The Lady of Pelham Street

by Deborah Carr

  Florence’s throat tightened with emotion. To be told that her job meant so much to her made Florence immensely grateful to have the means to help her find the freedom she had always longed for.

  Chapter 29

  July 1904

  The terrible event of the beginning of the month had shocked Florence more than she had expected. The news of the Ivory Palace fire had dominated the local and national newspapers and Florence and Jesse were relieved and stunned to discover that despite the number of people attending the exhibition that night, everyone had managed to escape.

  ‘You’re not still dwelling on the fire, are you?’ Jesse asked over breakfast one morning. ‘You’ve read the reports in the papers yourself that there were no fatalities.’

  ‘I know.’ She buttered a piece of toast and ate it. ‘But it’s made me think.’

  ‘You’re always thinking,’ he teased.

  ‘Yes, but this time I’m thinking about family and how I should return home to Jersey at the end of this month.’

  Jesse pushed his fork into a piece of bacon and looked up. ‘To celebrate your birthday, you mean?’

  He knew her so well, and she loved him all the more for it. ‘Yes, exactly.’ I probably should have invited my mother and father here for my fortieth last year, she thought guiltily.

  ‘You’ve been over to see them several times, so please don’t worry about last year’s birthday.’ He ate a mouthful of food. ‘I do think it’s a good idea to go and see your family later this month though. Would you like me to ask Miss Tweed to make the arrangements?’

  Florence didn’t mention that she had already asked their secretary to look into boat times. ‘No, it’s fine. I’ll do it when I get to work. I’ll arrange passage for us and all the children. Mother and Father will want to see them, and I think it’s important that the children also spend time with their grandparents.’ She didn’t add that the shock of what could have happened to three people close to her had made her consider her own mortality and that of her parents.

  She couldn’t help thinking about the human frailties that caused so many of them, her included, to be spurred into action and take time to see their families only after something amiss happened to give them a fright.

  Florence finished her breakfast and went up to her room to fetch her lighter coat. It was a warm day again today and she had been too hot travelling home the previous day.

  She stared out of the window at the bustling pavements. She really did love this vibrant city that she had made her home. There was always so much going on and although she was looking forward to returning to Jersey for a holiday and to breathe in the salty sea air, she now found that Nottingham was somewhere that truly felt like a home away from home.

  ***

  Florence’s mother pushed the knife through the delicate sponge birthday cake and lifted a tempting slice on to one of her best side plates.

  ‘Take this to your mother, Dorothy.’ She placed a cake fork on the plate and handed it to her granddaughter.

  Florence took the plate from her daughter and gave her a kiss on her forehead. She pushed the fork into the sponge and took a mouthful. It was as light and delicious as she had known it would be. Her mother had always been a skilled baker and even though Jesse had offered to pay for the top baker at a nearby bakery on the island to make a cake for her birthday, her mother had insisted that she be the one to do it. Florence was secretly pleased. She often reminisced about coming home to her parents’ flat for a get-together after her father had closed the shop, as it always brought back memories. However, eating her mother’s cake was certainly the most nostalgic part of her birthday.

  Jesse cleared his throat, interrupting Florence’s thoughts. ‘It’s such a beautiful day, finally.’

  It was. Florence was relieved, especially as the summer had, up until now, been mostly dull and warm rather than hot and sunny as she preferred. She smiled at Amy, who at forty years old was happily unmarried and still living at home with their parents above the shop.

  ‘Florence,’ Jesse said, interrupting her thoughts, ‘I was saying about the lovely weather today.’

  ‘Sorry,’ Florence said, aware that she hadn’t been paying attention. ‘I’m listening. Please carry on with what you were saying.’

  ‘I was saying that this beautiful weather has got me thinking that we should make the most of it before we return home to Nottingham.’

  Florence knew without Jesse saying anything further that he had arranged a surprise for them all. She caught her father’s eye and knew by the smile on his face that he was thinking the same thing and was also anticipating an exciting announcement from Jesse.

