first dose of his medicine had done some good, and Lizzie hoped Beth would get some rest before he started to scream again.
She ran for a bus and arrived at the showroom at half past ten. Ed was serving a customer and greeted her with a smile.
âEverything under control at home now?â
âYes, I think so,â Lizzie said and went into the workroom. She filled the kettle, made tea and took one to Ed as he finished with the customer.
âHeâs a new customer and he bought ten of the new lines,â Ed said. âSebastian Wintersâ manager told him about us and I think he will be a regular from now on.â
âThank you so much for holding the fort, Ed. I donât know what Iâd do without you.â
âBless you, Lizzie,â he looked pleased with her praise. âI donât know what Iâd have done if you hadnât given me this partnership. I think Iâd have been down the boot factory hating my work and lifeâ¦â
âWell, youâre here with us,â Lizzie said. âIâd better get busy. I promised Mabel her order would be ready by Monday and I need to get startedâ¦â
It was mid-afternoon when the telephone rang in Lizzieâs office. She answered it and heard a sob at the other end, and then Beth crying.
âWhatâs wrong, love?â Her heart caught with fright. âMatt isnât worse, is he?â
âNo, itâs Maryâs babyâ¦â another sob of grief broke from Beth. âThe child died a couple of hours ago. Mum was with Mary when they told her and she went mad, screamed at them and tried to get out of bed. She was shouting that theyâd killed her baby, fighting everyone that came near her. Mum tried to calm her and she punched her in the face. Sheâs got a black eyeâ¦â
âThat is terrible, Beth. Is your mother very upset?â
âYes, she is â but about the baby and the way it will affect Mary rather than her own injury. She says that is nothing. She offered to look after the children while I came into work, but Iâm not going to, Lizzie. She needs company and to be looked after herself for a few days.â
âYes, of course she does and we can manage here. Weâve only had two customers in this morning â so donât you worry about me. Iâll be home at the usual time and do what I can. Shall you visit your sister this evening?â
âIâll go to the hospital and ask how she is, but I donât think sheâll want to see me. Sheâs going to resent me more than ever.â
âNo, Beth, you mustnât feel like that,â Lizzie said. âIt isnât your fault that Mary lost her baby. Your mum has been telling her for weeks that she should take more care of herself.â
âYes, I know, but Mary has always been stubborn. She thinks she knows best because she is a qualified nurse. When we were all at home she never took much notice of me. I think she was jealous when I was bornâ¦â
âOh, Beth,â Lizzie sighed, feeling for her. âI always wanted brothers and sisters, but it seems that isnât always as good as it might be.â
âYouâve been better to me than either of my sisters,â Beth asserted. âI donât want to let you down, but especially with Matt unwell, I feel I shouldnât leave Mum alone. I canât leave her to cope by herselfâ¦â
âYes, of course I understand.â
They talked some more and then Beth rang off. Lizzie went back to her work, packing Mabelâs hats in tissue as she finished them. She only had one to complete now and then she could start on some new ideas for stock⦠but she felt a little bit unsure of the future. If Beth had to stop coming in she would need to find another assistant but supposing the orders dried up and she couldnât afford to pay her? The girl she really wanted was Tilly, but she couldnât
Linda Westphal
Ruth Hamilton
Julie Gerstenblatt
Ian M. Dudley
Leslie Glass
Neneh J. Gordon
Keri Arthur
Ella Dominguez
April Henry
Dana Bate