Frontline Nurses

by Holly Green

  Tom often rode with them, and although Leo never felt quite able to relax when the two men were together, it seemed that a kind of friendship had been established. In the afternoons Tom wandered about the camp with his sketchpad, making friends with the ordinary soldiers. He even began to learn a little Serbian. Sometimes Leo went with him as interpreter. As the days passed she pitied the people trapped inside the city more and more, yet, to her shame, she could not wish the siege to end. Every added day was precious.

  They continued to share a tent. Tom smoked a cigar outside every evening until Leo called that she was in bed, and then she was careful to lie with her face turned away until he had undressed and got into bed in his turn. After that, they often lay chatting companionably and once he was asleep she found it comforting to hear his steady breathing. She had missed Victoria and now she felt she had a friend who was almost a brother.

  One day in early March a messenger arrived with the news that Prince Aleksander of Serbia was on his way to inspect the Serbian detachment at Adrianople and would arrive the following day. The news triggered a flurry of activity. Drills were held on a bit of level ground between the camp and the trenches. Boots were cleaned and buckles polished and the few luxuries the kitchen could muster were prepared and laid out in the officers’ mess tent.

  About midday the sentry posted on the hill overlooking the road reported that three cars were heading towards them. Watching from the front of the mess tent with Malkovic, Leo and Tom saw a group of officers descend and walk up the hill to where General Dimitriev was waiting.

  ‘Going to pay his respects to the Bulgarians first,’ Sasha commented. ‘Correct protocol, as the general is the senior officer here.’

  Shortly afterwards the visitors emerged from the general’s tent and Sasha went to meet them. The troops, apart from those on guard in the trenches, were drawn up ready on the improvised parade ground. Sasha had suggested that it would be better for Leo and Tom to remain in the background until after the inspection, promising to introduce them at the reception later. Tom was keen to draw a picture of the parade, so they moved up to a point on the hillside where they had a bird’s eye view of the proceedings.

  ‘Isn’t that a British army uniform, in among the prince’s entourage?’ Leo asked, screwing up her eyes against the sunlight.

  ‘That’ll be a military attaché,’ Tom said. ‘I wonder if it’s Reggie Vincent. He was very helpful to me in Salonika.’

  When the inspection was over they returned to the mess tent and withdrew to a corner to await their opportunity to be presented. Footsteps and voices approached and Malkovic ushered in a tall, good-looking man in military uniform decorated with medals and with a sash across his chest. The officers of his entourage crowded in behind them. Sasha beckoned Leo and Tom forward.

  ‘Your highness, may I present two English gentlemen, who have risked their lives in the Serbian cause? This is Mr Tom Devenish …’

  His voice was drowned by a shout from one of the accompanying officers.

  ‘Leonora! What in the name of God …?’

  Everyone swung round to look at the speaker and Leo found herself face to face with Ralph. Speechless and paralysed by shock she could only stare at him. For an instant nobody moved. Then Ralph lunged forward and grabbed her by the wrist.

  ‘What do you think you are doing?’ he demanded, in a voice hoarse with fury. ‘Have you no shame?’

  At the same moment, Sasha exclaimed in Serbian, ‘Who is this fellow? What is going on?’

  Prince Aleksander, who obviously understood English, intervened with a commanding gesture. ‘Gentlemen, gentlemen, please!’ Turning to Ralph, he went on in English, ‘You have some argument with this young man? What is the problem?’

  ‘This is not a young man, sir!’ Ralph responded in a desperate undertone. ‘This is my sister! My sister, I am ashamed to say!’

  The prince looked at Leo. ‘Is this true?’

  Almost choked with tears, Leo could only nod her head. To her surprise, she saw amusement twitch the corners of Aleksander’s mouth. He turned to Sasha and reverted to Serbian.

  ‘My friend, it seems you have been the subject of a masquerade. This young gentleman is not a man at all. She is a woman.’

  ‘What?’ She saw the colour drain from Sasha’s face. ‘Is this true?’

  Weeping now, she whispered, ‘I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Please don’t be angry.’

  Ralph dragged at her arm. ‘Come away! You are making a show of yourself.’

