Billy was so tired he could barely put one foot in front of the other. It was the end of a demanding day at the docks, as they were several men short. A couple had gone down with flu, another had joined the army. That had left Billy, Ronald and Kenny with the brunt of the work.
It wouldn’t have been as bad if he’d had a proper night’s sleep, but Barbara had been keeping them awake for most of the week. That was on top of his ARP rounds for a large part of the evening. At least he had tonight off.
Kenny pulled on his battered cap and rubbed his hands. ‘You’re off tonight, aren’t yer, Bill? Fancy coming down the Boatman’s with me and Ron?’
Billy laughed ruefully. ‘You got to be kidding. I can hardly stand up straight, I’m so knackered, and that’s a fact. The pub’s for you young, free and single types. I just want to get home to me bed.’
‘At least you got a lovely warm welcome waiting for you,’ said Kenny dolefully.
Ron pulled a face. ‘Well, you ain’t going to get anything like that down the Boatman’s, Ken. I hope you ain’t going there with that in mind. You want to stay away from any female company on offer down there, if you got any sense. Which you ain’t.’
Kenny punched his arm in mock-protest.
Ron’s mind went back to the conversation in the nurses’ victory garden. Mary’s friend had obviously been worried about her sister, and Ron couldn’t blame her. If he’d had a sister who was a regular down the Boatman’s, he’d have been worried too. He wondered which one she was. There were two singers there: a woman in her late twenties with long sandy hair and a knowing eye for all the men in the crowd, and a much younger woman with bottle-blonde hair. He’d put good money on the blonde being the sister. The other one looked well capable of looking after herself.
He’d seen the young woman hanging around with the landlord’s brother, a nasty piece of work if ever there was one. She’d looked besotted. More fool her. Anyone could see he was out for one thing only, and Ron had a nasty feeling he was having his way without having to try very hard. Should he warn the nurse? He had only met her the once. He could get in touch with Mary—
‘Ron, you coming or what?’
Ron snapped out of his train of thought and shoved his hands in his pockets, following the other two down to the bus stop near the big junction at Limehouse. Perhaps the big sister knew about what went on. He wasn’t exactly in a position to stop it. Yet he felt for her, remembering how protective he’d been when his only brother had been shot down in the Battle of Britain. Alfie had survived but it had been touch and go for a while. He’d never be the same, having suffered terrible injuries, leaving him with poor eyesight – and you needed 20/20 vision to be a pilot. He was grounded for the duration of the war.
‘Got plans for the weekend, Billy?’ he asked now.
‘Going to be baby-sitting,’ Billy said, his delight clear from his expression. ‘Kath’s taking Edie out shopping for her wedding things. I don’t want to get involved in all that. I’m better off leaving it up to them.’
‘You’re right there,’ said Kenny. ‘You upset not to be best man, then?’
Billy came to a halt at the end of the bus queue. A row of people were in front of them, all stamping their feet and huddling to keep warm in the early winter cold.
‘No, it’s only fair,’ he said after a moment. ‘Joe should have been Alan’s godfather but they knew he couldn’t get home. Now there’s a chance he can manage some Christmas leave. If he doesn’t make it back then I’ll step in. Between us we’ll get Harry to the altar in one piece.’
‘Won’t exactly need dragging, will he,’ said Kenny.
‘Ken, I do believe you’re jealous. We got to find you a woman, and not one from the Boatman’s,’ Billy declared as the bus pulled up. They crowded on, although there were no seats. He didn’t mind. He could doze off standing up, given the chance.
‘All right, let’s find someone for Kenny,’ said Ron, joining in the joke, but suddenly wondering if he really wanted to spend his hard-earned cash at the Boatman’s. The expression worn by the landlord’s brother as he sweet-talked the young singer would not leave his mind. Despite himself, and the steamy warmth of the over-full bus, he shivered.
Kathleen was a past master at manoeuvring a pram around the bustling stalls of Ridley Road market. Barbara slept on oblivious as her mother turned on a sixpence, while Brian pulled on his knitted reins. He’d seen the big pile of glistening tangerines on Brendan’s stall, and knew he usually got treats from the kindly tradesman. Kathleen noticed what he was looking at and halted in her tracks. ‘Edie, stop! Look what Brendan’s selling! However did you come by those?’ she asked, knowing how scarce such fruit was these days.
Brendan tapped the side of his nose. ‘Don’t ask,’ he said cheerily. ‘It’s all legit, Kath, don’t you worry. Someone owed me a very big favour and this is what I got as a result. Like a miracle, eh? You’ll want some for Christmas, I dare say?’
‘Oh, yes please.’ Kathleen could not believe her luck. ‘Are they very dear? I’ll take a handful anyway.’ Time was that Brendan had had to help her out with an extra scoop of bare essentials, in the days when she hadn’t had two pennies to rub together. Now things were better but she was hardly flush.
