‘Don’t worry about that right now,’ Joanne hurriedly said, attempting to comfort her. They had enjoyed a lovely lunch to celebrate her birthday, thanks to Aunt Annie and Aunt Sadie, but her sister had been deeply traumatized at being taken away from what she considered to be her home and friends. And she was still looking no better.
‘I’m sure you’ll find it’s a good school when I take you there tomorrow,’ Evie said. ‘The teachers say they’ll be happy to welcome you. Now do say hello to your dad while I go and fetch you a bit of supper.’
Casting a sideways glance at her father, Megan remained silent, watching in awe as he gave her a warm smile and pulled her into his arms. ‘Hey up, what a treasure you are, love. Have you nowt to say to me, little one?’ he asked.
‘I think she’s a bit tired and shy,’ Joanne said, seeing how she pulled herself free of him, giving a little tremble. In reality, Megan had no memory of her father. Nor did she find it easy to be friendly with any men or boys, save for Bernie. She’d hated it when Wing Commander Ramsbotham had pinched her bum, in addition to what had happened to her back in the past. ‘As you see, Dad, she’s no longer a little one being quite tall now. She’s turned twelve and a very bright girl.’
‘Aye, I reckon you’re right there. You were nobbut a toddler when I last saw you, chuck, and remember giving you lots of cuddles. Seeing you makes me feel so much better now we’re at last all back together. I’m wishing you were all three still young and in need of the caring dad I once was. I hope I will be again, once I’ve resolved my problems.’
Joanne gave him a hug. ‘I’m sure you will, Dad.’
Megan remained stubbornly silent as she sat at the kitchen table to drink the glass of sarsaparilla and eat the slice of Eccles cake her mother gave her. Joanne too enjoyed this supper, then when they were done said, ‘I’ll take her up to bed now, shall I, Mam?’
‘No, I’ll take her, lovey. I know you have to get off back to the hotel. Megan is going to share my bed. Dad has agreed to move into the spare room with Danny since that has two single beds.’
Not showing any interest in responding to this or willing to speak to either of her parents, Megan tightly grasped hold of Joanne’s hand. ‘You take me up please, sis,’ she whispered. A decision Evie was obliged to accept.
Once having helped her to unpack her suitcase and settle her into the double bed she would be sharing with her mother, Joanne said, ‘It’s not the perfect place for you to sleep but can’t be helped and I’m sure you’ll be all right.’
‘I do wish you could sleep here with me instead of our mother,’ Megan whimpered, grabbing hold of her sister and begging her not to leave.
Joanne gave her a tender kiss on the cheek. ‘I can understand your reservation, lovey, but you will find Mam most kind and caring once you get to know her a little better. Sadly, I can’t stay, not even tonight. I must go back to my hotel. I don’t have permission to stay overnight anywhere, needing to be up shortly after dawn to start preparing and feeding the guests their breakfasts. I will pop over to see you tomorrow afternoon, being allowed a little time off. And as you know I do get all of Saturdays free, so we can meet up regularly to have fun or just enjoy a coffee and a chat.’
‘When can we go back to Blackpool to see our aunts and my friends? I do want to do that soon.’
Stroking Megan’s hair and gently covering her up with the sheet and blanket, Joanne firmly promised they would visit them whenever they could afford the time and money for a train journey. She too felt the desire to do that for no good reason. But returning for ever would not be an easy decision to make. Once satisfied that being exhausted after a day of trauma and travelling, her sister was falling asleep, Joanne slipped back downstairs. Their father having gone off to the pub and Danny to meet up with his mates, she welcomed the possibility of another private chat with her mother.
‘I’m sorry Megan is in a difficult state of mind but she feels desperately sad to leave those two ladies whom she’s grown fond of over the years.’
‘Eeh, I do understand that and no doubt she dislikes the fact I sent her away to be evacuated, making her feel neglected,’ Evie remarked mournfully. ‘I’m not having an easy time with my husband either. Donald too can be a bit silent and distant, although it was good to see him welcoming you all. ’Appen I should try to save the world following this messy war, eh?’
