‘Thanks, Nurse.’ It was Roger who answered her now. ‘We’ll call at the hospital first, and if Julie’s there she can come with us on the search for Tansy. We’ll ring you,’ he added the promise to Mrs. Andy over his shoulder, ‘and please don’t worry. Julie’s never made a hasty or ill-considered action in her life if she thought in doing so she might inconvenience someone else.’
‘I’m sure of it,’ Mrs. Andy said gravely, and she and Isobel watched in silence as the huge, powerful car roared away down the drive.
Roger was a skilful driver and so far had never been involved in any incident likely to unnerve him. He drove now, capably and well, but with full concentration, and the big car ate up the miles between Woodlands and Hyncaster, Garth sitting silently beside him.
They turned in at the big gates of St. Luke’s. Roger knew the layout of the hospital better than did Garth, and with a murmured ‘I won’t be a moment,’ he was out of his driving seat and on his way to the reception desk.
‘No luck,’ he said, returning a few minutes later. ‘They’re a nosy set.’ He grinned unexpectedly, thereby bringing a sense of reality back to Garth although he was unaware of it at the time. ‘That was Joyce Ashton. She was a pro when Julie was, and she managed to ask me more questions in one minute than I could invent in half a day. They should put people like that on to public enquiry services, or enrol them on the staff of a newspaper! All the same,’ he turned the car expertly, ‘she did make one sensible suggestion. It seems there’s a new rehearsal hall opened in Hyncaster. I didn’t know that. She suggested Tansy might be there. It’s at the top of Elm Street. Shall we go?’
They found the hall without difficulty. It was a modernistic building looking, as Garth remarked sourly, like an up-ended coffin.
‘I’d read about this,’ he remarked as he followed Roger from the car, ‘but I hadn’t seen it.’
‘Not much to look at, I grant you’—Roger looked up at the concrete blocks—‘but Joyce says the acoustics are marvellous, and I suppose that’s what counts. Let’s see if there’s an enquiry desk.’
There was an enquiry desk, a massive affair-in glass brick and tabular steel. The blonde girl seated behind the enquiry window consulted a ledger and informed them that Miss Maitland and the group were in Studio Three, top floor.
‘Take the lift,’ she advised, indicating the door with her pencil. ‘It’s quite a climb, six floors.’
As they went up together, Garth found himself a little nervous now that the moment was so near. It would, he felt, have been easier if Roger had not been with him, but common sense told him that if Roger wanted to marry Tansy then he had a perfect right to be present just now.
The rehearsal was in full swing, but the moment she saw them enter the door Tansy left the dais and ran to meet them, a worried frown on her face.
‘What’s the matter?’ she demanded. ‘Why are you both here? Is there something wrong?’
‘Tansy,’ Roger began gently, ‘Garth has something to tell you, something I really think—hope—you’ll be glad to hear. When he has told you I have something to say to you, too.’ Without a further word he turned and walked out of earshot, leaving Garth to face Tansy alone.
Garth looked down into the speedwell-blue eyes in the small, attractive heart-shaped face. He looked at the tangle of reddish-gold curls, the small, passionate mouth, and knew what had attracted him to Tansy. It was her vitality, her eager enjoyment of life, but there had been no mental meeting place, no common interest, and the physical aspect was not enough.
‘I ... it’s hard to say this, Tansy,’ he began awkwardly, ‘so if the words aren’t quite right, please forgive me. You see,’ he said firmly, speaking more slowly so that every word was distinct and clear, ‘my memory has returned. That blank space has been filled. I know now what happened just before the trailer hit us.’
‘Then you know...’ Tansy’s small, white hand flew to her mouth and a hot tide of colour ran from the base of her throat to her forehead. ‘You know that I’m not really your ... fiancée?’ she whispered. ‘That this’—she suddenly began to twist the ring on her finger—‘isn’t real?’
‘Yes,’ Garth said gently. ‘I know.’
‘What are you going to do about it?’ The words were whispered in such a low voice that he had to stoop to hear. He could not help a faint smile as he answered her.
‘Isn’t it ... rather a question of what you intend to do about it, my dear?’ he asked, still in the same gentle tone.
With a quick movement Tansy took the ring from her finger and held it out to him, and to his surprise Garth saw that her eyes were full of tears.
