by Kate Eastham
Alice came in right behind her, and Maud filled her friend in. ‘Harry came to the ward today,’ she said.
‘What! He needs to leave you alone,’ cried Alice. ‘I’ll find out where he’s living, if you want. I’ll go along there and see him.’
‘No, it’s all right, Alice,’ sighed Maud. ‘I’ve already told him. He was a bit drunk, but I think he understood what I was saying. And at least now I’m back here, in the Nurses’ Home, I’m less likely to bump into him or have him harassing me.’
‘Mmm,’ said Alice, narrowing her eyes, ‘we’ll see. But me and Eddy can sort him out for you, if you want.’
‘I know,’ said Maud, ‘but …’ And then she was stuck for words, her mind tripping up on what she wanted to say.
‘Right, come on,’ said Alice, taking charge. ‘Let’s get your bags from Miss Merryweather, and then we can get you moved in.’
Maud and Alice definitely felt like probationers again as they knocked on Miss Merryweather’s door and stood waiting to be admitted. When she called for them to come in, they stepped through the door to find her at her desk, wearing her bonnet and scribbling frantically in some kind of ledger.
‘The monthly reports for our current probationers,’ she muttered, without glancing up, still busy with her ink pen. ‘We have one or two rising stars but already two dismissed for drunkenness, another for lateness, and one that I am watching very closely indeed.’
Maud and Alice exchanged a glance.
‘I’m not sure if our Nurse Latimer has the correct moral fibre or demeanour for our line of work,’ she announced, reaching for the blotter and then sniffing, as if disgusted, before closing the book with a snap and, at last, looking up from her work. ‘Now, Nurse Linklater, I’ll show you to your room,’ she said, pushing back her chair. ‘You’ll be on the second floor, as befits your status as a trained nurse. You have risen above the mishmash of probationers now. And I want you to keep your ears and eyes open,’ she said, leaning across the desk. ‘We need to weed out those who are not going to provide our patients with the best possible care.’
Maud swallowed hard before replying, ‘Yes, of course, Miss Merryweather.’
Within moments, they were hastily picking up the bags and following Miss Merryweather out through the door. Moving swiftly as they tried to keep up with the superintendent, they marched up the stone stairs to the first floor. Maud glanced towards her old room, the first in line to the left, and felt an unexpected wave of nostalgia for her time as a probationer. But they were already moving on, up to the second floor where, even though she’d previously lived in the Nurses’ Home for over a year, she had never dared to venture.
As they walked along the galleried landing, the layout was familiar, with rooms on either side. Some were single dormitories, as on the probationers’ floor, but there was a slightly different arrangement of rooms at the far end. Maud glanced over the balustrade to the floors below. It really did feel like you could see everything from up here.
‘There you go, Nurse Linklater,’ said Miss Merryweather, turning ceremoniously to indicate the door of a room. ‘These rooms are for trained nurses, district nurses and valued servants. And at the far end we have two rooms that serve as the nurses’ sick bay. Fortunately, we have no occupants at present. Now, I’ll leave you two girls to get unpacked and organized. Oh, and a piece of furniture arrived this afternoon, Nurse Linklater. I supervised its installation in the corner of your room.’
‘Thank you,’ said Maud, as Miss Merryweather strode away.
Alice was stifling a nervous giggle as Maud pushed the door open. They both stood for a moment on the threshold.
‘Oh, it is much bigger than our single dormitories,’ cooed Alice. ‘I didn’t even know what these rooms were like up here. Wait till Eddy sees it.’
Maud walked through the door with her bag of belongings and stood in the middle of the room. Instantly, she felt soothed by the clean smell and the simple lines of the furniture. This will suit me very well, she thought, eyeing the narrow bed – neatly made up with clean bedding – a chest of drawers, a clothes closet, and the brand-new sewing machine waiting in the corner of the room. Miss Merryweather had even found a small spindle-backed chair and placed it in front of the Singer, and she’d made sure that Maud had paper and kindling sticks and a shovel of coal to light a fire in the small cast-iron grate.
‘I’ll go down and wait for Eddy,’ said Alice, placing Maud’s other bag on the bed. ‘This is perfect for you, Maud, perfect,’ she said, with a smile.
