Yankee Surgeon (16 page)

Sally listened in growing bewilderment. Who could her aunt be talking about? But before she could ask the vital question Agnes was continuing.

“I was so pleased to hear a voice from home, so to speak, that we got really chatty and it seems his mother and I have many friends in common and we may even have met. You didn
’
t tell me that you were going out with an American, honey, but then there really hasn
’
t been time for any personal questions, and of course I didn
’
t tell him that I was hoping to kidnap you and take you back with me as it isn
’
t settled yet, is it?”

Sally stared at her aunt and she wasn
’
t sure whether her heart was sinking or leaping at the thought of
seeing
John again so soon. It was obvious that either he had got around her aunt or she had got around him. Five minutes ago she had been all set to run away from the troubled calm of her life at St. Bride
’
s and now in five minutes she might be plunging right back in.

“When did he say he would be near Much Over?” Sally tried to ask casually.

“Oh, didn
’
t I say? Today, and we
’
ve asked him for
tea ...
at least I did, as your mother didn
’
t object.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Sally shot up in bed and stared at her aunt in horror. “You haven
’
t asked John to tea really, have you?”

Agnes Raynor looked at her in some astonishment. “What
’
s the matter? Don
’
t you want to see him? He sounds terribly nice and he seems to think a lot of you.”

“That
’
s the trouble!” Sally wailed. “He wants to be serious and I don
’
t.”

“That
’
s easy. You only have to tell him that,” her aunt advised cheerfully.

“It isn
’
t. I tried and he was ever so hurt,” Sally said sadly.

“I
’
ll have a word with him if you like.”

Sally shook her head. “Better not. He
’
d know we
’
ve been discussing him and it might give him big ideas. Oh, and if I should be coming to America please don
’
t tell him.”

“Okay
if
you say so, but it
’
s bound to leak out. Maybe you want to tell him in your own way?”

Sally left it at that and started questioning her aunt about her proposed continental tour.

“Oh, I don
’
t book ahead. I like to make up my mind on the spur of the moment. Say, if it
’
s a nice day and there
’
s a place on the plane—and usually someone has canceled at the last moment—well then yours truly hops on the plane. It
’
s loads more fun that way. I
’
ve had things cut and dried most of my life and that
’
s long enough. Henry liked things planned down to the last detail and so I tagged along his way. Try it some time.”

Sally started to laugh. “I
’
m afraid it wouldn
’
t go down very well at St. Bride
’
s!” she explained. “Things have to be done pretty much to the minute or we
’
d never get through all the work.”

Her aunt shuddered. “Rather you than me. I don
’
t know how a pretty young thing can bear to be shut up in that sort of life and you work such long hours over here.”

Sally stretched luxuriously. “It only adds up to eight hours except on nights and you get extra time off. It
’
s only the way it
’
s arranged that
’
s different from your shift system. I
’
d better get up.”

Her aunt picked up the tray. “How about coming into town with me one day and doing some shopping? Would you like that?”

Sally jumped out of bed and hugged her aunt. “I
’
d love it, but you mustn
’
t spoil me too much.”

Agnes kissed the young cheek next to hers. “Just a little teeny bit then,” she agreed.

Sally flew to her wardrobe as soon as her aunt had left the room. Two whole weeks without wearing a single uniform
... that would stretch her collection to the utmost but usually at Much Over there wasn
’
t such a lot going on ... tennis, swimming at the baths, the occasional dance. Now she had a feeling that as long as Aunt Agnes was around there would be a lot of activity and
if ...
John really did intend to see something of her during her
holidays ...
She picked out a pink gingham sun dress with a very full skirt and enormous patch pockets. There was a little matching jacket trimmed with white pique that she could slip on.

Sally ran a comb through her hair and frowned at the faint smudges of fatigue still showing underneath her eyes. She must try to spend lots of time lazing in the sun to chase away the horrid night duty pallor. What must it have been like when there weren
’
t any nights off and the long stretches of night duty meant never seeing the sun unless one was bold enough to sneak up early now and again? Sally pushed away the thought and ran lightly down the stairs.

Her aunt was sitting at the kitchen table shelling peas, a half-empty cup of coffee beside her.

“Coffee, Sally? It
’
s the American variety, I
’
m afraid.”

“But I like the American coffee,” Sally said absently.

Her aunt glanced at her. “And when did you learn to do that or is that prying?”

Sally flushed a little. She had almost forgotten that it was John who had introduced her to it.

“Not really ... John did give it to me the first time, but you can get it in the coffee bars and so on.”

Sally realized that she didn
’
t mind answering her aunt
’
s questions whereas if her parents had asked them she might have resented them. Perhaps parents were too close, she decided, and then tried to make amends for the disloyalty of her thoughts. “Where
’
s Mummy?”

“Gone down to the village to do some shopping and your father
’
s in his orchid house, and there
’
s a letter for you beside the clock.” Sally made herself saunter over slowly to pick it up ... London postmark ... and the handwriting was vaguely familiar. “Excuse
me...”
She tore open the envelope.

For a moment she stared down at the closely written page and then the separate words began to stand out.

“...
and I know you didn
’
t exactly invite me but would you mind very much if I did drop in? I
’
ll phone first if I can, but won
’
t promise. I suppose you
’
ll tell me I am gossiping if I say that Claris is trying very hard but with what success I can
’
t say. I also have a shrewd suspicion that she
’
s practicing on me. She couldn
’
t know that I was immunized against her and her kind by what happened to Roy. Remember what I told you and even if you can
’
t tell Uncle George you can always use his
shoulder...”

