The Christmas Wedding

by Dilly Court

  ‘Keep her as quiet and still as possible, Daisy,’ Nick said in a low voice. ‘I need to take a look at the other casualty.’

  Daisy slipped her arm around the sobbing woman’s shoulders. She did not have to be a doctor to see that the poor creature’s right leg was broken and bleeding, and there was a nasty gash on her forehead. Daisy took her hanky from her pocket to staunch the head wound. ‘Try to keep still. We’ll get you to the hospital as quickly as possible.’

  ‘My husband,’ the woman gasped. ‘Is he all right?’

  Daisy glance at Nick, who was bent over the inert male figure. ‘The doctor is looking after him now. I’m sure he’ll be fine.’

  ‘Is he dead? I can’t see him moving.’

  ‘He’s unconscious, but you mustn’t worry. He’s in good hands.’ Daisy tightened her hold on the woman’s trembling body. ‘Can you tell me your name?’

  ‘It’s Hilda. Hilda Begg and that’s my husband, Stanley. We was on our way home when it happened. Is he all right? We’ve got to get home to the children.’

  ‘You need to go to the hospital, Hilda,’ Daisy said gently.

  ‘But I left Judy in charge of the little ’uns. She’s only nine and she’s not very strong.’

  ‘Try not to worry.’ Daisy mopped a trickle of blood from Hilda’s forehead. ‘I’m sure we can get someone to look after your children until you’re well enough to go home.’

  The bus driver had managed to quieten the frightened horses and he handed the reins to a passer-by. ‘She run in front of the bus, miss.’ He leaned over the casualty, pushing his cap to the back of his head. ‘You could have killed us all, you silly bitch.’

  ‘That’s enough of that,’ Daisy said severely. ‘This poor woman is badly hurt. It doesn’t matter whose fault it was. We must get her and her husband to hospital.’

  ‘It’s a wonder I ain’t lying there, too.’ The bus driver turned to Nick. ‘Is he a goner, mister?’

  Nick rose to his feet as a policeman pushed his way through the crowd. ‘Give your details to the constable.’

  ‘But it weren’t my fault,’ the driver protested as the policeman approached. ‘She run out, Constable. There weren’t nothing I could do.’

  ‘All right, mister. You can make a statement later, but you’d best take care of your horses.’ The young constable glanced at the two casualties. ‘The ambulance is coming. It’s lucky this happened so near the hospital. Move back, everyone. This ain’t a peep show.’

  The horse-drawn ambulance arrived and the unconscious man was laid on a stretcher and lifted carefully inside, followed by Hilda, who had momentary respite when she fainted from the pain.

  ‘I’ll go with them,’ Nick said hastily. ‘I’m sorry to abandon you, Daisy.’

  ‘It’s all right. Do what you can for them.’ Daisy stood back as Nick climbed onto the box beside the driver, who flicked the reins and urged the horses to a brisk walk.

  ‘Are you hurt, love?’ An elderly woman stepped off the pavement to peer into Daisy’s face.

  ‘No. I wasn’t involved in the accident.’ Daisy wiped her hand across her forehead.

  ‘You’re bleeding, my dear.’

  ‘No. It was the poor woman who was injured.’ Daisy gazed down at the bloodied hanky still clasped in her hand.

  ‘You’re very pale. You ain’t going to swoon, are you, love?’

  ‘No, I’m all right, thank you.’ Daisy stepped back onto the pavement as the traffic began to move again and the crowd dispersed. The normal sounds of the street erupted in a cacophony, almost deafening her, and it seemed that the tragedy that had befallen the Begg family was already forgotten. She hesitated, undecided what to do next. She could return to her lodgings, but Hilda’s stricken face haunted her thoughts and Daisy knew she would not rest until she knew that the poor woman was on the road to recovery. Hilda had mentioned that her eldest was only nine, and there were younger children who would be in need of care. Daisy could only hope that they had relatives who would look after them, but the whole family would be in dire financial straits if Mr Begg’s injuries proved fatal. Daisy set off for the short walk to the London Hospital.

  There was no sign of Hilda or her husband when Daisy arrived, and none of the busy nurses could give her any information. She waited for half an hour and was on the point of leaving when Nick emerged from a side room.

