The Poppy Field

by Deborah Carr

  She did. Trying not to show how disappointed she was, Gemma pushed up the sleeves of her jacket. “Oh, right. Sorry,” she said hoping she didn’t sound as desperate as she felt. It was time to be brave, like Amber had been. She needed to stop relying on Tom so much. “Yes, I understand.”

  She tried and failed to resist adding, “Will you be back soon?”

  “I’ll be about two months on that job, but by then you should be ready for me to begin working on any decorating here.”

  Two months? She pushed away her panic. “That’s fine,” she lied, determined not to let him see how upset she was. “It’ll give me time to work out a plan for this place. I need to source a few things, like bookshelves for the office space, that sort of thing.”

  “Exactly.” He smiled at her and picked up a hammer. “You’ll do an amazing job.”

  Gemma couldn’t miss the relief on his face when she reacted so well to his announcement.

  “While you still have me here,” Tom said, “Maybe you could think about what you want me to do,” he indicated the barn area. “Or would you rather I focus on the spare room? It would take that cloying mildew smell from the upstairs of the farmhouse.”

  She liked that idea. “Yes, please do that first.”

  She left Tom to his work inside the house and went into the smaller of the two outbuildings. It was going to be lonely here without him. She decided that the time spent by herself would be a good thing. She wasn’t exactly sure why that was just yet, but after flinging herself at him earlier, she realised she needed to step away from the poor man. Before she did anything even more alarming.

  Chapter 7

  Alice

  1916

  Alice checked her watch. The corporal had been in surgery for nearly an hour. Mary had warned her not to become too involved with the patients and usually this wasn’t a problem, but there was something about Corporal Healy and his desperation to return home to his family that appealed to her.

  “We do the best we can,” Alice recalled her saying the previous evening in their tent. “We don’t have the strength to cope with being upset each time one of them might not make it.”

  She knew Mary was right. For some reason though the thought of the corporal losing a leg due to an infection that she was responsible for looking after disturbed her. Maybe it was the thought of his baby daughter, Kathleen or his other children reliant on him back home, but Alice wasn’t certain why it mattered to her so much.

  “I just wish the amputees didn’t have to face such uncertainty when they return home,” she said. “There’ll be many men returning to Great Britain when this is over, and I’ve read they’re employing women over these limbless ex-soldiers. It’s worrying, that’s all.”

  Mary sympathised, but Alice couldn’t shake her concerns. She helped settle one of the new patients who had woken abruptly from a sedative induced sleep and was about to take a tea break when she heard Dr Sullivan’s voice outside the ward. Alice went to find him and once he’d finished speaking to one of the orderlies, she followed him to his office.

  “Sorry, Doctor Sullivan?” she said, knocking lightly on the doorpost.

  He turned to her and Alice noticed his pale pallor and the dark shadows under his eyes. She wondered how long it had been since he had taken any leave.

  “Nurse Le Breton,” he frowned, thoughtfully. “Ahh, I imagine you wish to know about your corporal’s operation?”

  Taken aback by him referring to Corporal Healy as ‘her’ corporal, Alice scowled at him. “I’d like to enquire about the success of his procedure, yes,” she said, aware how officious she sounded, so added, “It’s just that he has five young children and a wife to support, and I—”

  “I’m of the opinion that your conscientiousness bringing his situation to my attention has probably resulted in the infection being stemmed before it took hold.” He rubbed his eyes. “At least, that’s what I hope to be the case.” His expression softened. “You did well, Nurse Le Breton.” He stared at her silently.

  Alice was unsure if he was waiting for her to thank him for this information. She opened her mouth to speak, but he turned to reach for a book on his untidy bookcase.

  “I’d catch up on some sleep before the next onslaught arrives this afternoon, if I were you.”

  “Yes, of course. Thank you, doctor,” she said, hating the feeling of being dismissed. He seemed more distant than the other day, she thought.

