The Shopkeeper's Daughter Read online

‘I’ve never been more sure of anything. I’m going to America to see Nick. I’ll have to beg, borrow or steal the money but I’m not going to let anything stop me.’

  ‘Good for you, kid,’ Danny said enthusiastically. ‘I knew you’d come good. I can’t wait to see Nick’s face when I tell him.’

  Ginnie turned to him, shaking her head. ‘No, don’t do that. I want it to be a surprise, and it might take me some time to get the money together.’

  ‘I can help there,’ Avril said firmly. ‘I’ve got a bit put by for a rainy day and who better to give it to than my favourite niece?’

  ‘I can’t take your savings, Avril.’

  ‘We’ll talk about it later. I’ve got a customer, but I’ll close up early and we’ll have a long chat.’ Avril hurried into the bar to answer the urgent summons of the brass bell on the bar counter. She closed the door, leaving Ginnie alone with Danny.

  Ginnie walked over to the stove and lifted the lid on the bubbling pan. ‘That smells so good. Avril can make a gourmet dish out of almost nothing.’

  ‘I know,’ Danny said, taking his seat at the table. ‘I’ve been here for two days and I’ve been fed like a king.’ He unfolded a table napkin and tucked it into his collar.

  Ginnie served the hotpot and sat down opposite him. ‘How did you get here, Danny? I didn’t think there were any commercial flights or sailings in operation.’

  He took a slice of bread and dipped it in his bowl. ‘You’re right. I booked a passage on a freighter heading for Liverpool and took a train from there.’

  ‘Would it be possible for me to go to the States with you? I’ve never travelled anywhere further than Shrewsbury.’

  He swallowed a mouthful of food and smiled. ‘Money talks, kid. If your aunt will be kind enough to provide the moola there’s no problem, but are you sure about this?’

  ‘I’ve never been more certain of anything.’

  ‘I was planning to go south tomorrow and spend a few days checking out the possibilities before travelling home, although it might not be easy to get a passage westwards. Since Lend-Lease ended there aren’t too many freighters on the transatlantic route.’

  ‘Surely you’d want to be with your family at Christmas?’

  ‘My folks died when I was fifteen. Nick’s parents kind of took me under their wing. I used to spend holidays with them, but I’m a big boy now. I enjoy being a free agent.’

  ‘It sounds a bit lonely to me.’

  Danny helped himself to another slice of bread. ‘At least I haven’t got anyone else to worry about. I guess I’m a selfish kind of guy.’

  ‘If that was true you wouldn’t be here now,’ Ginnie said, smiling. ‘You’ve gone to all this trouble for Nick. That’s not the action of a selfish man.’

  ‘Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, what do you think about a trip to the States? Will you come with me?’

  ‘I’ll need a few days to sort things out at home, but yes, I will. And I want you to spend Christmas with us. It’ll be a bit crowded and you’ll have to sleep on the sofa, but if you don’t mind that, we’d love to have you.’

  ‘Thanks, Ginnie. That would be great, but are you sure your mom won’t mind?’

  ‘She’ll be delighted to have you and so will Shirley. It will be like old times.’

  The snow had settled in deep drifts overnight, making it impossible for Ginnie to visit the hospital. She telephoned and left a message for Laurence, promising to visit him again soon and to bring Shirley with her next time. It was said more in hope than in certainty. She replaced the receiver in its cradle and went to find Avril who was in the bar polishing the tables. ‘I couldn’t speak to Laurence, so I left a message with the ward sister.’

  Avril shook the duster out and started on the next table. ‘Poor boy. He must get terribly lonely without any visitors. I’d go and see him but I’m tied to this place, and he hardly knows me so it might be embarrassing for him.’

  ‘Do you know if the road to the station is passable?’ Ginnie asked anxiously. ‘It’s Christmas Eve on Monday and I left Livvie in charge of the shop so I really must get back as soon as I can.’

  ‘I know, darling, and much as I’d love to have you stay here, I quite understand.’ Avril attacked a sticky ring left by a beer glass. ‘I telephoned the station earlier and they seemed to think we could get through with care. I’ve asked Lionel if he’d be an angel and take you in his Austin Seven: it’s old and cranky, just like its owner, but it’ll get you there in more comfort than my trap.’

