It was Sunday, Ellie’s last day before starting work.
‘What’s the matter, dearie?’ Peggy had been watching Ellie pick at her food. ‘You always enjoy your Sunday dinner.’
‘Oh! I’m sorry.’ Ellie had been miles away, her mind on tomorrow, when she would be out in the big wide world, earning her living at last. ‘I was just thinking.’
Ted put down his fork. ‘It’s a big day for the lasses,’ he said. ‘They’ve finished with school, and tomorrow they’ll be working folk. It’s a bit hard to get used to at first.’ Picking up his fork again, he stabbed a piece of red meat, then a small potato and, smiling at Ellie, continued to enjoy his meal.
Betsy had something to say and, as usual, it betrayed her selfishness. ‘I’d rather be at school. I don’t fancy working at the shoe-factory.’ Her comment was addressed to Ted, but he ignored her, so she turned to Peggy. ‘I really wish I was going to college. I know you can’t afford for us both to go, and I’m sure Ellie’s not all that bothered, so why can’t you just send me? You promised I could go to college!’
‘Oh, dearie me.’ Peggy began to get flustered. ‘That was before me and Ted sat down and worked it all out. The truth is, it would take every penny we’ve got, and more besides. We would have to borrow, and we’ve never been in debt in our lives. We probably couldn’t pay it back, you see.’ In desperation she turned to her husband. ‘That’s right, isn’t, dear?’
‘Beg your pardon?’ The lump of carrot bobbed up and down over his tongue.
Realising he hadn’t been listening to a word she’d said, Peggy gave a sigh. ‘Don’t talk with your mouth full, Ted,’ she chided. ‘It isn’t nice.’
‘Hmh.’ Closing his mouth, he swallowed his food so quickly it made his eyes water. ‘What did you ask me, just now?’
‘I said we’re sorry the girls weren’t able to stay on at college. Betsy was saying how Ellie wouldn’t mind if we just sent Betsy, but like I was telling her, we can’t really afford to do even that.’
Frowning, Ted Walters peered at Betsy from beneath his brows. ‘I thought we’d settled all that, weeks since. You know very well, if we’d been able to, we would have sent you both to college. But we can’t afford it, and all the will in the world won’t put money in the bank.’
‘You’ll be all right, Betsy dear,’ Peggy chipped in. ‘You might even enjoy working at the shoe-factory.’
Ted agreed. ‘Moreover, if you’re dead set on going to college, you can now begin to save up every penny towards it. Me and Peggy won’t charge you much for your keep – just enough to cover the basics, that’s all. So, with low outgoings, you should soon be able to build up a tidy sum.’
Ellie finished her meal and pushed her plate away. ‘That’s just what I said. Mrs Potton even promised she would ask the authorities if they could help. But first, Betsy has to prove how dedicated she is.’
Ted shook his head. ‘Oh, I wouldn’t count on the authorities helping,’ he said, pursing his lips in his usual, contemplative fashion. ‘Promises are like pie-crust, you know – made to be broken. In fact, it won’t be too long now before they wash their hands of the pair of you altogether. In my experience, once you’re out and working, they turn their attention to the more needy.’
Peggy was hopeful. ‘I’m sure it will all work out very well,’ she said. ‘I’ve a feeling you’ll like working at the shoe-factory. You’ll make new friends and you’ll be earning your own money. Once you get over the first day or so, it’ll be grand, you’ll see.’
‘That’s right,’ Ted declared. ‘It’ll be good for them. It will make the lasses independent as you say, and give them a sense of responsibility into the bargain.’ He was alluding to Betsy in particular.
And it was she who retaliated: ‘I’m not looking forward to the journey. It’s a long way to the shoe-factory on the tram. I’ll be worn out by the time I get home.’
Ellie had a thing or two to say. ‘Don’t be peevish, Betsy. It’s not as if you’ll be working at the mill, where they’re on their feet all day, and have to start at six o’clock of a morning. You’ll be sitting in the office in front of a desk, and besides, you won’t have to start till half past eight, so it’s not so bad.’
‘And there’ll be a meal waiting for you when you get home,’ Peggy reminded her. ‘Many of those poor women in the mills have to work all day, then go home and cook the meal afore they can even sit down and take a breath.’ Peggy recalled her own mam doing the very same. ‘Besides, the shoe-factory is a good place to work. It’s clean and well ordered, and they have proper tea-breaks. I think we owe your friend Mick a vote of thanks for mentioning it.’
