East of Barryvale

by Yvonne Whittal

  "You were very sure of me, weren't you?" she asked finally.

  "I wish ..." He stopped and lit himself a cigarette instead, drawing the smoke deeply into his lungs. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint me."

  'But you thought nothing of disappointing me,' she was about to say, but bit the words back sharply. This was not the time for recriminations, she decided.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  The Hospital Ball was to be held in the Town Hall a few days before Christmas. The skeleton staff who would remain on duty that evening had already been selected and wild preparations were being made for this annual event. The nursing staff was made responsible for decorating the hall and the staff kitchen would supply the eats. The forthcoming Ball was on everyone's lips and the excitement rose higher as the occasion drew nearer.

  "It's something you mustn't miss, Jacky," Sally Meyer had said enthusiastically. "It's the one evening in the year when the hospital staff are all equal and the senior doctors don't look down their noses at the first-year student nurses."

  Jacqueline smiled but did not interrupt as Sally went on relating incidents that usually occurred.

  "Dr. Powers opens the Ball with his customary speech and then he and Matron start the dancing." Sally laughed heartily. "You've never seen such a hilarious sight as the two of them dancing together! Dr. Powers is tall, dark and handsome and Matron is short and stout, and they normally dance a waltz so that Matron can match her short steps to Dr. Powers' long strides."

  Jacqueline could not help but join in with Sally's infectious laughter. It did indeed bring to mind a comical picture of Matron, red-faced and flustered, trying to keep pace with Meldon's intricate footwork. He was an excellent dancer.

  "Naturally, no one as much as bats an eyelid," Sally continued seriously, "but afterwards we all have a jolly good giggle."

  Four days before the Ball, Jacqueline was in Sally's office reading the Night Sister's report when the door burst open and Martin Richter almost fell into the room.

  "Wonderful news, Jacky" he beamed excitedly, "Sally has consented to become my wife!"

  She could hardly believe her ears and laughing happily she congratulated him.

  "I wondered how long it would be before something like this happened," she confessed. "I hope you'll both be very, very happy, Martin."

  "I'm sure we shall be, and thank you. Jacky," he replied seriously. Then, as if the excitement was too much for him to bear, he swung her off her feet and planted a kiss firmly on her lips. "Oh, I'm so happy, Jacky!"

  A discreet cough sounded from the door and, startled, they turned to face Meldon Powers. Martin's arms fell away from Jacqueline and they stepped apart.

  "I hope I'm not intruding," Meldon spoke smoothly. "I was under the impression that this was the Ward Sister's office."

  Martin, after taking one look at the formidable figure confronting them, hastily excused himself.

  Jacqueline was too stunned to speak. She stood there in the centre of the room clasping her trembling hands behind her back like an erring schoolgirl. Her heart lurched at the expression in Meldon's eyes as he came towards her, they were cold and cynical, and his lips were drawn into a thin line of disapproval.

  "Well, do I congratulate you?" he spoke harshly.

  "C-congratulate me?"

  "On your forthcoming marriage, naturally."

  "M-marriage?" she echoed stupidly.

  "That was the impression I got as I made my untimely entrance," he drawled, towering above her, watching every expression on her face as she stared up at him. He saw a look of anger replace the bewilderment in her eyes, and a lip that trembled slightly.

  As the realisation of what Meldon meant dawned on her, she bristled with anger. How dared he speak to her in this way? Even if she were going to marry Martin Richter, what right had he to behave as though she were committing an outrage? He did not own her, and after all, the kiss Martin had given her was a perfectly inno­cent one.

  With eyes dark and stormy, she faced him.

  "For your information," she told him coldly, "Martin Richter came to inform me of his engagement to Sally Meyer. In his excitement he kissed me. Satisfied?"

  "Not quite. I wonder what Sally would have to say if she knew that her newly acquired fiance had just been kissing someone else?"

  Jacqueline's throat tightened. She could willingly have thrown something at him. Taking a deep breath and trying to control the tremors in her voice, she told him quietly: "Sally and I know each other fairly well; we understand each other. She knows, without having to be told, that I never have been, nor ever will be, a threat to her happiness."

  "Stranger things have happened among friends," he mocked her, leaning against the desk.

  "Oh, for heaven's sake, Mel!" she stormed at him, no longer able to control herself. "What happened here a short while ago was perfectly innocent, and if you want to make something of it, then go ahead. Why do you have to twist everything in such a way that it becomes almost a crime? Why behave so cynically about a per­fectly natural reaction?"

  She turned away from him suddenly as tears formed in her eyes. Tears of anger and helplessness. Was he not guilty of the same offence? Kissing someone else while he was engaged to Tanya? Or was that rule allowed to be relaxed where men were concerned?

  "Jacqueline," his hands came down on to her shoulders, "I want—"

  At that moment the telephone rang shrilly and she moved away from him thankfully to answer it. When she eventually replaced the receiver and turned, Meldon had left the office.

