The Mersey Daughter: A heartwarming Saga full of tears and triumph

‘Yes, so I have.’ Violet stared at the counter. ‘It was two packs of pegs, one large and one small, so that’s … that’s …’

‘You owe me one and six, dear,’ said Mrs Mawdsley, taking pity on Violet’s inexperience. ‘You do know what that looks like, don’t you?’

Violet wilted under the gentle sarcasm then drew herself up straight. ‘Of course I do.’ She pinged open the till. ‘Here you are. And here you are, Mrs Ashby.’ She carefully cancelled the precious coupon. ‘Shall I put the sugar in your handbag?’

‘Thank you, Mrs Feeny,’ said the old lady, her eyes bright. ‘Oh, doesn’t it sound funny to say that. But now Dolly isn’t the only Mrs Feeny on Empire Street. Your Eddy beat his brother Frank down the aisle, who’d have thought it? He’s a dark horse, your young man. But you must be very proud of him.’

‘Oh I am, Mrs Ashby.’ Suddenly Violet found there was a lump in her throat. It was so long since she’d seen her husband, and being in the Merchant Navy he was putting himself in danger every minute of the day. But it wouldn’t do to show her fear for his safety. She forced herself to smile. ‘He’s one in a million, my Eddy. I’ll tell him you were asking after him when I next write.’

Mrs Mawdsley gave her a knowing look. ‘Chin up, that’s the spirit. Give him something to be proud of when he comes home. It’s not easy having your man away, is it? I remember when Mr Mawdsley was away during the last war …’ She fell silent for an instant and her face became unexpectedly tender. ‘Ah, well. It doesn’t do to dwell. You’ll soon get the hang of this place and it will be a big help to Rita.’ She linked her arm with that of the old lady. ‘Come along, Mrs Ashby, I’ll see you home.’

As soon as the door swung shut behind them, Violet collapsed on the stool. She couldn’t believe how tricky that had been, and it was only two customers with simple orders. How did Rita do it, serving all the dock workers practically at once? She supposed it was all a question of practice. Well, she had given her word that she would help out and she couldn’t back out now. Her pride wouldn’t let her – and she wouldn’t give Winnie Kennedy the satisfaction.

Back home after his day out, Danny shivered as he tried to coax the fire alight. Who would have thought it could be so cold riding on Pop’s cart? His hands were freezing. But it had been worth it, to see the pleasure on Rita’s face and the delighted smiles from Michael and Megan. Of course Tommy had been there too and he’d loved having his big brother coming to visit, and had shown Danny round every inch of the farm. Danny had to admit he’d been impressed; Tommy had sounded as if he knew what he was talking about when he’d explained how he looked after the animals and what some of the machinery did. All three children were pictures of health, thriving on the good food that Joan and Seth, the farming couple, could provide. Rita had almost cried at the sight of Megan, who she’d confessed she was most worried about. Megan had hated it when Charlie had taken her away from Empire Street and had become nervous and withdrawn. Now she was running around non-stop, her cheeks rosy and her eyes shining. It was her job to check for fresh eggs every morning, which Joan then scrambled for them all with loads of butter. Danny’s mouth had watered at the description of their breakfasts. It had been a long time since he’d had loads of butter, even with his connections on the docks.

Finally he got the fire lit. Then he turned to the bag that Joan had insisted he take back with him: there was some of the famous precious butter, a box of eggs gathered by Megan, some of Joan’s home-made bread and scones, and some vegetables straight from the field.

Tommy had laughed when Joan had handed it over. ‘Danny don’t know how to cook,’ he’d said. ‘Kitty did all of that for him.’

Danny had pretended to clip him round the ear. ‘How do you think I’ve been managing all this time? I’m not completely useless, I’ll have you know.’ But now, looking at the bag of treats, he had to admit that Kitty would have known exactly what to do with them. He sighed; surely it wasn’t beyond him to make a vegetable stew? He could ask Rita for advice.

His thoughts turned to what Rita had said on the way back. On the outward journey she had talked of nothing but the children, her worries for them and her fears of what damage Charlie’s behaviour might have caused. Seeing the pair of them so happy and settled had calmed her anxiety on that front. So on the way back their conversation had become more personal.

Danny had known Rita all his life and she was almost like another sister to him – particularly as she was so close to his own sister, Kitty. He’d never had much time for her husband, thinking that Charlie was too full of himself, always ready to look down on everyone, and with very little cause as far as Danny could see. But he’d been too busy with his own life to take much notice of what had gone on nine years ago. He’d known Rita had been walking out with his big brother Jack back then, but that was about as far as his interest went.

