Promise the Doctor Read Online Free

interfering with the cause of duty for someone else, ‘I do know she had various good causes very much at heart. Not, you must understand, in the form of special charities and so forth, but she took her responsibilities very seriously indeed, and it is these I feel almost certain she is handing on to you. Our articled clerk came here to see her on one occasion, I understand, and he said she pointed you out to him and said she was going to entrust you with the care of her “dearest possession”. That could refer to a number of things, but I do know she was dedicated to the cause of preserving the beauty and selectivity of Vanmouth.’
    ‘I see.’ With Matron on the other side of her desk obviously disapproving of this intrusion into hospital routine, Joy felt this was as much comment as she ought to make at this point. Impulsively she made a suggestion, not certain whether or not her mother would approve, but it was too late to think about that now.
    ‘Would you care to go to my home in Wilborough and have a meal with us, Mr. Belding?’ she asked. ‘I come off duty at half past four, and it takes me about half an hour to get home, but my sister and cousin are there and would make you very welcome, should you arrive before I do.’
    ‘That is most kind of you, thank you.’ Mr. Belding beamed on Joy and on Matron alike. ‘Is there any rule about my calling for you as you come off duty?’ he turned enquiringly in Matron’s direction. ‘We could travel together. I assure you I have been driving for nearly thirty years and so far have a completely clear licence! That would allow me to complete my business in this part of the town and we could talk on the way. There may be little points you wish to ask about...’
    ‘There’s no rule against your calling,’ Joy assured him, ‘and I shan’t keep you waiting.’
    There was little more. Matron was obviously anxious that the meeting between Mr. Belding and Sister Benyon should now be terminated as quickly as possible, and in a very short time Joy was on her way back to her ward, the letter seeming to be burning a hole in the pocket of her apron.
    She was met at the door of the ward by Staff Nurse Wilson. Marcia Wilson was a good nurse, and since Joy had been at the General they had seen many a crisis through together.
    ‘New admission,’ she said briefly. ‘Girl of eighteen. The usual story, I suppose, but she’s taken an overdose in an effort to “forget” ... she won’t forget the results of having taken it at all,’ she said crisply. ‘Nurse Talbot’s with her now. We’ve used the stomach pump and she’s going to be all right, but she’s not feeling any too good right now.’
    ‘I’ll take a look,’ Joy said, and walked across to the far end of the room where the girl lay, moaning quietly. She did not even attempt to look up as Joy bent over her, and after looking at the bed card, checking with Nurse Talbot and making certain everything had been done or was being done to give the unfortunate girl relief, she went back to her desk.
    Lunch time seemed hours away, and the letter in her pocket crackled tantalizingly every time she moved. Little Miss Paling caught her eye and signalled that she would like to speak to Sister. Joy went across to the elderly woman, suddenly remembering how, just after she had first been admitted, Miss Barnes had looked at her just as appealingly and in much the same way.
    ‘Yes, dear?’ she said in her usual kindly tone. ‘Is there something I can do for you?’
    ‘I don’t suppose so, Sister.’ Miss Paling Sounded weary to the point of exhaustion. ‘I just want to know what I’m doing here. This is a ward for surgical cases, isn’t it? My own doctor said nothing about an operation to me...’ She began to sound quite worried.
    ‘And nobody has mentioned operating on you, Miss Paling,’ Joy assured her gravely. ‘The reason why you are in here is because the medical ward happens to be very full just at the