Tangled Threads (26 page)

‘I don’t know where to go.’ Jimmy glanced resentfully at Eveleen. ‘We’ll have to do what she says.’

Eveleen picked up her bundles, tucking the seat under her arm. ‘It’s only for a night or two until I find us a house to rent or something. I’ll ask at the factory. Mr Carpenter
might help.’

‘Who’s he?’ Jimmy asked as they began to walk again, this time with his mother hanging on to his arm.

‘The man who’s going to give you a job, that’s who. And you’d better be nice and polite to him. No making fun of him. You hear me?’

‘Why? What’s the matter with him? Got two heads, has he?’

‘No.’ Eveleen tried to explain. ‘He’s a rather – rather large gentleman, and – and – he’s not exactly handsome. But you just remember, our
livelihood might well depend on that man.’

‘You mean he’s a big, fat, ugly bugger,’ Jimmy said and then dodged smartly out of the way as Eveleen dropped one of her bags again and her hand came up to swipe good-naturedly
at him. ‘He’ll be just right for you, our Evie, ’cos you can’t seem to keep the good-looking ones, can you? If you’d raised your skirts for Master Stephen, then maybe
we’d all be living in clover by now.’

Laughing unkindly, he marched ahead along the street, dragging Mary with him and leaving Eveleen to help Rebecca.

They found the Home for Working Girls and the woman in charge was happy to take the three women but shook her head at Jimmy.

‘We can’t take men in here.’

‘Oh please,’ Eveleen cajoled. ‘It’s only for a couple of nights. Just until I can find us a place to rent.’ Eveleen swallowed hard before she offered,
‘I’ll pay you a little extra.’

The woman eyed Jimmy dubiously, even though he was trying to adopt the most innocent expression he could muster. But then her eyes began to gleam at the thought of some extra money in her
pocket. ‘He’ll have to behave himself else I could lose mi job.’

‘He will,’ Eveleen said firmly.

‘All right then, just so long as it is only for a couple of nights or so.’

The following morning as they stood together side by side in front of Mr Carpenter, Eveleen could feel Jimmy shaking with suppressed mirth. Unseen by the man on the other side
of the desk, she put out her foot and trod heavily on Jimmy’s, and she held it there until he put his hand behind her back and pinched her arm. They glanced at each other, each of them
testing the other out. Then Jimmy grinned in capitulation and turned towards Mr Carpenter.

‘Good morning, sir. I think my sister has told you we’re both looking for work. I’m a good worker, sir, and I’ll give you no trouble.’

The shrewd man eyed him suspiciously. Eveleen bit her lip, wondering if Mr Carpenter was going to let slip all that she had told him about her family. But all he said was, ‘Aye well, lad,
we’ll see, won’t we? Now, you go down this passage here. Turn left at the bottom and you’ll see a little office on your left just before the door into the machine shop. Ask for
Bob Porter. Tell him I’ve taken you on as an apprentice on a Levers machine.’ Josh’s round face broke into a smile. ‘Tell Bob to put you with Luke Manning. He’ll keep
you in line.’

Politely Jimmy touched his forelock and said, ‘Thank you, sir.’ Then he stepped out of the tiny room and out of sight of the big man, he winked at his sister, jerked his thumb
towards Mr Carpenter and mimed lifting his skirt, had he been wearing one.

Eveleen almost took a step towards him, but Jimmy laughed, winked again and, thrusting his hands into his pockets, set off down the passageway, whistling merrily.

She turned back to meet Mr Carpenter’s eyes and before she could stop herself, she said, ‘I don’t know what he’s got to be so cheerful about. It’s all his fault
we’re in this mess.’

The man nodded sympathetically. ‘I can see he’s got a bit of the devil in him. But he’s not the only one. We’ve a lot of apprentices here, lass, and I have to keep me eye
on ’em all.’ He tapped the side of his huge nose. ‘Don’t you worry, love. He’s just one more I’ll be watching.’

Her smile was genuine as she said with relief, ‘Thank you, Mr Carpenter.’

‘Now, mi duck. Let’s see what we can find for you to do, eh?’

‘Thank you, sir. There’s just one more thing. Do you know of anywhere where we could take lodgings? There’s four of us.’

‘Soon to be five, eh?’

Eveleen nodded.

He rubbed a handkerchief across his forehead wiping away beads of sweat. ‘Now I’ll have to think about that. Where are you staying at the moment?’

