He took her arm, propelling her forwards and into the house beside him. ‘Come with me.’
Ellie didn’t argue when he guided her inside an empty room just off the hallway. She didn’t know him all that well, other than that he was a kind, caring, soft-spoken young doctor, but she trusted him. If she hadn’t, she never would have left the crowd alone with him.
‘What is it?’ she hissed.
‘Ellie, we’re leaving. I’m afraid we’re being sent into the thick of it. I just don’t know the final details yet.’
She gulped. How did he know this already? Although she was well aware the nurses would be the last to know where they were being sent.
‘Tell me what you know,’ she said quietly.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of red, white and blue paper money. She looked from the money in his palm back to his eyes, held his gaze.
‘Is that French?’ she asked, knowing in her heart that it was. Of course. Where else would they be sent? That was where they were needed. ‘When are we leaving?’
He nodded, expression solemn. She yearned for his sweet smile, for the shine in his eyes when he looked at her as they worked side by side.
‘Yes, it’s French,’ he replied. ‘I think we’ll be gone in forty-eight hours – maybe less. Then we’ll be sailing straight into the thick of it.’
Ellie ran her hands down her trousers, the fabric feeling stiff, so different from the soft, worn dresses and skirts she was used to wearing at home. She was glad he’d been the one to tell her, his gaze taking the sting out of how fearful she might have been otherwise.
‘Ellie, I don’t want you going there. It’s too dangerous.’
‘What?’ Why was he suddenly saying this now? ‘Why? I’m no different from any of the other nurses going. You don’t think I can cope with it?’ she asked angrily.
‘It’s not that, Ellie. That’s so far from the truth.’
He looked uncomfortable, breaking their gaze. She moved closer to him, touched her fingers to one of his hands.
‘What is it?’ she asked, needing him to tell her how he felt. ‘What are you trying to say?’
‘Because I care for you, Ellie. And if we weren’t here now, with all this going on . . .’
‘You never would have met me in the first place,’ she said sadly.
‘If I can find a way for you to stay, something for you to do here, would you—’
‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘I’m going, Spencer, whether you want me to or not. I can’t let you find me a different nursing job that lets me get out of my duty. And besides, I’m not staying behind and letting my friends go without me. I’ve trained hard for this.’
He took her hands, held both of them, their palms pressed together, his thumbs softly stroking her skin. ‘Please, Ellie. I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt. We’ve only known each other a short time, but I’d very much like to ask you out, properly, one day.’
‘Because you feel something for me?’ She gulped, having forced the words out. ‘You would actually want to . . .’ For once she was completely lost.
Spencer smiled down at her, closing the distance between them, his hands still covering hers as he gently pressed a kiss to her lips. His mouth was soft, breath warm, as he kissed her again, and Ellie felt her knees buckle. His arm found her waist, holding her to him as she kissed him back.
‘Yes,’ he whispered when he finally pulled away. ‘Isn’t it obvious? You’re nothing like any other girl I’ve met before.’
Ellie was speechless. She stared back at him, completely lost for words. He was like no other man she’d met either, but she’d never be able to tell him that.
‘You are, Ellie,’ he said shaking his head. When he ran his fingers through his hair it made her laugh, thinking about what she’d said to Scarlet about him losing his hair.
She smiled, her nerves disappearing. ‘I don’t believe you, not for a second.’
Echoing footsteps made Ellie jump back, but Spencer didn’t let go of her hand straight away.
‘I’m getting on that ship,’ she said, not going to let him give her orders just because he’d kissed her. ‘You can’t sweet-talk me out of going, Spencer.’
‘That’s what I was afraid of,’ he said. ‘Then again, it’s probably the reason I like you so much.’
‘Ha! My father wouldn’t believe any man saying those words.’
‘Nurse! Are you attending the film screening or not?’
Ellie sighed and finally dragged her eyes from Spencer. How had Matron managed to find her? ‘Yes, ma’am. Spencer, I mean, Doctor Black here was just instructing me about a patient’s post-surgery care. I’ll be getting along now.’
A hum of excitement ran through her as she walked quickly away from him, glancing over her shoulder one last time. He’d kissed her. Spencer had actually kissed her! And he’d talked about a proper date someday. He was so sweet, so kind, and he made her want to be a better nurse, to prove to him that he’d been right in wanting her to work alongside him.
As she skipped down the steps towards where the open-air screening was taking place, not even the thought of sailing towards a battlefield in France could ruin her good mood. She looked for Scarlet when she reached the film screening, searching the sea of uniforms to find her friend. And then she saw a soldier kneeling beside a row of nurses; the soldiers were segregated, seated to the right of the nurses, which was why he stood out.
She grinned, recognising his thick crop of dark hair as she got closer. Trust him to have found Scarlet already. She might be a hopeless romantic, but she hoped that Scarlet could simply enjoy some harmless flirting with a charming man, that it didn’t upset her again. Ellie didn’t like seeing her friend rattled, and she knew her feelings ran deep, but with any luck she would return to their tent happy after enjoying a fun night.
‘Soldier, back to your seat!’ an older officer barked.
Ellie held back her laugh and waited in the aisle for him to move. And she’d thought their matron was surly!
‘Yes, sir!’ he replied, but not before she caught the wink he gave Scarlet as he straightened and walked away.
Ellie waited and then slipped into the vacant seat beside Scarlet.
‘The handsome soldier strikes again, huh?’ she teased.
Scarlet slapped at her hand, but when Ellie grabbed hold of it she didn’t pull it away.
‘How was Spencer?’ Scarlet whispered as the movie began, the image on the white screen flickering then coming to life.
‘I’ll tell you all about it later.’ Ellie was bursting to tell her, but she wanted Scarlet to enjoy the film first. They had plenty of time to worry about where they were being sent and what it would be like, and she wasn’t about to ruin film night for anyone. From the sound of it, they were lucky it was still being screened, given the soon-to-be-delivered announcement.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Scarlet