mum had made it for her years ago and the blue flowery pattern was faded with washing, but it was still her best frock. She’d made an effort with her hair, too, smoothing down her frizzy curls and fastening them back with matching blue ribbon.
‘You look lovely. Doesn’t she, Mum?’
Nanna Winnie peered at her. ‘She’s scrubbed up all right. But you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, can you?’ she said, and went back to her sandwich-making.
Dora laughed. There was no point in getting offended – as her mum always said, if you took offence at everything Nanna came out with, you’d be in a huff all day.
‘What’s happened to our Josie?’ Dora asked. ‘I thought she’d be down here helping you?’
Rose and her mother exchanged looks. ‘She’s taken herself to bed. Says she’s not feeling right.’ Rose shook her head. ‘I don’t know, they’re dropping like flies around here. Alf’s been complaining about a pain in his gut all night.’
‘If you ask me, there’s nothing wrong with our Josie,’ Nanna mumbled. ‘She’s been a right little madam lately. Barely speaking one minute, snapping at everyone the next. And she gave our Bea a good hiding the other day. I mean, I know she can be an annoying little bleeder sometimes, but she didn’t deserve that.’
‘Josie hit Bea?’ She was usually the peacemaker of the family, always trying to stop fights between her brothers and sisters.
Her mother read Dora’s thoughts. ‘I know, it’s not like her, is it? And Lettie Pike reckons she saw her in Victoria Park the other day when she was supposed to be at school.’
‘That Lettie Pike’s a troublemaker. I wouldn’t believe anything that came out of her mouth,’ Nanna said. ‘Whatever else our Josie does, she’d never miss her school. She’s too clever for that.’
‘I wouldn’t be too sure.’ Rose looked worried. ‘The way she’s acting at the moment, I don’t think I’d put anything past her.’
Fear began to uncurl in the pit of Dora’s stomach. ‘Shall I have a word with her?’
‘Would you, love? She might listen to you.’
She took a deep breath before she stepped into her old room, steeling herself against the rush of painful memories that overwhelmed her.
Josie lay in the middle of the bed, huddled under the eiderdown, her dark head on the pillow. She turned sharply as Dora came in.
‘Oh, it’s you.’ Her hunched shoulders relaxed.
‘I brought you a cake. I thought you might want one before Bea scoffs the lot.’
‘Thanks.’ Josie didn’t move, so Dora put the cake carefully down on the bedside cupboard.
‘How are you feeling, love?’ she asked.
‘I’ve got a headache.’
‘Will you be all right for the party?’
‘I don’t think so.’
‘Blimey, you must be sickening for something if you want to miss out!’ The old feather mattress sank beneath Dora’s weight as she perched on the edge of the bed. ‘It won’t be the same without you, Jose. Mum’s made all your favourites, and Nanna’s all dressed up in her best fur coat like Nancy Glitters. You should see her!’
Josie didn’t move. Dora stared worriedly at the back of her sister’s silky dark head. ‘What is it, love?’ she whispered. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘I told you, I’ve got a headache.’
Dora looked down at her hunched figure under the bed clothes. ‘How long have you had it? You’re not running a temperature, are you? Let me see . . .’ She reached over and tried to put a hand to her sister’s forehead, but Josie batted her away.
‘Don’t touch me! I don’t need you nursing me, all right? Just leave me alone.’
The fierce look in her blazing brown eyes startled Dora.
‘All right, Jose. No need to bite my head off.’ She stood up. ‘Come down if you feel better, won’t you? We’ll all miss you at the party.’
‘Well?’ Her mother looked up from her sandwich-making as Dora came back into the kitchen. ‘How is she?’
‘She says she’s not well.’
‘Not well, my eye!’ Nanna snorted. ‘If you ask me, that girl’s hiding something.’
Dora chewed her lip and said nothing. She hoped she was wrong, but she had the horrible feeling that her grandmother might have hit the nail on the head.
She tried to shake her lingering worry from her mind as she got stuck in, helping her mother and their neighbours to shift food and chairs outside. The children ran around them, tunnelling under the tables, caught up in the excitement of the day. At the other end of the street, a few of the men