Suddenly she felt strong hands gripping her, hauling her out of the water.
Dora sprawled, gasping, on the canal path. She could feel Nick’s arms still wrapped around her. ‘It’s all right,’ he said, over and over again, his voice thick. ‘I’ve got you. You’re safe.’
‘I think I’m going to—’ Dora sat bolt upright as her stomach lurched. She had barely managed to crawl into the long grass before she was violently sick.
Finally, when she was empty and wrung out, she crawled back to where he was waiting for her.
‘S-sorry,’ she said. Her teeth chattered so much she could hardly manage to speak. Cold seeped deep into her bones, making her whole body ache.
‘Here.’ Nick took off his jacket and draped it around her shaking shoulders.
‘Th-thanks.’ Dora tried to stand up, catching her breath as pain lanced through her.
Nick caught her as she stumbled. ‘Your leg’s bleeding,’ he said.
She looked down at the blood trickling from a jagged cut on her calf. ‘I must have caught it on a bit of metal in the water.’ She touched the wound and bit her lip. ‘It’s not too deep, thank heavens.’
‘It’s bad enough,’ Nick said. ‘You need to go to hospital.’
‘Later. I’ve g-got to find Josie first.’ She tried again to stand, but it was too painful. As she stumbled once more, Nick’s arms came around her.
‘You’re in no fit state. Your leg’s in a right old mess. Look at you, you can’t even stand on it.’
‘I told you, I’ll see to it later – Nick!’ she yelped as he picked her up in his arms. ‘What are you doing? Put me down!’
‘I’m taking you to hospital.’
‘No, you’re bloody well not! Put me down!’ Dora hammered on the hard wall of his chest, but he carried on walking, grimly ignoring her blows. ‘I mean it, Nick. I’ve got to look for Josie.’
‘There’s plenty of people out looking for her already. And what good are you going to be, hopping about on one leg?’
‘She’s my sister. I can’t just sit about doing nothing while she’s out there somewhere.’ Dora’s voice caught on the lump in her throat.
‘I’ll find her,’ Nick said softly. ‘I promise you.’ Their eyes met, and she knew he meant every word. With her arms wound around his neck, Dora could feel the warmth of his body, his muscles reassuringly solid. She felt the apprehension ebb out of her.
‘Now,’ Nick said gruffly, ‘for once in your life, will you do as you’re told?’
An hour later Dora was in Casualty, her leg stretched out in front of her as a nurse bathed the wound. She was horribly self-conscious about her wet, filthy dress, and her hair, free from its restraining ribbon, tumbled in a mass of muddy red curls.
‘Ow!’ Dora flinched as the salt water touched her raw flesh.
‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’ The boot-faced staff nurse didn’t look up. ‘Stop making such a fuss,’ she said briskly.
Dora stared at the top of her starched cap and decided she would never, ever tell a patient not to make a fuss again.
The door opened and a bespectacled young doctor came in, stethoscope slung carelessly round his neck.
He looked Dora up and down, taking in her damp, bedraggled appearance. ‘I’m Dr McKay. Would you be the young lady who’s been swimming in the canal, by any chance?’ he enquired in a soft Scottish accent.
‘How did you guess?’ Dora smiled back at him.
‘Years of medical training.’ He examined her leg. ‘Hmm. The wound doesn’t look too bad. Nurse Percival has, as usual, done a grand job of cleaning you up. But I reckon we should still give you a tetanus jab, just to be on the safe side.’
He nodded to the nurse, who went off to prepare the needle. The young man then sat down on a chair beside Dora. ‘So why did you decide to take a dip? High spirits after the Jubilee, I suppose?’ His eyes behind his spectacles were the warmest brown she had ever seen.
‘My sister went missing.’ She couldn’t stop herself from blurting out the words.
‘Oh.’ Dr McKay looked dismayed. ‘I’m sorry to hear that. Has she been found?’ Dora shook her head, not trusting herself to speak. ‘How old is she?’
‘Nearly fifteen.’
Nurse Percival returned with a tray containing the needle. Dr McKay picked it up, his eyes fixed on the narrow point as he gently thumbed the plunger. ‘Now, this may sting a bit . . .’
