a heartwarming WW1 saga about love and friendship (The West End Girls Book 1)

by Elaine Roberts

Annie blushed. ‘None that I know of.’

  Kitty laughed. ‘I rest my case. As I said, you are very good to me.’

  ‘And, you are to me too.’ Annie began putting Kitty’s costume on the hanging rail in the order she was going to need them later that evening. She pulled out a dress and noticed a tear in the skirt. ‘I need to give this to Miss Hetherington to get it repaired.’ She carried it over to show Kitty. ‘I could give it straight to Rose or Dot but then I get them in trouble.’

  ‘It’s such nonsense, you’d better tell her I need it for tonight.’

  Annie examined it further. ‘I will but this could be a little tricky to repair. I don’t know how I missed it last night.’ She paused. ‘I’ll take it along to the sewing room now and while I’m there I’ll check if there’s another suitable frock that could be used instead.’

  Kitty frowned. ‘They don’t have spare costumes in the sewing room.’

  ‘No, but I hung some up in a cupboard along the corridor.’ Annie draped the dress over her arm. ‘There may not be anything suitable but I’d rather have something on standby just in case.’ She opened the door. ‘I won’t be long.’

  Annie strode purposefully along the corridor, nodding at several people as she walked by. Rose’s voice greeted her before she reached the door to the sewing room.

  ‘In a way I miss the village and my brothers teasing me but one day I might go back. I’m enjoying what I do though and the independence that being away from home gives you.’ Rose’s laughter rang out. ‘Not that we do anything here that we didn’t do at home. Annie and I are pretty boring, we’re hardly living the high life.’

  Annie was chuckling to herself as she pushed open the door. ‘You speak for yourself.’

  Rose peered up from her sewing. ‘I thought you didn’t listen at doors.’

  Annie blushed. ‘I wasn’t, I could hear your voice down the corridor.’

  ‘What, over that piano being played?’ Dot laughed at the young girls. ‘You are both lucky to have the best years ahead of you, I wasted those years.’ She paused as sadness trampled over her. ‘Well, it’s wrong to say I wasted them because at one point, life was very good to me. The one thing I did learn was not to keep running away from your problems because it doesn’t solve anything; as hard as it is you are better off to face them head on.’

  Rose frowned. ‘I don’t think we’ve run away from our problems.’

  Dot raised her eyebrows. ‘Haven’t you?’

  Annie fidgeted from one foot to the other. ‘I don’t think so. If you don’t mind me asking what problems have you hidden away from?’

  Dot gave a humourless laugh. ‘There are so many. Where to begin?’ Her eyes filled with water and she blinked rapidly to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. ‘My son died when he was seven. He had diphtheria. Sadly, my husband and I never got over it, and it became impossible for us to live together so I left.’

  The girls stared at their new friend, each trying to hold back the tears.

  Annie dropped the dress onto a chair and rushed around the table towards Dot. ‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.’ She wrapped her arms around her and held her tight.

  Rose stood up to walk over to Dot. ‘I’m so sorry, it must be so hard dealing with the loss of a child. I wouldn’t know where to begin, but it does explain why sometimes you sit in the corner and are so quiet.’

  Annie stepped back and Rose took her place, and they hugged for a moment.

  Dot pulled back. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t say it to make a fuss. In fact, no one else here knows.’ She took a breath and gained her composure again. ‘I’d appreciate it if you could keep it to yourself. I’m not being rude, I just don’t want to keep talking about it.’

  The girls nodded.

  Rose stepped back. ‘Your secret is safe with us but maybe you should talk to someone you trust. It might help you in some way.’

  Dot gave them a watery smile. ‘Anyway, we weren’t talking about me, we were talking about running away from things.’

  Annie shook her head. ‘I don’t like to think I’ve run away from my family. I prefer to believe I’m chasing my dream.’

  Rose laughed. ‘And I’m just keeping her company.’

  Dot chuckled and sat back down. She picked up her sewing needle and a black button before looking at them both. ‘Just remember, in my experience, nothing comes for free. You just don’t always see the cost until much later in life and then it can be too late to put things right.’