On their journey back, as they had sat together on Pop’s old cart, Rita had asked him for a favour.

‘I have to tell you something, Danny,’ she’d said, nervously retying the knot of her headscarf. The worn material had slipped back over her wavy red hair and her hands shook slightly as the wind grew chillier. ‘I swore to your brother Jack that I’d write to him now he’s away and I want to keep my promise. He’s been writing back to me. The thing is, he always wrote care of Kitty …’

‘Oh, right,’ Danny had said, not sure in which direction this conversation was heading. If two old friends wanted to write to each other, who was he to stop them? But he couldn’t see what it had to do with him.

‘Well, now she’s not here any more,’ Rita went on, pausing a little and then resuming when Danny didn’t get the hint. ‘Look, I don’t want him to send them direct, as Winnie would get hold of them and then have the wrong idea.’

True enough, Danny thought, nodding. Winnie was mean enough to use that sort of thing against her − she would do anything to stir up spite and hurtful gossip.

‘There’s nothing bad in them, Danny,’ Rita had assured him, her eyes brimming with tears. ‘We aren’t doing anything wrong. It’s just two friends writing to each other. He gives me such good advice about the children, and now Charlie’s not around … It means the world to me to have his letters. Sometimes, when Winnie’s getting me down and I’m tired out from doing a late shift then working in the shop … well, it peps me up to hear from him. I don’t want to ask you to do something you don’t feel is right but … would you mind … could he send them to you? Then I could pop by and pick them up.’

Danny could see that this made sense. If Rita found Jack’s letters a comfort, then who was he to deny her that? He could see how Jack’s advice would be valuable to her, as his big brother had always been the steady, reliable one, unlike himself in the good old days before the fire when he’d had lots of carefree fun with numerous girls. Jack had always been sensible. Rita needed someone like that outside her own family, where nobody could say a thing without the entire house knowing. Jack would be the voice of reason. So he’d agreed. Jack would be pleased that Danny was prepared to help; he’d maybe even think his irrepressible younger brother was finally growing up.

Danny had just made himself a sandwich with Joan’s bread and butter and some Spam he’d found in the cupboard when there was a knock at the door. Some instinct made him shove the bag of farm produce away out of sight before going to see who it was. Usually he wouldn’t have bothered, but somehow his suspicions were raised.

He opened the front door and there was Alfie Delaney.

Danny groaned inwardly. His former colleague from the docks was the last person he wanted to see. But he couldn’t exactly turn him away.

‘Evening, Danny,’ said Alfie, all smiles. That had to mean he wanted something. ‘Aren’t you going to ask me in?’

Danny grunted and led the way back into the house, to where the fire was now burning brightly. He pulled up a chair and sat beside it. Alfie didn’t wait to be asked but did the same. ‘Oh, this is nice. Lovely warm fire, Danny. Proper little housewife, aren’t you?’

Danny glared at him. ‘Come round this late just to say that, did you, Alf?’

Alfie looked up. ‘No need to take that tone with me, Danny. I was paying you a compliment.’

Danny shook his head, knowing it was no such thing. Alfie reserved his compliments for when they were useful, when they would get him something he wouldn’t be able to have otherwise. Danny wanted the man out of the house as soon as possible, not to have him making himself comfortable in front of the fire. ‘So, what’s this about, then? What’s brought you sniffing around here?’

‘I’m concerned for your welfare, Danny,’ said Alfie, a sly smile on his face. ‘Haven’t seen you down the docks for ages, and we all know you’ve been ill with your dicky ticker. Heard you were all alone in here so I thought I’d better see that you were all right.’

‘Very kind of you, I’m sure.’ Danny eyed his visitor warily.

‘And of course I wondered if you’d had any more thoughts on that little proposition we spoke about,’ Alfie went on, his voice as light as if he was just talking about the weather.

Danny wasn’t fooled for a minute. ‘If you mean am I going to take the medical test for you, the answer is no and it’s going to stay that way. It’s fraud and we could both end up in hot water. You know it as well as I do.’ Alfie had been keen to dodge the call-up, and knew that if Danny took the regulation medical exam in his place, he’d be granted exemption. There was no way Danny’s heart could pass for normal.

‘Danny, Danny, you aren’t making any sense,’ sighed Alfie. ‘You having a bad heart could be a golden opportunity. I’d make it worth your while. Come on, make the most of this gift – it’s been handed to you on a plate.’