  ‘I’ve hired a cottage by the sea for us all to spend the next three days.’ Jesse turned to his father-in-law and then Amy. ‘I know you’ll both need to return to open the shop tomorrow morning, but I thought you could still come back to join the rest of us as soon as you’ve closed up.’

  Florence’s father beamed with delight and even her mother looked happy at the prospect.

  Her mother sliced through the cake and placed a portion on a plate for Jesse. ‘When do we need to leave?’

  Jesse grinned. Florence recognised that smile, too. He was about to shock her mother. She held her breath, waiting for his reply.

  ‘We have enough time to eat this birthday cake and then pack a few things for three days at the beach cottage.’

  ‘How long exactly?’ Her mother asked, one hand on her hip and the other holding the knife absentmindedly.

  ‘The charabanc will be waiting outside for us in –’ he took his half-hunter watch out of his waistcoat pocket and squinted, before replacing it and replying ‘– forty-five minutes.’

  ‘Forty-five!’ Florence’s mother shot her a horrified glance, as if she was in a position to cancel Jesse’s treat for everyone on her birthday. ‘I don’t have enough time to prepare for us, not if we’re staying away tonight.’

  Florence’s father stood and walked over to her mother. He took the knife out of her hand and passed it to Dorothy. ‘You finish slicing up the cake for everyone. Margery can hand out the pieces. You, my dear, take some for yourself first and sit down for a moment to enjoy it. We have plenty of time. What do you say, Florence?’

  ‘We do, Mother,’ she agreed, relieved her father had stepped in to stem her mother’s panic. ‘Knowing my husband, I’m sure everything will be waiting for us at the cottage and all we need to take are our clothes.’ Her mother opened her mouth to argue. ‘And if you forget anything, Father, or Amy, will be able to fetch it for you when they come back here to work tomorrow.’

  Her mother took the plate with her cake and fork and went to sit near the living-room window. She ate a mouthful thoughtfully. ‘It will be fun,’ she admitted after a few minutes’ contemplation. ‘And I would hate to be the one to ruin your birthday treat, Florence.’

  Florence continued eating her cake, happy to have this treat to look forward to. She caught Jesse’s eye and gave him an amused smile. He really was clever, coming up with a surprise and announcing it when her mother wouldn’t be able to refuse. Florence knew her mother would enjoy a few days by the sea. She spent far too much time at home, and rarely ventured out from the confines of the town area.

  ‘I’ll help you pack, Mother.’ Florence finished her cake, collected the empty plates, and took them to the small kitchen to wash them.

  Amy joined her with a few more. ‘Adelaide is popping home to pack and I’ll help you with Mother and Father’s things.’

  ‘What do you think of Jesse’s surprise?’ Florence placed the first clean plate on the wooden drainer.

  ‘I think it’s a splendid idea. Very thoughtful of him to include the rest of us, too.’

  Florence thought so too but wasn’t at all surprised. Jesse knew how much she valued spending time with her family, as he had always done with his own.

  It dawned on Florence that she hadn’t packed a bag for her, Jesse, or either of the children, bu
t knew well enough that if he had thought to arrange the cottage then she had no doubt that he would also have remembered all the small details, like having one of the hotel maids pack bags for them to take.

  She was right. The charabanc arrived at six-thirty and everyone, including her mother, was waiting to be taken to the cottage. As they all settled onto their seats, Florence turned to Jesse and whispered. ‘You never said where we were actually going.’

  ‘I didn’t, did I?’ He tapped the side of his nose. ‘You’ll know soon enough.’

  He took her hand in his. Florence closed her eyes briefly, thinking yet again how lucky she was to have met this wonderful man nineteen years before. Nineteen years. Was it really that long ago that she had met him, and right upstairs in her parents’ shop? On the one hand, Florence could not recall a time when she didn’t know Jesse, but on the other, the years had flown by.

