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‘I’ll take you where you need to go,’ he said, and when she would have demurred, he added, ‘That way I can be sure that you will get there safely, and that you won’t be wandering the streets in your bare feet. Are you staying at your aunt’s house?’
‘No, I have a place of my own.’
He looked surprised at that, and she wondered what he was thinking. Did he imagine that she was just a slip of a girl who was incapable of looking after herself?
He flicked a glance over her, and she realised that she must be in a totally dishevelled state. Her long chestnut hair was unruly at the best of times, and since she had unpinned it when she’d gone to bed last night it must be in full riotous disarray by now. No wonder he was looking at her as though she had lost her senses.
‘I would appreciate a lift. Do you think we could go now?’
He nodded. ‘Let me help you to my car. It’s just around the corner from the building.’
He helped her to her feet, and said, ‘Keep the blanket around you. I’ll take it back to the paramedics tomorrow.’
His car was a top-of-the-range saloon, gleaming even in the darkness, and she guessed that even if he wasn’t in partnership with his father, he must be doing well for himself. He helped her into the passenger seat and she sank back against the upholstery, her weary limbs thankful for the luxury and comfort that the interior offered.
He started the engine. ‘Where do you live?’
She gave him the address with some hesitation. He was probably used to the best of everything, but her modest cottage was all she could afford, and at least it gave her the opportunity to be independent. She had come to Devon at her mother’s request, but there was simply no room for her to lodge with her aunt.
‘Are you going to be able to get in without your keys?’ he asked as they drove out of the town and headed for the country lanes.
‘I keep a spare, just in case. I’ve hidden it away.’
‘You’re not going to tell me that it’s under a plant pot, are you?’ He sent her an oblique glance.
She lowered her head and hoped that he couldn’t see the flush of heat that ran along her cheeks. ‘Not exactly. It’s under a stone and there are several others around.’
‘I might have guessed.’ He raised his eyes heavenward and then concentrated on the road ahead.
He was a good driver, confident at the wheel, and he took the bends with ease. It didn’t take long before they arrived at the house, and he parked the car by the pavement, coming around to help her out of her seat.
‘This is it,’ she said. ‘It isn’t much to look at, but it’s just right for me.’
He was staring at the plain, stone-walled front, and she hoped that in the darkness he couldn’t see the peeling paintwork at the windows. ‘I’ll just go around to the back and find the key,’ she muttered.
He went with her, stooping to get the key when she located the rock in question. ‘I’ll come in with you and see that you get settled in all right,’ he said, and she recognised a sinking feeling in her stomach. What was he going to make of her minuscule, dilapidated home?
At least the kitchen light was working. She flicked it on and invited him inside. ‘I’ll see if I have any coffee in the cupboard,’ she said. ‘Would you like a drink?’ It was the least she could offer after all he had done for her.
‘Thank you. That would be good.’ He was looking around, and she could see that he was finding the place hard to take in.
‘I know that a lot needs to be done to make it right,’ she said, as she stopped for a moment to wash her hands under the tap, ‘but I bought it for a song, and I thought that in time I would be able to do it up. It needs some building work here and there, and I think there’s going to have to be a lot of replastering, but it has great possibilities.’
He didn’t appear to agree with her. He was frowning, and she thought it was perhaps a good job that he couldn’t see the rest of the house. ‘At least the cooker’s working,’ she said. She was rummaging in the cupboards, a struggle while she was holding onto the blanket in order to retain her dignity, but she had to turn around and say, ‘Sorry, no coffee. Will tea do instead?’
‘Tea will be fine.’ He stared around him. ‘You know you have damp in here, don’t you?’
She nodded. ‘It was one of the things that was pointed out in the survey, but I was assured that it could be put right. It’s just going to take me a while, that’s all.’
She made the tea and pushed the cup towards him. ‘I’d offer you biscuits, but I’m afraid I haven’t been able to get to the shops yet.’
‘That’s all right. I’d say biscuits were the least of your worries.’ He looked at her as though he thought she must have been completely mad to take on a project like this. ‘How on earth are you going to manage?’
‘I’ll get by,’ she murmured. She took a sip of her tea to calm her nerves. What did he know of how the other half lived? From the looks of the expensively tailored suit he was wearing, and the car outside, he had never had to struggle for anything.
