The Docklands Girls (16 page)

Cora was stunned to see Simon standing looking at her and for a moment she didn’t move or speak, then she stepped back and opened the door wider.

‘Come in,’ she said and as she walked away, she felt her legs trembling. She never thought she’d ever see Simon again and wondered why he was here.

‘I’ve just made a pot of tea, would you like some?’ she asked for something to say as he followed her into her bedsit.

‘That would be lovely, thank you. It’s bitterly cold outside. Would you like me to put some more coal on the fire?’

‘Yes, please,’ Cora said. ‘I’ve just come in and it needs building up again.’

She watched him as she poured the tea. In one way, it was wonderful to see him, but she couldn’t bear it if he was offhand. He’d only break her heart again, just when she was beginning to get used to him not being around.

They sat at the table. ‘How have you been? Did you have a good Christmas?’ he asked.

‘I’m fine and, yes, I did have a good Christmas; I went over to the island and stayed with Belle … and you?’

He gave the old familiar smile she knew so well as he looked at her. ‘It was quiet, just with the family, but nice to have mum cook for me again.’

She took a deep breath. ‘Why are you here, Simon?’

He sat silently for a moment staring at her, his gaze so penetrating she was almost mesmerised by it. She waited.

‘Because I miss you. Not a day goes by that you are not in my thoughts. It’s driving me crazy.’

‘And?’

‘I went to the Horse and Groom when I was down in Southampton.’

‘Whatever for?’

‘I just wanted to try and understand you, the life you used to lead – the reason.’

‘You could have asked me,’ she said sharply. ‘You didn’t have to go round Southampton to pry. I would have told you everything you wanted to know, but you didn’t give me a chance. You made up your own mind – then you walked out.’

‘I can see you’re angry, Cora, and I don’t blame you, but it was just a shock. It took me a while to get over it.’

‘Really! And you a policeman. You of all people should know that sometimes things are not what they seem, but usually the people concerned have a right to defend themselves. You didn’t give me that right, did you? You were judge and jury. Guilty, my Lord!’ Getting up, she walked over to the window and looked out in an effort to calm down. She turned round.

‘You said you loved me Simon, but it wasn’t strong
enough to try and understand me, was it? You know nothing about me. You know my body, but you don’t know
me
!’

‘I know how you lost your parents, your home and were left with nothing. I found that out in Southampton.’

She wandered back to the table. ‘What else did you discover? That I was penniless, what I charged my punters? What services I offered? All you discovered, Simon, was how I survived. You didn’t learn anything about what went on in here!’ She thumped her breast. ‘You didn’t find out how much I loathed to feel a stranger’s hands on my body, how I had to pretend to like what they did to me. How I lied to boost their egos. You know nothing!’

She was fighting back her tears. Tears of anger, tears for her lost years of innocence and her self-respect.

He could hear the anguish in her voice, saw the tears brimming in her eyes and was at a loss to know what to do. ‘I’m really sorry, Cora. I didn’t mean to hurt you, honestly.’

She took a handkerchief from her pocket and blew her nose. ‘But you did, Simon, and you’ve no idea how much. You broke my heart.’

‘Can you forgive me? Can we start again?’ He reached for her hand, but she withdrew it from his touch.

She studied him, recognising the longing in his eyes. ‘I’m not sure that would work,’ she said quietly.

‘Why ever not?’

‘You would take me in your arms, make love to me, but in the back of your mind, you’d begin to wonder how many men had done the same before you. It would destroy us.’

He didn’t answer because in his heart he knew she
spoke the truth and Cora recognised his reluctance and the reason for it.

‘You see, I’m right. If you can’t put my past behind you, we wouldn’t have a chance.’ She rose to her feet. ‘I think it best that you leave, don’t you?’

‘Can’t we be friends at least?’ he asked.

‘Simon, it’s easy for friends to become lovers; it’s much more difficult for lovers to become friends. Let’s leave it like that.’

Simon was at a loss to know how to change her mind. As he gazed at her, he knew he still loved her, but he could see from the steely look in her eyes that Cora had made up her mind. He wanted to reach out to her, to hold her and convince her that things would work out, but she stood rigid before him and he had no choice but to leave.

