The Spanish Consultant
Page 15
‘She’s in anaphylactic shock,’ Katy muttered. ‘Her lips and tongue are swollen and she’s wheezing badly. Ask them what happened. Has she been stung?’
There was a rapid exchange of Spanish and then Jago hunkered down beside her. ‘They say that she was stung by a bee a few minutes ago.’ He sucked in a breath as he looked at the young woman. ‘She’s bad and I don’t have anything in my car.’
‘My handbag.’ Katy looked up at him, her blonde hair flopping over her face. She scraped it away with an impatient hand. ‘Get my handbag, quickly.’
Without arguing, Jago did as she requested, returning in seconds with the bag she’d left in the footwell of the car.
She snapped it open and rummaged to find what she needed.
‘Where was she stung?’
She addressed her question to Jago, who translated quickly and then turned back to Katy.
‘Above her eye.’
‘We’ve got to get that sting out.’ Katy located the sting and then removed it quickly with some forceps that she always kept in her bag.
‘We need to give her some adrenaline.’ She reached into her bag again and removed a small box that she always carried. ‘I presume someone has called an ambulance?’
‘It’s on its way,’ Jago said, looking at her in stunned disbelief. ‘What have you got there?’
‘Adrenaline and hydrocortisone,’ Katy muttered. ‘I always carry it.’
Aware of the horrified murmurings of the crowd, she jabbed the woman in the arm and delivered the adrenaline as fast as she could. Then she picked up the other syringe, brisk and competent.
She knew exactly what needed to be done and she knew that it needed to be done quickly.
‘Can you squeeze her arm for me?’
Jago obliged and Katy searched for a vein and then injected the hydrocortisone.
Dropping the empty syringe back into the box, she then moved the woman into the recovery position with Jago’s help.
‘Her breathing’s improving, but just to be on the safe side I’m going to give her some chlorpheniramine as well.’ She rummaged in her bag again, aware that Jago was watching her with amazement.
‘She’s starting to recover.’ He checked the woman’s pulse. ‘This is unbelievable. Do you carry an entire drug cabinet in your handbag?’
Despite the seriousness of the situation, she managed a smile. ‘I happen to be an expert in this particular emergency. There’s nothing else we can do now. She needs high-dose oxygen. I wish that ambulance would hurry up.’
Even as the words left her mouth they saw the ambulance approaching.
‘She needs to be admitted,’ Katy said, dropping the remains of the injections back into the box and returning it to her handbag. ‘Twenty per cent of patients relapse within eight to twelve hours. Better make sure they know that.’
The moment the words left her mouth she coloured. Why was she telling him that? Jago would almost certainly be aware of the fact.
Jago was speaking to the ambulance crew in Spanish and suddenly an oxygen cylinder appeared.
By now the young woman was sitting up, looking decidedly shaky and pale but very much alive.
An older woman burst into tears and flung her arms around a startled Katy.
‘She’s the woman’s mother,’ Jago said softly, a strange expression in his dark eyes. ‘She says that you saved her daughter’s life and she will always be in your debt.’
He spoke to the woman and she nodded and gave Katy a final hug before releasing her.
Suddenly the whole crowd was swarming round her and Katy looked at Jago in mute appeal.
He grinned and shouldered his way through to her. ‘You’re a bit of a heroine.’
‘I just did what anyone would have done,’ she mumbled, and he lifted an eyebrow.
‘Most people don’t carry an entire drug cabinet around with them.’
She smiled self-consciously and watched as they loaded the woman into the ambulance. ‘Can we go now?’
‘If that’s what you want.’
He took her hand and led her through the crowd and she slid into the Ferrari with relief, feeling her limbs start to shake.
‘Are you all right?’ He settled himself in the driver’s seat and frowned at her. ‘You look very pale all of a sudden.’
She took a deep breath and gave him a wobbly smile. ‘I think it just hit me that it could have had a different ending. She had a very severe reaction.’
