eyes on to her.
"Didn't you ever want to go?" queried Beatrix.
"Yes, of course," began Georgina with some asperity, then paused. It was
hardly their faults that she had never had the opportunity to travel. She
smiled suddenly.
"One day I shall go to Vienna and that bit of coast between Marseille and
Spain--oh, and Paris on the way home."
She was looking at Beatrix as she spoke, but when the Professor asked, "In
the meantime, would you consider coming to Holland with us?" she turned her
brown eyes upon him; they were opened very wide, so was her delightful mouth.
She stared at him, bereft of speech.
"You see," he went on very gently, "I want to take Cor over to Bergenstijn
for a holiday, but I can't unless you will come with us.
The others will come for a few days, and there may be guests. We shall want
you. Will you come? "
She had her breath back.
"Yes, thank you. I should like to come very much." A succession of thoughts
skidded through her brain. Her passport--clothes, and would she have time to
see
Aunt Polly before she went and what about free time while she was there and
how were they going?
It seemed he was a mind-reader, for he said soothingly, "Don't worry about
clothes or your passport. If you will come down to the study presently we
can discuss the details." He smiled and she looked away, because when he
smiled at her like that she loved him very much.
She had time to collect her thoughts before tea was finished. Everyone
talked at once, making plans of their own, asking endless questions.
She listened to everything that was said, but spoke little herself, and when
Julius at length rose to his feet and suggested that she should accompany
him, she got up readily enough, eager to hear the answers to the questions
seething in her head.
In the study, he said, "Sit down, please," and went to his desk, where he
began a search for something or other, tossing papers and books and
pharmaceutical samples in all directions. She sighed and got up.
"I suppose you've written notes on the back of an envelope again," she
remarked admonishingly.
"Let me look--you can't hope to find it in this chaos." She gave him a
severe look and began to sort through the mess. After a minute or two, she
handed him the missing notes and sat down again. He took it meekly,
observing, "Ah, you see it isn't only Cor who needs you." He was half
smiling.
"And do sit back comfortably.
I shan't gobble you up, you know. "
She blushed in the firelight, and sat back obediently, studying the toes
other neat shoes, listening to his pleasant voice as he told what had to be
done.
"Your passport--there's no time to get one. You can obtain a temporary one,
though--we'll see about that tomorrow. You'll want to go home.." He thought
a moment.
"I'll run you over tomorrow evening after dinner, if that suits you.
Clothes--well, Phena will tell you better than I. I daresay there'll be some
skating--do you skate?" She nodded.
"And bring that green dress you wore at Christmas."
His eyes were on the envelope so she didn't have to answer him, which was a
good thing, for her heart had taken a sudden leap into her throat, so that
she had no voice.
"We shall be there a couple of weeks, I expect-- I have a meeting to attend
in Brussels, and I may have to come back to England for a day or so, but
Karel will come over for several days, and Dimphena and Beatrix will be
there. You shall have a couple of days to yourself if you want to go
sightseeing: I don't think there is anything else."
She said, "No, thank you. Professor," and got to her feet; presumably the
interview was over. He had risen too and came over to where she stood.
"There's one thing more. I can never thank you adequately for your care and
kindness to Cor." His blue eyes searched her face.
"Maybe one day I shall be able to think of some way in which I can repay you.
In the meantime, I can only say " Thank you"."
She fought for serenity; he was so very close.
"There's no need for more than thanks. Professor. I'm as happy about Cor's
legs as you are.
I--I'm fond of him, you know that. And I've been very happy here, you know
that too. " She cast a fleeting glance at his face and said hastily, " You
haven't said when we're to go. "
His face wore its usual placid expression once more.
"Er--no. We should manage to get away on Saturday, I think. We'll take the
car to Harwich, and we can drive home from the Hook."
"Do you take the car too?"
"Heavens, no. Someone will bring the Aston- Martin up from Bergenstijn to
meet us."
She was taken aback.
"You mean to say that you have a Rolls-Royce here and an Aston-Martin in
Holland?" She sounded disapproving, and he chuckled.
"Oh, dear! Don't subject me to a diatribe because I own more than one car..
after all, think of the patients who would suffer if I had to walk
everywhere."
She burst out laughing.
"You are absurd! You make it sound as though having things is of no
consequence."
He lifted an eyebrow.
"My dear girl, of course it's of no consequence.