Easy to say when it wasn’t your heart that was damaged, thought Danny sourly, but he was far too proud to complain about his condition to the likes of Alfie Delaney. ‘No,’ he said shortly.

‘And talking of gifts,’ Alfie continued, his voice more menacing now, ‘did Tommy like those boots? I hear he’s got lots of fields to run around in now.’

Alfie had given Tommy some brand-new top-quality football boots for Christmas, but Danny had known it was a bribe, intended to make him feel he owed Delaney something. ‘You leave him out of it,’ he said. While it was no secret that Tommy had been evacuated to the countryside, he felt uneasy that Alfie was apparently so well informed.

‘And how’s the lovely Kitty? A little bird told me she’s not around at the moment either.’

‘What’s it to you?’ Danny demanded. He’d never liked the way Alfie looked at his sister. Thank God she was safely out of his grasp down in London.

Alfie raised his eyebrows. ‘Doing her bit for king and country, is she? Well, I expect she’ll have some leave soon. I’ve always had a soft spot for her and I reckon she likes me ’n’ all. I shall look forward to getting reacquainted with her,’ he leered.

Danny fought to keep control of his temper. Alfie wasn’t fit to lick Kitty’s boots. ‘Yes, some people do the right thing now there’s a war on,’ he snapped, knowing that Alfie, for all his bluster and menace, was an utter coward who would do anything to avoid being called up. ‘And for your information, no, she isn’t coming back any time soon. So if that’s all you’ve come to say, you’re wasting your breath.’

‘Lucky for you that I’m still in a reserved occupation,’ Alfie said, slowly getting to his feet. ‘But if I need that favour done sharpish, you can be sure I’ll be back. After all, me and Harry Calendar know a few things about you, Danny. Not always so high and mighty, were you? Not always so keen to stay on the right side of the law. When I need you, you’ll find it better all round to do as I say.’ He buttoned his coat, a luxuriously soft woollen one that must have cost him a fortune – which he wouldn’t have managed on a charge hand’s wages. ‘Give my fondest regards to your sister. Show myself out, shall I? We don’t want to upset the invalid now, do we?’ With that final dig, he was off, slamming the front door behind him.

Danny put his head in his hands. Suddenly the thought of his sandwich didn’t seem so appealing after all.

CHAPTER EIGHT

‘Are you sure this is all right?’ Kitty said nervously, brushing her hand against the soft silk collar of the dress she was wearing. It was the perfect shade for her, a deep dusky pink, accentuating her rosy cheeks and shiny dark hair. Laura had offered to lend her the dress as soon as she’d confessed she didn’t have anything smart. But it made her uneasy – she didn’t like borrowing when she couldn’t return the favour.

‘Of course I’m sure,’ Laura said briskly. ‘Couldn’t have you going out dancing in your overall, now could we? Please, don’t even mention it.’ She turned around. ‘Come on, Marjorie, keep up. We’ve got to get in the queue as early as possible so we can bag a decent table. We want to be close enough to hear the band and to see everyone who’s there. It will be a big crowd tonight, I’ll bet you any money.’

Marjorie hurried along the pavement in her peep-toe sandals, which she’d admitted she hadn’t worn very often. ‘Not sure I like the sound of crowds,’ she said uncertainly. ‘Really, I’m not used to them.’

Laura looked perplexed. ‘I thought you said you came from near Brighton? That’s hardly a village, is it?’

‘Yes, but I always spent my Saturday evenings studying, or else preparing lessons,’ Marjorie explained, nearly tripping over her own feet as she breathlessly drew level with the other two young women. ‘This is all a bit much. Why did we have to go so far from our billet? It’s taken us ages and we had to change buses.’

‘Because the Hammersmith Palais is the place to be, no question about it,’ Laura insisted with a knowing air. ‘Trust me on this. If you like dancing, there’s nowhere to beat it. And if you don’t like dancing, well, you’re no friend of mine,’ she added grandly, sweeping around the corner and joining the back of the queue. ‘Well done, girls. We’ve made it in good time. You won’t be disappointed, I swear.’

Kitty glanced around her. There was a tangible air of excitement as the revellers huddled out of the wind, all dressed up in their finery. There might be a war on, but that wasn’t stopping this group of young people – and some not so young – from wearing their best and going out with the determination to have a proper night of dancing and enjoyment. She pulled up the collar of her old coat, glad of its meagre protection. There seemed to be a lot of men in uniform, either in groups with the women or in small gatherings of three or four, eyeing the crowd for prospective dance partners, or maybe something more. She squared her shoulders. She was not going to be put off by a few cheeky glances. She’d dealt with worse. She reckoned Laura had too. Marjorie, though – she wasn’t so sure.

