Leaving the bedroom together the two girls walked down the wide stairway to the hall. “I can’t think of you as a nurse any more,” Alaine admitted. “Especially now I’ve seen you out of that impossible uniform.”
Felicity halted her steps. “Now you’ve reminded me, I’d nearly forgotten. I haven’t even been in to Mr. Brenton, I wonder if he wants any help.” A flush mounted her cheeks. “It just shows you how fancy clothes takes one’s mind off one’s job,” she added with a rueful laugh.
“I know the vicar is coming to dinner, and one or two other ‘locals’. They are all awful bores, still it means that Guy will have to change so maybe he will want a hand with his tie, unless Mackerley’s helped him.”
Felicity felt almost diffident about entering Guy’s room. It must be because she wasn’t in uniform, she told herself defensively, it couldn’t be anything else—couldn’t be that she daren’t face him alone! Unwilling, almost frightened to seek the solution, Felicity turned to Alaine. “Come along with me, I never could make a bow tie.” She knew her words to be utterly unconvincing but it was obvious that Alaine, who was obediently retracing her steps beside Felicity, had detected nothing unusual in the request.
Felicity was grateful for Alaine’s supporting presence when, following her tap on the door, Guy bade her enter. Alaine’s guess had been remarkably near the truth. The bow tie having been too much of a problem, had been left dangling at the neck and he was now struggling ineffectively with a refractory pearl stud. “So my nurse has at least deigned to make an appearance.” A hint of amusement took the sting from his words, particularly when, desisting from his struggle with the stud, he turned an appraising eye on Felicity. “I don’t wonder, you must have been so busy dressing yourself that you couldn’t spare a thought for your one-armed patient.”
“Stop goggling at Felicity, what about my dress; like it?” Alaine pirouetted round to display the wide swing of her taffeta cocktail frock which billowed in rich folds to her ankles. “I know it’s an eye-opener to see Felicity out of her starched atrocity, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore me.” She pouted charmingly as she threw back her head, displaying the long column of her neck emerging from the folds of the low-cut bodice.
“How about this tie?”
Felicity, as she stood before him, was suddenly overcome with confusion, her fingers felt like thumbs and she knew herself to be fumbling in the most irritating manner. Alaine’s sudden departure to collect her handbag didn’t help matters, and Felicity was uncomfortably aware that she had but to lift her head a bare inch to brush Guy’s chin as he leaned above her.
“Not doing too well, are you?”
“Hold your head, I might do better then.” With a last desperate effort she obtained some kind of result, then with a sigh of relief stood back. “Will that do?”
“I suppose it will have to.” With his free hand Guy pulled it into shape.
If only her hands had been more steady! Felicity compressed her lips as she struggled for composure. “Now your jacket? Shall I tuck the sleeve in the pocket?” While she swung the jacket over his shoulder and added the few final adjustments she went on talking; she rarely spoke just for the sake of making conversation, yet at that particular moment she dreaded silence. “It will be much more comfortable for you tomorrow when you get this wretched plaster off. I hope you’ll start, using your hand more too, you know you’ve slacked off again, you really should try to persevere.”
“You’d better wait until you are in uniform if you want to start lecturing, it ill becomes you in that most alluring frock; quite out of place!” He smiled at her, then added, “Loosen this sling a bit, will you, it seems to be strangling me.”
As he stooped for her to make the adjustment she was again conscious of his nearness. Her fingers seemed more awkward than ever as they struggled ineffectively with the taut knot of the sling, then with a sudden shock she felt his hand close firmly over hers, stilling their movement “What on earth’s the matter with you? You seem to have become extraordinarily inefficient.”
Despite the warm colour which had mounted her cheeks, Felicity felt her gaze drawn upwards towards his. Their faces were so close that she could feel his breath on her cheek, she felt held by those brown eyes, unable to move and utterly defenceless. His hand tightened over hers, imprisoning them in his grip, but when he spoke his voice held a note of unusual gentleness. “What is the matter? You aren’t still dwelling on that nonsensical action of mine this morning, are you? You know it was nonsense, probably delayed delirium!” He forced a laugh, then added with quiet intensity, “Remember, I told you that it was only an expression of gratitude!”
