Nightingales on Call Read online

  She decided to make more of an effort and turned to talk to the girl next to her. ‘How do you do?’ she said. ‘I’m Effie.’

  ‘Frances Bates,’ the other girl replied in a chilly voice.

  It wasn’t the warmest introduction she’d ever had, but Effie was determined not to be put off. ‘I’ve seen you in the students’ home, haven’t I? Which ward have you been assigned to?’

  ‘Parry.’

  ‘I’m on Parry, too!’ Effie smiled. ‘I’m so nervous about it. It will be nice to have a friendly face there.’

  Frances gave her a look that was anything but friendly. ‘I don’t know about that,’ she said. ‘I’m senior to you, you can’t just chatter away to me.’

  ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’ Effie laughed. ‘You’re only in the set above mine. That doesn’t make you a senior!’

  ‘Yes, it does,’ Frances snapped. ‘Senior to you, anyway.’

  Fortunately, one of the students claimed her for a dance then.

  ‘You’ll have to forgive Bates,’ said another of the girls, leaning across the table towards Effie. ‘She’s just spent three months scrubbing bedpans in the sluice. She’s looking forward to having someone junior to her that she can pass the dirtiest jobs on to.’ She smiled. ‘I’m Hilda Ross, by the way. I’m in the same set as Bates, and I’m going to be on Parry too.’

  ‘Pleased to meet you. Although I don’t know if we’re allowed to speak, after what your friend said.’

  ‘Take no notice of her.’ Hilda waved her comment aside. She was a big girl, as tall as Effie but more solidly built. She might have looked mannish but for her artfully teased brown curls. ‘Between you and me, she’s in a sour mood because she used to be sweet on Hugo herself.’

  ‘Oh!’ Effie looked towards the dance floor, where Frances Bates was twirling in the arms of a lanky, fair-haired student. ‘I didn’t know.’

  ‘How could you?’ Hilda shrugged. ‘Anyway, it didn’t last long. And now she’s with Andrew, so it doesn’t matter. But I’m afraid you may have to get used to the other girls resenting you, now you’re with Hugo,’ she said. ‘He’s quite a catch.’

  Effie stared at her, not sure how to reply. She hadn’t imagined anyone being jealous of her.

  The song ended, Frances and her partner returned to the table and Hilda started gossiping with the girl on her other side. Effie turned her attention back to Hugo. He was guffawing with his friends over the latest prank they’d pulled, when they’d telephoned one of the student nurses on night duty to tell her there was an emergency admission on the way.

  ‘We only did it to wake her up a bit,’ he said. ‘How were we to know she would go into a complete panic and summon the Night Sister?’

  ‘Or that Miss Tanner would wake up the Senior Registrar?’ put in his friend Andrew.

  ‘By the time we telephoned back to let her know it was a joke, the whole place was in uproar!’ Hugo laughed.

  ‘What happened then?’ Effie asked.

  He shrugged. ‘Miss Tanner was completely furious, of course. The poor little night nurse was sent to Matron, who tore a huge strip off her for wasting everyone’s time.’

  ‘What about you? Didn’t you get punished for it too?’

  Hugo and his friends exchanged knowing looks. ‘The nurse was a good sport. She didn’t give the game away.’

  ‘So you got away with it?’

  ‘We lived to fight another day!’ Hugo and his friends clashed glasses in mutual salute. Effie watched them, frowning. That poor girl must have been frightened out of her wits. And she’d got into trouble on their account. It all seemed rather cruel to Effie.

  Hugo glanced at her. ‘Cheer up, angel.’ He nudged her. ‘It was only a harmless prank. You’ll have to get used to them if you’re with me.’

  ‘Hugo’s the joker of the pack!’ another of the young men announced, and they all laughed.

  Hugo squeezed her hand, and this time Effie made herself laugh with them.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  THE BRAND NEW pros arrived on the ward promptly at seven o’clock, the pair of them huddled together in the doorway as if for protection.

  Dora recognised Katie’s sister Effie straight away. She had the same dark curls and blue eyes as her sister, but while Katie was all plump curves, Effie was as slender and leggy as a young gazelle.

  She looked as terrified as one, too, her wide eyes gazing about apprehensively. Her pale skin had a distinctly greenish tinge.