I could manage very well without. "
She said seriously, "Yes, I know you could," and walked to the door.
Suddenly she wanted to go because being with him hurt her in some way she
couldn't quite understand. He was at the door a second ahead of her. His
hand closed over hers on its big ebony knob. He asked, "Have you decided to
take the Sister's post in Casualty if it's offered to you?"
She lifted her eyes to his.
"Yes, I shall take it," she said quietly, and waited while he opened the door
to let her through.
CHAPTER NINE
the Professor drove her over to the cottage the next day, after dinner.
During the short journey he had said very little and that casually. A brief
comment on the successful acquisition of her temporary passport in Saffron
Walden that morning;
a somewhat longer comment upon Cor's legs and then a few random remarks about
the weather, which was bitingly cold and icy underfoot.
But it seemed from his remarks that these miserable conditions were just what
were needed to make skating at Bergenstijn possible; another day or so, and
it would be ideal. Georgina darted a quick look at his profile and decided
with some surprise that he meant it. Apparently the flurried snow and glassy
roads were equally to his taste; he drove the Rolls with the same nonchalance
that he would have shown on a deserted motorway in broad daylight. Or, she
amended, he appeared to do so. He was the most relaxed driver she had ever
known.
It was a surprised Mrs. Mogg who answered the door to them, and a still more
astonished Aunt Polly who greeted them when they went into the sitting room.
She looked at them sharply, but all she said was, "What a delightful
surprise!" She kissed her niece and shook hands with the Professor.
"Georgina, w
ill you go and ask Mrs. Mogg to let us have some coffee and some
of those nice little biscuits she made today?"
Georgina went willingly. For one thing, she wanted to do something to her
face and hair. She spent a few minutes before the mirror, and then, more or
less satisfied, went to fetch the coffee tray from the kitchen. When she got
back to the sitting room, the Professor had divested himself of his overcoat,
and was sitting close to Aunt Polly, discussing wines, a subject they both
appeared to find engrossing. He got up and took the tray and set it at Aunt
Polly's elbow, and it wasn't until they were sitting with their coffee cups
that he remarked:
"You must be wondering why we have come, Miss Rodman. Cor is more or less on
his feet again, you know, and I plan to take him over to Holland for a short
holiday, and we have persuaded--er--Georgina to come with us. Indeed, we
could not do without her, for Cor still needs a firm hand if he is not to do
too much, as well as a certain amount of nursing care. We plan to go on
Saturday--by boat, you know. The journey to Harwich will take only an hour
or so. We shall sleep on board."
If Great-Aunt Polly was taken aback, she gave no sign of it. She said
merely, "What a treat for you, Georgina. I suppose it will be cold in
Holland at this time of year--you'd better take some sensible clothing,
dear." Georgina caught the Professor's eye and looked away quickly. She had
been wearing uniform all these weeks; what could be more sensible than that?
It seemed a good time to ask.
"Would you like me to continue wearing my uniform. Professor Eyffert?"
she said, and was puzzled when he said blandly, "No. There is no longer any
need."
She was on the point of asking why, when she encountered his look. His eyes
were twinkling with laughter, but all he said was, "Did Phena give you some
idea of what to take?"
"Yes, thank you. Perhaps I'd better go and get a few things...?"
She looked at her aunt, who nodded happily.
"Do, dear, and while you're gone Julius shall tell me more about this home of
his in Holland."
She went upstairs. For how long had her aunt been calling the Professor
Julius, for all the world as if they were close friends or knew each a good
deal better than their brief encounters justified? It made the fact that he
almost invariably called her Nurse or Miss Rodman much harder to bear. She
went to the attic and fetched her case, opened it on her bed, and started the
serious business of deciding which clothes to take. In the end she chose a
thick tweed skirt and a couple of sweaters to go with it, a pair of slacks,
an apricot-coloured jersey dress, and a long-skirted pale blue Shetland wool
dress; it had short sleeves and a turned-over, pointed collar it would do
very well for the evenings; the long, full skirt might be a good idea if
Bergenstijn was even half the size indicated by Cor's drawings. She stood
looking at the little pile of clothes and after some thought, took down one
more dress--organza, the colour of milk chocolate. It had wide sleeves tied
at the wrists, and a broad belt to define her neat waist; its collar was a
froth of ruffles. It was a delicious dress and she wasn't sure if she would
have a chance to wear it, but she packed it just the same.
