The Lady of Pelham Street

by Deborah Carr

  ‘Do we really have to go on an outing to the Ivory Palace?’ Jesse asked, lying on his bed resting his eyes. ‘The Midlands Industrial Exhibition isn’t going anywhere for a while yet.’

  Florence knew he was right, but John’s Canadian friend Frank was staying with them for a few weeks while his mother recovered from surgery that she had unexpectedly needed. Florence had promised the children on several occasions that she would arrange a family outing to the exhibition and her latest trip away had delayed it for a second time already. Now that she and her lady’s maid, Harriet, were back, Florence knew that she had made the children wait as long as her conscience could bear.

  ‘No, Jesse,’ she disagreed, sitting at her dressing table and noticing how lacklustre her skin appeared. She needed more sleep, that much was obvious. She couldn’t afford to look unwell, especially being married to the owner of the most famous chemist shop in England, not if she expected customers to buy the latest cosmetics they sold. ‘They’ve been good enough to wait this long. Poor Frank needs cheering up now that his return to Vancouver has been postponed.’

  ‘I suppose you’re right.’ He winced as he moved slightly. ‘He doesn’t seem all that miserable to me though. He and John have been making a dreadful din down at the tennis courts all morning. I’m surprised none of the neighbours have come to the house to complain about their rowdiness.’

  Florence made a mental note to ask the boys to contain themselves in future. ‘They’re young boys, Jesse; they’re bound to be lively. Would you rather they were sullen and morose?’

  ‘You know I wouldn’t, but if you’ll have a quiet word with them to tone down their enthusiasm, just to an acceptable volume, I’m sure our neighbours will be very grateful.’

  Florence walked over to Jesse’s side of the bed and bent over to kiss his forehead. ‘I’ll certainly do that,’ she said grinning.

  She sat back at her dressing table and took the combs out of her hair. Florence went to say something about the exhibition trip, then caught sight of Jesse through her mirror. He didn’t seem very well today and she hoped he wasn’t going down with a bug. He’d been taking things a little easier lately, but only because she was keeping such a close eye on him. She tried not to nag him too much about cutting back on his hours at work, but knew he struggled more when the hotter summer months arrived. It was the only thing she didn’t like about the better weather.

  She wanted to ask if he was all right, but, aware that he hated her fussing, continued with what she was going to say. ‘I’m looking forward to the exhibition, aren’t you?’

  Jesse muttered something and then, looking across the room at her and catching her eye as she watched him through the mirror, gave a reluctant smile. ‘Yes, I am, I suppose. I think it’s just the effort of getting there. I’ll be glad I’ve been and seen it all once I’m home again.’

  ‘I’m sure you will love it,’ Florence assured him. ‘The exhibition has been open for over a year now. We surely must be the last people out of all our acquaintances to go to the Ivory Palace and look round all the exhibits.’ She unclipped her necklace and lowered it into a drawer in her jewellery box. ‘I heard that over three hundred people visited the attraction over the first fortnight.’ She turned to face him, pulling off her wedding and engagement rings. ‘Even Queen Alexandra and the Prince of Wales went there, last year. It’s said that the exhibition is the greatest event that Nottingham has probably ever seen.’

  When Jesse didn’t respond, Florence opened the lid of her hand cream and dipped two fingers in before wiping it onto the back of her left hand. She turned around to face Jesse as she worked the cream into her hands. ‘I know John is looking forward to showing Frank all that the exhibition has to offer before his return to Canada. Frank is always saying how much bigger and better everything is in Vancouver and John wants to show him what Nottingham can do.’

  Jesse grinned at her. ‘Does he now?’

  Florence wasn’t sure if he was referring to Frank’s boasting, or John’s determination to show his friend some of Nottingham’s highlights. She did know Jesse well enough to be aware that she had appealed to his competitive side. Now he’d surely give in and agree to accompany her and the children to the exhibition.

  Jesse pushed himself up higher on his pillows. ‘The Ivory Palace does look impressive, I have to admit that. And if our John wants to show his friend how we do things in Nottingham, then that’s what we’ll do.’

