The Teashop Girls Page 12

  The Polish woman slowly shook her head. ‘I fear I will be put into prison if anyone should find out,’ she said as her voice started to break, before she put her hands over her face and cried. ‘I just wanted to find my Henio and to know he was alive and safe. I had to get from London to here at any cost.’

  Flora went to the woman and put her arms about her. ‘So you hid in a lorry and the man stole most of your possessions; there is nothing wrong with that,’ she said comfortingly.

  Anya rubbed the tears from her eyes with her fingers. ‘I did not tell you all. This man, he gave me false papers for travelling. My friend Marta, the person I left Poland with, her family arranged it and told me to be very careful. I had to meet him in London and hand him money. My travel papers are, what you say . . . fake.’

  Flora frowned. ‘Are you telling me you are not Anya Polinski? I’ve seen your identity papers, and that is the name on them. I don’t understand. We showed them to the sergeant at the police station and he didn’t say anything. I’m totally confused.’

  ‘The policeman was a fool. He did not look close.’

  Flora had to admit the man had been caught at a busy time; there had been someone else at the station desk reporting his chickens stolen from his garden, and he had caused a great deal of fuss. ‘Can you tell me what is wrong with your identity papers? Is there false information on them?’

  ‘Not at all. I am Anya Polinski, and I do come from Warsaw. There was no time to apply in the normal manner. Marta’s papa said he knew a man who knew a man, and I had my papers much quicker than others who were waiting. Marta joked and told me the words, wink wink, which I did not understand. It was meeting this strange man in London who used the same words that made me understand something was wrong, and my papers were not right . . . I could be arrested.’

  Flora started to chuckle. ‘My dear, I don’t think you have to worry. It seems to me that your friend’s papa simply greased a few palms – I mean, he paid someone to hurry up with your identity paperwork. They are not fake or illegal.’

  The two women were still laughing when Rose joined them.

  ‘Hello, love, did you have a nice evening? I thought you might have brought your friend in for a cup of cocoa,’ Flora said.

  ‘He had to get off,’ Rose said, looking distracted. For all their closeness, she had no idea where Ben was staying. Their goodbyes on the doorstep had been hurried due to the thought that someone may be watching at the attic window. A polite kiss goodnight and a whispered confirmation to meet the day after tomorrow in London was all they’d had time for.

  ‘Oh my, I complete forgot to tell Anya about the Sally job,’ Flora said, clapping her hand to her mouth. ‘My goodness, I’d forget my head if it was loose.’

  Anya shook her head in despair. ‘Do not forget, I am foreigner. You are talking rubbish – and who is Sally, and what is wrong with your head?’

  Rose giggled. ‘I’m making cocoa. You can explain all of that, Mum.’

  Flora gently explained that she had simply meant she was forgetful.

  ‘Then say you forget, don’t confuse matter,’ Anya scoffed. ‘So who is this Sally?’

  ‘Sally is the name given to the ladies who sell baked goods at the front counters in the Lyons teashops.’

  Anya thought about the proposition and nodded. ‘When do I start?’

  ‘You will have to have an interview, and then there is the training,’ Rose said as she put a tray of drinks down in front of the women and joined them at the kitchen table.

  ‘Will I wear the dress with the wrong thread colour?’ Anya asked, looking slightly affronted. ‘I do not like dresses with wrong thread.’

  ‘You lost me now,’ Flora said with a confused look on her face.

  ‘It’s the red thread we have to use to sew the white buttons onto our dresses, Mum,’ Rose explained. ‘It’s part of the design of the uniform, Anya,’ she explained. ‘I agree it’s a daft notion, but our bosses made the decision, so who are we to argue?’

  ‘I would argue,’ Anya said stubbornly.

  ‘You won’t have to wear the same uniform, so there’s nothing to worry about,’ Rose said with a smile. ‘Your uniform would look much smarter,’ she added, hoping to tempt Anya. ‘Shall I tell Miss Butterworth you would like an interview for the Ramsgate teashop?’

  Anya’s face took on a stubborn look. ‘No, I thank you, but I will work with you in Margate. You will be manageress, so you will give me interview.’

