A Sister's War Read online

  ‘Ugh.’ Jessica screwed her face horribly. ‘What do we do with the bucket afterwards?’

  ‘It’s the bucket-and-chuck-it method. Yer chuck it overboard – preferably when there’s no one gawpin’.’ She gave a mirthless chuckle.

  There was some supressed laughter from May and Sally.

  ‘Then allus rinse the bucket in the cut,’ she continued. ‘Never with fresh water. And do not waste water. We carry very little and we’ve got more of yous on board than if yer trainin’ was completed so yer need ter be creative. Never chuck out water. Use it several times over. Yer want a boiled egg? Afterwards a brew? Then you use the same egg water for yer tea. It don’t hurt no one.’

  Ronnie threw a glance at Jessica, who was pulling a face at such a thought. She couldn’t help grinning until Dora glared at her and carried on.

  ‘The fresh water can – the one with painted flowers – is in the cabin. Another on the roof. Once it’s gone, it’s gone, ’til we refill ’em. Is that clear?’

  ‘Yes, Miss Dummitt.’ There were a few murmurs.

  Dora Dummitt set her mouth in a grim line. ‘Bein’ a boater in’t no picnic. If that’s what you thought when you decided to join, you should pack yer things immediately and leave. That’s all.’ She stood. ‘Right, if yer all finished, we need ter get crackin’. And no accidents on the way back.’

  Ronnie finally crawled in over Jessica with whom she was sharing the three-foot bed, to take her place tight up against the wall of the narrowboat. She was exhausted, but Jessica never stopped tossing and turning, then throwing off the blanket and moments later suddenly pulling it off Ronnie and tucking it round herself. It was impossible to sleep. For one thing Ronnie didn’t feel warm. It was as though the freezing cold water from the canal dunking had reached right into her bones. She was just drifting off when Jessica gave a loud snore and woke herself up. A moan escaped the girl’s lips as she shot up in bed, scaring the life out of Ronnie.

  ‘Jessica – are you all right?’

  ‘Who …?’ Jessica twisted round, patting Ronnie’s face as though she had no idea who was in the bed with her.

  ‘It’s me … Ronnie, trying to go to sleep.’

  ‘Ron …?’ It was the cry of a wounded animal.

  What on earth was the matter?

  To Ronnie’s horror, her bedfellow burst into tears and fell back onto the pillow.

  ‘Jessica, what’s the matter?’

  There was no answer. Ronnie lay in the dark, her eyes wide open, fully awake now, listening to Jessica’s snuffling.

  ‘Can I get you anything?’

  ‘N-no, nothing. Don’t worry about me. I must’ve been dreaming. Go back to sleep.’

  If only it was a case of going back, Ronnie thought grimly. She hadn’t even begun.

  Ten minutes later Ronnie was relieved when she heard Jessica’s steady breathing. May, on the other hand, was lying so quietly Ronnie couldn’t even hear her breathing.

  I won’t be able to put up with Jessica’s racket every night, was Ronnie’s last frustrated thought before she finally managed, through sheer exhaustion, to fall asleep.

  Ronnie was awoken early the next morning by some strange noises outside. She sat up, her shoulder stiff from lying awkwardly. Rubbing it, she stepped over to the porthole to see if she could tell where the sounds were coming from, but it was as dark outside as it was in. What time was it? Her watch wasn’t on the shelf above their heads where she thought she’d left it. Ah, it had fallen on the floor. She picked it up and scrutinised it, but there wasn’t enough light to read the time. Her stomach was rolling. Her mind travelled back to last night. She couldn’t remember washing, or even cleaning her teeth before she’d crawled into bed. She ran her tongue over them and pulled a face, then glanced down at herself. At least she’d changed into a pair of pyjamas, though she couldn’t even remember doing that.

  Perhaps dear Dora Dummitt had helped her. The ridiculous idea made Ronnie giggle.

  ‘What’s funny?’ May called.

  ‘Oh, you’re awake. It was just something silly I thought of,’ Ronnie said. ‘I’m going to make some tea. Like one?’

  ‘Yes, please,’ May said. ‘It’ll be a real luxury. No one ever makes one for me.’

  ‘Why’s that?’

  ‘Oh, my old job. I’ll tell you sometime.’ May put her legs out on the floor. ‘Did you sleep?’

