The Woolworths Girls Read online

  Ruby stood to look at her face in the large mirror placed over the fireplace. The more she rubbed her eye, the blacker it became. ‘I’ll go wash my face and get the sherry. I’m sure everything’ll come out in the wash. You two aren’t to worry. We’ll sort it out.’

  ‘Irene, Irene, where are you? Come and see who I’ve brought home with me.’ George hung his coat on the carved wooden coat stand, placing his suitcase neatly against the wall. He ushered a nervous Sarah and Alan through to the lounge.

  Sarah felt as though she was visiting a stranger’s house. It didn’t feel like the home she had left only months ago. ‘Give me your coat, Alan. You’ll not feel the benefit when you go out otherwise.’ She clapped her hand to her mouth. ‘Goodness, I’m turning into my nan. I’ve never said anything like that before. It just shows how nervous I am.’

  Alan brushed her cheek with his finger. ‘You’re probably tired as well. Leaving home when it was still dark has made it a long day.’

  ‘It’s only just midday and I’m ready for my bed. I don’t know how you can make this journey every other week, Dad.’

  George had already made himself comfortable in his armchair and was pulling out his pipe. ‘The difference is, love, that I’ve never arrived and departed on the same day. It’s such a shame you couldn’t get time off to stay for a few days. It’s a fair train journey down to Devon from home.’

  It’s not just me who thinks of Erith as home, then, and Dad’s been living here since I was a kid, Sarah thought.

  ‘Hello, darling. What a lovely surprise.’ Irene Caselton kissed Sarah lightly on the cheek, taking care not to smudge her perfectly made-up face. Sarah hugged her mum back, although Irene stood still, not returning the embrace. She spotted Alan and frowned slightly. ‘Who do we have here?’

  Alan stood up and shook hands with his future mother-in-law. ‘Good afternoon, Mrs Caselton.’

  Before he could speak further, George took control of the conversation. ‘Sit yourself down for a few minutes, Rene. We have some news for you.’

  Irene almost flinched as George used the shortened version of her name, but did as she was told, a questioning look on her face. ‘I wish I’d known you were visiting, as I have an afternoon committee meeting I just can’t miss. Can this keep until later?’

  ‘No, dear, it can’t. Sarah has to get back to Erith, as does Alan.’

  ‘Why the rushed visit? It’s the first I’ve seen of you since you left to live with your grandmother.’ She suddenly put a hand to her mouth in shock. ‘My goodness, you’re not . . . ?’

  Sarah opened her mouth to reply. How dare she think she was expecting a child? Did her mum not even trust her own daughter?

  Again, George took control. ‘Don’t jump to conclusions, Rene. Young Alan here has been courting our Sarah for a while now. With the future so uncertain, they are determined to marry, but they want to do it properly. They’ve come to ask us both to give them our blessing. It made sense, what with their work commitments, to travel down with me. They intend to catch the five-o’clock train back.’

  The frown on Irene’s brow deepened. ‘Sarah’s far too young.’ She waved her hand in Alan’s direction. ‘We know nothing about this young man.’

  Sarah wanted to speak out and protect the man she loved. Her mum was reacting just as she had feared.

  George tapped his pipe carefully into the ashtray. ‘Now, now, Rene. Let’s keep calm, shall we? Sarah will be celebrating her twenty-first birthday in September; she’ll be able to make up her own mind about her life. Aren’t you pleased that both she and Alan want our approval?’

  Irene looked between the young couple and her husband. ‘This is just too much to take in.’ She checked the dainty watch on her wrist and sighed. ‘I suppose I have an hour before I rush off. So, Alan, how did you meet my daughter?’

  Alan visibly relaxed. ‘We work together at Woolworths.’

  ‘You know Alan’s family, Mum. You used to work with his mother, Maureen. Dad went to school with her, so he isn’t exactly a stranger, is he?’

  Irene’s face dropped. ‘You work at Woolworths?’

  ‘I’m a trainee manager, Mrs Caselton. My mother works in the staff canteen. She sends her best wishes and hopes to catch up with you at the wedding.’

  Irene rose to her feet. ‘I’ll put the kettle on.’

  As Irene headed to the kitchen, Sarah gave a small smile. ‘Not as painful as we thought, Dad?’ she whispered.

