long corridor taking her to the other end of the ship, to be overtaken almost at once by the nurse.
‘I thought I’d let you know that you’d better not expect too much help from me,’ she began. ‘I have quite a busy time, you know, and I have to be on call round the clock.’
Phyllida stopped to look at her. ‘That’s OK, I’m sure you must be pretty busy. I don’t expect I’ll need any help, thanks all the same.’
The other girl gave the suggestion of a sniff. ‘If you need any advice…’ she began.
Phyllida’s large blue eyes flashed. ‘I expect I’ll be able to cope,’ she said gently. ‘I’ve been Medical Ward Sister at St Michael’s for four years.’She smiled widely, added ‘goodbye’ and went on her way, her blonde hair flying round cheeks which were a little pinker than usual, by reason of her vexation.
The doctor was very good with Gaby, matter-of-fact and friendly, taking care not to alarm her by questions which might give her reason to think. And afterwards, on the pretext of fetching some pills in case Gaby felt seasick, Phyllida went back to the surgery.
He said heavily: ‘Well, Miss Cresswell, if she’d been my daughter I’d never for one moment entertained the idea of her coming on a trip like this, however much she’d set her heart on it. And she’s not wildly enthusiastic about it, is she? Is she spoilt? She didn’t strike me as being so.’
Phyllida shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. She’s very quiet and agrees with everything her parents suggest.’ She didn’t add the unspoken thought that Gaby appeared to be in considerable awe of her parents and anxious, almost painfully so, to please them.
‘Well, I’ll have a word with them and take a look at her each day. You’ll come to me at once if you think it necessary, won’t you?’
Phyllida felt better after that, and after due thought went along to the de Wolffs’ cabin. It surprised her to discover that they were put out over her visit to the doctor. ‘There was really no need,’ declared Mrs de Wolff sharply. ‘Gaby is a little tired, but otherwise she’s recovering very well. We don’t want ideas put into her head.’
‘I don’t think anyone will do that, Mrs de Wolff— after all, she’s been under a doctor for so long now, she can’t find it strange if the ship’s doctor pays her a visit.’ She turned to Mr de Wolff. ‘I thought you were going to tell him about Gaby—he knew nothing at all about her.’
‘I considered it unnecessary.’ Mr de Wolff spoke pompously and looked annoyed. ‘After all, if Sir Keith gave his consent to this cruise, I hardly suppose that we lesser mortals need to interfere.’
Phyllida went pink. ‘I have no intention of interfering, Mr de Wolff, but Gaby has a severe illness and you asked me to look after her and I intend to do so. How long ago is it since Sir Keith Maltby actually saw her?’
Her employer went a rich plum colour. ‘That’s beside the point, Miss Cresswell. All we ask is that you carry out your duties.’
Phyllida drew a calming breath. She was wasting time; he had no intention of telling her. ‘Where would you like us to meet you before dinner?’
She heard his sigh of relief. ‘Oh, in the Neptune Bar—about eight o’clock.’
Gaby seemed better when Phyllida got back to their cabin, and became quite animated over the choice of the dress she should wear. She decided on a plain, long-sleeved blue silk sheath, for no one would dress on the first night at sea, and Phyllida put on one of last year’s dresses, a very plain one; she considered it made her look just as a nurse out of uniform should look.
The evening went off very well after all. The doctor had introduced himself to the deWolffs in the bar, offered his services should they be required and went away before the two girls arrived, and if Gaby didn’t eat a good dinner, at least she seemed to be enjoying herself. All the same, she went quite willingly to bed when Phyllida suggested it, and Phyllida, quite tired out, went too.
The days formed a pleasant pattern; they breakfasted in their cabin and then spent a leisurely morning sitting on deck, and if Phyllida regretted not being able to join in the deck games and wander off to chat to some of the other passengers, she didn’t admit it, even to herself. It worried her that they saw so little of Gaby’s parents, who seemed to think that meeting their daughter at lunch and dinner was sufficient, nor did they express anxiety over her condition or ask Phyllida how she was progressing. Luckily the weather was calm and getting warmer, so that by Sunday morning they were able to wear cotton dresses and lie in the sun for a time. It was while they were doing this that the doctor joined them for their mid-morning beef tea and Phyllida, in a casual voice masking her worry, mentioned Gaby’s headache. ‘Quite a troublesome one,’ she added lightly, ‘it just doesn’t go away.’
‘Ah, yes—one of those sick headaches, I expect,’ observed the doctor, taking his cue smartly.
Gaby nodded listlessly. ‘Yes, I was sick in the night—Phylly had to get up—that’s why I feel so dozy now.’
The doctor didn’t stay long, and presently, while Gaby slept, Phyllida went in search of him. ‘Do you think it’s infiltration of the meninges?’ she asked anxiously. ‘My father told me about that. Should I tell her parents? She seemed so much better—we haven’t done much, but she was beginning to eat a little and take an interest in things.’
‘Where are her parents?’
‘They play bridge a good deal of the time and they’ve made a good many friends.’
‘They don’t see much of Gaby? Not enough to notice if she’s better or worse?’
‘No.’
‘I’ll have a word with them if you like, and I’ll have another look at her later on. I don’t like the headache and sickness, it may possibly be what you suggest.’
By the evening Gaby was worse, the headache was persistent now and so was the sickness, and she had become irritable, so that nothing Phyllida could say or do was right. And when the doctor came to see her just before dinner he looked grave. ‘I’m going to advise you to disembark at Madeira,’ he said. ‘There’s a good hospital there, and while I don’t think she needs to go there at the moment, if you were to stay in an hotel she could be moved quickly. Better still, her parents could fly her back home straight away. I don’t think she should stay on board, we haven’t the facilities.’
Phyllida nodded. ‘You’ll see Mr and Mrs de Wolff? Shall I say nothing to Gaby until it’s all arranged?’She paused. ‘I shall have to pack.’
‘Yes, of course, I’ll go and see them now.’
She went back to the cabin and sat down with a book. Gaby wasn’t sleeping, but she didn’t want to talk either. It was half an hour before Mrs de Wolff opened the door and came in.
‘Well, here’s a fine state of affairs!’ she exclaimed angrily. ‘All our plans changed just because Gaby feels a little under the weather! Still, the doctor knows best, I suppose. My husband’s radioed for rooms for you both at Reid’s Hotel and we’ll see you safely there tomorrow before we get back to the ship.’
Phyllida stared at her. ‘But aren’t we all going ashore?’
‘Good heavens, no. We’ve planned it all nicely—we
