Secret for a Nightingale (32 page)

My heart was beating furiously. I heard myself say: “What did you say this doctor’s name was?”

“Adair.”

“I read a book once by a doctor who did just that. But it was not Adair.”

“Was it Damien?”

“Yes.”

Charles laughed.

“That is his name … his Christian name. He writes under the name of Damien. Apparently it would be inconvenient to use his full name. He needs some anonymity.”

I was looking at Henrietta. She opened her mouth to speak, but I silenced her with a look.

I said slowly: “And he was here recently?”

“Oh yes. It must have been only a short time before you arrived.”

I felt dizzy. We might have met him. I pictured myself coming face to face with him.

“Do you see him … often?” I asked.

“Good Heavens, no! He’s here, there and everywhere. He’s always busy on some project. An eminent man, as I said. But I did happen to see him when he came back this time. He told me about this place and said it was well worth a visit. As a matter of fact, he arranged it for me.”

“That’s very interesting,” I said.

“After having read his books …”

“Perhaps you will meet him one day.”

“I hope to,” I replied.

When he left us to see a patient, Henrietta said: “At last we are on the trail.”

“Just think. We might have met him.”

“Fate must have brought us here. I wonder about him. Charles seems to think highly of him. Do you detect a little hero-worship?”

“Yes,” I said.

“It’s the effect he seems to have on some people. My brother-in-law Stephen was the same.”

“He must be a fascinating man.”

“He’s devilish,” I said.

“Well, that doesn’t mean he isn’t fascinating. That sort of person can be … very. What are we going to do?”

“I’m not sure. But at least we have discovered who he is. We know his name. That’s a great step forward.”

“And now we are qualified nurses. But would you say we were qualified?”

“Hardly, after a few months making beds and washing linen.”

“Still, Kaiserwald has a name, and now we are in the profession, who knows, we might come across him somewhere. We’ve got to do all we can to make sure we do … and do you think Charles is going to say ” Goodbye and it was nice to have met you” when we get home? Because I don’t. I think we have a friend there. And don’t forget he is a friend of our Demon Doctor. We will invite him to the house. That will please Jane and Polly. And we will say or I will, because that sort of thing comes more naturally from me ” And do bring that fascinating friend of yours. We are so interested in the East and as you know, Anna was once in India. “

I felt an immense excitement at the prospect.

“Which one of us will slip the hemlock into his glass?” went on Henrietta.

“It had better be your task. You have the stronger feelings. I have just a terrible fear that I might fall in love with him.”

“You are quite repulsive.”

“Yes, I know I am. But it is all rather exciting.”

“There is something which has occurred to me, Henrietta.”

“Please tell.”

“He was here. Remember he is devilish. Perhaps he saw Gerda in the forest. She said it was the Devil, didn’t she? Perhaps …”

She stared at me aghast.

“Oh no, not our much travelled, worldly, brilliant Devil Doctor and simple little Gerda.”

“Why not? I could imagine her being very attractive to a man like that. He would experiment. Isn’t he always experimenting? And where did she get the potion or whatever it was that almost killed her?

Charles said it was something very effective. Somebody who knew about such things would have given it to her. “

Henrietta continued to stare at me in disbelief.

“It fits,” she said.

“It’s too much of a coincidence. He was here. You can imagine him .. probing into methods … harrying poor old Bruckner and Kratz, bearding H.D. in her den, demanding to know this and that. His supercilious smile, his condemnation of everything. I expect his German is fluent.

It would be, wouldn’t it? And then . for a little light relaxation he strolls in the woods and there he comes upon the pretty little goose girl. Simple, desirable, experimental material.

“Come with me, child. I will show you the delights of nature.” Perhaps he thought it would be a good idea to see what sort of child this simplest of girls could produce after mating with the most brilliant of men. On the other hand, he gave her the dosage. Better perhaps to eliminate all evidence of that frolic in the woods. Perhaps after all, that was all it was . a little light recreation for the god on Earth. “

“All this has occurred to me. I am becoming more and more convinced that he is responsible. Who else could it be? Frau Leiben’s neighbours would respect her granddaughter too much to do such a thing. They are kind people … neighbourly friendly. Oh, how I wish Gerda would tell us.”

