by Susan Barrie
It struck her all at once that she had been rather childish to wish to make an impression when she was not the type to do it. Not an unforgettable impression, anyway. Perhaps if she had listened to Lisa and chose the pink dress....
What other occasions would there be in her life for the wearing of this lovely, exciting black thing?
She carried the dress to her dressing table and held it up in front of her. A few moments later she was stripping off her utilitarian cotton and, with trembling fingers, drawing the black dress down over her shoulders. It settled with an altogether intriguing soft swish over her slender hips, and as she gazed at herself in the mirror of her dressing table her lips fell a little apart in pleased surprise.
It suited her! It did more than suit her; it transformed her! True, the pink-shaded light in her bedroom was highly flattering, but even allowing for the effect of the light she was something quite well worth gazing at. She even found it pleasant to gaze at herself.
Her skin looked so fair that it was almost startling, unless it was the sharp contrast afforded by the shadowy folds of material. And her lips seemed to be glowing and pulsating with life, and her hair, full of those dancing golden lights..
A sudden, slight noise in the adjoining room caused her to whirl around from the dressing table and move hastily in the direction of the door. Peter had been sleeping so peacefully but perhaps he was awake again. .
And then she came to a sudden standstill in the middle of the night-nursery floor. Peter was still asleep and, so far as she could ascertain by a single glance, wearing almost a normal look, and he was still lying on his side with one hand tucked under his cheek. But the night-nursery door was open—that is to say, the door that led to the corridor had recently been pushed open very quietly and carefully, thus accounting for the soft sound she had heard, and in the aperture the tall, slim figure of a man was standing, a man garbed in immaculate evening dress.
Virginia gazed at him and took in all the details of his appearance ... white tie and tails ... sleekly brushed hair as dark as the shadows into which it merged, an arresting, quietly arrogant face with a noticeable jaw and dark eyes that were politely questioning.
“What—what are you doing here?” Virginia stammered.
“What are you doing here?” Dr. Hanson returned. “And why are you dressed like that? I thought you were behaving with extraordinary selfsacrifice, but you appear to be having a kind of dress parade! ”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
His tone was sufficient to prevent Virginia from being altogether overcome by her astonishment and a feeling of indignation took its place as she attempted to justify her somewhat odd attire.
“I—I was trying on the dress I would have worn tonight if I had gone to the party. There’s nothing criminal in that, is there, as Peter already appears to be much better?”
He cast a barely perceptible glance at the bed, and then looked back at her.
“Why didn’ t you persuade Mrs. Van Loon to ask me to look at him last night?”
“Because I didn’ t think there was very much the matter with him last night. I still don’t think there’s very much the matter with him, but he’s a highly strung and nervous child and already he depends on me a good deal. I wouldn’t have been happy to leave him.”
He nodded and walked to the bed and stood looking down at the sleeping child. Peter’s attitude was completely natural now and he was breathing peacefully enough.
“I’ve come to relieve you, if you’d like to spend an hour or so at the dance?” Dr. Hanson astounded her considerably by telling her. “I don’ t propose to take over Dr. Boulanger’ s patient from him, but there are no rules relating to professional etiquette that can prevent me from acting as nurse for a short while. And if you can’ t put in an appearance at an evening’ s entertainment that is given expressly for you it will seem a little bit odd.”
“Oh, but I do hope Mrs. Van Loon explained to Madame d’ Auvergne—” Virginia began when he cut her short.
“Of course she did.” He turned and looked her up and down quite coolly, noting all the things she had noted herself in connection with her appearance and perhaps a few other things that she had not been conceited enough to take note of, and that brought a sudden softened expression to the back of his keen dark eyes. “Your sister was concerned, naturally, because you had to absent yourself tonight and I’ve promised my aunt that you’ll be with them in as short a space of time as possible My chauffeur is outside and he’ll drive you and as you seem to be all ready—”
“I’m not ready.” she answered quickly “I was merely trying on this dress, and in any case I couldn’ t possibly take advantage of your offer to stay here with Peter.”
“Why not?” he demanded with one eyebrow raised.
She cast a look at Peter, who seemed to be stirring slightly, and he led the way out onto the balcony where they could talk without danger of disturbing the child. “Why not?” he repeated.
Virginia looked at him and all at once she knew why nothing would induce her to desert her post tonight and let Leon Hanson make it possible for her to enjoy the dance after all.
For one thing, there could be no enjoyment at the dance for her knowing that he was here—on that point there was no confusion in her mind! And another perhaps even more pertinent reason, had to do with the looks, indignant and supercilious, that she knew she would receive from Carla Spengler, who would consider her evening completely ruined for a very small cause. In addition to which she had no desire to ruin Dr. Hanson’ s evening—as quite obviously it would be ruined if he had to spend the best part of it separated from the woman he proposed one day to marry!
But she realized that she could not offer these excuses to Dr. Hanson, so she said, “Because I couldn’t,” and looked down at the skirt of the black dress and smoothed it mechanically.
Dr. Hanson frowned. “That is no reason,” he told her almost impatiently.
Virginia lifted her eyes and met his boldly.
