Lily of Love Lane (34 page)

‘They beat up women?’ Lily said in surprise.

‘That’s what’s happened, yes.’

Lily suddenly remembered the man who had accosted her at market. He’d had a mad look in his eye and she was only saved by Charles. Were the Blackshirts still as threatening?

‘But what do they want with the East End?’

‘They want power, that’s what. Think they’ll get it through dockers’ votes. Mosley intends to get a foot back in government whilst he hobnobs with the aristocrats on the
quiet. My old man gets all the information first hand. But as me daughter lives up Tower Hill, I take exception to not being able to visit her, just because of some hooligans.’

Lily thought of the days when there was trouble at the market. They seemed a long way off now. She would ask Hattie if there was any recurrence at Cox Street.

‘Anyway, better be off.’

After the older woman had gone, Lily walked through the newly decorated hall into the drawing room, admiring the work which she had arranged to be done. The aspidistra stood in a new pot, its
broad leaves shining under the electric light that had been installed in the house. What would Hattie think of the pastel colours of the walls that had replaced the heavy green and red flock
wallpapers that left the house so dark? The new cream muslin curtains were modern and the stylized birds and foliage patterns she had found in the upstairs rooms were long gone. Lily had created
simplicity, combining the pale greens and yellows of the walls to contrast with darker shades of carpeting. Charles had applauded everything she had done. He had spared no expense to accommodate
her wishes.

Lily looked out of the drawing room window. Through the now sparkling panes of glass the street was quietly fading into dusk. She drew the curtains as the warmth from the big open fire that
burned in the grate gave a cosy glow to the room. The two pink chairs that she had retained were drawn up either side of it. Lily looked around her with satisfaction. She couldn’t wait to see
the expression on Hattie’s face when she showed her upstairs.

Half an hour later the two girls stood in Lily’s private quarters. Over her large bed was spread a deep blue cover, the same shade as her long linen curtains that fell
from a gleaming brass rod. The thick Turkish rug that covered the pine floorboards was of different shades of blue and sunflower yellow and Hattie gazed around in wonder.

‘Fancy this being yours, Lil.’

‘I think how lucky I am when I wake up each morning.’

Hattie sighed wistfully. ‘I wouldn’t mind something like this meself.’

‘When you get your new house, I’ll help you to paint it.’

Hattie looked glum. ‘I don’t know when that will be.’

‘It will be worth the wait.’

‘I hope so.’

‘Come and sit down on me new couch.’

The two girls went into the next room. A walnut coffee table was placed next to a beige couch that Lily had filled with cushions.

‘This is nice too,’ said Hattie, sitting down. ‘Were these expensive?’

‘I bought them in Oxford Street.’

Hattie nodded to the walnut bookcase. ‘Have you read all them?’

Lily nodded as she sat by her friend. ‘I sit here at night after I’ve finished downstairs.’

‘What time is that?’

‘After dinner, about nine o’clock.’

‘That’s a long day.’

‘Yes, but I get the weekends off.’

‘I like that.’ Hattie pointed to the statue of a young woman dressed like a nymph. It was made entirely of pink frosted glass.

‘Charles gave it to me.’

‘I wish Reube would give me an expensive present.’

Lily laughed. ‘I don’t know if it’s valuable. But it looks nice.’

Hattie stood up and went to gaze in the large black-edged mirror above the bookcase. She wet her middle finger on her tongue and drew the tip over her eyebrows. ‘You and me should go into
business,’ she said as she studied her reflection. ‘We both like quality, the better things in life.’

‘What sort of business?’ Lily asked, amused.

‘If we had our own shop we could divide it up. Fashion and home decoration.’ Hattie’s eyes sparkled.

‘How would we get customers?’

‘I’d poach all Madame Nerys’ clients.’

‘You wouldn’t!’ Lily gasped.

‘What’s wrong with that? She’s got more than enough rich women buying from her.’ Hattie turned round, her face animated. ‘I’ve got me own designs that I want
to create. And you could do all their furnishings. Just think what we could achieve between us.’

Lily laughed. ‘We could take over the world.’

‘I mean it,’ said Hattie, pouting. ‘But I don’t suppose you want to leave Charles.’

‘I don’t know what the future will bring.’

‘Neither of us do.’

‘I thought you wanted to move to Brighton.’

Hattie giggled. ‘That’s right, I did. Me head is always full of plans.’

‘Come on, I’ll show you your very own room.’

