Nurse Linnet's Release (10 page)

“I’m sure she is,” Diana returned, so dryly that he actually smiled with a sudden, rather vivid touch of amusement. “How is
Aunt Pen these days?”

“Very well,” he assured her.

“I haven’t seen her for a long time.”

“Well, you can see her tomorrow, if you like. I’ll come and collect you and drive you both over for tea. How’s that?”

But this time it was Linnet who interposed.

“I don’t think Mrs. Carey ought to do too much too soon.
..
”

“Nonsense, my dear!” He touched her hand that was still dealing with the tea-pot, caressingly. “All she’s got to do is to sit in a car for a couple of miles, and then sit in a chair and drink tea with my mother. Is that likely to exhaust her?”

“We’ll come,” Diana said, as if her own decision was unshakeably taken.

Guy gave her a mildly approving smile.

“Good girl!”

Before he took his departure Diana suggested that they ought to celebrate his engagement by drinking a toast, but Linnet instantly negatived the suggestion.

“I don’t think there’s anything to celebrate—not yet,” she was beginning, but Diana rose gracefully and walked with unusually firm steps into the house. “Come along to the dining-room, Guy,” she invited, looking almost mockingly at her nurse, “and see what you can find. As I lamented this morning, we haven’t any ice, but you can shake us up something without it.”

“Leave it to me,” said Guy.

But while her patient relaxed once more in a deep chair in the lounge Linnet followed him into the dining-room, and insisted that Diana be only served with a very small sherry.

“And this isn’t a time for drinking toasts,” she added, very disapproving.

“Rubbish!” He bent and kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose that was very, very lightly dusted with summer freckles. “Any time is a time for drinking toasts, and you
are
going to marry me, so let’s get thoroughly used to the idea!”

“I refuse to have it discussed unti
l I
’ve definitely said I’m going to marry you.” It struck her suddenly that her parents knew nothing whatsoever about this man, with his dark, arrogant face, and his high-handed determination to sweep her off her feet, and she wondered what Dr. Kintyre would have to say if she suddenly wrote home and announced that she was going to marry someone—she who was not yet twenty-one!—whom he had not had a chance to meet, or even see. “Have a drink if you like, but it’s not to celebrate anything so final as an engagement between us.”

“All right, you funny little thing,” he agreed, and kissed her again, but there was a cool look of amusement in his eyes as he did so.

Diana did not look too pleased when her sherry was offered to her.

“I’d rather have a plain gin,” she said, “but I suppose Dr. Willoughby forbade, that?”

“You know very well he did,” Linnet answered quietly.

When Guy had left she moved round the room, feeling awkward and ill at ease, re-arranging the flowers in the vases while Diana watched her. Diana’s silky dark eyebrows were drawn together in a frown.

“I’m disappointed in you, Nurse Kintyre,” she told her. “When I picked on you to come down here and look after me I thought since you were young, and you look human, that you wouldn’t be as stiff and starchy as some of the other nurses at Aston House, and that you and I would get on well together because you’d understand me. But it seems you’re a little bit of a puritan, apart from the fact that you’ve swept Guy off his feet—and I’d be interested to learn how you did that!” with a smile which Linnet didn’t particularly like, because it was so extremely worldly-wise and so full, somehow, of unpleasant suggestion. “And you quote Dr. Shane Willoughby at every turn. Not that I object to your quoting him, because, as you know, I like him,, but you don’t have to interpret everything he says quite so literally, do you?”

Linnet looked amazed.

“But, of course,” she answered. “If I didn’t do exactly as he tells me I wouldn’t be fit to come down here and look after you.”

Diana’s scarlet lips turned downwards at the corners.

“Dear me!” she murmured. “It’s a good thing I never took up nursing, because that sort of Girl Guide spirit would never have upheld me for long. But while we’re on the subject of Dr. Willoughby, when are we going to tell him about you and Guy? Do you know, I’m sure he hasn’t got a clue that you’re even thinking of becoming engaged to anyone—perhaps he thinks you’re too young!—but I do think we ought to let him know when he comes next time.”

“Oh,
no
!”
Linnet exclaimed, and for some reason which she didn’t in the least understand the idea of doing anything of the kind actually appalled her a little. “There’s no reason why he should be told anything—because Guy and I are not really engaged! At least, I haven’t definitely said I’ll marry him—”

“But Guy has decided to marry you, and that’s good enough!” Diana’s voice was full of drawling amusement. “I don’t think you really understand Guy—what he wants he takes, and if he wants to marry you, well, then, you’ll have to marry him! You’re lost, my dear, if you’ve given him enough encouragement to talk about buying you a ring—”

“How did you know?”

“I heard your voices when I was standing in front of my open window before I joined you this afternoon.”

“Oh!” Linnet exclaimed.

“And the fact that he’s also made up his mind to present you as her future daughter-in-law to Aunt Penelope is another proof that you won’t now be allowed to escape.” Diana smiled at her with a kind of relish. “You should have thought twice before you had anything at all to do with Guy if you didn’t wish him to become serious—once
he
decided to be serious!—and I really am terribly afraid you are lost! Hopelessly lost, Nurse Kintyre, so far as my cousin Guy is concerned!”

CHAPTER XII

The following afternoon Guy called for them in his car, and within a matter of minutes they were at Lady’s Mead. It was a perfect afternoon, with a gentle heat haze lying softly over the surrounding countryside, and woods rising through the haze into a clear blue sky. Lady’s Mead seemed to be literally surrounded by woods, which crowded close to it like a protective wall, and against the background of ancient trees the mellow house of
r
osy bricks, with twisted chimneys that must have belonged to the Tudor part of it, and white Corinthian pillars before the front door, looked all and more than Linnet had imagined it would look.

