On learning the circumstances of Ivy’s admittance Matron kindly gave Holly permission to pop in to see Ivy on the ward during any spare minute she had so the next few days passed in a blur. Holly would finish her shift, then sit with Ivy for an hour before dashing home to have supper with her mother.
Since their conversation outside Ivy’s ward, she had bumped into Richard on a few occasions and even managed to have a quick lunch with him in the hospital canteen one day, but unfortunately, with everyone looking at them curiously, it was difficult to talk about anything too personal. Even so, they had managed to touch hands briefly as they parted, and as always, the contact warmed and thrilled Holly.
Then finally after a week he sought her out to tell her, ‘I think Ivy could be discharged now. Her cuts and bruises are healing nicely although her arm and her ribs will take longer, of course. I shall speak to her about leaving tomorrow after my rounds but does the poor girl have anywhere to go?’
Holly had told him about what had happened, it was pointless trying to hide it now.
‘She’ll come to me,’ she told him. ‘And then we’ll go from there. My mother is at the flat so she can look after her for a few days but I think she’ll want to get home for Christmas. She only came to visit for the day initially.’
Dr Parkin tapped his chin thoughtfully before suggesting, ‘Why don’t you ask Matron Lewis if it would be possible to take some time off? You’ve been running yourself into the ground here ever since Ivy was admitted and I don’t want you ill as well.’
‘I suppose I could do,’ she answered, deeply touched that he cared, and as soon as she had the chance she went to see the matron.
‘I wouldn’t normally allow this, especially over the Christmas period,’ Matron told her after Holly had made her request. ‘But you have been working exceptionally hard and have even stayed long past your shifts on a number of occasions so just this once I’ll agree to it. I want you back here the day after Boxing Day however.’
Holly thanked her profusely and rushed home to tell her mother the good news that evening.
‘Excellent.’ Her mother was pleased. ‘And I’ve been thinking too and I have a suggestion to put to you. I’m going to ask Ivy if she’d like to come home with me. I’ve already spoken to your grandfather on the telephone and put the idea to him and he’s agreeable. We thought that once Ivy is recovered she could resume her old job for a few months and then take time off until after the baby is born. What do you think?’
‘It would solve a lot of problems,’ Holly agreed. ‘Now that Matron has given me time off I could come home with you for a few days and get her settled back in. If you’ll have me, of course,’ she said with a grin.
Emma was delighted with the idea and now all they had to do was persuade Ivy.
The next day they both arrived at the hospital with some of the new clothes Emma had bought for Ivy. She had packed underwear, a new skirt and blouse, a warm coat, and even shoes into a bag and when she unloaded them onto Ivy’s bed the girl gasped.
‘B-but I can’t pay you back for them,’ she protested feebly.
‘You don’t need to.’ Emma swished the curtains about the bed so Ivy could get changed in privacy. ‘They’re my Christmas present to you and when we get back to the flat I have a proposition to put to you.’
They helped her to get changed, both shocked at how weak she still was, and then once Richard had signed her discharge papers, they led her to the end of the ward. ‘I’ll get us a cab,’ Emma said, clinging on to Ivy’s elbow for dear life. She was still very wobbly on her feet.
Richard emerged from the sister’s office and drew Holly aside while Emma discreetly moved on.
‘I was going to give you this nearer to Christmas Day,’ he told her, looking slightly embarrassed. ‘But now that you’re going home for the holidays I thought I’d best give it to you now.’ He pressed a small box into her hand and when she flipped the lid she gasped. A pretty silver-etched locket on a fine chain lay within.
‘B-but I haven’t got you anything,’ she protested. She hadn’t dreamed for a minute that he’d buy her a gift.
‘I don’t want anything, just to know that you like it.’
‘I truly love it,’ she assured him, feeling very uncomfortable. ‘Thank you so much, Richard, but you really shouldn’t have.’ His name had popped out before she thought about it and as he smiled at her he thought how pretty she looked with the colour in her cheeks. He was going to miss seeing her about over Christmas.
‘I, er … I’d best get on,’ she said hesitantly. ‘I think Sister has got her beady eye on us. Will you still be here after Christmas?’
‘I have no idea,’ he admitted. ‘But even if I’m not I shouldn’t be gone for too long now. I’ll write to you. Goodbye, and have a lovely Christmas.’ He hesitated as if there was more he wanted to say but then, seeming to think better of it, he strode away leaving her feeling sadly deflated and frustrated. Much as she loved working at the hospital she wished they could have snatched a little more time together.
‘You too,’ she whispered to his retreating back before hurrying away to catch up with her mother and Ivy.
When they got back to the cosy little rooms above the flat, Emma showed Ivy the rest of the new clothes she had bought for her which made Ivy cry all over again. Her physical injuries were healing nicely but emotionally she was in a very fragile state, which was understandable.
‘It’s really kind of you,’ she wept. ‘But I really don’t deserve it. I’ve been such a fool! Holly tried to warn me about him a few times in different ways but I wouldn’t listen.’