Hattie gasped again as they entered the guest room. ‘It’s like a posh hotel.’

From the window they could see lights twinkling from the houses and streets below. Hattie bounced lightly on the big double bed that Mrs Brewer had furnished with a cream silk cover and pillows
to match. ‘Now, all I want is a bloke in it, waiting for me.’

Lily chuckled. ‘You’ve got one already. Don’t be greedy.’

Hattie opened the door of the bird’s eye maple wardrobe that was part of the luxurious set of three pieces. ‘I could get used to all this luxury very quickly.’

‘I’m glad you like it.’

‘The last time I came here you had the decorators in. I couldn’t see much. It was all so dark and gloomy before.’ Hattie turned suddenly. ‘Does Charles know I’m
staying?’

‘Of course he does.’

‘How long is he away for?’

‘It could be another week.’

‘Don’t you know when he’s coming back?’

Lily shook her head. ‘That’s part of me job. I have to be prepared for anything. It’s all part of his business, you see.’

Hattie looked around her again. ‘Do you know how old this house is?’

‘Yes, I’ve studied its history. It was built in 1840, in a Georgian style, but the Victorian influence was what made it so dark and overpowering. When Charles and Delia took it over,
they began to improve it, but then Delia got ill.’

‘How sad. What else has Charles told you about her?’

‘He doesn’t talk about her much. He never has a lot of time to discuss personal things as he’s such a busy man.’

‘So all the organizing is left to you.’

‘Luckily I’ve got Mrs Brewer to help me. She worked in service to an aristocratic family when she was young and has given me a lot of tips. And she is a wonderful cook and can knock
something up at a moment’s notice. She knows all the best butchers and greengrocers in Poplar and gets them to deliver here.’

Hattie rubbed her rumbling tummy. ‘Talking of which, Lil, I’m famished. I didn’t stop at twelve for something to eat as Madame Nerys kept me on my toes today. I had to oversee
a new customer, who is so bloody fussy I felt like stitching up her mouth.’

Laughing together, the two girls left the bedroom and went downstairs. The thick red carpeting was still spread over them, but Lily had bought a fine, Georgian styled desk to enhance the hall
and an exotic Turkish rug to make a stunning entrance. In the back parlour which was now used as a dining room, Mrs Brewer had set the big oval mahogany table with the best silver and china.

Hattie gasped. ‘Is this all in aid of us?’

Lily smiled. ‘I thought you deserved a treat. Now sit down, whilst I bring in the trolley.’

As Lily served the food she had prepared, Hattie looked round her. ‘Lil, this is kept like a palace.’

‘Thanks to Mrs Brewer.’

‘Do you eat your meals in here?’ Hattie asked.

‘No, I eat with Mrs Brewer in the kitchen. We keep this for the guests.’

‘Listen to the “we”!’ Hattie exclaimed as she made quick work of the meal set before her.

Lily blushed as she sat on the carver chair, one of eight placed round the table. ‘I mean Charles, of course, as this room is where he entertains his guests.’

‘Who are they, do you know?’

Lily shook her head. ‘Some of them are foreign. Charles travels abroad, you see.’

‘So you can’t understand what they say?’

‘I don’t have time to listen what with taking their hats and coats and serving up the food.’

‘Are they all men?’ Hattie asked, intrigued.

Lily hesitated. ‘There is one lady, a Mrs Covas.’

‘Is she foreign too?’

‘Don’t know. She don’t say much. But Charles once told me she’s a widow. He said she has a house in the country that he has furnished for her.’

‘Is she young and attractive?’ Hattie was swift to ask.

Lily frowned. ‘In her thirties I would say. She has black hair and flashing black eyes.’

Lily didn’t add that she didn’t much like Mrs Covas who always looked round critically, her dark eyes ignoring Lily. Although Lily had studied the illustrated magazines and read lots
of books on housekeeping, she felt that Mrs Covas disapproved of what she had done to the house.

‘Would you like some afters?’ Lily asked quickly.

‘Yes, please.’

Lily returned from the kitchen with a large round fruit cake.

‘I could eat all of that,’ laughed Hattie, as Lily slipped a slice onto her plate. Hattie rolled her eyes as she sampled it. ‘Oh, Lil, I ain’t tasted anything like this
before.’

‘Mrs Brewer is a very good cook, as I told you.’

As she ate, Hattie began to tell Lily her news. ‘At home, Sylvester’s no better, but at least I don’t have to worry about him now that I’ve got worries of me
own.’

