A Girl Named Rose Part 13

He sounded amused.

"And am I to be allowed to explain or are you to stay like a poker?"

"You have no need to explain and it isn't funny ... Mies explained, just as you told her to."

He had stopped by the car and now he lent against it, his hands in his pockets, looking so casual she had a strong wish to box his ears if that were physically possible.

"And she said?" he prompted blandly."That you--both of you--were together--she said I'd understand...""And you understood, of course?" His voice was soft."I'm not a fool," said Rose fiercely. Before she could say more, he asked."And of course you believed her?""Why not?" she snapped."I may be plain and uninteresting but I won't be pitied or patronised. You had no right to invite me to spend the day with you and let me think..." Shestopped before she gave herself away."I suppose you thought you were giving me a treat.""You thought that of me. Rose?" His voice was harsh.

She didn't know what she thought any more.

"I never want to see you or speak to you again," she flung at him, 'and I hope you'll both be very happy. "

She turned and ran back to the house and after a moment Sybren got into his

car and drove away.The ter Brandts were sitting where she had left them. They looked at herstricken face and Duert said at once, "We were just talking about yourjourney home. I've given myself a half-day and we'll all drive down toSchiphol and see you off. We'll be over ourselves before Christmas and wemust see something of you then."

Christina chimed in then, full of ideas and plans, talking easily, giving Rose time to become more the self-contained girl that she was.

They left her presently while they went to see the children into bed and she sat on in the cool early evening, her miserable thoughts going round in her head like mice on a wheel. Presently she got up and went up to her room to tidy herself for the evening, wondering what she would do and say if Sybren were to phone. He didn't of course and when she went down to join the ter Brandts she astonished herself and them with her bright chattiness for the rest of the evening.

"Can't we do something?" begged Christina after she had said good night.

"I do wonder what happened...?"

"Well, my love, you will have to be patient," said Duert, 'we can't possibly interfere. "

"No? Couldn't you possibly just hint..."

"No, darling. Sybren may be one of my closest friends, but I won't poke my nose into his affairs."

"I bet that beastly Mies is at the bottom of it," observed Christina.

Duert went to the hospital directly after breakfast with the promise that he would be back for an early lunch and Christina and Rose spent the morning in the garden, playing with the children and gossiping idly.

"Are you on duty tomorrow?" asked Christina.

"Yes--half past seven in the morning too. It feels as though I've been away for several weeks instead of seven days. I've had such a gorgeous time."

Rose's pale face belied the words but Christina didn't comment.

"We've loved having you and remember we're going to see something of you before the end of the year. Will you be night sister by then?"

"I'm not sure--I might not even get the post, but if I do I believe the job starts next month." Thinking about it, she viewed the prospect with something like dismay.

The morning slid away with her ears stretched for a telephone call which never came and after lunch she was driven to Schiphol to be given a send-off she wouldn't forget, with an armful of flowers and chocolates and warm goodbyes which did something to melt the hard cold knot in her chest.

It was hot and thundery when she got on the bus at Heathrow and as she got out at the terminal great drops of rain began to fall so that once in London she gave way to the extravagence of a taxi to St. Bride's.

The sky was dark overhead by now and the hospital, never a thing of beauty, looked gloomy and uninviting and when she got to her room it was to find none of her friends off-duty, so she unpacked, got her uniform ready for the morning and went down to supper.

All her close friends were there; over egg and chips, bread-and-b.u.t.ter pudding and cups of tea she painted an enviable picture of her holiday.

"Lucky you," declared Sadie, 'while we've all been slaving away. there's a new houseman, though! "

There was a ripple of laughter round the table.

"You'll never guess his name. Rose. Percy Pride, he's quite a lad too this is his first job and he's very pleased with himself." Sadie examined her nails.

"I've been out with him just for supper." She heaved a sigh.

"I must say I'll miss the odd date when I'm married."

She shot a look at Rose.

"Did you have a date while you were in The Hague?"

Rose had already told them about the picnic and one could hardly call her fiasco of a day out with Sybren a date.

"No," and she added lamely, 'there wasn't time--we were always doing something. "

They all liked her too much to pursue the matter and presently, since they were off-duty now, they went over to the home and spent their usual hour or so drinking more tea and eating the packet of Dutch biscuits Rose had had the forethought to bring with her.

She went back on duty to Sister c.u.mmins' ward and found it busier than ever. Little s.h.i.+rley was making progress, but slowly, and nursing her was a painstaking ch.o.r.e that had to be kept to with exact strictness.

Mr. Cresswell who was still away had restricted the operating list to routine stuff which his registrar dealt with in his absence.

On her first morning back. Rose met the new houseman. He seemed pleasant enough and anxious to be friendly and impress her, and Rose, being Rose, took him at face value and thought he wasn't too bad. He had a lot to say for himself but the young hous.e.m.e.n often had; they were pleased that they had jobs and she didn't blame them for that.

She had, in her own modest way, been pleased with herself when she had been awarded the gold medal. Not that she ever mentioned it to anyone.

A day or two slipped by, she wrote her thank- you letter to Christina, phoned Aunt Millicent and was warmly invited to spend her next free days with her, and over and above that she took care to spend her off-duty time with one or other of her friends: that way she didn't find it so easy to lapse into thoughts of Sybren. Only at bedtime did she allow herself to do that;

he was the last thing she thought of before she slept and each morning when she woke her first thought was that perhaps by some miracle, he would turn up at St. Bride's.

