by Rosie Clarke
‘We’re lucky,’ Sally said sadly. ‘You married the love of your life and so did I – and we’ve held on to them… fingers crossed. Yet Maggie and so many other young women will have lost everything. What seems a less than perfect marriage to us may be all she needs I suppose… though I thought…’ She shook her head, because Mick had confided in her and would not expect his feelings to be revealed to others. Sally would respect his trust. She believed he had gone down to see Maggie but didn’t know for certain. Mick had not come to see her again and she’d had no further news of him. ‘I wish she would come and see me, though.’ Maggie had been through so much in her young life. Her father had had a terrible accident that led to a long illness and too much suffering. Her mother had abandoned them both and Maggie’s father had used laudanum to end his pain, leaving her alone. Her first love affair had ended in tears and then Tim, whom she’d loved so much, had died in the sea after his plane was shot down. Instead of drifting into melancholy, as some might, Maggie had devoted herself to the sick and dying in the field hospitals in France. ‘I just think she deserves to be happy.’
‘Perhaps she will be,’ Beth said in a gentle tone.
Sally nodded and they turned the conversation to work. Beth had agreed to come in two mornings a week to help Sally do her office work. It was the way Sally had persuaded Jenni that she could start work on a gentle scale and it kept Beth in touch with Harpers. She was one of the original Harpers’ girls and she had jumped at the chance to work and visit more with Sally. Her father-in-law’s friend Vera was more than willing to look after Beth’s children whenever she chose and that meant as they got older, she might be able to actually work in the store part-time again.
‘I love my sons,’ Beth said, ‘and I enjoy looking after them and the house – but Harpers is special and I’d like to be a part of it if I can.’
‘Of course,’ Sally said, ‘and we would love to have you back, even for a few hours once you can manage it. I don’t intend to give up… even after this one is born.’ She patted her stomach affectionately. ‘He nearly killed me, but I shall love him just as much.’
Beth laughed. ‘Of course you will, but how can you be sure it is a boy?’
‘I thought I was having a boy last time,’ Sally said with a fond smile at her daughter who was playing with her doll and crooning to herself as she sat on the carpet near them. ‘I was wrong then, but I’m sure I’m right this time…’
‘We’ll see,’ Beth said with a warm smile. ‘I do love you, Sally. Nothing ever keeps you down for long, does it?’
‘I think I have too much to be thankful for,’ Sally told her happily. ‘I’m glad you’ve got your two now, Beth. They are both healthy and happy – is that it as far as you’re concerned, is your family complete?’
‘I shan’t try to control it,’ Beth replied, ‘but I’m content with two. I’m not sure what Jack and Fred think about a bigger family…’
‘They don’t have to have them,’ Sally said, eyes gleaming with mischief. ‘Two is enough for me and I shall try to make sure this is the last – that’s why I’m set on having a boy.’
‘Well, I hope you get what you want,’ Beth told her, amused. ‘Knowing you, Sally Harper, you probably will…’
Sally’s wish that she might see Maggie came true the next day. She was looking through some paperwork Jenni had reluctantly brought home for her when the bell rang and then Mrs Hills brought Maggie in. She was carrying a posy of violets, which smelled lovely, and she looked beautiful – older and slimmer than Sally remembered from her time at Harpers, but well again. Her smile lit her face as Sally stood to embrace her.
‘I am so glad to see you looking much better, dearest Maggie,’ she said and felt her friend relax. ‘We were all worried about you when they sent you home. I would have visited more had I not been ill…’
‘That’s what Beth said.’ Maggie looked at her. ‘I didn’t know you were ill until I got a letter from Marion and then I decided I would see you rather than write to you. I did feel a bit as if I’d been deserted for a while – because none of you came to the convalescent home and, before that, when I was in France, it felt as if Harpers was a dream and the only reality was sickness and death…’ She shuddered. ‘It was a long dark tunnel, Sally, and I couldn’t find my way out. All I could think about was getting up, going to work, and then collapsing into bed – and when they brought me back to England, I just went blank for a while. It was lovely when you and Beth came to see me that once, but after that you didn’t come.’