‘Take it back,’ she choked. ‘I knew I hadn’t any right to it, but I thought that if you never remembered ... I thought, it would ... work out. We’d loved each other once.’
‘Not really.’ Garth was serious and firm, and there was nothing more than friendly affection in the arm he placed about her shoulders. ‘We were in love with love, attracted by what each found so different, so unusual in the other. It would never have worked out, Tansy, and in your heart you know it, just as I do. But there are better things in store for you—for both of us, please God—I know,’ he ended. ‘Roger!’
Garth turned away as Roger moved forward in answer to his call. He walked to the far end of the room, turning his back on the two who stood there, looking at each other.
‘Tansy,’ Roger was stooping low so that his voice would reach her ears without anyone else knowing what he said. ‘I love you,’ he said clearly and distinctly. ‘I couldn’t tell you this while you still wore Garth’s ring. If you’ll marry me there’s no limit to what we can do together. We can make the films from the books I write, we’ll live where the fancy takes us, just for as long as the work we’re doing is there, and then we’ll move on to somewhere else, to something else, something we can do together...’
‘Living out of a suitcase.’ Tansy wrinkled her nose at him, laughter bubbling from her lips. ‘Sharing mad, moonlight nights, wonderful dawns ... all the things you’ve told me about ... Oh, Roger,’ she was in his arms, standing on her toes to reach up for his kiss, ‘of course I’ll marry you,’ she whispered quickly. ‘Why ever didn’t we meet before?’
CHAPTER XIV
Garth stood with his back to Tansy and Roger for what seemed to him to be an eternity. At last he could contain himself no longer. ‘Roger,’ he asked brusquely, wheeling round, ‘what about Julie?’
‘Julie?’ Tansy said the name in a tone of bewilderment as if she had never heard it before. ‘What’s the matter with Julie? What has she to do with all this?’
‘She loves Garth,’ Roger told her gently, ‘just as he loves her, just as we love each other. And for some reason, maybe the strain of knowing how you and Garth were pretending, she couldn’t stand the strain any longer. She’s vanished. Oh, nothing serious,’ he hastened to assure her as he saw her face whiten. ‘I’m her brother, remember, and we’ve been closer than the average brother and sister ever since we were children. She’s simply gone somewhere to think things over quietly for a few days, to give Garth a chance to let you know that his memory had returned and to get things sorted out, but Garth is naturally anxious to find her.’
‘And so am I.’ Tansy’s sincerity was unmistakable. ‘She’s been kind to me from the very beginning of this ... nightmare. She was the only one who even tried to understand that night they took us into St. Luke’s. Everyone else tried to tell me to be quiet and wait. Nobody else seemed to care how I felt.’
She turned suddenly to Garth, but not leaving Roger’s side.
‘We must find her,’ she said simply, ‘and I must tell her why I did this, but it’s so difficult to explain.’
‘Explanations can come later, if they matter at all.’ Garth managed a smile. ‘The main thing is to let her know that I’m—we—I’m not engaged to you any more, and that you’re not broken-hearted about it either,’ he joked. ‘I don’t think Julie would want me if she though
t you were.’
‘Julie wants you,’ Tansy said soberly. ‘I’ve thought that for a long time, and I’ve thought how mean I was in holding on to you when you couldn’t say anything about the truth of the matter for yourself, but I couldn’t bring myself to let you go, I can’t explain...’
‘It doesn’t matter at the moment, darling,’ Roger hushed her gently. ‘Explanations can come later. Right now all Garth wants to do is to find Julie and tell her everything is all right, then they will be as happy as we are!’
‘Is there a telephone in this place?’ Garth asked her.
‘Mrs. Andy wants to know of any developments. We can tell her Julie isn’t at the hospital and that everything is fine between Roger and yourself. She may have some other suggestions.’
‘There’s a telephone in the vestibule,’ Tansy told him. ‘The one in the office is for the staff use only. Anyone using the hall may use this one. I’ll show you.’
It did not take them long to get through to Mrs. Andy. She had obviously been awaiting their call, and her relief when she knew that matters were satisfactorily settled between Roger and Tansy was apparent to her godson even over the telephone.