  Florence had to control herself so she didn’t laugh. ‘Marvellous. I thought we could travel along the river by steamboat as far as the Trent Bridge and alight there. That way John can point out all the places along the riverbank to Frank.’ She didn’t add that it was also a gentle mode of travel, which would make the afternoon less fraught for Jesse, especially as he didn’t seem to be too well.

  ‘Anything you wish,’ he said, rubbing his face with his hands. ‘I read in the newspaper that there’s a Japanese tea house and some sort of water chute that’s about one hundred feet in height.’

  ‘And a rollercoaster, oh, and a maze,’ Florence added, excited to think they would be seeing it for themselves soon. ‘Margery wants to go on the Fairy River and go through caves where there are magical scenes. It does sound incredibly impressive.’ She rubbed cold cream into her face. ‘I’m more interested in the concert hall and electric theatre, to be honest.’

  ***

  The following day was warm and sunny with very little breeze. Florence was relieved that the boat trip to the exhibition would be calm. Growing up, she’d never minded being out in all weathers on boat trips with friends.

  Her only sad note to the day was Lily’s absence. Florence had invited her to accompany them, but her brother Ben had unexpectedly travelled over to Nottingham on the day Florence arrived home from her travels. He had come to collect his sister and take her back home to Jersey to spend time with their ailing mother. Mrs Buttons had been unwell on and off for several years, but this most recent bout had been quite unexpected and had upset Lily deeply.

  Florence had waved Lily and Ben off from Pelham Street earlier that week. She was sorry to see her friend leave under such sad circumstances and hoped Lily would find the support she needed from her younger siblings. As she watched Lily settle into the hansom with her brother, Florence recalled how Lily had wanted to return to Jersey for many months. She knew that Lily hadn’t expected her next trip there to be for such a sad occasion though and Florence’s heart ached for her friend.

  Ben had explained to Florence and Jesse that he hadn’t wanted Lily to hear how ill their mother was by letter. Florence reflected that his thoughtfulness might help Lily cope with what she was about to face. Ben added, with barely concealed emotion, that, having suffered a heart attack, their mother wasn’t expected to live more than a few weeks. Apparently their doctor had been surprised she’d survived as long as she had, and so when she told him to go and collect Lily because she wanted to see her once more before she died, Ben said that he had felt there was no time to waste.

  Florence wasn’t surprised when Jesse immediately arranged for Lily and Ben to travel back to Jersey that afternoon.

  ‘This is fun, Mother,’ Margery giggled, taking Florence’s hand in hers.

  She grinned at her excited daughter. ‘I told you it would be, didn’t I?’ she said as they stood next to the mahogany rail on the side of the boat.

  They had been right to be excited, Florence mused. She watched the delight on her husband’s and the children’s faces as they stared up in awe at the looming Indian-inspired building as the pleasure steamer Empress neared the grand white building with its minarets. Other visitors near to them gasped and the astonishment in their voices was obvious as they chatted about all that they were expecting to see once inside.

  ‘Mother, look,’ Dorothy exclaimed, pointing up at the ornate towers above the Ivory Palace. ‘Will we be able to see everything inside, do you think?’

  ‘Hopefully, yes,’ Florence said, hopin
g that Jesse was able to cope with all the walking they would possibly need to do. She looked forward to discovering exactly what goods had been supplied to the exhibition from all over the world. She was intrigued to find out if any of them were items that she and Jesse might stock at their stores. She decided that she would intersperse all the walking with rides so that he could sit and take a breather at intervals.

  They entered and made their way past displays of Nottingham lace, pottery, glass, and even jewellery. Florence and Jesse tried out new teas and ordered several boxes to be delivered to their home. She and Jesse were relieved to see that various local artisans had been well represented in this magnificent exhibition. Florence would have liked to take more time to survey the oriental goods as they passed by, but the children were impatient to see the exhibition grounds out the back.

