Lily of Love Lane (15 page)

‘You deserve a good present, gel,’ her father said quietly. ‘We want to show you we appreciate all your hard work.’

‘You don’t have to do that.’

‘But we want to,’ insisted her mother.

‘All right then,’ Lily nodded. ‘Can we have a small party?’

‘What a good idea!’ exclaimed her mother at once. ‘This house needs a bit of livening up. I don’t know when the piano was last played. It could do with an
airing.’

‘And I’ll get out me records,’ said her uncle eagerly. ‘Bring the Talking Machine down from the bedroom and we can roll back the carpet and have a bit of a knees
up.’

Lily smiled. ‘That will be lovely.’

‘We’ll ask all the neighbours,’ said Josie, warming to the theme, ‘like the Flocks and their kids, and of course the Parks and the Jameses.’ She clutched her
husband’s wrist. ‘Bob, we’ll celebrate our daughter’s twenty-first in style.’

Lily looked at their happy faces. She was blessed to have a loving family and friends to share her twenty-first birthday, even though she couldn’t have what she wanted most, and that was
to see Charles Grey again.

On March the fifteenth, Lily woke with a start. She knew something exciting was going to happen, and then she remembered it was her twenty-first.

‘Wake up, ducks,’ said her mother, entering her bedroom. ‘I’ve made you a nice cup of tea.’

Still sleepy, Lily sat up. ‘What time is it?’

‘Half past seven.’

She never slept past six, but then today was special.

‘Your uncle is downstairs making breakfast. I stayed out of the way because you know what he’s like. He’ll leave it all in a dreadful state,’ said her mother, lowering
the cup into Lily’s grasp.

‘Well, it’s nice to be cooked for.’

Her mother was wearing her dressing gown and slippers and as the pins were sticking out of her hair, it was a sure sign that she was far from ready to meet the world.

‘Happy birthday, love.’ Josie pulled back the curtains. ‘It’s a lovely Saturday morning. Cold and bright. You’ve got all day off and don’t you deserve
it!’ She kissed Lily on the top of her head and turned to the dressing table mirror, where their eyes met. ‘Twenty-one today my girl is! Whoever would have thought your father and me
could have produced such a beautiful child!’ She sniffed emotionally. ‘I’d better go and do my hair before someone knocks at the door.’

Lily smiled as her mother left. She drank her tea and thought how strange it was to be lying in bed on a Saturday morning. She had never had a Saturday off before. But Reube had insisted it was
his present to her, which had been very generous. After all, he would have to pay Pedro to work in her place and Reube had given her a full week’s wage.

Lily sighed happily as she lay there. It was a life of luxury today. What would she wear for her party? Would everyone turn up? Her mother had asked the neighbours and the Jameses and Parks were
coming, even Sylvester. Since the fight with the Blackshirts, Ben had been back to his old humorous self. She hoped that tonight they could be good friends again.

At one o’clock, Hattie called. She was out of breath from hurrying from the bus stop. ‘Madame Nerys let me off in time to catch the early bus,’ she told Lily excitedly.

‘Have you been home?’ Lily was in the kitchen, preparing the food. She was wearing her mother’s pinny and turban, whilst Josie went round with a duster.

‘No, I told Mum this morning before I left, I was coming straight here to help you.’

‘Have something to eat first.’

‘No, I ate me sandwiches on the bus.’ Hattie took off her coat and hung it up in the hall.

‘You’d better wear this.’ Lily pulled the spare apron from the drawer. ‘And here’s a scarf for your hair.’

Hattie went to the mirror and tidied her kiss-curls. Turning sideways, she smiled at her profile. ‘I look a bit of a wreck.’

Lily giggled as she handed Hattie a paisley scarf to wind round her head. ‘I’ve never
ever
seen you looking a wreck.’

‘You wanna clock me first thing in the morning before I’ve got me make-up on.’

‘I don’t know where you get the patience.’

‘It’s all right for you. You’ve got lovely skin, the proverbial English rose.’

‘I’d wear make-up if it was cheap.’

Hattie grinned, making a turban of the scarf. ‘I don’t care what it costs. As long as I’ve got me face on I’m ready to deal with what Madame throws me. And lately
it’s been a lot.’ As they began to make the cakes, Hattie told Lily about Madame Nerys’ new clients.

‘It’s a big affair, with a big church wedding.’

‘Is the bride pretty?’ Lily asked.

