Nurse Hilary (17 page)

Mr. Ramsey jumped up, under the lash of startled surprise, looking sharply from one to the other.

“
A joke, Angela?
”
he asked sharply.

Angela met his eyes straightly.

“
Would I be likely to joke about such a thing, Pop? I
’
ve been pursuing him shamelessly for months and months and now I
’
ve caught him,
”
she answered and beamed happily up at Reid.

“
I didn
’
t have a chance, sir,
”
said Reid, eyes twinkling, and
then instantly his mocking manner vanished and he put his arm about Angela, and the two of them faced Mr. Ramsey as they had, so short a time before, faced Mrs. Keenan.
“
No man who isn
’
t an absolute fool would want a chance, with a girl like Angela. I
’
m loaded with luck that she even tolerates me.
”

“
Stop that foolishness!
”
Angela scolded him sternly.
“
I will not have you being all humble and
‘
Uriah Heep-ish.
’
I
’
m the lucky one in this deal.
”

Drew Ramsey sighed and dropped back into his chair, scowling up at them.

“
Mrs. Keenan is going to be very displeased,
”
he sighed.

“
She was,
”
answered Angela cheerfully.
“
Only that
’
s the understatement of the century. She was practically livid.
”

“
Oh, she already knows?
”

“
We told her first, Pop. We thought you
’
d want to know what her reaction was,
”
admitted Angela simply.

“
And?
”
asked Drew rather uneasily.

“
Oh, she threw a fit or two,
”
Angela said carelessly, as though she considered that of no importance whatever.
“
But it wasn
’
t fatal. I think she
’
ll recover.
”

Drew eyed them, puzzled, uneasy.

“
Is she going to continue your allowance, Reid?
”
he asked at last.

“
We don
’
t want it!
”
snapped Angela belligerently.

“
Mr. Hodding has asked me to act as his attorney on a yearly retainer, Mr. Ramsey,
”
said Reid,
“
and Aunt Kate wants me to continue looking after her property. I
’
ll be able to feed and clothe Angela, sir.
”

“
I
’
ll go on a diet,
”
said Angela cheerfully.
“
And wear nothing but blue jeans.
”

“
You
’
ll do no such thing,
”
said Reid firmly.
“
You
’
ll dress as befits the wife of a rising young attorney who can buy his wife a mink stole if she wants it.
”

“
I don
’
t,
”
answered Angela promptly, and turned to her father.
“
May we rent the cottage, Pop?
”

Startled, Drew stared at her.

“
Rent the cottage?
”
he repeated, puzzled.

“
Well, it
’
s the only home I
’
ve ever had, and Nora loves it, and I thought that maybe for a year or two Reid and I might go on living there if you
’
d rent it to us,
”
said Angela, awkwardly but eager.

Drew
’
s frown was more pronounced.

“
Have I been such a bad father, Angela, that you think
I’d
charge you rent to live in that miserable little place?
’’
he asked sharply.

“
It isn
’
t a miserable little place, it
’
s my home and I love every stick-and-stone of it,
”
Angela protested.
“
I
’
d curl up and die in an apartment in Atlanta. And Reid loves the place.
”

Drew turned to Reid.

“
I would like you to draw up what papers are necessary for me to make you a wedding present of the cottage and a couple of acres of land around it,
”
he said firmly.

Angela caught her breath and then she flung her arms about Drew, and hugged him tightly, tears in her eyes.

“
Oh, Pop, Pop, what a wonderful wedding present!
”
she cried joyously.
“
You couldn
’
t have given me anything in the world I
’
d rather have. You
’
re the most wonderful Pop in the whole wide world.
”

Drew smiled wryly, patted her back and looked across her golden head at Reid.

“
I
’
ve never understood her, Reid, I hope you can,
”
he said quietly.

Reid looked at Angela with adoring eyes.

“
I don
’
t intend to try, sir. I
’
m just going to love her until the day I die,
”
he said simply, his tone making it a pledge and a prayer that made Angela look at him, startled, and the warm color flow into her lovely face.

Chapter Nineteen

Mr.
Hodding
and Mrs. Barton entered the lobby, on a gale of excited, almost child-like laughter, their arms laden with bundles and packages of every conceivable size, while behind them stalked a tall husky-looking man in a chauffeur
’
s uniform, carrying a baby
’
s bassinet.

“
Just set that down over there, Charles,
”
Mr. Hodding instructed.
“
We
’
ll take it from here. Good night, and thanks.
”
Charles touched his cap, managed a bleak smile, eyed Mrs. Barton with covert curiosity and went back to the big limousine parked in the drive.

