Doctor Knows Best Page 7

  The party was in full swing, the disco blasting out music at an ear-splitting level. They found Richard and Joanna sitting in a corner chatting, Joanna with her leg resting on two chairs.

  “Daddy,” she exclaimed when she saw them coming, “Richard has invited us down to Devon for Christmas. He has rung his mother, and she says she would be delighted. I’ve said yes—is that all right?”

  Megan stared with amazement and horror at her brother. What ever could have got into Richard? Fancy inviting Giles Elliott, his wife and daughter to their home for Christmas! Whatever must he be thinking of?

  “But what about your mother? She must be asked,” she said to Joanna, voicing her thoughts aloud.

  “Well, what about her?” replied Joanna looking surprised. “She won’t be coming.” Then, seeing Megan’s obviously puzzled look, she laughed. “Sorry, I thought you knew. Daddy and I are quite alone this Christmas, nobody at the house in London and a horrible hospital flat here. I’ve been moaning about it to Richard and he said you lived in a big house by the sea.”

  “We do,” replied Megan, wondering where on earth Joanna’s mother, Giles Elliott’s wife, was. “But we shall only be having a very quiet Christmas, rather an old-fashioned one.”

  Joanna clapped her hands with glee. “That’s just perfect,” she said, “I’ve never had an old-fashioned English Christmas.”

  “Perhaps Megan would prefer Christmas with just her own family,” interrupted Giles. “Just because you are enthusiastic, my dear, you mustn’t forget other people’s feelings.”

  Joanna’s faced dropped a mile. “Oh no,” she said. “I hadn’t thought of that. It was silly of me, I’m sorry.”

  “Of course I don’t mind,” said Megan quickly, not really knowing what else she could say, “and I know my mother will be absolutely delighted. She likes nothing better than cooking. It will be the perfect excuse for her to cook mountains of food.” Acutely aware of Giles Elliott’s questioning gaze on her, she forced a bright, if somewhat brittle laugh. “The only thing is, you will have to promise to eat every single thing she cooks.”

  “I will,” said Joanna, her eyes shining, “and Richard has said he may take me up on to Dartmoor to see the meet of the hunt on Boxing Day.”

  “So that’s settled then,” said Richard with satisfaction. “All we’ve got to do now is to organise the travelling arrangements. I was going with Sis, I mean Megan,” continued Richard turning to Giles, “but if you are coming too perhaps I could take Joanna down a couple of days before, as I shall be free then, and you could bring Megan when you both get off duty on Christmas Eve.”

  “Richard,” interrupted Megan sharply, “I’m sure Mr. Elliott has got plenty of things planned to do before Christmas. He is a very busy man.”

  “Nonsense, I’m not that busy,” answered Giles, “and for goodness’ sake don’t call me Mr. Elliott! Joanna, I know, would love to start her holiday early.” He raised his eyebrows quizzically at Megan. “Unless, of course, you have any objection to driving down with me? I can assure you I’m quite a safe driver.”

  “No, I don’t have any objection,” Megan was forced to admit, “it’s just that…”

  “Then it’s agreed,” interrupted Giles, raising his glass in a salute to her. “Let’s all drink to our Christmas together.”

  Dumbly Megan raised her glass in a toast. There was nothing she could do; it was a fait accompli and that was that. It would have looked very bad-tempered and ungracious to have tried to protest. So it was agreed that Richard would drive Joanna down the following Wednesday in Megan’s little car, and Giles would bring Megan down on the Friday afternoon, which was Christmas Eve.

  Richard, with Joanna hobbling at his side, went off to the students’ bar, leaving Giles and Megan alone.

  “Do you mind?” he asked, coming straight to the point. “I know you were rather bulldozed into the arrangement.”

  Megan lowered her expressive eyes uncomfortably. Did she mind? How could she say to him that if he wasn’t married she wouldn’t mind at all—in fact she’d be over the moon? But no, she thought wryly, you certainly can’t tell him that! So she said instead, “No, of course I don’t mind. Why should I?”

  “I just thought you didn’t seem overenthusiastic, that’s all,” came the reply.