Joanne gave a chuckle as she settled beside her on the horsehair sofa, not at all a soft or comfortable place to sit let alone sleep. No wonder Danny had resisted doing that. ‘Just concentrate on saving your marriage first, Mam,’ she said, thinking how relations between her parents did seem to have gone a little cool, and would maybe go worse now they were about to occupy separate beds. ‘I know you’ll be most caring of Megan but she’s a very independent-minded girl, having blocked out all memory of the past. So do appreciate that you’ll have to patiently wait for her to become a little more friendly and caring of you.’
‘I accept that could take a while. Nor has she shown much interest in her father.’
‘She’s still young and feels more comfortable with her girl friends, never having good experience with men throughout the war, so many of them quite bossy. I have to admit I too have a lack of trust for them, having made a few mistakes in my life.’
This comment seemed to perk her mother up. ‘So what did you do that caused you to move from your job in Blackpool to that hotel in Manchester?’
Giving a wry smile, Joanne quietly admitted how she’d declined to accept a proposal from Bernie, the landladies’ nephew. ‘As our so-called relationship had collapsed and we were no longer working well together I agreed that leaving was the right thing to do,’ she said, not wishing to explain that he’d offered to marry her because of the anguish and mess she’d been through with that GI.
‘Oh heck, what a shame. I only had a few words with him but he seemed a nice enough lad. What was it about him that didn’t appeal to you? Do you reckon he still hopes you might one day trip down the aisle with him, once you get a bit older? Have you put such a possibility into his head?’
‘I most definitely haven’t, at least I do hope not.’ Joanne gave a quick intake of breath and fell into a silence, not having considered this to be at all likely. Had she been rather dismissive towards him? She’d carefully avoided Bernie when they’d visited today, as she always did. He was generally absent, no doubt working with that friend of his someplace. But she’d almost felt that she missed seeing him, having enjoyed their chat in the loft bedroom he’d created the last time she’d met him. This was a sensitivity she should put right out of her mind and not feel any pity for him when he was doing fine with his life, as was she. ‘Right now, I’m quite happy to remain single,’ she declared firmly.
‘You might change your mind, love. A happy marriage with a nice chap can give you a good life. It worked well for me. I sadly missed Donald when he was lost in the war. A vital part of his life as a pilot was working with a crew who would stick together, living in a hut throughout the length of a tour, very much dependent upon their support and friendship. Tragically, casualties in the crew were high and he’s grieving badly for them, as well as suffering whatever it was they went through when captured by the enemy. Hard to know any of that. Such is the effect of war. I’m most anxious about his state of health but do my best to care for him since I still dearly love him.’ She gave a bewitching smile.
‘I do too,’ Joanne said.
‘That’s good to hear. I regularly buy him the odd bottle of beer and a packet of Gold Flake cigarettes, which are what he most feels in need of, not having much of an appetite these days. I’m trying to persuade Donald to get better at eating, and at Christmas I hope he’ll attend the annual party to be held at the local church hall. Bearing in mind that you love dancing and fun, you could surely come too, and ’appen stay with us over Christmas. Megan too would hopefully like to accompany us to that party.’
Getting to her feet, Joanne gave her mother
a hug. ‘That would be lovely. I’ll do my best to join you. Now I must be on my way.’
‘Aye, ’course you must, love. Would you like me to fetch Donald from the pub and ask him to walk you over to the hotel?’
Fortunately, she had brought their bicycles back with them from Blackpool this time, convinced Megan would need hers to ride to school, and having her own would be useful too. But she’d foolishly left it at the hotel. However, she’d no wish to make a fuss about that. ‘No, I’ll be fine and must be off now before it gets too late. Goodnight, Mam. See you tomorrow.’
Joanne did not find it at all pleasant walking alone down the cold dark streets, wishing she had come on her bike as she saw small groups of lads standing on corners smoking or drinking. Hurrying along, she glanced at some of them, wondering if Danny might be amongst them but unfortunately didn’t spot him. Dashing quickly up the street she heard an odd scraping noise and kept glancing behind her, worried that one of those lads might now be following her. This suddenly didn’t feel at all a safe place to be. And considering the sorry state of her sister, she couldn’t help but wonder if it had been the right decision to bring Megan back home. Thankfully, she reached the hotel quite safely, giving a sigh of relief. Moving in with her family over Christmas and taking part in that dance would be a good idea and much more fun.
