Victoria smiled. ‘I do and it sounds like you’ve come to the right shop. Foyles must have at least one copy of everything that has ever been printed.’
The woman breathed a sigh of relief. She pulled a scrap of paper from her long, grey skirt and handed it to Victoria. ‘It’s not for me, it’s a present for me bruvver. He’s away fighting and I wanted to send ’im summink.’
Using only her fingertips, Victoria pulled apart the edges of the tea-stained paper. ‘It says Man of Property by John Galsworthy. Hmm, I don’t suppose you know who published it, do you?’
The woman shrugged. ‘No, and I wouldn’t know where to start looking. I’ve never seen so many books in one place.’
Victoria saw Mr Leadbetter striding towards her. ‘Mr Leadbetter, I have a quandary.’
Mr Leadbetter smiled graciously at the customer, before looking back at Victoria. ‘What is it?’
‘This lady would like to buy Man of Property by John Galsworthy, but I don’t know who published it.’
‘Hmm.’ Mr Leadbetter rubbed his hand over his chin. ‘I have a feeling we did have a copy under Grosset and Dunlap, but I’m not sure it’s still there.’
Victoria stared, in awe of his knowledge. ‘Thank you, sir. I’ll go and have a look.’
‘Allow me; you go and have your lunch.’ Mr Leadbetter smiled at the customer. ‘Come madam, I do love a challenge, and if it’s not there, you can leave it with me and come back tomorrow.’
The young woman beamed up at him as she turned and followed him. She stopped and looked over her shoulder. ‘Thank you for your help, miss.’
Victoria smiled. The woman looked tiny, as she walked next to Mr Leadbetter.
‘Are you ready for lunch, Miss Appleton?’
Victoria chuckled; she’d know that voice anywhere. ‘Thank you, Miss Cooper, I was just on my way.’ She turned and beamed at her friend.
‘Come on then, Alice has got a table for us.’
The pair of them walked into the staff area together.
Alice looked up as they walked towards her. She had made them a cup of tea each. ‘How are you getting on today, Victoria? We haven’t had time to chat.’
Molly chimed in. ‘It’s been a busy day, as always.’
Victoria looked at her friends for a moment, before taking a postcard out of her skirt pocket. ‘This fell out of a book that Albert was getting ready to bring up to the shop, the other day.’ She placed the card down on the table.
Molly stared down at the black and white picture. ‘Why are you carrying it around with you?’
Victoria twisted it around, so she could see it better. ‘I feel like I should know where it is; it looks familiar and yet I can’t place it. Do either of you have any ideas?’
They both shook their heads.
Alice picked it up, to study it closer. ‘It’s obviously the seaside, but other than that, I don’t know.’ She placed it back in the centre of the round table.
The girls sat in silence, each staring at it.
Alice picked it up again. ‘If you want, I can take it home and ask my grandfather; he might know.’
Victoria smiled. ‘If you could ask him, that would be good, because I’m not getting anywhere by myself and yet I can’t seem to let it go.’
Alice nodded and placed the postcard in her pocket.
Molly bit into her fish paste sandwich. ‘You know, we haven’t been to Café Monico for a while. It’s a visit that’s long overdue.’
Alice nodded. ‘The trouble is, between work, driving the ambulance and going round Victoria’s, I’m not seeing very much of Freddie and Arthur at the moment. They’ll start to wonder who I am, soon.’
Victoria rested her hand on Alice’s arm. ‘Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own problems, I didn’t give anything, or anyone else a thought. How bad am I?’
Alice laughed and patted Victoria’s hand. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad. I was just saying there is a lot of call on my time. Freddie totally understands me helping you, but I’m not sure he’d understand me gallivanting to Monico’s.’
Molly nodded. ‘Well, I understand that, but it does mean I can’t give you my news.’ She giggled, as she enjoyed tormenting her friends.
Victoria looked across at Molly. ‘What news?’
With a sparkle in her eye, Molly put her sandwich back onto its wrapper. ‘I told you, I can’t tell you.’
*
Alice and Molly followed Victoria into the hallway of her home in Percy Street.