  Annie studied Dot for a moment. ‘I do believe it’s never too late to put things right; it might be tougher and therefore harder work, but it’s never too late.’ She turned to pick up the dress she carried into the room. ‘On that note, I almost forgot I came in here for a reason, other than to talk to you wonderful ladies, of course.’ She unfolded the dress. ‘There’s a tear in this skirt, and I’m not sure how easy it’s going to be to mend but Kitty needs it for tonight.’

  Dot stepped forward and examined the frayed edges of the rip. ‘I don’t think it’s going to be easy but I’ll try and get it done.’

  Annie nodded. ‘Thank you, you can only do your best. I am going to check the store cupboard to see if there’s another dress in there that will fit Kitty that she can make do with tonight and hopefully take some of the urgency away for now.’

  Dot nodded. ‘I’ll start it straightaway but let me know if you find something else.’

  Annie smiled. ‘I will. I’m going there now, I won’t be long.’ She turned and walked out of the room. Only a few steps along the corridor was the large walk-in cupboard. Once she reached it, she turned the handle and pulled at the door. It was stiff to open but after a final tug it gave way. Annie stretched her arm out and put on the light before stepping into it. At one side boxes were stacked high next to rows of shelving that had numerous props sitting on them. The other side had a hanging rail, which was crammed with clothing of various colours and styles.

  Annie walked over to the rail and began moving hangers from side to side. She jerked round as the door to the cupboard suddenly slammed shut. ‘Don’t panic, just look for the dress and then you can get out of here.’ She moved a couple more items of clothing trying to find a dress. Shaking her head, she began looking at the bottom of the rail. Annie heard a noise and turned to look at the door and listened. Someone was walking past. Perhaps she should open it. Panic surged through her as she thought they might lock up and not realise she was in there. She stepped towards the door and gripped the handle. She turned it and pushed the door but it didn’t move. Annie tried again pushing her shoulder into it but again it didn’t move. Beads of perspiration gathered on her forehead as her fear became a reality. She clenched her fist and banged hard on the door, yelling at the same time. ‘Help! Help! I’m stuck in the cupboard. Can someone let me out? Help!’

  No one came.

  She kept banging, hoping someone would wonder what the commotion was but no one came.

  15

  The door opened to the sewing room and Rose looked up expecting to see Annie walking in but it was an anxious-looking Kitty.

  Rose and Dot immediately stood up.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Rose blurted out. She couldn’t remember seeing Kitty in the sewing room since they’d changed theatres; in fact, she didn’t recall seeing her since the day her and Annie had crept into the Lyceum Theatre.

  Dot frowned as she glanced at Rose. Kitty Smythe didn’t usually grace them with her presence and judging from her expression they must have forgotten to do something. ‘Hello, Miss Smythe, what can we do for you?’

  Kitty’s gaze moved between Rose and Dot before looking round the room. ‘I seem to have lost my dresser. Have any of you seen Annie?’ She picked up a scrap of lace that was lying on the table. ‘Only when I last saw her, she was bringing a dress here to be repaired but that was a good couple of hours ago.’

  Dot stood up and walked over to a dress that was hanging on the clothes rail in the corner of the room. ‘The d
ress is here, ma’am, it’s all repaired.’

  Kitty frowned. ‘Yes, yes, I’m sure it is and no doubt you have done a wonderful job, thank you. However, my concerns are about where Annie is and not the dress.’

  Rose looked between Dot and Kitty. ‘When she left us, she was going to the store cupboard to look for a replacement dress. Come to think of it she was supposed to come back and let us know but she hasn’t.’ She walked out into the corridor before peering over her shoulder. ‘Have you checked anywhere else?’

  Kitty raised her eyebrows. ‘No, I haven’t, I’ve just come here.’

  Rose and Dot walked along the corridor towards the stage. Rose noted the door of the storage cupboard was shut and carried on walking.

  Kitty followed them. ‘She couldn’t be on the stage, not unless Matthew has got his grubby hands on her.’ She held her breath for a moment before mumbling to herself. ‘Oops, I shouldn’t have said that.’

  Dot and Rose stepped over some rope that was swirled in a circle on the floor and peered at the stage. There was no sign of Annie. They leant forward to look out at the auditorium but there was no one.

  Matthew’s voice boomed from the other side of the stage making them jerk and step back. ‘What are you two doing out on the stage? Do you have dreams of walking the boards as well as everyone else here?’

