Dear Tiberius; (aka Nurse Nolan) Read Online Free

you have a perfect right to find the country dull! But why do you refer to Miranda as a wai f ? ”
    “ Because that ’ s the way I think of her, ” she admitted, declining a cigarette, and moistening the sudden dryness of her lips with the tip of her tongue.
    One of his eyebrows lifted.
    “ In some ways she is quite a fortunate waif! ”
    “ Because she has every comfort, and you are her father? ” He had never seen eyes so dark, and yet so blue as hers as she lifted them to his face, and for a moment they looked full at one another. “ Possibly she is fortunate , Sir John, to be the daughter of a rich man, but I shall always think of her as—alone, somehow, and fighting her battle alone, because those who are always near to her are not in any way connected to her by ties of blood! ”
    “ I see, ” he said slowly, and studied the tip of his cigarette.
    “ I expect that sounds impertinent, ” Lucy remarked, at the end of a long silence.
    He looked at her again. He did not answer her directly. “ Would you consider staying on with Miranda as a more or less permanent arrangement. Nurse Nolan? ” he asked quietly. “ Not as her nurse, but as her companion and friend? One whom she can be happy to have near her? In return for a satisfying remuneration, of course! ”
    Somehow Lucy had not been unprepared for this, but even so, she did not quite know how to answer him. She stared downward at her own hands clasped in her lap, and at her delicate, pale pink nails.
    “ Have you been in touch yet with Dr. We rn , in Vienna? ” she inquired without looking up.
    “ As a matter of fact, I have, ” Sir John answered, and she looked up quickly. “ But it may be several weeks before he is able to spare the time to fly over here and examine Miranda. ”
    “ Oh! ” Lucy exclaimed. A gleam of hope shone in her eyes. “ Then he really is going to examine her? ”
    “ He has said that he will. ”
    “ Then I will certainly stay, ” Lucy informed him, “ for as long as Miranda really requires me. ”
    “ Good! ” Sir John exclaimed, and walked away from her to the fireplace. He bent and ruffled the silky coat of Muffin, who instantly looked up at him adoringly. “ There is one thing I should mention to you. Nurse Nolan. You will probably not find it so dull here in future, because I have made up my mind to do a certain amount of entertaining. ” He did not look up at her, but appeared to be concentrating all his attention on Muffin. “ As a matter of fact, perhaps I also ought to let you know that I am thinking of— ”
    A deep, booming noise filled the air reaching them, as it seemed, from the hall, and he broke off and looked up at the clock.
    “ Time to change for dinner. Purvis never postpones things, although he is quite well aware that you are still in here. He has so few opportunities nowadays to sound a dressing gong. ”
    “ But, you were saying. Sir John...? ” Lucy reminded him.
    A blank expression descended over his face.
    “ On second thought I don ’ t think it is important enough to mention just now. ” He glanced again at the clock. “ Then I can take it that you will remain. Nurse Nolan? ”
    “ If you really wish me to, ” she replied.
    “ I do. ” And then with a sudden, quite surprising smile parting his thin, firm lips and disclosing very white teeth he said, “ But one thing I must not forget, Miranda is most anxious that you shall cease to wear a uniform. Nurse Nolan. Is it quite impossible that you can agree to that? ”
    Lucy was considerably taken aback, but as he had asked her to stay on in the capacity of a companion for Miranda rather than a nurse, she decided that she could agree, at least for a few months.
    “ It would seem that our poor, wistful waif of a child is capable of expressing her opinions, ” Sir John murmured, looking at her rather oddly as he opened the library door for her.

 
     

CHAPTER FOUR
    Miranda was delighted w hen the news was conveyed to her that