The Dover Cafe On the Front Line, page 19
‘I prefer yours, is all,’ she said. ‘Why, you think I’ve got nits or something?’
‘It’s not just the brush.’ Lily began to undress, her movements jerky with annoyance. ‘It’s the dress. I was going to wear that tonight. You could at least have asked.’
Pauline threw the brush onto the bed and forcefully pulled the zip of the dress down, tugging it off to reveal Lily’s best brassiere underneath.
‘For God’s sake, Pauline! I’m happy to share, but my brassiere too!’
Pauline undid the clips at the front and threw the garment at her.
‘Fine! Take it.’ She pulled her liberty bodice from the bed and put it on. ‘Now I look like my bleeding mother.’ She stalked to the wardrobe and gazed inside. Finally, she sighed deeply and pulled out the green dress she’d worn to the dance. ‘Looks like I’ll have to wear this again then. That’s if it’s all right with your ladyship,’ she sneered.
‘I don’t mind you borrowing my clothes, but just ask next time,’ Lily said through gritted teeth.
‘What’s it to you? You’ve got plenty of stuff. Café must be doing well, eh? Can’t see why your mum would start dealing on the black market the amount she’s raking in.’
‘She’s not dealing on the black market!’
‘Seems someone thinks she is,’ Pauline said, tugging the dress over her head. ‘Charming, isn’t it? I spend all day slaving away up at the hospital, doing my bit, and this is the thanks I get.’
‘You don’t have to stay here, you know.’
Suddenly the fire went out of Pauline. ‘Do you want me to leave?’ she asked in a small voice. ‘I know I’m not always the easiest, but I’m not a snitch, and I didn’t go to the police. For God’s sake, I didn’t even know about it! And I’m sorry for taking your clothes.’ She sniffed. ‘It’s just . . . I like living here. I always wanted a sister, and being here with you, it feels like I finally have one.’
At her friend’s dejected expression, Lily felt a pang of guilt and stood up to pull Pauline into a hug. ‘Hey, I’m sorry. I like having you here too. Let’s just go and enjoy ourselves tonight with two of the handsomest men in Dover.’
Pauline pulled away and grinned, her mood changing abruptly again. ‘Bert is gorgeous, ain’t he?’
‘I suppose. If you like that kind of thing. Personally, I prefer Charlie.’
‘I should hope so and all. You’d be a right perv if you didn’t.’ Pauline laughed as she brushed out her hair again and hastily applied some lipstick. ‘Right, that’s me done. See you later.’ Snatching up her bag, she raced to the door.
Lily sighed. She’d lied when she said she liked Pauline living at the café; in fact, she was beginning to regret inviting her. The more she thought about it, the more strange things were beginning to feel. What with Dick and his odd behaviour, and the fact that Pauline was clearly scared of him. And now this latest incident with the police coming round . . . But right now, she didn’t have time to think about any of that if she wanted to look her best, so she pushed thoughts of Pauline out of her head and pictured Charlie instead. Was it possible she’d only known him for a couple of weeks? It felt like longer, even though they’d only really spent time together that once.
Suddenly, she felt nervous. He was older and more sophisticated than her; he’d studied medicine, worked in a field hospital, and in terms of experience, he was so far ahead of her that, for the first time in her life, she felt a little out of her depth with a man. She stared critically at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t vain, but she knew she was pretty and the red dress looked good on her. But it wasn’t her looks she was feeling uncertain about; it was everything else. Could she ever be enough for a man like Charlie? Rubbing her finger into the remains of her lipstick, she spread it over her lips then took the pins out of her hair; there was no time to style it as she had wanted, so she brushed it and clipped it behind her ears, threw a cream-coloured cardigan over her shoulders, slipped on her sandals and raced down the stairs and out of the back door.
Chapter 24
Lily poked her head around the back gate, peering up the road towards the Granada Cinema; she didn’t want to get there before Charlie and end up standing around on her own. And what if he didn’t turn up? He hadn’t come to lunch yesterday after all.