  She went in search of Sally and found her in the linen room.

  "Congratulations, Sally," she said, giving the younger girl a hug. "Martin has just told me of your engagement. I'm so happy for you both."

  Sally's grey eyes shone with happiness.

  "It's all due to your illness, Jacky," she pointed out. "We had, of course, met several times before, but we really got to know each other during that time we came to visit you at Aunt Ellen's home."

  "Well, I'm glad my illness brought about some good," Jacqueline laughed. "Martin is doing a spell of night shift tonight, so why not come over to my apartment and then we can chat."

  "That would be lovely, thank you," Sally agreed.

  After dinner that evening Jacqueline had a quick bath and changed into a comfortable pair of green slacks and matching blouse. She had combed her hair back from her face and applied some lipstick, dabbing some more face powder on the smudges beneath her eyes.

  When Sally arrived the kettle was already boiling and Jacqueline made them each a cup of coffee.

  "Do you remember my sister Stephanie?" Sally asked when they were seated facing each other in the com­fortable easy chairs.

  "Yes, of course. We were at school together," Jacquel­ine replied. "We lost touch after leaving school. How is she?"

  "She's married now with two lively boys. In fact, they'll be coming home for Christmas."

  "I hope I shall be able to see her," Jacqueline said, thinking of her intended trip abroad.

  "I know she would love to see you, for she often speaks of you."

  "I remember how we used to sneak away from our studies during our last year at school to have a milk shake at Benny's cafe," Jacqueline reminisced laughingly, placing her empty cup on the tray. "One night my father came looking for me, and Stephanie and I both hid behind that dusty old freezer, with old Benny trying desperately to keep a straight face when my father asked if he had seen us. A mouse came out from under the freezer and Stephanie, who could never tolerate mice, would have screamed the place down if I hadn't clamped my hand over her mouth."

  "What happened when you arrived home that evening? Was your father angry with you?" Sally asked.

  "Not particularly," grinned Jacqueline, "but he knew where I'd been."

  "He did? How?"

  "Simple. He'd seen my purse lying on the table," ex­plained Jacqueline. "In all the excitement, I never gave my purse another thought. I returned home, saw the light
beneath the door of my father's study and felt quite pleased with the fact that I'd outsmarted him. I sneaked up to my room, opened the door and to my utter con­sternation found my father sitting there on the chair beside my desk with my purse in his hands."

  "No!" Sally exclaimed, her eyes widening.

  "Oh, yes!"

  "What did he do?"

  "Nothing," Jacqueline said seriously. "He merely looked at me steadily and told me quite calmly that if I had intentions of mixing milk shakes behind the counter at Benny's, would I please inform him so that he wouldn't have to waste any further money on my education."

  Sally hooted with laughter. "I can just see you, blonde and beautiful, mixing milk shakes behind the counter at Benny's. His clientele would certainly have looked up smartly!"

  "Don't be silly."

  "What did you do when your father confronted you with the evidence in his hands?" Sally questioned her further.

  "What could I do?" replied Jacqueline, throwing her hands up in the air. "I just know I felt about an inch tall. My father didn't say anything further. He just handed my purse back to me and walked out of my room."

  "Gosh, he must have been angry."

  "No, not angry," Jacqueline replied slowly. "I'd never seen my father really angry, but I think he was a little disappointed in me. But let's not talk about Stephanie and myself any more. Tell me instead when you and Martin plan to marry."

  "Soon, I hope, Jacky," Sally smiled happily. "We're becoming engaged at Christmas when all the family are together, and next year Martin wants to start a practice of his own. Until then our marriage will have to wait."

  Jacqueline was thoughtful for a moment and Sally's own face sobered.

  "Jacky, forgive me if I'm prying, but you've been look-ing extremely unhappy lately. Is it because of Martin and myself?"

  "Good heavens, no!" Jacqueline exclaimed. "There never was anything between us but friendship, and I'm sincerely happy that the two of you have fallen in love with each other."

  "Then what's worrying you, Jacky?"

  "Sally, I. . ." She seemed to be floundering to find the right words. "I can't explain."

  "Has it something to do with Dr. Powers?" Sally persisted. "I've noticed lately that you avoid him as much as possible. Are you in love with him?"

  Sally's accurate guess seemed to stun Jacqueline into silence, and Sally nodded her head understanding.

  "He's engaged to Tanya Mason," Jacqueline managed eventually through stiff lips.

  "Oh, I know the hospital has been buzzing with rumours of that kind, but is it true?"

  "Tanya told me so herself."

  Sally raised her eyebrows. "Well, I can't say I admire his taste very much. Strange though that Martin should have this idea that—"

  "What idea?" Jacqueline prompted when Sally sud­denly halted.

  "Well... he seems to think that Dr. Powers is interested in you."