Left alone, Cora sat at the table and finished her tea.
Funny old world,
she thought. She had wanted Simon so much, but when they had faced reality together the problem before them would have been too big to overcome. He was still too haunted by her past to make a future together possible. The realisation was hard to accept, but accept it she must and move on.

It was now January and Hildy was due to sail to America and a new life. She’d been moved to a camp at Tidworth with the other GI brides before being taken to the docks to start her journey. She was sailing on the
Queen Elizabeth
and Cora and Belle were there to see her off.

Bands played, streamers flew and, despite the cold, there was a festive air as those on the quayside sang songs. The
railings on board the liner were crowded with women. Some waving, others crying and as Belle and Cora searched the faces, looking for their friend, they were in a panic in case they missed her.

‘There she is!’ yelled Belle and started waving madly whilst trying to point her out to Cora, who eventually saw her too. They shouted messages to Hildy who herself was yelling at the top of her voice, neither could hear the other in the maelstrom of sailing day.

Eventually the roar of the funnels filled the air, the band started to play ‘There’ll Always Be An England’. The stevedores let go the ropes after the gangways were taken in and the ship began to leave. Belle and Cora waved, tears streaming down their cheeks, still calling to their friend until it was time to leave.

‘Come on,’ said Belle, ‘I need a bloody drink after all that.’

Half an hour later, the two women sat in a quiet corner of a bar with a couple of gin and tonics in front of them. They toasted their friend.

‘To Hildy!’ said Cora.

‘May she live a happy life!’ added Belle.

The two then started to catch up on each other’s news. Cora told her friend about Simon’s visit and the consequences.

‘You sent him away?’ Belle was surprised.

‘He couldn’t forget about my past, Belle. He even came here to Southampton, checking me out. Asking questions! That’s a bit obsessive, don’t you think?’

‘Maybe it was because he loved you.’

‘Don’t, Belle. Leave it, please. I’ve made up my mind about Simon. He too is part of my past.’

Her friend remained silent, but she was sorry, knowing how much Cora had loved the policeman.

‘Come on,’ Belle said, ‘let’s get something to eat before I catch a ferry back to the island.’ They left the bar in search of food.

Belle had settled well in Shanklin and was a happy woman. Having completed her house renovations, she started on the garden. With the help of a handyman, they had built a chicken house in the back and she’d purchased several laying hens, thinking the eggs would help with her catering and spread the rations. They had dug vegetable beds and planted potatoes, runner beans, onions, beetroot and carrots. It had been backbreaking but wholly therapeutic.

She had placed advertisements in local papers, in Southampton’s
Evening Echo
and holiday magazines, announcing her opening at Easter and to her delight, she had already received bookings.

The local shopkeepers were now getting to know her and, with her outgoing nature, she’d achieved a certain camaraderie with them. The local butcher in particular had taken a shine to her and would occasionally slip her a bit of extra meat, which bode well for the future when she had guests. In return she would take him some eggs.

Cora would sometimes spend a weekend with her. After the busy city, the Isle of Wight was like a haven and she
loved walking on the beach and, after their walk, finding a local pub and having a few drinks.

The pace was slower, the surroundings picturesque and Cora was beginning to find that London no longer held any excitement for her. She said as much to Belle one evening when they were at home having a quiet meal.

‘Do you think I could find a job on the island, Belle?’

Her friend looked at her with surprise. ‘Why?’ she asked.

‘Oh I don’t know. It’s so peaceful here. Frankly, I’m sick of the rush in London. Travelling each day by Underground, all the pushing and shoving in the mornings and at rush hour after a day’s work. I get home and I’m exhausted.’ She’d been shopping with Belle and enjoyed the chat with the shopkeepers. ‘I don’t really know anyone outside of work,’ she continued and let out a deep sigh. ‘Since splitting with Simon, I’ve pretty much kept myself to myself. A city can be a lonely place, Belle.’

Belle looked at her thoughtfully, she was fond of young Cora. They’d been through so much together and she, too, often felt lonely by herself in the evenings.

