by Kitty Neale
Despite everything, Hilda was touched by the scene. It was clear to see that Ellen was very fond of Gertie, and that her affection was returned. She pulled a piece of paper out of her handbag, hastily scribbling Mabel’s address. ‘You’d better have this. If the flat falls through it might take me a while to find another.’
Gertie took the piece of paper, her face taut with emotion as she croaked, ‘Thanks.’
‘Stay safe when you join up, Gertie, and let me know where you are.’
‘Do you mean that, Hilda?’
‘Ellen’s going to miss you and she’ll want us to stay in touch.’
Gertie gave Ellen another hug, and then, her eyes awash with tears, she hurried from the platform and out of sight.
Ellen was crying too and Hilda reached out to put an arm around her. She didn’t like seeing her daughter unhappy, yet felt a surge of excitement. It was June 1943, and at last they were going home – going back to London.
Chapter 13
When they arrived in London, Ellen found it strange, alien now. People, so many people, rushing around, and noise, there was so much noise. In the sky she saw huge, silver barrage balloons and she shivered with fear. All her memories returned. The sound of aircraft engines approaching, the scream of stick bombs as they fell, the fires, the smells, the houses flattened, one on top of her grandparents. She didn’t want to be here, she wanted to go back to Somerset and cried, ‘Mum, I want to go home.’
‘You are home. This is London, and it’s where we belong.’
‘I don’t like it. I want to go back to Gertie’s.’
‘Well, you can’t,’ her mother said impatiently.
They were on a bus now, and Ellen wanted to close her eyes against the sights they passed. So many gaping holes where buildings had been, rubble, so much rubble, and instead of greenery, everything looked grey and dull.
‘Look at that, a female messenger,’ her mother said, as a girl on a motorbike passed the bus. ‘The bus driver and the conductor are women too and I’ve never seen so many in uniforms.’
When the bus pulled up at a stop two elderly ladies got on and sat in front of Ellen and her mother.
‘I hate these bleedin’ things,’ one complained as her gas mask strap slipped off her shoulder.
‘Put a sock in it, Ethel. You’re always moaning about something,’ the other one quipped.
‘No more than you. I heard you having a go at that ARP warden last night.’
‘He asked for it, Flo, knocking on my door after midnight and telling me I had a light showing.’
‘And did you?’
She shrugged. ‘I hadn’t pulled one of my blackout curtains fully across so there might have been a tiny chink, but that’s only because I was using me small torch to come downstairs. Without it I’d be in danger of falling arse over tit and I was desperate for a pee.’
‘Well then, it seems apt that you told him to piss off.’
Ellen heard a titter, then a giggle, and turned to see her mother trying to hold it back. She couldn’t, and suddenly howled with laughter.
‘Are you laughing at us?’ the one called Flo asked indignantly as she twisted round in her seat.
‘Oh…oh, sorry, but I can’t help it.’
‘We ain’t a couple of comedians put on this bus for your entertainment, you know.’
‘Please…I…I’m sorry,’ Hilda gasped, obviously fighting for composure. ‘It…it’s just that it’s smashing to hear London humour again. We’ve been away, you see, living in Somerset, and it’s so good to be back.’
There was a loud, howling miaow from the basket and the woman asked, ‘Gawd, blimey, girl, what have you got in there?’
‘My cat,’ Ellen told her. ‘We’ve been travelling for ages and he wants to get out.’
‘He sounds like a noisy bugger.’
‘No more noisy than you, Flo.’
‘Shut your face, Ethel,’ said Flo before speaking to Hilda again. ‘You ain’t alone in coming back to London. Lots of people have now, including kids that were evacuated.’
‘Yeah, but I think their daft parents should have left them where they were.’
‘Ethel, you’re only saying that ’cos you don’t like kids.’
‘I do. Mind you, I couldn’t eat a whole one.’
Hilda laughed again, but Ellen didn’t join in. She looked out of the window, hating what she saw and wanting only to go back to Somerset.
After several changes, they at last arrived in Clapham, climbing wearily off the bus. Hilda liked what she saw. Clapham Common stretched along one side of the road, and as they plodded along carrying the luggage and cat basket, arms aching, Hilda saw Clapham South underground station. Mabel had written that her house was only a couple of streets away from there. They crossed over the main road, turned a corner, and soon found the right place.