Dora gritted her teeth and kept her eyes fixed on the wall as the needle went in.
‘There, all done.’ Dr McKay put the needle back on the tray. ‘You were very brave, Miss Doyle.’
‘Thank you, Doctor.’
As Dora reached the door, he suddenly said, ‘She will turn up, you know.’
She turned back to look at him. ‘Your sister,’ he said. ‘She’ll come home as soon as she gets hungry. I dare say it’s just a silly prank.’
He smiled encouragingly, and Dora smiled back. ‘Yes, I expect you’re right. Thank you, Doctor.’
But even as she said it, she knew she didn’t mean it. There had been nothing high-spirited about the look on Josie’s face earlier that day.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
MILLIE SAT DOWN on the pavement, took off her shoes and massaged her stockinged toes. Standing for hours for a glimpse of the royal procession had been almost as hard on her feet as a twelve-hour shift on the ward.
But she wouldn’t have missed it for the world. It felt as if the whole of London had gathered to celebrate the King’s Jubilee. Crowds lined the streets between Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, old and young, families with their children perched on their shoulders to see the glittering ranks of guards on horseback and the carriages containing the Royal Family. The King was decked out in all his military finery, while Queen Mary looked as regal as ever in a plumed hat, her shoulders shrouded in pale fur. Their sons followed behind in another open carriage together with their wives, all waving as they drove past.
Millie and her friends had managed to find themselves a good spot on the stands close to Admiralty Arch, where they could watch the whole event.
‘Isn’t the Prince of Wales handsome?’ Georgina Farsley sighed, as the carriage rattled past. ‘But he looks so lonely, doesn’t he? His brothers have their wives, and he has no one.’
‘Don’t you believe it,’ grinned Sophia’s fiancé David. ‘He’s certainly not short of female company from what I hear.’
‘Mrs Simpson sees to that,’ Seb added.
Millie had heard her father discussing Wallis Simpson with her grandmother. The future king’s romance with ‘that wretched American’, as the Dowager Countess called her, was the talk of high society. Everyone had hoped that she might prove to be nothing more than a distraction, like Thelma Furness and Mrs Dudley Ward, and that the Prince would eventually grow weary of her. But a year on, her hold only seemed to grow stronger.
‘I can’t see the attraction myself,’ Seb said. ‘She always looks rather cruel to me.’
‘And we all know you prefer blondes!’ Sophia joked. Seb blushed. Georgina tossed her raven locks and looked furious.
‘Daddy says if he doesn’t come to his senses soon it might affect the succession,’ Millie observed.
‘I don’t see why,’ Georgina huffed. ‘He should be allowed to marry whoever he likes.’
‘It’s not that simple,’ Sophia explained patiently. ‘Our King can’t marry a divorcee.’
‘Then the rules should be changed,’ Georgina said firmly.
‘If she really loved him, she’d give him up and allow him to do his duty to his country,’ Millie said.
Georgina glared at her. ‘Wallis Simpson is an acquaintance of my mother’s,’ she said. ‘And believe me, she isn’t ready to give up anyone.’
Millie caught Sophia’s eye as Georgina turned her adoring gaze towards Seb. Poor Seb. Georgina Farsley was just as determined to get her man as Mrs Simpson.
Millie looked around, enjoying the spectacle of t
he crowds below them, and caught a glimpse of a familiar face across the road. Lucy Lane sat perched high in the stands opposite, beside a very stylish-looking woman in a fitted blue coat – her mother, Millie guessed. Their miserable faces were a stark contrast to all the cheering and waving going on around them.
Millie was waving her handkerchief and trying to catch her eye when Sophia grabbed her arm. ‘Everyone’s following the procession to the palace,’ he said. ‘Let’s go up The Mall and watch the King come out on to the balcony.’
Afterwards they joined hundreds of other revellers in St James’s Park. It seemed as if no one wanted the party to end. All over the park, people were having picnics, playing games or just lazing on the grass together.
‘Look at you,’ David laughed, as Sophia carefully unpacked the wicker picnic basket. ‘How domesticated you look. You’ll make someone a wonderful wife one day.’ He winked at her.
