Forgotten Dreams (25 page)
‘I do try to write regular myself but I dare say my letters aren’t that interesting,’ Max said humbly. ‘Somehow, I’m always so busy . . .’
‘Your letters are interesting, but I think Lottie’s got the gift of making you see what she sees,’ Baz said quickly. ‘And you do write regular, Dad. I don’t think you’ve missed a week once in all the time you’ve been away. In fact it’s me that should feel guilty because I’m a rotten correspondent.’
Merle began to speak but was cut off short by Mrs Shilling’s clapping her hands briskly and addressing them. ‘Off with you to the dining room, Puddles,’ she said. ‘And you can all take something through with you. Mr Max, you carry the casserole, and you Laceys can bring the veg. Mr Russell, bring the teapot, will you? I’ll fetch the rest.’
In bed that night, Lottie thought long and hard over what had happened between Merle and Baz. There was no doubt in her mind that Baz’s feelings towards Merle had changed, though it was pretty clear that Merle’s feelings for Baz had remained the same. She had done everything in her power to assure him that she felt only friendship for Jerry whereas she felt a far deeper emotion for himself. Baz, however, remained cool and detached. As he had promised, he had accompanied them to the Wellington and met the company; then he had become a part of the audience until the final curtain, when he went backstage once more. Merle had tried to throw her arms round him when they trooped off the stage, but he had eluded the embrace with some skill. One of the chorus girls had giggled and this had made Merle very angry, but it had also made her realise that she was going to have to work at their relationship if she wanted it to return to its old footing.
When the two girls were preparing for bed, Lottie had tried to talk it over but Merle had said pettishly that there was nothing wrong between herself and Baz and that she would thank Lottie to mind her own business. ‘I don’t know how you dare say that, Merle O’Mara,’ Lottie had said, feeling her cheeks grow hot with indignation. ‘It weren’t you that spent the whole day with Baz, it were me, and all I wanted to say was that he will be in Yarmouth all day tomorrow; he’s leaving first thing on Monday. I wondered whether you’d like to ask Jerry to make up a foursome since we’re all going to be friends, it seems.’
Merle had glared. ‘I’ve not had a chance to speak to Baz by myself yet, so I don’t know what we’ll be doing,’ she had said coldly. ‘But if there’s one thing I am sure of, it’s that Baz and me won’t want no kid hangin’ around. If you want to go out with Jerry, that’s up to you, but I can’t see him taking to the idea myself.’
‘Whatever have I done to make you so mad, Merle?’ Lottie had asked, for Merle’s tone had been not only cold but also sharp. ‘I let Baz think you’d gone into Norwich with a girlfriend and I took him out to Oulton Broad ’cos I was afraid if we stayed in Yarmouth we might walk slap bang into you and Jerry. And I backed you up when you said you and Jerry were just friends, you know I did.’
Merle had sighed. She had just finished having a quick wash and turned to give Lottie an impulsive hug. ‘I’m sorry. I know you did everything you could to help,’ she had muttered. ‘But tomorrow I reckon I’ve got to have some time alone with Baz, to sort things out. You don’t mind, do you, queen?’
‘No, of course I don’t mind,’ Lottie had said, completely won over. ‘As soon as breakfast is over I’ll slip away; there’s lots to do in Yarmouth. Ever since we arrived I’ve been meaning to start a shell collection, but somehow I’ve never got round to it. I’ll do it tomorrow.’
The next morning, however, Lottie found that slipping away was not going to be so easy. Baz arrived just as they finished breakfast, and she opened the door to him, greeted him pleasantly and would have gone past him and out into the sunny morning had he not grabbed her wrist, saying in a jovial tone: ‘Not so fast, young lady! I’ve got plans for today and they include you. I expect you’ll pretend you were just on your way to close the front gate, or to buy a Sunday newspaper, but you aren’t going anywhere . . . not until we’ve made our arrangements, that is.’
They were standing in the doorway and Lottie knew that Merle, whose turn it was to dry the dishes, would have heard Baz’s voice and would be listening eagerly, so she drew him into the small front garden, pulling the door almost shut behind her. ‘Baz, I’ve got plans of my own for today,’ she said. ‘Merle and you need to talk things over and catch up with each other’s news. You – you mustn’t let what happened yesterday afternoon spoil things.’
