sound just like our mum,’ Geoff said wryly and slid his brother a significant look before he turned his attention to Alice, sitting rather quietly beside him.
‘When you leaving school?’ he abruptly asked.
‘Not for ages.’ Alice grimaced sadly. ‘Not even thirteen yet.’ She frowned again at the crumpled newspaper on her lap containing her delicious food. It had seemed like a good idea to come and have something to eat with the Lovat boys. But now doubts about what she’d done were worming into her mind. In her pocket she had change from the half crown her uncle had lent her but she knew she must offer him back the whole amount and she’d no idea where she’d find that money. She was regretting having shown off and offered to be generous with money that wasn’t hers to spend. If her mother ever found out what she’d done she’d be for it.
‘There … take yer poxy half a crown!’ Tilly roared. She drove a fist into her pinafore pocket, pulled out a coin and lobbed it.
‘No need to be like that, Til,’ Fran said, swiping the money off the dirty floorboards. ‘I’m just saying that your Alice has took what’s rightfully mine. Jimmy’s give me no money and the boys need something for tea.’
‘Well, ain’t that a surprise … Jimmy’s give yer no money!’ Tilly sarcastically echoed her sister’s words back at her.
‘Well, perhaps he would’ve done if your Alice hadn’t been out beggin’ and got to him first.’
Tilly turned her savage, narrowed gaze on her sister, making Fran flinch. ‘My kids don’t beg, and don’t you ever say they do. He should’ve told her no when she asked.’
‘He’s got a kind heart.’ Fran coloured at the sound of her sister’s scoffing hoot of laughter.
‘He’s a fuckin’ animal and you know it,’ Tilly spat. ‘He’s deliberately making trouble between us, you know that too.’
‘Don’t talk about him like that. He’s me husband,’ Fran shouted, narked.
‘Yeah, he’s your’n alright, more fool you,’ Tilly replied and turned her back on her sister. ‘Shut the door on your way out.’
‘Oi … you … here!’ was the greeting that Alice got when she returned home with Sophy.
Immediately Alice felt her stomach lurch. She knew straight away from her mother’s voice and fearsome look that she was in for a hiding and she could guess why.
‘You two in back,’ Tilly commanded her other daughters.
‘You been asking Uncle Jimmy for money?’
‘No!’ Alice protested. ‘I didn’t ask him for nuthin’. He give it me.’
‘But you was telling him our business, and that I’d not give you money you’d asked for. You took his half crown.’
Alice nodded then howled as a rough hand swiped her cheek.
‘You tell him nothing, you hear? Never tell him what goes on in this place. Have you given that half a crown to fat Louisa on account of her blouse going missing?’
Alice miserably shook her head. She knew she was in trouble whatever she said. All she had left to return to her uncle Jimmy was a shilling and threepence in change. ‘I didn’t give Louisa it. When I got back she was beating Sophy up and Sarah’d scarpered.’
Tilly’s features tightened on hearing that Sophy had been set about. ‘Right. Give it here, then,’ she ordered and stuck out a hand to take the coin.
‘Spent it,’ Alice muttered and hung her head.
‘You … done … what?’ Tilly demanded in genuine astonishment. She grasped her daughter’s chin and forced it up.
‘Bought chips; we was hungry.’ Alice knew that wasn’t explanation enough to satisfy her mother. A few penn’orth of chips didn’t make half a crown. She’d bought pies and pop too. ‘Bought some for the new boys too ’cos Danny was on our side and knocked down Louisa for what he did to Sophy.’
‘Feeling generous, was you?’ Tilly’s hand cracked against the other side of Alice’s face this time. ‘You little pest. Give ’ere what’s left of it. Every penny.’
Alice dropped the coins into her mother’s waiting palm. ‘I’ll pay back the rest from me doorsteps,’ Alice mumbled while the tears rolled down her scarlet, stinging cheeks.
‘Too bleedin’ right you’ll pay it back,’ her mother agreed harshly. ‘Now get out o’ me sight else I’ll really give you something to cry about.’
Alice sank onto the bed in the back room and shrugged off Sophy’s comforting hand. She turned her face into the musty old mattress and closed her hot, dribbling eyes.
‘Wish I was old enough to leave school,’ she muttered. ‘I’d be out of here and miles away by tomorrow.’
‘Me ‘n’ all,’ Sophy agreed. ‘Hope Danny gets a decent job soon.’
Alice turned on the bed to look at her sister. ‘Won’t help you what job he gets,’ she said shortly and cuffed the wetness from her face.
‘Might do …’ Sophy looked away. ‘Only just met him but I know he likes me and I like him,’ she said a bit defensively. ‘Can’t wait to get away from this dump and nor can he. When he goes home to Essex I’m going with him.’
Alice levered herself up on an elbow, momentarily shocked into speechlessness. Her sister looked oddly calm and confident and there wasn’t a sign of the self-conscious smile that usually accompanied her daft hopes. ‘I never heard him say you can,’ Alice reasoned. ‘Anyhow, you don’t hardly know him.’ She’d spluttered that with a grin, already recovering from her mother’s chastisement. It wasn’t an unusual occurrence for any of them, even Bethany, to get a good belt off her when she was het up over something. And she had given her mother something to get very het up about. Inwardly her stomach squirmed in regret because she knew the money must be found from somewhere to pay back Uncle Jimmy. He wouldn’t wait for payment while she did her doorsteps for the next few months. Alice focused on her sister’s expression, considered the meaning behind it. She looked secretive but in a nice way. Danny did like Sophy. He’d made that pretty obvious this afternoon by the way he was looking at her and touching her. At one point Alice had feared he might try and kiss her behind a wall in Seven Sisters Road. And Sophy had just let her know … as if she hadn’t already guessed … that she liked him right back. ‘You reckon he’ll marry you or something?’ Alice asked. ‘You’re not even old enough to leave school.’
‘Soon I will be.’ Sophy nodded in emphasis. She glowered fiercely at Alice. ‘Don’t you go telling Mum I like him. She’ll put a spoke in. She can’t wait for us to get out to work neither but only so’s she can have our wages off us.’
Alice knew that was true. Even the little bit they managed to make on their odd jobs was under scrutiny from their mother. They’d learned to hide very well their few coppers for their mother had been known to prise up floorboards searching for them.
‘You