‘It’s lovely and cool in here.’ Alice fanned her hand in front of her face. ‘I swear June is getting hotter, with each day that goes by.’
Molly nodded. ‘But we shouldn’t moan, because autumn will be here before we know it, and then we’ll be complaining about that.’
Victoria noticed a layer of dust sitting on the console table. She picked up the church candle, revealing the clear ring, where it had stood; evidence that no housework had been done for over a week.
Molly touched her arm. ‘Don’t worry about it, Victoria. It’s not like you haven’t been busy.’
Alice sniffed the air. ‘Is that beeswax I can smell?’
Daisy stepped into the hall, her slippers silent on the tiled floor. ‘Now that’s a shame.’
Victoria jumped at the sound of her sister’s voice. She turned around to see her, with a scarf wrapped around her head and an overall covering her clothes. A rag hung out of her pocket and she was carrying a tin of polish.
Daisy smiled at Victoria’s confusion. ‘I was hoping to get the house tidied before you got home.’ She glanced across at the girls. ‘I thought it was time I showed I was an adult, but it’s taken me ages to find the stuff I need to clean with.’
Laughter burst from all three girls.
Daisy looked confused, as she scanned across the three friends. ‘What?’
Alice was the first to catch her breath. ‘It’s brave of you to admit you didn’t know where anything was kept, especially as you’ve been in domestic service.’
Daisy giggled. ‘Yes, well, I think my sister has protected me from everyday things, and it’s time I did my bit.’
Victoria beamed at her sister. ‘Thank you, Daisy; it’s all appreciated.’
Daisy looked over her shoulder, and back again. ‘Oh, I’m not doing it by myself. I’ve roped Lily into helping me.’
‘Oh my goodness.’ Alice squealed with laughter. ‘Don’t let Father know, otherwise he’ll get rid of Mrs Headley.’
‘What’s all the noise about?’ Lily was suddenly in front of them, dressed in the same uniform as Daisy.
Alice shook her head and smiled. ‘I never thought I’d see the day.’
Lily chuckled. ‘If I find out you’ve told anyone about this, there’ll be trouble.’
Molly laughed at Lily’s indignation. ‘I think your secret is safe, because apart from Freddie, everyone else she would tell is already here.’
Lily smiled. ‘I suppose we’ll be the topic of conversation between the three of you for a while.’
Victoria stepped forward and threw her arms around the two girls. ‘Only in a good way. What you were trying to do was wonderful, and I don’t think we should hold you up.’ She gave them a squeeze, before stepping back. ‘Right, who wants tea?’
Daisy’s eyes sparkled. ‘The kettle is already on, so I’ll make it.’
Victoria looked at her sister. ‘You are spoiling me.’ She turned and looked at her friends. ‘We might as well go straight upstairs.’ She looked back at Daisy and Lily. ‘Thank you, both of you, I’m so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people.’
Molly sniffed. ‘Come on, before you have us all in tears – and Alice needs to see Arthur, before the little mite forgets who she is.’
The three of them ran up the stairs, which creaked and groaned under them. Victoria led the way into her parents’ bedroom. A groan escaped, as she looked around the room. ‘I think this looks worse th
an it did, before we started.’
The girls nodded.
Alice moved some clothing on the bed and perched down on the edge of it. ‘I think you need to start making some decisions about what to do with some of this stuff, because we’re running out of space.’
Victoria glanced around. ‘You’re right. I need to sit down with Daisy and talk about it all.’
Molly stepped forward. ‘Right, we need to get on, because tomorrow I would like us to go to Monico’s, as I’m suffering with chocolate cake withdrawal symptoms.’
‘You clearly have something you want to tell us, so just say it.’ Victoria paused, waiting for a clue of what it was. ‘It’s either the wedding date, or you’re pregnant.’
Molly smiled but didn’t bite. ‘Tradition is important, and we started it so it should continue.’ She winked at Victoria. ‘It may not be anything except the urge to have a piece of their chocolate cake, but you need to exercise some patience to find out.’
Alice laughed. ‘Right, we’ll go tomorrow, but let’s try and get everything out of here tonight.’
