‘I say, you look quite enchanting,’ Lord Hamilton said as his eyes roamed over Georgina’s smart red skirt suit. Her fitted jacket was trimmed with black piping and shiny black buttons down the front. It nipped in neatly at the waist, emphasising her shapely figure. She’d finished off the outfit with a pair of black heels and a red wide-brimmed hat.
‘I had Dina choose it for me. She’s got a good eye for clothes.’
‘I’ll say! Ravishing, absolutely ravishing!’
Georgina could feel her cheeks burning to match the colour of her jacket. She’d never been very good at accepting compliments.
‘I don’t know why you’re being nice to her after what she put me through,’ Charlotte huffed as she threw herself onto the sofa with her arms folded tightly across her chest.
Georgina looked at Charlotte’s sulking face and tried not to chuckle. ‘Not this again,’ she groaned.
‘Can you believe she let me think she was burning to death in that house?’ Charlotte asked Lord Hamilton.
He too, seemed amused. ‘Actually, yes, I can. The more I come to know about Georgina, the more I’m in awe of her.’
Again, Georgina could feel herself blushing.
‘So, tell me, why have I been summoned? I do hope it’s something terribly naughty,’ Lord Hamilton asked.
‘If you don’t mind waiting for the others to arrive, then I’ll explain everything. Charlotte will make you a cup of tea.’
‘Others?’ he questioned.
‘All will become clear,’ Georgina answered as Charlotte stamped to the kitchen.
Lord Hamilton smiled in Charlotte’s wake. ‘You do know that she’s only behaving like this because she was terribly upset at thinking she’d lost you? The girl adores you.’
‘Yes, I know. She’ll get over it. Charlotte’s always been a moody girl, especially when she doesn’t get her own way. Anyway, she’s putting on an act of grief for Tim’s sake.’
‘I hear that they are getting on swimmingly.’
Charlotte marched back in. ‘Yeah, that’s right, we are. But he ain’t gonna be very happy when he finds out that she’s still alive and I’ve been lying to him.’
‘If he loves you, he’ll understand and he’ll forgive you. Now, go and answer the door and stop banging around with a face like a smacked arse.’
Lord Hamilton laughed at Georgina’s term of phrase. ‘Smacked arse,’ he repeated through chortles.
Charlotte showed in Benjamin Harel, soon followed by Johnny Dymond and then Ned and the Barker twins. Dina joined them too. Finally, Brian Harris arrived.
Georgina stood in front of the window and proudly surveyed the faces crammed into the room. These were her loyal and trusted people. Men and women who would lay down their lives for her. A fraction of the workforce she’d once commanded, but she had every intention of building her business again.
‘Thank you for coming, and—’
Ned interrupted. ‘Georgina Garrett is back, thank gawd,’ he declared. ‘I wasn’t keen on seeing you dressed like a bloke, but now you look like the boss again, miss.’
‘Well, this is why I’ve called you here today. A lot has changed while I’ve been away. Most of you are making a living and getting by without me. But, as you quite rightly said, Ned, I’m back. Things will never be as they were but if you’re willing, I’d like to have you back on my payroll.’
‘Count me in,’ Ned chirped. ‘When we was working for you, we never had it so good.’
‘Yeah, us an’ all,’ Nobby said, speaking for his brother too.
‘You don’t need to ask me,’ Johnny added.
‘Or me, I suppose,’ from Charlotte.
Georgina looked across to Lord Hamilton.
‘Oh, yes, most definitely,’ he enthused.
‘Pew,’ Dina spat. ‘I vill work for you but I never sleep wis man.’
‘That’s fine, Dina, you don’t have to,’ Georgina assured her. ‘Right, starting with the newly refurbished café on Lavender Hill, my office will be in the back. No one will think twice about people coming and going through a café. Charlotte, you will manage the café for now.’
‘Me! Oh, come off it. Can’t I do something else?’
‘It’s only temporary until Fleur is released from prison. And I want you close by me.’
Charlotte tutted but nodded in reluctant agreement.
