A Girl Named Rose Part 6

"And I'll be up to say good night to him presently," said Christina ter Brandt.

"I.

know he's asleep and I've said good night once all ready. besides I have to feed the baby. "

Rose nodded understandingly; even with a faithful Nanny, Christina kept a very motherly eye on her children.

"And then you'll go to bed yourself, darling," declared her husband.

"Good night. Rose. It has been a pleasant evening."

Mr. Werdmer ter Sane opened the door for her with a casual "Good night.

Rose. " Her 'good night Sir' was uttered with a cold politeness and she heard him draw in his breath sharply. On her way upstairs she wondered if it annoyed him that she hadn't succ.u.mbed to his undoubted charm, despite the clear fact that he had no time for her.

She left the house soon after breakfast the next morning having given a careful report to Christina before she went. The doctor would be at home all day and Nanny was there too, she could enjoy herself without worry.

True to her plan, she took a train to Amsterdam, admiring the orderly countryside and the bright clean stations and once at the Central Station she got out and made her way without haste into the busy streets. She had a map with her and she knew where she wanted to go; Damrak first then the Palace, and despite Mr. Werdmer ter Sane's warnings, the War Memorial in the Square. There was a large cafe on the corner of Damrak; she had her coffee watching the busy streets and the crowded pavements before crossing the road to the Palace, paying her entrance fee, and touring its grand but chilly interior. Not a place to be cosy in, she decided and went thankfully back into the sunshine. The square was crowded.

She stopped to admire the patterned cobbles of its pavement and began to make her way towards the memorial. She didn't hurry; there was a street organ playing near the palace and she paused to look and listen before she sauntered on once more. There was a constant coming and going in the square; people going from Damrak across to Kalverstraat, Rokin or in the opposite direction to Raadhuisstraat. But as she reached its centre she saw that there was a small crowd round the memorial, young people mostly, good naturedly pushing and shoving and shouting to each other. They were sitting on the steps so that it was almost impossible to get through the ma.s.s of them. Rose walked round towards the back of the memorial until she thought she saw a gap.

There was a man standing on the steps, making a speech though n.o.body much seemed to be listening and for the first few yards n.o.body impeded her progress. But then she was brought up short. A small wiry youth, grubby and dressed in jeans and a shirt, blocked her way.

Rose wished him a good morning politely, and asked him to let her pa.s.s.

"Just to see the war memorial," she explained politely, and then, 'do you understand me? "

"Cors I do. What's, a pretty girl like you doing 'ere, anyway?"

"I've just told you," said Rose patiently.

"Nothing ter see." He glanced round at the youths around them.

"Is there, men?"

They had formed a ring round her. They meant no harm, she told herself, she was in the middle of a public square and she had only to shout. She turned to make her way out of the crowd again but the circle had closed in on her, bent on teasing her.

Mr. Werdmer ter Sane, driving slowly up Rokin towards the square, looked casually across to the crowds as he slid the car towards the outer edge of it. The usual lot, he thought idly, and then looked again. He had glimpsed a small figure in a blue dress standing very still.

He wasn't supposed to stop the car there but he did, to cross with quick strides to the fringe of the milling crowd. He clove his way through it, parted the ring of young men with a sweep of his arms and took Rose's arm. He didn't leave immediately, but delivered a short, pithy speech in his own language which his audience answered with sheepish mutterings before they melted sideways to allow him to urge Rose away.

It wasn't until they were crossing the square towards the car that he spoke.

"I am not a man to say " I told you so"," he declared with a snap, 'but you are behaving like a tiresome child. Rose. I told you not to get mixed up with that disreputable lot. Did I not make myself plain? "

"Oh, yes you did--that's why." She gave him a clear look and added soothingly, "You have no need to get cross. They wouldn't have bothered me."

He shook her arm.

"That's where you are wrong. Oh, they wouldn't harm you, I dare say. They would have stolen your purse perhaps, or walked you off to one of the houseboats they live in..."

She came to a halt by the car.

"I'm sure you meant well," she told him kindly.

"Thank you. Now I'm going to the Rijksmuseum."His grip didn't slacken."Miss Timms must have been out of her mind," he observed bitterly."She said that you were utterly trustworthy and sensible.""Well, I hope I am when it comes to being a nurse. But today I'm just me, doing what I want to do." She took his hand gently from her arm.

"Goodbye, Mr. Werdmer ter Sane."

She walked briskly away, happily unable to hear or understand his softly

muttered Dutch swear words She would have to go soon, he thought, watching her small straight back disappearing down the street. She was a disturbing influence in his life and he wished whole heartedly to be rid of it.

