Hospital in the Highlands (13 page)

“If I’m ‘other folks’ kids’ they must be the ‘etcetera’ you mentioned, invited or not. One of these days I’ll really get ma
d
at you, Hamish Strathallan, and you’ll unleash all the fury of a woman scorned.”

“Really?” He turned to regard her, weighted down by the golf bag as she was. “Shall I carry that?” he asked.

“No. Ye’ll no’ get out o’ your obligations by doing the work I’m asked to do in return for your tutorial services. When Jenny asks how you did, remember to tell her you took seven at the fourth.”

“I took
six
.”

“You nudged, and that counts as a stroke.”

“I did
not
nudge. I was merely addressing the ball.”

“You left your calling card,” Pixie joked, “and who has the best eyes?”

On the terrace Jenny Huntingford rose from a wicker-work chaise longue at the youngsters’ approach.

“I could hear you arguing a mile
off,” she
smiled. “Come and sit next to me, Pixie. Purdie’s just gone in for ice.”

Pixie sat down on a deckchair and turned her toes in blissfully. Though Pixie would one day be a beauty in her own right and had beautiful sisters, Jenny Huntingford was the ultimate of all that was exquisite in femininity in Pixie’s eyes at the moment. Hero-worship glowed in her like love as she watched Jenny’s hands pouring lemonade, passing delicious shortbread.

“I thought I might call at Rowans this afternoon,” the admired one now suggested gently. “I saw your sister at the hospital the other day and didn’t know her, of course. She’s not like you, darling, is she?”

“No,” Pixie said apologetically, “but Flo’s my favorite sister. She’s the nicest of the bunch.”

“Is she now?” Was Jenny
Huntingford’s voice just a shade cooler? “You shouldn’t have favorites in a family, you naughty thing! Anyhow, do you think your dear Flo would let me come to tea? Robert tells me she’s having a few days away from work.”

“She is. Do come, Jenny!” urged Pixie. “You and Miss Purdie, both. Hello!” she suddenly beamed as another female wearing large horn-rimmed spectacles appeared with a jug of ice-cubes. “I was just saying you must come and have tea at Rowans, Miss Purdie. Meg likes company. Even Hamish can come if he wishes.”

The younger Strathallan snorted ungraciously.

“Sweet of you, honey,” said Kate Purdie in her Canadian-accented voice. “I’m just loving it here.”

“Purdie’s got some typing to do, unfortunately,” said Jenny regretfully. “After all, my pen does earn my living and she
is
my secretary. I’m a slave-driver, am I not, Purdie?”

“I’ll say, Mrs. Huntingford!” smiled the Canadian, grimacing at her employer. “I’ll hold you to that invitation another day, young Pixie.”

The ice tinkled in the glasses and the sun began to shine with real warmth on the south terrace.

“But
you’ll
come, won’t you, Jenny?” Pixie asked adoringly, forgetting to empty her mouth of shortbread crumbs. “Of course you won’t see Flo today, but—”

“Why won’t I?” asked the other, smoothing the girl’s breeze
-
ruffled hair.

“Because she’s gone off with Jim for a couple of days. Jim’s her
fiancé
, you know.”

“Oh? Is Jim nice?”

“Smashing. He brought me a real sarong in Chinese silk from Malaya. Meg got slippers and Fay sold the silver hairbrush he gave her for five pounds straight away. She’s saving up to go to the festival, you know.”

“Will she be getting married soon?”

“Fay isn’t even engaged. She’s only nineteen. She tells everybody she’s twenty-one, though.”

“I meant Flo, dear.”

“Oh, I dunno. Maybe that’s what they’re talking about up there.”

“Up where?”

“At the Eagle Hotel, halfway up Ben Allan.”

“I shouldn’t think there’s much to do halfway up the Ben.’
^!
Pixie giggled conspiratorially: “I shouldn’t think they’ll want to do much. After all, they haven’t seen each other for nearly two years.”

