The Clippie Girls (25 page)

‘What?’ Rose stared back at her grandmother and then colour flooded her face. ‘Oh, I get it. You wouldn’t have been surprised if it’d been me – is that it?’

‘I never said a word.’

‘No, but you looked it. Ta very much, Gran.’ Rose leaned forward. ‘But I’ll tell you summat. I’ll never let a feller touch me – not even Bob – till I’m wed. So there. You can put that in your pipe and smoke it.’

‘Aye,’ Grace shot back, with a vigour she thought had deserted her. ‘An’ I’ll believe that when I see it. When he comes back and begs you to show him how much you love him before he goes back to the war, back into danger, you’ll give way. Just like I expect Peggy’s done.’

‘I don’t reckon she’d’ve needed much persuading,’ Rose said nastily.

‘Oh, please, please stop arguing.’ Mary cried as she put her head in her hands. ‘Whatever are we to do?’

For a moment, Grace paused by the door on her way out. She looked back at her daughter. ‘I’ll let you know in the morning, when I’ve had time to sleep on it. Goodnight – though I don’t expect it will be a good one for any of us.’

When Mary went up to bed too she found Peggy sobbing into her pillow. She sat on the side of the single bed and put her arms round her daughter. ‘Come on now, love. You’ll do yourself no good, nor the baby.’

At her words, Peggy sobbed all the harder until Mary was obliged to say firmly, ‘Now, stop this. We’ll work something out.’

Still hiccuping miserably, Peggy pulled herself up. ‘Did Gran really mean what she said?’

Mary sighed. ‘She’s sleeping on it. She’s going to let us know in the morning.’

‘And Rose? What about Rose? I know she hates me for what I did to Bob, but—’

‘You leave Rose to me. I’ll handle her.’ Mary, usually such a gentle soul, could on occasions surprise her family. When something important happened, Mary revealed a backbone of steel. Peggy lay back against the pillows. As long as her mother stood by her, she thought, she didn’t really need the others.

‘Mam, I’m sorry I’ve disappointed you, but you won’t desert me, will you?’

‘I’ll not lie to you, Peggy. I wish it hadn’t happened. I thought I’d brought you up better than that, but, no, I won’t let you be homeless. Whatever your gran decides in the morning, we’ll deal with it.’

Grace was late getting up the following day and they all, including Mary, who was starting a run of early-morning shifts, had to leave before she appeared.

Rose marched ahead of Peggy, refusing to speak to her or even walk beside her to work. Only Mary remained faithfully at her daughter’s side.

‘How do you feel this morning? Still sickly?’

‘A bit. I’ve just got this awful hollow feeling inside. Maybe, I’ll lose it, Mam. It’d be for the best—’

Mary stopped suddenly, grasped Peggy’s arm and swung her round to face her. Her face was blazing. ‘Don’t you ever – ever – let me hear you say such a thing again. All life is precious. My God, we should know that when we’re losing so many fine young men all over again in another bloody war.’

Peggy gasped. Mary never swore, never raised her voice, and to see her so angry and almost shouting in the middle of the street was almost more of a shock than finding out she was pregnant.

‘Mam, I—’

‘If you’ve created a life, then it’s your responsibility to look after it. To love and nurture it
however
it’s come about. Your situation isn’t ideal, fingers will be pointed, and folks will whisper behind their hands. We have that to face. But face it we will because it’s not the fault of the poor little mite you’re carrying. You’ll love it and care for it, even if we have to do it without its father. You hear me, Peggy?’

But without giving her daughter the chance to reply, Mary loosened her grip, turned and walked on. Open-mouthed, Peggy stared after her for a few moments before hurrying to catch her up as they reached the depot together. She didn’t want all the Sylvester women to be seen arriving separately. The gossip would start soon enough.

Thirty

That evening Mary and Peggy walked home together. Rose, though she was due to finish work at the same time, was nowhere to be seen.

‘I expect she’s gone round to Mrs Deeton’s to see if she’s had a letter from Bob.’

‘D’you think she’ll tell her about me?’

Mary sighed. ‘I’ve no idea what Rose will do next, love. But she’s the least of my worries just now. Let’s get home and see what your gran has to say. We’ll know what we’ve got to deal with then.’

Grace was sitting in her usual place by the fire, but her newspaper lay idly on her lap and the elderly woman was gazing into the fire. She didn’t even look up as Mary and Peggy entered the room. Grace usually began the preparations for the evening meal, but tonight nothing had been done.