“Then perhaps you’ll agree with me that it is my job to remain here and look after my charges when they happen to be ill? If one of your patients needed you you would scarcely consider a dance more important even if it was given by your aunt—or that’ s the opinion I’ ve formed of you! And although I’ m terribly sorry about Madame d’Auvergne and very much regret that I can’t be there, there’s nothing in particular I can do about it, is there?”
“Of course there is, you stupid child! ” he retorted with a rough edge to his voice. “You can let me stay here while you enjoy yourself for a short time. I’m perfectly willing to stay so don’t let’s have any more argument about it.”
“I’m not arguing,” she returned with deceptive meekness, “but I couldn’t allow you to stay here in my place.”
“And if I insist on staying?”
“Then I shall stay as well! ’’
He took a turn up and down the balcony and then returned to her. “Go and put whatever final touches you want to put to your appearance, although you look all right to me as you are! ”
“Thank you,” she said to him demurely, “but if you don’t mind staying with Peter for a few minutes while I get out of this dress and into something more suitable, I really will be grateful. ”
She turned toward the open glass doorway that led into the night nursery, but he got between her and the softly lit room behind him. “Virginia! ” He very rarely made use of her Christian name and there was something commanding about the way he did so now. “Virginia, you don’ t like me any longer, do you?”
For a moment Virginia was so surprised that she could say nothing. Then, with her heart suddenly pounding, she stammered, “L-like you? Of course I like you! You’ve been very kind—done so much for Lisa—”
“Never mind Lisa just now,” he interrupted, a hint of coldness in his voice. “But a few weeks ago you and I were rapidly becoming friends—real friends, I hoped! Until that unfortunate Sunday we spent together—”
&nbs
p; “It was a very enjoyable day,” she murmured mechanically.
“Was it?” He was staring hard at her with all the beauty of the night behind her and the moonlight making a silver web of her hair. “Was it so very enjoyable for you?”
She answered with sudden honesty, “It was one of the nicest days I’ ve ever spent in my life! ”
“Oh, Virginia! ” Instantly his voice and look softened—softened almost miraculously. “And I’ve been wondering whether—whether perhaps it was because I kissed you? Whether you took great exception to that?”
Virginia put back her head and looked up at him.
“Why should I?” she inquired with a strange, cool note in her voice. “You were entitled to at least one kiss, weren’t you, after such a very nice day? It was more or less your just reward. And it would have been most unreasonable of me to have objected! ”
For an instant she almost recoiled before the further change in his face, the sudden, rather frightening whiteness that crept and played about his lips and the bleak hostility that banished the impetuous warmth from his eyes.
“So it was in that way you regarded it, was it?” he asked, and there was the chill of ice in his voice.
“And, naturally,” she continued, “when you discovered that Miss Spengler was awaiting you at your consulting rooms you had to hurry back to her; Of course I understood that, too.”
“Did you?” He seemed to be biting his lower lip hard. “And how did you know that Miss Spengler was awaiting me at my consulting rooms?”
For an instant Virginia hesitated.
“Your aunt told me when I got back the following day. But, of course,” with a return of the sarcasm to her voice, “she understood, too, that it might have been a little awkward for you if I had insisted on being driven back in that car you borrowed and therefore you had no alternative but to leave me behind in the mountains. Miss Spengler might otherwise have thought it odd.”
He gave her one long, curious, searching look and then turned away from her altogether. He walked rather stiffly to the balcony rail and stood looking out across all the unseen loveliness of the Van Loon garden and down to where the water rippled at the dock. His eyes became fixed upon the lake.
“I’ m sorry I came here tonight. ” he observed in a voice that gave her no clue to what he was thinking. “Your friend, Clive Maddison, had already offered to take over your duties as nurse in order that you should not miss the party altogether when I decided that you might be more willing to yield your small invalid to me. But it would have been better if I had refrained from interfering and then Maddison might have been able to persuade you where I have failed. ”
Virginia was suddenly so shocked by all that she had said to him that she could not find her voice. It was just as if she were stricken dumb, and he gave her another quick look and then walked back into the night nursery. He went up to the bed where Peter was obviously sunk in healthful slumber and bent over him. Virginia saw him rest one hand lightly on the child’ s forehead and then he straightened.
“I don’t think it’s necessary for you to sit up with him any longer,” he observed as she came up quietly behind him, just as if he were the local doctor who had merely looked in on his rounds and was giving instructions. “You’ re probably tired and you might as well go to bed. The child has no temperature any longer and in the morning I think you’ll find him quite normal.”
Virginia still said nothing and he grasped the handle of the white-painted door.
“Good night, Miss Holt. I wouldn’ t be too conscientious about your job in future if I were you, although it’s an admirable thing to be conscientious. Don’ t bother to see me off the premises. I know this house well and I’ ll go out the way I came in!”
And before she realized it the door was closed quietly in her face and there was nothing but the subdued ticking of the nursery clock and a funny little sound between a half-snore and a sigh that escaped Peter as he made a convulsive move and turned right around on his pillows and then went promptly off to sleep again.
