Tender Nurse
Page 17
Godfrey was watching her. “You look angry,” he said.
“I am angry.” She brought her clenched fist down on the bed. “You would never have thought of this if Virginia had not told you.”
“Virginia?” he asked in a puzzled voice. “What has Virginia told me?”
“Why—that the only reason I would ever contemplate letting you release me should you ask it—would be because you no longer love me,” she poured out angrily.
His eyes widened, then a smile curved his lips. “So— you were all prepared, eh? Is there anything you girls don’t chew over?”
She flushed. “It’s not a joke. She had no right.”
His smile faded. “Steady, there—firebrand. Virginia told me nothing of the kind.”
She looked at him disbelievingly. “Please, Godfrey, let’s change this whole subject. I can’t bear it.”
A soft, gentle expression crossed his face. “Poor, Andrea, dear Andrea.” He covered her hand with his. “You’re a wonderful person—you deserve to be happy—and I’ll never cease to be grateful for your goodness.”
She shook her head. “You have nothing to thank me for.”
“Haven’t I? Your promise to marry me did more than you know just when I needed help most.”
“Thank you for saying that, Godfrey. Thank you very much indeed.”
He looked at her with his clear brown eyes and she felt a wave of tenderness sweep over her.
“Andrea,” he began in a low voice. “We’ve known each other a long time, and I’ve never known you tell a direct lie. I’m going to ask you a question now and I know you’ll tell me the truth.” He paused for the barest second, then said distinctly: “Are you and Martin Graham in love with each other?”
The unexpectedness of the question almost stunned here. Then with a startled look she got abruptly to her feet.
“Who told you that?” she gasped.
“Sit down again, Andrea,” he said quietly. “Nobody told me anything. You have only to answer yes or no.”
With a helpless gesture, she sat down heavily.
“Yes—it’s true, Godfrey,” she jerked out. “I—I’m sorry.”
To her surprise he smiled. “Don’t worry, Andrea. There’s no need to be sorry. Now at last we can get things straight.” He chuckled. “Do take the worried look off your face, my dear. I’m very glad about you and Martin. It leaves me free——”
“Free?” she echoed in a bewildered tone.
“Yes. You see, I’m in love with someone else too.” “You’re in—oh, Godfrey, you’re joking.” A wild, delirious hope surged up within her.
He grinned happily. “No, Andrea, I’m not joking. You certainly made it very awkward for me though, didn’t you? It gradually dawned upon me that you didn’t really love me, that you were not in love with me. I suppose I should have realized it a long time ago, but loving you had become a sort of habit. I knew that something had unbalanced you recently and the more I thought of it, lying here, the more clear it became. It was almost a relief really, because you see, Andrea, I was gradually falling in love with my nurse.’’
“With—with your nurse—you mean—Virginia?” she gasped.
“Yes. He smiled. “Are you surprised?”
“Well, I—I suppose not, really. As a matter of fact, you have been singing her praises——”
“Oh, she’s lovely, Andrea. She doesn’t know I’m in love with her, of course.’’
Andrea smiled. “I wonder.’’ Odd to hear him talking like that of someone else after all these years, she thought. “But shouldn’t she have been the first to know?” she asked.
“It doesn’t seem so important. I’m happy, Andrea. I’m making no demands on her, no advances toward her— yet.”
Andrea’s face sobered. “Tell her, Godfrey, tell her. Let her be happy, too. For it would make her happy to know.” Suddenly she knew that Virginia loved him.
Then she saw a strange, startled expression cross Godfrey’s face.
“Andrea,” he jerked out. “Something’s happening— something’s happening to my legs. I can feel a queer sort of pricking sensation. Oh, Andrea—Andrea—can it mean —Call Virginia—call someone—fetch Dr. Graham——”
He was almost incoherent in his excitement.
Andrea sprang to her feet, a wild exuberance bursting over her. But before she could get to the door, Virginia hurried in.
“Godfrey—Andrea—what’s all this excitement?” She crossed quickly to his bed.
He gazed up at her rapturously. “Darling—I can feel my legs—a funny pricking sensation—like pins and needles—oh, darling, I think—I feel sure of it—everything’s going to be all right!”
Martin and Andrea sat in the car watching the rising moon glow crescent-like in the deep blue sky of evening. The heady scents of a summer night reached their nostrils intoxicatingly as they each mused in silence for a while. Within the circle of Martin’s arm, her head on his shoulder, Andrea rested like a tired child.
Presently she smiled up at him, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “You haven’t said, ‘I told you so,’ yet.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “I didn’t ‘tell you so.’ I was merely trying to instil a little hope into you, darling. What you tell me about Godfrey’s legs is wonderful and it’s what I’ve been hoping and working for. But as for him being in love with Virginia of all people or she with him—I hadn’t the remotest idea of anything like that happening.”
“No, you wouldn’t, of course. I should have, though. It’s queer when you think of it. When I look back on the last weeks, it seems obvious now that Virginia was in love with Godfrey. Yet at the time such a thing never entered my head.” She chuckled as another thought struck her. “It was so funny, the way I wouldn’t let Godfrey let me go.” She turned to him impulsively. “Oh, Martin, I can hardly believe that our troubles are over at last—that we can love each other freely. It seems too wonderful to be true.”
He smiled down at her. “It’s wonderful to see you happy again. How soon are you going to marry me, darling?” His eyes rested adoringly on her face. “I just want to be with you for always.”
She pulled his face down to hers and kissed his cheek, taking in the familiar smell of his hair cream and feeling the rough of his jacket. “Soon,” she whispered. “Soon, my dearest.”
He bent and kissed her possessively on the lips. Then cupping her face in his hands, he looked long into her eyes.
“When?” His voice was low, urgent and full of a deep longing.
A wild surge of love welled up within her heart. “Oh, Martin, it must be quite soon. After all we’ve suffered, I don’t want to wait for anything——”
The corners of his lips curved in a tender smile.
“Not even for your nursing?”
“Not for anything, Martin! All I want now is to be your wife and to be with you for always, never to be apart.”
“Oh, my darling.” He gathered her to him.
THE END