Beyond a Misty Shore (9 page)

Bella was particularly over-excited for not only had she never been to such a big party before but she had a new dress too, and Aunty Maria had bought her a length of red velvet
ribbon for her hair. It matched her dress, which was by far the nicest she’d ever had. Mam had unpicked one of scarlet velvet that she’d bought in a second-hand shop; the frock was unsuitable but she’d said the material was perfect and of good quality and had made a dress for her from it. It had long sleeves with lacy cuffs so she wouldn’t be cold, a white lace collar, a full skirt and a wide sash. Emily had said she’d never seen anything as grand in her life. Bella would look like a princess, she’d said enviously. Mam had polished her black shoes until they shone and the red ribbon matched the dress perfectly.

‘Will you keep still, Bella, while I tie this bow,’ Sophie instructed firmly as she struggled with her daughter’s long curls, but she was pleased with the results of her efforts. Bella looked a picture. The dress was lovely and the colour suited her.

‘I’d tie that ribbon really tight or she’ll have lost it by the end of the night, Sophie,’ Lizzie advised as she bustled about the kitchen, resplendent in the russet-brown dress trimmed with cream braid that Jim said made her look years younger. She, too, was delighted with the way the dress had turned out. She felt very smart and quite elegant, especially as Maria had lent her a pair of clip-on earrings and had done her hair in a very flattering style. ‘Bella, if you’re ready, queen, go up and see if our Billy’s got his Sunday trousers and jumper on. I can never trust that lad to do as he’s told and he’s quite likely to wear some old thing that’s lost its shape.’ She paused as Bella went into the lobby and Katie came into the kitchen.
‘Katie, luv, take this last plate of meat-paste sandwiches out and see if Mr Seddon has managed to get their piano out, the last I heard it was stuck in the doorway. If he hasn’t, your da will have to go and give him a hand or we’ll have no music.’

Katie frowned as the plate was thrust into her hands. ‘Mam, my hair will get all messed up if I go running up and down the street and it’s taken Maria ages to do!’ For the first time in her life Katie felt she was attractive. Her dress fitted perfectly, it was stylish and brightened her appearance up no end. She had found a pair of emerald-green earrings to match and Maria had put her hair up in a cluster of loose curls, which made her appear older, and with the light dusting of face powder, a little rouge and lipstick she could hardly believe the transformation when she’d looked in the mirror. She was hoping that Matt Seddon would notice it too.

‘I’m not asking you to go running up and down, just take the plate out and have a quick look. I’ve to make sure your da, our Billy and John are presentable,’ Lizzie said firmly, propelling her towards the door. ‘Sophie, luv, would you go and give Mr Chatsworth a knock, tell him we’re all nearly ready now.’

Sophie smiled. She’d been introduced to the lodger the day after they’d arrived and usually saw him at least once during the evenings, en route to the scullery or the privy in the yard. He was a very quiet, inoffensive, middle-aged man who kept himself very much to himself. What he did seemed to be a mystery for he didn’t go out to work. Lizzie had said he had ‘independent’ means, probably a small pension of
some kind, and he spent a lot of his time out walking or reading in the public library, and in the evenings he listened to his wireless in the front room.

She caught sight of herself in the mirror in the hall and frowned. She wasn’t at all sure that this dress suited her. Maria had persuaded her to buy the black brocade, which had cost more than she had intended to spend. Maria had said it was so rich looking, and would make her look elegant and sophisticated.

‘It’s just the sort of material expensive cocktail dresses are made of. I saw one made of something similar in the window of the Bon Marche,’ her sister had urged.

Sophie frowned again, wondering whether it made her look old and washed out. Maria had put her hair up in a French pleat and had borrowed a pair of diamanté drop earrings from a girl she worked with for her sister to wear. Maria had assured her she looked like a model in one of those expensive fashion magazines but she wasn’t at all sure.

In reply to her knock Mr Chatsworth opened the door, smartly dressed in a rather old-fashioned but well-pressed suit and a spotless shirt with a high winged collar. His dark hair, which was thinning and turning grey at the temples, was brushed back tidily and his eyes crinkled up in a smile. ‘Sophie, don’t you look elegant!’

She smiled back at him. ‘Thank you. Aunty Lizzie told me to tell you we are almost ready to go out now.’ She paused. ‘You don’t think this dress makes me look like a widow who is fast approaching middle age? Black never really suited me
and I’m not comfortable wearing it. It has too many painful connections.’

