One Rainy Day (48 page)

‘A present from my mother and brother,’ Poppy told her. ‘A lovely surprise.’

‘I’ll be coming to lunch with you and Jean tomorrow,’ Charlotte said. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’

‘Make the most of it, then, for it might not be possible after this Friday. Not for a while, anyway.’

‘David has told me all about it, Poppy, and I think you are very brave, and a good friend to Jean. But you won’t be out of work for long, and then we can begin our lunch dates again.’

Looking at his sister, Andrew wished he had her ability to talk without having to think first. And right then he decided he’d have to come out of his shell, or lose the girl he had fallen in love with at first sight. So he put his arm across Poppy’s shoulder, and told his sister, ‘Poppy has promised to come for that tea and cake she keeps putting off. And as she’ll be free next week, I think we can coax her to name a day. In fact she’ll be job seeking, so she can call in any time for a drink, and to rest her tired feet.’

‘I don’t know how to start job seeking, as you put it.’ Poppy felt quite comfortable with Andrew’s arm on her
shoulder. In fact she found she liked it. ‘But if Charlotte is with me, we’ll call into your office. However, finding employment comes before tea and cakes. I need a job for the sake of my pride and independence. And I’m certainly not wasting what it’s taken me months to learn. So, all in all, I don’t really know what’s going to happen in the near future. But I believe we’ll all keep in touch somehow.’

Jim came up then, holding Sarah’s hand. They both looked happy, and Poppy was glad, for she had a soft spot for Jim, and Sarah was a nice girl who wouldn’t let him down.

‘You’re looking good tonight, Poppy.’ Jim always had a cheerful smile on his face. ‘The dress looks nice on yer. In fact yer look so good I’m almost afraid to ask yer for a dance.’

‘Don’t be daft, soft lad. It’s not the dress you’d be dancing with, it’s an old mate. We’ll have the next dance together and everyone can have a change of partner.’ Poppy turned her head to where Peter and Kate were standing. They were holding hands and had smiles on their faces as they talked. And seeing them so intimate, Poppy felt happy. Any guilt she felt about Peter disappeared.

‘Andrew, would you partner Sarah? I think Peter and Kate would rather stay together.’

The dance was a quickstep, and Jim was in his element. He was a good dancer with a natural rhythm, and easy to follow. ‘Sarah seems a nice girl, Poppy,’ he said. ‘We’re getting on well together. Good little dancer, too!’

‘She’s a lovely girl, Jim. You wouldn’t go far wrong with her. Nice family, too! You’d like her mother; she’s a born comedienne.’

‘D’yer think she’d mind if I asked her for a date? Sarah, I mean, not her mother.’

‘No harm in trying, Jim. Tell her I gave you permission to ask. That might help.’

Jim swung her round, as happy and carefree as a bird. ‘I’ll ask her to come to the flicks one night, and keep me fingers crossed.’

Poppy waited for the next slow foxtrot, and made sure she was near enough to Andrew to say without anyone’s hearing, ‘Shall we, Andrew?’

He was delighted. They seemed to have made a lot of headway tonight. But there were two things he didn’t know. One was that his sister was watching every move, every sign, for she had promised to report back to her father. And second, Poppy wanted to find out whether she really did feel a shiver run down her spine, or was it her imagination? Not that she was really interested, she told herself, she was just curious.

‘How do you intend to set about looking for work?’ Andrew asked. ‘Will you put an advert in a newspaper?’

Poppy gaped. ‘Oh, no, I couldn’t afford to do that. And I don’t think it’s a good idea to try and sell oneself. No, I’ve started to read the vacancy column in the
Echo
, and I’ll try asking the Labour Exchange if they know of any jobs going. Not that I think that will do any good, but anything is worth a try.’

‘Poppy, can I ask you for a favour?’

‘Of course you can, if it’s not too personal.’ Poppy looked him straight in the eyes, and then it came. A shiver down her spine that she felt sure he must have felt, for he was holding her close. But surely that didn’t mean what her mother had told her? She hardly knew him, and they were not suited. They came from different backgrounds. ‘What is the favour?’

‘Look on me as a friend. I want that very much.’

‘Well, I don’t consider you an enemy, Andrew, I never have.’

‘Then when you’re in the city, whether shopping or job hunting, promise you’ll call in and see me.’

‘I promise. In fact I’ll come in one day with Charlotte. I’ll make arrangements with her, and she’ll let you know which day it’ll be. Does that satisfy you?’