“At least,” said Henrietta, ‘we now know who our quarry is. Never fear, we shall track him down in time. I feel it in my bones. “

“Yes,” I said.

“We shall.”

It was a mild February day when we arrived back in England. We had stood on the deck and watched the white cliffs getting nearer Henrietta on one side of Charles, I on the other. We all admitted to a certain emotion at being in sight of home.

Charles insisted on taking us right to the house. From there he would go to his home in the Midlands. He was a little uncertain about what he would do. His father was in practice and he might join him. He had, however, thought of going into the army, for he believed there was a dearth of doctors in that sphere and they were greatly needed.

At the moment he was wavering between prospects. It was for that reason he had wanted to go to Kaiserwald to, as he said, ‘sort the thing out’.

Joe was waiting with the carriage at the station and his pleasure at seeing us was evident.

“Them girls of yours, Miss Pleydell, have been counting the days,” he said. “You’re a fine pair,” I said to them.

“Living like ladies you are, and pining to have ‘em back.” They said it wasn’t natural just being there without you two ladies to look after. “

“It’s a nice welcome home,” I said.

And when we arrived Jane’s and Polly’s delight was obvious. They were a little shy so unlike them and I was deeply touched.

Then there was all the bustle. Lamb chops done with sauce, “Miss Marlington being so fond Of them. And there’s some of that there cheese for you. Miss Pleydell. Jane went all over the place to find it. Ain’t it a mystery how they’ve never got what you want when you want it.”

“A little like life,” I commented.

“This is Dr. Fenwick who was with us at Kaiserwald.”

Jane and Polly dropped little curtsies.

“And he’ll be here for lunch.

Miss? “

“Yes.”

“Lay another place. Poll.”

It was good to be home.

I wanted to hear about Lily and they exchanged looks which were revealing.

“And she’s delighted?”

“My goodness. Miss, you should see them Clifts. You’d think nobody had ever had a baby before.”

My thoughts went back to poor little Gerda who must have been very frightened to take that evil medicine. How different was Lily.

Luncheon was served with great ceremony. Charles was impressed by the devotion of our servants. He kept saying how glad he was that we had met at Kaiserwald.

“It was quite the nicest thing that happened there.”

When he left in the afternoon Joe took him to the station.

“We shall meet again soon,” he said before he went.

“I shall be in London and I’ll call, if I may.”

“We shall look forward to that.”

He took my hand and that of Henrietta. I thought how good he would be for her, but I did wonder whether she would be for him. I was so fond other; but at times she seemed a little reckless, so eager to grasp at life. Compared with her, I was a sober experienced woman. Perhaps that was what suffering did for one.

In any case I hoped that we should see Charles Fenwick again.

It was difficult settling into the old life. There had been so much to

do at Kaiserwald that we had snatched at our few hours of leisure. At first it seemed so luxurious to sleep in a comfortable bed, to have one’s breakfast brought in to one which Jane and Polly insisted on doing to have a varied diet of dishes tastefully prepared. How different from thin broth and the same vegetables over and over again, a real cup of tea instead of that brewed from rye. Jane’s comment was that they had starved us at that place. You could never trust foreigners and Jane and Polly were going to feed us up; they prepared delicacies which we had to eat for fear of offending them.

“You will make us into two fat ladies,” complained Henrietta. She looked wryly at her hands and I glanced at mine no longer beautiful.

Wielding a scrubbing brush and constant immersion in water had made them chapped, and the nails, which had been a problem often, were only just beginning to grow normally.

Henrietta said that our first task would be to bring them back to their pre-Kaiserwald state, for such hands as ours had become would never be accepted in London society.

“Are we going into London society?” I asked.