‘Love can make fools of all of us,’ Emma told her gently. ‘But now dry your eyes. I made a big panful of beef stew and dumplings this afternoon. Holly told me it’s one of your favourites. It only needs heating up. And after dinner I have a suggestion to put to you.’
Ivy sank gratefully into the chair and sat staring sightlessly into the fire as Emma and Holly laid the table and got the dishes out. Despite making a valiant effort, Ivy ate very little that night and Holly grew even more concerned about her.
‘You’re eating for two now,’ she told her friend.
‘I know and I wanted to talk to you about that.’ Ivy pushed a dumpling around the plate listlessly. ‘The thing is, this baby will be a bastard when it’s born.’ She held her hand up as she saw the look of shocked horror on Holly’s face. ‘That’s what everyone will call it,’ she pointed out. ‘And what do I have to offer it? So I was thinking, perhaps I could get it adopted? There are always childless couples who want a baby. I’m just not sure how to go about finding them though.’
‘I think that’s quite enough of that sort of talk for now,’ Emma said sternly, waggling her spoon at Ivy. ‘You wanted the baby until Jeremy, or Jimmy or whatever his name is, hurt you but that’s no reason to take it out on the child. He or she is blameless in all this so let’s wait until after the birth and see how you feel then, eh? Believe me, there’s nothing in the world like the feeling a mother gets when she holds her baby for the first time. I can remember holding Holly as if it were yesterday. I could hardly believe that I had managed to produce something so perfect. And you’ll feel like that too, you just mark my words.’
Ivy doubted that very much but she wisely didn’t say anything. ‘And how am I supposed to support it?’ she queried, which gave Emma just the opening she had been hoping for.
When she had finished telling Ivy of her plan the girl was speechless for a moment.
‘But why would you do that for me? And what will the master say when he finds out I’m havin’ a baby?’
‘We’d do it because we all love you, you silly goose,’ Emma chuckled. ‘And my father is fully aware of the situation you find yourself in. I shall quite enjoy having a baby in the house again and I have no doubt Cook will spoil it rotten. So, what do you think?’
‘I’d love to go home,’ Ivy said in a small voice. ‘But I’d have to let the ladies in the suffragette office know I was leavin’. I don’t wanna just go an’ leave ’em all in the lurch.’
‘I can go round there and do that in the morning,’ Holly offered.
‘Would you?’ Ivy looked relieved that she wouldn’t have to face them. She felt so ashamed of the situation she found herself in.
‘Of course. Now, eat up and then you must go to bed and try to get some rest.’
Two days later Emma hired a cab to take them all to Euston Station. Ivy was quiet on the way, wondering if she would ever come back to London again. She and Holly had been happy there for a time, until Jeremy had come on the scene. Even now he still possessed a little piece of her heart but she had accepted that even if he were to come crawling on his knees begging for forgiveness, she could never trust him again. She had to finally face the fact that it was well and truly over and try to make the best of things for the baby’s sake.
The journey home on the train was uneventful. Ivy was still weak and slept on and off for most of the way.
‘Ivy, wake up, we’re home,’ Holly told her eventually and Ivy blinked awake. It was late afternoon and she was feeling absolutely exhausted. Her arm was still in a sling and her chest tightly strapped but it didn’t stop her healing ribs from causing her pain.
‘Just hang on to my arm, Mother and I can see to the bags,’ Holly told her, eyeing Ivy’s chalk-white face with concern. She worried that perhaps they’d made the journey too soon but at least it was almost over. As soon as they were off the train Emma hailed a porter to carry their bags and once outside he placed them in their cab.
‘Right, my girls, let’s get you home,’ she said cheerily, keeping a close eye on Ivy. ‘And then it’s straight off to bed for you, miss.’
Ivy was so worn out that she didn’t even complain and very soon the cab drew up outside the house and Cook rushed out to meet them.
‘Just look at the state o’ you,’ she said to Ivy with a frown. ‘I reckon I’m goin’ to have to feed you up. You’re as thin as a rake.’
Ivy grinned, suddenly feeling as if she had never been away. Perhaps things were going to work out after all – if the master would accept her that was.
Her fears on that score were set to rest when she entered the hallway to find Holly’s grandfather standing there.
Ivy stared at him fearfully but he gave her a welcoming smile. ‘Welcome home, I’m so sorry to hear of your troubles, my dear.’
‘Th-thank you, sir.’
He turned to Holly next and without hesitation told her, ‘And welcome home to you too. It’s been far too long since we’ve seen you.’
Holly glanced at her mother uneasily then offered a faltering smile. Her grandfather paused, as if he was about to say something else, before he pottered away to his study.
‘Crikey, he really has mellowed, hasn’t he?’ she whispered to Ivy who gave a nervous giggle. ‘But come on, we can put our things away later. Let’s go and scrounge a cup of tea off Cook and see if she has any gossip to tell us.’ And so arm in arm the friends set off for the kitchen and suddenly Holly realised that she was actually feeling happy to be home.