The Bells of Bow (36 page)

Evie threw her bag into the passage. ‘Sorry about that, but what with Flash and me suitcase, I couldn’t get me key out. So I had to kick the door instead.’

Babs shut the door behind them and followed Evie into the kitchen.

‘Sorry, Babs, I wasn’t thinking. Look, yer all ready to go out,’ said Eve, realising that her sister was dressed up to the nines. ‘I can see I’m in the way.’

Babs led her sister over to the carver chair by the stove and sat her down, then she filled a bowl with water which she put down for Flash. ‘Has that monkey bastard touched you?’

Evie tutted loudly. ‘Don’t be stupid, Babs. What sort of bloke’d hit a woman when she’s six months’ pregnant?’

‘D’yer really want me to answer that?’

‘I dunno what yer getting all wound up for, Babs. I just wanted to get out of the flat. I was so fed up with the bombing. It was that terrible raid the night before last that put the wind up me. You seen the papers? “Second fire of London” they’re calling it.’

‘Ne’mind all that old cobblers. Where’s Albie? Why ain’t he indoors with yer?’

Evie laughed unconvincingly. ‘He’s out on business, ain’t he? Till all hours. Right busy he’s been lately. So I thought, I ain’t sitting here by meself all night waiting for them bombers to come over. I’ll go and see Babs and Dad.’

Babs stared pointedly at the suitcase. ‘I don’t believe you, Evie. He’s hurt yer, ain’t he?’

‘Leave off. As if I’d have anything to do with a bloke who hit me. And when have we ever kept secrets from one another?’

‘You tell me.’ Babs’s expression was stony.

‘I thought yer’d be pleased, seeing me for Old Year’s night.’

‘That ain’t the point.’

‘Look, Babs.’ Evie’s voice was wheedling, the voice she had always used since she was tiny when she wanted to get her own way with her twin. ‘Albie’s gonna be with his mum and dad, and yer wouldn’t want me sitting round there in that dirty hole with them lot, would yer?’

‘I thought yer said he was out on business.’

‘Yeah, he is,’ she said hurriedly. ‘
Then
he’s going round his mum’s.’

‘That a fact?’

‘Blimey, Babs, are yer gonna shut up and make me a drink? Here.’ Evie dug into her coat pocket and pulled out a big packet of tea.

‘So that husband of your’n has got some uses then?’ Babs said, slamming the kettle onto the stove.

‘I had such a good time here on Christmas night.’

‘So yer said. Yer’ve always liked a ruck.’

‘I didn’t mean that.’

‘I dunno what yer do mean lately.’

‘Dad on duty tonight?’

Babs shook her head as she took down cups and saucers from the shelf. ‘No, he’ll be back soon.’

‘Good, I’ll have a bit of company then.’

‘I was gonna try and persuade him to come out with me.’

Eve gave the briefest of nods but, sulkily pushing out her bottom lip, she let her disappointment show.

‘I’m only going down the Drum. It seems asking for it to go any further with how bad the bombing’s been these last few nights. You come and all.’

‘I don’t think so.’ Evie cocked her head at the sound of the front door opening and hauled herself out of her dad’s carver chair. Ducking her head to catch her reflection in the little mirror by the sink, Evie pretended to be straightening her hair but was surreptitiously checking that there was no sign of the now almost faded bruising under the layers of powder. ‘There’s Dad now.’

Georgie looked exhausted. He had been on duty for seventy-two hours straight.

Evie smiled brightly at him. ‘I’ve come to stay for a bit, Dad.’

He collapsed into the chair. ‘I told yer, yer welcome to stay as long as yer want.’

‘Fancy coming down the Drum?’ Babs asked as she poured him a cup of tea. ‘To see in the New Year.’

Georgie swallowed down the lukewarm tea. ‘I’m too tired.’ He closed his eyes and within moments was asleep. Flash crept over to him and rested her muzzle on his leg.

Babs pulled down the corners of her mouth. ‘I’m not going without you two.’

‘I’ll make us some fresh tea, shall I?’ Evie didn’t even bother to hide her pleasure that she had won and that they were both staying in with her after all.

‘No thanks. I’m full up to me bloody ears with tea. I was hoping to have something proper to drink and a bit of a laugh.’

‘Suit yerself, humpy. Tell yer what, I’ll turn on the wireless, shall I?’

‘If yer like. Might as well listen to the other lucky buggers enjoying ’emselves while I’m stuck in here.’

Evie made a great show of rubbing her back as she walked slowly towards the front room to go and turn on the wireless.

‘Aw, leave off acting, Eve,’ Babs snapped impatiently. ‘Get out of me way and I’ll do it.’