  ‘Look at those two. Little do they know what’s in store for them!’ Dora heard one of the new juniors, Hilda Ross, commenting to her friend.

  ‘I bet they think they know it all, just because they’ve got through PTS,’ the other junior, Frances Bates, agreed. ‘Let’s see how they feel when they’ve spent three hours scrubbing toilets to Sister’s satisfaction!’

  ‘Have a heart, you two,’ Dora said. ‘You were in their position yourselves once.’

  ‘Not any more, thank God!’ Frances Bates muttered with feeling.

  Dora approached the pros, who shrank back towards the doors. ‘Sister doesn’t come on duty for another half an hour, so you might as well make yourselves useful and get the bedpans ready,’ she said. ‘And make sure that cap is on straight,’ she added to Effie. ‘Sister Parry inspects everyone first thing.’

  They rushed off to the sluice, giggling nervously together. Dora smiled as she watched them go. Frances Bates had a point, she thought. She wondered how long it would take for the novelty of the bedpan round to wear off.

  Sister Parry came on duty at precisely seven-thirty, and took the night report. Lucy Lane was at her side as usual. Then Sister summoned the nurses around the table in the centre of the ward and handed out the worklists.

  ‘You have arrived on a most auspicious day,’ she told the pros. ‘It’s ward-cleaning day today. It will be a chance to put all those cleaning skills you’ve learned in PTS to good use. I hope you will make Sister Parker very proud.’

  But it wasn’t just the pros who had to help. Everyone was involved in ward-cleaning. Once a week, the beds were pulled into the middle of the ward, and the floors behind were thoroughly swept, mopped and polished. The lampshades were taken down and washed, and the bedframes cleaned and dusted. The children took it all in their stride. In fact, they seemed to enjoy the novelty of having the nurses bustling around them with mops and brooms.

  ‘Please, Nurse, Sister has told me to use a pad when I’m scrubbing the floors,’ Dora heard Effie approach Lucy, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Lucy frowned. ‘Yes? And what do you expect me to do about it?’

  ‘I – I don’t know where they are. I can’t find any pads in the cleaning cupboard.’

  ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’ Lucy rolled her eyes. ‘Use your common sense, girl. Or are you completely stupid?’

  Effie flinched. ‘I – I—’

  ‘It’s all right, O’Hara, I’ll help you.’ Dora stepped in. ‘You have to make a pad for yourself. Come with me, I’ll show you.’

  As they walked away, Effie whispered, ‘I’m sorry I’m being dense, Nurse.’

  ‘You’re not being dense at all. You’re here to learn, and we’re supposed to help you.’ Dora shot a sideways look at Lucy. ‘Here, you fetch a towel from the linen cupboard and put it in a pillowcase. Use that as a pad when you scrub.’

  ‘Thank you, Nurse.’

  ‘And if you need to know anything else, you’d best come to me,’ Dora added.

  ‘Oh, I will,’ Effie replied with feeling.

  For once Dora was excused ward-cleaning. Daphne Anderson was off duty until twelve, so Dora had to look after Ernest.

  She was surprised to find he wasn’t alone in his room. Archie was sitting at Ernest’s bedside. He looked up when Dora walked in.

  ‘’S’all right, it’s only old Doily,’ he said with relief.

  ‘What have I told you about calling me that?’ Dora scolded. ‘And what are you doing in here, Archie Duggins?
You know you’re not supposed to be out of bed.’

  ‘I got bored,’ he said. ‘And I thought Ernest might like to play with his train.’

  ‘It’s your train now,’ Ernest reminded him.

  ‘We can share it,’ Archie said magnanimously. He turned to Dora. ‘We weren’t doing any harm, honest.’

  ‘All the same, I don’t think Sister would like it.’

  ‘Sister doesn’t have to sit in bed until her bum gets numb, does she?’ Archie said. ‘Go on, Doily – I mean, Nurse Doyle,’ he amended. ‘Just another five minutes, please? Me and Ernie are mates.’

  ‘So I see.’

  Dora looked at Ernest, his plump face turned to her in silent appeal. He had almost recovered from his rheumatic fever, he would be going home in a couple of weeks. And Archie was making a good recovery from his bout of pleurisy, too. What harm could it possibly do to let them have some fun together?

