yRing for the Nurse(24)

"So you are all ready?"                       
       
           



       

Felicity turned with an almost guilty start at the sound of Guy  Brenton's voice. It was so long since she'd seen him outside the  confines of his small room that his tall figure, with an overcoat flung  across his shoulders leaving the bandaged arm free, made him appear  strangely unfamiliar, She was deeply conscious of his eyes appraising  her, a knowledge which did nothing towards putting her at her ease.

"I hardly knew you-odd what a difference clothes made." The words  carried a hint of amusement but there was no mistaking the underlying  note of admiration.

Sister Robinson retained a tight-lipped silence, but her very air of  disapproval had the happy effect of strengthening Felicity's flagging  spirits. Guy Brenton had asked her not to look like a nurse, well, she  didn't and her appearance out of uniform was nothing whatever to do with  Sister Robinson! With an assumed attitude of nonchalance she turned to  Sister. "Good-bye, Sister, I do hope Nurse Mendel will turn out all  right, anyway, I expect I'll be back quite soon."

In spite of his very definite instructions, Guy Brenton made no demur  when, descending the steps, Felicity put her hand lightly beneath his  elbow. It was only when he had safely completed the descent that he  seemed aware of the car.

"But this is my own car-I ordered a Daimler Hire!-"

He broke off to stare in complete amazement as the car door opened and  Alaine Jason slipped from the driving seat and touched her hat  mockingly, her face wreathed in smiles.

"Darling-isn't this a wonderful surprise? I just had to keep it a  secret! When I knew you were ready to leave St. Edwin's, I hurried the  garage up with the repairs so you should have your own car to go down  in. I knew you couldn't drive with your arm all tied up and I guessed.  Nurse couldn't, so I've fixed to have time off and I'm going to drive  you down myself!"

Perhaps Felicity imagined it but she was sure that Guy Brenton stiffened  beside her, and, as for herself she felt she had been suddenly plunged  under a cold shower. She couldn't imagine why it should matter so much,  but it was as if Alaine's unexpected appearance had suddenly blotted out  the spring sunshine, as if clouds had gathered for a storm!

"Well, darling, say you're glad," Alaine, her face still alight with  laughter, went on as she opened the door of the car. "You sit in front  beside me, I've put my suit-case on the back seat but I've left plenty  of room for Nurse-and a rug too, see, I've thought of everything," she  went on, as having seen him settled in the front seat, she slammed the  door and turned her attention to Felicity who still stood as if rooted  to the pavement beside the car! "You get in the back. You do look nice!"  she added, staring at Felicity as if seeing her for the first time.  "What a lovely suit-and that hat too, it's just right! I said you were  far too attractive to stick to the dreary job of nursing: with my  practised eye, I spotted you were a beauty even in that hideous  uniform."

Felicity was glad that on stooping to enter the car her flushed face was  hidden from Alaine and as the car threaded its way through the busy  streets she was grateful for the privacy which her position behind  afforded her. Neither of the other occupants of the car could see her  and indeed she wondered whether they had not forgotten her presence. Guy  Brenton had scarcely spoken since the moment Alaine had made her  unexpected appearance. Felicity wondered uneasily whether being seated  again in his own car, with Alaine by his side, just as it must have been  on the fatal night of the accident, wasn't arousing unpleasant  memories.

"You don't mind if we go via St. Albans, do you? I must pop into the  studio for a moment, I've left my script there and there are one or two  bits I want to study over the week-end." Without awaiting a reply,  Alaine went on, "I was lucky to get the time off, but then old Fettle is  just putty in my hands, I'm able to do just what I like with him," she  boasted with a laugh.

"St. Albans is hardly on the route but-well, I suppose you'd better stop off there if you have to."

Felicity thought Guy Brenton's tone somewhat discouraging but it  appeared to leave Alaine entirely unmoved and she had already turned the  car resolutely towards the St. Albans road.                       
       
           



       

The busy streets had now been left behind and the car sped smoothly  along the wide arterial road; the air was already fresher and the young  trees planted symmetrically along each side of the highway were heavy  with bud. "Quite comfy, Nurse?" Alaine threw the question over her  shoulder at Felicity, then unheedful of any reply, went on to address  Guy. "Do you realize, darling, that I've given up a film premiere  tonight and a dance at the "Shalimar" tomorrow night so as to spend a  week-end with you? I'm going to help Nurse look after you." She gave a  low, musical laugh. "I'll let her do all the real nursing but it's my  turn now to hold the patient's hand, stroke his forehead and do all  those pleasant little things I've been barred from all the time you've  been in hospital."

"I assure you those are not a part of Nurse Dene s duties," Guy Brenton  interposed dryly. "Or if they were, then she must have failed lamentably  in that part of her nursing."

It was fortunate that the conversation was brought to an abrupt close by  their arrival at the entrance of the Fettle Studios. Alaine slipped  from the driving seat and with a promise not to be long, hurried through  the tall, iron gates. It was not until she had disappeared from view  behind one of the many buildings comprising the studios, that Guy  Brenton, leaning his elbow on the back of his seat, twisted round to  address Felicity.

"I hope you are comfortable there, that suit-case isn't in your way, is it?"

"Gracious, no," Felicity assured him, "The seat is wide enough for three, I've loads of room."

As he twisted back again to his former position, Felicity was aware of a  slowness in his movements and her brief view of his features had shown  her a weariness which had not been present for some days now. That  recent air of buoyancy had gone, he was slumped in his seat and  following his conventional query to her comfort, had immediately  reverted to his former silence. Of course it was his first outing,  naturally he must be feeling the strain, perhaps she had been right, the  familiarity of his own car had evoked memories-how much better if he  had travelled as he had arranged. Felicity bit her lips with  exasperation. The whole thing was wrong, deplorably wrong. He shouldn't  be waiting about here, miles off his route, but should have travelled  direct and with the least possible delay.

It was, in fact, fully half an hour before Alaine reappeared, her script  under her arm and brimming over with apologies. "I'm sorry-was I very  long?-you know what it is-once I get into the place I'm just besieged  with people-would I like this done or that?" She babbled on as she  turned the car towards her ultimate destination.

Even the arterial road was left behind now and despite the misgivings  which filled Felicity, she could feel joy flood her whole being as the  sweeping fields flashed by on either side and on the horizon she could  already see the rise and fall of the Chiltern Hills, purple in the  distance.

"Let's stop here for a cup of tea." Without awaiting a reply, Alaine  braked the car outside an attractive-looking road-house. "I don't know  about you people but I'm just parched, couldn't go another yard without  refreshment."

Felicity's objection was spontaneous, she hadn't even paused to think.  "Oh, no!-we should go straight on, it would be so much less tiring for  Mr. Brenton."

"It's past four, Miss Jason certainly needs her tea-and I think I told  you I will not tolerate any fussing." Guy Brenton had already alighted  and was now opening the car door for Alaine. The brief glimpse she had  of his firmly set jaw gave her no encouragement to venture any further  protest, she felt chilled at the undeserved rebuke and had no  alternative but to follow the other two through the swing door into the  tea lounge.

As they seated themselves she could not resist a surreptitious glance at  her patient from beneath her curled lashes. He definitely looked drawn  and tired, and although he was responding to Alaine's ceaseless chatter  it was obviously costing him some effort. Well, she'd been snubbed once  and she wasn't going to risk it again, so with a resigned shrug of  indifference, Felicity peeled off her suede gloves and accepted the menu  which Alaine was handing her.