wagon, or so he claimed when the stuff arrived.
‘What’ll happen to the house, Nell?’ Lilac asked at last, when the table was laid, the tea made and the bread and butter tastefully arranged on Nellie’s best china cake plate. ‘Who’ll have it, d’you suppose?’
‘Well, Stu and me were wondering whether you’d like to have a couple of friends in and share it,’ Nellie said hesitantly, astonishing Lilac totally. ‘Working girls sometimes share houses and flats in London, Stuart said, so if you and a friend or two want to take over the rent – it isn’t expensive, not between three or four.’
‘Oo-ooh!’ Lilac squeaked. ‘I never thought of doing that, but it’s a really clever idea, our Nell! Surely we could afford it, if we got enough of us? Why, Polly left the Mattesons two months ago, she’s working in a factory, and Liza’s in Lewis’s, selling wedding gowns, and then there’s Blanche who was at school with me – ’member Blanche, she was the one with bright red hair? – and there must be heaps of girls who leave the Culler and don’t stay in domestic service, even if they start out there.’
‘We’ve got the three bedrooms, so if two of you shared the double and you had one each in the singles, that would be four of you sharing the rent,’ Nellie said. Lilac could see how/enthusiasm and excitement were lighting Nellie from within, taking the anxiety out of her expression and curving her mouth into a happy and hopeful smile. So Nellie was not really as easy in her mind at the thought of leaving me to my own devices as she pretends, Lilac thought. Their lives had been too closely interwoven for too long for either to contemplate losing the other without a good deal of pain. Lilac felt a warm glow at the realisation that even now, with her own husband and a baby on the way, Nellie still thought a lot of her adopted sister. She’s been mother and father to me for too long to let me go my own way and not worry a bit, Lilac told herself, and was happy that it was so.
‘Then there’s the sitting room, and the little room Stu calls his study . . . you could have a couple more of you downstairs if you wanted,’ Nellie went on, still planning how Lilac could best manage when she and Stuart had left the city. ‘It ’ud take a weight off me mind, our Lilac, if I thought you were with pals.’
‘I’ll have a word, tomorrow,’ Lilac promised. ‘Oh, but would the landlord mind? I mean with you and Stu living here he knows everything’ll be seen to and done right, but with a parcel of girls . . .’
‘Stuart’s already had a word with Mr Ellis,’ Nellie said. She went a little pink. ‘Truth is, Stuart said he’d still keep it in his name and see to things . . . we’re bound to want to come back one day so you could say you were keeping the house warm for us. And it’ll be nice for us to have somewhere to stay when we pop back for a day or so, just to see how you’re getting on, like. So when we come back Stu says he’ll tackle anything you can’t manage.’
‘Nellie, love, if you’re thinking about climbing ladders and carting loads you don’t want to worry about that sort of thing, not if we get Polly, Liza, Blanche and me all living here. I don’t want to sound swelled-headed, but there’ll be fellers queuein’ up to give us a hand, four girls living alone, to say nothing of Polly’s young man, who won’t be far off. Not that we’d need help, not after having been in service, because we’ve all done our share of lifting and carrying.’
‘Yes, I suppose you’re right,’ Nellie admitted, ‘I got pretty strong nursing, I suppose I’m inclined to forget the cans of hot water and the buckets of coal you heave up and down stairs without a second thought when you work in a private house.’
‘That’s it. Water up, slops down, empty chamber pots, fill ewers, get a laden breakfast tray from the basement to the furthest bedroom on the first floor and don’t
‘What’ll happen to the house, Nell?’ Lilac asked at last, when the table was laid, the tea made and the bread and butter tastefully arranged on Nellie’s best china cake plate. ‘Who’ll have it, d’you suppose?’
‘Well, Stu and me were wondering whether you’d like to have a couple of friends in and share it,’ Nellie said hesitantly, astonishing Lilac totally. ‘Working girls sometimes share houses and flats in London, Stuart said, so if you and a friend or two want to take over the rent – it isn’t expensive, not between three or four.’
‘Oo-ooh!’ Lilac squeaked. ‘I never thought of doing that, but it’s a really clever idea, our Nell! Surely we could afford it, if we got enough of us? Why, Polly left the Mattesons two months ago, she’s working in a factory, and Liza’s in Lewis’s, selling wedding gowns, and then there’s Blanche who was at school with me – ’member Blanche, she was the one with bright red hair? – and there must be heaps of girls who leave the Culler and don’t stay in domestic service, even if they start out there.’
‘We’ve got the three bedrooms, so if two of you shared the double and you had one each in the singles, that would be four of you sharing the rent,’ Nellie said. Lilac could see how/enthusiasm and excitement were lighting Nellie from within, taking the anxiety out of her expression and curving her mouth into a happy and hopeful smile. So Nellie was not really as easy in her mind at the thought of leaving me to my own devices as she pretends, Lilac thought. Their lives had been too closely interwoven for too long for either to contemplate losing the other without a good deal of pain. Lilac felt a warm glow at the realisation that even now, with her own husband and a baby on the way, Nellie still thought a lot of her adopted sister. She’s been mother and father to me for too long to let me go my own way and not worry a bit, Lilac told herself, and was happy that it was so.
‘Then there’s the sitting room, and the little room Stu calls his study . . . you could have a couple more of you downstairs if you wanted,’ Nellie went on, still planning how Lilac could best manage when she and Stuart had left the city. ‘It ’ud take a weight off me mind, our Lilac, if I thought you were with pals.’
‘I’ll have a word, tomorrow,’ Lilac promised. ‘Oh, but would the landlord mind? I mean with you and Stu living here he knows everything’ll be seen to and done right, but with a parcel of girls . . .’
‘Stuart’s already had a word with Mr Ellis,’ Nellie said. She went a little pink. ‘Truth is, Stuart said he’d still keep it in his name and see to things . . . we’re bound to want to come back one day so you could say you were keeping the house warm for us. And it’ll be nice for us to have somewhere to stay when we pop back for a day or so, just to see how you’re getting on, like. So when we come back Stu says he’ll tackle anything you can’t manage.’
‘Nellie, love, if you’re thinking about climbing ladders and carting loads you don’t want to worry about that sort of thing, not if we get Polly, Liza, Blanche and me all living here. I don’t want to sound swelled-headed, but there’ll be fellers queuein’ up to give us a hand, four girls living alone, to say nothing of Polly’s young man, who won’t be far off. Not that we’d need help, not after having been in service, because we’ve all done our share of lifting and carrying.’
‘Yes, I suppose you’re right,’ Nellie admitted, ‘I got pretty strong nursing, I suppose I’m inclined to forget the cans of hot water and the buckets of coal you heave up and down stairs without a second thought when you work in a private house.’
‘That’s it. Water up, slops down, empty chamber pots, fill ewers, get a laden breakfast tray from the basement to the furthest bedroom on the first floor and don’t
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