  “I…I was surprised,” said Megan quickly. “I thought you would have something more interesting to do at Christmas.”

  Giles smiled and put an arm lightly around Megan’s shoulders. “You’re a funny little thing, Megan Jones,” he said. “I never know what is going on inside that pretty head of yours.”

  At his touch Megan stiffened; every fibre of her being prickled with awareness of him. “I just thought you would be spending Christmas with exciting, glamorous friends in London, or with your wife,” she said at last, making herself mention the word wife.

  “My wife is dead, and we usually spend Christmas with her sister Fiona,” he said casually, “but not this year—the first time for ten years. That is why Joanna is so excited at the prospect of a real English Christmas.”

  “Oh,” was all Megan was able to manage, unable to think of anything else intelligent to say. She was dying to ask when his wife had died, and why did he always spend Christmas with her sister. The unspoken questions fell over one another in her mind, but her lips remained silent. Giles for his part didn’t elaborate any further, and the opportunity to continue the conversation passed by as Richard and Joanna made their way back towards them.

  “I think Joanna’s getting tired now, sir,” said Richard to Giles respectfully.

  “Yes, I am, Dad,” chimed in Joanna, “and my leg is aching a bit.”

  “Can’t say I’m exactly surprised,” said her father with scant sympathy. “You should be grateful that all you’ve got is a leg in plaster and a bit of an ache.”

  “Oh I am! Don’t be cross,” said Joanna, hanging on to his arm.

  Giles smiled down at his daughter, the tender look belying his words. He loves her a lot, though Megan, a dull ache in her heart as she wondered what else there was in his life that she didn’t know about. Unhappily she thought about his sister-in-law. She instinctively felt that there was a strong link between Fiona and Giles, but why she should feel that way she didn’t know. There was no logical reason, nothing he had said apart from the fact that they always spent their Christmases there; it was just an intuitive feeling she had.

  After Giles Elliott and his daughter had left the party, Richard was so full of Joanna this and Joanna that, that Megan didn’t have the heart to grumble at him. She did, however, have a word of warning for him. “I can see you’ve taken a fancy to Joanna,” she began.

  “You can say that again,” said Richard dreamily. “Hasn’t he got lovely hair—and those eyes!”

  “She is only fifteen,” Megan reminded him, “and the daughter of the Casualty Consultant. You are nearly twenty-one and that is a lot older.”

  “Rubbish,” answered Richard indignantly. “She’s nearly sixteen, anyway.”

  Megan sighed. Who was she to be telling her brother who to fall for? She hadn’t been very sensible herself, but thank goodness nobody knew how she felt. “I’d better ring Mum,” was all she said, “to see if there is anything extra in the way of shopping she would like me to take down.”

  “Oh, Giles is going to do that,” said Richard. “I gave him the telephone number; he said he wanted to speak to Mum because he doesn’t intend to come empty-handed.”

  “We don’t need charity, Richard,” interrupted Megan crossly. “If you invite people, you invite them—you don’t ask them to bring things.”

  “For goodness’ sake, Sis,” Richard exploded, “you’re so touchy lately! If I didn’t know you better I’d say you were in love! I didn’t ask him for anything, he insisted. He wants to take something for Mum.”

  Megan sighed again. Of cour
se Richard was right, she could just imagine Giles Elliott insisting. But, brother Richard, you don’t know how near you are to the truth, she thought ruefully. “Sorry,” she said, “I am a bit snappy, I know. Put it down to old age!”

  Richard laughed. “Old age?” he said, “You look ridiculously young, especially in those old jeans and without any make-up. When you and Joanna were standing by the side of Giles Elliott you could have been sisters.”

  It was Megan’s turn to laugh now. “That’s silly, Richard,” she said. “But now you mention it, Giles Elliott told me the other day that I looked ridiculously young and I didn’t take it as a compliment.”

  Richard laughed. “He probably meant it as one,” he said. Then he added, “I wonder how old he is? He’s probably aged prematurely because of all his problems.”

