Ellie laughed and fell against Cat’s arm. ‘Ye might have known I would not let ye get away with that one. C’mon now, let’s go buy those glasses so we can drink in style.’
* * *
Ellie struggled into the house with the coalscuttle, emptied some of the fuel onto the fire, and then dropped it noisily on the hearth. She looked at her dirty hands and hurried to the scullery to wash them.
Drying her hands on a towel, she returned to the parlour and glanced at the clock. She had about half an hour before Michael was due to arrive so decided she should spend it trying to tame her hair and put on her best dress.
She spread the towel out to dry on the fireguard and called out to her sister who was in the bedroom.
‘Cat. Will I put that tablecloth on Mummy sent us from home?’
‘Yes, and put out those knives and forks Lize gave me, and the napkins. By the way,’ Cat added entering the parlour, ‘I forgot to say, that Lize has a sofa she will give us, if we can find a way of collectin’ it.’ She looked at Ellie’s unruly hair. ‘C’mon now get yerself ready, he’ll be knockin’ on that door and we’re both lookin’ like a pair of wild women from Borneo.’
Ellie felt a rush of annoyance. Lize’s gifts were usually of a sub-standard nature. Things she could not sell for love or money. She felt Cat was blind to the fact that Lize was only getting rid of things that were useless; not that she was being benevolent at all. She was a mean bitch that one. ‘Father forgive me,’ she murmured pulling the tablecloth from its brown paper wrappings.
Holding two corners, she threw the cloth upwards a little to allow it to spread out. It billowed as the air caught beneath the material softening the fall, then the white linen cloth landed, as gently as a bird’s feather on snow, covering the rough table.
Ellie smoothed it out and ran her fingers across the embossed white embroidery of Irish harps and shamrocks that were beautifully sewn into the weave. She stopped flattening out the cloth and a sob broke from her throat as she realised that their mother must have spent all the money they sent her to buy the cloth.
‘Ellie! What in the world are ye doing? C’mon in here and get yerself ready will ye?’
She could hear Cat moving about humming to herself in the bedroom, but her mind had gone home to Fethard, and that led down the painful pathway of remembering Jimmy. Suddenly, she wished Michael was not coming to call.
‘ Ellie!’ Cat’s voice was sounding agitated, ‘Will ye get yerself in here this minute and dress up?’
‘I’m about to,’ Ellie said appearing in the bedroom doorway.
‘There’s no, about to, in it. He’ll be here any minute and I’m not in favour of ye greetin’ our first guest in yer underwear.’
‘Ah! Stop yer blatherin’,’ she said strolling into the bedroom. She looked at Cat and was amazed at her appearance. ‘Holy Mother of God Cat. What do ye think ye’re doing?’
‘Puttin’ up me hair. Do ye like it?’
‘It makes ye look, makes ye look──’
‘Look what?’
‘Um. Different. Yes, different.’
‘Well do I look better or worse?’
‘About the same. I just never saw ye without that bush all round yer face, that’s all.’
Cat put down the hairpins and sat silently looking at her hands.
‘Oh Cat, I’m sorry. I just forgot it happened. I’m really, really sorry.’
Cat shrugged, ‘It doesn’t matter. I suppose I should forget it too, but sometimes, it just comes flooding back and I can’t stop it. It makes my skin crawl. I can still feel the razor goin’ over my scalp. The bastards! Father, forgive me. Amen.’
Ellie sat down next to her and picked up the hairpins to finish pinning up Cat’s ebony curls.
‘There, ye look grand.’
A few minutes elapsed then Ellie asked Cat, ‘D’ya ever wish ye could go home?’
Cat turned to face her ‘Almost every day. When I wake up in the mornin’s I sometimes forget where I am and wonder where my things are. And sometimes, when I’m gettin’ ready to go to work, I think I’m goin’ out to the field with Dada. It’s peculiar. ’Tis like lookin’ forward and backwards at the same time and yet not knowin’ exactly where I belong, in this life, or that one.’ Then after a moment she asked Ellie, ‘What about ye?’
‘Yes, I think the same too. The novelty of bein’ somewhere different has kinda worn off for me. Has it for ye?’
