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Dear Tiberius
This man was as proud as a Roman Emperator - she found him utterly fascinating....
Lucy Nolan wasn't sure of her feelings. Sir John gave his invalid daughter, Miranda, all that money could buy -- but the child craved love. As her nurse, Lucy became the object of Miranda's affections -- reluctantly, because her position was only temporary. She felt concerned when Sir John brought home Lynette Harling, a temperamental ballerina uninterested in the role of stepmother. But was Lucy's concern for her patient or because of her feelings for Sir John?
Lucy Nolan wasn't sure of her feelings. Sir John gave his invalid daughter, Miranda, all that money could buy -- but the child craved love. As her nurse, Lucy became the object of Miranda's affections -- reluctantly, because her position was only temporary. She felt concerned when Sir John brought home Lynette Harling, a temperamental ballerina uninterested in the role of stepmother. But was Lucy's concern for her patient or because of her feelings for Sir John?
188 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1956
11 people want to read
About the author
Ida Pollock
83 books7 followersIda Crowe was born on 12 April 1908 in Lewisham, Kent, England, UK, the daughter of a single mother and a unknown father, who rumoured to be a Russian duke, who her mother met at a ball in Greenwich. Ida narrowly escaped being smothered with a pillow by the nurse who attended her birth. As a teenager, she travelled alone to Morocco, after suffering a mental breakdown. From the age of ten, she knew she wanted to write. She began to write while still at school encouraged by her mother, with whom she lived in Hastings.
Writing fiction since her very early teens, setting her first publication, Palanquins and coloured lanterns, in 1920's Shanghai and she had several stories in major magazines and short novels in print. When at 20, she visited the George Newnes's office in London, to sold her her first full-length manuscript. Three months later, she discovered that they had lost her manuscript. After they found it, she returned to London to met one of its editors, the 39 year old Hugh Alexander Pollock (1888–1971), a distinguished veteran of World War I. Hugh had been married since 1924 to his second wife, the popular children's writer Enid Blyton, with whom he had two daughters Gillian Mary (1931–2007) and Imogen Mary (born 1935). Hugh was divorced from his first wife, Marion Atkinson, with whom he had two sons; William Cecil Alexander (1914–1916) and Edward Alistair (1915–1969). George Newnes bougth her manuscript, and contract her to wrote two other novels.
In the dark days at the beginning of World War II, Ida worked at hostel for girls in London through the Blitz. Hugh, who had left publishing to join the army, was Commandant of a school for Home Guard officers, and his second marriage was in difficulties. They has a chance encounter after a long time, and feeling Ida should be out of London, he offered her a post as civilian secretary at the army training centre in the Surrey Hills. She accepted, and as the months went by their relationship intensified. During a bungled firearms training session Hugh was hit by shrapnel on a firing range, and Ida had contact with Enid, but she declined go to visit her husband in Dorking, because she was so busy and hated the hospitals. On May 1942, during a visit to her mother's home in Hastings, a bomb destroyed the house. Ida escaped unhurt, but her mother was in hospital for two weeks. Hugh, who was sent overseas, paid for Ida to stay in smart London hotel Claridges, and decided to divorce his wife, who in 1941 met Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters and had begun a relationship with him. To get a quick divorce, Hugh blamed himself for adultery at divorce petition. On 26 October 1943, Ida married with Hught at London's Guildhall register office, six days after Enid's marriage with Darrell Waters. In 1944, they had a daughter Rosemary Pollock, also a romance writer. Enid changed the name of their daughters, and Hugh did not see them again, although Enid had promised access as part of his taking the blame for the divorce.
