The Lost Daughter of Liverpool: A heartbreaking and gritty family saga (The Mersey Trilogy Book 1)

by Pam Howes

  CHAPTER 5

  OCTOBER 1946

  Dora’s dad pulled a face as the door-knocker went again. It was the third time tonight. Bloody women calling to order new frocks and him being sent upstairs or outside while his daughter and Joanie set to with a tape measure and cups of tea. He felt invaded lately, as though his home wasn’t his own. Mary had told him to stop moaning as Dora and Joanie were on the verge of getting their business off the ground and he should be proud of them. Well that was all well and good, but when the only peace a man could get was sitting in the carsey for hours on end, it was a bit too much. Time Joe got them a place of their own. His bloody mother wouldn’t put up with her front room being all messed up with pins and needles and what-have-you. He’d trod on a pin in his stockinged feet last week and it was still painful.

  ‘Sorry, Dad,’ Dora said as she showed a tall young woman into the front room. ‘Can you just give us ten minutes while Mavis tries on her dress for size?’

  ‘I suppose so,’ he muttered, getting to his feet, making sure his slippers were on firmly. He limped into the kitchen and sat down at the table with the Echo. Mary was at her fortnightly WI meeting in the village hall and wouldn’t be back for another hour. That bloody sewing machine Dora was using was as old as the hills now and had been his mother’s before she gave it to Mary. The clattering and rattling drove him mad. What Dora needed was one of them new-fangled things that you turned a hand wheel on. He’d seen some advertised in the newspaper with an electric motor attached, that you could plug in. He’d love to treat her to one, but he simply didn’t have the money to spare. The treadle was too big to be easily transported anywhere, and anyway, there was no way Joe’s mother would have it in her precious house.

  He lit a ciggie and blew a cloud of smoke into the air, coughing and spluttering as he did so. His chest had never been right since the war, not that he’d been sent abroad like the young lads, but he’d seen his share during the Blitz and choked on smoke and flames, breathing in them bloody poisonous fumes. Mary nagged him about giving up smoking, but the damage was done and it was one of his only pleasures.

  Dora knelt on the floor as Mavis stood in front of her in the new dress. The white cotton fabric, with a bright red poppy design, was ideal for the strappy sundress with its fitted bodice and slightly flared skirt; the little matching bolero set it off nicely and covered the tops of Mavis’s arms, as she’d requested. Dora had adapted a ready-made paper pattern to her own design and it had worked out well. She hoped to make her own patterns once she and Joanie had got the business up and running properly. Joanie handed the pins over as Dora measured the length and pinned up the hem. ‘Do me a little twirl, Mavis,’ Dora said. ‘Then I can see if it’s level.’

  Mavis obliged and Joanie nodded her approval. ‘It’s spot on, Dora. And Mavis, it looks lovely.’

  ‘We’ll have it finished by the end of the week,’ Dora said as Mavis slipped the outfit off and put her own clothes back on. ‘I’ll drop it off for you on Friday night after work.’

  Joanie saw Mavis out and came back into the front room followed by Frank. ‘Mavis is dead happy.’ Joanie grinned. ‘She says she’ll tell all her mates about us.’

  Dora laughed. ‘Smashing. Fingers crossed she does.’ She popped her head around the kitchen door. ‘We’re nearly done for the night now, Dad; just packing away then we’ll leave you in peace. Our Frank’s going to walk me back to Joe’s mother’s house and then take Joanie home.’

  Dora placed the sewing kit in the footstool, put the machine into its case and pulled the wooden top back into place. She put the doily and vase of flowers on top and looked around to make sure nothing had been left out while Joanie checked for any dropped pins in the rag rug. After the fiasco last week, Mam had warned them not to let it happen again.

  ‘I’ll take Mavis’s outfit home and neaten the seams,’ Joanie said, getting up off her knees. ‘Shall I do them with my pinking shears or stitch the edges down with a narrow hem?’

  ‘The pinking shears should be fine,’ Dora replied. ‘The material’s cotton, so it won’t fray. As soon as we can afford it we’ll invest in an over-locker.’