Maud began to unpack, easily finding drawers for her clothes and hanging the two gowns that weren’t uniforms in her closet. As she removed the light grey one that she’d worn for her wedding, she felt a lump in her throat. She swallowed hard to keep it down as she hung up the gown and closed the door on it. And then, wiping invisible tears from her eyes, she took her two books from the bottom of one of the bags and placed them square on the chest of drawers – Holmes’s A System of Surgery at the bottom and her now dog-eared copy of Florence Nightingale’s Notes on Nursing on top.
In less than ten minutes she was unpacked and already removing the shiny wooden dome that covered the sewing machine. She placed it carefully on the floor and then sat down on the chair. Slipping both feet on the iron treadle, she used her right hand to gently move the small wheel on the body of the machine. Immediately, she had a satisfying rhythm with her feet and she could see the needle bobbing up and down. She ran her hand over the black painted cast-iron metal of the machine, noting the simple decorative design and the gold Singer lettering.
Finally, opening up the ornate carved wooden drawers, one on each side of the machine, she found bobbins of white, black and coloured thread, buttons, hooks and eyes, a packet of new sewing machine needles and a box of pins. She had all that she needed to sew bandages and cloths for the ward and, if she got some lengths of material, she could even make nightdresses or a new gown.
‘Thank you, Miss Fairchild,’ she murmured, pleased that her friend had responded instantly to her request. ‘Thank you very much indeed.’
The door burst open and Maud shot up from her seat.
‘Maud,’ shouted Eddy, launching herself across the room and giving her friend a hug that almost took her breath away. ‘Look at the size of this room,’ she cried, plonking herself down on the bed and starting to bounce up and down. ‘And these mattresses are much better than the horsehair we got as probationers. I’m definitely going to ask if I can move back in, too.’
‘Well, you’ll have to keep the noise down,’ tutted Alice, closing the door behind her and then sitting next to Eddy on the bed. ‘But somehow I don’t think that’s possible, do you? I’ll have to gag her,’ she said, grabbing a pillow and pushing it against Eddy’s face, knocking her hat off and pushing her back on the bed.
‘That’s a clean pillow. Stop it,’ ordered Maud.
‘Oooh, I think Matron wants us to leave,’ laughed Eddy.
‘No, of course not. I just want you to show a little decorum, that’s all,’ she said, struggling to keep a straight face as they sat like two naughty children, side by side on the bed.
‘Well, we do have some things to discuss,’ said Alice, putting an arm around Eddy. ‘Maud told me that Harry turned up again. He came to the ward at visiting.’
‘What?’ frowned Eddy. ‘I wouldn’t have thought he’d keep showing his face. What can he possibly hope to achieve?’
‘I don’t know,’ sighed Maud. ‘But this time, it made me feel very sad. And even maybe a little bit sorry for him.’
‘Don’t,’ said Alice, fiercely. ‘Do not feel sorry for that man. All of this, everything that’s happened, is his doing.’
‘She’s right,’ said Eddy.
‘Well, when he talked about the baby, I just wanted to cry. She’s called Flora.’
‘Let’s not get all sentimental about the baby,’ said Alice. ‘She’s Nancy’s daughter, remember.’
‘I know,’ said M
aud, ‘but she’s also Harry’s. And from what I saw of her, she is very like her father. It’s as if Nancy had no part in it whatsoever.’
‘But it’s just not fair of him to keep turning up like this. It’s not fair on you,’ muttered Alice. ‘And if I see him hanging around the hospital, I’ll tell him so myself.’
‘I’ve told him to stay away. And do you know? I have a feeling that, this time, he might just do that. He was a bit drunk but he seemed to have a resigned look about him. I wouldn’t be surprised if I never saw him again,’ said Maud, her voice breaking.
‘Oh, Maud,’ they both cried, jumping up from the bed and hugging her. ‘This is such a mess.’
Maud took a deep breath and instantly dried her tears. ‘There’s no use sitting around and crying all the time, though, is there? What good will that do? Now, let’s see if I can get this fire lit. And maybe I can get a little kettle and some cups and saucers, and next time you come I can make some tea.’
