knew that, compared to the way she and Kieron had lived, her current life was a huge improvement. She got regular meals, she had equality with her peers, and she was even paid – albeit a very modest sum. But best of all was the fact that the hospital was clean; their room was clean; her clothes and her own self were clean! In fact, even the privies were spotlessly clean.
You had to have lived somewhere like Back Court to truly value something as simple as cleanliness, Connie acknowledged.
‘No more getting in trouble,’ Mavis told her mock-sternly.
‘No more getting in trouble,’ Connie agreed, and meant it.
She wondered if Mavis was as aware as she was herself of the fact that both of them spoke rather better than their fellow probationers? Vera teased her sometimes about what she called Connie’s ‘posh’ accent, but Connie had noticed that it wasn’t just her own mother’s insistence that all her children spoke the King’s English properly, that set her just a little bit apart from Vera and Josie. And, it was obvious that, like Connie herself, Mavis had received a far better education than the others, and had better table manners.
Connie could still remember how shocked she had been the first time she had seen Kieron eat a meal. Kieron! What was she doing thinking about him! He and the life she had lived with him were things she wanted to forget and pretend had never existed. Just thinking about Kieron was enough to bring back all her dread and fear of Bill Connolly.
Never did she want to return to that life, and she had been more mortally afraid than she wanted to admit to herself, never mind her friends, that, that was exactly what might happen to her.
Only now with her future here at the Infirmary safe, could she allow herself to recognise how terrified she had been of being sent away.
‘I’m sure Sister makes us do all this scrubbing just to punish us,’ Connie complained wearily to Vera, as she dropped her scrubbing brush into the bucket beside her, and wrinkled her nose at the strong smell of carbolic. ‘We’re supposed to be learning to be nurses, not scrubbing ward floors,’ she grumbled.
‘Cleanliness is the first law of good nursing,’ Vera mimicked, repeating Sister Jenkins’ favourite mantra.
‘Don’t you go making me laugh,’ Connie protested. ‘My ribs still ache from everyone practising their bandaging on me yesterday.’
It was several months since they had first arrived at the Infirmary, and during that time the four girls had become close friends, often spending their rare time off together.
‘Look out, Sister’s watching us,’ Vera muttered warningly out of the corner of her mouth.
Diligently Connie bent over her task, grimacing as the hot, soapy water stung her raw hands.
We might as well be skivvies in service,’ she complained to Mavis and Josie, later that evening.
‘I spent hours polishing the brass this morning, and then Sister came and told me to do it all again.’
‘You’ll never guess what!’ Vera interrupted her excitedly, as she burst into their room. ‘Remember that singer we saw at the music hall, George Lashwood, well, he’s going to be singing at the Palais dance hall, a week Saturday just for the one night!’
‘Saturday! My next day off isn’t until a week Wednesday,’ Connie told her in disappointment. ‘And neither is yours.’
‘Who needs a day? We all finish our shifts at three that day, I’ve checked, and we aren’t on again until six the next morning, so that means we could easily go into town without being missed!’
‘You mean the four of us should sneak out without telling anyone?’ Connie questioned frowningly.
Mavis was already shaking her head, looking shocked, ‘Oh, Vera, how can you even suggest such a thing! We aren’t allowed to leave the hospital unless we have been given permission, you know that!’
‘So, who’s to know!’ Vera demanded, shrugging impatiently. ‘And anyway, what’s the harm? After skivvying away here like they make us do, I reckon we deserve a bit o’ fun? Connie’ll come, won’t you, Connie?’
‘Connie, don’t listen to her,’ Mavis begged.
‘You’ve already been in trouble twice – and if you were to get caught …’
‘Come on, Connie. I dare you!’ Vera challenged her.
Connie’s heart sank. Vera was putting her in a very difficult position. Part of her wanted to refuse, but the stubborn, rebellious streak which had caused her so much trouble in the past, was whispering in her ear, and goading her not to lose face by refusing Vera’s dare!
‘Stop nagging me, Mavis, I’m going!’
As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Connie regretted them, but it was too late to call them back. Vera was looking triumphant whilst Mavis looked worried and upset.
‘Oh, Connie!’ she protested unhappily. ‘You really shouldn’t, you know!’
Mavis had that look on her face again that reminded Connie far too much of the kind of look Ellie used to give her. In fact, she decided crossly, Mavis was getting altogether far too like Ellie. Telling her what to do! Claiming to know what was best for her! Always being the ‘good’ one who never did anything wrong! She had even developed the same irritating inclination to act as Connie’s conscience!
Although she loved and missed her sister, deep down inside Connie still felt the pain of Ellie’s refusal to make it possible for them all to go home and live with their father, instead of being farmed out with their aunts and uncles. Of course, it had suited Ellie not to do anything because she had been quite happy living with their rich Aunt and Uncle Parkes who had spoiled her. It was Connie’s resentment about Ellie’s behaviour that sparked dangerously inside her now, making her reject Mavis’s well-intentioned warning.
‘Vera’s right,’ she claimed stubbornly. ‘It’s time we had some fun!’
The anxiety in Mavis’s eyes deepened, but Connie was in the grip of a mood of defiance and recklessness.
‘So I take it you two aren’t coming with us then?’ Vera challenged Josie and Mavis.
‘I daren’t.’ Josie shook her head. ‘Me auntie would never forgive me if I was to get thrown out of here, and me stepma would never let us go back.’
‘And of course there’s no need to ask whether you’re coming, Miss Goody Two Shoes,’ Vera taunted Mavis.
‘It’s against the rules,’ Mavis answered her firmly.
‘Well, it’s you who will miss a good night out,’ Vera told her, giving an exaggerated shrug of her shoulders.
‘You’ll be in very serious trouble if you get found out,’ Mavis warned, as Vera got up from the table and Connie followed her.
‘No one’s going to find out!’ Vera told her dismissively.
