Magic In Vienna Part 14

The brilliant flash of lightning, followed immediately by thunder fit to burst her eardrums, belied her words. She jumped visibly and went to pull the curtains close and turn on the/ light It went out almost at once and the next flash sent Eileen under the bedclothes with an ear piercing scream.

Cordelia advanced to the window and pulled the curtains back again, rather in the manner of one expecting to be bitten by them; since there was no light, it would be better to leave them drawn back, at least they would be able to see in the Stygian darkness. The next flash took her breath so that all she could do was utter soothing sounds as she got on to the bed beside the humped figure in it and flung a comforting arm round what she guessed might be Eileen's shoulders.

The flashes were coming thick and fast now and the thunder was continuous, the sky was dark and lowering and gave the room an eerie light, so that when the door slowly opened, Cordelia, was quite unprepared to suppress a scared squeak.

The doctor came in, put his torch down on the bed table and observed softly: "Scared stiff? It won't last long." He eyed the heap on the bed.

"That's Eileen, is it?" and as another brilliant flash lit up the room and, Cordelia jumped.

"Why don't you join her?"

Cordelia, overjoyed to see him and nonetheless vexed at his facetious remark, found her voice.

"I'm not in the least nervous', she lied.

His low laugh was, she considered, positively offensive.

He came over to the bed and bent over his hidden niece.

"Come on out', he begged her, 'if you sit round the other way, you won't see the lightning and the thunder is only noise after all. Look at Cordelia, as cool as a cuc.u.mber."

Cordelia cast him a speaking glance; if being a cuc.u.mber meant ice cold with fright, shivers up her spine and an icy feeling in her insides, then she was a cuc.u.mber. His grin did nothing to help, and since she was almost scared out of her wits, to burst into tears would have been a great relief. Beastly man, she fumed, loving him fiercely and at the same time disliking him intensely. The beastly man leaning across, took her hand and held it and it's comforting clasp suddenly made her fright quite unimportant. She saw then that he was fully dressed; not his usual elegant grey suit and spotless white shirt, but slacks and a thin sweater. She said: "You're up early..." She looked at his face then; it was lined and grey with tiredness and he badly needed a shave.

"You haven't been to bed."

He smiled.

"No--there was a bad road accident and the theatre's been going all night." He wasn't going to talk about it; he gave his niece an affectionate tweak and said, "How about all of us creeping to the kitchen and making a pot of tea; the storm is almost over."

It was exactly what Eileen and Cordelia for that matter, needed to take their minds off the storm. The three of them went soft footed to the kitchen; the warmth and familiarity of which made Cordelia feel far more at ease, and while she made the tea, the others found biscuits and sugar and milk and with the blind securely pulled down against the lightning and the powerful lights on, they sat round the ma.s.sive table while the doctor told them amusing t.i.t bits about the lighter side of his work until Cordelia realized that the thunder was rumbling itself away into the distance.

She collected cups tidily, sat the table to rights, and suggested that Eileen went back to her bed.

"It's seven o'clock. I'll ask Mrs Thompson to keep your breakfast until nine and I'll bring it up to you." She paused on their way to the door and put an urgent hand on the doctor's arm.

"And you'll go to bed. Doctor. When do you have to be at the hospital?"

He answered her gravely although he looked as if he wanted to laugh.

"Theatre starts at ten o'clock I'm anaesthetising.. ."

She answered at once: "Then you can sleep till nine o'clock. You must, you know, or you won't be able to cope."

He didn't argue. He said meekly: "Very well, Cordelia," and she nodded her satisfaction; it was Eileen who darted a surprised look at him, but for once she had nothing to say, walking across the kitchen to stroke the kitchen cat, sleeping in a chair by the stove. It gave the doctor the opportunity to bend his head and kiss Cordelia on her surprised mouth.

As she settled back in bed, Cordelia reasoned with herself; the doctor had had no reason to kiss her; he could, of course, have been too tired to know what he was doing, it could have been a gesture of thanks because he was at last going to his bed. There was no point in brooding over it, she told herself with her usual common sense and went away to shower and dress. To go back to bed would be silly now, she could hear the Thompson's up and about and she would have to see Mrs Thompson about Eileen's breakfast and ask Thompson to call the doctor. She remembered then that he hadn't said anything about 'phoning the hospital; did they expect him before ten o'clock? Did he have ward rounds, she wondered, or consultations? Not only had she no idea of his private life, she knew nothing of his work. It was like living with a clam, she thought crossly, going off to discuss her problem with Thompson.

He set her mind at rest at once. The doctor, he informed her civilly, went to the hospital at eight o'clock on four mornings of the week, on the fifth-- that very day, he had no need to go until ten o'clock.

Indeed, said Thompson, the doctor could very well 'phone and say that someone else must go to the theatre that morning, seeing that he had been up for almost all of the night, but that wasn't the doctor's way.

"I've known him go without sleep for twenty four hours or more, miss--them bomb outrages it was, and the theatre at the London Royal going non- stop--nasty cases they were too, but as you may know, the giving of an anaesthetic is a skilled business, as skilled as the surgeon's." He eyed her tired face.

