by Morgan, Sara
Heather’s eyes filled. ‘He looks so poorly. What will happen?’
‘We wait for the results of these tests and we watch him,’ Andreas said, his eyes flickering to the child who was shifting restlessly on the trolley. He frowned slightly and pulled back the sheet Libby had used to cover Max. ‘He has a rash.’
Libby followed his gaze and saw that the child had indeed developed a rash all over his body.
Andreas looked at her and his eyes were warm. ‘You did the right thing, giving that penicillin,’ he said softly, and she swallowed.
She really needed to talk to him but she didn’t know when an opportunity was going to present itself.
Max started to improve over the next two days and once it was clear that he was no longer on the critical list, his parents started to relax slightly and even take short breaks away from the room.
Andreas had maintained a constant presence on the ward when the child had first been admitted, but once Max was out of danger he’d visited less frequently, kept busy by the other considerable demands of his job.
He made no attempt to seek Libby out and she wondered if it was intentional.
Was he giving her space?
Did he realise that she was desperate to speak to him?
In the end she came up with a plan and waited nervously for him to appear on the ward.
It was almost the end of her shift when he finally arrived, looking grim-faced after dealing with a tough case in A and E.
‘I wanted to check on Max before I went home,’ he said, walking past her into the room and smiling at the little boy.
‘Well, someone’s looking better,’ he murmured, watching as Max played happily with some toy cars that Libby had found for him in the playroom. ‘He is one lucky boy.’
Libby nodded, watching while he checked him over. ‘I wonder why the GP didn’t give penicillin?’
Andreas straightened. ‘Who knows? But the sooner your brother Alex gets out there the better, if you ask me.’
Libby smiled. ‘Alex won’t be working in London. He’s found himself a practice in Cornwall so that he can sail and windsurf and indulge in all the other hobbies he loves.’
Andreas looked at her. ‘What will you do about the flat?’
She blushed slightly. ‘I don’t know yet. His job doesn’t start until the end of August.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Andreas, I wanted to give you something.’
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the envelope she’d been carrying with her all week.
He took it with a frown and was about to open it when Bev stuck her head round the door and announced that he was wanted in A and E urgently.
‘Again?’ Andreas rolled his eyes and pocketed the envelope. ‘I’ll see you later. Maybe.’ His dark eyes were weary. ‘Unless it turns out to be a long one.’
It was a long one and Libby was at home, making herself a hot chocolate in her oldest jeans and a skimpy pink strap top, when the doorbell rang.
Libby opened the door, her heart pounding when she saw Andreas standing there.
He waved the envelope in her face, his expression wary. ‘You gave me a cheque for £1000.’
She nodded and stood to one side so that he could come in, but he didn’t move.
Instead, he frowned ominously. ‘You don’t owe me any money. I paid for a date and that’s what we had, Libby.’
‘And now it’s my turn,’ she croaked, wishing that she was wearing heels. She was standing in bare feet and he towered above her. ‘I want a date, Andreas, and £1000 seems to be the going rate. A bit steep, but I happen to think you’re worth it.’
There was a long silence and then he finally stepped inside her flat and closed the door firmly behind him.
‘What are you saying?’ His Greek accent was suddenly very pronounced and she fiddled with the hem of her top nervously, wondering whether he was going to walk away once she’d said what she had to say.
‘I want a date, Andreas, and as you’re obviously not going to ask me again, I thought I’d better ask you.’
‘Why do you want a date?’ His voice was hoarse and she took a deep breath, wondering why they were having this conversation in the hallway.
‘Because I want to be with you,’ she said simply. ‘And the reason I want to be with you is because I love you. And I know that what we have is too special to throw away.’
He closed his eyes briefly. ‘I never thought I’d hear you say that.’
‘And I never thought I’d say it,’ Libby admitted. ‘But then I met you and you changed the way I felt about everything.’
Andreas was very still. ‘I thought you didn’t trust me.’
‘I was wrong. I do trust you. And I’m sorry I overreacted about that letter. It was just that everything between us was so new—so special—I just couldn’t believe that it wouldn’t go wrong.’
He still didn’t make a move towards her. ‘Don’t you want to know about Eleni?’
Libby shook her head. ‘All I need to know is that you love me,’ she said softly. ‘That’s all that matters.’
He gave a groan and hauled her into his arms. ‘I love you but I’d given up hoping that you’d ever believe me.’
Libby buried her face in his chest. ‘I know. I’m sorry. I’m a hopeless case. The truth is I’ve never been in love before, and when it finally happened it all seemed too good to be true.’
He slid his hands round her face and forced her to look at him. ‘I was at fault, too. I underestimated just how hard it is for you to trust people. You’ve built this huge wall around yourself.’
‘It seemed the only way to survive.’
He stroked her cheek gently. ‘Tell me about your parents. I want to understand why you feel the way you do,’ he said quietly. ‘You hardly ever talk about them.’
Libby pulled a face. ‘That’s because they’re not my favourite topic of conversation.’ She took a deep breath and pulled away from him slightly. ‘Let’s just say that when I was growing up they weren’t like everyone else’s parents. Alex always says that the only reason the three of us have turned out remotely normal is because they had the sense to send us to boarding school.’
