Across the Mersey Read online

  She could see a familiar group of people walking down the road. Yes, it was definitely them, and her sister was wearing the same frock she had worn for their birthday tea last year. It was just as well they had only moved here to Kingsway this spring. She certainly didn’t want her new neighbours talking behind her back about the fact that her sister was coming to visit her wearing a year-old frock. You’d have thought that Jean would have had a little more thought for her new position, Vi thought crossly as she stepped back from the window and hurried downstairs.

  Her husband and son were both in the front room. Edwin was reading his newspaper whilst Charlie was standing in front of the fireplace, looking bored.

  ‘I don’t know why you had to invite them here, Vi. You know what a busy time this is for me, with the business expanding and my duties with the ARP.’

  ‘I suppose you’d have preferred us to go to them, would you?’ she challenged him, continuing without waiting for him to answer, ‘I couldn’t believe it when Jean actually suggested that she should do the tea this year.’

  ‘Where’s Jack?’ Charlie asked, ignoring his mother’s comment.

  ‘I’ve just seen him outside, although he should be upstairs doing his homework.’ Vi’s mouth thinned again.

  ‘Here’s Bella,’ Charlie announced, as a car drew up outside.

  ‘Looks like Alan Parker has brought her home.’

  Alan Parker was the only son of a fellow local councillor, with whom Edwin had become friendly. Councillor Parker was a very influential and well-to-do man, and although neither of them had said anything, Vi was well aware that she and Edwin were thinking that Alan Parker would make a very good husband for their daughter.

  ‘I hope she’s remembered about the tea and doesn’t invite Alan in.’

  ‘Looks like you can stop worrying, Ma,’ Charlie told her, as they watched Bella take her leave of her escort and then walk towards the house, her tennis skirt showing off the slender length of her tanned legs, her blonde hair caught back in a bandeau, and an immaculate white cardigan draped just so around her shoulders, her gas mask in the pretty matching white carrying case Vi had bought her earlier in the summer.

  ‘I’ll go and let her in. Charlie, run upstairs, will you, and tell Jack to come down?’

  ‘You’re late. Your auntie Jean will be here any minute,’ Vi warned her daughter as she opened the front door to let her in.

  ‘Sorry, Mummy. I would have walked home but Alan insisted on driving me and then we were later leaving than we’d planned because he wanted to get tickets for the big Tennis Club dance next weekend.’

  ‘He’s invited you to go with him as his partner?’

  ‘Yes. I’m glad Auntie Jean’s going to be here because I asked him to get four so that I could invite Grace to come along as well. I thought it would be a bit of a treat for her. She could stay here overnight so that she doesn’t have to worry about getting home.’

  ‘Grace? Well, that’s very thoughtful of you, darling, but I wonder if it was wise.’

  ‘She was saying the last time I saw her that she hardly goes out at all, only to that St John Ambulance group she’s joined.’ Bella pulled a face and shuddered. ‘I know she’s always wanted to be a nurse but I’d hate having to do anything like that. It makes me feel faint if I cut my finger. It’s bad enough having to roll all those bandages for the WVS. But at least I’m doing my bit.’

  ‘Of course you are, darling.’

  ‘Anyway, Alan’s parents have got Alan’s cousin staying with them. He’s in the RAF but he’s on leave at the moment and, of course, Alan feels he has to include him in things, so I thought that Grace could partner him.’

  ‘Well, yes, darling, but Grace is a shop girl, remember, for all that she’s your cousin, and I wouldn’t want her to feel uncomfortable or embarrass you mixing with your friends at the Tennis Club.’

  ‘Oh, there’s no need to worry about that, Mummy.’

  Vi was about to warn her daughter that, on the contrary, there was every need to worry if she was to make the right kind of impression with Alan’s parents, but before she could do so the doorbell rang.

  Jean looked quickly and a bit anxiously at her brood. It was a hot day and both her husband and her son were beginning to look uncomfortable in their suits. Sam was even tugging impatiently at his collar.

  ‘Sam,’ she hissed warningly, but it was too late, the door was opening and Vi was standing there, her attention immediately focusing on Sam’s attempts to loosen his collar.

