The Seaside Angel

by Evie Grace

  ‘Miss Huckstep has jilted me in the cruellest manner, inviting me here to reject and humiliate me. You gave me the impression that she was about to accept my offer—’

  ‘That’s what I thought she wanted,’ Hannah cut in, frowning.

  ‘I have no doubt that she’ll repent of having let me slip, but there’s no remedy now. It’s too late.’ He scratched at his neck, making a pimple bleed. ‘I forgot to ask her for the return of my letters and picture. Will you make sure she sends them back to me in London?’

  ‘Well, yes, of course.’

  ‘Good day,’ he said. ‘I doubt that we shall meet again.’

  ‘Good day,’ she responded, suppressing the urge to rush off to ask Alice what had happened.

  At last the end of her shift arrived, and she hurried off to see Alice, taking a seat at the side of her bed.

  ‘I heard what you did to poor Mr Fry. I did actually feel a little sorry for him.’

  ‘He left it too late,’ Alice said.

  ‘You haven’t done this to let him off the hook? I mean, you deserve some happiness, even if—’

  ‘It’s short-lived,’ Alice finished for her. ‘It’s true that I don’t know how long I have for this earth, but nobody knows when death will come. We’ve both seen how an able-bodied person can be struck down by an illness or accident and be gone within the hour. No, I wasn’t thinking of sparing his feelings in that way.

  ‘If he’d really loved me, he would have put me first. I didn’t want him marrying me out of guilt or sympathy. Don’t worry – I’ve had plenty of time to get used to the idea of being without him.’ Alice shivered. ‘I’ve made a promise to God that if I should recover from this terrible disease, I’ll commit the rest of my life to nursing. I’ll be a better nurse for it, because I know how it feels to be exhausted, scared and in pain.’

  Hannah reached out and held her hand, waiting until she had fallen asleep, when she pulled a blanket up around her shoulders and whispered, ‘Goodnight.’

  Chapter Fourteen

  When the Remedy is Worse than the Disease

  Over the next three weeks, there was much debate between the physicians and surgeons about the approach to the scrofula in Samuel’s elbow joint. Mr Anthony wanted to amputate his arm while Doctor Clifton wanted to give a longer course of thalassotherapy. On the morning of the ball, they were still arguing over it.

  ‘If the scrofula should reappear in the other arm, then amputation would be a disaster for the boy,’ Doctor Clifton said. ‘We shouldn’t be too quick to chop out the diseased tissue in this case. I don’t think we would be able to say with a clear conscience that we’d done right by him.’

  ‘What do you suggest, then?’

  ‘A dose of Hirudo medicinalis.’

  ‘Isn’t that rather outdated? Gone are the days when physicians let blood.’

  ‘I think it would do no harm and may do much good. If it makes no difference, then we’ve lost nothing.’

  ‘Except that you will have lost face, Doctor Clifton,’ Mr Anthony smirked. ‘All right. If you must, but this wasn’t my idea, remember? I don’t want to be mocked for sending the house back into the Dark Ages, when the afflicted might hug a chicken to his chest to suppress a cough, or hold a hanged man’s hand to cure goitre.’

  Doctor Clifton turned to Hannah.

  ‘Sister, you will apply’ – he lowered his voice so that Samuel couldn’t hear him – ‘the leech.’

  ‘I’ll order one from the dispensary.’ They were kept with the other medicines, in ornate jars suspended in murky water and unfed for up to a year. The thought of it made her flesh crawl – she’d line Charlotte or Nurse May up for the task. She smiled to herself – that was one great advantage of being a sister. One could delegate.

  Later, a dispensary nurse came in with a tray with a lid on top.

  ‘I have something for you, I believe,’ she grinned, as Hannah walked across to take it from her.

  ‘It’s just what I’ve always wanted,’ she chuckled. ‘Nurse Finch, where are you?’

  ‘She’s gone to clean the bedpans with Nurse May.’ Beckett looked up from where he’d made a station for the toy train out of boxes and pencils. ‘She said it would take them quite some time. Shall I fetch her for you?’

