Lily of Love Lane (27 page)

Lily stared at him, wondering if she had heard him speak the words that her dreams were made of? After all this time, was he flesh and blood, not an apparition or someone that resembled him?

‘I’d like that too,’ she whispered.

He smiled that wonderful smile. ‘One Sunday morning perhaps?’

‘Yes,’ she agreed without hesitation.

‘Are you free next weekend?’ He touched her arm gently. ‘I shall call for you with pleasure, but perhaps you would rather meet me?’

She nodded. ‘Next Sunday at the same place.’

The smile was still lingering on his lips when he said softly, ‘Yes, at the same place.’ Then with one last long look, he turned and strode quickly across to the older man who was
waiting by the church.

Lily watched them leave, her gaze intent on the tall, straight figure, in his dark jacket and flannels. She wanted to remember every moment and when the two men were out of sight, she stood very
still, savouring the space he had occupied. Her life seemed to have transformed in the last few minutes. All the feelings she had forced down inside her had come alive again. She was shivering with
anticipation and happiness.

Going over every word he had said in her mind, she turned slowly towards the church hall. Her thoughts were all on Charles when suddenly she saw Ben. Digging his hands into his pockets, he
turned and walked away.

Lily knew that he had been watching them. He had seen everything.

The time came for Reube and Hattie to leave. Ben was driving them in the lorry as the charabanc was too big for just the two of them. Lily hadn’t told Hattie what had
happened. This was Hattie’s wedding day, she had her honeymoon ahead and was only thinking of love and romance.

Lily hugged her secret to herself. She refused to let anyone or anything spoil her joy today. Lady Luck had sent Charles her way and this time, she was not going to refuse it. Charles had asked
to see her! He
wanted
to see her, to walk with her and, he said, to enjoy her company! He hadn’t asked her to help him buy anything for the house. So it was not in a business sense
he had spoken. His words meant he must have some feelings for her. Hadn’t she always hoped that was true? Deep in her heart, she had known she meant something to him. And today was the
proof.

Lily was walking on air as the guests assembled outside the hall to say goodbye to the happy couple.

‘It was a wonderful day.’ Lily had to contain her excitement as she kissed Reube on the cheek and hugged Hattie tight.

‘You’ll be able to shorten that dress and use it again,’ Hattie said as she held her bouquet in one arm, against her lovely going away outfit, a cream two-piece suit. Lily saw
tears in her eyes.

‘I know. I’ll treasure it always.’

Ben drove up in the lorry and everyone cheered. As confetti was thrown over their heads, Reube helped Hattie inside it.

‘Wait a minute, I want to chuck me bouquet,’ Hattie cried. Stretching out of the window, she threw them to Lily.

Lily pressed them close. As the lorry rumbled off she blew Hattie a kiss. It had been such a thrilling day!

The kids all ran after the lorry trying to catch the old boot and tins tied to the bumper. Ben waved a last goodbye.

Lily gave a sigh of contentment as she returned his salute. Even though Hattie was going to spend a week in Brighton, Lily wasn’t envious. Not now. For today, she had seen her true love
again.

Lily, her mother and uncle walked home from the hall, enjoying the summer evening. Josie carried a bag of left-overs whilst Lily had changed her clothes and now wore a skirt
and blouse. Her arms were full of flowers and her pink dress.

‘These titbits will do us for a week, you know,’ Josie said happily to Lily. ‘There’s ham and cheese and two big slices of pie, plus our wedding cake. Mrs Parks did us
proud.’

‘Looks like we won’t need feeding tonight,’ said Lily. She was thinking about her appointment in seven days’ time. What would she wear? Where would Charles take her?

‘I’ll have the pie tonight,’ said her uncle, puffing on a cigarette. ‘I fancy a bit of that.’

‘I was going to save it for tomorrow,’ declared his sister.

‘I didn’t have any at the do,’ he replied, to which Josie gave him a frown.

‘Don’t ’spect you did as you had a glass to your mouth for most of the time.’

Lily smiled, unaffected for once by their bickering. The secret she had was warming her inside. Nothing could prevent her from feeling happy. The evening was beautiful, and the streets were
still full of kids. Lily looked at the young couples who strolled lazily along to the public houses. She didn’t envy them either, for she had a love of her own now. She possessed an inner
glow of happiness. In one week’s time she would see Charles. If someone had told her that yesterday, she wouldn’t have believed it. But today, when she looked into his eyes, she felt
that fate had played its part in her destiny.

