by Sam Michaels
‘Please, what should I do?’ Ester asked again, the desperation in her voice clear to hear.
‘Sit tight. There’s nothing much you can do. Just… sit tight. No one will hurt you or your daughter. They won’t keep you locked up forever. They just need time to work out that you’re not the enemy.’ Her words would be of little comfort but what else could she say?
‘I sit here now for two weeks. Paula is not eating. Please, you speak for me. Make them understand before my child starves.’
Georgina’s head dropped at the hopelessness of the situation. There was nothing she could say to anyone that would help Ester but she had to offer the woman some hope. ‘Yes. Of course I will,’ she said, trying to sound reassuring.
‘Thank you, Miss Garrett. Thank you.’
Georgina rubbed the finger where she’d once worn her mother’s wedding ring. It had been removed from her on arrival and if she got her way and escaped, she knew she’d never see it again. But the loss would be worth her freedom. She couldn’t abide to think of that starving child in the cell next door, petrified and cold. Or Linda, mourning the loss of her baby. Her heart silently cried for these women. She desperately wanted to help them and to fight the unjustness of it all, but was powerless to do anything. Again, she slumped onto the mattress and tears streamed down her face, a part of her wishing that she didn’t know of the existence of Ester and Paula.
Hours passed and Georgina finally heard the familiar jangle of a warden’s keys. She jumped to her feet, hoping it wasn’t Miss Kenny. When her cell door opened, she was relieved to see Miss Winter looking at her disapprovingly.
‘You’re supposed to be keeping your nose clean, Garrett,’ the woman said and tutted.
‘I have been. All I did was ask Miss Kenny to get the doctor for Linda.’
‘I know, I heard what happened, but it isn’t your place to concern yourself about the welfare of the women. Miss Kenny doesn’t take kindly to being told what to do, and there’s no point in worrying about Linda anymore.’
‘Why? What’s happened?’ Georgina asked suspiciously.
‘The silly girl killed herself.’
The shocking but not surprising news left Georgina feeling like she’d been punched in the stomach and winded. ‘What happened?’ she mumbled.
‘She was found a while ago. She somehow managed to shove a load of the mattress stuffing down her throat and choked. Such a waste. She was due for release in a few months.’
‘Can you get me out of here and back on the block?’ Georgina asked, fighting the urge to scream or cry.
‘Yes, but keep your bloody head down in future.’
She nodded, but couldn’t help speaking up for Ester next door. ‘Just one thing, Miss Winter. The girl, in there with her mother. She’s not eating.’
‘All right, I’ll see to it that the doctor is sent for. Now, back to your cell, quietly.’
Georgina followed the warden through the prison. It felt quieter than usual. She guessed it was subdued because of Linda’s tragic death. At least the girl was at peace now and hopefully reunited with her baby boy.
‘You’ve missed a day’s work so your wages will be docked,’ Miss Winter said as she escorted Georgina to her cell.
‘Have you got anywhere with getting me Jinny’s job?’
‘I hardly think now is the right time to put your name forward.’
‘Please, Miss Winter, before someone else jumps in.’
‘All right, I’ll mention it tomorrow. But like I said, don’t hold your breath. Miss Kenny is none too keen on you and she holds more rank than me.’
‘I know you’ll do your best for me,’ she said and smiled knowingly.
‘Shush, that’s enough. Get in your cell and forget about any supper tonight. You’ll have to wait ’til morning for something to eat.’
Georgina nodded and resigned herself to a night of stomach-grumbling hunger. But at least she was away from the lower corridor, though she couldn’t shake off thoughts of Ester and her child. She hoped Miss Winter would be good to her word and ensure the doctor attended. Then her mind turned with thoughts of Linda.
Eventually, as night descended, she fell into a restless sleep, haunted by images of Linda’s dead baby and the child in the cell downstairs, starving to death. But at least these images kept her from thinking and dreaming about her own loved ones… Alfie, Selina and the men she had loved and lost.
