So then she said...

When Noreen Hayden, R.N., agreed to act as companion to the aging Miss Crowley, she had no hint of the danger to which her journey would inevitably lead.

Miss Crowley's obsession to find her one remaining relative, a great-nephew she had never seen, brought her and her young nurse to Moorcroft, a great rambling manor in the desolate moors of England. There they were met by Dan Austin and his strangely antagonistic wife.

In an atmosphere of pervading hostility, Noreen became acutely aware of an undercurrent of danger. And there was nowhere to turn, except to the stranger who had captured her heart!

Original Publisher: Ace
Original Year of Publication: 1967
Page Count: 155

Pretty much what it says on the tin: Noreen Hayden is a young, single woman who once worked as a nurse before quitting her job to take care of her grandfather. Once said grandfather dies, she's left at loose ends, and a doctor from her previous position offers her the chance to serve as a nurse/companion to an old lady named Martha Crowley. Miss Crowley is old and curmudgeonly, stubborn to a fault, and suffers from what we now recognize as dementia. Miss Crowley has unexpectedly inherited some money from a long-lost sibling, and has a yearning to visit the one living relative that she's aware of, a grand nephew who lives in England. The doctor and supervisor at the old age home where Miss Crowley resides are reluctant to let her go off on her own, but are persuaded to let Noreen take her because of her nursing background. The doctor that set the whole situation up tells Noreen that he was once penpals with a physician who lives in the part of England they're going to, and suggests she look up a Dr Forrest when they arrive, just so they have someone nearby in the worst case scenario.

Noreen is running from an unwanted suitor, and figures anywhere in the world is better than being trapped by him. So she agrees to accompany Miss Crowley, who has insisted on writing to her relation herself to let him know she's coming. When the pair arrive in England, they are met by a coarse man who introduces himself as Dan Austin, the long-lost nephew. Noreen takes an instant dislike to him, even though he is over-solicitous to Miss Crowley. Dan takes her to Moorcroft Manor where he introduces them to his wife, Rita, a domineering woman who clearly was not expecting the old lady to arrive with a young companion. Nevertheless, they put Noreen and Miss Crowley up in some of the finest rooms in the house and pay special, kind, loving attention to the wealthy old woman. It becomes obvious to Noreen that they are buttering her up so that she'll leave the fortune to them.

The Austins don't bother to hide their dislike and distrust of Noreen from her, accusing her of trying to weasel her way into Miss Crowley's graces so that she can have the money. Noreen makes a point to give them a wide berth - she stays around the manor and goes for long walks, enjoying the pretty scenery. She soon picks up a dog that she names Red, which the Austins reluctantly allow her to keep. She also meets a Dr Forrest when he nearly runs over Red; it's not the one she was expecting to meet, but his son, Tim. Noreen thinks he's exceptionally handsome, and the two develop something of a friendship. She tells him about why she's in England, along with her suspicions that the Austins aren't quite who they seem to be.

Rita is more obviously antagonistic than Dan; she cleverly moves about to sow seeds of distrust about Noreen with the locals, including the physician called to see Miss Crowley after one of her spells of confusion. Noreen can't convince that doctor that she is a competent nurse, so she turns to Dr Forrest instead. Rita and Dan have taken Miss Crowley away from Moorcroft Manor and have summarily dismissed Noreen, which causes her great distress. They also take Red the dog away from her, intending to put him down as an unwanted nuisance.

Noreen soon uncovers that the Austins are grifters who bought the manor from Miss Crowley's real grand nephew, and who decide to take advantage of the situation when the confused letter arrives announcing Miss Crowley's intentions to travel. She tries to tell Dr Forrest but he demurs, telling her that she's basically making wild accusations and maybe she's acting a bit too defensively? Frustrated, she returns to the manor to try to find proof, and goes to the law firm handling the nephew's papers. She tries to get them to understand that Miss Crowley is now missing and perhaps in danger, but they don't take her too seriously, either.

Noreen finally convinces Tim Forrest that she's a competent person with good reason to be worried about Miss Crowley, so they set off in search of her, and actually find her wandering around by an abandoned mineshaft, lost in her own confused memories. They manage to rescue her before she falls, and set the authorities after the Austins. The real grand nephew shows up to meet his relative, and of course he is absolute kindness himself. He invites Miss Crowley to stay in England with him as long as she wants. Tim then confesses to Noreen that he's fallen head over heels for her and asks her to marry him, to which she of course agrees.

This is a slim novel that very much shows its age. It was supremely frustrating to read in parts, because Noreen is not the idiot everyone treats her as, and she really is concerned for her patient's wellbeing. Treating her dog so terribly was pretty awful, too. Tim Forrest was indeed her only friend in this endeavor, but even he doesn't believe her until she tells him of her nursing background; only then does he take her concerns seriously - which, ugh, really?? That's how you treat the woman you proclaim to love, by condescending to her? Yuck. I wouldn't have wanted to marry him.

However, it does move along at a pretty fast clip, and keeps the suspense high as Noreen races to save Miss Crowley. The Austins get their comeuppance, too, so in the end justice is served.

⭐⭐ 1/2