‘Don’t get too excited, it was our cook who prepared it all,’ Sophia replied, peeling the muslin off a veal pie.
‘Just think, you’ll have a house and staff of your own soon,’ Georgina sighed dreamily.
‘Don’t!’ Sophia shuddered. ‘I’m sure I’ll be a perfectly useless housekeeper. The servants will all bully me mercilessly.’
‘They won’t, because they’ll all adore you far too much.’ David leant over and kissed the end of her nose.
‘Ugh, do you have to?’ Seb grimaced. ‘People in love are rather sickening to watch.’
‘You’re just jealous.’ Sophia screwed up the muslin pie wrapping and threw it at him. ‘You should find a girl of your own, Seb. Then perhaps you wouldn’t be so bitter.’
‘And I don’t think you’d have far to look either,’ David added meaningfully. ‘In fact, I suspect there’s a girl not a million miles away who has claimed your heart already.’
‘I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,’ Seb replied through tight lips, as Georgina simpered.
‘He shouldn’t tease Seb like that,’ Millie whispered to Sophia as they handed round the plates. ‘You know he’s not keen on Georgina.’
Her friend smiled. ‘I don’t think David was talking about Georgina.’
Before Millie had a chance to reply, a cricket ball whistled past her ear and landed with a smack in the middle of the plate of sandwiches Sophia had just unwrapped, scattering them everywhere.
‘I’m terribly sorry,’ a voice called out. ‘May we have our ball back, please?’
Millie looked up, squinting into the sun, as the young man jogged across the grass towards them. He was dressed casually in flannels, not a white coat in sight, but she would have known that tall, lanky frame anywhere.
‘William?’
He turned around. ‘Hello,’ he said, breaking into a smile. ‘Fancy seeing you. Although I suppose it’s hardly surprising since half of London seems to be here.’
He grinned around at her friends, who were eyeing him curiously.
‘Aren’t you going to introduce us?’ Sophia asked.
‘This is William Tremayne,’ Millie said. ‘He’s – er –’ She searched for the right word. A friend? An acquaintance? Someone I tried to kiss one dark night when I’d had too much to drink?
‘We work together at the Nightingale,’ William finally finished for her.
‘You’re a doctor? How thrilling,’ Georgina said.
‘Would you like to join us?’ Sophia invited graciously.
‘No, thank you. My friends are waiting for me.’ Far beyond them, under the trees, Millie recognised a few of the other junior doctors from the hospital, and a couple of nurses too.
Seb picked up the ball and held it out to William. ‘You’ll be wanting this, then?’
‘What? Oh, yes. Thanks. I hope I didn’t ruin your picnic?’
‘I’m sure we can live without a few cucumber sandwiches,’ Sophia smiled.
‘William?’ Amy Hollins sauntered over to them, looking pretty in a summer dress. She nodded a greeting at Millie and then turned to William. ‘Hurry up. We’re waiting to finish the game.’
‘Just coming.’ He looked down at the ball in his hand, then back at them. ‘Would you like to come and play? We could use a decent bowler?’
‘No, thanks,’ Seb answered for them shortly.
‘Oh. Well, if you’re sure?’ He glanced at Millie. ‘I expect I’ll see you back on the ward.’
‘I’m sure you will. If I’m not stuck in the sluice as usual.’
‘Is he an admirer of yours?’ Georgina asked Millie, as they watched him walk away.
‘Not at all. He’s just a friend.’ She kept her gaze fixed on William and Amy. She had her arm threaded possessively through his as they sauntered towards their group of friends.
‘Don’t be silly, Georgie,’ Sophia said. ‘You can see he’s with that blonde girl.’
Millie turned to her sharply. ‘Is he?’
‘If he isn’t now, he soon will be!’ David laughed. ‘She’s certainly got her sights set on him. Poor fellow doesn’t stand a chance. None of us ever do. We’re just helpless victims to predatory females, aren’t we, Seb?’
‘If you say so,’ Seb replied distractedly. His gaze was still fixed on William too.
‘Are you saying I’m predatory?’ Sophia pinched David’s arm, making him yelp.
‘What? Of course not, my darling. I’m just saying I’m helpless,’ he protested.