  ‘Who is this man?’ Sasha demanded. ‘Your husband?’

  ‘No! No, my brother.’

  ‘Tell him to get you out of my sight and lock you up! You are a disgrace to your family.’

  ‘Sasha!’ she pleaded.

  The colour had come back to his face now and he spoke in the low tones of a man struggling to control himself. ‘How could you? How dared you deceive me like this? If I were your brother I would beat you for shaming me in such a way.’ Then, with an effort, he resumed the mask of formal courtesy and turned to the prince. ‘Forgive me, sir. This is most unseemly. Will you take a glass of wine?’

  Aleksander looked from one to another and apparently decided in favour of tact. ‘Thank you, no. I must be on my way. We have a long journey to make. I congratulate you, Colonel, on your tenacity in this situation. You and your men are a credit to the army and Serbia is grateful.’ He turned to Ralph, who had not relaxed his grip on Leo’s arm. ‘If your sister wishes to return with us, I am sure we can find room for her in one of the cars. I am going to say farewell to General Dimitriev. You have a short time to arrange your affairs.’ Then, to Sasha, ‘There is no need for you to see us off, Colonel. You have more urgent matters to attend to.’

  The prince led his entourage out of the tent, leaving the four of them alone. Ralph looked at Leo.

  ‘For God’s sake, make yourself decent. Haven’t you got a skirt to put on?’

  Tom spoke for the first time. ‘Don’t be too hard on her, Ralph …’

  Ralph turned on him. ‘You! I trusted you. How could you let this happen?’

  Sasha cut in. ‘You have no further business here. You can continue your argument outside.’

  Ralph looked at him blankly and Leo said, ‘He wants us to go.’

  Ralph looked at Sasha and then at her. ‘What is there between you? If he’s laid a finger on you …’

  ‘Oh, don’t be stupid, Ralph.’ Anger overcame distress for a moment. ‘None of this is Sasha’s fault. I deceived him. He has acted honourably.’ She turned to Sasha and broke into Serbian. ‘Please, Sasha, don’t think too badly of me. I didn’t set out to deceive you. You mistook me for a boy and I didn’t tell you the truth because I knew if I did you would send me away. I only wanted to be near you. That’s all I am guilty of.’

  His face was unyielding. ‘I trusted you and you have made a fool of me. I cannot forgive that. The sooner you leave the better.’

  She contemplated a further appeal but knew it would be useless. She turned back to her brother. ‘All right, Ralph. Let’s go. There is nothing more to say here.’

  At the entrance to the tent she looked round, but his back was towards her and he did not turn.

  Outside Ralph said, ‘You can’t walk through a camp full of soldiers dressed like that. Where are your proper clothes?’

  ‘They won’t notice anything unusual,’ she replied. ‘They think I’m a boy.’

  ‘But you must have a dress somewhere. Where do you live?’

  ‘In a tent over there. We’re going there now.’

  ‘Then hurry and change. We mustn’t keep the prince waiting.’

  ‘I can’t,’ she said woodenly. ‘I don’t have anything else to wear.’

  ‘Why, in heaven’s name?’

  ‘My FANY skirt got too stained with mud and other things to wear. And all my other clothes are in a trunk in the back of Victoria’s car. She took them with her when she left.’

  He stared at her. ‘What
are we going to do? I can’t take you back to Salonika dressed like that.’

  She shrugged wearily. ‘I’ve got a long cloak. That will cover me for the time being.’

  They had reached her tent. ‘Get your things, and be quick,’ he instructed.

  When Tom made to follow her in, Ralph caught his arm. ‘Where are you going?’

  ‘To get my things. You weren’t going to leave me behind, were you?’

  ‘You mean you two have been sleeping together?’ Leo thought that in other circumstances Ralph’s expression would have been comic.

  ‘We have shared a tent, but nothing more.’ Tom spoke with greater dignity than she had ever heard him employ when talking to her brother. ‘I assure you, we have been like brother and sister. Leo’s honour is perfectly safe.’

  ‘Her honour!’ Ralph exploded. ‘She has no honour! After this we shall be the laughing stock of Europe.’

