watched her leave and then a few customers came in and started looking round. One of them asked what was reduced and Beth told her that they had no reductions at the moment. She made a face of disgust and left, as if she considered she’d been cheated, but a gentleman asked to see a selection of leather bags. He bought two, one for his wife and another one for his sister. Beth took his money and gift-wrapped the bags for him. It was only her second sale of the morning and again she wondered at the wisdom of these bargains, though, of course, Mr Harper had wanted to make a bit of a splash for the second anniversary of their opening – and it wasn’t Beth’s place to decide.
Sally came down to the department later in the day. She asked how trade was going and Beth told her it had been slower than usual.
‘I suppose that was to be expected because of the increased trade elsewhere,’ Sally said, frowning. She rubbed at her forehead and sighed. ‘Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea, but it did shift those vases and I’ve already replaced the crystal and china we sold, at least I’ve reordered. I thought a free gift was better than a reduction…’
‘Mrs Craven said it worked very well on the ground floor,’ Beth said and looked at her anxiously as Sally put a hand to her back. ‘Are you well, Mrs Harper?’
‘Yes, just a little backache,’ Sally said and smiled. ‘I’ll just have to put up with it – and my doctor says I shouldn’t sit about…’
‘Oh, they tell you all sorts of things these days,’ Beth said. ‘Women were told to relax and rest for weeks before birth once. I think some of them turned into invalids… some of them still do…’
‘Well, I have no intention of fading into the wallpaper and I shall work until I’m forced to give up,’ Sally said and laughed. ‘Ben is taking me to the theatre this evening. I’ve been wanting to see Pygmalion for ages…’
‘Oh, lovely. I hear Mrs Patrick Campbell is wonderful…’
‘The critics are calling it a triumph, though I understand some of the language is a little bit salty…’
Beth laughed. The paper had reported one of Eliza Doolittle’s remarks as stars and an exclamation mark, but everyone knew what it meant, and the word was making the rounds of smart society with a lot of winks and nods.
‘You should get Jack to take you,’ Sally suggested. ‘You’ll need to queue for tickets, unless you book ahead, but I’m sure it will be worth it…’
Beth smiled and agreed, but she didn’t have time to queue up for tickets, and even if she had, she would most likely end up going with Fred or a girlfriend, because Jack didn’t have time to take her to the theatre. Besides, on his rare nights off they liked to go dancing or to a good meal out. Beth considered herself lucky, because many of the girls she’d known at school were married to men who went no further than their local pub. At least Jack took her somewhere nice when he did have a night off.
4
Marion was woken before it was light by Kathy shaking her; she grumbled as she struggled to open her eyes and ask what was wrong.
‘Milly’s awful bad,’ Kathy told her as she sat up and looked at her. ‘She has been sick three times and I can’t wake Ma…’
Marion was out of bed in a trice and hurried into the room next door where Kathy and six-year-old Milly slept. The two boys were still sleeping in their room and she was glad because Robbie would have to leave for work soon after six-thirty and Dickon had exams at school that day. Dickon was the bright one of the family and Marion hoped he would stay on at school and be something more than a manual worker one day. She would do what little she could to make sure it happened.
Milly was grizzling and feeling very sorry for herself. Marion frowned as she questioned whether her sister had pain in her tummy or her head, but she simply shook her head and knuckled her eyes.
‘Feel bad,’ she complained and was promptly sick again on the floor.
Behind Marion, Kathy gave a wail of despair. ‘I’ve cleared up after her twice,’ she said. ‘I’ve got cookery class today, Marion, and they’re going to show us how to make sweet pickle. I really want to learn how to do it…’
‘Mum should look after her, so you can go…’ Marion said without turning round. She was feeling Milly’s forehead, which felt warm and moist. ‘Can you get me some cool water and a cloth, love? I think she has a fever…’
Moaning about the unfairness of life, Kathy went off and soon returned with a small bowl of cool water and a cloth. Marion bent over her sister, smoothing her face and hands with the cool water. Milly sighed and looked at her miserably, but she’d stopped whimpering.
‘Try and sleep now, love,’ Marion said. ‘You’ll feel better in a bit – and I’d better see how Ma is…’
Going through to her mother’s room, she found that she had also been sick in the night. Mrs Kaye was sweating and feverish, lying motionless so that Marion’s heart stood still and for a moment she thought she might be dead. However, when she touched her, Ma moaned slightly and moved her hand away, as if in denial.
‘Leave me in peace…’ she muttered. ‘For God’s sake leave me be…’
‘It’s all right, Ma, it’s only Marion,’ she said. ‘You’re not well – you and Milly both have it.’ Only Ma was even worse than her little sister. Marion couldn’t wake her properly or get her to answer even though she tried a little shake but that only brought pitiful cries that made her hesitate. Ma obviously thought she was being attacked.
Feeling angry with her absent father, Marion hurried to fetch fresh water and a cloth. She bathed her mother’s face and hands, smoothing the cooling cloth up her thin arms and round her neck. She was perspiring and hot, the sweat soaked into her dark hair.
Tears stung Marion’s eyes as she looked down at the woman lying there with a mixture of pity, love and exasperation. Why didn’t Ma try to help herself more? She wasn’t the only woman in these streets that had a bullying husband, and Pa wasn’t too bad if you didn’t get on his wrong side. Robbie knew how to handle him, standing up to him with determination but a hint of humour. Dan would have come to blows, because his temper was as hot as Pa’s, but Robbie had a way with him. He was a bit like Reggie from next door…
Marion felt a hot flush as she recalled Reggie’s wink. He’d called her Miss Marion and something in his eyes had told her he liked to tease. Robbie could be that way too – and he was her favourite brother…
Shaking her head, Marion forced her mind back to the crisis in hand. What did she do about her mother and little sister? They were both quite ill, but did they need a doctor? If it was just a little tummy upset, Ma would be annoyed if they spent money they needed for other things on a visit from the doctor – and yet they could be really ill…
At the back of her mind, the thought that she was letting Mrs Burrows down and might lose her job at Harpers kept pricking at her – but what could she do? Kathy wasn’t truly old enough to have the burden of her family’s sickness thrust on her and so Marion had no choice but to stay. It was no use thinking about her job at Harpers. Her duty was here!
Ma
