Nurse Saxon's Patient (6 page)

‘
That doesn
’
t concern us,
’
Ian said shortly.
‘
All I want to know is, if this engagement fizzles out and Garth Holroyd is a free man when he accompanies you to Woodlands, if his interest in you is what I believe it to be
...
have I a serious rival?
’

For a moment Julie looked back at him without speaking. She was so afraid of hurting him, and yet she knew it would be wrong to allow him to believe she might change her mind about him when she was perfectly convinced she would never do such a thing. Choosing her words carefully, she answered him.

‘
How can you have a rival, Ian?
’
she asked softly.
‘
We
’
re
...
just good friends, and anyone, girl or man, may have more than one very good friend.
’

To her relief he smiled. But that was one of the secretly irritating things about him, she thought abruptly, this refusal to take her dismissal of him seriously.

‘
In that case I have nothing more to worry about
than
I had at first, have I?
’
he remarked pleasantly, preparing to leave.
‘
I
’
m
not
worrying, Julie, please don
’
t think that I am, but I would feel very much happier if Garth Holroyd
’
s ring were back on Miss Maitland
’
s finger. They
c
an please themselves whether she takes it off again later or not.
’

‘
And in the meantime
’
—Julie rose and he put back her chair—
‘
the ring is still in the glove compartment of Garth
’
s car. What can we
do about that?
’

‘
I
’
ll see him in the morning.
’
Ian piloted her from the restaurant carefully.
‘
I
’
ve no doubt he
’
ll be relieved to have a first-hand personal report of the condition of his vehicle, apart from whatever the police and the insurance companies may have had to say.
’
He opened his car door.
‘
What about a little drive along by the river before we go back to the hospital?
’
he went on.
‘
We can
’
t go very far
...’

‘
But it will be very pleasant,
’
Julie supplied.
‘
I
’
d love it, but I mustn
’
t be late in. I haven
’
t a late pass
!’
And, ignoring Garth Holroyd, Tansy Maitland and their problems alike, they spent a pleasant half-hour driving beside the water, being, as Julie had phrased it earlier, just the best of good friends.

CHAPTER IV

When Julie went into Garth
’
s room the following morning she was delighted to see that he looked much better, more as she remembered him on the night of the Hospital Ball. He was sitting propped upright, his bandaged hands spread out on the coverlet before him, and his eyes were brighter, his glance more alert, than they had been since he first recovered consciousness.

‘
I
’
ve been wondering, Nurse,
’
he began as Julie gave him his breakfast,
‘
just how badly damaged
i
s
my car? From what I look like after the impact it could well be a complete write-off. Do you think the insurance will cover all the damage?
’

‘
I expect so,
’
Julie assured him, adding because she was essentially a truthful person,
‘
but I really don
’
t know much about these matters. All I know is that the police had it towed away to Bell
’
s garage and that they and the insurance companies—your own and that used by the owner of the lorry—have both seen the car, so I expect there will be reports somewhere which you will be able to see when you
’
re better.
’

‘
It
’
s not my line at all,
’
Garth reflected ruefully,
‘
either assessing the damage or knowing about the insurance, but Aunt Lavinia says her solicitor will look into it all for me, so I don
’
t have to worry—only about whether or not I
’
ll have a car fit to drive by the time I
’
m capable of taking it out again.
’
He gave a woebegone glance at his hands.
‘
When will they take these plaster
thing
s
off, Nurse?
’

‘
That I don
’
t know either,
’
Julie smiled at him,
‘
but I do know you
’
re not to worry, not about the car or your hands or anything else.
Mr.
Greensmith will be in to see you very shortly. He is a keen motorist himself, and something of an amateur mechanic as well, I believe. I
’
m sure that if you asked him he would go along and look at the car for you when he has a free period. He would give you a truthful and near-accurate account of
exactly what the damage is, I
’
m sure. Just as he is the one who
’
ll be able to tell you when the plastic surgeon is likely to take the plaster casts from your hands.
’

His meal ended, Garth relaxed against the pillows watching Julie at her work. He felt strangely contented, and as he watched her deft movements he wondered what it was about this girl which was at once so much a stimulant, so that he wanted to be up and doing, working at his drawing-board, and at the same time so soothing that he could content
hims
elf
lying there simply because that was what she had said he must do. At the back of his mind there still lay the memory of this same girl as he had remembered seeing her when consciousness had first returned and he had wakened to find her bending over him. Then, despite the nurse
’
s uniform, his
imaginat
ion
had held a picture of her in a dress of some filmy blue material, with a high neckline and a huge pink rose at her throat. What was it she had told him
?
‘
That was six months ago, at the New Year Hospital Ball ... I wasn
’
t with you last night
...
there was a girl with you
...’