  ‘No, thank you. I’ll do it.’ Hannah left the ward, keeping half an eye on what was going on behind her, in case the boys took advantage of her brief absence to get up to mischief. She hesitated outside the door to the sluice and listened for a moment. At the sound of clattering and laughter, she pushed the door open to find Nurse May leaning on the handle of her mop, while Nurse Finch twirled across the room from the sink to the cupboard, holding a broom across her chest.

  ‘That, so Henry’s told me, is how to dance a waltz!’ Charlotte broke off abruptly. ‘Sister! Oh dear.’

  Hannah didn’t need to tell them off for malingering – they knew they’d done wrong.

  ‘I want you, Nurse Finch, to show Nurse May how to apply a leech.’

  Their faces fell.

  ‘Ugh,’ Charlotte said with a shudder.

  ‘It’s for Samuel. Put these things away and come back to the ward.’

  A few minutes later, Hannah was supervising her nurses at Samuel’s bedside.

  ‘One is supposed to distract the patient by singing a song or telling a story while placing it just behind one ear or on the top of the head, so that it’s out of sight,’ Charlotte said.

  ‘In this case, it has to be attached to the elbow to do any good,’ Hannah pointed out. ‘Now, Samuel, the doctor has said that you are to have a leech applied to the swelling on your arm. It’s nothing to worry about. In fact, it’s one of our little helpers, working to get you better.’

  ‘I don’t want a leech,’ he cried out. ‘They stick on and won’t let go – I had one when I fell in the pond at home.’

  ‘I thought boys liked bugs and creepy crawlies.’

  He screeched again, loud enough to wake the dead.

  ‘If you don’t let Nurse Finch do this, then there’s a strong chance that you will lose your arm, and we don’t want that, do we?’

  ‘No …’ His mouth formed an O, and he grew rigid with fear.

  ‘There. That’s better,’ Hannah said. ‘Go ahead, Nurse.’

  Charlotte rolled her eyes, and Hannah frowned at her with mock annoyance – it hadn’t been straightforward being promoted above a friend. Neither of them was quite used to it.

  ‘I thought it would be better if Nurse May actually applied the leech. She needs the experience.’

  ‘I’d rather we stuck to our principles: see one, do one then teach one.’ Hannah took the lid off the tray and pushed it in front of Charlotte who grimaced.

  ‘You have to pick it up,’ Hannah said with a wicked grin.

  ‘Can’t I use forceps?’

  ‘You’ll damage it. Use your fingers.’

  ‘What if it sticks to me?’

  ‘It won’t, if you’re quick.’ Hannah turned to the boy. ‘Roll your sleeve right up and hold out your arm. That’s right.’

  ‘Sister, you’ll have to do it,’ Charlotte said, after three false starts, putting her hand in the tray and pulling it out.

  ‘For goodness’ sake, try again.’

  Charlotte squeezed her eyes almost shut, and this time, she retrieved the leech and planted it with lightning speed into the crook of Samuel’s elbow. He shuddered as the squirming creature, four inches long and starving, attached itself by its suckers to the vein. Charlotte covered his arm with a canvas frame, so he couldn’t watch it swell as it drained his blood.

  ‘Well done, Samuel,’ Charlotte said, more cheerfully. ‘How does that feel?’

  ‘All right,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t hurt any more.’

  ‘That’s good. I’ll be along later to check on you. Thank you, Nurse Finch and Nurse May. You’ve all been very brave,’ Hannah said with irony.

  Within a few hours the leech had disappeared, and she had to search am
ong the bedclothes to find it. She dropped it back into the tray, so it could be returned to the dispensary.

  ‘My arm’s bleeding,’ Samuel said. ‘Look …’

  ‘Don’t worry. It’ll stop soon.’ Having reassured him, Hannah dressed the wound, but an hour later, the blood had seeped through three layers of bandages, so she decided to send for the duty doctor.

  ‘I don’t know who it will be,’ Charlotte said, overhearing her talking of her plan with Samuel. ‘They’ll be getting ready to go to the ball.’

  ‘As you will be in half an hour.’ Hannah had given her special dispensation to leave work early.

  ‘I expect you’ll look like a princess, Nurse Finch,’ Samuel said.

  ‘I hope so,’ Charlotte smiled. ‘It won’t be for want of trying. I have a beautiful gown and new shoes, and a ruby pendant that I’ve borrowed from a friend of mine.’