He nodded; he’d heard of her loss from Lizzie. ‘I’m sure it has but you certainly don’t look middle-aged or matronly. Far from it. You look . . . sophisticated. I’ve been wondering if I should attend this party myself. It’s not really the kind of thing I enjoy. Oh, they are good people and they’ve been through a lot but . . .’

‘You’ll have to come now, Aunty Lizzie will go mad if you don’t,’ she urged.

He sighed. ‘Yes, it would be very churlish of me . . . downright rude in fact, to back out now. I’ll just have a couple of drinks to toast the boys then I’ll come back inside.’

She smiled at him and nodded her understanding. When they’d all had a few drinks and the singing and dancing got under way, it would probably turn into quite a raucous evening. ‘I won’t be staying out there all night myself, I’ll have to try to get Bella to bed at some stage, although it will be a struggle – she’s very excited.’

Politely he offered her his arm. ‘Then shall we venture forth, Sophie?’

With a final pat to check that the pins in her hair were not coming loose, she slipped her arm through his and smiled at him, wondering why he chose to live here. Aunty Lizzie said he didn’t seem to have any family or friends and try as she might, she’d not been able to get a word out of him about his past. He was obviously far better educated and of a higher class, socially, than her aunt and uncle so why he chose to live
with them was a mystery, but she supposed rented rooms in this city were very hard to come by at the moment, especially a room for single occupancy.

A couple of hours later the party was in full swing with Fred Seddon thumping out all the old favourites on their piano, which they had managed to manhandle on to the pavement. People stood around it in groups or were dancing and Sophie smiled as she noticed that Matt Seddon seemed to have attached himself to Katie, looking rather bemused and as if he hadn’t known her nearly all his life. John Quine had overcome his usual shyness and was chatting away to Maria as they danced; obviously a few pints of beer had loosened his tongue, she thought. Bella was happily sitting on the Seddons’ front step with Emily and some other young children, all having stuffed themselves with such rare delicacies as tinned salmon sandwiches, cakes and jelly topped with evaporated milk, and Lizzie and Martha were leaning on the top of the piano happily joining in with ‘We’ll Meet Again’ in a loud and very poor imitation of Vera Lynn.

Maria was laughing at some of John’s odd sayings when Ben Seddon tapped her cousin on the shoulder.

‘You don’t mind if I cut in, mate, do you? Just because she’s your cousin doesn’t mean you can keep the prettiest girl here to yourself.’

John grinned good-naturedly and relinquished his dancing partner to his friend and wandered off in search of another glass of beer.

‘Both you and Katie look gorgeous tonight. Our Matt thinks so too.’

‘You are a terrible flatterer, Ben Seddon,’ Maria replied, smiling. He was a nice enough lad, she thought.

‘I’m not, it’s the truth,’ Ben replied with mock indignation. ‘Are you settling in all right, Maria? I mean things must still seem a bit different to you.’

‘I am, thanks. Things are still “different” but in a nice, friendly way. Mind you, it’s taking me a bit of time to find my way around the city, it’s so big.’

‘I’ll be made up to show you around, Maria, if you’d let me, and there’s lots of places to go. Perhaps I could take you out one night, to the cinema or a dance?’ He looked down at her hopefully. Apart from being quite breathtakingly beautiful, something she really didn’t seem to be aware of, she appeared to be a really nice girl and he liked her.

Maria smiled at him again but she wasn’t sure she was ready to agree to spend an evening with him just yet. ‘Perhaps, Ben, when I’ve settled in a bit more.’

At least she hadn’t turned him down flat, he thought. ‘Well, it will soon be December and everyone will be gearing up for Christmas, so maybe I could take you to a dance? There are always plenty next month.’

She nodded. ‘Nearer Christmas would be nice, something to look forward to,’ she promised.

‘You look very stylish tonight, Sophie. Are you having a good time?’ Frank Ryan asked, coming to stand beside her and
thinking she looked far lovelier and much better dressed than any of the other girls and women. He really hadn’t wanted to join in the party but neither had he wanted to pass up the opportunity of talking and perhaps dancing with her. He was staying well clear of his in-laws, who had congregated near the top end of the street with the few people who did bother with them and thankfully he hadn’t seen Nora for over an hour.

‘I am, Frank, and so is Maria, judging by the number of times she’s been asked up to dance, and Katie is looking very pleased with herself as Matt seems to have suddenly noticed that she is really a very attractive girl.’

