Almost an hour later Ivy returned carrying so much stuff that Holly wondered how she had managed to get it all up the stairs. She was obviously much stronger than she looked. She had even purchased a small bag of coal and instantly set to getting the grate cleaned out and a fire lit while Holly looked on. She had no idea how to go about it, but Ivy was used to doing such chores.
Once the fire was going, Ivy hunted about and found an old kettle beneath the sink, which she filled with water and set on the fire.
‘Now, while that’s getting’ hot I’m goin’ back out to buy us some new beddin’.’ She rubbed her hands down her skirt and nodded towards the bed. ‘I don’t know about you but I don’t fancy sleepin’ under them manky things, do you? Though I’ve no doubt they’ll be fine when they’ve had a good wash.’
Holly hastily handed her some more money.
‘An’ while I’m at it, I’ll get us some groceries, an’ all. Milk, tea, bread an’ perhaps some cheese fer supper, eh? We’ll be ready for sommat to eat by the time we’ve got this place clean.’
Within seconds she was gone again and, determined to do her bit, Holly went through the cleaning things Ivy had bought and soon had her very first go at cleaning a window. Ivy and the staff back at home had always done this sort of thing and it came to her what a sheltered life she had led. Usually at this time, she’d probably be having tea with her mother and her heart hurt at the thought of her sitting alone with no one to talk to. She hoped she wasn’t missing her too much.
It was pitch-dark by the time Ivy arrived back again, once more loaded down with bags.
‘There’s a market sells all sorts not far away,’ she told Holly breathlessly. ‘I got these pillows an’ blankets off a second-hand stall there but they’re nice an’ clean, look.’
She looked approvingly at the clean window and the floor which Holly had almost finished scrubbing then said, ‘By, it’s lookin’ better already wi’out them cobwebs in the corners an’ wi’out all the dust flyin’ up every time you walk across the room.’
Two hours later the room, although still very basic, was clean as a new pin.
‘We could perhaps get some curtains and a rug for in front of the fire tomorrow to make the place look a bit more homely,’ Holly suggested as they sat sipping a welcome cup of tea.
Ivy looked a bit concerned. ‘But that’ll cost yet more money,’ she pointed out.
‘I know, but we can take anything we buy with us when we move and I’ve got plenty to be going on with,’ Holly assured her. ‘All we need to do now is find ourselves a job.’
Ivy frowned. ‘But what sort o’ job will you be able to do? I mean, it’s easy for me, I’ll be quite happy cleanin’ or somethin’ but you ain’t been brought up to do jobs like that. Perhaps you could try to get a position as a nanny or somethin’?’
‘I quite fancy doing shop work,’ Holly said thoughtfully. ‘Yes, perhaps in a dress shop.’
Ivy yawned and Holly felt guilty. ‘Why don’t we get washed and have an early night so as we can get an early start in the morning?’ she suggested.
Ivy nodded in agreement. ‘That ain’t a bad idea, I’m filthy,’ she said ruefully as she stared down at the state of her clothes. ‘We’ll have to find a way to wash these.’
‘Oh, I already worked that out when I went to use the toilet in the yard,’ Holly assured her. ‘There’s a wash house out there where we can rub things through. We’ll have to dry them in here by the fire though. Meanwhile I can lend you an outfit for tomorrow. My clothes might be a bit big on you but at least you’ll be neat and tidy for looking for a job.’
The girls made sandwiches with the bread and the ham hock that Ivy had bought and after having a thorough wash at the sink they sank into bed, exhausted. They had only been away from home for two days yet already to Holly it felt like two years and she missed her mother dreadfully. But not enough to go back with my tail between my legs and be forced to marry Mr Dolby, she told herself.
Already Ivy was snoring softly and soon after Holly fell into an exhausted sleep too.
The next morning they were up bright and early and Ivy made toast for them in front of the fire with the remaining bread. This was washed down with two strong cups of tea and then Holly sorted out an outfit for Ivy to borrow.
As Holly had thought, the skirt and blouse she lent her were a little large for her but even so, as Ivy stared at herself in the cracked mirror that hung above the fireplace, her face was so animated that she looked almost pretty.
‘Why, I feel like a real toff,’ she chuckled. ‘Trouble is, soon as I open me mouth I’ll let meself down, won’t I?’