  ‘Are you goin’ with your ’usband?’

  ‘The gentleman is not my husband, not yet anyway,’ Charlotte answered, blushing.

  ‘’E’s your fancy man then,’ Samuel chuckled. ‘Is it Mr ’unter? We’ve all been guessin’ it’s ’im.’

  ‘Samuel, it’s none of your business,’ Hannah interrupted. ‘Nurse Finch, please will you go and find the duty doctor.’

  ‘Of course,’ she said.

  It was Doctor Clifton who turned up to examine Samuel’s arm.

  ‘It’s quite normal for it to bleed for hours, even days,’ he said, taking Hannah aside.

  ‘Won’t it eventually drain the patient of blood?’

  ‘I’ve seen a case where a nurse mistook the physician’s instructions and attached leeches overnight. On removal, she applied warm compresses to the bites, and the patient … well, the outcome was not entirely favourable. Apply a pressure bandage, not overly tight, and I’ll drop by later to check that all is well.’

  ‘Thank you, but don’t worry. You don’t want to be late …’

  He smiled ruefully. ‘You won’t have heard – I’m not going.’

  ‘Oh?’ Suddenly, she didn’t feel so bad about missing out on the ball.

  ‘I’m on duty tonight. If you need me, you know where I am.’

  Towards the end of her shift, Hannah made sure that her patients were comfortable before handing over to the night staff. It was her favourite time of day, seeing all the boys settled in their beds with everything in its place ready for the morning. She walked along the centre aisle, whispering goodnight to the little ones who were already half asleep, and to the older boys who were lying awake.

  ‘I don’t feel too good,’ she heard Samuel mutter.

  ‘Let’s have a look at you.’ Having reached his bedside, she touched his forehead – it was clammy and cool, and his face was pale. ‘Have you any pain?’

  ‘No, but it’s freezin’ in ’ere …’

  ‘Let me see your bandage.’

  He lifted his arm to show her the dark stain which had soaked through the gauze and into the sheets.

  ‘I’ll call for the doctor.’ She frowned. ‘Let me fetch you another blanket.’

  She hurried away to find Doctor Clifton who was attending to a patient on the girls’ ward.

  ‘It’s Samuel,’ she said softly.

  ‘I’ll be with you in two minutes.’ He turned to the young girl who was wearing a neck brace. ‘How is the pain now?’

  ‘A little better,’ she murmured.

  ‘Nurse will be with you shortly. In the meantime, I have to go and see another patient, but I can come back at any time, if the pain should flare up again.’

  The girl smiled weakly. Doctor Clifton had a way with the children – he would make a wonderful father. Dismissing a pang of sorrow and regret, Hannah hurried back to the Lettsom, giving him details of Samuel’s condition as they went.

  ‘You’ve come to save my life?’ The boy’s eyes brightened. ‘I feel like I’m dyin’.’

  ‘You are far from dying, young man. Let me have a look at you.’ Doctor Clifton was very thorough, listening to Samuel’s chest with his stethoscope while Hannah took off the dressing to reveal the marks left by the leech. The blood kept coming, until she wasn’t sure if the boy had any left.

  ‘I’m going to apply a tourniquet for a while. It won’t hurt, although it might feel a little uncomfortable. By putting pressure at the top of your arm, I’ll be able to slow the bleeding, giving it a chance to form a clot.’

  ‘That was an ’orrid creature to do this to me,’ Samuel observed.

  ‘The leech has been a little overenthusiastic in its ministrations,’ Doctor Clifton admitted. ‘Sister, I’d be very grateful if you’d make some notes.’

  Hannah stayed on until the bleeding stopped, and the doctor deemed that Samuel was out of immediate danger. He prescribed a tonic and a bottle of stout to be administered by the night staff, before he and Hannah made their way out of the ward.

  ‘Shouldn’t you have gone home by now?’ he asked as she turned the lights down, watching the flames in the gasoliers die back.

  ‘Officially, yes, but—’

  ‘You should go.’

  ‘What about you?’

