Nurse Trudie is Engaged (9 page)

“
I
’
ll be here about 11 in the morning,
”
he announced,
“
but don
’
t get up unless you feel fit. I can go and meet your sister-in-law for you ... alone, if you
’
re not up to it, but I would like us to go for the ring if we can.
”

“
I
’
ll try,
”
Trudie promised, suddenly wishing it were all true and that he really meant what he said. Then she shook herself free of dreams and said a quiet good night, but her ears strained after the sound of his car as he drove away into the night.

A mile or so from The Cedars Philip pulled his car to the grass verge and stopped, then lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply into his lungs. He wanted to collect himself before returning to his own home and the curious glance he anticipated from his staff.

So much had happened in the few hours that had passed since he came off duty and drove away from St. Catherine
’
s. From the moment he had braked to find Trudie Hislop almost under the wheels of his car, it seemed fate had taken charge of his life and was hustling him along on paths he was not sure he wished to tread. And yet what else could he have done? And was he really worried about this false engagement? Trudie, he would have staked his life on it, would honor their agreement. No one but the two of them—and Dora Stacey, who might guess—would know the truth.

“
It
’
s just that it
’
s all happened so quickly,
”
Philip mused.
“
And the way the family accepted me, made me one of themselves. And yet isn
’
t that what I wanted?
”
To escape from Ursula, from all the others, all the speculations and gossip about his private affairs
...

“
I
’
ve done it now, anyway.
”
He grinned to himself as he let in the clutch and butted his cigarette.
“
For good or ill I
’
m
‘
engaged
’
to Trudie Hislop, part of the family ... or almost. We shall have to wait and see what happens next!
”
But he was smiling to himself as he headed for home.

When Trudie awoke the following morning the little traveling clock beside her bed said a quarter to nine. She stretched her limbs experimentally and was relieved to find she was not as stiff and sore as she had anticipated.

“
Good old Dad,
”
she smiled to herself.
“
Takes a lot of beating!
”

She was about to throw back the covers and head for the bathroom, when Mrs. Emma tapped on the door and opened it.

“
Oh,
”
she beamed,
“
you
’
re awake after all. I just looked in to see if you were all right. Wasn
’
t going to wake you just yet if you
’
d still been asleep, but Dr. Malham just telephoned.
”

“
Here?
”
Trudie was wide awake. Then last night had not been a dream, or something conjured up as an after-effect of the bang on her head. Mrs. Emma, however, was rushing on and evidently had not noted her exclamation.

“
He said to tell you he has arranged for a Mr. Gustav,
”
she wrinkled her forehead,
“
to be here by ten o
’
clock. He said you would know who I mean if I told you he does voluntary work at the Out-patients.
”

“
Gustav the masseur?
”
Trudie sat upright.
“
They say he
’
s wonderful,
”
she exclaimed.
“
He only goes out to special patients ... he works privately somewhere, I think, in some clinic or other.
”

“
Well, he
’
ll be working here this morning,
”
Mrs. Emma reminded her.
“
Dr. Malham said if you were to go running off around town, to the airport, and everything else you
’
d need all the help you could get after the bruising you received. Those were his very words. And now,
”
she paused for dramatic effect,
“
I
’
m going to do my bit toward it all. You stay right where you are and I
’
ll be up with your breakfast tray in under five minutes. Then have a nice bath and be all ready for Mr. Whatever-his-name-is.
”

Before Trudie could do any more than murmur an astonished
“
thank you
”
she had retreated, leaving the girl to smile to herself and reflect that something—the accident, the engagement, or the impending arrival of her unknown sister-in-law—had created quite an impression. Mrs. Emma loved to fuss and spoil people, but a person had to be really ill before she would resort to taking a breakfast tray to bed, unless it was for Dr. Hislop.

“
Breeds idleness in young bones,
”
she had told the family more than once when Malcolm or Geoff had been worn out by an intensive bout of studying and had not wanted to do anything more than crawl back under the covers when it was time to get up.

