‘Yes, but this is a much larger house. There are eight bedrooms, and only five of them are furnished. The living-room furniture is inadequate, as you can see, but it could go into the family-room quite comfortably. That would mean refurnishing this room, and that’s where you come in.’ He opened the doors of the large cabinet beside the stone fireplace and took out a bottle and two glasses. ‘I think you’d better have a little sherry first to calm you down before I take you on a guided tour of the house. ’
‘I don’t want any sherry. ’
‘Must you always argue? It’s so tiresome.’
‘I didn’t want to come here with you,’ she reminded him.
‘But you’re here now, so behave like the lady you are and accept my hospitality. ’ He placed two glasses of sherry on the small circular table beside the fire which burned so lustily in the grate, and came towards her. Forcing herself to remain perfectly still as he helped her off with her coat, Joanne was nevertheless aware of the fact that he was dangerously attractive in his grey tweed jacket and opennecked white shirt that exposed the strong, tanned column of his throat. He drew her towards the chair beside the fire, and pressed a glass into her hand. ‘Drink that down. It’s guaranteed to smooth your ruffled feathers.’
The liquid scorched her throat, but moments later she experienced a tingling warmth which was not entirely due to the log fire which had obviously been lit shortly before their arrival.
The tour of Daniel’s home did not take very long, for she had been there once before when Dr. van Amstel had still been alive and, despite herself, she felt a certain eagerness rising within her to fill those lovely rooms with colourful furnishings which would complement the rest of the house.
‘I have a catalogue here from which you could make your selection,’ Daniel said as they returned to the living-room, ‘and it includes samples of curtaining. ’
He dropped the thick catalogue into her lap once they had resumed their seats beside the fire, and she stared at it as if it was something obnoxious. ‘Daniel, I don’t—’
‘Please, Lorelei. ’
His glance was intense and persuasive, and she found her resolve crumbling. ‘You may not—not like my choice. ’
‘I know you’ll choose well,’ he said, sustaining her glance without difficulty, then, as she sighed and began to page through the catalogue, he leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette, blowing the smoke through his nostrils. ‘That’s my girl.’
It took longer to select the required items than it took to walk through the entire house, but she was eventually satisfied with her choice as she returned the catalogue with the different items marked clearly with the pen he had handed to her.
‘Thank you, Joanne,’ he smiled briefly, turning towards the cabinet. ‘This calls for another sherry.’
‘Not for me, thank you,’ she said quickly, only just surfacing from the light-headedness of the first.
‘Most definitely for you,’ he ordered. ‘I can’t drink alone.’
‘It’s late,’ she tried again.
‘It’s barely past nine,’ he smiled lazily after a glance at the clock on the mantelshelf, and Joanne somehow found herself with a glass between her fingers, sipping the amber liquid slowly and hoping it would steady the nerve that quivered so incessantly at the pit of her stomach.
‘I must go home now,’ she said at last, hoping her voice sounded steadier than it felt.
Daniel gestured towards the empty space beside him on the sofa. ‘Come and sit here.’
‘No!’ She recoiled from the suggestion as if a snake had bitten her.
‘Afraid?’ he mocked, stretching his legs out before him. ‘I’m not afraid, but—’
‘Then come and sit here beside me. You’re not nervous of being alone here with me, are you?’
‘No, of course not!’ she argued, finally joining him on the sofa to prove her point.
‘Relax,’ he murmured, sliding an arm along the back of the sofa and caressing the side of her neck with his fingertips. ‘I shan’t bite you.’
‘I’ve never thought of you as a wolf, Daniel,’ she said, shutting her mind to the sensations created by his touch.
‘That pleases me very much, Lorelei,’ he mocked gently, his breath against her cheek as he slipped his fingers beneath her collar and across her shoulder.
‘Don’t, please,’ she choked out the words as her nerves quivered responsively to his touch.
He leaned towards her then, forcing her into the curved end of the sofa. His breath was warm against her mouth as he murmured, ‘Stop fighting the inevitable, my Joanne.’