Evie lived in deep belief that Donald would eventually recover, but he was showing no sign of that so far. Megan too was something of a problem. Having no memory of a life with them as her loving parents it was almost as if she didn’t entirely believe they cared a jot about her. She would happily chat in private with her beloved brother and sister, whenever Joanne called in, but only make the odd polite comment to herself or Donald. She would complain about the wet weather or politely ask if her mother would please pass the salt whenever they ate a meal together. But she never engaged in a proper conversation, behaving as if she was being forced to live with strangers.
Striving to make it plain that she absolutely adored her and was eager to cheer her up, Evie spent the days and weeks following engaging herself in taking her daughters out and about. They visited the Gaumont Cinema and other flicks, the Hippodrome on Oxford Street and went for a regular swim at the Corporation Baths on New Quay Street. Evie greatly enjoyed them but did begin to worry when she found herself rapidly running out of the money she’d been saving in case she lost her job or felt in need of working for herself. She might risk putting herself into financial difficulties, but caring for her children and being anxious to give them a good life was surely more important.
Megan was generally silent and not even greatly impressed with the school Evie had found for her, despite it being a good one, simply because it was mixed, packed with boys not just girls. Hopefully she would grow used to this eventually. Sadly, she was no longer able to take part in her much-loved sporting activities because, as Danny had warned her, these were mainly meant for lads at this mixed school, not girls. Evie was greatly concerned, seeing how Megan missed having any friends to play games or chat with. The poor girl appeared to be sinking into depression and not becoming friendly with anyone.
As Joanne happily joined many of these trips she attempted to cheer up her young sister and did occasionally speak of her own anxiety for Megan, explaining how she was still a little homesick for her aunts, school and friends back in Blackpool. ‘I’m not convinced she’ll easily settle here, despite your wonderful efforts to show your love and care for her, Mam,’ she said tactfully.
‘It could take a while but I’m sure she will eventually.’
Giving a sigh of despondency at the problems she was having to cope with, Evie focused her attention on the fact that her darling family were at least back in her life. Now that Christmas was almost upon them, she took her daughters to the Flat Iron Market to buy them each a pretty frock for the Christmas party. Finding one striped in pink and violet she held it up around Megan. ‘You’d look very pretty in this, pet,’ Evie told her. ‘Why not try it on.’
‘It’s a bit too fancy with no sleeves or collar,’ Megan complained.
‘I could make you a lace collar to put on it, if you like, lovey?’
‘No thanks, that would make it look even more posh.’
‘Would you like to try this one then?’ Joanne asked, holding up a simpler blue frock with long sleeves and warm pleated skirt. Megan gave a nod. She slipped behind the curtain into the small fitting closet, tried it on and happily agreed she liked this one best.
‘Well, that’s a grand decision,’ Evie agreed. ‘You look beautiful in that frock, darling, I’m so proud of you.’ She happily purchased it, trying not to assess how her savings were becoming dangerously low, and resolutely decided to make Megan a lovely white lace collar for this pretty blue frock. ‘So what do you fancy, Joanne?’
Joanne chose a red dress with a satin skirt, a patterned bodice with a scoop neckline and three-quarter sleeves. ‘This is gorgeous,’ she said, swirling round to show it off when she tried it on. ‘Are you sure you can afford this too, Mam, or should I make a contribution?’
‘No need, love. I wish to buy you each a present for Christmas that you really like. Right, now that’s dealt with let’s go and treat ourselves to a bit of lunch.’
It was as they were sitting enjoying cheese on toast that Evie jerked in surprise when she saw Harold Mullins approach. ‘Hey up, so tha’s tekken another day off when tha should be working yet again?’ he said with a snarl of contempt. ‘I’m fully aware you miss the odd day off whenever it takes yer fancy.’
