The Foyles Bookshop Girls

by Elaine Roberts

  Charles looked around for Lily and Alice. ‘Come on, you two. I bet everyone’s going to Buckingham Palace; let's go, the king might come out onto the balcony.’

  ‘You two go. I’ll stay, just in case…’

  Lily looked at her parents. Her mother's tense face held a fixed smile as she tried to hide the fear in her eyes. In stark contrast, her father looked like the cat that had got the cream. She turned her attention back to Alice. ‘Are you sure? It doesn't seem very fair…’

  ‘Don't worry. Just go, before father puts a stop to it.’

  Lily and Charles looked at each other and laughed, before disappearing into the throng of people. Their next-door neighbour came out with pots of tea and plates of Victoria sponge. She started wandering around, offering it to the people in the street, then another neighbour followed suit.

  Alice looked at her mother's ashen face. Jane was at her elbow, with her father standing on the other side of her. Alice stepped in close to her and whispered. ‘Shall we go in, Mother? You look like you should sit down, before you fall down.’

  Sarah looked up at Alice and nodded.

  *

  Alice looked behind her; the dining room was quiet and the house was still. Her grandparents had gone home to Russell Square the evening before, although she had a feeling they hadn't wanted to leave her mother, telling her to let them know if she had any concerns. She sat very still, holding her breath, listening for her father's footsteps, before picking up the Daily Mirror. He liked the paper in pristine condition and everyone was under strict instructions not to read it before he did. She laid it flat on the dining table, carefully smoothing out the coarse folds with her hands. She turned her hands over, checking for ink. The headlines on the front page were in capital letters, declaring Great Britain was at war. There was a large picture of torpedo boats sailing close together, so they could send messages to each other with megaphones. Pictures of Admirals and Field Marshalls were underneath that, followed by one of a submarine rising to the surface. The paper rustled as she turned the page, making her look behind her. She quickly noticed a picture of the King and the Prince of Wales on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

  ‘It was wonderful, Alice; you should’ve come with us.’ Charles grinned at her startled expression as she looked over her shoulder at him.

  Alice shook her head. ‘I wish you wouldn't creep about. I thought you were father. You know what he's like about his precious newspaper.’

  Charles laughed. ‘As he is with everything.’ His eyes were sparkling as he read the paper over her shoulder. ‘It’s so exciting; I can't wait to join up.’

  Alice looked up from the newspaper and stared at her young brother for a moment. ‘It's not glamorous, you know.’ She looked back down at the newspaper. ‘People are going to get killed. People are getting killed.’

  ‘Only the Germans; we’re going to get those Huns.’ He laughed as he sat down next to her at the table and started buttering some toast on Alice's side plate.

  She gave him a bemused look and shook her head. ‘They’re all someone's sons, brothers or husbands.’

  Charles looked thoughtful. ‘I suppose when you put it like that.’ His face lit up again. ‘But it has to be done.’

  Alice shook her head. ‘Don't you think it's bad enough Robert is going off to fight?’

  ‘I shall miss him, although he does get more like father every day. It's hard to breathe when he's around, let alone have fun, but what an honour. Father is so proud of him for enlisting.’ Charles paused, staring down at his toast and holding his knife to attention. ‘I want him to be proud of me too.’ He carefully placed the knife across the plate and bit down on the cold toast, covered with an inch-thick layer of butter. Crumbs immediately fell on to the white tablecloth. He placed the toast down and brushed them into his hands, before letting them fall onto the plate.

  Alice watched him brush up each speck, feeling sure other boys his age wouldn't take the trouble to be so meticulous. ‘He is proud of you, and not everyone can go and fight.’

  ‘Huh, we both know that's not true, and anyway, if it's going to be over by Christmas, there won't be time to hang around.’

  Alice looked at her younger brother and a smile crept across her face. ‘You’ll have to “hang around” as you put it, because you aren’t eighteen yet, so you can't enlist.’

  Charles frowned for a moment and then his face lit up. ‘I bet I could if father signed something or other, giving his permission, and he’d definitely do that.’