  The driver clicked the horses into action and soon they were trotting along the street making their way east. Florence loved the east coast of the island, with its wide expanse of beaches of fine white-gold sand. Then again, she thought, they weren’t that different to the west of the island, although there were more coves and cliff faces.

  She and her family waved to several people they knew and a few who stood at the side of the road watching the family’s charabanc as it passed. The sun was beating down on them and becoming a little hot, so Florence and her sisters took out their parasols and held them over their and their mother’s heads. Dorothy and Margery were wearing their straw hats and giggling about something, and John was fixated by the sight of the sea as the vehicle moved slowly along the coastal road.

  It took a while but eventually the driver brought the horses to a halt at the end of a small lane along the road at Grouville.

  ‘I won’t be able to turn around if I go down there,’ he explained. ‘I’m afraid you’ll need to carry your bags from here, if that’s all right with you, Mr Boot.’

  ‘We can manage,’ Jesse said, stepping down from the charabanc and holding his hand out to help everyone that needed it.

  Florence’s father passed down each of the bags and everyone took their own, apart from Florence’s mother, who didn’t need to as her husband had kept hers to carry.

  ‘This is fun, Mother,’ John said, taking Florence’s bag from her. ‘Papa told me this morning that he had planned something fun for us, but I never expected us to be doing something like this.’

  ‘He told me, too,’ Dorothy said quickly.

  ‘And me.’ Margery took Florence’s hand and walked alongside her and Jesse. He led them down to the property and announced they would be spending the next two nights.

  Florence stood facing the sea and took in a deep breath, relishing the saltiness of the air. Even though her family shop was only a few minutes’ walk away from the waterfront, the sea air was even better when you were standing over the beach.

  ‘What do you think of your temporary home?’

  She turned and, standing with her back to the sea, stared at the beach villa in front of her. It wasn’t very big, but Florence made a quick calculation. They needed a room for her and Jesse, one for her parents, one for Adelaide and her husband, and two more for Amy and the children. If necessary, the girls could share with her and Jesse and she could make up a bed for John in the living room.

  ‘There are six bedrooms,’ Jesse said without needing to be prompted. ‘Two are quite small, but I’m sure that won’t worry anyone for the length of time we’re here. I have another surprise for you inside.’

  Florence couldn’t imagine what it might be. Jesse opened the French doors and waited for her to walk in, a big smile on his face. Florence gasped. Standing at the door of the large sunny living room were Harriet and Mrs Rudge.

  ‘How wonderful,’ Florence said, walking over to greet her lady’s maid and cook. ‘I hope neither of you minded coming here?’

  They shook their heads.

  Mrs Rudge pointed to the beach behind Florence. ‘How could we mind coming somewhere this beautiful?’

  ‘Well, I’m thrilled to see you both here. I know we’ll all be extremely well looked after, but I’m going to make certain that you both have time to go and explore some of the island. I want you two to experience the joys of Jersey for yourselves.’

  Harriet smiled even wider than she had before. ‘We’ve been here since your arrival two days ago. Mr Boot put us up here so that we could make everything ready but also gave us a lot of time to ourselves and we’ve had a fun time walking on the beach and paddling.’ She turned to Mrs Rudge. ‘It was your first time in the sea, wasn’t it?’

  ‘That it was. It was colder than I expected, that I will say.’

  Florence and Jesse laughed.

  ‘This is a big beach, isn’t it?’ Mrs Rudge added.

  Florence loved Grouville Bay’s wide horseshoe shape, with Mont Orgueil castle up to her left. Then again, she loved many of the beaches on the island. ‘It’s a beautiful beach and we must make the most of staying next to it.’

  ‘We’ve prepared some squash for everyone to have a drink at the table out front,’ Mrs Rudge added. ‘There’s some shade there from the pine tree and if you like I can serve your supper outside, too.’

  Florence decided that would be a perfect way to end her birthday. ‘Thank you, that sounds ideal.’