“
Look, Jason, it
’
s got wheels,
”
chuckled Mrs. Barton happily, as she dumped her packages into the bassinet,
“
it
’
s almost
like a baby-carriage, isn
’
t it?
”

He smiled warmly at her bubbling happiness and pushed the bassinet ahead of him as they moved down the corridor towards her room.

Hilary, emerging from the ward, paused, startled.

“
Oh, Hilary, we
’
ve had such fun!
”
Mrs. Barton sounded about sixteen years old.
“
We
’
ve been shopping for the baby! Come and see what we
’
ve bought.
”

“
How is the little fellow? And his mother?
”
asked Mr. Hodding, holding the door open for the two women to precede him, and following with the bassinet.

“
She
’
s better, and the baby
’
s just fine,
”
answered Hilary and her eyes widened as she saw the packages and the bassinet.
“
Good Heavens, you have been shopping, haven
’
t you?
”

“
Jason telephoned for his car right after lunch and we drove in to town and, oh, it
’
s been such fun!
”
prattled Mrs. Barton eagerly, as she opened packages and spilled a complete layette out on the bed that would have outfitted half a dozen babies.

She held up a microscopic garment of daffodil-yellow, embroidered with gaily colored butterflies, and her cheeks were pink with awed delight.

“
Can you imagine, rompers for a baby only six months old!
”
she marvelled.
“
My grandchildren wore dresses until they were a year old. But Jason and I went to Davidson
’
s and the woman who was in charge of Infants
’
Wear said very firmly that rompers were the thing. Isn
’
t it absurd? So we got a dozen for him.
”

She dropped the small garment and faced Hilary and the eager excitement was momentarily darkened.

“
Hilary, did you know that that poor little mite had on a dress made out of a flour-sack?
”
she asked softly.
“
And Mrs. Webster said they found the mother
’
s suitcase after the accident, and he only had two little shirts and six diapers! Isn
’
t that awful?
”

“
They are very poor people, Mrs. Barton,
”
answered Hilary gently.
“
The mother and her baby were on their way to join her husband, who had just got a job in a textile mill in South Carolina. I talked to him on the telephone; he
’
s terribly distressed and wanted to quit his job and come down immediately. But I persuaded him to hang on to it and promised him we
’
d take the best care of her and that she is out of danger and the baby didn
’
t even catch cold.
”

Mrs. Barton drew a little closer to Mr. Hodding and her eyes were warm with pity.

“
Then I
’
m doubly glad Jason and I went shopping for the baby,
”
she said firmly.
“
I must see about things for the mother, too.
”

“
You
’
re very generous—
”
Hilary began.

“
I
’
m very happy, Hilary, and very fortunate,
”
said Mrs. Barton, her voice low and not quite steady.
“
You see, Jason wants me to marry him. And I
’
d like to very much. Do you think we
’
re too old?
”

Hilary smothered her amazed gasp, and looked from one to the other of their anxious faces, and felt a warm tide of tenderness sweep over her.

“
Of course you
’
re not too old,
”
she answered swiftly.
“
And I know you
’
ll be very happy.
”

Mrs. Barton beamed, though there were tears in her eyes, and slid her hand into Mr. Hodding
’
s that closed so warmly over it.

“
We
’
re both very lonely,
”
said Mr. Hodding quietly.
“
We are very companionable and we thought perhaps that together we
’
d find happiness.
”

“
I
’
m sure you will, and I congratulate you, Mr. Hodding. She
’
s really a darling,
”
said Hilary warmly, and smiled up at him.
“
And if you won
’
t think me fresh—so are you!
”

Mrs. Barton drew a long breath and there was a touch of uneasiness in her eyes.

“
I
’
m so glad you feel that way, Hilary, because I
’
m going to ask you for just about the finest wedding present you could possibly give us,
”
she said tremulously.
“
I want you to be with me when I tell the children. I
’
m afraid they
’
re going to be very upset. They
’
ll say I
’
m being ridiculous—that I
’
m making them a laughing-stock.
”

Mr. Hodding tightened his clasp of her hand and his eyes, as he looked down at her, were very tender.

“
Shall you mind that so much, my dear?
”
he asked tenderly. She lifted worried eyes above the tremulous smile and nodded.

