Florence Nightingale Page #2

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lf only people knew she was actually imagining

extraordinary adventures.

With someone by her side

whom she had chosen

as her loving and loved companion in life.

Yes. lt's true.

l did say that.

Florence...

..you must know by now

that everything you believe in,

everything you hold dear,

l do too.

- Richard, l...

- Look at me.

Please.

Do you think today...the two of them, perhaps?

Well? Florence?

Nothing.

What do you mean, nothing?

He proposed.

l said no.

Florence!

No. Wait!

Do you realise what you've done?

Yes.

Saved myself from a life of slavery!

Oh, my goodness, Florence, how could you?

l just couldn't. ls that so hard to believe?

You have kept that man dangling for five years!

He understood, he understood perfectly.

Better than you.

You did the same thing with the Nicholson boy

and now our families rarely speak

to one another!

- Would you kindly excuse me, please.

- Look at this!

Look at it!

Can any reasonable person want all this?

The linen! The china! The 56 pots of jam!

Well, if one is to entertain properly...

And to be treated like a piece of furniture,

nailed to an existence where you talk about

nothing but who's coming to dinner!

- What's happened?

- She said no.

- To Richard?

- Yes, she called it slavery.

Slavery!

But, Flo, you know you could have done

anything you liked with the poor man.

Look at Mama,

and the way she manages our dear Papa.

- Half the time he has no idea what's...

- Yes, Parthe, that will be quite enough.

Florence, you know l never asked you

to be anyone's slave.

l have been very indulgent.

l'm sure my mother never considered

what l thought.

The least you can do in common courtesy

is to listen to me.

l'll go out and l'll find work.

- Oh, my dear young lady...

- l will.

Think of me as your son, your vagabond son.

l won't cost you a penny.

lsn't that good? Marriage is expensive.

- lmagine the savings.

- l know what you have in mind.

This absurd notion of becoming a nurse,

which l will never agree to.

That is God's way for me.

Oh, don't bring God into this again!

lt has nothing to do with him and you know it!

l will not allow you to disgrace yourself...

emptying slop buckets,

living at the beck and call of lechers and drunks!

Have you any idea what goes on in hospitals?

No woman of character would ever...

Yes, dear?

Fanny, my love, the Colonel's just leaving.

What shall l say to him?

Tell him there's no tyranny like

the petty tyranny of a good English family!

She said no to Richard.

Why does she have to spoil everything?

You have to speak to that girl, Wen.

Yes.

FLORENCE:
After that, everything changed.

Dismayed but resigned, my parents gave in

and l set about acquiring the largest

hospital experience man or woman ever had.

ln truth, l lost Richard, but l gained my freedom.

And yet, l confess if l were to see him again,

even now...

l don't understand it,

l'm ashamed to understand it,

but not one day has passed

without my thinking of him.

(Knock at door)

Flo... Are you all right?

lt's nothing.

l'm over it - the Crimean fever, l mean.

l was quite ill.

Guess who's here.

Sidney!

He just arrived from Westminster.

- He has news!

- Really?

l knew he'd get the government to see sense.

FLORENCE:
Nothing?

- Nothing at all?

- My dear,

the British public has had quite enough

of the ''Crimean Catastrophe''.

lt's over.

No, no, it's only just begun -

the catastrophe, l mean - with our silence.

You must help me, Sidney, you absolutely must.

You always have.

You can do it again. l know you can.

Otherwise these last two years

will have been for nothing.

Florence, l'm no longer Minister at War.

Just a plain old humble Member of Parliament,

making occasional speeches.

Oh!

Very fine ''occasional'' speeches, Sidney,

if l may say so.

l brought you this.

You don't have to bring me presents.

Just tell me justice will be done.

May l see?

Sir John Hall, that miserable excuse

for a military surgeon.

Has he been court-martialled,

stripped of his command?

No.

Entered a monastery perhaps,

to do some well-deserved penance?

Not quite.

Black-balled from his club at least?

He's been given a KCB.

A KCB?

Which stands for Knight of

the Crimean Burial grounds, l suppose.

- Flo!

- (Gasps)

What a beautiful brooch!

A bit overdone, isn't it?

But see who it is from!

''ln appreciation of her service - Victoria Reg...''

Her Majesty will be in Balmoral next week.

She wants to meet you and to talk.

l believe she may even be inclined to listen.

Now, this is important, Florence.

The Queen is very interested

in the fate of the army.

You must remember she thinks of it as her army,

that's the way to engage her interest.

Do you follow me?

Do try to be tactful, Florence.

Don't say anything that might upset Her Majesty.

Nothing about maggots and wounds

and frostbite and limbs falling off.

Please.

(Music starting and applause)

You're off to see the queen today!

Oh, do be careful what you say,

or you will quickly be excused

Her Majesty is not amused

by stories set to shock and scare

So listen to Mother and please beware!

We don't want to hear about maggots...

- Maggots!

We'd rather not learn about lice...

- No lice!

Just make everything pretty,

and jolly and happy and nice

- Nice!

We don't want to hear a soldier swear

Or listen to moaning and screams

We don't want to hear a single cough...

(Men cough)

To bother Her Majesty's dreams

WOMEN:
Sweet dreams

Be sure never to tell her

about all the blood and the gore

Surely you know it's not right or polite

to make a queen faint on the floor

She's happy to hear of daring deeds

by soldier, colonel or toff

But never, not ever, no, never discuss...

The fingers that keep falling off!

The hands that keep falling off!

The legs that keep falling off!

The heads that keep falling off!

Cos everything keeps falling off!

(Cheering)

Attention!

May l offer you some tea, dear?

Thank you, ma'am.

- Please continue.

- Yes, ma'am.

We...

We lost 1 0,000 men in six months,

mostly through gross incompetence,

and l came home to find that many of

the officers responsible have been promoted,

given honours, medals, titles.

Crimes were committed, terrible suffering

inflicted that could easily have been avoided...

Yes, Miss Nightingale, but what exactly

entitles you to be the judge of that?

l studied and visited all the hospitals in London,

Dublin, Edinburgh, Paris, Rome and Berlin.

l was twice in training

with the Protestant Deaconesses

at the Kaiserswerth lnstitute in Germany,

l spent one year as Superintendent

of a Harley Street nursing home.

l personally scrubbed the floors of sickrooms,

emptied bedpans.

l nursed cholera patients

whose bodies were a mass of...

Thank you.

And your parents permitted all of this?

They...

They came to understand that l had a calling,

that this has truly been God's will for me.

l see.

And what is it you suggest we do about

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