by Annie Groves
‘Sure you don’t mind me tagging along?’ asked Mary as she emerged from her own room. ‘Only Charles has been called away at short notice, and I don’t even know if I’ll see him before Christmas.’ She pulled a face. ‘I do hope he manages to get back. I’ve got him a lovely silk tie as a present.’
Alice knew Mary hated sitting alone in her room, especially if her friends were out enjoying themselves. ‘Don’t be silly, you aren’t tagging along,’ she said. ‘I told Joe’s mother that you and Edie might be there.’
Edith was already waiting for them at the front door, torch in hand, and so they set off together.
True to his word, Joe was waiting on the pavement in front of the cinema. Alice was surprised by how pleased she was to see him, and her face broke involuntarily into a huge smile. In the dimness of the blackout it was hard to tell if he’d changed much, but she could see he too was smiling broadly as he caught sight of the three of them hurrying along towards him.
She came to a stop just before reaching him. ‘Hello, Joe.’ Now she was closer she was sure he looked a little different – maybe it was the way he was standing. His face seemed leaner, his shoulders broader. Or was it a trick of the faint light?
‘Alice.’ She caught her breath as he stepped towards her and they regarded each other, still smiling for a moment, before he turned to encompass the others. ‘And Edith and Mary too. How good of you all to come. I wasn’t sure my message had got to Ma, but I needn’t have worried.’
‘Let’s get inside out of this cold,’ suggested Mary, shuddering dramatically for effect. ‘I can scarcely feel my feet. I do hope it’s nice and warm in there.’
‘Bound to be, I shouldn’t wonder,’ said Joe, holding open the grand door at the entrance. ‘They say it’s got all mod cons, with some fancy air system that means it’ll be protected even in a raid. So we’re in the safest place this evening.’
‘Bit of a way to come if there’s a raid on Dalston,’ muttered Edith to Alice under her breath. ‘Still …’ She gazed around at the art deco details. ‘Not bad, I’ll give it that.’
Quickly they bought their tickets and found their seats in the circle, Joe waiting for the three of them to get settled before taking the final place in the row. Alice sat next to him. She had taken off her coat and could feel the warmth of his arm against hers, through the wool of her cardigan. She wondered if his arm seemed more muscly than before.
The Pathé news came on and she sat up a little straighter, just as Joe shifted too. Mary and Edith remained slumped comfortably in their seats, not as interested.
‘Everyone thinks that nothing’s going to happen because there haven’t been any raids yet,’ murmured Alice. ‘But I don’t think we can presume that.’
Joe drew in his breath sharply. ‘Absolutely not. This is the calm before the storm. Don’t you go forgetting your gas mask. Everyone has to stay vigilant, don’t let anybody persuade you otherwise.’
‘Don’t worry, we’ve all brought them with us,’ Alice reassured him, tapping her foot against the case that was resting on the floor. She accidentally brushed against the side of his big shoe and quickly moved away again.
‘Glad to hear it,’ he said, glancing sideways at her and grinning.
She couldn’t tell if he was teasing her about touching his shoe and decided to ignore that idea, fixing her eyes firmly on the screen. The closing music came and then the theme of the main show began. Edith and Mary instantly became more alert, and Mary produced a bag of toffees from her handbag.
‘Psst, pass them along,’ she hissed, and Alice obliged, offering them to Joe and then relaxing back, determined to enjoy the film.
Joe pushed open the door to the Duke’s Arms and stepped into the welcome brightness of the bar room. He was just in time for last orders. The nurses had had to hurry back to the residential home in order to meet the ten o’clock curfew, but he was too full of energy to go straight home, even though he knew his parents would still be up. He told himself he’d have one pint and go back to tell them how the evening had gone.
‘The usual, Joe?’ the barman called out, and Joe smiled at the offer. How he’d missed this place. There had been decent pubs near where they’d trained, but once on board ship there had been little opportunity to do anything as normal as have a few drinks with his mates. He had found it hard at first to make the change, to adapt to the routines and discipline, and he knew some of his comrades had found it far harder. Still, he wasn’t going to pass up the chance to revisit his old haunts now he was back for a few days.