  They stood on the veranda looking at the splendid view over the rides and huge array of entertainment. Florence refused to allow the children to go on the water chute ride, but left John to spend some much-needed time alone with his father doing something that amused them both. They might bicker sometimes, but they did have a similar sense of humour and she knew that within a few minutes they would be amusing themselves in the ‘Palace of Distorting Mirrors’.

  Florence took the time while the men in her life were occupied to accompany her girls in a canoe on the Fairy River, enjoying the experience of gliding along the water to the prettily decorated grotto with its impressive stalactites.

  By the end of their visit each one of them was weary, apart from John and Frank, who grabbed the tennis rackets and ran off to the courts for another few games. The rest of them were happy having spent a fun-filled family afternoon together. Jesse was too tired to travel back on the pleasure steamer, so they took a carriage home.

  ‘Was it as impressive as you expected?’ Florence asked Jesse quietly, as the children excitedly exchanged their thoughts on their outing.

  ‘It was, extremely so,’ he said. ‘It was a remarkable place and so well planned and put together. The chaps who set up the exhibition know what they’re doing and deserve to do well out of it. I think we all enjoyed it very much. Well done for arranging everything, dearest. A memorable day for us all, I believe,’ Jesse said, giving a pointed look in Frank’s direction.

  Florence smiled. Typical Jesse to think of how big an impression the event had made on their guest. She looked across the carriage at her son and his friend, chatting excitedly about all the different stalls and sites they had seen that afternoon.

  Seeing the boys and her daughters so happy, Florence couldn’t help wondering how Lily was getting on at home in Jersey. She had told her friend not to fret about returning to work at the Pelham Street store. Florence reassured Lily that she should take as much time with her family as necessary and also that she should stay with her mother for as long as Mrs Buttons needed her by her bedside.

  Lily hadn’t enjoyed the best of childhoods, Florence thought, as the horse trotted through the streets on their way home, but Lily loved her mother and that, Florence thought, was important and as it should be.

  They arrived home and the children ran up to their rooms, exchanging their thoughts on what had been the most exciting part of their day. Meadows held open the front door for Florence and Jesse. He watched as the children ran along the landing upstairs, and smiled at her and Jesse. ‘I see that your afternoon went well.’

  ‘Very well, thank you,’ Jesse said. ‘If you haven’t already visited the exhibition, Meadows, you should make a plan to go. I had expected it to be impressive, but it had much more to offer than I could have ever imagined. I enjoyed it immensely.’

  ‘I think we can safely say that we all had a marvellous time,’ Florence said, pulling the hatpin from her hat and pushing it carefully back into the straw crown before handing it to Meadows. She untied the ribbon from the neck of her jacket and handed it to him.

  Meadows indicated the silver salver on the hall table, as he took their coats and hats, and with one glance Florence could see she had received a letter from Lily.

  ‘Thank you, Meadows,’ she said, picking up the letter and leaving the rest of her mail to look at later.

  ‘Would you both like tea, madam?’ he asked as Jesse walked towards the conservatory leaning, Florence noticed sadly, heavily on his walking stick.

  ‘Yes, please. The children will probably want something cool to drink too, but I’m sure they’ll be down in their own time. Just ask Mrs Rudge to pour four glasses of her delicious lemonade she made this morning, and then please ask Annie to check on them shortly, will you?’

  ‘Of course, madam.’

  Florence followed Jesse into the sun-filled conservatory, opened two large windows, and sat down to read her letter. She hurriedly skimmed the words on the two pages to discover how things stood in the Buttons household. She smiled when she reached the end of the letter.

  ‘Lily is all right?’ Jesse asked, taking a seat by the open French doors in one of the shadier areas of the bright room.

  Florence nodded. ‘Her mother deteriorates by the day, according to her letter. It seems that she’s still fighting though. She must be far tougher than they expected. Lily says she’s fine. I think she’s kept busy looking after her mother and is enjoying spending time with all her siblings. It’s the first time they’ve all been together for a couple of years,’ Florence explained, wondering why families waited until there was a reason, usually a sad one, to bring them all together. She thought of her own siblings and made a mental note to return to Jersey and visit them as soon as she had a quieter week in her diary.