‘’T’as. It did a long time ago. But it was better when ye came over, Ellie. I feel I can stand it if ye’re here with me. Ye’re not thinkin’ of goin’ home are ye?’
‘No, of course not. Sure I don’t particularly like it here but we have to be practical. The money here is far better and it gives us a chance to send some to Mummy and Dada.’
‘God, I miss them Ellie. Sometimes I feel my heart is goin’ to cut its way right out through me ribs, the pain it causes thinkin’ of them. And I can’t see a way I can go back, not now. Especially since Louis has asked me to marry him. I expect I will have to stay here, forever!’
Michael’s knock on the door interrupted their conversation and the women jumped up from the bed in panic. Cat told Ellie to stay in the bedroom and get herself ready while she let Michael in.
She rushed to open the door.
‘Michael! C'mon in, welcome, ’tis grand to see ye.’ She laughed as he pushed a bottle of porter into one of her hands, and a bunch of daffodils in the other.
‘They’re lovely, Michael. Thanks, now c’mon in and sit by the fire while we finish off cooking. Ellie won’t be a minute.’
She pulled a dining chair from the table to the fire. ‘Sorry, we don’t have any easy chairs, I’ve been promised a sofa from Louis’ sister, but I have to arrange collection and I’m not too sure how I’ll do it.’
‘Maybe I can help,’ Michael said rubbing his hands together before the blazing fire. As he spoke he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
‘Me landlady is goin’ back to Wales and has a handcart for sale, along with some other things. She has some dining chairs, but ye already have some I see.’
‘Oh no! They’re not ours, they belong to Mrs. Pritchard next door, she’s loaned them to us for this evening.’ Cat explained. ‘So how much does yer landlady want for her furniture?’
‘Not too much I shouldn’t think. They leave on Monday and want to be rid of it. They are goin’ to live with relations and don’t want the bother of cartin’ the stuff back home to Wales.’
Cat poured Michael a glass of porter and one for herself then excused herself before disappearing into the bedroom.
‘Guess what?’ she whispered to Ellie closing the door behind her. ‘Michael’s landlady is sellin’ up and has some furniture we could buy. Plus, Michael says she has a handcart we could use to get it here.’
Ellie finished buttoning up her dress then tried flattening her unruly hair with a brush. She turned to Cat. ‘How do I look?’
‘Fine. Just fine. That green really suits ye. Breda did a good job on the dress,’ she said brushing a few auburn hairs off Ellie’s shoulders. ‘Did ye get the story? Michael can get hold of some furniture for us.’
‘Well that sounds grand. When?’
‘Let’s discuss that later,’ she whispered. ‘I’ve had an idea…. let’s do Mummy’s game on Michael shall we?’
Ellie moved towards the door and just as she opened it, turned and grinned at Cat over her shoulder.
Hearing the girls enter the room, Michael stood up and greeted Ellie, offering her a glass of porter he had poured for her. She drank some and put the glass down on the table.
‘Will ye sit at the table now Michael?’ she asked as she went toward the range.
Michael sauntered over to the table and sat down listening to the girls clanking pots and pans.
Then Ellie placed a plate on the table where Michael sat and returned to the oven where the other two plates were warming. She quickly moved across to the table almos
t dropping them they were so hot. She blew on her fingertips, then quickly passed one to Cat’s place and placed her own in front of her.
The girls exchanged glances then bowed their heads in prayer. Michael followed suit. Cat looked up in time to catch Ellie’s eye and wink.
‘Pass the salt will ye Ellie?’ Cat asked and sprinkled it over her plate.
Michael watched looking puzzled.
‘Can I have it back now, I can’t eat these potatoes without salt, ye’ve forgotten to put some in the cookin’,’ Ellie said lavishly sprinkling salt over her empty plate. She picked up her knife and fork, but then as though remembering something, she looked up at Michael.
‘C’mon Michael, dig in.’ she ordered.
Michael stared at his plate, puzzled.
The girls continued cutting and forking invisible food into their mouths.
‘Mm this is delicious, Ellie. ‘Tis the best yet,’ Cat said looking straight at Michael.
Michael sat staring, first at Cat, then his gaze turned to Ellie. They must both be crazy he decided.