3
In Battersea, Charlotte had waited in all day for Johnny but he hadn’t called in to see her. It had given her time to think and now she’d come to the conclusion that she wouldn’t tell him that the Naylors were extorting money from her. After all, what could he do about it other than fight it out with them? She knew he would, for her, but she didn’t want to see him getting hurt. No, she’d have to deal with it herself – just like Georgina would.
The terrifying sound of an air raid siren sprung into life and wailed out, snapping her from her thoughts. It had been a while since she’d heard Moaning Minnie, and immediately her stomach churned while her pulse quickened.
‘Quickly, Dog, come,’ she called and grabbed the animal by the scruff of the neck, pulling him to the kitchen.
She huddled under the heavy wooden table with Dog beside her, squeezing her eyes shut as she drew in several long, deep breaths to try and calm her rattled nerves. She found herself trembling as her mind wandered back to her memories of the time when she’d been homeless and living on the streets. She’d seen hideous sights during the Blitz. Bodies mutilated and mangled by explosions, melted skin and headless corpses. The images filled her head, bringing tears to her eyes. She wanted to scream. Covering her ears did nothing to blot out the relentless whining of the sirens.
‘Please, go away,’ she mumbled, shaking with fear, her ears pricked for the sound of planes above.
Dog licked her cheek and she opened her eyes to look at him. ‘It’ll be all right,’ she said soothingly, trying to convince herself more than him. The black, scruffy mutt brought her some comfort but she wished Georgina was with her.
At last, the sirens quietened, and after a while they signalled all clear. Thankfully, she hadn’t heard any bombs drop nearby. But then a loud knock on the door startled her. She guessed it would be Lord Hamilton coming to check on her. She knew it wouldn’t be Dina. The tall Russian blonde hated her but Charlotte thought it was to be expected. She doubted the woman would ever forgive her. Poor Dina had never fully recovered from being accidently poisoned, which left Charlotte feeling awful about what had happened.
She scrambled out from under the table and went to the door to find Lord Hamilton stood with a glass in each hand.
‘Brandy, my dear, to calm one’s nerves.’
‘Thank you, come in,’ she said, pulling Dog back from jumping up and licking the man.
‘It appears we’re safe tonight but I fear Wimbledon or Putney may have been struck.’
‘Poor souls,’ Charlotte said, knees still shaking as she sat down. She sipped her drink and tried to rid her head of the disturbing memories that the sirens had triggered.
‘Quite. I heard Miss Gray singing as I came downstairs. The dear lady seems to think she is Margery Booth but her notes are terribly off-key. I suppose singing aloud must bring her some comfort during these wretched times.’
‘Have you checked that she’s all right?’ Charlotte asked, not knowing who Margery Booth was and not caring.
‘Absolutely no point. The last time I called on her she dismissed me, rather abruptly too. She prefers her own company and doesn’t like to be bothered.’
‘Yeah, I got that impression an’ all.’
Lord Hamilton swilled his brandy around the glass and asked, ‘What about Dina?’
‘What about her?’ Charlotte replied, cringing at the memory of how the woman had come to drink brandy laced with arsenic from apple seeds.
‘Well, she’s a bit of an odd fish and she doesn’t speak kindly of you.’
‘It’s a
long story, you don’t want to know.’
‘Oh, my dear, I do,’ he said with a wicked grin.
Charlotte looked over the top of her glass, studying his face. She could tell from his bemused expression that he was already fully aware of the awful facts. ‘She’s told you, hasn’t she?’
‘She may have mentioned something in passing when she was sweeping my floors earlier.’
‘So why are you asking me, if you already know?’
Lord Hamilton threw his head back, laughing. ‘You’re a dark horse. I would never have had you marked as a potential murderer!’
‘I ain’t… not really. I was young and stupid and made a big mistake.’
‘Dina told me that you instructed your boyfriend to crush apple seeds and disguise the poison in a bottle of brandy which she then came to drink. However, your real target was Miss Garrett.’
‘See, you know it all so just drop it, please.’
‘Oooh, touchy. Sorry, I’m just teasing and I shouldn’t. But I gather you and Miss Garrett are the best of friends now?’
