Nurse in India (15 page)

They had reached the rest-house gate now, and as they stopped to take
leave, constraint descended upon them again.

“Goodbye,” he said stiffly. “I really ought to apologize for wearying you with all this—indeed for forcing my company on you at all. But I promise you that now I know the real reason why there
’
s no chance for me, I
’
ll do my best to avoid you in the future.
”

“Oh, Roger,” she began desperately.

But he shook his head. “Don
’
t pity me, Stella,” he said roughly. I
’
ve still the courage to make something of my life—and the decency to wish you luck.” And before she could say another word he was gone.

CHAPTER
FOURTEEN

Many times
after this encounter with Roger did she wish that she had repudiated all interest in Armand. It was all very well to discourage a man; but to do so by allowing him to imagine, quite falsely, that one was in love with someone else—and a particular someone else at that—was carrying things too far.

H
er regrets at her ill-advised silence on this point were greatly increased a few days later when Armand turned up at the rest house, dapper and beaming and full of the news that he was to be in Ghasirabad for four whole weeks.

“His Highness is coming to spend February at the Lake Palace, just outside town,” he explained blithely as he seated himself beside her on the veranda. “And he
’
s bringing his entourage with him. It
’
s a whim of Prithviraj
’
s really; he wants to go boating, and there
’
s no water near Bhindi. Normally His Highness would take no notice of his badgering, but since that pneumonia scare he can
’
t do too much for the boy.”

Stella
’
s heart sank. She liked Armand and enjoyed his inconsequent chatter, but in the present circumstances the idea of having him hanging around for a month was anything but pleasing. It was useless to argue with herself that it didn
’
t matter what Roger thought about her friendship with the young Frenchman. She shrank instinctively from giving further color to his misapprehensions.

“You don
’
t seem exactly delighted.” Armand was beginning to look aggrieved. “You might pretend
t
o be glad even if you aren
’
t. It
’
s more—well, conventional!”

“I
’
m too busy to be able to let it make a great deal of difference to me,” she said hastily. “I
’
m very much tied these days.”

“Oh, I shall be working, too,” was his even quicker retort. “The children will be having regular French lessons
all the time we
’
re here. But everyone—you and I included—needs a certain amount of recreation.
”

“There isn
’
t much to do in Ghasirabad by way of hitting the high spots,” she observed, trying to talk lightly. “I doubt if you will find it much livelier than Bhindi. And please,” she added, putting up her hand, “don
’
t make the obvious complaints!”

“I wasn
’
t going to, as a matter of fact,” he returned equably. “I was going to tell you that Ghasirabad is going to be a slightly gayer place in the near future.”

She looked up, interested in spite of herself. “What! Is a regiment coming here
?”

“No—thank goodness
!”
His tone was disgusted. “None of you girls would look at dull fellows like us if there were a crowd of noisy soldiers about.”

She laughed. “Sorry! But won
’
t you satisfy my curiosity?”

As always, Armand
’
s ill-humor vanished at once.

“His Highness is presenting the English community with a ready-made
cl
ub,” he explained. “For some time now he
’
s been having alterations and improvements done to that biggish bungalow on the way to the golf course and all sorts of rumors were going about. Some people said he was going to establish a ladylove there; other folk declared that he was going to use it as a parking place for the old rani
—
who must certainly be about as trying an aunt as a man could have. No one guessed the secret.
”

“It
’
s very generous of him.
”

Armand nodded. “Very. But, mind you, he has other motives in making Ghasirabad attractive to Europeans. He
’
s very keen on bringing the benefits of civilization to his state; and he knows that the modern young Englishman is more likely to settle down in this out-of-the-way spot if he can enjoy a few of the amenities he
’
s been accustomed to at home.” He gave her an oblique glance. “There aren
’
t many men who are so wrapped up in their job as your friend Fendish.”

“I daresay not.
”
She managed to control her voice. And then she added, pursuing a train of thought of her own, “It seems a pity he
and Chawand Rao don
’
t get on better.”

“I quite agree.” His tone was sober. “The antipathy is all on Fendish
’
s side, of course. He was so horrified and disgusted by some of the doings of the old raja he got to hate the whole family; couldn
’
t believe that Chawand Rao hadn
’
t inherited some of his uncle
’
s bad blood. And of course lately he
’
s been suspicious of His Highness on your account!”

“I wonder he works for Chawand Rao, if he
’
s so prejudiced against him.” She flushed as she made the remark.

Armand laughed. “Oh, he makes no secret of the fact that he regards himself as working for the poor folk of Kotpura—even though he happens to be paid by their prince. He
’
s as keen to help bring electricity to India as the missionaries are to spread the gospel.”

“I know; he
’
s an idealist.” Just for a second her eyes shone. But the next moment the light faded and she observed evenly, “But aren
’
t you going to tell me some more about this marvelous club
!”

