anything had happened, I mean, I’ve heard the baby’s head can be crushed when forceps are used,’ said Lydia in German, the language she and her father had used when she was a child.
Sister Ursula stared straight ahead, as she spoke. ‘Yes and there are instances of a baby’s body coming out in bits. The truth of the matter is that, yes, I did take a risk in not summoning a doctor, but you see, a doctor would not have come. Mrs Kinski could not afford to pay for one. There was no choice. We have a live mother and a live child. That is payment enough. This is a secret between us, yes?’
Chapter Five
On a Friday evening, just after six o’clock, Lydia left the ward after a long day. It had occurred to her to go for a walk. A glance out of the window to see a fresh wind fettering female legs with billowing skirts tempted her.
Somebody knocked at the door just as she was putting on her navy blue coat plus a matching hat with silvery grey pompoms on the side.
Sally, with whom she shared a room when she was on duty, looked at her and shrugged. ‘It’s not for me.’
Lydia wasn’t expecting anyone either, but seeing as she was already dressed for going out, she opened the door.
Agnes Stacey, her hair a glorious halo of unruliness around her face and dressed in olive green from head to toe, stood at the door.
‘My word,’ she said, eyeing Lydia up and down. ‘You’ve already got your hat and coat on. You must have guessed I was coming.’
‘Hardly …’
Lydia was speechless. Normally she might not have recognised a person on only meeting them once, but Agnes was more memorable than most.
‘I was just going out for a walk,’ Lydia began.
‘I came round to take you to the pictures. Have you seen the moving pictures yet?’
‘No. No, I have not, but …’
‘It’s my treat. Are you coming or not?’
Lydia finally agreed to go with her.
‘It’s only a short walk,’ Agnes said to her as they braced themselves against the wind, quickening their steps when it came at them face on between gaps in the buildings.
‘How did you find me?’ asked Lydia.
‘Easy. I telephoned your house. Some old battle-axe answered and said you were at the hospital. I told her I was a friend of yours, another nurse who wasn’t sure you were on duty tonight or not. She told me that you were but believed you finished at six. That was right, wasn’t it?’
Lydia shook her head and laughed. ‘Oh you are clever!’
Agnes looked pleased.
‘I spoke to an ambulance driver while I was at the hospital. He told me they were doing away with the last of the horse-drawn ambulances and replacing them with ones driven by petrol engines. I wondered …’ Agnes paused. Lydia thought she had a vague idea what was coming. ‘I wondered whether you could put in a good word for me. I can drive an ambulance. You know I can.’
Lydia was stunned, but also impressed by Agnes’s ingenuity. On the other hand, she wasn’t sure her recommendation would get her new friend what she wanted.
‘I could try, but do bear in mind that I’m only a student nurse.’
‘Perhaps we could devise a plan when you stay with us at Christmas.’
Lydia stopped in her tracks. ‘Where did you get this idea that my father and I would be staying with you at Christmas?’
Agnes’s wild hair was all over the place, half of it hiding her face. Sitting precariously on her thick head of hair, her hat looked in severe danger of slipping sideways.
‘Didn’t I tell you?’ she said, pushing past her and into Lydia’s room. ‘Sir Avis has invited you and your father to Heathlands for Christmas. I fully admit I had a hand in it; I told Sir Avis that I liked you and he thinks your father is a very good doctor. My, my,’ she said, her eyes darting from side to side and up and down as she gave the room due scrutiny. ‘What a miserable room. Like a cell for prisoners or nuns or something.’ She turned suddenly after cuddling a cushion then flinging it
Sister Ursula stared straight ahead, as she spoke. ‘Yes and there are instances of a baby’s body coming out in bits. The truth of the matter is that, yes, I did take a risk in not summoning a doctor, but you see, a doctor would not have come. Mrs Kinski could not afford to pay for one. There was no choice. We have a live mother and a live child. That is payment enough. This is a secret between us, yes?’
Chapter Five
On a Friday evening, just after six o’clock, Lydia left the ward after a long day. It had occurred to her to go for a walk. A glance out of the window to see a fresh wind fettering female legs with billowing skirts tempted her.
Somebody knocked at the door just as she was putting on her navy blue coat plus a matching hat with silvery grey pompoms on the side.
Sally, with whom she shared a room when she was on duty, looked at her and shrugged. ‘It’s not for me.’
Lydia wasn’t expecting anyone either, but seeing as she was already dressed for going out, she opened the door.
Agnes Stacey, her hair a glorious halo of unruliness around her face and dressed in olive green from head to toe, stood at the door.
‘My word,’ she said, eyeing Lydia up and down. ‘You’ve already got your hat and coat on. You must have guessed I was coming.’
‘Hardly …’
Lydia was speechless. Normally she might not have recognised a person on only meeting them once, but Agnes was more memorable than most.
‘I was just going out for a walk,’ Lydia began.
‘I came round to take you to the pictures. Have you seen the moving pictures yet?’
‘No. No, I have not, but …’
‘It’s my treat. Are you coming or not?’
Lydia finally agreed to go with her.
‘It’s only a short walk,’ Agnes said to her as they braced themselves against the wind, quickening their steps when it came at them face on between gaps in the buildings.
‘How did you find me?’ asked Lydia.
‘Easy. I telephoned your house. Some old battle-axe answered and said you were at the hospital. I told her I was a friend of yours, another nurse who wasn’t sure you were on duty tonight or not. She told me that you were but believed you finished at six. That was right, wasn’t it?’
Lydia shook her head and laughed. ‘Oh you are clever!’
Agnes looked pleased.
‘I spoke to an ambulance driver while I was at the hospital. He told me they were doing away with the last of the horse-drawn ambulances and replacing them with ones driven by petrol engines. I wondered …’ Agnes paused. Lydia thought she had a vague idea what was coming. ‘I wondered whether you could put in a good word for me. I can drive an ambulance. You know I can.’
Lydia was stunned, but also impressed by Agnes’s ingenuity. On the other hand, she wasn’t sure her recommendation would get her new friend what she wanted.
‘I could try, but do bear in mind that I’m only a student nurse.’
‘Perhaps we could devise a plan when you stay with us at Christmas.’
Lydia stopped in her tracks. ‘Where did you get this idea that my father and I would be staying with you at Christmas?’
Agnes’s wild hair was all over the place, half of it hiding her face. Sitting precariously on her thick head of hair, her hat looked in severe danger of slipping sideways.
‘Didn’t I tell you?’ she said, pushing past her and into Lydia’s room. ‘Sir Avis has invited you and your father to Heathlands for Christmas. I fully admit I had a hand in it; I told Sir Avis that I liked you and he thinks your father is a very good doctor. My, my,’ she said, her eyes darting from side to side and up and down as she gave the room due scrutiny. ‘What a miserable room. Like a cell for prisoners or nuns or something.’ She turned suddenly after cuddling a cushion then flinging it
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