‘They moved you and it was more difficult to get there,’ Sally tried to explain. ‘We all wanted to visit and thought about you all the time, but Beth was too advanced in her pregnancy to make the extended journey and I fell ill… I know I should have come prior to my illness, but I think I was feeling a bit under the weather before it struck me down…’
‘Yes, I understand that now,’ Maggie replied with a smile. ‘But I didn’t then… and things happened. I expect Beth has told you. I explained it to Fred because he is entitled to know. Tim is always in my heart and always will be – but Colin doesn’t mind that… it’s why I can marry him.’
‘It won’t be a proper marriage,’ Sally told her gently. ‘Why don’t you just nurse him until he feels better?’
‘That isn’t what he needs,’ Maggie said. ‘I can’t tell you how he feels, Sally. That is private – but I can tell you that I am content with what I’ve done. I wasn’t sure at first but now I am. Please don’t try to talk me out of it…’
Sally hesitated, then, ‘It’s your life, Maggie. If you’re sure, I shan’t interfere – but I know you had an alternative. Mick cares for you very much…’
‘Yes, I knew you must have told Mick where to find me,’ Maggie said sadly. ‘I’m sorry I’ve hurt him, Sally. Had he spoken to me sooner perhaps I might have had something to cling to… but he didn’t and now it is too late.’
Sally wanted to tell her it was never too late to take a chance on happiness, but she kept silent. She had promised not to attempt to make Maggie change her mind and she would stick to that – even though she felt her friend was making a terrible mistake.
‘Am I invited to the wedding?’ she asked after a pause.
‘Yes, of course, if you want to come. I’ve invited Beth and Jack and Rachel. William can’t come because he is in the isolation hospital – but Rachel will. Becky says she’ll come if she can… and Marion says she’ll send me a present, but she can’t manage it.’ Maggie smiled oddly. ‘I’ll bet she hasn’t told you she’s expecting her first baby. I think she is nervous of telling Rachel in case she gives her the sack…’
‘Of course, we wouldn’t do such a thing,’ Sally replied, surprised but pleased for Marion. ‘She can work until she feels it is the right time to stop. I did!’
‘You’re the boss’s wife,’ Maggie said with an odd look. ‘It is different for you…’
‘Marion should’ve told me. I would have put her mind at rest.’
‘I’m seeing her this evening and I’ll tell her what you said,’ Maggie laughed. ‘She doesn’t know you like we do, Sally. Marion didn’t join Harpers until after you were married.’
‘No, she must see me differently, but I hope I’m not different, Maggie?’
‘Not with me – but perhaps you are unconsciously with others,’ Maggie said, looking thoughtful. ‘You’re bound to be – the responsibility for the store falls mainly on your shoulders.’
‘Jenni Harper and Ben share it.’
‘Yes, but we all know who drives it forward,’ Maggie said and sighed. ‘Coming back and seeing it again made me realise how much I’ll miss it all, Sally – but I may get up sometimes and I’ll only be in Sussex. I can catch a train and visit every now and then.’
‘As long as Colin understands you need that freedom…’
‘Oh, he will. He knows he doesn’t own me,’ Maggie said and smiled. ‘Don’t look so worried, Sally Harper. I haven’t lost my mind. I know
what I’m doing and I have my reasons. I didn’t say yes because I was desperate – though it did help me make up my mind when I felt so alone…’
After Maggie had gone, Sally was very thoughtful. She’d wondered why Mick hadn’t been to see her after his visit to Maggie and now she understood. Whatever had passed between them, he’d realised that there was no changing Maggie from the course she’d set herself. She had told Sally she knew what she was doing, but Sally felt that despite her words, Maggie was making a mistake. She felt something for Mick, of that Sally was certain, but she was blocking it out, not allowing herself to feel or think of it – just as she had after Tim died. Perhaps it was the only way she could deal with yet another blow from a cruel fate.
What could Sally do to change things? Did she even have the right to try?