  ‘Then you will have to wait until I return from my own training in London and have started my job as manageress,’ Rose said, wondering if in fact there was a vacancy for a Sally at the Margate teashop.

  ‘Then I will go to the teashop in Ramsgate and see Miss Butterworth. I need job now, not in future,’ Anya said, finishing her drink and standing up. ‘I will wash cups and lay table for breakfast. You,’ she said nodding at Flora, ‘you will go to your bed now. You work too hard, and will end up in your grave before you are old. Then there will be no more forgetting of your head,’ she said, shooing Flora from the room.

  Rose laughed. Anya was like a breath of fresh air at Sea View.

  ‘As for you,’ Anya continued, taking the cup from Rose’s hand, ‘you go to bed too and dream of the man you like to kiss.’

  ‘What? How did you know . . .? I mean . . .’ Rose stumbled over her words.

  It was Anya’s turn to laugh. ‘Lipstick smudged and your eyes shine brighter than the stars. Off to your bed for happy dreams,’ she commanded.

  Anya watched Rose walk out of the kitchen and head towards the stairs. ‘One day the stars will come back to my eyes and there will be much smudging of lipstick,’ she said to herself before making a start on the washing-up.

  Lily wriggled her toes and sighed. The bed was warm, and she did her best to snuggle beneath the blankets to avoid a bright light. On losing the battle she peeped above the bedclothes; perhaps she’d left the lights on the night before? No; it was the early morning light, through open curtains that framed a window she didn’t recognize. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, she peered about her. This most certainly was not her bedroom, and no wonder the bed was so comfortable – it was not the narrow, hard bed she slept on at home. Gradually her memory of the night before came back to her, and she blushed in shame. Feeling beneath the sheets, she was mortified to find she was as naked as the day she was born.

  ‘So you’ve woken then? You’ve missed breakfast. I’ve got to get a move on. I’m due at the Ramsgate teashop at nine, and it’s nearly that now. Hurry up and get dressed; we’ve got to vacate the room by ten. I only paid for the one night.’

  Lily was puzzled. ‘I thought this was your room – the one you lived in while you worked down this end of the county?’

  Tom laughed. ‘As if I’d take every woman I met back to my lodgings! My landlady would soon let Lyons know I was up to no good. Impressions count in this business if you want to climb the management ladder,’ he said, tightening his tie and taking his hat from the hook behind the door. ‘Thanks for a pleasant night. I’ll see you around.’

  Lily burst into tears. ‘What do you take me for? I’m not that kind of girl, I thought you liked me. This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this,’ she sniffed, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand.

  ‘You could have fooled me,’ he mocked. ‘I could tell, you know; I’m not daft,’ he added before leaving the room.

  Lily fell back onto the pillows and sobbed her heart out. ‘But it was my first time,’ she mumbled. ‘The first time I thought somebody loved me, and the first time I’d agreed to be loved and not had to fight off my awful stepfather.’ She cried silently for some time before falling asleep. A loud knock at the door startled her awake. ‘Who is it?’ she called out.

  ‘Madam, it’s ten o’clock. I need to come in to clean the room.’

  ‘I’ll . . . I’ll just be a few minutes,’ she replied, hurrying out of the bed and searching for her clothes strewn around the room. Sho
ving her stockings into her handbag and pulling on her coat over her dance frock, she didn’t stop to check her make-up or even to run a comb through her hair. Passing the maid on the landing, she did her best to look the other way as the woman tutted and hissed the word ‘prostitute’ at Lily’s back.

  Lily fled, looking neither left or right, trying hard not to make eye contact with the staff or other guests as she hurried away from the hotel and towards the teashop. She felt so ashamed of herself, and the maid’s voice rang in her ears. A thought buzzed around in her head as she gave a manic laugh: how could she be a prostitute when money hadn’t changed hands?

  ‘My goodness, Lily, whatever has happened to you?’ Katie asked as her friend hurried through the teashop into the staff area, indicating that Katie should follow her.

  ‘Why are you wearing your clothes from last night?’ she asked as she closed the door after them so as not to be seen by others. She looked at her friend’s pale face as Lily pulled open her locker, dragging out items of her uniform, before the penny dropped. ‘Oh no, you never . . . you never stayed out all night . . . with a man?’