Ted intervened. ‘That’s right, love! What’s more, when Ellie told us what young Mick had said, about how they were looking for trainees, I went out of my way to speak to the boss. He’s a good man. He’s promised to look after you, and I’m sure he will.’
Ellie had thanked him before and she thanked him again. ‘Me and Betsy know that, and we’re very grateful, aren’t we, sis?’
‘I suppose so.’
Ted was more concerned about Ellie. ‘Are you sure you’re doing the right thing, love?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, what I’m saying is, you were both given the option of working on the factory floor, or up in the office. Betsy’s gone for the office work, but you’ve chosen to work on the factory floor. It seems such a waste. You’re bright and quick – and so is Betsy, I know – but you’ll be making the shoes, while Betsy’s selling them. I don’t see the sense in that. You would have done so well in the office.’
Ellie defended her decision. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you,’ she said honestly, ‘but I’m not cut out to sit behind a desk all day. I’d rather be with the people downstairs, where I can breathe. Besides, I’ll be happier, I know I will.’
He smiled, suddenly understanding. ‘You’ve always been good with people,’ he admitted, ‘and you’re clever with your hands… creating things and such. Happen you’re right,’ he conceded. ‘At least you’ll be getting the same pay as young Betsy here.’ He nodded. ‘Aye, happen you’re right.’
‘Well, I think she’s mad!’ Betsy had already told Ellie what she thought, and now she told the others. ‘They’re a common lot who work down there. They wear turbans and slippers and don’t care tuppence what they say. I’m glad I’ll be upstairs, out of the way.’
Scratching his chin, Ted gave the matter some consideration. ‘You’ve a hard heart, lass. Happen the workers on the factory floor will be glad you’re not down there alongside them. What do you think to that?’
Her head jerked up. ‘I don’t care one way or the other. Besides, I wanted to go to college. I never wanted to work in a factory.’
‘So you keep saying. But do you know something? I’ve a feeling you and Ellie will get on so well at the shoe-factory that the idea of college will have gone right out of your head in no time at all.’
Betsy disagreed. ‘Even if I didn’t want to go to college, I still wouldn’t want to work in a shoe-factory!’
‘Is that so?’ Regarding her for what seemed an age, Ted said quietly, ‘Well now, I think I see what the trouble is here.’
Peggy was curious. ‘What’s that then, dear?’
Keeping his eyes on Betsy, Ted scraped back his chair and prepared to leave. ‘Why! The lass doesn’t want to work at all! And if we gave her the choice of going to college, she wouldn’t want that neither. The truth as I see it, is that Betsy doesn’t want to work and she doesn’t want to learn. She wants to be a lady who sits on her arse all day and does nothing!’
Leaving them all in shocked silence, he slammed shut the door behind him and marched upstairs. ‘Oh my word!’ Peggy had gone white as a sheet. ‘In all the years I’ve known my Ted, I’ve never heard him use that kind of language.’ Nervously clutching her throat, she looked at Betsy with tearful eyes. ‘Oh, you’ve really upset him, dear. Go after him and apologise… for my sake. Please?’
‘No. It wasn’t me who did the swearing. It was him. So it should be him who apologises.’ She then got up from the chair and flounced out of the room.
A few minutes later Ellie and Peggy heard the front door slam. ‘Oh dear! I do hate rows of any sort. I’ll have to go and humour Ted. I don’t like him being in such a mood.’ Peggy went out of the room at a trot. ‘Ted!’ she called his name timidly, but there was no answer.
A moment later she returned to find Ellie clearing the plates away. ‘Oh no, dear!’ Rushing to help, she told Ellie, ‘I can do that. You away and follow Betsy. I’m worried about her. She’s taken the dog, and she knows very well that Sunshine’s pups are due any day now.’ Leaning against the sink she caught her breath. ‘Ted won’t speak to me.’
Ellie felt sorry for her. ‘He will,’ she replied. ‘Give him time, eh?’
Peggy looked at her foster-daughter, at her kind face and those wonderful dark-blue eyes, and she felt ashamed. ‘You’re a good girl, Ellie,’ she said, ‘not like Betsy. I’m sorry to say it, but she does seem to enjoy upsetting people.’
