by Fiona Ford
‘Please, Jean,’ Flo urged again.
Jean gave the girls a small smile. ‘All right. I’ll come back.’
Flo clapped her hands together in delight. ‘That’s wonderful. We’ve all missed you so much. Things haven’t been the same without you.’
‘There are a few conditions, however,’ Jean said. ‘I want a pay increase.’
‘You want a what?’ Alice echoed in disbelief.
‘A pay increase,’ Jean said, her gaze unwavering. ‘To make up for getting sacked. If I’m as important as you say then it shouldn’t be a problem.’
Flo stifled a smile. She had to admire Jean’s cheek and if she was honest she couldn’t blame her. The girl had been treated shabbily and Henry had said she could if necessary give Jean an extra shilling a week to encourage her to return.
‘All right,’ Flo said gravely. ‘An extra thruppence a week.’
Jean arched an eyebrow. ‘A shilling.’
‘A tanner,’ Flo counter-offered. ‘And I won’t go any higher so don’t try and make me.’
There was another brief pause as Jean considered the offer. Flo glanced at Alice; she was shaking her head at the girl’s nerve. The extra money would bring her almost in line with what Mary was earning.
‘All right,’ Jean said eventually.
‘Good.’ Flo beamed. ‘Now, let’s celebrate. Alice, can you stay for a bit?’
‘Yes, Dot’s got Arthur and she told me to take my time.’
‘Lovely. I’ll buy you each a drink at the Lamb and Flag.’
‘You can’t say fairer than that, Jean.’ Alice smiled. ‘Come on, get your coat.’
With that Jean leapt to her feet and made her way into the hallway to collect her bag and coat with Flo and Alice following behind. As Flo slid her feet into her well-worn court shoes, there was a sharp knock at the door.
Opening it, Flo came face-to-face with a tall blonde woman about the same age as her and dressed in the same factory uniform as Bess.
‘Can I help you?’ Flo asked, noting the sombre look on the girl’s face.
‘I’m looking for Jean Rushmore. Is she here?’
‘Yes, I’m here,’ Jean said, pushing her way past Flo to address the girl. ‘Are you from Bess’s work?’
The girl nodded. ‘I’m Catherine. The boss sent me to talk to you. Jean, I’m sorry to have to tell you this but Bess was injured this afternoon.’
Flo saw the colour drain from Jean’s face as she opened her mouth to speak.
‘What’s happened?’ she demanded.
The girl shook her head. ‘I’m not properly sure. I was on my tea break when it happened. Something to do with a shell casing not being sealed properly and an explosion.’
Jean’s hands flew to her mouth. ‘No, not my Bess. Not my darling girl. Is she all right?’
‘I hope so – I think so,’ Catherine replied, looking for all the world as if the accident had affected her too. ‘The doctors are looking after her now. Would you like to see her?’
Wordlessly Jean nodded, and flew out of the door.
Alice and Flo exchanged knowing looks. Jean hadn’t asked, but there was no doubt about it. They would go with her and give her the support she would no doubt need. Jean was a Liberty girl, always was and always would be.
Chapter Thirteen
Less than two hours later Flo, Alice and Jean were sitting in the stark white hospital corridor of Hayes Cottage Hospital, with doctors and nurses rushing past them, talking in hushed tones and calling out terms not one of the girls understood.
‘I just don’t understand how it can have happened,’ Jean cried for the fourth time since they arrived. ‘How could she have been injured so badly?’
‘Steady now, Jean,’ Alice soothed. ‘We don’t know how bad things are yet.’
‘Precisely,’ Flo agreed. ‘The people at the factory will have given her excellent first aid.’
‘You’ve got to have hope,’ Alice added gently. ‘Without hope you’ve got nothing.’
With that Flo met Alice’s gaze and exchanged a knowing look. They had both faced loss and despair over the past twelve months. If anyone knew about hope helping you through your bleakest moments they did.
‘Well, we know that she’s lost her hand for a start,’ Jean wailed as if she hadn’t heard the girls. ‘We know that she’s been burnt.’