“
I suppose it
’
s cowardly of me,
”
she admitted.
“
But yes, I
’
m afraid I will mind, more than just a little. They
’
ve always been so good to me and, I suppose, a little bit proud of me.
”

“
If it
’
s going to upset you, my dear, we could call it off,
”
Mr. Hodding offered, the tenderness in his eyes fading ever so little.

“
Oh, no, Jason—no!
”
Mrs. Barton crowded close to him and pulled his arm about her and looked up at him in anxious
pleading.
“
Hilary will help me talk to them, won
’
t you, Hilary?
”

“
I
’
m not sure that would be much help.
”

“
Oh, but it would, Hilary, it would. They
’
ll be here next week, and Jason and I will tell them and
please
help us.
”
Mrs. Barton pleaded.

“
Oh, but I won
’
t be here next week, Mrs. Barton,
”
Hilary told her gently.

Alarm and shock chased themselves over the two anxious old faces.

“
You
’
re not leaving, Hilary?
”
Mrs. Barton made it an unimaginable catastrophe.

“
I
’
m leaving at the end of the week, Mrs. Barton.
”

“
But why? Oh, Hilary, this is awful. The T. & C. won
’
t be the same place without you,
”
said Mrs. Barton miserably.

Hilary smiled up at Mr. Hodding, who was looking as anxious and worried as Mrs. Barton, though not, she noted, as tearful.

“
May we be permitted to ask why you are leaving, Miss Westbrook?
”
asked Mr. Hodding awkwardly.
“
Of course, I realize perfectly that it
’
s none of our business but we
’
ve grown very fond of you and we shall be very distressed to have you leave.
”

Hilary smiled at him.

“
I don
’
t imagine you and Mrs. Barton will stay on here after you are married, so you shouldn
’
t be concerned with what happens here,
”
she reminded him.

“
No, that
’
s quite true,
”
he admitted and obviously the thought had not occurred to him before.
“
We shall be going away, of course. But the others here, I
’
m sure they
’
ll miss you.
”

“
Has the Duchess anything to do with your leaving?
”
demanded Mrs. Barton so unexpectedly that Hilary
’
s expression betrayed her before she could control it, and Mrs. Barton gave her no time to answer.
“
Ha, so that
’
s it! The Duchess is back of the whole thing. Well, we
’
ll just see about that.
”

She turned towards the door, a small, belligerent fury, and Mr. Hodding
’
s arm tightened, to stop her.

“
Now, Lily-Mae,
”
he protested firmly, and Mrs. Barton looked up at him as though startled both at the tone and at his use of her given name.
“
You mustn
’
t rush off to do battle with Mrs. Keenan without being sure of your facts. Miss Westbrook hasn
’
t
said
she was leaving because of something Mrs. Keenan had done.
”

“
But I just know that
’
s the reason
...
”
sputtered Mrs. Barton indignantly.

“
I’m
leaving primarily because I feel
I’d
like a job where there is more—shall we say, need—for my services,
”
Hilary told them both.
“
This is a very beautiful place, and the guests are charming and delightful people; but none of them is in need of serious nursing care; and I hate squandering whatever abilities I may possess when there are people who stand in need of them.
”

She looked from one to the other, and suddenly she bent her head and kissed Mrs. Barton
’
s cheek.

“
Bless you both, I know you
’
ll be happy—you both deserve it,
”
she told them.
“
And don
’
t be afraid of telling your plans to your family, Mrs. Barton. They love you dearly and once they are convinced this is for your happiness, they
’
ll be all for it. You wait and see!
”

They stood watching her as she left. Outside in the corridor, Hilary stood for a moment thinking about them. The darlings. She was so happy for them.

“
It
’
s against the law, you know,
”
said an amused voice behind her and she whirled around to face Dr. Marsden, who had just come from the ward and who stood grinning down at her, hands jammed into his pockets.

“
What—what is?
”
she stammered, her mind still caught up in the problems of the two elderly people behind that closed door.

“
For a nurse to be standing idle,
”
he reminded her, and tucked a hand through her arm and drew her with him as he walked down the corridor to his office, where he held
the door open for her, still grinning that pleased grin down at her.

“
I wasn
’
t idle,
”
she defended herself as she walked past him into his office.
“
I was thinking.
”

“
Oh, well, I suppose that
’
s legal enough.
”
He waved her to a chair, offered her a cigarette, lighted hers and one for himself.
“
Am I permitted to ask what you were thinking about? Or is it none of my business?
”

“
It
’
s as much your business as mine,
”
she admitted.
“
Two of our guests are getting married.
”