Mrs Boots Goes to War

by Deborah Carr

  Florence took a sip. One of her eyes winked automatically at the sharpness of the drink, but it was delicious.

  ‘Too much?’ Lily asked, taking a sip of her own.

  ‘No, I like it.’

  Lily grinned. ‘Really?’

  Florence laughed. ‘When have you known me to not tell you the truth?’

  ‘Good point,’ Lily said, returning Florence’s smile and sitting on the other chair. She placed her glass on the table and turned to Florence. ‘Right. Now, are you going to tell me why you’re here?’

  Florence smiled at her. Lily knew her so well. She loved that her friend felt comfortable enough to be straight with her and tease her about things. Florence explained how, since Miss Tweed’s tragic death and Gladys leaving to be married, she hadn’t been able to find anyone to replace either woman.

  ‘I know Miss Tweed was a force to be reckoned with and I had been concerned about her asking to retire for a couple of years,’ Florence admitted. ‘I hadn’t expected Gladys to be able to completely fill her shoes, but she was very good. In fact, I hadn’t realised quite how proficient she was until Enid took her place.’

  ‘But she’s been with you a while now, hasn’t she?’

  ‘Yes, almost a year.’

  Lily narrowed her eyes. ‘How exactly do I fit in?’

  Florence knew to come straight to the point. Lily didn’t need a build-up to hearing news and she had already gone some way to do that. ‘I need you to step in as my senior secretary.’ She raised her right hand. ‘Only for a few months until I find someone to replace you.’

  Lily didn’t reply immediately. ‘But what about poor Enid? I can’t be responsible for some other woman losing her job.’

  Florence shook her head. ‘You won’t be.’ She went on to relay her earlier conversation with Enid. ‘So, you see, you would be helping both of us out by coming to work for me.’

  ‘But why ask me? I haven’t done that sort of work for so long I doubt I’ll know what to do now.’

  ‘Nonsense. You know me. You know how I like things done and apart from Jesse you’re the most organised, hard-working person I know.’ She decided to change tactics. ‘I promise it will only be for a short while. You can help Enid and she’ll keep you up to speed with all the things that need doing each day.’ Florence took another sip of her drink. ‘I will begin looking for a replacement immediately, but it’s difficult finding office staff, or any staff to be honest. So many young women want the excitement of working more directly for the war effort, and I can understand that, what with the increase in wages.’ She watched as Lily thought about her proposal. She hadn’t immediately refused, and Florence knew that meant that Lily was considering accepting.

  ‘Who will cover for me while I’m upstairs working for you though?’

  ‘It will be good training for your assistant, don’t you think?’

  Lily looked out over her garden thoughtfully. ‘It would make a change, I suppose.’ Florence watched her silently. ‘And I’m always happy to help you out. Yes, go on then. I’ll do it, but only for a few months at the most.’ She paused. Florence knew this was to reaffirm her last comment, so nodded her acceptance. ‘I love working on the shop floor,’ Lily continued. ‘I don’t want to be away from my department for too long. What if they get used to not having me there?’

  Florence took Lily’s nearest hand in her own. ‘I can’t ever see that ever happening. The staff at Boots have great respect for you, Lily. The women in your department most of all.’

  Lily sighed. ‘I hope you’re right.’ She placed her free hand on top of Florence’s. ‘Then we are agreed? I’m happy to come and work as your secretary for a few months only.’ Her eyes twinkled in amusement. ‘No more than three at the most.’

  Florence removed her hand and picked up her lemonade, smiling at her friend. ‘Anyone would think you didn’t enjoy working by my side.’ Florence laughed to show she was joking. She was well aware of Lily’s loyalties to her but knew her heart had always lain with her job dealing with customers. ‘Yes, I’m happy to agree to any terms. Three months at the most then.’

  Florence breathed a sigh of relief and beamed at her generous friend, delighted. She reached out her hand and took Lily’s again. ‘Thank you, Lily. I was hoping you would do this for me. How soon can you start?’

  Lily laughed. ‘Will Monday be early enough?’