  ‘Jean. At last.’ Why was it that Vi so frequently managed to sound bossy and disapproving, Jean wondered ruefully.

  ‘We had to wait for a bus because the first one was full with it being such a nice day,’ she explained as she and Vi exchanged brief hugs.

  ‘Oh dear, yes. I tend to forget how unreliable public transport can be now that I’ve got both Edwin and Charlie to drive me wherever I need to go. Really I can’t think how we went on when we only had the one car, especially now that Bella has joined the Tennis Club and is so much in demand. Come on in, anyway. I thought we’d have tea outside, seeing as it’s such a lovely day.’

  ‘So that the twins don’t spill tea on her carpet again is more like it,’ Luke grinned, muttering his aside to Grace as they followed their parents into the house.

  ‘That wasn’t their fault,’ Grace whispered back. ‘It was actually Jack who spilled the tea but they took the blame for him.’

  ‘Poor little tyke. It’s hard to believe sometimes that Mum and Auntie Vi are twins, isn’t it?’

  ‘Very hard,’ Grace agreed feelingly.

  ‘We’ll go straight through into the garden, I think.’

  Jean exchanged looks with Sam as they all trooped through her sister’s kitchen and out into the garden. They hadn’t, Jean noted, been invited to walk through the sitting room at the back of the house and out into the garden via the French windows that Vi had showed off to her so proudly when they had first moved into the house earlier in the year. But, of course, Vi hadn’t had her new carpets put down then.

  The garden, its lawns shorn as short as possible and its flowerbeds weed free and rigidly immaculate, was empty, a white cloth flapping gently on the card table set up for the birthday ‘tea’ and six deck chairs drawn up in a straight line.

  ‘Where is everyone?’ asked Jean.

  ‘Oh, well, with you being late, Edwin said that he might as well catch up on a bit of work. He’s been ever so busy just lately, what with the business and then all his ARP duties and the council. He’ll be out in a minute, I dare say. Bella’s just run upstairs to change out of her tennis things, and Charlie’s with his father.’

  ‘And Jack?’ Jean asked.

  Vi tensed. ‘He should be in his room doing his homework. His last report said that he spends far too much time daydreaming. Edwin’s completely out of patience with him, but I saw he’d sneaked outside into the garden earlier.’

  Her voice suggested that Jack could expect to be punished for his transgression and Jean winced inwardly but knew better than to say anything.

  ‘Do make yourselves comfortable whilst I go and put the kettle on,’ Vi continued. ‘Bella will be down in a minute, I expect, Grace. Bella has got a lovely surprise for you. She’s such a wonderful daughter, Jean. She got me flowers for my birthday and a bottle of scent. Edwin bought me my new frock, of course.’

  ‘It’s lovely,’ Jean offered dutifully.

  ‘Pure silk,’ Vi told her proudly, adding, ‘Oh, here are Edwin and Charles.’

  Vi’s husband and son were casually dressed in cavalry twill trousers and smart sports shirts, and looked cool and fresh.

  ‘Yes, do take your tie off if you wish, Sam,’ Vi offered, causing Jean’s face to burn a little at the recognition that her sister was patronising her family. That Sam knew it too was evident from the tight look of anger she could see hardening his mouth.

  ‘I’ll come with you and give you a hand with the tea, Vi,’ Jean began, only t
o be told firmly, ‘I’d prefer it if you called me Vivienne from now on, Jean. Mrs Lawson, who’s in charge of our local WVS group, was saying to me only the other week, when she asked me to be her deputy, what an elegant name Vivienne is and what a shame it is to shorten it.’

  Luke and Grace exchanged mirthful looks before turning away to hide their amusement.

  ‘Got your papers yet, Luke?’ Charlie asked, coming over to join them as the two sisters headed for the kitchen.

  ‘No, but I’m expecting to get them any time,’ Luke answered. ‘What about you?’