Gratefully he raised his glass and took a welcome sip of proper beer, savouring the foamy head and bitter taste of hops. He sighed aloud in satisfaction. One thing life on board had taught him, and that was to treasure the short moments of pleasure when they came, as you could never be sure when the next one would arise. He caught the eyes of some familiar faces along the bar, friends of his father, and a couple of them raised their own glasses to him in greeting.
It was a shame there hadn’t been more time to talk earlier in the evening. He hadn’t consciously realised it, but he’d been mentally rehearsing conversations he’d wanted to have with Alice, about what she’d read since he’d been gone, what life was like now the war was fully underway, how she thought everything was going. He valued her opinions – she didn’t just echo what she’d seen in the papers or heard on the wireless, but always thought for herself. He had caught himself thinking over the last few weeks of the way her eyes lit up when she talked about something important, the way she smiled when she agreed with what he said, the way those eyes of hers looked at him so directly. There was no getting round it: he’d missed her far more than he thought he would. However, there hadn’t been an opportune moment to speak to her on her own. She had had to rush off immediately after the main feature had finished, even though Edith had joked that she could get them back in through the broken fence. Joe smiled to himself. That would suit Edith all right but he couldn’t see Alice doing it – she was too steady for that sort of escapade. He could think of no excuse to delay her, especially as all three of them would have to be fresh for their demanding work the next day.
Never mind, they would spend Christmas together at his house. He could take his time, find the right moment to speak to her then.
He was sure she would love Flo’s special dinner. His mouth watered at the prospect of his mother’s roast turkey with all the trimmings. His parents had quietly given up hope that Harry would make it back in time to join them, although Mattie still held on to the belief that Lennie would somehow appear. He hadn’t wanted to disabuse her of the notion. After all, who wouldn’t want their husband home to share their child’s first Christmas?
Then someone clapped him on the back. ‘Welcome home, Joe!’ He turned and saw it was Billy.
‘Billy! How are you?’ Joe took in the sight of his old friend, who had been in a state of despair last time he’d seen him. There was no trace of that desperation now. ‘I heard about the accident. How is the leg?’
Billy shuffled. ‘Oh, you know. The odd twinge now and again, but pretty well good as new. Fancy another?’ He tipped his head to indicate Joe’s glass.
‘Oh …’ Joe remembered his resolution to have just the one and then go home. But here was the man who’d saved Kathleen and little Brian, so he couldn’t turn him down. ‘Just a half, then.’
Billy got in his order just as the barman prepared to call time. ‘Cheers,’ he said. ‘I been hearing some of what you’ve been up to from your old man. You know I’m in the ARP with him now, don’t you?’
Joe nodded. ‘Pa said. But I hadn’t realised you were fit enough to start yet.’
‘Yes, been doing it a couple of weeks now,’ said Billy with pride. ‘You got to be careful how you go; some folk take against you before you’ve had a chance to explain what you’re on about, so you can’t go flying off the handle. Your pa is the expert, though, I’m learning everything from him.’
Joe could wel
l believe it. He wouldn’t have fancied challenging people in their own homes, but he could imagine that his father was exactly the sort of person who could be calm but forceful when required. Billy was in good hands.
‘It feels like ages since I was in here, but it’s only been a few months,’ Joe mused.
‘I know what you mean, though.’ Billy took a sip of his beer. ‘When I was laid up it felt like a lifetime. Drove me mad, it did, when I couldn’t go nowhere. Then I managed to get about a bit on me crutches. Once I got the hang of it, this was one of the first places I came.’
‘I bet,’ said Joe.
Billy smiled as he remembered that evening, when everyone had fallen over themselves to congratulate him. That was a sweet memory. Then another detail from that evening came back to him.
‘Saw that nurse friend of yours in here as a matter of fact,’ he said.