As Maud turned to the fire grate, Alice and Eddy exchanged a worried glance.
‘Let’s help you with that, Maud,’ said Alice.
‘And do you know what?’ said Eddy. ‘I’ll ask Miss Merryweather if there’s room for me to move in up here as well, as soon as I can.’
Alice was nodding vigorously. ‘Good idea. I’m often running a bit late in the morning, but I can catch up with you on the ward – and call by in the evening, before I go home.’
Maud lay in bed that night with the flickering light from the dying fire playing on the whitewashed ceiling and a murmur of voices from the room next door. She felt content, in a way, and was starting to feel sleepy. But just when her body tried to slip into a deep sleep, she gasped and shot bolt upright in bed. She was sure that she’d heard the piercing cry of a baby. In her head it had been clear and unmistakable. She was so convinced that she got up from her bed and opened the door to her room, putting her head out, listening intently. But all she could hear was the murmur of voices from the next room and the gentle snoring of another resident on the opposite gallery. She looked hard in both directions but the darkness of the landing gave nothing away, apart from the tiny escape of candlelight from beneath the doors of those who were still awake.
15
‘Honour lies in loving perfection, consistency, and in working hard for it …’
Florence Nightingale
Maud was up very early and getting ready for work before the other occupants of the second floor were even starting to rise. Effortlessly, she seemed to have slipped back into a routine that she’d held dear whilst living as a single woman in the Nurses’ Home. By the time she was ready, fully dressed in her uniform and with almost an hour to wait for the opening of the dining room for breakfast, she started to hear sounds from other rooms along the corridor and she knew that she could safely use her sewing machine without causing any untoward disturbance.
She removed the wooden dome and ran a hand over the cast-iron body of the Singer. She’d already seen a full shuttle of white cotton in the drawer, with very little of it used, and she slotted it into the compartment lying just beneath the needle. Although she’d only used their landlady’s Singer a couple of times in New York, Maud could remember all the details of how to thread the machine. She soon had a matching white bobbin in place on top, and then she was deftly pulling the cotton through the various hoops and holes before licking the end and passing it through the needle in one expert move. Then she held it between her finger and thumb whilst she turned the top wheel of the machine so that she could pick up the shuttle thread.
She looked around for something to sew as a test piece. She would make sure to obtain a supply of white cotton, muslin and flannel as soon as possible for the bandages and compresses that she intended to make, but right now she needed something else. There was a handkerchief with an unravelled seam at the bottom of a neat pile in her top drawer, she would use that.
As Maud positioned the handkerchief and heard the clunk of the sewing foot when she lowered it into place, she felt real satisfaction. She could see the line that she needed to take, no need for pins or tacking. So she held the handkerchief in position with her left hand and used her right to turn the small top wheel that connected with the treadle. In one easy movement she had the steady rhythm of both feet on the treadle and she could use two hands to guide the piece of cloth. It was one short seam, so it took only a few seconds, but she felt a surge of jubilation as the machine delivered perfect, even stitches, completing the task in a mere fraction of the time that it would have taken to use a needle and thread. All of the years in which Maud had hand-sewn repairs, or made clothes, towels, pillowcases, faded now as she sat back, admiring the new machine. She repositioned the handkerchief, running over each seam in turn. It was effortless, and the sound of the treadle and the rhythmic hum of the machine only added to her pleasure. In the drawer she’d found a pair of ornate-handled sewing scissors, and she used them now to snip the two threads neatly to the required length so that she could use a sewing needle to turn them in and secure the finished work.
She tried out the machine until she could hear doors closing along the landing and she knew that it was time to go down for breakfast.
‘Good morning,’ Maud said politely to her next-door neighbour, and then again to the wiry nurse with a severe parting in her dark hair who was emerging from a room on the opposite gallery. She recognized her immediately. It was Millicent Langtry, a probationer from their set – someone who she remembered, to her dismay, had been a close friend of Nancy’s. She saw Millicent give her a curious glance, but Maud was determined not to falter. For all she knew, Nurse Langtry didn’t even see Nancy any more. But if she did … then she would know all about the baby and about Harry.