  ‘I can’t explain now. I’m over an hour late, and I must already be in Miss Butterworth’s bad books. Where is she? I expected her to jump on me the moment I walked in the door.’

  Katie was worried for her friend, and knew she would have to wait to hear her tell the full story, so there was no point in asking questions now. ‘You are safe. She’s been holed up in her office with Mr Grant and Mr White since nine. Rose is in there too. I overheard Mr Grant say that Rose could do well by learning what happens in these meetings for when she starts her new job. If you hurry and get dressed you may not have been missed – I’ve been covering your workstation this morning. I signed you in as well,’ she grinned.

  Lily stopped and quickly gave Katie a kiss on the cheek. For her young friend to have done such thing was brave. ‘Blimey, Katie, you’re becoming a bit of a rebel,’ she said with a weak smile. ‘I’ll repay the favour one day, not that I can see you doing what I did last night, at least not before you and Jack married.’

  Katie look shocked. ‘You mean you . . . you never did?’

  Lily nodded her head. ‘I’ve already wished I hadn’t. It’s all a big mistake, and not worth losing my job over. You wouldn’t happen to have a pair of stockings in your locker, would you?’ she asked, knowing the ones in the handbag weren’t fit to wear and would soon be in the dustbin.

  ‘You’re in luck. I did some darning at the weekend and there’s a spare pair washed and ready in case I need to change them at work,’ Katie replied, opening her locker. ‘I hope you don’t mind stockings with the toes stitched up?’

  ‘Katie, you are a lifesaver. Now, if you could cover for me for another five minutes I’ll be out on the floor and working twice as hard. I owe you the biggest favour going for this.’

  ‘Knowing you still have a job and will be my bridesmaid in a few weeks’ time is good enough for me,’ her friend smiled.

  ‘Jack said yes?’ Lily asked, a big grin covering her face.

  ‘He did, and is very grateful for all you both suggested. He is going to speak to his captain today. I just hope and pray he’s not shipped off overseas before the wedding.’

  Lily gave her a quick hug. ‘I’m sure he won’t be,’ she said, holding up her hands to show her crossed fingers. ‘Now, I must finish getting dressed before Miss Butterworth finds us in here, or we will both get the sack.’

  Lily was as good as her word and worked like a Trojan, even covering a couple of Katie’s tables when Miss Butterworth wasn’t looking, as questions would have been asked. She turned her back when Tom appeared in the teashop on his way to the front door. It was easy enough to pretend she was busy collecting dirty plates and loading a tray. If she’d seen any form of expression cross his face when he looked at her, she wouldn’t have been accountable for her actions.

  ‘Where were you this morning?’ Rose asked when she joined the girls for their midday meal.

  ‘I was late,’ Lily said as she prodded a sausage with her fork. ‘Katie covered for me, so everything is all right. She has news about the wedding,’ she added quickly, just in case Rose was going to ask for more details.

  ‘I’m going to walk up to the vicarage this evening and ask Reverend Peterson if he will marry Jack and me. I just hope there is time.’

  ‘I think you can get a special licence,’ Rose said. ‘Didn’t one of the Sallys do that recently?’

  ‘It was Christine. She’s on duty at the moment. I’ll go back to my workstation early and see if I can catch her eye and ask her about it,’ Lily said. ‘I’m the closest to the counter staff to be able to have a few words without Miss Butterworth telling me off.’

  The girls chatted excitedly about the wedding and what the two bridesmaids would wear, until Lily checked the time and headed back to her customers.

  ‘Rose, do you mind if I ask you something?’ Katie said as Rose started to collect the dirty plates from the table.

  ‘By all means; is it about the wedding?’

  ‘No, it’s Lily. I’m so worried about her. She didn’t go home last night – and she was in quite a state when she arrived for work. I had to lend her some stockings. I hate speaking out of school, but she’s so dear to me, as are you; I’d hate anything to go wrong in her life.’

  Rose sat down, looking worried. ‘She was out with Tom White last night. If she was with him, why did he come in to work on his own? And so much earlier than her?’

  ‘I don’t know; she didn’t tell me,’ Katie said.

