‘I thought it would be easy to find where we were supposed to go and who to report to,’ Scarlet muttered.
‘Me too,’ Ellie said. ‘I thought Matron would be looking for us.’ She stared around, not sure where to look or where to go. There were soldiers everywhere. Some of the young men were standing in groups, laughing and talking loudly, acting like they were invincible. Others were quiet, maybe more reluctant about where they were headed to, and Ellie couldn’t blame them. The same feelings were running through her: on the one hand wanting to be full of life and bursting with excitement, and on the other quietly terrified about what she was about to do.
Then she spotted other Queen Alexandra’s Imperial Nursing Service women. The other QA nurses were dressed just as they were, in their new scarlet-trimmed greatcoats.
‘Look, over there.’
Scarlet stepped on tiptoe beside her and nodded. ‘Let’s go.’
They walked briskly in the direction of the other nurses, and Ellie saw there was a stern-looking matron with a clipboard, taking names.
Scarlet’s name was called almost immediately. She responded, ‘Present!’ her voice slightly cracked with nervousness. They waited until Ellie had her name called and then finally, after much muttering, Matron announced, ‘We will be travelling to Broomfield House, where you will spend the night before you are sent to your final units. There you will be working under canvas and sleeping in two-man tents, so I highly recommend that you enjoy your last night of comfort!’
There were groans, but Ellie stayed silent. She hadn’t expected even one night of luxury, so she wasn’t about to complain. She and Scarlet followed the others out of the station to a truck, engine running, that was waiting for them on the road. Ellie took a deep breath and climbed aboard. This was it. No turning back.
She sat beside Scarlet and another girl, who gave them a tight smile.
Ellie had spent all of her young life at home, never having been away from her family for more than a night, other than for her army training. Tears welled in her eyes, but she swallowed them down and smiled back. Everything was going to be just fine.
Ellie had to consciously keep her mouth closed, otherwise she feared her jaw might actually drop to the ground.
‘Heavens,’ she muttered as she stood outside the truck, staring at the grand house in front of them. The drive hadn’t taken too long, but it had been bumpy, cramped and stuffy inside the truck, making her want to stretch her legs. She could see now that it had been worth the discomfort.
‘Please proceed into the house. The nurses before you were stationed here for some time. However, you will only have the luxury of one night before moving on,’ announced Matron.
Ellie wondered why, what news there had been. But she didn’t dare ask. She walked with Scarlet, although they both stayed silent. Her bag was heavy and Ellie grasped it tighter, taking in the large pond at the front of the house and the grand entrance. She’d certainly never set foot in a place like this before. She stepped inside, eyes darting to the old portraits hanging on the walls and the huge staircase that ascended out of view. The carpet was threadbare and the house more unkempt inside than it had probably ever been prior to the war, but it was still beautiful in her eyes. Like a grand old lady wearing finery that is a little worn around the edges, she thought.
‘I wish we could stay here a bit longer,’ Ellie whispered.
Scarlet grinned. ‘It’s quite grand, isn’t it?’
A month earlier, when she’d been issued with her uniform, Ellie had been stationed in a house with other nurses, where they’d worked at a hospital that had needed them, tending to minor cuts and burns in addition to their training. This was certainly a step up.
‘Good afternoon!’ a short man in uniform yelled out from the bottom of the staircase. Ellie hadn’t even seen him appear, but she had to stifle a laugh; he looked too short to be a soldier, even though his shiny black boots and uniform were impeccable. He saluted them. ‘This is how you should salute your sergeant!’
Ellie stood straighter, still holding her bag in one hand.
‘You are lieutenants, and as such you must learn to salute correctly when in uniform. Some of you may have received instructions already, but I want you to practise!’ he told them, his booming voice belying his stature. ‘Salute!’
Ellie mimicked his action, doing her best to salute properly back. They might only be lieutenants, not to mention female ones at that, but she figured this particular sergeant was going to be a stickler for army procedure, and probably the sour-faced matron, too. She tried not to laugh thinking about the first lesson she’d had, back in London and wearing a cotton frock, trying hard to do as she was told without laughing at the very unimpressed sergeant instructor.
