The Best of Daughters

by Dilly Court

‘Good luck, darling.’ Clarice broke away with a muffled sob. ‘Got to go now. See you soon back in old Blighty.’ She hurried from the room, leaving the door to swing shut.

  The muffled thud brought Daisy back to reality: she rose to her feet and made her way to Rupert’s room. Something had drawn her to him, she could not say what it was, but she had half expected to find him sitting up in bed. Her disappointment was acute when she saw that he remained exactly as she had left him a couple of hours previously. She sat on the chair beside him and took his hand in hers. ‘Rupert, it’s me, Daisy. They want to send me home next week but I won’t go without you. I promise never to leave you and I’ll stay by your side no matter what.’ She lapsed into silence, still holding his hand, and her mind was made up. She would stay on as an auxiliary nurse or a ward maid. She would speak to Boss and persuade her that even if she could not work with the FANYs now, she could still do something for the war effort. She was so busy planning her speech that she almost ignored the slight pressure on her hand. She stared down at their entwined fingers, watching closely and hardly daring to breathe. She almost shouted for joy when she felt it again and this time it was stronger. She clutched his hand to her breast, leaning over and kissing him softly on the lips. ‘Rupert, come back to me.’

  His eyes opened slowly and she held her breath. He turned his head to stare at her and his lips moved silently. She squeezed his fingers. ‘Darling Rupert. You’re safe, my love. I’m going to take you home.’

  When all the formalities were completed, Daisy was allowed to accompany Rupert on the troopship returning to England. He was sent at first to the London General Hospital at Denmark Hill for assessment of his condition. Daisy, now permanently retired from the FANY due to her injuries, stayed at Pendleton House in Grosvenor Square and visited him daily. She would have volunteered as a VAD but it would be months before her collar bone healed properly. It was difficult to do the simplest things with one arm, but with the help of Betsy, the parlour maid, she was able to make herself presentable. For the first time in almost three years, apart from her brief home leaves, she was able to dress in elegant clothes and her perfume was Jicky instead of carbolic. Her hair, it seemed, was fashionably short and skirts were raised above the ankles. Looking at the well-dressed ladies in London who were outwardly untouched by the horrors of the war, it was hard to equate their lifestyles with the suffering that Daisy had witnessed during her time in Flanders. She knew that whatever her future role in life, she would not become one of the idle rich.

  She put all her energies into caring for Rupert. She visited the hospital each morning and stayed there all day. Sometimes Lady Pendleton joined her. She had travelled to town immediately on hearing that her son was in hospital, and eventually Lord Pendleton arrived, but he seemed to find it hard to cope with Rupert’s injuries. He left at the first opportunity having made gruff noises to the effect that Rupert must get well before the glorious twelfth and the start of the grouse shooting season, which seemed utterly tactless to Daisy, although Lady Pendleton merely smiled.

  ‘Don’t take any notice of my husband. He finds it hard to express his innermost feelings.’ She rose from her chair at Rupert’s bedside and leaned over to pat him gently on the hand. ‘I have to fly now, darling. I have an appointment with my dressmaker, but I’ll see you again very soon.’ She beckoned to Daisy as she left the private ward. ‘My dear girl, we must have Rupert sent home as soon as possible. For one thing it’s terribly inconvenient having him here, and I do so hate the hospital smell, it clings to one’s clothes and hair for simply hours after one leaves.’

  ‘And the other thing, Lady Pendleton?’ Daisy tried to keep the acid tone from her voice.

  ‘The other thing?’ Lady Pendleton frowned thoughtfully. ‘Yes, of course. We can look after him at home. You’re a nurse, aren’t you? You looked after all those poor devils in France.’

  Daisy lifted her arm in the sling just a little, and even then the pain stabbed like a knifepoint. ‘I’m afraid I can’t do much until my shoulder heals.’

  ‘No, quite. Well, there’s a military hospital at Colchester barracks, and once Rupert’s case has been fully assessed I’m sure they will transfer him there.’ She closed the door to Rupert’s room. ‘I don’t want the poor boy to hear this, but his speech is still quite slurred and he often forgets what he’s saying. Do they think that the damage is permanent?’

