Nightingales Under the Mistletoe (20 page)

‘I barely touched him. It's just his pride that's hurt,' Connor said, unconcerned.

Effie scowled at him over her shoulder. ‘Now you've seen me, you can go home and tell Mammy I'm perfectly well,' she said.

‘You can tell her yourself. I've booked us both on a boat back to Ireland tomorrow afternoon.'

‘What?' Effie and Kit spoke together.

‘We'll catch the first train up to London tomorrow morning,' Connor went on, ignoring them. ‘Be ready at eight o'clock.'

‘But I'm not going back to Ireland,' Effie said. ‘I've decided, my life is here now.'

‘You've decided?' Connor gave a derisive snort. ‘You can't make decisions for yourself until you're twenty-one.'

‘I am twenty-one. Well, nearly, anyway. My birthday's in two months.'

‘And I daresay in two months you'll be catching the boat back here. But until then you're coming home with me.'

Effie folded her arms across her chest. ‘You can't make me do anything.'

It was a dangerous thing to say. Even in the darkness, she could see Connor's eyes glint with the light of battle. ‘You're getting on that boat, Euphemia, if I have to pick you up and carry you on to it myself.'

He took a step towards her and Effie jumped back with a squeal. He was strong enough and just about mad enough to do it, too.

‘Now, look here—' Kit broke in. ‘You can't go round making threats to her like that.'

Connor turned slowly to face him. Kit wasn't short by any means, but Connor's powerful height seemed to dwarf him. ‘Haven't I warned you not to get involved? This is a private conversation.'

‘Stop it, both of you.' Effie stepped between the two men. ‘I'm sorry you had a wasted journey, Connor. But I've made up my mind, I'm staying here.'

‘We'll see about that.' He turned to go. ‘I'll be back for you tomorrow morning at the Nurses' Home. Be ready at eight.'

He headed off into the shadows, as quickly and as silently as he'd arrived.

‘Bloody thug!' Kit shouted after him. He made sure Connor was a safe distance away before he spoke, Effie noticed. ‘Lucky he left when he did, or there really would have been trouble.'

Yes, Effie thought. And Connor would have been the one causing it, she was sure of that.

‘Are you certain you're all right?' she asked. ‘He didn't hurt you?'

‘Nothing I couldn't give back, if he hadn't taken me by surprise.' Kit was the picture of injured pride. ‘Although perhaps we should go back to the house?' he added, looking about him nervously.

As they walked back together, Kit said, ‘Who is he, anyway?'

‘I told you, someone I knew in Ireland.'

‘A boyfriend?'

‘God, no!' Effie laughed. ‘He's a neighbour. His father owns the farm next to ours. We grew up together.'

‘What's he doing here?'

‘You heard him. He's come to fetch me home.'

‘It's a long way to come for a neighbour?' Kit observed.

Effie grimaced. ‘Believe me, Connor Cleary would travel to the ends of the earth if he thought he could aggravate me by doing it!'

It had been the same since they were kids, growing up together on neighbouring farms. Whether he was dropping worms down her back during Sunday Mass, or throwing mud at her on the way to school, Connor had made it his mission to infuriate and upset her.

‘Did you really run away from home?' Kit asked.

Effie hesitated, then nodded. ‘I had no choice,' she said. ‘My mammy would never have let me go otherwise. And I so wanted to come back to England. You can't imagine how dull Kilkenny was after being in London.' She sighed. ‘Much good it's done me. I suppose I'll have to go back to Ireland with Connor now.'

Kit frowned at her. ‘No one is going to make you do anything, darling,' he said. ‘I'll see to that.'

Effie looked at him pityingly. He was so gallant, it made her heart break for him.

‘You don't know Connor Cleary,' she said.

BY THE TIME
the following morning came round, Effie was terrified.

She left the Nurses' Home early, before Sulley's cart came to collect them all, and tramped the two miles to the hospital in the dark rather than run the risk of meeting Connor.

She was on duty on Female Medical, but spent most of her time checking her watch and looking nervously out of the windows, half expecting to see him marching up the drive like an avenging angel. She knew Connor Cleary too well to put anything past him. He was more than capable of slinging her over his shoulder and carrying her out of the ward if he felt so inclined.

