Betty Neels - The Fifth Day of Christmas

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Mills & Boon presents the complete Betty Neels collection. Timeless tales of heart-warming romance by one of the world’s best-loved romance authors.For her own sake she had to back off It hadn’t taken Julia long to fall in love with Ivo van den Werff. But as soon as she met Marcia Jason she realised she had to fall out of love just as quickly. Clearly the other girl had a much stronger claim on Ivo’s affection…

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It snowed again the next day, but late in the afternoon the weathered cleared and at teatime Hamish offered the information that the worst was over, and neither Julia nor Doctor van den Werff thought to question his pronouncement, for after all, he had lived in the Border country all his life, and he should know. As if to bear him out the radio in the doctor’s car proclaimed exactly the same state of affairs, if in somewhat more elaborate language, adding a rider to the effect that telephone communications were being reinstated as quickly as possible. But the telephone at Drumlochie House remained silent and no one arrived, which wasn’t surprising, for the snow plough hadn’t got so far.

The snow plough, however, came the next morning and Doctor van den Werff went up to the road and brought the driver back for coffee. The road was clear, the man told them, at least a narrow lane of it, and once on the main road the going wasn’t too bad, although he warned them about skidding and went on to relate, to the delight of old Hamish, several unfortunate incidents which had occurred owing to the bad weather; he would have gone on for some time in like vein had not the doctor reminded him that he still had the stretch of road to Hawick to clear. When he had gone the doctor looked at his watch and remarked. ‘He should be there by midday or a little after. I should think we might expect someone by this evening. It is to be hoped that the telephone will be working again before then so that I can talk to Mary’s doctor—he should have had my message by now, that is, if Bert managed to get it to him.’

The doctor didn’t telephone, but came in his car with Jane and Madge sitting inside it. By the look on their faces, Julia thought that perhaps the journey hadn’t been all that smooth, a supposition the doctor bore out with forceful language when he got out of the car. ‘But I got your message,’ he said as he looked round the hall for Doctor van den Werff, who wasn’t there, ‘and I came as soon as I could—I had no idea…is Mary all right?’

Julia, easing him out of his duffle coat, said that yes, she believed so and that Doctor van den Werff would have heard the car and would be in to tell him all he wished to know. She then offered everyone tea, introduced herself to Jane and Madge, begged them to go and get warm in the kitchen and then inquired of the doctor if he had brought any food with him.

‘In the boot, I’ll bring it in presently, Nurse.’ He turned away as Doctor van den Werff walked in and Julia made her escape, leaving them to introduce themselves, for she had no idea of the doctor’s name.

They were drinking tea while Julia apologised for the amount of food they had eaten during their stay, when the two men came in with the air of people who were quite satisfied with each other. She poured them each a cup, offered a plate of scones and murmuring something about seeing to Mary, went upstairs, followed almost immediately by Jane and Madge, who made much of the invalid and listened with patience to her highly coloured version of her journey home. They rose to go at length, promising supper within a couple of hours, and went away, discussing the merits of a nice toad-in-the-hole as opposed to Quiche Lorraine. Scarcely had they gone when the two doctors presented themselves at the door and spent half an hour examining their patient and studying charts after which her own doctor pronounced himself well satisfied as to her condition and promised to be out the following morning. ‘And the nurse,’ he observed, ‘I fancy she’ll be here very shortly,’ he smiled at Julia. ‘You’ll be free to go, Nurse, with my grateful thanks.’

Julia murmured a reply, thankful that she had made up the bed in the room next to hers. She would get someone to light a fire there as soon as possible. The doctor shook her hand in a powerful grip, thanked her once more and went downstairs. Presently she heard his car making its careful way back to the road.

When she went downstairs presently the doctor was nowhere to be seen, but when she went into the hall she heard his voice in the sitting room, an icy apartment which housed the telephone which she was pleased to see he was using. He looked up as she went in and said cheerfully,

‘We’re on again, and the wind has brought back the electric too.’ He got up and came towards her. ‘What do you think of Doctor MacIntory?’

Julia looked at him, her head a little on one side. ‘He seemed very nice—so that’s his name. Do you plan to go tomorrow if the nurse comes tonight?’

He nodded. ‘If you have no objection, I’m anxious to get home.’ He smiled suddenly and because his smile gave her a faintly lightheaded sensation, she said the first thing which came into her head. ‘What sort of car have you got?’ she wanted to know.

‘Come and see,’ he invited, and went to fetch the cloak hanging behind the kitchen door and wrapped her in it and gave her his hand to hold because the steps were ice-covered again. The stable was gloomy and cold and could have housed half a dozen motor cars; there was only one there now—the doctor’s and well worth housing. It was a Jensen Interceptor, gleaming and sleek and powerful. She walked round it exclaiming, ‘What a lovely car—how fast does she go?’

He laughed. ‘Just over a hundred and thirty miles an hour, but we’ll be lucky if we manage fifty in this weather.’

Julia withdrew her head from the interior of the car and turned to look at him. She said politely, ‘Look, I’m sure you’re anxious to be gone. Would you like to go now? There’s nothing to keep you, you’ve seen the doctor and done more than you need…the nurse might not come…I can go back by train.’

She got no further, for the doctor had her by the shoulders and was shaking her gently. ‘I have no patience with you,’ he said a trifle testily. ‘Of course I’m anxious to get home, but you don’t really think that I would go just like that and leave you here? Besides, I like company on a long journey and I should have to wait for you in London.’ His hands tightened on her shoulders as he bent his head to kiss her. ‘Have you forgotten, Julia, that I’ve engaged you to look after Marcia?’

Being kissed like that had made her forget everything, but it didn’t seem very wise to say so. She withdrew a little from him and said in a commendably sensible voice, ‘No, of course I hadn’t.’ A very large image of the beautiful Miss Jason floated before her eyes. She said firmly, ‘I think I must go and see how Mary…’ then paused, frowning. ‘I can hear…there’s a cat here,’ she said quickly. ‘Oh, the poor thing!’

The doctor went past her to a corner of the stable. ‘Yes, there is,’ he said casually. ‘At least, there are five—mother and kittens—look!’

Julia peered down into the apple box filled with straw which he indicated, and the mother cat, with the kittens crawling around her, peered back. Julia said in a voice soft with pity, ‘Oh, please can’t we take them inside and feed them?’

‘She’s the stable cat and won’t stay in the house. I found the box for her before the kittens arrived and I’ve fed her regularly. She’s fine. I’ll tell Jane or Madge to keep an eye on them when we go.’

Julia stooped and put out a finger, and the cat licked it politely and then turned to the more urgent business of washing her kittens. Julia stood up and looked at her companion. ‘You’re very kind. A lot of men wouldn’t have bothered,’ she said. ‘Why didn’t you tell me? I could have fed her.’

‘You had enough to do. You’re a practical young woman, aren’t you, Julia?’

Part of her mind registered the pleasing fact that he had called her Julia twice within a few minutes while she replied, ‘I don’t know—I suppose being in hospital makes one practical.’ She started walking towards the door. ‘Do you think the nurse will come today? It’s already five o’clock and very dark.’

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