The Course of True Love

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‘Oh, dear, oh, dear. You can’t get rid of me quickly enough, can you, Claribel?’

Any sleepiness she might have felt evaporated in a trice. ‘I am merely trying to be helpful; you’re coming out of your way to take me home and I am grateful but I don’t wish to impose upon you.’

‘Very commendable, Claribel, your thoughtfulness does you credit.’ She could hear the laugh in his voice. ‘Let me hasten to assure you that no one has, or ever will, impose upon me. I do what I like and I contrive to get my own way.’

‘How very arrogant. I am surprised that you have any friends, Mr van Borsele.’

‘Ah, but I am also cunning; I hide my arrogance under a smooth exterior.’ He contrived to sound ill-done-by. ‘I am in fact both soft-hearted and lovable when you get to know me.’

Claribel felt laughter bubbling up inside her. She gave a little chuckle. ‘What a good thing that we’re almost there or I might begin to feel sorry for you. The gate is on the left; it’s just a short drive to the house.’

Light shone through the downstairs windows and as he drove slowly up to the door Mrs Brown flung it open. She hadn’t got her spectacles on, so she blinked short-sightedly as the car stopped. ‘Darling, you got a lift? How nice—bring them in, whoever it is.’ She came a little nearer and saw Mr van Borsele move from the car. ‘My goodness!’ she observed cheerfully. ‘What a large man, and isn’t that a Rolls-Royce?’

Claribel skipped round the car and embraced her parent. ‘Mother, this is Mr van Borsele from the hospital. He kindly gave me a lift home—he’s going to Bath.’

She tucked an arm through her mother’s. ‘My mother, Mr van Borsele.’

He shook hands gently, smiling down at her. ‘How do you do, Mrs Brown?’

‘Come inside,’ invited Mrs Brown, beaming up at him. ‘Have a cup of coffee—something to eat? Sandwiches?’

‘You’re very kind, but I am expected at Bath this evening.’

‘My husband would like to meet you. Are you taking Claribel back?’

He glanced at Claribel, standing silently. ‘Sunday evening, about six o’clock? Perhaps I shall have the pleasure of meeting Mr Brown then.’

‘That will be delightful. Supper?’

He shook his head and if he didn’t feel regret he was pretending very well indeed. ‘I’ve a late evening date—I must be back in town by nine o’clock at the latest.’

He shook hands again, gave Claribel the briefest of smiles and got back into his car.

They watched him drive away and Mrs Brown said, ‘What a very nice man. Is he a friend, darling?’

‘No, Mother, he’s not. We argue whenever we meet, which is seldom. He has a nasty caustic tongue.’

‘Most unpleasant.’ They were inside the house, the door shut. ‘His patients must detest him?’

Claribel had been brought up to be fair and not to fib unless she really had to. ‘Well, as a matter of fact, they all dote on him; he’s quite different with his patients.’

She had tossed her jacket on to a chair and they had gone into the sitting-room. Mrs Brown shot a quick look at her. ‘So he must be nice. It was kind of him to bring you home, darling. A pity he didn’t stay for a cup of coffee.’

Claribel shook up a cushion and let Toots and Enoch out of their basket. ‘Yes, I suppose I should have suggested it.’

Her mother went to the door. ‘Well, he’s coming on Sunday. Supper is ready, darling, and there’s plenty for you—your father won’t be back just yet. He’s over at Bradshaw’s Farm advising them about selling the ten-acre field. It’s a lovely surprise having you back for the weekend.’

Her father came in just as they were sitting down in the panelled dining-room across the hall. He helped her to a portion of one of Mrs Brown’s excellent steak and kidney pies with the observation that it was a treat to see her and how had she got home, anyway?

‘One of the orthopaedic consultants was going to Bath for the weekend; he offered me a lift. He’ll pick me up on Sunday evening, Father.’

‘One of your beaux?’ Mr Brown wanted to know. It was a long-standing joke in the family that she was choosy and would end up an old maid. No one believed it, but just lately Claribel had had moments of anxiety that the right man wasn’t going to turn up and the joke wouldn’t be a joke any longer.

She laughed because he expected that she would. ‘Oh, not likely, Father,’ she said brightly. ‘He’s a consultant; they live on a higher plane than any one else. Besides, we don’t get on very well.’

‘No? The more decent of him to give you a lift. I look forward to meeting him.’

She consoled herself with the thought that the meeting would be brief. She even forgot Mr van Borsele for quite long periods at the weekend—there seemed so much to occupy her: gardening, driving her mother into Salisbury to shop on Saturday morning, taking the dog for a walk, and going back to the vicarage after church on Sunday because the vicar’s eldest son was home on leave from some far-flung spot. They had grown up together, more or less, and she thought of him as another brother; it was mid-afternoon before he walked her back to her home and, naturally enough, stayed for tea. Claribel just had time to fling her things into her bag and make sure that the cats were safely in the kitchen ready to be scooped into their basket before Mr van Borsele arrived.

She had expected that he would spend an obligatory five minutes talking polite nothings to her father and mother, settle her and the cats in the car with dispatch, and drive away to his evening date. She might have known it; he was a man who did what he liked when he liked, and it seemed that he liked to stay an hour, drinking her mother’s excellent coffee and discussing international law with her father. She sat quietly, handing coffee cups when called upon, feeling vaguely sorry for whoever it was he was taking out that evening. A girl, of course; and if I were that girl, reflected Claribel, I wouldn’t go out with him; I’d have a headache or go to bed or something—or find someone else to have supper with.

She glanced up and found his dark eyes resting thoughtfully on her so that she felt as guilty as though she had spoken her thoughts out loud. He smiled suddenly and she smiled back before she could stop herself.

He got to his feet. ‘We should be going.’ He made his goodbyes with a grave courtesy which she could see impressed her parents and then ushered her out to the car. Toots and Enoch were handed in, final goodbyes were said and he drove away.

‘You’re going to be late for your evening out,’ said Claribel as they left Tisbury behind.

‘I think not. It’s half past seven; we can be back soon after nine o’clock; my date is for ten o’clock. The road should be pretty clear at this time of the evening.’ He added, ‘I imagine you don’t want to be too late back.’