He stilled her protests with his lips, systematically breaking down her resistance until she allowed him to coax her lips apart with his own. The hands she had raised with which to ward him off, relaxed against his muscular shoulders, making little caressing movements as he continued to arouse her emotions with an expertise that left her weak and trembling in his arms.
‘Daniel, it’s late,’ she pleaded eventually, her voice sounding choked as his lips trailed a path of destruction along her neck to her shoulder.
‘You wouldn’t consider letting me stay?’
‘What do you think people would say when news gets around that your car was parked outside my flat all night?’
‘I could always wave our marriage certificate under their noses,’ he announced mockingly before his lips met hers in another soul-destroying kiss. ‘Do I stay?’
‘No, Daniel,’ she insisted, clinging to her sanity. ‘I’m not interested in that kind of relationship with you. ’
‘What kind of relationship are you interested in?’ he mocked, his eyes dark and searching as they met hers. ‘A platonic relationship that allows a few kisses, a little bit of petting, but definitely no sex?’
‘Daniel!’ she gasped, her cheeks suffused with colour as she fought against him, but his arms tightened mercilessly about her.
‘There have been occasions, my little ice-maiden, when I could have sworn that you wanted me as much as I wanted you, and this is one of them. If we weren’t married, I would have understood your reluctance, but we are married, and I have made love to you once before.’
‘In one hell of a way, yes!’ she cried out, anger coming to her rescue.
‘I was unforgivably angry that night,’ he acknowledged with a harsh twist of his lips, but his hands moved persuasively against her back. ‘Let me show you that making love can be pleasurable as well.’
‘No!’
‘I’m not going to hurt you,’ he murmured, his voice thick with passion, his breath warm against her throat.
‘Let me go!’ she begged, her heart hammering wildly beneath his hands as she tried to twist herself free of him, but he released her suddenly and she jumped to her feet, the quick rise and fall of her breasts conveying the extent of her disturbed emotions.
‘Sit down beside me while I drink my coffee. I’m not going to bite you,’ he instructed, gripping her wrist and pulling her down beside him again. He drained his cup of coffee within a few seconds and, replacing it in the saucer, he turned to face her, his eyes hard and strangely cold as they bore into hers. ‘One day soon, Joanne, you and I must have a talk, a serious talk for both our sakes, but it will have to keep for the time being. ’
He rose without a word and went through to the lounge to collect his jacket and tie, and Joanne followed more slowly, her legs trembling to such an extent that she found herself gripping the back of a chair for support.
‘Thank you for your hospitality,’ he said cynically, shrugging himself into his jacket and pushing his tie into the pocket. ‘Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea to come here this evening after all. ’
‘Daniel,’ she managed to find her voice as he reached the door, but it was thin and wavery. ‘Perhaps what we both need is our freedom. ’
His lips tightened perceptibly. ‘I’m beginning to think you’re right.’
The front door slammed behind him with such a force that the windows rattled, and a few moments later Joanne heard the Citroen being driven away at a tremendous speed. She remained where she was until she could no longer hear it, then reaction set in and the tears made their way silently down her cheeks.
The telephone rang on Joanne’s desk just as she was about to go to lunch the following day and, frowning slightly, she lifted the receiver.
‘When you have a free moment, Sister Webster, come along to ward 421,’ Sister Dawson’s voice came over the line. ‘Mrs. Neal wishes to speak to you quite urgently. ’
‘I’ll come at once, Sister,’ Joanne replied, wondering at the note of irritation in the ward Sister’s voice.
‘What’s the problem?’ Alice asked curiously, pulling a face when Joanne mentioned Greta Neal’s name. ‘She’s had the staff running round in circles ever since her arrival two days ago, I believe. Is she a special friend of Dr. Grant’s?’
‘I wouldn’t know,’ Joanne replied evasively as she prepared to leave her office.
‘Rumour has it that there might be wedding bells in the near future,’ Alice persisted, and Joanne’s heart lurched uncomfortably.
‘You shouldn’t listen to gossip, Alice,’ she reprimanded more sharply than was necessary. ‘And most important of all, you shouldn’t repeat what you hear. ’
Ignoring Alice’s surprised glance, she turned on her heel and left the room, making her way along the wide passages to Greta Neal’s ward, her soft-soled shoes making no sound on the tiled floor.