‘Mother,’ Mary said tentatively. ‘Are you all right?’

Slowly, Grace raised her head. She stared at Mary for a long moment before saying, ‘Are you? Are any of us?’

Peggy turned and left the room. Whatever decision Grace had made about her future, Mary would relay the message. She couldn’t bear to stay in the same room and see the accusation, the disappointment in her grandmother’s eyes.

Mary took off her coat and sat down opposite her mother. With surprising spirit for one so usually meek and mild, Mary asked. ‘Well, do we stay or do we go?’

‘Who said anything about “we”? This only concerns Peggy.’

‘I’m sorry, Mother, but if Peggy goes then we all go.’

Grace’s mouth twisted in a wry smile. ‘Putting a gun to my head, are you?’

‘Not at all. This is your house.’ She almost added, ‘As you so often remind us,’ but thought better of it. She didn’t want to antagonize her mother further or cause an unpleasant argument. Instead, she went on, ‘And you have every right to ask Peggy to leave if you feel she has brought shame and disgrace to the family. But, in turn, I am not about to desert my daughter. Yes, I’m as disappointed in her as you are, but I will stand by her and help her. She’s not the first to have a child out of wedlock nor, sadly, will she be the last. In fact, with this war, there are likely to be a lot more girls finding themselves in her position.’

‘I don’t doubt it,’ Grace muttered, ‘but I hadn’t expected my granddaughter to be one of them.’

‘Nor had I, Mother. But she is and we’ve got to deal with it.’

‘Rose won’t go,’ Grace said suddenly.

‘What d’you mean?’

‘You said, “We’ll all go.” Rose won’t go. She’s already said so.’

‘When did she say that?’

‘Dinnertime. She dashed home in her break to see if there was a letter from Bob.’

‘And was there?’

‘No. She’ll’ve gone to see Mrs Deeton. She said she would go after work.’

‘I thought as much.’ Mary paused then continued, ‘So – you discussed things with Rose, did you?’

‘Yes. She guessed that you wouldn’t stand by and see Peggy turned out, but she’s made it quite clear that she’ll stay with me. I think she’s even more disgusted at Peggy than I am.’

‘And what about Myrtle? I presume she’s up in her room doing her homework. Have you discussed this with her too?’ A note of sarcasm crept into Mary’s tone. She couldn’t help it.

‘She wants to stay here too, mainly, I suspect,’ Grace added with a wry smile, ‘because of her school.’

‘So, it’s just Peggy and me who’ll be leaving then, is it?’

‘I haven’t said anyone’s leaving yet.’

Mary raised her eyebrows. She was used to her mother’s teasing. This was no time to play games, but she had no choice but to wait patiently until Grace was ready to make her pronouncement. With some sort of perverse pleasure, Mary thought, her mother was enjoying holding all the cards. It put her – not Peggy – at the centre of the drama.

‘She can stay,’ Grace said at last, though her tone was grudging. ‘We’ll face it as a family, but don’t let her think for one moment that I condone what she’s done. She’s brought shame to my house and I’ll never forgive her for that. And she’s to stay out of my sight. She can stay in her bedroom or the front room. You – or one of the others – can take her meals to her. I don’t want to set eyes on her.’

Mary was thoughtful for a moment. Her mother had softened thus far, maybe as time went on . . . She could only hope.

When she relayed Grace’s words to Peggy, the girl shed more tears, partly at the harshness of her grandmother’s ultimatum, but partly too with relief. At least she would have a roof over her head and food to eat, even though her life shut away between the cold front room and her bedroom would be lonely.

‘I’ll spend as much time with you as I can,’ Mary promised. ‘And perhaps Rose will come round in time.’

‘Pigs might fly,’ Peggy murmured and tried to force a smile through her tears. She mopped her face, straightened her back and added, ‘But at least I can carry on at work until I begin to show. No one need know until then.’

‘Are you well enough? I mean, this morning sickness . . .’

‘It’s only first thing. Usually by the time I get to work, it’s gone off. A piece of dry toast in a morning seems to help.’ She smiled wryly. ‘At least Myrtle can have my butter ration.’

Mary smiled and patted her hand. ‘Get to bed now. You need the rest.’

Peggy grasped her mother’s hand, her voice husky. ‘Thanks, Mam. I—’

‘Don’t say any more, darling. We’ll get through this together.’