When Eveleen told him, he pulled a face. ‘That’ll be costing you.’ He smiled, his jowls wobbling, ‘And the rules’ll be a bit rigid, I bet.’

Eveleen smiled. ‘We’re used to worse than that, Mr Carpenter.’

‘Can’t promise anything, mind, but I’ll see what I can do. I’ll ask around the factory.’

Eveleen thanked him again and then waited while he heaved himself up from the chair and lumbered his way around the desk and out into the passage. ‘But for now, we’d better set you
to work, lass.’

He led her to the adjacent building. They climbed five flights of stairs with Josh pausing on every landing to regain his breath. ‘I don’t – come up here – very
often,’ he puffed and smiled. ‘You can see why.’

Eveleen smiled kindly at him but could not think of a suitable response. When they reached the top floor Josh led her into a large, airy room with large windows on all sides. The noise greeted
them as they opened the door, but this time it was not the clatter of machinery but the chattering of the forty women at work in the room. They were all seated, except for one woman who appeared to
Eveleen to be some kind of supervisor.

The sound of their voices died away as they became aware that Josh Carpenter had entered the room. One or two glanced up, stared for a moment at Eveleen and then bent their heads again over
their work. The woman and young girls were all neatly dressed in high-necked blouses and long dark skirts and everyone seemed to have their hair smoothly coiled or plaited into the nape of their
neck. In stark contrast Eveleen felt suddenly wild and unkempt and her dress and shawl shabby.

‘This is the inspection and mending room,’ Josh explained. Each worker had a bale of lace fabric spread over their knees and spilling on to the floor and Eveleen could see that they
were examining the material carefully and mending any faults.

Josh raised his voice. ‘Miss Brownlow, could you spare me a moment please?’

The supervisor left the table where she had been inspecting a length of dress lace and came towards them.

‘This is Miss Eveleen Hardcastle. She has shown me some of the pillow lace she has made and it is very fine.’ He glanced at Eveleen and smiled, ‘Very fine work indeed.’
He turned back to Miss Brownlow. ‘So I am sure she would be suitable for the work here.’

It was a statement not a request and the woman, thin-faced and with a hooked nose that dominated her features, could only purse her small mouth and nod in reluctant acquiescence.

Josh turned to Eveleen. ‘Miss Brownlow will look after you and I’ll not forget what you asked me. I’ll see what I can find out. Come and see me after work.’

As the door closed behind him, Eveleen felt the curious eyes of all the women in the room upon her. She heard the soft laughter that rippled through the room like a breeze. Close by she heard a
young girl murmur, ‘Another one for Josh’s harem, eh?’ And Eveleen felt an embarrassed flush creep up her face.

‘Miss Binkley,’ the sour-faced supervisor called forward one of the young women. ‘Look after her and show her what to do.’ Miss Brownlow’s
scathing glance raked Eveleen from head to foot. ‘I don’t expect she’ll be much use, but we’ll have to take her if he’s taken a fancy to her.’ She gave a loud
sniff. ‘And perhaps a little responsibility will do you no harm.’ With her back ramrod-stiff, the woman went back to her table. Unseen, the girl pulled a face. Miss Binkley, about the
same age as Eveleen, was fair-haired with blue, mischievous eyes, a small nose and a laughing mouth. She touched Eveleen’s arm in a friendly gesture and whispered. ‘Don’t worry,
she’s only jealous. I don’t reckon she’s ever had a man in her life, not even one like old Carpenter. Come on,’ she led the way carefully through the mounds of delicate
fabric on the floor. ‘My name’s Helen, by the way. Sit near me and I’ll show you what to do.’

One or two of the other women sitting nearest to Helen looked up and smiled, but soon, resuming their chatter as they worked, they had forgotten all about the new girl.

At the end of that first working day, Eveleen found her way back to Josh Carpenter’s office.

‘I’m sorry, but I’ve been so busy this afternoon. One of the machines went wrong.’ He pulled a face and Eveleen held her breath, praying that it had nothing to do with
Jimmy. But as Josh continued, she let out her breath in relief. ‘I haven’t had the time to ask around. But I’ll see what I can do tomorrow.’

She smiled her thanks and went outside. Jimmy was already halfway along the street with two or three other youths of his own age. Eveleen had the uncomfortable feeling that her dear brother
would not arrive back at their lodgings until much later that night and then probably he would be rolling drunk and likely get them thrown out.

For once, however, Eveleen held her impetuous tongue in check. If she called out to him, belittled him in front of his newfound friends, Jimmy would then do it deliberately.