  Charlie gave him a knowing grin and a wink, tapping the side of his nose meaningfully. ‘No fear of me being called up. I’ve made a smart move and joined the TA. A chap I know told me that once you’re in you’re exempt from having to do your six months, and that means that I get to stay at home and attend TA sessions a couple of times a week, whilst other chaps who aren’t as on the ball end up being send hundreds of miles away to some godforsaken army training camp. You should think about doing it yourself, Luke. Dad reckons that there’s no chance of us going to war, no matter what the papers might say. He reckons Hitler will back down. Mind you, we’re not complaining about all the doommongers, not when we’re doing very nicely thank you out of it. We’ve got that much work on we’ve had to take on extra men. Course, that means that things are a bit of a doddle for me at the moment.’ He gave Luke and Grace another wink. ‘There’s not many pretty girls that say no to a spin in a brand-new car on a nice sunny day.’

  ‘I wouldn’t have thought that your father would approve of that,’ Luke told him.

  ‘No, I dare say he wouldn’t – if he knew.’

  In the kitchen Jean dutifully admired the new linoleum floor Vi was pointing out to her.

  ‘It’s all very nice, Vi – I mean Vivienne – but I don’t know how I’d feel about not having an outhouse to do me washing in.’

  ‘Oh well, as to that, Edwin insists that we send everything to the laundry. He can’t abide having wet washing hanging all over the place. He’s even talked about getting someone in to do the heavy cleaning, especially now that I’m getting so involved with the WI and the WVS. Mrs Lawson has good as said that she wants me to be her second in command.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Jean marvelled, shaking her head. ‘Remember how our nan used to carrying her washing down to the wash house?’

  Vi’s face changed colour and she looked over her shoulder before pushing the door to and saying quickly, ‘I’m surprised at you bringing something like that up, Jean. It was a long time ago and it’s best forgotten.’

  ‘Well, I’m surprised at you, our Vi. Anyone would think you were ashamed of Nan now that you’ve moved to Wallasey. A hard worker she was, and proud as well, even if she and Granddad were poor.’

  ‘Your Luke will be getting his papers soon,’ Vi announced, changing the subject as the kettle came to the boil.

  Jean’s face creased with maternal concern. ‘That’s right. Sam’s got a place waiting for him in the Salvage Corps and once he’s in it he’ll be in a reserved occupation but he isn’t out of his apprenticeship yet.’

  ‘Well, I can understand that you’d want to keep him safe,’ Vi agreed, ‘but for myself I can’t help feeling that it’s a young man’s duty to serve his country. My Charlie joined the TA the minute he could.’ She gave her twin a lofty look. ‘Of course, we fully support him,’ she added untruthfully, conveniently forgetting how furious Edwin had been when he heard what Charlie had done, and how he’d said that Charlie should have waited until he had a few words in the right ears before jumping the gun like he had.

  ‘As busy as he is, Edwin’s still volunteered to oversee our local ARP unit and of course now that he’s on the local council he’ll be expected to take on a more managerial role. I dare say he’ll be put in charge of something or other – not that he believes for one minute that there’s going to be a war.’

  ‘Sam thinks there will.’

  Vi gave her twin a superior smile. ‘Well, I rather think that my Edwin is in more of a position to know what’s going on than your Sam, Jean. After all, he’s got important men from the War Office and the navy coming down to see him all the time, on account of the work that’s needed to be done refitting so many Merchant Navy ships.’

  ‘But surely that means that there’s more likely to be a war than not be one?’ Jean argued valiantly.

  ‘It might look that way but, take it from me, the Government is just taking precautionary measures, that’s all. Now I think we’ve got everything. Will you bring the milk and the hot-water jug for me?’

  Outside in the garden Sam and Edwin were standing together looking awkward whilst Luke and Charlie were laughing at something and the twins, Jean was glad to see, were playing with Jack, who had obviously been allowed to escape from his homework.

  ‘I had a letter from Francine yesterday wishing us both a happy birthday,’ she told Vi. ‘She’s still in America singing with Gracie Fields. She said that she misses Liverpool but I don’t expect she’ll be coming back now with all this talk of war.’

  ‘Well, I certainly hope that she doesn’t. I haven’t forgotten all the trouble she caused, and now that Edwin’s moving up in the world, the last thing he needs is a sister-in-law who’s on the stage parading herself all over the place.’

  ‘Vi,’ Jean objected, ‘that’s not very nice. And not very fair either. Our Francine’s done really well for herself.’