  “Aged prematurely?” said Megan. “Richard, just because the man has a few silver hairs at his temples does not mean to say he is in his dotage! Anyway, what problems?” she asked, trying not to sound too curious.

  “Well, I don’t know exactly,” replied Richard, “but Joanna hinted that there were still problems between her mother’s family and her father. Even though her mother has been dead for years and her aunt has lived in America for some time.”

  “Ten years at least,” said Megan. “He told me they always spent Christmas there.”

  “Poor kid,” said Richard with feeling. “No wonder he feels lonely. She didn’t tell me very much, just enough for me to know that she is unhappy. Giles Elliott and her mother were divorced, you know, before her death.”

  Megan suddenly remembered the phrase Giles had used during their conversation at dinner; they say history always repeats itself… He had suffered divorced parents and an unhappy childhood, and now it seemed that his own child was suffering.

  Long after she had gone to bed that night, Megan lay and puzzled about the situation between Giles Elliott and his wife’s family. She was sure that was the clue to Joanna’s unhappiness, not just the fact that her mother was dead.

  She turned restlessly. She had always imagined herself falling in love with a man who would love her and her alone, no one before or after. But in her heart of hearts she knew that was a romantic dream for teenagers only. The harsh reality of life was that there wasn’t a choice. Someone came along and you fell in love, regardless of their suitability. There is only one thing to do, she thought finally. Just regard him as a friend and don’t get emotionally involved! Although quite how she was going to manage that she didn’t know, and spending Christmas with him wasn’t going to make it any easier.

  Chapter Five

  The week preceding Christmas passed quickly. Two of the pupil nurses fell sick and as she was lucky enough to be off for the whole of Christmas Megan felt obliged to volunteer for extra duties. This meant working for three evenings until nine o’clock. The day before Christmas Eve was the day of the unit’s Christmas party. It was to be held in Megan’s office which had been emptied of its furniture for the occasion.

  Juliet Moore and some of the other nurses from the evening and night duty rotas came in laden with home-made goodies. They soon transformed the office with Christmas decorations and balloons, and a huge bunch of mistletoe which Juliet hung in a strategic position over the doorway.

  “No harm in hoping,” she said with a wicked wink. “You never know, I might get kissed by Giles Elliott himself.”

  “Yes,” sighed one of the pupil nurses new to the department, “he is absolutely gorgeous, isn’t he? I’ve never seen anyone so dishy.”

  “He has been married, you know,” remarked Megan in a voice as casual as she could muster, busying herself with pinning up paper-chains, “and he has a daughter nearly as old as you.”

  “Oh, I don’t mind that,” answered young Sally cheekily. “I’ve always had a penchant for older men.” She struck what she imagined to be a sophisticated pose. “Do you think he’d fancy me?”

  “Not if you look like that,” piped up one of the other girls. “You look as if you’ve got a prolapsed disc, standing like that!” She ducked quickly as Sally threw a piece of holly at her and screeched with laughter.

  “Girls!” remonstrated Megan. “I know it’s Christmas and you are all feeling festive, but don’t forget we still have patients coming in all the time.”

  “Not too many, I hope,” giggled Sally, who had already had one glass of sherry. “What will they say if they are looked after by tipsy nurses!”

  “There won’t be any tipsy nurses,” answered Megan firmly, “because if there are you’ll have me to deal with.” The firm tone of her voice left the juniors in no doubt of the consequences if they should overstep the limit.

  The party got under way just before noon and soon the office was babbling with laughter and conversation. It. had to be a prolonged lunch-time affair, for work carried on as usual, everyone popping in and out of the party as their job permitted. Luckily it was a slack day so most of the staff were able to enjoy the proceedings.

  Giles Elliott came in and wedged his tall figure into a corner beside Megan, who was eating a sausage roll. “I thought sausage rolls made you scream!” he said, raising his eyebrows.

  Megan blushed, remembering her remark of the evening of the revue party. “Well, these are rather special,” she had to admit. “Juliet Moore made them and her cooking is absolutely mouth-watering.”

  “In that case I must sample one,” he said, reaching out a long arm and removing a sausage roll from the plate Sally was carrying past.

