A Moment to Remember (27 page)

‘It is,’ said Ada. ‘And we never achieved what we set out to do.’

‘With what all the women and young girls are doing to help the war effort, I’m sure that day is very near.’

‘We shall see,’ said Ada sagely. ‘Anyway. How can we help you?’

M
ILLY WAS TAKEN a back and embarrassed when Tom asked her if he could talk to her alone.

‘Do you mind, Ada?’ he asked.

‘I’m sure what you have to say can be said in front of Ada.’ Milly didn’t like being the centre of attention.

‘Come now, Milly, Dr Walsh must have something very private to talk to you about.’ Ada smiled at the doctor. ‘So many young people are getting married now, with all the problems this war is bringing. I do hope you and Miss Phillips will be very happy.’

Tom looked astonished.

‘Look, why don’t you go upstairs?’ said Ada.

Tom followed Milly up the stairs. Once inside the tiny flat, he said, ‘I’m not here to talk about a wedding. I came to see you.’

Milly stood looking at him.

‘You see . . . ’ He was twisting his trilby round and round in his hands. ‘Could I sit down?’

‘Yes, of course.
Are
you going to marry Lizzie?’

‘I don’t think so.’ He sat on the sofa and Milly remained standing by the door. ‘Oh, don’t get me wrong, she is very nice and we do laugh a lot together, but she likes her own way and . . . I’m sorry, I shouldn’t talk about your friend like that. After all, she is very caring towards the people she likes. You see, she told me that you will be out of a job and a home now that women’s suffrage has disbanded, and she’s worried about you.’

Milly smiled.

‘She asked me if I could find you a job at the hospital.’

‘What!’ Milly sat down next to Tom and began to laugh.

‘What’s so funny?’

‘Ada thinking you were going to tell me you’re marrying Lizzie.’

Tom just smiled and said, ‘If you came to the hospital you would be helping the war effort, and you could probably share rooms with another nurse.’

‘But I can’t. I’ve not had any training.’

‘I think that now Queen Mary has started her Women to Work campaign, that should help.’

‘I don’t know.’

‘I’ve been told that you are very good at what you do and are always willing to learn. Please, Milly, think about it. I can’t bear the thought of you moving away.’

‘Why aren’t you joining up?’

‘The hospital has advised me to stay for a while, just to see how things progress. We have started to receive some of the casualties. I don’t think it will be over by Christmas, not from what some of these young men are telling us.’

‘According to the papers there does seem to have been a lot of casualties.’

‘Yes, and at the hospital we are busy preparing for them, as I expect a lot more will arrive here.’ He smiled. ‘So you see, like the posters with Lord Kitchener saying that the country needs you, the hospital will need you.’

Milly shuddered. She was thinking of her brothers and of Richard.

Tom took hold of her hand. ‘Please, Milly, think about it. You don’t seem to have a family to go back to.’

Milly quickly pulled her hand away. ‘You know nothing about me.’

‘I know, I’m sorry.’

‘Why are you doing this for me?’

‘Lizzie feels she has let you down, and we both want to see you happy.’

‘I am happy,’ she said softly.

‘But where will you go from here?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Please think about it. Come along to the hospital and talk it over with someone.’

She stood up. ‘Thank you. I will.’ She opened the door, waiting for Tom to leave.

When he got to the door he said, ‘You know, you have a lovely nature. We will be glad of people like you as this war goes on.’

What would he say if he knew that she had killed someone?

Ada was still smiling as they came down into the shop.

‘Well,’ she said, once Tom had left. ‘Was that about a wedding?’

Milly shook her head. ‘He asked me to go to the hospital to see about a job.’

‘Oh, how kind. I really thought that he was going to tell you he was marrying Lizzie.’

‘I think he will.’

‘What are you going to do? Will you go along to the hospital?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘I think it’s a good idea, especially if you get somewhere to live as well.’

‘I couldn’t be a nurse, that takes years of training.’

