A Nurse's Duty by Maggie Hope Read Free Book Online

Mitchell answered, turning her back.
    ‘An’ don’t forget what I said,’ Dave called after her.
    Walking back along the rows Karen felt the excitement rising in her. She could train as a nurse and still marry Dave. Why shouldn’t she? If Dave didn’t object to her being away in Newcastle for most of the time then that was the important thing. She would write a letter accepting the offer of a place as soon as she got home.
    ‘It’s not right, our Karen,’ Da said sternly that evening. ‘It’s a lie and lies never do any good.’
    She listened respectfully, just as the family always listened to Da, but she did not change her mind even though her father stated his views on the subject of lying every day during the following week.
    ‘I’ve hardly had time to breathe,’ commented Karen. It was her wedding day and she stood before the tiny mirror in the bedroom as Kezia combed her hair and pinned it on top of her head, curling strands round her finger and pulling them into place on Karen’s brow.
    ‘You’ll be fine as soon as you get the ring on your finger,’ Kezia reassured her. ‘Why, I thought the time would never get around to three o’clock the day me and Luke got wed. Everyone feels like that.’
    But I don’t feel like that, Karen thought, though she didn’t say it. What she felt was that time was galloping on and soon there would be no turning back for her.
    ‘Are you sure you’re doing the right thing, our Karen?’
    Kezia’s words made Karen give her a startled glance. It was as if her sister had read her thoughts.
    ‘I mean, going off to Newcastle next month. I know you’ve got your heart set on nursing but –’
    ‘I’m going,’ said Karen.
    Kezia took up the red roses she had picked that morning from Luke’s garden to twine in Karen’s hair. She was silent for a few minutes, her mouth full of hairpins, but eventually the task was finished to her satisfaction and she stood back, taking the last pin from between her lips.
    ‘There, what do you think of that?’
    Karen gazed critically at her image in the glass. The roses did look nice, she decided, and at least they provided some colour. With her dark hair and eyes above the simple white linen dress, she needed colour. She’d lain awake for most of the night, that was the trouble; she had dark shadows under her eyes and her cheeks were paler than usual. She pinched them between her thumbs and forefingers, bringing a faint rosy glow to the white skin.
    ‘Well,’ she grinned and turned to her sister, ‘at least the roses are bonny, that’s something.’
    ‘Oh, go on, our Karen,’ retorted Kezia.
    ‘Karen! It’s ten to three, it’s time we were going to Chapel.’
    Unaccountably, she began to tremble and her eyes darkened as she stared at Kezia, unable to answer her father.
    ‘We’re coming now, Da,’ Kezia called, and took a firm hold of Karen’s arm. ‘Howay, man,’ she whispered urgently. ‘You’re not going to change your mind and show us all up now, are you?’
    Taking hold of herself, Karen smiled at her sister and they walked down the stairs.
    ‘You look grand, lass,’ said Da, beaming at her, and Karen understood that for today at least nothing would be said about her insisting on going off to Newcastle to train as a nurse. Da was declaring a truce.
    It was only a few steps to the Chapel and Karen took her father’s arm. They led the way, with her mother, grandmother, Kezia and her husband Luke following on. The row was quiet for most of the neighbours were already in their seats but the Minister, not Mr Richardson but a new Junior Minister, was waiting at the door to signal to Mrs Plews, the organist. There was a nerve-racking moment while the others of the family took their seats before ‘Here Comes The Bride’ rang out, embellished by only one or two wrong notes. Abstractedly Karen thought it was very good for Mrs Plews, whose fingers were becoming stiff with arthritis. Then they were walking down the