The Nightingale Nurses Page 3

  Most of the neighbours treated Danny with kindness and understanding, if only because they were afraid of his older brother. Dora hadn’t expected Ruby to be so cruel. After all, she and Danny were going to be family.

  ‘Well, I’ll tell you why, shall I? Nick picked you because you’re his brother and there’s no one else in the whole wide world he’d want to stand beside him at his wedding. And I’ll tell you something else, too. If you aren’t there he’s going to be very upset and disappointed. And you don’t want that, do you?’ Danny shook his head. ‘So why don’t I help you finish getting ready? We’ll find you a nice shirt and tie to wear, and comb your hair and make you look like a proper gent. How about that?’

  Dora stood up and put out her hand to help him to his feet. Danny hung back, still reluctant.

  ‘Wh-what if I l-let him down?’

  ‘You won’t, love. And don’t forget, I’ll be there with you. I can help you if you get stuck with anything.’

  He regarded her with wary eyes. ‘You pr-promise?’

  ‘’Course I do.’ Dora offered her hand again. ‘Now let’s get a move on, or we’ll all miss the wedding!’

  She was helping him to put on his tie when Nick returned.

  ‘Everything all right?’ he asked, his eyes fixed on Danny.

  ‘I think so.’ Dora straightened the knot and turned Danny around to face his brother. ‘What do you reckon? Will we do?’

  The warmth in Nick’s smile as he looked at his brother was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.

  ‘Very nice,’ he said in a choked voice.

  It was a moment before she realised he’d shifted his gaze to her, and another moment before she could react.

  ‘Well, I’d best be getting back. Ruby will think I’ve deserted her!’ She hurried for the door. Nick followed her.

  ‘Did he say what was wrong?’

  Dora glanced past his shoulder at Danny, admiring himself in the kitchen mirror. ‘It was just nerves, that’s all.’

  ‘Are you sure that’s it?’ Nick’s eyes narrowed. ‘I meant what I said. If I thought anyone had been having a go at him—’

  Dora thought about Ruby. ‘He’ll be all right,’ she said. ‘Weddings just bring out the worst in people, that’s all.’

  ‘Tell me something I don’t know.’ Nick looked grim.

  Dora stepped into the hall, but his voice stopped her in her tracks. ‘You look lovely.’

  She felt herself blushing to the roots of her red hair. ‘Pink isn’t really my colour,’ she batted away the compliment. ‘But Ruby likes it, so—’

  ‘What Ruby wants, Ruby gets,’ Nick said.

  Dora smiled wistfully. ‘It seems that way, doesn’t it?’

  She stared at the staircase in front of her, that led back up to the Pikes’ part of the house. She knew she should walk away, but her treacherous legs wouldn’t carry her.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ Nick said.

  ‘So am I.’

  She managed the few steps to the foot of the stairs. ‘I don’t want to marry her,’ Nick blurted out.

  Dora turned to face him. She wanted to shout at him, to tell him he was being selfish, but he looked so wretched she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Besides, she felt that if she let herself go even for a moment and allowed herself to show any emotion, she would be lost.

  ‘You should have thought about that before you got her pregnant, shouldn’t you?’

  ‘Don’t you think I know that? I made a mistake. If I could turn back the clock—’

  ‘You can’t,’ Dora cut him off coldly. ‘It’s too late now.’

  ‘It doesn’t have to be.’ He took a few steps towards her. ‘If you just say the word, I’ll walk away.’

  She looked over her shoulder at him, knowing the look of desolation in his eyes mirrored her own expression. For a moment, it almost seemed possible that they could do it, that they could snatch their happiness and run with it. All she had to do was say the word . . .

  But then she remembered Ruby’s face, radiant with optimism as she put on her wedding gown.

  ‘You have to do the right thing by Ruby,’ she said. ‘We both do.’

  His broad shoulders slumped. ‘I know,’ he sighed.

  ‘You wouldn’t do it anyway,’ said Dora. ‘I know you, Nick Riley. You would never walk away from her, not while she’s carrying your child.’

  His mouth twisted. ‘I wish I could.’

  ‘I don’t. Because then you wouldn’t be the man I fell in love with.’

