They left the hanger chatting and laughing. Claire felt a pang of sadness collecting her hat and coat from her locker. It had been an extraordinary week – and she had enjoyed every minute of it.
‘You ready, Claire?’ Ellen shouted from the doorway.
‘Coming!’ she shouted back, as she put on her coat. Pulling on her hat, Claire joined the others at RAF Ringway’s main gate. The car was waiting and no sooner had they jumped in than they were speeding though the Cheshire countryside. When they arrived at Dunham they went to the sitting room for tea. No one spoke for some time. It was Johnny who broke the silence.
‘Hands up all those who think we should celebrate our last night at a dance in Manchester!’
Claire, pretending her hand was too heavy to lift, said, ‘I’m game after dinner.’
‘And me, but I’m going to have a bath first,’ Ellen said, jumping up.
Claire followed her out. ‘See you at dinner, lads.’
Ellen was first in the bathroom, but wasn’t long, saying steam made her hair frizzy, so Claire allowed herself to lie back and relax for ten minutes. By the time she had dried herself and returned to the bedroom, Ellen was dressed and brushing her hair into curls that framed her face. At the back she had twiddled her hair into curly-rolls and pinned them in the nape of her neck. She looked pretty.
‘Do you want me to do your hair for you, Claire?’
‘That would be lovely, Ellen. I’m not much good with hair.’
‘Sit here,’ Ellen said, taking a brush and comb from the dressing table.
Claire sat on the stool and looked in the mirror. ‘I’m useless, but my sister Ena has a real knack with hair. She does everyone’s hair in the factory where she works.’
‘She isn’t a hairdresser then?’
‘No, she’d have liked to have been, but mum and dad couldn’t afford to buy all the equipment that’s needed, or keep her while she did an apprenticeship, so she became a nanny.’
Ellen turned her nose up. ‘Rather be a hairdresser than a nanny. Right,’ she said, ‘we’ve got to wait for the Amami lotion to dry. Get dressed and I’ll brush it out just before we go down.’
Claire had only brought two dresses, which she had intended to save until she got to London, but this was a special occasion. She took her blue dress with a full skirt from a hanger in the wardrobe and put it on. Buckling the belt at her waist reminded her of Eddie and she wished she was there. Claire stepped into her navy shoes and took the matching handbag and her white gloves from the drawer.
‘Let’s see if your hair’s set,’ Ellen said, standing behind the stool. Claire sat down and watched Ellen take out rows of Kirby grips. She took the comb and lightly combed through Claire’s hair, loosening the waves and pushing them back into place. Then she wound the length round her fingers and pinned it into a long roll that ended behind her ears. ‘How’s that?’
Looking in the mirror, Claire turned her head from left to right. She leaned forward. ‘It’s the best it has ever looked,’ she said, jumping up and hugging Ellen.
The two new friends stood side by side and looked in the mirror. Ellen wore a pink and green floral frock with white shoes, handbag and gloves, and Claire wore blue with white and navy accessories. ‘Come on, Claire, we’ll knock ‘em dead looking like this,’ Ellen said, and arm in arm they went down to dinner.
Johnny and Nick stood up as they entered the dining room. ‘Excuse me, ladies,’ Johnny said. ‘My friend and I are waiting for two girls. You don’t happen to have seen them anywhere?’ Ellen slapped him playfully on the shoulder and sat down. The others followed.
It was noticeable during the meal that Johnny was sweet on Ellen, because he directed everything he said to her. And Ellen clearly liked him, because she batted her eyelashes and looked serious, or amused, by everything he said. Their mutual attraction didn’t abate when they were in the taxi on the way to Manchester, or in the dance hall.
‘Would you do me the honour of this dance, miss?’ Johnny said, bowing with a flourish at Ellen’s side. She took his arm and, as he led her to the dance floor, looked over her shoulder and giggled at Claire.
Clearly unimpressed by his friend’s flamboyant gestures, Nick raised his eyes to the heavens. ‘Would you like to dance, Claire?’
‘I’d love to,’ she said, and took Nick’s arm.
On the dance floor it was obvious to Claire that Ellen had drawn the short straw. Nick was by far the better dancer of the two men.
‘Johnny had his heart set on Ellen the second he saw her,’ Nick said, as they danced.
‘Are you sure it was his heart?’ Claire said.
‘No I’m not, that’s the trouble. But what Johnny wants Johnny gets.’ There was a bitter edge to Nick’s voice.
‘You should have asked Ellen to dance before Johnny did. She’d have said yes.’
‘Would she? I wonder,’ he sighed. ‘Claire, I am sorry. Dancing with one beautiful woman and talking about another is impolite. What must you think?’
‘That you like my friend?’
‘Is it that obvious?’
‘Yes. It wasn’t when the four of us first met, but it is now.’
‘Still, I’ve got the better dancer,’ Nick said.
Looking across the room at Johnny and Ellen, Claire said, ‘That’s