There was a spring in her step all the way home. It must have shown because her mother said suddenly, ‘You look happy, love.’

‘I am,’ Lily smiled.

‘You and Ben were like your old selves today.’

‘We had a few dances, yes.’

‘That boy had eyes only for you.’

Lily felt her spirits deflate. ‘Mum, don’t start that again, please.’

‘Why don’t you admit it, Lily? He thinks a lot of you.’

‘Because Ben and me are friends it don’t mean to say there’s a big romance.’

Her uncle chuckled. ‘You won’t have any luck on that subject, Josie. I’ve tried already.’

Josie lifted her chin. ‘You’re a man, Noah, you don’t understand the workings of a woman’s mind.’

Lily felt as though they were talking as if she wasn’t there. ‘Mum, there’s no romance going on.’

‘You’re twenty-five, love,’ said her mother as they neared the house. ‘Most girls are settled by then.’

Lily stopped and looked at her mother. ‘And just where is it that I’m supposed to be settled?’

‘You would live with us.’ Her mother shrugged as she stood there. ‘Why should you live anywhere else?’

‘Mum, there’s four at home.’

‘You and Ben could have the top room. Lots of couples do it.’

A flush of scarlet flowed into Lily’s cheeks. ‘When will you accept that Ben and me aren’t going to be together?’

Her uncle shuffled forward. ‘You two ain’t gonna row on the street, are you?’

‘Keep out of this, Noah,’ said Josie angrily.

‘Mum, let’s go in.’ Lily walked to the house. She wasn’t going to allow herself to be upset. She drew up the key and entered the house.

Her mother went to the parlour. ‘I was hoping your father would make up the fire,’ she said as she sank down on the couch. ‘There’s still a chill in the evenings. It
would have been nice to come home to a flame in the grate. Never mind, I’ll just rest me legs a moment. Then I’ll go up to see him.’ She held out the bag to Lily. ‘Put this
in the larder, would you, ducks? And don’t let your uncle near it.’

‘Don’t really want none anyway,’ muttered Noah Kelly as he joined his niece in the kitchen. He took off his coat and draped it over the back of the chair, then undid his
collar. The two sides sprang out and he breathed a sigh, collapsing in a chair. Opening his tobacco tin, he rolled a cigarette.

Lily put on the kettle. She sat down, her mind far away. She had one week to decide what she was going to wear. She wanted to make an impression this time. She had to look her best for
Charles.

‘So what did he say?’

Lily came out of her trance. ‘Who?’

‘Your gent,’ said her uncle.

‘How did you know?’ she gasped.

‘I saw you and him at the church. I walked out to have a fag, and these two blokes came out by me.’

‘Did you know it was Charles?’

‘Not until I saw the look on me girl’s face. She looked a different person. She was happy for once.’

Lily looked down. ‘I can’t forget him, Uncle Noah.’

‘So what’s he have to say for himself?’

‘He’s been travelling a lot and hasn’t bought much for his house.’

‘Are yer seeing him again?’

She nodded. ‘In a week’s time. He asked me to go for a walk. And just because he says he likes my company.’

‘Well, you’re old enough now to know right from wrong. Just keep your wits about you.’ He shifted his pince-nez up and down the ridge of his nose. ‘You know that boy was
watching yer too?’

Lily nodded. ‘Yes, I saw Ben.’

‘What did he have to say about it?’

‘Nothing,’ replied Lily indignantly. ‘Why should he? Charles has nothing to do with him.’

‘I was only asking, that’s all.’

‘I never wanted to hurt Ben – ever.’

‘I know you didn’t, girl.’

‘I hope he finds a nice woman to marry.’

He inclined his head to the next room. ‘You gonna tell your mother about the gent?’

‘I don’t know. She keeps on about Ben all the time. I would have thought by now, she understood.’

‘Well, I wouldn’t blame you for one, if you looked to pastures new.’

Once more she stared at her uncle in surprise. ‘What makes you say that?’

‘You ain’t got no kids to tie you down.’

‘I haven’t thought ahead that far.’

Her uncle crushed out his cigarette in a saucer. It took a long time to grind it down. As he did so, he sighed. Then he looked into Lily’s puzzled gaze. ‘Lil, there’s something
you gotta know. By rights, it ain’t up to me to tell you. But I—’

‘Noah! Lily!’ The scream went through the house. Lily jumped to her feet and ran into the hall.

