It was mid-morning the next day when the bell above the shop door sounded and a young delivery boy entered bearing the most beautiful bouquet Holly had ever seen.
‘Miss Ivy Massey?’ he enquired as Holly approached him.
‘No, she’s at work at present, I’m afraid, but you can leave them with me and I’ll make sure she gets them.’
The young man departed and as Holly carried the blooms into the back room Miss May raised her eyebrows. ‘It seems young Ivy has an admirer.’
‘It does, doesn’t it.’ Holly grinned and quickly told the woman what had happened the night before. ‘The trouble is, she just went on and on about him for hours and then suddenly realised that she didn’t even know where he lived so then she went into the depths of despair and convinced herself she was never going to see him again. I’ve no doubt these will cheer her up no end if they’re from him.’
‘I can’t think of anyone else she knows well enough to send her flowers.’
Holly eyed the little envelope nestling amongst the blooms. ‘Neither can I but we’ll know soon enough. I hope they are, actually. I don’t think I can stand any more of her moping about with a miserable face.’
Later, once the shop was closed, Holly carried the flowers up to the flat and stood them in water in the little sink. They were the first thing Ivy saw when she came in a short time later and her face lit up.
‘Are they for me?’ she gasped and when Holly nodded she rushed over and plucked the little envelope out and read the message.
Dear Miss Massey,
It was so nice to meet you last night. I shall call around this evening to ensure that you are fully recovered, with love, Jeremy Pilkington-Hughes xx
‘Oh my goodness!’ Ivy flew into a panic as she stared down at her work clothes. ‘What shall I wear … and what shall I say to him?’
Holly giggled. ‘Put your new dress on,’ she advised. ‘And just be yourself.’
Ivy fled into the bedroom leaving Holly smiling as she finished preparing their evening meal; it was nice to see her friend so happy.
When they had eaten, Holly left for her Red Cross training, while Ivy paced the flat like a caged animal. When she returned later that evening she found Ivy tucking into a large box of chocolates.
‘Jeremy bought them for me,’ she told Holly. ‘And don’t worry, I’ve saved you some.’ She sighed happily then as she went on, ‘We had such a wonderful evening, though what he sees in me I don’t know. He’s so handsome he could have any girl he wanted. He’s calling for me after dinner on Sunday and we’re going for a walk in the park.’
‘How lovely,’ Holly said, genuinely pleased for her. ‘You deserve to meet someone nice, though personally I think Jeremy is the lucky one.’
For the rest of the week Ivy floated about as if she were on a cloud and when the knock on the door came after lunch on Sunday she flew down the stairs to meet him while Holly peeped through the curtains to get a glimpse of him. As Ivy had said, he was very good-looking and he certainly seemed keen, but she couldn’t help thinking that things seemed to be happening a little too fast. Still, what do I know about love? she asked herself and prepared to settle down to a lonely afternoon. At least while Ivy was out with Jeremy she wasn’t risking getting arrested again with the suffragettes.
After that day, Ivy saw Jeremy a couple of times a week and she spoke of him constantly; Jeremy does this and Jeremy says that, she would chatter and eventually Holly taught herself to listen with half an ear. She did notice, though, that wherever they went Ivy tended to pay for him, which she found quite strange considering he was supposed to be a journalist. Surely he must earn much more than Ivy?
She tactfully broached the subject one day when they were having a rare evening in together and Ivy instantly rushed to his defence.
‘It’s because he’s between jobs,’ she told her.
‘But surely if his family are so well off he would receive a monthly allowance?’ Holly pressed.
‘Ah well, he and his father have had a little fall-out,’ Ivy explained. ‘His father doesn’t want him to work. He wants him to learn how to run their estate ready for when he retires but Jeremy doesn’t want to do that just yet. It would mean wasting all the years he spent at university to qualify as a journalist.’
‘Oh.’ Holly thought the whole story rather strange but didn’t want to upset Ivy so kept her concerns to herself.
The following week the nursing sister who ran the Red Cross course she had been attending pulled Holly to one side. ‘I really don’t think there’s much more I can teach you now. I think you’re ready to go on the wards. I’ve already spoken to the matron and she’s happy to take you on as from this Wednesday. The pay will be minimal of course, but you will be supplied with a uniform so good luck. It’s been a pleasure to teach you and I have no doubt you will make an excellent nurse. Report to the matron’s office at seven o’clock sharp on Wednesday morning.’
