The Fair Wind: A moving 1950s hospital romance (The Anniversary Collection Book 6)

by Lucilla Andrews

He shook his head. ‘I’m not much good at guessing. She told me.’

  ‘I don’t understand.’

  His face was lined with concern. He said, ‘You’re very brave, Sue, to pretend not to care. I know you’ve got courage. I saw that when you were ill. Believe me, I do know how you feel. You really needn’t keep up this act about not caring.’

  ‘I’m not acting. I promise you. I’m being honest. I would be delighted with your news ‒ if it wasn’t for you.’

  ‘For me?’ he demanded incredulously. ‘Where do I come into it? Or ‒ as you are better at guessing than I ‒ have you guessed?’

  ‘It wasn’t very hard,’ I said wearily, remembering so many things.

  He stood up and walked to the other side of the room. He folded his arms and leant against the wall just as he used to lean against the wall of the small ward in Nightingale. ‘I imagined it wasn’t.’ He spoke more bitterly than I had ever heard him. ‘I’m a rotten actor. I don’t doubt that I gave myself away from that first moment when I saw you standing outside my cousin’s office. You looked stricken with remorse, because you had smashed a lift gate. I looked at you ‒ and that was all there was to it. Later that morning, when you stepped in front of that double-decker bus and I hauled you back, I knew again, directly I touched you. But I knew you could never be interested in an ordinary sort of chap like me. I’m no Mark. I’m not good at parties. I run out of conversation. But I had to hang around in case you needed me at any time. It was hard to keep it all dark when you were well; but then you got ill. I’ll never forget your illness, Sue. I’ll never forget those two black nights. It was then that I had to talk to someone. I had to. So I talked to Jill. I told her about you. She wasn’t surprised either. She said she had guessed the score from the time when I took to hanging around in Catherine Ward. She said she had realised that I was looking for you ‒ and always seemed to see her. She’s a good girl, Jill. A fine girl. She’s just the sort of girl for Mark.’

  I nodded. My heart was bumping against my ribs.

  ‘Then everything seemed to happen at once. I found myself on the staff and on the medical side. I could see you every day. I could talk to you. But I could not talk about anything that mattered. I had to treat you impersonally as you were a medical patient. I couldn’t even send you flowers. I was Sir Alder Mostyn’s Houseman. I had to pretend you were just another patient. Did you realise that?’

  I said breathlessly, ‘I didn’t realise anything.’

  He misunderstood me. ‘Of course not. You were too ill most of the time. How could you realise how I felt that night I walked in and found you in tears? How could you realise how much it meant to me when you asked me to stay with you that other time, when you had that coughing bout and felt rotten? I knew you just needed companionship. I still don’t know how I made myself leave you.’

  I found my voice. I could not really believe he was saying all this to me, yet I could not really doubt him. Thomas was always sincere. And there was something I had to know. ‘That night I was crying, what made you so cheerful?’

  He smiled faintly. ‘Sue, I may be only newly qualified, but I do know a little medicine. When you find a patient in tears, the right therapy is to cheer them up. I knew you liked parties, and I knew you liked Mark. I thought it would boost your morale. I may be a rotten actor on the whole, but on occasions I can put on an act.’

  I stood up without knowing why. ‘I disagree. I think you are a very good actor. I was quite certain you were in love with Jill.’

  ‘In love with Jill? Me? What gave you that impression, Sue?’

  I began to laugh weakly. I laughed and laughed until I saw the expression in his eyes. He looked as if I had slapped him in the face. I stopped laughing immediately. ‘Tom, do forgive me being so stupid, it’s just ‒’

  ‘You needn’t apologise,’ he said stiffly. ‘I expect all I’ve said does make pretty amusing listening.’

  I walked towards him. He did not move as I approached, or when I put my hands on his shoulders. I shook him gently. ‘Thomas, I am not ‒ never was ‒ never will be ‒ in love with Mark Jonathan. Do you understand me? And I am not laughing at you. I am laughing at me. Because I’ve been such a goon and made myself so unhappy over nothing.’ His face was looking a little less grim now. So I shook him again, less gently. ‘Tom, you must believe me. I can’t face any more misunderstandings. And please don’t look at me like that. Please!’ I had to let go of his shoulders quickly and rub my eyes with the backs of my hands.

  He thrust a clean handkerchief into my hand. And when I wept on his shoulder he stroked my hair very gently. ‘Why are you crying, Sue?’

  So I told him. It took me a long time to convince him. He was even harder to convince than I had been. ‘Sue, are you sure? I’m so ordinary.’

  I tilted my head back to look at his face. ‘If being ordinary means a person is very clever and kind and gentle and sensible and strong at the same time, then you’re ordinary, Thomas. Only I don’t think you are.’

  His arms tightened round me; for a few seconds he was speechless. Then he said slowly, ‘I want you to marry me. I have always wanted that. Will, you, my darling?’

