The Orphan Twins

by Lesley Eames

  It amused Lily to see Pierre and Elsie together, the short man and the tall girl, bossing each other around and rolling their eyes when the other refused to be bossed. Arguing too in a good-natured way about everything from what should be displayed in the shop window to whether it would rain that day.

  ‘Silly man,’ Elsie called him when he suggested beef was best served with horseradish sauce. ‘Everyone knows it’s better with mustard.’

  ‘Only those who don’t know food,’ Pierre retorted.

  ‘I know food. I love food. That’s why I’m bigger than you.’

  ‘You’re taller. I’m stronger.’

  Elsie stuck her tongue out at him.

  ‘Doesn’t he mind the way you speak to him?’ Phyllis asked later.

  ‘Why should he?’

  ‘Because he’s your boss.’

  ‘That doesn’t make me his slave.’

  ‘You’re incorrigible, Elsie.’

  ‘That’s one of your big words, Phyll, and I’m not sure what it means. But it sounds about right for me.’

  Artie returned to school towards the end of April but only to sit his examinations before travelling back to London to be with Mr Alderton. ‘He likes me to read to him,’ he wrote to Lily.

  Artie had learned he was to be awarded prizes for cricket and cross-country running. ‘No prizes for scholarship, I’m afraid,’ he told Lily when they snatched a few brief minutes together.

  ‘You’ve done Mr Alderton proud,’ Lily insisted.

  A week later Artie sent a note informing her that Mr Alderton had died with Artie at his side. Mr Grover, Artie’s future boss, and a solicitor were executors of the Will and would help to make the funeral arrangements.

  ‘Would you like me to come to the funeral?’ Lily asked.

  ‘You have your tea shop to look after,’ Artie pointed out.

  Besides, Mr Alderton had only ever been interested in Artie. Lily would still have gone to the funeral if Artie had needed her but, seeing that he’d cope without her, she was glad to stay home to work.

  He had much to do to sort out the possessions Mr Alderton had left to various friends and colleagues, but for the first time since their Bermondsey days Artie managed to spend some time with Lily on their joint birthday. Mr Bax baked a cake decorated with eighteen candles which they blew out to cries of, ‘Make a wish!’

  Lily could have made many wishes but settled for: I wish the war would end. Soon Artie would be one of thousands of young men serving in the forces and Lily wanted to keep them all safe.

  Artie joined the Royal Norfolk regiment, his experience in the Camfordleigh Officers Training Corps leading to a junior officer commission as a second lieutenant. Between being measured up for his uniform, buying his kit and replying to letters of condolence sent by Mr Alderton’s old friends and connections, Artie had little free time but managed a Sunday afternoon with Lily.

  They spent it strolling in Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. ‘You’d never guess a war was raging,’ Lily said, looking around at children playing with toy boats by the Serpentine and people strolling by in summer clothing – straw boaters and flannel trousers for the men; lace-edged blouses with big flowery hats for the women.

  But just then a young man in khaki came into view. Artie was in uniform himself, ‘To wear it in and get used to it,’ he’d said, looking self-conscious about it.

  Lily gestured to a bench. ‘Let’s sit.’

  They sat side by side. Artie took off his cap to smooth his hair back and when his hand returned to his lap Lily reached out to squeeze it.

  ‘I’m more afraid than ever,’ Artie admitted. ‘But I’ll do my best for the men who serve under me. The OTC is meant to prepare junior officers but I’ll be in charge of chaps who are a fair bit older than me. I hope they won’t think they’re risking their lives for an inexperienced idiot who jumps out of his skin at the first noise of battle.’

  ‘They’ll understand your fear because they’ll be frightened too.’

  Lily thought of Luke, who was seven or eight years Artie’s senior. How would Luke feel about taking orders from a boy who just happened to have been to the right sort of school?

  Luke would be kind, Lily decided. Boys like Artie might be giving the orders but it would be men like Luke who’d brace their young officers’ courage and steady the troops, despite their own fear.

  ‘You’ll be going to a training camp before you’re sent anywhere near a battle,’ she reminded him.

  ‘Of course I will.’