‘No. But there must be other jobs, and you are very good at taking charge of things. You can type, and you are always willing to help.’

Milly knew she had come a long way since she first walked into this office two and a half years ago.

‘You know I would be more than willing to give you a glowing reference.’

Milly smiled. ‘Thank you.’

‘I would like to see you settled before I leave. I’ve always been very fond of you.’ Ada hugged her. ‘We have been through a lot together over the years.’

Milly swallowed hard. ‘Yes, we have.’

That night Milly tossed and turned. What should she do? She had to find a job and somewhere to live. Could the hospital be the answer? She would be happy helping people, she knew, but she would be near Tom, though that shouldn’t bother her as long as he was with Lizzie.

 

The following morning Milly told Ada that she was going along to the hospital.

‘I’m so pleased you’ve made up your mind,’ said Ada. ‘Let me type out that reference for you.’

‘I only hope they have a job for me.’

Later that morning Milly made her way nervously to the hospital.

‘Excuse me,’ she said to a young nurse sitting at a desk. ‘Could you tell me who I have to see about getting a job here?’

‘Matron.’

‘Is it possible for me to see her?’

‘Who shall I say wishes to speak to her?’

‘Millicent Ash.’

‘Take a seat and wait here. She’s ever so busy, so it might take a while.’

Milly gave her a smile. ‘That’s all right.’

The nurse came quickly from behind her desk and walked swiftly down the corridor.

When she returned, Milly stood up.

‘She’s sending her secretary along to get you.’

‘Thank you.’ Milly sat down again on the hard wooden chair.

For what seemed hours she sat and watched the comings and goings of the hospital. People with blood running down their faces, women with small children and babies crying out in pain. One man came in holding his arm and weeping. The nurse was very efficient, sending them all along to the right department. Milly thought this was something she would love to do.

When the matron’s secretary came to her, she quickly stood up.

‘Miss Millicent Ash?’

‘Yes.’

‘Follow me.’

As she walked behind the woman, she wondered whether this was going to be the beginning of another chapter in her life.

‘Please sit down,’ said Matron when Milly entered her office.

Milly did as she was told.

Matron put her hands together on top of her desk. ‘Now, Miss Ash, what can I do for you?’

Milly was very nervous. She cleared her throat. She knew she had to tell the matron about her previous employment. ‘I have a reference from the office of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, where I have been working for almost three years. Although I’m not a nurse, I am very willing to learn and do whatever you want me to. Queen Mary is asking all of us young women to help with the war effort, and Dr Walsh thought I might be of use to you.’

‘You know Dr Walsh?’

‘Only because he has been to look after some of the casualties from our campaign.’

Matron didn’t reply to that, and Milly could see from the look on her face that she didn’t approve.

Milly gathered her handbag to her. Had she said too much? Should she go?

‘If you leave your address with my secretary, I will let you know.’

‘Thank you.’ Milly stood up. Somehow she knew then that she hadn’t got a job. What should she do now?

As she sat on the bus, Milly’s thoughts were all over the place. Finding a job shouldn’t be hard, now that women were wanted in the munitions factories. Finding somewhere to live would be more difficult. The only place she could think of was back home, but would they want her? She shuddered. This wasn’t how she wanted to live. But there was a war on, and everybody had to make sacrifices and do their bit.

A
DA HAD DECIDED to close everything up at the end of the month.

‘I’m so sorry, Milly. What are you going to do?’

‘I expect I shall go back home.’

Ada hugged her. ‘I wish my mother had enough room for you, but her house is very small and she can be funny at times.’ She brushed away a tear. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘Please don’t worry about me. It has given me so much pleasure working here. I’ll get my belongings together.’

‘We have a week to go yet before I hand the keys back to the landlord.’

‘What about Lizzie’s furniture?’

‘I’ll get in touch with her.’

They sat in silence for a moment or two, each with their own thoughts. They remembered the laughter and sadness they had shared. Now a new chapter was beginning for both of them.