Slowly the queue shuffled along and they drew ever closer to the big doors to the famous dance hall. Laura was smiling from ear to ear. ‘I love this place,’ she said. ‘I used to come here before the fighting broke out. Of course, once the air raids started, it made coming to London that tiny bit more inconvenient.’ She sighed. ‘Now relax and remember, just because a chap asks you for a dance, it doesn’t give him sole rights over you all evening; there’s plenty of us to go round. Here we are. Ready? We can leave our coats in the cloakroom. We don’t want to spoil the impression of our lovely frocks with these sensible old things.’

Kitty reflected that Laura’s beautiful coat couldn’t be called a sensible old thing by any stretch of the imagination, but her new friend had a point. As she handed over her serviceable coat and smoothed down her skirt, Kitty was glad she’d borrowed the lovely pink dress after all. She would have felt completely out of place if she hadn’t dressed up.

‘This way.’ Laura was a woman on a mission, turning down Marjorie’s suggestion that they go to brush their hair. ‘We can go and freshen up our lipstick in a moment – no, you don’t have to if you don’t want to, Marjorie, but I intend to. First we stake our claim to a table. Then we can go in turn so we don’t lose our place. Here we are, just the ticket. Marjorie, you sit there.’

Kitty was impressed with Laura’s choice. They had a view of where the dance band would be and they weren’t too far from the dance floor, but they had the perfect angle to view everyone arriving and milling around. And, she had to admit, people would have quite a good view of them too. She knew that Laura, with her air of confidence and stylish hairstyle – and of course beautiful clothes – would attract attention. Maybe she herself wouldn’t look too bad either. The pink dress boosted her spirits and looked good with her dark, wavy hair. Not that she was here to find romance – she was going to be totally loyal to Elliott, and his familiar warm face floated before her vision. She knew he wouldn’t begrudge her a night out, though, not after her hard weeks of initial training. Soon she hoped to be a fully fledged Wren. She’d write to tell him of their adventure when she got back to the billet.

Marjorie, birdlike, perched restlessly on her seat. She too had borrowed a dress from Laura, with a sweetheart neckline, in a stunning shade of eau de nil. She looked around them, eyes flickering with anxiety. ‘Kitty, what are we doing here? I wish we hadn’t come. Everyone’s staring at us.’

‘No they aren’t,’ Kitty reassured her, almost as a way of reassuring herself. ‘Or only as much as everyone’s looking at everyone else. Don’t worry. You must be accustomed to all your pupils staring at you, aren’t you? You’d have to stand there in front of them and demand their attention.’ She found it hard to understand why anyone who’d gone so far as to qualify as a teacher could be so nervous, when she herself had so many reasons for feeling uncomfortable among a crowd of people who seemed to have so much more experience of life than she had.

‘That’s different,’ Marjorie said instantly, tossing her hair. ‘I know what I’m doing in a classroom. People look at you for a reason. Here, I don’t know … what’ll I say if anyone comes over?’

‘I suppose you just say what you like,’ Kitty grinned. ‘Here’s your chance to practise – a waiter’s coming our way.’

Laura looked up as the smart older man swept over to them. ‘What can I get you, ladies?’

‘I’ll have a cocktail,’ Laura said at once. ‘Can you do me a gin and tonic? Or as close as you can manage.’ She flashed her brilliant smile. ‘How about you, Marjorie?’

Marjorie hesitated. ‘Oh, just water,’ she said.

‘You can’t have just water on a night out at the Palais!’ Laura objected.

‘But I don’t drink alcohol,’ Marjorie protested. ‘I wouldn’t know how to start, I don’t know what I like.’

‘Maybe a lemonade?’ the waiter suggested diplomatically. Kitty reckoned he’d heard this conversation many times before.

‘You’ve had most of your life to drink lemonade,’ Laura interrupted swiftly. ‘Time to break away from the schoolroom, Marjorie. How about a martini? She’ll have a martini,’ she said to the waiter, before Marjorie could contradict her.

The waiter turned to Kitty.

‘I’ll have a shandy,’ she said, feeling very daring. She’d never been one for alcohol either. The memory of her father’s drunken rages followed by his moods of abject despair had put her off. But, she reasoned, one glass of shandy wasn’t going to turn her into her father. It might even give her a bit of much-needed Dutch courage.