  Leo ignored him and went into the tent. Tom came after her and put his arms round her. ‘Poor Leo, I’m so sorry it ended like this.’

  She sniffed. ‘I knew it couldn’t last for ever. But I never imagined the end would be as bad as this. What am I going to do, Tom? I can’t go back to London. Do you think Ralph will throw me out?’

  ‘Of course he won’t. If he tries he’ll have me to answer to. Come on, put a brave face on it. Don’t let the prince and his hangers-on see you humbled.’

  She looked up at him and murmured, ‘Dear Tom. I’ve never really appreciated you properly. Thank you.’

  He gave her a handkerchief and she dried her face and packed her few belongings into her bag. Then she straightened her shoulders and went out to join Ralph. As they walked down to the cars she contemplated asking if she could go and say goodbye to Sophie and Iannis and the rest but she knew that the permission would be refused. Perhaps it was just as well. What could she have said about her sudden departure?

  Prince Aleksander must have been watching for them, because he came out of the general’s tent almost immediately and they all got into the cars. It was a tight fit, and Leo was jammed between Ralph and Tom. Tom took the opportunity to grasp her hand and squeeze it and she was grateful for the comfort. As the engines started she craned her neck to look back towards the Serbian camp, hoping that Sasha might have come out to watch her go, but there was no sign of him.

  As they bumped over the uneven road, she whispered to Ralph, ‘Where are we going?’

  ‘Salonika first. Then back to Belgrade.’

  ‘Not London?’

  ‘No. Not London. I have been appointed attaché to Prince Aleksander and I must go where he goes, which is currently to Belgrade. And since I am now your legal guardian, God help me, you will come with me. I am not going to trust you on your own again. So make the best of it.’

  Leo sat back and closed her eyes. Belgrade! At least she would still be in Serbia, and while she was in Serbia there was always a chance of encountering Sasha Malkovic.

  *

  Belgrade was en fête. To all intents and purposes the war was over and for Serbia it had been a great success. They had overrun large parts of Albania and most of Macedonia and now had an outlet to the Adriatic at Durrazzo and to the Mediterranean proper at Salonika. The final outcome of the London Conference was yet to be announced, but no one doubted that it would be in Serbia’s favour.

  There were to be no celebrations, however, for Leonora. Ralph had taken a suite for them at the Hotel Moscow, only recently opened and proclaiming its modernity with a flamboyant art-deco facade. In Salonika he had gone out himself and found a dress shop and returned with a plain, respectable grey dress that more or less fitted her. On arriving in Belgrade he came into their sitting room and sat facing her with a frown.

  ‘You must understand that I have my duties here, and those duties include social ones. There are many invitations that I cannot refuse without causing offence. Obviously, you cannot appear in society. The story of your extraordinary behaviour will have gone the rounds and you would be a laughing stock. Anyway, I suspect no hostess would wish to include you among her guests. Fortunately, we have a ready excuse. You are in mourning for our grandma.’

  ‘And you are not, I suppose,’ Leo said.

  ‘That is beside the point. I have already explained my position.’

  ‘But what am I supposed to do with myself? I can’t sit in this room all day, twiddling my thumbs.’

  He stood up. ‘That is up to you. I suggest you take up a hobby or read some improving books.’

  Tormented by the memory of Sasha’s bitter look, Leo took refuge in laughter that verged on the hysterical. ‘Oh, Ralph, you should see yourself. What have you been reading? Are you studying to be a Dickensian paterfamilias?’

  He glared at her. ‘I am struggling to redeem the reputation of this family, which you have dragged in the dust. However, I appreciate that you cannot be confined to the hotel altogether. I have engaged a ladies’ maid for you, a respectable woman who will accompany you for walks and shopping. She will also take you to a dressmaker who will provide you with a suitable wardrobe.’

  Leo continued to giggle. ‘So I am to have a duenna? How hilarious!’

  ‘I don’t regard it as a joke. And get something done about your hair. You will have to get a wig.’

  Sobering, she shook her shorn head. ‘There’s no need. I still have the switch of my own hair that I cut off. A competent hairdresser will be able to make it up into something suitable.’

  ‘Very well.’

  ‘And how am I supposed to pay for these suitable clothes?’

