he’s considering the idea properly,’ Elsie said.
But Lily wondered if he were merely working out how best to tell her no.
Another day passed with no discussion but the following day he finally invited her to sit down for a talk. ‘You’ve gone to a lot of trouble,’ he said.
‘Yes, but I don’t want you to be influenced by—’
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‘I’ve been working on some figures of my own.’
‘I see.’ Doubtless his figures would show she’d been wildly optimistic in hers.
‘My figures are for extra items,’ he explained.
Lily frowned. What had she overlooked?
‘I thought over what you said about increasing the value of this property. I realised it made sense so I got the plumber in to give me a cost for installing a bathroom in the small store room upstairs.’
‘There wasn’t a problem with the water supply?’
‘That was an excuse to stop you fretting about what he was doing. I know you didn’t plan on major changes but it seemed to me that, even if a new owner didn’t want a café, he or she might want to live above the shop so turning the small room into a bathroom would be useful. So would a sink and stove in the middle room you suggested using as a serving room. There’s plenty of space for them and enough space for storage too if I put shelves in.’
‘But it’s all too expensive, surely?’ Lily asked.
‘I think it’s worth the investment. But before I say yes to a café I need to know you aren’t nursing any secret hopes that I’ll change my mind about retiring in a year or two. I don’t want to be responsible for all your dreams tumbling down when the property is sold.’
‘One year,’ Lily assured him. ‘Maybe two years, but only if that suits you.’
‘Then we have a café to launch. What are you going to call it?’
Lily’s mind went blank. ‘What about Bax’s Café?’ she suggested.
‘Lily’s Café would be better.’
Lily cheeks grew warm. ‘Do you really think so?’
‘Actually I prefer Lily’s Tea Room.’
Lily tested the sound of it on her lips and liked it. A smile broke out, so big that it stretched across her entire face. Leaning forward, she kissed Mr Bax’s cheek. ‘Thank you so much for this opportunity.’
‘It’ll benefit both of us, given a lot of hard work and a sprinkling of good luck. But tell me, Lily. We can only take one extra staff member on so who’s it going to be? Phyllis or Elsie?’
Oh, heavens.
TWENTY
‘You should choose Phyllis,’ Elsie said. ‘She’s got a brain as sharp as a tack so she’ll have no trouble adding up bills and giving the right change. She’ll be amazing at helping to buy supplies at decent prices too.’
‘You should choose Elsie,’ Phyllis said. ‘With the shop to run as well as the café, her energy is exactly what you need.’
‘I want both of you,’ Lily said.
She felt terrible at having to choose between them because she could see that they both wanted the job and the accommodation that came with it. Whoever was chosen would live up in the attics with Lily, sharing the excitement of a new adventure. Whoever wasn’t chosen would be stuck where they were, for the time being at least.
‘I’m going to toss a coin and let it choose for me,’ Lily said.
She took a halfpenny from her purse. ‘Heads for Elsie, tails for Phyllis,’ Lily announced.
She threw the coin into the air, caught it on one hand and slapped the other hand over it to keep the coin in place. She glanced at Elsie, who was trying to hide a swallow, and at Phyllis, who was tilting her chin as though bracing herself to be brave.
Lily uncovered the coin. ‘Tails,’ Elsie said. ‘The job is yours, Phyll. You deserve it.’
‘Best of three throws,’ Phyllis suggested, but Elsie would have none of it.
‘You won fair and square, Phyll,’ Elsie insisted, even though her smile didn’t quite mask her disappointment. ‘I’d still like to help with the café when I can.’
‘You’re part of Lily’s Tea Room even if you can’t be paid a wage,’ Lily assured her. ‘I shan’t make promises I can’t keep, but I still hope we can work together one day.’
‘So do I,’ Phyllis agreed.
Without a trace of resentment, Elsie shopped for decorating materials, washed and painted walls and woodwork, cleaned brushes, carried furniture and even helped Phyllis to move in once she’d worked her notice. Elsie also came up trumps with some of the things they needed to fit the café out.
‘You’ve got to come!’ she cried, bursting in at the end of a working day to tell them that a guest house near where she worked was closing down. ‘They might be selling off furniture and things like that,’ she explained. ‘We should ask them anyway.’
They all hastened round and found themselves invited in by a fraught young woman who had two children trailing around her ankles and another on the way. ‘We’re selling everything,’ she confirmed. ‘A second-hand dealer is coming to take away anything that doesn’t sell.’
Not everything was suitable for what Lily had in mind – one table was too big, the chair cushions were too drab and the china looked too institutional – but there were other things that looked very useful indeed.
