Lily’s War (9 page)

‘You’d eat less or something. You’re the self-sacrificial type.’ She smiled. ‘It just seems so fantastic!’

‘It’s true!’ He smiled. ‘I don’t lie, Lily, and don’t make me out a saint. I’m not. My father sold the sapphires in Sydney. Then he met my mother and married her. I think he would have settled down for good then but she died and he couldn’t rest. For years I had no idea he had so much money, and I know the difference having some can make,’ he said drily. ‘Look at those men over there all trying to get rich quick.’

Lily’s gaze followed his to the pub set back from the road on the opposite side. There was a crowd of cloth-capped men gathered in a muttering circle, then there was a shout and a cap flew up into the air. ‘Don’t tell me,’ she murmured. ‘They play pigeon toss in Australia, too.

‘Sure they do.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Gambling, drinking … it’s what a lot of men do when there’s no women around to stop them.’

‘If a scuffer catches them, they’ll be for it,’ said Lily, frowning. ‘I wonder where their lookout is … that must be him leaning against—’

‘What is it?’ Matt’s voice was sharp.

Lily made no answer but fled across the road in a fury. ‘Dad! What on earth are you doing here?’

Albert lifted his head. ‘Lily! It’s our Lily!’ The words were slurred. ‘What are you doing here, girl? Spying on me, are yer?’

‘You flatter yourself that I’d be bothered,’ she snapped. ‘You’re a fool, Dad. The drink’ll kill you one of these days, and it’ll be all your own fault.’

‘I’m not drunk.’ He rubbed a sleeve across a dripping nose. ‘Got a cold and the drink’s pure-ly me-medic-medicinal.’

‘I don’t believe it!’ Her eyes glinted frostily. ‘But if it’s true you can come home with us.’ She seized hold of his arm as Matt drew near.

Albert shook off her hand, and noticing Matt, eyed him balefully. ‘That’s that preacher bloke. What are you doing here with him?’

‘My aunt lives around here,’ said Matt, giving him a nod. ‘Great to see you again, Mr Thorpe.’

‘An’ I bet!’ Albert sniffed. ‘What are you doing with my daughter? She don’t need no religion and should be home looking after the kids.’

Lily felt like screaming. ‘That’s all you think I’m here for, isn’t it, Dad? To look after your kids while you go to the devil as quickly as you can! Well, I’m going to marry this preacher bloke and you’d better get used to the idea!’

Albert’s face turned the colour of putty. ‘You wouldn’t do that, girl?’ he gasped. ‘We won’t be good enough for the likes of him. He’ll make you cut us off.’

‘Matt’s not like that!’ She looked at him scornfully. ‘As for you, you’re a disgrace to the family and if you don’t buck up your ideas you won’t be giving me away.’

Some of the colour came back into Albert’s face and he bristled. ‘Don’t want to give you away to him! You’re my daughter and we need you.’

Matt said coolly, ‘You’ve other daughters.’

‘Not like Lily.’ He looked miserable. ‘She was happy till you came along.’

Lily felt a familiar pity. ‘I wasn’t unhappy.’ Her tone held a little more warmth. ‘I love all of you but there’s been times when I’ve wanted to do something different.’

Albert shook his head dolefully. ‘It hurts me to hear you say that. If I’d known we were all such a burden to you, I’d have finished meself off years ago.’

‘Oh shut up, Dad! Stop feeling sorry for yourself and think of me for a change,’ she said, exasperated once again. ‘I’ve spent years thinking of you lot.’

‘It’s your duty! But I suppose whatever I say you’ll marry him?’

‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ she cried, irritated by that word ‘duty’.

He glared at her, then his expression changed and he sniffed. ‘I suppose there’s nothing I can say then, and at least with him working at the church you won’t be far away.’

Lily glanced at Matt, half-opened her mouth but he shook his head. ‘Who told you that?’ she demanded.

‘One of the gossiping old biddies from the church.’ He looked aggrieved. ‘Told me it’d do me good to go, but don’t you be thinking you’ll get me to church, the pair of you.’

‘Perish the thought,’ murmured Lily and exchanged a smile with Matt. Telling her father she was marrying him could have been a lot worse.

Lily called at the farm a couple of days later, knowing that Ben had already broken the news to her uncle and aunt.

‘We’ll come to the wedding, lass,’ said William, his expression dour. ‘But I won’t say we’re pleased about it. I can’t see Daisy doing half what you do or staying at home for long. She’ll be off, and little May’s too young to cope with housework.’

