Free Birmingham Rose by Annie Murray Page A

They deal with all the bits of the animals that people don’t want to eat. The whole name of the firm is Lazenby’s Butcher’s Remnants Co. and then in brackets, Skin, Hide, Fat, Wool etc.,’ she recited proudly.
    ‘Goodness, that sounds a bit gruesome,’ Catherine said. She was afraid Rose had jumped impulsively into the first job that would employ her simply because she was so anxious not to go into service or on to the factory floor. Which was in fact not far from the truth.
    ‘It does stink round there a bit,’ Rose admitted. ‘But I’m their new office girl. I start on Monday. And the offices are ever so nice. They’re upstairs above the yard.’ She was all puffed up with pride.
    ‘So what did you have to do?’ Diana asked, dipping shortbread into her glass. She saw Catherine frown at her.
    ‘There was two lads up for the job as well,’ Rose said, starting to enjoy herself. ‘And Mr Lazenby – that’s the gaffer of course – he said we had to show him how we could read and write. So I said to him, “I bet I can read and write better than either of them two.” And he made us write a few things down, addresses and that. And then we had to read him a bit out of a book.’
    Rose had stood and read as well as she possibly could, remembering not to drop her aitches, which she could do when she thought about it, and trying to put expression in her voice.
    ‘And when I’d finished,’ she giggled, ‘Mr Lazenby said to me, “It’s all right, we’re not here to put on a Shakespeare play, you know. We just want a kid for round the office.” ’
    But one of the boys had scarcely been able to read and write at all and the other, who seemed to be terrified of Rose, had read slowly, stumbling over the words. And Rose knew she had left school with an excellent reference from Miss Whiteley.
    ‘So he said the job was mine!’ she said. She didn’t tell them the last part, that Mr Lazenby had said, ‘Right. You can start Monday. You’ll be getting eight and six a week.’
    ‘Excuse me,’ Rose said politely. ‘But I thought it was ten shillings you was offering.’
    ‘Oh yes.’ Mr Lazenby stretched his jowly face into a smile. ‘But you’re a lass. We’ve only ever taken on boys before.’
    Rose was a bit put out, but eight and six seemed a good amount to be taking home. Besides, she was proud to be the first girl that Lazenby’s had ever employed.
    ‘And I was thinking,’ she chattered on, not noticing in her excitement that the others were very subdued. ‘Just because I’ve left school doesn’t mean I can’t go on learning. You can teach me about all the things you’re learning at school, can’t you?’ At this moment, Rose felt she could do anything.
    Diana was looking lovely in a pale blue dress, her wavy hair tied up in a bouncy ponytail. Her skin was tanned from playing tennis and sitting out in the garden. But Rose suddenly noticed her miserable expression. Emerging from her own preoccupations she looked across at Catherine and saw she too had a solemn face.
    ‘What’s the matter?’ She tried joking: ‘If I ever saw two people looking as if they’ve lost tuppence and found a farthing, you’re the ones!’
    ‘Rose,’ Catherine said, smiling kindly at her. She held her glass on the wood of the tabletop and slowly circled it round. ‘Don’t think we’re not delighted that you’ve found a job – and so quickly. It’s marvellous news. It’s just that we have some news as well, and we’re not sure yet whether it’s good news or not.’
    ‘You may not be sure,’ Diana said, scowling. ‘But I am.’
    ‘Well go on – what is it?’ Rose spread her long dark fingers on top of the table as if preparing herself for a shock.
    Gently Catherine explained that Ronald had been looking for a new kind of job, and that as the diocese had not been able to place him in Birmingham he had accepted a post in Manchester.
    ‘Manchester?’ Rose was completely knocked for six. It might as