Nurse Saxon's Patient (12 page)

There was silence between them. Julie stared hard at a beautiful crimson rose, trying to keep calm by the fruitless effort of attempting to count its petals. Suddenly he spoke, his voice harsh and held under control with difficulty.

‘
You mean you would ... go right away? Leave the country altogether?
’
he queried.
‘
For how long?
’

‘
For as long as Roger stays there.
’
Julie
’
s tone was calm, but her heart was hammering like a mad thing in her breast. Had she done and said the wrong thing? Had she emotionally upset him, when Ian had trusted her to keep him calm and quiet, not to excite him until his memory had fully recovered from the blow on his
skull
?
It was too late if she had, the words had already been said.

‘
Julie, look at me.
’
There was something compelling in his tone and, reluctantly, she turned to face
him
. In his face was all the bleak despair she felt in her own heart at the thought of not seeing him again, but before he could say whatever words trembled on his tongue, the moment was gone. From the path leading to the rose-garden they heard Edna calling.

‘Mr.
Holroyd,
’
she was repeating as she rounded the curving path,
‘
where are you?
Mr.
Greensmith is here, waiting for you in the mo
rn
ing-room. Would you please come up to the house right a
way
?
’

CHAPTER VIII

‘
Julie
!’
Garth stood where he was, ignoring Edna, who had discovered where they were and stood there waiting, unconsciously not wanting to miss any stage in this drama of
‘Mr.
Garth
’
s accident
’
.
‘
Julie,
’
he said ag
ain
, as though the repetition of her name gave him confidence,
‘
we will talk about this again, won
’
t we
?
When we know
...
just how successful
Mr.
Greensmith has been
?’

‘
If you want to,
’
she said steadily.
‘
But we mustn
’
t keep him waiting now. He
’
s a very busy man, you know. Lots of people are depending upon him, just as you are doing.
’

‘
I know.
’
Garth smiled suddenly, his tension gone.
‘
That
’
s all right, now that you
’
ve promised not to do anything drastic until after we
’
ve talked again.
’

Julie was well aware that she had given no such promise, but if that was the meaning he chose to read into her words at this moment she was not going to argue with him. Suiting her step to his, propelling
him
steadily nearer to Ian, she smiled.

‘
I won
’
t,
’
she said quietly.
‘
Now come along.
’

Ian was, as Edna said, waiting for them. Edna had acted under his orders and brought out all that was necessary and there was no reason why he should not begin work at once. He settled Garth comfortably in a chair and then turned to Julie.

‘
I don
’
t need you for the moment, Nurse,
’
he said in his most professional manner,
‘
and I think you may like to have this at once.
’
He produced from his pocket a thin air-mail envelope and held it out to her.
‘
I rather suspect something more than ordinarily exciting has been happening to your brother,
’
he went on.
‘
This was addressed to the hospital—he must have been too excited to remember you were here—and I promised to bring it out with me to save the time lapse of it being sent on. If you care to read it now, go ahead. I
’
ll call you if I need you.
’

‘
Thank you.
’
Julie took the letter, all sorts of mixed feelings racing through her mind. What if Ian
’
s prophecy had come true and Roger had found a girl he could love—perhaps by this time
did
love, and wouldn
’
t want his sister to come out to Mexico and join him after all
?
‘
Excuse me, please,
’
she added, and retreated to read her letter in peace.

She had not read very far before her fears were laid to rest, and unconscious that
Mrs.
Andy had entered the room with an armful of the flowers she delighted to arrange, the girl gave a loud, thankful sigh of relief.

‘
What
’
s the matter, Julie?
’
Mrs.
Andy wasn
’
t inquisitive, she was simply very interested in people, and she grew more and more interested in Julie and her welfare with each succeeding day.
‘
Not bad news, I hope?
’

‘
Wonderful news.
’
Julie lifted her head, her dark blue eyes shining with delight.
‘
Roger
’
s coming home
...
just for a week. He has been invited to a consultation with his publishers in London and he
’
s flying over. We
’
ll be able to spend the week together—most of it, anyway—if Matron will give me leave
...’
she ended on a suddenly doubtful note.

‘
I
’
ve a better idea.
’
Mrs.
Andy laid down her flowers and looked thoughtfully at the girl.
‘
I was very interested in what I read of your brother and his wonderful book,
’
she confessed.
‘
I too have always been fascinated by Old Mexico, ever since I read a book about it when I was a girl. I should like to meet your brother and have a nice long talk with him about it.
’
She eyed Julie closely for a moment, then added:
‘
I don
’
t want you to leave Garth
...
not just yet, anyway. It would be most disrupting to his peace of mind to have a stranger giving
him
the wax baths, the massage, bolstering up his morale and his belief that his hands will once again be as useful to him as they were before. And,
’
her eyes twinkled,
‘
I must say also that I don
’
t want you to leave just yet, either. What about having your brother here, at Woodlands, for his week at home? London is easily reached by road or rail, and it would save a great deal of work and worry for you both if you stayed here and were looked after instead of opening up the flat for such a short time. How about it, dear?
’

She broke off as the telephone shrilled, startling them both.
Mrs.
Andy picked up the extension, listened a moment, then, covering the mouthpiece, she handed the instrument to Julie.

‘
It
’
s Tansy Maitland,
’
she whispered.
‘
She wants to speak to Garth, but I
’
m not going to disturb him right now, even if it is possible. You talk to her, settle whatever it is she wants to know, but don
’
t let her come down here before the weekend. As it is it takes from one weekend to the next to recover from the effects of any one visit. Here you are, dear. We
’
ll
finish
our little talk later.
’

Julie took the receiver in her hand and apologized to Tansy for the delay.