Brendan’s eyes fixed on her companion. ‘And you’re the happy bride-to-be, aren’t you? Please accept a small gift for your big day, then.’ He indicated to Edith that she should open her shopping bag, and he poured in a generous amount of fruit. ‘You’re going to be Stan Banham’s daughter-in-law, aren’t you? Can’t have you going hungry.’
Edith’s eyes were out on stalks. ‘That’s very kind,’ she stammered. ‘You shouldn’t have.’ Yet she knew how much these tangerines would be appreciated. There was enough to put out a bowl in the canteen, where their festive fragrance would fill the room, and still keep some for the wedding feast at Flo’s. Their bright orange skins and shiny deep green leaves were reason to celebrate in themselves.
Brian watched in disbelief as the fruit disappeared into the bag and turned to Brendan, imploringly holding out his hand. ‘Please,’ he said in his politest voice.
‘Brian!’ Kathleen exclaimed. ‘You can’t just ask like that.’
Brendan leaned forwards and ruffled the boy’s hair. ‘Just this once, as it’s coming up to Christmas,’ he said, and picked one more tangerine off the pile and gave it to him.
Edith laughed as they pulled away from the stall, back to their original route towards the ones that sold fabrics and sewing materials. ‘He’s got the knack already,’ she teased. ‘He’ll go far, that one.’ Her expression grew more serious as she broached the question that had been worrying her. ‘Kath, you aren’t upset that I didn’t ask you to be a matron of honour, are you? If things had been different, I’d have loved to have you, and Mattie too, but it just all felt, well, a bit much.’ It had been on her mind ever since she’d made the decision to have only one attendant: Alice.
Kathleen vehemently shook her head. ‘Don’t be daft, Edie. Of course I’m not offended. Neither is Mattie. What would I do if Joe couldn’t get back and Billy ended up being best man? I’d have to manage these two on my own most of the day. I couldn’t do that and be matron of honour. Flo would end up with them as well as Gillian and Alan – no, you’re much better off with Alice on her own.’
Edith sighed in relief. ‘Really? I felt awful, but it’s so tricky. I mean, I could have asked Mary too, but then Belinda might get upset – once you start, there’s no end to it. Besides, we don’t know how many nurses can get time off on the same day. Some of my closest friends might not manage even to get over to Jeeves Street for a quick bite to eat. We’ll have to see how busy the rounds are that day.’
Kathleen nodded. ‘You’re bound to be snowed under, what with Christmas being two days after. Still, it means you only need to think about one bridesmaid’s dress.’
They reached the stalls and their faces fell. ‘Maybe that’s just as well,’ said Edith, surveying the slim pickings. ‘It doesn’t look as if we’re going to be spoilt for choice, does it.’
Kathleen glanced sharply at her friend, catching her disappointed tone. ‘Maybe not here, but we’ll find something, Edie. These aren’t the only stalls selling fabric.’ She ran her gaze along what was on offer, dull and sensible patterns in hard-wearing cotton and wool, just the sort of thing they had determined Edith should avoid.
Further back into the market, away from the main road, was another row of stalls that used to supply everything a dressmaker might need. Today they had a fraction of their former treasures on display, and again the choice of colour was very restricted – nothing that would suggest a blushing bride. Edith frowned. ‘Maybe this is a sign that I shouldn’t have a pretty dress after all. Look at that grey check – I could have a neat skirt and jacket and then it would do for all winter long.’
‘No.’ Kathleen didn’t even need to think about it. ‘You shall have your special dress, come hell or high water.’ Swiftly she tried to work out where they might go – somewhere she could reasonably take Brian and Barbara in her pram. She hadn’t packed a change of nappies or any spare clothes in case of accidents. Perhaps that had been a mistake.
All the same, she was determined to make something of this day for Edith. The nurse had been so good to her when she was down on her luck; she wanted to show how much she appreciated her friendship over the past few years. Friendships like this were what got you through the bad times.
She had never paid much attention to a stall on the corner to their left, as it had always stocked men’s work boots and suchlike. Maybe she’d stopped there once or twice when Billy had needed kitting out. When the stallholder called over, it took her by surprise.
‘Hello, ladies! What can I do for such lovely customers?’ The man was older than Stan Banham but had a twinkle in his eye all the same. ‘I know you, you’re the wife of that young man what got Brendan to join the ARP.’
Kathleen looked a little abashed, not sure if this was a compliment or not. ‘Yes, that’s right,’ she said, somewhat distracted as Barbara had started to grizzle. Brian began to pull on his reins again, obviously bored now there were no more treats to be had. Kathleen wasn’t inclined to stop and chat.
‘I bet I’ve got something you’d like to see,’ the man went on, oblivious to Kathleen’s doubting expression. ‘I’ve been expanding my range – not easy to do in these hard times, but sometimes you got to take a risk in this game.’
Seeing that her friend had other immediate concerns, Edith stepped in. ‘Oh, really?’