‘All three of you have been making heads turn, I’ve noticed all the admiring glances. Would you like another drink?’ he asked, seeing that the glass she was holding was now empty.

‘Thanks, but I think I’ve had enough. There only seems to be sherry or a shandy on offer and I’m not very fond of either. Anyway, I’m going to have to try to get Bella in for bed soon and that’s going to be quite a tussle. It will quite likely end in tears and tantrums. She can be a little madam at times, she’s so stubborn.’

‘It’s nothing short of miraculous the way all that food and drink suddenly appeared,’ he remarked.

She laughed. ‘I know!’

Their conversation was interrupted by the appearance of Bella, Emily, Billy and young Robbie Ryan.

‘Mam! Mam, can we go and see the bonfire on the bombsite?’ Bella cried, tugging at Sophie’s skirt.

‘We heard they’ve got potatoes and sausages and they’re cooking them on it. It sounds great and we haven’t had a bonfire for ages and ages!’ Billy added.

‘Haven’t you all had enough to eat?’ Frank asked, grinning at the lads.

‘I don’t think you should all be going off round there on your own, it’s late. It’s really time you were all in bed,’ Sophie added.

‘Ah, Sophie! Don’t be a misery! It’s supposed to be a cele . . . cele . . . something,’ the irrepressible Billy complained loudly.

‘How about if we walk you round there, just to watch for a bit, then walk you back?’ Frank suggested. It would solve the problem and mean that he could spend some time away from this street with Sophie without them encountering disapproving glances.

The bonfire was burning well, so well in fact that it was rumoured that someone had sent for the Fire Brigade.

‘I can’t see that it can do much damage here,’ Sophie remarked, watching the orange flames leaping into the sky, while the dry wood and rubbish hissed and crackled as it burned, filling the night air with its pungent smell. People were standing around in groups while some of the more foolhardy younger ones were attempting to cook potatoes and sausages in the embers near the base, holding the meat on long pointed sticks.

‘It will do a lot of damage to those young idiots if a piece of it becomes dislodged and falls on them,’ Frank said grimly.
‘And, there are a lot of people for whom a fire like that brings back terrible memories and even nightmares.’

Sophie nodded, remembering the garish orange glow that had spread across the sky during the nights of the bombings. ‘You’re right, Frank.’ She turned to the little group standing beside them. ‘Well, you’ve seen it now and as we have no potatoes or sausages, I think it’s time we went back.’

Before either Billy or Robbie could protest the loud clanging of a fire engine bell came clearly to their ears.

‘Here come the fire bobbies, so that’s the end of the entertainment here,’ Frank commented, guiding his young brother and Billy away from the scene, followed by Sophie with Bella and Emily.

The engine swung around the corner and came to a halt. As the firemen began running out the hoses people began to walk away, leaving a few of the more rowdy element to protest, their arguments falling on deaf ears.

They’d almost reached the road when a girl detached herself from a nearby group and began shouting at them.

‘Go on ahead and take the kids with you, Sophie,’ Frank urged. He’d recognised Nora’s harsh, angry tones instantly.

Sophie looked puzzled until she too recognised Nora. She’d seen her a couple of times in the street, but it was too late now to get away without breaking into a run and she had no intention of doing that. She stood beside Frank holding the hands of the two girls and stared calmly at his wife. Nora was not an attractive sight, she thought. Dark roots showed in her badly peroxided hair, she wore a short, tight-fitting
dress of some cheap royal-blue material that was far too light for a November evening and from the way she tottered on her high-heeled shoes it was obvious she’d been drinking.

‘Why don’t you go home and sleep it off, Nora,’ Frank said, trying to keep the anger and shame from his voice.

‘Why don’t yer mind your own bleeding business?’ Nora spat back at him. Her sharp features were accentuated by the light from the bonfire.

Sophie felt Bella’s hand tighten in her own. ‘I’d thank you not to use language like that in front of my daughter, she’s not used to hearing it,’ she said quietly but firmly.

Nora laughed, a coarse, high-pitched sound, and turned to her female companion. ‘Oh, get her! Proper high and mighty! But not too much of a lady to be making eyes at
my
husband are yer, now yer’ve lost yer own? I’ve heard all about the carry-on of you two.’ Her lips, heavily accentuated by lipstick in a shade known as oxblood, parted in a sneer, revealing small uneven teeth.