Andreas frowned. ‘It was that bad?’
‘Worse. For the first twenty-eight years of my life there was absolutely no evidence that my parents loved each other,’ Libby said bitterly. ‘They argued, Dad drank too much, and when he drank…’ She broke off and Andreas looked at her.
‘What happened when he drank? Was he violent?’
‘Sometimes.’ Libby rubbed her fingers across her forehead. ‘I suspect it was more than sometimes but we were at school so we didn’t really see it. It only happened once when we were at home and Alex went for him with a cricket bat. I called the police and I don’t think Dad ever really forgave me for that. But it wasn’t just the violence. It was the fact that they showed no affection towards each other and Dad had one affair after another.’
‘But they’re still together?’
‘Amazingly, yes.’ Libby gave a wry smile. ‘Years ago Dad ruined Katy’s relationship with Jago because he didn’t approve, and when they met up again years later Mum was so furious about what he’d done that she stood up to him for the first time in her life. I think the prospect of losing her brought him to his senses.’
‘Well, in the circumstances it’s hardly surprising that you don’t think relationships can work.’
‘It wasn’t just Mum and Dad,’ Libby confessed. ‘Apart from Jago, all the men I meet seem to be utterly faithless and without morals. Even Alex, who I adore, is a real bastard to women.’
‘And Philip?’
Libby laughed. ‘I was never serious about Philip, but all the same it was a real blow to my ego. I only ever seem to be everyone’s second choice. That’s why I couldn’t quite believe what was happening between us. It was too good to be true.’
Andreas nodded. ‘I understand now why you were so upset about the letter you found. Your confidence was so
fragile that you couldn’t risk trusting me.’
‘That’s true.’ Libby flushed and bit her lip. ‘And it’s also true that you’re so gorgeous and eligible I just couldn’t understand what you were doing with me, apart from amusing yourself.’
‘Would you like me to spell it out?’ Andreas smiled and then gave a sigh. ‘I’m going to tell you about Eleni, Libby, if only to prove to you just how much I love you.’
‘There’s no need—’
‘I want to,’ he said firmly. ‘I met Eleni when I worked in Boston. She’s a lawyer and we knew each other vaguely from functions in Athens that we’d both attended. We started dating, I suppose because we were both Greek as much as anything else.’
‘And you were in love with her?’
‘No. And that was the problem.’ He gave a wry smile. ‘She was desperate to get married. At the time I thought she loved me but I think the truth was probably that she just wanted to achieve the degree of respectability that marriage gives you if you’re Greek. She was thirty-two and that’s old to still be single in our culture. She saw me as a useful way out of her predicament. That was when she wrote me the letter. I didn’t know it was still in the drawer. I hadn’t been to the villa for six months.’
‘So what happened?’
Andreas pulled a face. ‘Adrienne was what happened. My mother was becoming concerned that I might marry Eleni and she knew that she was totally unsuitable for me. So she suddenly decided that Adrienne should live with me.’
‘But how did that effect your relationship with Eleni?’
‘The minute Eleni knew that I had responsibility for Adrienne she lost interest in me,’ he said dryly. ‘Eleni is not remotely maternal and the thought of being saddled with a moody teenager quickly destroyed any plans she might have had about marrying me. And also my mother knew I’d never marry a career-woman.’
Libby rolled her eyes. ‘I’m in love with a raving chauvinist.’
He grinned. ‘I’m Greek, agape mou, and Greek men are very traditional. I want a woman who’s happy to raise children with me.’
Libby raised an eyebrow. ‘Barefoot and pregnant?’
He glanced under the table to her bare feet. ‘I actually quite like those ridiculous heels you favour, but I love your bare feet, too. In fact, I love everything about you. The moment I saw you buried under a pile of children I knew you were the woman I wanted to marry.’
‘I thought you wanted me because I presented a challenge,’ Libby admitted, and he smiled.
‘I wanted you because I fell madly in love for the first time in my life. So what do you say, Libby? Are you prepared to marry a very traditional Greek male?’
‘Yes. And just to prove it, there’s a surprise waiting for you in my kitchen.’
Andreas lifted an eyebrow and glanced towards the closed door. ‘A surprise?’
Libby shrugged. ‘Why don’t you go and find out?’
Andreas pushed open the kitchen door and then smiled with delight. ‘Adrienne? What are you doing here?’
His niece flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. ‘Libby collected me earlier. She said that I don’t have to board any more. She told me that you’ve finally found a perfect housekeeper.’
Andreas cast a questioning look at Libby and she blushed.
‘I thought, between the two of us, we ought to be able to manage our shifts so that one of us can pick her up from school.’
Andreas smiled and held out a hand to her. ‘So I take it that your answer is yes? I thought you didn’t believe in happy endings.’
She walked up to him and slid her arms around both of them. ‘I didn’t until I met you, and the answer is definitely yes. As we’re going to get married, do you think Yiayia will mind if I kiss you in front of Adrienne?’
Without waiting for an answer, she stood on tiptoe and gave him a lingering kiss on the lips.