“You naughty little thing!” Jenny said admiringly. “I’ll bet you could tell some tales about your family if you would!”

“Ay, I could,” agreed Pixie, “but Flo doesn’t tell me much so that I canna gossip.”

“Very wise,” said Kate Purdie heartily.

Jenny Huntingford looked at her secretary quickly but the wide smile was immediately disarming.

“I think we’d better come to Rowans another day, Pixie, when you’re all available. I’ve heard such a lot about your sister at the hospital that I’m really anxious to meet her along with the others. I can understand that just now she’s concerned with her own affairs, and I do sincerely hope she’s very happy. Oh, I do indeed!”

Pixie adored her more than ever for this, though Kate Purdie put her tongue in her cheek and industriously cleaned her spectacles.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

T
he sun came out and rolled the mists away during the second day of Flo and Jim’s short stay at the Eagle Hotel. Actually they had cleared their own mists after dinner the previous evening.

It was quite simple really; not only had Flo’s affections strayed during their separation, but Jim’s had also. The young sister of his senior executive at the mine had come out to housekeep for a time, and Jim had felt himself more and more attracted at each encounter with Jill Boscombe. When he denied himself the pleasure of the girl’s company he suffered all the more. Often he had written letters to Flo, trying to explain what had happened, but he had always torn them up in the end and sent dutiful accounts of his activities instead.

“I did notice,” Flo said drily.

“I couldn’t hurt you, Flo,” Jim said miserably. “I remembered how we had been, you and I, and I hated to think of you—like Meg—when that rotter...” and Jim had paused, horror-stricken at the picture he conjured up.

“But you can tell me now,” Flo said rather bleakly.

“I know. I had to. I knew the minute I saw you that you wouldn’t want half of me—or anybody. You’re a girl who has to suffer the whole hog, Flo, or enjoy it. But if you want us to go on
—you
come first. I want you to know that. I would never respect myself, otherwise.”

“There’s Jill to be considered, isn’t there?”

His face twisted with pain.

“She’s biding—waiting your decision. By the way, Flo, don’t hate Jill. It’s not her fault. It isn’t anybody’s. I had only to see her to know I loved her, but I swear by Almighty God there has been nothing between us, only words. I’m a man of principles, and I wouldn’t make love to any lassie, while another wore my ring.”

“But she’s in love with you, too?”

“There are ways of knowing.” Jim’s sigh was long and hard. He thought he was imagining the cheerfulness in Flo’s voice when she spoke again.

“You had better go to the expense of a cable tomorrow, Jim, and put Jill out of her misery. It’s all right. Of course we can’t go on putting our duty first when our hearts are elsewhere. What sort of a marriage would that be? Here! take your ring with my blessing for the future. God bless you both!” and Flo leaned forward and kissed him full on the lips, but without passion.

Jim took the small ring with its half hoop of not very good diamonds, and his hand trembled.

“You’re sure, Flo?” he asked. “You don’t bear any ill will?”

“None. I’m glad you’re as human and frail as I am, Jim. Sometimes living up to you was hard work.”

“What do you mean, as frail as
you
are?”

“I tried to tell you earlier, but our confessions were pouring out so thickly one of us had to shut up and hear the other out. While I
wasn
’
t
wearing that ring, I met someone else and it happened, that’s all.”

“What happened?” Jim demanded.

“The same thing. We fell in love!”

“Goodness gracious!” Jim lit his pipe and looked almost put out all over again. “This is a nice state of affairs I must say! Supposing I hadn’t met Jill and had come halfway across the world to hear you tell me we were finished? Has that side of the business occurred to you?”

Flo shrugged.

“As I didn’t know of Jill’s existence it was the only thing I had to think of. But I wouldn’t have given you marching orders, or kicked you out like last year’s hat.”

“Thank you very much. Do you think I would want my wife to be in love with somebody else?”

“No. But you haven’t exactly fought to hold me these two long years, have you? If Jill could go out and housekeep, why couldn’t
I?”