  Jacqueline laughed bitterly. "No, my dear, Dr. Powers will take what he can from other women, but Tanya is his chosen bride."

  Sally seemed shocked at this disclosure, but wisely said nothing.

  "The patient you performed the brain operation on seems to be progressing wonderfully," she said after a slight silence.

  "Yes, I'm so pleased about that."

  "I suppose he'll be spending quite some time in hospital yet?"

  "Well, as you know, Dr. Marais has had him back in the theatre a few times already to patch up his ribs and broken arm," Jacqueline informed her. "Fortunately there were no internal injuries, but Dr. Marais won't be letting him out of hospital until he's quite satisfied with his patient's progress."

  Sally nodded agreement and they chatted for a moment longer until she had to leave. Jacqueline moved about restlessly after her departure. The loneliness was sud­denly unbearable and she hastily took a cardigan from her wardrobe and left the apartment, locking the door behind her. She hurried down the steps, through the foyer and out to where her car was parked.

  Aunt Ellen would still be awake, she thought as the engine sprang to life. At this moment her spirits were very low and there was no one better than Aunt Ellen to buck you up and put you in a better frame of mind.

  The little car turned into the avenue lined with oak trees, and as the headlights swept across the silent street, they picked up the tail lights of Meldon's Mercedes parked at Aunt Ellen's gate.

  Disappointment filled her whole being as she rode past without stopping, not wishing to make herself the target for his probing or his mockery.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The night of the Hospital Ball arrived and Jacqueline had added her name, voluntarily, to the list of staff who would remain in attendance at the hospital.

  The wards were quiet as she wandered calmly through them. The lights had already been dimmed, but in the children's ward she found one light still burning. A dark-haired little girl sat upright in her cot and looked up as Jacqueline stopped beside her.

  "Hey, little one, you should be asleep!"

  "Can't sleep," she lisped. "My mommy always tells me a story when I go to bed."

  Jacqueline helped her to lie down and covered her lightly with the blanket.

  "Would you like me to tell you a story?" she asked, brushing her hand lightly over the child's curly hair.

  "Yeth, please."

  "Have you heard the one about Little Red Riding Hood?"

  "Yeth."

  "Goldilocks and the Three Bears?"

  "Yeth."

  "Hm..."

  "What about the story of the poor hunter who went hunting in the forest?" a deep voice spoke quietly beside her and Jacqueline swung round to face Meldon, who looked quite out of place in a hospital ward in his dark evening suit with the snow-white shirt and black bow tie.

  "Tell me, tell me," the child urged, and with an indul­gent smile Meldon obliged.

  "There was this poor hunter who went hunting in the forests and found a beautiful deer standing amongst the trees. Before he could pull the trigger the deer suddenly spoke and begged him to be merciful. The hunter was so surprised that he dropped his gun on the ground and stared. The deer told him that he was really a Prince who had been turned into a deer by a wicked old witch and he asked the hunter to give him shelter for the winter. Now, the hunter didn't know what to say because, you see, he lived alone in a very tiny cottage with only his daughter for company. But he took one look at the deer's sad brown eyes, and agreed." Meldon looked down at Jacqueline, but she averted her face. "They trudged through the snow to the cottage and when they arrived the hunter's daughter scolded him for bringing home a deer, but she didn't have the heart to turn him away."

  Jacqueline watched the child's eyelids drooping, only to fly open again, and after a slight hesitation Meldon continued.

  "That night when they had supper together, the deer couldn't stop looking at the hunter's beautiful daughter. And when she smiled at him suddenly, it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. You see," once again he glanced at Jacqueline and this time held her eyes captive for a few seconds, "she never smiled much, but when she did, it was like the sun coming from behind the cloud." Blushing furiously, Jacqueline glanced away once more, her heart pounding uncomfortably. "The deer fell madly in love with her and rubbed his big head against her arm. She was so touched by his actions that she took his head between her hands and kissed him on his velvety forehead. And do you know what happened?”

  "What?" the child asked sleepily.

  "The deer turned into a handsome Prince and he married the hunter's daughter and because he was very rich her father didn't have to hunt any more and they lived happily ever after."

  The child sighed and closed her eyes. Meldon leaned across Jacqueline and switched off the light.

  "Goodnight, Princess," he whispered.

  "Goodnight."

  "Come," he said to Jacqueline, taking her arm and leading her from the ward.

  "Why aren't you at the Ball?" he asked as they reached the corridor.
/>   "I wasn't in the mood for frivolity." She hung her head. "Besides, I didn't have a partner."

  "You have now," he corrected, taking her arm again and marching her out of the hospital.

  "But—but what about T-Tanya?" she stammered as he pulled her along.

  "Tanya can look after herself," he replied tersely.

  This casualness between two people who were sup­posed to be in love astounded Jacqueline, but she refrained from saying anything until they reached her apartment.