The Seaside Angel

by Evie Grace

  ‘Good evening,’ she replied with a small smile.

  ‘’Ow about a pigeon pie, only a shillin’ apiece? Or if that don’t appeal, I have the steak and ale variety, only one left.’

  ‘No, thank you. Another time.’ Feeling sorry for him, she hurried on by. Most of the summer visitors and the hokey-pokey men had left Margate, making the town seem eerily quiet. Not wishing to draw any further attention to herself, she kept her head down.

  ‘Sister Bentley? It is you.’

  She looked up as a gentleman approached.

  ‘Doctor Clifton? James, how lovely to see you, but what are you doing out here at this time of night?’

  ‘I might ask the same of you.’ He smiled and her pulse missed a beat. ‘I’ve been looking for you.’

  ‘You know where to find me,’ she said, smiling back.

  ‘That’s just it. I don’t. I want to give you something, but I don’t want to embarrass you by doing it at the house, so I tried your lodgings, but the landlady – one of my patients, as it turns out – said that she’d had to ask you to leave. What’s going on?’

  ‘Mrs Clovis turfed us out, not wanting to be associated with the publicity in the papers.’ She stopped beside one of the streetlamps and gazed up at the halo of light around his head. ‘It wasn’t just that – she accused my sister of entertaining a gentleman.’

  ‘I see. That’s unfortunate. Have you moved very far away?’

  ‘It’s along here; the house with the green door. It’s cosy enough,’ she added, not wanting to reveal their circumstances.

  ‘I remembered that I borrowed your hatpin when I was examining Mr Allspice.’ James pulled a small box out of his coat pocket. ‘I’ve bought you this to replace it. I thought it wrong that you should wear it on your head after it had been in contact with his feet.’

  ‘Thank you, but you didn’t have to …’

  ‘Hannah, I wanted to.’ He took her hand and placed the box in her palm.

  She opened it: an ornate gold flower mounted on a pin glinted from a nest of dark blue velvet.

  ‘Oh, that’s beautiful, but it’s far too good …’ The one she’d lent him had been made from brass with a polished stone. ‘James, I can’t possibly accept it.’

  ‘I give it to you freely and without any ulterior motive on my part, I promise you. I had thought to replace like for like, but when I went to look in the shop, this one caught my eye.’

  Her head throbbed with indecision. She would enjoy wearing it, but whenever she looked at it, she would think of him.

  ‘Please, take it. I can’t return it and it’s of no use to me.’

  ‘I will treasure it then,’ she said. ‘I’m very grateful.’

  ‘How are you anyway? You’re still happy in your new role?’

  ‘It’s hard work, more challenging than I expected, but I find great joy in it. How about you? Are you well?’

  ‘I’m a little tired, but that’s nothing unusual. Have you heard that my cousin has set the date of his wedding?’

  ‘Many times over.’ She smiled, and he grinned back. ‘Nurse Finch can’t stop talking about it. I shall miss her, though. Nurse May will have to pull her socks up if she is ever to step into Charlotte’s shoes.’

  He collected himself. ‘What am I thinking of? I mustn’t keep you here in the cold. Goodnight.’

  ‘Goodnight, James.’ She closed the box and clasped it to her breast as he disappeared along the promenade. With a sigh of regret, she went to join Ruby in their dingy room, and put the hatpin away in a drawer with Charlie’s picture of the stick people.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The Shell Grotto

  It was a balmy October day three weeks after the incident at the circus, and Hannah was off, planning an afternoon out to see one of Margate’s attractions. Ruby was at home as well, her free day coinciding with her sister’s.

  ‘You have a touch of the morbs again,’ Hannah said that morning, having done some shopping and laundry. ‘It’s being stuck indoors on a day off that does it. Why don’t you come for a walk with me and Alice? I’ve arranged to meet her in town at two o’clock.’ Alice was still a patient at the house, but she was well enough now to manage a few outings.

  Ruby was sitting on the bed with her feet up and a cup of ale in one hand.

  ‘I don’t want to go. It’s kind of you to ask, but—’

  ‘I know you’re still sad about Mr Milani, but this grief will pass.’

  ‘How do you know? What do you know of love?’