“We have to be ready to pursue our Devil Doctor whenever the opportunity occurs, and I have a notion that he moves in the highest circles.”

We smothered our hands in goose grease every night and went to bed in cotton gloves.

Often I thought of Gerda, and I felt a great anger against the man who had seduced her. I was sure it was he the man who had ruined Aubrey’s life and had failed to save my son’s. And I hated him as much as I ever had.

On the very day of our arrival, Lily came to see us. She was radiant and already looked a little matronly.

We told her how delighted we were and she talked a great deal about the coming baby; it was clear that she was a very contented young woman.

“And I owe it all to you. Miss,” she said.

“Just think, if I hadn’t been run down by your carriage …”

“Perhaps you owe it to the man who almost ripped off the buttons. You see, Lily, causes and effects are everywhere. They go back and back in time.”

“I suppose you’re right. Miss. But I reckon I owe it all to you.”

“I’m happy to see you happy, Lily.”

“There’s only one thing to worry us.”

“What’s that?”

“That William might have to go away.”

“You mean into foreign service?”

“Well, that wouldn’t be so bad, because I’d go with him, taking the baby. But it’s all this talk of war.”

“War?”

“Oh, you’ve been away. The papers have been full of it. Something about Russia and Turkey and all the people saying we ought to show ‘em, and calling for Lord Palmerston and all that.”

“I see.” Some of the joy had gone out of her face.

“You see. Miss, William is a soldier.”

“Yes, of course. It’s a pity. He might have been working in his father’s shop.”

“That’s what I’d like him to do. Of course, he looks very fine in his uniform.”

“And that’s how you fell in love with him. Don’t worry. Perhaps nothing will come of it. After all, the trouble is between Russia and Turkey.”

“That’s what William’s father says. But there’s been a lot in the papers and there are people as thinks we ought to be out there fighting.”

“Well, let’s hope nothing comes of it.”

But when I saw the papers and read some of the comments, I could understand why Lily was worried. I realized that in Kaiserwald we had been cut off from world affairs and that we were nearer to war than I had imagined. The great powers of Europe had attempted to intervene and bring about a peace between Russia and Turkey but Russia was

determined to overcome what she called the “Sick Man of Europe’, meaning Turkey, and would accept nothing but surrender. Negotiations were broken off and war seemed imminent.

There was tension in the streets. Everywhere one went there was talk of war. The headlines in the newspapers demanded intervention; anyone who stood against it was a traitor. We should go in, it was said, and we could settle the Russians in a week.

Battles are so easily fought and won at the dinner table or in the clubs or any place where people congregate; and the war was the main topic. Lord Palmerston should come back. He would show the Russians the might of Britain. Something had to be done. Russia was not only threatening Turkey, but us. Aberdeen’s policy of peace at any price was the reason for Russia’s intransigence, said some. Had Britain stood up and showed her intention to save Turkey, it would never have gone so far.

“Call back Palmerston,” screamed the press.

They blamed the Queen who was known to be against war, but most of all they blamed her husband.

It could not go on.

A few weeks passed. It was March of that memorable year. The paper boys were running through the streets shouting the news and people were dashing out of their houses to buy papers.

“France declares war on Russia.”

Now how could Britain stand aside?

The very next day it came. We were drawn into the conflict.

The disastrous Crimean War had begun.

Poor Lily! Her joy was tempered with anxiety. William had his marching orders. Lily said twenty times a day: “They say it won’t last more than a week or two once our boys get out there.”

And we pretended to agree with her.

On the day William left we were all in the streets. The Queen watched the parade from the balcony at Buckingham Palace, proudly smiling down on all her fine soldiers. It was a

splendid and deeply moving sight. The shouts were deafening and the people cheered the magnificent guards with the little drummer boys marching ahead on their way to embarkation at the docks. The triumphant sound of the bands rang out:

Some talk of Alexander, and some of Hercules Of Hector and Lysander, and such great names as these.

But of all the world’s great heroes, there’s none that can compare With a tow row row row row row for the British Grenadier.