by Lesley Eames
It was the best thing she could do too. Men were going through hell to serve King and country. It was important that those left at home should keep things going – thriving, even – so there’d be an England for them to return to. On that thought, she decided to make her next proposal to Mr Bax.
SEVENTEEN
‘You’re hovering,’ Mr Bax said, the next day. ‘I suppose that means you’ve got a suggestion to make. What is it? More plates? More flowers?’
‘A table and chairs for the shop,’ Lily told him.
His heavy eyebrows went up. ‘This is a bakery, not a café.’
‘Yes, but some customers buy rolls or buns then stand outside to eat them. Why not provide a table and chairs so they can sit down and eat in comfort? There’s plenty of room.’
Mr Bax sighed. ‘You’ve got that look in your eyes. The one that says you’re not going to give up until I agree.’
‘There’s no need to go to any expense. I have a table and chairs upstairs we can use. Just to test the idea.’
‘Where will you sit of an evening?’
‘I’ll manage for a while.’
‘Go on, then. But I don’t want people falling over the furniture then taking me to court because of their injuries.’
Lily smiled. ‘You’re a treasure.’
He rolled his eyes but Lily knew he was pleased by the description.
He helped her to carry the furniture downstairs. ‘I see you’ve painted it. You’ve been plotting this for a while.’
‘I’ve been thinking about it,’ Lily admitted.
‘And you such a slip of a girl.’
Lily was thrilled when one of the first customers of the day asked, ‘Is it all right to eat my bun at the table?’
She was even more delighted when a young man came in wearing the blue suit of a convalescent soldier. He looked tired and Lily was glad to be able to offer a place for him to rest for a while. The table was often in use in the days that followed. In fact some customers competed for its use.
Late one morning, four young women rushed in and threw themselves into the chairs. ‘Got them!’ one of them said triumphantly.
‘It’s a pity you don’t serve tea,’ her friend told Lily.
‘Isn’t it?’ Lily said, looking at Mr Bax who was replenishing the bread baskets.
‘No tea,’ he said at closing time.
‘Several people have asked for it. For soup and sandwiches too.’
‘It wouldn’t be worth the extra work for just a few people and it might mean food going to waste.’ That would be a terrible thing when food was scarce.
‘What if there were more than a few people? There’s room for three tables out there.’
‘You’ve measured up, I suppose.’
For sure she had. ‘We can keep the food simple and if it doesn’t make a profit we can stop.’
‘I don’t have more tables.’
‘It’ll be easy enough to find them and paint them. Don’t you want the shop to earn more money?’
‘Of course I do. A man has to save for his retirement somehow, especially when he has sisters who are going to depend on him. But it’ll be a lot of hard work for small reward.’
Mr Bax held to his view for another week but every time he came into the shop there was at least one person sitting at the table and he overheard more than one asking if tea or hot food were available.
‘I hope I’m not going to regret this,’ he finally said, ‘but if you can pick up furniture cheaply, we’ll give it a try.’
Elsie and Phyllis helped Lily to find another two second-hand tables and six chairs then came round to paint them. Lily also bought more china and devised a simple menu of soup, sandwiches and rolls.
The little café was a great success and Lily was thrilled but one day she noticed Mr Bax looking serious. Grave, even. At closing time he called her into the kitchen. ‘I’m sorry, but I think I made a mistake, Lily.’ His hangdog face was especially sombre.
‘Mistake?’ Lily was dismayed.
‘In allowing you to start up this café. I can see how much it means to you but—’
Before he could finish Elsie called from the shop door. ‘Hello? Have I found myself in a ghost shop?’
Phyllis was due in a moment too.
‘We’ll talk tomorrow,’ Mr Bax said.
He reached for his coat and left.
EIGHTEEN
Lily slept badly but got up early, hoping to talk to Mr Bax before the shop opened. Frustratingly, trouble with the oven meant that he got behind with the baking and she didn’t like to distract him. But he caught up gradually and, shortly before opening time, he looked at his watch. ‘Let’s have that word, Lily.’
