Dear Tiberius; (aka Nurse Nolan) (3 page)

“
Oh, very well, Purvis. I
’
ll go down immediately.
”

She glanced at herself hastily in her mirror to make sure that her cap was at nothing suggestive of a flighty angle on her hair and that there was no shine on her nose. A quick flick with a powder puff dealt with the nose, and a face tissue pressed against her soft, full lips removed most of the traces of lipstick. In the hospital there had been a rule against lipstick that clung to her still whilst on duty, and although she felt naked without it, she used it very sparingly except when she was going out and away from her patient.

The library was in a remote wing of the house that also contained Sir John
’
s private apartments, and save when he was at home, the corridor leading to it was very dimly illuminated. Tonight, as he was at home, there seemed to be a positive blaze of illumination to guide Lucy
’
s footsteps over the rich, thick, crimson carpet, and when she reached the library door and tapped on it she felt as if the harshness of the lights had taken all the color out of her face.

Sir John
’
s voice called to her almost immediately to enter, and she turned the handle of the stout oak door noiselessly, and then found herself on the fringe of a vast room wherein a fire burned pleasantly on the wide hearth, for the September evenings were cool.

In front of the fire, on a thick skin rug, was Muffin, Sir John
’
s spaniel, with a curly black-satin coat, and large golden eyes that never left Sir John
’
s face when he was at home. Whether Sir John ever made a fuss of the dog Lucy had sometimes wondered, for she had never seen him do so, although its devotion to him was obvious, but he seemed to accept it as natural that it should behave like his shadow when he was at Ketterings. Tonight it lay with its nose on its paws, and its paws almost on the instep of one of his shoes as he stood beside it on the rug.

“
Ah, good evening. Nurse Nolan!
”
he greeted her, in the
s
trangely quiet voice she remembered.

He moved forward a
t once to place a chair for her, and as she accepted it Nurse Nolan managed to absorb a few little things about him that were also very much as she remembered them—his weakness for immaculate linen, and the quiet skill of his tailor. His dark gray suit fitted him to perfection, and nothing could have been more correct and formal than the way his tie was knotted. As he lifted his wrist to glance at his wristwatch and compare it with the face of the clock on the mantelpiece, she noted how lean and virile it was, and noted the suggestion of strength in the long-fingered, well-cared-for hand attached to it.

“
You didn
’
t waste very much time. Nurse Nolan,
”
he remarked, something that might have been the merest suspicion of a smile in his eyes as he looked at her.
“
I
sent for you barely five minutes ago, and here you are!
”

“
Naturally
I
came at once, since you wanted to see me,
”
she replied.

He studied her for a moment longer, with that expressionless look on his face that she so well remembered, and then he turned from her and stared into the fire.

“
Miranda is about the same?
”
he observed at last, rather shortly.

“
Have you seen her?
”
Lucy asked, countering the question.

“
Since
I
returned last night? Yes,
I
saw her just before tea this afternoon. She seems to me remarkably fragile.
”

“
She is remarkably fragile,
”
Lucy agreed.

Once more, he turned to look at her. He seemed to study her hard this time.

“
And yet you tell me in your letter that the time has arrived for you to depart from Ketterings? And Miranda seems to be considerably upset because you propose to leave her so soon. Have you any very good reason for wishing to leave, Nurse Nolan?
”

Nurse Nolan felt her face flush faintly as his eyes bored into her—eyes that were still quite cold, but full of a restrained sort of curiosity.

“
Only the excellent reason that Miranda is as well as I think—for the time being—she is likely to be, and there is little point in her growing accustomed to having me with her, when sooner or later I shall have to leave her. And, frankly, Miss Fiske is quite capable of doing all the things I do for her at present. In fact, sometimes I feel that Miss Fiske is a little—well, unhappy, because she is not allowed to do more.
”

“
Miss Fiske
’
s unhappiness, or her happiness, are not of particular interest to me at the moment,
”
he observed, so d
r
yly that Nurse Nolan felt the color suddenly flame in her cheeks, and she felt almost too much abashed to meet his eyes.

