Wartime at Liberty's

by Fiona Ford

  She lifted her head, looked past his shoulder, through the crack in the curtain and out into the audience. Had anyone seen the kiss? She scanned the audience, searching for someone with a disapproving gaze, but she could see nobody.

  But then, just a couple of rows away she caught sight of a face that made her feel sick to her stomach. Because there, mere feet away from her, drinking a pint of beer and smiling at her as if it were the most normal thing in the world was her father – Bill Wilson.

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  A wave of horror passed over Flo as her father winked. What was he doing? Surely he wasn’t going to cause trouble again? Not tonight of all nights. But of course he would be here to cause trouble; he never did anything else.

  Anxiously she turned to Henry. ‘My father’s here.’

  Henry followed her gaze out into the crowd, and nodded grimly. ‘What do you want me to do?’

  Flo shook her head. This man had been tormenting her for too long. It was time she took control. ‘I’m going to the office briefly. Perhaps you could keep an eye on him? I won’t be long.’

  ‘Let me come with you?’

  ‘No, it’s best if you stay here. When things get ugly, I don’t want anyone getting the blame apart from me.’

  With that she turned on her heel, slipped out of the wings and rushed towards the stairs. Fuelled with adrenaline she took the stairs two at a time until she reached Mr Button’s office. Pushing the door open, she switched on the light and walked over to her manager’s desk. Without a moment’s hesitation she lifted the receiver and addressed the operator.

  ‘Police please.’

  Within seconds she was connected.

  ‘Hello, my name is Florence Canning and I am fabric manager at Liberty’s. I would like to report the fact my father, Bill Wilson, a wanted criminal who has been on the run for over a year, is here at the store and I believe he intends to do me harm.’

  ‘We’ll be there as soon as we can, miss,’ the officer said quietly.

  As Flo put the phone down, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. She could finally put right one of the very many wrongs her father had committed over the years.

  Snapping off the light, she walked out of the office and made her way down the stairs. She didn’t want to cause alarm or suspicion – best to behave normally until the police arrived and let them deal with it.

  Returning the wings of the stage, she took a deep breath and peered out through the curtains. To her dismay her father was nowhere to be found. Had he fled already before the police had even arrived?

  ‘Looking for me, are you, love?’ Bill’s voice boomed through the shadows.

  Flo’s shoulders sank. She should have known Bill would find her if he wanted to. He always did.

  ‘What do you want?’ she said, turning round to find him leaning incongruously against the table, glass in one hand, only the dregs now remaining.

  ‘To see my darling daughter on the stage,’ he said, lifting what was left of his drink towards her. ‘You’ll be a household name, love, and what father wouldn’t want to honour a household name?’

  ‘What do you really want?’ Flo challenged.

  A look of mock hurt passed across his face. ‘Flo, how could you possibly think I would want anything else?’

  ‘Because I know you too well,’ she said, her patience wearing thinner than her oldest rayon skirt.

  Bill chuckled. ‘For years I thought you were too soft and pathetic like your mother, but I saw a bit of fire in you tonight. Perhaps you’re more like me than I thought.’

  ‘I am nothing like you,’ Flo snarled. ‘If I thought I was even a fraction like you I’d kill myself.’

  ‘Bit strong that, love.’ Bill chuckled, resting his glass on the table next to him and taking a step towards her.

  Instinctively she shrank back, and hated herself for it. He had always had the ability to terrify her, and she was furious he still had that effect.

  ‘Why are you running away from me, love?’ he asked. ‘I’m only here to collect my dues. Once you’ve paid up I’ll be gone.’

  ‘I’m not paying you a penny,’ Flo growled, reaching the end of the wings. ‘You can go to hell.’

  ‘There she is, a chip off the old block.’ He laughed again. ‘But I think we all know that I’m going nowhere until I get my money. That wife of mine was a wicked cow taking all my hard-earned money – surely you wouldn’t want to see me go without what’s rightfully mine? Now, Flo, I won’t ask again, where’s my money?’

  ‘In hell, which will freeze over before I give you anything,’ Flo thundered, her fear giving way to the anger that burnt deep inside. ‘I told you when you had the gall to turn up to Celia’s funeral that you could whistle for it, and I’ll tell you again. You’re nothing but a crook and a parasite the way you prey on other people. You deserve to rot in hell, penniless.’