‘Benjamin, The Penthouse. Obviously, we can’t open and operate as it once was, not without the Old Bill turning a blind eye like they used to.’
‘’Ere, Miss Garrett,’ Ned interrupted again, ‘can’t Charlotte have a word with her fella? He’s a copper.’
‘No, Ned, he’s resigned – and he doesn’t have the rank. But I’m going to open it as a nice little nightspot and also an art gallery.’
‘An art gallery?’ Ned parroted.
‘Yes, that’s right. Dina can work behind the bar. You twins on the door. Lord Hamilton, do you think you can manage the place with some help from Benjamin at first?’
‘Yes, my dear, standing on my head. But what art are you intending to display?’
‘We’ll talk about that later. I’ve got a meeting tomorrow with that Dutch artist bloke that Temi Zammit told you about. I want you with me.’
‘What about me?’ Ned asked. ‘What job have you got for me? Am I gonna run the insurance?’
Georgina smiled warmly at his enthusiasm. He’d always been one of the most outspoken men in her gang, even though he was one of the shortest. ‘No, Ned, no insurance. There’s little point in extracting money from businesses for protection when Hitler could bomb them out. We’ll look at that once this bloody war is over. In the meantime, you’re going to head up our goods in and goods out.’
‘What, you mean the black market? But Nobby and Eric already have their toes in that.’
‘Yes, they do, but not on the scale I’m talking about. The twins will back you up for muscle.’
‘What we got that we can flog then, Miss Garrett?’
‘Brian will discuss that with you. He’s been busy lately, haven’t you, Brian?’
‘That’s right. I had a feeling you’d be back so I made sure we were prepared.’
‘Oh, blimey, Brian, ’ave you been printing dodgy ration coupons again?’ Ned asked, his eyes wide.
Brian didn’t answer but smiled.
‘But that’s what Miss Garrett got banged up for!’
‘Moving on,’ Georgina said firmly. ‘As we find our feet again, I’ll have other jobs for you. I’m looking at a few jewellery shops but not on our patch. Easy targets, you know the sort, and we’ve got a ready-made outlet for the goods with Benjamin’s father’s shop. We’d be foolish not to take advantage of that and Ezzy Harel has always been the best fence in Battersea.’
‘Yes, he’s, erm, missed you,’ Benjamin said quietly, looking embarrassed.
‘As you know, I officially died on Sunday. The authorities are holding my funeral tomorrow, a pauper’s grave. I know some of you will want to pay your respects to Babs but she was quite specific about her wishes. She didn’t want anyone there. She hated funerals. So, let’s take a minute to think about Babs, eh?’
In the silence, Nobby bowed his head and Georgina saw him discreetly dash away a tear. She’d heard that he and Babs had once had a thing going.
Ned broke the silence. ‘How’s Babs’s kid?’
‘He’s fine. He’s with Mary until Molly and Oppo come to collect him after Christmas. He’ll have a smashing life on the farm with them.’
‘Yeah, growing up with the spawn of Billy Wilcox,’ Ned added bitterly.
‘Don’t ever refer to Edward like that!’ Georgina barked.
Ned looked taken aback. ‘Sorry, miss, it ain’t the boy’s fault. I’m sure young Edward won’t turn out anything like his father.’
‘No, he bloody well won’t!’ Charlotte said adamantly.
It was Nobby who spoke next, changing the subject. ‘’Ere, I read about you in the paper, Miss Garrett, about you getting burned to death. Cor, the things they said about you!’
‘I know, it wasn’t very flattering,’ she laughed.
The meeting continued for another hour and then Charlotte reminded them that Tim would be home from work soon so they should leave.
‘It’s about bleedin’ time that you got that boyfriend of yours on the payroll,’ Ned grumbled to Charlotte as he left.
‘He’s going to fight the Jerries so shut your mouth, Ned!’ she retorted, her eyes narrowing at him.