‘Mrs.
Crossman thought you
’
d better speak to me at the moment,
’
she explained.
‘
I don
’
t think it
’
s wise to disturb Garth just now, and I
’
m not certain I could. Can you give me a message for him?
’

‘
What
’
s the matter?
’
Tansy
’
s voice came quickly over the line, vibrant with anxiety.
‘
He
’
s not ill again, is he? He hasn
’
t had a relapse or whatever you call it? Or
’
—her tone dropped anxiously—
‘
has he
...
remembered?
’

‘
No,
’
Julie announced reassuringly,
‘
nothing like that has happened. Everything is just as it was, except that just now
Mr.
Greensmith is freeing his left hand from the plaster cast. We
’
re to start the wax baths and massage this evening.
’

‘
And then the right hand,
’
Tansy was joyful now,
‘
and so back to normal! That
’
s splendid. I thought for a moment he might have remembered—what happened that night.
’

She was silent for a few minutes, and Julie was just about to ask if there was any message she could give to Garth when Tansy spoke again.

‘
I almost forgot why I telephoned,
’
she began with a high-pitched laugh.
‘
This news put it right out of my head. Will you let Garth know I shan
’
t be at Woodlands until Saturday, please
?
I
’
m going to London to make a new record and I won
’
t be back until Saturday morning.
’
She paused a moment, then said slowly:
‘
There
’
s something else, too. The band have an offer of a three-months
’
engagement in the States. They want me to go with them, of course. I wonder ... I don
’
t supp
o
se Garth would go with me? A sort of holiday to recuperate ... I was thinking of the trip as a
...
well, a honeymoon trip, if you like to call it that.
’

Julie had the strangest feeling that her ears had been deceiving her. For a moment she could only stare at the instrument in her hand and wonder how best to answer. Before she could think of the right words Tansy spoke again.

‘Are
you there. Nurse?
’
and on being assured that Julie was still listening, she rushed on:
‘
If he hasn
’
t remembered what happened by this time it
’
s obvious he isn
’
t going to remember, unless it
’
s years ahead. I think we ought to fix our wedding day
now,
before he gets to work on this site or scheme or whatever it is, because from all
Mrs.
Crossman says he won
’
t have time to bother with a little thing like getting married once he
’
s started work on her new scheme,
’
she ended with unexpected waspishness.

‘
I
...
I
don
’
t know what to say,
’
Julie spoke truthfully.
‘
I shall have to consult
Mr.
Greensmith. He may not think it wise. There is a great dea
l
of treatment to be done before
Mr.
Holroyd
’
s hands have anything like the flexibility they used to have. They will be as flexible as ever in due course, we all feel that, but until then there
’
s treatment of all sorts, wax baths and massage, finger and wrist exercises
...’

‘
The tour isn
’
t until October.
’
Tansy sounded sulky now.
‘
Surely someone else could take over from you by that time? Or,
’
her tone brightened suddenly,
‘
perhaps
Mrs.
Crossman could come to some arrangement with the hospital or pay you to come with us and carry on until whatever it is your treatment is supposed to be doing is done. She can afford it.
’

‘
I really can
’
t discuss this any further at the moment or at this stage,
’
Julie said at length in sheer exasperation.
‘
For one thing, it
’
s not my place to give decisions regarding my patient. That
’
s
Mr.
Greensmith
’
s department. For another, I
’
m not sure
Mr.
Holroyd will want to spend three months in the States, or anywhere else but here for that matter, he has too much at stake with this new Development Scheme. It means as much to him as it does to
Mrs.
Crossman; in a way it
’
s his brain-child coming to life, and he
’
s eager to get working on it as soon as possible. For another thing, I
’
m not at all sure that I
’
ll be available to go to the States myself. I may be returning to Mexico with my brother and letting someone else take over this case in my place.
’

‘
Returning? He
’
s there already, isn
’
t he?
’
Tansy demanded.
‘
He is the Roger Saxon who
’
s written a book on Mexico, that
’
s being made into a film, isn
’
t he?
’

‘
Yes, that
’
s my brother.
’
Julie could not keep the note of pride from her voice.
‘
He
’
ll be home this weekend, for a week
’
s talk with his publishers and to see me.
Mrs.
Crossman has invited him here, and I
’
m seriously thinking of going back with him if it can possibly be arranged.
’

‘
Will he be there—at Woodlands, I mean, when I arrive on Saturday evening?
’
came Tansy
’
s next question.
‘
I
’
m dying to meet him. I read all about him in the paper. I don
’
t wonder you want to join him. It must be an exciting country, and all the thrills of moviemaking as well
...
you must be thrilled to bits,
’
she ended childishly.

‘
I am,
’
Julie laughed suddenly, a great deal of her tension unexpectedly leaving her.
‘
Yes, he
’
ll be here on Saturday—that is if he accepts
Mrs.
Crossman
’
s kind invitation, and I think he will.
’

‘
Goody
!’
Tansy
’
s mood had changed too.
‘
I like meeting people like your brother, people who
do
things, people who aren
’
t afraid to pull up their roots and take a chance. I
’
m looking forward to this,
’
she ended in a sudden little rush.
‘
I have to go now, I
’
ve an appointment. Tell
Mr.
Greensmith about the tour and what I
’
ve already suggested, will you? I
’
m not going to attempt to press you to come with us. Garth could get used to someone else, I suppose. If I had the chance to go to Mexico I
’
d be off like a shot, even with my brother, if I had one, but I haven
’
t. See you Saturday, Nurse Julie. Give Garth my love.
’
And before Julie could make any further comment she had rung off.