There was a crowd milling around outside the cinema, and she strained her eyes in the dim light, trying to spot Charlie. Before the war, the huge arched window above the entrance used to light up the street, but now it was in darkness. Then she saw his tall figure leaning against the white wall of the cinema, staring down towards the market square. Her heart skipped a beat as she watched a couple of girls glancing back at him. At well over six foot, he was an impressive sight, and tonight he was all hers. There was no telling what the future held for either of them, so she shouldn’t waste her time with silly insecurities. Anyway, she was only eighteen and there was so much more she wanted to do with her life; a serious boyfriend just wasn’t in her plan at the moment, so for now she would enjoy the time she had with him and let the future take care of itself.
After smoothing down the red cotton skirt over her hips, she opened her compact and checked there was no lipstick on her teeth, then she stepped out of the gate. She’d show those girls what sort of woman Charlie deserved, she thought, as she sauntered casually across the road – and she would enjoy every single second.
Charlie’s face lit up when he saw her and he rushed forward to kiss her cheek. ‘Look at you!’ he said. ‘I already knew you scrubbed up well, but tonight . . .’ He put his hands on her shoulders and held her away from him. ‘You are beautiful, Lily Castle. Has anyone ever told you that?’
Lily grinned cheekily. ‘They might have. And you don’t look so bad yourself. I’ve been watching those girls ogling you.’
‘They can ogle all they like. I only have eyes for you.’
‘Flatterer. Come on.’ She took his hand and led him to the entrance of the cinema. ‘I love this place. It always makes me feel a bit like that French queen. The one who got her head chopped off.’
Charlie whistled as they entered through the blackout curtain. ‘I see what you mean,’ he said, gazing around. With a black-and-white tiled floor and duck-egg blue walls with gold cornicing, the foyer was impressive. From the lobby a marble staircase with an ornate gold balustrade led up towards a landing beneath the arched window. Here, the staircase split into two, rising towards the high, domed ceiling where, before the war, a large ornate glass chandelier used to hang.
They walked through the door on the ground floor into the auditorium. On the stage at the front, a man in tails and a bow tie sat at an organ playing the Gone with the Wind theme tune. Lily clasped her hands and shivered. ‘Oh, this music gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.’
Charlie grunted non-committally. ‘How many times have you seen it?’
‘Only about ten times.’ Lily grinned. ‘It’s my absolute favourite.’
They sat down on the red velvet seats and Charlie took a small paper bag out of his pocket and presented it to her with a flourish.
‘For Madame,’ he said. ‘A present fit for a French queen or a Southern belle.’
Lily clapped her hands with delight. ‘Toffees! For little old me.’ She fluttered her eyelashes at him, before fishing out a sweet and popping it in her mouth. She took another and held it up to Charlie’s lips. He took it quickly, managing to kiss her fingers as he did so, staring at her intently. To Lily, his expression was part challenge and part invitation, and she was more than happy to accept both, so she licked her fingers provocatively, then laughed and flicked his sleeve.
He smiled back and took her hand as the organist finished playing and the small platform he was sitting on sunk beneath the stage. The screen came down and the Pathé newsreel began. To her surprise, it showed planes fighting over the Channel, the white cliffs clear in the background, while the voiceover talked about houses being bombed. ‘Is that really how people round the country see Dover? Hellfire corner?’ She laughed. ‘Mum hates it when anyone says that. It’s not that bad.’
Charlie raised an eyebrow at her sceptically. ‘People are living in caves and being shot at and shelled every day. You sure it’s not that bad.’
Lily shrugged. ‘We’re getting by, aren’t we?’
Someone behind her tutted disapprovingly and Lily turned around and stuck her tongue out at them.
Charlie put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her against him tightly. ‘I can see I’m going to have to keep you in check,’ he whispered into her ear, causing a shiver to race down her spine.
‘You can try,’ Lily whispered back. ‘But don’t get your hopes up.’
The newsreel finished then, and with a sigh of satisfaction she sat back to enjoy the film.
Charlie kept hold of Lily’s hand throughout, but she was barely aware of it as she became immersed in the story. At one point, as Scarlett O’Hara dug in the earth looking for food, she gripped his hand tighter, mouthing the line she knew was coming. ‘As God is my witness . . .’ But just as Vivien Leigh raised her hands to the sky and opened her mouth, the ear-splitting wail of the air raid siren drowned out the words and the reel came to a juddering halt as a wobbly sign flashed onto the screen: ‘Air Raid in Progress’.
