The Foyles Bookshop Girls

by Elaine Roberts

  Alice scooped Arthur into her arms. She held him close to her, enjoying the warmth and his milky smell. His dark brown eyes stared intently at her, as she sung 'Hickory Dickory Dock' to him, followed by 'Jack and Jill'. A knock on the sitting room door stopped her in mid-verse. ‘Come in.’

  Mrs Headley opened the door and stepped into the room, closely followed by Victoria and Molly.

  ‘Sorry, Mrs Headley, we couldn't wait to see the little man again.’ Victoria smiled, while shrugging her shoulders.

  Mrs Headley bowed her head. ‘I totally understand that, Miss Appleton.’ She stepped aside to allow the two girls into the room. ‘Would you like tea, Mrs Leybourne?’

  ‘Yes please.’ She turned to her friends as the housekeeper left the room. ‘Sorry, no biscuits or cake.’

  Victoria sighed. ‘I know, what with prices and the shortages, it must be difficult for some. We’ve had to cut back at home.’

  ‘And us,’ Molly piped up. ‘Still, it is good for your figure.’

  Alice and Victoria laughed.

  ‘Can I have a hold?’ Molly ventured.

  ‘Of course. He's awake more now, so I was just singing some nursery rhymes to him.’ Alice bent and kissed his forehead before laying him in Molly's open arms.

  Mrs Headley returned with a tray of crockery, tea and a small plate of biscuits.

  Alice looked down at the plate and arched her eyebrows. ‘Mrs Headley, I thought we weren't having biscuits anymore.’

  The housekeeper's colour started to rise. ‘I made a few this morning, but have only put one each on the plate. I’m not too sure how nice they’ll be, because there’s less sugar in there than the recipe normally demands.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Alice nodded. ‘I’m sure they’ll be fine, but we’ll report back.’

  Victoria watched the housekeeper leave the room. ‘You’re lucky to still have Mrs Headley. A lot of girls have left service, to be employed in war work. I know quite a few that are travelling to Woolwich Arsenal and Silvertown, to get jobs in the munitions factories; that's supposed to be very well paid.’

  ‘Then there's the fire service and the other factories, like the one Stephen used to work in,’ Molly chipped in.

  Alice nodded. ‘I know you’re right, but I think Mrs Headley is happy with us and she’s getting on in years, so I don't think she could cope with such physical work.’ She glanced across at Molly, who was pulling faces at Arthur. ‘Molly, have you heard anything from Charles lately?’

  Molly's head jerked up. ‘No, and actually I was going to ask you if you had, but I didn't want to spoil your happiness by bringing it up.’

  Alice shook her head and a deep sigh escaped. ‘No. In fact, there’s something I should have told you months ago but…’

  Arthur's bottom lip started to quiver.

  Victoria stretched out her arms. ‘Let me have a cuddle while you talk.’

  Molly's colour drained away. Her jaw dropped as anxiety ran across her features. She looked up at Victoria as she lifted Arthur into her arms, before staring back at Alice. She pushed back her shoulders and lifted her head. ‘Why do I have a sense that what you’re going to tell me isn't good news?’

  Alice shook her head. Her hands clung together in front of her. ‘There's no easy way to tell you, so—’

  ‘Oh God, he's not dead as well, is he?’ Molly burst out, tears already rolling down her cheeks.

  ‘No, no.’ Alice ran over to her and knelt at her feet. She grabbed Molly's hands in hers. ‘No, but he’s missing. I should have told you before. I kept hoping he’d just walk in, but obviously that hasn't happened.’

  Molly sniffed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief. ‘I thought he’d just got bored with writing to me.’ She dabbed her cheeks and blew her nose.

  ‘I’ve been looking for him.’ Alice stood up and paced around the room. ‘Of course, he could be anywhere, but I regularly ask at Charing Cross Hospital and check all the men as they arrive at Victoria train station. My mother does the same when she goes, but there’s been nothing.’ Her eyes glistened as she wrung her hands. ‘I don't know what else to do, and with Christmas less than a month away—’

  ‘It’ll be all right,’ Victoria ventured. ‘Remember, you haven't received a telegram saying anything else.

  ‘Well that's good, isn't it?’ Molly tried to sound enthused, but failed.

