A Girl Named Rose Part 11

"Ah---a career girl." He gave her a mocking smile and she felt a little sick because she would never be able to say the things she wanted to say to him, only pretend to an enthusiasm for something she had no heart for.

She was saved from answering by Christina who came over to join them and talk about the children.

"We're going to Noerdwijkaan-zee," she told them, 'for a picnic. You must come, Sybren, we are taking the children too, in a couple of days' time, and don't tell me you're operating because I know you're not. "

"My dear Chrissy, it sounds delightful, of course I'll come." The others had joined them and presently they went in to lunch. And shortly after that he stowed his guests back into the car and drove away without having anything more to say to Rose.

Lying in her bed in her charming room after a blissful day. Rose allowed her thoughts to stray to Sybren. She hadn't expected him to be there although she admitted now that she had hoped that in some miraculous way they would meet again. But the meeting hadn't been very satisfactory; he had called her plain--well, not in so many words, but that was what he had meant. And she hadn't done anything about it; if she'd had any spirit at all she would have made him eat his words.

There were ways . she could have her hair per med and tinted and a.s.semble a collection of lotions and creams and bright lipsticks. And new clothes, tight jeans and those enormous sweaters and layers of gossamer skirts and tops she had never been able to fathom in Vogue.

He might look at her then and decide that she wasn't so plain after all.

She got out of bed and went over to the dressing-table and by the light of a brilliant moon bunched her long fine hair around her face, looping it up with one hand and turning and twisting to see the effect. Even by moonlight she could see that it wasn't for her.

She got back into bed, thinking now about her pleasant day; little Duert had remembered her and the baby was gorgeous. She and Christina had spent a lazy afternoon on the lawn behind the house with the baby in a Moses basket and the toddler tumbling between them. They had had their tea there too and then Dr. ter Brandt had come home and he and Christina had gone indoors to bath the children and to give them supper and feed them under Nanny's eye. It had been nice to see Nanny again, and even nicer to be staying with such a happy family. Half asleep, she wondered if Sybren and that Mies girl would be happy.

The next day slipped by in a gentle round of gossip, playing with the children, and when Dr. ter Brandt came home, an hour's run into the surrounding country once the children were in bed. The roads he took were well away from the motor ways narrow and mostly brick-built, running between flat green meadows, pa.s.sing through small villages, very quiet because as he explained it was the time of the evening meal for most Dutch households. They went back presently for drinks and dinner and afterwards friends came in and spent an hour casually in the rather grand drawing-room, rendered homely by Christina's knitting cast down on a chair, the pile of papers lying by the doctor's big wing chair and the two dogs, wandering from one to the other. A lovely day, thought Rose, lying in her bed already half asleep, and an even lovelier tomorrow because they were going on a picnic and Sybren would be there.

He arrived about ten o'clock in time to have coffee before they set out. They went in Dr. ter Brandt's Rolls with the girls in the back with the children and Sybren in front, the impedimenta necessary for a day's picnicking bestowed in the boot.

"So small," observed the baby's doting father, 'and half the contents of the house seem necessary for her comfort. "

He exchanged a smile with Christina and Rose thought wistfully how marvelous it must be to be married to someone who loved you and you loved too. She looked away and found Mr. Werdmer ter Sane's eyes fixed so intently upon her that she put a hand up to her hair; she hadn't even bothered to tie it back but left it to hang down her back. He smiled suddenly and she smiled rather shyly back at him; perhaps it was because he was wearing slacks and an open-necked s.h.i.+rt that he seemed friendly.

Noerdwijk-aan-zee was small, tucked among the dunes, with a single main street, a line of hotels along the short boulevard and a wide beach stretching as far as the eye could see in either direction and although there were plenty of people on the sands there was room and to spare; besides, the ter Brandts had a beach hut at the quieter end where the small town ended and the dunes took over. The hut opened, rugs and cus.h.i.+ons and a sun umbrella arranged, the picnic basket and the children's needs dealt with, Christina declared that she was going for a swim before they had lunch. She gave her husband a speaking glance as she said this and he said at once, "A splendid idea, darling, we can leave these two to baby-sit and they can have a turn while we put the food and drink ready."

The baby was asleep and little Duert busy with a bucket and spade.

Rose sat with her back against the hut wall, watching him, while Sybren lay

full length on his back, his eyes closed.

But he wasn't asleep. Still with his eyes closed he remarked, "There is agreat deal to be said for the domestic life, don't you agree.She looked towards the sea where the ter Brandts were swimming side by side."Oh yes." She spoke in a rather colourless voice, afraid that she might betray her feelings, longing to be in Christina's shoes, only of course Sybren would be in Dr. ter Brandt's and little Duert would be another Sybren and the baby . what would they call the baby?

"Stop dreaming. Rose. Tell me, do you suppose I should make a good husband?"

She said carefully, "I imagine that any man would make a good husband if he loved his wife."

"Don't beg the question."

"You see, I've worked for you in hospital and seen you there but I don't know

anything about you. You have a lovely home and I dare say lots of friends. I think you work very hard and like your work and you're successful, aren't you? You're handsome too." She spoke matter-of factly while her heart cried out at the idea of him being anyone's husband but hers.

"That evening at the restaurant in The Hague, there was a lovely girl withyou--I don't know her name;Christina called her Mies. Are you going to marry her? "He opened one eye."You think that she would make me a suitable wife?"She said severely, "How could I possibly tell, Mr. Werdmer ter Sane?""My name Sybren. Do I seem very middle-aged to you. Rose?"She shot upright with real surprise."Middle- aged, you're joking.Why, you're--you're not even in the prime of your life. "He rolled over and sat up.

"Well, that's something. It encourages me to make a sand castle with my

G.o.dson."