The girls nodded and moved to different items of furniture, pulling things free.
Victoria bent down to pick up one of her father’s ties, which had fallen and was lying half under the bed. She cast a glance under there and gasped at the sight of another ornate box. She got down on all fours and pulled the box free. She lifted the lid, her mouth dropping open as she stared into it. When she finally found her voice, it was barely audible. ‘Look… look at this.’
The girls looked round.
‘What is it Vic?’ Molly frowned, as she noticed the colour draining away from her friend.
‘Look…’ Victoria fell back and knelt in front of the box. ‘Where has all this come from?’
Alice and Molly stepped around the bed and peered inside the box.
‘Oh my goodness.’ Molly gasped. ‘Is that all that’s in there?’
‘I… I don’t know.’ Victoria lifted her hand to delve inside but stopped halfway. ‘Where has it all come from?’
Alice rested her hand on Victoria’s shoulders. ‘Maybe it was their savings.’
‘Savings?’ Victoria spluttered. ‘Hadn’t they heard of banks?’
Molly sat down on the floor next to the box. ‘Is there anything else in there?’
Victoria jumped up. ‘I don’t know and I can’t look.’ Tears began to stream down her face. ‘We could barely afford to eat at times, yet this box of money was sitting up here all this time.’
Molly looked up from the box and wanted to give her friend sympathy, but knew that wouldn’t work. ‘If we had done this earlier, you would have discovered it sooner, and then you would have had money to buy food.’ She could feel the tears pushing to get out. She blinked quickly; now was not the time. ‘You need to stop being angry, and check if there is anything else in this box, other than money.’
Victoria glared at Molly.
Molly lifted her chin. ‘It’s no good you glaring at me. You know I’m right, just like you were right when you told me to be myself.’ Molly pushed her arms out wide. ‘This is me, being myself with my best friends.’ Silence hung in the air, gripped in the tension that was sparking between the two girls. ‘Take it or leave it, but I’m taking your advice, Victoria.’
Victoria fell to her knees. ‘Trust you to take the bit of advice that suits you, at this given time.’ She forced a weak smile. ‘I hate it when my words of wisdom are used against me.’
Alice smiled. ‘We can’t always see what’s staring us in the face; that’s why we need good friends that will tell us as it is.’
Victoria nodded.
The clatter of crockery mingled with the creaking stairs.
Daisy came in, beaming from ear to ear. ‘Tea is finally here, girls.’ She placed the tray down and Lily followed her into the room, carrying a small plate of biscuits.
Daisy started pouring the tea. ‘How’s it going?’
Lily glanced over at the girls and then nudged her friend’s arm.
‘Careful.’ Daisy didn’t look up. ‘I almost spilt the tea everywhere.’
Lily nudged her again and raised her eyebrows. An exasperated sigh escaped from her. ‘Daisy, for a police officer, your observation skills leave a lot to be desired.’
‘What, I’m—’
‘Look.’
Daisy finally glanced over at her sister. ‘You’ve been crying.’ She took the couple of steps to place an arm around Victoria’s shoulders. ‘What is it? What’s happened?’
12
Alice, Victoria and Molly ambled along Regent Street, heading for the pyramid sign of Café Monico. Their luxury of tea and chocolate cake was long overdue. The heat of the day was subsiding. Ladies still had their parasols up, to protect them from the heat of the July sun. The girls bobbed and weaved, avoiding getting their hats caught in the spokes as they walked past.
Alice smiled at her friends. ‘It would be easy to forget there was a war on, on a day like today. Doesn’t it make you want to paddle in the sea?’
Molly giggled. ‘I so enjoyed it at Southend, that bank holiday, before this awful war started and changed our lives forever.’
Victoria nodded, clasping her handbag tight; it contained precious cargo. She had made herself wait to read Stephen’s letter. That would be much later, when she was at home with Daisy. ‘The nearest we have to that is the Thames, and I wouldn’t fancy dipping my toes in there.’
