Goodnight Sweetheart (10 page)

One of the new girls started to sob noisily, protesting, ‘Me bruvver’s in the territorials and bin called up …’

‘Gorn orf ’er head, she has, and no mistake,’ Irene pronounced grimly, as the bell summoned them back to work. ‘Tek no notice of her,’ she consoled the distraught girl.

Hannah’s machine was directly in front of Molly’s, and for the rest of the afternoon Molly could hear Hannah talking agitatedly to herself whilst she worked. And then suddenly she got up from her machine and went to where all the finished uniforms were folded, waiting to be inspected.

It was Molly who saw the scissors she was carrying first. Getting up from her own machine, she called out anxiously, ‘Hannah, no …’

But it was too late: Hannah was cutting frenziedly into the uniforms, slicing and tearing at them.

As quickly as she could, Molly hurried over to her and gently took the scissors from her whilst Hannah screamed and cried out before collapsing on the floor, shuddering violently.

‘What’s going on in here?’

Still in shock, the other girls turned away from Hannah to look at Miss Jenner.

The supervisor stared at Molly in furious disbelief, and then strode towards her, grabbing hold of her arm with one hand and wrenching the scissors from her with the other.

‘What have you done?’ she demanded savagely. ‘Answer me.’ She threw down the scissors and slapped Molly so hard across her face that her
head jerked back and she bit her own tongue.

‘Here, don’t you go hitting my sister,’ June protested fiercely, but she was too shocked to say anything more.

‘You’re sacked, both of you,’ the supervisor told them. ‘You’re nothing but troublemakers, the pair of you … and the cost of these uniforms will be deducted from your wages. I’m going to go and get Mr Harding now and show him what you’ve done. You’ll have the police to answer to for destroying government property,’ she told them threateningly.

‘We haven’t done anything,’ June told her angrily. ‘It was Hannah who did it. Gone mad, she has, as you would see for yourself if you had any sense,’ she added contemptuously, pointing to where Hannah was sitting rocking whilst she stared blankly at the scene in front of her. But instead of making Miss Jenner rethink her accusation, June’s words only incensed her.

‘Silence! Wait here, both of you, whilst I go and inform Mr Harding about what you’ve done.’

‘Right, that’s it,’ June announced as soon as the supervisor had gone. ‘I’m not staying here to be called a liar again by her. Come on, our Molly, we’re going.’

‘We can’t just leave,’ Molly protested shakily, but June was ignoring her, gathering up their things, and then, taking hold of her arm, practically dragged her to the door.

‘’Ere, June, hang on a mo,’ Irene protested.

‘Wait till old Harding gets here. We can tell him what’s happened.’

‘What, and have that nasty piece of work threatening us every time we do sommat as she doesn’t like?’ June demanded sharply. ‘There’s plenty of other jobs going, and better paid ones too.’

They were out in the street before Molly could say anything, June leading her towards the bus stop.

‘There’s Frank’s mam watching us,’ June pronounced as they walked past number 46. ‘I bet she’ll be wondering what we’re doing home this time o’ day. Well, she can wonder, for all I care.’

‘You don’t think Mr Harding
will
send the police round here after us, do you?’ Molly asked her worriedly.

‘Don’t talk so daft. What for? We haven’t done anything wrong. It was Hannah who went mad and cut up them uniforms. Is yer face still hurting?’ June asked her sympathetically. ‘It’s a mercy she didn’t knock yer teeth out, she hit yer that hard.’

‘You should have seen her face when you answered her back like that.’ Molly shook her head, marvelling at her sister’s bravery, unable to stop herself from laughing as she remembered the look of disbelief on the supervisor’s face as she turned round to see June bearing down on her.

‘Aye, well, she’s lucky I didn’t give her a swipe like the one she gave you,’ June replied, and then started to laugh herself.

‘Here, wot’s got into you two?’ Pearl demanded sharply as she came out of her house to find the two of them rocking with laughter, their arms round one another. ‘There’s a war on, yer know …’

‘Aye, and we’re both out of a job, an’ all,’ June informed her, still laughing.

‘I reckon Pearl thought we had lost our wits,’ Molly told June as they let themselves into number 78.

‘Aye, probably caught it from Hannah, we have,’ June agreed, adding, ‘Let’s have the wireless on, Molly, in case there’s any news.’

There was and it instantly banished their laughter. A Glasgow-based liner, the
Athenia
, had been sunk by a German U-boat and one hundred and twelve lives had been lost.

Molly and June listened to the broadcast in white-faced silence, holding one another tight.