 

A week later, on Milly’s nineteenth birthday, she received two letters. One was from Lizzie wishing her a happy birthday and asking whether she would like to meet her for tea on Saturday afternoon. The other was from the hospital asking her to come and see Matron again on Monday at nine o’clock.

Milly was shaking with excitement. ‘Do you think I’ve got a job?’ she asked Ada.

‘I would think so. Oh Milly, I’m so happy for you.’

‘What should I wear?’

‘What you wore for your interview.’

Milly gave Ada Lizzie’s card to read.

‘She wants to see you on Saturday at the Lyons Corner House.’

Milly smiled. ‘She loves to go there.’

‘You’ll be able to tell her your good news.’

‘But I won’t really know for sure.’

‘I think we can safely say that it’s all right.’

‘I hope so.’

 

On Saturday Lizzie was bubbling with excitement as she sat waiting eagerly for Milly to arrive. When she caught sight of her, she jumped up and hugged her. ‘I’ve missed you so much.’

‘And I’ve missed you.’

Milly sat down. ‘Now what have you been up to?’

‘Not a lot really. What about you? Found anywhere to live?’

‘No, not yet.’

The waitress came up and took their order.

‘I told you you could come and stay with me and Daddy, we have plenty of room.’

‘I know. And it’s very kind of you, but I have to stand on my own two feet.’

‘Always Miss Independent.’

‘So what’s life like at home?’

Lizzie screwed up her nose. ‘A bit boring. Daddy’s out at meetings most evenings. This blessed war is making everyone very miserable, and so many music halls have closed down.’

Milly smiled. Although she loved Lizzie, her friend only really thought about herself. ‘What should we do about the furniture at the flat?’ she asked.

‘I’ve paid the rent till Christmas, so you can still live there till then, and hopefully you should have heard from the hospital by then.’

‘So Tom told you I went for an interview?’

‘Yes, he did. Have you got a job?’

‘I don’t know. I have got to go back and see the matron on Monday.’

‘Oh Milly, I’m so pleased.’ Lizzie jumped up and ran round to Milly’s chair and hugged her.

The people round them stopped their conversations and looked. Most of them had smiles on their faces and Milly was blushing at being the centre of attention.

The waitress put the tea and cakes on the table and Milly straightened her hat, which had been knocked askew. ‘I don’t know for sure if I have a job or not.’

‘Believe me, that matron wouldn’t call you back if it wasn’t good news.’

Milly looked at her friend. Did she know more than she was letting on? ‘Has Tom told you I’ve got the job?’

‘Yes, he has. Now come on, drink up and let’s have one of these delicious-looking cakes.’

Milly felt delighted. ‘So how’s things between you and Tom?’

‘I don’t see that much of him now. He seems to be very busy. They are getting a lot of soldiers in the hospital. I’m thinking of doing something useful to help the war effort myself.’

‘What did you have in mind?’

‘Don’t really know. I quite fancy driving a tram.’

Milly laughed. ‘Good job they’re on rails, otherwise you would be heading off with your passengers to the nearest shops.’

They laughed and giggled together until they had finished all the cakes, then Lizzie said she had to go.

As they held each other close, Milly tried hard not to shed a tear. She loved Lizzie. She was a real ray of sunshine in her life.

‘Please,’ said Lizzie. ‘Keep in touch. You have been a true friend to me.’

Milly choked back a sob. She had been called a true friend once before.

 

First thing Monday morning, Milly was waiting to see the matron. Somehow she didn’t feel so nervous. She was confident now that this was a day when her life would be taking a very different direction.

‘Come in,’ said Matron’s secretary. ‘Take a seat. Matron will be here in a moment or two. She has to do her tour of the wards and check that the nurses are all clean and proper.’

When the secretary had left, Milly looked around the room. There were many framed certificates on the wall. She remembered when she got her own certificate from Miss Dance. That was something she was very proud of and would treasure for ever.

The door opened and Matron walked in. Milly quickly stood up.