  The words were out before Dora could stop herself. Neither of them moved. She could feel the heat of his body close to hers and she knew she should step away but she couldn’t, because she knew it would be the last time he was ever this close to her.

  It had taken her too long to realise she was in love with Nick Riley. Growing up next door to her, he had always seemed so remote, a tough, troubled young man struggling to look after his sick brother and drunken mother. It was only when she started as a student at the Nightingale, where he worked as a porter, that they had got to know each other.

  But by then he was courting Ruby. And by the time Dora and he realised how they felt about each other, his girlfriend was pregnant.

  ‘I love you too,’ Nick said, his voice gruff with emotion. ‘I just wanted to say that one more time, before—’

  ‘Before we have to forget each other,’ she finished for him.

  ‘I’m not sure I can forget you.’

  ‘You must,’ she insisted. ‘For the sake of Ruby and your baby, from now on we have to be strangers.’

  Ruby Pike, or Ruby Riley, as she was now called, downed her third port and lemon, determined to enjoy herself. All around her the Rose and Crown rang to the rafters with laughter, singing and merriment. Even her mum and dad weren’t at each other’s throats for once, as they stood arm in arm around the piano, singing ‘If You Were the Only Girl in the World’.

  This was her big day, but none of it seemed real. She hadn’t ever believed it would come to this. Right up to the moment Nick slid the wedding band on her finger, she was sure something would happen to stop it. When the vicar asked if anyone knew of any reason why they shouldn’t lawfully be joined, her heartbeat had crashed in her ears as she waited for someone to speak up.

  But no one had. And now they were married, bound together for the rest of their lives.

  Ruby’s hand shook as she tipped back her head and sank the last of her drink. She wished Dora were there. Her friend had slipped away straight after the ceremony, saying she had to go back on duty. Ruby knew it was a lie, but she hadn’t argued.

  ‘Good thing too,’ her mother had whispered, as they watched Dora leave, head down and coat collar pulled up against the rain. ‘You want to watch that mate of yours, Ruby. I reckon she’s sweet on your Nick.’

  As if Ruby needed telling. She had been aware of the tension between them for months, even before they understood it themselves. ‘I trust Dora,’ she said. ‘She’d never do the dirty on me. She’s too good a friend for that.’

  Not like me, a voice inside her head added. If she was honest, part of the reason she had wanted Nick was because she knew her mate liked him.

  ‘And what about him?’ Lettie had nodded towards Nick, who was straightening his brother’s tie. ‘Do you trust him?’

  ‘We’re married, ain’t we?’

  Her mother sent her a scathing look. ‘You’re a fool if you think a wedding ring makes a blind bit of difference to a man.’

  Ruby watched Nick, fussing over his brother with so much affection, and felt a pang of jealousy. ‘I’m going to make sure he never wants to look at another woman. You wait and see, he’ll soon forget all about Dora Doyle.’

  ‘Well, I reckon if anyone can do that, it’s you.’ Lettie smiled at her admiringly. ‘He’s lucky to have you, love.’

  Ruby tried to remind herself of that as she gazed around the pub. All around her were the disappointed faces of young men she had turned down
, local boys she’d toyed with and then rejected. Even now she was a married woman, they still watched her longingly. She was Ruby Pike, she could have had any man she wanted in Bethnal Green. And she’d chosen Nick Riley. He should be on his knees giving thanks to God, she decided.

  But deep inside her there was a knot of tension that just wouldn’t go away.

  ‘Rube?’ She almost jumped when she realised Nick was standing over her. His smart wedding suit only seemed to emphasise the taut muscles of his body, as lean as a fighting dog’s. ‘I’m going outside for a breath of fresh air.’

  ‘You will come back, won’t you?’ she blurted out.

  His dark brows drew together in a frown. ‘What kind of a question is that?’

  ‘I dunno.’ She felt suddenly foolish. ‘Take no notice of me, I’m just being daft.’

  She looked away, but his fingers tilted her chin and turned her face up to meet his. ‘Ruby, look at me.’ His eyes met hers, intense and direct. ‘We’re married, all right? I ain’t going to let you down. I’m standing by you.’

  ‘I – I know.’ She bit her lip, feeling wretched. ‘Kiss me,’ she pleaded.

  He looked around. ‘What, here? In front of everyone?’