As she slipped past Evie and into the front room, the familiar wail of the air raid warning sirens filled the air.

‘Well,’ Babs said, turning to Evie with a broad grin. ‘I never thought I’d be pleased to hear Moaning Minnie. Now we’ve gotta go down the Drum. And I’ve got me own way for once.’

Georgie appeared behind Evie with Flash straining on her lead. ‘Come on then,’ he said, his face haggard with fatigue. ‘Let’s be off.’

When they opened the door of the Drum, Nellie rushed over and practically dragged them into the bar. ‘Hurry up and get down that cellar,’ she grinned. ‘Seeing you girls has proper made me night.’ She winked at Georgie and took Flash’s lead from him. ‘And I reckon you being here’s gonna make someone else’s night and all.’ She flicked her eyes over to where Maudie was standing by the bar, waiting to go down the steps into the cellar. ‘That’s all we’ve had out of her all night, Ringer: “Does anyone know where George’s been these last few days?”’

Despite her vanity about her size, Evie was soon thoroughly enjoying herself. She adored being back in company where she was fussed over and loved, and was delighted to find that being pregnant was far from the humiliation that Albie had forced her to feel; in fact, it was actually a bonus to her popularity. It didn’t take long for her to be surrounded by admirers. She stood there, holding court, a sandwich in one hand, a drink in the other, determinedly working on coaxing Babs to join her in a sing-song.

Georgie was taking his pleasure a bit more warily. He stood by the bar, a makeshift arrangement of barrels and planks that Jim had set up earlier in the day, just in case, his forearms resting on the splintery surface, sipping slowly at a pint of best.

‘Hello, George.’

He half turned and raised his glass to her. ‘Maud.’

‘Everyone’s saying you’re a hero.’

‘I thought they was more interested in what my Evie was up to.’

Maudie looked over to where Evie had just persuaded Babs to join her in an effervescent rendition of ‘Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree’. ‘If that’s true, George, she doesn’t look too worried about it.’

Georgie twisted round and leant his back against the bar. ‘If only she’d let me sort that Denham out. He’d never go near her again.’ He took a long swallow of his beer. ‘But I’ve gotta do what she wants, she’s a grown woman now.’

‘You’re a good man, George.’

He looked at Maud, trying to figure her out. ‘Drink?’ he asked for want of something better to say.

‘Thanks, a shandy’d be nice.’

‘Nothing stronger?’

Maudie shook her head and Georgie beckoned to Jim.

He leant across the bar and watched Jim mixing the beer and lemonade while Maudie happily tapped her toe in time to the twins’ song. But Evie suddenly stopped singing and shouted for silence. She held up her arm and pointed to her watch.

‘Happy nineteen forty-one!’ she yelled and threw her arms round Babs.

The room erupted into yells and whoops of good wishes and hopes for the New Year. Maudie touched Georgie gently on the back. As he turned round, she reached up and planted a kiss directly on his lips.

Georgie backed away, frowning.

Maudie’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘I’m sorry, George, I didn’t mean anything. I let the moment get the better of me.’

‘Don’t be sorry, girl.’ Georgie felt like a sixteen-year-old, his ears were burning and his heart thumped. ‘Yer took me by surprise, that was all.’

They looked at each other, neither sure where it was all leading to, if anywhere.

They were saved from having to make any immediate decisions by Minnie, who dragged them away from the bar to join in with ‘Auld Lang Syne’.

As their crossed arms pumped up and down to the rhythm of the familiar tune, Georgie ducked his head and whispered to Maud, ‘Would yer think about letting me take yer out?’

‘I’d be honoured.’ Maudie had to yell into Georgie’s ear to make herself heard.

At the end of the song it seemed that everyone was kissing or shaking hands with everyone else. Babs and Evie hugged their dad and wished him everything he would wish himself for the New Year.

‘And you, darlings,’ he said, letting his glance flick across to Maudie who was being wished all the best by Blanche.

Babs nudged Evie. ‘See that?’ she mouthed.

Evie opened her eyes wide and nodded.

‘Go and sing something, eh, girls? I fancy having a dance.’

The twins whispered conspiratorially to one another and made their way to the far end of the cellar where they began singing a series of smoochy love songs.

‘Dance?’ Georgie held out his hand to Maud and led her onto the crowded, makeshift dance floor.

As George held Maudie close to him, he felt a stirring that he hadn’t felt for years; it made him want to weep at the waste of time that he had kidded himself could pass for a life.

‘Maud.’ His voice sounded husky as he whispered into her thick, sweet-smelling hair.

