by June Francis
‘Lentil soup or Chorley cake.’
Lila wrinkled her nose. ‘You know what I really fancy?’
Emma gave her an enquiring look.
‘Chocolate cake,’ said Lila.
Emma remembered Betty wanting chocolate cake at the Lyons café in Liverpool. ‘I’ll tell you what. I’ve some cocoa, so I’ll make a small one, but while I do so, why don’t you go back home and bring your dad here for some soup and a sandwich?’
Lila stared at her. ‘It is a smashing idea but he can’t walk without being in pain and the wheelchair has a wonky wheel.’
Emma grimaced. ‘Sorry! I just thought it would be good for him to get out.’
‘It would, but it’s really difficult pushing him in that wheelchair.’
At that moment someone called, ‘Emma, are you in?’
To her amazement, she recognised that voice and rushed into the front room. She stared at Dougie from starry eyes. ‘Fancy you coming here today! When you didn’t answer my letter I thought I’d never see you again.’
‘Sorry about that, but life’s been a bit hectic,’ he said ruefully. ‘And to be honest, I owe you more than one apology. I didn’t turn up at the meeting place either. One of my twin brothers ended up in hospital and Mam needed me. He’s still there and, as I decided the other twin was less likely to get into trouble if I kept my eye on him, I’ve brought him with me.’
Suddenly, Emma noticed a sullen, spotty-faced youth lounging against the door jamb. ‘Is that him?’
‘Aye, this is Norm,’ replied Dougie, with a long-suffering air. ‘Say hello to Miss Booth, Norm,’ he added without looking round.
‘Ciao,’ said Norm, raising a hand languidly.
‘Hello,’ said Emma, presuming ‘ciao’ was Liverpool slang. ‘Please, sit down, both of you,’ she said, pulling out chairs.
They both sat down at a table and sniffed the air. ‘Something smells good,’ said Dougie.
‘It’s my home-made lentil soup,’ said Emma, beaming at him and rubbing her hands together. ‘Would you like some?’
‘Too right I want some,’ said Dougie, returning her smile.
‘Does your brother want a bowl, as well?’
Norm nodded.
‘Two soups coming up, then,’ said Emma, almost skipping out of the room.
Instantly Lila pounced on her. ‘Did I hear you say the name Dougie?’
‘Aye, he’s here,’ she whispered, ‘and there was me thinking I’d never see him again and he’s come all this way to say sorry.’ Emma’s face glowed.
Lila stared at her. ‘You’ve really got it bad, haven’t you?’
‘I don’t know what you mean,’ said Emma loftily, setting about heating up the soup on the range and fetching bowls and spoons. ‘He has one of his brothers with him,’ she added.
‘So you’re feeding them both?’
‘Aye.’
‘I hope you’re charging them. I know your soft heart but you are in business to make a living out of this,’ said Lila.
Emma glanced at her. ‘Dougie is a friend.’
‘A friend you haven’t seen for at least a couple of months and didn’t answer your letter. You must be realistic,’ said Lila.
‘He had a reason for that,’ said Emma hastily, ‘and keep your voice down.’
‘You have to charge him,’ said Lila earnestly.
‘I offered the soup to him. He didn’t ask for it,’ said Emma.
‘Even so,’ said Lila. ‘It was his idea that you did this and so he should support you by coughing up.’
‘What’s going on?’
Both girls started at the sound of Dougie’s voice.
‘Nothing,’ said Emma hastily, glancing over at him standing in the doorway. Oooh, he was so tall and strong-looking! ‘Do you want bread with your soup?’ she asked.
‘Yeah! And I’ll pay for it,’ he replied, shooting a frowning glance at Lila.
She had the grace to blush and mumbled an apology and looked away.
‘You don’t have to pay,’ said Emma, taking a loaf from the bread bin. ‘You’re here as my guest.’
‘No, I’m not,’ he said firmly. ‘I arrived here uninvited. It would have been difficult for you not to offer us your home-made soup when our tongues were almost hanging out.’
‘I wouldn’t deny that but even so …’ Emma shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.