  I smiled at him. ‘I’d love to, Thomas. Thank you very much.’ And after that, for quite a while, we did no more talking.

  It was about half an hour later that we heard the front door slam, and my father’s voice calling.

  Tom looked at me. We were both sitting on the sofa; his arm was round me, his other hand held both of mine. ‘I’d like to be a G.P. later. I’ve often thought about it. And I’ve often thought what it would be like to be able to come home to you. I never thought that would really happen. It seemed too much to ask for. But I couldn’t help loving you. We shall have to wait a year until I’m on the Register, maybe a little longer. Not much longer, if I can manage it. Will you mind waiting, sweetheart?’

  I shook my head. ‘I won’t mind at all. I’ll always be happy to wait for you. I’m not such a fine cook as Mother. I’m afraid you are in for an awful lot of leathery meals and soggy puddings ‒ and I’m shocking about breaking kitchen crockery. But I will try to change.’

  He said, ‘No. Don’t change in any way. I love you just as you are. And if you do have a crisis, remember I always carry a pair of pliers and a spanner as well as a stethoscope. And you won’t have to shout very loud if you need my help, as I’ll always be on hand. For the rest of my life,’ added Thomas, and he kissed me again.

  Also by Lucilla Andrews

  If you enjoyed The Fair Wind, you will also want to read these other stories by Lucilla Andrews.

  The Print Petticoat

  A moving story of heartache and hope in the Maternity Unit of a busy 1950s teaching hospital.

  Joanna Anthony is a dedicated Nursery staff nurse at St Gregory’s Hospital. The nurses and doctors share laughter and tears as they tend to the mothers and babies in their care.

  There is time for romance, too. After five years together, is ambitious Dr Richard Everley finally ready to settle down with Joanna? And what of the two other young doctors who have more than a professional interest in her?

  It takes a serious illness for Joanna to understand where, and with whom, her future really lies.

  Read The Print Petticoat from Amazon UK

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  Read The Print Petticoat from Amazon AUS

  The Secret Armour

  There’s romance for Nurse Maggie on the wards of a 1950s teaching hospital. But is she in love with the wrong man?

  Nineteen-year-old nurse Maggie Howard is completing her training at St Benedict’s Hospital. Life on the ward is hard and the Sisters are strict, but Maggie and her set mates, Alice and Rose, love their work. That’s not all that Maggie loves, when against all advice she falls for a dashing patient, David Corford.

  Maggie will experience happiness, heartache and misunderstandings. And throughout the emotional ups and downs, young houseman George Hartigan is always
there to provide a shoulder to cry on.

  Will Maggie risk her career and future happiness over her love for a handsome patient?

  Read The Secret Armour from Amazon UK

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  Read The Secret Armour from Amazon AUS

  The Quiet Wards

  Young nurse Gillian Snow is blamed when a dangerous drug goes missing during her shift on the ward of a 1950s teaching hospital. But who took it?

  Twenty-one-year-old Nurse Gillian Snow finds her career in jeopardy when a dangerous drug disappears from the drug cupboard under her care. The situation also affects her romance with dashing house-surgeon Peter Kier.

  Moved from her ward to do other duties, Gillian experiences the happiness and heartache that comes from nursing both children and accident victims.

  As she struggles to understand who took the drug, and why, Gillian finds support and truth from some unexpected quarters.

  Read The Quiet Wards from Amazon UK

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  Read The Quiet Wards from Amazon AUS

  The First Year

  Rose Standing has a lot to learn about hospital life, patients ‒ and romance, during her first year as a probationer nurse at St Martin’s Hospital in 1950s London.

  Twenty-year-old Rose has a reputation for being accident-prone and absent-minded. Does she really have what it takes to make a good nurse?

  The biggest question on Rose’s mind is whether the Senior Surgical Officer, Jake Waring, will even notice her existence. Are her daydreams about a romance between them destined to remain a fantasy?

  Rose discovers that each department has its own heartaches and joys as she gains experience on the men’s surgical, women’s medical, and Casualty wards.

  Meanwhile, handsome student doctor Bill Martin shows a keen interest in Rose. But she has her suspicions about his motives.

  A moving and heart-warming story of a young nurse, and the challenges she faces on the hospital wards and in her personal life.

  Read The First Year from Amazon UK

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  A Hospital Summer

  In the summer of 1940, Clare Dillon is a V.A.D. in an English military hospital, nursing the wounded as the bombs fall.

  Twenty-year-old Clare must rise to the challenge of nursing in wartime. Whether giving comfort to a dying soldier, or assisting in a birth during an air raid, she has to remain clear-headed and professional.

  Clare is not only dealing with problems at the hospital. She is also worried for the safety of her brothers, who are both in the forces. Then the Dunkirk evacuation changes her world forever.

  With the medical emergencies and bombings, it’s no wonder Clare doesn’t have time to think about the attention she’s getting from young medical officer Joe Slaney. But she surprises herself when news about Joe makes her face up to what she really wants for the future.