  ‘More than you realise.’ Hannah recalled the pain that came of being forced to reject James and his proposal. She loved him, and always would. ‘I don’t want to hear any more about it,’ she went on. ‘I won’t change my mind. I have no need for marriage and children when my days are filled with—’

  ‘Duties and obligations,’ Ruby finished for her. ‘How dull!’

  ‘Have you eaten?’

  ‘No, I’ll wait until later. I’m feeling a little out of sorts.’

  Hannah hoped she wasn’t building up an excuse not to go to the house the following day.

  ‘I think it was the bacon we had last night,’ Ruby added.

  ‘I had the same and I’m not ill,’ Hannah said. ‘Ruby, we can talk about anything, can’t we?’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘There’s no chance that you’re with child?’ she ventured.

  ‘Do you really have such a low opinion of me that you think I’d …?’ Ruby bit her lip and her eyes glazed with tears of hurt and outrage. ‘How dare you suggest such a thing!’

  ‘I had to ask. If you were and you didn’t want it, I believe there are measures one can take at an early stage to prevent it.’ She stopped abruptly, unable to carry on. It was illegal and dangerous for the mother. She couldn’t possibly entertain it.

  ‘I am innocent!’

  ‘All right.’ Hannah held her hands up. ‘I’m sorry.’

  ‘If it hadn’t been for Mr Allspice, Antonio would be here with me in Margate, and we’d be making plans for our wedding,’ Ruby maintained.

  You’re being ridiculous, Hannah wanted to say, but she didn’t want to upset her sister any further. She seemed fragile and distressed. When Ruby was sad, it seemed as though she was swimming in a sea of grief, and where Hannah would drag herself out of it and do something to take her mind off her sorrows, all Ruby could do was continue treading water. When Ruby was happy, she was excessively jolly and overexcited, talking loudly at nineteen to the dozen as if her mind had been taken over by a thousand thoughts at once. Hannah was never sure how she would be from one day to the next.

  ‘You can’t sit here all day, moping,’ she said. ‘Come with us. We’re going to visit the grotto.’

  ‘What do you want to go there for? It’s only a hole in the ground.’

  ‘I think it’s more than that – you won’t know unless you come with us.’

  They met Alice in town later, and made their way to their destination, umbrellas at the ready as the clouds scudded above their heads, threatening rain.

  ‘How are you enjoying your position as sea-bathing attendant?’ Alice asked Ruby.

  ‘It’s better than I expected, but I don’t know why Matron isn’t keen on me bathing the gentlemen. Mrs Merry doesn’t like doing it, so I offered, but no …’

  ‘I prefer not to have anything to do with the men. I shouldn’t gossip, but Sister Trim says that Mr Allspice is a menace to her nurses and the ladies in the ward next door. His wife called him a rancid old fool when he slapped her on the rump and told her she’d have to put her finery and feathers back on to support their children. When Sister Trim told him that she’d give him another enema, he backed down, saying he was well, thank you very much, but she gave it anyway.’ Alice chuckled, and Ruby smiled back.

  ‘He deserves it,’ she said.

  ‘He’s no gentleman,’ Hannah interrupted.

  ‘Talking of gentlemen, where did you get that lovely hatpin?’ Ruby sai
d with a wicked twinkle in her eye. ‘I haven’t seen it before.’

  Hannah wished she hadn’t dared put it on, but when she’d looked in the slightly foxed mirror on the wall at their lodgings, it had looked so pretty against her navy plush Gainsborough that she hadn’t been able to resist.

  ‘It’s a long story,’ she said.

  ‘You bought it? That seems unlikely. It was a gift. Alice, look at the way she colours up,’ Ruby teased.

  ‘You have spiked my curiosity,’ Alice said.

  ‘If you must know, Doctor Clifton appropriated my hatpin for a medical examination.’

  ‘He is a hat doctor? Tell me, how were the bonnet’s reflexes?’

  ‘Ruby, don’t be silly. This is a replacement for the one he used on a patient, not a gift.’

  ‘There!’ Ruby exclaimed. ‘I knew it. It’s a cut above the original.’

  ‘I hope you don’t go spreading scurrilous rumours amongst Mrs Merry’s assistants,’ Alice said. ‘Doctor Clifton was right to replace the hatpin, although it was a little thoughtless perhaps to give Hannah one so elaborate and expensive.’