‘Oh, thank you, Sister,’ Holly breathed, her eyes shining with excitement. At last she was going to put all her training to real use on real people instead of dummies.
She was there on the dot along with two other girls who looked as nervous as she felt. Matron Lewis eventually admitted them to her room and eyed them up and down before telling them, ‘Right, nurses, the first thing we need to do is get you your uniforms. Nurse Blythe there will take you along for them when we’ve spoken but understand you are still only trainees. Many of the dirty jobs will fall to you until you’ve had further training. Patients’ bed baths, washing the bedpans, rolling bandages, etc, do you think you can handle that?’
‘Yes, Matron,’ the girls all breathed together, although Holly did think the little brunette on her right didn’t look too sure about it.
‘Whichever ward you are allocated to, you will do exactly as the ward sister tells you. I will stand for no fraternising or over-familiarity with the patients and I expect you to be spotless at all times. A large work apron will be supplied along with your uniform for you to wear when doing dirty jobs.’ She continued reeling off rules and regulations until Holly felt quite dizzy but at last they were sent on their way with Nurse Blythe. She was a plump, middle-aged woman who appeared to be almost as strict as Matron. She led them through the hospital to the supply room and, gauging their sizes, she began to issue them with their uniforms. They were given two navy-blue dresses with white pinstripes, each with crisp white collars and detachable white cuffs. Then came a large white apron with a red cross on the bodice. There was a white triangular headdress, which Holly had no idea how to fasten, and the work apron. Finally came a royal-blue cape lined in red.
‘You will be responsible for supplying your own stockings and sensible flat, black shoes,’ the nurse informed them. ‘And now I shall show you just one time how to fasten your headdress and then I expect you all to be changed and ready for duty in ten minutes. You may leave your day clothes in here until you go home just this once, they will be quite safe. Any questions?’
All three of them shook their heads, so approaching the little brunette, the nurse expertly showed them how to fasten their headdress before leaving them with the warning, ‘I shall be back in ten minutes exactly. Make sure you are all ready.’
‘Phew,’ the brunette breathed when the door closed behind her. ‘She’s a bit of a tartar, ain’t she? I hope all the nurses ain’t like that else I won’t last long.’ They all hurriedly turned their backs on each other while they got changed and just managed to be ready for when Nurse Blythe reappeared.
She tutted when she saw the state of the third girl’s headdress, which looked as if it had been fastened while drunk. She was a skinny, mousy-haired girl who looked like she wouldn’t say boo to a goose and Holly wondered how she would fare with such strict rules.
‘I’ll show you how to fasten it again just one more time,’ Nurse Blythe scolded. ‘But don’t make me have to show you again.’
At last they were all lined up regimentally in front of her and she eyed them critically. ‘I dare say you’ll have to do,’ she muttered as she stared down at the clipboard she was holding.
‘You, Worthing’ – she pointed to the brunette – ‘have been assigned to the children’s ward. Miller, you are on women’s surgical.’ This was the mousy-haired girl. ‘And you, Farthing, are on men’s surgical. Now follow me, all of you.’
They trooped through the hospital until Holly was completely lost. It was a huge place full of winding corridors that all looked the same and she wondered how she would ever find her way about.
Nurse Blythe showed the other two girls to their wards first before escorting Holly to men’s surgical where she handed her over to a sister in a navy-blue uniform.
‘Ah, Nurse Farthing, you’re just in time to help out with the patients’ bed baths,’ she told her. ‘I’m Sister Trent and any concerns you have, you address to me.’
‘Yes, Sister,’ Holly replied meekly as her stomach turned over. Suddenly the thought of washing semi-naked men was daunting, but then she knew that someone had to do it. The curtains were drawn around the second bed on the left of the ward and opening them just enough for Holly to squeeze through, she told the nurse within, ‘Nurse Farthing will help you now, Nurse King.’
‘Yes, Sister.’ The young nurse gave Holly a welcoming smile as Holly quickly tied her work apron over her uniform to protect it, and rolled up the sleeves of her dress.
Her first day at the hospital passed in a blur of washing bedpans, not a job for the faint-hearted as Holly soon discovered, giving patients bed baths, accompanying Nurse King to the various operating theatres with the patients due for operations, and mopping floors.