“Because when I went out there was an emergency in Malaya and we weren’t encouraged to take women.”

“I would have thought you’d have wanted me to be first woman out as soon as the ban was lifted.”

“What was the point for a few months?”

“You and me
—we
were the point, Jim. Once we were in love. Now look at us. Those few months broke us asunder. As it happened you weren’t the only one to find someone who made you feel less lonely. I’m sure you weren’t intending to fall in love?”

“Of course not!”

“Well, neither was I. Falling in love just happens. In the circumstances I refuse to apologize, Jim. You can’t have your cake and eat it; transgress and be outraged at another’s transgression. I prefer not to be brokenhearted over you, if you don’t mind.”

“That’s all right, Flo, but when I think
...
!”

“You should be thinking you’re well out of it. You’ve got your ring back, a new sweetheart and no fuss. What exactly do you want, Jim?”

He exhaled fragrant smoke thoughtfully.

“It’s all been too easy. I’ll tell the truth. I miss your being sorry about—about us. I thought you would be shattered, somehow.”

“Six months ago I would have been. Now go and send your cable.”

“No. I’ll wait until tomorrow. By the way, who is the man you’re keen on?”

“I’m not telling.” Flo dimpled over her coffee cup.

“Why? He does exist? You’re not just—just making him up to save y
o
ur face?”

“I never realized you were such an egotistical bore before, Jim Darvie. You refuse to believe a girl can stop being in love with you once she has been involved. Yes, he does exist. I’m not a very good actress and I couldn’t save my face from a third degree like this no matter how hard I tried. I don’t want to name him because
my affair doesn’t look like having as happy an ending as yours, but when he kissed me you and Malaya were pushed a thousand miles farther away. That’s when I begged you to come home.”

“You kissed him,” Jim asked in a shocked voice, “while you were engaged to me?”

Flo almost stamped her small foot.

“A girl is kissed, Jim, and she
doesn’t always know exactly when it’s going to happen. I wasn’t wearing my ring and he didn’t know of your existence.”

“Are you going to marry him?”

“If I’m asked. Of course since I told him about you we haven’t exactly been on the same footing.”

“But you can tell him it’s okay now, can’t you?”

Flo looked almost pityingly at her companion.

“It’s surprising how a man’s ardor cools when a girl tells him she’s engaged to someone else, Jim. There’s usually a blaze and feelings get hurt. I can’t exactly see myself saying modestly, ‘Well, I’m free now, if you still want me’.”

“But what
is
going to happen to you?”

“I don’t know, but I’m not going to wear a long face and a black arm-band, if that’s what you’re afraid of. I’m still a nurse, and sometimes I—see him.”

“Perhaps if I explained to him
...?”

Flo actually laughed.

“Jim, you optimist! No, my dear. Our affair is quite satisfactorily concluded and you can go away from here, marry your Jill and forget all about me.”

“I canna do that, Flo. There were those wonderful times when we laughed and made love and life hadn’t any complications
...”

“
Jill won’t want to hear about them,” Flo insisted. “You have to live to make new memories, and whether I marry or no, I wouldn’t have had things otherwise.”

“I’d like to climb the Ben tomorrow. Will you come?”

“Certainly, if there’s no mist. You broke your leg once on Lomond, didn’t you? Doesn’t it bother you at all?”

“No. You should see some of the mountains in Central Malaya. These are pups, compared.”

“Eight people die on them every year, Jim. It’s a sombre thought, isn’t it? Add all those eights in this century alone.”

“Well, we are going to follow the clear track up to the cairn and then come down the other side. I’d like to give you a good day out, Flo, as the best pal a man ever had. You’ve been ripping over this business.”

“Now that’s a Sassenach word for a Scot to be using!”

“Jack Boscombe, my boss, uses it. He’s Jill’s brother.”

“I’m going to bed now, Jim. What time do we start tomorrow?”

“Not later than nine. Stout shoes.”

He kissed her lightly on the forehead and they parted the best of friends.