‘Like this, you mean?’ Archie smiled at Phoebe over his right shoulder as he began playing a fun ditty on the piano. She had mentioned that morning that she was looking for two people to play and was delighted when Archie told her that he wanted to be one of her pianists for the show.
Phoebe marched over to him, draped the tinsel around his neck and placed her hands on her hips as she stood next to the piano.
‘No, Captain, that’s not what I meant at all.’ She feigned anger, aware that her amusement was obvious. ‘You’ve been given special permission by Doctor Marshall to play the first half of the scores for the show, but only …’ she gave him a fierce look, ‘… notice that I’m saying only if you behave yourself.’
Archie sighed dramatically. ‘You’re such a tyrant, Nurse Robertson. I’m sure Matron wouldn’t give me such a hard time.’
‘Matron certainly would if you were misbehaving,’ Matron announced, making Phoebe jump and wonder how much the older woman had witnessed.
‘Oops,’ Archie said, giving Matron a charming smile. ‘Caught out. I promise to behave from now on.’
Matron rolled her eyes heavenward and smiled at Phoebe, clearly charmed by Archie. ‘You have my full permission to send him back to the ward at the first sign of him forgetting this promise, Nurse Robertson.’
Relieved Matron was amused rather than annoyed by what she had walked into, Phoebe smiled gratefully. ‘I will do, Matron. Thank you.’
Matron looked at the makeshift stage at the back of the canteen and nodded. ‘Yes, this is beginning to look very festive. Well done, Nurse. You and your team have done an impressive job here and I look forward to watching the show.’
‘Thank you, Matron. I’m delighted you’re happy with what we’ve done so far.’ She watched the woman leave and felt much more confident about how the different acts might be received.
‘I had intended asking you to design a backdrop,’ Phoebe admitted.
‘I’m happy to do it,’ Archie said with a shrug. ‘But I’m not sure of the best way to go about it.’
She smiled.
‘What?’
‘You’re a natural designer, aren’t you?’
‘What do you mean? I’m an architect.’
‘Yes, but you design houses. I’d barely mentioned the backdrop and already you were planning how to do it.’
‘Can you tell I’ve been missing my job?’
She nodded. ‘Yes. It must be difficult being stuck here when you would normally be drawing up plans for buildings.’
He stared at her for a while before answering. ‘It would have been far harder if you hadn’t been working here.’
Phoebe’s heart fluttered with excitement. ‘You really think so?’
Archie smiled. ‘I wouldn’t say so if I didn’t.’ He gave her a look that made her stomach give a little flip. ‘I’ve enjoyed spending time here with you today. It’s why I volunteered to be one of your pianists when you mentioned it in the ward earlier.’ He gave her a pondering look. ‘Was our ward the first one you came to with your request?’
‘Yes. Why?’ she asked guiltily. Had he worked out what her intentions had been?
‘Were you hoping I’d offer?’
‘I don’t know,’ she fibbed. Then seeing the disbelief and amusement on his face, she nodded. ‘Fine. Yes, I was. Happy now?’
‘Very.’
Embarrassed, Phoebe concentrated on sorting through the box of tatty tinsel.
‘She’s right, you know,’ Archie said, interrupting her thoughts.
‘Who? Matron?’
‘Yes.’
‘About what?’ Phoebe rested one hand on the top of the piano and stared into his beautiful eyes, then without thinking lowered her gaze to his lips.
‘That you’ve done an excellent job,’ he said, his voice barely more than a whisper.
She heard him speaking but was unable to tear her eyes from his. She watched his hand reaching up to her face, barely able to quell the excitement that he might be about to kiss her. His hand moved behind her head and she closed her eyes as he slowly pulled her head down towards him.
‘Oh, Archie,’ she whispered, scarcely able to breathe.
‘I’ve wanted to do this for so long,’ he murmured just before his lips met hers in a kiss.
Phoebe pushed her fingers into his hair as she held him tightly against her, relishing his mouth on hers. She had been kissed before but never anything like Archie was kissing her now. Her entire body seemed consumed by the sensations his lips on hers were causing.
He broke away and smiled at her.
Had that kiss only lasted a few seconds? Or was it minutes?
‘You kissed me back.’ He looked stunned, delighted.
‘I did.’ She liked that she had surprised him with her passion.
He stared at her and Phoebe couldn’t miss the attraction and desire emanating from his eyes.
They didn’t speak for a moment. Phoebe could barely think.
‘I was angry at first, not to be sent straight home to England,’ Archie said eventually, resting his hand on her cheek. ‘But coming here to be treated meant that I met you and I’ll always be grateful for that. When I look at you, I feel like nothing else matters.’
She opened her mouth, aware that she should say something in reply. Maybe tell him that their emotions were probably heightened because of the war, the uncertainty of their futures and everything they had already both suffered, but she closed it again when she couldn’t find words to do her feelings justice.
‘This is wrong,’ she said, remembering her place. ‘You’re one of the patients and I work here. We can’t do this.’
‘No,’ he said, going to stand, then wincing in pain and cursing under his breath.
‘Don’t try to get up so quickly,’ she said, crouching in front of him so that he wouldn’t try standing again. ‘You mustn’t exert yourself. You still need crutches to stand, don’t forget.’
He reached out his free hand and slipped it behind her head, pulling her gently towards him once again. Phoebe hardly dared to breathe.
‘I don’t care about the rules. This is our lives, Phoebe. You won’t always be a VAD and I certainly have no intention of being a soldier once this terrible war ends,’ he whispered, staring into her eyes as their lips met once more.
They kissed for a few seconds, then Archie pulled back slightly, staring at her. ‘I’ve imagined doing that ever since the very first time I saw you.’
