The pub at the bottom of Brook Green Road was full of customers that night. As Nancy pushed her way through the throngs of people gossiping and supping on pints, she saw the girls in the corner of the snug and waved.
As the girls waved back, Renee lifted a glass of what looked like gin and orange and gave her a welcoming smile.
Nancy saw Sybil sitting in a corner with Larry for company and felt a pang of guilt. Should they have invited them both to join them?
‘Don’t even think about it,’ Renee instructed as Nancy took a seat on the wooden bench.
Nancy made a face. ‘You saw ’em too huh?’
‘They were here when we arrived,’ Temperance said in hushed tones. ‘I wasn’t sure if we should have invited Sybil to join us but then Larry turned up.’
‘A match made in heaven,’ Renee said with a shrug.
‘Is that what I think it is?’ Nancy asked, looking at the glass Renee had set in front of her.
‘If you mean is it a tonic for all troubles then yes.’ Renee pushed the glass towards her another inch and Nancy took it gratefully.
Tempted as she was to take a huge gulp she restrained herself and instead took a delicate sip. There was no sense in drinking too much – the girls around her were fast becoming friends but she was still their boss. Not only that, she didn’t want an almighty headache in the morning either.
‘Good day?’ Violet asked as Nancy set the glass down.
‘Chaotic,’ Nancy said with a sigh as she leaned back against the headrest. ‘The good news is the rabbi has told me he didn’t take any notice of what Alex’s mother said and put it down to tiredness would you believe, so I’m going to be allowed to take in some of the kids.’
‘That’s great news!’ Temperance squealed.
‘Congratulations, queen,’ Renee said with a smile.
‘The other good news is we’ve gotten more entries than we expected for the dance already so that’s great.’
‘So what’s the bad?’ Violet asked tentatively.
Nancy rolled her eyes. ‘We’re in trouble, ladies. I know this dance is a fundraiser for the war effort but I think it’s going to have to be a fundraiser for the Palais as well. The theft from our stores hit us hard. Over five hundred pounds’ worth of stock was taken.’
‘Are things really that bad?’ Temperance asked, her eyes wide with fear.
Nancy reached over and patted her leg reassuringly. She knew that Temperance needed the job more than most now her father was gone. Not only was it a lifeline away from home but she knew the girl needed the money. Even if she was paid less than the others for the same work so therefore was less likely to ever face the sack, she still didn’t want Temperance to worry.
‘We’re going to be fine,’ Nancy reassured her before she addressed the rest of the group. ‘But I think I’m going to need to come up with more money-making schemes. This war could be the end of us. Now Germany’s started invading France there’s no getting away from the fact Hitler’s getting closer.’
Silence fell across the table for a moment as each of the girls thought about what Nancy had said.
‘Perhaps now Churchill’s prime minister things’ll change,’ Renee mused.
Temperance raised an eyebrow. ‘What difference d’you think he’s going to make? Everyone knows he’s nothing but a bloody warmonger.’
‘Blimey, Temp,’ Maisie gasped. ‘You can’t say that. You’ll be strung up. Folks love Churchill.’
‘I don’t,’ Temperance said coolly ‘Not when he doesn’t believe everyone deserves the same freedoms.’
‘How d’you work that out?’ Maisie asked, her eyes wide in astonishment.
‘Honey, she reads the paper,’ Nancy said in an exasperated tone. ‘Try it sometime.’
‘I read,’ Maisie said huffily.
‘I think Nancy means The Times rather than the Dancing Times,’ Violet giggled.
With a shake of her head, Maisie rolled her eyes good-naturedly and picked up her drink. ‘I still think he’s going to do well.’
‘He’s going to get us all bombed,’ Renee snapped. ‘That much we do know.’
Nancy nodded. ‘The first thing he said when he was voted in was how he’d up the bombing campaign against Germany.’
‘We’ll have people too scared to come out at night,’ Violet put in.
‘That’s why I need to think of another way for us to help the Palais,’ Nancy insisted.
Another silence fell across the table.
‘Could we hold a raffle?’ Maisie suggested.
‘Or could we hold a dance event?’ Violet put in.
‘We’re already doing a competition, sweetheart,’ Renee countered.
‘No, not a contest,’ Violet explained. ‘More like a display. You know, like you used to get in Blackpool.’
‘Before war broke out you mean?’ Nancy clarified.
Violet nodded, her cheeks red with excitement as she warmed to her theme. ‘Yes, we could hold display dances then drum up more excitement about lessons with a pro. Or maybe we could get local businesses to sponsor a dance – you know, the Ledbetter Butchers Valeta.’
At the suggestion the girls fell about laughing. Violet blushed but Nancy could tell she knew the girls weren’t really being serious.
‘And in exchange they get to showcase their businesses. Put on a display in the dance hall one Monday or something?’
Nancy thought for a moment. It was definitely an idea. Not one she’d have thought of, seeing as they were holding the dance that was supposed to be the highlight of the coming calendar. Could the Palais really cope with holding two events? Would there be enough interest?