‘Edith, you mean? Harry’s girl?’ Joe knew that Alice wasn’t a great one for going to pubs.
Billy shook his head. ‘No, the other one, the tall one with the blonde hair. She was there at the accident. Alice.’
‘Oh?’ Joe was surprised.
‘Yes, that’s right,’ said Billy, recalling more of the evening. ‘She was having a drink with this bloke I never seen before. Looked like a film star, he did. You should have heard Clarrie going on, you know what she’s like at the best of times, but this fellow really got her going. Thought she was going to pass out, I did.’
‘Really?’ Joe set down his half pint.
‘Funny, it was. Then I went over and said hello, like you do, and your friend introduced us. He’s a doctor, so that puts him out of Clarrie’s league I reckon.’
‘Maybe.’ Joe wanted to leave it there but couldn’t quite manage to do so. ‘Clarrie joined you, then?’
‘Oh, no.’ Billy drained his own glass. ‘I didn’t want to interrupt. Looked as if they had a lot to say to each other, they did. Thick as thieves, you could say. So I left them to it, went home not long after, and tell you the truth the beer hit me hard after being off it so long.’
Joe suddenly had an urge to get out of the pub and away from the conversation. The thought of Alice on an evening out with this doctor fellow … Joe knew there was nothing between himself and Alice but the thought of it hit him in the gut. ‘I know the feeling,’ he said, finishing his drink quickly. ‘Can’t be doing this every night. I’d better get back to my folks.’
‘Give them my best and I’ll see your pa tomorrow,’ Billy said as his friend picked up his coat and put it on.
Joe drew his collar up around his face for the short walk back to Jeeves Street, keen to hide his expression from any passers-by. He was sure the disappointment would show on his face. So, Alice had a doctor friend who looked like a film star. Why hadn’t she mentioned that if there was nothing more to it? Then again, why would she have done? That was her business. Thick as thieves, moreover. He sighed, then berated himself. He shouldn’t be at all surprised. Somebody like Alice was bound to have somebody special, and if the war had separated them then there was no reason at all for him to have come up in what brief conversations the two of them had had since getting to know one another. But the fact that he was a doctor, and looked like a film star … Joe told himself to get a grip. He had been sitting on his feelings for Alice, not truly being honest with himself about them, but Billy’s news had come as a shock. What a fool he’d been. Alice saw him as a friend, nothing more, and now she had a new chap. This doctor, whoever he was, was a very lucky fellow. The country was at war and there was no time to dwell on a silly idea that would never come to anything. He didn’t have that sort of relationship with Alice at all. They were – and it looked as if they would have to continue to be – simply friends. Joe was just going to have to accept it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Mattie added the finishing touches to her Sunday best frock: a neat red patent belt with a carefully polished gilt buckle, and a delicate brooch in the shape of a bird, with a red jewel for an eye. She knew it wasn’t a real ruby but it didn’t matter. Lennie had given it to her last Christmas and that was what counted. She rubbed it with her finger. Perhaps it would work like a charm and bring him home. He was cutting it fine, though. Word had come through yesterday that Harry would be able to make it back at the last minute, but there was still no news from Lennie. Now it was Christmas morning and there was a lot of work to get through before they could all sit down and eat.
Before that, though, she had to see to Gillian. The baby was lying in the middle of the bed, which was really too wide for the room that Mattie had called her own since she was a little girl herself. However, once she had married Lennie and it had been decided it was not worth them renting a home of their own as he would be away so often, her parents had used some of their small pot of savings to buy them a proper double bed. It fitted, but only just, without much space for anything else. Gillian’s wooden cot was wedged into the alcove where the wardrobe used to be; the wardrobe was now outside on the landing. The dressing table was snug against the window. If Mattie got out of bed too quickly she often banged her hip on the corner of it.
However, it was a small sacrifice if it meant she could still live with her parents. One day she and Lennie would have their own house, but she was in no rush. Sometimes she dreamt about it, how there would be space for everything they needed, how she would decorate the place and make it homely for him, but realistically she knew that was all a long way off.
