A Christmas Romance by Betty Neels

Author:Betty Neels [Neels, Betty]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781460892503
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises, Australia Pty Ltd
Published: 2013-01-28T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THREE

THEODOSIA felt better in the morning; she had a cold, but she no longer felt—or looked—like a wet hen. She took the pills she had been given, ate her breakfast, saw to Gustavus and went to work. Miss Prescott greeted her sourly, expressed the hope that she would take care not to pass her cold on to her and gave her enough work to keep her busy for the rest of the day. Which suited Theodosia very well for she had no time to think about the professor. Something, she told herself sternly, she must stop doing at once—which didn’t prevent her from hoping that she might see him as she went around the hospital. But she didn’t, nor was his car in the forecourt when she went home later that day.

He must have gone away; she had heard that he was frequently asked to other hospitals for consultations, and there was no reason why he should have told her. It was during the following morning, on her rounds, that she overhead the ward sister remark to her staff nurse that he would be back for his rounds at the end of the week. It seemed that he was in Austria.

Theodosia dropped her diet sheets deliberately and took a long time picking them up so that she could hear more.

‘In Vienna,’ said Sister, ‘and probably Rome. Let’s hope he gets back before Christmas.’

A wish Theodosia heartily endorsed; the idea of him spending Christmas anywhere but at his lovely home filled her with unease.

She was quite herself by the end of the week; happy to be free from Miss Prescott’s iron hand, she did her shopping on Saturday and, since the weather was fine and cold, decided to go to Sunday’s early-morning service and then go for a walk in one of the parks.

It was still not quite light when she left the house the next morning and there was a sparkle of frost on the walls and rooftops. The church was warm, though, and fragrant with the scent of chrysanthemums. There wasn’t a large congregation and the simple service was soon over. She started to walk back, sorry to find that the early-morning sky was clouding over.

The streets were empty save for the occasional car and an old lady some way ahead of her. Theodosia, with ten minutes’ brisk walk before her, walked faster, spurred on by the thought of breakfast.

She was still some way from the old lady when a car passed her, going much too fast and swerving from side to side of the street. The old lady hadn’t a chance; the car mounted the kerb as it reached her, knocked her down and drove on.

Theodosia ran. There was no one about, the houses on either side of the street had their curtains tightly pulled over the windows, and the street was empty; she wanted to scream but she needed her breath.

The old lady lay half on the road, half on the pavement. She looked as though someone had picked her up and tossed her down and left her in a crumpled heap.

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