Elm Tree Road

by Anna Jacobs

  She stood still for a while, watching other people, working out what was going on. Eventually she made her way to the cab rank, where there were some horse cabs to one side and three modern motor cabs to the other side. She’d only once ridden in a motor vehicle, when she was running away with Cliff, and had no idea whether they’d be more expensive, but she had a sudden urge to try riding in one.

  Approaching one of the drivers, she asked how much it would cost to go to the address Mrs Petherby had given her.

  He looked at her clothes with a shrewd eye and said, ‘It’s not cheap, love. That street is quite a way out. Look, you’re new to the city, aren’t you? If you wait half an hour, I’ll take you there for a special price of two shillings because it’s on my way to pick up a gentleman I bring into town every week. You can get a cup of tea for twopence while you wait.’

  His kindness made her feel much better. ‘That’s very good of you. Thank you. I’ll do that.’

  He pointed to the station clock. ‘Keep an eye on the time and come back at half past two sharp. I can’t afford to wait. I’m only taking short fares till then.’

  She walked across to the refreshment room and followed his advice. There was nothing like a cup of tea to hearten you – even one as stewed as this. She’d be ashamed to offer this to anyone.

  No one looked at her or bothered her in any way as she sat waiting, keeping one eye on the clock. They were all too busy getting on with their own lives. Just as she was getting on with hers. That was a relief after all the attention she’d received lately, however well meant.

  The taxi driver waved to her cheerfully and helped her inside, then started the motor and chugged slowly out towards some streets that looked very crowded and busy. Nell clutched the leather loop beside her seat, surprised that with so many vehicles entering or leaving the station they didn’t collide with one another. She felt tense for a while, but gradually relaxed and began to enjoy the feeling of being driven in luxury.

  Mrs Petherby’s house was a large villa in a street of similar dwellings, the sorts of houses where people had maids and gardeners. For a moment, the contrast between this place and Willow Court overwhelmed Nell, but she pushed that thought aside. She’d been invited to stay, hadn’t she? So they must think she was good enough.

  She paid the taxi driver and thanked him, then got out and walked briskly up the path to the front door.

  Mrs Petherby opened the door before she could knock. ‘Saw you coming from the front sitting room. Come in, my dear, come in!’ She raised her voice and bellowed, ‘She’s here, Flora! Told you she would be. Tell Mary to put the kettle on.’

  She turned to beam at Nell. ‘I’ll show you to your bedroom, then we’ll have a nice cup of tea.’

  Nell hid her amusement at how loud Mrs Petherby was, even in her own home. No wonder she’d had no trouble making herself heard in the church hall. But she was kind too, and made you feel very welcome.

  The bedroom took Nell’s breath away. It was far more luxurious than any she’d ever slept in before – fit for a duchess, with a shiny satin quilt. Just plain cream in colour, with satin stripes round the edges in the same colour. It’d show the dirt. ‘What a beautiful room!’

  ‘Call me Joanna.’ She stared round. ‘It is pretty, isn’t it? My sister’s the one who sorted out the house. Flora’s good with that sort of thing. My husband had to put up with me, poor lamb, and unfortunately I’ve got no eye for decorating. It was a wonder he chose me and not Flora, but we got on so well, never stopped talking.’ She paused to sigh regretfully, then raced on again.

  ‘Pity Flora never married. Lucky for me, though. We rub along together very well, and we both enjoy hiking.’

  She opened the top drawer so vigorously it nearly fell out. ‘You can put some of your things in here and hang the rest in the wardrobe. No need to get your clothes creased before you start off. Come down soon and we’ll have a tea tray waiting for you.’

  She picked up the suitcase and dumped it carelessly on the beautiful quilt, which made Nell gasp in dismay.

  ‘Good that your suitcase isn’t too heavy. You can’t take too much with you when you’re hiking.’

  It only took Nell a few minutes to unpack. She went to glance out of the window. The weather was closing in and clouds were chasing one another across the sky. It’d be raining soon, but even so, the garden looked pretty, with soft pinks and mauves, and so many flowers she didn’t even try to work out their names.