"You go along to the sitting room. Miss and I'll bring you your breakfast; plenty of time for you to have yours before Miss Eileen wakes--so a nice strong cup of tea..

She drank her tea and ate her breakfast while she thought about the doctor. She dearly wanted to know everything about him, but so far, all she knew were the few crumbs of information from Thompson.

Charles Tres...o...b.. wasn't a man to talk about himself and anyway, he would hardly pour out his life's history to the governess. She collected the post from the hall table and slit the envelopes and arranged them neatly by his place at table. Then put the waste paper basket on the exact spot where he was in the habit of casting his discarded correspondence. By then it was time to take a tray up to Eileen, whom she found curled up like a dormouse, sound asleep. She set the tray down, drew the curtains back and roused the child. Eileen woke at once, thankfully in splendid spirits; she had forgotten her fright of the storm although the excitement of it gave her plenty to talk about while she ate her breakfast.

"Wasn't it fun?" she declared.

"With Uncle Charles here and going to the kitchen. .." she giggled, "I said he was fun, and he is, isn't he?"

Cordelia murmured in a neutral kind of way; if she agreed Eileen was quite capable of telling him that she had and making her look a fool.

She led ; the conversation away from him and enquired what Eileen.

would like to do.

"There aren't many days left," she warned, "I know we've been almost everywhere, but is there something you want to see?"

"Shops', said Eileen, her mouth full.

"Cordelia, I need another pair of sandals--the ones with laces, they're all the fashion and I'm so out of date.. ."

"Have you any money?"

"Oh, yes. Uncle Charles gave me some yesterday. We'll get the sandals and I'll buy you an ice."

For a twelve-year-old, Eileen was very grown up. Cordelia wondered, if she had a daughter, if she would like her to be quite so adult about everything. She thought not, although Eileen was a dear child.

But the question didn't arise; she wasn't likely to have a daughter, nor for that matter a husband.

Where's Uncle Charles?" asked Eileen.

Cordelia looked at her watch.

"Just about ready to leave for the hospital, I should think," and heard the door of the apartment close behind him with relief. Probably he wouldn't be home for lunch and by the evening she would have regained her cool and be able to meet him in her usual calm fashion. She said: "How about going to the shops directly after lunch? There won't be much time this morning and you can have another nap if you like and then get up."

She picked up the tray and walked to the door. "I'll be back in an hour or so."

It was very quiet in the apartment; the Thompsons would be in the kitchen, she would take the tray there and ask Mrs Thompson not to go into Eileen's room for an hour or two. She was in the hall when the study door opened and the doctor came out.

She just managed not to drop the tray. The colour came and went in her face and she stood like an idiot until he took the tray from her and put it on the side table.

"And why do you look so surprised?" he asked mildly, "I do live here, you know."

"I heard the door I thought you'd gone to the hospital. You'll be late."

"Keeping out of my way Cordelia?" He wanted to know, and she disliked the silky voice very much. "And although I make the habit of being punctual, I flatter myself that no one is going to say anything if I choose to turn up rather later than expected."

"Oh, yes, I mean, no, I'm sure you do exactly as you like. I didn't mean..." She saw his mocking smile and held her tongue. His voice was still silky. "I wonder what you do mean, Cordelia. I should dearly like to know."

l! don't mean anything," she snapped, 'you surprised me. . ."

"That is at least a beginning," he observed thoughtfully.

"Let us see if I can surprise you again." He paused on his way to the door, kissed her hard and swiftly, and left the apartment, shutting the door behind him very quietly.

Cordelia stayed exactly where she was. He had surprised her, but he was full of surprises just lately. It was a very good thing that she would be leaving Vienna in a day or so. She must take care not to see more of him than she could help. They met at meals, but Eileen was there then, and it was easy enough to hold a casual conversation then, with the child bearing the bulk of the talk. Besides, he never spoke more than half a dozen words at breakfast. She went back to her room planning how best to keep out of his way. When she got there, she went and sat at her dressing table and studied her face.

Very ordinary, she was bound to admit, and certainly it didn't warrant being kissed for no reason at all. She must keep out of his way, she reiterated to her reflection and allow Eileen to do all the talking at lunch.

There was no need; he didn't come home. They ate quickly while Eileen changed her mind a dozen times about what she wanted to buy. She stilt hadn't decided when they reached the Graben and they wandered in and out of shops until she finally found the sandals she wanted, added a cotton top which took her fancy and some exquisite and expensive handkerchiefs for her mother, and then true to her promise, dragged Cordelia into Sacher's for an ice. It was well past tea time by the time they got home and Cordelia judged it prudent to ask Thompson if they might have a tray of tea in the sitting room so that she had a good excuse for sitting quietly for half an hour; Eileen, she judged was a little too excited and would be overtired if she didn't check her.