Virginia stood rigid for a moment and then quickly she reached out and grasped the handle of the door. The corridor was empty but she could hear footsteps running lightly down the stairs. She peered over the balustrade into the well of the hall below, but already the front door was closing with the same quiet precision with which the nursery door had closed.
A few moments later she caught the sound of a car starting up outside and she went back into the night nursery. She clasped her hands together in front of her, a gesture that was full of a kind of helplessness and was almost despairing, as well, and she said to herself hopelessly. Oh, why, why did I have to say what I did to him? When he came here to do me a kindness! It was beastly, it was utterly horrible of me! And his affairs have nothing to do with me!
She continued to clasp her hands together and she dug two white teeth into her lower lip so hard that a drop of blood spurted.
And after all that he’s donefor Lisa!
When Mary and Edward Van Loon returned in the small hours from a highly successful party on the lakeshore Virginia was still sitting huddled beside Peter’s bed, only now she was wearing her dressing gown. It was a dark red ripple cloth, and it seemed to drain every drop of color out of her face There were mauve shadows under her eyes that made Mary exclaim aloud in concern and there was something more than tiredness in her eyes. She looked utterly dejected.
“My dear!” Mary exclaimed. “Why on earth didn’t you go to bed? And what happened to Dr. Hanson? He telephoned to say that he was called to a patient and would rejoin us as soon as he could manage it, but that might be any old time. He also said he couldn’t persuade you to leave Peter but that Peter was much better.”
“So he is,” Virginia answered. A faint feeling of warmth was stirring about her heart. “Do you mean that Dr. Hanson didn’t return to—to the
party?” She nearly said “to Carla Spengler.”
“No, and his aunt was, for her, almost put out because although she knows him so well she did think that on this occasion, knowing the amount of trouble she had gone to to make the evening a success, he might have dealt with his patient more expeditiously.”
Mary looked at her young governess somewhat curiously. “Did he stay very long with you? And didn’ t you think it was nice of him to offer to stay here with Peter?”
“Yes—it was very good of him! ”
But Virginia was experiencing a kind of wonderment, because instead of going straight back to the party Leon must have returned to his consulting rooms—and why did he waste so much time when Carla was waiting for him? “But what about Miss Spengler?” she asked. “Wasn’ t she disappointed as well as Madame d’ Auvergne?”
Mary permitted herself a kind of small, amused grim. “She wasn’t merely disappointed, she was positively livid! From her point of view the evening was just so much waste of time, and she even declined to sing because she said she was suffering from a tired throat. Poor Madame d’Auvergne. And she was so sorry about you! ”
“I was sorry, too,” Virginia assured her. But she was so tremendously relieved that she wasn’t the only one who had suffered private agonies during the course of that evening that she couldn’ t keep some of it out of her voice. “But I’ m sure Lisa enjoyed herself thoroughly. ”
“Oh, she did. In fact, it was quite a wonderful evening. ” Mary
yawned uncontrollably.
“But you, you poor sweet, you must have been extremely bored! ”
“I wasn’ t exactly bored “ Virginia told her truthfully.
“No?” Mary cast her another of her rather searching looks and then moved in the direction of the door. “Well, Edward is sending you up a glass of sherry that he absolutely insists that you drink before you go to bed. and I recommend that you go without delay.” By the door she paused. “But I would like to know why Leon chose to absent himself altogether from this evening’s party. It’s true that he arrived for it, and he seemed in good spir
its when he arrived, but a patient who could make him stay away for so many hours....”
“Perhaps it was an important patient,” Virginia suggested, tucking in an end of Peter’s sheet.
Mary thought that her face was a little too inscrutable. “Perhaps it was,” she agreed. And then she rather cast Virginia back into the depths where she had been before as she remarked, “Of course, there’s no doubt about it, Carla means to have him if she can get him! She mightn’ t always have shown so much determination, but she does now. I wonder why?”
“Perhaps it has occurred to her that she could lose him,” Virginia replied, thinking with a sick feeling at the base of her stomach that any woman would be a fool to risk losing a man like Leon Hanson when by fighting for him she could gain possession of him for the rest of her life. It was only when there was no chance at all of sharing even a small part of his life that it was useless to fight.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
During the next few weeks it became increasingly clear to Virginia that if ever she had stood the chance of gaining the friendship of Dr. Hanson—and even friendship was worth having when the thought of living without it was like being forced to exist in a waterless desert— that chance was gone forever
With the return of Lisa to England, and as the result of a decision taken suddenly by Madame d’ Auvergne to spend a few weeks with an old friend in Paris, the only two links she still had with the doctor were swept away and she saw little or nothing of him. Even Mary Van Loon, who visited at most of the houses where he visited, reported that he was rarely come upon nowadays. He seemed to be increasingly busy at the clinic and what little spare time he had was devoted to Carla Spengler
And Carla was contemplating a second trip to America, and was trying to persuade him to accompany her!
Was it a honeymoon trip that she was doing her best to persuade him to take with her. Virginia wondered.
But before Lisa left and Madame d’ Auvergne flew off to the Paris she loved, Virginia did see him for a brief while at a very informal little tea party that Aunt Heloise gave for Lisa,
