Nurse Saxon's Patient (26 page)

‘
You
’
re right, of course,
’
Mrs.
Andy twinkled at him,
‘
but I can
’
t help feeling that a great deal of time and a vast amount of genuine emotion are being wasted while you
’
re all so set upon doing the correct
thin
g
!
I
’
d like to have you all four in a row, you and Tansy, Garth and Julie, and sort out your tangles as one sorts out a hand of cards
!
’

‘
It will work out.
’
Roger rose too.
‘
I know it will. Tansy will give Garth her ring back, once she realizes he knows the truth and once she realizes how I feel about her, and in less time than you expect there
’
ll be bells for a double wedding.
’

‘
I hope you are right.
’
Mrs.
Andy opened the door of the library and turned, speaking over her shoulder as she left.
‘
I hear
Mr.
Greensmith is about to leave,
’
she excused herself.
‘
I
’
ll just have a word with
him
and then I
’
ll talk to Garth. This matter
must
be brought to a conclusion, and quickly.
’

‘
If you don
’
t succeed,
’
Roger rejoined,
‘
I
’
ll talk to Tansy, even though I don
’
t want to—until their engagement
’
s broken off again, but I
’
m going back soon
...’

‘
And you
’
d like her with you,
’
Mrs.
Andy finished for him.
‘
I think you
’
ll manage it. Just find Julie first, please, and see if you can calm her down. She was very upset when she went to the telephone and she mustn
’
t give way just yet, not when everything is on its way to being sorted out.
’

CHAPTER
XIII

Everything may have been on its way to being sorted out, as
Mrs.
Andy had cheerfully prophesied, but there was no sign of Julie as the old lady went to say her goodbye to Ian Greensmith. The surgeon was well pleased with the success of his work and had waited to see her, knowing she would be as delighted as he was himself by the results of his work.

‘
His hand is perfect,
’
he assured her now, knowing how deeply moved she was by the ready tears which sprang to her eyes.
‘
There will be a certain stiffness at first,
’
he cautioned,
‘
just as with the left hand, but it will amount to nothing, and the baths and massage will soon put an end to that. There
’
s no reason at all why, within a few weeks, he shouldn
’
t be back at his desk, pencil flying like mad, everything under control. He
’
s a lucky young man.
’

‘
He certainly is,
’
Mrs.
Andy agreed,
‘
and not the least part of his luck is in that you were at hand when all this happened. I hope he appreciates it
!’

‘
He does,
’
Ian assured her gravely.
‘
He
’
s in the drawing-room, waiting for you and for Julie. I don
’
t know which of you he wants to show off to first
!’

‘
Where is Julie?
’
Mrs.
Andy demanded.
‘
Not still talking on the telephone, surely?
’

‘
I couldn
’
t say
’
—Ian glanced at his watch—
‘
and I really must be going. I have a full programme which lasts through the rest of the day and won
’
t be over until late tonight.
’
He gave her the cheerful, lopsided smile which Julie had always liked about him.
‘
If I
’
m needed I
’
ll be at St
.
Luke
’
s,
’
he said.
‘
I
’
ll be lucky if I get away before midnight.
’

‘
I
’
ll remember,
’
Mrs.
Andy smiled,
‘
and I
’
m not being rude if I say I hope we don
’
t need you any more
!
Remember what I said about your own future. You
’
re still a young man ... at least by my standards!
’

She was still smiling to herself as Ian drove
himself
down the curving drive and out of sight, but the smile faded as she went in search of Garth and Julie. There was no sign of the girl as she made her way to the drawing-room, but Garth was there, a sketch-block on his knee, pencil poised in his right hand. He jumped to his feet as she entered, waving the pad for her inspection.

‘
Look,
’
he said triumphantly,
‘
I can use my hand
...
it
’
s all right. It
’
s stiff, and I can
’
t use the pencil so freely as I
’
ve been used to doing, but Ian says that will return with practice. I can be back at the office before September is out and the whole thing well under way before the winter starts in earnest.
’
He gave her a sudden, anxious glance.
‘
Where
’
s Julie
?’
he demanded.
‘
Ian wanted to see her again, but he couldn
’
t wait any longer.
’

‘
She must be in her room if she
’
s finished on the telephone,
’
Mrs.
Andy commented.
‘
I think she rather wanted to be alone for a little while. Garth, that girl loves you,
’
she ended directly.
‘
I don
’
t know whether you realize it or not
...’