‘Right, I’m off to powder my nose.’ Laura stood up. ‘See you in a minute.’

Kitty watched as plenty of servicemen in uniform turned to observe her sophisticated friend as she made her way across the hall. Several then turned back to see which table Laura might have come from. A few seemed to be interested, and finally two broke ranks and wandered across to them. Marjorie immediately fixed her gaze on the table top. Kitty sighed anxiously. It looked as if it would be up to her to make conversation. She’d have to get a grip and not let nerves overcome her.

The taller of the two men was a corporal in the army by his uniform. Kitty smiled in a friendly way without any flirtatiousness as he drew closer. ‘We hate to see you girls sitting on your own,’ he said with a grin. ‘How about a turn on the dance floor?’

Kitty shook her head, remembering how she had parried the banter in the NAAFI canteen. ‘I’m hopeless at dancing, I have to warn you. We’re just enjoying ourselves, watching the world go by.’

‘And what do you do?’ asked the shorter one, whose hair had been slicked back so carefully that it shone brightly, reflecting the lamps dotted around the hall. ‘With your looks, you’ve got to be models. Bet you spend all day getting your pictures taken.’ He looked at them hopefully, wondering if his flattery had worked.

Kitty batted it away. ‘Now we can’t tell you what we do, you know that,’ she said. ‘Careless talk costs lives; loose lips sink ships. Let’s just say it’s a bit more useful than modelling.’

The young man’s face fell, but his companion’s brightened up as Laura returned, her lipstick freshly painted and her hair brushed into shape. ‘Who’s your friend? I don’t suppose you fancy a dance, do you?’

Laura looked him up and down, seeming to assess him as a potential dance partner before cocking her head and saying, ‘Well, why not? It’s what we’ve come here for.’ Not giving him a chance to change his mind, she boldly took his arm and led him towards where a small crowd was gathering ready for the next dance.

His companion promptly lost his nerve and scuttled back to their group of friends who, by the looks of it, proceeded to mock him roundly for being such a coward.

‘Well, Laura doesn’t hang around,’ Kitty observed, as the waiter came with their drinks. She took a sniff of the cocktail. ‘Ugh, she’s welcome to that, though. I’ll stick to the shandy.’ She raised her glass. ‘Cheers, Marjorie. To happier days.’

‘Ummm.’ Marjorie clinked her martini glass against Kitty’s and sipped, first cautiously and then with more enthusiasm. ‘This is nice, though. It’s getting really busy, isn’t it? Laura was right to make us arrive early. I wouldn’t want to be stuck at the back, or so far forward that everyone trips over you.’

Kitty grinned. It sounded as if Marjorie was beginning to relax and find it not so bad after all. Maybe they’d make it through the evening without embarrassing themselves. ‘Did you want to go to brush your hair? I’ll keep the table, I don’t mind.’

‘No, it’s all right.’ Marjorie patted her hair. ‘It’ll do. I wouldn’t want to leave you on your own.’ Her gaze wandered around the room. ‘All sorts in here, aren’t there? What are those uniforms over there?’

Kitty squinted in the direction her friend was pointing. ‘Oh, they’re Canadians.’

Marjorie raised her eyebrows. ‘How do you know that?’ she asked. ‘I’ve never seen them before.’

‘We get a lot around Liverpool,’ Kitty explained. ‘We’ve always had a lot to do with Canada – we used to get Canadian timber all the time down at the docks where I lived. And there are lots of Canadian servicemen around there now. We even had some come to the canteen where I worked. I liked them. They’ve come so far from home to fight alongside our boys – you can’t help but admire them.’

Marjorie seemed to approve of that and looked at the group with renewed interest. ‘I say, they’ve noticed us.’

Of course they have, thought Kitty, you’ve been staring at them unabashed for ages, they’re bound to realise it. But she didn’t say anything, not wanting to bruise her friend’s new-found confidence and enjoy-ment. ‘Oh, they’re coming over. The one with the light- brown curls looks keen.’

One of the group, a pilot from his uniform, made a beeline for Marjorie, his curls bobbing a little as he rounded the table. Marjorie, far from retreating back into her shell, responded with smiles and nods as he asked her for her name and if she’d been here before. The martini looked as if it had worked its magic and banished her earlier awkwardness. Two of his friends began to chat to Kitty, general questions that didn’t require her to think much or give away what she was training as. Although she didn’t exactly have access to state secrets, she was always very careful to reveal as little as possible.