The Mill Girls of Albion Lane by Jenny Holmes Read Free Book Online

up the three worn stone steps to her front door while she rehearsed what she would say about it being her and not Margie turning the key in the lock.
    Let’s hope they’ve both gone to bed and I can leave the explanations until tomorrow morning, she thought. But there was a light on in the living room and she braced herself to face her mother’s barrage of questions. ‘What’s happened? Where’s Margie, pray tell?’ on and on, with Father slouched in the fireside chair or already dead to the world and snoring in bed.
    Lily squared her shoulders. ‘“Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, boys, smile,”’ she hummed jauntily to herself as she mounted the steps and opened the door.
    Nothing, not her mother’s world-weary nagging or her father’s drunkenness, could spoil this day of all days unless she, Lily Briggs, chose to let it.

CHAPTER FOUR
    â€˜Before you ask,’ Lily whispered as she opened the door into the living room to find Rhoda sitting alone by the dying fire, ‘Margie’s at Granddad Preston’s with Arthur.’
    If Rhoda was surprised, she didn’t let it show. ‘That’s all right then,’ she said without lifting her gaze from the embers.
    â€˜You don’t mind?’
    â€˜No. It’ll keep Margie out of mischief for a change.’
    â€˜Well, I’ll say goodnight.’ A relieved Lily was about to close the door and creep upstairs to bed when Rhoda stopped her.
    â€˜Oh Lily, I only wish Margie had half your common sense,’ she said with a sigh.
    Recognizing her mother’s need to share her burdens – a rare thing with her – Lily came into the room, closing the door to make sure her father wouldn’t overhear. ‘Why, what’s wrong, Mother? Has something happened?’
    Rhoda tapped the arm of her chair. ‘I don’t know. You tell me – why did your sister give up her Saturday night out?’
    For her mother’s sake Lily played down the worries lurking at the back of her own mind. ‘There was a bit of an argument between Margie and one of her chums, that’s all – nothing to worry about.’
    â€˜Fighting over a boy now, is she?’ Rhoda’s voice was sharp and suspicious.
    â€˜No, not that I know of.’
    â€˜Aye, but it will be.’
    Lily faltered and hovered uncertainly by the door. ‘What makes you say that?’
    â€˜It always is – that’s why.’ Rhoda gave Lily one of her long, direct stares. ‘When two girls fall out over nothing, there’s a boy in the picture – mark my words.’
    â€˜I don’t know about that, Mother.’ Lily frowned then offered to help. ‘What can I do? Would you like me to talk to Margie when she gets back tomorrow?’
    â€˜Yes, if you think you can do any good. Stop fidgeting by the door, Lily, come over here and sit.’
    So Lily went and perched on the arm of her mother’s chair, thinking through what had just been said. ‘I can’t be sure that she’ll listen to me, though.’
    â€˜Well, I’m sure of one thing – nothing
I
try with your sister does any good. She turns right around and does the opposite. If I say don’t throw away your hard-earned wages on one big night out, she’s on with her dancing shoes and out of the door before you can say Jack Robinson. And she’s always hankering after silk stockings and other silly things that she can’t afford. I don’t know where she gets it from.’
    â€˜Not from you, Mother.’ Lily smiled sadly. She couldn’t ever imagine a time when Rhoda had been young and carefree.
    â€˜No, well, I never had the money.’
    â€˜I know. It must have been hard.’
    â€˜It was. Remember, I married your father when I wasn’t much older than Margie is now. I never had two halfpennies of my own to rub together when I was her age and after I