  ‘It will.’ Now, thought Florence, all she had to do was to start looking for Lily’s replacement as her secretary. She didn’t want to take advantage of her good friend’s kindness. Finding a new senior secretary wasn’t going to be easy, as had been proved to her when she had taken on Enid. The right woman must be out there somewhere though. She simply needed to find her and persuade her to come and work for her.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Early hours, 25 September 1916

  Florence and Jesse had spent a fun afternoon with Margaret and her two daughters in the warm living room of her house. As she changed for bed Florence thought back to how sweet the two little girls were and wondered if John and Margaret would be happy to leave their family at two, or maybe try for another child at some point.

  Florence cleaned her teeth and after kissing Jesse good night went to her own room and got into bed. She really should turn out the light and get some sleep, she thought, but for some reason sleep evaded her. She picked up her latest book from the lending library and opening it, took out the bookmark and began to read.

  Sometime later, Florence was distracted by a deep droning sound. She stopped reading and listened. It wasn’t a sound she thought she had ever heard before and for a few seconds Florence prayed that it wasn’t the thing she dreaded most. A distant wailing pierced the night air making her jump up. She immediately realised that the siren was alerting them to a Zeppelin attack. The deep sound of the air machine was getting louder. She thought back to the Zeppelin attack on Nottingham in January the previous year and realised in horror that one of the monstrous machines was coming their way.

  She snapped her book shut and threw back her bed covers. Sliding her feet into her slippers, she grabbed her dressing gown and tied it as she ran down the corridor to Jesse’s room next door. Before waking him, she pulled on the cord by his fireplace to call for his nurse George. He was always alert and would come racing up the stairs in a panic to see what the matter was.

  ‘Jesse?’ she said, gently trying to rouse him by pushing his shoulder with one hand and turning on his bedside light with the other.

  ‘Wha—?’ He gazed at her bleary-eyed for a second before trying to sit up. ‘What’s happened? What’s the matter?’

  She didn’t want to make him panic, but knew that if there was to be a bombing raid then the last place they needed to be was upstairs in their bedrooms. ‘Can you hear that sound?’ she asked, as she pulled back his covers and took hold of his ankles, pulling them round so that his feet were on the floor. She took his slippers to put them on his feet as Jesse listened carefully to try to hear the sound that had caused her such alarm.

  ‘I do. Heaven help us, I think that’s a Zeppelin.’

  ‘I think so, too.’

  ‘We need to get everyone down to the cellars straight away.’ He put his hands on her shoulders. ‘Have you called for George, or Meadows?’

  Florence went to take his dressing gown from where it lay over the back of his chair. ‘They should be here any moment. I thought I’d come and wake you first though. We can’t waste any time.’ Even without concentrating on the sound now she could hear the clear dull sound of the Zeppelin. Her head pounded as she helped him on with his dressing gown.

  Just then, the door opened, and George ran in, closely followed by Meadows. ‘Are you all right, Sir?’

  ‘Did you hear the Zeppelin, too, Lady Boot?’ Meadows asked, keeping his voice low, as George lifted Jesse out of his bed.

  ‘Yes,’ Florence said, waving for him to following her onto the landing. ‘And I must admit that it’s unnerved me somew
hat. We need to ensure all the servants are woken and taken down to the cellars immediately. Can you do that for me, Meadows?’

  ‘Right away, Lady Boot.’

  ‘And tell them to bring a blanket from their beds, it’ll be cold in the cellar and we’ve no idea how long we’ll have to remain down there.’

  Without another word Meadows ran to the end of the corridor to the door that led to the back staircase and up to the servants’ quarters in the attic. The only servants who had rooms downstairs were Mrs Rudge and Meadows.

  Florence went back into Jesse’s bedroom to see if Jesse was nearly ready. ‘Let me know if you need me to do anything to help, George.’ She grabbed the eiderdown from his bed.

  ‘No thank you, Lady Boot. You just lead the way downstairs if you would. We’ll follow you down there in a jiffy.’