‘She would have died if it hadn’t been for you,’ Jago said roughly, rubbing a hand over his face and letting out a long breath. ‘All right. Enlighten me. Why the hell do you carry all those drugs in your handbag?’
‘Because of Libby.’
His eyes narrowed. ‘Libby?’
‘My sister is severely allergic to bee stings,’ Katy told him. ‘She carries adrenaline herself but I’ve got so used to worrying about her whenever we’re out together in summer that I’ve just got used to carrying a stock of drugs. Alex does the same.’
Jago shook his head. ‘Unbelievable.’ He surveyed her with amusement and no small degree of admiration. ‘I thought you were no good at immediate care?’
A warm feeling spread inside her and she flushed, pleased by his praise. ‘I just happened to know about anaphylactic shock because of Libby.’
‘Well, you undoubtedly saved that girl’s life,’ he said softly. ‘I certainly don’t carry adrenaline in my boot, although from now on I think I might do just that.’
Two hours from Seville, Jago turned down a dusty track and Katy saw a beautiful traditional Spanish farmhouse.
‘Oh—it’s beautiful.’ The dusty bricks were a warm shade of apricot and the dwelling was surrounded by a terrace shaded by vines.
The front door opened and she recognised Jago’s mother Maria, the woman who had been her parents’ housekeeper for several years.
She stood back while they greeted each other, wondering what Maria would make of her presence.
Would she be surprised to see her?
Releasing Jago and wiping her eyes, Maria caught sight of her and her face brightened. She said something to Jago in Spanish and then stepped forward and embraced Katy affectionately.
‘As beautiful as ever.’ She reached up a hand and touched Katy’s cheek. ‘You are so very fair.’ She frowned at her son. ‘You must be careful not to let her burn in this hot sun.’
Touched by the warmth of her welcome, Katy followed them inside the spacious farmhouse, through a traditional kitchen and out onto a large terrace shaded by vines. Sunlight dappled the long wooden table, which was laid for dinner.
A couple were seated at the table and Jago greeted them and introduced them to Katy.
‘Juan and Rosita Ruiz.’ He took Katy’s hand and pulled her forward. ‘My aunt and uncle. I’m afraid they speak very little English.’
‘Hola.’ Katy returned their greeting shyly, using her very limited Spanish, and soon she was seated at the table, enjoying the warmth of their hospitality.
They ate plump olives and lamb roasted in herbs, and drank the warmest, most delicious red wine she’d ever tasted, and soon she found herself relaxing.
Totally at home in her new surroundings, Katy found herself sneaking looks at Jago, marvelling at the change in him.
He lounged in his chair, long legs stretched out in front of him, more relaxed than she’d ever seen him, switching smoothly between Spanish and English so that he could communicate with everyone.
By the time they’d finished dinner it was late and Katy fell into bed exhausted.
She awoke the next morning and found Jago already in the kitchen, drinking coffee.
‘Good morning.’ He rose to his feet and gestured to the food on the table. ‘Toasted bread, home-made jam and café con leche—milky coffee. Help yourself.’
She settled herself at the table, trying not to look at the dark shadow of his hard jaw. Her constant awareness of him was so intense that it was making her jumpy.
‘Jago—’
‘My family are very traditional and I would in no way offend them by broadcasting our relationship,’ he said quietly, pouring her coffee and handing it to her. ‘On the other hand, if you are going to carry on looking at me with that totally dizzy expression on your face, we’re going to have to go and find ourselves a barn, querida.’
She blushed hotly at his teasing reminder of their relationship eleven years earlier. After that first encounter they’d continued to meet in the barn and the surrounding fields, often spending the entire night entwined together.
She had too many knots in her stomach to eat and he shot her an amused look and stood up.
‘If you’ve finished, go and put a hat on. We’re going for a walk and my mother is worried that you’ll damage that delicate English skin of yours.’