After the World War II, George Newnes, Hugh's old firm, decided not to work with him anymore. They also represented Enid Blyton and were not willing to let her go. After this the marriage experienced financial problems and, in 1950, Hugh had to declare bankruptcy while he struggled with alcoholism. A determined Ida plunged back into her literary work, and decided to write popular contemporary romances, she sold her first novel to Mills & Boon in 1952. Being in print with several major international publishers at the same time, she decided to use multiple pseudonyms. At that time, the pseudonyms were registered by the publishers and not by the writers. In the 1950s she wrote as Susan Barrie, Pamela Kent, Rose Burghley, and Mary Whistler to Mills & Boon, as Averil Ives and Barbara Rowan to Ward Lock, as Anita Charles to Wright & Brown, as Jane Beaufort to Collins. With the production of ten or twelve titles in every year, it was not long before she becoming hugely popular r
Writing fiction since her very early teens, setting her first publication, Palanquins and coloured lanterns, in 1920's Shanghai and she had several stories in major magazines and short novels in print. When at 20, she visited the George Newnes's office in London, to sold her her first full-length manuscript. Three months later, she discovered that they had lost her manuscript. After they found it, she returned to London to met one of its editors, the 39 year old Hugh Alexander Pollock (1888–1971), a distinguished veteran of World War I. Hugh had been married since 1924 to his second wife, the popular children's writer Enid Blyton, with whom he had two daughters Gillian Mary (1931–2007) and Imogen Mary (born 1935). Hugh was divorced from his first wife, Marion Atkinson, with whom he had two sons; William Cecil Alexander (1914–1916) and Edward Alistair (1915–1969). George Newnes bougth her manuscript, and contract her to wrote two other novels.
In the dark days at the beginning of World War II, Ida worked at hostel for girls in London through the Blitz. Hugh, who had left publishing to join the army, was Commandant of a school for Home Guard officers, and his second marriage was in difficulties. They has a chance encounter after a long time, and feeling Ida should be out of London, he offered her a post as civilian secretary at the army training centre in the Surrey Hills. She accepted, and as the months went by their relationship intensified. During a bungled firearms training session Hugh was hit by shrapnel on a firing range, and Ida had contact with Enid, but she declined go to visit her husband in Dorking, because she was so busy and hated the hospitals. On May 1942, during a visit to her mother's home in Hastings, a bomb destroyed the house. Ida escaped unhurt, but her mother was in hospital for two weeks. Hugh, who was sent overseas, paid for Ida to stay in smart London hotel Claridges, and decided to divorce his wife, who in 1941 met Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters and had begun a relationship with him. To get a quick divorce, Hugh blamed himself for adultery at divorce petition. On 26 October 1943, Ida married with Hught at London's Guildhall register office, six days after Enid's marriage with Darrell Waters. In 1944, they had a daughter Rosemary Pollock, also a romance writer. Enid changed the name of their daughters, and Hugh did not see them again, although Enid had promised access as part of his taking the blame for the divorce.
After the World War II, George Newnes, Hugh's old firm, decided not to work with him anymore. They also represented Enid Blyton and were not willing to let her go. After this the marriage experienced financial problems and, in 1950, Hugh had to declare bankruptcy while he struggled with alcoholism. A determined Ida plunged back into her literary work, and decided to write popular contemporary romances, she sold her first novel to Mills & Boon in 1952. Being in print with several major international publishers at the same time, she decided to use multiple pseudonyms. At that time, the pseudonyms were registered by the publishers and not by the writers. In the 1950s she wrote as Susan Barrie, Pamela Kent, Rose Burghley, and Mary Whistler to Mills & Boon, as Averil Ives and Barbara Rowan to Ward Lock, as Anita Charles to Wright & Brown, as Jane Beaufort to Collins. With the production of ten or twelve titles in every year, it was not long before she becoming hugely popular r
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 8, 2018
This is the kind of book that will drive some readers BONKERS, with good reason.
February 9, 2018
I do feel sorry for the harsh rating. But this partly boring, partly irritating story really grated on my nerves !
There is an absolutely unlikeable hero. He ignores his daughter as though she doesn't exist. He brings home a bitchy dancer and scares the hell out of the entire household that he might be marrying that terror !
He takes the support and presence of the hapless heroine for granted. Whether it is to act as a proxy parent to his handicapped daughter. Or to run to the aid of bitchy dancer friend to massage her foot !!!
Why on earth would a young, innocent but principled nurse fall for a useless brute like this guy ? Her first kiss too, described as though he is during a big favour on the girl by considering her worthy of his love.
There is an even older doctor in the picture too. He too is interested in our angelic nurse, but gallantly makes way for the hero. He sounded more like hero material.
Why on earth should such young lovely girls be made to fall for such jaded, rude old men ?
Probably, a reflection on the author's times. He being a knighted, obscenely rich guy is probably one consideration.