‘Your stay here at Broomfield House will be short, but it will be long enough for you each to be issued with a gas mask, bedding roll and straps, two blankets, one small pillow, and a canvas bucket, bath and basin, as well as a kitbag with a stove and lamp.’
Ellie gulped. Gas masks? A shudder ran through her body. She hated the things, was certain she’d panic if she had to wear one.
‘Questions?’
‘Will we need any more injections?’ one of the other nurses called out.
‘Yes! Next question?’
Ellie groaned. The worst part of her training had been the injections they’d been given in preparation for the possibility of nursing abroad.
‘Are we on rations here?’ another asked.
‘Yes, but you will receive four meals each day that you are here, and the same at your next lodgings, which will be under canvas to prepare you for war,’ the sergeant replied. ‘You will be shown to your quarters now. Please make your way back down promptly to collect your service items and kitbags.’
Ellie kept close to Scarlet as they followed Matron upstairs.
‘Two to a room,’ she announced as they passed down the corridor lined with rooms containing hospital beds. Ellie realised the house was operating as a makeshift hospital as well as providing their temporary accommodation. She’d had no idea what to expect.
‘This is the bathroom you may use. Remember, five inches of hot water only is permitted,’ Matron continued, her face devoid of any emotion. ‘Further, you must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.’
They ascended the last flight of stairs, walking across stained carpet on the landing. Ellie glanced into a room through an open door, saw two men huddled around a bed and wondered what was going on.
‘Excuse me.’ A deep voice jolted her from her thoughts. Ellie stumbled and felt her cheeks ignite when hands grasped her elbows. She looked up, aghast, at a young man with thick dark hair and even darker eyes, wearing a white coat – obviously a doctor.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she muttered. ‘I should have been looking where I was going.’
It seemed she’d almost walked straight into the poor doctor, who had now let her go and stepped back a foot or more.
‘No trouble. There’s a lot to see here.’ He smiled. ‘But be more careful next time, Nurse.’
Ellie tightened her hold on her bag and stepped around him, hurrying to catch up with her group. She glanced over her shoulder as she ran, still blushing as she looked at the handsome young doctor one last time. Maybe nursing was going to be fun, after all. His brown eyes were warm as he smiled at her, holding up his hand in a wave before disappearing down the hall.
‘Who was that?’ Scarlet whispered.
‘Doctor Handsome,’ Ellie whispered back. ‘I walked smack bang into him!’
‘Ladies, is there something you would like to share?’
Ellie cleared her throat and looked at her feet. ‘No, ma’am,’ she said, loud enough to be heard clearly, but her thoughts were still with the doctor who had flashed her such a sweet smile.
Ellie and Scarlet were assigned a room together and they both flopped down on the small beds. Ellie stared up at the ceiling. She was thankful they hadn’t been separated.
‘One of the girls was muttering something about us being sent to Burma, and another said that she’d been told we would be going to Gibraltar,’ Scarlet said in a low voice.
‘Nonsense. Surely they’ll send us to Europe if we’re going anywhere,’ Ellie scoffed.
‘Wherever we’re heading, it’s not somewhere in England, that’s for sure.’
‘Scarlet, can I ask you something?’ Ellie said, her thoughts turning back to her mother and father. She rolled over on her stomach to stare at her new friend.
‘What is it?’
‘If anything happens to me, would you promise that you’ll visit my family and tell them how much I love them?’
Scarlet swallowed. ‘Of course. And you’ll do the same for me?’
Ellie nodded. ‘I think we should write letters, and sew them into each other’s uniforms. That way we’ll never lose them and you will always have mine and I yours, in case something terrible happens.’
The sound of other nurses walking back down the hallway towards the grand main staircase alerted them that it was time to move again.
‘How about we do that tonight, then we never have to speak of not returning home again?’ Scarlet suggested.