  George winked at his daughter. ‘Don’t you be so sure, young lady. Now, go help your mum with the tea while I ask Alan about his prospects. I believe that’s what happens next?’

  Sarah giggled. Perhaps things would go smoothly with Mum.

  In the kitchen, Irene placed biscuits onto a plate and fetched napkins from a cupboard. ‘Really, Sarah. I think you could have been a little more considerate. I don’t understand the rush. What will your future be like married to a shop worker? How can he provide you with a proper home? You can’t live with Ruby forever or, God forbid, his mother.’

  ‘Mum, Alan is well thought of at Woolworths. One day he will have his own store to run.’ She thought it best not to mention Miss Billington’s suggestion that one day Sarah could be a supervisor. After all, once she was married and children came along, she wouldn’t be working. She would be a wife and mother.

  ‘You’re throwing your life away, Sarah. Goodness knows why you won’t come home and settle down into life here. With my contacts, you could meet the right people and make a good marriage.’

  ‘Mum, please.’ Sarah took Irene’s hand so that she could look her in the eye. ‘I love Alan. For me, it is the perfect match. I’m a lucky girl to have found someone who will care for me, just like you are lucky to have Dad. Whatever happens in the future, I’ll know that I married the right man.’

  Irene pulled her hand away and picked up the tea tray. ‘I don’t know what you mean about the future, I’m sure.’

  ‘Mum, there will be a war. I want to marry Alan before he goes away to fight for our country. God knows I don’t want him to go, and I know he’d rather be here with me, but we’ll have no choice in the matter.’

  ‘So you’ll just be another soldier’s wife. You could wait.’

  ‘You’re wrong, Mum. I’ll be a pilot’s wife and proud of my husband.’

  Irene put the tea tray down on the table so quickly that the teaspoons rattled on their saucers and tea slopped through the spout of the teapot. ‘A pilot’s wife? How?’

  Sarah smiled. She knew that her mum would be much more interested once she knew Alan would have a responsible role to play if there was a war. She didn’t give a hoot what Alan did, but if it helped with her mum’s approval of the marriage, she would say he was to be prime minister.

  Irene hugged her daughter. ‘I’ll cancel my meeting. The ladies will understand once they know that my daughter is to marry an officer in the RAF. We need to make plans. Book the golf club, agree on the wedding breakfast and make a trip to London to pick a wedding gown.’

  12

  ‘Happy, darling?’ Alan said, echoing their earlier conversation.

  Sarah snuggled closer to Alan as the train sped towards London. It would be the early hours of the next morning before they reached Erith, but the trip had been worth it. ‘Yes, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. Once we’d convinced Mum that the wedding would be in Erith and Maisie was to make my dress, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.’

  ‘It was harder convincing her that I wasn’t an officer. I thought she was going to salute me at one point. I may not even make the final cut with my application to be a pilot. I’d love to fly Spitfires, but even a job with the ground crew means I’ll be doing my bit. If there is a war,’ he added quickly as he saw a look of concern spread across her face.

  ‘Let’s hope there isn’t and we can live our life in Erith with no worries. Now, I’m going to try and sleep for a while and dream of orange blossom and wedding cake.’

  Alan lit
a cigarette and stared out into the darkening sky, one arm around the woman he loved, as she slept nestled close to his shoulder. He wished he could have the same positive dreams as Sarah; however, he knew that war was inevitable. Come what may, he would play his part to defend his country and protect his loved ones.

  ‘For heaven’s sake, stop yer wriggling. I’ve never seen anyone not be able to stand on two feet before. You got ants in yer pants or something? Whatever’s wrong with you?’ Maisie muttered as she held a dressmaking pin between her teeth.

  ‘I can’t help it. I need to go to the lavvie. I’ve been standing on this chair for an hour now. Haven’t you finished the hem yet?’ Freda replied as she wriggled from foot to foot.

  Maisie sighed and stood up. ‘Time for a rest. My knees have gone to sleep. Your bridesmaid frock has been more trouble than Sarah’s wedding dress and all the dresses put together. I’ve had to let it out once, and if you aren’t careful, it’s likely to split a seam on the day. Now, let’s get you out of this so you can go sort yerself out. I think I’m done for now.’

  Freda allowed Maisie to undo the hooks at the back of the dress and hang it on the front-room door. ‘It’s lovely. Sarah’s wedding is going to be so posh.’