Dougie walked over to her and brushed her hot cheek with his lips. ‘No arguments, Emma. I can afford it more than you can to give it away.’
Before she could say anything else, he had returned to the front room and closed the door firmly behind him.
Emma glanced at Lila and picked up the bread knife. ‘He heard you. How embarrassing is that?’
‘I’m sorry. I was only thinking of you,’ said Lila, staring out of the window. ‘Besides, it forced his hand, didn’t it? He said he could afford to pay. Anyway, Em, you know what they say − the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.’
‘I don’t need to be told that,’ said Emma, ‘so will you be quiet and let me get on with what I’m doing!’
‘I’ll go if you like,’ said Lila, glancing over her shoulder at her.
‘You don’t have to. What did you come for, anyway?’ asked Emma, placing bread on a plate.
‘You’ve forgotten already! I needed to get away from my parents and I came to see how business was going. As you now have customers, I will go,’ said Lila, opening the back door.
Emma realised her friend was hurt and was about to call her back when she heard a hissing noise and saw that the soup was about to boil over. She had to let Lila go so she could swiftly remove the pan from the heat. She filled the two bowls she had put on a tray with the plate of bread before opening the door and carrying the food into the front room.
Dougie stood up and took the tray from her. Norm, who was sitting back in the dining chair with the front legs off the floor, immediately sat forward and crashed into the table. ‘Will you be careful!’ roared his brother. ‘It’s a wonder it wasn’t you that fell off that bloody wall.’
‘You’d have liked that, wouldn’t you?’ retorted Norm, thrusting out his chin. ‘Our Pete was always your favourite.’
‘I don’t know where you get that idea from when I spent years not knowing which one of you was which,’ said Dougie, placing a bowl of soup in front of his brother. ‘Now, shut up! I don’t want any more arguing in front of Emma. She has enough to contend with having been left on her own to fend for herself and trying to get a business going.’
‘Don’t worry about me,’ said Emma, slightly shocked by the angry exchange, unaccustomed as she was to hearing brothers arguing. ‘I-I’ll make a pot of tea, shall I?’
‘Yes, you do that, Emma,’ said Dougie in his normal voice when addressing her.
‘Is there any butter?’ asked Norm.
Before Emma could answer, Dougie said, ‘Some things are still on ration, you know.’
‘But this is the country,’ protested Norm. ‘They have cows in fields, so they should have butter.’
Emma understood his logic. ‘I might be able to find you some.’
‘But you’ll put it on the bill, Emma,’ insisted Dougie.
‘I really wish you hadn’t overheard what Lila said,’ said Emma, hurrying from the room.
When she returned with the butter, Dougie smiled and said, ‘So that was your friend, Lila. I thought as much.’
‘I know she shouldn’t have said what she did, but we’ve been friends for most of our lives. She feels she has to look out for me, now that I’m on my own.’
‘And I suppose she wants you to make a going concern of this, so you stay in the village,’ said Dougie.
‘That’s right. When I told her about my half-sister, Lila thought I might want to go and live in Liverpool,’ explained Emma. ‘It’s not that she’s got anything against the place, but her mother would never allow her to go there.’
‘Why?’
He nodded thoughtfully. ‘Does he have a wheelchair?’
‘Aye, but it has a wonky wheel and so it’s difficult to push, and their house is just outside the village.’ Emma reached for his empty bowl. ‘Would you like a Chorley cake with your tea?’
‘Sure, why not?’ Dougie glanced across at his brother. ‘Norm, Chorley cake?’
‘What’s one of them?’ asked Norm, handing his empty bowl and spoon to Emma. ‘I enjoyed that. You can come and stay at our house any day. Mam can’t make soup like that.’
‘Enough,’ said Dougie, frowning him down.
Emma murmured, ‘So, two Chorley cakes?’
Dougie nodded.