“
Must be a mellowing effect somewhere,
”
Trudie thought, still smiling,
“
or perhaps Philip was unusually insistent on the telephone this morning about the shock and what-have-you.
”

She lay back on her pillow, her hands clasped behind her head, thinking of Philip Malham and trying to see inside the man
’
s mind. They had made an arrangement. It may have the fancy name of
“
engagement,
”
but they both knew full well it was no such thing. Why then should he display such thoughtfulness and such solicitude on her behalf?

“
Maybe he thinks it will prevent his having to carry a half limping, badly shaken human being around with him all day.
”
She would not allow herself to indulge in sentiment.
“
Gustav
’
s good. Everyone says so, and I
’
m almost better already, thanks to Dad
’
s treatment last night.
”

She had no time for further introspection, for at that moment Mrs. Emma entered bearing a daintily arranged tray.

“
Sit up, dear,
”
she suggested, plumping the pillows up behind the girl.
“
Make the most of a bit of spoiling while you can. Knowing this family, I expect the lot of you will be setting yourselves out to spoil Mr. Garth
’
s wife once she gets here. But whatever she
’
s like she
’
ll not take the place of any of you as far as I
’
m concerned!
”

Trudie smiled and thanked Mrs. Emma for the tray, being careful to smooth over the housekeeper
’
s evident truculence over the anticipated arrival of the newcomer. During the past few months Mrs. Emma had not hidden the fact that she considered the girl Mr. Garth had married to be lacking in manners and in kindness. It was her opinion, openly expressed whenever Dr. Hislop was not around, that Veronica had been needlessly cruel in not keeping in regular touch with her in-laws and not letting them know her whereabouts.
“
She could have written to tell him more of Garth
’
s life over there,
”
she had expostulated on more than one occasion.
“
None of you know very much about him since he left home, except that he was working hard, had married, and that he had gone on that awful holiday.
”

“
Let me know when you pour your second cup of tea, dear,
”
Mrs. Emma said finally, retreating to the door,
“
and I
’
ll run your bath. If this Mr. Gustav
’
s in such demand as it appears he is, it would be better not to keep him waiting.
”

And Mrs. Emma was right, Trudie reflected. Gustav would only have come all this way at such short notice for someone like Philip Malham and—her color rose suddenly—apparently for Philip Malham
’
s
fiancée
!

“
It will be all around St. Catherine
’
s by now,
”
she thought, well aware of the efficiency of the hospital grapevine.
“
I wonder if anyone has thought to telephone Ursula yet.
”

Ursula did no specific work, but she did quite a number of voluntary jobs for St. Catherine
’
s such as taking around the library trolley twice a week. She usually picked up more news and gossip than even the nurses managed to do.

“
I bet she
’
s mad at me,
”
Trudie reflected, telling Mrs. Emma that she would run the bath herself,
“
but if Philip could help Geoff meet her again
...”

She shook her mind free of dreams and schemes alike and hastened with her toilet. She had just finished as Mrs. Emma came to inform her that Mr. Gustav was waiting, and for the next three-quarters of an hour he worked hard, his gentle but firm hands working the pungent creams into the bruised surfaces. When he had finished and pronounced that he would come again in two or three days
’
time, she felt no trace of ache or pain in the thigh and leg that had been so sore the previous evening.

She was ready and waiting for Philip by 11 o
’
clock, but the minutes ticked by slowly and he did not arrive. Feeling on edge, Trudie went into the yard and began to cut sprays of white and purple lilac to decorate the house. As she was returning to the house, Philip caught his first sight of her that day. He stopped as he thought how sweet, how fresh and lovely she looked, with her arms full of the sprays of blooms and the morning sun shining upon her head, lighting up her golden hair to a halo.

“
Sorry I
’
m a few minutes late,
”
he apologized.
“
They
’
re doing a traffic census just down the road, something to do with the new motorway, and there was a line-up of cars a mile long.
”

“
Well, you
’
re here now,
”
Trudie felt suddenly shy,
“
and we have plenty of time. Would you care for a drink, or some coffee, before we set out?
”

“
I
’
d love some coffee, please,
”
Philip said readily,
“
if it isn
’
t too much trouble. Especially if it tastes as it did last night!
”
he added, smiling.

