The horn sounded out the end of the shift, starting the mass exodus from the yard.
Charlotte was obeying orders and waiting for Rosie outside the main admin offices. She was shuffling about from one foot to the other. Being out in the cold had made her need the loo even more than before. She was determined to hold it in until she got home, though. She had used the outdoor lav at lunchtime, but it had been daylight then. She had banged so hard on the corrugated iron she’d hurt her knuckles. She’d been in and out in record-breaking speed.
‘There she is!’
Charlotte looked up to see Dorothy marching towards her. She was flanked by her scary friend, Angie, and a stern-looking Rosie.
‘How was it?’ Dorothy asked.
‘Fine, fine,’ Charlotte nodded.
‘Yer behaved yerself?’ Angie demanded.
Charlotte nodded again, nervously tapping her time card against the side of her mac.
‘That yer board?’ Angie asked, pointing down at the whitewashed card.
Charlotte looked puzzled.
‘Yer board – yer time card?’
‘Ah, yes, Miss McCarthy just gave it to me. Apparently, I have to give it in at the end of every day.’
‘Well, remember yer number,’ Angie ordered.
Charlotte looked at the card, which had ‘445’ printed on it.
‘We’re like cattle here, aren’t we, Dor?’ Angie looked at her friend. ‘They don’t brand us, but we’re all just numbers.’
‘Come on then,’ Rosie said, forcing herself to keep a straight face. ‘Let’s get out of here.’
Charlotte hurried to join her sister. It was the lesser of two evils.
As they reached the small cabin at the yard’s entrance, Rosie turned to Charlotte.
‘Alfie’s the timekeeper. You give him your board at the end of the shift and he makes a note of the hours you’ve worked. When you come in Monday morning, you’ll shout out your number and he’ll give you your board back.’
Charlotte duly handed her time card to Alfie, followed by Rosie.
‘You won’t forget about our deal?’ Alfie leant out of the hatch so as not to have to shout.
‘What deal was that, Alfie?’ Rosie said, her face deadpan.
Alfie looked crestfallen, but was wise enough not to argue the point.
Charlotte looked at her sister. She had never seen this side to her before.
‘So, I’m working here – properly?’ Charlotte asked as they strode down to the ferry landing.
‘It’s either that or Harrogate,’ Rosie said. ‘The choice is yours.’
‘Rosie! Rosie!’
Charlotte looked ahead to see a petite, dark-haired girl waving across at them. Next to her was a young lad with a thick mop of short blond hair. He was sporting round, black-rimmed spectacles.
‘Is this who I think it is?’ Hannah looked wide-eyed at Rosie and then at Charlotte.
‘It certainly is,’ Rosie said. ‘Hannah, this is my sister Charlie … Charlie, this is Hannah, who, I might add, is one of the most talented trainee draughtsmen – or I should really say draughtswomen – at Thompson’s.’
Hannah blushed.
‘So, Charlie,’ she said, reaching out and taking her hand, ‘it’s lovely to meet you. We’ve all heard so much about you.’
Charlotte looked at Rosie. She doubted her sister had been singing her praises.
‘Oh, and coincidentally,’ Rosie turned to her sister, ‘Hannah also ran away from where she was living.’ She glanced at the group’s ‘little bird’ and smiled sadly. ‘Only Hannah here had good reason to.’
Charlotte looked at the young woman in front of her. Taking in her dark eyes, olive skin and bobbed jet-black hair, she guessed she was Jewish.
‘Where are you from?’ Charlotte asked.
‘Prague, Czechoslovakia,’ Hannah said proudly. ‘But don’t ask me about it,’ she added, ‘otherwise I might cry.’
She looked at Rosie.
‘I’m feeling so … what is the word?’ She thought for a moment. ‘That’s it – I feel so weepy after last night.’
They were all quiet.
‘We went to see Martha and Gloria during lunchtime,’ Hannah said, breaking the silence. ‘Took them some of Aunty Rina’s rugelach she’d made for the Sabbath.’
‘Pastries,’ Dorothy whispered in Charlotte’s ear. ‘Made with raisins, nuts and jam. Totally delicious.’
‘We gave one to the matron,’ Olly chuckled, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, ‘and she let us stay a little longer.’
‘Were they both all reet?’ Angie asked.
‘Yes, they were in good spirits. Some good news for a change. Díky Bohu.’
‘“Thanks be to God”,’ Olly informed.
‘They said Polly had popped in this morning.’
‘Really?!’ Dorothy and Angie exclaimed in unison.
‘They said she was “floating on a cloud”,’ Hannah relayed with a big smile.
‘Ahh,’ the women chorused, just as the W.F. Vint gently bumped the front of the ferry landing.
‘Yer learning Czech now?’ Angie asked Olly as they all lined up to board.
