The Hollywood Governess by Alexandra Weston

Author:Alexandra Weston [Weston, Alexandra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-26T00:00:00+00:00

Long minutes later, the door opens. Roy ushers in a man in his late fifties with a bald head and a spectacular waxed moustache. ‘This is the wounded soldier,’ Roy says. ‘Can you check her out, Doc?’

Roy hands me the glass of water and then makes his escape. Muttering something about going to look for Mr Neil, Walsh follows him out.

‘Okay, little lady,’ the doctor says as he sits next to us on the sofa. ‘I need you to let go of your mother so I can have a look at you.’

‘I’m not her mother.’ My face flames. How stupid of me! I’ve corrected this mistake in previous positions and not ended up with a face like a tomato. Yet the thought of myself and Mr Neil together is patently absurd. As if he’d ever look at a woman like me. ‘I’m her governess.’

‘Governess, eh?’ He raises his eyebrows as he takes a stethoscope from his bag. ‘Want to tell me what happened?’

I explain as succinctly as I can how she came to fall. Erin makes a noise deep in her throat as I gently detach her arms from around my neck.

As the doctor examines her, I hold her hand. A movement outside the window attracts my attention. Mr Neil is sprinting up the path from the car park. His long legs cover the ground with ease. Black fabric flutters like a banner from his waist. Goodness, is he wearing a tailcoat?

The answer to that question is answered seconds later when the door bangs open. ‘How is she?’ Mr Neil asks. His face is taut with worry. He looks pale and angry but he is indeed in tails. My breath catches. He looks absolutely superb. The tailcoat shows the breadth of his shoulders whilst highlighting his trim waist and the length of his legs.

‘The doctor has only just arrived—’ I have an almost overwhelming urge to stand and go to Mr Neil, to rest my hand on his shoulder in reassurance.

The doctor turns and then does a double take which would be comical in other circumstances. ‘Aidan Neil!’ he splutters. ‘I had no idea! I’m a… that is to say, my wife is a huge fan of your movies.’

‘That’s very kind.’ Mr Neil crosses to Erin, strokes her head. ‘How’s my daughter?’

‘Pa.’ Erin raises a hand which he catches and holds against his heart.

‘I didn’t realise.’ The doctor glares at me in a rather pointed way. ‘That is, no one told me she’s your daughter.’

‘I hope you’ve been giving her your best attention no matter whose daughter she is.’ There’s a sternness to Mr Neil’s voice which I’ve not heard since our first interview. I release Erin’s hand and take a step back.

‘Yes, yes, of course.’ The doctor runs his hand over his bald head. ‘I only meant that I wish I’d been told. If you’ll just give me a few moments to complete my examination…’

He picks up Erin’s wrist to check her pulse. As the doctor bends, Mr Neil catches my eye and tilts his head to the door.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.