The tea came, and Eileen, impatient at the idea of sitting still, allowed herself to be coaxed to drink a cup and eat one of Mrs Thompson's fairy cakes and presently Cordelia cunningly led the talk round to clothes--a subject which always had the child's undivided attention, and an hour pa.s.sed unnoticed. An hour brought to an end by Thompson's entry to clear away the tea things with the remark that the doctor was bringing home guests for dinner.

"And he particularly asked that you and Miss Eileen would join him and the lady and gentleman for dinner!"

"I shall wear my new sandals," said Eileen at once and dragged Cordelia upstairs to decide what she should wear.

Lady and gentleman sounded a bit ominous. Austrian? she wondered and were they rather special? She persuaded Eileen to wear a silky top and matching skirt instead of the rainbow hued cat suit she had in mind and wondered what she would wear herself. There was really no choice; it would have to be the blue; she had washed out the blood stains and pressed it carefully and if the doctor didn't think she was smart enough for his dinner party, he would have to lump it. All the same she took great pains with her hair and face, and primed by Thompson, accompanied Eileen to the drawing room at seven o'clock exactly.

Uncle Charles was there, urbane in one of his grey suits and sitting with him was a man of his own age and a younger woman. The man was as tall as the doctor, fair haired with vivid blue eyes, and the girl was dark and beautiful; a big girl with great dark eyes. They both looked at Cordelia and Eileen as they went in, both smiling in such a friendly fashion that Cordelia smiled back.

"Ah, Cordelia, Eileen, come in." The doctor sounded vaguely impatient.

"Eugenia, this is my niece and her governess--Gerard. .."

They shook hands and then accepted drinks and Eugenia said: "Come and sit here, Cordelia. I know all about you but I don't suppose Charles even mentioned me." She didn't wait for Cordelia to answer. "I'm English, so is Gerard; he is a surgeon and he and Charles were students together. Gerard's here to operate on some V.I.P and Charles will anaesthetise. That's tomorrow. I wondered if you'd take pity on me and show me round in the morning--I'm dying to go in one of those little carriages.. ."

"We'd love to, Eileen's parents are arriving in two days time and I'm hard put to it to keep her occupied without her getting too tired. We can take a leisurely ride round the inner city and if you want to go anywhere special, the fiacre will wait."

"Super. We have to go back in the evening-- Gerard's at St Clare's and he's got a list for the next day. We live in London--Cheyne Walk. Where do you live?"

My stepmother has a house in a village near St Albans."

Eugenia gave her a guileless look.

"Not too far from town in between jobs. Are you staying with Eileen when she goes back?"

Eileen, who had been sitting between the men on the sofa, heard that.

"Of course she is--Cordelia's going to stay with me for ever."

Eugenia said easily: "Is she now? I was just asking if you would both show me something of Vienna tomorrow morning. My German's fragmental so I hope you speak it?"

"Oh, I do', said Eileen proudly, "I've been taking lessons, and Cordelia speaks it ever so well, doesn't she. Uncle Charles?"

Cordelia tried to look as though she wasn't there while they all looked at her.

"Well, I get by," she mumbled and went pink and Gerard came to her rescue with a kindly: "That's more than I can say for Eugenia, although she says Bitte very nicely."

Everyone laughed and just then Thompson came in to say that dinner was ready.

Eugenia was quite beautiful, thought Cordelia, sitting opposite her, and her dress was gorgeous, no wonder her husband looked at her as though she were the sun and moon and sta/s rolled into one. She wondered how long they had been married; perhaps she could ask tomorrow; it would be fun having another girl to talk to; living in the doctor's apartment had hardly been a social whirl. Not that governesses expected that, but beyond one or two stiff conversations with Eileen's German teacher, she had spoken to very few people. Except the doctor, of course. She glanced at him across the table and found his eyes upon her and looked away quickly.

They had coffee in the drawing room and presently she caught Eileen's eye and accompanied that reluctant young lady to her room. She had thought to escape herself at the same time but the doctor got up to open the door for them and asked her in a voice which brooked no contradiction to return as soon as possible and keep Eugenia company.

"Gerard and I have one or two small problems to iron out, and I'm sure you two girls can find something to talk about."

They found plenty; they had taken to each other on sight, and after a discussion, in depth, on the present fashions, they progressed to personal opinions about this and that and thence to a somewhat more intimate conversation, wherein Eugenia enlarged upon the delights of being married to a man like Gerard.

"How did you meet?" asked Cordelia.

"Well, at St Clare's. Gerard's Senior Consultant on the Chest Unitthere and I was Women's Ward Sister...""How romantic. Did you fall in love at first sight?""Good Lord no. At least I didn't." Eugenia dimpled engagingly."And Gerard isn't a man to show his feelings." She added unexpectedly "Nor is Charles, is he?"

Cordelia went pink.

"I don't know. How--could

I? I hardly ever see him; I'm Eileen's governess." She was silent for a moment.

"There was a very attractive girl here one evening..."

Eugenia laughed.

"I expect he's got half a dozen up his sleeve--I bet he doesn't marry any of them. Gerard says he's a dark horse."

"He works very hard."