  ‘I thought about that the other day,’ Joanie began. ‘When I went upstairs in the factory to get something, I noticed there are still three over-lockers up there doing nothing. I wonder if Palmer’s would let us buy one cheap from them?’

  ‘No harm in asking.’

  Frank popped his head around the door, making them jump. ‘You two ready to go yet?’

  ‘We are,’ Dora said, dropping Mavis’s new outfit into a bag and handing it to Joanie.

  Dora waved goodbye to Frank and Joanie as they left her at the door of her mother-in-law’s house on Ormskirk Road, and walked away holding hands. They seemed to be getting along really well and had been on several dates since the wedding. She was keeping her fingers crossed they would soon be making a wedding dress for Joanie.

  She sighed and opened the front door. Although it was still early, Mrs Rodgers was ready for bed, her pink nightdress and matching housecoat swamping her bird-like frame. She was sitting in her neat-as-a-new-pin lounge that was twice the size of Dora’s parents’ front room. It would be ideal for sewing in with all that floor area to cut out on, and there was a spare alcove next to the chimney breast where the treadle machine would fit perfectly. Her mother-in-law didn’t seem to like sharing, but she had no choice other than to let her son and Dora live there for the time being. Dora knew that his mother felt Joe had married beneath him. His late father had worked in banking, and hers was a gardener. Thankfully, Joe wasn’t a snob like his mum. He was friendly and treated everyone he met with the same respect. The war had been a good leveller for the majority, with the exception of Ida Rodgers. She would have to let him go soon enough though, Dora thought.

  Joe was anxious to start a family, but she wasn’t comfortable about doing that here. They had hardly any time to themselves and privacy was a problem with Ida’s bedroom being right next to theirs. Dora couldn’t relax and enjoy lovemaking like she’d done on their honeymoon. She had visions of her mother-in-law with a glass pressed up against the wall listening to them. Joe had laughed when she’d told him that, but he knew it made her nervous of making any noise.

  ‘If you’re going to use the bathroom, will you do it before I go to bed, please?’ Mrs Rodgers said; a pained expression on her face. ‘It disturbs me, you running water and flushing the toilet late at night.’

  ‘Of course.’ Dora went slowly upstairs and put her coat and bag on the bed she shared with Joe. Late at night? For God’s sake it wasn’t even half-nine yet. She’d been hoping to take a bath tonight, but there was no chance; it would only cause an argument if she asked for permission. A strip-wash it would have to be. At least the toilet was in the small room next door to the bathroom and not down the garden like at home, and the water was always hot from the tap, no kettle-boiling necessary. A small mercy, but a nice one all the same. She reached into the wardrobe for her wash-bag and pulled out her soap and flannel. Pears’ soap, a bit of luxury she’d treated herself to. She held the bar to her nose and breathed in the scent. A little thrill ran through her as the smell reminded her of the wonderful time they’d had on their honeymoon.

  As she came out of the bathroom and crept across the landing she heard the front door open and Joe calling out that it was only him. Thank goodness for that. His mother would clear off to bed now and they could enjoy a cuppa together before they also turned in. She slipped her nightdress over her head and ran barefoot down the stairs and into his arms in the hallway.

  He held her tight and kissed her, running his hands down her back, until his mother coughed loudly and excused herself to go upstairs.

  ‘She been giving you the look?’ he asked with a grin.

  ‘No, just complaining about us making a noise in the bathroom when she’s in bed.’

  He shook his head, led her into the lounge, closed the door and pulled her down beside him o
n the sofa. ‘How did the fittings go tonight?’

  ‘Just the finishing touches left to do now. We can drop them off on Friday when the girls get paid.’ She sighed and twisted the hem of her nightie between her fingers.

  ‘What’s up, sweetheart?’

  She shrugged and looked around the room. ‘My poor dad tonight had to keep going outside or in the kitchen when we were doing the fittings. It’s not fair. But now we’ve got a few regular customers, I don’t really want to stop, because we might lose them…’

  Joe took her face in his hands and kissed her again. Then he fished in his jacket pocket and handed her an envelope. ‘Read this.’

  Dora unfolded the headed letter, her eyes widening as she took in the words. Tears filled her eyes. She couldn’t believe it. They’d been offered a prefab bungalow on the Belle Vale estate. Her dream home, and it was closer to work for Joe, and not too far from her parents’ place in Knowsley.

