did the right thing,’ she said and smiled at the younger girl. Kathy already had too much responsibility for a girl of her age. ‘Don’t worry, love, you’ll go to school in the morning – I want you to get on and do something better, be a secretary or something when you leave…’
‘I want to get married and cook lovely things for my family,’ Kathy said. ‘I’m going to marry a man with money – someone who will put his wages on the table every weekend and not spend it all down the pub…’
‘Good for you,’ Marion said. She didn’t think she would ever marry. Men were so unpredictable. Of the ones she knew in her own street, only three of them spent less time in the pub than they did at home. Mr Jackson was a good provider and gave his wife her share regular as clockwork, even though he liked a drink once a week. All his sons gave their mother money for their keep, which was why Mrs Jackson had a new winter coat most years and no one in that house ever went short of anything. Most of the other women complained of having to raid their husbands’ pockets for pennies when they were drunk just to put food on the table – and Marion would never live like that!
At six o’clock, Robbie came down to the kitchen dressed for work. He looked at his sisters, who were eating toast at the table. ‘Milly is cryin’ again,’ he said. ‘I looked in on her and I think she might ’ave been sick…’
‘Again!’ Kathy stood up with a sigh. ‘I’ll go to her, Marion…’
Marion looked at her brother. ‘I’m sorry if I woke you, Robbie…’
‘Nah, it was time for me to get up anyway,’ he said. ‘I could do wiv a bit of that toast and a cuppa if there’s any goin…’
‘Of course, there is,’ Marion said. ‘I’ll make a fresh pot – and you can have marmalade or drippin’ on your toast.’
‘I’ll have dripping – but cheese in my sandwiches for docky, if there’s any left?’
‘I’ve already made them, cheese and sweet piccalilli,’ Marion said. ‘It’s the last of what Ma made…’
‘Thanks, Marion.’ Robbie grinned at her. ‘You know I’m partial to Ma’s piccalilli. Pity she hasn’t made any more…’
‘Kathy wants to learn and she has a lesson today – so perhaps she’ll make a batch for us this weekend…’
‘You could do it if you ever had time,’ Robbie said. His expression became serious. ‘It isn’t fair, Ma expecting you to do everythin’…’
‘I don’t mind,’ Marion said. ‘Really, I don’t – but I want to go out with a friend next week…’ If she still had a job to go to. If she was sacked, Miss Gibbs would think she’d let them down and wouldn’t want to know her.
‘Let me know when and I’ll stay around so you can go…’
‘If Ma lets me…’ Marion began when Kathy burst into the kitchen, white-faced.
‘It’s Ma… she’s on the floor and I can’t get her to respond to me. She’s been sick and she’s messed herself…’
‘I’d better get the doctor,’ Marion said. ‘I thought I’d wait until a bit later, but if Ma’s that bad I’d better ring him now.’
‘I’ll do that,’ Robbie said and swallowed his last bite of toast. ‘Do you need me to help yer get Ma on the bed first?’
‘I think you’d better…’ Marion said. She went quickly upstairs to the bedroom and saw the sight that had met Kathy’s eyes. Ma was whimpering, her eyes closed. The room stank of Ma’s vomit and Marion motioned to her sister to open the window a little as she and Robbie lifted their mother on to her bed. Robbie was very strong and took most of the weight. He was frowning as he looked down at her.
‘She’s very sick, Marion. Do you want me to stick around?’
‘No, you need your wages,’ Marion said and shook her head. He earned more than she did at Harpers. ‘I can manage here and we can’t afford to lose two lots of money. I may not be able to get in today and I’m sure to be fined…’ She didn’t say that she might lose her job but knew it was a possibility because she’d been warned twice about being late.
Kathy fetched hot water as Robbie went off to ring the doctor before going into his work. Marion stripped off her mother’s soiled nightgown and washed her all over before putting on a new one. Fortunately, she’d managed to get out of bed before the vomit and mess came out of her and so the sheets didn’t need to be changed.
Gathering up the soiled things, the two girls looked in on Milly. She’d been sick too and had soiled her bed. Between them, they washed and changed her and the bedclothes. Marion took them down to the scullery and put them in cold water in the copper to soak.
‘Wash your hands well,’ she said to Kathy. ‘We’ve got to try and keep ourselves healthy, love…’
Kathy looked at her, then, reluctantly, ‘I could look after them…’
‘No, you get ready for school,’ Marion told her. ‘I’ll see what the doctor says when he gets here, but I know I might not get in to work at all…’
The doctor didn’t arrive until nine-thirty. He followed Marion upstairs to the patients. Milly was looking a little better by then, sitting up, pale and wan, dried tears on her cheeks, but she hadn’t been sick again.
‘I think this one is on the mend,’ Doctor Phillips said as he examined her tummy. ‘Bad as it was, I think it was just a nasty tummy and sickness. I’ll give you a bottle of medicine for her, which you can fetch from my surgery – and now I’ll take a look at your mother…’
Marion followed him into her mother’s room. Ma was lying with her eyes shut, her skin cold and clammy to the touch as if she were just too weary to open her eyes. The fever had passed, but she hadn’t come out of it as Milly had.
Doctor Phillips took her pulse and then stuck his stethoscope to her chest and back. He shook his head and frowned. ‘How long has she been like this?’
‘She was sick and had the runs earlier,’ Marion said. ‘It was watery and it looked like there was some blood in it…’
‘I suppose you just cleared everything up.’ He nodded, because it wasn’t a question, it was what she would do. ‘I think Mrs Kaye might be a little more serious than your sister, Miss Kaye; she’s lost a lot of weight. I’m going to recommend that you watch over her and keep her cool – but if there is more dysentery, then keep some of it for me to see please…’
‘Yes, sir…’ Marion felt cold all over. ‘I’m due at work… in fact I’m late…’
‘Your younger sister or brother should have stayed home… or perhaps you did the right thing.’ He frowned at her. ‘Your mother may take a turn for the worse, Miss Kaye. I shall call again later today, but if you’re worried, ring me – ask a neighbour to do it or to come in while you do. Your mother must not be left alone or she might die…’
‘She won’t die – she can’t…’ Marion stared at him in horror.
‘If she is no better