‘What worries are they?’

‘Reube has decided he doesn’t want to leave home. Now Ben has gone he says the house is big enough to take us all. His mum and Pedro seem to have forgotten all about getting married
and Reube says whilst we don’t have kids, we can save up for somewhere better than an ordinary two up, two down.’

‘That’s a sensible idea.’

‘Don’t you start. Me master plan was to leave Love Lane and have me own place. But Reube simply won’t get off his arse. Ben’s done it, so why can’t we?’

‘Is Ben happy in his new home?’

‘You should see it. A nice little terrace in Stepney.’

‘I’m sure you’ll get your house.’

‘Only if I get pregnant.’ Hattie looked miserable.

‘You must be patient as you’ve only been married two years.’

‘Yes, but we did it before, didn’t we?’ Hattie went pink.

Lily smiled. ‘Yes, you’ve had a bit of practice.’

Hattie stifled a giggle. ‘And we’re still at it like rabbits. All in all that’s the best bit of marriage. The other stuff like housework and shopping is a bit of a
drudge.’

‘Hattie!’

‘Well, it’s true, Lil. Who wants to spend their life sweating over a hot stove and cleaning floors?’

‘You will when you have kids.’

‘If you ask me, that’s not so easy. Me and Reube always took a chance on him – well, you know . . .’

Lily shook her head. ‘No, I don’t.’

‘A bloke can keep a woman from getting pregnant,’ Hattie said, lowering her voice. ‘He just doesn’t go the whole way. He withdraws before he comes inside her.’

Lily blushed too. Hattie had never told her that before.

‘But I have to admit,’ went on Hattie, ‘that we took a few chances when Reube had had a couple of beers. Nothing ever happened though and I always got me monthly, even though
it was late.’

Lily frowned. ‘So it’s not that easy to get pregnant then?’

‘Not for me it ain’t. And there’s another girl at work called Irene, who’s been trying for a baby for nearly ten years.’

‘That’s a long time.’

‘I ain’t going to live with Mrs James for that long!’ exclaimed Hattie indignantly. She leaned forward, her eyes twinkling. ‘Are you enjoying yourself with
Charles?’ Hattie put her chin in her hands. ‘Come on, you can tell me.’

‘Not in the way you mean.’

‘So you’re still a virgin?’

Lily looked embarrassed. ‘Trust you to come straight out with it.’

‘I thought by all the questions you was asking, you’d done it.’

Lily looked down in her lap. Hattie never minced words. She would have liked to have told her friend something different, but she couldn’t.

‘Hasn’t he tried it on?’

‘No, he’s always very gentlemanly.’

‘But you wouldn’t mind if he did?’

Lily looked up. Both girls giggled.

‘Even a gentleman gets his urges,’ said Hattie, spluttering. ‘He’s free and single and so are you. He can’t be so busy that he don’t have time for a bit of
romance. You do still like him, don’t you?’

‘You know I do.’

Lily knew that if Charles was ever to take her in his arms, she would give herself to him. But that had never happened. Although she loved everything about her life at Dewar Street, she longed
to be close to him. He had done so much for her. She had been given a chance to learn about the finer things in life, she had even refined her own accent as she met more and more well-spoken
people. Added to which she had supported her family and her father had recovered from the terrible ordeal he had suffered. The only thing lacking in Lily’s life was time with Charles. His
absences from the house were long and frequent. But even this only made her heart grow fonder of him. At night in bed she would long to see him again and welcome him home. She still dreamed about
how it would feel to be his wife. In her heart, she believed they were meant to be together forever.

Hattie cupped her chin in her hands thoughtfully and said nothing. As Lily could find nothing else to relate on the subject of a budding romance, she stood up. ‘Let’s sit in the
drawing room by the fire.’ It sounded very grand.

‘What about the dirty dishes?’ Hattie asked.

Lily grinned. ‘We can leave them on the trolley.’

‘Who washes them up?’

‘Mrs Brewer usually.’

‘You ain’t half lucky. I wish I had a servant.’

‘You can train all your kids to wait on you,’ said Lily before she could stop herself. But at the mention of children again, Hattie’s face fell.

All evening they sat laughing and talking. Curled up in the pink watered silk chairs, the fire filled the room with a glow. Lily heard how Mrs Parks and Josie now went shopping
together. Last week, Ben and Reube had taken Bob Bright to the Quarry for an ale.