  Maisie beamed; she wasn’t one to blow her own trumpet, but she was proud of the work she had done on the bridal-party outfits. She particularly liked Ruby’s two-piece suit. It fitted to perfection, and the deep burgundy colour suited the older woman to a T. She hadn’t minded in the least having to let out Freda’s gown. The girl had blossomed with the help of all the good food since living at her new lodgings and also having Ruby look out for her too. She was nothing like the frightened kid Maisie had met that first day at Woolies. Now she was a young woman with rosy cheeks and a confidence that had not been there eight months ago. Occasionally Maisie would see a shadow pass over Freda’s face and the younger woman would go quiet for a short while. Then it passed and she was as bubbly as before, the moment forgotten. Maisie would get to the bottom of what was troubling Freda if it was the last thing she did. That kid was like a sister to her, and a young sister was what Maisie missed most.

  She shook herself and stabbed a few stray pins into her pincushion. ‘Stick the kettle on, Freda,’ she called out as she heard her come through the back door. ‘I could do with a cup of Rosie. Ruby and Sarah will be home soon. I bet they’ll be parched. Sarah was hell bent on buying Ruby a new hat. I just hope they found one that Ruby likes.’

  Freda returned to the room and helped Maisie cover the dress with an old sheet. ‘I love the colour. I’m so pleased Sarah asked us both to be her bridesmaids. I’ve never been one before.’

  ‘Oh, you get used to it after a few times,’ Maisie said loftily.

  ‘What? How many times? I bet you looked lovely in all them dresses.’

  Maisie punched Freda’s arm playfully. ‘I’m kidding you. I’ve done it three times, but this’ll be the first time I’ve worn a long frock and walked up the aisle in a church. The other times ’ave been a bit of a quick dash to the registry office and a pint down the pub.’

  Freda’s face dropped. ‘Oh, I know what you mean. I’ve been to a wedding like that as well.’ Then she grinned. ‘This wedding will be the best there’s ever been. Sarah will float down the aisle and we’ll be right behind her.’ Freda sighed. ‘It’s going to be a lovely wedding, as well as being Sarah’s twenty-first birthday.’ She ran her fingers over the bridesmaid dress, which was now hanging on the door leading to Ruby’s kitchen. ‘What’s the fabric named again?’

  ‘Taffeta, and the bodice and underskirt are silk. I was lucky to get the colours to match. I thought for a while we’d ’ave to go with the pale blue, and it wasn’t ’alf as nice as this.’

  ‘It’s such a lovely colour. The pale green suits all of us, and the little headdresses are just beautiful. I could wear mine all the time.’ Freda couldn’t contain her excitement.

  ‘You’d look right silly with that on yer ’ead at work, you daft brush!’

  Freda giggled. ‘I suppose I would. It is lovely, though. I could dream about weddings all day long.’

  ‘Well, you’d best buck up your ideas and get that tea brewed. When Ruby and Sarah get back, we’ve got another important job to get on with, and get that dress upstairs to Sarah’s room before Alan sees it. I know it’s unlucky to see the wedding dress, but I’m not letting him see ours either until the big day.’

  ‘I’ll do it right now. I’m ready for this afternoon. I’ve borrowed a pair of wellington boots from Alan’s mum, Maureen, so I don’t spoil my shoes. I’m looking forward to digging the hole and planting Ruby’s Anderson shelter, aren’t you?’

  ‘It’s not a blooming rose bush. Besides, I can think of better ways to spend my afternoon,’ Maisie sniffed as she checked the polish on her fingernails.

  ‘Isn’t your Joe at home?’

  ‘Yes, but he’s distempering the outhouse for the mother-in-law and I don’t want to get roped into ’elping him. She’ll give me no peace, telling me where I’ve missed a bit and how to do it better. I’d end up shoving her ’ead down the khazi.’

  ‘Looks to me like digging a hole for Ruby is the best option, then. Do you fancy a bite to eat? Ruby said there was some corned beef on a plate in the pantry if we wanted it.’ She looked at the clock standing on the dresser. ‘In fact, I’ll make some sandwiches for everyone so we can get stuck straight in with the shelter.’

  Maisie reached for her cigarettes. ‘Don’t get so blooming excited. It’s not gonna be a barrel of laughs if this war does start, and you won’t catch me ’iding down some hole in the ground.’

