âTell me, what do you intend to do, Olivia?â asked Mr. van der Eisler. âYou must have some plans.â
âWhat is the use of plans? I have thought that I might study for something in my spare time,â she said.
âI do not wish to bring up the question of Rodney, but there must have been other men in your life, Olivia.â
âOh, yes. I had a lot of friends, and I suppose if Father hadnât died and left us awkwardly placed I might have married one of them. Although now Iâm older I donât think I should have liked that.â
âNo, I donât think you would. Wait for the right man, Olivia,â he said.
âOh, I will,â she assured him.
It was when they were back in the car, she sitting silently beside him, that she realized that there was no need for her to wait for the right man. He was here already, sitting beside her.
THE dim and dusty Records Office, tucked away in the depths of the hospital, was hardly a cheerful place in which to work, but the girl going back and forth between the long rows of shelves sounded cheerful enough, singing a medley of tunes as she sorted the folders into their right places with the ease of long practice.
She was a tall girl with a splendid shape, a beautiful face and a head of tawny hair which glowed under the neon lights, wearing a blouse and skirt and a cardigan which, although well-fitting, lacked any pretensions to high fashion.
Presently, her arms full, she went to the table against one of the whitewashed walls and laid them down, still singingâquite loudly since there was nobody there but herself, and she was far from the busy wards. âOh, what a beautiful morningâ¦â she trilled, very slightly out of tune, and then stopped as the door was opened.
The door was a long way from the table; she had ample time to study the man coming towards her. He came unhurriedly, very tall and large in a beautifully tailored suit, fair hair already silver at the edges and a handsome face with heavy-lidded eyes. She hadnât seen him before, but then she seldom if ever went up to the hospital. When he was near enough she said cheerfully, âHello, do you want something?â
His good morning was uttered in a quiet voice. He laid a folder on the table. âYes, I asked for Eliza Brownâs notes, not Elizabeth Brownâs.â
âOh, so sorry. Iâll get them.â She picked up the discarded folder and went down one of the narrow passages between the shelves, found the folder, replaced the discarded one and went back to the table.
âHere it is. I hope it wasnât too inconvenient for youâ¦â
âIt was.â His voice was dry, and she went a little pink. âDo you work here alone?â
âMe? Oh, no. Debbie has got the day off to go to the dentist.â
âAnd do you always sing as you work?â
âWhy not? Itâs quiet down here, you know, and dim and dusty. If I didnât sing I might start screaming.â
âThen why not look for other employment?â He was leaning against the wall, in no hurry to be gone.
She gave him a tolerant look. âWeâthat is, clerks and suchlikeâare two a penny. Once we get a job we hang on to itâ¦â
âUntil you marry?â he suggested in his quiet voice.
âWell, yes.â
He picked up the folder. âThank you, Missâ¦?â
âHarding.â She smiled at him, for he seemed rather niceâa new member of the medical staff; a surgeon, since Mrs Eliza Brown was on the surgical landing. He nodded pleasantly and she watched him walk away; she wasnât likely to see him again. A pity, she reflected, making a neat pile of her folders ready for someone to fetch them from Outpatients.
The nurse from Outpatients was in a bad temper. Sister, she confided, was in a mood and there was no pleasing her, and the waiting-room was stuffed to the ceiling. âAnd Iâve got a date this evening,â she moaned. âAt the rate weâre going weâll be here all night, as well as all afternoon.â
âPerhaps Sister will have a date too,â comforted Miss Harding.
âHer? Sheâs oldâalmost forty, I should think.â
The nurse flounced away, and was replaced almost at once by a tall, thin girl with a long face.