The Liverpool Rose (53 page)

‘I see that,’ Sally said, taking a bite out of her own slice of cake. ‘But you can’t have it both ways, chuck. It seems to me you either take a lad aboard or you and Clem had better get spliced, and I don’t see no objection to that. You like him, I can tell, and I always did reckon he was sweet on you, even when the pair of you was just kids, so why not tie the knot, eh? Or do you have doubts or someone else in your eye?’

Lizzie took a large swallow of tea and grimaced. Over the last few months she had grown used to the pleasures of tea made with fresh milk and found this
strong brew, liberally laced with conny-onny, rather too sweet for her taste. Setting her elbows on the table, she tried to sort out her own feelings so that she could explain them to her friend. The trouble was, she thought resentfully, her feelings regarding Clem had somehow got themselves into an awful tangle. After some thought, however, she began tentatively to put these thoughts into words. ‘The thing is, Sal, I don’t want Clem to feel he’s being pushed into asking me to marry him just so’s we can both go on working
The Liverpool Rose,’
she explained at length. ‘As things stand at the moment, if he
were
to ask me to marry him, I’d never know whether he’d done it for . . . for the wrong reasons.’

‘What’s wrong with asking you to marry him so’s you can both stay aboard the boat . . .’ Sally was beginning, when she stopped short, grinning at her friend. ‘Oh, I see! You’re thinking he might ask you out of pity, because he knows you love the life and don’t want to come back to the factory. That’s daft! No feller would risk mucking up his whole life just so a gal can work on a canal boat!’

‘It isn’t just that,’ Lizzie mumbled, feeling her cheeks grow hotter than ever. ‘Now Aunt Annie’s dead – and Uncle Perce too, of course – I don’t have any relatives except for me cousins and they’ve never been over-fond of me, and I’ve no home, no place of my own to go to if I did have to leave
The Liverpool Rose.’

‘I said you’re daft, and daft you are,’ Sally said decisively. ‘Firstly, we’ve telled you and telled you, you can live with us. Secondly, there’d be a job for you in the factory if you really wanted it. And thirdly, and most important, is how you feel about Clem and how he feels about you. Stop beatin’ about the bush,
Lizzie, and tell me straight: DO YOU LOVE HIM?’

She had almost bawled out the last four words which, Lizzie thought afterwards, tricked her into an immediate reply. ‘YES, I DO!’ she shouted angrily, then clapped her hands to her mouth. ‘Oh, Gawd, Sally, I’ve been trying to tell myself for months and months he were just a good friend and the nicest feller I knew, ’cos if he doesn’t love me, doesn’t want to marry me, then it’s best I move away and forget all about him. Only . . . only . . .’

‘I can see I shall have to come down to the canal and have a word with that Clem,’ Sally said darkly. ‘The pair of you are acting like two silly kids, both frightened of making the first move in case the other one doesn’t follow suit. Well, Lizzie, if you want to ruin your whole life, go on as you’re doing now. Why, until this minute you’ve even denied to yourself you’re in love with the feller. He won’t ask you to marry him out of pity, nor because he wants an experienced boat crew, so start showin’ the poor feller how you feel instead of being brisk and business-like.’ Lizzie began to shake her head, but Sally wagged a reproving finger at her. ‘Now don’t you interrupt me, milady, because I’m talkin’ sense and in your heart you know it. Have you ever let Clem see that you really like him, that you ain’t indifferent at all? Let’s have the truth now!’

Lizzie, beginning to answer, suddenly felt a lump rise in her throat and before she knew it, she was sobbing with a mixture of misery and relief, for it was indeed a relief to have spoken to Sally about her problem and to hear her friend’s common-sense view of Lizzie’s situation. On the other hand, she realised more than ever how desperate she was not to rock the boat. To lose her lovely life would be dreadful, but to
lose Clem, she suddenly realised, would be far, far worse. You idiot, she chided herself, trying to stifle her sobs, there’s nothing to cry about; if Clem loves you then you’re all set for happiness, because you love him and you’ve known it for weeks. If he doesn’t . . . well, it will have to be faced. But at least now you’ve admitted what you really want – who you really want, rather – which has to be a move in the right direction. And with that, Lizzie dried her eyes and gave Sally a rather watery smile. ‘Sorry about that,’ she said apologetically, ‘but you’ve done me a really good turn, our Sal. I’m thinking straight for the first time for weeks and weeks and I’m going to take your advice. Oh, don’t worry that I’ll throw myself at his head because that’s not my style. But I’ll stop pretending I don’t care about him and give us both a chance to sort things out.’

