The Girl From Penny Lane by Katie Flynn

Author:Katie Flynn
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Liverpool Saga
Publisher: Random House
Published: 1994-04-10T23:00:00+00:00

The weekend flew by, of course. Nellie and Stuart proved to be extremely understanding about the dancing school and were very impressed when Lilac took them round on Saturday evening when the classes were in full swing.

‘Your partner can Charleston up a storm,’ Stuart said admiringly as Charlotte, long beads swinging, headband low on her dark brow, proceeded to make the wild, wiggly dance look both easy and exciting. ‘You have some very superior pupils, Lilac love – that’s a First Officer off a liner over there, still in uniform!’

‘Who pays the band? They must cost you the earth!’ Nellie exclaimed, but Lilac was able to reassure her.

‘They don’t cost a lot because there’s so much unemployment in the Pool. They’re all unemployed during the day and they make a bit at night by playing for places like this. They’re rather good though, don’t you think?’

‘Awful good,’ Nellie said. ‘The trumpeter keeps smiling at you, Li. He seems a nice young man.’

‘Oh, that’s Spudsy Bishop. I was at school with him . . . well, I wasn’t actually since he was at St Ant’s, but I knew him pretty well. He was in Art’s class, in fact.’

‘Oh. Does he . . . do you . . . ?’

Lilac laughed.

‘No he doesn’t and we don’t! I’ve no time, Nell, and precious little inclination to tell you the truth. I’m . . . I’m still waiting for . . . for . . .’

‘Good,’ Nellie said, nodding her head decisively. ‘You’re right to do so. He’ll come back, I’m sure of it.’

Lilac took the Gallaghers to the hotel of course, and the staff were charmed by Elizabeth and pronounced Nellie and Stuart a very pleasant young couple. Mrs Brierson insisted on entertaining them to coffee and biscuits in her suite of private rooms and told Nellie that she valued Lilac very highly.

It was what Nellie most wanted to hear. And when Stuart tactfully took Lilac for a walk whilst Nellie saw to the baby, his first remark was a promise that Nellie should not hear what he was about to say.

‘That sounds bad,’ Lilac said rather apprehensively. Stuart had gone off visiting friends a couple of times, leaving the girls in the flat together. Newspapermen being the way they were, Lilac guessed that Stuart might have enquired about The Waterfront Academy of Modern Dance and its proprietresses, Miss Lilac and Miss Charlotte.

‘I wouldn’t say it was bad, chuck, but you must be careful. A feller told me that when you started the dancing school it was widely believed you were running quite a different business from what you advertised – get me?’

‘Yes. I told Charlotte that would happen but she said so long as the fellers came and saw for themselves, it wouldn’t matter. And it hasn’t mattered, not really. We’re very respectable now.’

‘Oh aye, now you are, so I won’t reproach you – but you wouldn’t want Art hearing rumours about you and perhaps believing them, would you?’

‘My God . . .

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