  Dot yelped almost like a dog in pain as she stepped forward.

  Rose grabbed her arm as she fought the urge to burst out laughing, although she acknowledged that it was probably better than slapping his face. ‘Don’t, he’s not worth losing your job over.’

  Dot’s angry eyes turned on her for a moment before she took a deep breath and looked back at Matthew. ‘Oh no, sir, definitely not. We are looking for Annie; do you remember her? She was the young girl you were giving singing lessons to?’

  Matthew stared at the woman in front of him. He glanced at her greying hair and wondered if it was Annie’s mother or something. He had no idea who she was. ‘Of course I remember. She wasted my valuable time. It seems she doesn’t want to work for her dream.’

  Kitty strode on to the stage, stopping as always to look out at the empty seats. ‘Matthew, darling, do you know where Annie is?’

  Matthew frowned. ‘Why, pray tell, would I know where she’s gone?’

  Kitty gave him a steely look. ‘Because, my friend, she was your project, and don’t deny it, we all know what you are like. So, what have you done with her?’

  Matthew rested his hand on his chest. ‘Kitty, I’m hurt that you should think so ill of me.’ He shook his head. ‘If it helps, I saw her leaving the theatre but I thought she was running errands for you.’

  Rose opened her mouth to speak but Kitty beat her to it. ‘When was that?’

  Matthew shrugged and pulled back the cuff of his white shirtsleeve. ‘I don’t know, maybe three or four hours ago. You know what these youngsters are like, they are just unreliable; look at the last dresser you had.’

  Rose yelled from the wings. ‘Annie’s not like that, she’s the most reliable and kindest person I know.’

  Matthew’s lips curled. ‘Well, you don’t know many nice people then, do you?’

  Anger surged through Rose’s body. She stepped forward. Kitty held up her hand to stop her. ‘On the contrary, Matthew, Rose is quite right. Annie is a sweet girl but more importantly she clearly had morals you couldn’t break down no matter how hard you tried. Now, where is she?’

  A bang made them all look behind them.

  Rose stepped back over the rope to listen. ‘Did you hear that?’ She took a step nearer and listened again. ‘It’s stopped but it sounded like someone thumping on a door.’

  Rose and Dot looked at each other with wide eyes, before the penny dropped. ‘The cupboard!’ They immediately ran back down the corridor.

  Rose’s heart was racing as she tried turning the handle and pulling hard but it wouldn’t give. She clenched her fist and banged hard on the door causing a sharp pain to travel up her arm. ‘Annie, are you in there? Can you hear me?’

  ‘Rose, is that you?’ Annie sniffed. ‘I can’t open the door. It slammed shut and I can’t open it.’ She groaned. ‘It’s so hot in here.’

  ‘I’ll get you out, Annie, hold on while I find someone who can help.’ Rose twisted the handle and pulled at the door with all her strength. Gasping for breath, she let go of the handle and studied her red palms. She took a couple of deep breaths; her lungs were burning as she tried to steady her breathing. Rose looked round at Kitty. ‘I think the door is locked.’

  Annie’s voice wobbled when she spoke. ‘What did you say?’

  Rose could feel her eyes welling up. ‘Stay calm, Annie, we’ll soon get you out. We just need to find someone who can open the door.’ She turned to Dot and Kitty and whispered, ‘Who would do that while she’s still in there?’ She wiped her hand over her eyes and took a deep breath. ‘Dot, you keep talking to her and I’ll try and find the handyman or someone with a key.’

  Panic ran across Dot’s face. ‘We’ve got to find someone and quickly if Annie’s been stuck in there since she left us.’

  Rose glanced at Kitty. ‘Do you know who holds the key to this cupboard?’

  Kitty frowned. ‘No, but I expect Stan has one.’ She looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘It would make sense for Miss Hetherington to have a key as well.’

  ‘Did I hear my name being mentioned?’ Stan took in the worried faces that spun round to face him. ‘You all look quite pale, what’s happened?’ He walked over to them. ‘Kitty, are you all right?’

  Kitty put her hand on Stan’s arm. ‘Have you got a key to this cupboard? Annie’s in there and we think the door is locked.’

