by Betty Neels
She said quickly, ‘Oh, you wouldn’t know him.’ She spoke so hurriedly and loudly that he had his answer and smiled to himself. ‘I’m not being nosey, just making polite conversation,’ he assured her blandly. ‘Are you—what is the term?—going steady with him?’
They were crossing the forecourt and in a few moments she would be able to escape his endless questions. ‘No, of course not.’ She was an honest girl, so she added, ‘Well, I suppose I could if I wanted to, only I don’t. It’s just that he wants someone to go for a walk with.’
Mr van Borsele gave a chortle of laughter and she said crossly, ‘Don’t you dare laugh.’
‘No, no, my dear girl, I’m laughing for all the wrong reasons. You have too kind a heart; I suspect you don’t discourage this young man with no name. I suspect also that you get dates enough and can pick and choose.’
She said seriously, ‘Well, yes, I suppose so, but I’m not very, well—modern.’ She stared up at him with a grave face. ‘You won’t know what I mean.’
‘On the contrary, I know very well.’ He smiled suddenly and she discovered that he was a kind man after all. ‘If ever I should invite you out again, Claribel, it will be on the strict understanding that you have no need to be modern. Being well past my first youth, I’m not modern, either.’
They had reached the side door leading to the physiotherapy department. He opened it for them and with a brief nod walked away.
She scuttled down the covered way, already late. Perhaps she liked him after all, she thought confusedly; well, some of the time at any rate.
Miss Flute was surprisingly mild about her lateness; someone had covered for her and Mrs Green had gone to the wards. ‘Mr van Borsele had a round on Women’s Ward,’ she observed. ‘I didn’t dare wait for you for I wasn’t sure how long you would be. Were you very busy?’
Claribel, tearing into her overall, told her.
‘You’ve had no lunch?’ asked Miss Flute worriedly.
Claribel went faintly pink. ‘Well, Mr van Borsele gave me a lift back and I—we had a sandwich in Nick’s Diner.’
‘Very civil of him,’ answered Miss Flute briskly. ‘There’s that nervous old lady with the hip—will you take her on? She’s so scared, she needs someone gentle and unhurried.’
‘Unhurried?’ Claribel cast her eyes to the ceiling. ‘Miss Flute, I’ll be lucky to get away by six o’clock.’
‘Well, you’ve had a nice morning, haven’t you, dear?’ suggested Miss Flute and went back into her office.
Claribel, pacifying her elderly patient, decided that, yes, she had had a nice morning. It was a pity that she had been too late to go to the ward for Mr van Borsele’s round; perhaps Miss Flute would send her to Men’s Orthopaedic for the next consultant’s round; she had been treating several patients there.
But Miss Flute, it seemed, had other ideas. Claribel spent the next two days in Out-patients with the senior registrar and Frederick and didn’t so much as catch a glimpse of Mr van Borsele. Life was really rather dull, she reflected, getting her supper while Toots and Enoch sat and watched her; it might be a good idea if she were to go home at the weekend. ‘It would be a nice change for all of us,’ she assured the cats as she sat down to her solitary meal.
She bumped into him—literally—as she crossed the courtyard to go home on the following day. He put out a had to steady her and said without preamble, ‘I’m going to Bath for the weekend. I’ll drop you off at Tisbury and pick you up on the way back.’
‘Oh, but I…’ She caught his eye and stopped then began again, ‘I really hadn’t intended…’ Under that dark gaze she faltered again. She said slowly, because she felt compelled to, ‘I should like that very much, Mr van Borsele.’ She added hastily, ‘To go home, I mean.’ She wondered why he grinned suddenly. ‘Shall I meet you here, and at what time?’
‘Haven’t you forgotten your cats? I’ll pick you up—half past six at your flat, and mind you are ready.’
He nodded his goodbye and had gone before she could frame so much as a single word.
She told Enoch and Toots when she got home and, mindful that she might get away late on Friday afternoon, put her overnight things in a bag and decided what she would wear; before she went to work in the morning she would put her clothes ready. Mr van Borsele might have offered her a lift, but he was quite capable of going without her if she kept him waiting for more than a minute or so.