She knew that Ben would say she should let her friend sort out her own life, but she felt the tug at her heartstrings. If there was any way she could prevent Maggie making a terrible mistake and losing perhaps the best chance of happiness she would ever have, surely it was right to at least try? Sally needed no convincing – but she wasn’t sure yet what she could do. It would come to her, though, and when it did – she would do her best to rescue Maggie from her own stubbornness.
25
Marion opened the letter and gasped. She hadn’t recognised the handwriting, but a warm glow came over her as she saw what Sally Harper had written. It was exactly what she’d thought she might say if she’d been able to talk to her, but she hadn’t dared to approach her.
I am delighted to hear that you are expecting your first child and I want to tell you not to worry, Marion. If you should wish to return to us, even part-time, there will always be a job waiting. Indeed, we hope very much that you will find the time to continue as part of the window-dressing team…
Marion beamed as she tucked the letter into her handbag. It had been delivered just as she was leaving for work and she’d been reading it as she sat on the bus taking her into Oxford Street. During the summer, on fine days, she walked in, but it was quite a way and lately she’d started to catch the bus in the mornings; it saved a little time and was easier on her feet and legs. Besides, it was early November now and beginning to get cold at night, and first thing in the morning it could be very chilly. Marion’s job involved standing all day and that was as much exercise as she wanted right now. Her pregnancy hadn’t started to show yet, but it soon would and Marion knew it was time she told Mrs Bailey. Obviously, Maggie Gibbs had passed the message on to Mrs Harper and Marion couldn’t have looked for a better reception of her news.
When she spoke to her supervisor, Mrs Bailey seemed genuinely pleased. ‘Naturally, we’ll miss you in the department,’ she told her, ‘but it is wonderful news. Your husband must be so pleased.’
‘I told him last weekend. He had a twenty-four-hour pass and he was delighted,’ Marion confirmed with a smile. ‘I’m happy about the baby, of course – but I shall miss being at Harpers.’
‘Yes, it is a good place to work,’ Rachel agreed. ‘Family is more important, though, so you will soon settle down at home.’
‘Mrs Harper wrote to me,’ Marion told her. ‘Maggie Gibbs must have mentioned it to her – and she says I could come back part-time if I wish…’
‘Well, that is nice of her,’ Rachel said and nodded. ‘I imagine they would like to keep you on the window-dressing team for as long as they can. You might consider working with them for longer than you do on the shop floor, Mrs Jackson. Here, in the department, it will give you backache to stand for long hours, but window dressing isn’t so hard on the feet.’
‘No, it is the standing for hours that makes your feet and legs tired after a long day,’ Marion agreed. ‘I never used to notice it, but I’ve started to feel it just lately – though I’m only a couple of months or so into my childbearing…’
‘Yes, I suppose it is the baby taking your strength. I was never able to carry a child, though I had at least one miscarriage…’ The sadness flickered in Mrs Bailey’s eyes and then was gone. ‘Not that it matters now.’ She smiled and seemed to light up inside.
Marion wondered what had caused the change. Clearly, Mrs Bailey had wanted children and it must make her sad to know that she might be unable to have her own. With her husband so ill, too. Marion hadn’t been told directly that Captain Bailey was ill, but the grapevine at Harpers had got it from somewhere and everyone knew he was staying on the East Coast in an isolation hospital. The air was very bracing there and that was considered good for patients with consumption. It was the reason Rachel had seemed so sad for a time, but these past few weeks she had been distinctly happier and smiled much more than she had for a long time. Marion was curious what had made her smile that way – as if a dream had come true for her – but, of course, she did not dare to ask. It would be impertinent and Mrs Bailey would frown and reprimand her for asking personal questions when she was here to work.
Hearing her name, Marion turned and smiled as Mr Marco walked towards her. ‘Good morning, Mrs Jackson,’ he said in his easy, charming manner. ‘I have just come to ask for your help – if you could visit my office in your lunch break, I can provide a sandwich and a cup of tea. Perhaps if we ask her nicely, Mrs Bailey might let you off a few minutes early?’
Mrs Bailey was standing near enough to hear what he was saying. She glanced at the little silver watch she had pinned to her dress and nodded at him.