Later on, when they were ready to leave, the Professor went upstairs with her
to fetch her case. He stood in the middle of her room, studying it with
deliberate interest. It was a pretty room, but as far as she could see, it
hardly merited so much attention. When he at length picked up the case and
went to the door, he observed coolly:
"Your room is charming--like its occupant." She went downstairs behind him,
her cheeks warm, her heart thumping in a maddening way, and angry with
herself because of it, for of course, he meant nothing, nothing at all. It
was a pity she couldn't convince herself of this once and for all. Probably
he made himself agreeable to all the women he knew;
her good sense told her so, even while she vainly tried to suppress the silly
romantic notions rattling around in her head. They certainly got no
encouragement on the way back, for he talked exclusively of the amazing
recovery of a patient of his in the Intensive Care Unit at St. Athel's, so
that the talk, though interesting, was quite impersonal.
She wished him goodnight without warmth, and went up to bed, feeling waspish.
They left on Saturday, with Cor stretched out on the back seat of the Rolls
with Georgina beside him, and the two girls in front with their guardian,
Karel and Franz, who were to join them the following weekend, saw them off,
with Mrs. Stephens and Milly beside them; of Stephens there was no sign, but
the Leggs, squeezed together into their miniature doorway, waved as they
passed by. The weather was colder than ever, the late afternoon sky was a
uniform dull grey, and the ground like iron. Stephens' absence was explained
when they arrived at the Customs at Harwich, for he appeared, rather like a
genie from a bottle, as the Professor drew up. He had a wheelchair with him,
and three porters. The Professor put his small cousin into the chair, said
briefly, "Go inside, all of you. Stephens, come back when you're ready,
please."
Georgina wasn't sure what she had expected-- a queue perhaps, certainly some
waiting about for tickets and luggage. She walked beside Cor's chair,
keeping pace with Stephens' sedate tread.
"Are you coming too, Stephens?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"No, Miss Rodman. I'll be taking the car home presently, and be here to meet
you when you return." He disposed the party in the waiting room, wished them
a happy holiday and took his departure. They did not have long to wait;
within a few minutes the Professor joined them, and in no time at all, it
seemed to her, she was following him up the gangway with Beatrix clinging to
one hand, and the rest of the party strung out behind them.
Once on deck, they were met by a steward, a stewardess and the purser, and
thus "escorted, reached their cabins. Georgina was a greenhorn when it came
to travelling, but even she was able to see that the Professor, when
travelling, did so with the effortless ease of the wealthy. It was a
surprise to find that she was to have a cabin to herself. It communicated
with the one shared by Dimphena and Beatrix.
When she had looked around her she came to the conclusion that they weren't
cabins at all, but staterooms. She was sure that cabins had bunks, and there
was a dear little bed in her room, and twin beds in the girls'.
' Where's Cor? " she asked, and Dimphena pointed across the gangway.
"Over there with Julius." She spoke rather absently, arranging her hair with
all the anxiety of a sixteen-year-old. Georgina frowned.
There had, of course, been a mistake. She stepped briskly to the half-open
door opposite her own, and tapped. Cor was on one of the beds, bubbling over
with some small boy's merriment; his guardian was sitting on the other bed,
reading from a menu card. They both looked up as she went in and the
&nbs
p; Professor unfolded himself carefully to tower above her.
He said blandly, "Ah, Miss Rodman. Can I help in any way?"
She eyed him uncertainly.
"Well--' she began.
"I think there has been some mistake. Shouldn't I have Cor in my room?"
"No, I think not," he replied placidly.
"You'll have more than enough of him in the next week or so."
This remark called forth fresh giggles from Cor. He smiled too, then
continued, "The steward tells me that they are expecting a rough
crossing-you'll be better on your own, especially as Cor is a good sailor.
We two shall sleep like tops." He exchanged a grin with the little boy.
"And if you don't feeler--quite the thing, the stewardess can look after you
without disturbing anyone."
She said, "Yes, of course. I hadn't thought of that." Annoyance that he
could contemplate a sound night's sleep while she presumably might spend a
wretched night battled with her awareness of the common sense of his
suggestion. Nevertheless, she had her work to do.
"I'll get Cor ready for bed, shall I, and see about his supper."
Her bosom heaved with indignation when he said on a laugh, "If it will make
you feel better, my dear Miss Rodman, I'll go along and see about food.. hot
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