  Alice nodded. ‘It is.’ She stopped pacing and stood by the window. The trees looked bereft without their leaves. The colour of the summer and autumn had long been replaced by the greyness of winter. It matched her feelings at the moment. She couldn't seem to lift herself out of the doldrums, except when Arthur was in her arms.

  Molly looked across at Victoria, then back to Alice. ‘Freddie was in the same regiment, wasn't he?’

  Alice nodded but didn't move away from the window.

  ‘Have you heard from him?’ Molly stiffened as she waited for the answer she knew was coming.

  Alice shook her head. ‘Not since April.’ Her voice was barely audible.

  Molly poured the tea, which she suspected would be cold, but there could be no wastage in these difficult times. ‘Here, drink this before Mrs Headley tells us off for wasting it, or worse, your father comes in and starts ranting at us.’

  Alice smiled. She walked over and took the cup and saucer from her friend.

  Molly placed her hand on Alice's arm, as she moved to walk away. ‘Don't forget the biscuit; you said we’d report back, so you’ve got to eat it.’ She smiled. ‘Everything will be all right. Freddie will be home soon.’

  Alice's chin began to tremble. ‘I keep telling myself that, but it's been months.’

  Molly nodded. ‘I know.’ She paused. ‘When I get home, I'll ask my father if he could write some letters to the Home Office, the army or somewhere, to try to find out something for you.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Alice whispered. ‘But my own father could be doing that.’ Her voice rose to a shrill. ‘Or he could be asking at that damn club he goes to, practically every day.’

  ‘Come on, Alice, give your son a cuddle.’ Victoria offered Arthur to her. ‘You have to stay calm for his sake.’

  Alice placed her biscuit on the saucer before putting it on the side table. She reached out and held her son close. His small hand immediately wrapped itself around her finger.

  ‘Ah, look, he knows who his mother is.’ Victoria smiled. ‘He’s absolutely wonderful, Alice. It makes me want to have a football team.’

  *

  ‘Grab an ambulance. Apparently, a Zeppelin has dropped bombs in The Strand and Aldwych.’ The man ran off shouting, ‘God knows where it’s moving on to next.’

  Alice didn’t stop to think. She started the ambulance. Her heart was pounding, a pulse thudding in her ears. It was one thing to pick up the soldiers from Victoria Station, but she had never attended a bombing before. She drove at speed, shouting for people to get out of the road, as they stood looking up at the sky. Alice leant forward in her seat and peered up. The Zeppelin was gliding majestically through the darkness, belying the carnage it had caused on the London streets. She pulled up sharp in front of the rubble that blocked the road. Smoke and flames skewed her vision, but she could see bodies lying motionless. She sucked in her breath. Be professional, get out and get on with it, a voice shouted in her head. She opened her mouth to speak. Her voice trembled. ‘But I’ve never seen a dead body before, let alone one that has been blown up.’

  It was clear a bomb had hit the road outside The One Bell public house, and flames were coming from a large crater, illuminating the street. Where should she start? Alice stepped out of the ambulance. She coughed as smoke caught in the back of her throat, mingling with the stench of charred bodies. She took a step forward, the rubble and glass crunching underfoot.

  People stood around, watching in stunned silence. The Lyceum Theatre had an interval, so theatregoers had stepped out to buy refreshments from the street sellers, who were now no more.
>
  ‘Alice, over here.’

  Alice turned at the familiar voice and shouted. ‘Lily, what are you doing here?’ She carefully weaved between the bricks and rubble scattered around her.

  ‘The same as you. It’s terrible. I don’t think people know what to do with themselves, so they are just waiting and watching.’ Lily looked around her. ‘There’s some people sitting on the kerb over there that need to go to hospital, so can you take them?’

  ‘Yes, yes of course.’ Alice’s head bobbed, grateful her sister was taking control. She took a step towards the injured.

  Lily grabbed her arm. ‘Wait, before you take them, you need to look around in case there are any more urgent cases. They’re not dying over there, but some might still be alive in the rubble.’ Lily stared at her sister’s pale face. ‘Look, when you go to Victoria Station, you check all the soldiers first, then decide the urgency. Well, that’s what you have to do here, except some will have already died.’