  Alice could feel her eyes welling up. ‘You are too young to go to war. I can't lose both of my brothers. This is all too dreadful.’ She slammed the paper shut and the spine folded up at the bottom. Alice sensed her brother's eyes boring into her as she stared hard at it, wishing she had the courage to leave it in that condition. She took a deep breath; it wasn't worth the commotion that would follow, so for the same reason Charles cleared his crumbs, she opened and straightened the newspaper, before carefully closing it again. Her eyes inspected it, checking for any imperfections.

  Charles placed his buttery fingers on top of hers. ‘Everything will be all right, you'll see.’

  Alice gave him a weak smile, understanding why he wanted to escape, but unable to let him go without a fight. ‘You’ll be needed here and there’ll be plenty to do; the country still has to run.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘I don't know, but men will be needed.’

  ‘Do you think Freddie will join up?’ Charles' boyish charm quickly turned to excitement. ‘He could. I would if I was him.’

  ‘I don't know. He mentioned it the other day but until then, I hadn't given it any thought.’ Alice frowned, wondering how Charles could be so excited by the turn of events. ‘I don't think so. After all, the police will still be needed here.’

  ‘Yes, you could be right. Gosh, I'd be upset if I was Freddie.’

  ‘That's because you see it as an adventure and an opportunity to get away from home.’

  Charles' eyes clouded over and he lowered them for a moment. When he looked across at Alice again, there was a sparkle to be seen. ‘It was packed at the Palace last night. I’ve never seen so many people in one place before. Everyone was singing, “we want the King”, and they were all so happy and excited.’ Charles sighed. ‘Lily and I couldn't get close enough to see him. He was like an ant to us, on his balcony, but we all sang the national anthem. We sang at the top of our voices.’

  Alice shook her head. ‘I have to go to work.’ She sighed. ‘I expect that’s all everyone will be talking about today.’

  ‘Don't worry, Sis, there's talk that Lord Kitchener will be appointed War Minister in the next day or two, so that’ll get things moving along.’

  ‘How do you know such things? Father hasn't mentioned that.’

  ‘I saw cousin Harry yesterday and Uncle William was telling him. He might be getting on a bit, but he still knows what's going on.’

  Alice frowned as a feeling of foreboding swept over her. ‘And I expect he’ll be filling Harry's head with nonsense about doing the right thing.’

  Charles sighed as he looked across at Alice. ‘Well that's right, isn't it?’

  ‘Obviously it is important to do the right thing, but Grandpa has no time for him and he’s quite easy going, so there has to be a reason for it.’

  ‘Yes, I know.’

  Alice rested her hands on the arms and pushed back the chair. ‘I have to go, otherwise I'm going to be late for work.’

  Charlie reached out and grabbed her arm, before quickly dropping his hand. ‘Sorry, I just wanted to say, don't worry about things. Everything’s going to be fine.’

  Alice stared at him for a moment, before nodding. ‘You're not going to try and do something stupid, are you?’

  Charles laughed. ‘Does that sound like me? All right, maybe it does, but I just don't want you to worry, that's all.’

  Mrs Headley appeared, carrying Alice's hat. ‘Thank you, Mrs Headley.’ Alic
e placed the hat on her head and gave herself a cursory glance in the mirror above the fireplace. ‘I have to go, Charles, but we’ll continue this conversation when I get back.’

  Charles nodded. ‘Take care.’

  Alice stared at him for a moment, wondering what was going on inside his head. ‘And you,’ she whispered, placing her hand on his shoulder, before walking towards the hall and the front door.

  The sun had already burnt away any early morning clouds, giving signs it was going to be another hot day. The familiar sweet malty smell from the Horseshoe Brewery in Tottenham Court Road told her she was approaching Charing Cross Road. As she crossed the street, the pungent smell hung in the air, letting her know the spent grain had been left to ferment in the storage bins.

  ‘Hello, Alice, you’re out early.’

  Tony Fletcher's deep voice stopped her in her tracks. Alice inwardly groaned; she couldn't pretend she hadn't heard him.

  She turned to see Molly and Tony walking arm-in-arm towards her.

  ‘Everything all right, Alice.’ Molly frowned. ‘You look a little flushed.’

  ‘Yes.’ Alice tried to muster up a smile. ‘I'm running behind and probably going to be late for work.’ She looked from one to the other. ‘What are you two doing up and about so early?’