Holly smiled at her indulgently. Strangely, since they had left home, Ivy’s confidence seemed to have grown and Holly wondered if it was because she didn’t have to worry about visits from her violent father any more.
‘Right,’ Ivy said as she dragged her old coat on, wishing that she didn’t need it. ‘I reckon we’d be best to split up then meet again at lunchtime. We’re not goin’ to be lookin’ for the same sorts o’ jobs so we’d probably do best on our own.’
Feeling slightly nervous, Holly nodded, thinking how strange it was that since their arrival she had come to rely on Ivy rather than the other way around.
As they stepped out onto the landing together they were confronted by a small girl sitting against the wall with her arms wrapped about her knees and tears streaming down her face. She looked to be no older than four or five years old and from the door next to her they could hear the sounds of a violent argument going on. The clothes she wore were little more than rags and as Holly looked sympathetically down on her she noticed that her hair was crawling with lice.
‘Are you all right, pet? she asked, stooping to the child’s level.
The little girl stared solemnly up at her. ‘Me ma an’ pa is ’avin’ a row cos she ain’t got no money to give him,’ the child informed her. ‘But me ma’s only got a few pence an’ she needs that fer the baby cos she says her milk ’as dried up, so she won’t give it ’im.’
Holly opened her bag and took out some coins, which she held out to the child. ‘What’s your name?’ she asked gently.
‘Sally, miss.’
‘Right, Sally, I want you to take this money and go and get some bread and some milk for the baby and take it back to your mother. Do you think you could do that?’
The child stared at the money incredulously before swiping her arm across her snotty nose and scrubbing at the tears on her thin cheeks, then she snatched the money as if she was afraid Holly might change her mind. ‘Yes, miss.’ And she was off, haring down the stairs.
Ivy shook her head. ‘Poor little sod,’ she said quietly. ‘She reminds me of some o’ the little ’uns from the courtyards back home.’
Holly nodded in agreement. ‘Did you see how thin she was? She looked as if one good puff of wind would blow her away.’
By the time they reached the street there was no sign of Sally and hugging her old coat about her, Ivy suggested, ‘Why don’t you go into town an’ try the shops? I’m goin’ to head fer the factories. We’ll meet back here at two o’clock, eh? We’ll be ready fer somethin’ to eat by then.’
Although Holly nodded in agreement, she felt very apprehensive as Ivy turned and walked away from her, but, determined to follow through with her plan, she plastered on a smile and set off to find a job.
Holly was patiently waiting outside their lodging house at a quarter past two that afternoon when Ivy came scooting round the corner. Her nose was glowing and her hands were blue with cold but she was beaming like a Cheshire cat.
‘Sorry I’m late.’ She skidded to a halt blowing on her hands to try and warm them. ‘But I stopped for a cup o’ tea in a café earlier on an’ the lady in there told me there were jobs goin’ at the Bryant an’ May match factory in Bow so I hopped on a tram an’ went straight there.’ She smiled proudly. ‘I got a job an’ I can start in the mornin’. The pay ain’t brilliant admittedly, it’s fifteen bob a week, but it’s better than nothin’ till somethin’ better turns up, ain’t it? How did you do?’
Holly hung her head and shrugged dispiritedly. ‘No good at all up to now and I must have gone into almost every shop in Oxford Street asking if there were any vacancies. But well done you, although I’ve heard the match factories aren’t very nice places to work,’ she ended worriedly.
Ivy sniffed, ‘Well, as I said it’s only for now. Somethin’ better is bound to be round the corner. But come on, it’s far too cold to stand about round here. I found a little café that’s cheap an’ cheerful nearby.’
Linking her arm through Holly’s she began to haul her along, chattering as she went. When Holly could finally get a word in edgeways she asked, ‘So what job will you be doing exactly?’
Ivy chuckled. ‘I shall be cuttin’ pieces of wood down into match-sized pieces then dippin’ the heads of ’em into red phosphorus, then they go on from me to be packed into boxes.’
‘But I’m sure I read somewhere that working with phosphorus could be dangerous.’
Ivy nodded. ‘White phosphorus can but apparently the red ain’t so bad. One o’ the girls were tellin’ me that a lot o’ the women who used to work wi’ the white stuff developed what they call “phossy jaw” which could be fatal. It would start with severe toothache then their gums would start to swell and their bones would glow greeny white in the dark. After that their minds would go funny and everythin’ would stop workin’. The women all came out on strike some years ago an’ that’s when they changed to red phosphorus, which ain’t quite so dangerous.’