  ‘Of course, yes, that’s right.’ Alice took a deep breath. ‘I know what I have to do, I just have to get on with it. Thank you. It was just a shock, seeing the devastation.’

  Lily grimaced as she looked around her. ‘It’s terrible that you can be having a night at the theatre, come out for refreshments and this happens.’

  Alice patted Lily’s hand. ‘I’ll get on, but shout if you need me.’ Alice stepped forward, watching her every step. She bent down to a young girl, lying so still. Alice’s heart jumped in her chest as she placed her fingers under the child’s ear, to check for a pulse. It was there, faint, but it was there. She looked around and beckoned a couple of men standing around. ‘Bring something to lay her on. Be quick. I have to get her to hospital.’ Her eyes darted between the girl and the men. ‘Hurry.’ She stared down at the dusty features that were lying so still. ‘Hang on girl, you’re not dying tonight.’

  A man appeared and scooped the girl up, her arm swinging down. ‘I’ll drive her; my car is just over there.’

  Alice didn’t know what to say. She was meant to take the injured to hospital. She shook her head. ‘Don’t hang around. Her pulse is very faint and I’m not sure she’s going to make it.’

  ‘She will.’ The man wasn’t slowed down by the weight he was carrying. It wasn’t long before he sped away, with no thought for his own safety.

  Alice nodded. Life was precious and some rules were made to be broken. She stood up and moved on to the next. The hours sped by, before she finally stood up and took a deep breath. Alice looked around. Some people had gone home, others had been taken to Charing Cross Hospital. She looked up at the night sky and realised it would soon be dawn.

  ‘What a night.’

  Lily’s weary voice startled her. Alice turned and smiled as her sister approached her. ‘You look a bit of a state.’ She smiled at her dust-covered face and the bloodstains on her uniform.

  Lily shrugged and glanced down at her clothes, before returning her attention to Alice. She grinned. ‘You want to look at yourself, before you say anything.’ She gave up the fight and closed her eyes for a moment, before studying the scene around her. ‘I’ve heard they’ve hit quite a few places in London, but Woolwich has suffered the most. I expect they were after the munitions factory there, but they weren’t successful, although, apparently, the army barracks took five hits.’

  They both stood in silence for a moment.

  Lily broke the spell. ‘I think a cup of tea is in order, don’t you?’

  ‘That sounds like a grand idea.’ Alice licked her dry dusty lips. ‘Although I’m not sure where we can get one.’

  Lily smiled. ‘We’ve done all we can. Let the others take over now.’

  Alice frowned. ‘What, just leave?’

  ‘Yes, don’t worry, I have permission, and so do you.’ Lily winked at her. ‘Arthur will be waking up soon and will want his mummy.’

  Alice’s eyes lit up at the mention of her son. ‘Let’s go home.’

  They walked away from the dust and rubble, towards the ambulance, each holding the other one up as tiredness took over.

  ‘You’ve worked hard tonight.’ Lily yawned. ‘I’ve been told there were at least seventeen dead and twenty-one injured tonight.’

  ‘Oh Lily, all this frightens me. I worry, one day I shall go to work and never see my son again, or he will never know who his mother or father were.’

  Lily squeezed her sister’s arm as they walked along. ‘I can’t offer you any words of comfort, and if I did you’d know they were empty. It’s all a chance, but one thing I definitely know is you and Arthur are surrounded by people who love you, and that memory will always be kept alive, no matter what.’ Tears dropped onto Lily’s cheek. ‘Let’s not think about it; we are surrounded by doom and gloom. Only happy thoughts from now on.’

  Alice nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. If only life were that simple.

  Chapter 20

  December 1915

  Thick black material covered the large sash window. Candles were lit strategically around the dining room. The silence was deafening. Sarah stood up and placed the first record she could find on the gramophone. Placing the arm of the needle on the edge, she turned the handle several times before it crackled into life. She breathed a sigh of relief as one of the familiar Irving Berlin tunes burst from the trumpet speaker. It was Christmas Day, but there was no celebration. Sarah had only decided to decorate the tree the night before. She told herself everything had to be as expected, in case her boys walked through the door. The girls hadn't wanted to exchange gifts; it hadn't felt right with no news of their brothers or Freddie. Victoria and Daisy sat with Lily, Arthur being a good distraction for everyone. No one spoke of the war, or the boys that were away from home.

