Leaving Vivian and Maisie to deal with the last clients of the evening, Lily grabbed her packet of Gauloises and tumbler of cognac and padded up to what she liked to refer to as her ‘boudoir’ on the second floor.
‘Thank goodness I’ve finally got you on my own,’ she said, bustling into the room and seeing George getting changed. ‘So, come on, I want every cough and spit. I’ve been busting to know all day.’
She plonked herself down on the stool in front of her vanity and lit up a cigarette.
‘What did they say when they saw Rosie in her raggedy overalls?’ She eyed George in the mirror as she blew out smoke. ‘Gawd, I wish I’d been a fly on the wall.’
George laughed.
‘So do I, my dear, so do I.’
He unwrapped a cigar and smelled it.
‘Well, let’s just say I think they would have happily thrown a blanket over Rosie and bundled her out of the building, away from prying eyes, if they’d had the opportunity.’ He laughed, recalling the look on the secretary’s face. ‘I think the only reason they allowed her into the office was out of fear that someone would see her standing in the foyer.’
‘So, what did you do when she went in there?’ Lily started to remove her make-up with large dollops of white cream.
‘Nothing. I just sat there on the “naughty chair” outside the secretary’s office and waited,’ George said, lighting up his cigar and puffing hard. ‘I asked Rosie how it had gone when we walked back. She didn’t seem exactly over the moon, but she said that she’d managed to say what she’d wanted to say.’
‘Do you think Rosie got the better of her?’ Lily asked.
‘Mmm,’ George pondered, putting his cigar on the side of the ashtray. He went over to Lily, unclasped her thick gold necklace and kissed her neck.
‘I don’t think you can really get the better of people like Mrs Willoughby-Smith. But I do think Rosie managed to at least get her point across, even if it was dismissed without a second thought.’
George proceeded to unzip the back of Lily’s black dress.
‘Well,’ Lily said, standing and shaking herself out of her dress, ‘it will have been good for Charlotte to see her sister do what she did. It took some nerve turning up there in her work overalls.’
Lily stepped out of her dress, now a mound on the floor.
‘I’m guessing Mrs Deputy Head didn’t give Rosie her refund?’ she asked, putting on her dressing gown and taking a sip of cognac.
George shook his head as he had another puff on his cigar.
‘So, you did as planned?’ Lily asked. ‘Went back for your fedora?’
‘I did indeed, my dear.’
George puffed some more.
‘I was, of course, very polite and very professional.’
‘Of course,’ Lily said, ‘I wouldn’t have expected anything less. So, what exactly did you say?’
‘As discussed,’ George said, ‘I mentioned that I had been interested to hear from Mrs Miller that Mrs Willoughby-Smith, in her capacity as the deputy head of one of the country’s top girls’ schools, was on such friendly terms with the former prospective parliamentary candidate Mr Whitehead. And how I would guess that most of the parents with pupils at the school – and probably a good percentage of the staff – would be less than happy to hear that anyone from the school, never mind someone of Mrs Willoughby-Smith’s standing, would be fraternising with a politician with such far-right leanings. Someone who had only just missed being interned along with Sir Oswald Mosley and the rest of his British Union of Fascist cronies.’
‘Oh, George, you are good,’ Lily said proudly. George had told her how the name had rung a bell when Rosie had mentioned it. When he’d repeated the name to the Brigadier, the old man had nearly choked on his brandy, gone bright red and relayed Mr Whitehead’s entire tawdry history to them both. Lily had made a conscious decision to have more patience with the Brigadier in future, or at least to make sure the girls paid him plenty of attention.
‘After which,’ George said, ‘I simply told her that it would be appreciated if she could write out a cheque for the money paid by Mrs Miller for the remainder of the term.’
‘I’m guessing she did just that?’ Lily said.
‘She certainly did. Cool as a cucumber she was. Didn’t say a word, simply opened her drawer, got the chequebook out and did what she should have done from the off.’
George bent down to pick up his discarded shirt.
‘And,’ he added, leaning on his walking stick as he stood up, ‘I also told her that should Charlotte’s new school need a recommendation regarding their new pupil, then they would receive such a reference and that it would be exemplary.’
‘Good thinking,’ Lily said. ‘So, was that it? You just took the cheque and left?’
George took another puff of his cigar, blowing out a swirl of smoke.
‘Mrs Willoughby-Smith might also have been given a short lecture on the importance of the shipbuilding industry and particularly how vital its role is at this tumultuous moment in time.’ He paused. ‘That is, if winning the war was what one wanted.
‘And,’ he added, ‘how really she should be parading Mrs Miller around the school in her overalls and boots, praising her and other women like her for doing the invaluable jobs they are doing.’
Lily clapped her hands in glee.
‘Well bleedin’ done, George!’
Taking off her dressing gown, Lily climbed into bed.
She opened her arms.
‘Now, stop puffing on that cigar and get yourself into bed. Your future wife wants to show you just how much she loves you.’
George laughed and stubbed out his cigar.