Free A Christmas Romance by Betty Neels

Go at once and get those diet sheets.’
    Theodosia sat down at her desk. There were several letters to be typed, so she inserted paper into her machine and began to type. Miss Prescott hesitated. She longed to give the girl her notice on the spot but that was beyond her powers. Besides, with all the extra work Christmas entailed she had to have help in her office. There were others working in the department, of course, but Theodosia, lowly though her job was, got on with the work she was familiar with.
    ‘I can only assume that you are not feelingyourself,’ said Miss Prescott. ‘I am prepared to overlook your rudeness but do not let it occur again.’
    Theodosia wasn’t listening; she typed the letters perfectly while a small corner of her brain went over and over her unexpected glimpse of the professor. With the woman he was going to marry, of course. He would have been showing her round the hospital, introducing her to the ward sisters and his colleagues, and then they would leave together in his car and go to his home …
    As five o’clock struck she got up, tidied her desk, wished an astonished Miss Prescott good evening and went home. The bed-sitter was cold and gloomy; she switched on the lamps, turned on the fire, fed Gustavus and made herself a pot of tea. She was sad and unhappy but giving way to self-pity wasn’t going to help. Besides, she had known that he was going to marry; he had said so. But she must avoid him at the hospital …
    She cooked her supper and presently wentto bed. She had been happy, allowing her happiness to take over from common sense. She had no doubt that sooner or later she would be happy again; it only needed a little determination.
    So now, instead of hoping to meet him as she went round the hospital, she did her rounds with extreme caution. Which took longer than usual, of course, and earned Miss Prescott’s annoyance. It was two days later, sharing a table with other latecomers from the wards and offices, that the talk became animated. It was a student nurse from Women’s Medical who started it, describing in detail the companion Professor Bendinck had brought to see the ward. ‘She was gorgeous, not very young, but then you wouldn’t expect him to be keen on a young girl, would you? He’s quite old …’
    Theodosia was about to say that thirty-five wasn’t old—a fact she had learned from one of her dancing partners at the ball—and evenwhen he was wearing his specs he still looked in his prime. But she held her tongue and listened.
    ‘She was wearing a cashmere coat and a little hat which must have cost the earth, and her boots …!’ The nurse rolled expressive eyes. ‘And they both looked so pleased with themselves. He called her “my dear Rosie”, and smiled at her. You know, he doesn’t smile much when he’s on his rounds. He’s always very polite, but sort of reserved, if you know what I mean. I suppose we’ll be asked to fork out for a wedding present.’
    A peevish voice from the other end of the table said, ‘Those sort of people have everything; I bet he’s loaded. I wonder where he lives?’
    Theodosia wondered what they would say if she told them.
    ‘Oh, well,’ observed one of the ward clerks. ‘I hope they’ll be happy. He’s nice, you know—opens doors for you and says good morning—and his patients love him.’
    Someone noticed the time and they all got up and rushed back to their work.
    Two more days and it would be Christmas Eve and she would be free. Her presents for the aunts were wrapped, her best dress brushed and ready on its hanger, her case already half packed with everything she would need for the weekend, Gustavus’s favourite food in her shoulder bag. She should be able to catch a late-afternoon train, and if she missed it there was another one leaving a short while later. She would be at the aunts’ well before bedtime.
    She was almost at the hospital entrance on her way home that evening when she saw the professor. And he