Hilda plonked her case and the basket down, gazing at the house for a moment. There were two front doors, one for the upstairs flat and one for the down, that one having bay windows. It looked nice and Hilda hoped she was in time to secure it, her eyes gritty with tiredness as she knocked on Mabel’s door.
Only moments later it was opened, steep stairs visible behind Mabel as she said, ‘Hilda, you got here then?’
Hilda picked up the case and basket again. ‘Yes, we’re here.’
‘Come in…come in,’ Mabel urged and tiredly they followed her upstairs.
Hilda looked around the sitting room, which wasn’t a bad size, and then, taking a deep breath, she said, ‘Mabel, I hope you don’t mind, but we’ve brought Ellen’s cat with us. She’d have been brokenhearted if we left him behind.’
‘Of course I don’t mind,’ Mabel said as her son, Percy, walked into the room.
‘I guessed it was you,’ he said, ‘and I’ve put the kettle on the gas to boil.’
‘You’re a good boy,’ Mabel said.
‘Can…can I let Socks out now?’ Ellen asked.
‘Yes, love,’ Mabel said, ‘and my goodness, I can’t get over how much you’ve grown. Hilda, take the weight off your feet. I’ll make you a cup of tea and then show you your room.’
‘Is the downstairs flat still empty?’
‘Yeah, and don’t worry, you’ll get it.’
‘I hope so, Mabel, ’cos if not I don’t know what we’ll do.’
Ellen opened the basket and for a moment Socks looked around warily, but then he slunk out, heading straight for Percy.
‘Hello, feller,’ he said, crouching down to stroke him.
‘Animals seem to like my Percy,’ said Mabel, smiling fondly at her son.
‘Er…er, Mum…Socks might need to go to the toilet,’ Ellen said, her eyes wide with worry.
‘He can’t go out yet or he’ll stray,’ Percy warned. ‘I’ll find him something to go in, and dig up a bit of soil from the garden.’
‘Mabel, I’m sorry, I didn’t think,’ Hilda said worriedly as Percy left the room. ‘He’s a tom and it might be a bit smelly.’
‘A bit of a whiff won’t kill us, and anyway the landlord is due round in the morning. Once you give him the rent money you’ll be able to move in downstairs.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
Her eyes flicked to make sure that Percy was still in the kitchen, then she said with a wink and a whisper, ‘’Cos he likes me.’
‘Mabel!’
‘Don’t look so shocked. Nothing’s happened and never will, but he doesn’t know that and a bit of harmless flirting goes a long way. Mind you, I could be tempted. Unlike you, I haven’t seen my husband for over eighteen months.’
‘How about this?’ Percy said, returning and holding up a roasting tin.
‘No, that’s me good one,’ Mabel protested. ‘Come on, I think I’ve got an old one somewhere and it’s about time I made Hilda a drink.’
Socks wandered round the sitting room, sniffing and rubbing against every piece of furniture, while Ellen watched him, her expression morose.
‘Cheer
up, Ellen,’ Hilda urged.
‘He’s going to hate it here,’ she complained.
‘He’ll be fine, and we will too. The Common is only a spit away, and once you’re in school, making friends, you’ll soon forget about Somerset.’
‘No, I won’t. I’ll never forget Somerset. Never!’
Percy returned clutching a rusted tin. ‘I’ll dig up a bit of soil now.’
‘Is the garden shared between the two flats?’ Hilda asked.
‘Yeah, we’ve got a metal staircase down to it from the kitchen, but despite being told to dig for victory, we hardly use it.’
‘What’s digging for victory?’ Ellen asked.
‘With food in short supply, we’ve been told to grow vegetables and such.’
‘We could do that, Mum,’ Ellen said eagerly.
‘Yeah, well, we certainly know how,’ Hilda agreed.
‘Mum can’t stand gardening,’ Percy said, ‘but if you want a bit of help, I wouldn’t mind giving it a go.’
‘Thanks, love, I might take you up on that,’ Hilda said.
