Honorary Surgeon (17 page)

Mary laughed.
“
Heavens, Noel, you do look fierce! You really can
’
t blame the nurses; it was enough to enrage them.
”

“
I blame Alymer; he ought to be ashamed of himself, placing you in such a position,
”
Joan broke in heatedly.

“
It wasn
’
t his fault, it wasn
’
t really.
”
Mary was unaware of the forcefulness of her voice.
“
I was terribly rude to him; he meant to tell me about that wretched hat when we were alone, and I refused to listen ... I was slanging him shamefully; he was quite justified in butting in.
”
Mary broke off with embarrassment, as she became aware of her listeners
’
amazed silence.
“
Really he is not as much to blame as one might think,
”
she added more calmly.

“
Mary, have you gone crazy?
”
Joan burst into peals of laughter.
“
Well, this is a new one on me.
”
She could hardly speak for the merriment that shook her.
“
Mary sticking up for the sainted Alymer!
”

“
Don
’
t be silly, Joan. I
’
m not sticking up for him. I was very rude, and I suppose he was quite justified in getting his own back.
”
The hot colour mounted Mary
’
s cheeks as she realized the foolishness of her own attitude. What on earth had possessed her to speak like that in front of Noel and Joan, the very two to whom she had always deplored Sir Richards
’
very existence? No wonder they thought she had gone mad, crazy, to stick up for the man she had always professed to hate.

“
Good heavens! Mary is actually blushing. I do believe she has changed her mind and decided to join the group of Aylmer worshippers!
”
Joan laughed, but the laughter died on her lips as she became aware of the anger which her words had provoked.

“
Joan, don
’
t be absurd.
”
There was a glint of fire in Mary
’
s usually gentle expression.
“
I don
’
t care twopence about Alymer, but, at the same time, one may as well be just,
”
she ended a trifle lamely.

“
What
’
s happened to change you, Mary?
”
Noel asked the question, and, as Mary looked up to answer, she was surprised to see the curiosity in his expression.

“
I don
’
t ... I don
’
t think I
’
ve exactly changed, but
...
thinking things over I do think he had some justification
,”
Mary stammered.
“
You see
,
I
’
ve had time to reconsider things.
”
She smiled apologetically.
“
It isn
’
t really that I
’
ve changed my ideas, but, you see, I don
’
t think he really had any idea of how his thoughtless action would make me suffer.
”

“
I shouldn
’
t think he had,
”
Joan broke in,
“
but all the same it seems strange to me
...”
She pressed out the stub of her cigarette in an ash-tray, and helped herself to another, then, suddenly looking up, she questioned her friend.
“
I suppose you haven
’
t seen him again since that affair, have you?
”

“
As a matter of fact, I have.
”
Mary bowed her head over her coffee-cup to hide her confusion.
“
I met him on my holiday. Sir Richard is a friend of Veronica
’
s.
”

“
How extraordinary!
”
Joan stared at her friend while a frown furrowed her forehead. She made to speak, but
,
suddenly changing her mind, lapsed into silence.

“
Funny coincidence.
”
Noel gazed for a moment at Mary
’
s bowed head, and there was an expression of veiled surprise in his voice when he continued speaking.
“
I
’
m glad you met Alymer; perhaps you
’
ll like him better on closer acquaintance. I
’
ve always tried to persuade you that really he is an awfully nice fellow.
”

Mary replaced her empty coffee-cup on a side-table and lifted her head.
“
Perhaps I was inclined to misjudge him.
”
She turned to Joan.
“
Strange, meeting him, wasn
’
t it?
”
Veronica took me to a swimming-pool, and then I discovered he was the owner.
”
Mary hoped her voice sounded natural. She could have kicked herself for the blush which had so readily sprung to her cheeks at the first mention of Sir Richard
’
s name. What on earth was the matter with her? She had made it appear to her friends that meeting Sir Richard again had been a matter of i
m
portance instead of merely a passing incident of her holiday. Of course, talking with him had actually been the cause of her changed opinion, which so amazed her two companions, but there hadn
’
t been any need to be so ridiculously self-conscious about the matter.

“
Did you really like him better, Mary? Tell me, are you feeling more sympathetic towards all the love-sick inmates of St. Jude
’
s?
”
Joan enquired teasingly.

“
I never could be sympathetic towards hero-worship,
”
Mary laughed.
“
Nothing could reconcile me to that.
”
She paused a moment before continuing.
“
Yes, I do like him better; he can be very charming,
”
Mary admitted guardedly.

“
More coffee?
”
Noel enquired, and, as both girls shook their heads, he rang for the tray to be taken away. While the servant removed the cups, the conversation reverted to ordinary subjects, and it was not until they were alone again that Joan reopened the discussion.

“
Mary, do you remember how you and Dickie fought that time he brought you back to hospital in his car?
”
she enquired.