‘Oy! Turn it back on!’ someone behind them shouted.
A voice came over the loudspeaker. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, please make your way to the nearest shelter.’
Lily craned her neck and saw a woman stand up and wave her fist towards the projectionist. ‘As God is my witness, I will never leave this cinema again!’ she shouted.
The audience erupted into laughter, as Lily groaned, ‘It’s Pauline. She’s bloody drunk again!’
Lily shouldn’t have worried though as several other women in the audience jumped up and started to chant the words along with her.
Finally, the defeated voice of the announcer came over the loudspeaker again. ‘On your own head be it,’ he said, and the film juddered back into life.
Charlie leant over and whispered, ‘Don’t you think we should leave?’
She gave him a sharp look and hissed, ‘What a white-livered little coward you are!’ and turned back to the screen.
Charlie chuckled and handed her another toffee. ‘Well, at least let me make sure you never go hungry again.’
She took the toffee absently, her eyes never leaving the screen.
By the time the film finished, Lily felt exhausted with the emotion of it all. Outside, the all-clear was just sounding, and as they emerged on to the street a bright red glow in the sky made the dark silhouette of the castle stand out in vivid contrast. The murmur of the emerging crowd was silenced as people stopped to stare at the scene. ‘It’s as if we’ve stepped into our very own film set,’ Lily whispered. ‘It looks like St Margaret’s has taken a beating.’
Just then, Pauline bounded over to them, clutching on to Bert’s arm. ‘Did you hear me? I got everyone chanting,’ she said excitedly. Her eyes were glassy and her speech was a little slurred.
Lily glanced at Bert who rolled his eyes.
‘The whole cinema heard you, love,’ Bert said. ‘And now I think I need to be getting you home before you fall over. As for me, I should get back to barracks, make sure I’m not needed.’
‘Nooo!’ Pauline protested. ‘It’s not fair. We’ve hardly had any time together. Can we do it again soon?’
‘Course we can,’ Bert said placatingly. ‘You coming, Charlie?’
Charlie shook his head. ‘Seeing as it’s not near the barracks, think I’ll stay out of this one.’
Lily took his arm. ‘Good. Tell you what, let’s pop to the Royal Oak for a quick drink. My mum’s friend Mavis runs it, and you should get to know her if you’re going to be around for any length of time.’
They walked swiftly away, Lily feeling slightly guilty that she’d left Bert to deal with Pauline’s disappointment. But then, he’d brought all of this on himself, so she didn’t feel that bad.
She led Charlie across the market square to Cambridge Road, where the pub was situated. Once inside, she held tightly to his hand as he pushed his way through the crowd of servicemen and women towards the bar.
‘All right, Mavis?’ Lily said when they finally got to the front.
‘Hello, Lily, love.’ She eyed Charlie. ‘Who’s this?’
Charlie held out his hand and smiled charmingly. ‘Dr Charlie Alexander. Delighted to meet you.’
A slow smile spread across Mavis’s face. ‘Well, you’re a handsome fella, ain’t ya? But I give you fair warning, Doctor, a handsome face is all well and good, but can you deal with the Castle family?’
Charlie grinned at her. ‘Oh, I think I’m up to the challenge.’
‘You better be, lad. If you’ve not heard already, bad things happen around them.’ She cackled. ‘Just joking. Oh, and Lily, tell your mum me and Derek are putting a barrel of beer aside for your Marianne and Alfie’s wedding party, and we’ve got some bubbles as well. And it’s all legit, so no danger of the law takin’ it away.’ She went off into peals of laughter while Lily smiled weakly.
‘What was all that about?’
‘Buy me a drink and I’ll tell you.’
They sat in the snug with their drinks and Lily filled him in on what had happened at the café that day.
When she’d finished, Charlie laughed. ‘Who needs Gone with the Wind when you’ve got that much drama going on? Seems to me what you need, Miss Castle, is a nice relaxing walk along the seafront.’ He stood up and held his hand out to her.