  ‘Yes, and we all know how,’ Vi retorted darkly. ‘Edwin refuses to so much as have her name mentioned, and no wonder. America’s the best place for her. I don’t want her coming back and showing us all up, especially not now, with Isabella joining the Tennis Club and mixing with such a smart set. Did I tell you about the young man she’s seeing? His father is on the council, and his mother comes from a very well-to-do family. He’s taking Bella to the big Tennis Club dance next weekend. Bella is so generous. She wants your Grace to make up a foursome with her and Alan and Alan’s cousin. Of course, I told her that poor Grace would probably feel a bit out of her depth, what with all the other young people at the Tennis Club either working for their parents or, like Bella, working in an office, but no, she’s determined that Grace should be included. She’ll have to spend the night here, of course, and I dare say that Bella will have a dress she can borrow.’

  There was no chance for Jean to make any response because they were now within earshot of the men, but she could feel her heart burning with indignation on her daughter’s behalf.

  As she put the milk jug and the hot water down on the table next to the cups and saucers already laid out with military neatness, Jean tried not to feel envious of her twin’s pretty Royal Albert china, with its roses and its gold edging, nor to compare it with her own far more practical and robust cups and saucers, oddments, in the main, bought from the market. Every time she saw Vi’s tea set she felt envious, and then cross with herself for being so silly. What did a few cups and saucers matter, after all?

  ‘More cake, Sam?’

  ‘No, thanks, Vi. I’ve never bin keen on shop bought, not with my Jean being such a good cook.’

  A small smile twitched at the corners of Jean’s mouth as she listened to her husband and saw her twin bridle slightly.

  Jack was a bit too pale and quiet for her liking, Jean decided, watching her nephew as he sat on the grass and drank his lemonade. In looks he resembled her own twins and was therefore physically more like Vi than either of her other two children, but that similarity didn’t seem to endear him to her.

  Suddenly, despite the smartness of her twin’s home and garden, Jean found that she was longing for the familiar comfort of her own much smaller and shabbier home.

  ‘It’s been lovely, Vi, but I think we’d better make a move. With it being such a nice day there are bound to be long queues for the ferry,’ she announced, causing Sam to look at her in both surprise and relief. ‘I’ll give you a hand washing the tea things first, though,’ she o
ffered, ignoring Sam’s twinkling smile.

  ‘There’s no need for that. Bella will help me with them.’

  They were both on their feet, equally aware of their eagerness to have the ritual sharing of their birthday over and done with.

  There were already long queues waiting for the ferries back to Liverpool, but Jean didn’t mind. It gave her the opportunity to chat over the afternoon with Sam as they stood in line.

  ‘Vi was telling me that Edwin would like to have Jack evacuated if it does come to war. Poor little boy. Vi should never have had him really, and I blame myself that she did.’

  Sam put his hand over hers. ‘You’ve nowt to blame yourself for, love. It is a shame that the poor little lad isn’t better thought of, but there’s nowt you could have done. You know what your Vi’s like. She’s never liked thinking that she’s being outdone.’

  ‘Especially not by me,’ Jean agreed ruefully. ‘She was determined to have Jack from the moment she knew I was pregnant.’

  ‘Aye.’ They shared a mutually understanding look that was tinged with pain and sadness.

  ‘It might have been different if our little Terry had lived,’ Jean said quietly. ‘He and Jack could have been good friends.’

  ‘Like our Luke and Grace are with your Vi’s Charlie and Isabelle, you mean?’ Sam asked her drily. ‘I could hear Charlie boasting to Luke about that ruddy car of his and how he spends his time driving about in it, showing off.’

  ‘Edwin won’t tolerate that. Vi told me herself that the only reason Edwin has given Charlie a car of his own is because he needs him in the business.’

  ‘You mean because he wants to keep him out of the army if it does come to war,’ Sam corrected her. ‘Mind, I can’t blame him. I don’t mind admitting that I’m relieved that Sid’s got a place waiting for our Luke with the Salvage Corps. What’s that look for?’

  ‘A lot of parents will have to see their sons go off to fight if it does come to war, Sam. Do you think that it will?’

  ‘Edwin reckons not, but I can’t agree with him. One thing’s for sure: if it does then we’ll bloody well have to win,’ he told her bluntly.