  ‘Not much,’ Ronnie admitted, nodding towards Jessica, who by now was irritatingly silent. ‘Jessica’s a snorer.’

  Ronnie carefully poured water from the flowered can and put the kettle on to boil. She wouldn’t mention how Jessica had called out in the night and seemed upset about something. It wasn’t her business. If the older girl wanted to talk out her problems, that was up to her, and she’d listen and give any advice she could, but only if asked.

  ‘What about you, May? Did you manage to sleep?’

  ‘Slept like a log – woke up in the fireplace.’ May chuckled, then said, ‘Ronnie, can I ask you something. Did you really mistake the salt for sugar in Dora’s tea?’

  ‘What do you think?’

  ‘I don’t think you made a mistake.’

  Ronnie smiled as she put three mugs out. ‘Sugar, May?’

  ‘I’ll put my own in, thanks very much,’ May said, giggling. ‘It’s safer. And you knew jolly well what you were doing. So did all of us. We didn’t know where to put ourselves. Oh, Ronnie, Dora’s face …’ She threw back her head and laughed until the tears ran down her cheeks.

  There was a scuffling noise from above.

  ‘What was that?’ May said, the laughter choked back as she looked up.

  A pale moon-like face, pipe in mouth, peered through the hatch.

  ‘Talk of the devil,’ May muttered to no one.

  ‘It’s half-past six,’ Dora announced, her pipe moving up and down with the words. ‘I’ve let yous all sleep in on yer first mornin’ but from now on I want yous up at half-past five, so the boats’re thoroughly cleaned and we let go by six-thirty latest. Today we shan’t be away until half-past seven, by the looks o’ things.’

  ‘Miss Dummitt, what was all that noise outside earlier on?’ Ronnie asked boldly.

  Dora removed her pipe. ‘That’d be the boats chuggin’ by. The boaters often start as early as three or four in the mornin’. They gotta make their money. I ’spect yer heard ’em whippin’ the towlines over the top o’ yer.’

  ‘Oh.’ It was all so strange. Would she ever understand?

  ‘Margaret’s makin’ porridge for us,’ Dora went on. ‘One of yous can go and collect it in ten minutes. If yer late you’ll eat it cold.’ She drew her head back and disappeared.

  ‘It was funny I just said “Dora” and she appears like a genie from a lamp.’ May pulled a face. ‘As if she knew we was talking about her. Well, it’s too bad if she did. She certainly don’t mince her words.’ She leapt off the bed. ‘Can I have what’s left in the kettle, Ronnie, so’s I can have a quick wash?’

  ‘There’s only a cupful.’

  ‘That’ll do. I’ll wash down as far as possible, and up as far as possible, and just have to leave possible out!’ May chuckled as she took the kettle off the ring.

  ‘I’d better wake Jess,’ Ronnie said, cringing at May’s crude expression. ‘Deadly Dora’s like a sergeant major and Jess doesn’t take too kindly to being ordered around.’

  ‘Oh, I love that name for her.’ May gave a scream of laughter. ‘Deadly Dora.’

  ‘What’s the joke?’ Jessica’s voice startled them, as she swung her long shapely legs out of the bed.

  ‘Ronnie calls our dear trainer “Deadly Dora”,’ May snorted.

  Jessica grinned. ‘Sums her up perfectly, I’d say.’ She looked at the kettle. ‘Anyone making tea?’

  ‘We’ve had ours,’ Ronnie said. ‘May’s just going to use the last drop of water in the kettle for her wash.’

  Jessica threw May a fierce look. ‘You can put the kettle back on the ring right
now, May. That cupful will just be enough for my tea!’

  Ronnie’s stomach was rumbling as she knocked on the side of Persephone. She swiftly stepped through the hatch to find Margaret ladling out the porridge.

  ‘Is that tall one up?’ Dora Dummitt looked at her watch and peered at Ronnie.

  ‘If you mean Jessica, she’s choosing what to wear, I expect,’ Angela said scornfully.

  ‘This in’t a fashion house.’ Dora rolled her eyes, then shrugged. ‘Well, I won’t have her keep us waitin’. If she in’t ready at seven-thirty, she can stay behind.’

  What an ogre the woman was. Ronnie took the saucepan from Margaret. The porridge looked lumpy, reminding Ronnie of the three bears. She broke into a grin.