She tried to look calm but feared she was making a bad job of it.
‘There’s no doubt that you’ve a good head on your shoulders,’ he told her. ‘You see possibilities other people would miss and I can see how you’ll make a success of a business one day. But I think I was wrong to let you start a little café because I’ve realised you probably hope to extend it upstairs and give jobs to Elsie and Phyllis. Am I right?’
‘I really think it could work.’
‘Perhaps it could. But I’m no longer young and I’ve got retirement in my sights. So have my sisters and they’ve no pensions to speak of. They’re depending on me for support. I rent the rooms where I live now because my wife never fancied living here above the shop but they’re not big enough to provide a home for my sisters too. I need to buy somewhere suitable for all three of us and that means selling this place in a year or two. All your hard work would come to nothing, Lily. There’s no future here.’
‘I see.’ Lily swallowed hard.
‘I’m sorry to disappoint you.’
‘No!’ The last thing Lily wanted was for Mr Bax to feel bad when he’d been so kind. ‘You’re being honest.’
‘You need to find a place that offers prospects. I don’t want to lose you, but neither do I want to hold you back. If you find somewhere else, I’ll be sorry to say goodbye but you’ll leave with my blessing.’
He paused then said, ‘My wife and I couldn’t have children but, if we’d had a daughter, I’d have been proud if she’d turned out like you, Lily.’
She’d never seen him so emotional. Touched beyond words, Lily kissed the drooping cheek. ‘You’d have made a wonderful father. I understand completely so please don’t feel bad. I’m only seventeen, remember. There’s plenty of time for me to find a different opportunity.’
For his sake she smiled and chatted with customers as much as ever but it was terribly hard to hide her disappointment. As soon as Mr Bax left to go home, she allowed herself to cry, hoping to get it out of her system. Afterwards, she dried her eyes, made herself a cup of tea and sat down to think.
First of all, she had to put her disappointment into perspective. Compared to the horrors of war, illness, injury and starvation this blow to her ambition was trivial.
Secondly, she had no actual right to feel disappointed. Mr Bax had never promised her more than the chance to serve his customers in return for a wage.
And thirdly, she really was young with a lifetime of opportunity ahead of her.
Except that she had neither money nor connections to help. But she was Gran’s granddaughter, wasn’t she? That meant she couldn’t just give up.
Exhausted by crying, she was glad to be spending the evening alone. She didn’t sleep well again but straightened her shoulders when she studied her wan face in the mirror in the morning. Make Gran proud and show some backbone.
She forced smiles all day and faked another one when Elsie came to visit in the evening but Elsie’s all-seeing eyes saw straight through it. ‘What’s up?’ she asked, settling in a café chair with the air of someone preparing to hear a long story.
Lily told her what Mr Bax had said and Elsie nodded.
‘I thought it might be something like that.’
‘Mr Bax has to do what’s right for himself and h
is sisters,’ Lily added, eager to be fair to him.
‘Just as you’ve got to do what’s right for you,’ Elsie agreed. ‘So what’s that going to be?’
Lily was puzzled.
‘You’re not just giving up on your dreams?’
‘I’ve every intention of looking for other opportunities but heavens, Elsie, I think I’m allowed a few days off from planning my future. Right now we need to think about food. I made extra soup so there’d be some left for us.’
‘What kind of soup?’
‘Vegetable.’
‘Perfect.’
Lily put it on the stove to warm and cut bread on which Elsie scraped margarine, butter being so precious. ‘This can’t be the only building in London that’s suitable for a café,’ Elsie said.
‘True.’ But Lily couldn’t afford to buy a building and imagined no one would rent one to a girl who was still years away from her twenty-first birthday and had no money behind her. Besides, setting up somewhere else would involve buying the pots, pans and utensils that were already available here to say nothing of a working kitchen.