Her mother stood there. ‘Oh my God, Lil!’ Her face was drained of colour.

‘Mum, what’s the matter?’

Josie clenched her hands. ‘Your dad’s gone!’

Lily laughed. ‘He can’t have gone. He don’t go out anywhere.’

‘Well, he’s gone now. The bedroom’s empty.’

Lily looked up the stairs. ‘He could be up in the top room.’

‘No, I’ve looked.’

‘Then he must have got fed up by himself. That’s good news not bad, Mum.’

‘No . . . no . . . that’s not it at all.’

Lily didn’t understand what was happening. Why was her mother so anxious? ‘Come and sit down.’ She led her into the parlour.

‘This is all your fault Noah Kelly!’ Josie suddenly exclaimed as she pointed to her brother.

Lily looked from one to the other. ‘What do you mean, it’s Uncle’s fault? What’s going on?’

‘I knew this would happen if—’ Josie covered her face with her hands.

Lily felt fear flood into her heart. What was this all about?

Bob Bright was desperate. There had been nothing left in the bottle and the stomach cramps had begun. What was a man supposed to do? He was in pain and the cough had seized up
his lungs. Now he could hardly walk. His feet seemed like lead weights as he stumbled along, the left half of his body seeming to slow him down. The chest pain that had wracked him had sent him
tumbling out of the house. He had to find relief. And with the old man so stubbornly refusing, he had no choice but to go there himself.

It was a long time since he had been out in the fresh air. A longer time still since he had followed this path. In the days after his dismissal from the timber yard, he’d come once or
twice with Noah, then when his brother-in-law had refused to accompany him, he’d come under the cover of darkness, until Josie had discovered it wasn’t the tavern he visited, but
Limehouse. At her insistence, he’d tried to abstain and for a while he had managed. But then the dark feelings returned. It was as if a hole had swallowed him up. Trapped in it, he was
powerless, confronted by inadequacy and guilt. What good was a man who couldn’t look after his family? What purpose did he serve in this life? The torment wouldn’t stop until he
succumbed to his habit.

Bob shambled painfully into the broken streets of Limehouse. His darting eyes were narrowed and furtive. The assault on his belly grew more acute with each step.

At last he came on the door. He hammered the boards, his need murderous. Where was the Lascar? Where was Mai Chi? Sweat beaded his brow as he stepped back, swaying and cursing.

He shouted, careless now of who heard. If she was gone, then let them take him, imprison him, do away with him. His existence meant nothing without the draught.

He fell to his knees, his palms heavy on the filth. A gasp rose from his chest. ‘A curse on you, old woman,’ he sobbed and unable to right himself, Bob Bright sunk with the curse on
his lips to the earth.

Lily was staring at the two people she thought she knew everything about. Now they seemed like strangers. Her mother’s eyes were red with weeping. Her uncle looked
crestfallen.

‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ Lily couldn’t believe they had kept her in ignorance.

‘Because I hoped he would get better,’ said Josie with another deep sob. ‘And no one would ever have to know.’

‘Your mother tried her best, girl. But the habit grew too strong.’

Lily caught her breath. She couldn’t cry, she was too angry. ‘All this time you’ve lied to me.’

‘It wasn’t lying,’ Josie protested. ‘I just thought of it as medicine.’

‘But it didn’t come from the doctor.’

‘Course not,’ said her uncle, fidgeting uncomfortably. ‘They won’t give the strong stuff out unless you’ve got a good reason, like being in the war and ending up
disabled.’

‘But Dad has a cough medicine,’ Lily said, standing up and walking to and fro. ‘He used to take that.’

‘It wasn’t strong enough,’ said her uncle. ‘Your dad got depressed after being laid off. He was at the end of his tether.’

‘So you took him to this place you say is in Limehouse. Is it one of them dens you read about?’

Her uncle looked away.

Lily sat in front of him. ‘Why did you go there?’

‘It’s the only place you can get it cheap. I used to pass the old woman’s cottage on me rounds, years ago. Got to know her a bit, knew what she was selling. I didn’t
think a little help would go amiss for your dad. It was only a drop at first, gel,’ said her uncle, his voice rough with emotion. ‘A few spoonfuls of paregoric.’

‘A tincture,’ said Josie quickly, glancing at her brother. ‘It cleared up the loose tummy that came with his cough. I would say to meself, I’ll tell Lily where the
money’s going just as soon as he don’t have to take it any more. Each day I tried to get him to go out, to act as normal, but he wanted more each day.’