‘Why don’t you come and help me run the B & B? You could share my room. I could just about move another single bed in which would be a bit of a squeeze, but you could use one of the other rooms when it was free. I could do with a helping hand.’

‘I couldn’t possibly do that,’ Cora said.

‘Why ever not?’

‘Because you don’t know if you’ll have enough business coming in.’

Belle laughed loudly. ‘Oh ye of little faith! I’m already fully booked for Easter and I expect to do well in the
summer. I thought I’d do afternoon teas too, outside in the garden if the weather is fine enough, if not, inside in the dining room. There are a lot of day trippers who come here. I can’t manage that alone, I’d have to hire help. I can pay you a small wage and all your meals to start with and when we’re busy and established, I’ll pay you more.’

Cora started to smile. ‘Oh, Belle! Really?’

‘Yes, really. You will have to help with the cleaning, the cooking, the serving and the garden too. So you see love, you’d really be doing me a favour. What do you say?’

Cora jumped to her feet, rushed over to her friend, flung her arms around her and kissed her cheek. ‘I say yes, of course!’

So it was settled. Cora would hand in a week’s notice, pack her stuff and move in. They drank to their new arrangement. It worked for both of them. Belle had been concerned about managing if she was fully booked and now that was no longer a problem. She and Cora worked well together and shared a great affection for one another and so work would no longer be a chore, shared as it would be by two very close friends.

Cora’s boss, Linda, was sorry to see her go, but when she heard her future plans she was delighted for her. ‘If you find you don’t like it there and it’s too quiet for you, you can always come back, you know.’

Cora thanked her. ‘That’s really kind of you. I’ve enjoyed working with you and if you need a holiday, you know where to come,’ she said with a grin.

The next two days were spent packing and cleaning the bedsit ready for the next occupant. When she’d given her notice to the rent man, she asked, ‘Will the landlord soon find another occupant, do you think?’

‘No idea, miss. As far as I know, the room will be advertised in a newspaper.’

She wondered who would be living in her bedsit next. She’d enjoyed her time there, she mused, as she finally packed her bag, called a cab and was taken to the train station. She was off to start another new life!

It was now Good Friday and on the Isle of Wight, Belle and Cora were preparing breakfast for their residents who had arrived the night before. Two couples, one with a small child who slept in a small cot that Belle had purchased for such an occasion.

The women had been busy, making soda bread as an alternative to the dreadful National loaf, plucking a chicken which Belle had killed, much to Cora’s horror.

‘I can’t watch,’ she’d said as Belle prepared to wring the chicken’s neck and had fled into the house. But she was quite happy to sit and pluck it. They’d bought some fish from the local fisherman to serve for dinner on Friday evening and with the extra ration books, they’d be able to buy extra butter, bacon and meat.

Both were good cooks. They saved the fresh eggs for breakfast and used the powdered eggs to make scones and a cake. The vegetable patch had supplied most of their needs. They were both thrilled to have a good start to the business.

After breakfast when their guests had vacated their rooms, they washed up the breakfast dishes, made the beds, cleaned the rooms and eventually sat down to a cup of tea and a bowl of porridge. Both were pleased with themselves.

‘Do you think they were satisfied with the breakfast?’ asked Belle with a worried frown.

‘They were delighted!’ Cora assured her. ‘Both couples are nice; I don’t see them being any trouble. Besides, why would they complain? The house is lovely, the beds comfortable and the food is good.’ She poured another cup of tea. ‘Relax, love, we’re doing just fine.’

Belle started to chuckle. ‘Who’d have thought it, eh? You and me, running a business. Bloody sight better than having to lay on our backs to earn a crust.’ She looked at her friend. ‘Do you ever think of those days?’

‘No, never! I’ve locked every one of those days and nights away in a box never to be opened. That’s my past; all I want to think about is my future.’

‘Well, I do sometimes. It wasn’t all bad. I met some nice blokes, most of them just scared of what lay ahead for them. Poor buggers, wondering if they’d come back alive or injured. Then, of course, I met Jackson. He was special. I’m really happy that he came out alive and now seems to have a good life. The rest I don’t want to think about. However, love, let’s remember, those days paid for our future and don’t you forget that.’

