The Ambulance Girl by Tania Crosse

Author:Tania Crosse [Crosse, Tania]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JOFFE romance, sagas and mysteries
Published: 2020-02-03T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

‘Climb aboard then, chaps,’ the giant of a woman invited them cheerily. ‘Been cleaned out this morning, of course. First duty of the day, and we wouldn’t want to throw you in at the deep end with a dirty ambulance, would we, what? Hear you had a damned filthy crossing. If any of you think you still might be sick, you’ll find kidney bowls in the back. Pile in, then.’

She held open the back of the ambulance with a confident, welcoming grin. Since her companions appeared to hesitate, Marianne took the initiative and dived under the woman’s arm. If it hadn’t been for the fact that she was in FANY uniform and, close up, her skin was smooth and hairless, Marianne felt anyone could be forgiven for thinking it was a man. She must have been six foot tall with shoulders to match and a deep, masculine voice.

Inside the ambulance, they were plunged into gloom. Marianne shuffled along, negotiating the runners, top and bottom on each side, that she knew from her training took the stretchers. The smell of disinfectant was overpowering, and it wasn’t so dark that she couldn’t make out the stains on the floor. Blood and God knew what else, she realized with a gulp. But this was what she had come for. What the months of training had been about.

‘Righto, everyone?’ the big woman boomed, although Marianne couldn’t imagine anyone daring to reply in the negative. ‘I’m Captain Lansdowne, by the way. But everyone calls me Tanky. Built like one, don’t you know. God knows what Pater would think of such a nickname. Baronet, you see. Doesn’t hold with my being out here, but good old Mac persuaded him otherwise. Anyway, hang onto your hats. The old Sizzley-Beastey’s a devil to drive. Has a revolving gearbox. Any of you come across one of those before? Haven’t got to go far, mind. Might just take a minute to start her up.’ With that, she disappeared and Marianne had to peer into the gloom to make out the shapes of her fellow troopers.

‘Heavens, she’s a one.’ Marianne recognized the voice of Phyllis Harcourt from the opposite side.

‘Bet you can rely on her in a crisis, though,’ Marianne commented. ‘Steady as a rock, I should think.’

‘Does that make her Lady Lansdowne, do you think?’ Lucy Ainsworth asked in total awe.

‘Get used to it, Lucy,’ Phyllis chastized her mildly. ‘A lot of the FANY are from the aristocracy.’ And then, ‘Oh, Lordy Love, can anyone find one of those bowls? I think I’m going to be sick again. I never want to go on another ship in my life.’

‘You still look green. At least you did when I could still see you. Here.’ Just in time, Marianne shoved a bowl under Phyllis’s chin. ‘You’ll have to, to get home,’ she sympathized. ‘Go on a ship, I mean. I think I was too scared of being torpedoed by a U-boat to feel sick. I think I could face anything but drowning.

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