  ‘Somethin’ funny, Shirley?’ Dora demanded as she took up her pipe. The trainer had already wolfed her porridge down.

  Ronnie didn’t answer.

  ‘You, miss. I’m talkin’ to yer.’

  ‘Oh, did you mean me?’ Ronnie said innocently. ‘Sorry, I didn’t realise. I thought I’d explained that yesterday – that I don’t know who you’re talking to when you say Shirley.’

  ‘We’ve a lot ter get through today, and all the other days,’ Dora Dummitt said, completely ignoring Ronnie’s remark and making little popping noises with her lips on the pipe stem as she endeavoured to light it. ‘So I don’t want any backchat. Just concentrate, all of yous at all times. Eat sharpish, then clean and tidy the boat before leavin’. Put yer blankets away so they don’t get wet when it rains, fold away yer mattress and put up the cross bed into the bed ’ole so it in’t in the way …’

  Dora gave a few more instructions that Ronnie either didn’t understand or couldn’t keep up with. She rolled her eyes in frustration.

  ‘Boats are never to be left untidy or dirty,’ Dora continued. ‘And I mean never. There’s a routine ter keep ’em clean, and it’ll come natural once yous’ve done it a few times, but for now we need ter get on with the day’s run on the cut.’ She paused. ‘I’m goin’ outside. There’s no room to breathe in here. Until then I want everyone outside by five to eight.’ She disappeared.

  ‘I’m off then,’ Ronnie said. But before she could put the lid on the saucepan there was a muffled noise above them and Jessica’s feet clad in brogues, newly polished after their beating yesterday, appeared through the hatch. She was down in a flash, her long figure causing the small eating space to become even more squashed.

  ‘I came to see where you were,’ Jessica said, glancing at Ronnie accusingly. ‘You’ve been gone ages and May and I are starving.’

  ‘Just coming,’ Ronnie said.

  ‘I really dislike that woman,’ Jessica said when she and Ronnie were back with May in the butty and they were eating the by now lukewarm porridge. ‘If she can get a dig in, she will. And she seems to have it in for Ronnie even more than me.’

  ‘She’d bleedin’ jump on any of us if we put a foot wrong,’ May said. ‘It’s just her way. I wouldn’t take no notice.’

  ‘Well, she did come up trumps when she lent me some of her clothes,’ Ronnie said. ‘My spares were all in here. Anyway, we haven’t got time to moan about her. We’ll get our heads chopped off if we’re not outside by five to eight.’

  Everyone except Jessica had gathered on the dock wall before eight. The minutes ticked by. Dora sniffed and looked at her watch.

  ‘Where the bloody hell is she?’ She looked at Ronnie and May. ‘Well? You two live with her.’

  ‘She was doing her face when Ronnie and I left,’ May said with a giggle. ‘Though who’s going to take notice of her in this weather, I don’t know.’

  At least it wasn’t raining, Ronnie thought, but the wind whistled through the thin leafless branches which overhung the canal. She shivered in her new raincoat even though it had a warm lining and she had a thick jumper on underneath. She wished she was still wearing one of Dora’s vests. It was much thicker than the one she’d packed.

  The other girls were beginning to fidget and mutter.

  ‘Someone, go and fetch her,’ Dora said, her face screwed in irritation. ‘She’s to come now!’

  ‘Here I am, everybody.’ A smiling Jessica appeared on the roof and agilely jumped up onto the dock wall to join them.

  ‘Yer late,’ Dora said. ‘I won’t be kept waitin’. Yer to be punctual, same as everyone here who managed ter be on time. What was yer doin’?’

  ‘I’m actually only five minutes late,’ Jessica said, her smile fading. ‘I was emptying the bucket, if you must know. Not a pleasant job as the person who used it before me hadn’t left it very clean.’

  ‘Sorry,’ May spoke up immediately. ‘That must’ve been me. It’s so dark in there you can’t see a thing.’

  ‘But yer had time for a full make-up, miss,’ Dora snapped at Jessica.

  Jessica blinked. ‘I do that every day. It’s normal routine for me. I have to be ill if I haven’t got my lipstick and mascara on.’

  ‘Yer not here to be no fashion model,’ Dora said scathingly. ‘I’m beginnin’ ter have grave doubts you’ll make a good boater, miss, even if yer daddy do have his own boat. This in’t no game and I won’t put up with no nonsense from yous or anyone.’

