Lizzie of Langley Street

by Carol Rivers

  ‘Thank you for coming,’ Lizzie said quietly, feeling the soft, expensive leather in her palm.

  ‘There were delays in the city. The traffic was diverted from Westminster and James couldn’t find a short cut.’ Felicity Hailing gestured to the girl beside her. ‘This is my younger sister Annabelle. She’s helping me at the House.’

  ‘We are very sorry to hear about your mother,’ Annabelle said. Two large grey eyes stared into Lizzie’s. She had soft, light brown hair cut into a fashionable bob and a friendly smile.

  ‘Thank you for arranging for Reverend Green to take Ma’s service,’ Lizzie said. ‘And for the grave in the cemetery,’ she added quickly.

  ‘It was the least we could do.’ Felicity’s accent was cut glass. ‘You mother was well regarded at the House. We are eternally grateful to her for Babs’ help. Your sister is proving a very valuable member of staff’

  Lizzie stood back for them to enter. Undaunted by the noisy crowd, the Hailing sisters made their entrance. It was odd what Miss Hailing had said about Babs being a valuable member of staff. It was only charity work she did.

  Lizzie found Lil and Ethel sitting in the kitchen. ‘Royalty arrived, has it?’ Lil smirked.

  Ethel laughed. ‘Come on, Mum, they do a lot of good.’

  ‘So would I, if I had their money.’ Lil shrugged, flicking ash from her cigarette into a saucer. ‘You want to imagine them sitting on the lavvy. That brings ’em down to size.’

  ‘Can’t take you anywhere,’ Ethel giggled.

  For a moment Lizzie felt sad. She missed Kate as Lil and Ethel joked together.

  ‘You all right, Lizzie?’ Ethel asked.

  Lizzie sat down at the table. ‘I was just thinking how much Ma would have loved all this.’

  Suddenly they all saw the funny side. ‘Now that’s what Kate would have liked,’ Lil remarked, wiping the tears of mirth from her eyes. ‘A bloody good laugh.’

  They all nodded, remembering old times.

  ‘Mind you,’ Lil took a deep gulp of smoke, ‘we could do with a bit of class round here. When I was a girl the only way to see a bit of life was to go into service. Lizzie’s mother was a lady’s maid, you know, in her younger day. Had very high values did Kate Allen. Kept her house really nice till that bloody war made her pawn everything she treasured.’

  Lizzie nodded slowly. ‘Even those bloody boots.’

  The other two women looked at Lizzie in surprise. They all burst into laughter again and were still laughing when Flo came running into the kitchen.

  ‘What you all laughing at?’

  ‘Nothing,’ said Lizzie, sniffing. ‘What’s up?’

  ‘Vi Catcher says she’s leaving if there ain’t no more food.’

  ‘Lippy old mare!’ Lil rose and removed a tea towel from a plate of cheese sandwiches. ‘Go on, Flo, take her these. Then come back for the cheese biscuits.’

  ‘I wonder how they’re doing next door?’ Lizzie said as Flo went out.

  ‘I’ll go and find out.’ Lil took her lipstick from her bag and smoothed it on. ‘I’ll leave you two to talk about yer blokes,’ she said with a wink.

  Lizzie went red as she looked at Ethel.

  ‘Don’t forget to offer the cake round,’ called Lil from the yard. ‘And don’t forget to tell the Hailings who made it.’

  The two girls looked at each other and giggled. Lizzie pulled the large iced fruit cake across the table. ‘Would Rosie and Timmy like some?’

  ‘No, but I will. Mum’s cakes are lovely.’

  ‘Don’t I know it,’ Lizzie said as she put a slice on a plate for Ethel.

  Ethel licked the icing. ‘Where’s your Danny got to, then?’

  Lizzie went very red. ‘Who says he’s my Danny?’

  ‘Well, isn’t he?’

  ‘Who told you?’

  Ethel grinned mischievously. ‘Your mum told my mum and mum told me. You can’t keep anything secret round here.’

  ‘I never really thought Ma knew.’ Lizzie had another pang. Now she would never be able to talk to Kate about Danny.

  ‘Well, she had a bloody good guess then.’ It was unusual to hear Ethel swear and Lizzie grinned.

  ‘Has he asked to take you out?’

  Lizzie nodded.

  Ethel’s eyes widened. ‘Never! Where? When?

  Lizzie told Ethel the story.

  ‘The Lyric! Oh, Lizzie, are you going?’