Mary’s hopes that Rose would ‘come round’ were not fulfilled. Rose sided wholeheartedly with her grandmother and refused to speak to Peggy. She wouldn’t even carry meals up the stairs or into the front room for her sister.

‘I’ll do it, Mam,’ Myrtle said, holding out her hands to take the tray from Mary. ‘You’ve got enough to do without running up and downstairs after her.’

Mary raised her eyebrows but said nothing as she handed the tray over. The young girl was intrigued by her sister’s pregnancy. She wanted to know everything about it. ‘I’m doing biology,’ she said to explain her curiosity. ‘It’s useful.’

‘Just so long as you don’t go telling everyone at school that your sister’s pregnant,’ Rose warned on one of the rare occasions she even referred to Peggy’s condition.

The following Wednesday, a letter arrived from Bob and Rose’s face was wreathed in smiles once more. ‘He’s applying for leave. He might be home just after Christmas. Oh, I can’t wait.’

And this time, Mary guessed, Rose would lose no time in telling Bob all about Peggy.

‘Well, there’s no doubt about it now. We’ll win the war.’ Grace announced triumphantly early in December, when most folk in the city were dreading the first anniversary of their own particular blitz.

‘I never doubted it,’ Myrtle said, carefully spreading butter thinly on her toast. Even she’d learnt to use their rations sparingly now. ‘Not for a moment, but what’s making you say it now?’ Grace was actually smiling as she stared at the headlines in the previous day’s late edition of the
Daily Mail
.

‘Japan has declared war on us – and on America.’

Myrtle stopped eating and stared at her in surprise. ‘And that’s supposed to be good?’

‘It’ll bring America into the war. The Japs have bombed the home base of the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as well as other American bases.’ She shook her head, but was still smiling. ‘How can they have been so silly? And Canada has already declared war on Japan.’

‘Oh well, they call it a world war so I suppose everyone’s got to be in it. But who’s fighting who? That’s what I’d like to know.’

‘Well, I’ll tell you . . .’ Grace lowered her newspaper.

‘Not now, Gran,’ Myrtle said, springing up and gathering her school books together. ‘Must dash. See you tonight.’

‘I’ll tell you then,’ Grace called after her.

‘Not if I can help it,’ Myrtle muttered as she left by the back door. Though she was interested in world affairs, often read her grandmother’s papers and listened to the news bulletins on the wireless with her, Myrtle didn’t want to sit the whole evening whilst Grace expounded her knowledge and her views.

There was often band music on after the news, especially if Grace could be persuaded to tune into the programmes for the forces. Myrtle would much prefer to listen to that. Even Myrtle, studious though she was, enjoyed a little relaxation sometimes, especially since there was no fun to be had with either of her sisters now.

Christmas – the third of the war – was a silent affair in the household of women. Laurence had gone to his brother’s home this year and the Bradshaws had gone to visit Tom’s sister in Rotherham. So, much to everyone’s relief there was no one they felt obliged to ask to join them for Christmas dinner. They exchanged gifts as usual but with little enthusiasm and Mary noticed that the ones Peggy had bought for her grandmother and for Rose lay unopened.

‘Mother, may Peggy join us for dinner?’ Mary asked tentatively.

‘Certainly not. She’s made her bed, she must lie on it.’

‘That’s what’s caused all the trouble in the first place,’ Myrtle said with a smirk.

Grace rounded on her. ‘It’s no laughing matter, Myrtle, and I hope you’re going to learn from this.’

Myrtle’s smile faded and her eyes narrowed. ‘I’ll never let any man wreck my life, Gran. You can be sure of that.’

‘I’m pleased to hear it. Now, can we please get on with our Christmas dinner – such as it is. I want to listen to the King’s speech on the wireless later.’

Mary was right. When Bob arrived home on leave early in the New Year, Rose couldn’t wait to tell him just what Peggy – the girl he had believed himself so in love with – had done.

They were sitting in the back row of the cinema amongst all the other courting couples. Most of the young men were in army uniform like Bob, snatching one and nine’s worth of darkness. When the lights went up in the interval before the big picture started, there was much shuffling and sitting up straight.

‘I’ve got summat to tell you,’ Rose whispered. ‘Peggy’s got herself pregnant.’

Bob turned to stare, open-mouthed, at her. At last, he spluttered. ‘With him? That Terry Price?’

‘Of course. Who else? She’s not a whore – although that’s what I call her.’

Bob sat rigidly still for a moment and then he jumped up and grabbed Rose’s hand. ‘We’re going.’