‘Wasn’t there any possibility of you going to live with your aunt—that is, assuming that her house is more habitable than this one?’
She grimaced. He wasn’t one to mince his words, was he? ‘She only has two small bedrooms, one for herself and my mother has the other one. We can’t complain. We only moved to Devon a couple of weeks ago, and it was good of her to take my mother in.’
Her mother had been adamant that they should come here. There was every possibility that Amber’s brother could be in the area, and she was desperate to get in touch with him.
She said cautiously, ‘Your father must have been devastated by the news of the fire. Does he own other properties, or is the nurses’ accommodation his only investment?’
‘He has others, locally. Yes, it’s a blow, but the insurance will cover the damage. The biggest problem is the disruption to the lives of the people who were living there.’ He looked at her over his teacup. ‘They were lucky to come out of this alive—you among them—and most of them will have lost belongings.’
‘What happened to the man whose jacket was on fire?’
‘He’s OK. He escaped without any major injury. It’s the doctor who saved him who has the problem.’
‘How badly was he hurt? I know you said he had burns to his hands, but will he recover from them? Will he be able to work again?’
‘From what I gather, he should come through this all right. It will take time for his hands to heal, though, and of course it will be some months before he’ll be able to go back to work. It was a brave thing he did, saving his friend.’
‘I didn’t know him. I sort of remember seeing him at the party, but I wasn’t sure whether he worked at the hospital—at the Castle Hill hospital.’
‘Yes, he does—or, rather, he was about to start work as a senior house officer in the A and E department. That isn’t going to happen now, of course. We’ll have to find someone to take his place.’
Amber’s eyes widened. He sounded as though he knew all about the A and E department. She said hesitantly, ‘How is it that you know the ins and outs of it? Do you work there?’
He nodded. ‘I’m the A and E consultant there.’ He looked at her searchingly. ‘You look taken aback. Is there a problem?’
‘No…’ It came out as a sort of squeak, and she tried again. ‘No. There’s no problem at all,’ she managed weakly. ‘I think I’m just overtired and things are all becoming a bit too much for me.’
She said it, but it was not the truth. The truth was she was shocked to the core to discover that he was in charge of the A and E unit. Her heart was thumping discordantly at the news, crashing about in her chest like a mad thing. Why did it have to be him, of all people? How on earth could this be happening to her?
‘You’re right, of course.’ He pushed his cup to one side. ‘Thank you for the tea. I should leave you to get to bed. Are you sure you can manage on your own now? Do you need any help?’
A bubble of hysteria welled up in her throat and she swallowed hard to suppress it. What was he suggesting…that he put her to bed? That would be one step too far as far as she was concerned.
‘I can manage, thank you,’ she said. ‘Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I do appreciate it.’
His grey eyes studied her. ‘If you’re sure?’
‘I am.’ A sudden thought occurred to her. ‘Just give me a minute to find a robe, and I’ll let you have the blanket back.’ It came to her that she should have done that some time ago, but maybe she still wasn’t thinking clearly.
She hurried up to the bedroom and put on a towelling robe. Seeing herself in the mirror for the first time in several hours, she was horrified at her reflection. Her hair was sticking out at all angles, a tousled mass of curls that had settled in chaotic disorder to frame her face and brush her shoulders, making her look like a wild thing. Added to that, there were faint streaks of soot on her forehead and along her cheekbones, and she guessed she must have run her hands along a soot-caked banister or a piece of furniture at some point. As for the nightshirt, it didn’t bear thinking about. It revealed far too much of her slender curves.
Not wanting to see any more, she turned away from the mirror and wrapped the robe firmly around herself. She hurried downstairs.
Nick was in the hallway, surveying the wrecked plasterwork with an expression of disbelief, but as she came down the stairs he turned towards her.
‘Here’s the blanket.’ She handed it to him and then saw him to the door. ‘Thanks again for all you’ve done.’
‘You’re welcome.’ He glanced at her as he left, and she could see that he didn’t quite know what to make of her. This man, of all men, thought she was a complete oddity, a partygoer, someone who was prone to taking leave of her senses, a crazy sort of woman who had bought a property that was falling down around her ears, and this was the man who was going to be her new boss in a couple of days’ time. Could things possibly get any worse?