Charlotte stretched her neck. The tension she’d felt from the air raid had lifted and the brandy had given her a warm glow inside. She sighed heavily. ‘Yeah, Georgina has been good to me. She’s like family. Me mum don’t want me living with them on the farm but even after everything I did, Georgina took me under her wing.’
‘Such a pity I can’t meet her. Miss Garrett sounds intriguingly delightful, albeit a tad frightening.’
‘Oh, you’d love her. She’s… she’s… incredible.’
‘Well, my dear girl, so are you. You’re little more than a child and here you are, acting landlady of this building and dealing with those awful men.’
‘What awful men?’ Charlotte asked, sitting forward.
‘Sorry, it’s none of my business but I’ve seen those two hoodlums demanding money from you.’
‘Huh, the Naylor brothers. Honestly, if Georgina was around, those two would be quaking in their boots.’
‘Do they frighten you?’
Again, Charlotte sighed. ‘No, not really. But I worry what damage they would cause if I didn’t pay them.’
‘Couldn’t you discuss the situation with your friend, Mr Dymond?’
‘I thought about it. I was gonna talk to him today but he didn’t show up and maybe it’s just as well. There’s nothing much Johnny can do other than get into a fight with them, and I don’t want him hurt. I’m afraid I’m stuck with having to cough up what they ask for or deal with it meself.’
‘That sounds terribly unfair.’
‘It is, but that’s how things are,’ she said, adding thoughtfully, ‘… but then again, they don’t have to be.’
‘You sound like you intend to redress the balance of unfairness?’
‘Yeah, I suppose I do,’ she answered, wistfully. Granted, she wasn’t Georgina Garrett and her name, Charlotte Mipple, didn’t install fear. She couldn’t fight with her fists like Georgina could, but Georgina had taught her to be clever. She’d need to outsmart her opponents. Brains and beauty, that was Georgina. Charlotte didn’t have the beauty but she had the brains and it was time she stood up to the Naylors and reminded them what the Garrett name represented.
*
Another monotonous day had passed and now, in the pitch blackness of lockdown, Georgina tried to blot out the echoes of hysterical women, the clangs of iron bars being rattled, the cries… all sounds of another restless night on F Block. There’d been tension building all day since rumour had it that Diana Mitford was due to be released with her husband, Oswald Mosley, on the grounds of his ill health. The British Union women were delighted, but the rest of the prisoners resented her special treatment. Miss Winter had told Georgina that Diana had been granted the luxury of a daily bath, though apparently the woman had declined the offer. The prison only had enough water for four women a day to bathe so Georgina was pleased she’d had hers that morning, though she knew it would be at least a week or two until her next one.
She’d just drifted off to sleep when the familiar sound of the air raid siren wailed across London, waking her with a start. Thankfully, there’d been a lull in the Luftwaffe’s aerial attacks since the devastating Blitz, but every so often the German planes would fly over, still determined to destroy London.
Instantly, the prison broke into pandemonium. Women began screaming for their doors to be unlocked, terrified of being caged and trapped while bombs dropped around them. They’d been told that the safest place to be was in their cells, unless the block took a direct hit. None the less, the wardens dashed from cell to cell releasing the frightened prisoners.
Georgina heard her door unlock and was pleased to see Miss Winter.
‘Any news on Jinny’s job?’ she asked hopefully.
‘Yes… yes, it’s yours, but I’ll talk to you tomorrow,’ Miss Winter answered quickly and hurried to the next cell.
Georgina felt elated and wanted to shout with joy, but knew she had to keep her feelings hidden. It wouldn’t be long now and she’d be free.
The women began to huddle in the corridors. A few remained in their cells to gaze out of the windows. The East End had taken a battering during the Blitz and many of the prisoners were from that area, with family and friends living there. These women would stare anxiously across the skyline, some praying out loud for God to spare their loved ones.
Jinny came to stand beside Georgina, her face ashen.
‘Are you all right?’
‘No, not really,’ Jinny answered. ‘These bombs shit me right up.’
