Lily’s War

by June Francis

  ‘It must be because you seem so – so mature,’ said Daisy, placing the vase of sweet peas in the centre of the table.

  ‘It’s probably because there’s been just me and Mam since the war and she always treated me like the man of the house,’ said Frank.

  Lily bit her lip to control her merriment and mused, so that’s how his mother treated him – and there was us thinking she was the man of the house!

  ‘You have such a confident air, Frank,’ murmured Daisy, a quiver in her voice. He pulled out a chair for her. ‘And you’re such a gentleman. There’s not so many of them around these days.’

  Lily smiled and ordered Ronnie to stop tormenting May with the chicken’s claw, wash his hands and come to the table.

  Despite Ronnie and May only picking at their food, the meal went off well. Daisy talked about music and dancing and Frank was surprisingly well informed. After the meal he offered to play the piano.

  ‘It hasn’t been played for a long time,’ said Lily, collecting dirty dishes. ‘But see what you can do with it. Our Daisy can turn the pages for you.’ She smiled encouragingly at them both.

  Frank ran his fingers over the keys with a confidence generally lacking in most things he did. ‘It needs tuning but it’s not too bad.’

  Daisy lifted the lid of the stool and took out a sheet of music. ‘Play this,’ she challeneged, placing it in front of him and just managing to avoid the old-fashioned candle holders on the upright part of the piano.

  He looked up at her with a besotted grin, before lowering his eyes to the music and launching into ‘When They Begin the Beguine’, playing with lots of little flourishes and definite talent.

  ‘You’re good!’ Daisy’s surprise was obvious. ‘Let’s find something else.’ He rose from the stool and lifted its top and together they searched through the sheet music inside and came up with ‘Roses of Picardy’ and ‘Ain’t We Got Fun!’ among others.

  Lily left them to it, pulling May away from the piano and telling Ronnie, who was sorting out cigarette cards depicting scenes from the British Empire, it was time for bed. Her hopes were high that in music Daisy and Frank had found common ground.

  Ronnie’s appointment for the clinic came round and the news was not good. He was deaf in one ear. Lily had suspected as much from the habit he had developed of holding his head on one side when people were talking or he was listening to the wireless, and she hoped he would cope when he went back to school. She prayed that by then Frank and Daisy’s relationship might be closer.

  She scanned the shipping columns in the Weekly Post which told of arrivals and departures in Liverpool and other far-flung ports of the world and learnt of Matt’s ship’s safe docking in Sydney. The next day, to her relief and pleasure, she received a letter from him. She opened it eagerly and read:

  Darling Lily,

  I am missing you unbearably but hopefully by the time you receive this, you will already have booked your berth and will be on your way to join me in a couple of days. I managed to get this on a mail boat heading for Liverpool when we were going through Suez. I wish you could have been with me. You’d have enjoyed the sounds and smells and sights of Egypt – not that I saw much of them. So far I haven’t mentioned May and Ronnie but that’s because I’m certain they are all right. We always think the worst where people we love are concerned.

  It’s lonely nights but I’m filling my time sorting out slides, I’ve got a beaut one of you outside the church the day I asked you to marry me. It was the most impulsive action I ever took but it was the right one. Have you remembered to pick up the photographs I took on our honeymoon, and could you possibly pay Aunt Jane a visit before you leave? She’s going to miss us. I am also writing rough drafts of talks, leaving spaces where perhaps you could put a word in. I really believe you and I sharing some of the talking can work.

  I’ll be staying in the Sydney area a week or so. That way you can have a rest before we go travelling. I love you very much and can’t wait to see you again. God bless.

  Your loving husband,

  Matt

  Lily read the letter again and then carefully folded it and put it away. It had brought Matt closer and she determined to book her passage as soon as May’s birthday was over. But now the holidays were here she decided to take the children to places they had never had the time or the money to visit. She paid a widow woman to do the housework and another to take her washing to the washhouse and prepared to cram in as much as she could in the short time left to her.

  Their first port of call was Liverpool Zoo at Otterspool so that Ronnie could see a real elephant, lions, and the infamous Mickey the chimp. He had a deadly aim with a football and was known to have bitten a few people, but this only served to enhance his reputation. Ronnie was fascinated by the zoo but May was not so struck. ‘They all smell,’ she said, turning up her dainty nose.