  ‘The account can be sent to me.’

  ‘What about my allowance? I haven’t touched that since last October. I must have a useful sum saved up.’

  ‘That will remain in your bank account in London. You will not need it here.’

  Leo looked at him. ‘Ralph, you are my brother. We played together as children. Have you no feelings for me? No sympathy?’

  ‘Sympathy!’ His lofty manner faltered. ‘What sympathy did you have for me, when you decided to disappear without warning? What sympathy did you have for Grandma? And then you compound the fault by making yourself a public laughing stock.’

  She lowered her head. ‘I deserve that. You are right. I have no claim on your affection.’

  For a moment his manner softened. ‘Leo, I shall always love you as my sister. But you must understand how badly you have behaved. Maybe, in the long term, all this will be forgotten and we can go back to being as we were before. But for now, you must comply with my request and keep yourself out of the public eye. Will you do that?’

  She sighed deeply. ‘Very well. What does it matter now? What does anything matter?’

  *

  Tom took the first opportunity on his return to Belgrade to look up Maximillian Steinfeld at his hotel. The American greeted him with open arms.

  ‘Hey, buddy! It’s good to see you. How are you? You look a damn sight better than you did when I last saw you, that’s for sure.’

  ‘I’m well, thank you,’ Tom replied. ‘And I understand I owe my life to you. They told me in the hospital that you brought me through the enemy lines on the back of a donkey.’

  ‘Sure did! And a more ornery, cussed creature you could not find anywhere. And the donkey was pretty obstinate, too. I’m joking! You were in a bad way. I couldn’t just leave you.’

  ‘Well, I’m grateful,’ Tom said. ‘If there is ever any way I can repay you, you only have to ask.’

  ‘There’s no need. I’m just glad to see you up and about again. So, what have you been doing since we last met?’

  Tom related events from his recovery up to the point where he found Leonora. Then he paused.

  ‘You found her?’ Max said. ‘Well, that’s just great! What was she doing?’

  ‘Well,’ Tom said, ‘this is where the story gets a bit … a bit sensitive.’ He went on to tell his companion what he had learned from her about the work she had done at Chataldzha and Adrianople
. The one thing he omitted was the fact that she had dressed as a boy and the reason behind the deception.

  When he finished Max whistled. ‘So this little lady worked single-handed nursing wounded men at Chataldzha, nursed typhus sufferers at Adrianople, and acted as interpreter between a Serbian officer and the Turks. Jeez, Tom, what a story! You wait till my readers get this. Is there any chance of an interview with the lady?’

  Tom frowned. His plan was working, but he still had to tread carefully. ‘I doubt it. She is here in Belgrade but her brother, who is also her legal guardian, has instructed her to be discreet. He is afraid that it will damage her reputation if the story gets out.’

  ‘Damage! When people read what she has done she will be the toast of Belgrade. Can’t you arrange for me to have a few minutes with her?’

  ‘I don’t know … Her brother is my friend and I should not want to offend him.’ This was not strictly true, since Ralph had hardly spoken to him since they left Adrianople, and then only in terms of frosty civility. He let Max see him coming to a decision. ‘Very well. I will ask her to see you. But it will require the greatest discretion on your part. I do not want to be drawn into this.’

  ‘I understand,’ Max said. ‘You can rely on me.’

  *

  Leo took little persuasion to grant Max an interview. Her confinement to the hotel and the constant, oppressive presence of Magda, the ladies’ maid, who seemed to conceive her role as closer to that of a strict governess, were driving her to distraction.

  Two days later the Baltimore Herald carried a eulogistic article, detailing her adventures. The story was rapidly taken up by other American papers and then by papers all over Europe.

  Ralph stormed into her room one morning, carrying a sheaf of papers.

  ‘What have you been saying? Who have you been talking to?’

  ‘What about?’ Leo asked innocently.

  ‘About your antics in Bulgaria! Did I not ask you to be discreet? What were you thinking of?’

  Leo rose to her feet. ‘An American journalist picked up the story from somewhere and came to see me. I am not ashamed of what I did, even if you are, so I told him he could print it. Can I see what he has written?’