It was Felicity’s pride which came to her aid; she pulled her hands free and tilting up her chin, confronted her companion with a gaze as steady as his own. “You don’t have to remind me, and please don’t harbour any illusions that I misinterpreted your action.”
“I see.” As if by mutual consent they again lengthened the distance which separated them and now his tone was harsh. “I apologize if I misunderstood your nervousness—I believe we have guests, shall we go down?”
Alaine had been right, it was certainly a tedious dinner party, but to Felicity, recalling hundreds of such dinners which had been part of her life at home, it was no hardship. Alaine did little to hide her boredom and Felicity couldn’t help wondering how she would ever cope with the social demands which would naturally fall upon her as Guy Brenton’s wife. Whether here or in town she didn’t see how Alaine could ever escape those obligations.
By ten o’clock Alaine was barely troubling to stifle her yawns, no doubt she was dwelling on her own ideas of a party, comparing this dull gathering with her own crowd of friends. Felicity intercepted one or two of the appealing glances she sent in Guv’s direction, but if he saw them, he ignored them. It was obvious that he was again in no mood to give either sympathy or understanding.
“Telephone—for Nurse Dene.” Mackerley’s announcement interrupted a tedious discourse on the comparative merits of modern tractors. Felicity, although surprised by the unexpected call, was relieved at the diversion. Closing the library door behind her she crossed to the instrument. She had hardly lifted the receiver when she found Alaine at her elbow.
“I had to escape, I just had to—you didn’t mind me following you, did you? I pretended that Mackerley had probably made a mistake, that I was waiting for a call and that it might be for me.”
“It probably is! I certainly didn’t expect to hear from any one.” Felicity laughed, then spoke into the receiver. “Nurse Dene here, who is it? Oh, Diana, you! How lovely to hear your voice, how nice of you to ring—what?—what did you say?” She listened carefully, her expression betraying her excitement. “What on earth shall I do? How can I meet him? MacFarlayne comes down tomorrow afternoon to remove the plaster, I’ve got to be here, I’ve just got to!” There was a note of distress in her voice which could not fail to arouse Alaine’s curiosity. Leaning towards Felicity she touched her arm to attract attention.
“What’s up? What’s the matter?”
“Hold on, Diana—just a moment. Felicity cradled the receiver in her hands and turned to Alaine. “A cable arrived at hospital for me. My friend, Nurse Weste, thought she’d better open it—it’s from my brother, he is flying over and is due to land at London Airfield at eleven tomorrow! I’m supposed to meet him there, how can I?” There was a note of distress in her voice as she asked the question.
“I don’t see why you can’t—the airports not so far from here, I’ll run you over in the car, it will be quite easy,” Alaine suggested eagerly.
“You really think you could? That would be marvellous!” Felicity spoke again into the receiver, excitedly repeating Alaine’s proposal. “I could spend a short time with him, then return here in time for MacFarlayne’s arrival. I’ll see Tony in town again on Monday. Yes—yes—” she responded to some remark of Diana’s. “I expect I’ll leave here Monday or Tuesday at the latest, once the pla
ster is off I’m sure Mr. Brenton will be able to manage.”
After a short exchange of trivialities, Felicity replaced the receiver. A flush of excitement still stained her cheeks and her azure blue eyes reflected her inward happiness. Eagerly she turned to Alaine. “I’m so thrilled, I can’t tell you, I’m just longing to see him again—I expected him, of course, but not just yet. I thought it would be next month some time, at least that’s what I gathered from his last letter. It would be awful to have no one to meet him, you are a dear to offer to take me, I can’t tell you what a relief that is; once we’ve met I don’t mind him travelling to town alone, you see it won’t be long before I go back myself.”