“My dear, you
’
ll see it for yourself in a few days
’
time,” he told her, his lighthearted gaiety returning. “There
’
s to be an opening party—and you
’
re going to wear that marvelous gold dress and come with me.” He hesitated. “Unless you
’
d rather go with someone else—in other words, with—”

“I won
’
t be going at all,” she interrupted him quickly. “I
’
m much too occupied looking after Miss Jellings to think about parties.”

“Then you
’
ll seriously offend His Highness,” Armand told her. “He
’
s shown me the preliminary invitation, and yours is the very first name on the list. I—” he looked embarrassed “—I didn
’
t want you to encourage Chawand Rao in romantic dreams, by remaining up at Bhindi Palace that time. Indeed, I felt almost as strongly about that as Fendish did. But it would be an affront to His Highness if you refused to come to the opening ceremony. You don
’
t want to hurt his feelings.”

“I certainly don
’
t—especially after his kindness in getting Dr. Erickson. But he
’
d understand my difficulties; I
’
m sure of that.”

“Well, if you do decide to come, will you let me act as your escort?” he begged. “Even if we can
’
t be lovers, we ought to be friends after all we went through together at Bhindi. I promise not to make love to you, if you don
’
t want me to.” And then he added reasonably. “There
’
ll be dancing, so you
’
ll need someone to partner you, and it
isn
’
t as though I were some pump-handling old colonel
who
’
d spend half the evening
resting on your toes.”

She had to smile then. “I
’
ve met a good few of those
since I came to India and for the sake of my shoe bills I
’
d
rather dance with you. Still—”

“That
’
s good enough for me,” he broke in quickly, and
with his usual tact steered the conversation into other
channels, telling her ridiculous stories that made her laugh in spite of herself and forget for a short time the trouble
with which she was surrounded.

Not for a moment did she intend to go to the raja
’
s
party, but when a day or tw
o
later the imposing invitation
arrived, Jelly would not hear of a refusal. Indeed, when
Stella tried to persist in her resolve to stay at home with
her, she became quite agitated, declaring that failure to put
in an appearance for an hour or s
o
, anyway, would be an
insult.

“Apart from all his kindness to us,” she pointed out,
hoisting herself up against the pillows in order to speak
w
ith more authority, “you must remember that we are his
guests as long as we
’
re at his rest house. We pay for the accommodation, certainly, but it
’
s only by his courtesy that we
’
re here.”

“All right, Jelly, dear, I
’
ll go.” In her anxiety to quieten
t
he old lady, Stella would have promised her almost anything.

“I suppose there
’
s no chance of Roger
’
s taking you?”
Jelly
’
s tone was wistful. “He never comes here these days, so I suppose things are just as hopeless between you.
”

“
I
’
m afraid so.” Stella tried hard to sound philosophical. “As a matter of fact, Armand wants to act as my
escort.”

“Well, he
’
s cheerful, anyway. I often hear you laughing
when he
’
s around.” And then she added more briskly,
“Maybe Roger will get jealous, if he sees you so much with
Armand. A spot of jealousy has been known to work wonders.”

“It won
’
t do any good in this case, Jelly. Besides—”
and she made an effort to speak lightly “—what about
Armand. I don
’
t want to buoy him up with false hopes.”

T
he old lady smiled. “I don
’
t think our Armand will get
h
urt too easily,” she observed. “He
’
s an accomplished
squire of dames. I
’
m concerned about you, Stella. You don
’
t want to get caught on the rebound.”

Stella opened her blue eyes very wide. “My dear Jelly! Why, I look on Armand as a mere child.”

Miss Jellings chuckled. “That
’
s his line of appeal; he thinks that you
’
re the maternal type. But don
’
t forget, my dear, he
’
s a year or two older than you in actual age—and ten years older in experience. Mind you,” she went on more seriously, “if he had expectations...”

It was Stella
’
s turn to chuckle. “Oh, he
’
s got those, all right,” she observed. “He mentioned them to me weeks ago.”

“Did he, by Jove?” Miss Jellings
’
s amusement increased. “These Frenchmen are nothing if not practical. He
’
ll be asking you about your dowry next. If he does you can tell him that there
’
ll be a trifle for you when I
’
m dead and gone.”

“Nonsense, Jelly, you
’
re not to think of such things.” Stella was genuinely startled.

“My dear, the thinking
’
s over and done, and the result of my thoughts went to England in that last letter you mailed for me. And now take away one of my pillows and let me lie down. I
’
ve talked enough for one afternoon.”

When the night of the party came,
Stella dressed with a heavy heart. She was certain, she knew, to meet Roger and the Glydds, and she would have given anything to stay at home.

Armand, on the other hand, arrived to fetch her in the highest spirits. Indeed there was something so strange in his manner, she felt puzzled and asked him teasingly if he had come into a fortune.

He gave her one of those sidelong glances of his.

“Maybe I have,
chérie
.
Anyway, at an appropriate time and place I
’
ll tell you all about it. Not that it will exactly be news to you.”

Her eyebrows went up. “I don
’
t know what you
’
re talking about,” she declared. To which his only answer was a mysterious smile.