  Victoria's attention kept being drawn to Alice, wondering how she was really coping. She’d always be grateful that Ted and Stephen both wrote to her regularly and she felt immense relief that no one asked her about either of them.

  ‘That was a lovely lunch,’ Edward offered, before sipping his coffee. ‘I don't think I shall eat for a week.’ He patted his stomach. ‘You did well, Sarah, with some food in such short supply, especially sugar and eggs.’

  Jane nodded. ‘We’ve practically given up sugar.’

  ‘We’re the same. What little we have been able to get, we’ve been storing for today's meal, but it's probably still better than the boys on the front are eating.’ Sarah picked up the heavy teapot, to pour the dark steaming liquid into the waiting cups.

  ‘There's no doubt about that.’ Edward reached for a crumb of plum pudding. ‘I don't know why I'm still eating,’ he chuckled as he popped it into his mouth.

  ‘The way the Germans are bombing our merchant ships, we will soon run out of food supplies.’ Luke sighed. ‘If you ask me, we need to go back to basics and start growing our own food again.’

  Alice stared at her father, wondering what was going on inside his head. He had been subdued all day. Was he finally realising he may not see his sons again?

  Edward nodded. ‘Well, it was all very nice. I particularly enjoyed the oyster soufflé.’

  ‘It was very tasty, although it has to be said that even oysters are in short supply now.’ Luke sipped the tea that Sarah had placed in front of him.

  Edward opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it again. He looked across the table at Sarah. ‘I don't think we will leave very late, with the streets being so dark.’ He looked sideways at Jane, before returning to his daughter. ‘Your old step-mother gets a little scared these days,’ he chuckled into his cup.

  Jane nudged him with her elbow. ‘Hah, I think you'll find we both get a little frightened. It's amazing how dark it is when there’s no light coming from the houses you walk past.’

  Alice smiled at the pair of them. ‘Grandpa, you are funny.’

  Edward smiled. ‘I’m very glad you think so.’

  Alice shook her head. ‘I can't get used to all that hair under your nose; I'm not sure I like the
moustache.’

  Edward lifted his fingers to smooth it flat. ‘My father had one that was described as a large handlebar; he used to constantly tweak it at the ends.’

  Sarah laughed. ‘That's right, he did. Uncle Henry was always telling him off for not getting rid of it, but I remember him saying the ladies liked it because it tickled.’

  Alice smiled. ‘Is that what you’re doing, growing a handlebar moustache?’

  ‘No, I'll probably shave it off in the summer. I just fancied a change.’ Edward smiled. ‘How are you getting on with this delightful baby of yours?’

  ‘He's an angel.’

  ‘He certainly seems to be coming on a treat, doesn't he?’

  Alice laughed. ‘He is, and he weighs a ton now, not literally, but you know what I mean. He’s all that keeps me going, some days.’

  Edward frowned. ‘I know it's difficult for you, but hopefully, Freddie will be home soon and you’ll be united as a family and start your lives together properly.’

  Alice nodded. She could feel the tears pricking her eyes.

  Jane leant forward in her chair. ‘I don't remember seeing the announcement of his birth in the papers.’

  Sarah laid a hand over Alice's. ‘It wasn't in the papers; we made the decision to go against tradition and not to announce it.’ Her hand patted Alice's, before she moved it away.

  Jane fidgeted in her seat and raised her eyebrows. ‘I see.’

  Alice lifted her head high. ‘It was my decision. I didn't want Freddie finding out by reading it in a newspaper.’ Jane opened her mouth to speak, but Alice held up her hand. ‘I know he probably wouldn't have seen it, but I don't know where he is.’ Tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘I don't know whether he’s dead or alive, in England or France. I don't know anything.’ She sniffed, before angrily wiping her hands over her cheeks. ‘Sorry, but I'm afraid I’m not coping very well. It's the not knowing. I can't sleep at night for thinking about it.’

  Jane lowered her eyes and blinked rapidly, before looking over at Alice. ‘I’m so sorry, my dear girl; I just didn't think. Please forgive me.’