  Ginnie gave her a hug and inhaled the odd mix of Mansion Polish and the familiar fragrance of Shalimar. ‘You’re a brick, Avril. I love you.’

  ‘I love you too, darling, but call me anything other than a brick. I know what it means but it sounds so solid and boring.’

  ‘You’d never be that,’ Ginnie said, laughing. ‘And Lionel is a dear. I’m sorry I can’t stay longer and spend more time with him.’

  Avril scrubbed at the remainder of the wax polish, running the duster round the inside of the tin. ‘You might see a lot more of him in future, darling. We’ve been talking about tying the knot for ages. It’s frightfully boring and middle class, but Lionel feels that it’s not a good example to his parishioners if it gets around that he’s having carnal relations with a pub landlady.’

  Ginnie stared at her open-mouthed. ‘No! I mean I’m absolutely delighted for both of you, but I didn’t think you’d ever bow to convention.’

  ‘It’s not me,’ Avril said calmly. ‘It’s the bishop. Someone sneaked to him and he’s told Lionel in no uncertain terms that he disapproves, so we’ve decided to make it legal.’

  ‘That’s wonderful. I think you’ll make an interesting and unconventional vicar’s wife.’ Ginnie stifled a giggle as she tried to imagine Avril soberly dressed in tweeds and a twinset but failed miserably. ‘But what about the pub? Will you keep it on?’

  Avril frowned. ‘I haven’t decided yet. I don’t want to sell up so I might put a manager in, but we’ll have to see.’

  Ginnie kissed her scented cheek. ‘You must invite us to the wedding. I wouldn’t miss it for worlds.’ She glanced round as the door opened and Lionel walked into the bar.

  ‘I can see that you’ve told Ginnie our good news, my dear.’ He took off his hat and laid it on the counter. ‘Have you got a hug for your prospective uncle, Ginnie?’ He held out his arms and she walked into them.

  ‘Congratulations, Lionel.’ She had to stand on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. ‘Do I have to call you uncle from now on?’

  He exchanged amused looks with Avril, shaking his head. ‘No, I prefer just Lionel. Nothing has changed. It’s a mere formality to keep the gossips at bay.’

  ‘Well, I’m delighted and very happy for both of you.’ Ginnie released him and went to look out of the window. ‘It’s stopped snowing. Will you be able to take Danny and me to the station?’

  ‘I’ll have a jolly good try. My old jalopy is getting on in years but it gets me from A to B, so I hope it will struggle on for a few more miles. What time is your train?’

  Ginnie consulted her watch. ‘There’s one in just under an hour. I’d better go and see if Danny’s ready.’

  Ginnie arrived home late that afternoon having parted with Danny in London. He was travelling on to East Grinstead where he had booked into a small hotel for the night, but she had extracted a promise from him that he would spend Christmas with them in Cherry Lane.

  She had intended to go straight to the shop but she was tired and although the snow had not reached this far south it was bitterly cold and sleety rain made the walk home from the station seem even longer than usual. She had barely had time to divest herself of her coat and hat before she was bombarded with questions from her mother and Shirley. She tried to put their minds at rest about Laurence’s state of health, and she answered their questions to the best of her ability, but Shirley did not look convinced.

  ‘What do you mean?’ she demanded. ‘What sort of answer is “as well as can
be expected”? Did they use those words at the hospital?’

  ‘Shirley, I was only there for about half an hour. They wouldn’t allow me to stay any longer and I didn’t see a doctor, only a nurse and she wasn’t very forthcoming. All I can say is that Laurence seemed cheerful enough. He was absolutely delighted with the photos but wanted to keep the rest of the presents unopened until Christmas Day. He wanted to hear all about you and Colin and he sent his love.’

  Mildred leaned her elbows on the kitchen table, cupping her chin in her hands. ‘But didn’t they give you any idea when he’ll be discharged from hospital?’

  ‘No, Mum. It wasn’t mentioned and Laurence didn’t have any idea. It’s obviously going to take a long time.’

  ‘And it’ll be costing old man Mallory a fortune,’ Shirley said with a wry twist of her lips. ‘That’ll upset him more than the fact that his only son is dangerously ill.’

  Mildred frowned. ‘Don’t say things like that, Shirley. Show a bit more consideration for your husband.’