‘It could be more of a community day,’ Renee put in, seemingly reading Nancy’s mind. A flash of excitement stirred.
‘I like it, I mean I love it,’ Nancy breathed. ‘I think this could be the answer to our problems and you, Violet Millington,’ she pointed at the girl who looked worried, ‘I would like you to organise it.’
‘Me?’ Violet gasped.
‘Well, it’s your idea, honey,’ Nancy said taking a sip of her drink.
‘Best hold it soon though eh?’ Renee said, giving Violet a playful nudge in the ribs. ‘What with the way this war’s developing, we won’t have anybody left in the community to attend if Churchill has his way.’
There was a hushed murmur around the table. Whilst all men up to the age of 41 were eligible for call-up, in reality the government had been focusing on the younger ones first. However, they had been working their way through the age brackets at a rapid rate lately and only last week men up to the age of 36 had been ordered to report for duty.
‘If we got our skates on we could hold something in two weeks,’ Violet offered.
Nancy let out a peal of laughter. ‘Honey, I like the enthusiasm and an event like that would certainly help boost our profits but there’s so much to organise I can’t imagine we’d have anything ready in such a short amount of time.’
‘No wonder you Yanks aren’t in the war if that’s your fighting talk,’ Renee quipped.
The girls fell about laughing.
‘It is a good idea though,’ Temperance said at last. ‘I think it could bring the community together.’
‘How’s your grandmother?’ Nancy asked suddenly turning to Violet and Maisie. In that moment Nancy wanted to change the subject, the idea of talking about work making her feel anxious and worn out.
‘Causing trouble as usual,’ Violet said, with an affectionate eye-roll. ‘It’s why she couldn’t come out tonight.’
‘Yeah, she was caught flogging knock-off eggs down the market the other day by the police,’ Maisie said with a laugh. ‘She pretended she’d got confused and was buying them instead.’
‘And they believed her?’ Renee gasped.
Violet nodded as she took a sip of her port and lemon. ‘Honest to God, Queenie Millington could sell ice to the Eskimos.’
‘Ma wasn’t happy when the bobbies brought her home though,’ Maisie confided. ‘Said a woman of her age should be ashamed of herself.’
‘From what little I know of Queenie I can’t imagine that went down too well.’
‘Not really,’ Maisie giggled. ‘She told Ma to f—’
‘Maisie!’ Violet admonished. ‘The table don’t want to hear our filthy secrets.’
Privately Nancy suspected that everyone wanted to hear all about Queenie’s spat but knew better than to say so. Instead she was racking her brains for another subject when Larry and Sybil appeared at the table.
‘Thought we’d say hello,’ Larry exclaimed, nodding at the girls, Sybil standing hesitantly by his side.
Nancy looked at them with interest.
‘Larry honey, didn’t realise you’d be here today.’
‘Well, I bumped into Sybil earlier and we thought we’d have a drink after work,’ he said smoothly.
‘Yes, I heard you talking about how you was going for a drink together and I thought that sounds like a good idea,’ Sybil said with an air of hostility that made Nancy cringe. She was the manager, she should have done more to include Sybil, but the truth was she had needed a night alone with her friends.
‘You should have said,’ Nancy said smoothly. ‘You would both have been welcome to come along. We’ve just been gossiping, putting the world to rights.’
‘Oh, well we’ll join you now then,’ Sybil said, squeezing onto the bench next to Nancy. ‘There’s nothing I love more than a natter about the Palais.’
Renee tried to disguise her dismay by casting her eye around the room for a chair.
‘I think there’s a spare one over there,’ Larry said, spotting one over on the corner table where two men in their mid-fifties were sitting.
Before anyone could say anything Larry scampered off and with Renee looking deeply uncomfortable. Once again Nancy was racking her brains for something to say. Sybil had just started to speak when the sound of raised voices coming from Larry’s direction drowned out what the barmaid was trying to say.
‘And I’ve told you, mate, if it’s for that group of women over there you can’t have it,’ one of the men said furiously.
‘I don’t see the problem,’ Larry said. ‘You said yourself you’re not using the chair.’
‘Well I am,’ the other man said, leaning back and resting his feet on it. ‘You want another chair, get that black girl to stand up. Or better yet get her to leave. Likes of her shouldn’t be in here anyway, it’s disgusting.’
‘I don’t want any trouble,’ Larry warned, his voice getting higher.
‘And you won’t have if you get rid of that girl.’
There was a collective gasp of shock around the table. Nancy turned to Temperance and saw she was ashen.
‘Honey, don’t pay any attention to those jerks. They’re not men, they’re idiots. Nobody else thinks like that.’
But Temperance was on her feet, tears coursing down her cheeks. ‘I’m sorry, Nancy.’
As Temperance fled Nancy felt a pang of guilt course through her body. Her poor friend was going through enough. Nancy had felt so pleased with herself when the rabbi had agreed she could take on a couple of Jewish kids, but perhaps there were people around her closer to home that needed her help.