Lily smiled at him. ‘I think you might be right, Doctor.’ She stood and took his hand, and they made their way down to the front, stopping at the railings to gaze out at the rippling sea, the water shining in the light from the full moon.
‘I can’t remember when I’ve had this much fun,’ Charlie said quietly. ‘I hope you want to see me again, Lily?’
She turned to him. ‘Really? You’re not put off by my drunk friend, Mum’s illegal dealings and visits from the police?’
Charlie paused and in the darkness Lily couldn’t see the expression on his face. Finally, he said, ‘You know, if I had to list the things I wanted in a woman, those are the exact qualities I’d choose. I’ve no interest in anyone whose family isn’t in trouble with the law.’ He pulled her close and brushed his lips over hers. Lily put her arms around his neck, returning his kiss with fervour. For the first time in her life, Lily thought, she could actually feel the electricity she’d read about in romantic novels. In fact, she could have sworn she’d even seen sparks. As their kiss deepened, a loud explosion made them jump apart.
‘What was—’
‘Shells!’ Charlie shouted, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the pile of sandbags around the bandstand in Granville Gardens. He pushed her down behind them and they sat, panting, as the ack-ack guns exploded into life, firing futilely into the sky.
Despite the rush of fear that had gripped her, Lily started to giggle. ‘I thought the kiss had really made me see sparks! But it was the flash of the shells firing,’ she gasped out.
Charlie laughed, the searchlights arcing across the sky illuminating the whites of his eyes. A loud crash from the cliffs to the west made the ground tremble and he tightened his arm around her shoulder. ‘I can honestly say that you are the first girl who’s literally made the earth move for me.’
Lily’s giggle turned into a guffaw and, as another flash of red reflected over the sea and the air raid siren started to wail, Charlie wrapped his body more tightly around hers .
‘We can’t stay here,’ he yelled into her ear. ‘Where’s the nearest shelter?’
‘Pub basement’s our best bet, but I want to get home!’
She scrambled up, and hand in hand they flew up Bench Street, dashed across Townwall Street and Chapel Lane to King Street, before finally skidding round the corner into Castle Street. Thrusting open the back gate, Lily dashed inside and ran straight down to the basement, Charlie close on her heels.
At the bottom of the stairs, he stopped and tipped his hat politely. ‘Good evening, everyone,’ he said casually. ‘Mrs Castle, I am delivering your daughter back safe and sound.’ He gazed around the room and smiled at Pauline, who had sat up hastily when they’d come in, her hair a tangled mess, her lipstick smudged. ‘I’m glad to see you got home safely,’ he said. ‘It’s so lovely to see you again, Marianne. And you must be Donny.’ He ruffled the boy’s dark hair. ‘Alfie’s told me such a lot about you. Just to reassure you both, I spotted him on the parade ground this morning, and he looked fit as a fiddle. Sorry I can’t stay to talk more, but I think I’d better go.’
‘You’re leaving now?’ Lily squeaked.
‘That shell was too close to the barracks for comfort. See you later this week?’
She shook her head. ‘I’m on nights for a week.’
He bent to kiss her firmly on the lips. ‘Don’t think for a minute that that’s going to stop me seeing you. I’ll find a way,’ he murmured.
‘Promise?’ Lily wound her arms around his neck, oblivious to the others watching them.
He smiled against her lips. ‘Wild horses wouldn’t stop me.’ Then with a brief wave, he turned and bounded up the stairs.
‘Be careful,’ Lily called after him, but the door had already shut so she didn’t know whether he heard her or not.
‘Well,’ Nellie said with a gleam in her eye, ‘you’ve done well for yourself there, girl. An officer and a doctor. And he’d have given your dad a run for his money in the looks department.’
Lily shrugged, trying to appear casual. ‘He’s all right, I suppose.’
‘You don’t fool me. I ain’t never seen those stars in your eyes before. You’ve got the look of Marianne after she’s just seen Alfie. Might be we have another big event to plan for soon?’ she said archly.
‘Mum! I’m not marrying the man. We’ve only had one date. Anyway, did Pauline tell you what happened at the cinema? It was a right laugh.’
