Read Online Kit Cavendish-Private Nurse by Margaret Malcolm - Free Book Online
Authors: Margaret Malcolm
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what...?” Kit asked anxiously.
“If,” Noel replied deliberately, “father makes only a partial recovery, or even if he does eventually get fit enough to work again, but can be convinced that he is still a semi-invalid, it will be inevitable that Ruth will stay in the saddle indefinitely. That’s what she wants.”
“You can’t know... ” Kit protested, but without much conviction.
“Oh, yes, my dear girl, I do know. I know Ruth. That’s quite enough,” Noel insisted. “But the devil of it is there’s nothing I can do about it. I mean, the way father is at present, it’s impossible to warn him, because whether I convinced him or not, he’d blow his top, and we don’t want any more of that!”
“We certainly don’t,” Kit agreed emphatically. She pondered for a moment. “Look, Mr. Baylis, let’s assume that you are right. Mrs. Baylis would be perfectly willing to carry on working—” “Willing!” Noel snorted derisively. “She’s determined to, I tell you!”
“All right,” Kit conceded, “she’s determined to. Well, is that a bad thing? No, wait a moment, let me finish. Supposing your father is a semi-invalid from now on—and I know Dr. Heathfield has warned you that it may be the case—then Mrs. Baylis will have to carry on. On the other hand, if, as we sincerely hope, he is able to work again, he will still have to be careful not to overdo it. It seems to me that with her knowledge of the work, Mrs. Baylis is ideally suited to relieve him of a lot of strain.”
“It sounds lovely, doesn’t it?” Noel retorted dryly. “The only thing is, you’re missing the crucial point. If the old man goes back, naturally he’ll be the one to give the orders. And that wouldn’t suit her ladyship in the least. She wants to be the undisputed boss, my dear!”
Kit shook her head.
“Honestly, I think you’re letting your imagination run away with you,” she told him. “Perhaps it’s natural in the circumstances, but don’t you think you’re letting personal prejudice play too big a part—I mean, you don’t have the least bit of real evidence—”
“No?” Noel countered grimly. “Then what about the way Ruth and Wrinch did their utmost not to let father see the annual report? If that doesn’t smell of skullduggery , I don’t know what does!”
“But you’ve got it all wrong,” Kit told him earnestly. “You heard me say that Victor asked about it beforehand.”
Noel gave her a resigned look.
“You’re too good for this world, Nurse Cavendish,” he remarked. “ You missed the point entirely. Dear Victor didn’t want father to see that report. Just why, I don’t know, but my bet is that there was something in it that he would have disapproved of, and Ruth and Wrinch jolly well knew it. They’re hand in glove ... oh, nothing romantic—they’re both too cold-blooded for that. But business ... that’s another matter.”
“But, Mr. Baylis, I’ve told you, Victor wanted to show your father the report,” Kit insisted. “It was I who ... oh!”
“See what I mean?” Noel asked significantly. “They were pretty certain father would ask for a copy of the statement. Wrinch didn’t want to show it to him, but neither did he want to admit that So, in case of accident, he very carefully shifted the responsibility for not showing it on your shoulders. A tricky customer, our Mr. Wrinch!”
“But,” Kit said, “you’re basing all that on the supposition that although Victor insisted that it has been a wonderful year, something has gone wrong with the firm, presumably through mismanagement. But if that’s so, Mr. Baylis must have had some idea about it because, until November, he was in charge himself.”
“Hm,” Noel frowned. “On the face of it, that sounds reasonable enough, I admit. And yet I know, really know, I’m right.”
“But there is another thing,” Kit went on. “If Victor didn’t rea ll y want your father to see the report, why did he bring a
“If,” Noel replied deliberately, “father makes only a partial recovery, or even if he does eventually get fit enough to work again, but can be convinced that he is still a semi-invalid, it will be inevitable that Ruth will stay in the saddle indefinitely. That’s what she wants.”
“You can’t know... ” Kit protested, but without much conviction.
“Oh, yes, my dear girl, I do know. I know Ruth. That’s quite enough,” Noel insisted. “But the devil of it is there’s nothing I can do about it. I mean, the way father is at present, it’s impossible to warn him, because whether I convinced him or not, he’d blow his top, and we don’t want any more of that!”
“We certainly don’t,” Kit agreed emphatically. She pondered for a moment. “Look, Mr. Baylis, let’s assume that you are right. Mrs. Baylis would be perfectly willing to carry on working—” “Willing!” Noel snorted derisively. “She’s determined to, I tell you!”
“All right,” Kit conceded, “she’s determined to. Well, is that a bad thing? No, wait a moment, let me finish. Supposing your father is a semi-invalid from now on—and I know Dr. Heathfield has warned you that it may be the case—then Mrs. Baylis will have to carry on. On the other hand, if, as we sincerely hope, he is able to work again, he will still have to be careful not to overdo it. It seems to me that with her knowledge of the work, Mrs. Baylis is ideally suited to relieve him of a lot of strain.”
“It sounds lovely, doesn’t it?” Noel retorted dryly. “The only thing is, you’re missing the crucial point. If the old man goes back, naturally he’ll be the one to give the orders. And that wouldn’t suit her ladyship in the least. She wants to be the undisputed boss, my dear!”
Kit shook her head.
“Honestly, I think you’re letting your imagination run away with you,” she told him. “Perhaps it’s natural in the circumstances, but don’t you think you’re letting personal prejudice play too big a part—I mean, you don’t have the least bit of real evidence—”
“No?” Noel countered grimly. “Then what about the way Ruth and Wrinch did their utmost not to let father see the annual report? If that doesn’t smell of skullduggery , I don’t know what does!”
“But you’ve got it all wrong,” Kit told him earnestly. “You heard me say that Victor asked about it beforehand.”
Noel gave her a resigned look.
“You’re too good for this world, Nurse Cavendish,” he remarked. “ You missed the point entirely. Dear Victor didn’t want father to see that report. Just why, I don’t know, but my bet is that there was something in it that he would have disapproved of, and Ruth and Wrinch jolly well knew it. They’re hand in glove ... oh, nothing romantic—they’re both too cold-blooded for that. But business ... that’s another matter.”
“But, Mr. Baylis, I’ve told you, Victor wanted to show your father the report,” Kit insisted. “It was I who ... oh!”
“See what I mean?” Noel asked significantly. “They were pretty certain father would ask for a copy of the statement. Wrinch didn’t want to show it to him, but neither did he want to admit that So, in case of accident, he very carefully shifted the responsibility for not showing it on your shoulders. A tricky customer, our Mr. Wrinch!”
“But,” Kit said, “you’re basing all that on the supposition that although Victor insisted that it has been a wonderful year, something has gone wrong with the firm, presumably through mismanagement. But if that’s so, Mr. Baylis must have had some idea about it because, until November, he was in charge himself.”
“Hm,” Noel frowned. “On the face of it, that sounds reasonable enough, I admit. And yet I know, really know, I’m right.”
“But there is another thing,” Kit went on. “If Victor didn’t rea ll y want your father to see the report, why did he bring a
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