  ‘Why not?’ She rose, pushing her chair back with a clatter. The port and lemons made her unsteady on her feet and Nick’s hands came out to catch her as she stumbled. ‘You ashamed of your wife, or something?’

  She wound her arms around his neck and moved in for a kiss. Nick tried to offer her a peck on the lips but Ruby buried her fingers in the springy thickness of his curls, holding him fast as her tongue boldly probed his mouth. She felt the stiff resistance in his body for a second before he yielded to her, as he always did.

  Their kiss brought a riot of catcalls and cheering from the crowd.

  ‘Oi, you two! Save it for the wedding night!’ someone shouted.

  ‘They’ve already had that, from what I’ve heard,’ someone else said, then shut up as Nick pulled away sharply and turned to scowl at them.

  ‘It doesn’t matter anyway.’ Ruby laughed defiantly, holding up her left hand. ‘We’re married now. It’s all legal and above board.’

  ‘Better late than never!’ another brave soul shouted from the back of the bar.

  Ruby was still smiling bravely and laughing off everyone’s jokes when Nick slipped outside a few minutes later. She waited until she saw the door close behind him, then turned to her brother Dennis.

  ‘Get me another drink,’ she said, thrusting the glass at him. ‘And make it a double this time.’

  ‘You want to go steady, you know.’ Lettie appeared at her side. ‘You don’t want to get squiffy.’

  Ruby stared at her mother. A network of fine purple veins stood out on her thin, flushed cheeks, and her hat was squashed into a strange, lopsided shape where someone had sat on it. ‘You’re a fine one to talk!’

  ‘I’m not expecting, am I?’ Lettie plonked herself down on the bench next to her. ‘You’re having a baby, remember?’

  ‘How can I forget?’ Ruby murmured, moodily tracing a sticky beer ring on the table in front of her.

  Lettie squinted at her. ‘You’re in a funny old mood, all of a sudden. What’s the matter?’

  ‘Nothing. It’s just—’ Ruby started to speak and then stopped herself.

  ‘I know what this is about.’ Lettie pulled off her hat and plonked it on the table. ‘You’re worried about what I said earlier, ain’t you?’ She pressed one thin, clawed hand against Ruby’s shoulder. ‘You don’t want to take any notice of me, love. You’re right, you and Nick are properly wed now. He’s not going to look at anyone else, especially not an ugly mug like Dora Doyle. Not while he’s got you.’

  Dennis arrived and put Ruby’s drink down in front of her, then held out his hand for the money. Ruby shot him a filthy look and he retreated sharply.

  ‘Besides,’ Lettie went on, slurring her words, ‘you’re expecting his baby. And that means a lot to Nick Riley, whatever he lets on. I know I’ve said some things about him in the past, but I’ll say one thing for him: he’s a grafter. You’ll never have to worry about him providing for you and that kid—’

  ‘There is no kid,’ Ruby blurted out.

  Lettie frowned in confusion. ‘No what, love?’

  ‘I’m not pregnant, Mum.’ Ruby lifted her gaze to meet her mother’s. ‘There is no baby. There never was.’

  Lettie’s mouth opened and then closed again. ‘But I don’t understand . . .’

  ‘I lied,’ Ruby said simply.

  ‘You mean, you—’ Lettie’s gaze dropped to Ruby’s belly, then back up to her face. ‘But why?’

  ‘So he wouldn’t leave me.’

  It was Nick’s fault. He’d pushed her into it. Ruby knew he was going to finish it with her, cast her aside for Dora, and she also knew that she loved him so much that if he told her he didn’t want her any more, it would be the end of her world.

  And so she’d panicked and told him she was pregnant. And those words had changed everything.

  The drunken flush drained out of her mother’s face. She stared at Ruby, as if she couldn’t make up her mind whether to laugh or cry.

  ‘You silly cow!’ she said finally. ‘You mean, you’ve let all the neighbours gossip about us for nothing?’

  Ruby’s mouth twisted. Trust her mother to worry about something like that!

  ‘You’ve got some neck, I’ll give you that much.’ Her mother shook her head slowly. ‘So what are you going to do now?’

  ‘I don’t know.’ Ruby shrugged. ‘I hadn’t thought about it.’