The two adjacent pyramid signs of the Café Monico were just ahead. People were milling around outside, having heated discussions about the war. Molly pushed open the wooden doors to Monico’s and was immediately transported back to another time and place. She had forgotten how grand it was inside. The arched mirrors on the wall gave the illusion of space, while the white roman pillars gave it grandeur. The panelled ceiling was edged with scrolled mouldings and large potted palms were placed around the room. A waitress appeared to glide towards them, dressed in a floor length, black dress with a pristine white apron tied around her waist, while the frilled straps rested easily on her slim shoulders.
Alice smiled at the waitress. ‘Can we have a table for three please?’
The young girl nodded. ‘If you’d like to follow me.’
As they were shown to a table, their heels clattered on the tiled floor, blending in with the constant buzz of conversation around the room.
‘I love this place.’ Victoria looked around her. ‘Although I still don’t like seeing myself in the arched mirrors.’
Molly raised her voice a little. ‘It’s obviously still a popular place; the war doesn’t appear to have touched it.’
The waitress pulled out the first chair, for one of them to use. Victoria quickly claimed the seat. ‘I’ll take this one, because I can’t see myself from here.’
Alice and Molly laughed at her.
Molly pulled out the chair opposite her. ‘I think you get worse.’
With a sigh, Alice also sat down. ‘Ahh, this is nice. You’re right, Molly, it has been a while.’
Victoria studied Alice for a moment. ‘You look tired and that’s my fault, keeping you busy at my house, most evenings.’ She paused. ‘I’m sorry. I tend to forget you have your own family.’
Alice chuckled. ‘I wouldn’t have it any other way. Anyway, I don’t think that has anything to do with it. I’ve been feeling exhausted for quite some time.’
Molly listened to the exchange and nodded. ‘You said, a while ago, you were thinking of giving up some of the war work, because you were tired. Have you done that?’
The waitress stepped towards them but hovered in the background.
Alice shook her head and indicated to the waitress that they were ready to order. ‘Is it the usual, girls?’ Alice smiled at them. ‘Or are we going to pretend we might have something else?’
Molly giggled. ‘Well, for me it’s the usual, but Victoria likes to think about it first.’
Victoria pulled a face at Molly, before
smiling at Alice. ‘It’s the usual.’
Alice laughed at them both. Molly was right; this had been long overdue. She looked up at the waitress. ‘Can we have a pot of tea and your finest chocolate cake, for three please.’
Molly glanced around her, as the waitress walked away. ‘This is lovely; it feels like it’s been ages since we were last here.’
Victoria followed Molly’s gaze. ‘It is, and with everything that’s going on, I’d forgotten how lovely it is.’
Molly stared at Victoria for a moment. ‘You’ve always had a sadness about you, although I thought at one time you were happier, but now I’m not so sure.’ She paused for a second. ‘Is that because of your parents’ things?’
Victoria gave a weak smile. ‘There’s so much I don’t understand.’ She lowered her eyes. ‘I feel like I didn’t know them at all.’
The girls glanced at each other. Molly swallowed hard. ‘They were still the same people. They just had belongings that you, as a child, didn’t know about.’
‘Molly’s right.’ Alice clasped Victoria’s hand. ‘Oh, I almost forgot, my grandfather thought the picture postcard looked like Brighton, but he wasn’t sure. I’ll try and remember to bring it back tomorrow.’
‘Brighton?’ Victoria gave Alice a pensive look. ‘It doesn’t mean anything to me. At least, I don’t remember going there, so I’m probably getting carried away with everything.’
‘Did you empty the box you found last night? Did it only contain money?’
Victoria looked up at them. ‘I didn’t look at everything, but there was a small box with what looked like a lock of baby’s hair in it, as well as a tooth. Their marriage certificate and a few other certificates were there too. I only looked at two of them and assumed the rest were our birth certificates. There was a tiny baby’s rattle as well, but it was mainly money. Oh, and a bible.’
Alice nodded. ‘It sounds like it was a keepsake box. I have one for Arthur.’
Victoria sighed. ‘I haven’t counted the money; I can’t bring myself to do it.’
Molly whispered across the table. ‘Perhaps Daisy can do it for you.’
Christmas at the Foyles Bookshop (The Foyles Girls) Page 14