A Very Special Marriage

by Jennifer Taylor

  The days flew past, far too fast so far as Sophie was concerned. Each new day that dawned brought her one day closer to when she would be leaving the ship. She tried to tell herself that it was the worry about having to find another job and somewhere to live that was making her feel so downhearted, but she knew it wasn’t the real explanation. It was the thought of leaving Liam that was so hard to deal with.

  There was a full day’s sailing scheduled for the Thursday. As she got dressed, Sophie found herself wondering if they would be busy that day. With no shore visits to look forward to, there could be a number of people turning up at the surgery. She’d just decided to make an early start when there was a knock on her cabin door and she found Liam standing outside.

  ‘I’m sorry to bother you so early in the day but we’ve got a bit of a problem, I’m afraid.’

  ‘That sounds ominous,’ she replied, summoning a smile.

  Liam had been rather distant since they’d docked at Naples. She’d put it down to the fact that he was missing Julia because as far as she was aware the woman hadn’t been in touch with him yet. However, the thought that his happiness was so bound up with someone else wasn’t easy to accept.

  ‘It is. We have six guests all complaining of sickness and diarrhoea, apparently. The captain has been on the phone to me and he’s extremely concerned. The last thing he needs is an outbreak of food poisoning on board the ship.’

  ‘I can imagine!’ she exclaimed. ‘It would cause chaos if a lot of passengers went down with it.’

  ‘Exactly. Anyway, I’m on my way to see the passengers concerned now and I’d like you to come with me. The sooner we find out what’s causing this, the faster we can take steps to deal with it. Gastroenteritis can run riot in this kind of environment.’

  ‘I’m ready whenever you are. Just let me find my shoes…Where did I put them?’ Sophie looked round the cabin, trying to remember where she’d last seen the white leather loafers that she wore with her uniform.

  ‘Here they are.’ Liam bent down and retrieved the missing footwear from the gap beneath the vanity unit. He offered them to her with a flourish. ‘Cinderella shall go to the ball!’

  Sophie laughed as she sat down on the stool to put them on. ‘Some ball! You really know how to give a girl a good time, Liam Kennedy.’

  ‘You help me sort out this problem and I’ll treat you to the best night out you’ve ever had,’ he promised, grinning at her.

  ‘Hmm, don’t think I won’t hold you to that either,’ she warned, before it struck her that the likelihood of them having a night out together was very slim. Once she left the ship, she doubted if she would ever see him again.

  The thought was just too painful so Sophie quickly stood up and headed out of the door. ‘Do you have their cabin numbers?’ she said, hoping it would help if she focused on work.

  Why was it so difficult to imagine never seeing Liam again when she’d got through the last two years without him? She’d thought her feelings for him had died a long time ago but if she felt nothing then why had she stood at the porthole last night, wishing they could try again?

  ‘They’re in adjoining staterooms on Pacific deck. Apparently, it’s a group of friends who all got married around the same time and decided to celebrate their silver wedding anniversaries by coming on this cruise together.’

  They reached the lift and he stopped to press the button. ‘At least we won’t have to go dashing from one end of the ship to the other.’

  ‘Very handy, although I doubt they planned it that way for our convenience,’ she pointed out, determined not to let him see there was anything wrong. She couldn’t bear it if Liam guessed how mixed up she felt. He seemed to have his life sorted out and it wouldn’t be fair to let him see how confused she was.

  ‘I’m sure they didn’t.’ He laughed ruefully. ‘A dose of gastroenteritis isn’t the kind of anniversary present I’d look forward to after twenty-five years of marriage!’

  Sophie didn’t say anything. There was no point dwelling on the fact that at one time she’d been confident they would be celebrating an anniversary like that. When they had exchanged their marriage vows she’d meant them every bit as much as Liam had done. The thought was so poignant that her heart ached.

  Mrs Davies looked worn out when she answered the door to them. Sophie had seen her about the ship on a number of occasions and it was difficult to equate the happy, smiling fifty-year-old with the wan-faced woman standing before them.