Adrienne gave a squeal of excitement. ‘You’re really going to get married? Can I be a bridesmaid?’
There was a brief pause while Libby reluctantly disengaged herself. ‘Absolutely! Which means that we girls have got some serious shopping to do.’
Andreas groaned. ‘Just don’t take me near that hairdresser again.’
Libby’s eyes twinkled. ‘Afraid you might be tempted?’
Andreas pulled her against him. ‘There’s only ever going to be one person who tempts me, agape mou—remember that.’
Libby lifted her mouth for his kiss. ‘I will.’
Epilogue
THE reception was in full swing and Libby relaxed back in her chair, smiling as she watched people enjoying the dancing.
‘Stop looking so happy.’ Alex pulled out the chair next to her and sat down, stretching his long legs out in front of him. ‘I suppose it was all the chocolate you put on the menu.’
Libby laughed. ‘Did you enjoy it?’
‘Apart from the chocolate-coated prawns,’ Alex said dryly, helping himself to her glass of champagne. ‘They challenged my palate. Where’s Andreas?’
‘Talking to Katy. She’s trying to persuade him to tell her where we’re going on our honeymoon.’
‘He still hasn’t told you?’
‘No. It’s a surprise.’ Libby sighed dreamily. ‘Isn’t it romantic?’
‘Not really.’ Alex took a large slug of champagne. ‘The guy probably just hasn’t made up his mind yet. Don’t read anything into it.’
Libby smiled placidly. ‘Today I’m too happy to hit anyone. Even you. How’s your date?’
Alex’s gaze flickered across the room and rested on a curvaceous blonde who was laughing loudly with a group of guests.
‘A bit like your chocolate. Better in small quantities.’
‘Your problem is that you’re dating the wrong women,’ Libby said sagely, and he gave a wicked grin.
‘I know. It’s something that I work really hard at.’
Libby reached across and took his hand. ‘I want you to be happy, Alex.’
He frowned at her. ‘Are you drunk?’
She looked pointedly at the glass of champagne in his hand. ‘How can I be drunk when you’re drinking my champagne?’
‘Then what’s all this sentimental nonsense about me being happy?’ He cast her a bored look. ‘I’m happy.’
Libby shook her head. ‘No, I mean I want you to be settled down with children.’
Alex lifted an eyebrow mockingly. ‘I thought you said you wanted me to be happy.’
Libby sighed. ‘Don’t you ever want children of your own?’
Alex shook his head, his blue eyes suddenly cool. ‘No. I do not.’
‘You’d be a great father.’
Her brother’s broad shoulders tensed and all traces of humour vanished from his handsome face. ‘We both know that’s not true.’
‘Somewhere out there, there’s a woman for you,’ Libby said firmly, and Alex drained the champagne glass.
‘Well, hopefully if I keep my head down she won’t see me.’ He put the glass down on the table, his blue eyes glittering. ‘I don’t do commitment, Libby. You know that.’
‘I didn’t think I did either,’ Libby said, ‘and look at me now.’
‘I’m looking,’ Alex drawled, a hint of a smile touching his hard mouth. ‘And so are most of the male guests. You’re the only bride I’ve ever met who thinks that ‘‘something blue’’ refers to the length of your dress. Were they short of fabric?’
Libby laughed. ‘I didn’t want to go down the aisle looking like a blancmange. Not my style. And anyway a long dress would have hidden my shoes. Don’t you just love my shoes?’
Alex glanced down. ‘I think the SAS use something similar for weapons training.’
Still laughing, Libby leaned across and kissed him. ‘You’re a total pain but surprisingly enough I’m going to miss you. Why do you have to go to Cornwall? Why can’t you be a GP in London?’
Alex was suddenly still. ‘Actually, I’m not going to be a GP,’ he said casually. ‘I mi
ss the pace of A and E.’
Her eyes widened. ‘You’re going back to trauma?’
‘I am.’
‘Where?’
‘In Cornwall. I need a change of scenery.’ Alex gave a wicked smile. ‘And, anyway, I’ve been out with all the blonde women in London.’
Libby looked at him thoughtfully. ‘Perhaps that’s where you’re going wrong. Perhaps you should pick a woman who isn’t blonde. What you need is a tiny, dark-haired girl with a flat chest.’
Alex threw back his head and laughed, and Libby caught her breath. Her brother was astonishingly handsome. It was hardly surprising that he broke hearts everywhere he went.
He was still smiling as he looked at her. ‘Why on earth would I need someone like that?’
‘Because all the women you’ve dated so far have failed to keep your attention for longer than five minutes,’ Libby explained with impeccable logic, ‘so you need to date someone who is totally opposite to your usual.’
‘Thanks for the advice,’ Alex said dryly, standing up and nodding briefly as Andreas approached. ‘Are you absolutely sure you did the right thing, marrying this woman? I mean, according to Adrienne, women were queuing up to marry you.’
‘I did the right thing.’ Andreas held out a hand and gave a slow smile that made Libby’s heart race. Suddenly she forgot about her brother. All she could think about was her own future, with the man she loved.
She stood up and held out a hand. ‘Time to smash some plates, Dr Christakos.’
And Andreas led her onto the dance-floor.