‘Wow,’ said Annie.’ Our brother is going to be a pilot and our sister is going to learn how to drive.’
‘Just you wait till we tell everyone at school. They’re going to be so envious,’ Rose added.
When everyone else had gone to bed, Tilly was alone with Ronnie again.
‘At last, I’ve got you to myself,’ she said. ‘Now we can talk, properly. So, tell me more. Is this love?’ she asked. ‘Tell me everything. Do not leave anything out. How long have you been seeing her? Presumably you have gone past the first-kiss stage. Is it serious? Are you going to marry her?’
‘Whoa, whoa,’ Ronnie said, holding up both hands. ‘Too fast. In answer to your last question, it’s far too soon for that. As I said, she’s separated from her husband, but it’s hard for her. She would like a divorce, but her husband is being difficult. Anyway, I’m studying and she’s . . .’
‘Not free. I understand that. Really, Ronnie, you could have picked someone less complicated.’
‘That’s the Tilly I know,’ Ronnie said. ‘Nothing if not forthright.’
‘Well, is there any point in being anything else?’ Tilly replied.
‘That depends on who you are talking to. Sometimes a little more subtlety is needed, a little more sensitivity.’
‘Right. So, let me put it another way. I presume that this woman—’
‘Sarah,’ Ronnie interrupted.
‘Yes, Sarah. Sarah no longer lives with her husband. So, where is he? Have you met him?’ Tilly asked.
‘Well, sort of. He tried to break down her door when I was there, but luckily I scared him off. Sarah says he has been violent towards her in the past. Please don’t mention that to the rest of the family. I don’t want them to worry about me.’
‘Well, I’m going to worry about you. Steer clear of him. Ronnie. He sounds like a nasty man.’
Ronnie wondered if he’d said too much. ‘That’s enough about me, now. How are you getting on with all those impatient patients? Been propositioned by any of those doctors yet?’ The invitation to tell a few stories proved enough to divert Tilly away from questioning him. She loved telling tales. He hoped he could trust her to keep the truth about Sarah’s marriage to herself. He would have to tell the family eventually, but in his own time.
Chapter 11
As soon as Tilly got back to the Royal, her feet were planted firmly back on the ground. She viewed the rota board on her first evening to discover that she was to be on Men’s Surgical. She had heard stories of some of the sights she was about to see there, and the cheek she would have to put up with from the male patients would test her tolerance.
‘And then there’s the arrogance of the surgeons and doctors,’ Fliss said. ‘They think they’re God and the way they treat us nurses is appalling. They even talk to the ward sisters as if they were skivvies.’
‘Well, I suppose they are highly qualified people,’ Tilly suggested.
‘Qualified or not, they still have no right to talk to us that way. Respect goes both ways. We do a very important job too.’ Fliss suddenly stopped her tirade and nudged Tilly in the ribs.
‘Look out, talk of the devil!’ Fliss said. ‘Here comes a couple of them,’ she said, nodding at two white coats coming their way.
The two men walked past them, engaged in conversation.
‘This is going to be a fairly straightforward one for you, Jonathan. Hernias come two a penny. Usually reel off about three a week. You’ll soon get the hang of it,’ the older surgeon said.
The younger of two men seemed to be hanging on his every word, until his eyes drifted in the direction of Fliss and Tilly. He looked back at them as they walked on.
‘See the way he looked at us?’ Fliss said when they were out of earshot. ‘You want to be careful of their sort. The young surgeons are the worst. They hunt in packs. Find a girl who’s willing and pass her around like a shared cigarette. Don’t trust any of them.’
‘Is that the voice of experience speaking?’ Tilly asked.
‘I have been propositioned by a few of the doctors, yes, but I would only go out with a surgeon if he showed the colour of his money. Nothing less than champagne cocktails, a three-course meal and an invitation to an evening at the theatre in his family box would do for me.’ Fliss smirked. ‘My advice if one flirts with you, is to hold out for all you can get and find out if he’s got a car first. It’s an additional bonus if you get to ride in an MG. Just don’t get in the back seat with him, that’s all. Oh, I forgot, MGs don’t have back seats!’
The two friends giggled and agreed to meet in the canteen at lunchtime to exchange stories of their new allocations. They parted and Tilly made her way to Men’s Surgical while Fliss went to face the trials of the Gynae ward, which she wasn’t looking forward to.
‘I have enough trouble with my own female plumbing system. I really don’t need to hear about the ins and outs of other women’s private parts,’ she said. ‘Besides, I’ve heard some real horror stories about the after-effects of contracting syphilis. I could do without a front-row seat!’
They didn’t get to meet at lunchtime except to wave at each other across the canteen, Tilly on her way out and Fliss on her way in. Later that evening, they settled down to drink a cup of warming cocoa in the nurses’ lounge. Curling up on the moth-eaten settee together, a shared blanket over their knees, they chatted about the events of the day.