  ‘Happy now?’ He tilted her chin with a finger.

  ‘I don’t know what to say. And we can have the keys next week?’

  He nodded. ‘Yeah. And there are two bedrooms!’

  Happy tears ran down Dora’s cheeks. ‘Joanie and me can use the second bedroom to sew in. This is exactly what we need if we want to get more business.’

  He rubbed her tummy through her nightgown. ‘You can use it, until we need it for the little ones.’

  She smiled. ‘Well that won’t be for a while yet. Once we’re settled in we can maybe think about starting a family.’

  ‘Talking of Joanie and families, how’s the great romance going?’

  Dora laughed. ‘She really likes him, drops his name into conversations as often as she can, and Frank has never looked happier. He takes her to the pictures on a Friday and they go for walks and to the dances at the village hall. It’s still early days though, I suppose. But they do seem keen, so we’ll have to see. Would you like a cuppa or some cocoa?’

  He shook his head. ‘Let’s go to bed and celebrate getting a new home.’

  She pulled away from him and chewed her lip. ‘Joe, you know I hate her listening to us through the walls.’

  ‘Aw, come on, Dora. We’ve hardly done it since we got back from honeymoon.’ He cocked an ear. All was quiet. ‘She’ll be asleep by now.’ He pulled her back into his arms. ‘What about down here on the rug then?’ He unbuttoned the front of her nightgown, slipped it back off her shoulders and kissed her, breathing in the scent of her body. ‘Mmm, Pears’ soap. You know how much I love that smell.’

  She smiled and responded to his kisses and caresses, helping him out of his clothes. They slid down onto the rug in front of the fireplace and made love with the passion of newlyweds, lost in their own special world.

  Dora looked around the small sitting room of her new home. It was perfect. There was a tiled fireplace and a back boiler that heated the water. It would be so cosy in the cold months.

  The kitchen had an enamel sink unit with a wooden draining board, and two pale blue wall cupboards above; a copper boiler like her mam’s for doing the washing, a gas cooker, and a refrigerator. No one that Dora knew, except for Joe’s mother, owned a refrigerator. It was a real step up in the world. There’d be no throwing milk away because it had turned sour, or butter when it melted to rancid oil. Having an indoor toilet that they didn’t have to share with anyone else felt like a luxury too. She would invite her mam round for a nice bath one day. Filling a tin bath in front of the fire on a Friday night and taking turns as the water cooled would be a thing of the past. She felt so lucky.

  ‘Happy, Mrs Rodgers?’ Joe asked as she wandered around, thinking how she would make it their own little place in no time.

  ‘Very,’ she said. ‘Finally a place to call our own and we’ll have it all fixed up in time for our first Christmas.’

  ‘We will.’ Joe put his arms around her and nuzzled her neck. ‘You know, I think you should give up work soon.’ He smoothed her hair back from her face. ‘It’s further to get to Palmer’s from here and I hate the thought of you riding that bike along the dark lanes when the weather’s really bad.’

  She looked at him and frowned. ‘But we need the money, Joe. How will we manage?’

  ‘I’ll do more overtime and I’ve got my band work. We’ll be fine. And you’ve got this place to build up the business now. You’ll have all day to work, instead of having to do it at night. Then we can have more time together when I get home and Joanie won’t always need to be here. She can spend more time with that brother of yours instead.’

  ‘I know, but I don’t want to decide anything until after Christmas at least. And I can always get the bus to work if the roads are that bad.’ She liked the idea of not going into Palmer’s – especially in the winter when the factory was freezing cold and the roads were icy – but she didn’t want to leave just yet. There was still so much they needed to save up for, including equipment for the workroom. There was lots to be done in the house; good job both she and Joe had been saving up hard since they got married. She was about to make short work of every penny they’d put away.

  As Joe led Dora out he waved at a man who’d come out of a gate a couple of doors down. ‘That’s my mate Eric Parker from the ROF. His wife’s called Dolly. They’ve a couple of little ones. Come on, I’ll introduce you and then we’ll get the bus back home. Are you coming with me later? We’re playing a social club over in Woolton. Should be a good night.’

