Page 28 of Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure
“And as I lay awake all night, I worried about what was going to happen to me when I went home. My hubby is going to knock the daylights out of me, isn’t he?”
“Then don’t go back to him,” Ellie said.
“All right for you to say.” Mavis’s voice quivered. “But what am I going to do? I don’t have no money, no house, no education—nothing. Where am I going to live? How am I going to support myself?”
“We’ll face that when the time comes,” Ellie said. “I gave you my word that I’d look after you, Mavis. But who knows, we might not want to go back.”
“What, stay here? In a foreign country?” Mavis shot her an alarmed look.
“You may come to like it, Mavis,” Ellie said. “I have to tell you that I’m feeling better already. I’m glad I made this decision, and I’m proud of us for getting this far. I like this place. I’m glad the car died here.”
“No sign of Yvette yet,” Dora said. “She must be sleeping in.” She paused, her hand poised to knock at Yvette’s door.
“Oh, let the poor girl sleep if she has to,” Ellie said. “She may have been on the run for days and needs her rest.”
“I would have thought growing up on a farm she’d be up with the dawn, milking the cows,” Dora said.
“I’ve said it before and I say it now,” Mavis said. “I don’t trust that girl. There’s something about her ...”
“Let’s be charitable, Mavis. She’s pregnant, on her own and scared. We have to help her.”
“So what do you propose to do with her once we reach our destination?” Dora asked. “They won’t take her to work in a hotel if she’s expecting a child.”
“Let’s wait and see, shall we?” Ellie asked. “At the moment let’s enjoy this glorious sunny day, and I smell coffee brewing.”
She headed for the stairs. The other women followed her. The dining room was to the right of the reception area and faced the harbour. Again it was simple, with small tables covered in checked gingham cloths. They took a seat in the window, watching the activity outside as the last of the catch was unloaded.
“Good morning, ladies.” Mrs Adams came in, looking friendlier than last night. “I hope you slept well.”
“We did, thank you,” Ellie replied.
“You all like coffee?” she asked. “I can do tea if you’d rather. We have tea sent out from England on account of the English visitors liking a taste of home.”
“I’d like tea, if it’s not too much trouble,” Mavis said.
Mrs Adams smiled at her. “From London, are you, ducks?”
“That’s right. Born and bred in the East End just like you.”
“We’ve both come a long way, then, ain’t we?” Mrs Adams said. “I can see we’ll have some good old chats once you’ve settled in.” She nodded to Mavis. “That’s the one thing I miss about living in this place. People to have a chat with. We get English guests during the season, but they are usually a snooty lot and don’t want to talk with the likes of me.” She smoothed down her apron. “Well, I can’t stand here all day, can I? I’ll have Mr A. bring your breakfast in.”
“Well done, Mavis,” Dora said as she departed. “You’ve tamed the dragon.”
They looked up as a scrawny and unassuming little man came in, bearing a tray. He had a drooping moustache and eyes that turned down at the corners, giving him a perpetually sad look. Ellie’s immediate thought was Jack Sprat and his wife—the enormous, overbearing woman and her tiny, henpecked husband.
“Here you go, ladies,” he said and unloaded the contents of the tray. He had the gravelly voice of someone who coughed frequently. There was a basket of croissants and a sliced baguette with butter and apricot jam, along with plates, cups and cutlery. “Coffee and tea will be out in a jiff,” he said. “I hope you enjoy your stay with us.”
“Thank you,” they muttered.
“Out from England, then, eh? What part?”
“Surrey,” Ellie said. “Not far from Guildford.”
“Oh, right. Surrey. I remember riding my old bike up the Hogs Back. You know that hill, right? Blimey, it was a hard slog. But it’s lovely country, Surrey. So green.”
“Do you miss it?” Dora asked.
“Sometimes. Yeah, I do.”