Percy grinned as he left to go down to the garden. He had grown so much since she had last seen him and would be fourteen this year. The opposite in looks and character to his younger brother, Percy was tall and gangly with brown hair and eyes. He had a soft, caring nature, while his younger brother, Billy, was a little terror, causing his mother nothing but worry.
‘Here you are, get that down you first,’ Mabel said as she carried in a tray, ‘and then you can have a bite to eat. I’m afraid it ain’t much, just a bit of corned beef hash.’
‘Lovely, and thanks, Mabel. Where’s Billy?’
‘Gawd knows. The little sod is always off out as soon as my back’s turned. I wish he’d been a girl. He’s the same age as your Ellen and she doesn’t give you a moment’s worry.’
‘Percy doesn’t either.’
‘Yeah, he’s a good lad,’ Mabel said, smiling as her son came in again, the tin now full of earth.
‘Where do you want me to put it?’ he asked.
‘Blimey, I don’t know,’ Mabel said. ‘Stick it behind the sofa for now.’
‘Come on, boy,’ Percy urged, and Socks didn’t need any more bidding. It wasn’t long before the pungent smell of tomcat filled the air, all of them wrinkling their noses.
‘The poor sod must have been bursting,’ Percy observed, ‘but I’d better empty this straightaway.’
‘I’ll do it,’ Ellen offered.
‘No, you eat your grub,’ he said.
Hilda wasn’t sure she fancied it now, what with the smell lingering and pervading the room.
Mabel hurried to throw open a window. ‘I hate to say this, but I’ll be glad when you get that cat out of here in the morning.’
‘I can’t blame you for that, and can’t wait to have my own place again. Oh no!’ she exclaimed, her eyes rounding. ‘I wasn’t expecting to move in so quickly. What about furniture? I can’t move into an empty flat.’
‘The daughter didn’t want any of the old girl’s stuff, so it’s still there. All she took were a few bits and pieces. The landlord was going to clear it out, but I asked him to leave it.’
‘Mabel, you’re a treasure,’ Hilda said, smiling widely.
‘You may not say that when you see it. Most of the stuff’s ancient.’
‘I don’t care, and, anyway, once I’m in I can start replacing it.’
‘All you’ll get nowadays is utility furniture. It’s as plain as a pikestaff.’
‘Mabel, I’m home, I’m back in London, and that’s all that matters,’ Hilda told her friend and she meant it. Ellen might look miserable, but once she made friends she’d soon snap out of it. Somerset and Gertie would become a distant memory.
Chapter 14
Ellen sat looking out of the window after breakfast. It was a Sunday morning in July now, but she was still miserable, despite making friends with Lucy Price, the girl who lived next door. Lucy was pretty, with lovely blonde hair and blue eyes, the image of her mother. They went to the same school, one that had strangely been renamed The South West Emergency Secondary. She didn’t mind it there, but Socks had gone missing on his first foray outside. She and Lucy had become inseparable, combing the streets at every opportunity in the hope of finding him, but as the weeks passed with no sign of him, Ellen was desolate.
‘Are you still mooning about that cat?’ she heard her mother ask.
‘Lucy said she’d pray to Jesus to bring Socks back, but it hasn’t worked.’
‘I could have told you that.’
‘What if he’s hurt? What if he’s laying somewhere, injured?’
‘Ellen, he’s a tom and has probably gone off after a female in heat.’
‘In heat! What’s that?’
‘Me and my big mouth,’ she complained. ‘Look, it’s just that tomcats like to roam and he’s probably as happy as a lark with a lady friend, that’s all. You never know, he might come home again one day.’
Ellen hoped her mum was right, that Socks was happy, but she missed him so much. Not only Socks, her dad too. ‘I wish Dad would come home.’
‘So do I, darling.’
There was the sound of the back door opening and Mabel came in, carrying something on a small plate.
Ellen saw her mother looking at it warily as she said, ‘Watcha, and what have you got there?’
‘Harry just came round with it. I’ve cut a bit off for us and thought you might like the rest for your dinner.’
Harry lived at the end of the street, a cheeky, furtive-looking chap with a bit of a gammy leg who was always getting hold of stuff that was almost impossible to get now.
‘Spiv or not, bless Harry’s heart,’ Hilda said. ‘Mind you, it’s funny-looking meat. Is it beef?’