‘Let’s put you in your lovely new frock Granny made you,’ she said, reaching down and tickling Gillian, who chuckled and waved her chubby arms in the air. Mattie tugged on the fine cotton dress edged with bias binding, added a little cardie she had knitted from wool left over from one of her own, and then topped off the outfit with a large towelling bib. ‘All right, I know it doesn’t look as beautiful as your new frock but I know what you are like,’ Mattie said dryly as she hoisted her daughter into her arms. ‘We’re going to have you looking lovely at dinner if it’s the last thing I do. Then if Daddy comes he can see how pretty you are.’
‘Da-da-da,’ said Gillian.
‘Yes,’ said Mattie with determination. ‘Daddy. He might come. We just have to keep hoping.’
Flo was already making headway with the preparations, and the kitchen window had steamed up thanks to the bubbling pans on top of the range. Gillian obligingly allowed herself to be put to sit up in the cot and Mattie turned her attentions to the vast mound of potatoes.
Joe emerged from the back kitchen with an enamel bowl full of peeled carrots. ‘Look what they’ve taught me in the navy,’ he said with a straight face. ‘No swimming lessons yet but I’m a dab hand at peeling vegetables.’
‘Get away with you,’ said Mattie, but her voice betrayed her pleasure at being teased once again by one of her brothers. She’d missed that since they’d gone.
‘Good,’ said Flo. ‘Plenty of parsnips to be getting on with. You take them back through there and keep out of our way.’
Joe knew better than to disobey his mother, and promptly retreated with a fresh load of root vegetables.
There was a sound from the front of the house, and Mattie jumped in anticipation, but then dropped her shoulders as she remembered that Kathleen had promised to arrive early and help out. Sure enough, her friend came into the kitchen, balancing a bag in the crook of each arm while carrying Brian, who was squirming around to see what all the excitement was about.
Kathleen set the little boy down on the rug out of the way, hung up her coat and set to work, chopping the carrots Joe had just peeled. Flo turned on the wireless and found a carol service and they all joined in while the pans bubbled merrily away and the aroma of roast turkey grew stronger. Stan was briefly allowed near the kitchen counter to make himself some toast for a late breakfast, as he had been on duty the night before, but he was then shooed into the parlour to read an out-of-date newspaper that he hadn’t yet had a chance to open.
This meant he was first t
o see Alice and Edith coming down Jeeves Street, and he ushered them in before they could knock at the door. Mattie’s head flew around as she caught the movement of someone coming into the kitchen unannounced, then doused her hopes once more when she realised that it wasn’t Lennie letting himself in with his key. She rushed to welcome the guests, but not before she caught Edith’s eyes raking the room for the one face she wished to see above all others. She’d be on tenterhooks, waiting for Harry to arrive.
Joe came through with his big bowl of parsnips and nodded politely to Alice. He was determined not to let his new knowledge about her doctor friend show. He gallantly took her coat, and Edith’s, and moved to the outer hall to find hooks for them. The place was filling up.
Flo glanced around the room once more, checking everything was going to plan, and then stealthily slipped into the parlour. Stan looked up from the old newspaper.
‘Just checking that the presents we got for Edith and Alice are under the tree with the rest,’ she breathed. ‘Yes, good, all in place. We’ll open them after we’ve eaten.’
Stan nodded in approval.
‘We should be ready in about ten minutes,’ Flo went on. ‘Stan, what are you looking at? What’s wrong – is it my hair?’
‘No,’ he said, rising to his feet, ‘but I can hear footsteps on the pavement. It might be our Harry.’
Flo took a deep breath. ‘We’ve got to give the young ones the best day that we can, so that whatever happens in the future they have this to remember.’
Stan caught her hands as she came towards him. ‘I know,’ he said, looking into her eyes with an expression that conveyed how much she meant to him. He wasn’t one for fancy speeches and so he just gave her hands an extra squeeze. ‘I know.’