‘Well, let’s be pleased for small mercies. At least they’re not a nightly occurrence anymore.’
‘Yeah, I suppose so, but my mother was killed in a raid. My girl was wiv her but she got out unscathed. She’s wiv me sister now. I hope they’re all right.’
‘I hope so too; try not to worry. And sorry about your mum.’
‘Thanks. It broke my heart. It was Miss Kenny who told me and I’m sure the bitch enjoyed it.’
‘Probably. The woman seems to like seeing us lot in misery,’ Georgina said, then her brow knitted when she noticed a familiar face walking towards them.
‘Fleur, is that you?’ she asked. The girl looked different without make-up and her crude bleached blonde hair was tied on top of her head exposing her dark brown roots.
‘Hello, Miss Garrett. I hoped I’d find you in here.’
‘Who’s this?’ Jinny asked, eyeing the young woman up and down.
‘This is Fleur, she used to work for me.’
‘What you in for?’ Jinny asked.
‘Turning tricks. It’s me second time banged up in Camden Castle. Six weeks this time, but at least I ain’t downstairs again.’
‘Not long then, love,’ Jinny said. ‘I’m out in a few days, thank gawd. I won’t have to wear these awful voluminous drawers and black knitted stockings no more. It wouldn’t be so bad if I had garters. Without them the bloody things spend more time round me ankles.’
‘Yeah, I know what you mean and this calico dress don’t ’alf scratch,’ Fleur moaned.
‘You’ll get used to it. Anyway, I’ll leave you two to catch up. See you around, Fleur.’
‘Come in here,’ Georgina said and pulled Fleur into her cell. ‘What’s going on in Battersea?’ she asked, excited for news from outside.
‘I wish you was back. Bert and Len Naylor are throwing their weight around. I’ve heard they’re making a good living out of taxing a lot of your old customers. Making them pay well over the top too.’
‘Cheeky bastards. What else? Any news on Johnny and Victor?’
‘I see Johnny about now and then. He did a bit of time a while back but he’s out now and seems all right, still as cocky as ever. I’ve not heard anything about Victor. I think he went to work for The Top over in south-east London.’
‘I’ve heard about him. What do you know about him?’
‘Not much. He’s some Irish geezer. Maynard’s blokes did a r
unner after his body was found but before they scarpered, they made sure that everyone knew that it was The Top who killed Maynard. People are shit scared of him. I reckon he killed Victor an’ all. He’s probably still at the bottom of the Thames. I mean, Victor was a big bloke. I don’t suppose his body floated up like David Maynard’s did.’
Georgina’s breath caught in her throat at the mention of David’s horrific death. It had broken her heart that she hadn’t even been permitted to attend his funeral. When his body had been washed up, the police had reported that David had been shot in the head before being dumped in the river. The thought of it churned Georgina’s stomach. The two men in her life that she had loved, Lash and David, had both been mercilessly gunned down.
‘I know it ain’t none of my business, Miss Garrett, but why won’t you let anyone visit you? I saw the Barker twins a couple of months ago and they said they’d have liked to come and see you.’
‘No, Fleur. I don’t want visitors. No letters in and none out. I want everyone to stay away from me for their own sake.’
‘That’s what I thought. The Old Bill have a sniff round now and then but there’s nothing for them to find. Did you hear about Livingstone Road?’
‘Yes, the roof got badly damaged,’ Georgina answered, unbothered. The house had been a brothel, a small part of the business she’d run that had once belonged to Billy Wilcox.
‘Yeah, blown orf! Bloody bombs! It’s derelict now. Least none of the girls were in there. They all cleared orf the day after you was arrested. Good job an’ all. The filth were all over the place like lice.’
‘I knew they would be. That’s why I had everything closed down. How’s Charlotte? Do you see her?’
‘No, hardly ever. Never hear anything about her neither. I bumped into Dirty Gerty a while ago. She’s working for the Zammits now. She’s got a nice little patch up town and gets well looked after. She’s living in the same house as Max the Axe.’
‘None of the old gang are working together anymore then?’