Chapter 1
Tilly’s home was in the School House in Whippingham, Isle of Wight, which she shared with her sister, Dot Truscott, her guardian, Amelia Clarence, and her brother, Ronnie Truscott.
It had been a huge change for Tilly and Ronnie, but, now, here they were, thirteen years later and a new phase of their lives was about to begin.
Tilly was to train to become a nurse at the Royal County Hospital and live in.
Ronnie, though, would remain living with Dot and Amelia in the schoolhouse until he had finished his apprenticeship with Saunders-Roe, the highly respected shipbuilding and aeronautical engineering company in East Cowes.
It was the first time they had been separated since they were born and they both felt an acute sense of loss, as if a limb had been severed.
They had shared everything together and now they must go their separate ways.
It was a strange situation for them both, as they always felt as if they had two homes, one in Whippingham, Isle of Wight and one in their ancestral home of Micklewell in Hampshire.
The day of Tilly’s departure had arrived and she waited at the bus stop with Ronnie.
Dot and Amelia were both teaching and not able to leave their posts to wave Tilly off.
But her dear Ronnie was there, and she was so pleased she had his company and didn’t have to set out on this important first step towards independence completely on her own.
‘You look just the ticket, Tilly,’ Ronnie said.
‘I must admit that I find it difficult to picture you in a uniform toeing the line to Matron. Write and tell me if what they say about matrons is true. Whether they are all dragons. And if the rumours about nurses being all too ready to further their knowledge of the male body is to be believed? You be careful too, mind. Apparently, those junior doctors are renowned for taking liberties with all those attractive nurses around them ready to oblige.’
‘Ronnie! I thought better of you,’ Tilly exclaimed, pretending to be shocked.
She had heard the rumours too and she wasn’t averse to finding out the truth of them herself.
She was actually looking forward to meeting an educated man who knew a bit about the female body and the way it worked.
Someone with a bit of sensitivity and a delicate touch.
Not like those fumbling teenage boys who tried to grab her behind the school bike shed.
She smiled to herself as she thought about Ronnie’s comments about her appearance.
She was pleased with the way she looked this morning and noted that she had turned a few heads on their walk to the bus stop.
She had selected the smartest dress she owned, mid-calf length, pale blue with a neat collar, gathered shoulder panels and a belted waist. Plain but elegant in order to avoid the stern eye of any matron, but nonetheless flattering to her petite figure.
She had made the right choice. The colour suited her and complemented her auburn hair.
She had taken time over her make-up so that it wasn’t too bold, but subtle.
Her pancake foundation gave her a good colour and the pale blue eyeshadow beneath her neatly arched eyebrows accentuated her wide blue eyes.
She was lucky enough to have long eyelashes, and didn’t need the gooey lash lengthener that had become popular and which you had to spit into to make useable.
She tucked her unruly hair under her hat and stood tall, ready to take her first step into the world of work.
As the bus approached, she turned to embrace Ronnie and kiss him goodbye.
‘Good luck with your first day, Ronnie,’ she said. ‘It won’t be long before we’re together again at the School House. Write to me.’
Tilly deliberately sat in the back seat of the bus so that she could wave at Ronnie. As his lonely figure disappeared into the distance, she felt a lurch in her stomach. His last words echoed in her ears and a smile seeped onto her lips, challenging the tears that threatened to moisten her eyes.
‘Try not to get into too much trouble on your first day, sis.’