Friday’s clinic was overflowing and, to make matters worse, Mrs Green went home during the morning, feeling, as she put it, not at all the thing. That meant Claribel would have to take on several more patients as well as her own, for two of the other girls were at the ante-natal clinic and the other two were only just qualified and needed an eye kept upon them.
Claribel got home half an hour late. To have sat down, kicked off her shoes and drunk the teapot dry would have been bliss; as it was, she fed the cats, showered, changed into a short jacket and plaid pleated skirt, got her aching feet into her rather smart boots, popped the cats into their basket and opened the door to Mr van Borsele, looking as composed as if she had spent the entire day doing nothing much.
He ran a knowledgeable eye over her person. ‘Tired? You can doze in the car.’
A remark which incensed her after her efforts. But she hadn’t noticed the shadows under her eyes or the lack of colour in her cheeks.
She wished him a good evening, adding that she had no desire to doze. ‘Besides, you might want me to map-read for you.’
He took her bag from her and stowed it in the boot and then put the cat basket on the back seat. ‘Straight down the A303, once I’m on it. You can wake up when we’re nearby and tell me where to go from there.’
She said huffily, ‘Well, if you want me to sleep all the way I’ll do my best. There’s no need for you to talk.’
He shut the door and made sure that it was locked. ‘In you get,’ he urged her. ‘You’re a bit edgy but I dare say you’ve had a hard day with Mrs Green away.’ He got in beside her and turned to look at her. ‘You thought that I wouldn’t wait if you weren’t ready? I am an impatient man, Claribel, but for some things I am prepared to wait—if necessary, for ever.’
She puzzled over this and found no clear answer. ‘Have you had a busy day?’ she asked politely.
‘Very. A quiet weekend will be delightful. You know Bath?’
‘Quite well—we go there to shop sometimes. You—you said you had friends there?’
He was driving west out of London in heavy traffic. ‘Yes, they live at Limpley Stoke—not friends; my young sister and her husband.’
‘Oh, she’s Dutch, too…’ It was a silly remark and she waited for him to say so. But he didn’t.
‘She spent some years over here at boarding school. She’s happy here and of course they go to Holland frequently.’
Claribel tried to imagine his sister. Tall, short; thin, fat?
‘She’s not in the least like me: small, fair and very slim.’ He glanced sideways at her. ‘Close your eyes, Claribel, you are tired.’
She frowned. Tired so often meant plain. The thought didn’t stop her doing as she was told; she was asleep within minutes.
CHAPTER THREE
THEY were racing past Stonehenge when she awoke, feeling much refreshed.
‘Feel better?’ asked Mr van Borsele.
‘Yes, thank you. There’s a turning on the left once you’ve got to Wylye; it’s a side road to Tisbury. You can get back on to the A303 if you go through Hindon. If you go via Warminster it’s the quickest way to Bath.’
‘Oh, dear, oh, dear. You can’t get rid of me quickly enough, can you, Claribel?’
Any sleepiness she might have felt evaporated in a trice. ‘I am merely trying to be helpful; you’re coming out of your way to take me home and I am grateful but I don’t wish to impose upon you.’
‘Very commendable, Claribel, your thoughtfulness does you credit.’ She could hear the laugh in his voice. ‘Let me hasten to assure you
that no one has, or ever will, impose upon me. I do what I like and I contrive to get my own way.’
‘How very arrogant. I am surprised that you have any friends, Mr van Borsele.’
‘Ah, but I am also cunning; I hide my arrogance under a smooth exterior.’ He contrived to sound ill-done-by. ‘I am in fact both soft-hearted and lovable when you get to know me.’
Claribel felt laughter bubbling up inside her. She gave a little chuckle. ‘What a good thing that we’re almost there or I might begin to feel sorry for you. The gate is on the left; it’s just a short drive to the house.’
Light shone through the downstairs windows and as he drove slowly up to the door Mrs Brown flung it open. She hadn’t got her spectacles on, so she blinked short-sightedly as the car stopped. ‘Darling, you got a lift? How nice—bring them in, whoever it is.’ She came a little nearer and saw Mr van Borsele move from the car. ‘My goodness!’ she observed cheerfully. ‘What a large man, and isn’t that a Rolls-Royce?’
