boy, I suppose?’ Rose said. The thought of Edward-John, alone in his boarding school dormitory brought Alice close to tears. She nodded at Rose and there was a small silence while both women sipped at the hot milk. ‘They’re a rough old lot, these girls!’ said Rose. Alice looked at her in surprise.
‘D’you think so?’ she asked.
‘I know so!’ Rose replied. ‘And that Georgina! Make my blood boil, conchies do! When I think of my Dave…out there…riskin’ ‘is life! While her sort—’
‘It’s called freedom, Rose. It’s what the war is for.’ Alice’s quiet statement failed to convince Rose.
‘So they say,’ she scoffed. Alice allowed her the last word and again they slipped into silence. ‘Christine seems a charming girl, don’t you think?’ Alice said, trying to find something positive to say.
‘Bit lippy, if you ask me,’ Rose snapped. ‘Wilful, I reckon!’
Alice smiled. ‘You’re awfully hard on them,’ she said gently.
‘Maybe,’ said Rose. ‘And maybe you’re not used to that class of girl, Mrs Todd! Hardly the sort of person you’ve mixed with, are they!’ Aware that Alice was looking at her, Rose turned her head and stared at the heavy curtains, which, too long for that window, lay with their hems dragging. ‘No more’n what I am, come to that,’ she concluded in a low voice, at once regretting having introduced a sour note into what she had intended to be a soothing gesture towards Alice.
‘Rose… Please…’ Alice began, after a short silence and then, catching Rose completely off guard said, ‘Won’t you use my Christian name? I’d really like you to!’ Rose, flushing with pleasure, was about to respond when the two of them were interrupted by a tap on the open door. Christine, a dressing gown wrapped tightly round her, stood in her slippers.
‘I need to ask you something please, Miss,’ she said toAlice, ignoring Rose who got to her feet and took Alice’s empty cup from her.
‘I’ll say goodnight then…Alice,’ Rose said, glancing at Christine to see whether or not she had noticed her use of the warden’s Christian name.
Alice invited Christine to sit opposite her by the fire and asked what she could do for her.
‘Well… It’s my ’usband, see… He’s got a twenty-fourhour pass!’ She spoke with a soft West Country accent which Alice couldn’t quite place ‘We haven’t seen each other since the night we was wed, Mrs Todd! He’s in Plymouth… And he sails Friday! Can I go and see him when I finish work tomorrow? Fred…the driver fellow…he says he’ll drop me off at the railway after work and meet the milk train next morning. Lord knows when Ron and me’ll see each other again! Please can I go? I won’t miss no work!’ Alice considered and could see no reason why, in these particular circumstances, permission would not be given. She told Christine she would ask Mr Bayliss and basked in the girl’s gratitude, enquiring, as she rose to leave, whether her bedroom was comfortable.
‘Yeah,’ Christine answered. ‘I’m sharing with Mabel. She seems like a good sort, except…’ She hesitated delicately.
‘Except for what?’ Alice asked.
‘I don’t like to say, Miss,’ Christine said, colouring. ‘Prob’ly she just got too hot on the train… Mr Bayliss will let me go to Plymouth, won’t he?’
‘I’ll do my best for you, I promise.’
‘Ta. Night, then.’
‘Goodnight, Christine.’
In the small, dark bedroom above, Hester and Annie lay in their narrow beds under the roof-beams and tried to sleep. From the next room Marion and Winnie, unused to early nights, were amusing themselves, giggling together and keeping up an endless, bantering conversation. Eventually Annie struck the partition with her closed fist.
‘Leave it out, you two! We’re trying to sleep in here!’
‘Go to buggery!’ Winnie shouted but, more because they were becoming drowsy than in response to Annie’s request, silence
‘D’you think so?’ she asked.
‘I know so!’ Rose replied. ‘And that Georgina! Make my blood boil, conchies do! When I think of my Dave…out there…riskin’ ‘is life! While her sort—’
‘It’s called freedom, Rose. It’s what the war is for.’ Alice’s quiet statement failed to convince Rose.
‘So they say,’ she scoffed. Alice allowed her the last word and again they slipped into silence. ‘Christine seems a charming girl, don’t you think?’ Alice said, trying to find something positive to say.
‘Bit lippy, if you ask me,’ Rose snapped. ‘Wilful, I reckon!’
Alice smiled. ‘You’re awfully hard on them,’ she said gently.
‘Maybe,’ said Rose. ‘And maybe you’re not used to that class of girl, Mrs Todd! Hardly the sort of person you’ve mixed with, are they!’ Aware that Alice was looking at her, Rose turned her head and stared at the heavy curtains, which, too long for that window, lay with their hems dragging. ‘No more’n what I am, come to that,’ she concluded in a low voice, at once regretting having introduced a sour note into what she had intended to be a soothing gesture towards Alice.
‘Rose… Please…’ Alice began, after a short silence and then, catching Rose completely off guard said, ‘Won’t you use my Christian name? I’d really like you to!’ Rose, flushing with pleasure, was about to respond when the two of them were interrupted by a tap on the open door. Christine, a dressing gown wrapped tightly round her, stood in her slippers.
‘I need to ask you something please, Miss,’ she said toAlice, ignoring Rose who got to her feet and took Alice’s empty cup from her.
‘I’ll say goodnight then…Alice,’ Rose said, glancing at Christine to see whether or not she had noticed her use of the warden’s Christian name.
Alice invited Christine to sit opposite her by the fire and asked what she could do for her.
‘Well… It’s my ’usband, see… He’s got a twenty-fourhour pass!’ She spoke with a soft West Country accent which Alice couldn’t quite place ‘We haven’t seen each other since the night we was wed, Mrs Todd! He’s in Plymouth… And he sails Friday! Can I go and see him when I finish work tomorrow? Fred…the driver fellow…he says he’ll drop me off at the railway after work and meet the milk train next morning. Lord knows when Ron and me’ll see each other again! Please can I go? I won’t miss no work!’ Alice considered and could see no reason why, in these particular circumstances, permission would not be given. She told Christine she would ask Mr Bayliss and basked in the girl’s gratitude, enquiring, as she rose to leave, whether her bedroom was comfortable.
‘Yeah,’ Christine answered. ‘I’m sharing with Mabel. She seems like a good sort, except…’ She hesitated delicately.
‘Except for what?’ Alice asked.
‘I don’t like to say, Miss,’ Christine said, colouring. ‘Prob’ly she just got too hot on the train… Mr Bayliss will let me go to Plymouth, won’t he?’
‘I’ll do my best for you, I promise.’
‘Ta. Night, then.’
‘Goodnight, Christine.’
In the small, dark bedroom above, Hester and Annie lay in their narrow beds under the roof-beams and tried to sleep. From the next room Marion and Winnie, unused to early nights, were amusing themselves, giggling together and keeping up an endless, bantering conversation. Eventually Annie struck the partition with her closed fist.
‘Leave it out, you two! We’re trying to sleep in here!’
‘Go to buggery!’ Winnie shouted but, more because they were becoming drowsy than in response to Annie’s request, silence
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