‘So you came at last,’ Greta Neal’s husky voice accused when Joanne entered her ward. ‘I’ve been trying to contact you all day. ’
‘I’ve been in the theatre most of the morning, Mrs. Neal. ’ ‘With Daniel?’
Her cold eyes sliced through Joanne, who felt her body grow tense. ‘With Dr. Grant, and several other surgeons who happened to be operating today.’
The blonde head tilted enquiringly, while slender fingers played idly with the wide collar of the lacy bed- jacket. ‘What is there between yourself and Daniel?’
Joanne stared at her in bewilderment. ‘I beg your pardon?’
‘You heard me,’ Greta snapped, her crimson lips twisting into a firm line.
‘Really, Mrs. Neal,’ Joanne remarked coldly. ‘Was this why you asked me to come and see you?’
‘Answer my question,’ Greta gestured impatiently, the diamond ring on her finger catching the light from the window. ‘What is there between the two of you?’
Joanne clenched her hands tightly behind her back as she fought to keep her anger in check. ‘There’s nothing between Dan—Dr. Grant and myself. ’
Greta Neal missed nothing, and her eyes narrowed perceptibly at Joanne’s faltering statement. ‘What is this hold that you have over him, then? Are you his mistress?’
Joanne stared hard at the woman who reclined so elegantly in the high hospital bed, and wondered where this conversation was heading. ‘I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
Those crimson lips curved into a smile, but it never reached Greta’s eyes. ‘I know men well enough, darling, and, considering that you spent the week-end together in Cape Town, you must have some hold over him.’
‘I did not spend the week-end with Dr Grant, I—’
‘I want him, Sister Webster,’ Greta stated quite firmly, the husky quality in her voice enchanced by her determination. ‘And I don’t intend that there should be any opposition, so name your price. ’
Joanne felt as though a douche of cold water had been dashed into her face. ‘My—price!’
‘Yes,’ the grey eyes studied her thoughtfully as if assessing her worth. ‘Would two thousand Rand be enough to make you stay away from him?’
‘Two thousand?’ Joanne gasped, suppressing the hysteria that rose to the surface within her. It was unbelievable! Greta Neal was offering her money to leave Daniel alone; to leave her own husband alone. ‘Mrs. Neal, I think you’re making a mistake, I—’
‘Five thousand, then,’ Greta pushed up her price, her face a mask of cold hatred. ‘I should have known that a slut like yourself wouldn’t be satisfied with less. ’
Joanne paled visibly, her eyes dark green pools of anger as she forced the words past her unwilling lips. ‘ Mrs. Neal, if this was all you asked me to come here for, then you must excuse me. I have work to do.’
Greta Neal sat up in bed, her body quivering and her hands clutching agitatedly at the sheets. ‘I demand an answer!’
‘You are not in a position to demand anything of me, Mrs.
Neal,’ Joanne said coldly, sickened by their conversation.
‘I don’t want your money, and neither do I intend answering your outrageous questions. ’
CHAPTER TWELVE
Joanne’s heart was pounding in her ears as she made her way back to her office. Never in her life had she been so insulted, nor felt as degraded as she felt at that moment, she thought angrily. The entire episode had sickened her to the core. Greta Neal could have Daniel for all she cared. Who knows, they might just suit each other.
‘Joanne!’ The object of her thoughts appeared around the first corner, his hands digging into her shoulders as his perceptive glance went down the passage to Greta Neal’s ward. ‘What were you doing in Greta’s ward?’
‘Why don’t you ask her?’ she replied fiercely, trying to twist herself free, but failing.
‘I’m asking you, Joanne,’ Daniel stated firmly, then, glancing into the empty office across the passage, he pushed her inside and closed the door. ‘Now, tell me.’
She caught her lip between her teeth until it hurt as she made an effort to steady herself, and decided that it was perhaps best that Daniel should know exactly what had occurred. ‘ Mrs. Neal seemed to think I had some sort of hold over you, and offered me money to stay out of your way. ’
Daniel stared at her for a moment in stunned surprise, then threw back his head and laughed loudly, obviously finding the whole thing amusing. ‘What did you say to that?’ he asked when he was able to control himself.
