Winter on the Mersey(83)

‘So they’ve got you working here all day every day now, have they?’ Vera Delaney eyed Ruby with suspicion, her eyes narrowing into slits. She hoisted her wickerwork basket on her arm, like a weapon.

‘Y-yes.’ Ruby stepped back a little. She was much better these days with nearly all of the customers, but there were a handful who reduced her to the bag of nerves she’d been when she’d first arrived. Vera, being one of Winnie’s old pals, had been fed the tale that the girl was simple and could never be expected to amount to anything, and she behaved as if nothing had changed.

‘Well, that’s nice for Rita and Violet, knowing they’ve got someone they can rely on while they’re off having children,’ Vera went on.

Ruby looked puzzled. She often had trouble working out exactly what this woman wanted. She could tell the words should have been a compliment, and yet they didn’t sound like one, which confused her. ‘Yes,’ she said again.

Vera stood still, as if waiting for something more. Then she shook her head and tutted. ‘I’ll have some of those tins of soup for my Alfie,’ she said, pointing to the shelf above the till. ‘Chicken, if you’ve got it. That’s his favourite. He needs building up.’

Ruby reached down all the tins of chicken soup she could see.

‘Been took terribly bad with the flu, he has,’ Vera told her, as if this was the most important news in the world. ‘He can hardly move, the poor lamb. It’s breaking his heart to be off work so long.’

‘Oh,’ said Ruby. This wasn’t what anybody else she knew had ever said about Alfie, but she realised it would be foolish to point this out to his mother.

‘He works so hard, practically wearing himself out,’ Vera continued, her voice high and whiny. ‘It’s no wonder he’s been taken so poorly.’

Ruby nodded, wishing she would just take her tins and go.

‘Of course some folks round here have it easy, swanning around,’ Vera complained. Just at that moment there was a movement outside and the speeding figure of Tommy on his bike whizzed past the shop window. Vera puffed in annoyance. ‘Those Callaghans, for a start.’

Ruby shook her head, knowing full well how hard they all worked and the hours they put in week in week out.

‘That Kitty is no better than she should be,’ Vera said viciously, ‘and as for that Danny, my Alfie said he let him down. Then he goes and gets that cushy job in an office.’

Ruby wasn’t sure what to say to that. What did she mean about Kitty? That didn’t make sense. If she was no better than she should be, wasn’t that a good thing, not bad? She decided to stick strictly to the facts. ‘Danny’s not here now, he’s away on a course,’ she said.

‘Is he, now? Probably smarmed his way on to that an’ all.’ Vera gave her an exasperated look. ‘Winnie was right about you – you haven’t an ounce of sense in you. Come on, give me those tins and I’ll be off.’

‘You have to pay,’ Ruby pointed out.

‘I know that, you stupid girl.’ Vera threw her coins down angrily on the counter, just as Rita appeared from the stock room.

‘Anything else I can help you with, Mrs Delaney?’ she asked sweetly, shrugging out of her thick nurse’s cloak, as she had come straight from her shift at the hospital.

Vera glared at her, took her shopping, and swept out without a word, slamming the shop door.

Ruby looked at Rita with concern. ‘She’s not a very nice lady,’ she said, her voice trembling a little.

‘No, she isn’t,’ said Rita. ‘Don’t you mind what she says. You get off and make yourself beautiful – you’re seeing Reggie later, aren’t you?’

At once Ruby’s face transformed. ‘He’s taking me to the pictures. I’m so excited. It’s Bell-Bottom George, because he knows I love George Formby. Then we’ll get fish and chips.’

Rita beamed, delighted that this new friendship was growing stronger and stronger. Ruby had been through so much – she surely deserved a good man like Reggie James. He seemed genuinely fond of her and had been around several times since New Year to continue the chess lessons, and, if Rita wasn’t much mistaken, to gently pay court to Ruby.

‘Off you go, then.’ Rita shooed her out of the shop. She glanced at her watch. Not long and she could shut the place up and take herself over to her mother’s and pick up Ellen, giving her the excuse to check on her lovely new niece and nephew. She was deeply touched that Violet had called the little girl after her. It was the little things like that which made life worthwhile, she thought, struck by the contrast of Vera’s spite and the loving generosity she’d find over at her parents’ house. If you were brought up by the likes of Pop and Dolly, you learned how to take the rough with the smooth and to love and be loyal to your family and friends. If you were brought up by Vera, you ended up like Alfie. She said a silent prayer of gratitude that she had the parents she did.





CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX


Kitty did her best to keep her face neutral and her hands from shaking as she picked up her notepad from the training committee meeting which had just finished. She pretended to drop a pencil so that everyone else would leave before her. She couldn’t cope with seeing Frank after the surprise announcement.

Commander Stephens had come straight out with it without any warning or preamble. ‘Now that it looks as if we have Hitler on the run, it’s vitally important that all staff dealing with communications of every kind are on top of their game, and that we all operate according to the same procedures, whether we’re in Land’s End or John O’Groats. I need two members of staff to attend the briefing in person in London. Lieutenant Feeny, you’ll represent your men. We need someone from the Wrens – Miss Callaghan, I’m informed it had better be you. Kindly see to it that your colleagues are up to date with everything before you go, although I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that.’