  The next outing was to Southport Pleasureland where for tuppence a ride they scared themselves to death on the newly opened big dipper. They came home on the train, tired and happy despite its having rained, and Lily felt certain that her brother and sister were well on their way to recovery. She planned another treat but they said they’d rather play out in the street with their friends.

  Lily decided she would go and see Jane.

  ‘I’ve had a letter from our Matt,’ she said, waving the paper in the air. ‘Sez something about going to a place called Adelaide that’s known as the city of churches,’ she murmured, reading it out carefully. ‘Then to a silver mining town called Broken Hill, and then into sheep country.’ She turned the letter over between her hands and smiled up at Lily from her chair in the backyard. ‘He writes a real good letter does that nephew of mine, and even sez he hopes to see me. Perhaps you’ll come back here one day?’ Her words startled Lily. She knew working in Liverpool was something Matt had said he’d considered but he couldn’t have really meant it, could he?

  She pondered that question over the coming days as she filled her free hours with wandering round Liverpool. She took a trip on the ferry to New Brighton, her eyes drinking in the views of the docks and the Wirral coast. She realised she was going to miss the old place but told herself she was going somewhere more exotic and beautiful.

  She received another letter from Matt, saying he understood about Ronnie’s ear but please to come soon. He would write to her care of his address in Sydney as he would be travelling about now. She thought fondly how she could trust him to understand and wrote back saying she would be with him soon.

  May had decided what kind of birthday party she wanted. ‘It’s not going to be a kids’ party because I’m entering my second decade,’ she said proudly, her eyes shining. ‘Frank can come because he’s useful for the entertainment. He and our Daisy can do a duet and he can play while I dance – although I could do it better if I had a pair of taps.’ She winked at Lily. ‘Uncle William can tell jokes and our Ronnie can do a tune on one of his whistles.’

  ‘And what do I do?’ said Lily good-humouredly. ‘Make a birthday cake, I suppose?’

  She nodded. ‘A proper one with candles.’

  May’s birthday was on a Sunday. After the milking Lily iced the cake she had made the day before and took breakfast up to her sister with her present on a tray. May went for the present first, tearing the brown paper open. Her face lit up and she immediately put the red tap shoes on and scrambled out of bed to dance around the room. Then she dressed and it was out into the street to show off to all her friends, a much happier little girl than the one who had been so mopey after her bout of scarlet fever.

  That afternoon Lily set the table and put the cake in pride of place in the centre. A car tooting its horn drew the whole family outside on to the pavement. All their eyes widened at the sight of the enormous, spanking new car drawn up at the kerb. William descended from it with great aplomb and helped Dora down. ‘What do you think, Ben?’ He waved a proud hand over the vehicle. ‘It’s an Armstrong Siddeley – a car of quality and high perfo
rmance.’

  Ben strolled over to the automobile and stroked its bonnet.

  Lily said with a smile, ‘You say that like a salesman, Uncle William. She must have cost you a pretty penny.’

  ‘Enough, lass,’ he said briefly. ‘Sold another field.’

  May pushed forward. ‘Can I have a ride round the block in her, Uncle William?’

  ‘Jump in, lass.’ His ruddy face broke into a smile. ‘Anyone else for the Skylark?’ Ronnie, Frank, Daisy and Ben climbed into the car with alacrity and were off.

  Lily turned to Dora, who as usual was wearing a long black dress. On her head she had an enormous black hat which consisted mainly of a glossy-winged bird. ‘A cup of tea, Aunt Dora?’ she asked, trying to sound friendly.

  ‘Aye, I suppose so. Got more money than sense that brother of mine. Cars!’ She sniffed. ‘Legs are good enough for me. Let’s get inside, Lily, and you can tell me what you’re up to.’

  ‘If you mean when am I leaving, I book my passage tomorrow.’ She led the way inside.

  Aunt Dora sniffed. ‘I suppose you’ve got to go.’

  ‘There’s no suppose about it! I have a husband. My place is beside him.’

  ‘I suppose you’ve done your best,’ said Dora grudgingly, gazing around the room. Her eyes lighted on the open paino. ‘It’s getting used, I see. Polished for once, and you’ve put candles in the holders.’

