A Summer Idyll. Бетти Нилс

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ great relief. She had got over him entirely—indeed, looking at him, she wondered how on earth she could ever have thought she was in love with him in the first place.

      She said soberly, ‘Hullo, Basil,’ and waited.

      ‘Well, aren’t I to come in?’ he asked, and flashed her his charming smile.

      ‘No, I’d rather you didn’t.’

      He shrugged. ‘I’ve driven all this way to see how you were getting on. How’s that aunt of yours?’

      ‘Aunt Kate died a few days ago.’

      ‘Left you all her worldly goods and the house? Lucky you!’

      ‘Aunt Kate didn’t leave me anything.’

      ‘The miserable old…’ He stopped at the look on Phoebe’s face.

      ‘She was my aunt, she was entitled to leave her money to anyone she wished. I hardly knew her.’

      ‘Hard luck, old girl. Coming back to St Coram’s?’

      Phoebe studied his face. Very good-looking, but there was something missing. ‘No.’

      ‘Oh, come on, now!’

      ‘Why do you ask?’

      He shrugged again. He wasn’t going to tell her that he had had a bet with some of the other housemen that he would persuade her to return to St Coram’s. ‘Idle curiosity. I say, aren’t you really going to ask me in?’

      ‘No.’ She added: ‘I’m very busy. Goodbye.’ She closed the door in his face.

      Basil muttered to himself, got into his car and roared off, and Dr Pritchard, his face still placid, rang for the next patient.

      When he had done his morning rounds he crossed the green and knocked on the door. Phoebe, still upstairs, poked her head out of the window again. She said with marked relief: ‘Oh, it’s you—I’ll come down. Susan’s just gone.’

      She was very untidy and faintly grubby with it. Dr Pritchard eyed her keenly and went past her into the kitchen. ‘Having a busy morning?’ he wanted to know.’

      ‘Well, yes, there is a lot to do. The whole house needs a good clean, and I’m making an inventory—in case someone wants to buy the furniture and things.’

      ‘Not lonely?’

      ‘No, Susan comes.’

      ‘Your aunt didn’t leave you the house?’ The doctor sounded very casual.

      Phoebe hadn’t told anyone about the will. ‘No—she left everything, this house as well, to charities. I’m just staying for a few days. Mr Cole said I could until they put the house up for sale, it’ll give me a chance to apply for training somewhere.’

      He leaned against the kitchen table. ‘And that’s what you intend to do?’

      ‘Yes,’ said Phoebe in a determined voice. She picked up the crockery spread on the table, ready to pack, and started to stack it neatly.

      ‘Start all over again?’

      ‘I’ll have to, won’t I?’

      ‘Only if that’s what you want.’ He went to the door. ‘You and I must have a talk. A pity I have to go out this evening. How about tomorrow morning? Before surgery? Say eight o’clock, we’ll have half an hour. I’ve been having breakfast at half-past seven—have it with me?’

      She hesitated. ‘Thank you, but isn’t that—I mean, isn’t it rather an odd time?’

      He grinned. ‘I don’t imagine anyone in the village could possibly weave a romance round breakfast at half-past seven in the morning, do you?’

      Phoebe went pink. ‘No, of course not. Aren’t I silly… I’d like to come. What do you want to talk about?’

      He was suddenly serious. ‘Why, your future, Phoebe, what else?’

      She went back to her sorting of the contents of the linen cupboard, wondering why he should show even a faint interest in what she intended to do. But it spurred her on to make some definite plans. When she had finished with the endless counterpanes, pillowcases and enormous linen sheets her aunt had favoured, she changed into the grey dress, did her face and tidied her hair and went down to Mrs Platt’s shop. One end of the counter was stacked with weekly magazines and daily newspapers, but there wasn’t a Nursing Mirror or Nursing Times among them. Phoebe bought some sausages for her supper, then crossed the street to the row of brick cottages where the district nurse lived. Nurse Wilkins was at home, getting her lunch and feeding her cats; she called ‘Come in’ in answer to Phoebe’s knock and shouted: ‘I’m in the kitchen, come through.’ She smiled when she saw who it was, ‘Hullo, love, feeling lonely?’

      Phoebe shook her head. ‘I’ve got too much to do—the house goes up for sale in a few days and I’m getting it ready.’

      ‘Miss Mason didn’t leave it to you? The village seemed to think she might, and she had pots of money.’

      ‘Everything is to go to several charities.’ And at the look of disbelief on her companion’s face: ‘It doesn’t matter—I hadn’t expected anything, she didn’t have anything to do with the family for years and years.’

      ‘Until she needed someone to nurse her. What are you going to do?’

      ‘That’s why I came. Have you any copies of the Nursing Times? I’ll apply to start training.’

      ‘But didn’t I hear that you’d done a year already? Won’t your old hospital take you back?’

      ‘I don’t want to go back to London. I’d forgotten how lovely it is living in the country. I thought I’d try a provincial town.’

      Nurse Wilkins prudently refrained from pointing out that the country could be quite a long way from a provincial town large enough to have a training school for nurses. ‘You’ll find a pile in the sitting room—there are some Nursing Mirrors there too—take as many as you want. I’d ask you to stay to have a meal, but I popped back for half an hour from a midder case. I’m sorry you’ve had such rotten luck.’

      ‘That’s all right. Actually I’ve liked being here very much, and thanks.’

      Nurse Wilkins waved her spoon at her. ‘Any time.’

      There were depressingly few hospitals offering vacancies. Phoebe made a careful note of them while she ate her lunch and then sat down to apply to each one of them. She couldn’t expect to be taken on for at least a month, but she had a little money saved, so perhaps she could find a job in Stowmarket while she waited for the answers. She wrote her letters, and since she had no stamps and Mrs Platt was closed for the half day, put on her jacket and took herself off for a long walk. The house seemed very empty when she got back. She made tea, then sat in the kitchen at the table and worked out how long she would be able to manage on the money she had. The result wasn’t very satisfactory. She went into the sitting room and settled down to washing the china in the cabinet opposite the window. While she was doing it she saw Dr Pritchard, СКАЧАТЬ