‘Oh, those poor, poor people,’ Molly whispered. She could not help thinking about Eddie and wondering where he was and if he was safe. If the Germans would attack an innocent passenger ship, then what chance did a merchant navy vessel have?

The newscaster was announcing the appointment of Winston Churchill as First Lord of the Admiralty, before continuing to warn people of the importance of adhering to the strict blackout regulations that had been enforced, but Molly had stopped paying attention. All she could think
about was the dreadful news about the
Athenia
– and Eddie.

‘I’ve got a WVS meeting tonight,’ Molly told June once they had finished their evening meal and were washing up.

‘We’ll have to start looking for new jobs tomorrow, remember,’ June warned her. ‘I fancy working in munitions meself. The pay’s good and they lay on buses and entertainment.’

‘Perhaps we should have waited to see Mr Harding,’ Molly suggested. She was still fearful about the repercussions of their walking out.

‘What, and have that Jenner woman making out that we were lying? No, thanks.’

It felt different wearing her WVS uniform now that they were at war, Molly realised as she hesitated in front of the dressing table she shared with June and then, on impulse, slid Johnny’s ring onto her finger in a futile attempt to ease her guilt at thinking of Eddie all afternoon.

She’d arranged to meet Anne under the Picton Clock so that they could go to the meeting together. As she hurried towards it, she saw that Anne was already there.

‘Isn’t it dreadful news about the
Athenia
?’ Anne greeted her sombrely.

‘Those poor people,’ Molly agreed.

‘What’s that you’re wearing?’ Anne demanded, catching sight of Molly’s ring.

Molly blushed and told her about Johnny.

‘You’re engaged? You never said. When …?’

‘I don’t wear me ring because it’s a bit loose,’ Molly told her, and then added in a low voice, ‘I’d just as soon not be engaged to Johnny, really, but … when he was called up for the army …’ She was desperate to confide in someone and be listened to sympathetically.

‘He’s one of our fighting men? Then you can’t possibly break your engagement to him, Molly. It isn’t the done thing. Not when a man has got to fight for his country, and all he has to keep him going is the thought of his sweetheart waiting at home for him, and being true and loyal,’ Anne told her reproachfully.

Molly looked pleadingly at her friend. ‘But, Anne, I don’t love him, and … and the truth is that … that there’s someone else.’ Molly could see from Anne’s shocked face that every word she said was only making things worse, but she longed so much for her friend to understand her plight and sympathise with her that she just could not stop the words from tumbling out, even though Anne’s disapproval was growing by the minute.

‘I’m surprised at you, Molly,’ Anne told her sternly. ‘Yes, and shocked as well. I thought you were a decent sort of girl who knew the difference between right and wrong.’ She shook her head. ‘Please don’t tell me any more. I’m going to pretend that we haven’t had this conversation. If you’re the girl I thought you were, Molly, you will forget all about this other chap and put him out
of your thoughts and your life. I’ll say no more on the subject, except that it’s up to us to do everything we can to support our boys, not go falling in love with someone else behind their backs.’

Molly was quiet for the rest of the evening. Now even Anne disapproved of her. It was very easy for others to talk about what she should do, Molly decided miserably, especially when they weren’t the ones who were in love with Eddie.

It was still light when Molly got home just over an hour later, but that didn’t seem to be stopping Alf Davies from marching purposefully down the cul-de-sac.

‘Blackout in half an hour,’ he told her, checking to see that she was carrying her gas mask. ‘Just bin down the allotments to see that old fool Bert.’

‘He won’t really have to have Rover put down, will he?’ Molly asked anxiously.

‘Rules is rules and no dogs are allowed in air-raid shelters. I’ve told him that. And what if he were to get bombed and his bloomin’ dog left to roam all over everywhere, causing a nuisance?’

‘But Rover is all he’s got,’ Molly protested.

Ignoring her comment, Alf looked at his watch. ‘Time I was on me way. I want to check the whole of the cul-de-sac at blackout time, and then I’ve got them streets behind to do, an’ all.’

By rights she ought to go home. She was only a few doors away now and, as Alf had just pointed out to her, it was almost blackout time, but ever
since they had heard the news about the
Athenia
, all Molly had been able to think about was Eddie, and she was guiltily aware that she should not be thinking about him – leastways not in the way that she was.

The Saturday night they had danced and laughed together might as well have been a lifetime ago, so many terrible things had happened since then. She and June had lost their jobs, and whilst it was all very well for June to talk nonchalantly about them getting other work, Molly liked the girls they had already worked with and the friendly familiarity of Hardings. June enjoyed confrontations but she didn’t, and it made her feel sick and shaky to remember what had happened. And what if Miss Jenner or Mr Harding did report them to the police? The country was at war and everyone was being exhorted to do their bit, with severe punishments threatened for those who did not abide by all the new rules the Government had brought in.