Wondering where he was taking her, Katy found the pretty hat that Libby had tucked into her case and joined him on the terrace.
There was no sign of Maria or Jago’s aunt and they left the farmhouse and walked along a dusty track that eventually led to a river. In the early morning sunlight it glistened and danced over boulders and Katy smiled with delight.
‘It’s beautiful.’ It was the clearest water she’d ever seen and she watched it with fascination. ‘What a lovely place.’
‘The river marks the boundary of our property,’ Jago told her, stooping to pick up a stone and tossing it in the water.
She glanced around her, screwing up her eyes against the sun. It was still quite early and yet already she could feel the heat on her skin.
‘I love it here.’
‘Do you?’ He turned her to face him, his eyes suddenly intent. ‘I bought it with the money your father gave me when I left the company.’ Suddenly his eyes were hard and his fingers tightened on her arm in an almost painful grip. ‘When he suggested that I leave, he also made Maria homeless and jobless.’
Shocked by that sudden revelation, Katy felt her mouth dry. At the time she’d been so distraught about her own situation she hadn’t thought to question what had happened to her parents’ housekeeper. She’d known that her leaving had coincided with Jago’s but she’d just assumed that it had been coincidence. How could she have been so naïve?
Suddenly she felt horribly sick. ‘My father fired her?’
Jago’s eyes were as hard as flint and his mouth tightened. ‘Let’s just say he made it impossible for her to stay.’ He released her and turned to stare at the river. ‘Your father was in possession of some information which he knew would hurt my mother.’
Katy’s knees were trembling. ‘What information?’ It was a favourite trick of her father’s. He somehow managed to find something on everyone.
Jago didn’t respond immediately and the silence seemed to stretch into infinity.
Katy felt her heart plummet uncomfortably. Part of her didn’t even want to know what her father had done, but she knew that there had been too many secrets between them already.
‘Jago?’
‘Maria isn’t my mother.’ He made the statement in a matter-of-fact voice. ‘My real mother had me at nineteen, was married immediately and then proceeded to have affairs with anyone that crossed her path.’
Katy stared at him, mute. Maria wasn’t his real mother? His mother had had affairs?
‘The people of Andalucia are very traditional. In some ways quite backward,’ he said dryly. ‘Machismo still rules in this part of Spain.’
Katy found herself holding her breath, knowing that there was more to come.
‘My father eventually heard of one of her affairs and he shot her.’
Katy gasped and lifted a hand to her mouth. ‘Jago—no!’
‘No one thought he meant to do it,’ Jago said, his voice strangely flat. ‘He was just so crazed with grief that he wasn’t rational. When he realised that he’d killed her he turned the gun on himself.’
Shocked into silence, Katy sank down onto a rock and stared at him.
‘It created a huge scandal, of course,’ Jago said in a lifeless voice. ‘I was six years old so I wasn’t aware of much, but I realised that suddenly no one seemed to want to play with me.’
She licked her lips. ‘So what happened?’
‘Fortunately for me, my mother had two sisters who realised that I needed to be taken away if I was ever going to be able to lead a normal life. People in Andalucia have very long memories. Maria moved to England with me and took a job as a housekeeper. It was very brave of her. At the time she spoke hardly any English, but she thought her secret was safe in England.’
‘But my father knew about it?’
‘Of course.’ Jago’s mouth tightened and a muscle worked in his lean jaw. ‘As you’ve pointed out before, your father knows everything. He kept the information to himself in case he ever needed it. And, of course, once I showed interest in his daughter, he knew that that time had come. There was no way he wanted that sort of scandal attached to his family.’
‘Oh, my God.’ Katy stared at him, understanding more clearly why her father had been so determined to keep them apart. A high-profile figure, her father only ever wanted to read good things about himself in the press. At the time she’d thought that his objection had stemmed from the fact that Jago wasn’t English and didn’t have the right pedigree, but obviously there had been so much more to it than that.
