Nellie’s first thought the next morning was of Bert and how close she’d come to losing him. To losing all of them, Edie included. She’d been patient long enough. It was time to try to make it up with her daughter. No way would she allow one of her children to simply disappear from her life. She sighed and reached up to the crucifix around her neck. ‘Wish me luck, Glad,’ she murmured. ‘I’m gonna need it.’
Hopping out of bed, she opened her wardrobe and let out a cry. The scent of roses was so strong that it made her gag. Slamming the door shut, she looked around the room; nothing seemed out of place. Tentatively, she put her head back in the wardrobe. There was no mistaking it. Frantically, she pulled on the clothes she’d worn the day before, then opened the window, shivering as a cold breeze gusted in.
Dragging every item of clothing out of the wardrobe, she bundled them into a sheet and took them upstairs, where she dumped them in the bath and turned on the tap until they were fully submerged. Bugger the government restrictions, she thought angrily, pouring in half a box of Sylvan soap flakes.
Downstairs in the sitting room, she removed the sheet from Polly’s cage. ‘Did you see her, Polly?’ she asked.
Polly put her head on one side, black eyes glinting in the light from the window and let out a squawk. ‘Bloody bird!’
‘You got that right,’ Nellie responded grimly, picking up the cage and going downstairs.
‘What’s up with you?’ Marianne asked when Nellie entered the kitchen. ‘You’re pale as a ghost.’
‘It might surprise to you, Marianne, but I got a lot on my mind.’
‘You think you’re the only one?’ Marianne muttered.
Nellie ignored her and stomped through to the café, gratified to see that Donny was taking the chairs down from the tables.
‘Good lad, Don. You keep this up, you might get into me good books again.’
Donny slammed the chairs onto the floor in a temper. ‘I’m only doin’ it cos Mum said she’d pay me. But me and Fred have lessons in the caves this morning, so I can’t wash up.’
‘You be back after lunch then. Reenie’s comin’ to help cos I’ve got a few things to do, and I expect you to pull your weight. And if you do a good job, there’ll be a couple of bob in it for you. Ask Fred to help too.’
Donny scowled sulkily. ‘Are you goin’ to see Uncle Bert?’
‘I am. But first I’m going to see Auntie Edie.’
‘She won’t want to talk to you. Last time I saw her, I asked if she were comin’ back, and she said not so long as you’re here.’
Nellie’s lips tightened. ‘Go unbolt the door, then get out of here before I give you a clip round the ear.’
Donny shrugged and slouched over to the door. He was tall enough to undo the top bolts now, and Nellie shook her head. When had he turned from a sweet little boy into this truculent youth? But she knew the answer. The same time everything had changed here: when Gladys had died. She put her hand up to the necklace, clutching the cross beneath her blouse.
The front door opened and a group of four soldiers walked in. ‘Good morning, gents. Been a while since we’ve seen you,’ she said snippily.
They smiled sheepishly and went to sit down. Nellie held up her hand. ‘Not so fast, lads! Order at the counter please. No table service for the minute.’
‘Sorry about Gladys, Mrs C. And for all your troubles,’ one of them said as he shuffled to the counter.
‘Are you, Private? Are you really? Gladys died more than two months ago, and I ain’t seen hide nor hair of you since. If you were that sorry you’d’ve offered your condolences sooner.’
He blushed. ‘Sorry, but . . . well, we got told to stay away for a bit. You know, orders from on high. What with the spying and stuff.’
Nellie snorted. ‘Whatever you say. What can I get you?’
‘The full works for all of us.’
‘Full works today consists of one sausage, one egg and toast.’
‘What about bacon?’
‘Nope. Maybe next week.’
‘Probably savin’ it for that community kitchen up St Mary’s. We’ll be goin’ there soon as it opens.’
Nellie huffed. ‘Go where you please, but though it might be cheaper, it won’t be better.’
By the time Reenie arrived to help out an hour later, the café was busier than it had been for a long time.
‘Everything all right, Reenie?’ Nellie asked. The girl looked exhausted, her eyes deeply shadowed and red-rimmed.
‘I’m fine, Mrs C,’ she replied. ‘Not much sleep last night, that’s all. What with everything that happened yesterday.’
Nellie nodded sympathetically. ‘Nightmares, was it? I reckon we’ll all be havin’ them for a while. What happened to Jim yesterday? I expected to see him up the hospital.’
Reenie blushed. ‘He had to get back to barracks. We brought little Bobby Granger here and Mary Guthrie took him to his mum.’
‘Mary was here?’ Nellie asked, surprised.
‘Not just Mary. The whole of the market square was here. It was a madhouse.’
Nellie grunted. ‘So I heard. Funny how they all returned soon as there was a chance of some gossip. But I wouldn’t’ve expected Mary to come . . . She’s not set foot in here since Gladys died.’ She sighed. ‘I don’t know whether it’s cos she hates me or she feels guilty about Susan.’ She looked off into the distance. ‘There was a time me and Mary were good mates.’ She shook her head. ‘Still, what’s done is done.’ She shrugged on her coat. ‘Thanks for helping out, love.’ She patted Reenie’s cheek.
‘Any time, Mrs C. Off to see Bert, are you?’
‘First off, I need to see Edie. How was she yesterday?’
Reenie looked away. ‘Well, um . . . She, um . . .’ She cleared her throat. ‘She was very upset. But are you sure . . . ?’ The argument between Edie and Jim was still fresh in her mind.
‘Am I sure I want to see my daughter, who nearly got shot yesterday? And her pregnant with my grandchild? I don’t know, Reenie. What do you think?’
‘Hey! There’s no need for that, Mum!’ Marianne poked her head through the hatch. ‘And Reenie’s got a point. You should wait for Edie to come to you.’
‘I’ve been waiting for more than two bloody months! But I apologise, Reenie. That were uncalled for. Now where did I leave my bloody bag?’ she muttered.
‘It’s there.’ Reenie pointed under the counter. ‘Where it always is.’
‘I knew that!’ Nellie snapped. ‘I might be old but I’ve not completely lost me marbles.’ Although, she wasn’t sure that was true.
One of the soldiers seated at the table in front of the counter snorted. ‘You sure about that, Mrs C?’
Nellie glared at the man. ‘You have a choice, Private. You can apologise and I will graciously accept. Or you can leave. I’m not so desperate for customers that I’ll put up with being insulted in my own café.’
The man huffed. ‘I were only jokin’. You didn’t used to mind a bit of banter,’ he muttered.
Nellie ignored him as she sailed out of the door, but his comment had cut close to the bone. She was well aware that her obsession with cleaning the pavement was causing people to question her sanity, but if they knew what drove her to do it, they’d put her in the loony bin for sure.
Her hand reached for the crucifix – the tangible sign that maybe it wasn’t all in her mind. Gladys’s spirit really was haunting her.