“You won’t see much of him if you are working.” Alaine took a cigarette from a silver box and fitted it carefully into her amber holder. “It’s going to be a bit difficult, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Felicity agreed. “But he’ll have plenty to do, heaps of old friends to look up and I’ve no doubt he’ll run down to Somerset to spend a few days there.” Although she so rarely smoked Felicity took a cigarette from the box which Alaine offered, and with almost mechanical action and still deep in thought, applied a match. “Tony made me give provisional notice at St. Edwin’s a few months ago, now it really means leaving. You see, he wants me to return to America with him.”
“What a thrill! Aren’t you glad?”
“I don’t know,” Felicity admitted slowly. “I love England—America is rather frightening, I don’t know if I’ll like it.”
Of course you will—I know I should, they know how to live out there, they enjoy themselves, lots of entertaining and fun”—she pulled a face—”not ghastly dinner parties like tonight.”
“Poor Alaine, how bored you are!” Felicity teased. “Never mind, you’ll get used to it, it’s all in the day’s work and you can have fun as well.”
“I’m beginning to wonder whether I like Guy’s friends any better than he likes mine. The only time this place takes on any semblance of life is when I invite some of my own crowd down. I didn’t dare this weekend. I thought Guy might resent it until he is fit again.”
“I think you were wise.” Felicity rose to her feet. “It will all work out when you are married, I’m sure it will,” she reassured Alaine. “And now we’d better get back to the lounge, they’ll begin to wonder what’s happened to us.”
“They seem more interested in ‘Fat Stock’,” Alaine murmured under her breath as they joined the group round the lounge fire.
At least their reappearance seemed to arouse the company to the time and in a few moments ‘good nights’ had been exchanged and Alaine made no secret of the fact that she was thankful to see them go. “Has Felicity told you her exciting news?” she began as soon as the door had closed behind the last guest. Glad of the diversion she was causing she told them the purport of the telephone call, then turned to Guy. “I can borrow your car for Felicity, can’t I, darling?”
“Of course you can have the car.” Guy Brenton turned to Felicity. “You will meet your brother—then what are your plans?”
“I shall come back in time for Mr. MacFarlayne’s visit in the afternoon. Naturally I must be here to assist him.”
“And let your brother go back to town alone?” You can’t do that,” Colonel Brenton protested. “Bring him back with you, I won’t hear of anything else, he is welcome to stay just as long as he wants. Frampton’s boy ...” he murmured reminiscently. “I wonder, is he like his father?”
“It’s very kind of you—” Felicity began to protest but Guy broke in on her words.
“I think Father is right, it is the obvious thing to do. We shall, as my father says, be delighted to welcome your brother. It will give you a little time together before you return to St. Edwin’s.”
“I don’t know how to thank you both and I know that Tony will appreciate the invitation—” She broke off, at a loss for words, but her glowing expression of gratitude gave all the necessary thanks.
Throughout her ministrations that evening, Guy remained moody and taciturn, almost in silence she re-dressed his arm and settled him comfortably for the night; then, closing his door gently behind her, she made her way to her own room. Her heart was filled with pleasurable anticipation of the morrow and even Guy’s aloof attitude left her entirely unmoved. And so it always would be in future, she told herself firmly. His suggestion that she might possibly have misunderstood his feelings had touched the very depth of her pride, had steeled her forever against any show of weakness: from now on she would keep herself well in hand, and without the slightest misgivings as to the future, Felicity fell into a sound and untroubled sleep.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The best laid plans are apt to go astray and when a telephone call to the airport the following morning elicited the fact that, owing to fog, the trans-Atlantic plane would not land until the afternoon, it completely upset all Alaine’s and Felicity’s arrangements.
“But you must come,” Alaine insisted. “I don’t see how you can do otherwise, you ought to be there to meet your brother and as for this Mr. MacDuff, or whatever his name is, well, he must manage without you, that’s all,” she ended with finality.
“I’ve just got to be here this afternoon—you don’t understand,” Felicity argued miserably. “I’m on duty here and it’s my job—it’s not even like hospital, no one can take over for me—it can’t be helped, I must stay.” She pushed back her coffee cup, she had no longer any appetite for breakfast and the toast lay on her plate untouched.