‘I rang Miss Bloxham,’ she told him then, referring to the Matron of St. Luke’s. ‘We’re old friends, and I knew she would not betray a confidence. She told me Julie had not gone back to the hospital, but she had a suggestion to make. Ask Roger if they sub-let their flat when he flew off to Mexico, will you?’
Garth covered the instrument with his hand and asked Roger his aunt’s question. For a moment Roger could not quite remember, then he snapped his fingers.
‘We did,’ he recollected, ‘ but Julie wrote to me some time after I’d left and told me the new tenants had moved out ... they had unexpectedly found the house they wanted, and Julie didn’t want the trouble of trying to relet it again, acting alone...’
‘No,’ Garth told Mrs. Andy. ‘It isn’t let. Why?’
‘Then surely that’s where she will be?’ Mrs. Andy said triumphantly. ‘When things go wrong most people instinctively turn to wherever they call “home” to put things right. Ask Roger to drive you there now. I think you’ll find I’m not mistaken ... and remember,’ she said urgently as Garth began to say goodbye, ‘I’m as anxious as you are, and I’m sitting here alone, waiting for some news!’
‘I’ll let you know as soon as there is anything to tell, Garth promised. ‘Thanks for helping. Bye.’
‘How far to your flat?’ he asked Roger once he had replaced the telephone. ‘How long will it take to get there?’
‘The other side of town,’ Roger told him. ‘Not far, but it depends on the traffic. Why?’
‘Aunt Lavinia thinks Julie may be there,’ Garth said simply. ‘I should imagine she will be too. Step on it,’ he ordered as he took his place in the back seat leaving Tansy to sit beside Roger. ‘She may move off before we get there!’
‘I don’t think so.’ Roger spoke as he switched on the engine, but he lost no time in moving away, and in a short time they had traversed the town and were halted outside the block of old Georgian houses in one of which Julie and her brother had made their home.
‘Second floor, door at the end of the corridor. Turn to your right at the top of the stairs. I know you would rather go up alone.’
‘I would,’ Garth said crisply. ‘Thanks.’
He walked slowly up the wide, carpeted stairs, wondering what he should say to her, wondering if she would resent his following her in this fashion when she had so obviously run away from facing him as she had been compelled to do at Woodlands.
I’ve been foolish this past week, he told himself, what somebody called a quixotic fool. Maybe it was Aunt Lavinia, but I thought Julie understood...
The door of the flat was white-painted with a brass knocker in the shape of a jolly little gnome. The little thing seemed to twinkle reassurance at Garth as he lifted it and knocked gently.
At first he thought Mrs. Andy must be mistaken and that she was not there, but when he had made up his mind to knock again he had just lifted his hand when the door opened and she stood there, looking at him. Her face was pale and her make-up gone, but to Garth she had never looked more lovely. He moved towards, her as she mutely held the door wide open, her glance searching his face.
‘May I come in, Julie, please?’ he asked quietly.
‘If you wish.’ She nodded and moved into the room, making no further move.
‘I’m sorry you felt you had to ... run away,’ he said, still using the same gentle tone. ‘But you knew I should come to find you, didn’t you? You did the right thing, darling,’ he went on. ‘It brought me to my senses. Tansy’s outside, in Roger’s car. She knows now that I’ve recovered my memory and that you know too. She knows I love you, Julie. She knows that I’m going to ask you to marry me ... just as soon as ever it can be arranged. You will, won’t you?’ he asked, opening out his arms to her.
For a moment Julie hesitated, then with a little muffled cry she ran to him, to be closely enfolded in his embrace, an embrace which now had the full use of his two arms, his two hands, and the whole of his heart.
From somewhere in the region of his chest she lifted her face to ask a question.
‘And Tansy?’ she asked. ‘How does she feel? What is she going to do now?’
‘She’s going to be your sister-in-law,’ Garth told her, ending any further questions with a kiss. After a moment, his arm about her shoulders, he walked her gently over to the comfortable settee which she had pushed before a fire of pine cones, lit even though the evening was warm.
‘Let them wait a minute or two,’ he murmured against her hair. ‘We’ve waited long enough for this...’ And as their lips met again time stood still as their hearts accepted in thankfulness the blessed gift of love.
Nurse Saxon's Patient Page 19