  Rose knew it had taken a lot for innocent Katie to say these few words.

  ‘I’ll see if I can have a word with her, but as I’m going off to London tomorrow morning, there may not be time. I’ll do my best,’ she promised, seeing the fear in her friend’s eyes. ‘You are not to worry about a thing. Just enjoy organizing your wedding. You must go to Mum for anything that worries you. She’s itching to see me walk up the aisle, so you’re doing me a favour by letting her practise on you,’ Rose laughed. ‘I just wish I didn’t have to go to London for my training at the moment and miss all the fun.’

  ‘Write to me as soon as you arrive, and I promise to keep in touch to tell you everything. Our main problem will be finding something for you and Lily to wear as my bridesmaids. I do wish we had more time in that respect. I saw a lovely dress pattern that would double as a summer dress once we get some nice weather.’

  ‘Did you know Miss Tibbs is teaching Anya how to sew? Why not ask if the pair of them would take on the job of making the dresses? Anya is such a lovely lady, and I reckon she would be delighted to get involved with your wedding. Shall I ask her when I get home this evening?’

  Katie’s face lit up. ‘Oh, would you? I’d be too embarrassed to ask. I’m sure Anya is very nice, but she frightens me a little. Now she has settled in she seems so confident, and a little forthright with her comments.’

  Rose thought Katie was spot on with her impressions of their Polish friend. ‘She fits in very well at Sea View and is a great help to Mum. I’m hoping she decided to have an interview to be a Sally. She would be perfect, especially as Lyons like taller girls to work behind the counters.’

  ‘If she gets to work here, I’ll help her all I can,’ Katie promised. ‘It’s going to be so sad not seeing you every day once you’re living and working in Margate. So much is changing in our lives,’ she added wistfully.

  Rose gave her a quick hug. ‘The changes are going to be so exciting. You will be a married woman and will have a husband to care for, while I’ll just have a teashop to look after,’ she said.

  Katie laughed. ‘I don’t know which will be harder work. My Jack can be so untidy at times! His landlady is always telling me how she has to nag him to tidy his room. I hope the navy will teach him a thing or two. Now, this is enough chatting – we must get some work done. Come along, Miss Neville. Do you realize this is your final afternoon working as a Nippy?’
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  ‘Gosh, I’d never given it a thought. I’ll miss wearing this uniform.’

  ‘Really?’ Katie said in amazement.

  ‘Haha, I was joking. At long last I won’t be told off for my dress being the wrong length, or having a button missing.’

  ‘You’ll have to dress extra smart once you are a manageress,’ Katie said as they left the staffroom to head back to their workstations.

  ‘I’ll be fitted for my manageress outfits while I’m at Orchard House having my training. I’m told I will be able to bring at least one outfit home with me by the end of my training period – rather like we did when we went up to London for our Nippy training.’

  Katie shivered. ‘Rather you than me,’ she replied. ‘Do you remember how frightened we were to be in London? We hardly left the hostel unless it was to go to Orchard House for our lessons. I’m not one for London, especially now we’re at war. Why, anything could happen.’

  ‘It could happen here too, though. There’s no knowing what Adolf will get up to, is there?’

  Katie shivered. ‘Let’s talk about something else. Did you hear about the customer who tried to leave without paying this morning? Thankfully that Mr White caught him at the front door.’

  Rose smiled, but Katie mentioning Tom White had reminded her about Lily and her escapade last night.

  ‘Goodnight, Miss Neville. I wish you well with your training,’ Clarice Butterworth said as she held open the door. ‘I will have left by the time you return to Thanet. I hope our paths cross some time in the future,’ she said, holding out her hand for Rose to shake.

  Rose heard a slight snigger and knew it would be Lily, who had been helping one of the other Nippies to put up wooden shutters over the windows at the front of the teashop. Although the town had been free from attack so far, the staff at Lyons were ever vigilant. She ignored them and smiled at Miss Butterworth as she shook her hand. ‘I’d like to thank you for recommending me for the position. I hope I can be as good a manageress as you have been.’ Clarice Butterworth nodded and glared past Rose to where Lily stood. ‘Believe me, there was very little choice,’ she said before entering the teashop, closing the door and pulling down the blinds.