  ‘I didn’t mean to sound uncaring,’ Shirley said tiredly. ‘Everything I do and say is wrong these days.’

  Ginnie could see an argument brewing and she rose from the table. ‘Thanks for the tea, Mum, but I’d better go to the shop and see how things are going.’

  Shirley glanced at the clock above the cooker. ‘It’s nearly closing time, and it’s sleeting. The wretched shop will still be there tomorrow. How were things at the dear old Ferryboat Inn? There must be some good news somewhere.’

  ‘As a matter of fact Danny was there. I’ll tell you all about it when I come back.’

  Shirley’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Danny Flynn? But I thought he’d gone back to the States.’

  ‘Who is he?’ Mildred demanded, eyeing Ginnie suspiciously.

  ‘He’s just a friend, Mum,’ Shirley said impatiently. ‘Go on, Ginnie. Why was he in Shropshire? It’s a bit of a coincidence that you turned up to visit Laurence and Danny had come to England. Did you know he’d be there?’

  ‘Of course not,’ Ginnie said firmly. ‘He’s come to England looking for work and hopes to study reconstructive surgery at East Grinstead.’

  ‘That’s nice, dear.’ Mildred piled up the plates and put them in the sink. ‘He must be clever if he’s a surgeon.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose he is.’ Ginnie hesitated. ‘Actually, Mum, I’ve invited him here for Christmas. He hasn’t got any family, and I couldn’t bear to think of him stuck on his own in a cheap hotel over the holiday.’

  Mildred’s pencilled eyebrows drew together in a frown. ‘You asked a perfect stranger to stay here with us?’

  ‘Shirley and I got to know him really well, Mum. Danny is a very nice chap.’

  Mildred did not look convinced. ‘But you’d think he’d want to return to America for Christmas. It seems a funny sort of time to come to England job-hunting.’

  ‘Are you sure it wasn’t you he came to see?’ Shirley said mischievously.

  ‘You know Danny better than that.’ Ginnie made for the doorway. She paused with her fingers entwined around the doorknob, wondering whether to break the news that she was planning to go to America after the holiday, and decided against it. She knew she would face opposition from both of them, but her mind was made up and nothing they could say or do would make any difference. ‘Danny is just a friend. Why do you always have to make everything into a romantic saga?’

  ‘I was just joking,’ Shirley said, pouting. She put a finger of bread and butter on the tray of Colin’s high chair as he started to whimper. ‘Eat that, and be quiet, there’s a good boy.’ She patted him on the head. ‘Anyway, I like Danny and it’ll make a change to have someone cheerful in the house.’

  ‘He won’t have a ration book,’ Mildred said darkly. ‘He’ll eat us out of house and home.’

  Ginnie was tempted to blurt out her plan to visit the States. Her unused food coupons for that period might compensate for having an extra mouth to feed at Christmas, but she could tell from her mother’s tight-lipped expression that this argument was unlikely to find favour. With a supreme effort she managed to control the urge to confess. The Spanish Inquisition had nothing on Mum and Shirley when they got together. She opened the door. ‘Must go, Mum. Won’t be long.’ She hurried from the room and snatched her coat and hat from the newel post at the foot of the stairs. She was still struggling into them as she left the house, ignoring her mother’s demands that she should stay and tell them exactly who was going to pay for such an extravagant gesture in times of austerity.

  Livvie was cashing up when Ginnie rushed into the shop. There was no sign of Jimmy, but to her intense relief everything seemed to be in good order. The stands were well stocked and there was a strategically placed Christmas tree festooned with tinsel and fairy lights. Livvie stopped what she was doing. ‘How’s Laurence? Is he any better? I’ve been so worried about him.’

  There was no doubting her sincerity and the questions that Ginnie had been about to ask about the business went out of her head. She had assumed, obviously wrongly, that Livvie was not interested in her brother’s welfare, and she was suddenly ashamed of her single-minded attempt to organise her own life. ‘He seemed cheerful enough,’ she said, choosing her words carefully. ‘To be honest, Livvie, I don’t know how he’s doing. I couldn’t get anything out of the nurse and I was only able to see him once and that was cut short because he was easily exhausted.’

  Livvie slipped a paper band around a bundle of pound notes and placed them with a small bag of cash in a bank deposit wallet. ‘That doesn’t sound too promising.’ She sighed and her shoulders drooped. ‘I should have made an effort to see him.’