Maud shot along the balcony, desperately trying to make sure that she didn’t collide with Millicent at the top of the stairs. In the end, there was no danger of that; she’d forgotten just how slowly her colleague moved. Maud was already safely seated in the dining room before she even emerged through the door.
But on the way out, Millicent was lying in wait for her, ready to accompany her to the hospital. Maud looked around, desperately trying to find Alice, but there was no sign of her. She knew that she had no other choice than to speak to Nurse Langtry, so she offered, ‘How are you, Millicent?’ with a polite smile.
‘Oh, I’m fine. I’d heard that you were back from New York but I’ve only just returned from a stint at the convalescent hospital in Southport myself, so that’s why we haven’t had the opportunity to catch up before now. I must say, I’m a little surprised to see you back here at the Nurses’ Home. I thought that you—’
‘Oh, I thought it would be good to live in again. Now that I’ve fully re-engaged with the work on the surgical wards,’ said Maud, talking quickly, desperately trying to move the conversation along and prevent Millicent from asking any further questions. ‘How did you find your time in Southport?’
‘Well, the wards are much slower and quieter, but the nursing is very much the same, and the sea air was a real tonic …’ As Millicent droned on about tea rooms and donkeys on the beach, Maud lined up another topic of conversation. Fortunately, Millicent talked so slowly that it wasn’t even required.
‘Well, Millicent, I’m on Female Surgical, so I’ll see you—’
‘Oh, I’m on …’
Maud held her breath as Millicent worked through her thoughts.
‘… Male Medical.’
‘Phew,’ said Maud, without thinking. ‘I mean, good, that’s good, Millicent,’ she added, already walking briskly in the opposite direction.
Just before she reached the ward, Alice caught up with her. ‘Hello, Maud,’ she said, breathlessly. ‘Sorry, I was hoping to be there on time to wait for you coming out of the dining room, but Victoria was fully out of sorts this morning. And then I couldn’t find my nurse’s hat, so I ended up being late.’
‘It’s good to see you,’ breathed Maud, taking her hand as they went in
through the ward door. ‘I ended up having to walk in with Millicent Langtry, and she’s living opposite me.’
‘Oh no,’ said Alice, wide-eyed.
‘Do you think she’s still in touch with Nancy?’
‘I’ve no idea,’ said Alice, ‘but, as you know, Eddy and I think that she must have been the one to overhear a conversation and let Nancy know when you were coming back. And do you remember what I told you about Nancy turning up at your wedding? She must have been the reason for that as well.’
Maud gaped at Alice. She had been told no such thing. ‘You didn’t tell me that she turned up there as well!’
Alice slapped a hand over her mouth. ‘Sorry, Maud,’ she murmured, not able to say any more as they made their way up the ward to join the group of nurses, ready and waiting to be given their instructions by Sister Pritchard.
Maud could feel Alice glancing at her all the way through report. Even though she’d thought that nothing more could shock her after what had happened on the day of Harry’s return, she felt rocked by Alice’s unwitting revelation.
‘I’m sorry, I’ll speak to you later,’ mouthed Alice, before she moved off to her designated tasks.
Maud took a deep breath and made herself snap out of the irritation that niggled her. She’d have to leave the issue for now – there was work to be done. And what’s more, she’d been assigned to the supervision of Nurse Latimer, who hadn’t been moved, as was usual, to her second ward. Maud assumed that was because Sister Pritchard had requested to keep her – still evidently trying to make something of her – knowing that the cause would be completely lost if she was moved to the charge of Sister Law or Sister Fox.
‘Let’s make a start, Nurse Latimer,’ called Maud from up the ward, seeing her probationer lagging behind already.
Although Maud made herself be extra patient with Nurse Latimer, there was little change. If anything, there were even fewer signs of her being able to engage properly with the patients. The only thing that she seemed to be competent with was the use of the thermometer. That gave her no trouble at all, and she was very accurate with her recordings. But there was much more to nursing than the mastery of some new technique so, despite Sister Pritchard’s supposed hopes for the probationer, it didn’t seem likely that there was any real chance of her surviving the year of training.
