‘Well, you see, I’ve known him for years, long before Father died and we had to move here, and somehow he seemed part of my life then and I didn’t want to give that up—do you see what I mean?’
She looked at him then. He looked just as a favourite uncle or cousin might have looked: a safe recipient of her woes, ready to give sound advice. She said breathlessly, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t think why I’m boring you with all this. Please forgive me—he— Rodney was something of a shock.’
He took her basket from her. ‘Get in the car,’ he suggested mildly. ‘We will have a cup of coffee before you do your shopping.’
‘No, no, thank you. I can’t keep you standing around any longer. I must get the fish…’
As she was speaking she found herself being urged gently into the Bentley. ‘Tell me where we can get coffee—I passed some shops further back.’
‘There’s the Coffee-Pot, about five minutes’ walk away—so it’s close by. Aren’t I wasting your time?’ she asked uneasily.
‘Certainly not. In fact, while we are having it I shall pick your brains as to the best way of finding a flat.’
The café was in a side-street. He parked the car, opened her door for her, and followed her into the half-empty place. It was small, with half a dozen tables with pink formica tops, and the chairs looked fragile. Mr van der Eisler, a man of some seventeen stones in weight, sat down gingerly. He mistrusted the chairs and he mistrusted the coffee which, when it came, justified his doubts, but Olivia, happy to be doing something different in her otherwise rather dull days, drank hers with every appearance of enjoyment and, while she did, explained in a matter-of-fact way about living with Granny.
‘I dare say you are glad to have a brief holiday,’ he suggested, and handed her the plate of Rich Tea biscuits which had come with the coffee.
‘Well, no, not really. I mean, I do need a job as soon as possible, only I’m not trained for anything really useful…’ She went on in a bright voice, ‘Of course I shall find something soon, I’m sure.’
‘Undoubtedly,’ he agreed, and went on to talk of other things. He had had years of calming timid patients, so he set about putting Olivia at her ease before mentioning casually that he would be going back to Holland very shortly.
‘Oh—but will you come back here?’
‘Yes. I’m an honorary consultant at Jerome’s, so I’m frequently over here. I do have beds in several hospitals in Holland—I divide my time between the two.’ He drank the last of the coffee with relief. ‘Do you plan to stay with your grandmother for the foreseeable future?’
‘Until I can get a job where Mother and I can live together. Only I’m not sure what kind of job. There are lots of advertisements for housekeepers and minders, although I’m not sure what a minder is and I’m not good enough at housekeeping, although I could do domestic work…’
He studied the lovely face opposite him and shook his head. ‘I hardly think you’re suitable for that.’
Which dampened her spirits, although she didn’t let him see that. ‘I really have to go. It has been nice meeting you again and I do hope you find a nice flat for your friend.’
He paid the bill and they went outside, and she held out a hand as they stood on the pavement. ‘Goodbye, Mr van der Eisler. Please give Debbie my love if ever you should see her. Please don’t tell her that I haven’t got a job yet.’
She walked away quickly, wishing that she could spend the whole day with him; he had seemed like an old friend and she lacked friends.
By the time she reached the fishmonger’s the fillets of plaice that her grandmother had fancied for dinner that evening had been sold and she had to buy a whole large plaice and have it filleted, which cost a good deal more money. Olivia, her head rather too full of Mr van der Eisler, didn’t care.
Naturally enough, when she returned to the flat she was asked why she had spent half the morning doing a small amount of shopping. ‘Loitering around drinking coffee, I suppose,’ said Mrs Fitzgibbon accusingly.
‘I met someone I knew at the hospital; we had coffee together,’ said Olivia. She didn’t mention Rodney.
Mr van der Eisler drove himself back to his home, ate the lunch Becky had ready for him, and went to the hospital to take a ward-round. None of the students trailing him from one patient to the next had the least suspicion that one corner of his brilliant mind was grappling with the problem of Olivia while he posed courteous questions to each of them in turn.
Olivia had let fall the information that her grandmother had once lived in a small village in Wiltshire, and in that county was the school where his small goddaughter was a boarder, since her own grandmother lived near enough to it for her to visit frequently during term-time. In the holidays she went back to Holland to her widowed mother, who had sent her to an English school because her dead husband had wanted that. Might there be a possibility of Mrs Fitzgibbon and Nel’s grandmother being acquainted, or at least having mutual friends? It was worth a try…
‘Now,’ he said in his placid way, ‘which of you gentlemen will explain to me the exact reasons which make it necessary for me to operate upon Miss Forbes?’
He smiled down at the woman lying in bed and added, ‘And restoring her to normal good health once more?’ He sounded so confident that she smiled back at him.
It was several days before Mr van der Eisler was free to drive down to Wiltshire. His small goddaughter’s grandmother lived in a village some five or six miles from Bradford-on-Avon and on that particular morning there was more than a hint of spring in the air. The sky was blue—albeit rather pale, the sun shone—as yet without much warmth, and the countryside was tipped with green. Slowing down to turn off the road on to a narrow country lane leading to Earleigh Gilford, he told himself that he was wasting his time: Olivia had probably got herself a job by now and the chance of her grandmother knowing Lady Brennon was so remote as to be hopeless.
He had phoned ahead and they met as old friends, for both of them had been charged with the care of Nel during term-time. Lady Brennon was a youthful sixty, living in a charming little Georgian villa on the edge of the village, busy with her garden and her painting, her dogs and the various village committees on which she sat.
‘So nice to see you, Haso.’ She looked sad for a moment. ‘It seems a long time since Rob’s wedding and your coming here as his best man. I miss him still, you know. Thank heavens we have little Nel.’
They went into the house together and he asked, ‘Is she here for the weekend?’
‘Yes, she’ll be here on Saturday. There’s no chance of your staying until then?’
‘I’m afraid not. I’ll try and get down before the Easter holidays. In fact, I might be able to arrange things so I can drive her over to Holland.’
‘That would be splendid.’ Lady Brennon poured their coffee. ‘The child’s very fond of you. Rita phoned this week; she said that you had been to see her when you were in Holland. Was she happy?’
‘I believe so. She likes her work and she has her friends. She misses Nel, but she wants to carry out Rob’s wishes.’
‘Of