  She felt rather nervous of taking afternoon tea with the two ladies, but they were so friendly she found herself eating with a good appetite for the first time in ages. She didn’t make a fool of herself because she’d been observing the Garretts’ table manners for weeks and had learned to eat in the same way.

  Once they’d finished, the tea tray was carried away by the maid and Joanna went across to take a piece of paper off the mantelpiece and wave it triumphantly. ‘We’ve been doing some calculations and this is a list of what you’ll need.’

  Nell studied it in silence. A good tweed skirt and matching jacket, a knitted waistcoat, a mackintosh, two blouses, two Princess petticoats, three pairs of knickers with three sets of detachable stockinette linings for each, several pairs of good, black, wool stockings, stout boots, knitted slippers and a soft felt hat. Rags for her monthlies. The latter were going to be hard to deal with, even with the hints the ladies had given her. Knapsack, money belt, writing materials and a book.

  Joanna cleared her throat and asked gruffly, ‘Can you afford all that?’

  ‘Oh, yes. My husband had taken out life insurance, so I have over a thousand pounds. But I think I need to change to two savings bank accounts. I don’t want to take my main bank book travelling with me.’

  ‘Good thinking. You’re a sensible woman.’

  Flora smiled at her from across the room. ‘I’ll take you shopping tomorrow for whatever you still need, especially a good pair of boots. Joanna doesn’t have the patience to shop all day.’

  ‘Can’t abide crowds,’ her sister said cheerfully, continuing to speak so loudly Nell was beginning to wonder if she was going deaf.

  ‘I love shopping,’ Flora said. ‘Not that we can buy you the pretty things you deserve, not if we’re to be practical. But you have a lovely face and figure, and you’d look charming if you took a bit more care. I know a better way of doing hair that would suit you and it’s very practical for hiking. I’ll show you tomorrow.’

  Nell was surprised to be described as lovely. Cliff used to call her pretty once, when they were courting, though not once had he said it after they’d had to get married. She’d grown used to thinking of herself as past such vanities. But she was only twenty-three. That thought came as a shock. She wasn’t old yet, even though she felt it sometimes. She stole a glance at herself in the huge mirror over the fireplace. She looked very different from the naive girl who’d run away from Swindon, but … not in a bad way.

  ‘I’ll help you plan your route after we’ve eaten,’ Joanna said. ‘We’ve plenty of maps. You’ll need to buy a good one for yourself while you’re out.’

  They went on to show her some photos of their hiking holidays. They looked so happy and healthy. She wanted to be like that. Not to forget Sarah – as if she ever could – but to make a decent life for herself and to move forward with confidence.

  The evening meal was served at the late hour of seven o’clock, which surprised Nell. She watched how the ladies dealt with the cutlery and water glasses, but even a more elaborate meal wasn’t a problem, because she enjoyed eating daintily. A sudden memory of her father shovelling food into his mouth, burping and chewing noisily, made her shiver. What was he doing now? Had Mattie got away from him as well? Surely she must have done? Mattie was so clever, she’d not have been caught.

  When Joanna had gone to find a map, Flora said quietly, ‘My sister’s enjoying helping you with this. It’s what she wished she’d done when her husband died. It’s over ten years now, but she still think
s of him, says she’ll never remarry. But you’re much younger than she was when she was widowed. I just wanted to assure you that time’s a great healer.’

  Nell couldn’t pretend with these two. ‘I didn’t love my husband. It’s my little daughter I’m grieving for. She died in the same accident.’

  ‘Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.’

  ‘My husband wasn’t a kind man and it was his meanness that killed our daughter.’ She hadn’t meant to go into any details and snapped her mouth shut before she made herself cry.

  Flora leant forward to clasp her hand for a moment. ‘I’m sorry. I’m sure spending some time in the fresh air will do you good.’

  The wind howled suddenly round the house and she grimaced. ‘As soon as the weather improves, of course. If it rains when you’re hiking, as it will, find the nearest town and stay in a good hotel. Buy yourself a book or two and have a nice rest.