Finding herself cringing with fury, Evie attempted to give him a polite smile. ‘It’s a part-time job I have with you so I’m entitled to some time off to suit myself. I’m working much better and saying nothing about what I do, as instructed by you. And, as you can see, my daughters have finally arrived home so I’ve been spending much-needed time with them. You surely can’t blame me for that?’
Taking a glance at each of the girls he gave a blink of surprise. ‘Ah yes, I’d heard they’d arrived. By heck, what pretty young lasses they are. I bet plenty o’ fellas would tek a shine to them, not least my son. I’ll tell Willie he might meet them at that Christmas party.’
Seeing the glimmer of interest in his dark eyes, Evie felt herself stiffen with alarm. She had no wish for this dreadful man to encourage his son to involve himself with her girls. Not at all a comforting thought. Fortunately, neither of them made a response nor troubled to even glance at Harold. They were too busy chatting and happily giggling to each other to listen to a word he was saying, which was surely a good thing. Warning herself to carefully protect her daughters, she diligently changed the subject back to her work. ‘I assure you I’ll collect all the necessary debts, starting first thing on Monday as I generally do. Good day to you, Harold.’
‘Make sure you do,’ he snarled, and sliding his gaze once more over each of her daughters and Evie herself, he gave a smirk and walked away.
How she hated this bloomin’ man. When Evie had worked at the mill she’d been aware that Harold enjoyed having a fan club of girls assembled around him at all times because he cared for no man other than himself. Since he was all gloss and no substance, he apparently felt the need for their adoration. Even the mill boss had apparently discovered he wasn’t at all as trustworthy as he pretended to be, running a business that was illegal. As did his poor wife Jane. Perhaps she too had grown tired of nurturing his ego, and sadly been replaced by a newer model. Nor did Evie have much faith in his son Willie, who’d apparently been a pain to her own boy. She doubted she’d ever trust either of them as long as she lived.
Chapter Seventeen
Christmas 1946
The small hall, not at all as glamorous or exciting as the Tower Ballroom and very much cooler, was nevertheless packed with people happily laughing, dancing and singing to the upbeat music of ‘I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm’. After that came jazz to which people danced the Jitterbug, Boogie-Woogie, Charleston and then a guy s
inging ‘Swinging on a Star’ in the style of Bing Crosby. All great fun. The band went on to play ‘All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth’. Joanne and her mother laughed and clapped as Megan enjoyed this lively dance with Danny, both happily kicking their legs up and down. After that Danny went on to dance with various other girls. Megan too received many requests while Joanne sat with her mother at a table, each enjoying a glass of wine to celebrate Christmas.
‘I’m deeply disappointed my Donald refused to attend this Christmas party with us,’ Evie said. ‘He would surely have enjoyed watching you and his younger daughter dance, love. Sadly, he’s becoming increasingly silent and distant, locked in his world of pain.’
Joanne attempted to say something comforting, wishing to reassure her mother that once he’d managed to put some weight on, Dad would surely begin to feel much better. ‘I’ve heard that PoWs often can’t bear to stay indoors or confined spaces so it’s a shame he didn’t think to come out tonight. It might well have done him good.’
‘I agree, but he paid no attention to my effort to persuade him. He can be a bit snappy and impatient but very obsessed with visiting the pub for a pint of beer, mebbe in a bid to calm himself down. No doubt that’s where he’s gone tonight,’ Evie said with a sigh.
‘May I have the pleasure of this dance, please?’
Looking up, she smiled. ‘Why not? Good to see you, Davie.
I thought you might be out with Donald.’
‘I often am, but not this evening. Sorry he isn’t here and I hope he won’t object to us having a bit of a dance.’
‘’Course he won’t,’ Evie said, and Joanne chuckled as they happily sailed off dancing in a most stylish fashion.
Joanne too felt pleased to accept a few invitations, even from perfect strangers, some of them young and pleasant, other men rather old. Not that it mattered as they were often the much better dancers. But it was when the band started playing Glenn Miller’s ‘In the Mood’ that she was surprised to be asked to dance by Willie Mullins. Giving her a smile and holding out his hand, he said, ‘I reckon we could have a dance, eh?’
Peace In My Heart Page 14