  ‘Five minutes,’ she said firmly. ‘But by the time ward-cleaning is over I want you back in your beds. Promise?’

  ‘Scout’s honour, Doily!’

  Dora sighed. Archie was far too naughty ever to be a boy scout. ‘I have to check Ernest’s temperature first, then I’ll leave you to your game.’

  Archie sat beside Ernest, making faces as Dora did his TPRs. Ernest was trying so hard not to laugh that he could barely keep the thermometer between his clenched lips.

  ‘You’re really not helping, you know!’ Dora scolded Archie. But deep down she knew he was. Ernest had lost his pale, miserable appearance. She had never seen him looking so healthy, or so happy.

  She came out of the side room later to hear the sound of girls giggling. Frances Bates and Hilda Ross were hanging around the sluice-room door, laughing together.

  ‘What’s so funny?’ asked Dora.

  Hilda fell guiltily silent, but Frances smirked. ‘Look what the new pro’s doing!’

  Dora peered around the corner. Effie was on her hands and knees, kneeling on the pad in the middle of the ward, scrubbing for all she was worth.

  ‘Oh, dear.’ Dora looked around. Lucy was at the far end of the ward, but thankfully there was no sign of Sister. ‘You could have told her,’ she said.

  ‘And spoil our fun?’ Frances muttered.

  Dora tiptoed up the ward to stand behind Effie. ‘Nurse O’Hara?’

  Effie jumped so suddenly at the sound of her name, she nearly sent the bucket of soapy water flying. She caught it just in time and scrambled to her feet, tucking her stray dark curls inside her cap. ‘Yes, Nurse?’

  ‘That pad isn’t to save your knees, Nurse. You’re supposed to put it under the bucket to stop it making rings on the clean floor.’

  Effie looked down at the pad, then at the bucket. Colour swept up from her starched collar, engulfing her whole face in burning scarlet. ‘Oh! I – I thought Sister was being kind, Nurse.’

  Dora smiled. ‘Sister isn’t that kind, I’m afraid. Not to us nurses anyway.’ She caught sight of Effie’s helpless expression. The poor child looked as if she might cry. ‘Don’t get upset about it. It’s only your first day, you can’t be expected to get everything right,’ Dora said kindly.

  ‘But I’m not getting anything right!’

  ‘You’re doing better than I did on my first day, I assure you.’

  Effie gave her a trembling smile. ‘Thanks, Nurse.’

  After ward-cleaning was over and everything had been put away, it was time to serve lunch to the patients. The porters brought the food up to the ward on trolleys, and Sister Parry served it out for the nurses to take to the patients.

  Dora was given the job of feeding Emily. As the child was refusing solid food, Sister instructed Dora to prepare some bread and sugar soaked in warm milk for her instead. Dora sat beside the bed, one arm under Emily’s pillow to prop her up, and encouraged her to take the mixture from the spoon she held to her lips.

  ‘Come on, love,’ she coaxed. ‘Just try a little bit. It’ll do you good.’

  Emily didn’t resist Dora’s efforts, but she didn’t welcome them either. She lay in Dora’s arms like a doll, looking up at her with those great wide eyes. The vacant expression in them frightened Dora. Being sent back to the orphanage must have been hugely upsetting for her, Dora thought. It had sent her into some kind of deep shock, as if her spirit had somehow abandoned her body, leaving behind an empty shell.

  ‘I wish you could tell us what was wrong with you, love,’ Dora whispered. ‘Then we could make you better.’ But Emily didn’t respond.

  After a great deal of encouragement, Dora finally managed to spoon half the bowl of bread and milk into the little girl’s unresisting mouth. She had expected Sister Parry to complain about her taking so much time, but she merely inspected the bowl, nodded and said, ‘That’s more than she managed yesterday. Very good, Doyle.’

  ‘Thank you, Sister.’ But just as Dora was glowing from the unexpected compliment, Sister added, ‘Now perhaps you’d like to explain what Archie Duggins is doing in a private patient’s room?’

  Lucy was sent off duty at one, and told to return at five. She was changing out of her uniform at the nurses’ home when the maid knocked on the door and announced there was a telephone message for her, and could she call Mr Bird at her father’s office urgently?

  Lucy’s heart jumped in her chest. It was all she could do to stay composed as she told the maid, ‘Thank you. I’ll be down in a moment.’

