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Authors: Donna Douglas
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morning?’ he said at last.
‘You’d have to ask him that.’
‘Much good that would do me, I daresay.’ A muscle twitched in John’s jaw. ‘I’m just relieved I’ve found him at last. I’ve been ringing around the hospitals for days. I was beginning to fear the worst.’
‘As I said, he should make a full recovery.’ Frannie paused, then said, ‘Will your wife be coming to see him?’
‘My wife is dead.’
‘Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t realise.’
She tried to read John’s face, but his expression gave nothing away. She couldn’t stop staring at him as he got to his feet and put his cap back on. He looked every inch the officer, tall and strapping with his gleaming leather boots and belt. Even with her dislike of anything military, Frannie couldn’t help being impressed.
She also couldn’t stop thinking about the boy she’d grown up with, the strong, silent young man in his rough work clothes, pushing the plough through the fields behind the heavy horses. Seeing him here made her think about Matthew again. She could picture the two of them laughing together, and it gave her a sharp pain that she hadn’t felt for many years.
‘I must be getting back,’ he said, interrupting her thoughts. ‘Thank you for sparing the time to speak to me.’
‘It’s no trouble.’ Frannie followed him to her office door. ‘Are you based in London?’
‘For the time being. I’m staying at my club in Piccadilly while Adam is in hospital. I thought it might be best.’
‘I’m sure he’ll appreciate that,’ Frannie said.
John gave her a sad smile. ‘Then you don’t know my son,’ he said.
As he went to leave, she said, ‘It was good to see you again, John.’
‘And you, Miss Wallace.’
‘Frannie,’ she said. ‘Please call me Frannie.’
‘Why didn’t you tell us you had a father?’ Effie asked that night as she handed Adam Campbell his cup of bedtime cocoa.
‘I don’t want anything to do with him.’
‘Why not? He seems like a nice man.’
‘That’s all you know, isn’t it?’
Effie picked up the magazines Major Campbell had brought with him, and tidied them away in Adam’s locker. ‘Did you have a falling out?’ she asked.
‘How can you fall out with someone you barely know?’ His expression was bitter. ‘The only time he ever speaks to me is to remind me what a disappointment I am to him.’
‘He certainly seemed as if he cared.’
‘As I said, you know nothing about it.’
‘You never know, perhaps this will bring you together?’ Effie suggested brightly.
‘It’s too late for that. I told you, I want nothing to do with him.’ Adam glared into his cocoa. ‘This tastes odd. Are you sure you’re not trying to poison me?’
‘Don’t put ideas in my head,’ she murmured under her breath.
His brows lifted. ‘That’s not a very caring thing to say. You’re not a very good nurse, are you?’
‘You’re not a very good patient.’
‘I suppose you’d rather I flirted with you, like the others? Don’t deny it, I’ve seen you,’ he accused. ‘You’re always laughing and joking with the patients.’
Effie sighed. He sounded just like her sisters! ‘I’m being friendly. Time goes quicker when you’re having a laugh. You should try it sometime.’
‘What have I got to laugh about?’
‘You’re alive, for one thing. You could have died in that crash.’
She knew she’d gone too far when she saw his face darken. ‘It might have been better if I had,’ he muttered.
Effie stared at him, shocked. ‘That’s a horrible thing to say! And it’s ungrateful, too, to wish yourself dead when your friend is lying unconscious . . .’ She saw his stricken expression and stopped abruptly. As usual, she’d let her mouth run away with her and gone too far. ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,’ she murmured.
‘No, you’re right,’ Adam said heavily. He looked up at her. ‘I keep asking Sister how he’s getting on, but she always says
‘You’d have to ask him that.’
‘Much good that would do me, I daresay.’ A muscle twitched in John’s jaw. ‘I’m just relieved I’ve found him at last. I’ve been ringing around the hospitals for days. I was beginning to fear the worst.’
‘As I said, he should make a full recovery.’ Frannie paused, then said, ‘Will your wife be coming to see him?’
‘My wife is dead.’
‘Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t realise.’
She tried to read John’s face, but his expression gave nothing away. She couldn’t stop staring at him as he got to his feet and put his cap back on. He looked every inch the officer, tall and strapping with his gleaming leather boots and belt. Even with her dislike of anything military, Frannie couldn’t help being impressed.
She also couldn’t stop thinking about the boy she’d grown up with, the strong, silent young man in his rough work clothes, pushing the plough through the fields behind the heavy horses. Seeing him here made her think about Matthew again. She could picture the two of them laughing together, and it gave her a sharp pain that she hadn’t felt for many years.
‘I must be getting back,’ he said, interrupting her thoughts. ‘Thank you for sparing the time to speak to me.’
‘It’s no trouble.’ Frannie followed him to her office door. ‘Are you based in London?’
‘For the time being. I’m staying at my club in Piccadilly while Adam is in hospital. I thought it might be best.’
‘I’m sure he’ll appreciate that,’ Frannie said.
John gave her a sad smile. ‘Then you don’t know my son,’ he said.
As he went to leave, she said, ‘It was good to see you again, John.’
‘And you, Miss Wallace.’
‘Frannie,’ she said. ‘Please call me Frannie.’
‘Why didn’t you tell us you had a father?’ Effie asked that night as she handed Adam Campbell his cup of bedtime cocoa.
‘I don’t want anything to do with him.’
‘Why not? He seems like a nice man.’
‘That’s all you know, isn’t it?’
Effie picked up the magazines Major Campbell had brought with him, and tidied them away in Adam’s locker. ‘Did you have a falling out?’ she asked.
‘How can you fall out with someone you barely know?’ His expression was bitter. ‘The only time he ever speaks to me is to remind me what a disappointment I am to him.’
‘He certainly seemed as if he cared.’
‘As I said, you know nothing about it.’
‘You never know, perhaps this will bring you together?’ Effie suggested brightly.
‘It’s too late for that. I told you, I want nothing to do with him.’ Adam glared into his cocoa. ‘This tastes odd. Are you sure you’re not trying to poison me?’
‘Don’t put ideas in my head,’ she murmured under her breath.
His brows lifted. ‘That’s not a very caring thing to say. You’re not a very good nurse, are you?’
‘You’re not a very good patient.’
‘I suppose you’d rather I flirted with you, like the others? Don’t deny it, I’ve seen you,’ he accused. ‘You’re always laughing and joking with the patients.’
Effie sighed. He sounded just like her sisters! ‘I’m being friendly. Time goes quicker when you’re having a laugh. You should try it sometime.’
‘What have I got to laugh about?’
‘You’re alive, for one thing. You could have died in that crash.’
She knew she’d gone too far when she saw his face darken. ‘It might have been better if I had,’ he muttered.
Effie stared at him, shocked. ‘That’s a horrible thing to say! And it’s ungrateful, too, to wish yourself dead when your friend is lying unconscious . . .’ She saw his stricken expression and stopped abruptly. As usual, she’d let her mouth run away with her and gone too far. ‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that,’ she murmured.
‘No, you’re right,’ Adam said heavily. He looked up at her. ‘I keep asking Sister how he’s getting on, but she always says
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