  Lily allowed the insult to her housewifely skills to pass, and murmured, ‘Daisy did it. She’s learning to play. Frank’s teaching her.’

  Dora’s eyes almost popped out of her head. ‘Isn’t he the one who once had an eye to you?’

  Lily removed a teacloth from a plate of sandwiches. ‘He’s got his eye on Daisy now but I don’t know if it’s going to work.’ She sighed. ‘Irritatingly, she still fancies Ted’s handsome face.’

  ‘Well, I suppose you can’t make people have the ones you’d like them to.’ Dora fidgeted and glanced round the room again. ‘It’s dark in that corner. You should light the candles.’

  ‘You do it if you want them lit. There’s matches on the mantelpiece.’ Lily whisked out of the room to fetch a bottle of Full Swing lemonade from the cool room.

  The clock ticked loudly in the silence as Dora lit the candles but it was broken a moment later by the return of the others.

  Lily ordered them to sit at the table. They obeyed, still talking about the car. She hushed them and put her hands together and closed her eyes. Silence fell and with the slightest quiver in her voice she thanked God for all the family being together and especially asked Him to bless May who was eleven that day. She prayed for Matt and the peace of the world, thanked him for the food, and said a quick amen.

  There was a chorus of amens and the noise level rose. Lily wondered if it was only she who was experiencing a dreamlike feeling, thinking of Matt and her father and that soon she would be leaving them all.

  Ben talked to Frank, May chattered to Uncle William, Daisy was forced into a stilted exchange of questions and answers with Dora. They all seemed happy enough. Lily smiled at Ronnie but he did not smile back and she wondered if her departure was on his mind. The candles on the cake were lit and May managed to blow them all out in one go to the cheers of everyone.

  Frank took up a position on the piano stool, the glow of the candles lighting his face. On May’s orders he began to play ‘The Good Ship Lollipop’. She sang and danced and they all cheered. Then May ordered Daisy to play a duet with Frank.

  ‘Yes, birthday girl,’ said Daisy, laughing as Frank went to fetch a chair.

  Lily smiled and thought, perhaps they will get on after all when I’m gone. She watched as Daisy took a sheet of music from the stool and set it on the piano stand. It slipped and her sister leaned forward.

  Afterwards the next few seconds seemed unreal to Lily because one moment all was well and the next Daisy’s hair had caught fire in the candle’s flame.

  ‘Your hair!’ shouted Lily, and catching up a chairback cover flew across the room the second Daisy realised what was happening and screamed. Frank dropped the chair but seemed frozen where he was. Half of Daisy’s head was fizzling and in flames. Lily brought the cover down, swathing her hair in it. The next moment Daisy slumped against her.

  Suddenly Ben was beside Lily, taking their sister’s weight. ‘Hell, Lil! Look at her face,’ he whispered.

  ‘I know,’ she said, feeling peculiarly calm as she lifted the cover to see that the flames were extinguished.

  ‘Is she badly burnt?’ said Dora, hurrying over.

  ‘Put her on the sofa, Ben,’ murmured Lily.

  ‘Can I help?’ It was an ashen-faced Frank.

  She thought, he’s better off out of the way. ‘I don’t think so.’ She smiled to soften the words.

  ‘But …’

  ‘Please,’ she said quietly. ‘Come back later, Frank.’

  He stared down at Daisy and left without another word.

  A shocked-looking William said, ‘Shouldn’t we take her to the hospital, Lily, lass?’

  She passed a hand over her eyes. ‘What can they do? I remember Wilf the policeman’s daughter was burnt and they couldn’t prevent the scarring.’

  ‘You can put butter on burns,’ said Dora, shaking her head. ‘Or flour.’

  ‘I know what I’d want if I was burnt,’ said Ronnie, whose head had been turning as they talked. ‘Something cool. Milk!’

  ‘Cold milk,’ said May, nodding sagely, ‘straight from the cooler.’

  Daisy’s eyelids fluttered open and she stared up at them. Her hands went to her cheek and the side of her head and she moaned, ‘Oh God, it bloody hurts! It’s burning, burning!’