‘Mmmm?’

‘I want yer to know that I’ve had something on me mind lately.’ George hesitated, not sure how to tell her about his confused feelings about the wedding dress she’d given Evie. At times he had almost convinced himself that she had got it from one of the women round the church but at other times … No, he didn’t want to go over all that again, nor did he want to frighten her off by prying into what was, after all, private. If Maudie had been married and wanted to keep it a secret, then that was her business. ‘This thing that’s been worrying me, I wanted to sort it out, but I haven’t known how. And it’s been stopping me from doing what I really, deep down, want to do. But now I’ve come to a decision. I realise, I think, that at a time when people are risking everything and don’t even know if there’s gonna be a tomorrow, well, it just don’t make sense to let it rule me and what I should be doing to make meself happy. I suppose.’

Maudie bent her head back and looked up at him. ‘I don’t really understand what you mean, George. But I trust you and know you’ll tell me about it when – if – you’re ready. So I’ll leave it at that.’

He nodded.

Evie and Babs finished their medley and took a break to have a drink. George ushered Maudie over to where their own drinks stood on the bar.

‘I’m really pleased yer’ve asked me out, George,’ she said quietly.

‘Good.’ He stared into his glass. ‘So, what did yer do with yerself at Christmas?’ He tried to keep his voice even.

Maudie took a little taste of her shandy. ‘I went to church in the morning.’ She looked up at him. ‘I was hoping you might have come with me.’

‘I …’

She held up her hand. ‘No, George, I didn’t mean for you to explain yourself to me. Well, one of the WVS came up to me after the service. She asked me if I’d be prepared to take in a family.’ She put her glass down on the counter and slid it back and forth in a little puddle of beer. ‘I
know
there’s a lot of people who have lost their homes but I didn’t really like the idea of strangers staying with me. It was a bit, well, frightening, I suppose. It was different when I asked the Jenners, I knew them. Anyway, she took me to the church hall and there were all these poor people, eating the Christmas dinner the WVS had made for them, doing their best to be cheerful.’ She sighed loudly. ‘What could I do? Say sorry, no room at the inn? So I said they should give me a week or so, so that I could organise beds and things.’ She picked up her glass again. ‘I’m expecting a family, the Dintons, to arrive at any time.’

‘So that’s where yer were.’ It was a statement not a question.

Maudie looked at him quizzically.

‘Me and the girls was hoping yer’d have yer Christmas dinner with us. We laid a place for yer and everything.’

She laid her hand on his arm and smiled up at him. ‘Aw, George. If only I’d known.’

Georgie felt his heart racing at her touch. ‘It’s not right, you having strangers pushed on yer.’

She shrugged. ‘It’s not so bad.’ She looked away, avoiding his eyes. ‘And at least it’ll make me feel a bit useful again. Because, well, since Evie’s wedding, I’ve felt that something’s happened, that there’s been something wrong between us.’

Now it was Georgie’s turn to look away. ‘You’ve felt that, Maud?’ His voice cracked as he spoke.

She nodded. ‘Yes. I have. And it scares me. Because for a while, when I was helping Evie organise her wedding, I can honestly say I’ve never felt so much a part of things.’ She hesitated. ‘So much part of a family. I felt I was useful, needed. Wanted, even. I liked that feeling, George, and I didn’t want to lose it.’

‘That’s why yer taking this family in?’

‘Partly.’ She lifted her eyes to look at him. ‘And because I’m scared. I don’t want to go back to the old days when I was just Miss Peters, the old spinster along the road that everyone felt sorry for.’

‘No one feels sorry for yer, Maud.’ He gnawed on his lip, then he looked at her and said, ‘But yer mean widow, don’t yer, Maud? Not spinster.’

Maudie frowned. ‘I’m sorry? I don’t—’

‘It’s nothing. Take no notice of me.’ Georgie held up his glass, still almost half full of his first pint. ‘It’s the booze talking. Now, tell me about these lodgers.’

January 1941 brought with it even more bad weather and also plenty for Alice to get her nose stuck into – and only some of it was to do with the Bells. The gossip that Alice was spreading to anyone in the market who cared to listen was about Evie, who was still staying at number six despite being pregnant and married to Albie Denham; about Ringer, who had been seen, bold as brass and more than once, with Maudie Peters on his arm walking along the street for everyone to see; and about Babs, who seemed to be permanently tired and in a foul mood most of the time – pregnant maybe, Alice speculated, and therefore no good, just like her mum and her sister. But what really interested the vicious-tongued old bat was what the Dintons, Maudie Peters’s new lodgers, were getting up to.