And if all that wasn’t bad enough, she kept imagining Eddie on his ship and those awful German U-boats. She felt so worried and upset that even the thought of old Bert and his dog was enough to fill her eyes with tears.

She glanced disinterestedly at a man turning into the cul-de-sac. He was walking with that slight roll of seagoing men, and …

Her eyes widened and she stiffened in disbelief. It was Eddie.

‘Molly!’

‘Eddie!’ She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and discovered that she was doing both as he started to run towards her.

‘I can’t believe it’s you,’ she told him. ‘How can you be here? I thought—’

‘We had orders from the Admiralty, telling us to turn back,’ he answered excitedly.

‘I can’t believe it,’ Molly repeated. ‘I was just thinking about you and …’

‘Was you?’

His voice had deepened and suddenly he was standing much closer to her whilst the dusk wrapped its own protective and concealing blackout around them.

‘By, Molly, but I like to think of you thinkin’ of me.’

‘I meant just as a friend and neighbour,’ Molly told him hastily, flushing guiltily as she did so, agitatedly twisting Johnny’s ring with her fingers.

‘I didn’t kiss yer when I said goodbye like you was just a friend and neighbour to me, Molly,’ Eddie told her thickly. ‘I kissed yer like you was my girl. And I want yer to be my girl, Molly.’

‘But I’m engaged to Johnny,’ Molly told him miserably.

‘But you don’t love him, do you?’ Eddie probed.

Molly shook her head, and then murmured a small apprehensive protest as Eddie drew her deeper into the shadows and into his arms.

‘Aw, come on, Molly love, don’t cry,’ he begged her.

‘I can’t help it,’ Molly told him. ‘Everything’s so awful. Our June says that I can’t not be engaged to Johnny on account of him going off to fight, me and her have lost our jobs, and the
Athenia’s
been sunk and it could have been you, and poor Bert will have to have Rover put down, and even Anne, me friend at WVS, has taken the huff with me.’

As she sobbed out all of this, Eddie held her closer, stroking her hair and murmuring comforting words into her ear.

‘Oh, Eddie, why did this have to happen to us after I’d got engaged to Johnny?’

‘I don’t know, lass. Mebbe it teks sommat like a war to make us see what’s bin under our noses.’

‘What are we going to do?’

‘Well, I reckon that Johnny is bound to get some leave before he’s sent into action. When he does,’ he squeezed her hand gently, ‘I reckon that
would be the time to tell him what’s happened.’

‘Tell him about you and me, you mean? Do you think I should?’

Eddie nodded.

‘But what would people say?’ she asked. ‘I’d feel so …’

And then he kissed her, and Molly recognised that nothing else and no one else mattered more right now than her love for Eddie.

Being kissed by Eddie was every bit as wonderful the second time as it had been the first, she discovered dizzily. So wonderful, in fact, that she didn’t want him to stop – not ever.

But he did, his voice unfamiliarly gruff and husky as he told her, ‘You’ve got to be my girl after kissing me like that, Molly, even if we are going to have to keep it to ourselves until you’ve told Johnny.’

Suddenly Molly knew she had no choice. It was Eddie she wanted, not Johnny.

‘How long will you be home for?’ she asked him.

‘I don’t know yet. But like as not it won’t be for very long.’

Molly’s heart sank at the words but she berated herself hurriedly. This time together was an unexpected blessing and she would cherish every second of it.

It was almost dark now, and Eddie bent his head and kissed her again, a quick, hard, very grown-up kiss that left her tingling from head to
foot as they looked at one another through the darkness.

‘Come on, before I do sommat as I shouldn’t,’ Eddie told her gruffly, releasing her and turning her firmly in the direction of their homes.

‘It seems really funny, not seeing any light anywhere,’ Molly commented, smothering a soft laugh as Eddie accidentally stepped off the pavement and into the gutter because they couldn’t see where they were going. Her laughter turned to a protest of her own as she bumped into a privet hedge.

‘If them in charge don’t watch out, this blackout’s going to be causing a fair few accidents,’ Eddie prophesied as they reached number 78.

‘What are you doin’ tomorrow?’ he asked.

‘June was talking about us going to look for new jobs.’ She had already told him about the earlier incident at Hardings.

‘I’ll pop round in the morning then, just to come and show me face, like. Leastways, that’s what I’ll tell your June. Go on,’ he gave her a small tender push, ‘you get yourself inside. I’ll stay here and watch to mek sure you’re all right. And, Molly.’ She turned to look up at him. ‘Don’t wear Johnny’s ring any more.’

