by Anne Douglas
‘Well known to me? Where? I can’t think! Tell me, Viktor, tell me!’
‘What is next door to where you live, Jinny? What sort of shop?’
‘You mean … Allan’s shop?’ She was shaking her head in wonder. ‘I can’t believe that Allan had a brooch like this – it’d be such a coincidence!’
‘No, I went there secretly and asked him if he could find one for me, and he said he’d do some asking around, which he did and was successful. A jeweller in Glasgow specializes in continental jewellery and had just what I wanted. That’s how I got it.’
As Jinny continued to look astonished, Viktor gently took the brooch from its box and pinned it to her dress. ‘I’d better say it’s not what you could call valuable,’ he said quickly. ‘Only costume jewellery, but well made and something to remind you of me.’
‘Viktor, I’ll treasure it all my life.’
‘Just as I’ll treasure my book. Now, we’d better drink this coffee before it gets cold.’
When they had left the restaurant and were making their way to Fingal Street, Viktor told Jinny more about the Edelweiss – how the Emperor Franz Josef had ordered it to be the insignia of the Austrian/Hungarian mountain troops, and how young men had once climbed mountains to find the flower for their sweethearts, the higher the mountain the better for their reputation.
‘And I only bought it for you from a shop,’ Viktor finished, laughing. ‘I must climb a mountain or two to find the real thing when I get home.’
‘Oh, don’t!’ Jinny sighed. ‘You know how much your brooch will always mean to me, and I can’t bear to think of you going home.’
‘Think about the New Year – that’s what I’m doing. Only a day or two later, I’ll be back.’
They stopped to kiss and hold each other close before walking on, finally passing the closed door of Allan’s shop next to the flat and pausing again to look in his window, in which he only showed clocks.
‘So Allan has met you,’ said Jinny. ‘He must have liked you – and you must have liked him, mustn’t you?’
‘A very pleasant man, I thought he was, kind and helpful.’
‘He never said a word about you to me.’
‘I told him the brooch was to be a surprise and he promised not to tell you.’
‘I think I’ll keep it a secret until Christmas, then I’ll wear it and thank Allan for helping you find it.’
‘And I’ll keep my book a secret until Christmas Eve, and when I read it I’ll think of you.’
But will you say who gave it to you? Jinny wanted to ask, though she didn’t put the question into words. There must be nothing to cause worry to either of them on this last evening before their separation, and as she went quietly into Viktor’s arms for a long, passionate farewell, she put everything from her mind except their love.
Only her sisters were at home when she finally let herself into the flat, which was a relief – no Dad to face with Viktor’s kisses fresh on her lips, only sympathetic looks from May and Vi.
‘Poor Jinny,’ murmured May. ‘Does it seem a long time till New Year?’
‘It had better be,’ laughed Vi. ‘I haven’t done my Christmas shopping yet.’
‘I suppose it’s only a week – I shouldn’t be making such a fuss.’ Having removed her brooch from her dress and put it into her bag while on the stairs, Jinny now took comfort that it was safely there and asked whether Dad was rather late back.
‘Yes, they’re preparing for the pantomime. The theatre’s closed at the minute – it reopens on Boxing Day.’
‘What’s the show this year? Are we going?’
‘You bet,’ Vi answered. ‘It’s Aladdin – my favourite. And Dad’s getting us tickets.’
‘One for Allan, too,’ said May happily. ‘Who’d have thought it?’
‘I’m so pleased for you,’ Jinny murmured, which was true, but already her thoughts had moved from her home to the man who was returning to his home the following day, and she was wondering, just to cheer herself up, if in the future he and she might have a home together. Well, why not? There was no harm in dreaming.
Twenty-Three
How the time dragged for Jinny after Viktor’s departure! It didn’t matter that she had plenty to do at work before the holiday, and of course, the staff party to think about, she still felt that the days were empty and her life was just marking time until she saw Viktor again.