  ‘I’d like to come to the station to see you off,’ Lily said then. ‘I’m sure Pierre won’t mind coming out of the kitchen to mind the chocolate shop while Elsie takes my place in the tea room.’

  ‘There’s really no need. I’m only going off to camp.’

  And perhaps he felt he had a better chance of keeping his nerves in check in front of other men if he was alone ‘All right,’ Lily conceded. ‘But when you’re sent overseas…’

  ‘That’ll be different,’ he agreed.

  Lily clung to Artie when they parted but, not wishing to overwhelm him, she blinked back her tears and released him. ‘Write to me,’ she pleaded.

  ‘As often as I can.’

  A week later Artie wrote to her from training camp. He wasn’t the only Camfordleigh boy in the regiment so he had familiar faces around him and had met other good chaps too. Camp was hardly luxurious but he was sleeping and eating under cover. In any case life at boarding school has prepared me for strict routine, substandard food and shared accommodation, he wrote, so you really shouldn’t worry.

  Not worrying was easier said than done, but every day Artie was safe was a day to be treasured. Lily had read his letter quickly when it had been delivered then gone out for a walk later to read it more slowly. Despite being on her feet all day she often walked in the evenings. It helped to calm her after the bustle of the day’s work.

  Letting herself back in through the shop door, Lily heard voices up in the tea room on her return. Loud excited voices. Her ears identified Elsie’s laugh, the low rumble of Pierre’s voice and then another voice that made her breath catch in her throat. It couldn’t be…

  It was.

  Lily quickened her pace but then slowed it again, taken aback by just how fast her heart was beating at the thought of seeing Luke again. She’d realised long ago that she found him attractive but even so this fizz of eagerness surprised her. And it had little to do with her need to make her overdue apology.

  She came to a halt, took a deep breath and climbed the stairs quietly, hoping that, if she saw him before he saw her, she could use the moment to steady herself. The door to the tea room was ajar. Lily crept along the landing towards it. She saw Elsie, Phyllis, Pierre and yes, there was Luke.

  He was telling a story, presumably about his experiences at training camp, but Lily only caught the end of it. ‘…The next moment the poor chap was face down in the mud.’

  There was more laughter then Luke’s head turned as though instinct had alerted him to Lily’s presence. He stared at her for a moment, his blue eyes pensive, then a slow smile curved his mouth and Lily’s heart felt as though it were being flipped right over. ‘Hello, Lily,’ he said.

  TWENTY-FOUR

  Lily prepared for bed that evening trying to decide if she was sorry or glad that the others had been present during Luke’s visit. Their company had deprived her of the chance to get her apology off her chest but had also saved her from the awkwardness of being alone with him when she knew how she felt but didn’t know if he felt the same. After all, Luke had smiles for everyone.

  Perhaps it was the wrong time to think about romance anyway. Luke was going off to war while she was trying to make her mark on the world, however small that mark might be.

  From the moment she’d seen him Lily had guessed he was home because he was about to be posted overseas. ‘You’re on embarkation leave?’ she’d asked.

  ‘I am, and I’m lucky. Most men are given only forty-ei
ght hours’ leave. I’ve been given more than twice that for some reason.’

  Lily had heard customers complaining that leave wasn’t always given consistently, some men being given more and an unlucky few receiving no leave at all before they were posted abroad. She searched Luke’s face for signs of fear but encountered only another smile. ‘I want to enjoy this leave because I’ve no idea when I’ll be home again,’ he’d said.

  Or even if he’d be home again.

  ‘I want to eat decent food because the food in the camp has been grim and the food I’m likely to get at the front will be even worse. Tinned stew and biscuits hard enough to break teeth.’

  ‘I’ll cook your favourites,’ Pierre promised.

  ‘I want to taste normal life again, and work in the shop for a while too.’

  ‘I’ll show you the ropes,’ Elsie offered. ‘Seeing as I’m the boss and Pierre is just the kitchen skivvy.’

  Pierre rolled his eyes and Elsie grinned.

  ‘But I don’t want to work all of the time,’ Luke continued. ‘I’d like to get out and about a bit, and I hope each of you will honour me with your company at least once.’