  ‘You could write a diary, though it’d be better to buy a fountain pen for that. It’d give you something to do in the evenings. Dear Joanna always frets when we’re hiking and it rains, but who can control the weather?’

  Chapter Nine

  Shopping with Flora was another revelation. They went first to the bank, where Nell drew out twenty pounds. She hesitated to take so much, but she didn’t have to spend it all, did she?

  She was thrilled by the huge department store, Kendal Milne. She’d never seen anywhere like it and could have spent a whole day just walking round, looking at displays of goods, some of which she hadn’t known existed. The ladies’ clothes were so elegant she kept stopping to sigh over something. Imagine living your life dressed in clothes like those.

  The shop had a tunnel under Deansgate, so that you could walk to the annexe without getting wet or having to cross the street through the busy traffic. It was just another thing done for the customers’ comfort.

  The prices shocked her at first, but she hoped she’d hidden that.

  She clearly hadn’t, because after a while Flora looked at her thoughtfully. ‘It’s too expensive here for you, isn’t it? We always shop here because our mother and grandmother did, but we can go and look at Lewis’s, if you like. I’m told their prices are cheaper, but their goods are still of excellent quality.’

  ‘Yes, please.’ No matter how much money she had, Nell didn’t think she could spend two guineas on one pair of boots. She just couldn’t.

  She stopped dead in the street at the sight of Lewis’s Department Store, which was even more imposing. It had a tower on the street corner, and rows of big windows along the two street frontages that met beneath the tower. Surely the goods sold here would be as expensive as those in Kendal Milne’s?

  But no, they weren’t, and though she spent a lot of money, she knew the brown tweed suit she’d bought would wear well. The skirt was less full than she’d been used to, but that seemed to be the fashion for ‘country garments’. It came barely to her ankle, with flat front and back panels, but side panels with gores so that you could stride out. The jacket came to just below her hips, and was double-breasted, with a belt and flat pockets on each side.

  As for the boots, they felt instantly comfortable, something she hadn’t found with the second-hand shoes she’d had to put up with in the past few years.

  ‘Don’t skimp on boots,’ Flora whispered. ‘You’ll be doing a lot of walking. And you’ll need another pair of lighter shoes for the evenings, don’t forget.’

  Nell hesitated over some practical golf shoes, then, as her companion pulled a face at them, she gave in to temptation and bought some black leather shoes, with a petersham bow trim across the front, pointed toes and one-inch Cuban heels. They were so pretty she couldn’t resist them.

  ‘They must sell everything on the face of the earth in this store,’ she whispered to Flora.

  ‘They like to think so. I must say, I think my mother was wrong and the things they sell are of just as good quality as in Kendal Milne’s. I shall persuade Joanna to come here next time, for a change. Now, how about that tam-o’-shanter instead of a hat? No, better get a hat with a brim in case it rains. Felt’s more practical than straw for the weather.’

  Nell felt overwhelmed and had stopped keeping track of how much she’d spent.

  ‘You need at least one pretty blouse for best,’ her mentor said, ‘and some much prettier underwear. Ribbon trimmings are very fashionable and Princess petticoats are practical as well as pretty.’

  ‘But there’s no one to see them! What does it matter if I buy the plainer ones?’ Nell protested.

  Flora stopped dead in the aisle of the shop. ‘Are you “no one”? Don’t you count? And you’re twenty-three not fifty-three, so why choose dowdy clothes?’

  Nell couldn’t think what to say to that, but judging by the little nod of satisfaction Flora gave, her expression said it for her. She bought the pretty underwear and a charming nightdress too.

  ‘What about a corset?’ Flora asked in a whisper.

  ‘I don’t wear them,’ Nell admitted. ‘I’m so thin I don’t need to control my figure. And anyway, I could never afford them … before.’

  ‘I envy you. My sister and I are too big-built to go without. Though you’re not flat-chested.’ She moved on from the corsetry counter.