‘Has Merle put you up to this?’ Baz said suspiciously. Lottie shook her head, beginning to disclaim, but he gave her a little shake and overrode her. ‘It don’t matter whether she did or she didn’t. She’s not the girl I thought her and that’s the truth. If Jerry was just a friend, then why didn’t either of you ever mention him?’
‘Because Merle was afraid you wouldn’t understand,’ Lottie said frankly. ‘Please, Baz, don’t hold it against her. If you won’t go out with her alone, then all three of us could do something together.’
Baz shook his head. ‘No; it ’ud be downright embarrassing. She’d keep trying to grab me and I’d want to give her an almighty great shove, and tell her to grab someone else,’ he said with a frankness which rivalled Lottie’s own. ‘When something’s over, it’s over.’
‘But it isn’t over,’ Lottie said desperately. ‘At least, it isn’t for Merle. She still loves you, Baz, honest to God she does. It’s just that she got so dreadfully lonely . . . and you didn’t really answer her letters, and you never visited us either.’
‘That’s true,’ Baz admitted grudgingly. ‘I hate writing letters. I didn’t reply to you, either.’
‘No, and I got pretty upset with you, but you weren’t my boyfriend and you were supposed to be Merle’s,’ Lottie pointed out. ‘Look, suppose I tell her she mustn’t grab you, would you come out with us then – both of us, I mean?’
Baz laughed, and to Lottie’s relief his face showed genuine amusement. ‘All right, if that’s what you want,’ he said. ‘But you enjoyed yesterday, didn’t you? I thought we might go out there again, only this time I’d hire some fishing tackle and we could take our bathers.’
‘Well, we could still do that,’ Lottie said, but she spoke doubtfully. ‘Only Merle can’t swim, you know. I think she’d rather we went round the town. There’s lots to do and see. I’ve told you about most of it, but telling isn’t the same as seeing with your own eyes.’
‘Right. And now you’d better nip indoors and tell Merle what we’ve arranged. Will it take you long to get ready? Shall I amuse myself for half an hour?’
‘No need; Merle must have finished the crocks by now, so we can come at once,’ Lottie assured him. ‘You come and wait in the parlour while I tell Merle no grabbing. We’ll have a really good day, just you see if we don’t.’ So saying, she disappeared into the kitchen to tell her friend what she and Baz had agreed. Merle sighed, but said it was fair enough.
There was a little constraint at first as the three of them walked down towards the prom, but since their first call was Barron’s Amusement Arcade they soon became very much easier with one another. They played the penny falls without once winning so much as a ha’penny, and they took it in turns to see ‘what the butler saw’ and also the gruesome hanging of a condemned man, which had Merle shuddering with pretended fear, though Lottie knew perfectly well that she had viewed the exhibit half a dozen times before without turning a hair. There was a rifle range where Baz won a celluloid doll which he said he intended to give to the small daughter of his Yarmouth landlady. This made Lottie giggle and the giggle, in turn, made Baz give her a wink, but fortunately Merle was lining up to throw darts at playing cards and noticed nothing.
Baz treated them to lunch at Langtry’s restaurant, which was a thrill for both girls since it was known to be expensive and they had not previously entered its portals. They were very impressed by the starched white tablecloths and shining silver cutlery and by the food, which was delicious and elaborately presented on fine china plates, with the restaurant’s name in gold leaf around the edge.
The weather remained bright and sunny and when Baz suggested that they should go down to the beach and hire deckchairs to digest their meal, the girls were not at all unwilling. They followed him on to the golden sand, already crowded with a great many trippers, and collapsed into the deckchairs, though in Lottie’s case not for long. Baz had his eyes shut and so did Merle, but Lottie knew her friend well enough to be sure that Merle was not actually asleep, so before she left them, she addressed her. ‘No grabbing,’ she hissed into the older girl’s ear, and saw Merle open one eye and give a wicked little grin.
