In Love and War (28 page)

It came as a shock one morning to find Nurse Bosmans in the bathroom, bathing her swollen eyes with cold water. She looked up, startled by Elsie's sudden appearance, and turned her head away.

‘I'm sorry,' Elsie murmured. ‘I didn't know anyone was in here. You didn't lock the door.'

‘There is no lock.' Nurse Bosmans seized a towel and dried her eyes. ‘We can't risk patients locking themselves in.'

‘Are you all right?' Elsie asked anxiously. ‘I don't mean to pry, but you seem upset.'

‘I'm fine.'

Elsie shook her head. ‘That's not true, is it?'

‘I just need a few moments.' Nurse Bosmans' mouth drooped at the corners and her eyes filled with tears. ‘I had some bad news. Please go away.'

‘I can't leave you like this.' Elsie took her by the shoulders and guided her towards a chair. ‘Sit down for a moment.'

‘I'll be all right. I just need to compose myself.'

‘Would it help to tell me about it? Sometimes it's easier to talk to someone you hardly know.'

‘My fiancé was fighting with the French army . . .'

‘The Somme?'

Nurse Bosmans nodded, burying her face in her hands with a muffled sob.

‘I am so sorry.' Elsie stood awkwardly, not knowing whether to give the young woman a hug or to leave her to her grief. At home it would have been much simpler; she would have rushed to the kitchen and made her a cup of strong, sweet tea. What did foreigners do in such circumstances? She followed her instincts and gave the starchy nurse a cuddle, holding her and allowing her to cry on her shoulder.

‘Nurse Bosmans.' The ward sister's voice echoed off the tiled walls.

‘Stay there.' Elsie moved swiftly to the door, opened it and stepped outside coming face to face with the ward sister. ‘If you're looking for Nurse Bosmans I believe she went to the dispensary to collect some medicine for my friend.'

‘Tell her to come and see me when she returns.' The senior nurse strode off, leaving Elsie with the distinct impression that Nurse Bosmans would receive little sympathy from that quarter. No wonder the poor thing was hiding away in the patients' bathroom. She went back inside and closed the door. ‘I suppose you heard?'

Nurse Bosmans nodded. She sniffed and wiped her eyes on the towel. ‘Thank you.'

‘You ought not to be working,' Elsie said sternly. ‘You need some time to yourself.'

‘That's impossible. We're short-staffed as it is, and my patients come first.' She folded the towel neatly and hung it on the rail. ‘I must get back to work.'

Elsie took her hand in a firm clasp. ‘You're a brave woman, Nurse Bosmans.'

‘Axelle,' she said, smiling shyly. ‘My name is Axelle.'

‘That's lovely. I'm . . .' Elsie just managed to stop herself blurting out her real name. ‘I'm Lotte.'

Axelle held her finger to her lips. ‘It's best that I know nothing about you or the man you brought into my care. Tomorrow you will be moving on. I don't know any more than that, but I'm telling you so that you are prepared.'

‘You don't know where we're going?'

‘It's safer that way. We are told only what we need to know.' Axelle stood up, peering into the mirror above the washbasin. ‘I'll report to Sister now. She'll know that something is wrong but she won't enquire. We are not allowed to have private lives or feelings of our own. That is how it has to be.' She turned to Elsie, holding out her hand. ‘I will probably be sent to another ward, so I won't see you before you leave. Good luck, Lotte.'

Elsie held the small, work-worn hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. ‘Thank you for everything you've done for my friend. I'm very sorry about your fiancé.'

Axelle bit her lip and her eyes brimmed with tears but she brushed them away. ‘Goodbye.' She fled from the room and Elsie stood silently, listening to the patter of Axelle's feet on the flagstone floor. She realised now that she had misjudged her completely: she had made assumptions that were wrong, and she was ashamed. These people were risking their lives by hiding and treating fugitives. She and Guy owed them a debt of gratitude that could never be repaid. She walked slowly back to his room and took her place at his bedside.

He opened his eyes, as if sensing her presence, and he attempted a smile. ‘I thought I'd been dreaming and that you weren't really here at all.'