‘I’m not your Joanne. ’
‘Oh, but you are,’ he insisted before the warm pressure of his mouth on hers sent her senses reeling helplessly.
She had to fight against the emotions which threatened to overwhelm her, emotions she had thought never to experience again, and she struggled against him, twisting her mouth away from his.
‘Let me go! I hate you! ’
‘I know,’ he said, his eyes darkened by passion. ‘You hate me just as I hate you, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that I find you very desirable. ’
Her hands encountered the hardness of his shoulders as she tried to push him away. ‘Daniel, stop it! ’
‘I want you, Joanne,’ he whispered hoarsely against her throat. ‘Just as much as you want me at this moment, and don’t deny it.’
She knew she had to escape his lips or be submerged in emotions she would not be able to control, but she felt a sharp tug at her hair, forcing her to keep her head still. His kiss was a white-hot passion that seared through her, making a mockery of the defences she had built up over the past year, and stripping her of the desire to resist the uncontrollable force of her emotions. His fingers found the zip at the front of her dress and tugged, then his hand was against her waist, moving across to her back and up along her spine, leaving a trail of fire against her skin as he caressed her, arousing her emotions as one would kindle a fire. He fumbled with the catch of her bra, but as she struggled feebly against him, it gave way and his hand moved round to the front to cup her breast.
She trembled violently, wanting his touch, yet knowing that she dared not allow it, but her body ignored the frantic messages her brain was flashing out as she slipped her arms about Daniel’s neck and pressed closer to him.
‘Lorelei ...’ he muttered against her lips. ‘Stay with me. Stay with me tonight.’
‘No! I can’t.’ she cried hoarsely, her mind rejecting his suggestion, while her treacherous body yearned for fulfilment.
‘You can,’ he insisted, his body hard against her own. ‘You’re my wife. ’
‘No!’ Scraping together every ounce of strength she had left, she twisted away from him and jumped to her feet, pulling up the zip of her dress at the same time. Daniel rose more slowly, coming up behind her, but as he reached out for her she moved away jerkily, her breath coming fast. ‘Don’t touch me!’
‘Stop panicking,’ he ordered harshly, not touching her. ‘If you stay, then you stay of your own free will. I shan’t force you. ’
‘Take me home, please.’
‘This is your rightful home,’ he insisted mockingly, but Joanne had had enough. Grabbing her coat, she made a dash for the door, but Daniel was there before her. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’
Her eyes blazed into his with renewed anger. ‘If you won’t take me home, then I’ll have to walk. ’
‘I feel like shaking you,’ he said through his teeth, taking her coat from her nerveless fingers and holding it for her to slip her arms into the sleeves, then, taking a firm grip on her arm, he said: ‘Come on, Sister Webster. I’ll take you home.’
The short journey back to her flat was one she knew she would always remember. She sat silently beside him, trying to ignore the discomfort of her loosened bra, and wishing frantically that her heartbeats would subside, but it was a futile wish when her body still tingled with his remembered touch.
When he walked with her up the flight of steps to her flat a few minutes later, she was aware of his brooding stillness beside her. It should have been a warning to her, but it was not and, in the shadows of her doorway, he swept her into his arms and kissed her long and hard. It was a shattering kiss that left her shaken to the core when she eventually made her way inside and locked the door behind her. She heard his car drive away, but she knew too that he took her heart with him. She had fought relentlessly against all impossible odds, but she was now forced to admit defeat. She loved Daniel; loved him despite everything. And Daniel? She sighed inwardly. It was difficult to know just what Daniel was thinking, or if he had a heart at all. He had wanted her to stay with him, but it had been merely to satisfy his physical desire for her. Love never entered into it as far as he was concerned, and it was with this thought that she finally went to sleep that night.
Dr. Chris van der Merwe walked into Joanne’s office first thing the next morning, and her cool glance detected a certain discomfiture in his attitude towards her as they bade each other good morning.
