“I do, indeed I do,” Karl said fervently, almost reducing Jane to laughter as he added: “You are to be envied, Doctor Lowth. In Staff Nurse Kelsey you have that rare gift, a woman who truly knows how and when to hold her tongue.”
“She has many other gifts, I do assure you,” Jim said, his eyes twinkling as his grip on Jane’s elbow tightened. “And I value all of them.”
“That is your good fortune,” Karl said still formally, and bowed again. “I will leave one of my men here to guard the Doctor Dean...”
With surprising grace, for someone unaccustomed to the exercise, Jane reflected with amusement, Jim bowed in return.
“That is as you wish, Inspector,” he said gravely. “I don’t know what your enquiry will reveal, but this I do know. Dr. Dean has no malicious or evil intent to anyone. His is, like mine, a life dedicated to the serving of others. He works hard for what he believes in, happiness, health and prosperity for everyone. If he has made a mistake in the pursuit of these ideals, I’m certain he is regretful and has learned his lesson. Perhaps,” he continued smoothly, “it will be considered sufficient if he is returned to our own country and his place taken by someone a little older, a little more mature?”
“Perhaps so,” Karl’s agreement was non-committal. “That is not for me to say,” he observed, “but I have no doubt the diplomatic people will make what adjustments are necessary on both sides. Excuse me...
He turned and spoke in rapid Dalasalavian to one of the two policemen who saluted and took his place seated beside Kevin’s bed. Kevin looked up at Jane, and although she thought she detected a slight look of relief in his merry glance, nevertheless he gave her an unmistakable wink as Karl saluted, turned smartly on his heel and, with the other policeman, marched swiftly from the room.
As the sound of their footsteps died away Jim removed his hand from Jane’s elbow, and in a normal tone said quietly:
“Will you step into my office for a moment, please, Jane?” then held the door open for her to pass through.
Jane walked quietly along the passageway, wondering just where she stood in the light of this new and totally unexpected development. Jim followed her into the office and closed the door, but instead of seating himself behind his desk as usual, he stood beside her, tilting her face, so that she was compelled to meet his glance with her own.
“I must apologise for taking your name in vain, my dear,” he said gravely, “and without your permission. But it appeared to me the only possible thing to be done in the circumstances.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Jane said dully, suddenly cold. “I’m growing accustomed to being taken for granted,” she rushed on a little chokily. It seemed that after all her hopes rising as she had not been able to prevent them rising, she was to be dashed to earth much sooner than she had thought. It had been a gimmick, a joke, and probably not one played to save Jane Kelsey at all, but merely the staff nurse of St. George’s, the pair of hands which meant so much to the smooth running of his hospital.
“What do you mean, Jane?” Jim was demanding, taking her by the shoulders as she had twisted from his grasp and turned away. “What do you mean, my dear? Who has had the temerity to take you for granted, ever, and in what way?”
“Everyone!” Jane said bitterly. “First of all Dr. Dean ... he called round in the early hours of the morning and told me all about what the members of the New Thought were hoping to do. He wanted me to help him. His reward was for me to share a cosy home for two ... with additions,” she mimicked bitterly, “on the money we would be given when the New Thought people had sold the formula. He thought I’d be glad to share such a fate with him, and a practice in some out-of-the-way place nobody’s ever heard of.”
“The cheeky young...” Jim began explosively, but Jane had not finished.
“Then Karl Brotnovitch came this morning,” she went on in a toneless voice, thinking back over the interview and of how shocked and shaken she had been. “His idea was that my name would not be above reproach as a result of the company I’ve been keeping in Seonyata. He offered me the shelter of his name, a large house—when he gets promotion—and an even larger salary. Then,” she whirled round accusingly, “to crown it all you have the effrontery to say I’m engaged to you and that it’s only a matter of deciding whether or not we’re to stay here and work together for the good of Dalasalavia or return to England and live, I suppose,” her tone was mocking again, “a cosy sort of life such as pictured by Kevin ... and not one of you, not one of you out of the three proposals in one day,” she cried more dramatically than she realised, “even mentioned the word love! No one thinks of the heart these days,” she said bitterly. “They think of promotion, of larger salaries, more imposing houses, of the preservation of a name above reproach ... only in your case it would be the name of St. George’s which must be protected at all costs, not the name of your staff nurse, oh, dear me, no!”
“Jane! Jane! Stop it; my darling!” Jim tightened his grip on her shoulders and swung her round, almost forcing her into the shelter of his arms.
“Poor little Jane!” he murmured against her hair. “No wonder you’re bewildered, my darling. I suppose I shall bewilder you still more when I tell you I’ve loved you from the moment I first saw you at the Golden Fiddle, the lamplight shining on your wonderful hair, the blueness of your eyes and your general air of being out to conquer the future, no matter what it held...”
“What did you say?” Jane stood back a little and looked up at him, her eyes suddenly very bright, the anger gone.
“I said I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you,” he repeated firmly. “I never knew how much, until you told me this morning that Karl Brotnovitch had asked you to marry him. I knew I couldn’t allow that to happen, no matter what. But,” he laughed suddenly, “I scarcely expected fate—and Kevin Dean—to play directly into my hands in this way,” he concluded.
Jane stood very still. It was all true, she was assuring herself of the fact over and over again. Jim Lowth loved her, he had obviously loved her for some time. He wanted her to marry him, not because of the good name of the hospital, not because he wanted an extra pair of hands always there, but because he loved her, and for that reason, she, Jane Kelsey, was important to him as he was to her.
Jim was speaking again, quietly, slowly, as one teaching a lesson to a small child.
“You haven’t said you’ll marry me yet,” he reminded her. “Will you, Jane, my darling? Will you take me on as ... your next assignment?” he asked with a tenderness of which she had not believed him capable.
She thought of home, of all the comforts, the extra facilities for their work, of her parents and her family, and she knew in time they would share them all, just as they would continue to share whatever faced them in the time left to be spent in Dalasalavia.
“Of course I’ll marry you, my darling,” she whispered, “just as soon as everything can be arranged. I meant to do precisely that when I came out here ... didn’t you know?” But there was no need for him to answer as their lips met in a kiss which told each that they had accepted not only their next assignment, but an assignment for life, which suited them both very well!
Nurse Kelsey Abroad Page 18