  He raised his hand in the air in a wave to her without looking back.

  Alice kept a close eye on the corporal’s foot, relieved each day to note that it was healing well, and any indication of infection had not returned. Doctor Sullivan had done a perfect job, once again.

  “A letter from your family?” she asked finding him reading a missive one morning. “I hope they’re all keeping well.”

  She was cheered to see that he appeared to be in good spirits today. He seemed to be well on his way to good health and had made a huge improvement over the past three weeks. Alice liked the corporal and enjoyed chatting to him about his adored family. She hoped that one day she would be lucky enough to be married to an equally besotted husband.

  “You’re looking a little peaky, Nurse Le Breton,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind me saying so.”

  She shook her head. “Not at all. A bad night’s sleep, nothing more.

  She had planned to catch up on her letter writing during her three-hour break earlier, but she’d fallen asleep instead, waking only moments before her shift was about to begin. She knew she needed to buck up if she didn’t want Matron coming to the same conclusion as the corporal.

  “They’re well, thank you Nurse,” he said, holding up a photograph. “Here’s a picture of my brood,” he said proudly, pointing out his daughter and four small sons. “That’s my Katherine. She’s praying for my return home, so that she can look after me.”

  Alice sighed happily. “I can imagine they’re missing you terribly,” she said. “They’ll be relieved to have you home and be able to spend time with you, I shouldn’t wonder.”

  “They will. She writes that the baby is walking now,” he beamed proudly. “No doubt she’ll be into everything. Troublesome little angel.”

  “Your wife will be rushed off her feet.”

  “She will, nurse, that she will.” He went back to studying his photograph and Alice turned her attention to Captain Woodhall.

  “Good evening, Captain,” she said, pulling a screen around his bed. “Do you need me to plump up your pillows for you?”

  “You can remove one pillow and help the captain lie flat, Nurse Le Breton,” Sister Brown snapped behind her. “I need to examine his hip.”

  Alice hadn’t heard Sister’s footsteps behind her and she immediately did as she was asked, not daring to return the captain’s half smile.

  “Pull a screen around the captain’s bed, Nurse.”

  Again, Alice did as Sister Brown ordered, standing silently at the end of the bed.

  “I changed the captain’s dressing earlier, Sister,” she said. “I doubt it needs to be looked at again so soon.”

  The sister hesitated for a moment. “I’ll be the judge of that, Volunteer Nurse Le Breton,” she said putting Alice firmly in her place. Alice watched as sister folded back the blanket and sheet to expose his pelvic area. Then undoing his pyjama bottoms, she focused on removing the old dressing. Alice took the used dressing from sister and dropped it onto the trolley next to her, relieved to note the lack of infection.

  Sister Brown was unfriendly at the best of times, but Alice knew that losing two men from her ward earlier in the day, both with minor original wounds, would bring out the worst in her. As had happened many times since Alice’s arrival, both injuries had become infected from the men lying on filthy soil. There was nothing that could be done about the fetid earth around the trenches, secreted with rotting flesh and blood. All the medical knowledge the staff possessed, could not save some of the men when their injuries beca
me infected.

  Alice watched as the captain was examined. She forgot to focus on what the sister was doing and looked up at the captain’s face, only to see him staring at her. Alice immediately looked away, but unable to help herself glanced back at him. The captain gave her a reassuring smile and Alice smiled back, soothed by his comforting gesture. She wondered if maybe his experience looking out for his men was what made him want to reassure others at such an awkward moment.

  “Nurse Le Breton,” Sister Brown hissed through her gapped teeth as she slowly retied the captain’s pyjama bottoms and covered him. “Help me with the pillow.”

  Alice took a moment to react.

  “Now, Nurse.”

  She stepped forward. When the sister helped the captain to sit up, Alice quickly arranged his pillows to allow the older woman to carefully lower him against them.

  “Remove the screen,” she said, her voice low, but threatening. “Then follow me.”