  ‘No. Course not. How could I?’

  Ethel shrugged, nibbling at her cake. ‘Never mind, there will be other times.’

  Lizzie smiled. ‘I never thought of that.’

  Ethel roared with laughter. ‘You wouldn’t.’

  Just then Timmy appeared. ‘She pinched me!’ he cried, pointing to Rosie. ‘She’s always pinchin’ me!’

  ‘I never!’ gurgled Rosie, all innocent blue eyes.

  ‘So much for a bit of peace and quiet.’ Ethel hauled her little blonde daughter on to her lap. Timmy looked daggers. ‘Happy families,’ Ethel muttered, grabbing hold of his collar. ‘At times like this I could happily trade the kids in for a nice barrow-boy meself.’

  Once more they ended up laughing. Lizzie’s spirits had lifted. What her friend had said about there being other times with Danny had cheered her up. Life hadn’t ended today even though it felt like it.

  Once more the peace was shattered. Flo returned, tears streaming down her face.

  ‘What’s the matter now?’ Lizzie sighed.

  ‘Our Babs said I was a fat little cow. She said I’ve been pinching all the sandwiches, but it ain’t me. It’s her what’s been stuffing them on the quiet.’

  Lizzie and Ethel looked at each other. It was back to the real world with a bump.

  At four o’clock that afternoon, Violet Catcher and Beryl Sweet were the last to leave. Next door, the booze-up was still in progress.

  ‘Oh well, time to clear up,’ Lizzie said to herself, as for a moment she saw her mother at the sink, head bent over the washing-up. ‘Fetch in the glasses first,’ Kate would be telling her, since glass was never washed with china. Everything was done according to how she had learned in service. Each glass would have to be washed carefully, then placed upside down on the wooden draining board.

  ‘Stack the china in piles on the table and throw all the fags in the pig bin.’ There weren’t any pigs, but the bin was tipped on Doug’s vegetables, the only fertilizer his beans ever saw.

  ‘Then, when we’ve finished the washing up, you and me will have a nice cuppa, love, before we get started on the clearing up.’ Her mother’s voice drifted from the kitchen.

  Tears were close when a figure appeared. Danny strode down the passage. Lizzie quickly blinked them away. Danny stood opposite her and stuck his finger down the neck of his starched white collar. He lifted his chin and stretched his neck.

  ‘I’ll undo the studs,’ she offered, reaching up. Her hands brushed against his warm skin.

  He looked into her eyes. ‘Never was one for suits.’ He smoothed the dark hair from her cheek, then drew her against him. ‘Listen, I want to tell you something.’ He held her gently in his arms. ‘I’ll be here to help you out for a bit, at least for a month or two. As far as money goes, Bert can work in the shop. Me dad needs someone to cart the boxes around. It’ll mean a few extra bob for the kitty. But . . . but there’s other things I’ve been mullin’ over lately . . . a decision I have to make soon. I don’t wanna burden you with it today. With your Ma just gone, it don’t seem right.’

  ‘What is it?’ she whispered anxiously. ‘Tell me.’

  He paused. ‘Well, we’re close, gel, ain’t we? No point in denyin’ it, is there? You and me . . . I ain’t imaginin’ it, am I?’

  She nodded slowly. What was he going to tell her?

  ‘You see, I’ve been thinking about travelling and putting it off for a while. Putting it to the back of me mind, like. But, I want to do something with me life. The barrow will never make me rich, but I’ve always had a yen for Australia—’r />
  ‘Australia!’ She looked at him in astonishment.

  He nodded. ‘There’s gold there, free to anyone who’ll stake his claim. All a man needs is his health and strength. I’ve got plenty of both. I’ll make meself a fortune.’

  ‘But Australia’s on the other side of the world. How you gonna get there?’

  ‘I’ll work me passage. There are ships out of Liverpool that’ll take a man on if he’s willing and able.’

  ‘But it’s so far away. You might never come back.’

  He laughed. ‘Don’t be daft.’ He gazed into her eyes. ‘But there’s another way.’ He bent his head slowly. His breath was warm on her cheek as he whispered, ‘You could come with me.’

  ‘Me? Go with you?’

  ‘Why not? It ain’t such a bad idea. I’ve a bit of savings put by. That’d pay your passage. When we got to the other side, we’d soon find our feet.’

  ‘Danny . . . I couldn’t . . .’ She pulled back. ‘How could I, with the family?’