‘Is something wrong with the meal Michael?’ Ellie asked.
‘No. No. ’Tis perfectly edible, ’tis just that I like to have a bit of mint sauce on me lamb,’ he said trying to humour her.
‘Oh I’m sorry,’ Cat butted in, ‘Ellie, get the mint sauce for Michael will ye?’
Ellie obediently jumped up and went to the kitchen, then returned with a little dish. She put the dish, which Michael noticed was empty, down on the table beside his plate.
‘There ye are Michael, help yerself,’ she said. ‘Oh but wait a minute, ye’ll need a spoon too.’ She jumped up and went back to fetch one and put it down next to the empty dish.
Michael picked up the spoon and scooped some imaginary mint sauce from the dish and pretended to drop it onto his plate.
‘There,’ he said sounding satisfied, ‘that’s better now isn’t it?’ He then set about tucking into his absent meal, wondering what the hell was taking place. He hadn’t heard of any madness coming from that family back home, but maybe they had both gone that way since coming to England. He decided to go along with it and leave as soon as possible.
‘This is fine meat, Ellie,’ Michael said pretending to chew a mouthful.
Ellie looked at him and frowned. ‘Didn’t yer mother tell ye not to speak with yer mouth full?’
‘Indeed she did. I apologise, Michael replied. ‘Now I’ll finish me meal and won’t say another word.’ And for several more minutes he sat cutting and forking the non-existent meal into his mouth while Cat and Ellie did the same.
Cat then asked Michael if he had to find new lodgings as his landlady was going back to Wales, but careful not to be chastised again for speaking with his mouth full, he pointed to his lips and kept chewing.
Unable to keep up the charade any longer, Cat burst out laughing, joined by Ellie who doubled up on her chair convulsed with hilarity.
Then gradually Michael began to see the joke they had played on him. He put down his knife and fork.
Cat, by now, was screaming with laughter, rocking back and forth on her chair wiping tears from her eyes as Ellie jumped up to fetch the ‘real’ food, which was in the oven.
Ellie lay the roasting dish with a joint of lamb on the table and asked Michael to carve. Roast potatoes snuggled round the edges of the lamb, crisp and brown, oozing juice, rubbing shoulders with parsnips laced in honey. The aroma was tantalizing, but Michael decided he was not ready to give in to normality just yet.
‘Carve what?’ he asked
‘The meat of course,’ Ellie said handing him a carving knife.
‘But there’s nothin’ there at all.’ Michael said staring at the joint, ‘and anyway, I’m so full from the first meal, I couldn’t eat another thing.’
Ellie grinned, ‘so, ye’ve lost yer appetite then Michael? Well, we’ll have to take this meal away then won’t we?’
‘Not so fast,’ he said. His eyes met Ellie’s. ‘I think I’ve room for more after all,’ he added and looked at her, smiling. ‘And any more tricks like that and I’ll skin ye alive young lady.’
He began carving the meat which fell from the bone tenderly, revealing pinky-brown flesh ready to be garnished well with real mint sauce.
22
Eltham
March 1917
Michael walked into the darkness whistling and Ellie closed the front door, then rested against it. She was confused; she was still mourning Jimmy’s death, yet Michael had stirred something inside her. Something she thought had died. It wasn’t love, she was sure of that, but in the absence of another explanation, she was at a loss. She refused to admit she was attracted to Michael, it seemed indecent, so decided she would keep her thoughts to herself until she knew him better or had let more time elapse.
Cat swept past Ellie into the bedroom. ‘What in the world are ye doing, holdin’ up the door?’ she said interrupting her reverie.
Ellie grinned and ambled in behind Cat. ‘Did ye see to the fire?’
‘I did. Now get yerself into bed, we’ve early Mass in the mornin’ and it’s past midnight already.’ Cat began taking out her hairpins, laying them on a box next to the bed. She undressed, put on her nightdress and began brushing her hair, mumbling the number of strokes to herself. Suddenly she stopped and turned to Ellie.
‘Are ye goin’ to stand all night like someone lovesick who can’t spew, or are ye goin’ to get undressed and into bed?’
Ellie started undressing and turned her face away so that Cat could not read her expression. She didn’t feel like being interrogated, so decided to ignore the remark.
