Silver Linings (26 page)

‘And,’ Kitty tentatively interrupted, ‘what are our wishes and needs?’

‘Oh, lassie, we have to say good riddance to the unjust class system – it stifles the working class. We will all hae a vote in the election and then Churchill will discover that we havnae forgotten the brutal part that he played in the 1926 General Strike when he ground the Dockers, Miners and the TUC into submission. You see, lassie, he doesn’t want his world of privilege to change and for that to happen he would have to keep us, the working class, in our place. And what we want, and will get, is social reform.’

‘Social reform?’ Kitty mumbled.

‘Aye, like your dad just said … seeing the Welfare State and the National Health Service being brought in. You are too young to remember the unemployment, poverty and deprivation of the 1930s – believe me it was horrendous. So what is so wrong in us wanting an end to all of that?’

Kitty could only reply, ‘Nothing.’

‘And as your dad is one of the best and most knowledgeable shop stewards that I have ever done business with, he would be an asset to the team that will see Beveridge’s social reforms implemented.’

‘And do you think that Westminster will be so hard up for members that they will be willing to take me, a one-armed disabled man?’

‘Don’t see why not. After all, before the war their numbers were made up with some that definitely had no heart and others whose brains were befuddled with booze.’

Johnny laughed. ‘Be reasonable, as I’ve already said I’m not clever enough for that.’

The enthusiasm that oozed from Jock now inspired Kitty. Looking at her father she could see what Bobby had pointed out to her – that her dad was clever, self-educated, motivated and passionate. There was something worthwhile about him. He was a man who had never really had a chance to reach his potential. By standing for parliament it would not only be a thing he could do really well but would also give him a reason to live his life to the full. After all, hadn’t he always more than looked after the men he represented – the workers?’

‘Dad,’ she faltered, ‘all these doubts that you are having just now I had before I came into this hospital to train as a nurse. I thought that even although I wished to nurse people, restore them to good health, that it was an over-ambitious dream from someone from my background. Then on the day I found out you were going to marry Connie I was incensed and as I was going up Restalrig Road I met Joan Fowler, the midwife who ended up delivering your daughter, Jackie. She took me into her house, sat me down with a cup of tea and a slice of toast and she then persuaded me that I was smart enough to be a nurse and if I didn’t go and apply to be trained here, in Leith Hospital, it would be something I would regret for the rest of my life. So you see, Dad, after this war we will need good men like you who have a vision of a brighter future for everybody in this country. So stop feeling sorry for yourself. All right, you have lost half an arm, but would you like to see in the future that some other poor bloke suffers an injury, like yours, and he is flung on to the scrap heap and his wife and children are then sentenced to a life of poverty and deprivation?’

Johnny shook his head.

‘So you see I could be qualifying …’ Kitty suddenly remembered something. Her eyes bulged and she started to run from the ward but as she did so she called back, ‘and you could be taking your seat in the House of Commons all in two, well maybe three, years’ time.’

‘Where’s she away to?’ Jock asked Johnny.

‘I think to get herself on duty right away. See there’s the late-shift nurses coming on to this ward.’

The sound of Kitty knocking on the Matron’s door was still reverberating when a stern voice called out, ‘Enter.’

Kitty did as she was bid, but instead of standing with her hands submissively behind her back, she slid her right hand over the Matron’s desk to pick up her resignation letter.

Neither the Matron nor Kitty said a word. Matron, however, did bend down to fish out a receptacle from under her desk. Still without a single sound passing between the two women, Kitty tore the envelope and its contents into shreds. There was nothing else to do now except drop the tatters into the waste-paper basket that the Matron was holding out towards her.

Also by Millie Gray

CRYSTAL’S SONG

IN A CLASS OF THEIR OWN

IN A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN

EIGHTEEN COUPER STREET

THE TANGLING OF THE WEB

WHEN SORRY IS NOT ENOUGH

First published 2015

by Black & White Publishing Ltd

29 Ocean Drive, Edinburgh EH6 6JL

www.blackandwhitepublishing.com

This electronic edition published in 2015

ISBN: 978 1 78530 025 7 in EPub format

ISBN: 978 1 84502 997 5 in paperback format

Copyright © Millie Gray 2015

The right of Millie Gray to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publisher.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Ebook compilation by RefineCatch Ltd, Bungay