‘Not completely, Poppy, but it’s better than nothing.’

When Andrew and Charlotte arrived home, it was to find their mother had already retired. ‘I think I’ll go straight up,’ Andrew said. ‘Are you coming?’

‘I’m going to the kitchen for a drink first.’ Charlotte didn’t think helping her brother could be classed as a lie, so she didn’t hesitate to go on. ‘I’ll boil myself some milk. You go up.’ She made her way to the kitchen door but didn’t go in. After hearing her brother’s footsteps on the stairs, and then the closing of his bedroom door, she did an about-turn and made for her father’s study, as arranged.

‘Hello, Papa.’ She avoided the cigar between his fingers and gave him a hug. Then she sat on the corner of his desk and set her legs swinging. ‘A definite improvement tonight, Papa. Andrew has come out of his shell, and he’s letting Poppy see he likes her. But I found out from Poppy’s brother tonight that she has given her notice in at work, and she’s leaving Sutherland’s on Friday.’

George frowned. ‘Why has she given her notice in? And what difference would it make regarding the situation between her and Andrew? It is all very confusing, my dear. I wonder if you could clear the air for me.’

‘Well, from what David told me, Papa, Jean Slater went into John Sutherland’s office to hand her notice in, and Poppy could hear him shouting bad things at Jean about her appearance, and he was using bad language and bawling at her. And Poppy couldn’t bear to sit there and let Jean, or any woman, be spoken to in such a manner. So she went into John
Sutherland’s office to defend Jean, and he screamed at her to get out. So she handed in her notice. Apparently John Sutherland was like a madman.’

‘He does have a reputation as a bully, I’m afraid,’ George said. ‘His father, John Senior, is a member of the club, and you wouldn’t meet a nicer person. He’s a thorough gentleman, from the top of his head to the tips of his toes.’

‘Then aren’t you glad you have a son like Andrew, who is gentle and caring.’ Charlotte slid off the desk. ‘Poppy looked lovely tonight, Papa. She had a nice dress on that really suited her. She’s very beautiful, and I do hope she and Andrew continue to become closer.’

‘I can’t comment on something I know nothing about, dear girl, and sometimes I can’t keep up with your devious methods of making things happen. But I can agree on what I have seen with my own eyes. And I agree that Miss Poppy Meadows is a beautiful young lady.’

‘She’s promised to come with me to Andrew’s office for tea and a cake. So would you like me to bring her to your office to say hello?’

‘I would like that very much, my dear. And if things continue as you hope, then, in your devious way, you can try to arrange it so your mother can meet her.’

‘Oh, I can do most things, Papa, but that is one bit of magic I can’t pull off.’ She hugged her father and kissed him before walking towards the door. Then with her hand on the knob, she turned. Her eyes filled with devilment, she giggled. ‘I will try though, Papa, so listen for the big bang.’

When Poppy and Jean came out of the office building on Friday lunchtime, they were surprised to see Charlotte waiting for them. ‘I know you weren’t expecting me but I thought I couldn’t miss coming for lunch with you today, the last time you’ll be coming out of this building and walking to the café.’

‘Oh, that was thoughtful of you,’ Jean said, feeling like a free spirit for the first time in years. She’d been getting more confident each day, with Mr Hammond praising her efficiency. ‘I think that’s really sweet of you, don’t you agree, Poppy?’

‘Yes, it was thoughtful, and it’s always nice to see you, Charlotte.’ Poppy smiled at the young girl, who seemed to be part of her life now. How it had come about, she couldn’t really remember. But she was glad to see her today, which wasn’t really a day of rejoicing as far as she was concerned. Jean had reason to be happy as she was starting a new job on Monday. But the thought of being out of work was making Poppy nervous. She hadn’t any idea how to go about finding a job.

After sighing inwardly, she told herself she mustn’t put a damper on the day by being miserable. It wasn’t Jean’s fault she had given her notice in, and she mustn’t be made to feel guilty. Without her help, Poppy wouldn’t be in a position now to apply for a decent job.

Putting a bright smile on her face, Poppy linked arms with her friends. ‘Don’t let’s make it a farewell lunch, eh? We’ll meet again very soon. Once I’ve found myself a job, we can go back to our usual routine. And that is lunch every day at the café.’ She chuckled. ‘Soup and homemade bread in the winter, and salad or sandwiches in the summer.’

‘That would be lovely,’ Jean said. ‘I don’t want to lose touch with you, Poppy, because without your help I wouldn’t have a new job to go to. And of course I do hope Charlotte keeps in touch.’