Since Lizzie had gone off to visit her friend Sally, Clem had decided to clean down the cargo holds of both boats and was busily employed in so doing. It was a brilliantly sunny afternoon and he could not help thinking, wistfully, what fun it would have been had he and Lizzie been able to go around the town together, doing a bit of shopping and seeing the sights. But somehow he had not liked to suggest it, knowing that she had few opportunities to mix with girls of her own age since the young women on the other canal boats still held aloof from her, regarding her, he knew, as an interloper.

Clem had thought and thought about the situation between himself and Lizzie but had come to no firm conclusion. He had always liked her but love had come more gradually, over the many months they had known one another. He had first realised how he
felt when Sally had told him Lizzie had disappeared, and had known then that without Lizzie in it his life would seem hollow. He loved his work, Brutus, Hal and the Pridmores, but just the sight of Lizzie sauntering along the towpath towards
The Liverpool Rose
was enough to quicken his heartbeat. Knowing her to be lost, therefore, had filled him with very real dismay and when he had seen her lying in the sheep cave, white-faced, bruised and blood-streaked, fear and relief had fought for supremacy, relief winning when he realised she was alive and not seriously hurt.

Then there had been the past few months on the canal. At first, while winter still gripped the land, it had been pretty grim, particularly trying to work the boat with only the two of them, but because it was Lizzie he was instructing, he had even enjoyed that. As soon as the weather began to improve, every day had been a fresh delight. Lizzie’s love and appreciation of the beautiful countryside through which they passed had very soon equalled his own.

Oddly enough, it was this very love and appreciation of her surroundings which stopped Clem from suggesting to her that the two of them might get wed. He realised that he had no idea if she loved him, or indeed even liked him as anything other than a friend, and did not want her to have to consider marriage to him as an alternative to losing her place aboard
The Liverpool Rose
.

Had it not been for Jake’s illness, of course, the question would not have arisen and Clem would have been able to take his time and begin to build up the sort of relationship which he assumed Geoff and Sally enjoyed. Indeed, he could do so now, for it was several months more before Priddy meant to take Jake ashore, but still he hesitated. What if Lizzie
turned him down? It would make life aboard
The Liverpool Rose
very dificult for both of them. Almost worse was the fear that she might accept his advances rather than lose her place aboard. Clem could not bear to think of Lizzie marrying him merely for the sake of the life she loved, but she had never given any indication that he was anything but a friend. However, Priddy had told him earlier that same day that he really ought to take Lizzie about more.

‘I know you’re sweet on her and I’m pretty sure she’s sweet on you,’ she told him reprovingly. ‘But the pair of you is too scared to show your feelings, afraid you’ll make fools of yourselves, while all the time you must know in your hearts how you feel. ‘Tarnation, boy, if I can see what’s goin’ on under me nose, why can’t you?’

But despite Priddy’s words, Clem was still unsure. He was just about to finish his work on the cargo hold and was eyeing the pale, clean decking with considerable satisfaction, when Priddy appeared on the towpath alongside him. ‘Where’s Lizzie?’ she asked baldly, and when he told her that Lizzie was spending the afternoon with her friend, she cast her eyes up to the sky, heaved a deep sigh, and told him she had a good mind to wash her hands of him. ‘You’ll ruin your lives, and ours too, if I don’t take a hand in this. And what’s more, Jake and meself have been talkin’ it over and we’ve made a decision. That is, it were Jake’s idea and I agreed. Don’t know why I didn’t think of it myself because it’s so obvious.’

Clem looked up from his work, pushing a strand of hair back from his eyes. ‘What idea is this?’ he demanded suspiciously. ‘If you’re thinking of employing a lad . . .’

‘We ain’t thinkin’ no such thing,’ Priddy assured
him. ‘In fact, you could say we were thinking just the opposite. Jake says as how trade’s always slower on the canal in winter time, and since me and hisself won’t be aboard, your expenses – food and that – won’t be as high as in summer, so we’ve decided we’ll keep the butty boat moored up the cut near the cottage in the winter, which means you and Lizzie should be able to manage
The Liverpool Rose
just fine without having to employ a lad.’

After only a moment’s thought, Clem had beamed at her, seeing at once the many advantages of such a scheme. ‘You’re right,’ he said delightedly. ‘Why, the time we’d save at locks alone would make it financially worthwhile to take the one boat. Even swing bridges would be much quicker negotiated with just one and Hal would be in his element. He wouldn’t need the extra oats, either, though I wouldn’t dream of stinting on his feed. Jake’s a genius, ain’t he, Priddy?’