‘Ooh, yer don’t half look posh in yer uniform,’ Ivy cooed that evening when Holly arrived home and flopped into a chair exhausted. ‘How did it go?’
‘All right, I suppose,’ Holly answered half-heartedly. ‘But I stink of disinfectant and my arms ache from turning patients and mopping floors.’
Ivy giggled. ‘Well, you have to start somewhere. As you gain more qualifications at your evening classes you’ll be given more responsibility. I take my hat off to you, I don’t think I could do it. In fact, I can’t think of anything worse than being around sick people all day but then you’re much more loving and giving than me. Anyway, your dinner is in the oven keeping warm. I have to shoot off now to meet Jeremy but you can tell me more about it when I get back. Ta-ra fer now.’
With that she went charging off down the stairs while Holly dragged herself over to the oven to see what there was to eat. It looked like cottage pie but she was so tired she decided she’d turn the oven off and have it later. She went and settled back down in the chair and within minutes she was fast asleep.
She was still there when Ivy returned later that evening and smiling she hurried away to fetch a blanket from the bed and draped it gently across Holly’s sleeping form before creeping away to her own room.
Towards the end of May, the weather took a turn for the better and suddenly women with bright parasols and gaily coloured dresses together with smartly dressed gentlemen were seen parading the streets. The smog that so often shrouded London seemed to disappear as if by magic and the street vendors appeared again, selling everything from posies of violets to jellied eels and pea soup. Once again the city was vibrant with sound and a million different smells and both girls tried to spend as much time as they possibly could outdoors enjoying the warm spring sunshine.
‘Ain’t it just grand?’ Ivy commented one Sunday afternoon as she was getting ready to meet Jeremy.
‘It certainly is … Oh, and by the way the rent is due this week,’ Holly reminded her.
Just for an instant she saw a frown flit across Ivy’s face but then she was smiling again. ‘Of course it is but I ain’t had time to go to the bank, will you pay my half for me till I get paid on Friday?’
Holly thought this very strange. Ivy had always been very punctual at paying her half of the bills. In fact, she had even managed to save a tidy sum from her wages but she nodded anyway.
‘Of course I will. Have a good time.’
Once again she watched from the window as Ivy went off on Jeremy’s arm. She had to admit he was very handsome and she could understand why Ivy was so besotted with him. He was tall and upright with thick dark hair, and he towered over Ivy making her appear very small and dainty. A thought occurred to her. Since the day he had sent Ivy flowers there had been no more and suddenly Ivy seemed short of money, and she’d noticed that she hadn’t sent any money home to her mother for a while either. What if he was taking money from her? Ivy had told her that he still hadn’t found a job, but she was usually so sensible. I’m probably worrying about nothing, Ivy is no fool, Holly assured herself and settled down to a quiet afternoon.
The following morning when Miss May arrived at the shop, Holly thought she looked troubled and this was borne out when the woman confided over a mid-morning cup of tea, ‘My husband isn’t at all well. I almost didn’t come in this morning as I didn’t want to leave him alone.’
‘I could have managed,’ Holly told her sympathetically.
‘I’m sure you could but between you and me I’m wondering how much longer I’m going to be able to keep the shop open,’ her employer informed her. ‘I was thinking of perhaps closing for two days a week instead of one. There would still be more than enough work to keep the seamstresses employed full-time, but what about you?’
‘Oh, I could manage. I’d just do two days a week instead of one at the hospital, and I’d get paid for that so I wouldn’t be any worse off,’ Holly assured her.
‘In that case I might close on Mondays too,’ Miss May answered thoughtfully, as Holly turned to serve a customer who had just walked in.
Two weeks later Miss May put the new shop hours into operation and Holly began to work at the hospital two days a week.
‘I shan’t be any worse off,’ she told Ivy over dinner one evening. ‘And I’ll be getting a lot more nursing experience in, so all in all it’s worked out well … Did you hear what I said, Ivy?’
‘What …? Sorry, what did you say?’
Holly sighed. Ivy seemed to be very preoccupied these days. She repeated what she’d said and Ivy nodded.
‘Hmm, that’s good then.’ She wandered away to get ready to see Jeremy. There was clearly something bothering her friend but until she chose to tell her what it was there wasn’t much she could do about it. It didn’t stop her being concerned though.