‘In a horsey sort of way,’ Hattie hesitated. ‘You see, they’re aristocrats, a family with a title and no matter what you look like, if you’re rich you have this
sort of glow about you.’

‘What’s the family’s name?’

‘I ain’t allowed to say,’ Hattie replied mysteriously as she handed an egg to Lily.

‘Why not?’ Lily beat the egg into the flour as she listened intently.

‘’Cos it’s a special case – very special.’

‘But won’t someone at work let it out who they are?’

Hattie rolled her big brown eyes. ‘Goodness no, as we’ve been threatened with the sack if we so much as pronounce the first syllable.’

‘So they must be very important?’

Hattie’s smile almost twinkled. ‘Yes, and there’s something else.’

Lily stopped what she was doing. ‘Go on, I know you’re dying to tell me.’

‘The wedding dress has to be made two sizes bigger than the girl’s measurements!’ She looked under her long eyelashes. ‘Get it now?’

Lily shook her head.

‘All right, clue number two. The wedding at the church can’t be arranged till the bridegroom’s parents come back from abroad. Which will be about May.’

‘But she won’t grow two sizes by then!’

‘Oh yes she will.’ Hattie nodded.

It took a while before the penny dropped. ‘You mean—’

Hattie lifted her finger across her mouth. ‘That’s why we have to keep it quiet.’

‘You mean no one is supposed to know that she’s—’

Hattie nodded, her eyes very wide.

‘But what about when she has the baby?’ Lily blurted.

‘Shh!’ Again Hattie put a finger to her lips. ‘I’ve said too much already.’

‘But someone is sure to work it out,’ whispered Lily, not knowing why she was whispering.

‘They won’t, because money solves every problem imaginable. They’ll send her to some posh clinic so she can have the kid and it won’t be disclosed till they want it to
be. When you’ve got that kind of wealth, you can do anything.’

Lily began to stir the mixture again thinking about what Hattie said. They were even going to have a church wedding with all the trimmings and a lovely white bridal gown made by Madame Nerys.
How much money did aristocrats have? Did it mean the same to them if there was an accident in the family? It must do, otherwise they wouldn’t take the trouble to hide it. What would happen if
someone she knew – or even herself, got into the family way?

Before meeting Charles, she had never felt such desire. She would have been sympathetic to someone who had got pregnant out of wedlock, but she wouldn’t have understood how it could
happen; you only had to say no. But Charles had stirred emotions inside her that made her feel like a real woman.

She had wanted to discover more about these feelings, these wonderful highs and lows that touched inside, right to the heart. But she hadn’t seen him again since that Sunday. Had her
usefulness come to an end?

‘You’ll take the pattern off that bowl if you keep stirring so fast,’ said Hattie, nudging her arm.

Lily smiled, feeling the heat still in her cheeks.

‘You won’t say anything, will you?’

‘About your secret customer? No, course not. I don’t know who they are anyway, do I?’

‘You know,’ said Hattie after a while, ‘me and Reube might not have their money, but I’ve got me fingers and I can buy some really nice oyster satin to make my own
wedding dress. In fact, I was thinking about copying the pattern. It’s cut on the bias with these beautiful fan-shaped sleeves. And the lace veil has scalloped edges, with a heart-shaped
head-dress of wax flowers and pearls.’

Now it was Lily’s turn to nudge her friend. ‘You’ll look a thousand times nicer than her.’

Hattie turned sharply. ‘You haven’t seen her, so you can’t say that.’

‘Yes, I can. You said she was horsey so the only thing missing will be the horse.’

They burst into laughter until tears filled their eyes.

At four o’clock a bowl of rice pudding was brought in by Mrs James. Hattie and Lily were trying to decide where it should stand. There was a space left by the tray of
fruit scones and the neatly cut sandwiches of cheese and ham. All these were covered by cloths and moving them aside, Hattie carefully squeezed in the bowl.

‘There. What do you think?’

‘It all looks lovely, Hat. I could eat everything now.’

‘I’m saving me appetite for later.’

‘So where’s everyone disappeared to?’ Hattie asked as they put the finishing touches to the food.

‘Dad and Uncle Noah have gone down the park to get out of the way. Mum’s still dusting.’

Hattie giggled. ‘Do you think we’ll be like that one day? Our mum’s are houseproud, ain’t they?’

‘I hope not. It only gets dirty again.’

‘I’d like a maid.’

Lily turned to her friend. ‘I don’t know what Reube would say about that.’

‘He’d say I’ve got desires above me station. Or that Madame Nerys is turning me head.’

