knocked.
‘Don’t tell me, that woman’s sent you down with another diet sheet. We had words …!’
‘Yes, she mentioned that, Sister. Shall I wait should you want to write a reply?’
‘Did she give you a message as well?’
‘Well, yes, but I don’t think I need to give it to you. I mean, I think she’s already said it all …’
Sister laughed. ‘Let’s see what she says this time …’
She was reading it when the door openedand she glanced up and got to her feet. ‘Oh, sir, you’re early …’
The man who entered was very large and very tall so that Sister’s office became half its size. His hair was a pale brown, greying at the temples, and he was handsome, with heavy-lidded eyes and a high-bridged nose upon which was perched a pair of half glasses. All of which Theodosia noticed with an interested eye. She would have taken a longer look only she caught his eye—blue and rather cold—and looked the other way.
He wished Sister good morning and raised one eyebrow at Theodosia. ‘I’m interrupting something?’ he asked pleasantly.
‘No, no, sir. Miss Prescott and I are at odds about Mrs Bennett’s diet. They sent Theodosia down with the diet sheet she insists is the right one …’
He held out a hand and took the paper from her and read it.
‘You do right to query it, Sister. I think thatI had better have a word with Miss Prescott. I will do so now and return here in a short while.’
He looked at Theodosia and opened the door. ‘Miss—er—Theodosia shall return with me and see fair play.’
She went with him since it was expected of her, though she wasn’t sure about the fair play; Miss Prescott usually made mincemeat of anyone disagreeing with her, but she fancied that this man, whoever he was, might not take kindly to such treatment.
Theodosia, skipping along beside him to keep up, glanced up at his impassive face. ‘You work here too?’ she asked, wanting only to be friendly. ‘This is such a big place I hardly ever meet the same person twice, if you see what I mean. I expect you’re a doctor—well, a senior doctor, I suppose. I expect you’ve met Miss Prescott before?’
There were climbing the stairs at a great rate. ‘You’ll have to slow down,’ said Theodosia, ‘if you want me to be there at the same time as you.’
He paused to look down at her. ‘My apologies, young lady, but I have no time to waste loitering on a staircase.’
Which she considered was a rather unkind remark. She said tartly, ‘Well, I haven’t any time to waste either.’
They reached Miss Prescott’s office in silence and he opened the door for her. Miss Prescott didn’t look up.
‘You took your time. I shall be glad when Mrs Taylor returns. What had Sister to say this time?’
She looked up then and went slowly red. ‘Oh—you need my advice, sir?’
He walked up to her desk, tore the diet sheet he held into several pieces and laid them on the blotter before her. He said quietly, ‘Miss Prescott, I have no time to waste with people who go against my orders. The diet is to be exactly as I have asked for. You are a dietician, but you have no powers to overrule the medical staff’s requests for a special diet. Be so good as to remember that.’
He went quietly out of the room, leaving Miss Prescott gobbling with silent rage. Theodosia studied her alarmingly puce complexion. ‘Shall I make a cup of tea?’
‘No—yes. I’m upset. That man …’
‘I thought he was rather nice,’ said Theodosia, ‘and he was very polite.’
Miss Prescott ground her teeth. ‘Do you know who he is?’
Theodosia, putting teabags into the teapot, said that no, she didn’t.
‘Professor Bendinck. He’s senior consultant on the medical side, is on the board of governers, has an enormous private practice and is an authority on most medical conditions.’
‘Quite a lad!’ said Theodosia cheerfully. ‘Don’t you like him?’
Miss Prescott snorted. ‘Like him? Why should I like him? He
‘Don’t tell me, that woman’s sent you down with another diet sheet. We had words …!’
‘Yes, she mentioned that, Sister. Shall I wait should you want to write a reply?’
‘Did she give you a message as well?’
‘Well, yes, but I don’t think I need to give it to you. I mean, I think she’s already said it all …’
Sister laughed. ‘Let’s see what she says this time …’
She was reading it when the door openedand she glanced up and got to her feet. ‘Oh, sir, you’re early …’
The man who entered was very large and very tall so that Sister’s office became half its size. His hair was a pale brown, greying at the temples, and he was handsome, with heavy-lidded eyes and a high-bridged nose upon which was perched a pair of half glasses. All of which Theodosia noticed with an interested eye. She would have taken a longer look only she caught his eye—blue and rather cold—and looked the other way.
He wished Sister good morning and raised one eyebrow at Theodosia. ‘I’m interrupting something?’ he asked pleasantly.
‘No, no, sir. Miss Prescott and I are at odds about Mrs Bennett’s diet. They sent Theodosia down with the diet sheet she insists is the right one …’
He held out a hand and took the paper from her and read it.
‘You do right to query it, Sister. I think thatI had better have a word with Miss Prescott. I will do so now and return here in a short while.’
He looked at Theodosia and opened the door. ‘Miss—er—Theodosia shall return with me and see fair play.’
She went with him since it was expected of her, though she wasn’t sure about the fair play; Miss Prescott usually made mincemeat of anyone disagreeing with her, but she fancied that this man, whoever he was, might not take kindly to such treatment.
Theodosia, skipping along beside him to keep up, glanced up at his impassive face. ‘You work here too?’ she asked, wanting only to be friendly. ‘This is such a big place I hardly ever meet the same person twice, if you see what I mean. I expect you’re a doctor—well, a senior doctor, I suppose. I expect you’ve met Miss Prescott before?’
There were climbing the stairs at a great rate. ‘You’ll have to slow down,’ said Theodosia, ‘if you want me to be there at the same time as you.’
He paused to look down at her. ‘My apologies, young lady, but I have no time to waste loitering on a staircase.’
Which she considered was a rather unkind remark. She said tartly, ‘Well, I haven’t any time to waste either.’
They reached Miss Prescott’s office in silence and he opened the door for her. Miss Prescott didn’t look up.
‘You took your time. I shall be glad when Mrs Taylor returns. What had Sister to say this time?’
She looked up then and went slowly red. ‘Oh—you need my advice, sir?’
He walked up to her desk, tore the diet sheet he held into several pieces and laid them on the blotter before her. He said quietly, ‘Miss Prescott, I have no time to waste with people who go against my orders. The diet is to be exactly as I have asked for. You are a dietician, but you have no powers to overrule the medical staff’s requests for a special diet. Be so good as to remember that.’
He went quietly out of the room, leaving Miss Prescott gobbling with silent rage. Theodosia studied her alarmingly puce complexion. ‘Shall I make a cup of tea?’
‘No—yes. I’m upset. That man …’
‘I thought he was rather nice,’ said Theodosia, ‘and he was very polite.’
Miss Prescott ground her teeth. ‘Do you know who he is?’
Theodosia, putting teabags into the teapot, said that no, she didn’t.
‘Professor Bendinck. He’s senior consultant on the medical side, is on the board of governers, has an enormous private practice and is an authority on most medical conditions.’
‘Quite a lad!’ said Theodosia cheerfully. ‘Don’t you like him?’
Miss Prescott snorted. ‘Like him? Why should I like him? He
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