She took his hand and held it to her cheek. ‘I am here, and I'm not going to leave you, Guy. We'll see this through together.' She held his hand until she was sure that he was asleep, and only then was she able to relax and allow herself to drift off.

She was dreaming of home. She was a child again, living in Tan Cottage, and Ma was on her way back from working at the manor house. Soon she would walk up the garden path with a basket of leftovers from the manor kitchens. She was about to get up and go to the window to see if Ma had arrived, but someone was shaking her by the shoulder. She opened her eyes. ‘Ma? Is that you?'

‘It's Axelle.' The familiar voice was close to her ear. ‘There's a change of plan. You have to leave right away.'

ELSIE WAS SUDDENLY
wide awake and her heart was racing. She could tell by the urgency in Axelle's voice that the danger was real, and an orderly was leaning over Guy, waking him gently. A wheelchair stood beside the bed.

‘What's happening? Where are we going?' Elsie demanded anxiously. ‘He's too ill to be moved.'

‘Shh.' Axelle leaned closer. ‘There is a German inspection in progress. They do this periodically and they descend upon us without warning. You must be quiet and leave the rest to those who know what they're doing.' She thrust a parcel into Elsie's hands. ‘Medicine and dressings. Now go, and good luck.' She whisked out of the room before Elsie had a chance to thank her.

The orderly lifted Guy into the wheelchair, covering him with a blanket. Elsie shrugged on her jacket and scooped up Guy's uniform, hurrying after them as the orderly set off at a brisk pace. Negotiating the narrow corridors was like making their way through a rabbit warren, and Elsie had to run in order to keep up, but the smallest sound made her glance nervously over her shoulder to see if they were being followed. The orderly took them through the silent kitchens and outside into the darkness of the back yard. The chill of the night took Elsie's breath away but she wrapped her jacket closer around her body and quickened her pace as they skirted the building, heading for a gateway which led into a service alley. They were in almost total darkness; the only sound was the soft thud of their footsteps and the crunch of the wheelchair's rubber tyres on the gravel as they sped along narrow streets. Windows were shuttered and the street lamps were unlit. She had the eerie feeling that they were the only three people left in a deserted city and the rest of the population had fled.

Eventually, just as Elsie was beginning to tire, they emerged from the back streets into a wide square and the clouds parted, allowing the moon to cast its silvery light on what appeared to be a more prosperous part of the city. Large houses, outlined against the night sky, sat solidly behind iron railings that glinted with frost. The orderly stopped outside the grandest of these and opened the wrought-iron gates. He motioned Elsie to follow him as he pushed the wheelchair across the courtyard, and for a moment she thought he was going to knock on the front door, but then she realised that he was making for the rear of the building.

A figure emerged from the deep shadows as they crossed the stable yard. It was too dark to see her face, but it was a woman who took the wheelchair from the orderly and with a brief word sent him on his way. Elsie opened her mouth to thank him, but he had already disappeared into the gloom.

‘Come with me.' The woman spoke in English with only the slightest trace of an accent. She pushed the wheelchair towards the stable block. ‘Close the door,' she said when they were safely inside. ‘I'll light a lamp.'

Elsie did as she was told and for a few seconds they were plunged into darkness. A scraping sound followed by a flash of light and the smell of sulphur was succeeded by the warm glow from a paraffin lamp. A whicker from one of the stalls made their new host turn to give the horse a comforting pat on the neck. ‘It's all right, boy. They're friends.' She regarded Elsie with a hint of a smile. ‘I am known simply as the baroness, and I am going to look after you until your friend is well enough to be moved on.'

Guy's head lolled to the side and Elsie leaned over him in alarm. ‘Are you in pain, Guy?' She laid her hand on his forehead, uttering a sigh of relief. ‘He's not feverish.'

‘He's drugged,' the baroness said in a matter-of-fact voice, as if having guests in such a state was an everyday occurrence. ‘It is for the best.' She hung the lamp on a hook, wiped her hand on her baggy skirt and held it out to Elsie. ‘You are welcome, and you will be safe here until we can get you across the border into Holland.' She glanced round the stable with a shrug of her broad shoulders. ‘It is basic, but we will make you as comfortable as possible.'