  ‘I’m on call all night. Everyone else is at this ball.’ He paused before continuing, ‘I’m going down to the kitchens to beg a coffee. Will you join me? Unless you’re in a hurry …’

  Ruby would be in bed by now, she thought, and she felt restless, so although she might regret it in the morning, she accepted his invitation. It was just coffee, a chance to catch up and perhaps find out why he was not out dancing with the great and good of Margate.

  The kitchen maid, employed to serve refreshments to the night staff, served them coffee and eggs on toast at a table in the corner of the dining hall.

  ‘I expect you’re wondering why I didn’t go to the ball tonight,’ Doctor Clifton said. ‘You don’t have to pretend.’

  ‘I did think it odd that you’d decided not to go,’ she confessed. ‘Especially with Mr Hunter inviting Nurse Finch – maybe there will be an announcement soon.’

  ‘You think she will accept him?’

  ‘Is he going to offer?’

  ‘I’ve told him he’d be foolish not to. She’s perfect for him, but perhaps she doesn’t feel the same way.’

  ‘She’s fond of him, I believe, but I can’t say whether or not she still has reservations about his character.’

  ‘We’ll see if he has the courage to ask her.’ Doctor Clifton smiled.

  He was diverting her, she realised, but it was fair enough. He took a lump of sugar from the bowl on the table and dropped it into his coffee cup, then picked up a spoon and stirred it.

  ‘I’m sorry. I’m not very good company,’ he said eventually. ‘I was supposed to be going to the ball with Miss Osbourne-Cole.’

  Hannah remembered how her world had fallen apart at the fête when she’d seen them together, even though she had no right to feel that way. ‘I heard her playing the harp at the fête. It was very impressive.’

  ‘She’s very accomplished, and beautiful, but’ – he shrugged – ‘I’ve made a terrible mess of things. Her family are calling me a cad and sending me letters, threatening to sue me for breaking a promise, which I hasten to add I never made.’ He fell silent as the maid came in to pour more coffee, then left the room. ‘I shouldn’t lay this on your shoulders.’

  ‘You can say anything to me, Doctor Clifton. We are friends, I hope.’

  ‘Thank you. I need someone in whom I can confide, who won’t judge or mock me. My cousin is making a joke out of it.’

  ‘What happened? Start from the beginning,’ Hannah said.

  ‘It began when I first set eyes on you.’

  She stood up abruptly and turned to look through the window at the near darkness. ‘You can’t lay the blame for this at my door.’

  ‘I know, but you wanted to hear it from the start … Perhaps I should have begun with Suzanna, my wife.’ She heard the quaver in his voice. ‘I thought I was ready to move on … with
you … But when I learned that that was impossible, and having spoken to you, I convinced myself that I was ready to marry again.’

  ‘And you chose Miss Osbourne-Cole.’

  ‘Yes, a delightful young lady from a respectable family with links to the house, and all the right connections. We’d been introduced before and I’d thought nothing more of it, but when we met again recently at a musical evening to which my cousin had an invitation, we spoke at some length and she expressed a desire to spend more time in my company. She’s most agreeable, and I thought I could grow to love her in time.’

  ‘But?’

  ‘I soon realised that I was wrong.’

  ‘You made her a promise of an engagement?’

  ‘No, but I can see how she might have misinterpreted my intentions.’

  ‘You were walking out with her?’

  ‘Not exactly. I invited her to play at the fête, thinking that she would enjoy showing off her talents for a good cause. I asked her father if it was permissible for me to do so before I spoke to her, and it all seemed perfectly acceptable. However, her father now says that I made her a promise of marriage, which isn’t true, and I’m in deep water. I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to continue to volunteer my services at the infirmary.’

  ‘How can he stop you?’

  ‘He’s one of the governors, and he has influence throughout Margate. This could affect my private practice too, if he blackens my name.’

  Hannah returned to her seat and rested her elbows on the table in a most unladylike manner, but she didn’t care. She only cared about him. He was distraught and tired, and she wanted to take him in her arms and tell him that everything would be well.

  ‘Apparently, Letitia is devastated because she was already thinking of the future we would have together: the wedding; the house …’ He ran his hands through his hair. ‘I feel very guilty.’

  ‘It seems to me that you didn’t do anything wrong, although I do feel sorry for her.’ She recalled Charlotte telling her how she had felt being jilted by the man who had gone on to marry her sister.