‘I’ll have a word with her.’ And she would, in no uncertain terms!
‘Tell her I’m not angry – except that she must bring that poor dog home.’
Feeling the need to be on her own, Ellie jumped at the chance to get out into the fresh air. ‘I’ll not be long,’ she promised. ‘I’ll just go along the front a little way. I shouldn’t be gone more than an hour or two.’ The trouble was, once she got down by the sea, it was so wonderful, she never wanted to come away.
‘All right, dear. Mind how you go now,’ Peggy instructed. ‘And take your coat. It looks as if it might shower.’ Giving Ellie no choice, she took the coat from the peg and handed it to her. ‘And don’t go down to the water’s edge. The tides can be unpredictable at this time of year.’
Assuring her that she would be all right, Ellie departed.
She walked for a while then, when the smell of the sea filled her nostrils, she began to run. The cool, salty air on her face was exhilarating. There was a kind of excitement in living by the sea, when you could hear the waves at night, crashing into each other, and the soulful cry of seagulls with first light. Ellie loved it. Now that she had lived so close to the sea, she never wanted to live anywhere else.
Rounding the corner, she saw Betsy straight away. Hunched and miserable, she was sitting on the sand, the dog beside her. ‘Betsy!’ Running across the road, Ellie made for her.
Her sister was in no mood for company. ‘Why do you always have to follow me?’
‘I’ll go if you like.’ When Betsy was in this kind of mood, she was impossible.
‘I expect she sent you, didn’t she?’
‘She’s worried about you. And so am I.’ Now, when the dog nuzzled up to her, Ellie tenderly stroked it. ‘Hello, girl.’ The feel of the Labrador’s soft, cool coat was oddly comforting.
‘What do you want?’
Ellie was honest. ‘I want you to stop being ungrateful to Peggy and Ted. They took us in and they’ve cared for us every step of the way. They’re good, kind people and they don’t deserve to have you moaning at them all the time.’
‘Hark at Miss Goody Two Shoes!’
Ellie had suspected it wouldn’t be too long before the insults came round to her. ‘You can call me what you like, it doesn’t bother me. But you should have more respect for them, that’s all I’m saying.’
‘Mind your own business.’
‘No, Betsy. When I see you behaving like that, I shall speak my mind. I’ve told you what I think, and now it’s up to you.’
‘You’re right! It is up to me. Ted doesn’t like me, and well you know it.’
‘And why do you think that is, eh? You always seem to be goading him into some sort of an argument. If you ask me, it’s you who’s made up your mind not to like him. Not the other way round.’
Leaping to her feet, Betsy kicked off her shoes. ‘You don’t know what you’re talking about. Like I said before, mind your own business and get off home. I don’t want you here.’ Calling the dog, she ran across the sand towards the sea. Reluctantly, Sunshine ambled behind, her soft, swollen belly dragging in the sand.
For a time Ellie watched them. She saw how the foolish Betsy ran in and out of the water, her skirts held high, and time and again she called for her to come back. But she wouldn’t, and Ellie knew she could not persuade her.
So she sat there, watching those two, and enjoying the scenery, and life felt good. The skies were big and blue, the sea endless, and the sand was like a carpet of gold before her.
Now, in the early afternoon, people were beginning to arrive; young couples arm in arm and families, settling down on the sand with their colourful rugs and picnic hampers. The sound of laughing children rang in her ears. It was wonderful, Ellie thought, just wonderful!
Her mind was taken back to one Sunday afternoon when her mam and dad had brought them all further down the coast to Blackpool. They had arrived by train, and afterwards taken a ride on an open-topped tram. She and Betsy had ridden the donkeys, and all in all, it had been a day to remember. Tears filled her eyes. But amidst the tears was a great joy, to have known her mam and dad, even if only for such a cruelly short time. She would always miss them; always love them. Yet she gave thanks to the good Lord for sparing her and Betsy. Larry too, and her lovely grandad.
Inevitably, her thoughts turned to the man who had been in the house that night. She hadn’t forgotten him; she never would. So far, no one had been able to find out who he was. But one day in the future, Ellie would find out. She was sure of it.
Lazing there, with the September sun on her face, she closed her eyes and thought about Mick, and how very soon she would be working in the same building. The other week, at Grandad’s house, she had not been fully aware of her feelings towards Mick. Now though, after giving it much thought, she knew only one thing; she needed to see him again and again. She needed to find out what was going on inside her; she needed to know how he felt towards her.