  Angela whispered something to Sally and Dora pounced on her.

  ‘If yous’ve anything ter say, miss, spit it out.’ Dora glared at her.

  ‘Just that we were all talking last night,’ Angela said. ‘We had a bet – that Jessica wouldn’t last.’

  ‘Why on earth did you bet that?’ Jessica demanded, her eyes sparking.

  ‘I think I know why,’ Ronnie blurted out. ‘Yesterday when we were all covered in mud you had one small streak on your face. No mud anywhere except your lovely new shoes which you’ve polished like a mirror. We’d love to know how you could have kept so clean.’

  Jessica dropped her gaze on each girl in turn, and Ronnie suddenly felt uncomfortable. She’d gone too far. Her sisters put up with her often tactless remarks – they were used to them – but she didn’t know these girls. She gave a sideways look at Jessica whose mouth twitched at the corners. To her relief Jessica gave a sudden hoot of laughter.

  ‘Well, who knows,’ she said. ‘You may be right about the bet. But then again, you might not be.’

  ‘If yous have finished decidin’ who will last the course and who won’t,’ Dora interrupted, a scathing edge to her voice, ‘let me remind yous I’ll be doin’ the decidin’. P’raps yer ready to begin yer second day’s trainin’ – if it in’t too much ter ask.’

  Chapter Seven

  ‘Right then, we’re ready ter let go, and this time get further than Bull’s Bridge.’ Dora bent to untie the straps. ‘We don’t have ter come back ter the depot again. We’ll be trainin’ as we go. But we need ter be doubly careful terday. Look at them trees.’ She pointed beyond the boat depot to light woodland where the trees were swaying alarmingly. ‘It’s a strong wind and yer need ter watch out for any overhangin’ branches. They can be boogers.’

  Dora seemed to be in all places at all times, shouting orders to Ronnie and the others. Ronnie could see they had as little idea as she did about what was supposed to happen next.

  ‘I need one of yous ter help me get the engine started,’ Dora said. She raised her voice. ‘Sally?’

  ‘I’m not sure how—’

  ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake,’ Dora growled. ‘I haven’t time ter go through it all again.’

  Ronnie hesitated. At least if she could do what had looked like a straightforward manoeuvre yesterday when Dora was showing them, the woman might give her a bit of credit. Besides, she was fed-up hanging around outside trying to understand the workings of the locks. It made no difference if the rain stopped; the air was so damp and the cold so raw, it found its way deep into her bones. She was already down to her last socks and even they felt damp still. She must remember to dry them on the stove tonight.

  All this whirled through her brain as Dora looked round for a volunteer.

 
It would be warm inside the engine room.

  Before Ronnie could change her mind, she said, ‘I’ll come with you.’

  Dora threw her a sharp, sceptical look. ‘All right. But mind yer pay attention. And watch where yer step. Yer don’t want another bath before time.’ There was a muffled giggle from Sally which Dora ignored. ‘Jess, you come, too. Angela, Sally, May—’ She broke off. ‘Where’s May?’

  ‘I hope she’s lighting the stove,’ Jessica said. ‘It’s freezing in the butty and we all need a wash.’

  ‘There’s no time for no wash,’ Dora said. ‘Maybe later this afternoon. We need ter get ter the first lock.’ She paused and looked at the group. ‘We’ve got quite a few ter get through,’ she added with a smirk.

  ‘When yer on yer own with two others you’ll need ter work in pairs ter start the engine,’ Dora was saying without looking round as Ronnie stepped into the engine room. ‘It’s easy when yer know how.’

  Ronnie was struck by how unfamiliar all the levers and brass rods looked today. She couldn’t remember any of them, only that the flywheel was the most important piece of machinery that kept the engine running smoothly.

  ‘I’ll do the starting handle if yer pull over the compression lever,’ Dora said to Ronnie.

  ‘What can I do?’

  Dora twisted her neck round as Jessica stepped forward.

  ‘I’ll do the startin’ handle. Here. Slowly does it. Careful. Hold it like this. Then turn it and you’ll see the flywheel rotate. When I count to three, Ver-ron-eek—’ She paused to let the mocking pronunciation of Ronnie’s full name sink in, ‘push this lever over. Right. One, two, three!’