Once they’d gone, Georgina sat down on the sofa, exhausted but running on a high. She’d found it quite exhilarating to be back as the head of her gang, albeit a small gang now. She’d vowed to herself that she wasn’t going to return to that way of life. After all, she had her children to think about. But without money, what sort of future could she offer them? So the decision had been made and this time round, she’d do things better. She’d learned lessons from her mistakes. In future, she’d be more careful about who she trusted.
*
Charlotte thought that Tim had been behaving strangely all afternoon. He seemed distracted and she worried that he knew something about Georgina. They’d been to see a short play at the Streatham Hill Theatre. It was one of the few playhouses showing matinee performances and, as someone commented, actors now played in the suburbs instead of the West End on account of most of the big theatres and cinemas being closed. Even Streatham ice rink had been given over to the war effort. Instead of skaters enjoying the ice, the place was used as a food storage depot.
Charlotte had been enthralled with the grand art deco style of the theatre but rather bored by the play. And all the way through, she’d noticed Tim fidgeting.
As they disembarked the tram at Clapham Junction, she said lightly, ‘Oh, did I tell you? I’m starting work here tomorrow. Just up Lavender Hill, running a new café.’
Tim looked down at her and blinked several times. ‘I’m not sure how I feel about that.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I know women are taking on all sorts of roles because of the shortage of men around but call me old-fashioned, I say as I find. And I don’t like the idea of my wife working.’
Charlotte froze in the street as crowds bustled past. ‘Your w-wife?’ she stuttered, eyes wide.
Tim dropped to one knee, right there, on the pavement. He fished in his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box.
Charlotte gasped. She glanced around. People had stopped going about their business and were watching her and Tim. Christ, what was he playing at! She could feel her cheeks flushing and wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. ‘Get up, you idiot,’ she hissed.
He continued regardless. He opened the box to reveal a sparkling diamond ring, though she doubted they were real stones.
‘Charlotte Mipple… I want to know you’ll be here when I get home. Will you make me the happiest man and marry me?’
Now it was Charlotte who was left blinking. Her mind raced. Everyone standing nearby seemed to be holding their breaths, waiting for her to answer. But how could she accept his proposal? Though she was sure she loved him, there was so much he didn’t know. And being his wife, he’d expect his rights in the bedroom. She wasn’t sure she could face that!
‘Go on then, put the poor chap out of his misery,’ a man’s voice called from the small crowd surrounding them.
‘I… erm…’ she muttered, staring at his pleading eyes. She couldn’t hurt him and turn him down in front of everyone. And though she had her doubts, she found herself saying, ‘Yes.’
A cheer went up from the crowd and Tim leapt to his feet and pulled her into his arms.
‘Nice one, son,’ a bloke said and patted Tim on the back.
‘Congratulations,’ a woman cooed.
Tim slipped the ring onto Charlotte’s finger. It was a perfect fit. She held her hand in front of her and looked at the ring with misgivings. She loved him, yes, she was sure of that, but could she bring herself to share his bed? After everything she’d been through, the thought of doing things like that repulsed her.
‘Mrs Charlotte Batten. It’s got a nice ring to it, don’t you think?’
‘Yes, I suppose it has. Anything’s gotta be better than Mipple,’ she said, smiling, though the smile didn’t reach her eyes. ‘So this is why you’ve been acting odd all day?’
‘Yes. I’ve been a bag of nerves. Sorry, I hope I didn’t ruin your day.’
‘No, Tim, not at all,’ she replied, but putting a ring on her finger had. ‘Are you sure we’re not rushing things?’
‘I know you’re upset about Georgina dying but I’m going to basic training straight after the new year. I don’t know when I’ll be back, or if I’ll be back, but I know the thing that will keep me going is the thought of coming home to you.’
Charlotte felt awful for doubting her decision. To think he could be killed abroad left her feeling bereft. She silently chastised herself. Of course she could have sex with him. All she had to do was lie back and close her eyes. It wasn’t something women were supposed to enjoy. It was their duty and it was the least she could do considering her future husband was risking his life for their country.
She threw her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. ‘I love you,’ she gushed, and couldn’t wait to get home to tell Georgina the news.