But it was early days yet, and she was too young to be thinking of love and suchlike. All the same, the thought of seeing him tomorrow made her smile, made her happy.
Suddenly aware of a dog barking, people shouting and others running across the sand, Ellie’s attention was drawn to where she had last seen Betsy. At once she realised something was wrong. Going at a run she fled the short distance to the water’s edge, and there, being cradled in a towel, wet and shivering and in floods of tears, was her twin. ‘She must have fallen in and got out of her depth,’ the man who had rescued her said. ‘Fortunately, I’m a strong swimmer. She was lucky I was close by, or the tide would have swept her out.’
When Betsy had calmed down, the man’s wife told Ellie, ‘She’ll be fine, but she needs to get home and into some dry clothes.’ And, while her husband called a cab and paid for it too, Ellie walked Betsy back to shore, the pregnant dog trailing wearily behind.
Peggy got into a right state when she heard what had happened. Within minutes she had Betsy in a hot bath with a pile of clean clothes waiting beside her. ‘You bad girl!’ she scolded Betsy. ‘How many times have I told you! The waters there are unpredictable. You could have been drowned!’
‘It wouldn’t have mattered if I was!’ Bolting the bathroom door, Betsy lazed in the bath, a smile creeping over her sullen features. That’ll teach them not to keep going on at me, she thought.
By the time Betsy returned downstairs, everybody was in the scullery, and they completely ignored her. She was no longer the centre of attention.
‘The puppies are coming!’ Ellie’s blue eyes gleamed with excitement. ‘She started soon after you went upstairs, and Ted says it’s only a matter of minutes before they start arriving.’
‘You should have called me!’ Pushing her way through, Betsy saw how they had made Sunshine comfortable, laying her on a rug, with the window wide open to let in the fresh air.
Betsy made no attempt to comfort the dog. Instead she kept her distance. ‘I hope she has six at least,’ she said, rubbing her hands. ‘That will start my savings off a treat.’
While Ellie soothed the animal with gentle talk, Peggy made sure there was plenty of water on hand. ‘I expect she’ll need lots to drink,’ she remarked, seeing how the poor thing was panting and gasping. ‘It must be a hard thing, bringing new life into the world.’ Though she had no experience of it herself, more’s the pity, she thought.
‘I’d best get the bed ready,’ Ted announced. ‘I’ve finished the box so they’ll not be able to get out and run all over. And there’s plenty of room for Mammy and puppies both.’ Proud as punch, he went to fetch it from the front room, where he’d been working on it for a fortnight.
‘Look!’ In a hushed voice, Ellie told them how she could see a little head peeping out. ‘There… see?’ And sure enough, the first baby was arriving.
Suddenly, without warning, the mother stood up and the puppy fell out, with Ellie catching it in the palms of her hands in case it should hurt itself dropping to the ground. ‘Oh, Betsy!’ Holding it up for her sister to see, she gasped in amazement. ‘Isn’t it wonderful?’
Betsy didn’t think so. She saw the tiny thing, squirming in its own mess and secretions, and felt physically sick. ‘I have to go back upstairs,’ she muttered. ‘I forgot something.’ And was gone before they could turn round.
Peggy laughed. ‘Some folk can’t stand the sight of blood and such,’ she said, ‘but it’s never bothered me.’
Nor Ellie, it seemed, because in rapid succession there arrived four more puppies; each one tended by Ellie, and laid carefully beside its mammy.
A short time later, Ted returned to tell them the dogs’ bed was ready. While the women carried the puppies in a shawl, he gently lifted Sunshine, talking with her all the while, until he set her down inside the bed. One by one the puppies were laid alongside, and soon she was licking and fussing, and everything was fine.
‘There you are.’ Peggy was bursting with satisfaction. ‘All’s well that ends well.’
Ellie thought the bed was perfect. Set on plastic sheeting, the open wooden box and the long netted run was arranged beneath the window. ‘So’s you can open the window and freshen the room when it all gets too much,’ Ted told his wife, who promptly protested that she would not allow it to ‘get too much’.
‘It’s lovely,’ Ellie told Ted, who grinned from ear to ear. ‘And they’re so happy and content.’
Long after the others had gone, Ellie stayed to watch and enjoy the new arrivals. After their fill of milk, the tiny brown puppies had snuggled up to their mammy and were sound and fast asleep.