  Daisy shook her head. ‘I don’t think that the neurologists have the complete answer, but he’s making progress every day. His memory is returning gradually and his other wounds are healing well, although they still don’t know if he will ever be able to walk again. We must just wait and hope.’

  Lady Pendleton enveloped her in a perfumed embrace, kissing her on both cheeks. ‘You are such a treasure, my dear Daisy. Your loyalty to my son is touching.’

  ‘I love him, Lady Pendleton,’ Daisy said simply, and she knew that it was true. She would stay with him every step of his gradual recovery, and even if he was never quite as handsome or as dashing as before it would not make the slightest bit of difference.

  ‘You are a dear girl,’ Lady Pendleton said, smiling. ‘Now I really must go. I’ll see you at dinner.’

  ‘Yes, of course.’

  Lady Pendleton hesitated for a moment. ‘You really ought to have a break from all this hospital business, Daisy. Perhaps a weekend at Pendleton Park or even Rainbow’s End? I’m sure your parents would be overjoyed to see you again.’

  ‘There’s plenty of time for that,’ Daisy said calmly. ‘When Rupert is well enough to go to a convalescent home, then I’ll feel able to see my family, but until then he is my chief concern.’

  On a cold, bleak day in February, Rupert was transported by ambulance to the Sobraon Barracks Military Hospital at Colchester, and Daisy returned home to Rainbow’s End, politely but firmly declining Lady Pendleton’s invitation to stay at Pendleton Park. Her parents welcomed her with open arms but neither of them made any attempt to hide their relief on hearing that she had been deemed unfit to return to Flanders.

  Ruby burst into tears at the sight of her but young Martin had obviously forgotten her and clung to his mother’s skirts with his thumb plugged firmly into his mouth, eyeing her warily. At the age of two he was a sturdy little fellow with a mind of his own and temper to match, but he had inherited his father’s charm and he had only to smile and gurgle with laughter in order to wrap Daisy’s parents and his own mother round his tiny little finger. Martin, Daisy thought after the first few days at home, was verging on becoming a very spoilt little boy. However, even she was not immune to his winning ways and very soon they were the best of friends.

  ‘He’s so like his dad,’ Ruby said, watching him playing with a puppy that Victor had given him for his second birthday in January. ‘He’s Barnaby all over again.’

  Daisy pulled a face. ‘I hope not.’ She laid her hand on Ruby’s shoulder. ‘At least I hope he takes more after you than his father.’

  ‘But you was soft on Barnaby, wasn’t you?’ Ruby’s dark eyes scanned her face as if desperate to seek an honest answer. ‘You loved him too. I know you did.’

  ‘I was infatuated, Ruby. He could charm the birds from the trees if he so chose, but he died a hero, and that’s what you must tell Martin when he’s old enough to understand.’

  Ruby glanced fondly at her son as he rolled about the kitchen floor with the puppy. ‘I will, and hope to God that this is the war to end all wars like they say it is.’

  Daisy picked up her reticule. ‘Amen to that. Anyway, I’d love to stay and chat with you, but I promised Bea that I’d drive over to the farm and see her before I go to the hospital. It’s been a great help having the Prince Henry so that I can visit Rupert whenever I like.’

  ‘Tell her to bring Joyce to see us soon. It won’t be long before she’s big enough to play with Martin. That’s if Miss Beatrice doesn’t mind her daughter hobnobbing with the servant’s kid.’

  ‘Don’t be silly. Bea
isn’t like that and well you know it. I’m sure that Martin and Joyce will be the best of friends.’

  ‘I hope so.’ Ruby stopped kneading the bread dough, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. ‘Before you go, is it all right if I have tonight off instead of Saturday?’

  Daisy paused in the doorway. ‘Yes, of course. I’ll be here as well as Mother and Father. Are you going somewhere special?’

  Ruby’s face flushed so that her cheeks were bright pink. ‘Arley and me are going to the music hall.’

  ‘You and Arley Meadows?’

  ‘I know you didn’t like him much at the start, but he’s a nice, kind man, and once you get him off the subject of blooming butterflies he can he really interesting.’

  Daisy stared at her in amazement. ‘You’re stepping out with him?’

  ‘We’re keeping company.’ Ruby covered the dough with a damp cloth and placed it closer to the range. ‘There’s nothing wrong in that, is there?’