Ellie nodded in agreement. She stood and held out a hand to Scarlet, pulling her up to her feet, too. ‘Let’s see if we can’t have some of that hot water to have a bath before bedtime,’ she said, shaking off the sombre mood.
Scarlet linked arms with her and together they walked back out into the hall to join the others.
CHAPTER THREE
Scarlet
Scarlet took a deep breath and finished getting dressed in the tiny cubicle that made standing almost impossible, let alone attempting to put on clothes. She’d never realised how little five inches of water was until now, and it certainly hadn’t made bathing easy. Nor had the lukewarm water. Her mind kept drifting to home, what it could have been like if she’d stayed, but she pushed away the thoughts that could so easily take over. She was here now. She was no different from any of the other nurses because it was wartime, and that meant nobody cared who you were or where you came from, only what job you did. That thought terrified her as much as it thrilled her, and she wondered how on earth she’d cope.
She needed to hurry because they were leaving soon and there was to be a briefing before they set off in the convoy of trucks that were already waiting outside. They’d been told there would only be one night at the old house, but with so many injured men to deal with, and not enough help, they’d stayed on for three more nights and it was only now they were finally moving on. Scarlet had enjoyed staying in the house, despite the restrictions on hot water, because she knew it would be a lot harder in the tents wherever it was they were going, even if she did at least have a friend to share with.
‘Get a move on,’ Ellie called out, her cheery voice impossible not to recognise.
Scarlet shook her head, smiling to herself before pulling the curtain back. Their room was awful, so dark and depressing, but at least she’d managed to bathe before they left. It was times like this that she thought of home, of the life she’d have with Thomas after the war – being married, having a house of her own, children to care for. It was all she’d ever wanted, a nice home and a nice husband to share it with.
‘Have you spoken to Doctor Handsome yet?’ Scarlet teased.
‘As a matter of fact, yes,’ Ellie replied, walking out of the room ahead of Scarlet. She quickly followed and they took the long walk back to their room to gather their belongings. ‘I was rebandaging a patient when he came in to check the charts.’
‘And?’ Scarlet asked, liking to tease Ellie about this particular doctor who always seemed to make her swoon.
‘He nodded and said hello, went about his rounds, then stopped to smile at me and say goodbye,’ Ellie said. ‘I think he’s the one.’
She burst out laughing and Scarlet rolled her eyes. ‘Because he’s so handsome? Or because you want to marry a doctor?’
Ellie sighed. ‘Sneer all you like, but the way he looked at me made my knees knock.’
‘Well, let’s cross our fingers that this doctor of yours will be joining us, wherever that may be.’ Scarlet felt the familiar tremor of nerves beat through her stomach, but she tried her best to ignore them. Wherever they were going, they were going together, and that in itself was something to be grateful for.
‘Did you hear that Charlotte isn’t joining us?’ Ellie said conspiratorially as they entered their room and collected their carryalls and kitbags. ‘I heard that she’s pregnant by a sergeant and they’re having a fast wedding before he leaves! I wonder how long she’s even known him or been here. A month?’
‘No! Surely not!’ Scarlet held her breath, so pleased that she hadn’t ended up pregnant before Thomas had left. She knew of some girls who were scared of even kissing their sweethearts for fear of getting pregnant, but for it to happen here and be sent home? ‘Imagine if it was the little one we met that first day! What was his name – Sergeant Winters?’
Ellie giggled. ‘I never thought it could be him!’
Scarlet was still smiling when they went down the stairs, gathering with the other nurses, some of whom she’d got to know well. She bet their matron would be furious that she was already losing a trained nurse.
‘Have you heard where we’re going?’
Scarlet turned to the girl on her right, Rose. She’d spent some time with her the night before, caring for a patient with a head injury, which meant they’d sat whispering into the early hours.
‘No. What have you heard?’ Scarlet asked.
Rose bent her head closer. ‘That they’re sending us to France.’
Scarlet gulped. She’d guessed as much, but there had been so many rumours she hadn’t known what to believe.
‘Ladies, listen please!’
When Matron spoke, they all knew to be quiet, and Scarlet gave the older woman her full attention, not daring to speak again.