  A gripping, bittersweet story about the courage and determination of young V.A.D. nurses in the Second World War.

  Read A Hospital Summer from Amazon UK

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  Read A Hospital Summer from Amazon AUS

  My Friend the Professor

  Young probationer nurse, Frances Dorland, is dealing with the ups and downs of 1960s hospital life when she meets an understanding older man ‒ the Professor.

  Frances’s nursing friends joke about the identity of the Professor, but the truth is that none of them know anything about him, except that he proves to be a loyal and kind friend to Frances.

  As Frances starts to realise she feels more than friendship for the Professor, she is also trying to help the course of true love run smoothly for her best friend Estelle Dexter. And handsome student doctor Bart More is sending mixed signals to both young women.

  It is only when one of the hospital staff becomes dangerously ill that Frances and her friends come to realise home truths that will change their lives forever.

  Read My Friend the Professor from Amazon UK

  Read My Friend the Professor from Amazon.com

  Read My Friend the Professor from Amazon AUS

  Discover all of the available novels by Lucilla Andrews, and be the first to know when the next ebook is released, by going to www.lucillaandrews.com

  Wyndham Books: Timeless bestsellers for today’s readers

  Wyndham Books publishes the first ebook editions of bestselling works by some of the most popular authors of the twentieth century. Enjoy our Historical, Family Saga, Regency, Romance and Medical fiction and non-fiction.

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  A Nurse’s Life by Jane Grant

  Heart-warming and humorous tales from a 1950s student nurse

  In this warm and witty book, Jane Grant recounts her life as a trainee nurse in a busy 1950s London teaching hospital.

  Jane, and her friends Mary and Phyllis, discover that both happiness and heartache can be found on the wards of St. Bernard’s Hospital. Before long they realise it takes determination and a sense of humour to deal with the colourful characters of hospital life – and that goes for the staff as well as the patients.

  The young nurses gain their medical training under the watchful eyes of strict, but generally fair, sisters and matrons. They meet patients who are facing the biggest challenges of their lives, and share with them moments of bravery and fear. There are times of laughter, but also of tears.

  There is romance too, as Jane and her fellow student nurses enjoy the attentions of the hospital’s handsome young doctors, falling in and out of love for the first time.

  A Nurse’s Life is a moving and amusing account of a bygone era, brought vividly to life. Also available in this series, there is more from Jane and her friends and family in More From a Nurse’s Life, A Sister’s Life and A Country Life.

  Read A Nurse’s Life now from Amazon UK

  Read A Nurse’s Life now from Amazon.com

  Read A Nurse’s Life now from Amazon Australia

  Doctors and Nurses: 3-in-1 box set by Sheila Burns

  Three medical romances from the 1960s in one box set. Romance and drama in medical settings.

  Doctor Called David ‒ Can Valerie escape her past, or is history destined to repeat itself?

  1966. After nurse Valerie Scott is found innocent of a terrible crime and released from jail, she turns to prison doctor David Graves for support. The offer of a new position as a private nurse to a kind and elderly couple seems the ideal chance to rebuild her life. But are the Goddards and their adopted son Gregory all that they seem? And can a doctor called David protect Valerie from a cruel twist of fate?

  Dr Irresistible M.D. ‒ Sharon wins a beauty competition but can she win a handsome stranger’s heart?

  1962. Sharon’s life takes an unexpected turn when she wins a beauty competition. Then she crashes the prize car of her dreams, and is rescued by a mysterious, good-looking man. He is Glynn Rodwell ‒ Dr Irresistible. The chance of a Mediterranean cruise offers Sharon excitement and opportunity ‒ but if she takes it, will she ever see Dr Irresistible again?

  The Eyes of Doctor Karl ‒ Will Cherrie discover the truth behind the hypnotic eyes of a handsome doctor?

  1962. While sitting in a traffic jam, Cherrie locks eyes with a dark and handsome man. That evening she reads about the strange case of Dr Karl Heineman whose patients have died in mysterious circumstances. Cherrie accompanies a newspaper reporter friend who is investigating the story. When they call on the doctor, she is surprised to find he is the man whose eyes she hasn’t been able to forget. As Cherrie is drawn closer into his world, will she discover the truth, and love, behind the eyes of Dr Karl?

  Read Doctors and Nurses now from Amazon UK

  Read Doctors and Nurses now from Amazon Australia

  Read Doctors and Nurses now from
Amazon.com

  Wyndham Books: Timeless bestsellers for today’s readers

  Wyndham Books publishes the first ebook editions of bestselling works by some of the most popular authors of the twentieth century, such as Lucilla Andrews, Tessa Barclay, Ursula Bloom, Catherine Gaskin, Naomi Jacob and Lucy Walker. Enjoy our Historical, Family Saga, Regency, Romance and Medical fiction and non-fiction.

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