‘Aye, he’s a genius all right,’ she said, with a grim little smile playing about her mouth. ‘Because one boat means one sleeping cabin and not the broadest minded family on the canal would approve of you and Lizzie livin’ tally. So it’s make your mind up time, lad!’

Clem sat back on his heels, knowing that his eyes were rounding and his mouth was dropping open, but before he could say a word, Priddy spoke once more. ‘When Lizzie comes home, just you send her straight to me, boy, because I’m sick and tired of all this pussy-footin’ around. I’m going to put things to her straight . . . see how you like that!’ she declared robustly, turning as she spoke and heading back towards their living quarters.

Clem scrubbed the last foot of the cargo deck,
wiped it down with a cloth and threw both implements into his bucket. Then he stood up. He realised he had no desire to see Priddy taking his lovelife into her capable yet ruthless hands. She might easily do a great deal of harm to his tentative relationship with Lizzie and he decided suddenly that he would make a mess of things himself rather than see Priddy do it for him. I’ll smarten myself up, put on a clean shirt and me best kecks, and go round to Sally Bradshaw’s place, he decided. And when I get there I’ll tell Lizzie I’m taking her dancing to that Grafton Rooms place.

When the knock sounded on the Bradshaws’ front door, Sally immediately flew to her feet, her cheeks flushing. ‘It’ll be Geoff,’ she said, her pleasure plain. ‘I said you’d be comin’ round, Lizzie, so I hoped he might turn up a bit early. He were playin’ football for the YM on Shaw Street against the fellers in the one at Toxteth. I guess they must have started – and finished early.’

It was some while since Lizzie had seen Geoff and she hoped that her face was not still tear-stained nor her eyes red. She walked across to the sink and was about to splash her cheeks with cold water from the bucket beneath it when something in the tone of the voice which answered Sally’s made her turn towards the doorway.

‘Clem!’ Lizzie exclaimed. ‘I
thought
it was your voice! What’s happened? Don’t say Jake’s took a turn for the worse?’

He came slowly into the kitchen. He was wearing his best things and held his peaked boatman’s cap in one hand but, at her words, he shook his head reassuringly. ‘No, no, don’t worry, Jake’s fine. Or at
least he was when I left
The Liverpool Rose
ten minutes ago. The fact is, Liz, I finished cleaning out the cargo holds and thought you might like to go dancing this evening. Or – or anything else you might like to do,’ he added hastily. ‘It’s such a fine evening, it’s a shame to be shut away indoors when we could be outside.’

To say that Lizzie was astonished was putting it mildly; it was almost as though the thoughts which had been revolving in her own head had also been revolving in Clem’s. Earlier in the week, before she had thought matters through, she would have been embarassed by his suggestion, would have thought he was making it for all the wrong reasons, but now she simply took it at face value and said eagerly: ‘I’d like to go dancing, but I’m not really dressed for it. There’s lots of other things we could do, though. There’s cinemas, theatres, and some lovely parks we could visit, or, . . .’

‘I’ll lend you a dress, queen,’ Sally cut in eagerly. ‘I wonder what happened to your clothes, Lizzie? Remember that dress you bought just before . . . but anyway, you can borrow my blue taffeta. It’ll suit you, go with them blue eyes.’

Lizzie glanced rather doubtfully at Clem. ‘That’d be grand, Sally. What’s you and Geoff thinking of doing this evening? We could all four go.’

‘We were going dancing actually,’ Sally said. ‘Of course the halls don’t open till seven, but Geoff usually comes here for his tea first – Mam’s willing – and then we go on to the dance afterwards. You’re very welcome to join us, the two of you. I can nip out right now and get another loaf of bread and some bits and pieces.’

This, however, Clem refused to allow her to do. ‘I’ll take our Lizzie along to the nearest dining rooms and
we’ll have a bite there,’ he said. ‘We’ve got a deal of talking to do, so we can get started over our tea.’

Lizzie looked at him a trifle doubtfully. Why should Clem suddenly seek her out at her friend’s house? And, more surprising still, why should he want to talk to her so urgently? The two of them chatted away all the time when they were fetching water, stabling Hal, walking Brutus or simply eating a meal in the cabin of
The Liverpool Rose
. But she supposed that it was time they talked things through, so agreed that the two of them would go down to Lewis Cann’s dining room by Victoria Square and return to Cranberry Court in time for her to change into Sally’s dress, so that the four of them could catch a tram to the ballroom. ‘You’ll have to borrow me dancin’ pumps as well,’ Sally remarked, looking accusingly at her friend’s feet in their sturdy, well-worn boots. ‘Good thing I’ve got three pairs, but what size is your feet, Lizzie?’