  ‘I have never felt so ill in my entire life!’ Monica Davies exclaimed, leading them into the spacious sitting room. ‘I was sick so many times that I gave up counting in the end. And as for the rest…Well, the least said about that, the better.’

  ‘It sounds as though you’ve had a nasty case of gastroenteritis, Mrs Davies. I believe your husband has also been ill and your friends…’ Liam glanced at the slip of paper he held ‘…Mr and Mrs Baxter and Mr and Mrs Shepherd?’

  ‘That’s right. But surely there’ve been other passengers complaining about feeling ill?’ Monica said, frowning. ‘It can’t be just us six who’ve come down with this bug?’

  ‘We’ve not had any more reports so far,’ Liam explained gently. ‘That’s why I’m so keen to find out what has caused you and your friends to be ill.’

  ‘What you really mean, Doctor, is that you want to stop folk finding out what’s been going on. It wouldn’t look good if word got out that the hygiene standards on board this ship aren’t what they’re supposed to be!’

  Sophie swung round when Mr Davies suddenly appeared from the bedroom. He looked as worn out as his wife but it was obvious that he was also extremely angry. Her heart sank because the last thing they wanted was a confrontation when they needed to resolve this problem as fast as possible.

  ‘It certainly wouldn’t, Mr Davies. However, I’m less concerned about the reputation of the ship than I am about making sure you and your friends receive the very best possible care. That’s the reason why I want to find out what has caused you all to be ill—so I can help you and prevent anyone else suffering the way you’ve done.’

  Liam didn’t raise his voice but he still managed to get his point across. Sophie saw Bill Davies’s start of surprise. It was obvious the man hadn’t expected that response from someone in authority yet it was typical of Liam. He’d always refused to play politics even when it might have furthered his career. He was too honest to compromise about the rights and wrongs of a situation for personal gain. It brought it home to her once again how wrong she’d been not to trust him.

  ‘I’m sorry, Doctor. I was out of order, saying that.’ Bill Davies sank down on the couch beside his wife and sighed. ‘I’m just angry because this trip was meant to be such a special occasion and now it’s completely ruined.’

  ‘Nonsense!’ Monica declared robustly. ‘All right, so maybe last night was horrendous but look on the bright side, Bill. We’ll be able to dine out on this tale for years to come!’

  Everyone laughed. Bill put his arm around his wife and hugged her. ‘Now you can see why I love this woman so much, can’t you? I wouldn’t trade her for the world. People seem surprised when they learn that we’ve clocked up twenty-five years of marriage but it’s quite simple, really. When you find the right woman, you should hang onto her, Dr Kennedy!’

  ‘Sounds like good advice to me, Mr Davies.’

  Sophie frowned when she heard the wistful note in Liam’s voice. Maybe she was reading too much into it but it sounded almost as though he wished he’d held onto her.

  Her head spun as she tried to make sense of it. Part of her was following the conversation as Liam explained to the Davieses that most cases of gastroenteritis were caused by bacteria contaminating the food and water supplies and that was why he needed to know everything they’d eaten and drunk in the past twenty-four hours. However, the rest of her mind was busily testing out the theory that Liam wanted her back in his life. Was it possible or was she simply attributing her own feelings to
him?

  Her breath caught because there was no way she could pretend any longer. She loved him and she wanted him back! It was as though a light had been switched on and she could see everything clearly for the first time in ages. She had never actually stopped loving him, just told herself she had because it had been easier than admitting how she really felt. But was it possible for dreams to come true a second time? Or was she simply setting herself up for more heartache?

  ‘So you all ate breakfast in the dining-room then had coffee by the pool before you went ashore at Tunis? Did you have anything to eat with your coffee?’