Eveleen sighed. Either way, she couldn’t prevent the inevitable.

‘Please, just one more day.’ Eveleen was obliged to plead with the woman running the home the following morning, after Jimmy had woken half the house – maybe
even half the street – sitting on the steps outside in the early hours and singing at the top of his voice. Eveleen had scuttled down and dragged him in but not before the warden, or whatever
she was called, had heard him too.

‘I am sorry,’ she added.

The woman mellowed enough to say, ‘It’s not your fault, Miss Hardcastle. I can see that. But I stretched the rules to let him stay here at all and see what he does?’

‘I know,’ Eveleen said helplessly. ‘And we’ll move out as soon as I find somewhere, I promise.’

‘All right then, but if he comes back in that state tonight, I won’t have him in the house. He’ll have to sleep in the street.’

Eveleen nodded and went upstairs to drag her leaden-headed brother from his bed. ‘Come on, you,’ she said roughly. ‘You’ve cost us our place here. I’m not going to
let you lose your job an’ all.’

Nearing the lunch break, a man came into the inspection room. He stood in the doorway and looked about him. He spoke to one of the women nearest the door and she gestured
towards Eveleen.

Helen nudged Eveleen. ‘Looks like you’ve got yourself an admirer already.’

‘That’s Fred Martin,’ Sarah, who sat near Helen and now Eveleen too, remarked. ‘He’s married to Win and they’ve got six kids. Their eldest daughter works at
the Adams’ place on Stoney Street.’

Helen pulled a face at Eveleen and grinned. ‘He can still come looking, though, can’t he?’

‘Not if Win catches him, he can’t,’ someone else close by said.

That was the thing about factory life, Eveleen was swiftly learning. Whatever was said to the person sitting next to you was overheard and usually taken up by half a dozen others.

The laughter rippled around them as the man stepped carefully among the workers towards Eveleen.

‘Hello,’ he said, nodding at her in greeting. ‘My missis has sent me. Said to watch out if any new girls turned up here and I was to be sure to ask you if you was getting on
all right.’

Eveleen dropped her work, stood up and held out her hand, smiling as she did so. ‘Oh you must be the husband of the kind lady I met in Stoney Street when I came the other day looking for
work. It was her suggested I came to Reckitt’s. She said you worked here.’

The man’s smile broadened. ‘That’s my Win. She collects lame ducks. No offence, love.’

‘None taken,’ Eveleen said at once. ‘I was certainly a lame duck that day by the time I’d finished tramping the streets.’ The man laughed and those listening around
them joined in.

‘So,’ he went on. ‘Are you all right, ’cos I’ll have to report back now I’ve found you.’

‘Yes, thanks. I’m fine. And it’s thanks to your wife I am.’

‘Good,’ he nodded, raised his hand and made to turn away. ‘I’ll tell her that. She’ll be pleased to have helped you, love.’

‘There is just one thing,’ Eveleen said hastily. ‘You don’t happen to know of anywhere to rent do you?’

‘Just for you?’

Eveleen shook her head. ‘No. There’s four of us.’ Eveleen bit her lip. She had been about to say more but there were too many listeners for her to want to confide more. All
around them the women had fallen silent and were listening intently.

Fred wrinkled his forehead and said, ‘I don’t know of anywhere but I’ll ask the wife. She might. I’ll let you know tomorrow.’

‘Thanks. I’d be ever so grateful.’

As he left, she sat down again and resumed her work. The buzz of conversation rose again and soon Eveleen and her problems were forgotten. Only Helen said, ‘I’ll ask around too for
you.’

Eveleen opened her mouth to express her thanks when she noticed that once again the workers had fallen silent. Then a whisper rippled through the room like a breeze.

‘It’s him. It’s Mr Stokes himself. By the door, look. He’s just come in.’

‘I hope that handsome son of his is with him.’

‘Shut up, Lucy. You’re too old for him. The lad’s not even twenty.’

‘Mebbe he’d like an older woman. I’d like the chance to teach him a thing or two.’

Eveleen looked up to see that two men had entered the room. The first was a man in his mid-forties. Tall and slim with dark hair that was greying at the temples, he had clear-cut features, a
long straight nose and a firm jaw. The second man was much younger and, quite obviously, the son of the older man, for he resembled him in looks and build. The first man looked about him, his
expression stern, but the young one smiled and nodded to the women nearby.

‘Oh, isn’t he the most handsome man you’ve ever seen in your life?’ Helen sighed ecstatically.