  ‘Absolutely not. I’m really pleased that you’re getting out and about. I’d hate to think of you spending the rest of your life grieving for what might have been.’

  ‘I know that Barnaby would never have married me. Apart from the fact that he already had a wife and child, he didn’t feel the same about me as I did about him. But he gave me Martin and he’s the best thing that ever happened to me.’

  ‘And does Arley get on well with your boy?’

  ‘He’s amazing with him, and that awful mother of his quite dotes on my Martin. She’s not a bad old stick if you know how to handle her, but Arley don’t stand up to her enough.’

  ‘I imagine that you will, though,’ Daisy said, chuckling.

  ‘I put her in her place from the start. I had plenty of practice with my old man and me sister.’

  ‘Well, good for you, Ruby.’ Daisy rushed over to give her a hug. ‘You’re a very special lady, and if you should decide that your future’s with Arley, then he’s a very lucky fellow.’

  Daisy related this conversation to her sister later that morning, sitting in Beatrice’s comfortable living room with its chintz-covered squashy armchairs and large sofa on which a yellow Labrador sprawled, snoring gently.

  ‘I had no idea she was seeing Meadows,’ Beatrice said in amazement. ‘To think we almost shopped him to the police for embezzling Father’s money.’

  ‘It was probably the best thing that we never did,’ Daisy said, smiling. ‘At least we brought him up short and now he’s the model employee. Father can’t speak highly enough of him. He’s even talking about making him a partner in the firm. Can you believe that?’

  Beatrice’s eyes widened. ‘Never! Well I’m blowed.’ She rose from the sofa and went to look out of the window. ‘Just checking on Jojo. She’s asleep in her pram, but she’ll be waking soon for a feed.’ She gazed down at her full breasts with a resigned sigh. ‘I feel like one of our best dairy cows.’

  ‘You look wonderful, Bea. A picture of health and happiness.’

  Beatrice smiled dreamily. ‘They say you can’t get pregnant while you’re breast feeding, but I’m living proof that that is an old wives’ tale.’

  Daisy leapt to her feet. ‘You’re not – are you?’

  ‘I just said I was. Jojo will have a little brother or sister in six or seven months. I never thought I was the maternal type, but I was wrong. I’m thrilled and so is Jimmy. He says he’d like a big family and we’ve made a good start.’

  Daisy enveloped her in a warm embrace. ‘I’m so happy for you, Bea. Who’d have thought my wayward little sister would have a husband and children before I did.’

  ‘I’m so sorry, Daisy.’ Beatrice’s bottom lip trembled. ‘I didn’t mean to be so tactless. How is Rupert?’

  ‘You weren’t, and he’s making progress.’ Daisy frowned. ‘At least, the doctors say he is, but I’m not happy with the way he’s being treated in hospital. His wounds are healing but his speech is still very slurred and they leave him to lie in bed all day. I think he should be encouraged to do more, and it’s the same with the other men on his ward.’

  Beatrice put her head on one side, regarding her sister with a knowing smile. ‘It’s not like you to let the grass grow under your feet. Why don’t you do something about it?’

  Daisy seized her hand and shook it. ‘You’re absolutely right. I don’t know what I’ve been thinking of these past weeks while I’ve stood by and watched the man I love dwindle into a shadow of his former self.’

  ‘What are you going to do?’

  ‘I’m going to call at Pendleton Park on the way home. I’ve got an idea, thanks to you, Bea. I’ll let you know if I can pull it off after I’ve spoken to Rupert’s mother.’

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  ‘I DON’T KNOW, Daisy,’ Lady Pendleton said, pacing the Aubusson carpet in the crimson and gold saloon. ‘It would mean a terrific amount of upheaval.’

  ‘Not necessarily, ma’am. I’m not proposing to turn the whole of the house into a convalescent home, only a part of it. You could keep your own wing absolutely private, but just think of the benefit it would bring Rupert and some of the other men who’ve suffered similar injuries on the battlefield.’

  ‘I’d have to discuss it with Henry, of course. The estate belongs to him and will go to Rupert on his demise, which I hope won’t be for many years to come, but one never knows. Lady Osborne’s husband dropped dead at the card table just last week and he was three years Henry’s junior.’