‘We are travelling today to Sussex. We will be leaving immediately and you will be staying in your two-man tents with the same person you’ve been sharing a bedroom with.’
‘Is it true we’re going to Burma?’ a worried voice called out.
‘You will be advised of any planned destination prior to departure, but for now you should expect to live and work under canvas to prepare for the conditions you will face.’
Once Matron had finished, Scarlet felt a hand close over her arm. It was Ellie.
‘This is it, isn’t it?’ Ellie asked.
Scarlet nodded. ‘I think she knows more than she’s letting on. Surely they know where they’re sending us! Why can’t they say?’
Ellie shrugged. ‘Wherever we’re going—’
‘Excuse me.’
Scarlet looked up, then glanced at Ellie and saw a wide smile break out on her friend’s face, quickly replaced by a more demure expression.
‘Yes,’ Ellie replied.
‘I’m Doctor Spencer Black. I don’t think we’ve officially met.’
Scarlet watched as Ellie stuck out her hand and the doctor gently shook it.
‘Ellie. And this is my friend, Scarlet.’
The doctor turned and Scarlet let him take her hand, too, smiling back at him. His eyes were as dark as Ellie’s, and the way he ran a hand through his hair made him look ever so slightly nervous. Or maybe she was imagining it. She had to agree with Ellie that he was awfully handsome. ‘Pleased to meet you.’
‘Ellie, I’m going to be travelling to Sussex with your unit. My speciality is head trauma and burns, and I’m looking for a nurse to work alongside me.’
Scarlet hid her mouth with her hand, not wanting the handsome doctor to see her smirking. Ellie would be beside herself!
‘I couldn’t help but notice your bedside manner with the patients yesterday, and I need a kind, cheerful nurse to assist me. Someone I can trust and train accordingly.’
‘I’m, well, flattered,’ Ellie said in a quieter vo
ice than Scarlet had ever heard her use before. ‘And I’m truly sorry about walking into you the other day, when we first arrived. That was—’
‘Nothing to worry about, it’s long forgotten. Can I count on you?’ Doctor Black asked.
‘Of course. Thank you,’ Ellie said, blushing. ‘And if you need another nurse, Scarlet here is very skilled.’
He smiled kindly and Scarlet nodded back.
‘If you’d prefer me to ask—’ Doctor Black started.
‘No!’ Ellie looked horrified at how loudly she’d interrupted him. ‘What I meant to say is, I would love to be your nurse. Thank you for asking.’
The doctor looked uncertain, but stepped back and held up his hand. ‘I shall see you in Sussex, then.’
‘So you shall,’ Ellie replied.
Scarlet waited until he was a few paces away before eagerly turning back to Ellie and grabbing her hand. Ellie was so excited she had her other palm clamped over her mouth.
‘I think Doctor Handsome likes you, too,’ Scarlet said, raising her eyebrows at Ellie’s pink cheeks.
‘He doesn’t. It’s probably just because he saw me being nice to a patient.’
‘Ellie, we’re all nice to the patients. Have you seen any of the girls being unkind? We all have a lovely bedside manner.’ Scarlet laughed. ‘He hasn’t exactly seen you do any strenuous nursing work here!’ The patients at Broomfield House had already been patched up before they’d been sent on for further care.
Ellie was biting down on her lower lip and Scarlet wished she was the one falling in love, that her heart was full to brimming with anticipation rather than feeling like it was starting to break in half. But she was happy for her friend – why wouldn’t she be?
‘Do you really think so? That he likes me?’
‘Sweetheart, a doctor just made his way over here and chose you over all these other nurses,’ Scarlet told her, looking around at the dozens of women surrounding them, all dressed in uniform and chatting away as they waited. ‘Who knows if he even needs his own nurse!’
Ellie was still chewing on her bottom lip when Matron called out and they all gathered up their bags to follow her. Scarlet looked over her shoulder, saying a silent goodbye to the old house that had been their home for the first few nights away.
Wives of War Page 3