‘
Nurse
!’
The change in his tone made Julie spin round, but apart from the sudden fear in his eyes he looked exactly the same, and she came quietly to the bedside, aware that it was something in his subconscious, something connected with this queer, half-returned memory of his which was bothering him now.

‘
What is it?
’
she asked quietly.
‘
Is there something I can get for you?
’

‘
Only whatever bit of my memory I
’
ve lost.
’
He made an attempt to joke about it, but the attempt was not very successful. His face sobered as he continued:
‘
You said there was a girl with me. I believe she came in the other day, but she didn
’
t say very much and I couldn
’
t think of anything to say to her either. Who was she? Does she know any more about this than I do?
’

‘
Her name is Tansy Maitland.
’
Julie watched him closely, but apart from repeating the name like a child repeating a lesson there was no change in his expression.

‘
She didn
’
t say very much,
’
Julie told him,
‘
because she had been warned not to excite you.
I
thin
k
she
’
ll be in to see you this afternoon. Maybe you
’
ll be feeling a little better by then and be able to talk to her a little, but you
’
re not to wo
rr
y about it at all, remember. That blow on your head will take some days to wear off, and you
’
ll find things will grow easier day by day if you don
’
t attempt to force them.
’

‘
I
’
ll be good,
’
he smiled at her.
‘
Don
’
t
thin
k
me ungrateful, but Aunt Lavinia says I
’
m to go to Woodlands as soon as the doctors say I may, and I love Woodlands. I used to stay there often when I was a child. It
’
s just the right sort of place to recover quickly from anything.
’
From under the bandage his dark eyes studied her.
‘
You
’
ll love it there too,
’
he went on.
‘
My aunt says you
’
re to go with me. Will you mind?
’

‘
It will be a change from hospital routine,
’
Julie assured him gravely.
‘
I
’
m sure I shall enjoy it, especially if it does all you say to make you get better quickly.
’

‘
I
must
.’
There was a sudden emphasis on the words.
‘
Get better quickly, I mean,
’
he rushed on.
‘
There
’
s so much to do. This development scheme means a great deal to Aunt Lavinia, and she
’
s so pleased and proud that I
’
ve been awarded the prize. The judges were all independent of the Borough, you see,
’
he explained carefully.
‘
It was the only fair way. That means nobody could have been influenced by the fact that
Mrs.
Crossman is my godmother and great-aunt,
’
he ended.

‘
I can see that.
’
Julie frowned and hastily took his temperature. The volatile temperament which had made him so enthusiastic about his work was already lighting fires of enthusiasm now, which might well impede his physical progress, and if that happened, Julie reflected, Ian would be really angry with her.

‘
Now, you mustn
’
t get so excited about it,
’
she cautioned him.
‘
Remember, the quieter you are for the next few days the greater your chances of a fairly speedy recovery. It
’
s up to you
...’

By the time Ian came in, not many minutes later, she was thankful to find Garth trying to follow her advice to settle down and relax.

Ian made his customary quick but careful examination of the patient and pronounced himself well satisfied with Garth
’
s progress. He was in an unusually lighthearted mood, and Julie wondered if that was because he had planned to go and bring Tansy
’
s ring from the wrecked car, putting her engagement to Garth once more back on a visible if somewhat insecure footing. As though he could read her thought his next question to Garth was whether or not he would like Ian to
‘
make a survey for you
’
, and Garth
’
s delighted acceptance set the seal on the project.

‘
I have a consultation in Catherine Street this afternoon,
’
Ian said.
‘
As you know, that
’
s at the end of the road where Bell
’
s garage is, so I thought I may as well slip in and see how things were for you. I know if it were my car I
’
d want to know.
’

‘
I do,
’
Garth told him gratefully.
‘
I was asking
N
urse about it only this morning.
’

‘
I
’
ll report later, then,
’
Ian smiled down at him.
‘
You
’
re
making
fine progress,
’
he went on.
‘
Soon you
’
ll be at Woodlands and on the last lap of your progress towards recovery.
’
Just before he left the room he called Julie to one side and, with the temperature chart before him, as though that were the subject under discussion, he said very quietly:
‘
I
’
ll give the ring to you before Miss Maitland arrives. Try to tell him who she is and why she
’
s wearing it
before
she comes. If he
’
s distressed, warn her to take it
off ...
he
’
ll have vague recollections of something being wrong.
’

‘
I
’
ll do that,
Mr.
Greensmith,
’
Julie said quietly, but her heart seemed to twist suddenly with a completely unexpected feeling of pain so that
she
had to turn aside lest Ian should read her expression and place his own interpretation on what he saw there.

Garth was sleeping when Ian returned from his consultation. He drew Julie into the corridor and handed her
the small half-hoop of diamonds and sapphires, glittering in the shaded corridor lights.