  ‘It belonged to his wife,’ Hannah lied, not wanting Ruby to continue with her line of speculation.

  ‘Oh, I see.’ Ruby seemed deflated as Hannah stopped to read the sign outside the grotto with the entrance fees and opening times. ‘This is the place, I think.’

  They paid their money and walked down the steps which were hewn into the chalk. Hannah and Alice walked along the underground passageway ahead of Ruby who loitered along behind them.

  ‘Is your sister well?’ Alice asked. ‘She seems quite subdued.’

  ‘She isn’t herself,’ Hannah admitted as they reached an arch where the shell mosaic began. She reached out and touched the mother of pearl, which shimmered splendidly by gaslight. ‘Sometimes I worry about her.’

  ‘Mrs Merry says she’s been sick recently …’ Alice paused, but Hannah didn’t respond. ‘Come on, Hannah, you’re my best friend. We can talk about everything and anything. There’s speculation among the staff at the house …’

  ‘I know what you’re saying, but it isn’t true,’ Hannah said stiffly, following Alice beneath the arch into the Rotunda, and then the Dome, a shaft rising to the surface where a hint of daylight came through.

  ‘Are you sure? Only she talks often of a particular gentleman.’

  ‘She doesn’t?’

  ‘Don’t be cross – she’s very young and I think she fancies herself in love.’ Alice blushed. ‘I remember how I was with Mr Fry, always talking of him. I must have driven you to distraction.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose you did.’ Hannah smiled ruefully. ‘Has she mentioned this man’s name?’

  ‘Not as far as I know. Do you know who he is?’

  ‘I’m afraid so. He’s a showman, a lion tamer.’

  ‘An acquaintance of Mr Allspice?’

  Hannah nodded. ‘It’s a long story, but Ruby has seen him more than once behind my back. Alice, I’m responsible for her, and I feel as though I’ve let her down. What must you think of us now?’

  ‘It isn’t your fault. Look at what you’ve done for her, taking her in like this. Anyway, he’s gone and there’s no harm done.’

  ‘Except that he’s broken Ruby’s heart.’

  ‘It will mend. Her work at the house will keep her mind off this rogue.’

  ‘Please don’t say anything to her. I’ve already upset her today by asking her if she could be … you know what I’m saying.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ she heard Ruby ask as they passed through another arch into the serpentine passage which was covered with more mosaics.

  ‘Her reaction said it all – no case to answer. Just infirmary business,’ Hannah said, turning to face Ruby. ‘I attended a hearing with Mrs Knowles the other day.’

  ‘I heard about that,’ Ruby said, brightening. ‘One of the maids was accused of stealing food from the kitchens, then let off.’

  ‘That’s right,’ Alice said.

  ‘Who do you think would have had the time to create these designs?’ Hannah said, changing the subject as she gazed at the images on the walls: the tree of life, the stars of Perseus and a corn goddess.

  ‘Not a nurse,’ Alice said. ‘It must have taken years to arrange all these shells.’

  ‘What do the pictures mean?’ Ruby asked.

  ‘They represent the journey of life from conception to death. At least, that’s what I think,’ Hannah said, feeling awkward in front of her sister.

  ‘Mrs Merry told me that the grotto was found by a workman who lost his spade through a hole in the ground. Why build it, then close it up, unless it was intended as a shrine to love?’ Ruby said.

  ‘That’s a very romantic idea,’ Alice observed, and Ruby smiled, more like her usual self.

  In the last chamber, the mosaics were more geometric, the mussels, cockles, limpets, whelks, scallops and winkles laid out to form the shapes of stars and the sun, reminding Hannah of a calendar counting out the passing of the days.

  Having left the grotto, she and Ruby bade farewell to Alice before walking back through the park where the leaves on the trees were turning bronze and some of the sweet chestnuts had fallen to the ground where they looked like prickly yellow hedgehogs.

  ‘I have a vague memory of collecting sweet chestnuts with Ma and Grandma,’ Hannah said. ‘We can roast some of these on the fire.’

  They crushed the seed cases underfoot to reveal the nests of brown chestnuts inside them. They picked them out and filled their pockets to take them home, where they forgot to cut crosses in the tops, so the chestnuts exploded on the fire, making a terrible mess.