  She hurried down to warn Mrs Rudge. The sound of the Zeppelin was now so loud that Florence assumed it must almost be overhead. She doubted that anyone could sleep through the noise and thought of Miss Tweed and how there was no way she would have been able to sleep through the bombing that had stolen her and her sister’s lives.

  She forced herself to concentrate. There was nothing she could do now to help Agnes Tweed, but she could help save members of her household. As Florence pushed the baize door open, she heard the first panic-stricken voices of Ethel, the under housemaid, and Mavis, the kitchen maid, immediately followed by Meadows snapping at them to be quiet.

  She rushed to the kitchen, stepping on a corner of the eiderdown that had slipped from her arms and almost falling. Florence grabbed the back of a chair and righted herself. She noticed that Mrs Rudge was already setting up a tray with a large jug on it and several glasses.

  ‘Mrs Rudge,’ Florence said concerned they might be caught in the kitchen if bombs began falling. ‘There’s no time for refreshments. Get down to the cellar, now.’

  The next moment, Meadows burst into the kitchen, glanced from Florence to Mrs Rudge and, taking in the scene, took the tray from Mrs Rudge’s hands. ‘I’ll take these. We need to hurry.’

  Mrs Rudge stepped back for Florence to follow Meadows and as Florence passed her she noticed her cook pick up a tin of biscuits. How typically thoughtful of her, Florence thought, comforted to know that her staff always had everyone else’s best interests at heart.

  ‘George is bringing Sir Jesse down,’ she said as Meadows opened the door to the cellar and they all filed down, followed by her maids and the first footman.

  George switched on the light. Thankfully, Florence thought, they had set up blackout curtains in all rooms even down where they were now in case this sort of thing happened during a dinner party and wine still needed to be brought up from the cellar.

  How naïve we were, Florence thought, finding a space where she settled down Jesse’s eiderdown for her to sit next to him when George brought him down to join her. She turned her wedding ring round her finger anxiously awaiting their arrival. Where were they? Surely George should be here by now?

  ‘Meadows?’ she said, about to ask him to go and see if George needed any help with anything. Then, hearing footsteps, she turned to see George at the cellar door.

  Meadows handed the tray to one of the maids and ran to help his colleague.

  ‘We’re fine,’ George said taking each step tentatively as he carried Jesse carefully down to them. ‘Where would you like to sit, Sir Jesse?’

  Meadows ran up the stairs and closed the cellar door. Florence noticed him glare at two of the maids who were snivelling in the corner, no doubt terrified of losing their lives, she thought, feeling deeply sorry for the young women.

  ‘I have a place here for you, Jesse,’ Florence said, sitting and patting the eiderdown next to her.

  ‘This will do as well as any,’ Jesse said, giving her a reassuring smile. ‘I must say I didn’t expect my night to be interrupted in such a way when I retired to my bed.’

  A couple of the servants tittered, no doubt, Florence thought, relieved to be able to release some of their current emotions.

  Once Jesse was settled, she forced a smile, determined to put her servants at ease as much as she possibly could with the heavy dull thrum of the Zeppelin engines sounding closer than ever now. ‘We must all try to be brave,’ she said, hoping her own fear didn’t show in her voice. ‘Hopefully, we shan’t be down here for very long and can return to our warm beds.’

  ‘What’s that you have over there, Mrs Rudge?’ Jesse asked watching her setting out the biscuits and drinks on an old sideboard.

  ‘Cook has cleverly thought to bring us all—’ Florence realised she didn’t know what was in the jug. She gave Cook an inquisitive look. ‘I’m sorry, what was it that you’ve brought for us?’

  Mrs Rudge clasped her hands together in front of her looking pleased to have her thoughtfulness acknowledged in front of everyone. ‘I have some nice cool milk and biscuits for everyone.’

  ‘Well,’ Jesse said, smiling. ‘I, for one, am incredibly grateful. I find that now I’m fully awake I’m rather thirsty and as you know, Mrs Rudge, I can always enjoy one of your tasty biscuits.’