  Molly smiled and gazed up at Tony's face with puppy dog eyes. ‘We’re going to Greenwich for the day.’ She laughed. ‘Sit in the park and eat ice cream.’

  Alice smiled at her friend's contagious laughter. Molly was truly smitten. ‘It sounds fun.’

  ‘Why don't you come with us?’ Tony slipped his free hand into his pocket and pulled out a packet of Players Navy Cut cigarettes. He let go of Molly's hand and opened the box to pull one out.

  Alice looked at Molly's face. Her eyes were downcast. The smile had become tight lipped.

  ‘It’ll be fun.’ Tony winked at Alice before he placed a cigarette between his lips and struck a match to light it.

  Alice pulled her lips together. Her free hand clenched by her side. ‘No thank you. As I said, I have to go to work.’ She forced a smile as she made a note to be there when Tony finally broke her friend's heart. ‘But enjoy your day. I believe the weather is going to stay fine.’

  Molly's eyes lit up and she tucked her hand through Tony's arm. ‘Shall we go?’

  Smoke swirled down Tony's nostrils. The tip of his tongue peeped out between his lips, so his finger and thumb could lift off the tobacco sitting on it. ‘Of course.’

  ‘Have a good day, Alice. Make sure you enjoy the sunshine while you can.’ Molly beamed.

  *

  Alice leafed through a stack of books behind her counter in the Foyles bookstore, running a soft yellow duster over the covers as she went. Looking over her shoulder, she watched Molly sorting the books in publisher order, ready to be put on the shelves. ‘Did you enjoy your day in Greenwich Park?’

  ‘Ahh.’ Molly stopped dead and looked up to the ceiling, as though she was seeing stars. ‘It was lovely; in fact, it couldn't have been better. We sat under a tree and watched the world go by. Tony rested his head on my lap and I stroked his hair.’ She shivered, before looking across at Alice. ‘Greenwich is a beautiful place; you and Freddie should go one day.’

  Alice smiled at Molly's far away expression. ‘Perhaps we should.’

  Molly’s look of love was quickly chased away by a frown. She stared across at the stack of books Alice was dusting and putting to one side. ‘Where do all these books come from? I have to find somewhere on the shelves to put them all and they’re already bursting at the seams. I never knew there were so many, and we’re just one shop.’

  ‘I know, and yet we sell hundreds every day, but I suppose we are a popular store.’ Alice looked over her shoulder, watching her friend move to sort through the books that had no bill tickets in them. ‘It's a good idea, selling second hand ones alongside new publications. I wish I’d thought of it. I could live in a bookshop. It's my idea of heaven.’

  Molly wrinkled her nose. ‘There's a musty smell to some of them, but it's certainly a place to meet people, I'll give you that. We certainly don't have many quiet days, but I suppose that’ll change now.’ Molly lowered her voice. ‘There won't be any men around soon. They’re enlisting in their droves, especially since Lord Kitchener's poster appeared on the front cover of the London Opinion magazine.’

  Alice sighed. ‘I don't know why you are getting upset about it; your Tony is still here. Robert enlisted before war was even declared and goodness knows, I don't trust Charlie not to do something stupid.’

  Molly turned and stared at Alice, anguish written all over her face. ‘I know I sound selfish, but,’ she bit down on her lip, ‘that's just the point. With everyone going, there’ll be even more women after Tony and I struggle to hold his attention as it is.’

  ‘Molly, stop worrying. If he loves you, he won't be interested in anybody else.’

  A humourless sound escaped Molly's lips. ‘We all know he doesn't. He's a womaniser, Alice, but the problem is, I do love him.’

  Alice placed her arm around her friend; her rose scent lingered in the air around them. ‘I know you do. It’s obvious to anyone watching you when Tony's around.’

  ‘Do you think they’ll get called up?’ Molly’s eyes welled up. ‘It scares me. I'm frightened I’ll lose Tony.’

  ‘Who knows? All you can do is make the most of the time you have together. This war is a dreadful business; let's hope they’re right and it is over by Christmas.’ She paused and dropped her arm from Molly's shoulders. ‘You know, I think Robert is already in France. Goodness knows what he is going through.’

  ‘Alice, Alice…’

  Alice spun around at the hysterical voice, quickly taking in her mother's tear-stained face. ‘What is it?’