  Juliet Moore battled her way across the room and joined them. “Do you like them?” she asked, watching him bite into it.

  “Delicious,” was his verdict. “Although I knew it would be. If Megan gives a sausage roll her seal of approval it must be good.”

  Juliet laughed. “Thank you, that’s very high praise indeed.” She sipped her glass of wine. “Are you going home for Christmas, Megan?” she asked.

  “Yes,” said Megan, wondering what on earth they would all say if they knew Giles Elliott was going to spend it with her. “What are you doing?”

  “Oh, I’m home for Christmas Day,” answered Juliet, “then I’m working Boxing Day and the day after. The money will come in useful for the holiday we are planning next year.”

  “Are you planning to go somewhere exotic then?” asked Giles.

  “Only Majorca,” said Juliet, “but with a family it is pretty expensive, so we need all the extra pennies I can earn.”

  “I have some very good friends there,” said Giles. “They run a delightful little restaurant near the beach at Puerto Soller. You must visit it; they make the best paella on the island.”

  Grateful for the change in conversation, Megan excused herself and moved across to where Johnny Cox was holding court to a bevy of giggling pupil nurses. She had been unsure of whether or not Giles would have wanted anyone in Casualty to know he was spending Christmas with her and her family. Anyway, she was quite certain that she preferred the rest of the staff to remain in ignorance, particularly the pupil nurses. Their minds only seem to run along the lines of the latest romance, real or imaginary, fuelled no doubt by the romantic stories they were always reading in all the women’s magazines, she thought.

  Johnny had picked off a sprig of mistletoe and was working his way along the line of giggling, blushing nurses, kissing them all one by one.

  Megan sighed theatrically and crossed her arms. “You are incorrigible,” she said severely. “Breaking all these young hearts!”

  “It is they who are breaking mine,” he said, dramatically clasping a hand to his chest. “With so many beautiful girls to choose from the strain is too much for me.”

  You don’t have to choose,” said young Sally. “You can take us all to the Mess party tonight. That solves your problem.”

  Johnny’s face fell and Megan laughed. “Serves you right,” she said. “You�
��ve got your just desserts.”

  Johnny raised his eyebrows expressively. “Oh well, they say there’s safety in numbers,” he said with a laugh. “Are you coming tonight?”

  “No, I’ve got to work, and then get ready to go down to Devon tomorrow. Anyway, I’m too old for the high jinks they get up to at the Mess party.”

  “Poor old lady,” said Johnny, holding the mistletoe aloft. “Am I allowed to kiss such an antiquated thing?”

  Out of the corner of her eye Megan could see Giles Elliott looking at them. Was it her imagination, or did his blue eyes have a steely glint of disapproval in them? Some inner devil prompted Megan to throw her arms around Johnny’s neck and kiss him back with unusual enthusiasm.

  “Well, now I know it really is Christmas,” murmured a surprised Johnny. “I think that calls for an encore,” and without further ado he proceeded to kiss her long and thoroughly. “Are you sure you won’t change your mind and come to the party tonight?” he asked.

  “Quite sure, Johnny,” replied a slightly flustered Megan. She hadn’t expected Johnny to react in the way he had, and hoped that he hadn’t taken the kiss seriously—the very last thing she had expected or wanted.

  She felt Giles Elliott’s gaze cutting through the crowded room like a laser beam as she disentangled herself from Johnny’s arms. “I’d better go back into Casualty and relieve someone else to come and have some fun,” she muttered, making her escape through the doorway.

  Straightening her cap, which, as ever; was askew on her shiny brown hair, she marched purposefully into Casualty. The first person she saw was one of the elderly auxiliaries, Thelma, sitting morosely at the desk, idly flipping over some old X-rays.

  “Your turn to join the festivities,” Megan said to her. “I’ll take over here.”

  “Really, Sister, are you sure?”

  “Yes, of course, off you go,” replied Megan. “I’ll shout for help soon enough if it gets too busy.”

  The plump auxiliary scurried excitedly away. Christmas was the one time of year when all barriers were dropped in the hospital and all grades of staff fraternised with one another; it was something she looked forward to.