  Daisy could tell by his expression that the news was not good. He walked slowly over to her, shaking his head. ‘There was nothing anyone could do to save the husband,’ he said in a low voice. ‘Mrs Begg is being prepared for theatre.’

  ‘But she’ll be all right, won’t she?’

  ‘It’s a bad fracture, Daisy. I’m afraid it will take a long time to heal, and she might be left with a permanent limp. I don’t know how she earns her living, but this could be enough to send her to the workhouse.’

  ‘Oh, no. Poor woman. Can I see her?’

  ‘She’s been given a hefty dose of laudanum. I think it’s best to leave it for a while. You’ll probably see her on the ward on Monday.’

  ‘Yes, I suppose you’re right,’ Daisy said reluctantly. ‘But there are children at home, waiting for their parents to return. Will anyone check on the family?’

  ‘We have enough trouble treating our patients, let alone their offspring.’ Nick patted her on the shoulder. ‘We take care of the sick. That’s the best we can do, Daisy.’

  She nodded. ‘Yes, I see that.’

  ‘I’m not really supposed to be here,’ Nick added gently. ‘Why don’t you take a seat while I hand over the patient to the houseman on duty? Then we can decide where we’ll go from here. I have the whole day off, so you can choose what you would like to do.’

  She caught him by the sleeve as he was about to walk away. ‘Has anyone told Mrs Begg that her husband has passed away?’

  Nick shook his head. ‘Not yet, but someone will have to break it to her when she’s in a fit state to take the news.’

  Daisy absorbed this in silence, but she could not put the accident from her mind, nor the plight of Hilda and her family. Nick was right, of course: there was nothing she could do. She could only hope that perhaps that Hilda had relatives or a kind neighbour who could help them through this terrible time. Daisy settled down to wait for Nick to hand the poor woman over to the hospital doctors.

  The Begg family were constantly on her mind despite the fact that Nick did his best to entertain her. He took her on the underground train to Baker Street, which was an experience in itself. The gas-lit wooden carriages were hot and dusty and the windows had to be kept closed to keep out the smoke. Daisy was nervous at first, but then she began to enjoy the experience, although it was a relief to leave the train and emerge from the station into the relatively fresh air at Baker Street.

  ‘As it’s reasonably fine in between showers, I thought it would be nice to visit the Zoological Gardens, Daisy.’

  ‘I went there once when my aunt and uncle took me as a treat on my tenth birthday.’

  ‘And I thought we’d go to Harley Street first. I want you to see where I live and work.’

  ‘It will be nice to see a consultant’s house. Is it very grand?’

  ‘Wait and see.’

  The consultant’s house in Harley Street was in the middle of an elegant terrace. Nick showed Daisy round the beautifully appointed consulting rooms, and his small apartment, which was on the fourth floor, just below the servants’ rooms in the attics. They did not stay long, even though the family were not at home, and after a quick lunch in a small café they walked to the Zoological Gardens. After everything that had happened in the last few months it was good to relax and enjoy the sights. Even so, the terrible accident that morning was never far from Daisy’s thoughts.

  It was late evening when they parted outside Mrs Wood’s lodging house, having enjoyed a tasty supper at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in Wine Office Court.

  Nick raised her hand to his lips. ‘We must do this again, Daisy.’
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  ‘I’d like that, but you’re supposed to be saving your money.’

  ‘Maybe it will be a ham roll from Old Joe’s barrow next time, but I’ve really enjoyed today.’

  ‘Apart from that terrible accident this morning.’ Daisy spoke more sharply than she had intended.

  ‘Yes, of course. I wasn’t forgetting that, but you’ll come across similar tragedies all the time when you’re a nurse. It’s probably the most difficult thing to accept, but we can’t always save our patients.’

  She drew her hand away, attempting to smile and failing. If she allowed herself to dwell on the fate of the Begg family she knew she would cry. ‘Yes, you’re right, of course. Anyway, thank you for today, Nick. I’ve really enjoyed myself.’

  ‘I did, too. I hope to see you again very soon, although it won’t be so easy now I’ll be living in Harley Street.’

  ‘It can’t be helped, and I dare say I’ll be working long hours, too.’