‘That ... er ... conversation we had yesterday,’ he began, thrusting his hands into the pockets of his white coat and
staring at the floor.
‘That conversation was strictly between us, doctor,’ Joanne assured him, realising instantly the reason for his strange behaviour.
‘Thank you,’ he replied, a look of relief flashing across his rugged face. ‘I wouldn’t want Dr. Grant to think I begrudged him his position. ’
‘Of course not,’ she smiled briefly. ‘You were disappointed, that’s all.’
‘You’re very understanding, Sister Webster,’ he smiled back at her. ‘It gave me a bit of a jolt when I heard him being so familiar with you, and calling you Joanne, whereas I ...’ His glance became curious. ‘Did you know him before he came here to Willowmead?’
‘I ...’ Joanne hesitated. How much could she tell him without becoming involved in a lengthy explanation? ‘ Strictly between us, Dr. van der Merwe, I have worked with him before, but I ...’
‘You don’t want it known,’ he filled in for her as he grasped the situation. ‘Did you know him well?’
‘Quite well.’
‘I see.’ His smile became a little twisted. ‘I don’t suppose I’d stand a chance against him where you’re concerned?’
Her heart lurched uncomfortably. ‘Doctor, I—’
‘Don’t answer that,’ he interrupted quickly. ‘I had no right to be so personal, and thank you for not repeating what I’d told you.’
He raised his hand in greeting and was gone before she could say another word, and she barely had time to sit down behind her desk when Daniel walked in.
‘May I see the list for the morning?’ he said abruptly as she rose to her feet respectfully and handed him the required list.
While her heart beat out a regular tattoo at his presence, he appeared coldly indifferent and far removed from the man who had held her so passionately the night before. Looking at him now, she found it almost impossible to believe him capable of displaying any emotions whatsoever. His appearance was deceptive, she knew, for beneath that cool, abrupt exterior there lurked a man like any other. She was aware of his sensitivity, had known his gentleness, his virile passion, but most of all she had felt the lash of his violent anger.
‘I think I would rather do Mrs. Qray’s transplants this morning, and Mr. Walters’ this afternoon,’ his deep, gravelly voice dragged her back from her thoughts. ‘Would you inform the ward Sisters of the change in the schedule?’
‘Certainly, Dr. Grant,’ she heard herself say in a voice that sounded surprisingly cool, considering the shattering intimacy of the thoughts racing through her mind.
She lifted the receiver to do as he had instructed, feeling curiously deflated when she saw him stride from her office without a backward glance.
When would she learn that she meant nothing to Daniel? she admonished herself silently. Last night, when he had wanted her physically, it had been a different matter, but this morning he was as distant as ever, his glance coldly dispassionate when he had condescended to favour her with it. ‘Oh, lord,’ she sighed, ‘why did I have to fall in love with such a cold slab of a man?’
CHAPTER TEN
Daniel did not come to her flat that Thursday evening, and, despite herself, Joanne found herself wandering about aimlessly, wishing she could find some excuse to see him, yet knowing that she would never have the audacity to approach him of her own accord.
What was he doing? she wondered. Was he alone in that large house? Alone, and perhaps a little lonely too?’
Pulling herself together sharply, she went through to her room and sorted through the clothes she intended taking with her that week-end. Bruce had telephoned earlier that evening to say that his friend would be away for the weekend, and they could have the flat to themselves if she could make it down to Cape Town the Saturday morning.
‘Bring your glad rags with you,’ Bruce had instructed. ‘We might just go out on the town Saturday night.’
It sounded very unlike Bruce, she thought with a warm smile on her lips, but then he might have reason to celebrate something, and she could not disappoint him.
Joanne kept herself occupied until it was time to go to bed, but she slept badly, her dreams conjuring up images of Daniel and the past which she would rather have forgotten, and she awoke the following morning with a throbbing headache which lingered on during half the day, forcing her eventually to take something stronger than aspirins for relief.
Daniel’s abruptness in the theatre was a source of irritation to her as well. Nothing seemed to have affected his night’s rest, while she ...! It was not his fault either, she thought charitably. He never asked her to love him. Not once!