  While Mrs Rudge served drinks to Florence’s family, she, Harriet, and the children went with her father to arrange who would sleep where in the villa, and place their bags in their respective rooms. Half an hour later, Florence sat next to Jesse, listening to Amy regaling them with anecdotes about people she had met in the shop recently.

  Florence kept an eye on the children. They could all swim but had been warned before changing into their sun clothes to stay away from the sea. ‘This water is tidal,’ she explained, although they heard the same information each time they visited the island and spent time on one of the beautiful beaches. ‘There are rip tides and you must have a deep respect for the sea. None of us must take our safety for granted, do you understand?’

  They each nodded. Moments later, John and his sisters were down on the sand playing with a ball that they had found in one of the villa cupboards. Margery had insisted on taking a bucket and spade down with her, too, but that had been discarded in favour of taking part in John and Dorothy’s game.

  Florence watched her son, happy that at fifteen he still enjoyed having fun with his sisters. Dorothy, at fourteen, was growing up quickly. Florence wanted them to enjoy their childhoods for as long as they possibly could. Her heart raced as twelve-year-old Margery fell over the ball, doing a somersault into the sand. There was a moment’s stillness from the children as her youngest daughter seemed to decide whether or not she had hurt herself and then guffaws of laughter when she shook her head and sand showered down past her shoulders.

  Florence thought how special the day had been and knew that it was one she would never forget. She realised her father was speaking and turned her focus away from the children to hear what he was saying.

  That evening, Florence went to bed feeling truly blessed to have enjoyed her birthday with all her siblings, apart from Willie, who had been unable to join them. She would make the most of seeing him before she went, and invite him out to lunch, she decided.

  The following morning, the party went for a stroll along the beach towards Gorey before a late breakfast. The sun was shining once again, and the temperature hadn’t yet risen to become uncomfortable. They walked as far as the common, where families were already gathering to meet up with friends and pass the time of day. Children played and Florence’s son and daughters found others their age to talk to for a while.

  Jesse called them back when it was time to return to the villa. ‘There’s a small farm on our way back to the villa and I thought we could try and buy some fresh milk and a dozen eggs. I’m sure Mrs Rudge will be pleased to have them for tomorrow’s breakfast.’

  Florence agreed, hap
py to do whatever Jesse chose. She didn’t mind where they went, or what they ate, as long as the weather held, and everyone enjoyed themselves.

  They reached the villa just as Mrs Rudge stepped outside with a tray of cutlery and napkins to set up the large table on the veranda.

  ‘We’ve bought these,’ Jesse said, holding out the milk churn, a basket of eggs, and some butter. ‘I promised to return the container and the basket later today.’

  Florence showed her the two cabbage loaves she was holding. ‘These are freshly baked. In fact, they’re still warm.’ She breathed in the delicious scent of the crispy loaf and longed to have a slice slathered in the creamy butter Jesse had bought.

  Mrs Rudge’s mouth opened to speak, but seeing the rounded loaves Florence was carrying, she frowned. ‘Those are cabbage leaves on the top of them loaves?’

  ‘And on the bottom, too,’ Florence smiled. ‘Don’t look so shocked. I promise you this is the tastiest bread you’ll ever eat, apart from your own,’ she added hurriedly, so as not to offend her cook. ‘I’ll carry them through for you and we’ll have a quick slice to show you.’

  ‘Ooh, I’m not so sure I’ll like it, madam.’

  ‘I’ll try some, if you don’t,’ Harriet said as they walked through the living room on their way to the kitchen.

  Florence placed them down on the pine dresser. ‘You’ll both try some. Just a little,’ she added, giving Mrs Rudge a pointed look, ‘in case you don’t actually like the taste, but I’m sure you will.’

  She watched as Mrs Rudge took the breadknife and cut them each a piece, slathering them with the rich yellow Jersey butter.

  Florence took hers and as the other two women studied theirs, then she took a bite and relished every morsel. Mrs Rudge and Harriet followed her lead and both took a tentative bite of the slice in their hands.