wouldn’t like that to happen. He seemed such an easygoing man, but she suspected that upon occasion he could be icy-tempered, venting his rage in a cold voice on whoever had been hapless enough to incur his displeasure. Christina hoped most sincerely that she would never be unlucky enough to do that, and anyway, she wouldn’t see much of him once she was there. She didn’t know much about hospital directors, but she hardly thought he would do anything else but administrative work.
There didn’t seem much more to say after that. She finished her coffee, invented a meeting with one of the Sisters from the hospital, wished him a pleasant journey back home, thanked him for her delightful lunch and assured him that she really had to go. She wasn’t surprised when he at once asked for the bill, paid it and ushered her out of the restaurant; indeed, she was a little worried as to whether she had lingered too long, which made her goodbyes rather brisk.
‘I’ll get you a taxi,’ offered the doctor, and when she said no, thank you, she would walk as it was close by, and he asked where, his eyes gleamed with amusement when she said wildly: ‘Oh, Piccadilly Circus,’ which wasn’t close by at all.
He stood on the pavement and watched her walk briskly to the corner and into Davies Street, on her way to the crowds and bustle of Oxford Street. He very much doubted if she was going to meet anyone.
Christina got on a bus when she reached Oxford Street and went home; it was mid-afternoon, George Henry was out on his afternoon visits and she had the house to herself. She sat down at the dining room table and made a list of all the things she had to do within the next few days, then she wrote a letter of resignation ready to hand in in the morning, made a cup of tea, washed her hair and then sat down again and allowed herself to indulge in daydreams just a little. Adam cropped up in all of them.
CHAPTER THREE
HALFWAY THROUGH the next ten days Christina took stock of her situation, not because she was having second thoughts or suffering from nerves but so that she might check on her preparations. She had had confirmation of her appointment at the Theofilus Hospital, together with a letter of businesslike brevity, telling her how, when and where to travel. She had also had rather a nasty interview with the Principal Nursing Officer, who took it as a personal affront that Christina should want to leave St Athud’s, and she had borne with equanimity the endless questions and comments from her various friends and acquaintances, not to mention the rather anxious ones from Hilary, obviously terrified that she might change her mind at the last moment.
She had done some shopping too; a couple of dresses, one a soft green jersey the other a two-piece in silvery grey. These, reinforced by a handful of woollies and blouses from Marks and Spencers, last year’s tweed skirt and some slacks would do very well for a start, she considered, and then after due consideration, went out and bought a long dark green velvet skirt and a very expensive silk blouse with lace insertions to go with it. She packed the lot together with undies, raincoat and a variety of footwear and declared herself ready.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