  Liam forced himself to concentrate as Monica explained that she and the two other women in their party had had Danish pastries but their husbands had drunk only coffee. He moved on to lunch—a packed lunch provided by the chef for all the passengers who were going on the trip to a local market—but it wasn’t easy to keep his mind on the conversation. He wasn’t sure what was wrong with Sophie but there was definitely something amiss because he could feel the vibes that were winging his way. He glanced at her and felt his heart bang against his ribs when he saw the expression on her face. She looked both shocked and elated, but why?

  It was impossible to work out the answer when he needed to concentrate on what Mr and Mrs Davies were saying. However, he promised himself that he would find out what was going on the moment he had a chance. There was probably no basis for this feeling of excitement that was building inside him but there was no way he intended to ignore it.

  ‘And you didn’t eat anything while you were at the souk? You’re quite sure?’ he insisted. ‘I know how tempting it is to try some of these local dishes but buying food from market stalls is one of the fastest ways to contract food poisoning. Food that has been left uncovered in the heat can harbour umpteen different bacteria.’

  ‘No, nothing at all. Rose—that’s Mrs Baxter—warned us not to eat anything. She lived abroad for a while so knows all about the dangers,’ Monica explained. ‘We just had a drink before the bus arrived to take us back to the harbour.’

  ‘What did you have to drink?’ Liam put in, immediately picking up on that point.

  ‘Just bottled water, Dr Kennedy,’ Bill assured him. ‘We were all parched so we bought some mineral water off this young boy who was selling it near to where we’d arranged to be picked up.’

  ‘And did you check the bottles to make sure the seals weren’t broken?’ he asked.

  ‘Well, no. I never gave it a thought, did you, Monica?’ Bill frowned when his wife shook her head. ‘I can’t see how there was anything wrong with the water, Dr Kennedy, if that’s what you’re suggesting. It was a well-known brand, one we buy from the supermarket at home, in fact.’

  ‘It’s possible the water in the bottles wasn’t actually mineral water,’ Liam explained gently, inwardly sighing because far too many tourists were caught out that way. ‘The street vendors collect empty mineral-water bottles from rubbish bins and refill them with local tap water. It’s fine if you’re used to drinking it, but it’s not nearly so good for delicate foreign constitutions.’

  ‘I can’t believe we fell for it!’ Bill sounded mortified. ‘It was my idea to buy the water off the boy, too, because I felt sorry for him.’

  ‘We can’t be sure it was the water,’ Liam warned him, although he had a feeling it would turn out to be the culprit. ‘We’ll have to wait and see if anyone else has been affected by this bug first.’

  ‘I doubt it. We were the first ones to get back to the meeting point because we’d seen all we wanted to by that point. The boy had gone by the time the others arrived,’ Bill explained.

  ‘Well, let’s hope you’re right. In the meantime, I’m afraid there’s not much I can do other than to advise you both to drink plenty of fluids—water for the first twenty-four hours and maybe a little fruit juice after that. Also, you need to rest. You’re bound to feel washed out but the sickness and diarrhoea will gradually subside.’

  He smiled sympathetically when Monica groaned. ‘I know it’s not the best way to end your holiday but look on the bright side—it might have happened at the beginning of the trip! Anyway, either Sophie or I will pop in throughout the day to check that you’re all right. Hopefully, you’ll be feeling better by this time tomorrow but call me if you are at all concerned or if your symptoms get any worse.’

  Liam made sure they had the phone number of the surgery then he and Sophie went to visit the two other couples. He explained his suspicions about the water, offered the same advice he’d given to the Davieses and assured them that he or Sophie would visit them during the day. It all took some time and he frowned as he checked his watch as they got back into the lift.

  ‘It’s too late for breakfast now. We’ll need to open the surgery in half an hour’s time. Why don’t I pop to the LiteBite Café and fetch us back some coffee and doughnuts? I don’t know about you but I’m starving.’

  ‘That sounds like a good idea,’ she agreed immediately.

  The lift arrived at their deck and she went to get out, but Liam stopped her. He could feel his heart racing but he simply couldn’t wait any longer to find out what was going on.