Ellie stroked each one in turn. When she came to stroke Sunshine, she told her, ‘You should be so proud. You’ve got five lovely babies.’ And for the briefest moment the long, furry tail wagged excitedly, almost as if she understood what Ellie was saying.
That night, when Ellie lay in her bed, she thought about the events of the day. Then she thought about tomorrow, and all the new people she was about to meet. It was an exciting thing to start out in the big wide world.
When her thoughts turned to Mick, her excitement was tenfold.
Up bright and early, Ellie bathed and dressed. ‘What’s the rush?’ Groaning, Betsy turned over in her bed. ‘It’s only seven o’clock!’
Throwing her towel on the bed, Ellie gave her a sisterly dig in the ribs. ‘It’s ten past,’ she said, holding the clock in front of Betsy’s face. ‘We have to be at the factory by nine, so that means catching the eight-thirty train.’
‘It’s too early!’
Replacing the clock, Ellie reminded her, ‘We’re starting at nine o’clock today, because it’s our first day. Tomorrow we’ll have to be up and ready even earlier, so you might as well get used to it.’
‘Go away!’ Drawing the covers over her head, Betsy refused to listen.
‘I thought you were all for earning your own money?’
‘I never said that!’
‘So, you’re not getting out of bed?’
‘I might, I might not.’ Peering above the bedclothes she hissed, ‘Just leave me alone!’
‘Please yourself.’ Leaving her to it, Ellie hurried downstairs.
‘You look smart, dear.’ Peggy was waiting in the kitchen.
‘Thank you.’ In her clean blue blouse and her dark, calf-length skirt, Ellie looked every inch the new girl. Her long hair was shining and her eyes bright as the morning. ‘I’m really excited,’ she told Peggy, who had already seen that for herself.
‘Breakfast is on the table. The toast is hot and the tea freshly brewed, and there’s egg and bacon if you fancy it.’ The warm, comforting smell permeated the air.
‘I’m too excited to eat,’ Ellie replied, ‘but I could drink the sea dry.’ Seating herself at the table, she poured a steaming hot cup of tea.
‘You can’t work on an empty stomach.’ Peggy wagged a finger. ‘At least try and eat some toast.’
With the brown, crispy toast staring her in the face, right next to a dish of rich, red strawberry jam, Ellie’s appetite was beginning to rise. ‘No egg or bacon though,’ she said, and was already spreading her toast liberally with the succulent jam.
‘Where’s Betsy?’ Peggy’s anxious gaze went to the door.
‘I’ve told her, but she won’t get up.’
‘And did you tell her what time it was?’
‘Yes, but it made no difference.’
‘Little devil!’ Like a soldier on the march, Peggy went out of the room.
As Peggy went out, Ted came in. Dressed and ready for off, he had already had his breakfast. ‘You look bright and cheerful,’ he told Ellie. ‘Aren’t you nervous – first day an’ all?’ Shrugging on his jacket he stood at the door, ready to leave.
Ellie shook her head. ‘No,’ she told him. ‘I’m really looking forward to it.’
He roved his eyes round the room. ‘Other lass still abed, is she?’
‘Peggy’s gone to get her up,’ Ellie said. ‘I hope she has more luck than I did,’ she remarked with a sigh, ‘because Betsy wouldn’t get up for me.’
Coming across the room, Ted gave her a fleeting kiss. ‘So long as you’re up, that’s all you should worry about,’ he declared. ‘Don’t make yourself late, waiting for her.’ As he went out the door, he called back, ‘Think on… I shall want to hear all about it when you get home tonight.’
It wasn’t long before Peggy returned, with Betsy lagging behind. ‘I’ll hate the place, I know I will!’ The girl was in one of her difficult moods.
‘Nonsense! Sit yourself down, dear, and I’ll make a fresh brew.’ With that Peggy went into the kitchen, humming a tune, and pleased with herself.
Throwing herself into the chair, Betsy piled two eggs and a slice of bacon onto her plate. Before Peggy returned from the kitchen, that little lot had been devoured, and she was already into her second piece of toast and jam.
‘That’s the ticket,’ Peggy encouraged. ‘Set off on a full stomach and you’ll sail through the day like a boat on the seas, that’s what my mother used to say, God rest her.’