  ‘It’s a long way to go,’ Ginnie said sympathetically. ‘And he’s supposed to have complete rest and quiet.’

  ‘Maybe I could go in the New Year. You’d give me time off, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘Of course I will. You’ve earned it, Livvie.’ Ginnie looked round at the displays of furniture with a nod of approval. ‘You’ve done a good job, and judging by that wad of notes you’ve taken a lot of money.’

  A reluctant smile hovered at the corners of Livvie’s mouth. ‘Praise indeed. I can do well when I put my mind to it.’

  ‘For what it’s worth, I think you were wasted staying at home all day with nothing to do other than hang around with your over-privileged friends.’

  ‘Hold on. Don’t spoil it. You were being nice to me for a moment.’

  ‘That was a compliment, even if it was a bit back-handed. I wasn’t criticising you, just the people in your set.’

  ‘Well, my set as you call them have been in the shop buying things for Christmas.’

  Ginnie grinned. ‘I hope they paid cash.’

  ‘Of course. I know them better than to allow credit. I was like that myself until you coerced me into slave labour.’

  ‘I’m paying you a wage now, so don’t grumble, and I might give you a raise in the New Year. You’ve done really well, Livvie, and I’m grateful.’

  Livvie rang up No Sale and closed the till. ‘You’d better check the office to make sure I haven’t cooked the books.’

  ‘I’m only going to check the post. There’s a letter I’ve been waiting for.’ She left Livvie to finish up and went to the office where she found a pile of mail set neatly on the blotter in the middle of an unusually tidy desk. She rifled through it until she found what she was looking for. ‘This is it,’ she said, slitting the manila envelope with a letter opener. She turned to Livvie, who had followed her into the room. ‘This is from the council.’

  ‘What is it? Why all the excitement?’

  Ginnie studied the typewritten page. ‘They’ve agreed to my proposition in principle, and they’re considering my application to take over Fred’s lease.’

  ‘That will almost double the floor space.’

  ‘I know, and I plan to have a household department with bed linen, towels and china. What’s more, if you’re up for it, I’m going to need a m
anager. What do you say to that?’

  Livvie gulped and swallowed. ‘This is me you’re talking to. Livvie Mallory. Are you sure you’ve got the right person?’

  ‘Look around you. When my dad ran this shop the office was a rubbish tip. The outside lavatory was disgusting and the shop floor was old-fashioned and shabby. Between us we’ve done wonders. We’re modernising the business and we’ve got a huge market out there. They’re putting up hundreds of prefabs and there’s a rumour that the council are building a whole new estate at Harold Hill. All those people will need to furnish their houses and we’re here, ready and waiting.’

  ‘Good God, you’ve really thought this through, and I called you shop girl in one of my finer moments. Maybe I underestimated you, Virginia Travis.’

  ‘A lot of people have done that in the past, but no more. And there’s one other thing I ought to tell you, Livvie.’

  ‘Go on. I’m all ears, so to speak.’

  ‘Actually it’s another giant favour. I need you to run the shop for me on your own again for a week, or maybe two, after Christmas.’

  ‘Why? It’s a funny time of the year to have a holiday.’

  ‘It’s not a holiday exactly. It’s a lot of responsibility to thrust on you, and it would mean putting off your trip to see Laurence for a while longer, but I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t absolutely vital.’

  ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘America.’

  ‘What?’ Livvie’s eyes opened wide. ‘Why?’

  ‘It’s a long story.’

  Livvie pulled up a chair and sat down, folding her arms across her chest. ‘I’ll sit here until Christmas Eve unless you tell me everything. Come on, Ginnie. It’s got to be something pretty earth-shattering if I’m going to take on all that responsibility.’

  Chapter Fourteen

  Danny arrived on Sunday. He had telephoned from London Bridge to let Ginnie know that he was on his way and she had met the train. It was wet and windy and she had to cling on to her hat as the train steamed into the station. It made a pleasant change to be welcoming someone instead of seeing them off in the knowledge that they might never return, and Danny was a link with the past and the happier moments she had shared with Nick. She waved frantically when she saw him emerge from a cloud of steam. He came striding along the platform and she ran to greet him, arms outstretched. She reached up to plant a kiss on his cheek.