‘Well?’ Cat asked putting down the hairbrush, ‘are ye goin’ to tell me what’s up or not?’
‘Oh Cat, I really don’t feel like talkin’ right now, I’m tired and ’tis late. Let’s get to bed,’ Ellie said undoing the buttons to her dress which slipped down over her hips and fell to the floor.’
‘Pick up the dress and hang it up Ellie, or it’ll crease.’ Cat slid in between the sheets and yawned, ‘Oh why on earth did we agree to go to early Mass with him, we should have said we’d go to the eleven o’clock.’
‘Well, it’ll get it over with and leave more time to walk to Lize’s for the furniture. Did Michael say whether he had to move lodgings now?’
‘No, he didn’t. He began to say at the table, but he got kind of sidetracked. He fell for that at first didn’t he?’
‘Yes. I’m surprised, I would have thought he’d have known what we were up to, ’tis an old trick.’ Cat snuggled down under the bedclothes. ‘Turn out the lamp when ye’re done, I’m goin’ to sleep.’
‘D’ya think Louis will buy ye an engagement ring?’
‘Goodnight Ellie!’
‘Well, do ye?’
‘I don’t know and I don’t care. Get some sleep will ye.’
‘I don’t think I can sleep.’
‘Count sheep.’
‘It doesn’t work for me.’
‘Then count the hours ’till ye can see Michael Nagle again!’
What d’ya mean?’ Ellie’s tone was cautious.
‘C’mon, I’ve eyes in me head.’
Ellie didn’t answer but put her nightdress on and crept beneath the covers where she began yawning and feigning sleep. Soon her heavy breathing indicated to Cat she had gone to sleep, but Ellie lay for hours trying to work out what she felt and the implications of getting involved with Michael. He was going to America. If he asked her to go with him, would she want to? She didn’t think so but at nearly thirty, her options were narrowing.
Eventually she fell into a restless sleep, exhausted and still undecided about her course of action should Michael ask her to go out with him. Would she go? Michael had asked her out previously, but Jimmy had beaten him to it.
* * *
It was early afternoon by the time the trio had pushed the handcart, from Eltham to Plumstead. Cat opened the gate and knocked on Lize’s door.
&
nbsp; After a while the door opened a little and Iris peered through the gap
‘Hello Auntie Cat,’ she smiled and opened the door wider.
‘Hello, Iris. Can ye tell yer mammy we’re here to collect the sofa?’
Iris disappeared inside the house and returned instantly. ‘Mummy said to come in. She’s out in the scullery doing the dishes.’
Cat followed Iris inside and Ellie and Michael waited at the gate.
‘Are ye not goin’ in Ellie?’ Michael asked.
‘No.’
‘Why not?’
‘I wasn’t asked.’
Michael let the conversation drop. He gathered by Ellie’s tone that there was something amiss. Instead he stood whistling through his front teeth and rolling a cigarette. He pinched off spare tobacco from the end and lit it, drawing down the first rush of nicotine.
Ellie rolled a stone back and forth with her foot wishing Cat would hurry up. She wanted to get away. It was a long walk back and she was tired after a sleepless night.
‘Ye look tired,’ Michael said and drew on his cigarette whilst fiddling with a box of matches.
‘Sure I am, t’was late before we got to bed last night.’ There was a silence and Ellie continued rolling the stone around with her foot.
Then Michael turned to her. ‘Would ye care to go to the music hall one evening, with Cat as well, of course?’
Ellie stopped rolling the stone around and looked up at him. ‘I would. Yes, I would.’
‘What about Cat?’ Michael asked.
‘Ask her yerself, there she is.’
Cat had appeared in the doorway and was beckoning them inside.
They went up to the door and Ellie whispered to Cat. ‘Is Lize here?’
‘Yes, of course, why?’
‘Well, no reason, I just didn’t want to go barging into her house uninvited, if ye know what I mean.’ Ellie stepped into the hallway followed by Michael.
Lize approached them, drying her hands on a towel.
‘Afternoon Ellie,’ she said but looked at Michael, ‘and you are?’
‘Michael. Michael Nagle, missis.’
Lize looked at him and held out her hand.
Under the July Sun Page 11