  ‘But you will consider it, won’t you?’ Daisy clasped her hands in front of her, praying silently that Lady Pendleton would agree to champion her cause. ‘Think of Rupert. He needs specialist care and all the advances in modern medicine to bring him back to full health and fitness. Do you want him to end up in a wheelchair, barely able to put a sentence together and having difficulty in recalling your name?’

  ‘That’s cruel, Daisy.’

  ‘It’s the truth, ma’am. It’s the plain, honest truth. I’ve visited him every day and his progress is pitifully slow. I’m terrified that he will just give up, and I simply won’t allow that to happen.’

  Lady Pendleton came to a halt in front of her, gazing into Daisy’s face as if seeing her for the first time. ‘You really do love my son, don’t you?’

  ‘I do, ma’am. I’m begging you to allow me to do this for him, as well as other men in similar circumstances.’

  ‘Could we not just bring Rupert here and employ specialists to treat him at home?’

  ‘It would be hideously expensive, Lady Pendleton. Besides which, I doubt if they would want to spread their expertise so thinly. Whereas if we turn Pendleton Park into a convalescent home and specialised treatment centre, we would be doing something for the men and boys who have given so much for their country. Of course, we would have to get the backing of the medical establishment and the military, but that’s where you and Lord Pendleton come in. You both have so much influence; I’m begging you to bring it to bear.’

  ‘I’ll have to think about it, Daisy. It’s becoming hard enough to run the house with so many of the servants either away fighting or doing war work, but I’m not sure how we would cope with having our home turned into a hospital.’

  ‘It would be for Rupert’s sake.’

  ‘Yes,’ Lady Pendleton said thoughtfully. ‘It would be wonderful if he could make a full recovery.’

  With Lord Pendleton’s blessing, Daisy drove up to London and made her base in Grosvenor Square while she lobbied every influential person who might be of some help in establishing the convalescent home. She used her experience with the FANYs to her advantage, citing her experience in Lamarck and Unit Three as evidence of her capability to run such an establishment. She had heard that the WSPU had abandoned their militant actions and put all their energies into the war effort, and taking advantage of this change of heart Daisy was quick to contact Christabel Pankhurst in order to seek her support. As former sisters in adversity they had something in common, and Christabel was a person t
o be reckoned with.

  Eventually, after several months of petitioning, writing letters and generally making a nuisance of herself in high places, Daisy was granted permission from the military to go ahead with her scheme. Funding the project was her next priority and she organised charity concerts, dinners and a grand ball at the Hotel Cecil. She enlisted Lady Pendleton’s help in contacting wealthy benefactors and pleaded for their assistance in raising the required sum of money with one proviso: she made it perfectly clear that all ranks were to be catered for. She could do nothing to repay Bowman for the heroic gesture that had saved her life, but she hoped that she might be able to help other enlisted men to return to their families and live as normal a life as was possible. She worked tirelessly, often staying up half the night as she went through piles of correspondence and made plans for her campaign like any good general. By the middle of summer she was exhausted but triumphant: the target had been achieved and the alterations to Pendleton Park were given the go-ahead.

  Daisy returned home to Rainbow’s End and received a rapturous welcome from her family, although Ruby scolded her soundly for not looking after herself. ‘You need feeding up, my girl,’ she said, eyeing her critically. ‘I seen more meat on a skinned rabbit than you’ve got on your bones.’

  Gwendoline was equally frank. ‘You look as though you haven’t slept for a week, Daisy. You’d better get some rest before you go and see Rupert. You look terrible.’

  Beatrice had come over for the day with Joyce. She laid her sleeping baby on the sofa cushions before enveloping Daisy in a fond hug. She drew back, holding her at arm’s length and eyeing her critically. ‘Mother’s right. I don’t know what you’ve been doing to yourself in London, but it’s a good thing you’re home now. I’ve brought butter, eggs and cheese from the farm and Ruby is going to make sure you eat, even if she has to stand over you at table.’

  Halfway between laughter and tears, Daisy picked up Martin who had been clinging to her skirt and dropped a kiss on his curly head. ‘I’m perfectly well. Just a little tired, but I promise to be good and do as I’m told from now on.’