The staff party, always held on Christmas Eve in the Princes Street café after its early closing, was not something she expected to enjoy; it was more just a duty to get through, though Ross did try to make it as pleasant as possible. But even he caused a surprise, appearing with an attractive young woman whose burnished copper hair was the same colour as his own, leading to guesses that she was his sister, though nobody had heard that he had one. In fact, she turned out to be his cousin from London, who was staying with her parents at Ross’s home for Christmas.
‘Meet my cousin, Lorna,’ he told Jinny. ‘My uncle and aunt are having a quiet evening but Lorna has bravely agreed to accompany me. Lorna, this is Jinny, my valued assistant.’
They shook hands and murmured politely, Jinny still taken aback to see Ross escorting a pretty girl, for this was a first for him, surely? She’d always thought of him on his own, not willing to replace his lost love, and maybe she should be glad to find him getting over his loss at last. If that was the case, for Lorna was his cousin, not a girlfriend. Cousins, though, were not quite the same as sisters.
‘It’s lovely to meet everyone,’ Lorna was saying, her green eyes moving round the crowded café where Comrie’s staff members were enjoying drinks, sandwiches and mince pies, or endeavouring to dance to a gramophone in very limited space, while Mr Comrie and Mr Whyte looked on, smiling and at the same time checking that none of the bakers drank too much.
‘And to be in Scotland,’ Lorna was continuing. ‘Because I’m really a Scot myself – it’s just my father’s business took him to London.’
‘Our loss,’ said Ross. ‘But it’s nice you’re here now.’
He does seem fond of her, thought Jinny, her feelings strangely mixed on the issue, but then Terry Brown arrived to ask Lorna if she’d like to risk a turn on the floor, and as she accepted and they moved away, Jinny was the focus of Ross’s kind gaze again.
‘Getting through it?’ he asked softly. ‘I know how you’re feeling.’
‘I’m being silly about it. He’ll only be gone for a few days.’
‘Days, or years?’ He laughed a little and, looking at the couples on the makeshift dance floor, seemed about to ask Jinny if they shouldn’t join them, when Norah, wonderfully smart in a blue taffeta dress and jacket, appeared at his side.
‘Come on, Ross, this won’t do. Let’s see you on the floor for the quickstep. and no arguing!’
‘Who’s arguing?’ asked Ross, holding up his hands in surrender, and as he was led away Jinny laughed, thinking she would go for another drink and maybe try a mince pie, when she felt a touch on her arm and turned to find Senga at her side.
‘Think she’s had too much blackcurrant cordial?’ she asked, nodding towards Norah.
‘She’s just in the party spirit,’ Jinny replied coolly, noting that Senga, though looking very young, could still seem confident, even arrogant, her dark brown eyes never warm as brown eyes could be, and her mouth a straight, expressionless line.
‘No’ like you, then, Jinny,’ she said now. ‘What’s the matter? Missing your young man?’
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about!’
‘Oh, come on – everybody at Comrie’s knows there’s something going on with you and Viktor Linden.’
Stunned, Jinny had no answer. What Senga was saying couldn’t be true, could it? They’d been so careful. She realized Senga was watching her and wanted to answer her but, before she could think of what to say, Senga had begun to laugh.
‘You should see all the chaps knocking each other in the ribs when you come over on wages
day and try no’ to look at Viktor and he tries no’ to look at you! And even Norah and Trixie have to stop themselves from smiling. Why all the secrecy, anyway? What’ve you got to hide?’
‘Nothing,’ Jinny answered huskily. ‘It’s just that … we don’t want to go broadcasting our feelings to everybody.’
‘To Mr Comrie, more like. He’s about the only one who doesn’t know already.’
‘Why should we worry about him?’ Jinny cried, trying not to let Senga see she’d hit a nerve.
‘Well, there’s sure to be trouble when the time comes for Viktor to go home, eh? And he won’t want trouble with his nephew.’ Senga was silent for a moment as the record playing for the dancing came to an end and couples began to return from the floor. Finally, she gave Jinny a long, hard look.
‘You may think I envy you, Jinny, but it isn’t true. I wouldn’t want to be mixed up with a foreigner, especially one who’s a German, or as good as. I mean, what’ll you do if there’s a war?’
‘Why should there be a war, Senga? And Viktor isn’t a German – why don’t folk believe that?’
