âYouâre far too young to become embittered.
âItâs a good thing to fall in and out of love several times so that when it is the real thing you are aware of the differenceâ¦.â
âYouâre being very nasty,â said Megan. âI know youâre a consultant and Iâm supposed to respect you, but Iâm not on duty yet and neither are you.â
âAh, thatâs the spirit. Get it off that delightful chest of yours, Meg. Iâll drive you home on your day off and you can show your family how well youâve recovered.â
She drew a deep breath. âI donât wantââ she began crossly.
âFriday, isnât it? Iâll be outside your flat at half past eight. Mind youâre ready.â
âWell, I wonât be,â said Megan, shaking with temper.⦠He had made her late and put her into a frightful mood besides.
CHAPTER ONE
THE corridor was gloomy by reason of its being on the top floor of the oldest part of the hospital, and largely unused save by the staff of the pathological department and anyone needing to visit them. One such visitor was standing there now, just where the corridor turned at a sharp angle, staring with horror at the shattered glass dish at her feet. She had been carrying it, and its grisly contents, and, believing there to be no one to impede her progress, had been runningâ¦
The person she had run into eyed the horrid mess on the floor thoughtfully. She was a tall, splendidly built girl, with dark hair twisted into an elegant chignon, a pretty face and large brown eyes.
She said calmly, âYou were running, Nurse Wells.â It wasnât an accusation, merely a statement. âI take it that this isâwas the specimen from Mrs Dodds? Do go and tell Professor van Belfeld that you have had an accident with it.â
Nurse Wells was a very junior nurse, healthily in awe of her seniors. She whispered, âI darenât, Sister. Heâhe frightens me. When I dropped the forceps last week on the ward he looked at me. I know he didnât say anything but he-he just looked. Could I write him a note?â
Megan Rodner suppressed a smile. âWell, no, I think not, Nurse.â She paused, looking at the woebegone face before her; any minute now and Nurse Wells was going to burst into a storm of tears. âGo back to the ward, and tell Staff Nurse to give you something to do where you can pull yourself together. Iâll see Professor van Belfeld and explain.â
She was rewarded with a relieved sniff and a watery smile. âOh, Sister, you are a dearâIâll work ever so hardâ¦â
âGoodâand donât run!â
Left alone, Megan stood for a mere moment staring down at the ruined result of several daysâ treatment on Mrs Dodds, who hadnât been co-operative and would be even less so now. The professor would be annoyed, hiding icy anger behind a calm face. Unlike Nurse Wells, Megan wasnât afraid of himâshe rather liked him, as far as one could like a person who made no effort to be more than coldly courteous.
She walked down a small dark passage leading off the corridor and opened the door at its end. The path. lab. was a complexity of several large rooms, all occupied by white-coated workers and a vast amount of equipment; she went past them all, exchanging hellos as she went, and tapped on a door in the last of the rooms.
The professorâs room was quiet after the hum of noise from the rest of the department. He was sitting at his desk, writing, a big man with wide shoulders and fair hair thickly sprinkled with grey. He said without looking up, âYes?â
âSister Rodner from Queenâs Ward, sir. The specimen from Mrs Doddsââ
He interrupted her, âAh, yes, leave it with Peters; Iâll need to see it myself.â He added belatedly, âThank you, Sister.â
âI havenât got it,â said Megan baldly. âThe dish wasâthat is, itâs smashed.â