  Nick backed away as the door opened. ‘Good night, Daisy.’

  ‘Good night, Nick.’ She stepped inside, nodding to Aggie, who stared at her bleary-eyed with fatigue. ‘It’s late. You should be in bed.’

  ‘I can’t, not until the last person gets in, and them dancers keep all hours.’

  ‘Where is Mrs Wood?’

  ‘She’ll be sitting by the fire in her parlour with a glass of gin, I expect.’

  Daisy knew she was on dangerous ground if she criticised her landlady. Aggie was a nice young girl, but she was almost certain to repeat any comments against Mrs Wood and that would cause trouble. ‘I hope you get to bed soon, Aggie. I’m going straight to my room, so you needn’t worry about me.’

  ‘Good night, miss.’ Aggie turned away and trudged towards the basement stairs, the flame of her candle guttering in the draught.

  Daisy lit another candle and took it upstairs to her room. There was no sign of Minnie, which meant she could undress, wash and get into bed without having to go through everything that had happened that day.

  On Monday morning Daisy and Minnie walked to the hospital, arriving early for their first day as probationer nurses, and after a stern talk from Matron herself and a bracing lecture from Sister Tutor, they were assigned to their first duties. Daisy found herself in the sluice emptying and washing bedpans. It was not quite what she was expecting, but she applied herself to the task and earned a nod of approval from Sister Johnson when she had finished. Daisy was then assigned to a qualified nurse with instructions to follow her every move and to learn from observation. As this was mostly a question of cleaning everything in sight with carbolic soap it was not difficult to emulate, and Daisy took a hand at wiping down metal bed frames and the side lockers. She earned a rebuke from Nurse Patterson for chatting to the patients, who were feeling well enough to talk, and was reduced to simply giving those who were alert a sympathetic smile. But when she came to the ward where patients were recovering from operations she was dismayed to find Hilda Begg in a state of near hysteria.

  ‘Is she in pain, Nurse? Can we give her something to make her feel better?’

  Nurse Patterson turned on her, frowning. ‘It’s not our place to prescribe medication, Miss Marshall. I believe the patient has been informed of her husband’s demise.’

  ‘The poor thing,’ Daisy longed to comfort Hilda, but a withering look from Nurse Patterson was enough to make her hold back.

  ‘The patient will be given a sedative if she continues to disrupt the ward.’ Nurse Patterson marched over to Hilda’s bedside, glaring down at her. ‘Now, now, Mrs Begg. You’re upsetting the rest of the ward. Please calm yourself.’

  Hilda buried her head in the pillow and her shoulders shook. Nurse Patterson strolled back to join Daisy. ‘You just have to be firm with the patients, Miss Marshall. Now where were we?’

  Daisy pointed to a patient in the nearby bed and Nurse Patterson leaned over the inert body, shaking her head. ‘This one’s trials are over. Fetch a porter, Miss Marshall, and then you must help me strip and remake the bed.’ Nurse Patterson drew the curtains.

  With the senior nurse out of sight, Daisy stopped by Hilda’s bed. ‘Mrs Begg, it’s me, Daisy. I was at the scene of the accident yesterday.’

  Hilda turned her heard to peer at Daisy with bloodshot eyes. ‘My Stanley is dead.’

  ‘I know, and I’m so very sorry.’ Daisy glanced anxiously over her shoulder, hoping that Nurse Patterson could not hear them. ‘Is there anything I can do to help?’

  ‘Not unless you can look after my nippers. I dunno what poor Judy must be thinking.’

  ‘Hasn’t anyone told her you’re here?’

  Hilda shook her head and succumbed to a fresh bout of sobbing. Daisy laid a hand on her arm. ‘I’m on duty until eight o’clock, but if you’ll give me your address I’ll go and make sure that the children are all right.’

  ‘You will? Why would a lady like you care what happens to my kids?’

  ‘I’d hope that someone would do the same for me if I were in your position.’

  ‘There’s not many as would go out of their way for someone like me.’

  ‘I can’t stop and talk because Sister might be listening. I have to go now but when I come back you must tell me where to find your children.’

  Nurse Patterson stuck her head out between the folds of the curtains. ‘Miss Marshall, I told you to find a porter.’