  ‘And while we’re eating maybe you can tell me what’s on your mind, Sophie.’

  ‘I don’t know what you mean,’ she denied at once, but he’d seen the betraying colour that had swept up her face.

  ‘Don’t you?’ He looked her straight in the eye. ‘Something happened while we were talking to the Davieses. I don’t know what it was all about but I could sense there was something bothering you and I’d like to know what it is.’

  He touched her lightly on the cheek, feeling his heart fill with tenderness when he saw the shock in her eyes. In that second he knew he wouldn’t rest until he found out the truth because if there was a chance that Sophie felt something for him then he had to make her tell him before it was too late.

  She didn’t say anything more as she hurriedly got out of the lift. Liam pressed the button then took a deep breath as the lift whisked him to Atlantic deck. He needed to compose himself so he could focus on whatever Sophie had to tell him, but it was hard to remain calm when the truth was clamouring to make itself heard.

  He loved Sophie and he wanted her back!

  There was no way he could pretend about his feelings any longer because he didn’t have the time. She would be going out of his life for good in less than forty-eight hours’ time if he didn’t find a way to stop her. He only hoped and prayed she felt the same about him but he would have to wait and see. It was all down to her now, to how she felt about him.

  Liam groaned because he had never planned on this happening. The only reason he’d wanted to see Sophie again had been so he could finalise his plans for the future. Now everything was up in the air. He had no idea what Sophie was going to tell him and even less idea how she would react if he told her he loved her. Every single aspect of his life seemed to be peppered with doubts…

  Except one.

  If he did get her back then he would never, ever make the mistake of letting her go again!

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  SOPHIE paced the floor, wondering what she was going to tell Liam when he came back. He’d sounded so determined to find out what was bothering her and she had no idea what she was going to say…

  She sighed because how could she tell him that she loved him when she had no idea of the repercussions it might cause? Maybe it had sounded as though he regretted their divorce but it would be foolish to read too much into it. He was planning to marry Julia and, so far as she was aware, nothing had changed.

  ‘Coffee and doughnuts coming right up!’

  Liam backed into the room, balancing two Styrofoam cups of coffee on top of a large box of doughnuts. Sophie hurriedly took the drinks from him and put them on the desk.

  ‘Thanks.’ He opened the box and offered it to her. ‘I wasn’t sure which were your favourites so I asked for a selection.’

  ‘They look lovely. Th
ank you.’ Sophie dipped into the box and took a chocolate frosted doughnut. She wasn’t really hungry but at least it delayed her having to say anything. Should she tell Liam the truth or should she lie to him? Either option seemed fraught with problems.

  ‘Try a different one if you don’t fancy that one. There’s plenty to choose from.’

  She jumped when he spoke, only then realising that she’d been staring at the doughnut without making any attempt to eat it. ‘No, this is fine. Really,’ she said hurriedly.

  She took a bite of the sweet confection but it was hard to swallow it when her throat seemed to have closed up with nerves. When Liam reached over and took the doughnut from her, she didn’t protest. He dropped it into the waste bin then passed her a paper napkin.

  ‘The trouble with doughnuts is that they make your hands really sticky, don’t they?’ he said conversationally. However, Sophie had seen the searching look he’d given her and her heart started to race. Any moment now Liam was going to ask her to explain what was worrying her and she still had no idea what she was going to tell him.

  ‘Still, it’s worth a bit of mess for the enjoyment you get out of them. That applies to a lot of things in life, doesn’t it? You have to deal with the messy bits before you get to the good parts.’

  His tone was so gentle that her eyes filled with tears. He was doing his best to reassure her and it made it all the more difficult to know what to do. He’d already admitted how guilty he felt about the way he’d handled things after Zoë had died so was she really prepared to take the risk of him sacrificing his own happiness for hers?

  She knew him too well, knew how difficult he would find it to hurt her a second time. However, for a relationship to work, both people needed to be totally committed to each other. She couldn’t bear to think that he might ask her to go back to him out of pity rather than love.