Jago was still talking. ‘Once he successfully removed me from your life, he knew that he had to get rid of Maria too or he’d risk me running into you when I visited her.’
Katy shook her head and swallowed hard. ‘I never knew. I never knew that Dad made her leave. When I came out of hospital she was gone and I was just told that she’d decided to go back to Spain. I’m so sorry.’
He shrugged dismissively. ‘Not your fault and, to be honest, Maria was ready to leave. She wanted to go back home but didn’t really have the means.’ He gave a short laugh. ‘Fortunately, those years working for your father in the bank gave me the means. I bought her this place and she lives here with her other sister and brother-in-law.’
‘And the locals?’
‘They were apparently impressed with the way she sacrificed her homeland to care for a small, vulnerable child. She’s been accepted back into society and lives very happily here.’
Katy was digesting the full implication of his words. ‘No wonder you were so upset when you thought I was having an affair.’
He gave a wry smile. ‘As I said, querida, for me faithfulness is the minimum requirement in a relationship.’
And she could understand why.
He’d grown up with the knowledge that his whole family had been destroyed by the actions of his mother.
For the first time she saw those photographs as he must have seen them.
As the ultimate betrayal.
For a man with such a shocking secret buried in his past, was it really surprising that he’d overreacted?
‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I understand now why you reacted so strongly when you saw those photographs.’
He gave a twisted smile. ‘As you pointed out, your father was a master at manipulation. He knew exactly how to extract the maximum response from me.’
Numb with despair, Katy looked around her, aware of the calm beauty of her surroundings and yet barely seeing it. ‘I’m really so very sorry about everything. And I’m sorry about what my father did to your mother.’
She felt mortified. Embarrassed and horrified at this latest example of her father’s utter ruthlessness.
‘Your father was very thorough,’ Jago observed, the expression in his dark eyes veiled by thick lashes. ‘He didn’t want me involved with you and he was prepared to go to any lengths to prevent it.’
‘He succeeded,’ Katy said sadly, reflecting on the utter devastation that his actions had caused.
‘Maybe not. We seem to have found e
ach other again.’ Jago stepped towards her and cupped her face in his hands. ‘You know that you can’t marry Freddie. He is wrong for you, and if you’d loved him you never would have slept with me.’
Katy almost smiled at the irony of that self-satisfied statement. Only a week ago he had believed her capable of exactly that. But now she understood his sensitivity in that area.
‘I’m not going to marry Freddie,’ she said quietly. ‘I ended it that night you came to the flat.’
There was a long silence and when he finally spoke his voice was hoarse. ‘You did end it? But you didn’t tell me—you let me think…’ He broke off and dragged a hand through his dark hair. ‘Why?’
She swallowed. ‘Because I wanted to keep you at a distance.’
He gave a groan and hauled her against him. ‘Have you any idea what I went through, thinking that you were still going to marry him? It was torture. And it’s never going to happen again.’ He let go of her suddenly and cupped her face in his lean hands, his eyes fierce. ‘I want you to marry me.’
Katy stilled, convinced that she must have misheard him. ‘Pardon?’
‘Perhaps I’ll rephrase that.’ His voice was low and velvety. ‘You are going to marry me.’
Her heart stampeded against her chest wall. ‘But why? Why would you want to marry me?’
There was only the briefest hesitation on his part. ‘Because you and I are good together.’
Katy swallowed back her disappointment. He’d made no mention of love. Clearly what he’d meant had been that they were good together in bed.
‘Good sex doesn’t guarantee a good relationship, Jago.’
He frowned. ‘I’m not just talking about the sex. There has always been something between us.’ He looked at her warily, clearly out of his depth and struggling to express himself, and she loved him all the more for it.
He was so utterly hopeless at talking about his feelings. And perhaps that was understandable. After such an awful childhood it was hardly surprising that he’d come to rely very much on his own resources.
And he might not love her but she loved him.
Couldn’t that be enough?