CHAPTER TWO
‘CAN I get you anything, Mum?’ Amber gave her mother an affectionate smile. ‘Another cup of tea, or some more toast?’ The kitchen table was littered with the remains of breakfast—cereal bowls and toast rack, along with two little pots of fruit preserves, but there was still some toast left and a portion of scrambled egg in a heated serving dish.
‘Nothing, sweetheart. I’m full to the brim, thanks.’ Her mother pushed her plate away and leaned back in her chair. ‘Besides, you don’t have to wait on me. It’s enough that you managed to get here to share breakfast with us. You ought to be thinking about yourself. You start your new job today, don’t you? And you must have an awful lot on your mind. Are you ready for it—do you have everything you need?’
Amber nodded. ‘I think so. I sorted my medical bag out last night, and I put it in the car before I came here this morning. I just hope I haven’t forgotten anything essential. I don’t want to get off to a bad start.’ Her stomach was churning at the thought of coming face to face with the consultant after all that had happened the other night, but she wasn’t going to tell her mother that. It was probably better to leave her in ignorance.
‘I’m sure you’ll get on really well. You’ve been fine everywhere else you’ve worked, and they’ve been sorry to lose you, from what I heard.’
Amber’s mouth twitched. ‘Maybe. You always see the best side of everything—I think you might be just a little bit prejudiced.’
Her mother smiled and it lit up her face. ‘I am where you’re concerned. I just want you to be happy.’
‘I will be,’ Amber said, her voice taking on a serious note, ‘just as long as you promise me that you’ll make an appointment to see the doctor today.’
She studied her mother. She looked frail, and there were lines of tension on her face, giving her a drawn appearance. Her brown hair, which had once been vibrant, was now streaked with grey, and the sheen had gone from it. It feathered her cheeks but it did nothing to disguise the weariness of her features.
‘Aunt Rose said that she would go with you,’ Amber added. ‘It’s been worrying me that you’re having so many bad headaches lately, and you know yourself that you need to get your health sorted out. You can’t go on the way that you have been doing. The other day you were so giddy that you almost fell, and that can’t be right.’
‘You worry too much. I’ll be right as rain. You just get yourself off to work and concentrate on what you have to do.’
Aunt Rose turned away from the sink where she had been refilling the kettle, and came over to the table. She began clearing away the breakfast crockery.
‘You know what your mother is like,’ she said, directing a stern glance towards Amber’s mother. ‘Julie’s as stubborn as a mule when it comes to looking after herself. I’m just glad that she finally agreed to come and live with me, where I can keep an eye on her.’
‘It’s a relief to me, too,’ Amber said.
Her mother gave them both a wry glance. ‘I’ve managed well enough up to now,’ she muttered. ‘I don’t know what all the fuss is about.’ She pushed her chair back from the table and stood up slowly. Amber noticed that she steadied herself momentarily with a hand on the table’s edge, but then she straightened up and walked towards the door that led into the hallway. ‘I’m going to tidy my bedroom,’ she said, ‘but I’ll be down to see you off to work, Amber. I think you can trust me to sort myself out.’
Amber watched her go from the room, and then sighed. ‘I just know that she’s going to try to wriggle out of it,’ she said to Aunt Rose. ‘If she doesn’t see the doctor today, I’m going to ring and make an appointment for her myself. She’s been worrying me more and more as the days go by.’
‘I don’t think the story in the newspaper helped very much,’ Rose said. ‘When she heard about the fire at the block of flats, and realised that you were there, she very nearly collapsed from the shock. I think she was terribly afraid that she might have lost you. She’s never got over losing Kyle, and I think it would have definitely been the last straw for her if anything had happened to you.’
‘She hasn’t lost Kyle. He’s still around, somewhere.’ Amber frowned. ‘I thought she was holding onto a last glimmer of hope—when your friend-of-a-friend said she’d heard that he might be down here, she insisted on coming to live in the area. It was perhaps just as well that we were thinking of moving anyway.’ She paused, thinking it through. ‘I suppose there could be some truth in it. After all, he loved this area when he was a child. Perhaps he wants to get back to his roots.’