Claribel skipped round the car and embraced her parent. ‘Mother, this is Mr van Borsele from the hospital. He kindly gave me a lift home—he’s going to Bath.’
She tucked an arm through her mother’s. ‘My mother, Mr van Borsele.’
He shook hands gently, smiling down at her. ‘How do you do, Mrs Brown?’
‘Come inside,’ invited Mrs Brown, beaming up at him. ‘Have a cup of coffee—something to eat? Sandwiches?’
‘You’re very kind, but I am expected at Bath this evening.’
‘My husband would like to meet you. Are you taking Claribel back?’
He glanced at Claribel, standing silently. ‘Sunday evening, about six o’clock? Perhaps I shall have the pleasure of meeting Mr Brown then.’
‘That will be delightful. Supper?’
He shook his head and if he didn’t feel regret he was pretending very well indeed. ‘I’ve a late evening date—I must be back in town by nine o’clock at the latest.’
He shook hands again, gave Claribel the briefest of smiles and got back into his car.
They watched him drive away and Mrs Brown said, ‘What a very nice man. Is he a friend, darling?’
‘No, Mother, he’s not. We argue whenever we meet, which is seldom. He has a nasty caustic tongue.’
‘Most unpleasant.’ They were inside the house, the door shut. ‘His patients must detest him?’
Claribel had been brought up to be fair and not to fib unless she really had to. ‘Well, as a matter of fact, they all dote on him; he’s quite different with his patients.’
She had tossed her jacket on to a chair and they had gone into the sitting-room. Mrs Brown shot a quick look at her. ‘So he must be nice. It was kind of him to bring you home, darling. A pity he didn’t stay for a cup of coffee.’
Claribel shook up a cushion and let Toots and Enoch out of their basket. ‘Yes, I suppose I should have suggested it.’
Her mother went to the door. ‘Well, he’s coming on Sunday. Supper is ready, darling, and there’s plenty for you—your father won’t be back just yet. He’s over at Bradshaw’s Farm advising them about selling the ten-acre field. It’s a lovely surprise having you back for the weekend.’
Her father came in just as they were sitting down in the panelled dining-room across the hall. He helped her to a portion of one of Mrs Brown’s excellent steak and kidney pies with the observation that it was a treat to see her and how had she got home, anyway?
‘One of the orthopaedic consultants was going to Bath for the weekend; he offered me a lift. He’ll pick me up on Sunday evening, Father.’
‘One of your beaux?’ Mr Brown wanted to know. It was a long-standing joke in the family that she was choosy and would end up an old maid. No one believed it, but just lately Claribel had had moments of anxiety that the right man wasn’t going to turn up and the joke wouldn’t be a joke any longer.
She laughed because he expected that she would. ‘Oh, not likely, Father,’ she said brightly. ‘He’s a consultant; they live on a higher plane than any one else. Besides, we don’t get on very well.’
‘No? The more decent of him to give you a lift. I look forward to meeting him.’
She consoled herself with the thought that the meeting would be brief. She even forgot Mr van Borsele for quite long periods at the weekend—there seemed so much to occupy her: gardening, driving her mother into Salisbury to shop on Saturday morning, taking the dog for a walk, and going back to the vicarage after church on Sunday because the vicar’s eldest son was home on leave from some far-flung spot. They had grown up together, more or less, and she thought of him as another brother; it was mid-afternoon before he walked her back to her home and, naturally enough, stayed for tea. Claribel just had time to fling her things into her bag and make sure that the cats were safely in the kitchen ready to be scooped into their basket before Mr van Borsele arrived.
She had expected that he would spend an obligatory five minutes talking polite nothings to her father and mother, settle her and the cats in the car with dispatch, and drive away to his evening date. She might have known it; he was a man who did what he liked when he liked, and it seemed that he liked to stay an hour, drinking her mother’s excellent coffee and discussing international law with her father. She sat quietly, handing coffee cups when called upon, feeling vaguely sorry for whoever it was he was taking out that evening. A girl, of course; and if I were that girl, reflected Claribel, I wouldn’t go out with him; I’d have a headache or go to bed or something—or find someone else to have supper with.