  ‘I will,’ Elsie confirmed. ‘Especially if you’re paying. I’m the incorrigible one, by the way. According to Phyllis.’

  ‘Phyllis is right,’ Luke said.

  ‘I’m game for an adventure too,’ Phyllis told him. ‘The question is, are you? There’s a lecture on women’s suffrage tomorrow, if you’d like to come? Women may have stopped chaining themselves to railings while the war is on but we shouldn’t lose sight of the goal, especially as the work women are doing these days proves we’re more than equal to men.’

  ‘Phyllis loves all that Votes for Women stuff,’ Elsie explained.

  ‘Don’t you want the right to vote?’ Luke asked.

  ‘Of course. But I’d rather leave the campaigning to Phyllis and spend my time enjoying a show or a meal.’

  ‘Then that’s what you and I will do,’ Luke said. ‘And yes, I’ll pay.’ He turned back to Phyllis. ‘I’ll come to your lecture. I’m all in favour of votes for women.’

  Phyllis nodded approvingly. ‘Excellent.’

  ‘What would you like to do, Lily?’ Luke asked. ‘Assuming you’ll honour me with your company?’

  ‘I’ll be happy with a walk,’ Lily said. It would give her the chance to apologise.

  He spent the following day in the chocolate shop. ‘I think I was able to teach him a thing or two,’ Elsie said wickedly. ‘By the way, Phyll, he’ll call for you at seven. He says he’s looking forward to it.’

  Phyllis nodded. ‘Luke Goddard has the makings of a sensible man.’

  And like a sensible woman she was downstairs ready and waiting at seven so Lily didn’t get to see him.

  ‘He didn’t nod off in the middle of the lecture?’ Elsie asked on Phyllis’s return.

  ‘He was interested.’

  ‘Here’s hoping he’ll be interested in tomorrow’s variety show.’

  Elsie had chosen a variety show because she liked to laugh. She too waited downstairs for Luke to collect her after another day in the chocolate shop and, again, Lily didn’t see him.

  ‘Luke paid for excellent seats,’ Elsie enthused afterwards. ‘There was singing, dancing, acrobatics, magic tricks… Oh, and a performing dog.’

  The next evening Pierre cooked a meal for all of them, including Mr Bax and his sisters who came by omnibus and would travel home by taxi afterwards. Pierre cooked in the bakery kitchen and they ate upstairs in the tea room, pushing tables together to make one large table which seated all of them.

  It was a lovely evening. Luke sat one seat along from Lily on the opposite side of the table so she could see him clearly as he smiled and laughed at Elsie’s antics

  ‘I thought my hands might be too big for handling delicate chocolates but I’ve crushed hardly any,’ she joked. ‘Apart from rose creams which get crushed quite often so have to be eaten.’

  ‘Rose creams are your favourites,’ Phyllis pointed out.

  ‘Isn’t it strange how they’re the ones that get crushed when I’m feeling peckish?’

  Pierre shook his head despairingly.

  Only occasionally did Lily catch Luke’s cheerfulness giving way to something more wistful. He’d look around as though committing the evening to memory and she wondered if he were hoping that looking back on happy times would comfort him in the difficult days that lay ahead.

  He noticed her watching and sent her a tiny nod. It felt intimate to Lily, a gesture of mutual understanding. Then Elsie drew them both back into the conversation with a comment about Luke’s time helping in the chocolate shop. ‘He did all right, but if he wants to know what really hard work looks like, he should spend some time with Lily in the tea room.’

  Luke smiled then raised an eyebrow at Lily. ‘How about it?’

  ‘You’re on leave. You shouldn’t be working all the time,’ Lily said.

  ‘That sounds as though you don’t think I’ll cope. I’ll have to prove you wrong now.’

  He arrived early the following morning. ‘Private Goddard reporting for duty,’ he said, saluting her.

  She sent him down to the bakery to bring up freshly baked loaves and cakes then decided to clear the air between them. ‘I never actually apologised for misjudging you over the drinking chocolate. Let me say now that I’m sorry.’

