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Lily

For the second time that day Julia Nicholls found herself in the Matron's cavernous office staring at her boots through her entwined fingers. She wasn't afraid. She'd resolved that she was almost certainly getting thrown out anyway, so she might as well be cheeky and have bit of fun.

There was total silence except the tick of the watch pinned to her chest.

'I trust you remember what I said to you earlier Lady Nicholls?' the Matron intoned in a voice like January frost. Julia picked at her nails and shuffled her feet to give herself the appearance of nerves. Lady, she suddenly thought Not Nurse...

'Yes Matron.'

'And yet you still offer no reasonable explanation for your disgraceful behaviour?'

'No Matron.'

'You remember the oath you took upon becoming a nurse and the contract you signed upon being employed into this hospital?'

'Yes Matron.'

'The how many times am I going to have to warn you, you foolish girl!' Cried the Matron, springing up from behind her desk and fixing Julia with a death glare.

Julia was taken aback by the Matron's fury, she reeled back slightly in shock. 'I... I wasn't thinking I suppose...' she mumbled pathetically.

'Clearly Not!' the Matron snapped. 'You have seriously jeopardized your position at this hospital, destroyed any trust we may have placed in you and damaged your nursing career as a whole.'

'But Matron...' She said realising that she might actually be able to cling onto her job.

'Obviously the hospital cannot condone such behaviour, and as an employee of the hospital I must take the responsibility...'

'Matron I need to explain...'

'I must say you are extremely lucky that...'

'Please Matron!' Julia cried hysterically, the thought of being separated from Jamie suddenly occurring to her. She was desperately trying to keep the wobble from her voice and the tears from her eyes, at the knowledge that she had blown her chance at happiness. Suddenly she couldn't hold it in anymore and dissolved into tears over the Matron's desk. The Matron rolled her eyes, but her face softened and she handed Julia a handkerchief. 'Lady Nicholls,' she said sternly 'You are extremely lucky it was I who discovered you and not sister Barrett.'

There was silence in the office, apart from Julia's stilted sobs.

'But... you were calling me Lady Nicholls instead of Nurse...'

The Matron struggled to hold in a smile 'You are off duty, Lady Nicholls.'

'But...'

The Matron sighed in annoyance 'You have made an extremely foolish mistake, Lady Nicholls...'

'I know, I shouldn't have gone to see Jamie...'

She sighed 'Lady Nicholls, you are not listening! You went to see your young man when I had forbidden you to, which was foolish, but most foolish of all you allowed yourself to get caught!'

Julia paused 'I'm sorry, I don't understand.' She said with aristocratic dignity.

The Matron gave a slightly vulgar smirk and lowered her voice conspiratorially. 'Lady Nicholls, are you really as convinced as the other Nurses that I know nothing of what goes on in this hospital?'

Julia thought and suddenly light dawned 'Oh I see. I'm not the first.'

The Matron gave the ghost of a smile. 'Quite. Not even the first this week. Every woman in this place has a soldier or two on the go at any one time.' She grinned 'Even better, our young men are officers. Wealthy, well connected war heroes? It's every young nurse's dream. Some of them get caught in considerably more compromising positions than you my Lady. You are tame, quite frankly.'

'Ah' said Julia, ignoring the slight annoyance the comment brought. 'And you let them stay on because they reminded you of yourself, yes?'

The Matron blushed 'Not exactly Nurse.' She said haughtily. 'There are boundaries. I've sent girls home before now.'

Julia shifted uncomfortably in her chair. 'Matron...'

She raised her eyebrows 'Am I going to send you home?'

'...Yes.'

She gave the ghost of a smile again 'No lady Nicholls.' She said serenely. Julia breathed out 'As I said, a good deal of nurses have been found in far more compromising situations. You and your young man both seem to be dignified and you seem to be keeping this affair discreet. I see no problem with its continuation. He is very much in love with you.' The Matron added matter of factly.

Julia smiled and blushed, but she'd given up denying it now 'Yes. He is.'

The Matron smiled indulgently and adopted a faraway look, twisting the wedding ring on her finger. 'For now Nurse, my advice is to be careful. There are those that don't have the same level of tolerance as I. I shan't be able to save again, do you understand?'

'Yes Matron.'

'I have asked Nurse Wilkes to cover your night shift. Please go to your room, to stop rumour if nothing else.'

'I don't...'

'If anything of tonight gets out, all soldiers gossip, girl, you can truthfully say you were in your room. Sister Barrett has been informed that you have been taken suddenly ill by the way, as have the rest of the nurses.'

'Thank you Matron.' Said Julia, Surprised at the Matron's kindness and relieved she wouldn't have to explain away her absence.

As she turned the handle on the door, the Matron called her back.

'What ward is your young man in Lady Nicholls?'

'Ward D Matron. Bed fifteen. May I ask why?'

'I'll need to speak to him about the events of tonight of course.' She said, casually 'And I'd like to speak to him about some... other things.' She had a slight smile on her face and a determined glint in her eyes. 'You are dismissed Nurse.'

Julia leant against the wall outside the office and put her head in her shaking hands, for the second time that day. Only this time, her shoulders shook with laughter, rather than tears.

AN: Now *stern face* I did not get any reviews for the last chapter. I am disappointed. Please review this chapter and I will give you all love and also cookies.