She stirred the soup thoughtfully. ‘I might try to get work in an existing café in the hope of rising through the ranks to become the manageress. The experience would be useful, and once I’m a little older a bank might take me more seriously if I ask for a loan.’
Glancing around, she saw Elsie was grinning. ‘Why are you smirking?’
‘Because I know you’ll find a way. Somehow. Is it only running a café that’ll make you happy, though?’
‘Not necessarily. I had no idea of running a café until I started working here. But I do enjoy it.’
‘Perhaps you should keep an open mind about the next opportunity.’
Elsie was right but Lily found nothing suitable advertised in the Situations Vacant pages of the newspaper. Neither did she see opportunity beckoning when she walked out in the evenings or on her days off. She even called in on several estate agents and a bank, but she’d been right in thinking no one would rent property or lend money to a young girl.
‘There’s always munitions work if you want to earn money to put by for the future,’ Elsie pointed out. ‘You’d have to pay for lodgings but it still might be worth considering.’
‘Are you considering it?’ Lily asked, because Elsie had obviously been giving it some thought.
‘I’m sick of domestic service and so is Phyllis. We won’t rush into anything but maybe after the summer… We might be able to find lodgings together.’
Lily agreed to think about it too but it felt like a step sideways instead of forwards. Perhaps even a step backwards, bearing in mind how much she enjoyed working here. Luckily, she was due to go to Hastings with Artie to stay with the Tibbs sisters again. Lily hoped it would boost all of their spirits, especially as the news from the war was heart-breaking.
It was terrible to Lily to see raw grief on the faces of some of the customers. She knew it was the same for Hilda and Marion whose paying guests included the families of soldiers who were convalescing nearby, some having suffered the most appalling injuries. Artie was still upset about Mr Burrows, of course.
Mr Bax was closing the bakery so he could take his sisters to Brighton for their annual week’s holiday so Lily had no need to worry about the shop. She and Artie travelled to Hastings by train. At seventeen and smartly dressed, Artie was an attractive young man even allowing for a sister’s partiality. Taller than Lily by a good four inches and much broader in the shoulder, he had a trim figure topped by soft brown hair, kind eyes and a charming smile. Lily couldn’t miss the admiring looks that were sent his way but Artie was too modest to notice.
It was a huge relief to Lily that several years of mixing with richer boys at Camfordleigh had left his tender heart intact. He was kind and sunny-natured with everyone, however humble, and looked to be as pleased as Lily to be spending time with Hilda and Marion again.
But beneath his smiles it became clear to Lily that he was troubled. ‘You’re thinking about the war,’ she guessed as they walked along the beach again, Hilda and Marion having insisted that brother and sister should have some private time together.
‘This time next year, I’ll be out there in the thick of it.’
‘The war might be over long before you turn eighteen.’ But it might not.
‘I’m keen to do my duty,’ Artie said. ‘Please don’t think I’m not. But a chap doesn’t really know how he’ll behave in battle. A lot of the Camfordleigh boys have family in the forces and I’ve heard that some soldiers fall into blue funks of fear. Or run away. They shoot deserters, you know. I’d hate to disgrace myself that way. I’d let down Mr Alderton, the school and most of all you.’
He also had to be worried about the prospect of death or injury.
‘It’s natural to have those worries, Artie.’
‘If something happens to me, you’ll be alone in the world. That bothers me too.’
‘I’ll never be alone because I have my friends,’ Lily pointed out, hoping to relieve him of that worry at least.
‘Have you met any special friends?’
‘Elsie and Phyllis are my— Ah. You’re asking if I’m walking out with anyone. The answer is no. I’ve never met anyone who interests me in that way.’ She’d had offers from young men who came into the bakery and invited her to see a show or go out for a drink, but had never felt interested enough to accept. ‘Is that a comfort or a worry?’ she wondered.