She would have to wait until the end of the following week before she could have her weekend but she was due a day off before then. It surprised her very much when Percy Pride followed her into the office one morning and asked her what she was going to do with it.

She was searching through the charts on the desk and answered rather carelessly, "Oh, nothing much. Have a good sleep and do some window shopping

Percy was looking at himself in Sister's looking gla.s.s. He was a conceitedyoung man but his ego, flattened by Sadie's flippant treatment, needed aboost. And who better to do that than Rose, unremarkable and at a loose end?She would be grateful for his attentions and once he felt sure of himself.a.gain, he could pa.s.s on to some of the pretty nurses he had noticed aroundthe place. He arranged himself negligently on the side of Sister's desk.

"How about having lunch with me? I'm free until the morning--we might try a picture gallery or a museum afterwards."

Rose had the charts nicely arranged.

"Do get off the desk," she begged him, "I've just got things sorted... Thank you, I'd like to come out with

you. " She sounded pleased and he puffed out his chest, not knowing that she would have accepted an invitation from just about anyone because that was the only way she could try to forget Sybren.

He got off the desk.

"Splendid. Twelve o'clock in the front hall?" He added rather grandly, "I'll be back to check that nephritis. Let me know if you are worried."

He walked off, pleased with himself, leaving Rose wondering what on earth had possessed her to accept his invitation. Still, it would get her through another day and each day would be easier, she told herself.

"He's not quite your type," said Sadie when Rose told her.

"What's my type, then?"

"Oh, someone older, love. Someone who could see what you're really like."

"You mean under my plain face there's a heart of gold?"

Sadie giggled.

"Something like that, but our Percy will do for you to practise on, only don't let him practise on you." She got off the bed to pour more tea for them both.

"I say, I've been thinking, would it be a good idea if the bridesmaids wore pink but in different shades--light to dark if you see what I mean, and how do you feel about a wreath of flowers or do you want a hat?"

: Percy Pride was quite forgotten in the serious business of Sadie's wedding.

They went back on duty together and Rose went straight on to the ward so that the part-time staff nurse could go to her dinner, leaving her with a first-year nurse and Mrs. MacCauley, a sensible middle-aged nursing auxiliary. She was checking little s.h.i.+rley's TPR while the other two did the after-dinner tidying round when Mr. Werdmer ter Sane walked on to the ward. Rose turned her head to see what the slight commotion was behind her and saw him coming unhurriedly towards her. She charted the board, which gave her a few seconds to steady herself, but nothing would stop the colour flooding to her face, nor could it check her racing heart. All the same her "Good afternoon. Sir," was uttered in a calm voice.

He stood and looked at her for a moment, smiling in that nasty way, she supposed because she was blus.h.i.+ng so fiercely. His "Good afternoon, Staff," was uttered with a brisk politeness.

"I saw Mr. Cresswell a day or so ago and told him that I would cast an eye over s.h.i.+rley."

"Yes, Sir, I'll get the registrar."

"He knows I'm here." He sat down on the side of the cot and began a

conversation with s.h.i.+rley. After a moment he looked over his shoulder at Rose.

"Are you free this evening?"

"No," said Rose much too fast, and the blush which had almost gone, started

all over again."Tomorrow?""I have a day off; I'm spending it with one of the hous.e.m.e.n..."He raised his eyebrows."Are you? Nice work,Rose. I take it I'm not forgiven? ""No." She didn't meet his eyes."Would you like to see the wound? It's healing well but there's just one area that's oozing..."

She looked up with relief as the registrar with Percy Pride at his heels

joined them, and Mr. Werdmer ter Sane fell to poking and prodding verygently. At length he straightened himself."Yes, well I think we're in the clear." He looked at Rose."Is she chesty?""Yes--not much, but I noticed it for the first time this morning.""Nurse quite rightly reported it to me," interrupted Percy Pride, and was interrupted in his turn by Sybren's quite quiet: "Nurse? which nurse? Or do

you refer to Staff Nurse Comely?"

"Oh, er--yes. Sorry. I've written her up for a mist: expect:' Mr. Werdmer ter Sane looked at the registrar who looked back at him with a poker face, and Rose knowing exactly what was going to happen picked up the chart and handed it to him.

"We don't want a nasty chest, do we?" he enquired mildly.

"Ampycillin, I think--the linctus of course." He glanced at Rose.

"Keep an eye open, Staff Nurse, and let me know if you're worried. I'm here for a few days."

He handed her the chart back.

"Good day to you and to thank you."

The three of them went away and she nodded at the student nurse who hurried down the ward to open the door and came back beaming with pleasure because Sybren had paused to thank her as though he really meant it.

Rose saw him again the next day; she had gone to the entrance hall at noon precisely only to be told by Bagg the head porter that Mr. Pride would be delayed for a few minutes. She was mooning round, examining the marble busts of bygone surgeons and physicians which littered the hall, when Mr. Werdmer ter Sane came through the entrance door. Since she was facing the door at that moment she couldn't pretend that she hadn't seen him. He walked unhurriedly towards her, his eyebrows lifted.

He said, very suave, "Staff Nurse Comely-- about to enjoy your day off?" He looked around him in what she considered to be a sickeningly smug manner.