She looked helplessly at him, desperately tempted to run back to him for one more kiss. She didn’t tell him that the ring had been off her finger and in her pocket before they’d even finished kissing.

‘Watch that light you’re letting out. You’ll have Alf Davies down on us,’ June commented critically when Molly opened the back door. ‘You’re late. I thought you said you would be back before dark,’ she added.

‘I got a bit delayed,’ Molly told her, bending down and pretending to brush some fluff off her skirt so that she could hide her telltale guilty flush from her sister.

‘What’s to do with you this morning? You’re like a cat on hot bricks,’ June complained as Molly glanced towards the back door for the umpteenth time.

‘As soon as I’ve finished writing this letter to my Frank I thought we’d go down into town and get it posted and then go and ’ave a word at Napiers – see if they’re still taking folk on.’

Molly’s heart sank as she listened to her sister. What excuse could she give for not wanting to go out that wouldn’t betray her? Eddie had said he would come round this morning. But it was half-past ten already and Molly was beginning to wonder if, in the cold light of day, he was having second thoughts about what he had said to her last night or – her heart thudded into her chest wall at the thought – could he now be thinking of her as a girl who was not only ‘fast’ but who was also guilty of betraying another man?

Desperate to find something to do that wouldn’t further alert June’s suspicions, she picked up the
old blue cardigan she had brought downstairs earlier.

‘What are you going to do with that?’ June asked her.

‘I thought I’d unpick it and use the wool to knit something for Sally’s baby,’ Molly explained.

‘Aye, well, when you go and see her why don’t you ask her if you can borrow that frock her bridesmaid wore last year? I can’t see how we’re able to afford to buy you a new one, not now we haven’t got jobs, and even if we could I don’t know where we’d get any fabric.’

‘Yes, I’ll do that,’ Molly agreed, too relieved at having successfully distracted her sister to protest that she didn’t particularly want to wear the bright pink, shiny, mock-taffeta frock Sally’s bridesmaid had worn. She’d look like the Sugar Plum Fairy. She could remember how, at the time, Sally had complained bitterly that she hated it, but that Ronnie’s sister had insisted that it was what she was going to wear.

‘Yoo-hoo …’

The cardigan slipped from Molly’s fingers as she turned towards the back door, tense with hope, uncertainty and self-consciousness that Eddie would be with his aunt.

‘You’ll never guess what,’ Elsie beamed as she bustled into the kitchen. ‘Our Eddie’s home.’

‘Aw, Auntie Elsie,’ Eddie protested with a grin as he followed her into the kitchen, and then looked at Molly.

Oblivious to anything and anyone else, she looked back at him, whilst her heart threw itself at her ribcage with much the same force as she wanted to throw herself into his arms.

‘Oh … not that I wasn’t sorry to ’ear your bad news about your jobs, of course. A right shame, that is,’ she could hear Elsie saying. ‘I couldn’t believe it when our Eddie walked in last night. Already in bed, we was, on account of me spending all day mekkin’ piccalilli and bottlin’ soft fruit. Our Jim managed to get me a whole box of Kilner jars, and I thought sooner than waste ’em and leave ’em empty, I might as well fill ’em wi’ sommat, especially since …’

‘… there’s a war on,’ Eddie chanted in time with his aunt, and then laughed.

‘I’ve already told you, Auntie, you want ter be careful wi’ them jars, wi’ our Jim bringing them home for yer.’ He winked. ‘Checked ’em for cracks, did you, in case they got broke when they fell off that goods wagon?’

‘That’s enough of that, our Eddie,’ Elsie began, and then laughed herself when she saw that he was teasing her.

Teasing her and making them all laugh, and somehow at the same time managing to close the distance so that he was standing right up next to Molly and was able to give her hand a reassuring little squeeze under the oilcloth cover on the table.

She dared not look up at him because if she did she knew she would give herself away.

‘Aye, well, you don’t need to go feeling sorry for us, Elsie. Me and Molly’ll soon have new jobs – better jobs, an’ all, than working at Hardings,’ June prophesied. ‘I’ve heard as how they’re taking on at Napiers to make armaments—’

‘You’re never thinkin’ of going working there?’ Elsie protested immediately, while Eddie also frowned.

‘Why not?’ June demanded as she licked the envelope she had just put her letter into and sealed it. ‘It’s good pay and—’

‘It’s too dangerous,’ Eddie said tersely. ‘And besides, mekkin’ shells and that is men’s work.’

‘Huh, and how are men going to do it when they’re all being called up?’ June challenged, tossing her head.