  ‘Why, you little bitch.’ Bill’s jaw throbbed with anger as he lifted his arm and went to strike Flo, but she was too quick for him and moved out of the way, sending him off balance.

  ‘That’s what you do, isn’t it, Bill?’ she taunted, whirling around to face him from the other side of the room. ‘The only language you understand is hitting women until you get what you want. But not me. I don’t care: you can do what you like to me but you’ll never get what you want.’

  ‘Don’t you talk to me like that,’ Bill bellowed, attempting to strike Flo again. ‘You should show me more respect. I’m your father, d’you hear me?’

  Flo couldn’t help herself and laughed. It was just too funny, the idea of showing her father respect after all he had done to her. But the laugh cost Flo the upper hand as, immediately, Bill shoved her roughly to the ground. Looming over her, a sick smile on his face, he kicked her deftly in the ribs, and then again.

  ‘I’ll make you respect me, girl, you mark my words.’

  But although Flo wanted to cry out in pain, she refused to give Bill the satisfaction.

  ‘That what you said to Aggie when you hit her, is it, Bill? That what you told Celia when you beat her to within an inch of her life? You can beat and kick me as much as you like but it won’t change the monster you are. You’re scum, Bill.’ With that Flo hauled herself up to a sitting position in between blows, and spat on his shoes.

  At the gesture, Bill’s face contorted with wild rage and she watched him draw his leg back, ready to kick her with greater force. Shutting her eyes, she braced herself for the blow, telling herself it was all worth it to get under his skin in the way she had.

  But then the sound of footsteps surrounded her, and she felt herself being helped to her feet. Opening her eyes, she saw Henry looking at her with concern, while a team of police officers wrestled with her father.

  ‘Bill Wilson, you’re under arrest,’ one of the officers said, while another slapped a set of handcuffs on him. ‘You’ve been a wanted man for a long time.’

  ‘How did you find me?’ Bill snarled, before turning to Flo, his eyes wide with disbelief. ‘Did you do this? Did you grass me up? My own flesh and blood?’

  Flo leaned on Henry for support, her eyes shining with triumph. ‘I did, yes. I told you I wanted to see you rot in hell for all you’ve done. Prison will have to be the next best thing.’

  Bill screwed his face up in fury. ‘You’ll pay for this, girl, you’ll see. I know people.

  But much to Bill’s surprise, Flo laughed again. ‘Keep telling yourself that, Dad! Your reign of terror’s over; nobody’s afraid of you any more. Remember that.’

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  It was a shock as Flo got ready for work the next day and peered down at her stomach. She could already see the area was black and blue and she winced at the memory of the attack her father had dished out.

  It ought to have been her moment of triumph, she thought sadly as she reached for the Liberty print tea dress she knew was most comfortable. Slipping it over her head she did her best not to cry out in pain.

  ‘Flo, let
us help you do that,’ Bess’s voice boomed through the crack in the door, her hand bearing a cup of tea.

  Flo turned to smile at the girl. ‘I can manage.’

  ‘But you don’t need to,’ Bess protested, edging her way into the room. ‘You’ve helped us so much; let us help you. That’s what friends are for.’

  Smiling, Flo took the tea and regarded Bess fondly. They had all come such a long way in the past few months. Jean had become more relaxed and open and Bess had knocked some of the sharpness from her edges. As for herself, Flo thought, her eyes straying to the photo of Neil she kept on her bedside table, she had become more independent and less afraid to strike out on her own.

  After Bill had been arrested and taken down to the cells Dot had suggested she come and stay in Bell Street until she felt better. But Flo had refused; she wanted to stand on her own two feet now. After much discussion, Dot had relented, but not before promising that she, Alice, Arthur, Rose and Mary would come up to Islington the next morning to check on her.

  ‘It took some doing, that,’ Bess marvelled, as if reading her thoughts. ‘Standing up to your father like that can’t have been easy.’