Ellie looked at her twin, bent and grumpy, with her tousled hair and bloodshot eyes, and she couldn’t help but laugh. ‘More like a barge down the canal,’ she joked, and got a filthy look from Betsy for her troubles.
It was time to leave. Betsy was ready, though she moaned and groaned the whole time. ‘I won’t like it, I know I won’t!’
Proud and relieved, Peggy was there at the door to see them off. ‘Now then, Betsy, you must be on your best behaviour,’ she warned. ‘It’s your first day, remember, so you’ll need to pay attention, or the boss might decide not to keep you on.’
The girl shrugged. ‘He can please himself. I’m sure it won’t bother me if he sends us packing.’
‘Good morning. First day at work, is it?’ Mrs Noonan lived in the end house; she was a nosy soul but well-meaning. ‘Here’s a word of advice: Keep your opinions to yourself and do as you’re told – and you can’t go wrong.’
Betsy opened her mouth to retort, but Ellie wisely intervened. ‘Thank you, Mrs Noonan,’ she replied. ‘I’m sure we’ll be all right.’
Peggy was still on the doorstep when they turned the corner. ‘I meant what I said,’ Betsy reiterated. ‘I really don’t care if we get shown the door.’
‘Well, I do!’ Ellie would not let her twin spoil this special day. ‘You’re beginning to get on my nerves with all your griping. Go back if you want to. But you’ll be on your own, ’cause I’m off to earn a wage.’ With that she quickened her steps.
When in that instance, the tram suddenly came into view at the end of Penny Street, she broke into a run. ‘The tram’s here, Betsy,’ she cried. ‘You’d best make up your mind now. If you don’t get on it, you’ll miss the train and then you won’t have any choice.’ Sprinting towards the tram with her arm up to alert the driver, she called out that they were on their way.
‘Wait for me!’ Betsy cried, and Ellie smiled to herself. She had already suspected that her sister would not go back to the house without her; however much she wanted to.
Puffing and panting, Betsy scrambled into the seat beside Ellie. ‘I don’t care what anybody says,’ she gasped. ‘If I don’t like it, I won’t stay.’
Ellie was past listening. Right now, as the tram rumbled towards the railway station, she was thinking of the day ahead. She wondered what kind of people she would be working with, and how they would treat her. From now on, every day would be different. Her whole life would be different. She was no longer a schoolgirl, she was a young woman; all grown-up and about to make her own way in the world. It was a wonderful feeling. And, more than anything, she was looking forward to seeing Mick again.
Betsy dug her in the ribs. ‘Hey! I’m talking to you.’
‘Sorry, Betsy. I didn’t hear you,’ Ellie apologised.
Her sister’s face lifted in a crafty smile. ‘You were thinking of him, weren’t you?’
‘Who?’
‘You know who. Mick Fellowes.’
‘Don’t be daft.’
‘Yes, you were! You like him, don’t you?’
‘I was just thinking, that’s all,’ Ellie said patiently.
‘I know – you were thinking about him.’ Betsy had no intention of letting the matter drop.
‘I was thinking about what it might be like working at the factory, if you must know.’
‘So why are you blushing all shades of crimson?’ Betsy said triumphantly.
Knowing she could not answer without lying outright, Ellie turned her head away and stared out the window. It was true – she was blushing. And it was like that whenever she thought of Mick. It was like it now, as they got off the tram and ran all the way to the train. The nearer they got to Blackburn town, and Mick… the more excited she became.
The train ride was short but enjoyable. The train was like a real, live thing; singing as it went along, its wheels clanked against the iron rails, making that wonderful, rhythmic sound as it hurried on its way. All around them, great frothy balloons of steam whispered against the windows, before vanishing into thin air.
Inside the carriage, the early-morning folk chatted and chuckled, and Ellie listened with interest. There was an elderly couple, busy making plans as to what they might buy at market. ‘We need a new brush-head,’ the woman said, and her husband mentioned how they never seemed to last five minutes these days.
In another pair of seats, two young women were discussing where to go on Saturday night; one wanted to go to the flicks, the other to the Palais. In the end, they agreed to go to the afternoon matinee, then on to the Palais afterwards.
A middle-aged couple were having a quiet argument, and just in front of Betsy and Ellie sat another, younger couple, staring into each other’s eyes. They were obviously very much in love.
