The Nightingale Girls - By Donna Douglas Page 0,106

her. I suppose she was just annoyed she hadn’t been invited.’ Amy shovelled a forkful of food into her mouth. ‘And she was supposed to be Gibson’s friend. The rest of us never wanted anything to do with Tremayne because she was such a swot, but Gibson was always nice to her.’

Millie considered for a moment. ‘I can’t believe she’d do something like that.’

‘Can’t you? I can.’ Amy pointed her fork at Millie. ‘Ask anyone here. They’ll tell you Helen Tremayne is not to be trusted.’

Chapter Thirty-Three

HELEN SAT BLEARY-EYED behind her cramped desk, fighting sleep as Sister Parker described the anatomy of the colon. Night duty or not, all students were expected to attend lectures one day a week. But it was difficult to stay awake in the stuffy, airless classroom, with Sister Tutor’s voice droning on, punctuated only by the squeak of her chalk across the blackboard. Helen had to keep pinching the back of her hand to make sure she didn’t nod off.

Finally the lecture finished, and she escaped into the fresh air. After days of slate-grey skies the rain had finally cleared and spring sunshine had emerged, glinting in the puddles and making the rooftops shine. The patch of grass in front of the students’ block was fresh and green, studded with purple and white crocuses and yellow daffodils.

As she crossed the courtyard on her way back from her lecture, she noticed Millie sitting on the bench under the trees. Helen saw her pale, sombre face and smiled to herself, wondering if she was suffering from the after-effects of her night’s drinking. Even though she hadn’t been amused at the time, the thought of Millie wedged under Mrs Mortimer’s bed, only inches from the Night Sister’s shoes, had made Helen laugh all day. She wished she could be like her, so confident and fearless and always ready to take risks.

Millie caught her eye and waved her over.

‘I’ve been waiting for you,’ she said.

‘Me?’ Helen was surprised. ‘Why? Is everything all right?’

She could see immediately that it wasn’t. For once Millie wasn’t smiling. Her pretty face was tense, brows knotted under her starched cap.

‘Was it you who reported me to Matron?’ she asked. ‘No, don’t tell me, I know it must have been you.’ Millie looked up at her, her blue eyes full of reproach. ‘Why did you do it? I thought we were friends?’

Helen stared at her in confusion. ‘Why would I report you? You’re always coming in late and I’ve never said anything before, have I?’

‘I’ve never been out with your brother before.’

Helen felt her stomach lurch. ‘You were with William?’

‘Don’t pretend you don’t know!’ Millie stood up to face her. ‘I know you told him not to have anything to do with me. Is that why you reported me? Because you wanted to keep us apart?’ Her blue eyes were cold. ‘I don’t know why you didn’t want us to be together, but this was a nasty way of going about it. You could have got me thrown out of the hospital. Is that what you really wanted?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. I told you I didn’t report you. I wouldn’t do something like that to you.’

‘You did it to Peggy Gibson.’

Helen felt the blood drain out of her face. ‘Who told you about her?’

‘Does it matter? It’s true, isn’t it? I didn’t want to believe it, but I can see it in your face. You got her thrown out.’

‘It wasn’t like that,’ Helen said quietly.

‘Then what was it like?’

Helen looked into Benedict’s face. She wished she could tell her, make her understand. It would have been so nice just for once to stop everyone hating her so much. But she had sworn to Peggy that she would never tell.

Millie shook her head. ‘And to think I actually liked you. No wonder no one else does, if that’s the way you treat people.’ She looked more disappointed than angry. ‘Well, you’ve just lost another friend. Although I don’t suppose you really care, do you?’

Helen watched her walk away across the courtyard. You’re wrong, she thought. I do care.

Millie was counting the dirty sheets and towels before they went off to the laundry the following day when she was summoned back to the ward for Mr Cooper’s round.

She had been hoping to avoid William. But as she joined the other nurses at the doors of the ward to greet the consultant, she saw him trailing along with the other registrars, housemen and students behind