  Florence put her arm around Jesse’s waist. She knew she could always trust him to try to take charge of a difficult situation as he was now. She was relieved her children and grandchildren weren’t with them right now and hoped that their homes were safe enough away from the route the Zeppelin pilot had planned to follow. But if she had to meet her Maker then she would want to do it by Jesse’s side. She hoped that their being down here with the entire household gave the servants some solace.

  ‘Mavis,’ Mrs Rudge said, spotting her kitchen maid ashen-faced in the corner next to Ethel. ‘You can come here and make yourself useful. Hand out glasses of milk. And, Ethel, you can take the tin of biscuits around. It’ll do you both good to keep busy. It’s no good fretting about something we cannot do anything about.’

  ‘And we should all be safe down here,’ Florence added, her last word barely leaving her lips when the whole house shuddered at a nearby explosion.

  Ethel screamed and almost dropped the biscuit tin. William, the first footman, leant towards her and took the tin from her grasp. ‘You go and sit back down. We don’t need you dropping these, especially not if we’re to sit here for hours and they’re all we’re going to have to eat.’

  Florence didn’t like him snapping at the frightened girl but didn’t say anything. She assumed that although his reaction was one of anger it was most likely his way of expressing his own fear. Right now all she wanted to do was cling on to Jesse but it wouldn’t be seemly so she sat as decorously as she could manage with just an arm resting lightly around his back and the other on his left arm.

  ‘I wonder where that landed?’ Jesse whispered. ‘I hope no one’s been hurt.’

  ‘So do I.’ She willed the Zeppelin to pass over soon so that they could all relax once again. How many other people were trembling in their homes right now? she wondered. She had heard that Londoners had taken to going in the Underground stations during Zeppelin raids. She wasn’t surprised. It seemed like an excellent idea to her right now.

  There was a collective groan as the house shuddered once again as another nearby bomb exploded.

  ‘I think that was slightly further away,’ Jesse said. ‘What do you think, Meadows? George?’

  ‘Yes, Sir,’ they both agreed.

  What a relief, Florence thought. She waited for another ten minutes then, unable to sit still any longer, said, ‘I think we can probably return to our rooms now. At least we know the drill if there’s another raid tonight.’

  ‘I doubt there’ll be another following the same route though, don’t you?’ Jesse asked. ‘Why waste bombs on targets you’ve already hit?’

  He made sense. Florence watched as George carefully lifted Jesse and with Meadows’s help took him back upstairs.

  ‘Off you go, everyone,’ Florence said. ‘Back to your beds. Try your best to get some sleep.’

  She
watched them leave the cellar, but before following everyone else, decided that this might be the only time she would have sight of a Zeppelin airship. She glanced at the door again to check everyone had gone and then, unlocking the door to the back garden, opened it, and stepped tentatively outside.

  Florence followed the sound of the airship and peered up into the night’s sky. She gasped. Light from the ground shone up at the enormous silver cigar-shaped Zeppelin. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. Oh, she had seen pictures in newspapers like everyone else, but until now, Florence thought stunned, she had never appreciated the sheer size of the things that caused so much terror to the people of Britain. She watched for a few minutes before stepping back inside the cellar.

  ‘And I never want to see another one again,’ she said to herself, shocked by the experience she had just had.

  She closed the back door and locked it, then, seeing that one of the maids must have taken Jesse’s eiderdown back upstairs, followed the others out of the cellar. Mrs Rudge was putting the milk jug away and wiping the sides. Florence suspected this was her way of calming down after the frightening evening she had just experienced.

  ‘Please don’t worry too much, Cook,’ Florence said. ‘I’d rather you returned to your bed and managed to get some sleep tonight.’

  Mrs Rudge stopped cleaning. Then, wiping her hands on a hand towel, she sighed. ‘You’re right, of course, Lady Boot. I think I’m just a little overwrought, that’s all.’

  ‘Then you definitely need to go back to your bed.’

  ‘Yes, I think I do.’

  ‘Good night, Mrs Rudge. And thank you for all that you did tonight. I really appreciate it.’

  Florence left the shaken woman and went back upstairs to Jesse’s room, where he was already in bed, his eiderdown back on top of his bedclothes, waiting for her to wish him good night.