‘They could all come and live here,’ said Lily boldly.

‘Our Dora wouldn’t have it.’ He hesitated. ‘I’ll give you a lump sum when you get married as it’s likely you’ll be needing it. I wasn’t going to but Ben says your man’s staying put at the moment and helping out at the church you go to.’

Lily thought, how do I break it to him that I could be going to Australia? She hesitated further before saying, ‘We mightn’t be staying in Liverpool, Uncle William.’

He stared at her hard. ‘A church in Lancashire then? I’m sure he can swing it, lass, so you don’t have to go too far. I’ll miss you dropping in regular-like, but if you can come now and again it won’t be so bad. I understand a woman has to go where her man’s work takes him.’

Lily murmured agreement, deciding to say no more until she knew for certain what Matt’s plans were.

‘Don’t forget to remind our Albert and Ben it’s National day on Friday. We’ll have a day off and I’ll take them to Aintree so we can watch the race,’ said William, smiling and rubbing his hands. ‘I’ll pick them up earlier tell them.’

Lily promised that she would. Although no gambler, she took an interest in the Grand National herself and always had a flutter. She’d won a few times and there was this dream of a wedding dress in Owen Owens …

Uncle William arrived early and she asked him to put a bet on for her. He smiled good-humouredly. ‘What have you in mind, lass?’

‘Royal Mail,’ she said, having scanned the list of runners in the
Daily Post
already.

‘It’s a good horse,’ said Albert, happy for once. ‘Welsh-owned. Be a good little runner. You must have inherited your taste in horseflesh from me, girl.’

Perhaps she had? thought Lily, and handed over the pound of change she had taken from her cocoa tin before caution took over and she changed her mind.

It was a nailbiting few hours but to Lily’s delight Royal Mail passed the winning post first at a 100-6.

‘We’ll go shopping tomorrow,’ she said to May, turning down the volume on Jessie Matthews who was singing songs from the films. ‘I’ll buy you new shoes for the wedding.’

‘Can we go and see the King and Queen, as well?’ asked May, who had taken the news of her sister’s forthcoming nuptials with aplomb, only wanting to know whether she would be a bridesmaid and have a new dress. ‘We can wave them off at Lime Street.’

‘OK!’ said Lily, thinking if she and Matt did go to Australia it could be the last chance she would get of seeing royalty.

Early Saturday morning Lily and May purchased a couple of Union Jacks and managed to squeeze on to the Plateau at St George’s Hall right opposite the grand North Western Hotel decorated with flags and bunting. The crowd was in a good mood; most professed admiration and liking for the former Duke and Duchess of York, and more than a couple had a few malicious things to say about Mrs Simpson, whose divorce action against Mr Simpson on the grounds of his adultery had gone to court the day before. There came a groundswell of noise and cheering which grew louder and louder as a shiny limousine came into sight. The royal couple alighted from the car, pausing for a moment outside the entrance of the hotel.

Lily and May cheered like mad, caught up in the mood of the moment as Queen Elizabeth waved shyly at the crowd before vanishing inside the hotel.

Exhilarated by the moment, and with May’s hand clasped firmly in hers, Lily forced her way out of the crowd. Any doubts she might still have about marrying a man she had known less than a month were put aside. It was fun and exciting buying her trousseau. She had never spent so much money on herself. First they went to Blackler’s where Lily purchased rayon satin underwear, stockings and a full-length silk nightdress. Then to Lewis’s for a couple of floral silk crépe-de-chîne gowns at ten shillings and sixpence each. The necklines were finished with a jabot effect and the bodice and sleeves had pleated frills. For her going away outfit she bought a box jacket and a blouse with puffed sleeves, as well as a sailor hat of pale blue straw with a wreath of pink flowers round its brim. Then they hurried to Clayton Square and into Owen Owens. She bought shoes, calf and glacé ones with a full Spanish heel for herself, and strapped ones for May, before dashing to the floor where the wedding dresses were displayed.

Lily stared at the gown which had caught her eye. It was made of lustrous white satin with rows of piping on the bodice and a large circular train. As she tried it on she glanced at her sister for approval.

‘You look like a princess,’ breathed May, her eyes shining. ‘I can’t wait for mine to be made.’

Lily smiled. ‘I’ll get Daisy to make you two dresses. One for the wedding and one for Coronation Day, and you’ll look just like a princess too.’