‘But we don’t know how badly yet,’ Alice countered. ‘You’ve got to be strong for her now, Jean. Trust me, if there’s one thing I know it’s that however bad things are your sister won’t cope if you’re standing about weeping at her bedside.’
Just then they heard the sound of footsteps coming towards them. Immediately the girls got to their feet as a weary-looking nurse approached them. Flo saw her uniform was a pale primrose colour, which meant she was a junior nurse. A flash of hope flooded through Flo; surely things couldn’t be that bad if a junior nurse was coming to talk to them?
‘Miss Rushmore, my name is Nurse Stevens and I’ve been helping your sister Bess Green.’ She ran her finger along a sheet of white paper. ‘Are you her next of kin?’
Jean nodded again.
Nurse Stevens frowned. ‘She has no husband?’
‘No, he died before the war,’ Jean mumbled, her gaze cast downwards.
Flo blanched in surprise. She had no idea Bess had been married; the girls had never said and as far as she was aware Bess always used the same surname as Jean.
‘I see.’ Nurse Stevens frowned again before glancing back up at Jean and addressing the girls. ‘Well, as you know your sister was involved in an accident at the factory.’
‘Do you know what happened?’ Flo asked.
‘It seems Mrs Green was working with the shells. She took the casing, filled it with powder, then when she put the detonator on top she tapped it too hard and it exploded. It’s all too common; sadly some girls are killed when they’re involved in similar accidents,’ Nurse Stevens said, her face grave.
‘Just how badly injured is she?’ Jean asked.
‘Well, Mrs Green has lost her right hand and suffered superficial burns to her face, neck and hands, but that seems to be all,’ Nurse Stevens explained. ‘She has been comparatively lucky.’
‘Lucky?’ Jean echoed in disbelief. ‘Bess has lost her hand, how on earth could she be considered lucky?’
The nurse’s eyes levelled with Jean’s. ‘Many girls like your sister who work in those factories come in here with worse injuries than that,’ she said coolly. ‘Your sister will learn to live without her hand and her burns will heal in time. It could have been far, far worse.’
As Nurse Stevens finished talking, Flo squeezed Jean’s hand. ‘She’s right, Jean. Now the rest is up to you. I know it’s a shock, but Bess needs your help.’
Jean nodded. ‘I will always be there for Bess. I love her more than anyone else in the world.’
At that the nurse’s gaze softened and she gave Jean a small smile. ‘And I know she will be grateful to have you. Now, what we will do is keep Mrs Green in the hospital for a while for observation then we shall transfer her to a convalescent home not far from here.’
‘Will Jean be able to visit?’ Alice asked in a practical tone.
‘Of course,’ Nurse Stevens replied. ‘We encourage family members and friends to come during visiting hours; it helps our patients see there is light at the end of the tunnel.’
‘See, Jean,’ Flo said encouragingly, ‘it’s going to be all right. ’
Jean said nothing and as Flo looked at her friend she could see that she hadn’t heard a thing she had said. Instead, she was no doubt focused on Bess and what the future would look like. Flo understood. She had been just the same when Neil died, unable to hold on to a single thought as so many fears, worries and memories passed through her mind.
‘I would suggest that whilst she will be grateful to have you around, Jean, Mrs Green would also like the support of your mother, and I think she could be a great help to you too. Could you con
tact her and let her know what’s happened?’ Nurse Stevens said, her voice more gentle now.
Jean nodded. ‘I’ll tell her, but I don’t reckon she’ll be able to come. She lives on the Isle of Wight; it’ll be hard for her to make the journey.’
The nurse nodded. ‘All right, well, perhaps in time.’
‘Can I see her now?’ Jean asked. ‘She’ll want me to be with her.’
Nurse Stevens nodded. ‘Of course. But I must warn you that your sister is barely conscious because of all the medication we’ve given her and she’s covered in bandages. It’s nothing to worry about, but I want you to know that the sight of her will be quite shocking at first so you should be prepared.’
Jean nodded and stepped forward before turning back to glance at Flo, gesturing for her to come along. Spotting the exchange Nurse Stevens shook her head.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘the rest of you will have to wait a few more days. Family only for now.’
