Betty Neels - Damsel In Green.txt

by Damsel in Green [lit]

  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