  ‘Typical!’ Lettie snapped. ‘That’s your trouble, you’re always opening your trap before you’ve had a chance to think about what you’re doing.’

  ‘I’ll tell him it was a false alarm, that I got my dates wrong.’

  Her mother regarded her shrewdly. ‘And how do you think he’ll take that?’

  ‘I’ll find out, won’t I?’

  ‘You do realise he might leave you?’

  Ruby shook her head. ‘He won’t. Anyway, he couldn’t divorce me. He wouldn’t have the grounds, would he?’ Men could only divorce their wives for adultery, not for lying.

  Besides, people like them didn’t get divorced. No matter how unhappy they were, they just put up with each other until death parted them. Her own mum and dad had been living under the same roof for more than twenty years, even though they hated the sight of each other.

  ‘There are worse things in life than divorce, my girl. You don’t want to be married to a man who regrets it.’ Looking at her mother’s face, so full of sadness, Ruby wondered if she was thinking about her own loveless match. ‘It ain’t no life, believe me.’

  ‘Who says he’ll regret it?’ Now they were married, Ruby intended to make sure Nick didn’t have a single moment of doubt. ‘Anyway, I’ll probably get pregnant soon enough,’ she added.

  ‘You’d best make sure you do, my girl, just in case he gets any ideas,’ Lettie warned. ‘And when are you going to tell him the truth?’

  The door opened and Nick appeared. Ruby felt herself smiling as he threaded his way through the crowd towards her.

  ‘Not tonight,’ she said. This was the happiest day of her life, and nothing was going to spoil it.

  Chapter Three

  ‘YOU THERE. WHAT do you think you’re doing?’

  Dora looked round at the sound of the sharp reprimand. A small dark woman in the grey uniform of a ward sister was heading purposefully towards her. It was barely seven o’clock on a Sunday morning, and Dora had just walked in through the doors of the Casualty department for her first day on duty. Surely she couldn’t have done something wrong already?

  She relaxed when the Sister barrelled past her towards an elderly man, huddled under his coat at the back of the room on the last of the rows of empty wooden benches.

  ‘Were you asleep?’ The nurse stood over him, hands planted on her hips.

  ‘N-No, Nurse.’ Dora s
aw the old man tremble, and felt for him. His white hair was straggly under his shapeless hat, and he looked as if he hadn’t had a decent meal in days.

  The Sister eyed him beadily. ‘I’ve seen you in here before, haven’t I?’

  ‘No,’ the old man said.

  From somewhere beyond the waiting room came an unearthly howl. Dora jumped, but the nurse did not flinch. Her attention was still fixed on the old man.

  ‘Yes, I have. Don’t you try to get one over on me, my man. I’ve warned you about this before. This is a hospital, not a public dormitory, I will not have members of the public wandering in to have a nap. Now be off with you.’

  ‘But, Nurse—’

  ‘I said, be off with you!’ She lifted him bodily from the seat and propelled him towards the doors. For a small woman, she was surprisingly strong. ‘If you want to sleep it off, try the local library,’ she called, closing the doors firmly on him.

  She turned, saw Dora and her eyes narrowed. Dora flinched, afraid she might be next to be ejected. ‘Are you the new student?’

  ‘Yes, Sister. I’m Doyle.’

  ‘I’m Sister Percival, and I am in charge of this department.’ She rapped out the words like bullets from a machine gun. She was a neat little woman, bristling with energy. Even when she was standing still she seemed to be moving, her fingers drumming, dark eyes darting. ‘Well? Don’t just stand there gawping at me. Get to the Operating Room and assist Dr McKay with his severed arm.’

  Dora looked around her. The waiting room reminded her of a church, long and echoing, with tall windows down one wall and a set of double doors at one end. At the other was a high wooden desk like a pulpit, with a young staff nurse in a blue uniform seated behind it. In between were rows of benches like church pews, empty apart from a woman with a baby in her arms and a man clutching a blood-soaked handkerchief to his temple.

  ‘Sorry, Sister, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do—’

  Another howl ripped through the air.

  ‘Good heavens, don’t you students ever think for yourselves?’ Sister Percival pointed towards a door beyond the counter. ‘Over there, girl, behind the booking-in desk. Now get along with you. We deal with emergencies here, and that means there’s no time for dawdling.’