New Doctor at Northmoor (16 page)

‘
But he needn
’
t worry,
’
Tilda went
on, half to herself,
as she searched the crowds below
for a
sight
of Laurence.
‘
He
’
ll never get back here, not
if your R.M.O. knows
anything about it.
’

That did arouse Gwenny.
‘
What
do
you mean?
’

‘
Because the Bayfield family
just
about
run things
around here,
’
said Tilda.
‘
I
’
m just glad they don
’
t
reach out their grubby little hands
and interfere with my
interests. Oh,
I know
they
prevented Laurence from
coming here
‘

‘
I never understood how,
’
Gwenny breathed.

Tilda shrugged.
‘
It
was
a matter of Boards and Com
mittees. After all, Sir Giles
and his wife are on just about
everything. Well, Sir Giles is your R.M.O.
’
s uncle, s;
‘

Gwenny took that like a bucket of cold water over her head. She lay there thinking about it, and it came on her all of a sudden that
‘
my nephew
‘
whom, the consultant had been chuckling over was Mark Bayfield all the time, and she hadn
’
t even realized it. What had he said about his nephew that day, when he had accused her of suffering from nothing more than simple hysteria
?
She couldn
’
t remember, because at the time she had thought his nephew was someone else, someone she had met but not known. She lay there thinking furiously about it and so missed what Tilda was saying. She realized that all was not well when Tilda turned sharply from the window, her usually white face flaming with anger.

‘
So it
’
s true, then! What a mug I am to think your Laurence could be soppy over me! And I thought the Bayfields weren
’
t going to touch me
!’

‘
What
ar
e
you talking about?
’
Gwenny demanded. Tilda put the glasses down and hobbled to the door.

‘
Your dear Laurence is down there enjoying himself with your R.M.O.
’
s sister!
’
she snapped, as she went out.

CHAPTER VIII

Gwenny didn
’
t even know that Mark Bayfield had
a
sister. She lay there thinking about it, and the next time Cosgrove came in, she tackled her.

‘
What sort of family has the R.M.O. got?
A big
one?
’
she asked, in an innocent little voice.

Cosgrove gave her a sharp look.
‘
Oh, no, you don
’
t,
’
she said, and started to laugh.
‘
If
you want to know anything about his family, you ask him yourself, duckie. Don
’
t drag me into it. There
’
s enough gossip over him and the time he spends in this room—though
I
must say you and he didn
’
t sound very matey the last time it
was
my unenviable job to stay in here all the time!
’

And that was as far as Gwenny got in that quarter. She tried one or two other nurses, framing the request for information in different ways. But no one would say. One nurse frankly said she didn
’
t know enough about the Bayfields to venture any opinion, and the other
—
of whom Gwenny had artfully asked if Sir Giles had a daughter—said she wasn
’
t in the least interested in the domestic pursuits of the consultants and that
Gwenny
had better tackle Sir Giles about it herself.

She gave it up, but as the next visitor was her brother Laurence, it rather put it out of her head. Laurence looked odd, like a small boy caught out in some mischief.

She said so, and he grinned amiably, which wasn
’
t
a
thing she had expected.

‘
I say,
’
he said,
‘
I
’
m in the dog-house. Not unusual,
I
suppose, but it really is a bit thick.
You
see,
Tilda
’
s
mad with me now
!’

‘
Yes, so
I
heard,
’
Gwenny said drily.

‘
Then you know why,
I
suppose
,’
he said glumly.

‘
I suppose you were being more cordial than necessary to a relative in the other camp
,’
she said sourly, and as she herself was very much divided against the R.M.O. for never having mentioned that he had a sister, she could afford to be receptive towards her brother for once.

‘
Well, the thing is
,’
he said, putting his hands
on
the rail at the end of her bed and preparing to confide in her,
‘
I was having a good old laugh with her, and I just so happened to have my arm round her waist, but Tilda ought to know that with a chap like me that doesn
’
t mean a thing
!’

‘
Better watch out
,’
Gwenny observed, with feeling.
‘
The R.M.O. may not feel too happy about it either, if he hears. Didn
’
t I gather from someone or other that he personally kept you from getting the job you wanted, in this hospital?
’

‘
That was his whole beastly family,
I
think
,’
Laurence said, blinking.
‘
I did think it was him personally just at first, but he doesn
’
t seem such a bad chap now I
’
ve seen him at close quarters in this cosy neighbourhood. The whole point is, Gwenny love,
I
need your help!
’

‘
Mine? How, for goodness
’
sake?
’

‘
You see, it
’
s like this. They
’
re letting her out of here at the end of the week. I just heard it, as a matter of fact. She
’
s boiling mad and she
’
s going to discharge herself tomorrow, and if she does that, and she retires to that flipping farm, and what with her brother being in here so he can
’
t help me, I
’
ll never get the chance to have it out with her and explain, so you see, I want her to see me somewhere neutral, so to speak.
’

‘
But how can
I
help?
’
Gwenny asked in dismay.

