The Button Girls: A beautiful, emotional pre-war novella from Patricia McBride for 2024

By Patricia McBride

The exciting prequel to the Lily Baker series

1938, England. When Lily Baker's mother finds a way for them to leave their run down part of town, and finally esape her aggressive father, Lily is feeling positive about a fresh start at a new life.

While her mother will be a housekeeper, Lily has a chance to work in a factory, though she has even bigger dreams - and the tenacity to achieve them.

But Lily’s father isn’t going to let go that easily, and she lives in fear of him ruining everything – the life she is building for herself. Will Lily and her mother find the strength to begin all over again?

An emotional pre-war novella, ideal for fans of Elaine Everest, Vicki Beeby and Daisy Styles.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Boldwood Books
• Release date: Feb 24, 2024
• ISBN: 9781835339954

Patricia McBride

Patricia McBride is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books as well as numerous articles. She loves undertaking the research for her books, helped by stories told to her by her Cockney mother and grandparents who lived in the East End. Patricia lives in Cambridge with her husband.

Book preview

1

A SUDDEN MOVE

It was Saturday morning, my day for a bit of a lie-in, so when Mum shook me awake I thought the house must be burning down.

‘Quick, get up,’ she said, bending down to reach something under my bed, ‘your dad’s gone to an away match. We’re leaving.’ As she bent, I noticed a new bruise on her arm.

I sat up and watched as she dumped a suitcase on my bed. ‘But… but…’

‘Come ON!’ she said, her voice several pitches higher than usual. ‘We are leaving. For ever.’

I threw back the blankets and candlewick bedspread. ‘I don’t understand.’ I put my hand on her arm. ‘Mum, slow down for a minute. What’s going on?’

She took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the bed. ‘Okay, I should have told you before. I’ve got a job as a housekeeper to a professor in Oxford…’

‘You what? Oxford? Didn’t you grow up there?’ I asked.

‘Just outside, but that’s not important. It’s a live-in job and there’s a bedroom we can share. He’s an academic and needs someone to look after him and keep an eye on the place when he’s away. There’s a train in an hour and a half. We’re leaving Coventry and your dad for good.’

In a daze, I struggled out of my nightie and put on the clothes she’d got ready for me. ‘But I need to pack. What about my job? My friends?’

She reached over and opened the case. It was full of my clothes. ‘I’ve packed for you already, just the last few things to put in. You’ll miss your friends but it’s only about fifty miles away. You can come and see them.’

I was so confused I could hardly think straight. ‘What about my job?’

She was pulling the last few things out of my chest of drawers. ‘Put these in your case. Oxford’s like Coventry, plenty of jobs, not like the rest of the country, thank goodness. No depression here. You’ll get another job easy.’

I ran to the bathroom. It was shared with three other families on the floor and, like usual, it was occupied. I hammered on the door and got a load of abuse for my trouble. Two minutes later, Mum hauled me back to our rooms.

‘Leave it. There’s a toilet at the station, you can wash your face there. Come on. Let’s get out of here in case he comes back early for some reason.’

She slammed the case shut and led me to the door. Her suitcase was already there.

‘Wait a minute!’ I whispered and dashed back to pick up my old teddy bear. He’d been with me all my life, I couldn’t leave him behind.

We stood at the door for a few seconds and looked around. The dingy room was half living room with a worn-out sofa and an old armchair. The other end was the kitchen with a gas ring and a sink with a cold tap.

‘The place we’re going to has its own bathroom and hot and cold water. Imagine!’ she said, and picked up her case. ‘We won’t miss this hole.’

We hurried down the stairs as if my dad were chasing us. ‘How far is Oxford?’ I asked, lugging my case and trying to tidy my hair.

‘Not far, about fifty miles, I think.’

Mrs Smith, one floor down, saw us. ‘Going on holiday, ducks? Oxford, is it?’ she called after us.

‘Nosey old bat,’ Mum muttered, ignoring her. ‘Come on, the bus’ll be here any minute.’

All the way to the station I sat feeling unreal, as if I was still asleep and this was a strange dream. But Mum kept bringing me back to reality.

‘I’ve been looking for a job like this for ages,’ she said, folding the bus ticket in half and half again. ‘It’s perfect. The Prof has managed so far with the help of his sister and his daughter. But his sister has got too old to help and his daughter has moved away because of her husband’s job. So he needs someone to look after him.’

‘But what if Dad finds us?’

She folded the bus ticket yet again. ‘Your dad doesn’t have to know where we are, unless you want to tell him. I suppose I can’t stop you. He’s your dad after all, but still…’

She looked around, jumped up and pressed the bell. ‘Come on, station next stop.’

We climbed off, lugging the cases behind us. We had to queue to buy our ticket, but we were in good time.

‘Two singles to Oxford, please,’ Mum said to the man behind the counter, handing over some notes. Then it really hit home. Singles. We weren’t coming back. I’d lived in Coventry all my life and apart from a day trip to London, had never been anywhere else. Mum and Dad were both only children, so there was no other family there, but I hated the thought of leaving my friends.

The train’s whistle brought me back to the moment. As it screeched to a halt, several people were already hanging out of the doors, opening the handles. They vanished briefly in the smoke and smut, then emerged triumphant on the platforms and hurried on their way.

‘This is it!’ Mum said, ‘Come on, let’s find a seat.’

The train was full, and I couldn’t help but wonder where everyone was going. Soldiers sitting on kitbags filled the corridors, and I got one or two wolf whistles as we struggled past. We had almost given up hope when a couple in one of the carriages stood up. ‘Come on,’ the lady said, ‘have our seats. We’re getting off in a minute.’

We accepted with a smile, then struggled to put our cases on the overhead shelf. We sat down and Mum held my hand. ‘It’s the beginning of a new life for us, love,’ she said, and gave my fingers a squeeze.

I couldn’t remember when I first became aware that Dad was hitting her. As a child, you just accept whatever’s happening as normal, because you don’t know anything else. But gradually, as I got older, I went to friends’ houses and began to notice that every family did things differently. And one thing I noticed was that not every dad was bad tempered and violent. Most of them didn’t take much notice of the kids; that was the mum’s job, but some of my friends were happy at home. I couldn’t remember a time when I wasn’t on edge when Dad was home. Or even when he was due home. It was as if a spirit charged the atmosphere in the house, even at the thought of him.

So as I got older, it made me angrier and angrier. ‘Why don’t you leave him?’ I’d ask. The answer was always the same.

‘We’ve got no money. We’ve got nowhere to go. No one cares if a man hits his wife. They think it’s all her fault. No one will help.’

‘But what about Gran? Can’t we go to live with her?’

‘She’s old and not very well. Anyway, she hasn’t got room for both of us. And if your dad came round there in one of his tempers, he could even have a go at her.’

The train pulling into a station brought me back to the moment. I squeezed Mum’s hand back. ‘Mum, how did you organise all this? How did you get the money for the train?’

She gave a big smile. ‘I told you I’ve been looking for some time. I never told your dad, but I got an extra couple of hours’ cleaning work a week for a while now and I’ve been saving every penny. What he