  ‘I misled you. I should have realised what you must have thought when you heard I was setting up next door.’ He smiled. ‘There. We’ve both apologised. Now we can enjoy our day.’

  ‘Of course.’

  He was an excellent worker. He rolled his sleeves up to wash dishes, wiped tables, took orders and served food and drinks. For a tall man he was fast and surprisingly agile. He was careful and tidy too. And the customers loved him. He had friendly smiles for the younger women, winks for the dowagers, jokes and breezy chat for the men and gentleness for a soldier who looked exhausted. In short Luke Goddard had charm and Lily was just as affected by it as anyone else.

  More perhaps. She only had to look at him to feel warmth spreading through her veins while his smile sent her heartbeat skittering. But how did he feel about her? Certainly, there was softness in those blue eyes when he looked at her but was it there when he looked at others too?

  ‘It’s been a good day,’ he said at closing time.

  Lily made tea and carried it to a table so they could relax for a moment before clearing up. Luke stretched his long legs out and grinned. ‘Did I pass muster?’

  ‘You didn’t do too badly,’ Lily said, but he knew she was teasing him.

  ‘You work hard,’ he said. ‘Elsie’s right about that.’

  ‘I’m right about most things,’ Elsie said, coming to join them. ‘I don’t think Pierre understands that yet. You should have a word with him, Luke.’ She helped herself to tea. ‘Was the work too much for you, Luke?’

  ‘I enjoyed it.’

  Elsie’s face wore one of those smiles that suggested she was thinking private thoughts. About Luke and what he might mean to Lily?

  Not wanting Luke to be embarrassed, Lily turned the conversation to the chocolate shop and as soon as the tea was drunk she got up to clear the tables.

  Luke insisted on helping her, with Elsie supervising his every move. ‘Haven’t you got work to do next door?’ he finally asked.

  ‘It’s time your cousin did some work,’ she told him.

  Once the tea room was pristine Lily walked Luke downstairs. ‘Thank you for your help.’

  ‘I enjoyed it, but I hope you don’t think it takes the place of our walk?’

  ‘I like to walk,’ Lily assured him, her heart swelling with pleasure because he wanted to see her again.

  She expected a short walk during the evening but Pierre agreed that Elsie could work in the tea room so Lily and Luke could take a whole afternoon. They decided to make Regent’s Park their destination though it was some distance away. Luke took her arm as they
crossed a road and seemed disinclined to release it again so Lily left it where it was. ‘It won’t be too far for you?’ he asked.

  ‘No, but if it’s too much for you…?’

  Luke smiled. ‘I think I’ll manage.’

  ‘Do you miss Switzerland?’ Lily asked after a while. ‘I’ve only seen it in pictures – snow-covered mountains, lakes, valleys… It looks very beautiful.’

  ‘It is. I love Switzerland, but there’s something about London that feels like home. Have you travelled?’

  ‘Only as far as the south coast. Hastings.’ It was a journey of little more than fifty miles but still helped her to feel slightly less naïve.

  ‘Perhaps one day you’ll travel further.’

  ‘Perhaps.’ If she could afford it when the war was over.

  Suspecting that war was the last topic of conversation Luke needed, Lily pointed across the road ‘There’s a tea shop over there. Would you mind if I looked in the window?’

  ‘Looking for ideas?’

  ‘I like to see what others are doing, certainly.’

  They crossed the road. ‘Your tea room has much more charm than this place,’ Luke said, and Lily glowed with satisfaction.

  Regent’s Park was lovely, a vast open space bordered by beautiful white-painted properties. ‘Do you want to go into the zoo?’ Luke asked.

  ‘Do you?’

  ‘I’ve seen it before but I’m perfectly willing to see it again.’

  ‘Another time perhaps.’ Lily did want to see the animals as she’d never seen anything more exotic than a parrot a sailor had once brought to Jessy Street, but she sensed that Luke would prefer to enjoy the peace that walking offered.

  They followed the paths to the boating lake.

  ‘I love being beside water,’ Lily said. ‘I suppose it comes from spending my early years by the Thames. Not that the river is anything like this lake. It’s busy and dirty.’

  ‘You were brought up in Bermondsey, weren’t you?’