‘
I was just wondering
—
they tell me she
’
s been coming in here every day this week, and if you two girls are so thick, you might commission her to go and buy you some knitting wool or something. Tatting—wasn
’
t that old girl at the cottage teaching you that? Well, don
’
t you have to have wool or something, shuttles, to do it with
?’

‘
What good would that do?
’
Gwenny persisted.

‘
What I thought was, if I could arrange for transport (supposed to come from your end) someone could pick Tilda up and drive her to this shop for you, and then drive her on to some destination where I would be waiting for her, and I could drive her back afterwards. Well, at least it would give me time to talk her into believing
—’

Gwenny eyed him steadily.
‘
It wouldn
’
t be true, though, would it? You were being matey with the R.M.O.
’
s sister, weren
’
t you? I don
’
t know what she saw, but Tilda was livid. I think she
’
d been kidding herself up till then.
’

The well-remembered scowl came on Laurence
’
s face.
‘
Listen, Gwenny, I take a good many lectures from one or another, but I
’
m blessed if I
’
m going to take one from my kid sister! Are you going to help me or aren
’
t you?
’

‘
Which one is it you really want, Laurence? If it
is
Tilda, then I believe I can do something. But if you
’
re just fooling around with her, I won
’
t lift a finger. It
’
s no good glaring at me like that! Tilda isn
’
t like the other girls you
’
ve had. She
’
s down-to-earth, a really good sort, whatever Mummy and Daddy think of her and her family. She doesn
’
t understand insincerity and flirting. You
’
re the big thing in her life, and that
’
s it!
’

‘
Cut it out, Gwenny! All right, so you
’
ll help me. Now, what are you going to plot up?
’

Gwenny thought.
‘
I don
’
t need any materials for handwork. I
’
m not doing any these days. All I can think of is something I really want done, but I don
’
t know whether Tilda can be persuaded to do it. I was thinking
...
Clem could take her in his van to wherever
it is you want to meet her
—’

‘
Gwenny love, don
’
t be trying! Say what you want done. Tilda will do it for you, you know that,
’
her brother said wearily.

He changed his attitude, however, when she told him what it was she wanted.
‘
I want someone to take a pet to one of the vets—the cheaper the better,
’
she offered.

‘
A pet? To
what?
’

‘
A pet—a bird, actual
l
y. It belongs to one of my old friends. He sent a note to me. He
’
s not much good at writing letters, but it seems he
’
s very worried because the bird seems sick and he
’
s scared of vets because he has no money—and anyway, he can
’
t leave his cottage.
’

‘
Are you suggesting that Tilda shall go to one of those filthy holes in the village, and take some beastly bird
—
what sort of bird, anyway? A parrot, I suppose!
’

‘
No. I don
’
t know what it is. His sailor son brought it home. He thinks the world of it. Well, it
’
s all I can think of, Laurence. I suppose Clem could go in and get it, but of course Tilda would have to go to the vet and explain—Clem couldn
’
t do that.
’

‘
All right, on the grounds that your friend Clem goes into the filthy little hovel of your friend—what
’
s the name of this old man, anyway?
’

‘
I only know him as Jock, and I don
’
t even know the number of his cottage. I could write a note for Clem to take there, and if he shows anyone, they
’
ll know where the place is. Will it do, Laurence?
’

Laurence didn
’
t like it. He paced the floor, but soon he realized they would be invaded by the usual parade of washings and thermometer rounds and bedpans and tea, so he made up his mind quickly.
‘
All right, fix it up, will you? Make it quite clear to Clem (if you can!) that he
’
s the one to go in and get the bird, and he
’
d better carry it to the vet of Tilda
’
s choice, when they arrive. She
’
d known
one, come to think of it, perhaps better than anyone. And I tell you what, young Gwenny. I
’
ll pay the vet
’
s fees. For services rendered, you might say,
’
he finished with a grin.
‘
But you must make it clear to your daft friend Clem that he
’
s to drive Tilda straight to
...
let me see. Wilkinson
’
s Restaurant in Upper Uxmarket, I think.
’

‘
Golly, you
’
re going to town with Tilda, aren
’
t you?
’
said Gwenny, with respect.
‘
You
’
ll be broke for weeks
!’

‘
You mind your own business, young Gwenny. Anyway, it just shows you how important this meeting is to me. Now, will you do all that?
’

‘
Yes, but suppose I can
’
t persuade Tilda to go with Clem to old Jock
’
s cottage, anyway?
’

‘
You do that, Gwenny! You can, if you try. You can be a thoroughly persuasive little beast, and I
’
m counting on you! Get me
?’

She nodded. She felt rather sorry for him. Laurence wasn
’
t one to get steamed up to this extent over any girl. He must, really care for Tilda. Gwenny hoped there wouldn
’
t be trouble with her family over this, if Laurence went the whole hog and decided to marry Tilda. She hoped, too, that
Mr.
Sansom wouldn
’
t be too cross, because he was a hard man and while he didn
’
t mind his son Dick being friends with the profligate Laurence Kinglake, it was unlikely that he would care about his only daughter marrying such a young man, with no money and few prospects.

Gwenny did her best with her note to Tilda, and
enclosed a note for Tilda to give Clem, then she forgot all about it, because of something else that cropped up.