‘There’s nothing helpless about William Tremayne,’ Millie said quietly.
Georgina looked at her. ‘Really? That sounds rather intriguing. I must say, he did seem to be devouring you with his eyes, Millie. Perhaps we should join them?’ she said, glancing over to where William was going in to bat. ‘After all, we mustn’t stand in the way of true love, must we?’
‘Do shut up, Georgina,’ Millie and Seb said together.
Millie returned to the nurses’ home just before nine in the evening. She hadn’t been planning to go back so early, but it had been a long day and the champagne had given her a headache. While the others went off for dinner and dancing, Millie caught a bus back to Bethnal Green. She refused Seb’s offer to escort her, to Georgina’s obvious relief.
She was looking forward to seeing Helen’s face when she walked in before lights out, and to hearing all about Dora’s street party. But instead Millie walked in to a full-scale argument between her room mates.
‘You can’t go,’ Helen was saying.
‘Well, I can’t stay here, can I?’ Dora was shrugging on her coat. Her leg was bandaged and she was limping badly.
‘And what are we supposed to say to Sister Sutton if she comes looking for you?’
‘Say what you like. I’m still going.’
Millie looked from one to the other. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked.
Helen rolled her eyes. ‘Thank heavens you’re back. She might listen to you. Tell her she can’t just walk off into the night whenever she feels like it.’
‘My little sister’s missing. What am I supposed to do, sit here on my backside while everyone else goes out looking for her?’
Millie stared at her. ‘Your sister’s missing?’
She nodded. ‘Josie disappeared during the street party. They’ve been out searching for her all day.’ She swallowed hard. Millie could tell she was trying her best to stop herself from crying.
‘I know it’s awful,’ Helen said. ‘But you won’t do any good if you—’
‘Of course you must go and look for her,’ Millie interrupted. ‘Do you want me to come too?’
‘What?’ Helen’s voice rose. ‘Now just a minute . . .’
‘No, thanks,’ Dora said, ignoring her. ‘But maybe you could leave the window open for when I get back?’
‘Of course.’ Millie nodded. ‘Oh, and you’d better take this.’ She pulled her torch out of her bag. ‘It’s a life-saver when you’re scrabbling around in the dark, trying to find the drainpipe.’
‘Thanks.’ Dora tried to smile, but Millie could see the wor
ry in her green eyes.
‘You’re both mad,’ Helen declared flatly. ‘If you get caught . . .’
Dora turned to her. ‘I’ll deal with that if it happens,’ she said grimly. ‘First I’ve got to find my sister.’
No one was asleep in Griffin Street. Light spilled from every window and open door on to the street, illuminating the tables and chairs from the abandoned street party. People were milling in and out of the open back door of number twenty-eight. The neighbours who weren’t searching the streets were gathered in the kitchen and the yard, trying to offer whatever comfort they could.
In the kitchen, Dora’s mother sat like a pale, frozen statue, staring fixedly into the empty grate, her arms clenched around Bea and Little Alfie as if she were terrified to let them out of her sight. Alf and June Riley were with her, while Nanna Winnie and Dora’s sister-in-law Lily bustled in and out of the scullery, keeping themselves busy brewing up tea for everyone.
Rose looked up sharply as her eldest girl came into the kitchen.
‘Dora?’ She looked dazed. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I couldn’t sit at the hospital doing nothing. I wanted to see if there was any news?’ She glanced around. June Riley shook her head sadly.
‘Everyone’s still out searching,’ she said. ‘Your Peter, the Pike boys, all the neighbours, my Nick. No one’s giving up ‘til she’s found.’
Dora turned to Alf. ‘Why aren’t you out looking, too?’
He shifted his bulk guiltily in his armchair. ‘Someone’s got to stay with your mum, haven’t they? Besides, I’m not feeling too good. My gut’s still playing me up something awful.’
Dora glanced at Nanna Winnie, who rolled her eyes but said nothing.
‘Well, I’m going out to look,’ Dora said.
‘Do you have to?’ Her mother looked up, her eyes glazed with fear. ‘I don’t like to think of you out there on those streets at this time of night. It’s bad enough our Josie’s missing, but if anything happened to you, too—’
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