Lottie threaded her way through the recumbent forms, kicked off her sandals, bunched the skirt of her cotton dress in one hand and walked into the waves. It was lovely! She wished she had brought her bathing costume, but it would not have been fair on Merle. Recently, her friend had felt herself too much of an adult for the beach, complained that sand got into everything, and refused to accompany Lottie even on the hottest day when everyone, surely, must long to cool themselves in the beautiful North Sea. Once she was up to her knees, Lottie glanced back up the beach and was dismayed to realise that Baz was no longer in his deckchair, but striding towards her. He called, but when she took no notice rolled up his trouser legs, removed his shoes and socks, and paddled in after her. ‘You thought I were asleep, you little monkey,’ he said, but his voice was amiable. ‘I wish I’d brought my swimmin’ things, then we could have had a proper dip.’
Lottie opened her mouth to remind him that Merle could not swim, then closed it again. After all, this was Baz’s one and only trip to the seaside, so why should he not enjoy himself? It was not his fault that Merle would not go in the sea if she could possibly help it.
The rest of the day was spent introducing Baz to the many and varied amusements which the town offered. Several times Merle signalled to Lottie to make herself scarce, and Lottie did her best to comply, but both girls soon realised that it was useless. Baz stuck closer to Lottie than a limpet to a rock and very soon the three of them began to behave more naturally, laughing and joking and even linking arms, with Baz in the middle and a girl on either side.
When they reached the pleasure beach it was growing dusk and many of the attractions were beginning to close. Lottie was well aware that Merle disliked heights – she was not too keen on them herself – and guessed that Merle had noticed Baz was pulling them towards the queue of people waiting their turn to go on the scenic railway. Baz said that if he was to enjoy a ride on the popular attraction, it was now or never, and they joined the queue. ‘We’ll get a marvellous view when the carriages are at the very top of the highest loop,’ he told them. ‘All the better because it’s growing dusk. But if you really don’t want to come, Merle, I’ll understand. After all, there’s not a lot of spare space in them little carriages. Tell you what, I’ll give you some money and you can buy us all a penn’orth of chips while Lottie and meself sample this here scenic railway.’
Lottie could see that this idea did not appeal to Merle at all but at that moment the train they were watching reached its highest point, hesitated, trembled, and then plunged down to ground level. The screams were deafening and Merle gave a ladylike shudder and held out her hand for the money Baz was offering. ‘All right, I’ll buy a penn’orth of chips each and probably I’ll be the only one who can eat ’em because that there ride is enough to turn the strongest stomach,’ she observed. She turned to Lottie. ‘You won’t like it, queen. Why not let Mr Cleverboots here go on alone, then you an’ me can enjoy our chips with insides what ain’t churned up.’
Lottie looked uncertainly from one to the other, but at that moment the queue began to move forward. A brightly painted little car stopped alongside them, two giggling girls got out and Baz lifted Lottie up and dumped her unceremoniously on the wooden seat, squeezed in beside her and snapped the guard rail into place. A skinny youth came and took the money, Lottie shouted goodbye to her friend, reminding Merle that she wanted salt and vinegar on her chips, and then the little cars jerked and began to move forward.
The climb up the first length of track was slow for the train was fully loaded, and when they reached the top of the incline they felt the full force of the wind for the first time. Lottie looked around her and was amazed by the beauty of the scene. The sea shone like watered silk; lights twinkled in streets and glowed from windows, turning Yarmouth into a fairytale town. Below them, the crowds of people in their holiday best thronged Marine Parade, and the piers jutting into the sea looked like fairy palaces, with their sparkling lights, domes and minarets. Lottie was clutching Baz’s arm and starting to ask him if his lodgings were visible from here when their little car tipped over the edge and began its downward plunge. She had not meant to scream or clutch, had certainly not intended to stand up, but the speed and force of their descent was so tremendous that a shriek was torn from her lips and she was jerked upright, so that Baz had to put his arm round her and heave her back on to the seat.
‘That was horrid,’ Lottie panted, as the train reached the lower level and began to climb once more. ‘Oh, Baz, I thought that was the highest hill when we were on top of it, but it wasn’t, was it; this one’s high – high – higher!’ The last word came out as a shriek, but this time Lottie was shrieking for a different reason. The train was gradually gaining height, and as she looked down, trying to pick Merle out in the crowd surrounding the fish and chip van, she saw a face which was as familiar as that of her friend. She half stood up, and as Baz jerked her back into her seat once more she pointed frantically. ‘Look, Baz! Look! It’s the boy with the golden eyes! He’s just in front of Merle, waiting for chips! Oh, Baz, make them stop. I’ve got to get off, got to reach him before he disappears again.’
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