And then he was gone, leaving the little group with the impression that somehow they had all behaved unreasonably. They looked at one another in an uneasy silence. It was broken by Candace. “Well, I’d better tackle Sharon. And perhaps, Helena, you’d have a private word with George. I know I’m in the cottage and it hardly affects me as it does the rest of you, but I do work here, and I’d rather the security team slept outside the Manor. It’s bad enough seeing their caravan parked outside the gate and them wandering round the grounds without having them in the house.”

And then she, too, was gone. Mog, who had seated himself in one of the most impressive chairs, had gazed impassively at Chandler-Powell throughout but had remained silent. Now he heaved himself up and left. The rest of the group waited for Candace’s return, but after half an hour, during which Chandler-Powell’s injunction not to discuss Sharon inhibited conversation, they dispersed and Helena closed the library door firmly behind them.

Chapter 8

8

The three days of the week when no patients were operated on and George Chandler-Powell was in London gave Candace and Lettie time to work on the accounts, deal with any financial problems with the temporary staff and settle the bills for the additional food necessary to feed the influx of non-resident nursing staff, the technicians and anaesthetist. The change in the atmosphere of the Manor between the beginning and end of the week was as dramatic as it was welcome to the two women. Despite the surface calm of operating days, the mere presence of George Chandler-Powell and his team seemed to permeate the whole atmosphere. But the days before he left for London were periods of almost total calm. The Chandler-Powell who was a distinguished and overworked surgeon became Chandler-Powell the country squire, content with a domestic routine which he never criticised or attempted to influence, a man breathing in solitude like reviving air.