‘Are we keeping you from something, Nurse O'Hara?' Sister Allen asked finally.

‘No, Sister.'

‘Only you keep looking at the time. I thought perhaps you had an urgent appointment?'

‘No, Sister.'

‘Then perhaps you'd get on with charting those samples? And stay away from the window,' Sister Allen warned.

From then on Effie tried to be more subtle about looking at her watch, and only glanced out of the window when she was hidden behind the screens, out of Sister's line of sight.

As lunchtime approached and nothing happened, Effie began to allow herself to relax. Connor wasn't coming. He'd caught the train without her, and now he was on his way back to Ireland.

And good riddance, she thought.

But even as she tried to convince herself she was safe, the dread crept in. That wasn't the way Connor went about things. Once he'd made his mind up, nothing would stop him.

Sure enough, as she left the hospital after her duty at eight o'clock that evening, he was waiting for her by the gates. Effie had spent so long dreading his appearance, it was almost a relief to finally see him.

He was standing by the cart, chatting to Sulley and patting Delilah as if they were old friends. The nurses waiting in the back of the cart were craning their necks, watching with interest.

Effie didn't blame them. With his height and lean muscled body, Connor Cleary could seem quite attractive, if you didn't know him the way she did.

She squared her shoulders and forced herself to walk towards the cart, feigning a lack of concern. He was so deep in conversation with Sulley, she didn't think he'd noticed her at first. But as she went to move past him, he suddenly said, ‘You didn't turn up.'

Effie stopped. ‘Did you really expect me to?'

‘I suppose not.' He shrugged.

‘Well, then.'

Effie started to climb on to the cart, but Sulley shook his head and said, ‘Your brother says he's walking you back to the Nurses' Home.'

‘My brother?' Effie turned to Connor as Sulley jingled the reins and headed off.

Connor gave her an infuriating wink. ‘I had to tell him something. Besides, we're practically family, aren't we?'

Effie sent him a scathing look. They might be physically alike, both tall, black-haired and blue-eyed, but as far as Effie was concerned, that was where any similarity ended. ‘Just because my sister married one of your cousins doesn't make us flesh and blood.'

‘Thank God!'

‘At least we agree on something.'

Effie set off down the lane, intent on leaving him behind. But Connor's long strides caught up with her easily.

‘I waited for you,' he said. ‘I called at the Nurses' Home this morning, like we agreed.'

‘I didn't agree to anything,' Effie reminded him, still looking ahead of her. ‘And you shouldn't have called at the Nurses' Home,' she added. ‘Now I expect I'll be in trouble with Miss Carrington.'

‘Is that the old biddy who runs the place? Aye, she didn't seem too pleased, to be honest with you.'

Effie turned on him. ‘You have no right to come here and spoil everything.'

‘And you had no right to go breaking your mother's heart!' he shot back.

Guilt lanced her, and she turned and started walking again. ‘I didn't meant to upset her,' Effie said over her shoulder. ‘But I wouldn't have had to run away if everyone had listened to me and let me do what I wanted in the first place.'

‘Oh, yes, because you're so capable of looking after yourself, aren't you, Euphemia?' Connor mocked. ‘You've got such a level head on your shoulders, you'd never get into any trouble.'

‘I know how to look after myself. I lived in London for two years, didn't I?'

‘And if last night was anything to go by, we can all see what good that did you!'

She stopped again, so abruptly Connor almost slammed into her. ‘What do you mean by that?'

Connor flicked his curly hair off his face, fluttered his eyelashes and mimicked her in a breathy voice, ‘Ooh, Kit, stop … don't …'

Scalding colour flooded her face. ‘You were listening to me! How long were you standing there?' she demanded.

‘Long enough.'

‘That is not what I sound like,' she said huffily.

‘Yes, it is. And if I'd waited another minute you would have had your knickers off.'

Effie gasped as if he'd struck her. ‘How dare you!'

‘I'm only trying to talk some sense into you. You're out of your depth with him, Effie.'

‘You know nothing about him.'