  Alice did as she instructed, but her hands were shaking and her heart pounding. She was unsure whether it was more from her acute embarrassment, or from fright at what Sister was about to say.

  “Thank you, Nurse Le Breton,” Captain Woodhall said, adding, “If you need me to vouch that you weren’t acting in any way that could be considered inappropriate, please, do ask.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered, not daring to catch his eye again. “I’d better go.”

  She looked over to where Sister Brown was waiting by the ward entrance.

  Groaning inwardly, Alice braced herself. “You wanted to speak to me, Sister?”

  “Follow me.”

  Alice walked behind the sister, irritation at her behaviour building up inside her.

  A few steps away from the entrance, Sister Brown rounded on Alice. “You are a voluntary nurse. You are not a formerly trained nurse and I doubt you ever will be.”

  Confused, Alice retorted. “I wasn’t correcting you about anything medical,” she said, doing her best to remain calm. “I was merely trying to reassure you so that you didn’t waste your time reapplying a new dressing.”

  Sister Brown took a step closer to Alice. She couldn’t escape the sour stench of the woman’s breath and had to concentrate on not flinching or moving backwards.

  “You need to remember your place here, Nurse Le Breton,” she spat. “You might be used to people kowtowing to your every need at home, but you’re here to do a job of work.”

  Alice held back from answering, not wishing to infuriate the woman further. She was desperate to take in a deep breath of fresh air and alleviate the taste of the woman’s foul breath.

  “Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, Sister Brown.”

  “I will be watching you, and don’t you forget it,” the sister said. “Now, carry on with your work. If you are insubordinate one more time, mark me, I’ll report you.”

  Alice didn’t doubt it for a moment. “Yes, Sister,” she said, turning and inhaling deeply as she returned to the ward.

  “She didn’t give you too much of a blasting, I hope,” the captain said as she passed his bed.

  Alice looked over her shoulder to the doorway to check the sister had not followed her inside, before stopping. “No.”

  “I’m sorry for causing you trouble. It was unintended.”

  “It’s not your fault.” Changing the subject, Alice said, “You’re making good progress, Captain, that’s the most important thing.”

  “I am,” he said. “It’s a relief. Of sorts.”

  “It is.”

  “I’ll soon be out of here and fit enough to take you dancing.”

  Alice laughed, shocked by his forwardness. Not wishing to be caught having an inappropriate conversation with a patient, she bent as if to pull his immaculate blanket straight. “Is that right?”

  “Why, are you rebuffing my invitation?” he teased.

  She couldn’t hide her amusement at his cheekiness. Enjoying their banter, she asked, “Do you dance well?” She was aware she was not nearly as good as she should be after all the dancing lessons her mother had insisted on her taking over the years to help make her a good catch for a prospective husband.

  “I like to think so. You?”

  She shrugged. “Fair, but I’m no expert by any means.”

  She hadn’t noticed his hand moving closer to hers, so when the tips of his fingers grazed the side of her hand, Alice flinched.

  “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that,” he said, mistaking her reaction.

  Alice didn’t want him to feel guilty. She shook her head. “It’s fine. I hadn’t expected it, that’s all.”

  Smiling once again, he said. “By your lack of refusal, Nurse Le Breton, am I to take it that you will agree to escort me to a dance one of these days?”

  She was the one to be surprised now. She opened her mouth to put him in his place, while hiding her amusement. Alice realised by the twinkling in his brown eyes, the exact colour of her favourite Fry’s chocolate, that he was teasing her.

  “No, I’m your nurse and forbidden to fraternise with a patient.” She stood up straightening her shoulders. “Now behave yourself, Captain, or I’ll ask Sister to come back.”

  He reached out and took her hand. This time Alice didn’t pull back.

  “One of these days, whether you like it or not, I’m going to thank you for all you’ve done for me.”

  “Will you?” she asked encouraged by their rapport.