‘I very nearly told her to go to the devil!’ she retorted angrily, then, calming herself, she said: ‘Daniel, that woman means trouble, and I have a terrible feeling that her venom is aimed at me personally. ’
‘You’re imagining things, Joanne,’ he told her seriously. ‘If I were you, I would ignore what’s just happened. There’s nothing Greta could possibly do to harm you. ’
‘I hope you’re right, that’s all I can say,’ she sighed, but that niggling suspicion persisted during the rest of that day, and the following, until she felt like a tightly coiled spring ready to snap at the least little thing.
‘Sister Webster, Mrs. Neal wishes to see you,’ Sister Dawson informed her on the telephone the moment she had returned from her lunch-hour.
‘I’m afraid I can’t make it today,’ Joanne evaded the request. ‘We have had a tight schedule this morning, and this afternoon—’ She hesitated, her thoughts darting nervously in several directions. ‘Tell Mrs. Neal I’m sorry, but it’s out of the question.’
‘She won’t like it,’ Sister Dawson warned irritably. ‘I’m having enough trouble with her as it is.’
Joanne felt sympathetic towards the ward Sister, but was determined not to be swayed from her decision. ‘ Mrs. Neal is too used to having her own way, but she won’t succeed with me.’
Later that afternoon a young ward nurse handed Joanne a small white envelope, and the expensive perfume clinging to it told her instantly from whom it came. Avoiding Alice’s curious glance, she slid the point of her scissors beneath the flap and ripped it open.
‘Sister Webster,’ the flowery handwriting began, ‘If you don’t want the entire hospital to know that you spent the week-end with Daniel, I suggest you pay me a visit during the course of the afternoon. Greta Neal.’
Joanne felt herself go cold as she ripped the short note into tiny pieces and dropped them into the bin beside her desk.
‘Mrs. Neal again?’ Alice guessed shrewdly, and when Joanne nodded, ‘I really don’t know why you allow that woman to get under your skin this way.’
Joanne smiled briefly, trying to banish her own fears. ‘Will you hold the fort for me while I go along and see what she wants this time?’
‘Of course,’ Alice smiled broadly, waving her on her way.
Joanne was not surprised to find Greta Neal in bed instead of walking about, or seated in the comfortable chair which had been provided. Medically speaking she was well enough to have gone home the day after the removal of her mole, but Greta Neal was the kind of woman who would make the most of such a situation, she recalled Daniel’s remark, and her wealth contributed to her behaviour.
‘Ah, I see you decided to be sensible about it after all,’ she greeted Joanne, her voice deceptively sweet.
‘You left me very little choice, Mrs. Neal,’ Joanne replied stiffly, venturing no further than the foot of the iron bed.
‘My dear girl, all I wanted to do was apologise for my behaviour yesterday.’ Greta smiled again at Joanne’s look of surprise. ‘Do you find it so strange that I should wish to do so in person?’
‘No, I don’t really. ’
‘I said some dreadful things to you, and I do apologise,’ that melodious voice persisted, but to Joanne it was like a sugar-coated pill with a core of bitterness.
‘That’s all right, Mrs. Neal,’ she murmured, suspicious of this sudden change of attitude, but Greta’s perfect features lit up in a smile of satisfaction.
‘Well, now that I have that off my chest ...’ She fidgeted against the pillows and glanced helplessly at Joanne. ‘I don’t suppose that, while you’re here, you could do something about these pillows of mine? They’re terribly uncomfortable.’
‘Yes, of course,’ Joanne said politely, Greta’s expensive perfume hovering about her as she shifted the pillows into a more comfortable position and straightened the sheets. ‘Is that better?’
‘Much better, thank you,’ that hard mouth curved into a smile. ‘Now, I wonder—’ She glanced at the bedside cupboard and broke off sharply, her eyes wide and anxious. ‘My ring! My diamond ring! It’s gone!’
Joanne’s nerves quivered at the sound of Greta’s raised voice. ‘Calm yourself, Mrs. Neal. It must be here somewhere.’
‘It was here on the cupboard before you came.’
‘Perhaps it fell on the floor,’ Joanne suggested, going down on her heels.