‘I know his kind. And he's not the sort you should be getting involved with. You're so easily flattered, you can't see what men like him are really after. And once he's had it he won't want to know you. The next thing we know you'll be coming back to Kilkenny six months gone and no sign of the father!'

‘Connor Cleary! How dare you speak to me like that!'

‘Someone's got to talk some sense into you. You seem to have lost any that the Good Lord gave you, that's for sure.'

‘Oh, and you're so wise, aren't you? What do you know about the world? At least I've seen a bit of it. The furthest you've ever been is Cork!'

‘I'm here now, aren't I? It doesn't take a lot of sense to get on a ferry.'

‘Then why don't you do us all a favour and get one home?'

He folded his arms across his powerful chest. ‘I promised your mother, I'm not going anywhere unless you go with me.'

‘You'll be here a long time, then.'

‘That's what I thought,' he said.

She narrowed her eyes. ‘What do you mean?'

‘I had a feeling you'd decided to be stubborn as usual, so today I went and found myself a job, right here in Billinghurst.'

She felt the blood drain from her face. ‘You didn't?'

Connor nodded. He looked so pleased with himself, it was all she could do not to slap him. ‘I don't know if you've heard this but they're crying out for strapping lads like me, since everyone joined up. And you'll never guess where I'm working?'

She didn't trust the glint in his blue eyes one bit. ‘Where?' she asked cautiously.

‘At the hospital. I'm going to be working as an orderly, so I'll be able to keep an eye on you,' he grinned.

Effie glared at him. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her riled, she decided. ‘I don't care,' she declared, turning away. ‘It's a free country, you can stay as long as you like. You'll get bored with it before I do.'

Connor smiled maddeningly. ‘We'll see, shall we?' he said.

ON NEW YEAR'S
Eve, Jess decided to pay a visit to Sarah Newland. Daisy Maynard gave her the address.

‘But I don't think you should go,' she advised. ‘You saw what she was like at the WVS sale. She's trouble.'

‘From what I saw, she wasn't the one making the trouble,' Jess replied. ‘Besides, I make up my own mind about people, thanks very much. I don't need the likes of Mrs Huntley-Osborne and her cronies telling me what to think.'

‘Please yourself.' Daisy shrugged. ‘But don't blame me if you don't receive a warm welcome. That girl's got a temper to match her red hair!'

Sarah Newland lived in a drab one-roomed cottage on the far side of the village. Daisy's warning was on Jess's mind as she walked up to the front door and knocked. Perhaps she shouldn't have come? It wasn't like her. She preferred to mind her own business, and leave other people to get on with theirs. But at the same time, there was something about Sarah that intrigued her. She couldn't forget the image of the girl, proud and defiant as the other women circled her like a pack of hyenas.

It took a long time for Sarah to open the door. She looked tired, her red hair hanging limply around her freckled face.

She frowned when she saw Jess. ‘Yes?'

Her abrupt manner took Jess aback. She cleared her throat. ‘I'm Jess,' she said. ‘We met—'

‘The girl from the village hall,' Sarah finished for her sharply. ‘I remember you. What do you want?'

‘To give you this.' She took the matinee jacket out of her bag and handed it to the girl. Sarah glared at it, then back at Jess.

‘I told you, I don't want anyone's charity.'

‘And I ain't offering any,' Jess snapped back. Sarah's rudeness was starting to grate on her. ‘But I bought it and it's no use to me, so if you don't want it I'll just give it away to someone else.'

Sarah's eyes fixed longingly on the jacket.

‘Wait a minute,' she said, and disappeared inside the house, leaving the door ajar. Jess stepped inside, out of the cold.

The cottage was spotlessly clean and tidy, but rundown and reeking of damp. Ominous patches of dark mould blossomed along the skirting board. There was a bed in one corner, and an ancient stove and sink in the other. The only other pieces of furniture were a big scrubbed table and some chairs in the centre of the room, and a single armchair by the empty grate.

Sarah returned with her purse. ‘Sixpence, wasn't it?' she said.

‘That's right.' Jess watched her carefully counting out the farthings and halfpennies into her hand. She could see the girl could barely afford it and was tempted to ask for less, but she knew Sarah would never accept the jacket if she did.