New Doctor at Northmoor (21 page)

‘
Laurence just went
to
pieces
when he heard about
the bird!
I
think he really
is
serious
about Tilda
Sansom.
I
heard
just now that the bird nipp
ed her. Lawrence is in
an awful state over Tilda. I expect he
’
ll be in to talk to you about it later.
’

‘
Do you think I could train as a nurse after this
?
Will I ever be strong enough, do you suppose?
’

‘
I daresay, but you
’
ll hate the life,
’
Priscilla said with conviction.
‘
You
’
ve always lazed about, and you
’
ll have no chance of doing that here
!’

‘
I only lazed about because I wasn
’
t feeling well
!’
Gwenny flashed. But it was no use trying to explain to Priscilla.

Priscilla said suddenly,
‘
Hello, what happened to all those marvellous flowers someone was sending you?
’

‘
I don
’
t know. They stopped suddenly.
’

‘
There
’
s a rumour going round that some rich man was sending them to you. Any use asking you who?
’

‘
I don
’
t know. I made up the rumour because I don
’
t like a nurse called Catherine Allen. She keeps asking me questions and calling me
“
little one
”
, and that story about the rich man friend settled her. She didn
’
t like it and she left me alone after that.
’

‘O
h! Well, I wouldn
’
t make an enemy of her, if I were you!
’
advised Priscilla, her eyebrows raised.

‘
It
’
s all right,
’
Gwenny said wearily.
‘
I know the connection with our R.M.O. and I wish him joy of her.
’

‘
Then that
’
s all right, if you know the connection,
’
Priscilla said on a relieved note, and went.

Laurence wasn
’
t at all happy. He bounced into Gwenny
’
s room and sat down. He looked rather white and shaken still.
‘
How are you feeling? Are the injections beginning to work on you
?’
he began without preamble, and it was clear that he was only thinking about Tilda, because he didn
’
t wait for Gwenny
’
s reply but said at once,
‘
Tilda doesn
’
t seem to be responding to them. That R.M.O. of yours seems to think it
’
s because she was below par because of her accident previous to going near that wretched bird.
’

‘
Oh, I don
’
t know,
’
Gwenny objected, thinking of how much below par she herself had got before the disease was isolated.
‘
She
’
s probably worried sick about something else!
’

‘
What, for instance
?
Because she came into contact with the bird anyway? I
’
ve got you to thank for that, haven
’
t I?
’

‘
Well, I like that! You wanted an excuse for meeting her!
’
Gwenny protested.

‘
Yes, but not the sort of excuse that would get her so ill!
’
Laurence said unfairly.

‘
Well, it wasn
’
t my fault that you rammed Sir Giles
’
s car, and it wasn
’
t my fault that the bird was full of disease, and you
’
d better not say any more about it, Laurence, or else I shall tell Tilda about you and that girl!
’

He flushed a dull red.
‘
Why, you brat, you wouldn
’
t
!’

‘
I would! I
’
m not sure I won
’
t. Tilda cares for you very much, and I reckon it
’
s downright mean of you to even look at another girl
!’

‘
I
’
ll wring your neck if you talk about me and that wretched redhead! Catherine Allen is a pest at best, but to let her wreck this thing
—’

‘
Catherine Allen! So it
was
you on the fire stairs after all, that night!
’
Gwenny exploded.
‘
I
thought
it was, at the time, and then I couldn
’
t believe it, because of her
connection with
Dr.
Bayfield
—’
She closed her eyes.
‘
Oh, Laurence, you
’
re such a fool! Isn
’
t this family in trouble enough over the R.M.O. without you sticking your neck out like that?
’

‘
Dear infant, that was what all the trouble was about in the beginning,
’
said Laurence, grinning unrepentantly.
‘
You
’
re not really up to date, are you? I didn
’
t really expect to get this job after he was so upset about his precious Catherine, only I couldn
’
t tell the old man that, could I?
’

Gwenny took some time to take that in. At last she said
‘
You mean to say you let Daddy think it was because of favouritism on the Board that you didn
’
t get this job, when all the time it was because you privately upset the R.M.O. doing such a dreadful thing? Didn
’
t you know about Catherine Allen
’
s connection with him at the time?
’