‘How much are you charging?’ Phyllis asked.
‘We’re open to offers.’
Phyllis conferred with Lily and they made an offer for five smaller tables, some chairs, a tall Welsh dresser to go in the tea room, a sideboard for the serving room, cutlery, glasses, and cruet sets.
‘That sounds reasonable,’ the young woman said. ‘Are you interested in bedroom furniture?’
‘Only one bed and perhaps a cupboard,’ Lily told her.
‘You’ll be able to collect your things soon, I hope?’
‘How soon?’ Lily asked.
‘Within the next few days. The people who are buying the building want to take possession as soon as possible.’
‘We haven’t finished decorating yet, but I suppose we can work around the furniture,’ Lily said.
‘Are you running a guest house too?’
Lily explained about the café and the young woman smiled again. ‘It’ll please my parents to know their things will be used for a new adventure like that. The guest house is theirs, you see, but my brother lost both of his legs in the fighting in France so they’re retiring early to look after him.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Lily said.
‘My husband’s serving over there too,’ the young woman said, anxiety etched into her face.
‘I hope he’ll stay safe.’
Tragedy was everywhere. Returning home, Lily saw that their neighbours, the Sollifords, still hadn’t reopened their haberdashery shop after their son’s death. They’d gone to stay with family the day after Lily had taken soup around, and she hadn’t seen them since.
As ever, tragedy spurred Lily on to make the most of her life. She was delighted when Mr Bax hired a man to collect the things she’d bought from the guest house in his lorry. Once delivered, they added to the chaos in the upstairs rooms but it was worth the inconvenience to have acquired the items at such good prices.
Mr Bax also arranged for his workmen to begin installing the bathroom and kitchen without delay and even helped with the decorating when the bakery was closed. Having begun the venture cautiously, he was throwing himself into it with enthusiasm. For the first weeks Lily and Phyllis snatched sleep among paint cans and ladders. But gradually the café took shape and it was lovely to have a bathroom, kitchen sink and stove upstairs.
Lily wanted the café to be successful from the very first day so she made pretty notices to sit in the small window and on the wall behind the shop counter, announcing, Opening soon – Lily’s Tea Room. ‘I hope you’ll come and try it,’ she told the customers.
The final Sunday before opening was spent ensuring everything was sparkling clean and ready for use. ‘We should take some photographs,’ Mr Bax said, lifting a Box Brownie camera from his bag.
‘Why don’t you change into your uniforms and I’ll take the photos?’ Elsie offered. ‘If you’ll show me how the camera works?’
Mr Bax changed into white baker’s clothes while Lily and Phyllis put on black dresses with crisp white aprons and caps. Elsie took photographs of them down in the shop and up in the café.
‘Don’t bother about me.’
Lily wanted to bother about her. ‘You’re part of our team,’ she insisted.
‘Elsie could pose as a customer,’ Phyllis suggested.
Elsie sat at a table and Mr Bax took photographs of her pretending to give an order to Phyllis and being served tea by Lily. Afterwards they all sat down to drink sherry that Mr Bax had brought in as a treat.
Lily sent copies of the photographs to Artie who wrote back to wish them all good luck. Was he proud of her? Lily certainly hoped so.
She sent more copies to the Tibbs sisters who wrote back to say they always knew Lily would go far in life, almost as though she’d become the Queen of England and gone to live in a palace. The letter made Lily smile because the reality was that all she and Phyllis actually had were narrow beds, chests of drawers and hooks for hanging clothes on their doors. With nowhere to sit apart from on their beds, they had to use the tea room in the evenings and cook in the serving room or bakery kitchen.
Those letters arrived several days after the café opened on a Monday morning in mid-October. On that first morning Lily and Phyllis had got up early only to be startled by banging on the shop’s front door. It was Elsie. ‘Just wanted to wish you all the luck in the world,’ she said, breathless from running.
She thrust a card into Lily’s hands, a homemade card which featured drawings of cups, saucers, cakes and an odd-looking teapot. ‘Couldn’t get the spout right,’ she explained. ‘You know me. My bones are big but there isn’t an artistic one among ’em.’
‘It’s perfect,’ Lily and Phyllis assured her.
Inside she’d written, May fortune smile upon Lily’s Tea Room and all who sail in her. Oodles of love, Elsie x
She gave Lily and Phyllis clumsy hugs. ‘Got to dash,’ she said, and raced away.
‘I wish she could be with us,’ Lily said.
‘The more successful we can make this place, the better our chance of being able to give her a job in the future.’
The Bax sisters had also sent a card wishing them the best of good fortune. Lily displayed the cards on the tea room dresser.