  He shrugged. ‘Babs is fourteen. She’ll have to do what you did when you was her age. When we’re rich we’ll come back and take care of’em all.’

  ‘Danny, I can’t. It just ain’t possible . . .’

  ‘Don’t turn me down now. Think about it. I shouldn’t have opened me big mouth today. I dunno what come over me.’

  The front door slammed and men’s voices drifted down the passage. Danny let her go. Vinnie strode into the kitchen. Falling against the table, he laughed. ‘Oh, ain’t that a shame, looks like we’re disturbing the ’appy couple.’

  Lizzie saw Danny and Vinnie look at one another. The bad feeling between them was evident. She knew that after the fire, they disliked each other intensely. Vinnie had no time for law-abiding folk like Danny and Danny wouldn’t tolerate Vinnie’s behaviour.

  ‘Sit down,’ Lizzie said quickly to her brother. ‘I’ll make you some tea.’

  ‘I don’t want no tea.’ Vinnie swayed against the wall.

  ‘Sit down, Vinnie, before you fall down,’ Danny muttered.

  Vinnie’s face darkened. ‘Don’t think I ain’t got you sussed out, Flowers. A bloody coster, that’s all you are – and ever will be. Well, let me tell you this. There ain’t no way you’ll be gettin’ your feet under this family’s table and that’s a promise.’

  ‘Vinnie!’ Lizzie stepped forward.

  Danny stretched out an arm to stop her. ‘You’ve had a skinful, Vin. Go and sleep it off before you do yerself some damage.’

  ‘You got a bloody big gob on you, that’s your trouble,’ Vinnie hissed. ‘How do you fancy comin’ outside?’

  Danny smiled. ‘I wouldn’t take advantage of you, mate. Not in the condition you’re in.’

  The punch that was aimed at Danny was easily avoided. Danny stepped to one side and Vinnie collapsed on the floor.

  ‘Vinnie!’ Lizzie ran to her brother.

  ‘Leave him, gel. He’s out cold now. I’ll get him upstairs to bed.’

  ‘He don’t know what he’s doing when he’s drunk, Danny. He don’t mean it.’

  ‘Anything I can do to help?’ The voice came from the passage and they looked round. Frank Flowers smiled at them, his eyebrows raised. ‘’Ello, Lizzie. Sorry to hear about yer mother.’

  ‘Thanks, Frank.’ Lizzie looked away from his gaze. It always made her feel uncomfortable. The Flowers boys looked a lot like one another, but Frank was shorter than Danny. They both had blond hair and bright blue eyes, but in character the two brothers were chalk to cheese. Danny was always joking. He never took himself seriously. Frank was quieter, a dark horse, most people said.

  ‘Silly bugger took a swipe at me.’ Danny rolled Vinnie over and lifted his arms. ‘Grab his feet, Frank.’

  Lizzie watched them carry Vinnie upstairs. She never knew what to say to Frank. That intense blue gaze of his always made her shiver.

  She placed the dirty dishes on the draining board. She couldn’t go to Australia, could she? What would happen to the family if she left them? She knew the answer to that. Pa couldn’t look after Flo and Babs wouldn’t want to. Vinnie was on his way to a future in crime. Bert was like a big kid still. He needed her. They all did. Yet she would follow Danny to the ends of the earth if the choice was hers.

  The thought that Danny wanted her with him filled her with joy. He had even offered to pay her passage. In her wildest dreams she had never imagined that her prayer would come true.

  Dear God, make Danny Flowers love me.

  Chapter Eight

  ‘You poor cow!’ Violet Catcher’s exclamation echoed across Langley Street. On the day before Christmas Eve, the neighbourhood gossip stood outside her front door and folded her fat arms across her shuddering bosoms. ‘How the ’eck are you going to manage this Christmas with your lot to feed and no money coming into the house now yer Dad’s not flogging stuff at the market?’

  Lizzie had been wondering the same herself. She had tried to dodge her neighbour opposite as she returned from the corner shop. How did Violet manage to spot her every time she passed? It was too much of a coincidence to have happened three times on the trot this week. ‘We’ll manage,’ she told Vi.

  ‘You know you can apply for parish relief, don’t you? I mean you’d get some groceries at least fer the ’oliday. Just pay a visit to the council and tell them you’re at the end of your tether. After all, who could blame you, gel, after all you’ve been through.’

  Parish relief was just what the authorities needed to confirm their suspicions that she couldn’t look after the family.