‘Don’t be an idiot, I would have heard it if it had fallen,’ Greta shrieked. ‘It’s a very valuable ring. It must be found. Do you understand? It must be found!’
Joanne glanced at her in alarm. ‘ Mrs. Neal—’
‘Call the Matron. Call Daniel. I want them here, and at once, do you hear!’
‘What on earth is going on here?’ Sister Dawson demanded as she marched into the ward and found Joanne practically on her hands and knees while she searched the floor in vain, then, rising to her feet, Joanne faced the dark-haired, stern-looking ward Sister.
‘Would you ask Matron to come here at once, and try to contact Dr. Grant as well.’ She gestured towards the blonde, cold-eyed woman in the bed. ‘ Mrs. Neal has lost her diamond ring.’
Sister Dawson closed her eyes as if this was the last straw, but she left the ward immediately to do as Joanne had asked.
As they waited, Joanne searched the floor once more, as well as the bedside cupboard and the bed. She searched in every conceivable place, but the ring was nowhere to be seen, and she had her hands full trying to calm the shrieking, agitated Greta Neal until she was sorely tempted to administer a stinging slap to that lovely face in order to quieten her.
‘What the devil is all this fuss about?’ Daniel demanded when he finally strode into the ward with Matron following in his wake.
‘Daniel!’ Greta cried dramatically. ‘My diamond ring! It’s gone, I tell you!’
‘For goodness’ sake, Greta,’ Daniel scowled. ‘Are you certain you haven’t put it away somewhere and forgotten about it?’
‘No, no, no!’ she insisted, gesturing theatrically. ‘I took it off and put it down on this cupboard. There,’ she indicated with a scarlet-tipped finger towards the spot where she had left it. ‘I used some hand lotion and then—and then Sister Webster arrived. I asked her to fix my pillows after a while, and then, when I looked for it, it was gone. ’
Matron swung round to face Joanne, her glance stern. ‘Have you searched the room, Sister Webster?’
‘Yes, Matron,’ Joanne replied, her head throbbing.
‘Mrs. Neal,’ Matron continued, turning her attention to the other woman, ‘di
d you say that your ring was on the bedside cupboard just before Sister Webster arrived?’
‘Yes, that is so,’ Greta replied adamantly, her glance sweeping Joanne’s still figure at the foot of the bed.
‘Did anyone else enter this room?’ Matron persisted sternly.
‘No ... only,’ she halted, her glance resting on Joanne, who began to feel the trickle of ice flowing through her veins as she saw the pure vindictiveness sparking from those grey eyes before their owner shrieked, pointing her long, slender finger at Joanne, ‘Matron! Search her! Search Sister Webster! She’s the only one—’
‘Are you out of your mind, Greta?’ Daniel interrupted harshly, while Joanne felt as though every drop of blood had been drained from her arteries to leave her rigid and cold.
‘Daniel,’ Greta continued hysterically, ‘I’m telling you that Sister Webster was the only one to enter this ward from the time I removed my ring, until I discovered that it was gone, and I insist that she be searched. ’
‘Well, really!’ Matron muttered uncomfortably, her portly figure quivering with indignation. ‘I have never had the
unpleasant task of searching anyone before.’
‘If the ring has been stolen, then she is the only one who could have taken it,’ Greta insisted harshly. ‘And she must still have it on her.’
‘Sister Webster, would you ... er ...’ Matron turned towards Joanne who stood pale and silent beside her. ‘Would you turn out your pockets, please.’
‘Don’t ask her to do it,’ Greta shrieked indignantly. ‘You do it!’
‘Really, Mrs. Neal!’ Matron objected, but Joanne was only vaguely aware of Matron’s blue-uniformed figure beside her as she met Daniel’s searching glance. She tried to look away, but couldn’t, finding herself unable to obey the silent command in his probing blue gaze. How could she defend herself, when everything Greta Neal had said was the truth? She was the only person to enter her ward, despite the fact that she had no knowledge at all of the ring’s presence on the bedside cupboard. Daniel glanced away suddenly, nodding in Matron’s direction, and Joanne spent a few degrading seconds while Matron slid her hands over her body, and finally searched her pockets.
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