‘The very first time?’ she teased, surprised.
‘Almost.’ He moved forward and kissed her again, this time with more intensity.
Phoebe sighed as the pleasure of their kiss transported her. She slipped her arms around his neck, not wanting the sensations that coursed through her heart and body to end.
Someone gave a delicate cough and Phoebe immediately pulled away from Archie and rose to her feet. She spun round and relief flooded through her. It was only Hetty.
‘Thank heavens it’s you.’
Why was she scowling at them? ‘I’m sorry,’ Phoebe said, desperately attempting to rescue the moment. ‘I know I shouldn’t be, um…’
‘Kissing a patient?’ Hetty snapped, frowning. ‘No, you shouldn’t. Imagine what would have happened if Matron had walked in on you?’
‘You’re right,’ Phoebe said, ashamed to have forgotten her duties so easily. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘Don’t apologise to me,’ Hetty said. ‘I’m not the one who’ll send you away from here. I understand how emotions are heightened at times like these, but you must be more careful.’
‘I will be,’ Phoebe promised. ‘Thank you.’
Before Phoebe had a chance to say anything further, Hetty raised her hand. ‘I was on my way to another ward when I passed the door and saw you. I’d better get going again before I’m in trouble.’
Hetty rushed out of the room.
‘Do you think she’ll tell anyone?’ Archie asked.
Phoebe shook her head. ‘No, she was just concerned for me, that’s all.’
He frowned. ‘Please don’t let what happened change things between us.’
She didn’t want it to but had to decide whether this attraction between them was worth risking everything she had worked so hard towards. The thought that she could lose her job made Phoebe realise that she had come to love her work. When had she come to think this way?
‘Phoebe? Are you all right?’
She snapped out of her reverie and stared at him for a moment, still taken aback by her revelation. ‘I’m well,’ she finally answered, ‘but I think we’re going to have to take a step back from whatever this is.’ She hated to see the hurt in his eyes. ‘It’s the only sensible thing to do, Archie.’
He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. ‘You’re right,’ he said, disappointing her. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe because she had hoped he might at least try to persuade her otherwise. ‘I’m being selfish and that’s not gentlemanly.’
‘This was wrong … but I don’t want this to end. I know I’m taking chances with my work, but I’ve never felt this way before about anyone.’ There, she’d said it.
He closed his eyes briefly and smiled. ‘Maybe we should get to know each other a little better and take things very slowly. Then you can at least tell your colleague that we’ve become friends and know each other well enough to be able to take risks with our future.’
She thought about what he’d said and nodded. Hetty would likely be calmer if she knew Phoebe wasn’t being reckless, and it was far better than having to agree to end things with Archie.
‘We could start by telling each other more about ourselves. Shall I begin?’
‘Yes, that would be lovely,’ she said, fascinated to find out about his personal life. ‘But before we do, I’d like to kiss you again.’
His mouth fell open but he quickly recovered himself. ‘Then don’t let me stop you.’
Phoebe laughed and moved towards him, kissing him hard on the lips, delighted when Archie reacted instantly by taking her in his arms.
Satisfied, she let go of him and moved slightly away. ‘You were saying?’ she teased.
He raised his eyebrows and shook his head. ‘Er, I’m from a pretty village in Yorkshire called Sandsend.’
‘Sandsend?’ She smiled at him for a moment, trying to think whether she had heard of the place before. ‘I don’t know it. What’s it like?’
His eyes had a faraway look in them as he thought about his home. ‘It’s small and very pretty and only a few miles up the coast from Whitby.’
‘It sounds delightful.’
‘It is,’ he said dreamily. ‘I was very lucky growing up there with the beaches and coast right on our doorstep.’ He smiled at her. ‘How about you? Where’s home for you?’
She thought about her home village and how it no longer felt like home for her and Celia since the Zeppelin attack in July that year had changed their family dynamic forever. ‘It used to be a village a few miles north of Greater London.’
‘Why don’t you think of it as home? Was it because of that bombing raid you told me about?’
‘Yes. Little of the house was left after the bomb exploded on it.’
‘My poor, sweet Phoebe,’ he said, looking devastated for her. ‘I hate to think of you suffering such terrible loss.’
She loved him for being upset on her behalf. ‘Thank you. Sometimes I think I’m doing well and then a wave of grief knocks me sideways. I’m grateful to still have my sister Celia.’ She realised she wasn’t being honest with him. ‘I’d rather she was closer, but I’m not sure how much I’d be able to help her just yet.’ She shrugged. ‘Celia and I aren’t the only ones to have suffered, though, are we? We can only do our best and keep going.’
‘I think you’re doing very well,’ he said. He stared deep into her eyes. ‘After this is all over, I’d like you to think of my home as yours too. And Celia, if needs be.’
‘Your home?’
‘Yes, my parents died one after the other three years ago now. I have a twin brother and a sister, but she’s married and lives in London with her husband and three children.’
‘Who’s looking after your house while you’re away?’
‘I bought my brother and sister’s shares of our parents’ home but my brother stays there when he’s on leave. The rest of the time the house is cared for by Mrs Dunwoody, who lives in the same lane. She’s my housekeeper.’
‘Oh, right.’ He seemed so organised. ‘Do you miss it? Your house, I mean?’
‘Often. My office is there. I miss that room most of all, I think. The house isn’t very big but it has a decent-sized back garden with an ancient, gnarled apple tree taking up a large part of one of the back corners.’ He gave her a lazy smile. ‘I can’t wait to take you there and show it to you.’
‘Neither can I,’ she admitted, trying to picture the pretty place.
‘Nurse Robertson!’
‘Gosh, that’s Matron’s voice. I must run.’