CHAPTER FOUR.

on her way back to The Hague that early evening, Rose told herself that she had had a lovely day; she had spent hours looking at the paintings in the Rijksmuseum, had a snack lunch there and then hurried to Rembrandt's house, taken a quick look at the seventeenth-century Munttoren on the way there and then doubled back to go down the Kalverstraat to the Begijnsteeg, leading to the Begijnhof. She stayed there, looking at the fourteenth-century houses encircling the old church, given long ago to the English Reformed community in the city, and then presently wended her way back towards the station. She had seen almost all she had wanted to; the unhidden thought that she would have liked to take another look at Mr. Werdmer ter Sane's house was one she didn't choose to contemplate.

Dr. ter Brandt had suggested that she should take the particular train she was on and she had to admit that he had judged the time very nicely; she was pleasantly tired and although she had had a cup of tea in one of the many coffee shops, she had had, for the time being at least, quite enough. S^he would catch a tram from the station and be back at the ter Brandts' house in good time to shower and change her dress.

Corvinus was waiting outside the station and at the sight of him her heart leapt into her throat; something awful must have happened; little Duert--the baby. She should never have gone. She almost ran to him.

"Corvinus--is there something wrong? Little Duert...?"

"He's grand. Nurse. The doctor asked me to meet this train--he thought that you might be tired."

She could have hugged him.

"Oh, how very kind. I was going to catch a tram."

"That's what Mevrouw thought." He beamed at her and ushered her into the car.

"You have enjoyed your day. Nurse?"

"Yes, thank you--just roaming round looking at places I'd read about."

Which was true, she thought suddenly, but she had been escaping too, only she wasn't sure from what; surely not the kind household she was in? Certainly not little Duert. She stopped thinking then and remarked brightly about the charm of the city streets.

She was crossing the hall when Christina opened the drawing-room door and poked her head out.

"There you are," she declared comfortably.

"If you're not too tired come in for a minute and tell us what kind of a day you've had. The baby's not due for a feed for half an hour and little Duert's being bathed by Nanny--there's nothing for you to do."

The doctor was there too, and if he noticed Rose's quick glance round the room to see if anyone else was there, he gave no sign. He pulled a chair forward, pulled the bell-rope when his wife suggested that Rose might like a cup of tea, and invited her to tell them about her day.

She enlarged upon the Palace, skipped briskly over the little episode with Mr. Werdmer ter Sane and plunged into a detailed account of the visits she had paid to the Begijnhof and Rembrandt's house.

"I loved every minute of it'--she ignored the tiresome exchange with that gentleman" --I wish I'd had more time to potter through the smaller streets. "

"Oh, where Sybren lives," said Christina cheerfully, 'the very best part of town, my dear--you must get him to take you on a stroll--the houses are lovely and all those funny little bridges. " She smiled widely and turned her head as the door opened and he walked in.

"We were just talking about you," she told him as he bent to kiss her cheek.

"Rose wants to explore the streets in your neighbourhood."

He straightened and glanced across at Rose, sitting like a poker, her face very pink.

"It's charming certainly," was all he said, and then, "I hope you enjoyed your day. Rose?"

"Very much, thank you." She got up.

"I think I'll go and tuck little Duert up, I dare say Nanny wants to do things for the baby. Thank you for 'the tea."

Christina had seen the blush.

"That would be sweet of you. I'll be up presently then he can go to sleep and you'll have plenty of time to change."

Dr. ter Branch had gone to open the door for her; Mr. Werdmer ter Sane was lounging at the window. Rose slid thankfully away.

The moment the door was shut, Christina said, "Now Sybren, just what happened in the Dam Square? Rose skated over whatever it was, terrified that we would ask questions. Now, give?"

He came and sat down opposite her and Dr. ter Brandt sat beside his wife, idly taking her hand in his.

"I asked her not to go poking around the war memorial, oh, a day or so ago. I was driving through this morning and there she was surrounded by a gang of layabouts. I hauled her away and offered to drive her around in the car. She refused, of course."

Christina said demurely, "Well, yes. I expect you gave her a piece of your mind..."

"I pointed out that she had been foolish."

"Naturally." Her voice was still demure and she avoided her husband's eye.

"She wasn't hurt or frightened?" She glanced at his face, blandly calm, hiding his true feelings.

"She made light of it..."

"Neither."

"Oh, good. Perhaps if she goes out again before she leaves us you could spare the time to show her some of the grachten.^ " Oh, I would have been delighted, Chrissy, but Mies van Toule is in Amsterdam for a couple of weeks--we haven't seen each other for some time. "

"Oh, Mies," observed Christina brightly, 'she's so pretty--beautiful really, is she here already? You're not going to back out of dining with us? "

He laughed.