With that Nurse Stevens turned on her heel and led Jean down the corridor towards one of the wards.
As Flo sat back down on the hard wooden chair, she glanced at Alice and could see her face was contorted with worry.
‘You all right?’ Flo asked.
‘I was going to ask you the same question,’ Alice replied. ‘How are you feeling?’
As Alice gestured around her at the hospital ward, Flo nodded; she knew what her friend meant. ‘You mean am I all right with being around such a tragedy after Neil’s death?’
Alice winced at the bluntness of Flo’s statement. ‘I didn’t mean it quite like that.’
‘Truly, Alice, I’m fine,’ Flo lied, her mind full of Neil.
‘So what’s on your mind?’
‘To be honest I’m wondering why Jean told the nurse her mother lived on the Isle of Wight.’
‘Did she?’
‘Yes, and I could have sworn blind she told me they had lived in Cornwall.’
‘Well, I’m sure you’ve just got hold of the wrong end of the stick, Flo,’ Alice reasoned. ‘I mean, Jean’s not going to lie about where she’s from.’
Flo shrugged. ‘Then there was the fact Bess is called Mrs Green. Did you know she had been married before?’
Frowning at the question, Alice shook her head. ‘I didn’t, but then I don’t know Bess well enough to know about her personal life.’
‘Well, I ought to know, they lodge with me,’ Flo exclaimed.
Alice sighed. ‘Just because we’re friends doesn’t give us all the right to know each other’s secrets.’
‘I know.’ Flo shifted in her seat. ‘I just get the sense something’s not quite right. And if Jean or Bess are in trouble, well, we owe it to them to help in any way that we can.’
Chapter Fourteen
Over the days that followed, Flo barely saw Jean. Understandably she had devoted herself to her sister, taking most of her belongings from Flo’s home and moving them temporarily to Bess’s lodgings in Hayes.
Naturally, Jean’s return to Liberty’s was put on hold, as Henry, Mr Button and the board all agreed Jean should have as much time as she needed before returning to work.
In fact it was something Mr Button had been stoic about as he called Flo up to his office the following day.
‘You must insist that Jean doesn’t return until she’s ready,’ he said to Flo, his fingers steepled together as he contemplated the situation. ‘The board all agree this is a delicate matter and we want to help any way we can. Jean will have to become her sister’s carer once Bess is discharged, at least for a time until Bess gets used to things. Consequently, we need to give her as much time as possible to sort this situation out. It’s a shame as she has only just been reinstated.’
Flo nodded. ‘Of course, we’re all desperately sad for them both.’
‘Have the hospital given any indication of when Bess will be discharged into the convalescent home?’
‘I don’t think so,’ Flo said, ‘but Jean will hardly want to leave her even when she is moved.’
‘Understandable,’ Mr Button agreed. ‘They are close, aren’t they?’
‘They are.’ Flo nodded. ‘It’s made it that much harder for Jean that she blames herself.’
Mr Button frowned as the strong November wind caused the sash windows to rattle. ‘Why on earth is that?’
‘Because they needed the money when they moved to London. That was why Bess volunteered to be a canary girl. At twenty-eight shillings a week the pay was far better than any other work she could have got.’ Flo sighed. ‘Jean feels that if she too had gone for something that paid more highly rather than working in a job she adored, Bess might not have had to work in a dangerous munitions factory.’
‘That’s a lot of ifs, buts and maybes,’ Mr Button said with a raised eyebrow. ‘But it’s natural to feel guilty when our loved ones are put in danger.’
At the remark Flo said nothing. She was all too aware of the guilt she felt on a daily basis over the way she had deceived her husband. She was doing her best to be strong, but often she would find herself staring aimlessly at order books, wondering how on earth so much tragedy could hit her small but perfectly formed family. It seemed to Flo that there was very little fairness left in the world.
‘Can you manage without Jean or would you like an extra set of hands?’ Mr Button asked, interrupting Flo’s thoughts.
Flo jumped in surprise at the offer of extra help. ‘What about all the cuts you’ve had to make lately? Do you have the budget for more help?’