  Sarah gulped for air. ‘It's awful, it's truly awful.’

  Molly frowned at Mrs Taylor and gently pushed Alice towards her. ‘Take her into the staff room and I'll look after the counter for you.’

  Alice nodded and put her arm around her mother. ‘What is it? Robert's all right, isn't he? Nothing’s happened to Grandpa has it?’ Her mind was jumping all over the place, trying to second-guess what had caused her to act so out of character.

  Sarah nodded and shook her head, almost at the same time. She took a handkerchief out of her bag and wiped her eyes, before running it over her cheeks. ‘I don't know if I can bring myself to say the words out loud.’

  Alice could feel the colour drain from her face. ‘Tell me.’

  Sarah took a deep breath. ‘Charles has enlisted. He left for training today.’ A shudder racked through her body.

  Alice stopped dead. Her mind was racing; she felt unable to move. She should have said something after her conversation with Charles the morning after war was declared, but she didn't think they’d allow him to enlist. Sarah put her arm through hers and pulled her along the corridor to the staff room.

  ‘He… he's too young.’ Alice stopped and grabbed her mother's arm, not noticing the softness of the grey jacket she was wearing. ‘There must be a mistake.’

  Sarah sighed as she frowned at her daughter. ‘No, there isn't. Apparently, he signed up with Harry, and I think Stephen was with them as well.’

  ‘Oh my God. Harry and Stephen are only sixteen. Aunt Emily and Uncle George must be beside themselves, let alone his parents. Does Victoria know?’

  Sarah sniffed as she tried to keep her composure. ‘I don't know about Victoria, but everyone is distraught. I wanted to tell you and Lily myself. I didn't want someone else mentioning it to you first.’

  Alice shook her head. ‘I don't understand how they could accept him when he's under age; Harry and Stephen even more so.’

  Sarah turned and held Alice's hand tight in hers. ‘Emily thinks they must have lied about their ages.’

  Alice gave a wry smile. ‘I should’ve thought of that. Charles was so keen to enlist and he wanted Father to be proud of him, like he is of Robert.’


  A tear tripped over Sarah's lashes. She sniffed and quickly brushed it away. ‘Charles is so young and trusting, innocent to the ways of the world. It can be a cruel place.’ She looked away from Alice. ‘I can't understand why the men around us all think it’s a good idea to put their children's lives on the line. I must be missing something.’ She sighed. ‘I hope he’ll be all right.’

  Alice shook her head. ‘Perhaps we could stop them from going.’

  Sarah's eyes lit up for a second and she grabbed Alice's hand in hers.

  Alice's enthusiasm for her plan was taking hold. ‘You know, go to the recruitment office and make a fuss.’

  Sarah's sparkle disappeared as quickly as it had come. ‘Charles would never forgive us, and neither would your father.’

  ‘To be honest, I don't care what Father thinks.’ Alice's hope quickly vanished. ‘It's his fault that Charles signed up in the first place; all that talk of patriotism and doing the right thing.’

  *

  Wearily, Victoria pushed her front door key into the lock at Percy Street and turned it. The door sprung open. The scent of the lavender plant situated at the bottom of the stairs had overpowered the enclosed space and rushed to meet her. She wrinkled her nose and stepped into the hall. Her heels tapped on the black and white tiles. She placed her keys on the console table, immediately noticing an envelope propped up against a silver candleholder. She picked up the envelope and examined her name, written in blue ink across the middle. It looked like Stephen’s spidery writing. Victoria frowned. She bit hard on her bottom lip until blood seeped into her mouth. Tension twisted her insides. Her heart pounded in her chest. Why would he be writing to her? Her head began to throb. She walked into the sun-filled sitting room and slowly sank into a high back chair. Her fingers gripped the letter. A tear tripped over her lashes. She didn’t need to open it; she knew what Stephen had done.

  Chapter 7

  Alice had tossed and turned all night and finally gave in as dawn broke through her bedroom curtains. She dragged herself out of bed and pulled back the heavy blue floral curtains, before looking out on the pavement below. It was a grey, wet beginning to the day; puddles rippled as the wind caught them. The rain had lashed down all night, thudding against the window. She blamed it for keeping her awake, but deep down she knew it had nothing to do with it.