"Of course not. And she doesn't get in until tomorrow, I'm going to pick her up at Schiphol."

Very much later, when Sybren had gone and Rose had gone to bed and the house was quiet, Christina sat brushing her hair while the doctor pottered to and fro, pausing patiently to listen to her comments on the evening.

"They were so awfully polite at dinner," she mused out loud.

"Darling, I thought that perhaps they were getting a bit interested in each other, didn't you? Sybren is such a dear, he ought to get married and be happy like us. Now he's going to get tangled up with that frightful Mies woman. And Rose--doesn't know she's in love with him, she only knows that he's there, if you see what I mean. Do you suppose she should go back to England before she discovers that? And will he miss her if she does?"

"My love, Sybren is a life-long friend but I would hesitate to guess at his intentions. I agree with you that Rose is probably in love with him and once she's discovered it for herself she will have the greatest difficulty in hiding it from anyone, and that includes Sybren. She's very vulnerable, I think, and I would hate to see her hurt. But Sybren is a dark horse; I think we'd better leave matters to sort themselves out."

The next day, being Sunday, it was Nanny's day off and since Christina was quite her old self again, that lady consented to be driven to the station to catch her train to Delft, where she visited her brother. It was heavenly weather, they took the children into the garden and sat about chatting and playing with them while the doctor, who had had a busy week, stretched out on his beautiful lawn and closed his eyes. Corvinus brought their coffee out to them and lunch was a delicious cold meal taken on the patio at the back of the house. Rose, nicely tired with so much sun, happy to see little Duert quite well again, and nicely stimulated by the ter Brandts' light hearted talk, didn't give Mr. Werdmer ter Sane a single thought until she was on the point of sleep and then it was only to remember that his name hadn't been mentioned once all day.

He didn't come for two days and when he did, he was politely aloof, wanting to know how his little patient did and nothing more than that.

He looked tired. Rose thought, carefully giving him chapter and verse and then waiting for any instructions.

They weren't quite what she had expected.

"Well, Rose, I think we've done what we set out to do. This young man is as good as new; there's nothing more you can do for him; Nanny is quite capable of looking after him and of course Christina is a splendid mother."

He was standing quite squarely in front of her, staring down into her face. She said questioningly, "When would you like me to leave. Sir?"

"When the ter Brandts can arrange things. I shall look in on the boy whenever I visit. I'll go and see Christina now and drive down to see Duert at the hospital. I must thank you for the real help you have been both to myself and the ter Brandts. I dare say you will be glad to get back to St. Bride's. Life has been quiet for you here."

She looked no higher than his top waistcoat b.u.t.ton.

"I've been happy here."

"I'm glad." He sounded kind in an impersonal way.

"But you'll be glad to see your family again?"

"Oh, yes." She couldn't understand why she felt so utterly miserable; she had guessed that she would be leaving very shortly and it had been no surprise. She put out a hand.

"Goodbye, Sir."

He took her hand and bent to kiss her cheek. He said on a sigh, "I suppose I shall always be Sir to you. Rose. I wish.."

" He was interrupted by Corvinus coming into the nursery with the information that a Juffrouw van Toule wished to speak to him on the telephone. He went away at once and left Rose wondering who she was. Well, she wasn't likely to know; she picked up little Duert and carried him off for his dinner; there was nothing like work to take one's mind off things.

It was arranged that she should leave in three days' time. She had no need to bother with the details, Dr. ter Brandt told her in his calm way; if she would say what time of day she would like to travel he would book her flight and Corvinus would take her to Schiphol. He would also, he told her, telephone Miss Timms and perhaps Rose would like to phone later, and of course she was to phone her aunt as soon as possible.

It was super having everything settled for her; the ter Brandts were the nicest couple and she thought they were so happy and so sure of each other. She doubted if there were many devoted couples such as they were. Rose paused in the middle of a game of ball with little Duert and allowed herself to day-dream just for a moment-- to have a husband who loved you and spent all his life making you happy--it would be wonderful There was to be a farewell dinner too.

"Such a small return for your kindness and all you have done for us," declared Christina, 'and look-- we're coming over to England in a month or so and we shall come and see you. We're coming on our own, I mean without Nanny--she'll go to her brother's. Duert's a dab hand at changing nappies and listen.

Rose, when we get back home again, we want you to come and stay--as our guest, so please say you will. We'll let you know the dates as soon as we can and you can get leave. Please say you will. "