“It does seem a pity, my dear,” Colonel Brenton interposed. He was so obviously distressed at her disappointment and eager to help, but, no doubt recognizing the truth of Felicity’s words, better than Alaine, wisely refrained from argument.
Felicity was at least glad that Guy, breakfasting in his room, was as yet ignorant of the controversy which had arisen. She had no idea what his reaction would have been or what advice he would have given. Somehow she preferred not to know and was determined that, by the time he did know, her arrangement to remain on hand for Mr. MacFarlayne’s visit would have become an accomplished fact. “It can’t be helped, it’s just unfortunate.” Felicity forced a smile then, turned to Alaine. “I’ve got to get a message to the airport somehow, I must let Tony know what’s happened, tell him where I am and get him to come straight on here.” She forced a note of lightness into her voice. “After all, I’ve waited four years, it’s only a matter of an extra hour or so.”
“How would it be if I went without you—supposing I meet him and bring him back?” Alaine’s suggested a trifle diffidently. Even if it wasn’t her habit to put herself out for others, she had managed to make her offer sound spontaneous and perhaps, with the prospect of a dreary afternoon ahead while Guy would be closeted with the surgeon and Felicity, even a run to the airport to meet an unknown young man offered some kind of diversion. “I really would not mind a bit,” she added, warming to the suggestion. “You’ll have to tell me what he looks like, I’d hate to accost the wrong man!”
“Would you really go? Oh, Alaine, that’s sweet of you!” Felicity brightened visibly at the suggestion. “Your meeting him would be so much more welcoming, so much less impersonal than a message. You’d take a load off my mind. Of course I’ll tell you what he’s like—he may have changed, I might not even recognize him myself,” she exclaimed with the first note of genuine relief she had shown since she had heard of her disappointment.
It was not until his dressing was completed and Felicity was packing away the lint and neatly folding a bandage that Guy mentioned the subject of Tony’s delayed arrival. “I am awfully sorry about this afternoon, would you like me to try and defer Mr. MacFarlayne’s visit?”
Felicity was not only surprised but strangely moved at the offer. No doubt it was merely conventional but at least it showed some consideration. “No, of course not—in any case Mr. MacFarlayne could never get down here on a weekday, besides you must be aching to get that heavy plaster off
.”
“I shan’t be sorry,” he admitted, then went on talking. “I suppose it would be difficult to put him off now—I understand that you’ve got it all fixed up with Alaine and she is going for you.”
For a few moments the matter was amicably discussed between them and it appeared to be as propitious a moment as she was likely to find so she took advantage to question him. “What are your future plans?” Have you any idea how long you will require me here?”
“I’m certain now that I shan’t be able to stand more than a week of this inactivity,” he admitted. “I expect I’ll stay a few more days then I propose to return to town I can’t do much at hospital except my lecturing; I might pick up a few threads of my private work, but anyway I feel I must get started again soon. I imagine you could get back tomorrow or Tuesday—why not make it Tuesday, it will give you an extra day here with your brother. I’ll discuss the thing with MacFarlayne. Once I’m back in town I can get my dressings done at hospital, and with the plaster off I imagine I’ll be able to manage quite a good bit more myself.”
“You should feel far less handicapped,” Felicity agreed as with everything satisfactorily tidied, she went on, “Are you riding with Alaine this morning? Shall I put out your things?”
“Yes, I believe I am—but don’t you bother, Mackerley will be along to help me dress.”
Felicity couldn’t avoid the little stab of envy which she suffered as she watched Alaine and Guy mount their horses; true Alaine had thrown her a casual invitation to join them, but even her love of riding could not persuade Felicity to accept. It didn’t really matter, she told herself when half an hour later a brisk walk had taken her across the meadows and into a shaded coppice; she had enough happiness as it was, the glorious feel of the open country around her and the blue sky above her head and the joyous anticipation of her coming reunion with her brother.
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