‘I still don’t like the thought of you working somewhere like that,’ Holly said with a frown.
‘Don’t be daft, I’ll be fine,’ Ivy assured her as they came to the doorway of a small café. ‘Here we are. Let’s get some grub, me stomach thinks me throat’s cut.’
As soon as they had eaten they set off again in search of a job for Holly and eventually they branched off Oxford Street into Cavendish Street, one of the side streets. After trying a few more shops they came to one with the sign ‘Miss May’s Modes’ written in gilt letters on a large sign above the door. Beautiful gowns were displayed on mannequins in the window along with a small sign that read, ‘Assistant needed, apply within’.
‘This looks promisin’,’ Ivy chirped. ‘Go on in and give it a go. The worst she can say is no. I’ll wait out here for yer. I don’t wanna come in an’ spoil yer chances.’
Holly took a deep breath and as she entered the shop a small bell above the door tinkled. Seconds later a small, immaculately dressed woman appeared through a curtain behind the counter and smiled at her. Her greying hair was styled into an elegant twist on the back of her head and she had light blue eyes. Although she was now well into middle-age she was still very attractive and Holly imagined that she must have been quite a beauty in her younger days.
‘Good afternoon, miss. How may I help you?’ Her voice had a musical quality to it and Holly gulped nervously.
‘I, er … Actually I came in to enquire about the position in the window.’
‘Oh, I see.’ The woman looked Holly up and down. The girl was very neatly turned out and she spoke beautifully too. ‘Have you had experience of shop work before?’ she enquired and Holly coloured slightly as she shook her head.
‘No I haven’t … but I’d work very hard and I’m a fast learner.’
‘Hmm.’ The woman strummed her fingers on the counter. She had been hoping for someone who had experience of shop work but up to now the girls and women who had applied for the job had been totally unsuitable. ‘I see. Are you any good with figures?’
‘Oh yes,’ Holly assured her. ‘I had a private tutor and I’ve always been very good at figures.’
‘Then let me show you round and tell you what the job entails,’ the woman said and proceeded to show her what was in the various drawers and cupboards. There were gloves and scarves, a selection of ladies’ underwear, all made of the best quality silk, and stockings and suspenders and almost anything a woman could need. At the other end of the shop were long shelves containing bolts of material in all the colours of the rainbow which would be made into gowns for Miss May’s customers. Through a door at the back of the shop Holly could hear the whirr of sewing machines.
‘That’s the workshop,’ the woman informed her. ‘I employ two seamstresses full time to make or alter the gowns that are bought from here. The hours you would be expected to work are eight till five every weekday and eight till twelve on Saturday. Could you manage that?’
‘Oh yes,’ Holly agreed enthusiastically. Miss May, as she then introduced herself, went on to tell Holly of the wage she could expect. ‘I would give you a month’s trial at fifteen shillings a week and then if you proved to be satisfactory I will increase it to eighteen and sixpence.’
Again Holly nodded.
‘Good. I shall expect you to serve the customers when they enter the shop and always show them respect. There will be times when I have to be out buying the items that the seamstresses don’t make and in my absence you would be in charge.’
Holly looked a little disturbed at that but the woman assured her, ‘Don’t worry, for the first few days you will watch me. I wouldn’t dream of asking you to use the till or be here alone until you felt quite confident that you could manage. Finally, I must warn you that I am a stickler for punctuality. I won’t tolerate someone who comes in late.’
‘Oh, I would never do that,’ Holly assured her and the woman smiled.
‘Then in that case I am happy to offer you the job as my assistant on a month’s trial starting next Monday morning at eight o’clock sharp.’ She shook Holly’s hand and the girl floated out of the shop with a smile on her face that stretched from ear to ear.
‘I got it!’ she whooped to Ivy who was standing discreetly out of sight just along the road. ‘What with both of us working we’ll be able to get out of Soho and rent our own little place in no time.’
Ivy smiled at her excitedly. ‘Well done, miss … I mean, Holly.’ She herself had been working since she was fourteen years old but she knew that this was a huge step for her friend and she couldn’t have been more proud of her.