Tyringham Park by Rosemary McLoughlin Read Free Book Online Page B

but he couldn’t say it, and wondered if it would ever be said.
    “You and your father saved my life all those years ago, Dr John. Now I’m asking you to help me save Charlotte’s.”
    If Dr Finn didn’t hold her in the high regard that he did, and if he hadn’t been so disturbed by what he’d just seen in the nursery, he would have had to accuse Miss East of
being overly dramatic.
    “What’s going on, Lily?” he asked simply, handing over his hat, coat and Gladstone bag and accepting a measure of whiskey before sitting in the chair to the left of the turf
fire. “You tell me. That little girl up there looks as if she’s dying of a broken heart.”
    “It might be a broken heart and it might be something else, something to do with Nurse Dixon.”
    We are all put on this earth to do one great thing, Miss East’s mother used often say, and Miss East, believing it, felt the enormity of her responsibility as she prepared to do the
‘one great thing’ that would justify her existence.
    Dr Finn’s grim expression continued to darken as Miss East argued for the dismissal of Nurse Dixon and the handing over of Charlotte’s care to herself.
    It wasn’t what she and the servants had seen and heard, though they had seen and heard troubling things, but Charlotte’s demeanour that had convinced her that Nurse Dixon
wasn’t a fit person to be in charge of children.
    “I’m sure you can see in your professional capacity that she’s no more a nurse than the cat. She gave herself that title, you know.”
    “That I couldn’t comment on,” said the doctor. “I’ve never seen her do anything except stand still with her hands clasped in front of her. I think I make her
nervous as she keeps blinking all the time.”
    “She has a lot to be nervous about,” Miss East continued, and then proceeded to tell him everything she’d seen, and everything she suspected.
    Dr Finn already knew of Miss East’s antipathy to Nurse Dixon, but not the strength and depth of it.
    “She has Lady Blackshaw completely hoodwinked, which wouldn’t be difficult seeing Her Ladyship takes no interest in the child, but she doesn’t fool me.”
    Charlotte always looked dispirited and morose in the company of Nurse Dixon, signs of a child in despair. Miss East recognised the signs because she had once been like that, and all Nurse
Dixon’s smiles, concern and ministration while in public, especially for the benefit of Manus and Lady Blackshaw, not only didn’t fool her, but filled her with even more misgiving.
    Miss East needed the doctor’s co-operation, not only for his physical presence to intimidate the tall, strong, young Dixon, but also for his gravitas and reputation, to give authority to
what she was about to do.
    Dr Finn felt sorry for Nurse Dixon who at her age should be out dancing and courting rather than leading a dreary, isolated life, and he didn’t like to interfere in the workings of the
estate, but when Miss East said, “We can’t chance a second tragedy on our hands, especially while the mistress is away,” he felt the truth of it and agreed to support her.

9
    “I thought you wasn’t coming back till tomorrow,” said Nurse Dixon, standing at the half-opened nursery door. Her eyes flicked from one to the other and the
cocksure look that she adopted in the presence of Miss East wavered for a second when she saw the intent on their faces. “What’s she doing here?” she asked the doctor, while
glaring at the housekeeper. “She’s not supposed to come here.”
    “I thought she could look after Charlotte while we have a chat. May we come in?”
    “I’m not prepared,” she said, indicating with a movement of her hand her stockinged feet.
    “That’s not important. I’d just like a few words about Charlotte.”
    The doctor took a step forward, Dixon gave way, and Miss East followed the doctor into the room. “Could we go somewhere else to talk while Miss East stays here?”
    Dixon snorted with