‘I said as good as.’ Senga, seeing Terry approach, was smiling. ‘You watch which side he’ll be on if we go to war, then you’ll know what he is.’
Twenty-Four
‘Hello there, you lovely ladies!’ Terry had taken out a handkerchief and mopped his brow. ‘Why aren’t you dancing?’
‘We weren’t asked!’ Senga replied smartly. ‘You were too busy dancing with Mr MacBain’s cousin.’
‘What a looker, eh? None o’ my cousins look like her. But come on, let’s all go for another drink – my treat, eh?’
‘That’s rich, seeing as they’re provided by Mr Comrie.’ Senga laughed. ‘You coming with us, Jinny?’
‘No thanks, not yet. Just want to say goodbye to Ross.’
When she’d found Ross, now back with Lorna, Jinny said she had a lot to do back at home and she’d better be going.
‘Oh, what a shame!’ cried Lorna. ‘But I suppose it is Christmas Eve – you’ll be busy.’
‘I’ve got the car; may I give you a lift home?’ asked Ross. ‘Lorna, you stay on and I’ll come back for you.’
‘No, no, thanks all the same, Ross.’ Jinny was very earnest. ‘I want to walk for a bit; I’ve got a headache coming on.’
Shaking hands with Lorna, she wished her and Ross a merry Christmas, said she’d just say thanks to Mr Comrie and make her other goodbyes.
‘See you after Boxing Day, Ross!’
‘After Boxing Day, Jinny. Have a lovely holiday with the family.’
Well, perhaps she would – she’d always enjoyed Christmas with her family before, and there’d be presents to exchange and the showing of her brooch next morning. Much depended on how Dad was, of course, and that remained to be seen. In the meantime, when she’d made all her goodbyes at the party, it was grand to be out in the fresh night air and to be on her own, seeing only strangers in the streets and not thinking of Senga’s words, only of Viktor.
But how pleasant her home looked, she thought as she went into the living room. How Christmassy! Clearly her sisters had been busy while she was out, putting up balloons and paper chains, and with the fire crackling, her mother’s old glass decorations and the Woolworth’s tinsel glittering on their little tree, all was as cheerful as a Christmas card. May was setting out her mince pies on the table while Josh was lying back in his chair, looking relaxed, and Vi, sorting about in the Christmas box, was seeking the Christmas tree fairy.
‘Got her!’ she called, standing up with the rather battered little celluloid doll in her fingers. ‘You’re just in time to put her on the top, Jinny, though I reckon she’s about ready to retire. Might get a new one next year.’
‘Shame!’ cried May. ‘We’ve always had that fairy; she’s a tradition.’
‘That’s right,’ agreed Jinny. ‘She’s not ready for her pension yet.’
‘Put her up, then!’ Josh ordered, and Jinny obediently fastened the doll to the top of the tree then stepped back with her family to admire the result.
‘Looks lovely,’ she commented. ‘You’ve done a good job, Vi. In fact, you both have. The whole place is transformed!’
Vi tossed back her dark hair and shrugged. ‘Just makes me think how much we have. I mean, when you consider how many bairns across this city will be lucky if they get anything to eat at Christmas, never mind presents and a tree.’
There was a short silence, then Josh said, rising from his chair, ‘You’re no’ the only one remembering them, Vi. A percentage of the Boxing Day takings from the panto is going to a children’s charity.’
‘We do care,’ added May. ‘We give what we can.’
I should give more, thought Jinny, and be like Ross, not just think of myself and Viktor.
‘We need to change the system,’ said Vi. ‘It’s fine giving to charity; the point is no one should need it.’
‘Agreed,’ said Josh. ‘But for now it’s Christmas Eve. Can we have our mince pies and a cup of tea?’
‘It’s all ready,’ said May with some relief. ‘Jinny, we never asked you – how was the party? Did you have a good time?’
‘It was the same as usual. Yes, I suppose we had a good time but I missed having a mince pie – yours look nice.’
‘Help yourself, and merry Christmas, eh? Merry Christmas, Dad, merry Christmas, Vi!’