  Freda looked at Maisie with a puzzled expression. She could see her friend’s hands shake as she lit her cigarette. Perhaps it was all bravado and Maisie was truly frightened about what lay ahead. ‘I tell you what. I’ll make us some bubble and squeak to go with that corned beef. It’ll put hairs on our chest for when we start digging that hole.’

  ‘Now you’re talking. I’ll give you an ’and.’

  The cabbage and potato were sizzling nicely in Ruby’s large frying pan as the girls heard the front door open.

  ‘Do you want tea? I bet you’re dying for a cuppa after all that shopping.’

  ‘You can say that again,’ Ruby said as she poked her head round the scullery door. ‘Something smells good.’

  ‘We thought you’d like something filling in your stomach before we got stuck into all that ’ard work this afternoon,’ Maisie explained as she added another dollop of dripping to the frying pan. ‘Do you think there’s enough to go round if we have this with the corned beef?’

  Ruby peered into the pan. ‘Best fry a few eggs as well. Alan’ll be here in a few minutes. He’s just dropped his mum home, and then he’s parking Mr Benfield’s car back at Woolies.’

  ‘I must say it was good of Mr B. to loan the car. He’s been a darling over all this wedding,’ Maisie said as she took a bowl of eggs from the pantry. ‘Is it right that him and Mrs B. don’t have any children?’

  Ruby pulled off her scarf and started to wash her hands at the stone sink. ‘From what Maureen told us, they’ve never been blessed and that’s why he takes such an interest in his young staff. He’s a good sort. In fact, you girls have got some nice bosses at Woolworths. I do like that Miss Billington too.’

  ‘I’ll say,’ added Sarah, taking the bar of carbolic from her nan to wash her own hands. ‘We’d have never got up to Petticoat Lane and back so quickly without the loan of Mr Benfield’s car. It’s a shame Maureen’s got a headache. She’s not so good travelling in a car. She’s gone to lie down for a while and might join us later for tea.’

  ‘Have you invited Miss Billington to the wedding, Sarah?’ Freda asked as she cracked eggs into a pan, watching them sizzle in the hot dripping.

  Sarah nodded. ‘Yes, she’s been a good sport all round. Did you know that she managed to find us all matching gloves for the wedding? Actually, I wanted to ask you something.’ She l
ooked worried as she faced Maisie by the cooker. ‘It seems such a cheek when you’ve gone to all the trouble of making so many dresses for the wedding, but do you think you could make another bridesmaid dress?’

  ‘I think we’ve got enough fabric. If not, I’m sure we can pick up a bit more. Why? Who were you thinking of asking? Not that it’s my business,’ Maisie said as she shook the pan to stop the bubble and squeak from sticking.

  ‘Well, I think it is your business. You’ve both been so good helping me and Alan with everything. It’s just that Betty was such a dear when she found me in tears over Alan. She made me realize I should grab my chance for happiness while I could. So you see, I’d like to ask her to be one of my attendants but wanted to ask you both, as she is our boss and you might not think it’s the right thing to do.’ She looked from Freda to Maisie. ‘Well?’

  Freda grinned. ‘I think it’s a lovely idea. What about you, Maisie?’

  Maisie nodded. ‘I don’t see a problem. We’ve got two months to go, so I’ve plenty of time to make her dress. That’s if I’ve not got to keep taking out your dress, young madam,’ she said, and flicked Freda with the tea towel as she caught her pinching a piece of fried potato from the pan. ‘Let’s get this lot on the table, shall we? Alan should be here anytime and we don’t want him ’earing about frocks and things, as it’ll spoil the surprise. Mind you, it’ll feel a bit strange measuring up me own boss for a dress,’ she laughed. ‘You can help me with that, Sarah.’

  Sarah hugged Maisie. ‘What would I do without you? Both of you. You’re the best friends a girl could have. I’ll ask Betty tomorrow; then we can get cracking. She said she wants to see me in the office about something, so I can kill two birds with one stone.’

  ‘I’m fair whacked,’ Ruby said, flopping down into the armchair. ‘Who’d have thought we’d have to dig such a lot of earth just for that shelter? I wondered where we were going to put it all. It’s a good job Alan knew what he was doing.’