‘
Not at first, of course not. And then—well, she was willing to flirt with me and why not? But she really is a very boring girl after a bit, and then I couldn
’
t get rid of her. Anyway, between you and me, I
’
m not really good enough for this job, and though there was a row between your precious R.M.O. and me I doubt if he really held that against me, when it came to the crunch. It was Sir Giles on the Board, and he didn
’
t like the look of me from the first. Of course, he just might have known about me and Catherine
‘

‘
But you can
’
t go through life like that! Suppose you can
’
t get a decent appointment anywhere?
And
you and Tilda can
’
t get married?
’

‘
You
’
re presuming that Tilda
’
s dear parents won
’
t object to me,
’
he said sourly.
‘
Well, I
’
ll just have to emigrate, won
’
t I? She
’
ll come with me. On the other hand, I might chuck medicine and try for a vet. The vets seem to do all right, from what I can see of it! I must have chosen the wrong career from the start, from what Tilda tells me. Her old man might
even accept
me if I was a vet, come to think of it
!’

‘
Oh, Laurence,
‘
Gwenny sighed in despair.

He got up to go, then turned back.
‘
I say, did you hear about some bloke buying that cottage for old
Mrs.
Yeedon? Funny thing that! Know anything about it
?’

‘
No, I don
’
t hear anything in here. Why should I?
—
no one tells me anything
,’
Gwenny complained.

‘
Well, I
’
ll tell you something! There
’
s something fishy about that sale. Who
’
d want to buy an old cottage that was on its last legs, anyway, and especially when the property companies wanted it so badly? You tell me that!
’

‘
Honestly, I don
’
t know what you
’
re talking about, said Gwenny.
‘
I
’
m just glad for old
Mrs.
Yeedon
’
s sake!
’

Laurence looked disappointed.
‘
Well, I seem to be telling you things, don
’
t I? And what about Priscilla? Don
’
t tell me she
’
s suddenly taking life seriously—her and the Casualty Officer, of all people
!’

‘
What about the Casualty Officer?
’

‘
I
’
ve got eyes in my head and when I was brought into Casualty I must have looked pretty frightful, only it wasn
’
t my blood (it was the poor old chauffeur
’
s) and my dear sister, for the first time in her life that I remember looked concerned about me. In fact, Priscilla looked so concerned, she almost passed out! And what do you know, the Casualty Officer put out both arms in a truly tender gesture and supported her. Silly fellow, he held her as if she were a bit of precious china! No mistaking how he feels about her at the moment—but he
’
ll find out! I wish him joy of her. But there, I
’
m only her brother
—
perhaps she
’
s got hidden charms that the Casualty Officer
’
s discovered! What
’
s his name now—oh, yes, Milward.
’

‘
Ralph Milward, Priscilla said,
’
Gwenny murmured, remembering.

‘
She couldn
’
t resist mentioning his name, eh? Well, that shows you! Romance, with all the trimmings. Shall we like having him for a brother-in-law, do you suppose, kid?
’

‘
I don
’
t know. I hardly remember what he looks like, and I don
’
t know much about him, but if he keeps Priscilla happy, I suppose we all ought to be pleased.
’

‘
That reminds me—what about you and the rich bloke you
’
ve snaffled? When are we to know what his name is?
’

‘
You, too? You
’
ve heard about that?
’
Gwenny gasped.

‘
I believe you told Catherine—well, you might as well have gone on the roof and broadcast it. She
’
s shouted it around everywhere,
’
Laurence said pleasantly.

‘
Everywhere? She
’
s even told the R.M.O., I suppose?
’
Gwenny whispered.

‘
Oh, yes, I expect so. He
’
d have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to know. Everyone
’
s tickled pink about it. You
’
re such a kid, you don
’
t look as if you
’
d ever had a serious love affair, and you
’
ve been so cagey about it—it
’
s just got everyone very interested, you see.
’

Gwenny got angry then. So that was why he was frigid—she supposed he thought she ought to have told him first! Well, they could all go on thinking what they liked, she wasn
’
t going to tell them the truth about it. Only Priscilla knew that, and she wouldn
’
t be likely to talk. She was obviously too silly over her Casualty Officer to care about anyone else! And anyway, who had sent those marvellous flowers? There must be someone!