‘Yes indeed,’ the stallholder said, smiling to reveal he lacked two teeth down one side of his mouth. ‘Shoes for the ladies. Not your second-hand ones neither. Proper new shoes, leather uppers an’ all. Bet you wasn’t expecting that.’
Edith glanced quickly at Kathleen, but she was bent over the pram, checking on her daughter. ‘No, can’t say we were,’ she replied, playing along.
‘Let me show you.’ The man bustled to one side of his stall, briskly flicking some imagined dust from his brown overall, and fished out a set of boxes. ‘Here we are. Red patent sandals for the summer …’
‘Ah, I’m not sure that’s what we’re after,’ said Edith tactfully, eyeing the sandals with horror. They were far too high for her, and rather spindly.
‘… and elegant beige court shoes for that big occasion …’
They looked like something Kathleen’s old neighbour and babysitter might have worn in her heyday, and Edith would not be seen dead in them. ‘Nor those,’ she said.
‘… and we got these, very special …’ He took off the cardboard lid and revealed a small pair of pumps with a little heel, in a combination of cobalt blue and ivory. They had small bows in ivory cord at the toe and ivory piping around the sides and were possibly the loveliest shoes Edith had ever seen.
‘Oh,’ she gasped.
Kathleen looked up at the change in her friend’s voice. ‘What is it?’
Edith looked longingly at the blue shoes. ‘These aren’t bad, Kath. What do you reckon?’
Kathleen handed Edith the woollen reins and took a close look at them, picking them up and examining them. ‘What size are they?’ she demanded.
The man counted on his fingers. ‘We got the larger sizes for the taller ladies, six and a half or seven. Then we got the more petite ones, a three and a three and a half. I regret to say we do not have the middle of the range.’
Edith turned away from a disgruntled Brian and met Kathleen’s gaze. ‘I take a three,’ she said. ‘But I don’t know, Kath. New shoes – it’s a bit of a waste, isn’t it? I could find some old ones and polish them up, and nobody would know.’
‘But you would be hard pressed to borrow any if you wanted something different. None of us would have the right size.’ Kathleen couldn’t think of anyone else who wore a three.
The man could tell how interested she was and moved in for the kill. ‘Perhaps you’d like to try them on?’ He took both shoes from their box, and with his handkerchief he swiped the dust from a stack of crates. ‘You sit down here nice and comfy and see how well they look on you.’
Edith was in an agony of indecision. If she spent clothing coupons on shoes she would have fewer for the dress, whenever they found something suitable. But if, just if, they did discover her dream in powder blue, these would be perfect. She had to make up her mind. Brian and Barbara were obviously ready to go home and she could sense that Kathleen was growing anxious about them.
Just then Brendan came over, waving a pound note. ‘Norman, you got any change? Oh, Kath, you’re still here. Now what have you got there?’
Edith had taken off her old black winter shoes and had put on the blue ones. Slowly she stood and flexed her feet in them. ‘They fit,’ she said. She dared not say more, in case her longing for them outweighed her common sense. She took a couple of paces forward and then back. They might have been made for her.
Brendan meanwhile picked up the box and looked at the price. He whistled. ‘Norm, you got to be joking.’
Norman shook his head. ‘I tell you, straight up, that’s a good price. I’m almost ruining myself as it is.’
Brendan scoffed. ‘Norman, you told me yesterday you got the lot for next to nothing because the warehouse was about to collapse from bomb damage. You’re turning a pretty profit there. Don’t tell me you’ve been giving these two your old soft soap. You know who they are, don’t you? Billy’s wife and this other one will soon be Stan Banham’s daughter-in-law? You got to treat them right.’
Norman protested. ‘Brendan, you’ll bleed me dry.’
Edith cleared her throat. ‘It’s all right. I can pay. I don’t want to be some kind of charity case.’ She hoped that she wouldn’t regret such rashness.
‘Charity be damned, if you want them you should pay a fair price,’ said Brendan, all businesslike now. ‘Norman, how about you take that number and divide it by three. Then you’ll still have a 50 per cent margin of profit.’
Norman’s eyes bulged.
‘See, you should never have told me how much you paid to begin with,’ Brendan went on seamlessly. ‘If you want to go around taking advantage of gullible customers, be my guest, but not with these two you won’t. And you better decide quickly or young Brian here will be running off home and you won’t have the chance to finish your deal.’ He folded his arms, his piece said.
Kathleen could barely disguise her delight. It might not be what they’d set out to buy but she could see those shoes were the best thing in the entire market. If she hadn’t been here, Brendan would not have intervened, and so Edith probably wouldn’t have been able to afford them. Now there she was, settling up with a rather deflated Norman, and still with some cash in her pocket for dress material. They’d decide what to do about that later. For now she needed to get the children back home. But the look of stunned delight on Edith’s face was a sight to treasure.