No doubt she would be the talk of the ward by lunchtime.
‘Perhaps it might be best if I took a few hours off,’ said Kate.
Leo nodded. ‘Everything will seem better after a good night’s rest.’
Tears prickled her eyes. If only that were true, she thought.
As soon as Kate saw Charlie Latimer’s face a few hours later she knew the truth.
‘That’s utterly preposterous! My dear girl, who on earth told you such a story?’ But underneath all the bluster and the wide grin, she could see the wary look in his eyes.
She glanced around the Students’ Union bar. She had hoped to find a less public place to confront Charlie, but since it was early evening the room was nearly empty. There were only a couple of other students deep in conversation at a table on the far side of the bar.
‘You know what these silly probationers are like.’ Charlie was still talking, his words spilling out, smooth as honey. ‘You only have to smile at them and they think you’re besotted …’
‘She said you’d told her you loved her?’
‘Well, then. Now you must know she’s making it all up!’ He reached for her hand across the table. ‘You’re the only one I love.’
‘And how many other girls have you said those words to? I wonder.’ Kate drew her hand from his grasp.
Charlie sat back in his chair. ‘Now don’t go all cold on me. You know I adore you.’
‘Do I?’ Kate stared back at him.
They looked at each other in silence for a moment, then Charlie sighed.
‘All right, I might have flirted with her a little.’ He held up his hands. ‘But it meant nothing, honestly. Boys will be boys, and all that.’ He looked her in the eye. ‘I love you, Kate. But sometimes it’s very difficult for me. You can be so offhand, sometimes I wonder if you even care for me. Is it any wonder I succumb to a bit of attention now and again?’
Kate’s brows rose. ‘Are you trying to blame me?’
‘No! No, of course not. I’d never do that. It was my mistake, I allowed my head to be turned briefly by a pretty girl. But that’s all it was, honestly.’ Charlie reached for her hand again. ‘I love you,’ he said. ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with you, truly I do.’
Seeing the earnest expression on his face, Kate could almost have believed him. Then she remembered what Dulcie had said.
‘Are you sure it’s not my father who interests you more than I do?’ she said.
Charlie’s eyes flickered. ‘I – I don’t know what you mean.’
‘I think you do. That’s why you pursued me in the first place, wasn’t it? Because of my father? You thought I might be useful to you, help you pursue your ambitions.’
‘No! How could you even think that?’
‘What was it you told Dulcie? That I was useful to you.’ Kate spat out the word like venom. At the far end of the bar, the other students turned their heads to listen. ‘Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but you’re wasting your time. If you’re looking to advance your career then I suggest a better way would be to spend more time on the ward and less in here!’
She stood up, pushing her chair back with an angry clatter.
‘Kate?’ Charlie said.
‘What?’
He paused. ‘You won’t tell your father about this, will you?’
She opened her mouth to reply, then closed it again. ‘Goodbye, Charlie,’ she snapped.
As she walked away, he called out, ‘Bloody cold-blooded bluestocking! And you wonder why I chased after little Dulcie Moore!’
Chapter Thirty-Six
‘What do you mean, you can’t come?’
‘I’m sorry, my dear.’ Dorothy Beck looked apologetic. ‘But you must understand, I can’t leave your grandmother. Not when she’s so ill.’
Anna was silent for a moment, not trusting herself to speak in case her bitter disappointment got the better of her.
It wasn’t fair. Today was supposed to be the day her mother and sister moved back to Chambord Street. But when Anna arrived that morning, her mother had met her with the news that Hester had been taken ill during the night.
‘What’s wrong with her?’ she asked finally.
‘The doctor thinks it might be her heart.’ Dorothy looked sorrowful. ‘Poor Mother, I didn’t know she had heart problems.’
I didn’t know she had a heart. But all Anna said was, ‘Can I see her?’
Dorothy shook her head. ‘Better not. We shouldn’t disturb her while she’s resting. The doctor says it’s important for her not to have too much excitement.’ She looked at Anna. ‘You do understand, don’t you? We must think of your grandmother’s health.’
Anna nodded. ‘I know. I’m disappointed, that’s all. Tom has been working so hard to get the bakery finished for today, and I was looking forward to seeing you there again.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Dorothy sighed. ‘But we couldn’t leave your grandmother alone like this. The doctor says she could have another attack at any time.’
How convenient that she had this one, the very night before you left. Anna pushed the thought away.
‘You do want to come home, don’t you, Mother?’
‘What a question!’ Dorothy smiled. ‘Of course I’m looking forward to going back to the bakery. Why would you even ask?’
Anna looked away. She could never voice her deepest fears, just in case she made them real.
‘Liesel isn’t,’ she muttered.
Her mother smiled. ‘You mustn’t mind Liesel. You know how fanciful she can be.’
Anna looked around her. This house might seem austere and rather unwelcoming, but she could not deny it was far superior to their rooms over the bakery in Bethnal Green. And the longer her sister and mother stayed here, the harder it would be for them to leave.
‘When do you think you might be able to come home?’ she asked.
Dorothy frowned. ‘I told you, when your grandmother is better.’
‘And when will that be? Weeks? Months?’
‘Anna!’ Her mother was reproachful. ‘I understand you’re disappointed, but there is really no need to take that tone with me.’
‘I’m sorry, Mother.’ Anna looked down at her hands.
‘I will speak to the doctor,’ her mother promised. ‘It may be that we can leave in a few days.’
‘No, you must leave now.’
They both looked around. Hester Grey stood in the doorway, one thin hand pressed against the door frame for support. She looked a little paler than usual, but she was still dressed in her rigid, elegant style, not a hair out of place.
‘Mother!’ Dorothy Beck rushed to her side. ‘What are you doing out of bed? You heard what the doctor said. You need to rest …’
‘Do stop fussing, my dear. You know I have never been one for lounging about all day.’ Hester’s voice was brisk, in contrast to her frail appearance. ‘I heard what you were saying,’ she said, nodding to Anna. ‘The child is quite right to be impatient. It’s high time you and Liesel went home.’
‘But I don’t want to leave you while you’re unwell.’
‘Dorothy, I am an old woman. I have been unwell for years. I have managed quite well on my own for all these years, and I daresay I shall manage when you’re gone. You must think of yourself and your family.’
Anna saw the flash of guilt in her mother’s eyes. ‘But you’re my family too, Mother,’ she said quietly.
Hester’s expression softened a fraction. ‘That’s very kind of you, my dear, and I must say it has gladdened my heart to have you and Liesel here these past few months. It has been very pleasant to have some life back in this old house.’ She gazed around her with a sigh. ‘But I can’t expect you to stay forever.’
‘Surely I could stay until you’re feeling better?’
‘But you wouldn’t want to disappoint Anna, would you? Not after she has worked so hard.’
‘Anna understands. Don’t you?’
She looked at her grandmother and w
ondered if she had imagined the gleam of triumph behind that bland smile.
‘Yes,’ she muttered. ‘Yes, of course.’
Her mother followed her outside into the warm sunshine. It was the first day of May, and the trees in the square were heavy with frothy pink and white blossom.
‘I’ll come home soon,’ Dorothy promised. ‘Once your grandmother has recovered.’ She gave Anna a fierce hug. ‘We will be a family again, my love, I promise.’
Over her mother’s shoulder, Anna caught the twitch of a lace curtain.
Not if Hester Grey had her way, she thought.
Tom was waiting for them at the bakery. It touched Anna to see how he had spruced himself up for her mother’s homecoming. His unruly dark hair was combed under his cap, and he was wearing a clean shirt under his shabby jacket. A vase of freesias stood in the middle of the table he had picked up from the rag and bone yard and lovingly restored.
He looked crestfallen when Anna walked in alone.
‘Where’s your mother?’ He glanced behind her.
‘She’s not coming. Grandmother isn’t well and she doesn’t want to leave her.’
‘That’s a shame.’
‘Yes.’ Anna went to the window and stared out over the yard. Tom had cleared away the last of the building rubble and swept the cobbles carefully. It nearly broke her heart to see it.
‘Still, at least it means I’ll have time to find some more furniture,’ he said bracingly. ‘I saw the rag and bone cart going by with a couple of nice-looking chairs on it. I’ll go down there later and see if he’ll part with them. They’re not exactly shipshape, but I reckon they could be all right with a bit of work.’
Anna went on staring out of the window, willing herself not to cry. But the tears still spilt down her cheeks.
‘Miss Anna?’ She could hear Tom behind her, shifting uncertainly. ‘Are you all right?’
A moment later she felt a grubby handkerchief being pushed into her hand. Anna dabbed her eyes, breathing in the smell of sawdust and engine oil. Tom’s smell.
‘They’ll come, y’know,’ he said gruffly. ‘They’ll be home soon and then you can go back to how things were.’
‘We can’t though, can we? Things can never be the same. Papa’s gone, and Edward’s gone, and now my grandmother’s trying to take the rest of the family away from me!’
‘She what?’
‘It’s true. She wants to shut Papa and me out so she can have Mother and Liesel to herself.’ Anna wiped away her tears. ‘They’re under her thumb now and I can’t even make them see it.’
‘I can’t imagine your mother being under anyone’s thumb,’ Tom said.
‘Well, she is. My grandmother’s got her dressing and doing her hair to please her. And now there’s this business with her weak heart. I know it sounds wicked, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with her. It’s all a trick to stop my mother leaving.’
‘If it’s a trick your mother will soon see through it,’ Tom said. ‘She ain’t daft, is she?’
‘I suppose not.’ Anna sniffed.
‘Of course she ain’t. Your mother’s got a kind heart, which is why she wants to make sure your grandmother’s all right. But as soon as she can she’ll be packing her bags and coming home. Because this is her real home, and you’re her real family, you and your sister.’ He laid his hand on her arm. ‘It’ll be all right in the end, you’ll see.’
‘Thank you.’ For a moment neither of them moved. Anna stared down at his hand, resting on her forearm. His fingers were clumsy, his bitten-down nails rimmed with dirt. She could feel the warmth of it through the thin cotton fabric of her sleeve.
Then Tom seemed to recollect himself. He pulled his hand back and shoved it in his pocket as he turned away.
‘I s’pose we should lock up,’ he said gruffly.
‘Aren’t you going to stay tonight?’ She had grown used to seeing his nest of blankets in the corner of the bedroom. Even when he managed to get hold of a couple of second-hand beds, he still slept on the floor.
Tom shook his head. ‘It don’t seem right. This is your place again now. Your home.’
‘We wouldn’t have a home if it wasn’t for you.’ Anna looked around the room, smiling. ‘You’ve done so much for us, Tom. I don’t know how we’ll ever thank you.’
‘You don’t need to,’ Tom said gruffly.
‘But we owe you our lives.’
Tom looked away, and Anna realised she had embarrassed him.
‘Anyway,’ she said, ‘we’re all very grateful to you. And I want you to know there’ll always be a place for you here at Beck’s.’
‘Even when Edward Stanning’s running the place?’
Tom muttered the words so quietly under his breath, Anna wasn’t sure she had heard them at first.
‘What makes you say that?’ she asked.
Colour rose in Tom’s face. ‘Nothing,’ he said. ‘I spoke out of turn.’
‘This is my father’s bakery,’ Anna said. ‘I suppose Edward will take over the business from him one day, but that won’t be for a long time.’
Tom looked at her but said nothing.
Anna cleared her throat. ‘Edward told me there was bad blood between you.’
‘Did he now?’ Tom’s mouth lifted at the corner. ‘And what else did he tell you?’
‘Everything.’
‘Everything?’ His brows rose.
‘He told me he’d been in trouble with the police, if that’s what you mean.’
‘Did he tell you why?’
There was something about the way Tom was looking at her that she did not like. It was almost as if he was taunting her.
‘He said he’d fallen in with your brothers when he was younger. He said they led him into trouble.’
‘He would say that, wouldn’t he?’ Tom muttered.
There it was again, that taunt in his voice.
‘Why?’ Anna asked ‘What do you know that I don’t?’
‘I know Edward Stanning’s a lying weasel.’
Anna gasped. ‘How dare you speak about my fiancé like that!’
‘You asked and I told you.’ He faced her, his hands on his hips. ‘You really want to know what happened? I’ll tell you. Yes, he got involved with my brothers. But he wasn’t some innocent little kid like he’d have you believe. Whatever they did, he was right in it too, up to his neck.’
Don’t trust Tom Franklin.
‘He used them,’ Tom went on. ‘It’s true my brothers are villains, but they ain’t too bright.’ He tapped his temple. ‘Edward was clever. Clever enough to let them do his dirty work and then make himself scarce and let them take the fall when things went wrong.’
‘I don’t want to hear this.’
‘I’m only trying to warn you—’
‘I said I don’t want to hear!’ Anna turned away from him. ‘Edward told me this would happen. He warned me you might try to make trouble for him.’
‘I just want you to know the kind of man you’re marrying.’
‘I know the kind of man I’m marrying, thank you very much!’ Anna faced him angrily. ‘My Edward is a hero. He’s out there in France, fighting for his country, while you’re here, making trouble for him.’ She forced herself to calm down. ‘I appreciate everything you’ve done for us,’ she said quietly. ‘But I can’t have you speaking about Edward like that. If you can’t be civil about him, then you should leave.’
Tom stared at her for a moment. Then, without a word, he snatched up his jacket and headed for the door.
Anna turned away, fighting the urge to call him back. She had to be loyal to Edward.
Don’t trust Tom Franklin.
She heard the door open, then a long pause.
‘I’ll pick up my tools later,’ Tom said. ‘I won’t trouble you again.’
‘Please yourself.’
There was another long pause. Then Tom said, ‘It takes more than a uniform to make a good man, you know.’
Anna turned
round to answer him, but the door had already slammed shut.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Kate was surprised to be summoned to Dr Ormerod’s office first thing the following morning. She was even more surprised to see her father and Leo waiting for her there.
‘Hello,’ she greeted them, looking from one to the other. Neither of them looked back at her. Her father kept his rigid profile averted, while Leo stared down at his hands laced tightly in his lap.
Kate turned to Dr Ormerod. ‘May I ask what this is about?’ she asked.
‘Sit down, please, Miss Carlyle.’ Dr Ormerod gestured to the empty seat on the other side of his desk. Kate sat down, still eyeing her brother. Leo’s face was the colour of whey.
Dr Ormerod cleared his throat. ‘I am afraid we lost another patient on Monaghan last night,’ he said.
‘Oh, no. Which one?’
‘Corporal John Rayner.’
Kate stared at him. ‘Corporal Rayner, sir? The auricular fibrillation?’ Dr Ormerod nodded. ‘But I don’t understand. He seemed quite well when I saw him yesterday …’
Dr Ormerod’s eyes sharpened behind his spectacles. ‘You saw this patient yesterday?’
‘Yes, sir. He was a new admission.’
‘And you treated him?’
‘Yes, sir.’ Kate glanced at her father. He was sitting up a little straighter in his chair. ‘Digitalis. Two grains.’
Her father and Dr Ormerod sent each other significant looks. Leo went on staring at his hands, his Adam’s apple bobbing convulsively, as if he were trying not to be sick.
‘And what time did you administer the drug?’ Dr Ormerod asked.
‘I can’t remember precisely. Some time in the morning. But it will be in his notes, surely?’
‘Ah, yes. His notes.’ Dr Ormerod picked up a single piece of white card from his desk and peered at it over his spectacles. ‘According to this, Corporal Rayner was given two grains of digitalis at ten-past nine yesterday morning.’
‘Yes, that sounds about right, I suppose.’
‘Except the signature on the notes is that of Dr Leo Carlyle.’
A Nightingale Christmas Promise Page 28