It seemed to Lily looking back on that spring it was a happy time, spoilt only by her father having a few drams with William in the stables where his brother was showing off the new black stallion he had bought. He ended up falling in the garden where he crushed an old and much revered rosemary bush. Instantly Dora boxed his ears and banished him from the house again.

The month of May heralded in Coronation fever. Decorations began to appear in shops, on buildings and across streets. The sisters made crepe paper roses in red, white and blue and decorated the dairy window. There were to be parties in the streets, trees planted, fireworks and a flotilla of illuminated ships on the River Mersey. There was even to be a King’s Champion ceremony outside the cathedral.

It was Ben who pointed out from an article in the local paper that there was a Liverpool in Australia. A bishop who had been ordained in their Liverpool, and had spent time being an army chaplain in the other one, had recently died. ‘Perhaps Matt knows of him?’ he said.

Matt did. The much smaller Australian Liverpool was not really that far from the centre of Sydney.

Matt was busy during this time. A new incumbent had been found for the church but would not be arriving until after the Coronation. Lily wished she could see more of Matt. When they were together she wanted no more out of life than to be with him, but when they were apart sometimes the odd doubt would creep into her mind. Was she fitted for his kind of life and how would her family cope without her?

The newspapers were filled with news of personages heading for London. There was a united service of thanksgiving in the Great Synagogue in London where the chief rabbi spoke of Britain and its daughter nations being the strongest hope against the moral barbarism in the world. It made Lily proud to be British, but it made it harder to forget Hitler’s claim that France and Britain’s seizure of certain colonies after the Great War was robbery and they should be returned to Germany.

‘There’s going to be trouble,’ said Albert grimly. ‘You can take my word for it, girl. The Lord Mayor of Liverpool’s right in preparing people for the possibility of air raids as they’ve had in Spain. And God help us if they come! Gas attacks … I’ll never forget the way they scared the hell out of us.’ His hands shook as he pulled on fingerless gloves.

‘Stop worrying, Dad,’ said Ben. ‘Hitler’s bluffing. You just make sure you can handle the reins. I don’t want any runaway horses while I’m loading.’

Lily pushed Germany to the back of her mind and got on with enjoying the Coronation celebrations.

On Coronation Day the family listened to the ceremony on the wireless before going to the street party. Daisy flirted with Frank, who had been looking miserable since the news of Lily’s forthcoming marriage, but as soon as it was dark and people were dancing in the street, she told Lily she was going into town to meet Ted, the brother of her erstwhile dancing partner.

Matt managed to get away later in the day and swept Lily into his arms to the sound of Frank’s tinkling piano. ‘Let’s dance.’

‘I can’t dance,’ she said, smiling up at him. ‘I’ve never learnt. You need Daisy.’

‘I don’t want Daisy. I want you.’ His voice was intense and his eyes had an expression in them which caused a thrill to pass through her. ‘Just follow my feet.’

Lily did as she was told and soon was giving herself up to the pleasure of being in his arms. After a while he danced her to the corner of the street away from the crowd where they stood swaying to the rhythm of the music for a moment. Then he kissed her with that fierce passion that sent waves of longing through her. ‘Lily, I want you,’ he groaned, burying his face against the curve of her neck. ‘Thank God, it won’t be much longer before we’re married and we can sleep together.’

He had never spoken of bed before and she felt her cheeks going hot. ‘I never thought you’d say such things,’ she whispered. ‘The church always seems against sex.’

A chuckle sounded in his throat. ‘The church knows the power of sex, that’s why. St Paul certainly did. Otherwise he wouldn’t have told Christians that if they couldn’t control their lust, they must marry.’ He lifted his head and gazed into her shadowy face, and the tone of his voice changed. ‘I’ve informed the brotherhood about our marriage and that I’ll be leaving them, and I’ve had a letter from Joy, whose husband is an old school friend of mine. They rent part of my father’s house in Sydney. Remember me telling you she deals with all my mail?’

‘I’d forgotten. What do they have to say?’

‘They enclosed a letter from a friend of mine in the ministry. I wrote to him about doing a preaching tour out there, including my impressions of the state of the faith in the north of England.’ He paused.

‘And?’ prompted Lily, shifting in his arms as her heartbeat quickened again.

‘He wants to know if he should go ahead and arrange it.’ He paused and said seriously, ‘I want to know if it’s what you really want, Lily.’