  “Yes. I’ll take you out to tea first, and then we can go dancing.”

  Alice tilted her head. “There’s a war on, Captain. Or hadn’t you noticed?”

  “There is, and maybe I won’t be able to take you dancing for a while yet. I have, however heard of others taking tea in one of the hotels in the village. I don’t see why we can’t do the same,” he smiled, his brown eyes twinkling in mischievousness. “That is, if you wish to.” He cleared his throat. “What do you say, then Nurse?”

  Alice straightened up. Her back ached from the excessively long hours bending over beds, changing dressings and nursing the men. How could she ever complain how she felt after what these men had suffered in the trenches, and continued to cope with now?

  “About what?” she asked absentmindedly.

  “Coming out for tea with me.”

  Alice gazed at the handsome captain and wished they’d met under different circumstances. She liked him, she couldn’t help herself.

  For once there was no laughter in his eyes, just gentle affection. “Nurse Le Breton,” he said quietly, distracting Alice from her concentration.

  “I’d love to, Captain” she said honestly. “But it’s not allowed.” She lowered her voice further. “If it was discovered that I was out with you, I’d be sent home.”

  “But that’s ridiculous.”

  She agreed. “It’s the regulations, and I have to abide by them.”

  “Naturally,” he said. “Then we’ll have to think of something else, won’t we?”

  For once, Alice noticed a chink in his confidence. “Here, let me help you get comfortable.”

  She helped him sit and plumped up his pillows, lowering him back. Alice caught his eye, once more. There was something appealing about him and she couldn’t help feeling an attraction, but she wasn’t going to allow herself to become involved with one of her patients. She’d worked too hard to come to France in the first place. Where else would she go if she was sent from here? The thought of returning to her parent’s home and her mother’s constant attempts to marry her off, was not something she relished.

  She liked Captain Woodhall, very much though. And if they were very careful, surely no one would discover they had stepped out together. If their circumstances were different, she wouldn’t hesitate to accept his invitation.

  “Yes,” she said, a little startled by her acquiescence. “We will.”

  She didn’t know who was more surprised by her acceptance of his offer, her, or the captain.

  His mouth pulled back i
nto a wide smile and his chocolate brown eyes showed his delight. “I can’t quite believe my ears, Nurse Le Breton,” he said, pulling up his sheet, as she folded away the screen. “But I won’t push my luck. I don’t want to give you the chance to change your mind.”

  “You have to get well enough to leave here first.” She hoped her offer would be encouragement enough for him to do his best to behave. “Although you’re healing very well, so it shouldn’t be too long now.”

  The thought of him leaving saddened her. More than she had expected it to. Alice happily devoted her time to all her patients, but for some reason there were men who tugged at her heart. The corporal was one and Captain Woodhall another. Both for completely different reasons. She wondered if she would ever see either man after they were discharged.

  “My name is Edgar,” he said. “Ed. May I know your first name, Nurse Le Breton?”

  She looked around to check no other medical staff were in ear shot. “I shouldn’t say, really,” she said. “But it’s Alice.” Her whisper was barely audible.

  “Alice,” he murmured, smiling up at her. “Thank you. That’s a beautiful name.”

  “I must press on now,” she said, wishing she hadn’t given in and been unprofessional enough to tell him. If Sister Brown ever got wind of what she’d done, Alice knew she’d be in serious trouble.

  He had indeed made progress though and that was what she’d focus on. Alice felt a pang to the pit of her stomach. She wanted him to get better. However, it would mean that the time was drawing near when he’d be given the all clear to return to the Front. She hated the thought of him being sent back.

  She’d rather the captain return to a sweetheart, or even a wife, than go back to the hell of the trenches. She found it hard to bear the thought of him being sent to be used as a target, once again. Alice yawned and looked at her watch. Only half an hour until her shift ended and she could barely wait. She needed to be alone to close her eyes and think a bit more about Ed. She had agreed to go out with him. What was she thinking?