‘We are not particularly busy this morning, Mr Marco. It wants a quarter of an hour to Marion’s break – she could come with you if she wishes.’
‘Thank you – if you’re sure?’ Marion caught the flash of annoyance on Becky Stockbridge’s face and it popped into her mind that the younger girl was jealous of her position in the firm. Becky had been moved to the dress department earlier in the year, but she was helping Mrs Bailey this week as their junior was on annual leave. Seeing the look in Becky’s eyes, made Marion think about Becky’s distance with her recently and now she realised that she must resent the time Marion spent with the window-dressing team. Instead of understanding that she worked hard for her place there and on the shop floor, she thought Marion was being favoured by their supervisor and Mrs Harper – who had always taken time to speak to Marion when she came in.
‘Is that all right with you, Miss Stockbridge?’ Marion asked. ‘If you wish to go first?’
‘It makes no difference to me,’ Becky said but flushed as Mrs Bailey gave her a sharp look.
‘Then I’ll come with you, sir.’ Marion smiled at the gentle, pleasant man who was so talented as a window dresser for Harpers. She enjoyed working with Mr Marco and looked forward to seeing his ideas become reality as they worked as a team. It was this part of her work she would miss most, Marion realised. She only spent a couple of hours once or twice a week helping, but she loved it because it was exciting and creative. Sally Harper’s invitation to return to Harpers if only as a part of their team was lovely and it had made Marion wonder if that might be possible. She couldn’t return to working behind a counter all day, but perhaps a couple of mornings a week helping with the displays could be managed…
Rachel Bailey watched Becky Stockbridge for most of the day, noticing the faint hostility towards Marion Jackson when she returned from helping with the windows. She was fine with Shirley Jones and Rachel, but less than friendly towards Marion and that was strange, because surely they’d been friends – unless she was jealous of the older girl. That must be it, of course, Rachel realised. Becky felt that Marion was receiving preferential treatment, because she was allowed longer lunch breaks – but Marion was working, doing two jobs and had received only a small rise for the extra work she did. Becky ought to understand that, but she obviously didn’t, and that was causing a little atmosphere within the department.
What could she do about it? Rachel wondered. She felt unable to reprimand the girl because she had done so for lateness on three occasions this past month and Becky had made an effort to pull her
socks up. Speaking to the manager about his own daughter might be awkward and wasn’t something Rachel felt able to do unless strictly necessary. She smiled as the answer came to her. She would visit Minnie Stockbridge, Becky’s stepmother, on Sunday, and take Lizzie with her. A note to Minnie – her dear friend – would result in an invitation to tea and it would be good to talk to her again. Rachel could ask for her help in solving the problem of Lizzie’s future and just mention that Becky seemed a little unhappy at work as they drank tea…
Becky put aside for the moment, Rachel let her thoughts drift back to her secret delight. Away from the scolding tongue of her grandmother, Lizzie was thriving. She was learning to read and her table manners were now excellent. Lizzie’s mother had taught her things, but since her mother’s untimely death, Lizzie had suffered neglect and abuse at the hands of her unkind grandmother and had been pushed out of her home.
Rachel sometimes worried that Lizzie’s grandmother would discover where she’d taken Lizzie, though she knew the woman would be glad to be rid of her. However, she’d hoped to wangle more money from Rachel and there might be a reckoning if she did ever discover that she’d spirited the little girl away.
Her first husband’s mother, Hazel, was delighted with her new visitor. Rachel had feared she might object and say the child was too much trouble, but she’d taken to her the second she saw her and spent most of the day spoiling her with home-made cakes and biscuits. Hazel was in fact happier than she had been since Rachel had known her and had confessed that she’d always wanted a little girl but had been unable to have another child after her son was born.
‘I loved my son,’ she’d told Rachel. ‘When he married you, I thought you were not good enough – but you were such a loving wife to him, nursing him devotedly through his illness, and you’ve been a kind daughter to me. Of course, I’ll care for Lizzie while you’re at work – it is a pleasure.’