Olly nodded nervously. Charlotte clocked the interaction and was glad she wasn’t the only one to feel intimidated by Angie.
‘We have a lot to be thankful for, don’t we?’ Hannah said after they had each paid their penny fare and made their way to the front of the boat.
Rosie, Dorothy and Angie all nodded solemnly.
‘Were you two all right after we left you?’ Hannah’s question was directed at Dorothy and Angie.
‘We needed a good bath!’ Dorothy half laughed.
‘And the water was nearly as black as when my dad gets out the tub!’ Angie hooted.
‘Angie’s dad’s a miner,’ Dorothy explained to Charlotte.
Charlotte nodded her understanding. She liked Dorothy.
‘So, are you staying long, Charlotte?’ Hannah asked.
Charlotte gave her sister a defiant look.
‘Yes, I’m going to be working at the yard.’
‘Well, if that’s the case,’ Hannah said, clapping her hands together, ‘let’s have lunch together in the canteen soon, and you can tell me all about the subjects you’ve been studying at school. Rosie says you’re learning Latin?’
Charlotte nodded.
‘I do miss school,’ Hannah said wistfully. ‘I was going to go to university, you know? To study Classics.’
Charlotte noticed Olly, who had been standing quietly next to Hannah, take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze.
As they reached the south docks, there was no chance for any further chit-chat. As soon as they disembarked, they were buffeted onto the landing, before being carried up Low Street by the swell of workers all eager to get to the pub or back home for their tea.
‘Are we getting the bus home?’ Charlotte asked. They were heading into town, having said goodbye to everyone. She was desperate to get back to Brookside Gardens as she wasn’t sure how much longer her bladder could hold out.
‘We’re just going to nip in to say a quick hello to Kate,’ Rosie said. She got out her little electric torch and switched it on.
‘Come here.’ She linked her arm with Charlotte’s, knowing she wasn’t used to the blackout. They walked down Little Villiers Street, along Borough Road, past Gloria’s flat and the municipal museum, and on to Holmeside.
‘Here we are,’ she said. ‘The Maison Nouvelle.’
‘The “new home”,’ Charlotte translated.
Rosie felt a flourish of pride.
As they walked into the boutique, the brass bell above the door jangled, causing Kate to jump with nerves. Seeing it was Rosie – and that Charlotte was behind her – she jumped again. Only this time for joy.
‘Charlie!’ Kate hurried across the shop floor and flung her skinny arms around her friend’s little sister. ‘I often wondered if I’d recognise you, but I needn’t have worried.’
Kate looked at Rosie.
‘She’s the spit of your mam, isn’t she?’
Rosie nodded. It was true. Even more so this past year, as she had changed from a girl into a young woman.
‘Shame she hasn’t also inherited her calm and sensible nature,’ Rosie said, shutting the door and taking off her overcoat. Kate always kept the boutique lovely and warm. She claimed it was because she wanted customers to feel relaxed, but Rosie thought it had more to do with the fact that, after all the years spent living on the streets, Kate was determined never to be cold again.
‘Rosie, I think you might be looking back on the past with slightly rose-tinted glasses.’ Kate laughed as she turned the sign on the door from ‘Open’ to ‘Closed’ and ushered them through the shop and into the back room. ‘Your mam was a lovely woman, but I don’t remember her being that calm or sensible.’
Charlotte looked at Rosie, only just managing to keep a look of triumph from spreading across her face.
‘She was so full of life,’ Kate recalled, going over to her little stove and putting the kettle on. ‘Whenever she used to come around ours, my mam would say, “Poor David, he’s got his hands full there!”’
Seeing Rosie’s and Charlotte’s faces as they savoured every word she spoke about their beloved mother, Kate smiled. ‘Mam thought it was great, you know, that Eloise was so free-spirited.’ She chuckled. ‘And that your dad was so easy-going.’
‘That’s the way I remember her,’ Charlotte said. ‘Always chatting and laughing.’
Kate busied herself with making the tea.
Charlotte started shifting about uncomfortably on her chair.
‘Kate, would I be able to use your toilet, please?’
‘Of course, you can,’ Kate said. ‘Go through the door and it’s just on your right. It’s a bit of a squeeze, but at least it’s indoors.’
Rosie had to stifle a chuckle at the obvious relief on Charlotte’s face.
‘Maybe bang on the door, just in case,’ Rosie said, suppressing a smile.
Charlotte looked at her sister and caught the laughter in her eyes.
As soon as Charlotte had left the room, Kate sat down at the table. She leant towards Rosie.
‘So, tell me, what on earth is Charlotte doing here?’ she whispered.
‘She’s bloody well run away from school!’ Rosie whispered back. ‘Turned up last night while I was up the hospital with Gloria and Martha. Came back to find an excited-looking Mrs Jenkins peering round her front door, telling me some young girl “claiming” to be my sister had turned up and was it all right that she had let her in with the spare key Peter had given her?’