‘Merry Christmas!’ they called back and, as May passed the cups, Jinny whispered in her ear, ‘And tomorrow you’ll have Allan here for Christmas dinner – think of that.’
‘Thanks to Dad,’ May whispered back happily, and Jinny’s eyes moved to meet her father’s. Dark eyes looked into dark eyes until, hardly daring to venture it, Jinny smiled – and after a long moment of suspense, Josh smiled back.
Better not spoil things by saying anything, thought Jinny, but it was a start, eh? A hope for reconciliation?
Twenty-Five
Christmas certainly made a difference to Jinny’s spirits, though when alone all her longing for Viktor rushed back to consume her, and the time till his return seemed, as Ross had joked, to be years, not days.
Still, it had been sweet to see Allan arriving on Christmas Day with his bottle of wine and box of chocolates, his eyes only for May, yet making a valiant effort to greet Josh as though there was nothing to worry about. And the good news was that Josh responded pretty well – not exactly with warmth, but then not with coldness, either.
The girls flew about preparing the dinner with May, the expert, in charge of the crackling on the roast pork while Vi and Jinny prepared the vegetables and put on the pudding to steam away, leaving the two men to sit by the fire and chat. Which, of course, annoyed Vi, who declared such a division of labour, always weighted against women, to be ridiculous.
‘Oh, don’t say anything!’ whispered May. ‘There’s no point.’
‘If you keep on saying so there certainly isn’t!’ cried Vi.
But Jinny wasn’t getting involved. She’d taken a break to show Allan she was wearing the brooch he’d found, and ask in a whisper what he’d thought of Viktor.
‘Oh, I thought him a very nice young man! A bit foreign in style, you know, but so polite and so good looking!’
‘He was really pleased you’d found this brooch for me, Allan. Everyone thinks it’s beautiful. Even Dad.’
‘You liked it, Mr Hendrie?’
‘Liked what?’
‘Jinny’s Edelweiss brooch?’
‘Oh – yes. Very nice.’ Josh’s tone was non-commital.
Vi called across, ‘Come on, Dad, you were impressed! We all were!’
‘I said it was nice – what more do you want? Now, how about joining in the carols on the wireless?’
Two steps forward, one step back, that’s the progress with Dad, thought Jinny. But at least there had been those steps forward for May and Allan, and there had been that smile for her last night. How would it be if one day she saw Viktor with her family, like Al
lan today? So much was against their love it was hard to picture him in her home, but why shouldn’t it happen? She determined fiercely that it should – especially as, on a day like this, any idea of war seemed very far away.
Boxing Day brought the panto, and how they all enjoyed that! More than enjoyed it, really. Rather, they were grateful for the way they could give themselves up to a world that didn’t exist, find a true escape from all their worries while watching larger-than-life characters weaving through an impossible story, singing, dancing and finding bliss in the grand transformation scene that the sisters especially admired. Their father, after all, was working away behind the scenes on that, and if there’d been any justice, would have been brought on for the line-up for the applause at the end. Still, he enjoyed his work and always said that that was his reward.
‘You have to admire him,’ Allan had remarked when they were all together in the interval. ‘He’s a very clever and resourceful chap.’
‘Nice of you to say that,’ said May.
‘Well, I mean it. I do admire him and still remember that train he put on for Arnold Ridley’s Ghost Train play. You said he and the stage director had worked together on that, but it was your dad who had to create the effect.’
So lovely for May that such a nice fellow as Allan would be coming into the family, Jinny was thinking, but couldn’t help feeling a stab of envy – until she decided again that one day, yes, she would see Viktor in her home, accepted by her father, and joining in all that her family did, being a part of their lives.
Even going to the panto? Her lips curved in a smile. She couldn’t imagine what he’d make of something so peculiar to her own country. Whatever would he think of Widow Twankey in Aladdin being played by a man? And of Aladdin himself played by a woman – the principal boy, of course, dressed in the shortest costume ever, to display her splendid legs? And then there’d be the slapstick and the jokes, and the singing with the audience joining in, and then the wonderful ending, when everyone was set to live happily ever after. Why shouldn’t he enjoy it all?