Free Lime Street Blues by Maureen Lee Page A

scores of boys she’d known.
    ‘Your mother said something about going to the pictures. I’m not sure if I can allow that. These people are strangers. I know nothing about them.’
    Jeannie knew he was only being protective, but it would be highly embarrassing to have to tell Elaine that her father had forbidden her to go to the pictures, endorsing Marcia’s belief that life in Ailsham was positively Victorian.
    ‘Why don’t we at least ask them to tea, Tom?’ Rose suggested. ‘We can see what they’re like? I’d love to hear Jeannie and Lachlan play.’
    ‘I don’t suppose there’d be much harm in that,’ Tom said grudgingly.
    ‘I doubt if our Lachlan will come,’ Elaine said. ‘Marcia will, because she’s dead nosy and she hasn’t many friends of her own, but Lachlan always goes to the Cavern on Sundays.’
    ‘What’s the Cavern?’ Jeannie enquired.
    ‘A club in town, Matthew Street, where they play music – jazz and skiffle. I’m dying to go, but Lachlan won’t take me. He goes with a crowd of boys from school and says I’m much too young.’
    ‘Oh, well.’ Jeannie didn’t show her disappointment. ‘It’ll be nice to have you and Marcia.’
    Elaine returned to school next day with the surprising news that Lachlan had accepted the invitation. ‘It’s not like him; he’s not usually the sort of person who goes to tea. I don’t quite know what’s got into him.’
    Jeannie hoped it was because Lachlan wanted to see her again as much as she did him.
    There was no need to meet the Baileys at the station as their father was bringing them in the car – perhaps he felt the need to see what sort of family
his
children were associating with. They arrived on the dot of three in the big, black, pre-war Humber that was its owner’s pride and joy, according to Marcia. ‘Dad thinks more of that car than he does of us,’ she grumbled.
    Dr Bailey was a tall, prepossessing man with a luxurious moustache and a warm bedside manner even with people who weren’t his patients. Jeannie had neglected to mention that her friend’s father was a doctor, and Tom Flowers was quite bowled over by their distinguished visitor. He humbly showed him around the impressive garden and picked a bunch of chrysanthemums for him to take to ‘your good wife’. The doctor left, promising to return at half past six.
    Earlier, Max had announced he was going out, having no desire to meet a couple of girls and a boy who played the violin and was bound to be a cissy. Jeannie had pleaded with him to stay and at least be introduced. ‘It would look rude, otherwise.’ To her chagrin, Max and Lachlan liked each other on the spot, and disappeared into Max’s bedroom to talk about football.
    The girls went for a walk through the village. It always looked particularly pretty in autumn, even though today was rather dull, without a glimmer of sun. The gardens were bulging with russet flowers and the numerous trees had started to shed their golden leaves, providing a crisp carpet for them to walk on. But Marcia wasn’t remotely impressed and loudly proclaimed her astonishment thatpeople were able to
breathe
in such a deadly dull atmosphere.
    ‘There’s no one around, only us. I’m convinced nothing but corpses live here.’
    ‘Corpses don’t
live
, Marcia,’ Elaine said scathingly.
    Marcia ignored her sister’s intervention. ‘It’s like that film,
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
. It was about a village just like this, ’cept it was in America, where the people were gradually being taken over by aliens and weren’t human any more.’
    ‘What about Jeannie’s family?’ Elaine enquired. ‘Aren’t they human any more?’
    ‘Yes, but only because the aliens haven’t reached the part where they live yet.’
    ‘Don’t be silly, Marcia.’ Jeannie burst out laughing. Yet in a way, although she wouldn’t have admitted it, she knew what Marcia meant. Today, Ailsham was silent and deserted. It
did
look dead, and she gave a