‘Dreams don’t cost anything.’

‘No, but maids do.’

Once again they were laughing, but then Lily said thoughtfully, ‘There was a maid at Charles Grey’s house. Though she didn’t exactly have a uniform.’

The laughter went from Hattie’s face and she gave a little shrug. ‘Perhaps she wasn’t a maid.’

‘What could she have been then?’

‘I don’t know.’ Hattie turned away. ‘Someone he knew. A friend. A neighbour. After all, he is a bit – well, different.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Dunno. He’s just not like us.’

‘He’s not that different. It’s just where he lives and how he speaks.’

‘My point exactly.’

Lily looked at her friend who now seemed to be bored again. ‘You don’t like him, do you, Hat?’

‘I don’t know him, that’s all.’ She gazed at Lily. ‘Have you seen him lately?’

‘No.’

‘Ain’t he coming to the party?’ Hattie said, frowning.

‘Of course not.’

‘Didn’t you invite him?’

‘I said, I haven’t seen him.’

Hattie wiped a trickle of jam from her chin as she sprinkled the roly-poly with sugar. ‘Do you want to though?’

Lily played with the ends of her apron. ‘Yes, I suppose I do.’

Hattie was silent. Then softly she said, ‘I don’t want you to get hurt, Lil.’

‘Why should I get hurt?’

‘Because he’s not one of us.’

‘That doesn’t mean he’ll hurt me.’

Hattie touched her arm as she looked into her eyes. ‘He’s hurt you already by not coming round.’

Lily felt a hard knot tying in her stomach. ‘It was only business anyway.’

‘Well then, cheer up. It’s your birthday.’

Lily wished she could confide in Hattie as they had done all their lives. She was sure if Charles was someone Hattie knew then she would approve. But islanders were a close community and if
Charles had pursued their friendship then Lily knew she would have encountered stiff opposition. But that was irrelevant now, as Charles had lost interest.

‘I wish we could go up West together,’ Hattie said suddenly. ‘A day out shopping would be a nice break. Now your dad’s working, you could take a Saturday afternoon off.
Reube could get Pedro to help him.’

Lily frowned thoughtfully. The expression on Hattie’s face reminded her of when they were kids. Hattie’s chin pushed out when she wanted something.

‘That would be nice. I’ll ask.’

‘Have you said anything about the ring?’

Lily shook her head. ‘No, all everyone wants to talk about is the Blackshirts.’

‘Oh, well, I can point the shop out from the bus when we go up West.’

Lily smiled ruefully. ‘So that’s all you want me with you for?’

‘No, course not. It would be nice, just the two of us for once, like old times.’ A genuine smile was back on Hattie’s face. She took off the turban and shook out her hair.
‘What are you wearing tonight? Did you decide?’

‘The blue frock, with the white ruffled collar,’ replied Lily, turning her thoughts to the evening.

‘I’m wearing me green dress. You know, the one with the short sleeves,’ said Hattie, now in a world of high fashion. ‘Or should I wear the pink dress I made last year.
The one with the ruched sleeves?’

‘I like the green,’ said Lily.

Hattie smiled contentedly. ‘By the way, I’ve got your present and card in my bag. I was going to keep them till tonight, but would you like to open them now?’

Lily wiped her hands on the towel. ‘Oh, yes please.’

Hattie ran out to the passage returning immediately with her bag. She drew out a small parcel wrapped in brown paper and a white envelope. ‘I hope you like them.’

Lily opened the card. There was an illustration of a large red rose on the front and Happy Birthday underneath. Inside, Hattie had written: ‘To my best friend on her twenty-first birthday.
Mates for ever, all my love, Hattie.’

‘Oh, Hattie, thank you.’

‘Don’t thank me till you see what it is.’

Lily carefully undid the parcel, then gasped. ‘It’s a fur brooch!’

‘A rabbit’s foot.’

‘A real one?’ Lily hoped a claw wasn’t going to appear.

‘No, silly. It’s fur that’s cut off from the foot and glued into a shape to look like one. The point is, it’s supposed to be lucky.’

‘Oh, Hat, you are thoughtful. I’ll wear it tonight.’

‘Do you really like it?’

‘Course I do.’ Lily opened the brass pin on which the tiny decoration was attached. She threaded it on her apron. ‘How does it look? I’ll pin it on the collar of my dress
tonight.’

‘It’s very eye-catching,’ said Hattie thoughtfully.

‘It will always remind me of you, me best mate.’