‘She’s clutching at straws. The rumours could be way off beam, and I’d be surprised if he could remember having a home here at one time. It was a long, long time ago. But at least your mother has left notice of where she’s living now—just in case he ever turns up at the old house. They’re good people, the couple who moved into your old place. They promised that they would keep in touch, didn’t they? And I have every faith in them. Though, if you ask me, it isn’t very likely that he’ll put in an appearance after all this time.’
‘You could be right, but I hope for her sake that we find him. For years now she’s been stressed out, worrying about where he is and what he’s doing. I just hate to see her looking so ill.’
Aunt Rose made a face. ‘You won’t thank me for saying it, but it didn’t do her a lot of good, living with your father. He was a difficult man at the best of times, and he caused her a lot of heartache. To be brutally honest, I wasn’t sorry when the marriage broke up.’
Amber could understand how she felt. Any loyalty that she might have had to her father had disappeared long ago. He had been a strict disciplinarian, a domineering man, and she wasn’t surprised that it had taken her mother so long to break free.
She glanced at her watch. ‘I must go,’ she said. ‘I’ve a busy day ahead of me. Take care, Aunt Rose. Thanks for breakfast.’
Aunt Rose nodded, giving her a quick hug. ‘I wanted to make sure that you had a good meal inside you before you went off on your first day in a new job. You’ll do all right, I’m sure.’
She was a no-nonsense sort of woman, tall and strong, the opposite of her sister, and Amber hugged her in return and felt reassured that she could leave her mother in her care.
She collected her things together, said her goodbyes and then headed towards town and the Castle Hill hospital.
She had been hoping that she might avoid bumping into the consultant as soon as she entered the A and E department, but it wasn’t to be. She wasn’t that lucky.
He was there, by the reception desk, talking to Chloe. He didn’t seem to notice Amber as she walked in, and she kept a low profile, talking quietly to the desk clerk and generally gathering information about the set-up in the unit.
‘I’ll hand you over to Mandy, our triage nurse,’ the desk clerk said. ‘She’ll give you a quick rundown of everything.’
‘Thanks.’
Mandy had been at the party the other night, and Amber recalled that she was a lively girl, with dark hair that shone with good health and warm, brown eyes. She greeted Amber cheerfully. ‘It’s good to see you again. That was a terrible end to the evening, when the fire started, wasn’t it?’ she said. ‘I’m just so relieved that we all managed to escape.’
‘Me, too.’
‘Come on. I’ll show you where we keep everything. We’ll start off round here at the back of the reception desk. That’s where we keep most of the forms that you’ll need.’
Amber followed her, and tried to keep track of where she would find blood-test forms, lab-request slips and relevant charts.
‘I know it can be difficult when you start a new job, getting used to the place, but you’ll soon get the hang of our system, I’m sure,’ Mandy said.
‘I hope so.’ Mandy was friendly and helpful, and Amber did her best to concentrate on what the nurse was saying, but snatches of conversation came to her from the other side of the desk, and she couldn’t help hearing all the ins and outs of Chloe’s problems. She wasn’t making any attempt to keep her voice down.
She was clearly was upset. ‘Did you see this article?’ she was saying. She waved a newspaper in front of Nick’s face. ‘It’s all about the fire the other night, and they have a photograph of me on the front page— I can’t believe they put my picture in the paper.’ Her face crumpled. ‘What am I going to do? If my ex-husband sees this, he’ll know where I am, and he’ll come after me.’
‘That’s not necessarily true,’ Nick said softly. ‘You’re not living there now, are you?’
‘No, but as soon as the repairs are done and I move back in, he’s going to find me, isn’t he?’
Nick gently placed his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him. ‘You must stop upsetting yourself like this. I’ll speak to my father, and between us we’ll find you somewhere else to live. That will solve the problem, won’t it?’
‘I suppose so.’ She stared up at him, her blue eyes wide and troubled. ‘I’m sorry to lay this on you, Nick. It’s just that he frightens me so much. He was such a violent man.’