Emma went into the kitchen, considering the compliment Norm had paid her. It had come unexpectedly and she could just imagine what his mother might say if Emma turned up at their house, saying that she’d come to take over the cooking. She giggled and wondered what Dougie’s mother was like. Would she welcome Emma, if her friendship with her eldest son were to develop into something more serious? She thought of the way Dougie had kissed her cheek and touched the place where his lips had rested for an instant. That, too, had been unexpected and no doubt was a spur-of-the-moment thing. Should she really be reading something into it?
She put the Chorley cakes onto plates and carried them into the other room. ‘Are you here just for the day?’ she asked, placing them in front of the brothers.
‘No, I have tomorrow off as well,’ said Dougie. ‘We brought our bikes on the train, so will have a cycle round, stay in a youth hostel and then be home by tomorrow evening.’
‘I hope the weather holds out for you.’
‘We have waterproofs.’ He took a mouthful of tea before adding, ‘So when will you be seeing your sister again?’
Emma’s face brightened. ‘Wednesday! She’s meeting me off the train.’
He frowned. ‘She does realise that’s the day that the men of the first battalion Liverpool King’s Regiment are coming to town? There’s going to be over seven hundred of them marching through the main streets of the city centre. I won’t be able to meet up with you because I’ll be on duty.’
Emma’s expression altered. ‘Surely she must know! Her cousin, Jared, is in the King’s and she told me he’s sailing for Korea this month.’
‘That’s right. The King’s are leaving Liverpool for the Far East on the troopship Devonshire. It’s scheduled to sail at six-thirty in the evening. What time are the pair of you meeting?’
‘One o’clock.’
‘Then you’ll have plenty of time to see the King’s,’ said Dougie, his face alight. ‘It’ll be a sight worth seeing. The city’s already decked out with flags and banners. I reckon it’ll be a crush, though, because thousands are bound to turn out to watch them.’
Emma thought about what he was saying and asked, ‘What about the soldiers’ families? Will they get a good place to watch their menfolk march past before they sail?’
‘Some members of the families will,’ said Dougie. ‘They’ll be on the upper deck of the Prince’s Landing Stage to see the soldiers after they’ve arrived by train from Wiltshire at the Riverside railway station. The soldiers will be welcomed aboard the Devonshire by their commanding officer and will have a short time aboard before they march through the city. Their families will be there to watch them set out.’
‘So it’s likely that his mother could be there and maybe his sisters, as well?’ said Emma.
He nodded. ‘Places would be limited, so it looks like your half-sister was not included.’
Emma agreed. ‘But she’d want to see him.’
‘I should imagine so, and Lime Street is as good a place as any to watch the soldiers march past. St George’s Plateau is where the pair of you should get yourself a speck.’
‘It wouldn’t surprise me if Betty had it already worked out,’ said Emma, smiling.
He asked about her sister and how they’d got on together. Emma thought she had already told him in her letter but repeated what she had written. ‘I’m glad you weren’t disappointed in each other,’ he said.
‘So am I,’ said Emma. ‘I think she really misses her mother, and her aunt seldom talks about her. She doesn’t like her aunt’s second husband, Uncle Teddy.’
‘I wouldn’t like Mam putting someone else in Dad’s place, to tell you the truth,’ said Dougie. ‘What d’you say, Norm?’
‘I only just about remember Dad,’ said the youth, wiping cake crumbs from his chin. ‘But we don’t need a stepdad. It’s bad enough having you on our backs.’
Dougie scowled. ‘Yous two need someone behind you. I’ll be glad when the pair of you leave school and get jobs. I won’t be worrying what you’re up to during the school holidays then.’
‘Come off it,’ said Norm, picking up the teapot and refilling his cup. ‘You know that you like having us to boss around. More tea?’
Dougie took the pot from him. ‘Emma, what about you having a cuppa?’
‘Thanks! I think I will,’ she said, fetching a cup.
She asked what had happened to Norm’s twin that had put him in hospital. Dougie’s face darkened. ‘All I can say is that it was a black day when he did what he did. If I hadn’t been off duty, then he could have been in really serious trouble.’
‘We were only larking about,’ said Norm sullenly. ‘You forget that you were once our age.’