She glanced up and found his dark eyes resting thoughtfully on her so that she felt as guilty as though she had spoken her thoughts out loud. He smiled suddenly and she smiled back before she could stop herself.
He got to his feet. ‘We should be going.’ He made his goodbyes with a grave courtesy which she could see impressed her parents and then ushered her out to the car. Toots and Enoch were handed in, final goodbyes were said and he drove away.
‘You’re going to be late for your evening out,’ said Claribel as they left Tisbury behind.
‘I think not. It’s half past seven; we can be back soon after nine o’clock; my date is for ten o’clock. The road should be pretty clear at this time of the evening.’ He added, ‘I imagine you don’t want to be too late back.’
The roads were almost empty; it was a wet evening and until they reached the outskirts of London there was nothing to hinder them. Claribel, who had allowed herself to wonder if they might stop for coffee, realised that her companion had no such intention. She was deposited inside her front door with the cats and her bag very shortly before half past nine, bidden a casual goodnight and had her politely phrased thanks dismissed just as casually. He had had little to say during the drive, and that of a general nature; she was left with the strong impression that, having done his duty, he was only too glad to be shot of her. She wished him a pleasant evening in a voice which belied her words and closed the door on his departing back.
‘And that’s the last time,’ declared Claribel, not quite clear what she meant.
She woke to a lovely morning: sunshine and blue skies and a breathy little wind with warmth in it. It being April, it was liable to rain before she got home, but that didn’t stop her from wearing a knitted suit with a matching blouse. It was in chestnut brown which went very nicely with her pale hair and, since it was a Monday morning and her spirits needed a boost she wore a pair of high-heeled shoes, deceptively simple and, for that reason, expensive. She left for work feeling pleased with her appearance and attracted several wolf whistles as she went to catch her bus. Vulgar, but good for a girl’s esteem.
Mr van Borsele, passing her in the hospital forecourt, didn’t whistle, although he slowed the car as he went past her and took a good look. She gave him a pleasant smile and walked on, feeling a deep satisfaction, although she wasn’t sure why.
It was several days before she saw him again. Miss Flute had kept her in the department, dealing with the regular
patients, most of whom came at least once a week, and often twice. They were all hard work, some harder than others, and she was glad to get back to her little flat in the evening and cook her supper and go to bed early. Frederick had wanted her to go with him to a concert and one of the housemen had suggested that they might go to a disco, but she found herself singularly lacking in enthusiasm for either suggestion.
All the more surprising then that when Mr van Borsele, towards the end of the week, thumped on her door, she should admit him with something like pleased anticipation. And not without reason; he had tickets for The Phantom of the Opera, and took it for granted that she would go with him.
‘Why me?’ she asked.
He sat himself down in the easiest chair and the cats got onto his knee.
‘I suppose that you have had a busy day—so have I. I don’t want to make small talk and I don’t think you would want that either. On the other hand I don’t want to go alone.’
‘How charmingly put,’ said Claribel, her breast heaving with indignation. ‘Just the sort of invitation any woman would jump at. No, I won’t come.’
‘Supper afterwards?’ coaxed Mr van Borsele in his most beguiling voice. ‘I believe the music is a delight, just right after a tiresome day. Was your day tiresome, Claribel?’
‘Yes, very. And I’m tired; I was just going to get my supper.’
‘Make coffee instead, jump into something pretty and we’ll be off. We have an hour.’
She had wanted to see The Phantom of the Opera, but Frederick wasn’t the man to waste his money on anything so frivolous as the theatre, certainly not a man to bang on the door and take it for granted that she would go anyway. She said, ‘There isn’t enough time—I haven’t fed Enoch and Toots.’
He heaved himself out of the chair. ‘Go and dress; I’ll see to the coffee and the cats.’ He wandered off into the kitchen and she went to her bedroom and poked about in her wardrobe. Only when she had showered and changed into a pretty patterned dress did she remember that she hadn’t said she would go with him. Impulsively she padded into the sitting-room with her shoes in her hand. ‘I haven’t said I’ll go…’ she began.