  Nell was relieved. To preserve the decencies and save money, she and her sisters had always made themselves bust bodices from strips of material gathered down the centre front, with ribbon straps and a two-button fastening at the back. The boned bust bodice she’d seen on display in a corner would probably be uncomfortable for walking. Richer women might be happy to sacrifice comfort for elegance, but she wasn’t.

  When everything on the list had been covered, Flora said thoughtfully, ‘You really ought to buy some sort of a timepiece. How about a pendant watch to pin inside your jacket?’

  The idea was good, but Nell didn’t want to spend a lot more money. ‘Could we buy one second hand, do you think?’

  Flora looked at her in shock, then gave a wry smile. ‘You’re right. You have to be careful. I know some jewellers sell good quality second-hand goods.’

  ‘I’ll look for one tomorrow, then. We’ve too many parcels to do it today.’

  Before they left the store, they added one more parcel, because Flora insisted on buying her a copy of Arnold Bennett’s Clayhanger as a present. ‘I know it’s a large book, but it’ll last you longer and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.’

  Nell clutched the package, thrilled by this. She’d never owned a brand-new book before.

  Flora insisted on taking themselves and their parcels home by cab, another extravagance for which she insisted on paying. But what was one more thing after a day’s spending that made Nell feel breathless at the thought of how much money she’d gone through?

  The following day Nell went with Joanna to the local branch of her savings bank and asked to withdraw a hundred and ten pounds.

  The cashier frowned at her bank book, then looked at her and summoned the assistant manager to attend to them.

  ‘My dear young lady, that’s a rather large amount of money. Are you sure you need it all? You drew twenty pounds out yesterday, after all. Does your husband know what you’re doing?’

  He’d spoken to her so patronisingly, she answered quite sharply, ‘That’s my own business, I think. And I’m a widow. But I’ve changed my mind about the money. I’ll withdraw everything but a thousand pounds.’

  He looked at her in outrage at this increased amount, then turned to Joanna, as if asking her to help him. She stared back at him without a change of expression.

  Nell leant forward. ‘And if you try to tell me what to do with my own money again, I shall move my whole account to another bank.’

  ‘Very well, Mrs Greenhill. As you wish. I was only offering you guidance out of the best intentions.’

  Outside Nell let out her breath in a whoosh. ‘How dare he question what I wanted to do with my own money! And why?’

  ‘Because of the way you�
��re dressed, I’m afraid. I suspect he thought you were my servant. You did right to stand your ground. Never let people like him boss you around. It’s your money and you have every right to do what you want with it. After my husband died, people tried to tell me what to do, but I wasn’t going to have that. And if you want to know, I think you’re being very sensible about how you’re making your arrangements.’

  They walked to the nearest Post Office Savings Bank and Nell opened an account there, putting in the money she’d withdrawn. She felt easier in her mind not to be carrying several hundred pounds around with her and was careful to push her new bank book into the pocket in her handbag for safety. Even the couple of guineas she had left in her purse seemed a huge sum after the way she’d had to count every farthing for so many years.

  Once that was done, they went to hunt for a jeweller’s shop which sold second-hand goods, but on the way there, they passed a clockmaker and saw some watches in the window.

  Nell found a pendant watch there at only a pound, rather battered but good enough for her purpose. It had a keyless winding system, in which the watch itself was rotated against the back.

  ‘It’s a good one, that, for all it’s had a hard life,’ the clockmaker told them. ‘Don’t know how it got so battered, but it hasn’t affected the works. I checked that when it was brought in. I don’t sell anything that isn’t in good working order.’

  When they got back, Nell and Joanna went over the route again. They’d decided she should start in Cheshire, perhaps in Cheadle, and move first towards Wilmslow and Knutsford, then across country to Chester, from where she would have a choice of routes.

  ‘No use walking through miles of suburbs,’ Joanna said. ‘No sounds of nature or pretty views to gladden your heart there.’

  Would they gladden her heart? Nell wondered. When she was alone with her thoughts, would trees and streams be enough to divert her from her sad memories? But already she was less lost in her grief, because she’d found something to do. It made her feel guilty sometimes, but people were right: life had to go on.