‘Oh my goodness! Bet you were livid.’ Kate’s eyes were trained on her friend.
‘Was? I still am!’ Rosie said. ‘I was up all night trying to work out what to do.’
‘And?’ Kate was staring at Rosie. She looked worn out.
Charlotte came back into the kitchen before Rosie had a chance to answer.
Kate got up and poured out their tea. Charlotte sat down quickly and started to sip hers, relishing it. She hadn’t drunk anything since lunchtime.
‘Isn’t it wonderful news about Tommy?’ Kate perked up. ‘You should have seen Polly’s face last night when she turned up with Maisie. I think she was in shock. She hardly said a word. George took her up to the hospital and said she practically flew through the front doors.’
‘Sounds like she’s still flying high.’ Rosie chuckled. ‘Apparently she popped into the Royal to see Gloria and Martha this morning. Seems like she’d been by Tommy’s bedside all night.’
Kate’s face suddenly lit up.
‘My guess is they’ll be wanting to get married soon?’
Rosie laughed.
‘I think Tommy will have to get better first! But don’t worry, Kate, there’ll be another wedding dress to be made in the not too distant future.’
Rosie finished the dregs of her tea.
‘Come on, drink up.’ She looked at Charlotte. ‘Home time.’
Rosie stood up.
‘And Kate, would you mind telling Lily that I won’t be able to come and do her books this evening, please?’
‘Yes, of course,’ Kate said.
‘Who’s Lily?’ Charlotte asked, taking a final swig of her tea.
‘I do her bookkeeping on an evening and she’s Kate’s landlady.’
‘I’ve never heard you mention her before?’ Charlotte said.
‘Perhaps,’ Rosie said sternly, ‘if I wasn’t having to deal with the repercussions of all your shenanigans at school, we might have had more time to chat about life in general.’
Charlotte knew when to keep quiet. She stood up and put her mac back on.
Rosie ushered Charlotte towards the front door.
‘Tell Lily I’ll try and get in tomorrow for a few hours, probably early evening.’
‘I’ll tell her,’ Kate said, following them. ‘I’m sure she’ll be very excited to hear that Charlotte’s in town.’
‘So, what happened to Kate after her mum died?’ Charlotte asked as they walked up Holmeside and on to Vine Place. Now that her bladder was empty, she was more than happy to walk home. Even if it was a bit nippy.
‘Well, she ended up in Nazareth House.’
‘With the nuns?’ Charlotte asked.
‘Yes, with the nuns,’ Rosie added, taking her sister’s arm as they crossed over to Tunstall Road. ‘Where they had their own peculiar idea of caring for those who no longer had a mam and dad.’
Charlotte caught her sister’s profile in the darkness. She saw anger.
‘What do you mean?’ she asked.
‘Well, put it this way,’ Rosie said, ‘by the time she was fourteen, Kate had decided life on the streets was preferable to staying another night with the Sisters.’
They walked on in silence.
Charlotte couldn’t help but draw parallels. Kate had been orphaned when she was ten. Her own parents had died when she was eight. But where Kate had been taken in by the nuns at Nazareth House, she had been taken on as a border at Runcorn.
There was no arguing that Kate had drawn the short straw.
Both of them, however, had decided that they’d had enough of where they were and done a bunk when they were fourteen.
As they approached Brookside Gardens, Charlotte counted her blessings.
‘So, how did Kate end up with the Maison Nouvelle?’ Charlotte asked.
Rosie noticed how well her sister pronounced the name of Kate’s boutique.
‘It’s a long story,’ Rosie said, ‘but Kate ended up going to live with Lily, who encouraged her to do what she was clearly born to do.’
‘Make gorgeous clothes,’ Charlotte added, having seen the beautiful pastel pink wedding dress displayed in the front window.
‘Yes,’ Rosie smiled, ‘make gorgeous clothes.’
She turned to Charlotte as she opened the small five-bar gate at the end of Brookside Gardens.
‘Now, not a word. And quiet as a mouse until we get indoors.’
Charlotte agreed, although she had no idea why they were having to be so silent.
They stole along the gravelled private road and Rosie’s heart felt heavy as she thought of Lily. There was no way Charlotte could know the truth about her ‘other life’ at the bordello. That was one thing she knew for certain. When Charlotte was older, perhaps, but definitely not now. She was still far too young.
As they made it through the front door, Rosie shut it softly behind them, breathed a sigh of relief and shook off her coat.
‘Right, first things first.’ She turned to Charlotte. ‘As you are such a dab hand at building fires, get one going in the lounge. I’ll make us some sandwiches and a pot of tea.’
Charlotte felt like dancing down the hallway and into the lounge. She hadn’t felt so happy in a long, long time.