‘When I was your age there was a war on and I’d been through the Blitz acting as a message boy and nearly got meself killed a couple of times,’ said Dougie firmly. He drained his cup and reached inside his pocket and withdrew his wallet. ‘Can I have the bill, Emma? It’s time we were getting going.’
She wanted to say Must you go? Instead she wrote on a pad what they had to eat and drink and the cost. She tore off the slip of paper and handed it to him. He didn’t say anything but handed over a ten-shilling note. ‘I’ll go and get some change,’ she said.
‘No! Keep it.’ Dougie stood up. ‘You’re underpricing yourself and the rest is a tip for the excellent service. I’ll be recommending you to my friends and anyone I see on my travels today.’
‘It really is far too much, but kind of you,’ said Emma, delighted that he had enjoyed her food.
Dougie smiled. ‘I’m made up that you took notice of my suggestion.’
She saw him and Norm out and stood waving as they rode off on their bicycles, wondering when she would see Dougie again. She hoped it would not be too long. She went back indoors, washed the crockery and cutlery that the two brothers had used and then waited for more customers, but no one else came that afternoon. Remembering how she and Lila had parted, Emma decided to make her friend a small chocolate cake. It did not take her long and that evening she walked to the Ashcrofts’ house with it.
Mrs Ashcroft opened the door to her and stared down at her with a fixed expression on her face. ‘What do you want?’
Emma was tempted to say Thanks for the welcome but kept a rein on her feelings. ‘I’ve brought a chocolate cake,’ she said sweetly. ‘Lila was saying she fancied one. It’s only small but there should be enough for you and Mr Ashcroft to have a slice too.’
The older woman’s expression thawed. ‘That is good of you, Emma. Come in and I’ll make a pot of tea.’
Emma stepped over the threshold and Mrs Ashcroft called up the stairs to her daughter. Then, taking the cake tin from Emma, she went into the kitchen.
Lila came running. ‘So he’s gone, has he? Did he pay you?’
Emma raised her eyes to the ceiling. ‘You’re terrible! I’ve a good mind to take my chocolate cake back. It was embarrassing. He gave me a whole ten shillings.’
Lila’s mouth gaped and then she smiled. ‘So he s
hould.’
‘At least he’s not tight, even if he is forgetful,’ said Emma.
‘What did he forget?’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ said Emma.
Lila gave her a look and then said, ‘Come in to the sitting room.’
Jack Ashcroft glanced up from the model he was working on. ‘Did I hear mention of chocolate cake?’
Emma smiled. ‘I promised Lila and a promise is a promise. I just hope it’s good enough for my best friend.’
Lila slipped a hand through Emma’s arm. ‘I’m sorry I embarrassed you. Sit down and take the weight off your feet.’
Emma sat on the sofa and Lila sat next to her. ‘So when’s he coming again?’ she asked in a low voice.
‘I don’t know, but he was telling me about the Liverpool King’s Regiment coming to the city on Wednesday. Betty’s cousin is one of the soldiers and she is bound to want to see the regiment march while I’m there,’ said Emma.
‘What’s that I heard about the King’s Regiment?’ asked Mr Ashcroft.
Emma proceeded to tell him all that Dougie had told her and about her half-sister’s cousin doing his national service and sailing to the Far East. He nodded. ‘He should be proud to serve with them,’ said Mr Ashcroft. ‘The Liverpool King’s is one of the oldest infantry regiments of the British Army. It was formed in 1685.’
‘That’s going back some way!’ said Emma.
He nodded.
But before they could say any more, Mrs Ashcroft entered with the tea tray. They watched as she cut the cake and Emma waited for them to voice their opinion.
‘Needs a bit more sugar but I would expect that with rationing, but you’re not a bad little cake maker,’ said Mrs Ashcroft, finishing her portion first. She licked a finger and gathered up the last crumbs from her plate with it.
‘You’re too damn fussy,’ said Mr Ashcroft, leaning back in his chair and stretching out his leg with a grimace of pain. ‘It was very kind of you to think of us, Emma. A very nice bit of cake.’
‘I’m glad to say my hens are laying well,’ said Emma, ‘otherwise, you wouldn’t be having the cake.’