‘How could I? Without being on the streets, I would never have survived and look at us now.’

‘Well,’ said Belle with a grin, ‘if we don’t have enough customers in the summer, we could always open a brothel!’ She doubled up with laughter.

‘Belle! Don’t even think of it,’ Cora gasped, then she too started laughing.

As they only offered half board, they spent the rest of the morning finishing their chores and preparing the evening meal, then went for a stroll along the beach, breathing in the smell of seaweed and salt air. They sat in a beach cafe drinking tea and planning for the summer.

‘I’ve advertised year round accommodation,’ Belle told her friend, ‘but I imagine from May onwards people will start booking, hopefully. July, August and September should be our busiest months, but if we’re not booked up, serving afternoon teas will help with the shortfall.’

Cora cast an admiring glance in Belle’s direction. ‘I had no idea that you had such a good business brain.’

‘Oh I’ve also had business cards printed and have put them in all the paper shops, you know in the window with all the adverts – and in Cowes. It’s a favourite holiday place and hopefully if the B & Bs and hotels get booked up, we may pick up a few strays there, especially during the Cowes Regatta, which starts on the first Saturday in August, I believe. We might do well serving teas then. Loads of people come over to watch that and then they may decide to venture further.’

‘Well, only time will tell,’ said Cora as she went to pay the bill.

Belle’s guests had left fully satisfied with their stay and, after cleaning the rooms and remaking the beds, she and Cora sat down with a cup of tea to read the latest news from Hildy. They’d received several postcards from her
after her arrival in New York and her consequent move to a military base in Kentucky, now she’d written a letter.

Belle put the letter down and smiled. ‘Thank goodness everything seems to have worked out for her, after all. We must write back to her, let her know she’s not forgotten. She took a chance sailing off to another country with a man she really didn’t know well.’

‘Yes, that is a relief,’ Cora agreed. ‘You hear of such terrible tales of those who were promised the earth to find it had all been a pack of lies.’

‘Let’s face it, you don’t have to leave these shores to find that out. Men can do that anywhere.’

‘Would you marry again, Belle?’

‘No, love. Now if I did meet a bloke I liked, I would live with him, but that would be enough, then I could chuck him out if he didn’t live up to my expectations.’ She stood
up and said, ‘Let’s go for a walk along the beach. We’ve earned a break.’

The two of them would not have been quite so happy about their friend Hildy had she written and told them the whole truth about her induction to army life.

On her arrival in New York, Hildy had been thrilled to be with Milt again and they’d had a great few days in the vibrant city on their delayed honeymoon. She’d been fascinated by all the sights and the shops and was looking forward to setting up a home for the man she adored. But when they arrived at Milt’s army base in Kentucky, she found that things were different to how she imagined her married life and home would be.

As was usual for army wives, they all lived in houses attached to the regiment in the grounds of the military base. There was a definite division among the ranks. The homes of the officer’s wives differed greatly from the ordinary ranks. The army set out classes and entertainment for the wives in an effort to stop them from being bored with army life and to try and keep them out of trouble. Boredom can lead to all manner of things, this the army had learnt over the years and the divorce rate was fairly high.

Their house on the base was already furnished, which had been a disappointment to Hildy. She had looked forward to choosing the furniture for their first home together, as she thought the interior of the house was bland and characterless, but she kept such feelings to herself.

The other wives gave her a welcome party two days after she arrived to try and make her at ease having left her country as a GI bride.

As she had written to her friends, she did feel like a
specimen in a bottle as she was questioned incessantly about her life back in, ‘the old country’. Although why they called it that she often wondered when they had nothing to do with Britain and appeared to know so little about it.

They were unaware of the hardship the British people had suffered during the Blitz.

The fact that everyone had clothing coupons they found incredible and as for ration books and the meagre amounts of food allowed to each person for a week, they could hardly believe.

‘Do you have television? Do you have beauty parlours? Do you know the Royal family? Do you have running water in your houses?’

On being asked this final question, Hildy smiled at the questioner and said, ‘Good heavens, no. We have to wash in the sea. We are an island, you know, so we are never far away from any water.’ For a while some believed her.