The heroine is shown to be a Jane Austen fan. But Jane Austen's heroes had more to recommend them than mere wealth.
The story left me cold and bothered. 1 star.
There is an absolutely unlikeable hero. He ignores his daughter as though she doesn't exist. He brings home a bitchy dancer and scares the hell out of the entire household that he might be marrying that terror !
He takes the support and presence of the hapless heroine for granted. Whether it is to act as a proxy parent to his handicapped daughter. Or to run to the aid of bitchy dancer friend to massage her foot !!!
Why on earth would a young, innocent but principled nurse fall for a useless brute like this guy ? Her first kiss too, described as though he is during a big favour on the girl by considering her worthy of his love.
There is an even older doctor in the picture too. He too is interested in our angelic nurse, but gallantly makes way for the hero. He sounded more like hero material.
Why on earth should such young lovely girls be made to fall for such jaded, rude old men ?
Probably, a reflection on the author's times. He being a knighted, obscenely rich guy is probably one consideration.
The heroine is shown to be a Jane Austen fan. But Jane Austen's heroes had more to recommend them than mere wealth.
The story left me cold and bothered. 1 star.
December 21, 2025
3 stars. Loved the tropes and the premise. this book is about a nurse working for a v wealthy successful baronet and looking after his disabled daughter, who falls for him, but he sees her only as staff and seems besotted with his beautiful but selfish and cruel ballerina. however, the execution left me feeling a bit empty because h and H don't actually spend much time together or do anything for each other, especially him. he recognises her good qualities quite suddenly, recognises that she give his daughter real hope that she might recover, and suddenly sees her as beautiful after seeing her out of uniform at the theatre. but he doesn't make her life more joyful and more interesting. in fact, the OM does things like teach h to ski, brings her joy, but H doesn't even come abroad while his daughter recuperates for months, just because he is hurt at belief that h has fallen for another guy.
anyway, that's the main problem with this book--that he doesn't rise to the challenge of being a romantic partner and potential spouse and father figure. and yet he gets the girl because she fell for him for... erm... whatever she thought she saw in him. appatently some hidden angst he never shows others behind his aloof mask. it simply wasn't enough, and I usually am quite happy to root for an icehole hero.
anyway, that's the main problem with this book--that he doesn't rise to the challenge of being a romantic partner and potential spouse and father figure. and yet he gets the girl because she fell for him for... erm... whatever she thought she saw in him. appatently some hidden angst he never shows others behind his aloof mask. it simply wasn't enough, and I usually am quite happy to root for an icehole hero.
June 8, 2020
Originally published in 1956. This is a Mills & Boon 1970s reissue. It has also been published under the title of Nurse Nolan.
I enjoyed elements of this story of Nurse Nolan and her charge and her very distant father Sir John whom she nicknamed "Tiberius". At first I was rather impatient with the hero development due to his complete distance from his daughter. He was not a sympathetic character at all. I liked the relationship between Lucy and her charge very much. Again I think it is the difference between the 21st century attitudes and the social mores of the 1950s when this novel was first published that i struggle with in regard to family and romantic relationships. I liked the premise of the story but again it loses its drive most of the way through the book until again the end when the relationship is rushed to reach the "happy ending". So a little disappointing at times, but not completely throughout and because I liked the characters, however tame the romance I have out of fairness given it 3 stars.
I enjoyed elements of this story of Nurse Nolan and her charge and her very distant father Sir John whom she nicknamed "Tiberius". At first I was rather impatient with the hero development due to his complete distance from his daughter. He was not a sympathetic character at all. I liked the relationship between Lucy and her charge very much. Again I think it is the difference between the 21st century attitudes and the social mores of the 1950s when this novel was first published that i struggle with in regard to family and romantic relationships. I liked the premise of the story but again it loses its drive most of the way through the book until again the end when the relationship is rushed to reach the "happy ending". So a little disappointing at times, but not completely throughout and because I liked the characters, however tame the romance I have out of fairness given it 3 stars.
February 4, 2025
Susan Barrie wrote some good books. This is not one.
February 13, 2017
I found the hero's indifference to his daughter deplorable. Of course he changes in the end because of the influence of the heroine. But that does not excuse 12 years of neglect.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews