Girl with Secrets: a coming of age war story and family saga full of romance, mystery and danger in London’s East End.

by Carol Rivers

  Daisy woke to the sound of a garbled echo which was somehow attached to a head that wobbled and weaved across her line of vision.

  ‘ ‘Ello there, ducks,’ said a vaguely familiar voice. ‘You decided to open yer old mince pies, then?’

  The blurry face was smiling and she recognised the dirty peaked cap. Mr Cook gave her a cheery wink. ‘ ‘Ow do yer feel, kid?’

  Daisy blinked and tried to move. ‘My head hurts.’

  ‘Too right it does,’ agreed Mr Cook. ‘You took a bit of a wallop.’

  Daisy looked down at her feet poking up from under a cover. Apparently she was laying in the back of a large vehicle. ‘Where am I?’

  ‘In an ambulance on the way to ‘orspital, kid.’

  ‘Where’s ‘orspital?’ asked Daisy trying to fathom what Mr Cook meant. ‘Where’s Bobby and Mother?’

  ‘They’re on their way to ‘orspital too. Don’t worry, you’ll catch up with ‘em soon.’

  ‘Wh … what happened?’ Daisy looked around at the grey blankets piled on the bench where Mr Cook was sitting. At the stretcher bracketed against the wall. And a strange looking gas mask attached to a long tube.

  ‘Lay back, kid. You’ve got a massive lump on yer loaf.’

  Daisy wanted to smile but instead she burst into tears. Mr Cook took a rag from his pocket and pressed it over her cheeks.

  ‘Now, now, it’s the shock, see.’

  ‘I want Mother and Bobby,’ she sobbed.

  ‘Course you do. But first we’ve got to get you right. You took the full whack of the blast, see? Gawd knows how you survived. ’

  Through her tears, she began to recall the burning hole in what was once the kitchen floor, a great hungry mouth spiting flames.

  If only Pops was here.

  ‘Hello,’ said a man wearing a white coat. ‘I believe your name is Daisy Purbright, is that correct?’

  Daisy nodded. ‘Is this a hospital?’

  ‘It is indeed. And I’m Dr Deacon.’

  ‘Are Mother and Bobby here?’

  ‘They’re quite safe and have been taken elsewhere for treatment.’

  ‘Are they all right?’

  The doctor nodded. ‘Just a few cuts and bruises, luckily.’

  Daisy stifled a sob of relief. She knew something awful must have happened, but Mother and Bobby were safe and that was what mattered.

  ‘Now,’ said the doctor firmly. ‘I’d like you to relax while Sister Thomas takes care of you.’

  Before she could ask more, her head fell back on the pillow, seemingly of its own accord. From this position she watched the doctor leave and a nurse replace him.

  ‘Hello, Daisy, I’m Sister Thomas.’ The older woman with a rather severe expression raised an eyebrow.

  Daisy attempted to speak, but any movement was far too painful.

  ‘You’ll be with us for a while,’ continued the Sister. ’I’ve dressed you in a hospital gown. Your clothes will be put in a locker once you’re in the children’s ward and returned to you when you’re discharged.’

  Daisy peered at the long cotton robe that seemed to be covering most of her body. ‘Can I get up?’

  ‘Not yet. You have suffered a head wound and smaller abrasions caused by an incendiary bomb’s blast. I’m afraid it’s a case of bed rest for a while.’

  ‘But Mother will be worried,’ she protested as the Sister began to bathe her head.

  ‘Just lay still, my dear.’

  ‘Ouch!’ Daisy yelped as the nurse seemed to be pulling at parts of her brain.

  ‘You have small pieces of debris in your injury. It’s important they’re all removed before having stitches. ‘

  Daisy clenched her hands together in an effort not to cry as the tiny splinters were removed from her head. With a great effort, she managed to grit her teeth and bear the pain that seemed to go on endlessly.

  ‘All done,’ said Sister Thomas at last as she discarded the instruments of torture and removed her apron. Daisy lay in silence as the Sister eyed her firmly. ’Dr Deacon examined you when you were admitted. Do you remember what he did?’

  While resisting the painful sensation of tiny knife points attacking her scalp, Daisy tried to think back. A faint picture came to mind of someone’s hands in front of her. ‘He asked me how many fingers I could count. Then there was a bright light in my eyes.’

  ‘Very good,’ Sister Thomas praised. ‘That means you have good recall - so far. Now, I’d like you to rest while I’m gone. I shall arrange a bed for you on the children’s ward in time for supper. I expect you’re hungry.’

  Daisy was about to agree that she was - when she realized she wasn’t. Her head hurt when she tried to speak. And she wanted to remember what had happened before she woke up in the ambulance with Mr Cook sitting beside her.

  Chapter 49

  ‘How are we, this morning?’ enquired a pretty young nurse with fair hair tucked under her cap.

  ‘Is it morning?’ Daisy asked as she found herself sitting in an unfamiliar bed.

  ‘You were brought up to the children’s ward yesterday. Don’t you remember?’

  Daisy rubbed the corners of her sleep-filled eyes. As everyone kept asking her if she remembered things, she thought it would be better to say that she did.

  ‘Here, drink a little water.’ The nurse helped her to sit up.

  Daisy drank as if she hadn’t tasted water in years.

  ‘Little sips,’ advised the nurse.

  Daisy took a breath. ‘Do you know where my mother and brother are?’

  The nurse frowned. ‘I’ve been told they are being well cared for and you are not to worry.’ She took away the glass. ‘I’d like to give you a top and tail before the doctor’s rounds. Do you feel up to that?’

  Daisy nodded, though she wanted to go back to sleep.

  ‘My name is Nurse Gwen, by the way.’

  Daisy didn’t have to wait long before Nurse Gwen had tended to her injuries. ‘You have only minor scratches and bruising. It was your head that took the impact.’

  ‘I can’t remember much.’

  ‘You’ve been a very brave girl.’ Nurse Gwen wrung out the flannel in the bowl on top of the cabinet. ‘I promise to be gentle as I brush your hair.’

  Despite trying to be brave Daisy shied away.

  ‘I’m sorry,’ apologised Nurse Gwen. ‘This nasty head wound must be painful.’

  Daisy was determined not to complain, though she missed Mother terribly.

  ‘Well done,’ the young nurse encouraged. ‘I’ll bring the commode.’

  ‘What’s a commode?’

  Nurse Gwen chuckled. ‘A chair with a po, more or less.’

  ‘I’d rather go to a proper toilet.’

  ‘We’ll see what the doctor says after he’s seen you. But for now, it’s bed rest and the commode is easy to use.’

  As Daisy lay there, she listened to the noises in the ward. A child was crying somewhere soothed by the consoling murmurs of an adult. Soft footsteps padded close by and the curtains blew very slightly as the nurses passed.

  Daisy held back her tears.

  When would she see Mother again? There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but there was no one to give her any answers.

  Over the next few days, the prodding, poking, changing of dressings and general investigations of her injuries were exhausting. She heard other children around her, but their beds were often shielded by screens as the nurses and doctors came and went. Could she get out of bed and walk, she wondered? But as she moved, what felt like a huge marble rolled around in her head. And then, frustratingly, she would fall asleep.

  ‘Good morning,’ said Nurse Gwen one day and peered into her eyes, gently lifting one eyelid and then the other. ’After I’ve taken your pulse, we’ll decide what you would like for lunch.’ The nurse took her hand from under the sheet. ‘We don’t want you wasting away. You’re only a wee thing.’

  Daisy had been called many things before, but never a wee thing. ‘
Mother says my puppy fat won’t disappear till I’m older.’

  ‘Really? But there’s not an inch of fat on you.’

  Daisy looked down at the shape of her body under the hospital blanket. ‘Where’s all my puppy fat gone, then?’

  Nurse Gwen chuckled. ‘Let’s just say, you have plenty of room for a good, solid meal. Today it’s a stew. And a very nice one at that.’

  Daisy had to agree that the beef broth was delicious. She finished every scrap, followed by a small portion of ice cream. But not long after she had settled down for an afternoon nap, the siren wailed.

  ‘Oh dear, the warning is early today,’ Nurse Gwen sighed and hurriedly hung her notes on the end of the bed. The ward Sister appeared through the swing doors, a small, grey-haired woman dressed in her deep blue uniform, who calmly gave all her nurses their orders.

  ‘I’ll help you to sit in this,’ said Nurse Gwen as she wheeled up an ancient-looking chair to the side of Daisy’s bed. ‘An orderly will come and take you to the underground wards and I’ll join you there.’

  Daisy was cosseted in blankets and a pair of hospital slippers put on her feet. With a cushion propped behind her back, she was transported downstairs.

  The sloping floor made access easy and along with many other patients in wheelchairs, on crutches and sticks and even in beds, the underground ward was soon filled with patients. The orderly, an older man with a small moustache, parked her at one end of the ward. Casualties of all shapes and sizes joined her until the ward was full to capacity.

  Later, meals were served. ‘Sit tight and I’ll bring yer grub,’ said an orderly. ‘The nurse will be along soon.’

  Daisy felt a churning in her stomach. She was alone and without the reassuring presence of Nurse Gwen. The noises in the underground ward grew louder. Patients called for attention as the orderlies delivered small trays bearing a slice of cold pie and a drink.

  Daisy didn’t have an appetite. Instead there was a dreadful feeling inside her, as if something terrible was about to happen.

  When Nurse Gwen arrived she explained everyone would be safe during the attack. But when Daisy heard the first grumble of aircraft, she tried to get up from her wheelchair. She thought of the hole in the kitchen floor and the flames bursting upwards to lick at the ceiling. Most terrifyingly of all, was that invisible hand catching hold of her, propelling her into the air as though she was made of rags.

  ‘Daisy!’ Nurse Gwen was restraining her. ‘You must stay seated.’

  ‘No, no!’ protested Daisy. ‘The bomb will go off.’

  ‘My dear, please calm yourself.’ Nurse Gwen prevented her from standing. ‘There’s no bomb. Really. You are quite safe.’

  ‘It will explode - ‘

  ‘There are no bombs here,’ the nurse assured her.

  Daisy was unable to see anything but that great, dark void, with its scarlet flames leaping violently into the air. Her body shook and trembled. She had to escape before the blast that would surely come. Pulling away from the young nurse, she threw herself forward, knowing she had to escape from the fiery monster.

  It was as she tried to push her way through the crowded room, that Daisy heard herself scream, just a few seconds before she fell.

  Chapter 50

  Aunt Minnie’s pretty face, coiffured blonde hair and red lipstick, was slowly replaced by Aunt Betty’s deep brown eyes and gentle smile.

  ‘Daisy, darling … ’

  ‘We’re here, right beside you,’ breathed Aunt Minnie sending over her faint fragrance.

  ‘Gardenia,’ babbled Daisy, which drew a weepy sob from her aunt.

  ‘Don’t cry, Aunt Minnie.’

  ‘Oh, my dear … ‘ Aunt Minnie turned away to hide her tears.

  ‘Minnie, pull yourself together,’ whispered Aunt Betty from close by.

  ‘I can’t help my emotions,’ sobbed Aunt Minnie. ‘Not everyone is as brave as you, Betty.’

  ‘We mustn’t upset her, Minnie. She’s still very fragile.’

  ‘Where’s Mother?’ Daisy attempted to focus on the two people at her bedside.

  ‘Please wait outside,’ came a command from Nurse Gwen who replaced the twin visions of her aunts. ‘Now, Daisy, do you feel well enough to sit up and have visitors?’

  Daisy nodded, though as she did, her head hurt dreadfully. Holding on to Nurse Gwen, she found herself gently rearranged on the pillows as the cover was tucked firmly across her chest. A cool glass was placed on her parched lips.

  ‘You know the drill by now,’ said Nurse Gwen with a smile. ‘A few sips at first.’

  Daisy drank the reviving water and slipped her tongue around her dry mouth. ‘I thought I saw my aunts,’ she said.

  ‘They’ve come to visit you, but you won’t go trying to escape again, will you?’

  Daisy looked around at the ward she had been returned to. There were no curtains now, but many children sitting or lying in their beds. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said quietly. ‘I remembered the bomb. The one in our kitchen.’

  ‘We call it a trigger,’ the nurse explained. ‘Your thoughts go back to the time when the bomb exploded. Not unusual after such a shock. Luckily an orderly was there to catch you when you fainted and no harm was done.’

  ‘I can’t really remember.’

  ‘Do you feel well enough to speak to your aunts?’

  Daisy managed a tiny nod.

  ‘Afterwards your tea will be ready. We must start to build you up.’

  Daisy hoped that corned beef and bread wasn’t on the menu.

  The sight of her aunts was almost more than she could bear. ‘Aunt Betty, Aunt Minnie!’ she mumbled.

  ‘Oh, darling, what’s hidden under that huge bandage on your head?’ Aunt Minnie’s voice crackled with emotion. ‘Are you in pain?’

  ‘No,’ Daisy fibbed, trying to smile. She didn’t want Aunt Minnie to be upset.

  ‘We’ve been so worried about you.’ Aunt Minnie gave another choked sob.

  ‘Mr Cook told us it was an incendiary,’ said Aunt Betty. ‘The force of it threw you forward.’

  ‘I had stitches after they got bits out of my head.’ Daisy blinked back her tears. ‘But I’m all right now.’

  Aunt Betty hesitated. ‘Your Mother and Bobby are in hospital too. There was no room here, you see.’

  ‘Do they have bits in them too?’

  ‘Nothing for you to worry about,’ said Aunt Minnie. ‘But like you, they were very shocked. We’re going to visit them later. Do you remember what happened?’

  ‘Mother pushed us out of the kitchen.’ Daisy frowned, trying to recall. ‘I think I felt the bomb go off and it pushed me through the air. Now I keep forgetting things.’

  ‘Quite normal so the doctor says,’ reassured Aunt Betty. ‘Your memory will come back with time.’

  ‘I hope so.’

  ‘You were all so lucky to escape,’ consoled Aunt Minnie. ‘But Mr Cook tells us that the house is unstable.’

  ‘Won’t we be able to live there again?’

  ‘Well, not for a while.’

  ‘But where will we go?’ Daisy asked tearfully.

  Aunt Minnie squeezed her hand. ‘You’ll come to us, of course.’

  ‘I’m afraid time is up,’ said Nurse Gwen, firmly pulling the screen around Daisy’s bed.

  ‘We’ll visit again soon,’ promised Aunt Betty.

  Daisy watched as Nurse Gwen whisked her aunts away.

  When they were gone, rather than reassured, she felt abandoned. All she wanted was to go home. But did she have a home to go to? It wouldn’t be a home anyway, without Mother and Bobby.

  Chapter 51

  ‘London saw its worst night of bombing yet,’ Nurse Gwen revealed as she brought Daisy’s medicine. ‘Our dear St Paul’s was hit. An unexploded bomb was removed from its roof, but it still stood up to the attack and people will be able to use it again, just like you’ll be able to go home to your house.’

  ‘I hope so,’ Daisy said, accepting her pills and duti
fully swallowing.

  ‘Cheer up, Daisy dear,’ encouraged the nurse. ‘Most people feel down in the dumps after a stay in hospital. You’ll soon have your happy spirits back.’

  Just then, the wail of the siren echoed throughout the hospital and all the nursing staff went into action. Daisy twisted her fingers together anxiously. She didn’t want to hear those planes flying over. Or listen to their deadly drone.

  She tried to stay calm and think of her bedroom at home and of the many times she had gazed from her window to the towering cranes and workman-like tugs and proud ships sailing by on the river in a kind of regal procession. And of Greenwich and its glistening dome when the sunlight played on its roof like diamond splinters.

  Would she ever see these beloved sights again?

  And so the blitz, as it became known, continued. When the raiders returned at dusk or sometimes even earlier, they caused a mass evacuation from the upper hospital floors to the safety of the underground levels below.

  It was five long days after Daisy had been admitted to the East London Hospital, that during one attack, Nurse Gwen failed to appear.

  ‘Gwen’s not on duty today,’ said a female orderly as she pushed Daisy into the underground ward.

  Daisy began to tremble as the thuds of the bombs came closer. ‘Please stay with me,’ she asked the orderly.

  ‘I have others to attend to, dear,’ the woman said hurriedly. ‘Try to be brave and sit quietly.’

  Daisy knew there were others who were more in need of attention than her, but she was terrified of the muffled drone of the bombers coming closer and the pounding of the ack-ack guns below. She wanted to run away, but where was there to hide?

  For the first time since the incendiary had exploded, she found herself quite alone. ‘H … help,’ she called. ‘Please help me, someone.’ But no one came and when she tried to stand, she fell over.

  Daisy woke to the sensation of being lifted into someone’s arms. The person was cradling her and she clung tightly to the stranger’s shoulders as his rhythmic steps strode purposely forward.