‘Try not to be afraid,’ he murmured. ‘If you’re really worried, you should go to the police and get a restraining order. In the meantime, can you stay with your cousin until we get you fixed up somewhere?’
Chloe nodded. Her blonde curls shimmered in the glow from the overhead light. She was a pretty girl, and Amber could understand how any man would feel protective towards her. She looked vulnerable and needy, and the consultant was obviously responding by giving her his full support.
Mandy was called away, and she left Amber to familiarise herself with the system. ‘I’ll be back in a while,’ she promised. ‘I just need to go and look in on one of my patients.’
Amber nodded, and went on rummaging through the various types of forms. After a while, though, her mind began to wander.
Her mother had seen the same article in the newspaper, and it seemed that the fire at the accommodation block was the talk of the neighbourhood.
It just showed how great the power of the press could be. What if she could use that power to her own ends? Could it be one of the ways that she could try to contact her brother? If he was living in the area, it was possible that he would read the local news.
‘What are you doing?’
She looked up with a start as a now-familiar male voice intruded on her reverie. ‘I’m sorry?’ she floundered, trying to get her wits together once more. She gazed at her boss in confusion. ‘Did you say something?’
Nick was staring at her with a look of exasperation that she was beginning to recognise.
‘Yes, I did. I’m sorry if I’m interrupting your daydream, but I would appreciate it if you could drag your attention my way for a moment or two.’
She blinked. His sarcasm wasn’t wasted on her. It seemed that she hadn’t even managed to get through the first half an hour here without crossing him.
‘I’m afraid I was a little preoccupied,’ she mumbled.
He made a faint grimace. He said slowly, ‘I was asking what you’re doing behind the desk. It seems to me that you’re in an area where you have no business to be. Is that correct?’
‘Er, no…’ She straightened up, a little intimidated by his brooding expression. ‘What I mean to say is, it is all right for me to be here. I was just familiarising myself with the way things are organised. I’m going to be working in this department.’
He stared at her in disbelief, and then shook his head. ‘No, I don’t think you have that quite right.’ He frowned. ‘This is an A and E unit. Perhaps you were looking for the records office or something?’
Her mouth made an odd shape. ‘Actually, I think you’ll find that I’m your new senior house officer— or rather, one of them.’
He didn’t say anything for quite some time, but simply studied her as though she had descended from another planet.
When the silence became unbearable, she thrust out her hand to him and said, ‘I’m Amber Cavell…Dr Cavell. I don’t think you were here when the interviews took place, but Professor McIntyre arranged everything in your absence. I’m here to start a staff grade posting.’
He stared at her hand, and when she started to think that he was going to ignore her, he finally grasped it and said in a kindly tone, ‘You know, I’m sure there must have been some mistake.’ He almost patted her hand. Then, collecting himself, he let her go as though he had been stung.
He said lightly, ‘Even so, I must say I’m pleased to see you again and to find that you seem to have recovered from your ordeal.’ He looked at her searchingly. ‘I take it you have recovered?’
Amber disguised a wince. Did he think she’d taken leave of her senses once more? His manner was almost patronising. ‘Yes, thank you,’ she said. ‘I seem to have come out of it with no after-effects. I’m very lucky, and I realise that I have you to thank for that.’
‘Possibly.’ He turned to the desk clerk, and said, ‘Would you let me have the file on the new senior house officer post, please? There are a few details that I would like to check.’
It was Amber’s turn to stare. Surely he wasn’t going to search for a reason to have her evicted from her post before she had even started it? Could he do that?
The desk clerk hunted through a filing cabinet and handed him a folder. ‘I believe this is the one,’ he said.
‘Thank you.’ The consultant flicked through the paperwork, his dark brows edging closer together as the seconds passed. Amber watched him guardedly.
After a while, he looked up, and said in a clipped voice, ‘Professor McIntyre’s handwriting doesn’t improve with time, unfortunately.’ He looked at her once more. ‘I was expecting a Dr Andy Carmel.’ His mouth made a straight line. ‘It looks as though I owe you an apology. I should welcome you to our department.’
He said it calmly enough, but his lips were stiff, and Amber wondered how much of an ordeal it was for him to accept her on his team. It didn’t bode well for the future. Things were not going to be easy, working alongside him, that was for sure.