When the train arrived at Blackburn railway station, Ellie glanced at the clock. ‘Oh no – we’ve only got five minutes to get there,’ she said. ‘Come on, sis. We’ll have to run. We don’t want to be late on our first day.’
Taking to their heels, the girls darted across the Boulevard, then down Ainsworth Street, up and over the bridge and they were there.
The shoe-factory was situated right at the end of a cobbled back street. ‘It’s not much of a place, is it?’ Betsy never had a good word to say about anything or anybody.
They paused outside, looking up at the building and wishing they’d started the same time as everybody else because now, when they walked through those doors, everybody would look up and stare, and it would be awful.
The building was like any other warehouse; square and grey, with many small windows and two big doors, and outside, a great stack of boxes and sacks piled against the wall. There was a horse and cart, its wooden rim painted with the message in bold, white letters:
BRINDLE SHOES A PLEASURE TO WEAR
There were also two newly purchased black vans painted with the same slogan; the vans now beginning to take their place in the scheme of things alongside the age-old means of horse and cart.
As they neared the entrance, they could hear the faint hum of machinery, and as the girls went through the doors and into their new world, the smell of leather and dye was overpowering.
Betsy made a face. ‘Phew! I’m glad I’m not working down here!’
Ellie, though, thought it was a magical place. To the right and left of them were great vats of different-coloured dye. Above these, dripping from huge wooden racks, was layer upon layer of leather. It was obvious the leather had only just been dipped into the vats, because now the excess dye was raining back into the vats, making musical patterns as the drops fell one after the other into the liquid.
To the right of the vats, two men could be seen hauling away the dried leather; while further down the line, others were laying the pieces out on long tables, where they were trimmed and shaped before being stacked, in the different colours, on nearby trolleys. The trolleys were taken one at a time to a group of men, whose task was to cut the leather down to workable pieces. That done, the pieces were taken to yet another group of workers, mostly women.
Talking and laughing, and as yet unaware that they were being watched, the turbaned women sat up at the benches, their busy hands and minds turning the sheets of stiffened leather into shoes of every shape and size. When this highly skilled task was finished, the shoes were boxed and labelled, and stacked sky high onto yet more trolleys, which, when full, were wheeled away to be loaded into the various means of transport, ready for the shops.
‘Well, well!’ The man was short in stature, with a lovely smile and bright blue eyes that sparkled from a small, perfectly-shaped face. ‘It’s Ellie and Betsy Bolton, isn’t it?’ he recalled. ‘Come to start work this very morning, am I right?’
‘Good morning, Mr Brindle,’ they replied, and though he was a charming man, they both felt a little in awe of him. After all, he was the boss here.
And being the boss, he was a very busy man. ‘I’ll hand you over to my foreman, if I may,’ he announced, and even without being summoned, Mick Fellowes appeared from somewhere behind them. ‘Ah! There you are, Mick.’ Mr Brindle smiled on each in turn. ‘You’ll be well taken care of now,’ he told them. Then off he went, and would not be seen again until Friday.
‘He travels a lot,’ Mick explained. ‘He won’t allow anybody else to buy the leather, see. It has to be the very best for his shoes. He reckons he’s the only one who can tell a good skin from a bad one – and he’s probably right.’
Smiling at Ellie, he made her heart turn over. ‘Are you sure you’ve done the right thing in opting to work down here, instead of up in the office?’
Ellie looked around her. She heard the women laughing, and she saw how those ugly, misshapen portions of leather had been transformed into the most beautiful shoes. As she looked up, a little old man winked cheekily at her, then got a clip round the ear from his grinning female mate. It made her smile. Made her feel as if she belonged. ‘I’m sure,’ she told Mick.
‘And so am I,’ he said softly. So softly in fact, that Betsy looked at Ellie with a sly little grin. Her twin didn’t even notice. She had eyes only for Mick.
As they walked along, Mick explained, ‘You should know, lasses, the factory backs onto the canal. We have our fair share of rats in here, but it’s all taken care of, so there’s no need for you to be worried.’
But Ellie wasn’t worried. Mick was here, and she would see him every working day. That was all she could think of.
As they turned the corner into the loading bay, Betsy was invited to look at the paperwork, parts of which she would be responsible for.
Meantime, Mick spoke to Ellie, his brown eyes shining down on her. ‘I’m glad you’re here,’ he said simply.
And so was Ellie.