  ‘Daisy!’ came her aunt’s shocked voice.

  ‘Cold milk,’ said Ben, heading for the coolroom.

  ‘A doctor! I know someone,’ said William, making for the door.

  Lily put on the kettle, found the medicine box and took out a couple of aspirin, her eyes on her sister’s face.

  Daisy’s terrified gaze met hers. ‘What must I look like? I could be scarred for life!’ Tears trickled down her nose.

  ‘You’ll be all right,’ said Lily gently, taking hold of her hand. ‘Do lie down.’

  Ben entered the room with a jug of milk. He hesitated. ‘Lil, get her over to the sink.’

  Daisy looked at him. ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘It’ll cool it down, Daisy,’ said Ronnie and May, nodding in unison.

  ‘Butter’s what she needs,’ said Dora positively.

  Ben and Lily exchanged looks and she knew which she’d prefer. ‘Over to the sink, Dais.’

  Her sister did as she was told, moaning as she walked like a zombie across the room. Slowly Ben trickled the milk over her hair and down the side of her face where the flame had reached her cheek.

  ‘Does it feel worse or better?’ asked Lily, staring anxiously into her sister’s eyes.

  ‘Not worse but I’m cold.’ She shivered.

  Ben didn’t need asking again to get more milk, and Lily sent Ronnie to fetch a blanket.

  By the time William and the doctor arrived Daisy was in less pain and the blistering on her face had been arrested but she was still shivering despite the blanket.

  ‘So you used cold milk,’ said the doctor, who was the son of a farmer friend of William’s. ‘My gran used to swear by a poultice made up from chopped carrot, cabbage and ivy leaf with nettle juice. Others say butter does the job.’ His eyes twinkled.

  ‘Did your gran’s remedy work?’ asked Lily, reasssured that they had not done her sister any harm.

  ‘She said it did.’ He smiled at Daisy. ‘I can send you to hospital if you wish but it is only a relatively small area of skin you’ve lost. You’ll need to have a dressing on it and to keep quiet for a couple of days. I’ll give you some tablets.’

  ‘Will I be scarred, doctor?’ she asked in a trembling voice.

  He hesitated. ‘There will be some scarring but a bit of face powder wi
ll hide it and your hair will grow.’

  ‘My hair,’ moaned Daisy, her hands going to her head. ‘The money I paid for that perm!’

  ‘It could have been worse.’ Lily’s voice was relieved.

  Over the next few days it was obvious Daisy did not share Lily’s opinion and when Ted and Frank called she refused to see either of them. ‘I look a sight! A fright!’ she wailed. ‘I look like a scarecrow struck by lightning!’

  Lily laughed. ‘If they love you, they won’t care!’

  ‘I care,’ cried Daisy, and burst into tears.

  ‘Give it another week then,’ said Lily, worried about her. She wrote to Matt, hoping he would continue to be understanding where her family’s needs were concerned. There was a limit to a man’s patience, she thought anxiously. There had been no more letters from him and she hated not knowing where he was or what he was doing.

  Daisy felt no different a week later. ‘You’ll be wanting to go back to work, though,’ said Lily, irritated.

  ‘Work!’ Daisy’s expression was horrified. ‘I couldn’t go to work.’

  ‘Stay at home then,’ said Lily, pleased. ‘You can do my job, ready for when I leave.’

  Her sister winced. ‘I’m not going to work in the shop. They’ll all look at me.’

  ‘So what? It’s never bothered you before.’

  ‘It bothers me now!’

  ‘I’m leaving next week, Daisy.’ Her tone was firm. ‘Tomorrow we’ll go for a walk. It’s time your face had some fresh air on it.’

  ‘No, Lil,’ she said, paling.

  ‘Yes,’ said Lily, and went into town and booked her passage.

  The next day she told her sister to get ready to go out.

  ‘Can we go the back way?’ said Daisy, looking nervous.

  ‘Sure.’

  Daisy went upstairs and came down wearing a veiled hat. ‘Don’t mock, Lil,’ she said, placing a hand in the crook of her arm and gripping hard. ‘You don’t know what it’s like to be ugly.’

  ‘Frank doesn’t think you’re ugly,’ said Lily. ‘He’d probably marry you if you’d have him.’