  ‘Yes, Nurse. I’m just going.’ Daisy hurried out of the ward, but now she was even more determined to seek out Hilda’s children and to do anything she could to help them.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Green Dragon Yard had obviously seen better days. Dimly lit by a couple of gaslights, the cobblestones glistened with an oily sheen after the last sharp shower. The tall terraced houses had a dilapidated appearance with many of the windows boarded up or broken, water dripped from broken guttering. There were few signs of habitation, apart from the flickering light of the odd candle in an upstairs window, and the occasional banging of a door. On the other side of the street there was a hotchpotch of two-storey cottages squashed between workshops. Billboards advertising the services of cabinet makers and cobblers lay drunkenly on the narrow pavements, and feral dogs fought over scraps of food in the gutters. It was not the sort of place for a young woman to walk unaccompanied in the daytime, let alone at night, but Daisy was determined to find Hilda’s children.

  She had come straight from work, even though it was getting late, and she made her way through the detritus that littered the narrow pavement, almost treading on a tabby cat. It spat and hissed before disappearing through a hole in one of the front doors. She found the house number that Hilda had given her and knocked, but it was some time before anyone answered. Daisy had a feeling that she was being watched and she glanced round anxiously, wondering if there was anyone lurking in the shadows, but the noise of traffic from Whitechapel Road would have drowned out any sound of approaching footsteps. She held her breath and knocked again.

  This time she was answered by a small voice. ‘Who’s there?’

  ‘Is that Judy?’

  ‘I don’t speak to strangers.’ The child’s voice quavered and sounded on the verge of tears.

  ‘Are there any grown-ups in the house, Judy?’

  ‘It’s just me and me sister, Molly, and the two little ’uns; Pip and Nate.’

  ‘Please open the door. I have a message from your mother.’

  There was a scuffle and the sound of younger children crying and the door opened just an inch. A large brown eye underlined by a bruise-like shadow peered nervously at Daisy. ‘Who are you?’

  ‘My name is Daisy Marshall and I’m a nurse at the London Hospital.’ The moment the words left her lips Daisy knew she had made her first mistake. A loud howl was followed by sobbing.

  ‘Ma’s in hospital?’

  ‘Let me in, please, Judy. Your mother is in hospital because she broke her leg, but she’s on the mend and she asked me to come and make sure that you are all right.
’

  This seemed to convince Judy and she opened the door just wide enough for Daisy to slip into the narrow hallway. The first thing that hit her was the stench of damp and the overpowering smell of an overflowing privy. It was too dark to see very much, but Judy was standing with her arm around a smaller girl and two younger children, still in petticoats, were hiding behind them.

  ‘You ain’t going to take us to the workhouse,’ Judy said fiercely. ‘My pa will be home soon and he’ll tell you that for nothing.’

  Daisy glanced into the darkness of the hall beyond them. It was colder in the house than outside. ‘Can we go into the living room?’ she asked tentatively. ‘I came to make sure you are all right. Have you had anything to eat?’

  ‘Ma went out to get what we needed, but she didn’t come back. Pa will be home before long.’

  This was going to be much more difficult than Daisy had first thought as she entered the living room. She peered into the shadowy recesses, but she could see very little in the dim light of a single candle. She could feel the damp rising from the floor and ash spilled from the grate. It must have been a day or two since the fire had been giving out warmth, and one thing was clear, this was not a fit place for anyone to live, let alone young children.

  Daisy laid her hand on Judy’s shoulder. ‘When did you last have something to eat?’

  ‘Ma never come home, and neither did Pa.’ Judy’s voice broke on a sob and the younger children began to wail.

  ‘Your mother is getting better, but she needs to stay in hospital for a bit longer.’ Daisy thought quickly. She could not leave the children here, but she knew instinctively that they would not be welcomed by Mrs Wood, even for one night. She sat down at the table and lifted the youngest child on to her knee. ‘Have you any relatives who could look after you?’

  Judy shook her head. ‘No, miss.’

  ‘Is there anyone else living in this house?’

  ‘No, miss. The landlord wants the house for hisself and we got to get out, too. Pa was going to find us somewhere to live. Where is he, miss?’