Winter on the Mersey(49)

‘So you don’t think I should pop down and see if she’s all right?’

‘No,’ said Violet firmly. ‘Most definitely not. She’ll call if she wants our help. And she’s got to get used to being down there on her own as you’re going back to nursing. How are you feeling about that?’

‘Honestly? I’m looking forward to it,’ said Rita. ‘It will be hard to leave Ellen’ – she glanced at the baby asleep in her basket, tucked beneath the windowsill – ‘but Mam will look after her and she’s old enough to have her bottle. I’d rather do that than send her to one of those nurseries.’

‘We’ll all help with her,’ said Violet. ‘They’ll need you back on the wards.’

‘I’m sure it will all work out,’ said Rita, hoping fervently that she was right. ‘Let’s go over and see what Nancy’s brought round. I’m glad she offered to dig out some of Georgie’s baby clothes. It’s only right, the time you’ve spent looking after him over the past few years.’

Nancy was holding forth about the filthy state of the city centre as they reached Dolly’s kitchen. She’d arrived back from her WVS shift to find her white sandals were more like grey and their little daisy decorations like withered weeds. ‘And my poor collar!’ She was wearing a neat broderie-anglaise blouse, the hem and collar of which were visibly the worse for wear. ‘I’ll have to spend ages scrubbing it. It’ll ruin my nails.’

Rita shook her head. ‘Never mind, Nance. Look on the bright side. You could dye it grey and be done with it.’ She had little sympathy – her own nails were always kept trimmed short because lifting stock in the shop always wrecked them, let alone what she would encounter when back on duty as a nursing sister.

Nancy tossed her head. ‘I might have known you wouldn’t understand. Anyway, Violet, here’s those clothes I told you about. I don’t know what you’ll want as you don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl, but help yourself.’ She handed over a bulging canvas bag.

‘So many, Nancy! Are you sure?’ Violet lifted the top ones out. ‘They’re really good quality. Thank you.’

‘It’s the one good thing about Misery Guts,’ said Nancy with asperity. ‘She likes to see her little grandson looking right, or else he’ll reflect badly on her. So she spent her coupons on him whenever she could. Then I got a few things in town when I was able to. Doesn’t look like I’ll be giving him a little brother or sister any time soon, so you might as well make use of them.’

‘I should hope not!’ said Dolly hotly, coming in from the back yard. ‘Don’t you be bringing disgrace upon this household.’

‘Joke, Mam,’ said Nancy. Then quickly, to distract her mother, ‘See this little top – you knitted that. He wore that all the time when he was tiny.’

‘So he did,’ said Dolly, her face creasing fondly at the memory. ‘Sure, he was a little angel, that he was.’

‘And where is he today?’ asked Rita, not taken in by Nancy’s tactics for one moment.

Nancy’s expression changed to one of worry. ‘His chest is bad again. I didn’t like to take him to the Parkers’ in case he gave it to them, so I’ve left him in with Misery Guts. In fact I’d best be off.’ She pulled a face. ‘I know she can’t do much to harm him now he’s that bit older, but I still don’t trust her an inch. She’ll probably be telling him how unlucky he is to have such a bad mother.’

‘Now don’t take on so. I’m sure she isn’t,’ said Dolly, always suspicious that Nancy denigrated Sid’s mother’s method of babysitting so she could bring Georgie round to her more often.

‘Well, I’m not going to risk it,’ Nancy said, picking up her white handbag, which looked too small to hold anything useful. ‘You sort through those things, Violet, and keep what you like. Actually, Rita, you might find something to suit Ellen in there as well. You might as well take anything that fits, I know they grow like mad at that stage.’ She glanced fondly at her niece, asleep in the Moses basket that Rita had carried her over in. ‘There should be some romper suits for a six month old in the pile somewhere.’

She gave a little wave and flounced out.

‘What’s got into her?’ Rita wondered out loud, but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Nancy had never offered before, and Rita had resorted to hunting around for anything that Megan might have grown out of all those years ago. ‘Oh, now, look at this. Didn’t Georgie wear it for his first birthday? I might take that and put it to one side for when she’s big enough.’ She carefully set the brick-red chunky cardigan on the edge of the Moses basket. ‘And this little siren suit. Let’s hope we don’t have to use it down the shelters again.’

‘Amen to that,’ said Dolly at once. ‘It’s very kind of Nancy, but don’t you have to see to the shop? Have you got the time to go through the whole bag? It can always stay here, Rita, and you check the rest when you have the time.’

Rita dropped another small cardigan in soft cream on top of the other two baby garments. ‘We’re grand, Mam. Ruby’s taking care of it all.’

‘Is she now?’ Dolly looked concerned.