  She forced herself to finish changing, but all the time her thoughts were racing. It had to be news at last. And surely it had to be good news, too? If it were very bad, Gordon would have come to the nurses’ home himself.

  She risked a smile at her reflection as she smoothed her chestnut hair, carefully arranging the waves over her shoulders. It was good news, she knew it. Her father had returned, and he had managed to sort out all their problems, just as she had known he would. Now everything would be back to normal, and she wouldn’t have to worry herself to sleep any more.

  Gordon Bird took a long time to come to the telephone. Lucy stood in the empty hall, tugging at her thumbnail between her teeth, listening to the echoing silence.

  Finally, she heard his voice at the other end of the line. ‘Lucy?’

  ‘Uncle Gordon?’ Anxiety got the better of her. ‘Is it my father? Has he come home?’

  ‘I’m afraid not, my dear.’ Gordon’s voice sounded weary. ‘I’m sorry.’

  Lucy swallowed down her disappointment. She had got used to the constant nagging feeling of anxiety ever since her father disappeared. But to have her hopes raised and dashed again was almost too much for her.

  ‘But I’m afraid something else has happened,’ Gordon went on. ‘Something very unfortunate, that I felt I should warn you about.’

  Every muscle in her body tensed in instant terror. He was going to say her father’s body had been found, she knew it. It was the news she had been expecting ever since he went missing.

  ‘Yes?’ She could barely manage the word.

  ‘It’s about Leo Alderson. He knows your father has disappeared, and about the problem with the bank. He has the whole story, and he intends to print it.’

  Lucy’s mouth went dry, remembering that night outside the nurses’ home. She might have known Leo wouldn’t stop digging until he’d uncovered everything. ‘Where did he get it from?’

  There was a long silence. ‘He invited your mother out to tea,’ Gordon said heavily. ‘She told him everything. It wasn’t her fault,’ he added hastily. ‘Alderson caught her unawares. Clarissa thought it was an interview for the society pages. You know what your mother is like, she doesn’t always grasp the seriousness of a situation.’

  ‘Oh, I know what she’s like,’ Lucy said. She could just imagine Leo Alderson plying her mother with champagne, flattering her, making her feel as if she could confide her troubles in him.

  Clarissa was already overcome with self-pity; all it would take were a few drinks and some sympathetic flattery from a handsome strange
r, and she would be only too willing to pour out all her bitterness and resentment about her husband.

  Oh, Mother, how could you be so stupid? Lucy thought.

  ‘What can we do?’ she asked her godfather.

  ‘There is nothing we can do, at the moment. I will instruct your father’s lawyers, prepare them for the worst. They may be able to issue a few veiled threats to the newspaper’s proprietors. But I’m afraid we must sit and wait, see what happens next.’ Her godfather sighed heavily. ‘I’m so sorry to be the bearer of bad news, my dear. But I thought you should know, just in case . . .’

  ‘Just in case our name is splashed all over the newspapers in the morning,’ Lucy finished for him.

  Her mind was racing as she put the receiver down. Just when she thought the situation couldn’t get any worse, it did.

  She didn’t blame her mother, not really. Lady Clarissa was simply no match for someone as clever and charming as Leo Alderson.

  Lucy suddenly remembered the card Leo had given her. She had meant to throw it out, but for some reason she had kept it in her drawer. Now she was glad she had.

  Sit and wait and see what happens, Gordon Bird had advised.

  ‘I’m sorry, Uncle Gordon,’ Lucy murmured to herself. ‘I was never very good at waiting.’

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  LUCY MET LEO in a pub in Fleet Street, the kind of ancient place where men in powdered wigs had once gathered to gossip. Today it was crowded with journalists in shabby suits and lawyers in pinstripes, clustered together around battered tables. Rows of dusty bottles lined the walls, and the air was filled with the sound of guffawing laughter and cigarette smoke.

  It took her a moment to pick Leo out in the crowd. But he must have been watching out for her because he stood up and waved.

  Lucy picked her way through the crowd towards the corner table where he stood waiting for her.

  ‘Well,’ he grinned. ‘This is an unexpected surprise, Miss Lane.’

  ‘You gave me your telephone number.’

  ‘Yes, but I didn’t expect you’d have the nerve to use it.’