“
I know what you mean.
”
Trudie smiled back, something of the nervousness leaving her.
“
Mine is never reliable; sometimes it
’
s just right, other times it
’
s simply awful, but Mrs. Emma
’
s is
always the same ... perfect. It
’
s quite a ritual with her, and she
’
ll be delighted to know her efforts are appreciated.
”

They went indoors together, Trudie hanging back to allow him to precede her as she
w
ould have done at St. Catherine
’
s, but he placed a gentle arm on her shoulder and propelled her forward.

“
After you, my dear,
”
he said in a low, gentle tone, and blushing, Trudie led the way into the lounge.

Mrs. Emma was delighted that her coffee was appreciated. As she bustled away all beams and smiles, to make
“
a nice, fresh pot,
”
Trudie gestured to the wide, comfortable chair she thought Philip would prefer.

“
Make yourself comfortable, won
’
t you?
”
she suggested.
“
The papers are on this side table.
”
She half-turned, heading for the door.
“
Thank you for ... sending Mr. Gustav,
”
she said simply.
“
I feel fine now, not an ache anywhere.
”

“
I
’
m glad.
”
Philip patted the sofa beside him where he had chosen to sit, ignoring the chair.
“
Come and sit with me and tell me what sort of a night you had,
”
he invited.
“
I
’
m quite sure Mrs. Emma can manage to make coffee without you. There
’
s one point I must bring up, Trudie, and I think now is as good a time as any to do it.
”

Trudie stared at him, fascinated. Without realizing quite why she did it she closed the door and went to sit beside him.
“
Now we are ... engaged
”
—there was just the slightest hesitation before the word—
“
people will expect us to behave like an engaged couple. You were surprised when I kissed you last night. Since I
’
d snatched you from under my wheels as it were and became engaged to you that very evening, your family would have been even more surprised had I not done so.
”
He smiled at her; the slow, charming smile made her heart turn over.

“
I think,
”
he observed seriously,
“
that Mrs. Emma, as well as your family, will not expect to see me sitting at one end of the room and yourself at the other so early on in our ...
‘
engagement,
’
do you?
”

“
No,
”
I suppose not,
”
Trudie began doubtfully, then she smiled and relaxed. He was quite serious and quite right. Neither her family nor Mrs. Emma would expect them to behave as they behaved on duty. He had realized what she had totally ignored; the way to make tongues wag would be to behave differently from the truly engaged couples of their acquaintance.

She thought of Monica Steadman, the woman who had been working for some months at St. Catherine
’
s. Monica had become engaged to a doctor doing missionary work and had gone around starry-eyed with excitement and dreams. She greeted him with obvious rapture whenever he came to see her which was as often as he could possibly manage, until she went away for the special training that would enable her to join him in the foreign missions. There had been no mistaking Monica
’
s delight in her Richard or his in Her and, looking at the matter objectively, Trudie knew this was just what Philip was implying.

Even though they were not returning to St. Catherine
’
s to work, some of the extension staff would be familiar. In any event each hospital had its own grapevine, and if they continued to behave just as friends, word would soon get around and people would begin to wonder what lay behind it all.

“
Geoff would never notice,
”
she said aloud,
“
and Dad would think we were
... shy. Mrs. Emma would put it down to
‘
the queer behavior of the present generation,
’
as she does everything she doesn
’
t understand, but
”
—her smile vanished and she looked at him with such a serious expression that despite himself Philip smiled—
“
Malcolm would immediately guess something was not quite as it
... seemed on the surface.
”

“
Malcolm is a clever and shrewd young man,
”
Philip said firmly.
“
He will make an excellent lawyer; he only requires the experience, and I imagine that is rapidly coming his way. I know,
”
he grinned,
“
I would rather have him on my side than against me in a courtroom. In other words, we don
’
t want to arouse his suspicions! I see you have my meaning.
”
He looked at the door significantly as Mrs. Emma entered with their coffee.
“
Now let
’
s have this and be off... it will take hours to choose a ring, I
’
m sure, my dear.
”