Elsie found herself slightly in awe of this imposing woman, who even in her shapeless garments, with her grey hair confined in two long plaits, was quite obviously someone of importance. ‘We are very grateful, madame, and greatly in your debt.'

‘Nonsense. We all do what we can to help our allies.' She indicated the next stall with a wave of her hand. ‘A bed has been made up in there for the young man, and in the next one there is all you need for now. I'll leave you to get some rest and I'll be back first thing. I'll have to lock you in because you mustn't been seen outside these walls.'

‘I understand.'

‘In the morning we will see what can be done for your friend.' The baroness rolled up her sleeves. ‘But first I'll help you get the poor boy out of that contraption, and then I'll leave you to tend to him. Nursing the sick isn't my forte, unless it's horses or dogs, and then I know what I'm doing.' She looked Elsie up and down with a critical eye. ‘You're probably stronger than you look. Let's see if we can get him to bed without doing irreparable harm. Heave ho.'

Together they managed to ease Guy from the chair and laid him down on the straw-filled palliasse. He groaned but did not awaken from his drugged stupor, and for that Elsie was grateful. ‘Thank you, once again, madame.'

‘Get some rest, my dear. You'll need all your strength in the coming days. You've still got a long road ahead of you, but La Dame Blanche will do its best to get you home safely.' She left, locking the stable door behind her.

Having made Guy comfortable, Elsie went to the next stall and lay down, although she did not expect to get much sleep in such strange surroundings. The horse shifted about in his stall and the stable smelled strongly of urine and damp straw. It was a stark contrast to the clinically clean atmosphere in the hospital.

She awakened next morning to find sunlight filtering through the windowpanes. Her first thought was for Guy and she struggled to her feet, stumbling over her long skirts in her hurry to reach him. He lay very still and for a terrifying moment she thought that he had stopped breathing. She threw herself down on her knees at his side and seized his wrist, feeling for a pulse as she had seen Nurse Bosmans do on numerous occasions. The steady throbbing of blood through his veins reassured her and she sat back on her haunches. ‘You gave me a fright,' she murmured.

He opened his eyes, blinking dazedly. ‘Elsie.'

‘Yes, it's me.'

He sniffed the air. ‘I can smell horses.'

‘We're in a stable,' she said, chuckling. ‘I don't know where we are exactly, but the hospital orderly brought us here last night because the Germans were doing a spot inspection at the hospital.'

‘But why are we in a stable?'

Elsie turned her head at the sound of the door being unlocked and opened. ‘I think we're about to find out.' She stood up as their new host entered, carrying a tray of food. In daylight she could see that her first impressions of the baroness had been correct. This was a woman used to giving orders and having them obeyed. ‘Good morning, madame,' Elsie said, shaking out her skirts.

‘Good morning. I hope you slept well.'

‘Yes, thank you.'

‘I've brought you some coffee and rolls. I'm afraid there's no butter or jam, but food is scarce these days.'

‘We're very grateful for anything, madame.'

‘How is the patient?'

‘I'm able to speak for myself.' Guy raised himself on one elbow. ‘May I know who you are, madame?'

‘I am the baroness, and my job is to see you and your companion on your way to the Dutch border.'

‘We're very grateful that someone of your standing would want to risk everything by helping us,' Elsie said earnestly.

A grim smile hovered about the baroness's lips. ‘I am extremely unimportant these days. A title is more of a hindrance than a help, but fortunately the German official in charge of this area is easily impressed, and it does carry a little weight with him at least.' She set the tray down on a bale of hay. ‘Eat your breakfast. I will return later and answer any questions you may have. There is a pump in the yard and an outside lavatory. I suggest you make use of them now. I trust my servants, but there are things it is best for them not to know.'

Elsie waited until the baroness had left them before sitting down to share the meal with Guy. He sipped the strong black ersatz coffee without complaint and managed to eat some of the bread. He pulled a face. ‘What I wouldn't give for a dollop of butter and some Cooper's Oxford Marmalade.'

‘You're feeling better. I'm so glad.' Elsie reached out to cover his hand with hers. ‘I thought I'd lost you.'

His eyes darkened. ‘Would you care very much?'