‘
I believe I saw her downstairs as I came up,
’
Ian said as he parted with the ring,
‘
so try to give it to her before she goes in to see him.
’
He looked suddenly very grave as he added:
‘
I wonder if we are doing the right thing after all, Julie? When one talks to him, gets to know him a little. Garth Holroyd is a very decent sort of chap, the sort one would be proud to call a friend. Somehow I have the vague feeling that in giving this ring back to the girl we
’
re giving her the key to untold misery for him, and yet he wouldn
’
t have proposed to her in the first instance if he hadn
’
t thought she was the right person for him.
’

He was making an argument to convince himself, Julie realized, but she did not feel very inclined at that moment to give voice to her own thoughts on the matter. For one thing, she was by no means certain of her own feelings after all. She thought of what Tansy had said
...
that Garth had not been comfortable at the party, that the people there were not
‘
his sort of people
’
, and, as Ian waited for her reply, for some assurance that she shared his doubts, she knew she could not voice her own opinion, because Ian would immediately read into what she said an entirely different reason for her words. He would say she did not want Tansy to have her ring back because she was interested in Garth herself, and, somewhat shaken, Julie knew now that this was the truth.

But if it
’
s Tansy he wants
...
needs
...
her mind reasoned, I
’
ve got to remember she was his choice
...

‘
Give it to her.
’
Ian
’
s voice cut in on her thoughts so unexpectedly that she was startled.
‘
After all, they can always break it up later if that
’
s what they really want, but most couples go through a stage of wondering if they have made the right choice, usually at the beginning of their engagements and so on. When he gets really well it will be time enough for them to sort out
that
angle of things, and
’
—he looked into her eyes and his own twinkled suddenly so that she knew this thought had been at the back of his mind all the time—
‘
you
’
ll be back here, where I can keep an eye on you, not over at Woodlands, with
Mrs.
Crossman
’
s romantic garden and beautiful house to blind you to realities
!’

‘
I hope superficialities don
’
t mean as much as all that to me,
Mr.
Greensmith,
’
Julie was stung into replying, but he only smiled.

‘
I
’
ll keep an eye on
Mr.
Holroyd,
’
he announced, avoiding further discussion.
‘
You nip along and give
Miss
Maitland
her ring before she comes up while—if he
’
s awake—I warn
him
that it
’
s his
fiancée
who is coming to see him.
’

There was nothing else for it. Julie turned and went down the corridor, but her own doubts had been crystallized by Ian
’
s words,
‘
I wonder if we
’
re doing the right
thing
?
’
Who could know? They could only wait now and see what happened, see how he reacted to the news that Tansy was not only the girl who had been with him in the car that fateful night but also the girl whom he must have asked to be his wife.

She met Tansy already on her way to Emergency Three. There was no mistaking the other girl
’
s eagerness as she greeted Julie.

‘
Have you got it?
’
she demanded, as soon as Julie was within earshot.
‘
Did
Mr.
Greensmith get my ring?
’

‘
Here it is.
’
Julie held out the engagement ring on the flat of her hand and watched as Tansy, with a sigh of relief, slipped it on to the third finger of her left hand.

‘
Thank goodness,
’
she said, asking quickly:
‘
Does he
...
remember any more? Does he know about me?
’

‘
Mr.
Greensmith is with him now,
’
Julie said quietly.
‘
He said he would tell him that the young lady who was with
him
in the car, who has already visited him once and is coming today, is his
fiancée
. You must tread carefully until you see what effect that knowledge has on him now his mind is beginning to pick up the threads of everyday living again.
’

‘
I hope he never remembers about that party and the quarrel,
’
Tansy said passionately.
‘
I hope that
’
s blotted
out for ever. I want my engagement to go on now
...
there
’
s so much I can help h
i
m to do ... if he
’
ll do it.
’
She glanced up at Julie through her thickly fringed lashes.
‘
I
’
m not just commercially minded, you know,
’
she said unexpectedly.
‘
It
’
s just that we
’
re different kinds of people. Garth needs someone to help
him
see just what he can make of this job, besides being the man who draws the plans. He can be a social success as well if he has a mind to
!’

‘
That
’
s something you
’
ll have to settle between yourselves,
’
Julie commented.
‘
Come along now, or visiting time will have ended before you have seen him.
’
She was scarcely aware that Tansy was still chattering on, saying,
‘
If he wants to break it off later that
’
s just one of those things, but I don
’
t think he will. At least this way he won
’
t be shocked into remembering that awful quarrel.
’

Julie held open the door of Garth
’
s room. He was sitting up and talking to Ian, and although he looked slightly puzzled he greeted them pleasantly enough, but as she drew out a chair for Tansy one thought teased Julie
’
s mind. What if something brought back the memory of
‘
t
hat awful quarrel
’
and he knew then that someone else had been responsible for the returning of the ring to Tansy? Would he know they were trying to help, or would he think of that as a base betrayal
?