Love for the Matron by Elizabeth Houghton Read Free Book Online Page B

asked,” Elizabeth reminded her gently.
    “You will be—Miss Brown always was,” Susan reassured her blithely.
    “But she and your father were great friends.”
    “What difference does that make, or don ’ t you like Daddy?” Susan demanded heatedly.
    “Of course I like him, but you must remember we ’ ve only just met.”
    Susan sighed. “Why do grown-ups always make things so complicated ? Either you like a person or you don ’ t, and if you don ’ t no matter how long you try it isn ’ t going to change it. So if you like a person when you meet them you ’ ll go on liking them, won ’ t you ? ”
    “Usually you do, but sometimes people change,” Elizabeth pointed out.
    “Like you and Stuart? Or didn ’ t you like him much when you knew him before? You ’ re both all claws and ready to pounce like Whiskers, our cat, and you ’ re still sort of purring at the same time as if to try to pretend you ’ re really friends. I was noticing when you were talking and you ’ d forgotten I was there,” Susan told her with engaging frankness.
    Feeling that her defences wouldn ’ t survive these guerilla tactics for long, Elizabeth hastily led the way downstairs. Susan followed, dancing from step to step on tiptoe, holding on to the banister like a ballet dancer at the barre and humming Love is Like a Violin very softly.
    Stuart was waiting for her. “William makes his apologies. Another of his elderly patients decided that he wasn ’ t going to last until morning. Robin ’ s gone with him because the car is misbehaving and he ’ s the only one who can talk it back into action.”
    “What about Dear Emily?” Elizabeth asked hastily.
    “She ’ s muttering about a hot drink for Susan, so I wouldn ’ t disturb her if I were y o u,” Stuart said smoothly. “Good night, Susan. Don ’ t keep the dragon waiting or you ’ ll lose your beauty sleep.”
    Susan gazed at him, her hazel eyes wide and innocent. “Am I beautiful, then, Stuart?”
    He looked at her with a smile and then abruptly the smile faded. “Dangerously near it. Stay a child as long as you can, Susan.”
    Her lips curved impishly. “Oh, am I disturbing you? I ’ m not a child any more, you know. I ’ m fifteen next birthday.”
    He smacked her lightly. “Old enough to know better. Run along, sweetie.”
    Susan tossed her head, gave them both a warm smile, and went off with: “I know when I ’ m not wanted!”
    “Whew! This younger generation is getting too hot to handle. Were you like that at fourteen and a bit Elizabeth?” He shook his head at the thought. “I suppose you were young once before you got caught up with suffering humanity and your laughter was tucked away with your girlish dreams. Come on, Elizabeth. Time I took you home and shut the door between us.”
    The night was cool and held a breath of retreating winter and the stars were distant and remote and uncaring and the slip of a mo o n had tired of showing herse l f to unnoticing humans. Their footsteps rang crisply on the gravel path and there was no speech between them until they had turned the corner and left Castleford behind them.
    Then Stuart stopped abruptly and took her roughly by the arm and shook her a little. “Why did you have to come back into my life, Elizabeth, just when I was beginning to get you out of my blood?” he demanded between set teeth.
    Elizabeth made no attempt to resist him, but her face was wistful under the glow of the lamps on the castle wall. “I might say that I would never have come to Shenston if I ’ d known you were living here,” she said softly.
    He shook her again less gently. “But why? Do you hate me that much?”
    She sighed at that and shook her head. “I never hated you, Stuart. It didn ’ t go deep enough for that. We didn ’ t feel the same way about things then and I doubt if we ever will. I care about people and you don ’ t. You think they are puppets for your amusement.”
    “You ’ re wrong, Elizabeth. I