‘
I know she does.
’
Garth
’
s face softened.
‘
There
’
s just this business of Tansy and this
engagement that isn
’
t,
’
he finished miserably.
‘
I must get Julie to drive me to town and try to see Tansy. I couldn
’
t get her on the phone and she hasn
’
t rung me, although the agent or whoever he was promised to give her my message.
’

‘
But if you know she loves you,
’
Mrs.
Andy burst out irritably,
‘
why don
’
t you do something about it? Julie has been under a great strain, acting as your nurse and wanting to be so much more, watching Tansy fuss around you every weekend, knowing all the time there was no truth in this story of an engagement, that it was all over and finished with
before
the accident happened and pretending all the time that everything was all right, simply to save you worry and distress. It
’
s time you saved
her
worry and distress, Garth. You must go to Tansy and tell her that you know all about this
...
deception. Tell her that you don
’
t blame her, that you understand, but ask her to set you free.
’

‘
I
’
m going to do exactly that,
’
Garth said,
‘
but I can
’
t do it over the telephone! That would be brutal. I must see her, explain
...’

‘
It occurs to me that any explanations should come from Tansy and not from you,
’
Mrs.
Andy observed tartly,
‘
but please yourself, only don
’
t be surprised if you find Julie can
’
t take any more, as you young people phrase it, and that she has vanished and left you to sort things out for yourself. As to your action being brutal, I rather think Tansy will hail the knowledge that you know the truth with some sort of relief.
’

‘
Relief? Why?
’
Garth asked quickly.
‘
Why should you make a remark like that?
’

‘
Because Tansy and Roger love each other, just as you and Julie do,
’
Mrs.
Andy remarked as casually as if she were announcing a change in the weather.
‘
Haven
’
t you seen them together all last weekend? Haven
’
t you noticed the way her eyes follow
him
wherever he is in the room, how she hangs on his every word?
’

‘
Because she
’
s hoping for a part in this next
film
of the new book he
’
s working on,
’
Garth said quickly.
‘
I know about that. That
’
s one of the reasons why I don
’
t want to upset her. She
’
s a very temperamental little thing, you know. She isn
’
t matter-of-fact as I am. I don
’
t want to say anything
...’

‘
Just make it clear you
’
d rather be free,
’
Mrs.
Andy said crisply.
‘
I
’
m certain she would too. And Roger won
’
t say anything to her until she has your ring off her finger and he can put his own in its place. You make me cross,
’
she ended suddenly,
‘
all of you. You
’
re too introspective, looking for motives and ideas which aren
’
t there, imagining all sorts of feelings and events which could never be. Just get down to a little plain
talking
between you and I
’
m sure you
’
ll all find the happiness you are hoping for.
’

‘
I
...
how do you know?
’
Garth was suspicious.
‘
Are you saying all this to convince me? How do
you know Roger loves her
...
isn
’
t going to make her feel important and then let her down once she
’
s signed whatever they do sign to be in these pictures and things? Are you sure you aren
’
t doing this just because you know that
’
s what I want
...
and, as you always have done, you
’
re trying your best to help me? I assure you, Aunt Lavinia, I
’
m really recovered now, I can deal with this, I can tell Tansy
...’

‘
I
’
m the one to tell Tansy,
’
Roger
’
s voice boomed from the door as he strode into the room.
‘
If you don
’
t want everyone to know your business, Garth, you should lower your voice,
’
he advised.
‘
I was looking for Julie, and I heard most of what you were saying, but I can
’
t ask a girl to marry me while she
’
s wearing another man
’
s engagement ring.
’

‘
Marry you?
’
Garth repeated as though he could not believe it, then he moved forward, seizing Roger
’
s hand and shaking it as though he could not bear to let it go.
‘
Congratulations
!’
he said, smiling.
‘
What Julie said the other day was right—it must be—that
things
are planned out for us and we go the way we were intended to go, whether we know it or not. But for that accident and but for the fact of Tansy restarting our broken engagement, you two might never have met, and it
’
s obvious you
were made for each other.
’

‘
We would have met,
’
Roger said easily.
‘
I
’
m sure of that. I inherited some of Mother
’
s philosophy, too,
’
he grinned.
‘
Julie isn
’
t alone in remembering. By the way
’
—he turned directly to Garth—
‘
have you seen her? Julie, I mean.
’

‘
She came into the study just as I had finished telephoning,
’
Garth said.
‘
That was just before you found me in the hall, waiting until you had finished
t
alkin
g
to Ian. Julie hadn
’
t left the study then.
’

‘
I don
’
t think she
’
s there now,
’
Roger put in.
‘
Shall I go and find out?
’

‘
Please.
’
Mrs.
Andy was growing worried and trying not to show it.
‘
She was rather upset as she left Ian and myself.
’

‘
If Julie
’
s
...
hurt
...
upset
...
then it
’
s my fault,
’
Garth said miserably.
‘
But she knows I love her
...
she knows I
’
m going to see Tansy and have all
this
straightened
out...’

‘
Maybe it
’
s because you were so ill after the accident, maybe it
’
s because you are essentially a very nice person and hate to hurt people, or a combination of both,
’
Mrs.
Andy informed him,
‘
but the fact remains that almost a week has gone by since you recovered from your lapse of memory, and so far as Julie is concerned the situation has not changed at all, although Tansy has been here for the weekend.
’