  ‘Truth is, we’re doing nicely, thank you, Vi. Parish relief wasn’t Ma’s cup of tea and it ain’t mine.’

  ‘Oh, you stick to yer principles, love.’ Violet Catcher nodded. ‘It was just that I saw Flo playing out in the street in nothing but a flimsy little pinafore. Thought to meself then, that child’ll be catching her death if she’s not careful. Your mother was always so particular about you kids, always kept you nice despite having to buy secondhand from Cox Street.’

  ‘Matter of fact I ain’t shopping up Cox Street this winter.’ Lizzie was determined to maintain the family pride. No matter what the cost, she would keep the family together as her mother had done. ‘Ethel’s given me a nice bit of cloth from Blackheath and I’ll run up the girls some clothes on the machine, so don’t you go worrying yourself needlessly over us, Vi.’ Any cloth from Ethel’s place of work was bound to be quality and Vi would know it. ‘Anyway, must go. Got to get the tea on.’

  ‘Call in any time over Christmas, love,’ shouted Vi as she walked away.

  Lizzie kept her basket closed, hiding the parcel of scrag-end that was buried at the bottom. As it was Christmas, Reg Barnes had given her a lean piece. But if Vi knew scrag end was what she was cooking for Christmas dinner, she’d have a field day.

  ‘That you?’ She barely had the key out of the lock before she heard her father’s voice. He sounded upset and she took a deep breath for the next hurdle.

  ‘Only me, Pa.’

  ‘Where the ’ell have you been?’ he yelled from the kitchen.

  She hurried down the passage. ‘Up the market. I called out I was going, but you were asleep.’

  ‘Trying to sleep you mean. That bloody bloke from the council’s been again,’ complained Tom as he strained to push the wheels of the Bath chair.

  ‘What did he want?’ Lizzie asked anxiously.

  ‘Asked me all these questions, wanted to know where you were, where Flo and Babs were. Said he was going to have to write a report.’

  ‘On what?’

  ‘How should I know? I told him to clear off’

  Her heart sank. ‘Oh, you didn’t, Pa.’

  ‘Little squirt. What does ’e keep comin’ round here for?’

  ‘He has to make sure that . . .that everything’s all right after Ma’s gone.’ She put the kettle on the stove, her mind in turmoil. Had the authorities heard Vinnie had been in trouble? Or was it one of the neighbours reporting th
at the Allen girls were neglected – someone like Vi Catcher?

  ‘Did you bring me any baccy?’ her father asked. ‘It comes to something when there ain’t even a roll-up in the house.’

  ‘Bert’ll have some when he comes in. Bill Flowers has given him a bonus for Christmas.’

  ‘Christmas?’ Tom repeated slowly. ‘What a bloody waste of time Christmas is. The sooner it’s over the better. Don’t speak to me of it again. I’ll not sit at a table without yer mother and that’s a fact. Make what you like of it for all I care. Now get me coat and push me in the yard.’

  ‘Pa, it’s cold out there. You’ll catch yer death.’

  He looked up at her and nodded slowly. ‘Aye, if only I could. Now do as I tell you, gel. I ain’t got the energy to argue.’

  Resigning herself, she went to the bedroom and took the coat and cap from the hook on the door. Outside, the sun shone down on the rows of washing and smoke covered roofs.

  Tom gazed sightlessly over the dilapidated fences, head buried in the collar of his greatcoat. Beryl Sweet’s fence was propped up by an old pram. Only Doug’s fence had seen a repair or two. His vegetable garden was the only fertile patch, filled in summer by runner beans.

  In the kitchen, Lizzie unwrapped the seven portions of scrag-end. They would cook up nicely with pearl barley and a few onions, and Danny had brought carrots and potatoes. A stew would last until Sunday. In the larder she found a fragment of suet. Placing this under the gauze cover that was used for meat, she satisfied herself that the wolf was kept from the door.

  Just then Flo and Babs came in the back door.

  ‘I’m hungry,’ said Flo looking at the empty table.

  Lizzie shut the larder door. ‘Where have you been? It’s late.’

  ‘Up the baths,’ said Flo airily.

  ‘You know Ma didn’t like you going up there. You’re too young to muck about with the boys.’

  ‘Oh, leave her alone.’ Babs took off her coat. ‘Everyone else goes up the baths.’

  ‘Not at her age they don’t,’ Lizzie replied shortly.