That Friday evening, as she packed her suitcase for the week-end, she experienced a tingle of anticipation which was totally alien to her, but when she eventually answered the doorbell to find Daniel on her doorstep, she knew the reason for it.
‘I’m rather busy. What did you want?’ she demanded rudely.
‘Is that the way you welcome visitors?’ he mocked, then, as she made no attempt to invite him in, he asked: ‘Are you going to leave me standing on the doorstep all night?’
She had wanted him to come, yet now that he was there she shrank from him. ‘I suppose you’d better come in. ’
‘I accept your very ungracious invitation,’ he remarked With sarcasm as he brushed past her and entered the lounge.
‘Could I make you a cup of coffee? I’m afraid I haven’t anything stronger,’ she offered after a stab of guilt.
‘Coffee will do,’ he said abruptly, lowering himself into a chair as she went into the kitchen to switch on the kettle, but she tensed a moment later when she heard his step behind her.
‘I noticed the open suitcase on your bed,’ he remarked as she swung round to face him. ‘Are you going away somewhere?’
‘I’m going away for the week-end,’ she replied stiffly,
aware of his nearness, and that aura of masculinity which always surrounded him.
‘Are you going to see Bruce?’
‘ I ... might see him,’ she replied evasively.
Daniel’s smile was mocking. ‘Why do you sound so cagey?’
‘I don’t like people prying into my affairs.’
‘Neither do I, but when it concerns my wife—’
‘I’m not your wife!’ Joanne bit out the words, a sparkle of anger in her green eyes.
‘You’re my wife in every sense of the word, Joanne,’ he said with calm deliberation as he approached her. ‘I made sure of that before I left for Switzerland. Have you forgotten?’
Joanne swallowed violently and looked away, her body taut with resentment. ‘I wish I could erase your humiliating cruelty from my memory.’
‘I was cruel to you only that once, Joanne,’ he said softly, standing so close to her that she could almost feel the warmth radiating
from his virile body. ‘There were other occasions when—’
‘Don’t!’ she interrupted gratingly, her hands clenched so tightly at her sides that the nails bit into her soft palms. ‘I don’t want to be reminded of those other occasions. ’
‘The other night, then,’ he persisted ruthlessly.
‘No!’ she cried, lowering her voice instantly as she gathered her shattered composure about her. ‘You— you’re rather overwhelming at times, Daniel. You’re attractive even if you’re abrupt, and already you have the nurses eating out of your hands. Why should I be so— so different from them?’
His glance was rapier-sharp as she challenged him. ‘I don’t think I want that kind of adulation from you, Joanne. ’
‘Do you find your pedestal uncomfortable?’ she mocked.
To her surprise she saw his firm lips curve into a smile. ‘If you were ever foolish enough to place me on it, then I must have taken quite a tumble by now. ’
‘Yes ...’ her lips quivered into a responding smile. ‘You did take a tumble when it collapsed beneath you. ’
‘I’m glad,’ he said, his hands on her shoulders sending urgent messages along her receptive nervous system. ‘I’m human, Joanne, and I have many faults. Don’t ever forget that.’
She lost herself for a moment in the blueness of his eyes until her attention was drawn to the cloud of steam emitting from the electric kettle.
‘I’ll make that coffee,’ she said unsteadily, escaping his touch and putting some distance between them.
‘I did some sorting last night, and found something that actually belongs to you,’ he remarked casually some time later after they had returned their empty coffee cups to the tray.
‘Something that belongs to me?’ she queried, her pulse quickening.
‘Yes,’ he nodded, slipping his hand into his jacket pocket. ‘Catch!’
A small velvet-covered box dropped into her lap and, knowing instantly what was inside, she shrank from it inwardly.
‘No—no, I can’t—’
‘Those rings were bought for you, Joanne, and they serve no purpose lying about in my drawer. They belong on your finger,’ he continued unperturbed. ‘Give me your hand.’
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