“
Remember?
”
Mary laughed.
“
Shall I ever forget! We fought like cat and dog!
”

Noel also joined in the laughter, although there was a curiously reserved quality in his tone.
“
Sometimes the very best friendships start that way.
”

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

Mary lounged in an armchair
in the nurses
’
sitting-room, idly turning the pages of a magazine. She found it difficult to concentrate, and with a sigh of hopelessness closed the pages, and gave herself up to her thoughts. She had been back at the hospital almost a fortnight now, and her holiday was gradually becoming nothing but a happy memory. Life at hospital was, as she had feared, no better for her temporary absence. Communities of women do not easily forget a grievance, and Mary was still the butt of their displeasure. It was only the emptiness of the nurses
’
sitting-room which had tempted her to venture there at all. How intolerable everything was! Vaguely Mary wondered how long she would be able to bear it, but quickly following that thought came the certainty that she would have to. She wasn
’
t even fully trained: what chance would she have to find a job under such circumstance? Her thoughts turned to Joan. Thank heavens for Joan! She at least made things a little better, and Mary
’
s heart warmed to her friend. Despite the obvious hostility of the other nurses, Joan was sticking to her friend; not only sticking to her, but defending her as much as possible from the gibes of her fellow-nurses. Mary
’
s thoughts flew off at a tangent. She began to conjecture how far her friend
’
s love-affair had progressed. Joan had never made any direct admission, but had made no secret of her gratitude to Mary for the fact that she was certainly seeing more of Noel, and going out with him whenever she was free. Mary had no doubt that, however foolishly she had behaved when mentioning her further meeting with Sir Richard, it had at last served one purpose, Noel had, most unexpectedly, imagined her to have fallen in love with him. Mary
’
s cheeks dimpled into a smile at the thought. It really was fantastic: still, it didn
’
t hurt her, and, so long as it might help Joan, she was quite prepared for Noel to remain, anyway for the moment, undeceived. She
’
d be seeing Noel tonight; it was their usual Wednesday, a day reserved, since her arrival at hospital, for an evening
’
s outing with Noel. How she had always looked forward to that one evening a week! If he and Joan ... if he ever married
...
Tears sprang to Mary
’
s eyes. She
’
d never loved Noel, but she
’
d certainly miss those treasured outings more than she dared think.

Mary looked up quickly as another nurse entered the room. Her startled expression turned to one of pleasure when she recognized her friend.
“
Hello, Joan, are you stealing a minute, or are you off?
”

Joan Howe crossed the room and sank inelegantly into a chair.
“
Off, indeed!
”
she echoed angrily.
“
The Tudor wench has granted me a leisure hour
”
—she bowed with mock graciousness—
“
in order that her willing slave does an hour extra tonight.
”

“
I
’
m sorry you
’
ll be on late, but I
’
m jolly glad you
’
re free now. I
’
m off all this afternoon, and it is my late pass tonight.
”

“
Of course; it
’
s Wednesday.
”
Joan pulled off her cap and flung it on the floor.
“
This wretched thing has been making my ears sore! I think it
’
s had an overdose of starch.
”

“
Poor Joan! You seem a bit peeved altogether.
”
Mary laughed sympathetically.

“
It
’
s been a really wretched day. Sir Richard leaves for his holiday on Saturday, and Sister is pushing in all the cases she can before he leaves. I went round with him this afternoon. Twenty-three cases: I am absolutely whacked.
”

Mary nodded her understanding. Since her return from her holiday she had been placed on
“
special
”
duty, which involved the care of the few private rooms adjoining the ward. In a way it was better, although still under Sister Tudor. She was not in the ward, and therefore came less into contact with her superior. Of Sir Richard she had seen nothing; her hours were now quite different, and during his visits she had always been off duty. There was, however, one disadvantage; her work was no longer with her friend, and even at meal-times she could not always depend on her friend
’
s support, and meal-times, since she had become so unpopular, were definitely some of her worst moments of the day.

“
Sir Richard leaves Saturday, does he? That means he only comes once more,
”
Mary remarked.

“
He
’
s not coming at all after today: he is too busy with private work; that
’
s why I
’
ve been running round like a lunatic. Gosh! I wish I were leaving for a holiday on Saturday,
”
Joan murmured fervently.

“
I expect you
’
ve forgotten you ever had one. I know I have.
”
Mary sighed.
“
Joan dear, you know I am hating this place so desperately; do you think I
’
ll ever live down that wretched business?
”

“
Of course you will; just stick it out a bit longer; they
’
ll soon get tired of ragging you,
”
Joan assured her friend.
“
By the way, it
’
s the first time you
’
ve sat in here since you returned, isn
’
t it?
”

“
Yes. I couldn
’
t face sitting in my room, and it was so filthily wet outside. There wasn
’
t a soul in here, so I though
t
I
’
d risk it. I shall clear out before they arrive at tea-time.
”

“
Don
’
t be silly. Why show them you
’
re afraid? I think you
’
re very wise to come in here; it
’
s mad to rush out just because a few of the crowd are likely to drift in for tea. I haven
’
t got to go on until five. I
’
ll stay and have tea with you.
”

“
If you
’
re here it will make a great difference,
”
Mary admitted.
“
But wouldn
’
t it be wiser not to ask for trouble?
”
she added doubtfully.

“
Here I am and here I stay.
”
Joan settled herself more comfortably in her chair.
“
I refuse to be turned out of the only comfortable room in the hospital by a lot of cackling women.
”

Mary laughed.
“
I
’
ll stay if you think I ought to, but it
’
s rotten for you. Let me clear off, and you stop and have tea with the others.
”