  Stan frowned as he put his hand in his trouser pocket. ‘Are you sure?’ Coins rattled and chinked next to each other and the many keys that were tangled together as he pulled them out. ‘It might be stuck again, no one would lock her in there on purpose.’ He rattled the door before twisting the handle but it wasn’t opening. ‘It’s only me, Annie, I’m just looking for the right key.’ Stan fumbled around for a few seconds.

  Kitty sighed. ‘Come on, Stan, hurry up. Try them all if you must but this is painful to watch.’

  ‘Stop being impatient, Kitty.’ Stan squinted down at the keys.

  ‘I’m not being impatient, that poor girl has been stuck in there for hours.’

  Stan’s fingers quickly moved from one key to another. ‘Then you should have asked Matthew, he has most of the keys to the theatre, just in case I’m not around. Although, I shouldn’t think he carries around as many as I have to.’

  The girls all gasped at the same time.

  Stan looked up for a second. ‘What?’

  Kitty groaned. ‘Never mind, I’ll tell you later. Just hurry up with the key, will you?’

  Stan shook his head and went back to studying his keys. ‘Ah, I think this is it.’ He put the key in the lock and turned it and the handle before pulling at the door. Annie fell out as the door opened. She lay on the floor with her eyes closed. Her skin and hair was damp with perspiration.

  ‘I’ll get her some water.’ Dot began to run to the sewing room.

  Kitty glanced up from Annie. ‘Don’t run, I don’t want you falling over.’

  Stan bent down and scooped Annie into his arms. ‘Let’s take her back to your dressing room, Kitty, you’ve got that awful chaise longue in there so she can lie down if need be.’

  Kitty nodded. ‘We might have to send someone for a doctor.’

  Rose stared hard at her friend; she wanted to hold her hand to reassure her but knew that wasn’t possible. ‘You’re going to be all right, Annie, just hang in there.’

  Kitty went ahead and made sure the door was open to her room and her debris was not taking up residence on the chaise longue.

  Dot was holding a cup, when she suddenly came rushing out of the sewing room on a collision course with them.

  Rose yelled out, ‘Look out, Dot.’

  Do
t held on to the cup and put her hand over the top to stop it from splashing over the edge. She stepped back into the doorway. ‘Sorry, I was just trying to be quick.’

  Rose nodded. ‘Stan – that is, Mr Tyler – is taking Annie to Kitty’s room.’ She looked up at Stan. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to be forward.’

  Stan smiled. ‘You’re forgiven.’ He turned sideways to enter Kitty’s room and carefully laid her on the chair.

  Panic ran across Rose’s face. ‘I wish my mother was here, she’d know what to do.’

  Dot crouched down at the side of the chair and lifted the cup to Annie’s lips. ‘Someone get a rag and wet it with cold water. We need to cool her down.’

  Kitty and Rose turned at the same time, bumping into each other.

  Rose’s cheeks coloured. ‘Sorry.’ She waved her hand for Kitty to go first.

  ‘Thank you.’ Kitty’s face lit up. ‘I know, what about some brandy? Isn’t that meant to be good for shock?’ She went to her dresser and pulled open the drawer.

  Stan chuckled. ‘My ma would have offered smelling salts.’

  Rose scanned the room looking for a rag to soak under the tap.

  ‘Well, brandy’s much better for you than smelling salts, any day of the week.’ Kitty picked up a red scarf that was sitting in her drawer. ‘Here, use this.’ She thrust it at Rose.

  Rose took it and let it unfold. ‘This is too beautiful to soak under the tap, it might get ruined.’

  Kitty shrugged. ‘It’s just a scarf, your friend’s need is greater than mine.’

  Annie groaned.

  They all spun round to look at her but there was no movement.

  Dot put the cup to Annie’s lips again; she pulled a small cotton handkerchief from her skirt pocket and dabbed at the trickle of water that was running down Annie’s chin. ‘It looks like there’s a bruise coming up on her face as well.’

  Stan rested his palm on Annie’s forehead. ‘Can we have the damp cloth please? She doesn’t seem to be cooling down.’

  Rose frowned. ‘I don’t understand, how would she get a bruise on her face?’ She screwed up the red scarf and turned on the cold tap. Water sprayed everywhere as it bounced off cups and spoons. She squeezed the scarf until it stopped dripping with water before walking it over and placing it on Annie’s forehead.