‘This is just a thought,’ Poppy said, ‘but what if our dinner hours don’t coincide? I know most offices close from one to two o’clock, but not all of them do.’

‘The girls in Papa’s office have a flexible lunch hour,’ Charlotte told them. ‘They take their lunch break to fit in with their work. Except for Papa and Andrew, who usually take their lunch break around two o’clock, or later. And of course they are not tied to time. Sometimes Andrew doesn’t bother, if he’s busy. He’ll have sandwiches sent in.’

As she was pushing the café door open Poppy said, laughingly, ‘That was very helpful, Charlotte. You have confused us now. So I think this Monday and Tuesday are out of the question, as I would probably be wasting my time. I’ll wait until Charlotte tells me what time you take your break, Jean. Will you be at the Grafton on Tuesday, Charlotte?’

‘Oh, yes, I’m really looking forward to it. And David is going as well. At least he promised he would.’

‘Then you can tell me what time Jean has her lunch break, and I’ll meet her here on Wednesday. Just to find out if she’s settled in her new job, and if she likes it And being nosy by nature, I’ll want to know about the people she’s working with.’

‘I’ll go to the counter and order,’ Jean said. ‘I’m not going to ask what you want, because it’s our last day and we’ll have what we always have.’ She took her purse from her pocket. ‘This is on me, for you’ve both been very good friends, and I hope it stays that way.’

Charlotte pulled her chair closer to Poppy’s. ‘Can I meet you here on Monday, Poppy? I know you’ll be wanting to look for a job, but you can spare an hour. I do enjoy being with you, and I’m lost at home. I don’t know what to do with myself. So say you’ll meet me, and perhaps Jean will be able to come. I could easily find out what her lunchtime is, but I know she wouldn’t want me to get involved. I don’t want our friendship to change just because of who I am. You wouldn’t ever stop being my friend, would you, Poppy? I’d be very sad if I lost you. Heartbroken, in fact.’

Poppy looked into the beautiful face, and found herself being moved by the appeal in the brown eyes as big as saucers. ‘You would make a fantastic actress, Charlotte. You have missed your vocation. You’ve brought tears to my eyes, that’s how good you are.’ She covered the girl’s hand with one of her own. ‘Of course I won’t stop being your friend. I wouldn’t care if you were the Queen, or as poor as a church mouse. I don’t choose friends for who they are, Charlotte, I choose them because I like them and enjoy their company. And because we will be there for each other when times are hard. And yes, I will meet you on Monday for lunch, but after that I can’t promise when I’ll see you again. At the Grafton, of course, because I need some pleasure in life. But not lunch every day, for I need to look for work, and I won’t be able to afford it. You can understand that, can’t you?’

Charlotte nodded. ‘Yes, of course I understand. I’ll meet you here on Monday.’ Her mind was working overtime, but
she couldn’t tell Poppy what she was thinking. Her best bet was to have words with Papa tonight. She’d wangle a way to get him into his study, and tell him all the things in her head and her heart. ‘I don’t think you’ll be out of work long, Poppy. There must be plenty of offices looking for someone like you. Beautiful, intelligent, and kind.’

Jean came back carrying a heavily laden tray. ‘I told the girl at the counter I’d wait and carry the order myself, but I didn’t realize it would be so heavy. Would you take one of the plates off, Poppy, before I drop the lot?’

Poppy jumped to her feet. ‘You should have given me a shout, and I’d have lent a hand. It smells good, though. My tummy can smell it too and it’s starting to rumble. Mushroom soup is my favourite.’

Once the tray was emptied, Jean breathed a sigh of relief. ‘I’ll never offer to carry our lunch again. One of the waitresses can bring it.’ She stood the empty tray by the leg of the table before looking at Poppy. ‘Every soup is your favourite. If it’s vegetable, onion, tomato or mushroom, you always say it’s your favourite.’

‘Well, it is on that particular day! As my mam always says, hunger is good sauce. Everything tastes good when you’re hungry.’

‘I’d like to meet your mother, Poppy.’ Charlotte said. ‘She sounds nice.’

‘She’s more than nice, she’s lovely, and I love the bones of her. I was only nine when my dad died, and David was twelve, I think. So my mam had to be mother and father to us. She had a hard time, looking after us and working full time as well. We’d do anything for her, David and I, because, when money was scarce, there was always love and laughter to keep us warm.’