  Dora couldn’t have been more relieved. ‘I can’t face sitting in with your mum again.’

  ‘Slippery slope once they start ordering you to give up your job,’ Peggy said, flicking ash onto the floor from her ciggie as, a week later, Dora told the girls at work about Joe’s suggestion. They were sitting in Palmer’s canteen, warming their cold hands on mugs of early morning tea before the first shift of the week. ‘And you can always get the bus in like most of us do.’

  ‘Joe’s not really ordering me to do anything,’ Dora said with a frown. ‘It was just a suggestion he made because winter’s coming and it’s a long way to go. We need my wages at the moment anyway so I can’t see it happening just yet.’

  Joanie chewed her lip. ‘There’s no way I’ll be able to leave work. Not unless things really take off. I’ll have to keep coming over to your place at night like I’ve done at your mam’s. I’m sure Frank’ll give me a lift on the bike.’

  Dora thought back to the conversation with Joe about them spending time together in the evenings without Joanie there. But she knew that things were tough for Joanie and her family; Joanie gave almost all of her wages to her mam and she barely ever had anything left for herself. ‘It doesn’t matter, Joanie. I’ll do the cutting out and machining and then drop things off at yours for the hand-finishing. That way, we’re both doing a similar amount of work.’

  ‘If you’re sure?’

  ‘I’m positive. We’re moving in this weekend. I’ll be up to my eyeballs after we finish on Friday night so you could come over and give me a hand if you’re not too busy? Frank’ll be there on Saturday afternoon too. He’s borrowing a horse and cart to load up with our new furniture. God help us!’

  Joanie laughed. ‘That I’d love to see. He told me he was helping you move in, but he never mentioned the horse and cart. They’ll have women running after them with arms full of rags, wanting donkey stones for the steps!’

  The bell rang for the start of the shift. They finished their tea and Dora followed the others up to the factory floor, all the time wondering how the heck she was going to cope with working full-time as well as working at home, and making sure Joe didn’t feel neglected. All she could do was give it a try and see how she managed. If it all got too much she’d leave Palmer’s in the spring, but for now Joe would just have to put up with Joanie being around on the odd weeknight while they got on top of things.

  CHAPTER 6

  DECEMBER 1946

  Dora handed Joanie a mug of tea. She sat down on the sofa next to her friend while they
waited for Joe and Frank to come back with the horse and cart, having picked up the treadle sewing machine and a few pieces of bedroom furniture that Mam was giving them. Joe had lit a fire before he left and Dora looked around her new sitting room with a feeling of pride.

  As though reading her thoughts, Joanie put down her mug and smiled. ‘It looks lovely in here, Dora, and you’ve done a really smashing job with the curtains. Maybe we could offer to make curtains as well as dresses?’

  Dora nodded. ‘Yes, good idea. I’m so excited about all this, Joanie!’ She stopped as the sound of clip-clopping hooves and loud neighing broke the peace. An excited shout went up from the gang of lads who were playing football in the street. ‘Sounds like Dobbin and our boys with the rest of the stuff.’

  She opened the front door as Frank and Joe struggled up the path with the treadle machine and manoeuvred it onto the step. They carried it, huffing and puffing, through to the back bedroom.

  ‘Just put it under the window for now,’ Dora instructed. ‘We’ll decide where everything’s going once we start working in here.’

  ‘Make us a brew, chuck.’ Joe grimaced, putting his hands on his back. ‘Bloody hell, that thing weighs a ton. We’ll bring the other stuff in, have a quick break and then take Dobbin home.’ He and Frank followed Dora into the sitting room. ‘The kids are feeding him carrots and he’s in his element. Just dropped a load and the fellow across came over with a bucket and shovel. Said he’d put it on his garden!’ He paused, looked around and smiled. ‘Looks a treat in here, gel. You’ve got a good eye for putting things together. It’s a little palace.’

  Dora smiled. ‘Well, it’s not much, but it’s ours and I know we’ll be very happy here.’ She reached up and kissed him. She couldn’t wait to be alone with him later. The first night in their own home, and the beginning of the new life she’d been so looking forward to.