Sally finished the letter thoughtfully. George had said he was suffering from a dose of old-fashioned jealousy. Was he trying to rouse the same feeling in her by mentioning Claris? She felt a sudden surge of resentment and impatience. Perhaps she had been at St. Bride
’
s too long after
all ... s
ix years if she counted her training. She felt a desperate need to spread her wings.

Impulsively she turned toward her aunt. “Were you really serious about my coming to the States?”

Agnes Raynor detected the urgency under the quietness of Sally
’
s voice.

“I never meant anything more! I guess I
’
m a bit afraid to get too enthusiastic about it in case you
’
ve got other plans ... like getting married or something.”

Sally crumpled George
’
s letter and shoved it into one of the big pockets of her frock.

“I want to see something of the world first. I don
’
t want to settle down yet and anyway I
’
m not in love with anyone!”

The older woman hid a smile at Sally
’
s earnestness. “I know just how you feel. There
’
s someone back home who would like to marry me but I want to see the world first too. I was too young to appreciate it before, and I guess maybe I
’
m too old to want to get used to someone else
’
s ways again ... or perhaps it
’
s just that I don
’
t care enough about William.” She looked at Sally thoughtfully. “How soon do you want to go to the States?”

Sally took a deep breath. It was so easy to alter the course of one
’
s life when it came to the final point. “As soon as it can be arranged,” she said frankly.

“Not running away by any chance, are you?”

Sally relaxed. “Not really ... just making sure that I see one piece of the world first.” She grinned and then went on more soberly. “It
’
s Mummy and Daddy I
’
ve got to worry about.”

Her aunt shook her head. “It will be easier now than later. It
’
s not as if you
’
re with them all the time. I guess I can tell you now
that I
’
ve been working on them. You get on with all your part of the doings and once you have your dates fixed I
’
ll do the necessary, and don
’
t worry your little head about the money end of it. Henry left me more than I need and there
’
s no one else I
’
d rather spend it on.”

Sally was about to protest when she saw her aunt
’
s face and knew that she wasn
’
t far from tears. “Thanks a million, Aunt Agnes. Some day I
’
ll make it up to you.”

Agnes Raynor
’
s voice shook a little. “You
’
ll make it up a thousand times over by coming. How about another cup of coffee? It might help turn the waterworks off.” She mopped her eyes unashamedly. “Guess we better not say anything to your people until you know whether your matron can let you go.”

Sally drank the second cup of coffee and felt that it might as well be champagne. She heard her mother
’
s footsteps in the hall and rather than have to damp down the rising tide of her enthusiasm she slipped out the back door into the garden.

It must have rained in the night and the grass had that heady damp smell of sun shining on wet green blades. Sally could see her father through the misted panes of the orchid house, but she didn
’
t join him. She wanted to enjoy her secret a little longer.

There were so many things to be done first. She couldn
’
t just write to Matron and announce her intention of going and ask if she could have that traveling scholarship, please. She would also have to find out from the American hospital whether there was a vacancy in their January class ... she would be too late for the September one even supposing St. Bride
’
s would release her with less than a month
’
s notice. Anyway she didn
’
t know enough of her aunt
’
s plans as yet and she didn
’
t really know her aunt
either...

Sally was thankful that her mother and aunt were so busy talking all through lunch that her own silence passed without comment, but she noticed her father looking in her direction once or twice. Obviously he was guessing that she did have something on her mind and that in due course she would tell him as she always had in the past.

Ruefully she thought that St. Bride
’
s had one advantage ... there everyone was usually too busy to seek out information that one didn
’
t offer unless, of course, it was of such burning interest that the grapevine dragged it into the light. She wished George hadn
’
t mentioned Claris even though he had suggested that she wasn
’
t altogether having her own way.

“What are you going to do after lunch, Sally?”

Sally snapped back to attention. “Be nice and lazy and sit in the sun—unless there is something special you want me to do, Mummy.”

Mrs. Conway shook her head but her eyes were thoughtful as she surveyed her daughter. “Not especially, but I wish you didn
’
t look quite so tired. Perhaps Dr. Brownlee could give you a tonic.”

Sally stiffened. “I don
’
t need a tonic. A few nights
’
sleep will do the trick. Please don
’
t fuss, Mummy. I
’
m quite all right.”

Mrs. Conway sighed. “I suppose a nurse should know. Don
’
t forget your American friend is coming to tea.”

Sally stood up all poised to escape further questions. “I won
’
t, and he
’
s not really a friend ... he
’
s one of my chiefs.” She saw her father
’
s eyebrows lift and knew she was being slightly unkind, but perversely she didn
’
t want to feel sorry—she merely wanted to be left alone—and she was rather ashamed of her ill-temper. Agnes quickly drew the Conways
’
attention away with some chatter about a trip she was thinking of doing.

Sally ran out into the garden and wandered moodily about. She loved being home but there were times when older people could crowd too close and she could long for the casual life of the nurses
’
home. She pulled out a deck chair and sat in it for a while but she was restless and soon got up and went down toward the boundary hedge at the bottom of the garden. There was an ornamental lake belonging to the people next door. It wasn
’
t very big one, just large enough for their children to have a small boat on it. Its mooring rope was just long enough to reach the tiny island in the middle.

Sally could hear shrieks of delight from the children and she looked over the hedge to see what they were doing.

They shouted with joy when they saw h
er. “See what we can do, Sally!”

“Careful, Gillian, you
’
ll tip the boat over,” Sally warned.