  ‘Ouch, they’re hot,’ Ruby said, amused.

  Hannah watched her peel off the tough shells and papery thin skin, then take off the bitter tan before they ate them with a little salt.

  ‘I’ve enjoyed today.’ Ruby smiled. ‘It’s been fun.’

  ‘I’m glad,’ Hannah said, relieved to hear some joy in her sister’s voice. The question was, though, how long would it last?

  The following day, Hannah and Ruby went to work as usual.

  ‘Are you still feeling sick?’ Hannah asked as they hurried to the dining hall for breakfast at the house.

  ‘Only a little,’ Ruby said. ‘I don’t like you watching me eat – it makes me lose my appetite.’

  ‘I won’t watch you then,’ Hannah reassured her, but out of the corner of her eye, she was pleased to note that her sister managed a bowl of porridge and some dry toast. When she got up from the table with Charlotte and Alice, Sister Trim came over to speak to her, an unusual occurrence for someone who usually kept herself to herself.

  ‘That dreadful patient of mine is being sent home. The doctors say there’s nothing more that they can do for him, which is what I’ve said all along. I’ve kept telling them how it’s time he left to make space for one more deserving of our care. I can’t wait to see the back of him.

  ‘He has no appreciation for what we’ve done – Doctor Clifton arranged for him to receive the donation of a bath chair, so he can be pushed around, when he can find anyone willing to do so. I don’t envy his wife when he gets home – he eats like a pig and pisses for England.’

  ‘He must have raised your ire for you to speak of him like this. I have to say I’m surprised he hasn’t been discharged for misconduct.’

  ‘He would have been if it hadn’t been for the risk of bad publicity. He’s well-known – infamous, even – and it wouldn’t go down too well if the house was seen to discharge a popular showman struck down with paralysis. No, it’s better this way. Well, I must get going.’

  ‘Have a good day,’ Hannah said.

  ‘I will do now.’ Sister Trim stalked away, and Hannah went to the Lettsom for the handover from the night staff. As she left the sluice, having checked the room for cleanliness and found it wanting, she hesitated on hearing voices. Doctor Clifton and his cousin were making their way along the corridor.r />
  ‘She turned you down. Why let yourself suffer any longer?’ Mr Hunter was saying. She pulled the door up and hid behind it. ‘You made an error of judgement with that other piece of muslin—’

  ‘Don’t talk of Miss Osbourne-Cole like that,’ Doctor Clifton hissed.

  ‘There are plenty of others out there who would take you like a shot, but perhaps you are enamoured of the thrill of the chase?’

  ‘Like you, you mean?’

  ‘I’ve forsaken all others and settled on Nurse Finch. We come from different backgrounds, but we share the same values. She is a darling.’

  ‘You’d better look after her or you’ll have the other nurses to answer to,’ Doctor Clifton said.

  ‘I’m aware of that. Matron’s staff are like an army, standing up for each other.’

  ‘How are the studies going? If you don’t achieve your registration, you won’t be able to marry at Christmas.’

  ‘You don’t have to keep reminding me. I have every incentive I need to complete it …’

  Their voices began to fade and Hannah dodged out of the sluice and followed them into the ward. She greeted Doctor Clifton as she always did, and he smiled as he always did, but she felt embarrassed, having heard the doctors talking about her. How dare Mr Hunter class her and Miss Osbourne-Cole as pieces of muslin!

  ‘It still seems strange without Beckett,’ Doctor Clifton said.

  ‘He was quite a character.’ Hannah had said farewell to him two days before when his parents had turned up to collect him.

  ‘Have you been introduced to Ronald yet?’

  ‘Not properly.’ She knew which patient he was – he was standing beside his bed in his pyjamas, scratching his scalp and face. He was nine years old and small for his age like many of their patients. His hair was brown, his eyes blue and he had scars on his hands.

  ‘He’s suffering from scrofula of the skin, inflammation of the eyes and bloating,’ Doctor Clifton said. ‘It’s of utmost importance that the bathing assistants attend to his hygiene and cleanliness.

  ‘Unfortunately, his mother has been giving him decoctions of acorn and nettle and they’ve done more harm than good. I’ve prescribed Dover’s powder – syrup of ipecac and opium together as a single dose – followed by copious amounts of warm fluids to drink.’