It was the perfect country home not too far from London, beautifully compact in spite of those earlier, rambling portions Guy had spoken about, and in addition to all that it was furnished just as it should be. There was a curving, fan-shaped staircase which led into a gallery filled with portraits; the shallow treads were covered with deep rose-coloured carpet which flowed into all the upstairs corridors, and against it the black oak of a Dower chest at the foot of the stairs and an enormous pottery vase of wax-white lilies looked most effective. In the drawing-room, where tea was served, there was a lovely Aubusson carpet, and rich brocade curtains hung before the windows.

Linnet had felt oddly curious about Mrs. Monteith, Guy’s mother, and now she discovered that she was much younger than she had imagined her to be; or she looked much younger. She also looked rather delicate, like a water-colour by Watteau, and she had a most attractive and very gentle smile which appeared as soon as she saw Linnet.

“I’m so pleased to see you, my dear,” she said. “Guy has told me all about you!”

Her “all about you” seemed to convey a great deal.

Diana, who was already looking much fitter, and obviously feeling much more like herself, greeted her with a faint air of constraint. But if Mrs. Monteith also felt a little constrained towards the niece she had seen so little of for some time, and perhaps never greatly liked, it was certainly not given away by her manner. She was charming to both her visitors.

Both Mrs. Monteith and Diana were faultlessly dressed, and. Linnet felt her washable linen showed up badly against pale grey georgette, with a finely pleated skirt, on the one hand, and a heavy oatmeal silk suit on the other. But it was obvious that Guy found her completely satisfying to gaze at, and as soon as tea was over and he could do so without it looking too obvious he told her that he wanted to show her the garden. Mrs. Monteith watched them go with a gentle expression of approval in her eyes, and Linnet felt uneasy in case perhaps she should approve of her too much and after all she couldn’t marry Guy.

But once outside he conducted her swiftly through the formal flower garden and shrubberies across velvet lawns and a little sunken rose garden, to a patch of woodland where the afternoon sounds and scents were muted and drowsy. They followed a path
for a short distance, and then Guy threw his coat down on to a little patch of sward and told Linnet to sit down.

“We can sit here and talk and be undisturbed,” he said, “and I’ve got such a lot to talk to you about, Linnet!”

He looked at her in the way that did such odd things—such disturbing things—to her heart-beats.

“Darling, I thought you always looked perfect in uniform—especially that green uniform they wear at Aston House—but the first time I saw you out of it I knew I liked you that way best of all. And today you look absolutely lovely in that thin thing.” He touched her frock gently. “As soon as we’re married I’m going to buy you masses of lovely clothes—the kind of clothes you ought to wear! Before we go back to Rhodesia in the autumn we’ll stay for a few weeks in Paris, and then you shall go shopping, my darling, and you shall have everything you want—anything I can give you!” He bent his head over her hands, kissing each one lingeringly, especially the soft palms, where his lips touched gently.

“Darling, beloved, sweetest Linnet!” he murmured, and she realized that today there was no harshness or arrogance in his mood, and in such a mood he was well-nigh impossible to resist. She felt her senses begin to swim a little.

“Guy, have you told your mother we’re going to be married?”

“Of course.” He retained one of her hands against his cheek and looked up at her. “She likes you. I could tell that.”

“But, Guy, my people don’t know anything at all about you
...
nothing at all
...
!
”

He leaned on his elbow and looked at her reproachfully.

“Then you should have told them something about me! But we’ll go together and see them, and I’ll ask your father’s permission to marry you, very formally and correctly!” He smiled at her. “Will that please you? I know where you live, and we’ll drive down into Kent and spend a day with your people, and Diana will have to do without you for a few hours. In any case, she’s got a housekeeper to look after her, and you’re entitled
to a little free time.”

“I’d rather wait until she’s much better than she is now,” Linnet said, still looking and sounding a little dubious in spite of the effect his touch and his nearness had on her.

“Well, in that case, I’ll write to your father, and get his consent by letter. I’ll tell him his daughter saved my life!” smiling at her a little one-sidedly.

“I did nothing of the sort,” she denied instantly. “It was Dr. Shane Willoughby who—but I don’t think your life was really in danger,” she finished.

“Don’t you?” He looked at her curiously. “It was odd I should have that severe attack as soon as I got back to London, wasn’t it? But Shane Willoughby’s quite a smart lad, isn’t he?”

“Yes.” She nodded quietly, and then surveyed him earnestly. “Are you really feeling very much better? Dr. Shane Willoughby seemed to think you ought to let him keep an eye on you while you’re on leave. Are you going to see him again?”

“I may possibly see him from time to time,” he admitted. “But if I’m going to have a clever little nurse for a wife I shan’t need a doctor,” reaching out to draw her close to him. She felt his lips close possessively over hers. “Oh, my sweetheart!” he breathed, and for several minutes they did no talking at all, only stayed close in one another’s arms, and Linnet was suddenly certain that Diana had been absolutely right—there was no escape for her, now, from Guy Monteith! Whether she loved him or not—and she couldn’t be certain about that, although she knew that when he kissed her and held her his kisses and his arms were all she wanted—she would have to marry him because she couldn’t let him go out of her life! In any case he was determined to marry her!

“Before I take you back to the cottage,” he said, “I’m going to hear you say four words—just four little words, but they’re very important! Will you say them after me?”

“What are they?” she asked.

“I’ll marry you, Guy!”

She hesitated for a moment, looking deep into his eyes that were so dark it was like looking into infinitely deep and dark pools where one might eventually drown. Then she heard herself saying in a barely audible voice, as if compelled:

“I’ll marry you, Guy!”

He kissed her so hard and fiercely that it almost robbed her of her breath. And then a spot of light summer rain falling upon them through the canopy of leaves overhead, they stood up and returned to the house.