“
No, I suppose not,
”
she agreed hastily, and then endeavored to make him recognize what it was she had been trying to press home to him.
“
But all I meant by that is that Miss Fiske is completely devoted to Miranda, and so entirely trustworthy that you need have no fears about her taking the utmost care of Miranda once I have gone. And there seems little object in your employing two people when one would be more than sufficient.
”

“
Meaning by that that you really are rather anxious to be gone yourself, and you would like us to discuss the actual
date of your departure?
’
There was something so coldly sarcastic in his face that she felt anger begin to stir in her, and her blue eyes darkened.
“
No doubt you find Ketterings rather dull, and when a patient ceases to respond to treatment that must also contribute to the dullness of a case? But as Miranda seems to have formed quite an attachment for you—
”

“
It is not only Miranda who has formed an attachment, for me—I think that poor, wistful waif of a child would tie knots in anyone
’
s heartstrings!
”
Lucy interrupted him, her voice actually shaking a little as emotion rose up in her and threatened to choke her. She got to her feet in order to confront him. Really, he was far, far less pleasant than on the three occasions when they had met before, she decided. Then she had suspected that he was merely indifferent, but now she felt certain he could be hostile—and with a kind of hostility it would be difficult to fight, because his most powerful weapon was the arctic chill he could introduce into his voice.
“
And it
’
s not because I want to go that I
’
ve made up my mind I must go—I
’
d stay here forever if I thought it would do any good
!”

“
Ah! Then that, at least, is something!
”

“
But what good would it do?
”
She flung out her hands rather helplessly.

“
It would, at least, make
M
iranda happy.
”
He picked up a heavy silver cigarette box from a table and offered it to her.
“
Do sit down again. Nurse Nolan, and don
’
t misunderstand anything I am likely to say. Being a young woman, you have a perfect right to find the country dull! But why do you refer to Miranda as a wai
f
?
”

“
Because that
’
s the way I think of her,
”
she admitted, declining a cigarette, and moistening the sudden dryness of her lips with the tip of her tongue.

One of his eyebrows lifted.

“
In some ways she is quite a fortunate waif!
”

“
Because she has every comfort, and you are her father?
”
He had never seen eyes so dark, and yet so blue as hers as she lifted them to his face, and for a moment they looked full at one another.
“
Possibly she is fortunate
,
Sir John, to be the daughter of a rich man, but I shall always think of her as—alone, somehow, and fighting her battle alone, because those who are always near to her are not in any way connected to her by ties of blood!
”

“
I see,
”
he said slowly, and studied the tip of his cigarette.

“
I expect that sounds impertinent,
”
Lucy remarked, at the end of a long silence.

He looked at her again. He did not answer her directly.
“
Would you consider staying on with Miranda as a more or less permanent arrangement. Nurse Nolan?
”
he asked quietly.
“
Not as her nurse, but as her companion and friend? One whom she can be happy to have near her? In return for a satisfying remuneration, of course!
”

Somehow Lucy had not been unprepared for this, but even so, she did not quite know how to answer him. She stared downward at her own hands clasped in her lap, and at her delicate, pale pink nails.

“
Have you been in touch yet with Dr. We
rn
, in Vienna?
”
she inquired without looking up.

“
As a matter of fact, I have,
”
Sir John answered, and she looked up quickly.
“
But it may be several weeks before he is able to spare the time to fly over here and examine Miranda.
”

“
Oh!
”
Lucy exclaimed. A gleam of hope shone in her eyes.
“
Then he really is going to examine her?
”

“
He has said that he will.
”

“
Then I will certainly stay,
”
Lucy informed him,
“
for as long as Miranda really requires me.
”

“
Good!
”
Sir John exclaimed, and walked away from her to the fireplace. He bent and ruffled the silky coat of Muffin, who instantly looked up at him adoringly.
“
There is one thing I should mention to you. Nurse Nolan. You will probably not find it so dull here in future, because I have made up my mind to do a certain amount of entertaining.
”
He did not look up at her, but appeared to be concentrating all his attention on Muffin.
“
As a matter of fact, perhaps I also ought to let you know that
I
am thinking of—
”

A deep, booming noise filled the air reaching them, as it seemed, from the hall, and he broke off and looked up at the clock.

“
Time to change for dinner. Purvis never postpones things, although he is quite well aware that you are still in here. He has so few opportunities nowadays to sound a dressing gong.
”

“
But, you were saying. Sir John...?
”
Lucy reminded him.

A blank expression descended over his face.

“
On second thought I don
’
t think it is important enough to mention just now.
”
He glanced again at the clock.
“
Then
I
can take it that you will remain. Nurse Nolan?
”

“
If you really wish me to,
”
she replied.

“
I do.
”
And then with a sudden, quite surprising smile parting his thin, firm lips and disclosing very white teeth he said,
“
But one thing I must not forget, Miranda is most anxious that you shall cease to wear a uniform. Nurse Nolan. Is it quite impossible that you can agree to that?
”

Lucy was considerably taken aback, but as he had asked her to stay on in the capacity of a companion for Miranda rather than a nurse, she decided that she could agree, at least for a few months.

“
It would seem that our poor, wistful waif of a child is capable of expressing her opinions,
”
Sir John murmured, looking at her rather oddly as he opened the library door for her.