‘Aye, well, I have heard as how they’re tekkin’ women on down there,’ Elsie agreed. ‘But I wouldn’t want any daughter of mine working there. I’ve heard as ’ow only last week one poor lad had his arm blown off, and there’s tales of lads gettin’ all sorts of skin rashes and the like …’

‘Any news yet, June, as to when your Frank is likely to get leave?’ Eddie broke in diplomatically, and Molly sent him a look of grateful relief.

‘No. He’s not in the merchant navy with leave every other week,’ June sniffed crossly.

‘Aye, well, I wouldn’t be here neither if we hadn’t been sent orders to turn back,’ Eddie answered, knowing June of old and that her concern for Frank was making her tetchy.

‘So you’re home now until the war’s over, are you?’ June demanded jealously.

‘Of course he isn’t, June,’ Elsie objected, ‘but he’s not allowed to say what’s happening, are you, Eddie, on account of loose talk costing lives?’

Eddie shrugged. ‘I doubt that June would go blabbin’ to anyone, Auntie, not with her Frank in the army. Sent him over to France now, have they then, June?’ he probed.

‘He’s still in Clacton, doing his training,’ June informed him loftily.

‘Lucky Frank. In the merchant navy we does our training on the ship, and if a U-boat gets yer in its sights before you’re ready, it’s just too bad,’ Eddie drawled meaningfully.

Molly could see that an angry red flush was spreading across June’s face. It was obvious to her that her sister did not like the fact that Eddie was refusing to let her have the last word.

‘The Admiralty gave instructions for us to turn back on account of them deciding that merchant navy vessels are to travel in convoy and be protected by warships from now on,’ Eddie continued in a milder tone. ‘How do you fancy goin’ to the pictures tonight, Molly?’ he added casually.

‘She can’t,’ June answered sharply before Molly could speak. ‘None of the picture houses or the dance halls are opening, on account of the blackout. And, besides, she’s an engaged woman.’

‘Aye, and we know whose idea that was,’ Eddie began angrily.

Molly looked at him imploringly and shook her head.

‘And what exactly do you mean by that?’ June started to demand, only to frown as someone began banging on the front door.

‘Who the hell is that?’ June protested, adding, ‘You go and see, will yer, our Molly?’

Molly could make out the outline of a man through the frosted glass. Uncertainly she opened the door, her mouth opening in a startled ‘Oh’ of surprise when she saw Mr Harding standing outside.

‘Oh, Molly … may I come in?’

‘Who is it?’ June called out.

‘It’s … it’s Mr Harding, from the factory,’ Molly called back shakily.

She could hear sounds of movement from the kitchen and then June demanded sharply, ‘Give over having me on and messing about, our Molly,’ followed by silence as her sister came to stand beside her, and she realised that Molly had been speaking the truth.

‘I’ve come to have a word with you both,’ Mr Harding announced. ‘Is there somewhere …?’

‘You’d best come into the front room,’ June told him, giving Molly a loaded look as she opened the door.

The front room smelled of polish, and the worn leather sofa creaked slightly when Mr Harding sat down on it.

‘I’ve come to talk to you about yesterday,’ Mr
Harding began, having already refused June’s offer of a cup of tea.

‘It weren’t us as were to blame,’ June told him swiftly. ‘We didn’t touch them uniforms.’

‘No. I know that, June. The other girls have explained everything. I’ve had a word with Hannah’s doctor and he feels that the shock of hearing we are at war has affected Hannah’s brain and that was why she did what she did. But I’m not here to talk about poor Hannah. I’d like you both to come back to work. Hardings can’t afford to lose girls as skilled as you two.’ He smiled warmly at them both. ‘And, of course, there’ll be no question of any wages being lost, not even for today.’

‘I’m not going back to work under that Jenner woman,’ June announced flatly.

‘Miss Jenner is no longer with us. She has handed in her notice to join the ATS,’ Mr Harding informed them, adding, ‘I won’t keep you any longer. And I hope to see you both back at your machines tomorrow morning.’

‘Who was that then?’ Elsie asked curiously whilst Molly looked delightedly at June, then explained, ‘It was Mr Harding from the factory. He’s offered us our jobs back and said as how he knows what really happened. And he said that Miss Jenner has left to join the ATS.’ Molly beamed.

‘Well, that’s all right then. All’s well that ends well, eh?’ Elsie said mundanely.

‘It might be for him, but I dunno as I want to go back to Hardings,’ June announced. ‘Four pounds a week I’ve heard they’re getting down at Napiers. That’s nearly twice as much as we get at the factory.’