Which he proceeded to do. The pair of them were still busy with it when the ter Brandts came strolling back from their swim.

"The water is just right," Christina flung herself down beside Rose.

"Whip into your swimsuit. Rose, Duert and I will get the lunch." She lookedacross at Sybren."Are you going in, Sybren?"He glanced up from the careful tunnel he was making."Yes, what about this young man?""He's going swimming with his Papa, aren't you, my dear?" She cast a motherly eye at the Moses basket.

"Off with you while I lay the cloth."

Sybren seemed in no hurry; Rose went away to change into her swim suit, a

sensible affair in navy blue, plaited her hair and wound it into a topknot and went off down the beach to where the doctor and his small son were paddling. The water was pleasantly warm and very clear.

She waded slowly and then began to swim, something she could do well.

After a little while she paused to tread water and rest and saw Sybren besideher."You swim well.""Thank you. I used to swim with my father;I'm rather out of practice. "He had turned on to his back and she did the same. It was blissfully warm and quiet and she could have stayed there for ever; somehow everything seemedso simple, just the two of them floating around in a kind of limbo. Whatwould he say if she told him she loved him? A kind of recklessness seizedher and she actually had her mouth open to ask him when he turned over andbegan to swim slowly towards the sh.o.r.e.

"Time for lunch," he told her.

She reached the beach at the same time as he, trembling with a kind of delayed shock at what she might have said. He gave her a sharp glance as they waded ash.o.r.e.

"Cold?" he wanted to know.

"You are s.h.i.+vering."

He added kindly, "You'd better get some clothes on."

She felt better by the time she had dressed and joined the others, and over

their leisurely meal she became her usual composed self again, keeping an eye

on little Duert, sampling the wafer-thin sandwiches and little cheese tart

lets the salad, the hard boiled eggs, the ham broodjes, and drinking the

lager, icy cold from its container. There was hot coffee afterwards, too,

and while she and Christina settled the little ones for a nap the men packed

everything away and then strolled off along the sands.

"It's nice here, isn't it?" said Christina.

"It's our favourite picnic place." She smiled dreamily.

"We--we got engaged here."

Rose rolled over to look at her.

"Oh, did you? How romantic, was it a lovely day like today?"

Christina chuckled.

"There was a gale blowing and it rained torrents.

But that didn't matter. "

Rose sighed without knowing it.

"No, I don't suppose it would." She looked along the beach to where in the distance the two men were strolling along.

"When I get back I'm going to apply for a night sister's post--the junior one."

"You like night-duty?"

She shook her head.

"No, but it's the quickest way to get promotion, isn't it?"

"You want to stay at St. Bride's?" Christina sounded casual.

"Well, I expect I'd better; perhaps when I've had a senior post for a year or two, I'll try for somewhere else." "Do you mind where?"

She shook her head again.

"No--it doesn't matter."

"Don't you want to get married?"

She sat up, glancing without meaning to at the two men, coming towards them now.

"Yes, oh, yes. But I shall't so I'll have to be a career girl."

The two men joined them and they sat around, not talking much, until the children woke and they fetched cold drinks from the picnic basket and then packed everything up, climbed into the car and drove back to The Hague.

Nanny was waiting to see to little Duert and the baby and Rose went to her room and showered and put on a fresh dress and went back downstairs to find the others already on the patio and Corvinus arranging the tea tray just so. She would have liked the next hour to last for ever; sitting in the late afternoon suns.h.i.+ne, listening to the gentle talk around her but not having much to say for herself.

They had been discussing a play at the Koninklijke Schouwburg and idly wondering if they should go one evening when Sybren observed, "Which reminds me I must be going-- I've a date this evening." He looked hard at Rose.

"Dinner with Mies."

She looked straight back at him.

"All this fresh air will have given you a splendid appet.i.te. " She said it just a bit too quickly and at his sudden smile, looked away.

"A delightful day," he remarked as he got up.

"We must do it again some time. Kiss the babies good night for me, Christina." He bent and kissed her cheek, said something in Dutch to Deurt ter Brandt and turned to Rose.

"I'll see you again, Rose," and watched the delight flood her face before she could prevent it. He bent suddenly and pulled her to her feet.

"See me to the car, the exercise will do you good."

The car was at the front of the house; she walked beside him in silence along the patio and round the corner to the sweep before the door where the Rolls stood. When they reached it she said sedately, "I hope you have a lovely evening."

He stood looking down at her, half smiling. She supposed it was a silly remark to make and not worth an answer. He said softly, "I'm working all day tomorrow, the day after that I'm coming to fetch you before lunch--you can tell Christina I'll bring you back safely after dinner in the evening."

"But you haven't asked me--I haven't said I'll come..." Her voice shook a little with happy excitement and she hoped it sounded as it usually did.

For answer he caught her close and kissed her. She hadn't been kissed very often and never like this. He let her go very gently, got into the car and drove away, leaving her standing with her mouth open and her eyes wide.

She stayed where she was for a few moments while a succession of thoughts wove their way through her head. Almost all of them made nonsense; a number of them were the stuff of which dreams are made; only a very few were sensible.

With a great effort she allowed these to take over; Sybren was no boy; he had had years in which to bring kissing to a fine art; doubtless he kissed all the girls with equal finesse. He was probably feeling sentimental at the prospect of seeing Mies and last but not least he might have kissed her in a fit of absent-mindedness.

The last was hard to swallow but it was as good a reason as any. She walked slowly back to where the ter Brandts were sitting to be greeted by Christina's cheerful, "Seen him off in that car of his? A pity he couldn't stay to dinner."

Rose stooped to pat the dogs.

"Yes, he's asked me to go out with him the day after tomorrow-- for lunch, he said he'd bring me back in the evening after dinner, if that is all right with you."