Mr Button’s eyes twinkled with mischief. ‘Not really, but we can’t afford to leave fabrics short-staffed. How would you feel if I lent you Mr Masters occasionally?’
At the thought of Mr Masters based in fabrics more frequently Flo smiled. Sales would definitely be on the up whenever he was on the floor.
‘I think Mr Masters would be a great help,’ she said. ‘But I’m not sure he would be enough, sir, and nor am I really sure he has the time, what with his extra duties.’
Giving a slight nod of his head, Mr Button leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. ‘What about if I asked Evie Allingham to help out on the floor?’
‘Evie Allingham?’ Flo echoed in disbelief. ‘But doesn’t she work at Botheringtons?’
‘Not for some time, though she still has a brother on the board there,’ Mr Button replied. ‘I believe they are estranged. Regardless of all that she’s extremely knowledgeable about fabrics, which is why she has been consulting for the Board of Trade alongside me. Mrs Allingham is also a highly talented seamstress and has always held Liberty’s in very high esteem. After all,’ he said, letting out a tinkling laugh, ‘Botheringtons is hardly Liberty’s, is it? I think she would be a real asset to the shop floor.’
Flo thought for a minute. There was no doubt that they would need an extra pair of hands but how would Dot react to Evie working at the store?
‘Have you spoken to Dot?’ she asked before she could change her mind.
Mr Button frowned. ‘What on earth does it have to do with Dorothy? But no, for what it’s worth I haven’t mentioned it to her. Should I?’
‘No, not at all, sir,’ Flo said quickly. ‘I think it’s a marvellous idea and I’m sure Dot will too. Thank you, sir, we shall look forward to welcoming Mrs Allingham to the department.’
‘Over my dead body,’ Dot said, kicking a box of buttons in the stockroom with such force the box tipped over, spilling its contents across the floor. ‘How can Edwin even think of getting that woman to work here?’
‘I don’t think it’s going to be that bad, Dot,’ Flo said consolingly as she stooped to pick up the flood of buttons. ‘It’s only temporary.’
‘There’s nothing temporary about that floozy’s intentions. She’s after my Edwin,’ Dot hissed. ‘And I tell you this as well: if she thinks she can come in here and get her feet under the table without a fight she’s got another think coming.’
‘Dot, I really think you’re getting this out of p
roportion,’ Flo said. ‘She’s only joining us temporarily, and part-time at that. Mr Masters is going to help us out too.’
At the mention of Henry Dot raised an eyebrow. ‘I heard he was a big hit with the ladies last time he was on the floor.’
‘He was certainly good with the customers, if that’s what you mean.’
‘And you ’n’ all.’ Dot said in a knowing tone. ‘Seems as if our deputy manager’s taken a shine to you.’
Flo blushed. ‘Don’t be silly, Dot. I appreciate his knowledge about fabrics, that’s all. He knows what he’s on about, as does Evie Allingham. She’s not interested in Mr Button; you’ve got to stop this, you’ll send yourself mad.’
Picking up the upended box, Dot promptly sat down; then she rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. ‘Oh, ignore me, Flo, I’m sure you’re right. I’m being a silly old sod, but it was sweet of you, darlin’, to tell me before breaking it to the others.’
Sitting beside the older woman on the box, Flo said, ‘All this jealousy isn’t like you. Why are you so bothered now?’
Dot looked at Flo. ‘I don’t know what’s got into me, love. I suppose it’s because I’ve finally realised just how much I’ve loved having Edwin back in my life. I fought against my feelings for so long – I felt I was letting George down by finding love again. It was daft of me to get so upset, as if my George, the most loving, loyal, funny and wonderful man in the world, would ever think I was betraying him. I know now he would have wanted me to get on with life.’
Flo nodded. The idea of ever loving another man seemed unthinkable. Although Dot had been alone for almost three decades – was that something she was willing to face?
‘I suppose now I’ve realised how much I love the bones of Edwin, I’m terrified someone’s going to take him away,’ Dot continued. ‘I’ve only just got used to having someone special in my life again; I don’t want to lose him.’