  Chapter 28

  July 1904

  ‘You’ll never guess what’s happened,’ John shouted, running into the dining room, closely followed by Frank and interrupting Florence and Jesse’s breakfast.

  ‘Don’t barge in here like a lunatic,’ Jesse shouted waving his butter knife in the air. ‘What’s wrong with you, lad?’

  Florence cringed and motioned for John to take a seat at the table. John did as he was expected and glared at his father, his expression sulky. No doubt he was embarrassed at being told off in front of his guest.

  ‘Tell us what’s happened then,’ Florence said quietly.

  John immediately brightened up. ‘The Midland Industrial Exhibition, you know, the one we went to at the Ivory Palace?’

  ‘Yes, of course I remember it.’ Florence laughed, intrigued.

  ‘It burnt down,’ Frank shouted. ‘Last night.’

  John glared at his friend. ‘Yes, he’s right. There were hundreds of people watching from the steamer boats on the river and others on the Trent bridge.’

  Florence gasped and her hand flew up to her mouth. ‘Jesse, no. There must have been hundreds of people inside there at that time.’ The thought of people trapped inside a burning building horrified her. She looked back at John and then Frank. ‘Do you know if everyone was saved?’

  John shot Frank a glance, as if daring him to reply. ‘Meadows said that everyone managed to escape. He was saying that they don’t think that anyone was killed. Which is incredible news.’

  ‘Yes,’ Florence agreed, closing her eyes in relief and saying a silent prayer that her son was right.

  ‘And how does Meadows know all this?’ Jesse growled.

  ‘One of the tradesmen who brought a delivery earlier this morning had a brother who was there,’ John said, his blue eyes wide. ‘He told Meadows all about it.’

  ‘And he told you?’ Jesse asked, giving John a disapproving glare.

  John shook his head. ‘No, I overheard him telling Mrs Rudge when I was going into the kitchen to ask for some glue for a picture that I wanted to paste into a book.’

  Florence almost sighed with relief when Annie entered the room with a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon for the boys’ breakfasts.

  She watched her son eating and giving a satisfied sideways glance at his father. No doubt, Florence thought, because he had found out some intriguin
g news before his father had. Why were the men in her life so competitive? she wondered.

  ***

  The following day, Jesse and John accompanied Frank down to Southampton for his voyage back to Canada. Florence was thrilled that she had been able to keep Frank busy and his mind as much off his mother’s operation as possible. She hoped that he would have a safe journey home. They had invited John to go to Canada for a few weeks’ holiday, but once again, Jesse had decided that he should spend his holiday with the family. Florence hadn’t argued with Jesse about his decision as she was relieved to have some time with just her family around her.

  She received a letter from Lily the same day as Frank’s departure. Lily wrote to say that her mother had finally succumbed to her weakened heart and died two days after she had sent her previous letter to Florence. Florence noted that Mrs Buttons’s funeral was to be held the following day and immediately wrote to her own brother, Willie, asking him to arrange for flowers to be sent from her and Jesse and to please keep in contact with the Buttons family and kindly represent her and Jesse at the funeral.

  Florence was relieved to be able to welcome Lily back to Pelham Street at the end of the month.

  ‘I have to admit I’m delighted to be back,’ Lily said when Florence asked her to come to her office for a catch-up. ‘My mother made us all promise that we wouldn’t spend time grieving for her but go out and live our lives as best we could.’ She picked a piece of lint off her sleeve. ‘Our time in Jersey was spent sitting with my mother, all of us crammed into her small room at my aunt’s house.’

  Florence listened, silently glad that Lily was opening up about the difficult time she had been dealing with.

  ‘We were there day after day. We’d almost run out of things to talk about. None of us spoke as my mother slept, which she mostly did for the last week of her life.’ Lily wiped away a tear with the back of her free hand. ‘It was awful. She had so many places she wanted to visit and things she still wished to do. Although she didn’t have the means to do most of them. It’s like being able to breathe properly again, now that I’m back here in Nottingham and able to work again.’