‘No, it’s horsemeat, but he said it’s very tasty.’
‘Horsemeat! No, Mabel, I don’t think I could eat that. I’d be wondering if the poor animal has just raced in the 3.20 at Kempton Park.’
Mabel chuckled. ‘You daft moo.’
‘No, I mean it. You know what Harry’s like and I wouldn’t put it past him.’
‘Leave it out. He might be a bit of a tea leaf, but even he wouldn’t nick a flippin’ racehorse.’
‘Why did you call Harry a tea leaf?’ Ellen asked.
‘Tea leaf – rhymes with thief,’ Mabel told her, ‘but one with a heart of gold.’
Hilda snorted. ‘Oh, did he give it to you for nothing then?’
‘Well, no, but he only wanted a tanner for it.’
‘Sixpence for that! You were robbed.’
‘Fine, please yourself,’ Mabel said, beginning to look annoyed. ‘If you don’t want it I’ll offer it to Dora.’
Ellen was relieved that her mum had turned it down, though she didn’t think Lucy’s mum, Dora, would want to eat horsemeat either. She pictured Ned, Gertie’s horse, and gulped, the thought of eating him awful.
‘Are you all right, Hilda?’ asked Mabel. ‘You’ve gone a bit pale.’
‘I feel a bit queasy.’
‘In your condition, it ain’t surprising.’
Ellen saw her mother give a warning shake of her head before she said, ‘Ellen, why don’t you go and play with Lucy?’
‘She’s gone to church with her parents. She won’t be back yet.’
‘Well, go and play in the garden for a while, there’s a good girl.’
‘Why?’
‘Because I said so. Now do as you’re told.’
Ellen felt shut out again. She wasn’t silly; she had heard her mother and Mabel whispering. There was something going on, something her mother hadn’t told her, and as she ambled through the kitchen on the way to the back door, she paused. Instead of going outside, she opened the door and closed it loudly, then sneaked back to listen to her mother and Mabel talking. A recipe. All Mabel was talking about was a recipe for something called Wooten Pie that was made with vegetables.
‘It sounds all right, Mabel, but I�
��m too worn out to bother much with cooking. I don’t know why it’s taken me like this.’
‘Do you remember Lily Baxter?’
‘I think so. Didn’t she live on the end of your street in Battersea?’
‘Yeah, that’s her, and if I remember rightly she was the same as you, sick a lot and worn out.’
‘I feel so rough, Mabel. It could be because I’ve been ill, going down with the flu and a chest infection in Somerset. In fact, when I didn’t have a show for a couple of months, I just put it down to that.’
‘When are you gonna tell Ellen?’
‘Soon, but I don’t know how she’s going to take it.’
Ellen went rigid. Was her mum ill again? Something tickled her nose and she tried to hold it back, pinching her nose desperately, but it was no good and the sneeze burst loudly.
‘Ellen, is that you?’
Shamefaced, she walked into the living room, her eyes down.
‘I told you to go into the garden.’
‘Sor…sorry,’ she stammered, but then desperate to know she blurted out: ‘Mum, what’s wrong? Are you ill?’
‘Oh, I get it. You were eavesdropping.’
Ellen felt tears pricking her eyes, but then her mother beckoned her over. ‘Don’t look so worried,’ she said. ‘You shouldn’t have been listening, but no, I’m not ill.’
‘I heard Mabel say that you’ve been sick, and then you said you felt rough.’
‘Yeah, that’s true, but it’s got nothing to do with illness. I wasn’t going to tell you this until I was safely past three months, but well, I’m having a baby.’
‘A baby! How?’
‘We’ll talk about that when you’re a bit older; suffice to say for now that in around six months or so you’ll be getting a baby sister or brother.’
‘Does Dad know?’
‘I wrote to him as soon as I was sure, so I hope so. Now go on, off you go and leave me and Mabel to chat in peace.’
Ellen was still smiling as she went into the garden. A baby sister, she’d love a baby sister, but she didn’t know how she’d feel about a brother. Billy came rushing through the back gate, clutching what looked like apples, and seeing her he ground to a halt.
‘What have you got there?’ Ellen asked.