‘Both, I suppose. I hate the thought of someone taking advantage of you, especially when you live by yourself. But I do like the thought of there being someone to take care of you.’
‘You really don’t need to worry about me. You shouldn’t worry about yourself either. If the war’s still going in another six or nine months, that’ll be the time to start thinking about being a part of it. Until then, just enjoy what life has to offer. Like being here in Hastings. Come on. I’ll race you to the castle.’
Lily broke into a run and after a moment Artie followed though he was subdued for the rest of the visit. ‘Why don’t you stay on for a while?’ he suggested, the night before he was due to leave to return to London and then to school.
‘Please do, Lily. We’d love to have you,’ the sisters urged.
Lily agreed to stay on for one more night.
Artie left after breakfast and Lily walked him to the station. ‘I know it’s impossible to stop worrying sometimes,’ she told him as they parted. ‘But don’t let it run away with your imagination. If I’ve learned anything growing up, it’s that worrying about things that might never happen wastes precious time.’
He smiled and kissed her cheek then passed through the barrier towards his train. Lily waved as the train pulled out of the station then made her way back outside.
Not wanting to add to Artie’s troubles, she’d said nothing about her disappointment over the café but now she felt the weight of it returning to press down on her shoulders.
Doubtless realising that Lily would be feeling emotional after parting from Artie, Hilda had urged her not to rush back. Glad to have some time alone, Lily walked around the town and along the seafront. She looked at cafés and other shops too. She even bought a cup of tea in one café, drawn in by curiosity after seeing a card in the window announcing, Waitress wanted. It was easy to see why the café was short-staffed because the manageress was a sharp-eyed shrew who bullied her poor waitress mercilessly. Still, there had to be better cafés elsewhere.
Lily returned to the sisters’ house. ‘I’ll make a start on lunch,’ Hilda said, but Lily and Marion both put a stop to her efforts to haul herself out of her chair.
Hilda was still suffering with her legs. Life in Hastings suited her happiness but it had done nothing to improve her health as far as Lily could see. Marion was solicitous of her sister too though she also looked tired. She must have seen the concern in Lily’s face because as they made the lunch together she said, ‘We do try to be careful about the number of g
uests we take in. Sometimes we give ourselves a break by putting the No Vacancies sign in the window.’
Lily was glad to hear it. The sisters were due some rest and relaxation after spending so many years apart doing jobs they didn’t particularly like. Perhaps that was how it was for most people and how it would be for Lily too if she let go of her dreams.
‘Look after yourselves,’ she urged the sisters when she left them the next day.
‘You’ll write?’ Hilda asked.
‘We so enjoy your letters,’ Marion added.
‘I’ll write often, and I’ll come back to see you just as soon as I can.’
Lily was in a thoughtful mood on her return to London. With several days free before the bakery reopened, she spent hours wandering around London the way she’d wandered around Hastings.
By the time Mr Bax reappeared she’d had an idea.
NINETEEN
Mr Bax expressed himself delighted by the fudge Lily gave him as a gift from Hastings. She was equally delighted by the box of toffees he gave her as a gift from Brighton and decided to share them with Elsie and Phyllis who never received gifts from anyone except each other.
Lily had no intention of trying to talk to Mr Bax during the busy working day so was happy to chat about their holidays as they prepared the shop for opening. It was closed for only one week each year but Mr Bax still fretted about whether his regular customers would transfer their loyalties elsewhere.
He looked out from the kitchen several times during the course of the morning and Lily was able to reassure him that business was brisk.
‘Evans’s Bakery on Mountley Street is all very well but their bread doesn’t compare to Bax’s,’ one customer said.
‘My husband missed having Bax’s apple cake last week,’ said another.
Lily even saw a compliment in the accusing words of one working gentleman who bought a roll to eat at a table. ‘I had to eat out in the rain last week,’ he glowered.
Towards midday another customer had something different to say. ‘I hope it wasn’t bad news for them next door.’