  ‘It wasn’t,’ Flo admitted. ‘But things change. Before, I’d have let him run rings around me, but not any more. Justice needed to be done. For me, for my mother, for Celia and for Rose too and the part he played in sending her almost blind.’

  ‘Even so …’ Bess sighed. ‘Me and Jean, we’ll have to find a way of dealing with Fred, but for us it won’t be as simple as going to the police.’

  ‘I take it Jean told you he’s been seen outside the house then,’ Flo said quietly.

  Bess nodded, her face grave. ‘I keep wondering if we need to run again, go somewhere new. But it’s not fair to Jean, all this is too much for her.’

  ‘Jean’s stronger than you think,’ Flo mused. ‘You need to stop babying her, Bess. She can cope with more if you let her. She’s been a tower of strength since your accident.’

  ‘I know,’ Bess admitted. ‘I told her to leave me in the early days. Said it was difficult enough us being together, without her being with a cripple.’

  Flo winced. ‘Don’t talk about yourself like that, Bess.’

  ‘It’s true. I told her I was neither use nor ornament.’

  ‘But you don’t feel like that any more, do you?’ Flo asked cautiously.

  ‘Doesn’t matter if I do or I don’t.’ Bess chuckled. ‘Jean wouldn’t let me go anywhere. She told me she loved me and always would. Seems we’re stuck with each other – in your house, if you’ll have us.’

  ‘I’ll have you,’ Flo said softly.

  Bess smiled gratefully at Flo, her eyes saying more than words ever could.

  ‘She’s loyal, your Jean,’ Flo offered, breaking the silence as her eyes strayed to Neil’s photograph. ‘That means a lot.’

  ‘It does,’ Bess agreed, her eyes following Flo’s gaze. ‘But it’s not everything. You have to be loyal to yourself as well as others.’

  Flo was just about to speak when the sound of someone banging on the door echoed throughout the house.

  ‘Blimey, is that Dot already?’ she gasped, looking at her watch and seeing it was almost eleven. ‘And is that the time? You should have woken me.’

  ‘You’d had a rotten night.’ Bess grinned. ‘You needed to sleep.’

  But Flo wasn’t listening as she hurried down the stairs to greet her friends. Only, reaching the bottom step, she was surprised to find it wasn’t Dot at all but Max Monroe standing in her parlour.

  ‘Surprised to see me?’ He grinned, bending forward to kiss her cheek.

  ‘You could say that,’ Flo replied. ‘I thought you were unwell.’

  Max coughed. ‘Little white lie, dear. I wanted to see how you did on your own.’

  ‘What? I don’t understand.’

  ‘I think he means he was setting you a challenge.’ Jean grinned, returning from the kitchen with a tray teeming with cups, saucers and a large pot of tea.

  Gesturing for him to sit down, Flo looked at him in surprise. ‘Why would you set me a challenge? I already sang at The Kitty Cat Club.’

  ‘And you were a sensation.’ Max beamed, taking the tea from Jean’s outstretched hand. ‘But last night you were a star.’

  ‘You saw me?’ Flo coloured.

  ‘I did. I also heard about your father being dragged off by the police.’

  ‘Yes,’ Flo murmured. ‘It did rather spoil things.’

  ‘Nonsense. Only added to the drama.’ Max rubbed his hands with glee. ‘Besides, that’s show business. And that’s what I’m here for, to make one last impassioned plea.’

  ‘An impassioned plea?’ Flo muttered. ‘What are you on about?’

  Just as Max was about to answer the door knocker went again and Flo got up to answer it. This time it was Dot, surrounded by Alice, Arthur, Mary, Rose and Henry too.

  ‘How are you, darlin’?’ Dot asked as Flo welcomed her inside. ‘I bet you’re a bit tender this morning, ain’t you?’

  ‘You could say that,’ Flo admitted.

  ‘Are you all right, Flo?’ Rose asked, her voice filled with concern. ‘Can we get you anything?’

  ‘I’m fine thanks, Rose,’ Flo replied warmly.

  ‘Best thing you could have done was call the Old Bill,’ Alice said fervently. ‘I wish I’d done it to my old man. Maybe I’d have saved myself a lifetime of bother if I had.’

  Flo exchanged a tender look with Alice as she shut the door behind everyone. If anyone knew what it was like to live with a criminal father it was Alice.

  ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

  ‘Even so, I’d like to knock him into the middle of next week for what he did to you,’ Henry growled.

  Flo felt butterflies in her stomach as she looked up at him. The kiss they had shared last night was so tender, and she knew they had feelings for one another that went deeper than friendship.

  Meanwhile, Dot was making herself at home, walking straight towards the parlour.

  ‘Oh, hello! What are you doing here?’ she said, sitting next to Max as if they were best friends.

  ‘Yes, I was trying to find that out myself,’ Flo said, edging her way into the room. ‘Max was just about to tell me when you all turned up.’

  ‘Well, don’t let us stop you,’ said Mary brightly. ‘We’re all friends here.’

  Looking mildly uneasy just for a second, Max glanced up at Flo. ‘At the beginning of next month, myself and another team from ENSA will be shipping out to Egypt to entertain the troops. I want you to come with me, Flo. I’ve cleared it with the relevant authorities, this would be war service.’

  For a split second there was nothing but silence as she took in Max’s words.

  ‘You’ve told me you’re serious about singing, and, Flo Canning, my word, you are a singer, you really are. You should be on a stage every night. What do you say? I promise that if you turn me down now I shall be broken-hearted but I won’t ever ask you again.’

  Flo felt breathless; this was all happening so fast. ‘But my job, my home …’

  ‘Will all be waiting for you when you get back,’ Dot cut in. ‘Edwin and I talked about this only the other day. He will get a temporary manager to cover you. When you come back, after we’ve won this war, your job will still be here – if you want it, of course, assuming you haven’t toppled Vera Lynn off her perch.’

  Flo’s heart was roaring in her ears as she took in this new information. She could have a chance at making her dreams come true and still return to her old life, with her old friends. It seemed too good to be true.

  ‘So you think I should go?’ she said eventually.

  ‘Why wouldn’t you?’ Rose beamed. ‘This is a new start, a chance to make something of your life. Do it for your country.’

  ‘And do it for you,’ Mary put in wisely.

  ‘We’re not going anywhere, love.’ Alice smiled. ‘You’ve got us for life.’

  Henry looked at
her. ‘Mind if I have a quick word in private?’

  ‘Just excuse me,’ she replied, scurrying out to the hallway to join Henry.

  ‘Is everything all right?’ she asked.

  Henry clasped Flo’s hands and held her gaze. ‘The kiss we shared last night meant the world to me. I’m falling in love with you, but I heard what Max Monroe said to you in there. About joining ENSA.’

  Flo’s face fell. ‘Oh, yes. I mean, I’m not going.’

  ‘You should go,’ Henry urged as he squeezed her hands tightly. ‘You should follow your dreams. I love you enough to know I’ve got to let you go, Flo. If there’s anything more than friendship between us, I know you’ll come back and we’ll see where we end up. For now, as your friend, I think you have to follow your heart.’

  Smiling tenderly up at him, Flo leaned forwards and kissed Henry’s cheek. He smelled like home.

  Pulling away, she looked up at him, bright-eyed, her heart filled with hope and her senses alive with anticipation. She didn’t know what was in their future, she didn’t know if she would ever be able to love anyone but Neil, but she knew Henry would always be a part of it.

  Turning back to the parlour, she drank in the sight of her friends, sitting together drinking tea with a singing legend. For years now, this collection of women had been a constant in her life. They had been there for each other through some of the worst moments of their lives, and also for some of the happiest.

  Her eyes strayed to the mantel and she saw the picture of her, Neil and the girls surrounding them on their wedding day. On that day she had been so sure of who she was and what her future looked like. Those dreams lay in tatters, and now she was ready to replace them with new ones.

  She turned away from Henry and walked back into the parlour. ‘I’ll do it, I’ll join ENSA,’ she said, addressing Max, who clapped his hands in delight.

  At that the girls got to their feet and pulled her into their arms. As she felt their warmth and love surrounding her, Flo knew that she could travel to the other side of the world and these girls, these friends for life, would still be there for her, come what may. With her precious Liberty girls in her heart, Flo knew without doubt that her happy ending was just waiting to be discovered.