‘Meaning?’ he asked silkily, but with just enough inflection to put her off if she’d let it. She didn’t! He could come the Dr Jack Trent act if he chose to, but she wasn’t going to be deterred from saying her piece even though she knew she was probably wasting her breath.
‘Meaning that you have a lot to be thankful for, just as I do, Jack. You have your health and a job you love. You have friends who care about you and people who admire what you stand for. Put all those in the plus column and they’ll certainly outweigh the minuses.’
She didn’t mention the big minus, of course—his failed marriage. However, she knew that he’d probably filled it in. His smile was just a little too forced to be genuine.
‘I’ll bear it in mind, Meg. Now, I think it’s about time we returned to the Angel, don’t you?’
One last smile and he was gone. Meg sighed as she went to get Katu ready for the journey. She had a feeling that Jack thought she was an interfering busybody! Still, why let that bother her? It could have been worse…couldn’t it?
The others were gratifyingly pleased to have them back on board the train. Meg suspected that it was more the delight at having two more pairs of hands to share the workload than the fact they’d been missed! However, as she’d predicted, both Lesley and Kate immediately offered to share the extra burden of looking after Katu with her. They brushed aside her assurances that she didn’t expect it, and set up a rota. One of them would sleep in the hospital carriage each night to be on hand if the little girl needed anything.
Transporting Katu back to the Angel had been easier than they’d feared because Richard had offered to let them use one of his trucks. They were able to make the child fairly comfortable in the back and Meg had travelled with her. Jack had wanted to do it but as she couldn’t drive the Land Rover he’d had to accept that it was the only way.
Richard had waved them off after promising to catch up with them at a later date. He’d asked after the rest of the team and had shown concern when he’d learned that Yvonne Fleming hadn’t been well enough to accompany them. Meg hadn’t realised that Richard knew the nurse who she’d replaced and mentioned it to Lesley while they were waiting for their turn in the tiny bathroom that night.
Lesley sighed as she pulled a ragged lump off her sponge and tossed it out of the open carriage door. ‘I’m not sure what the situation is there but I have my suspicions. I thought it odd when Yvonne backed out at the last minute, to tell the truth. I suspect it had more to do with the thought of meeting up with Richard again than the fact that she wasn’t well enough to make this trip.’
‘So they know one another well, do they?’ Meg queried.
‘Very well, from what I can gather. Richard lived in England from when he was quite young. His family were expelled from Oncamba by the previous ruler. One of the reasons why he’s so down-to-earth is because he and his family didn’t have it easy—they had to leave everything behind when they fled the country and arrived in England with virtually nothing. Anyway, Richard and Yvonne were at university together, I believe, and very close at one time.’
‘I see. So you think Yvonne felt awkward about running into him again if they’d once had a relationship and split up?’
‘Something like that. Relationships are always difficult and a mixed-race one must create its own problems even in this day and age.’ Lesley looked round as the bathroom door opened and Rory appeared. ‘And about time, too. Who says that it takes a woman longer to get ready than a man? Obviously, they’ve not shared a bathroom with you, Rory O’Donnell!’
‘Is it my fault that I need extra time to make myself presentable?’ Rory looked soulfully at them. ‘Just because you two are natural visions of loveliness and don’t need to resort to all the primping and preening it takes to make me look halfway human!’ He sighed sadly. ‘Have you no compassion in your heart for the afflicted, Lesley?’
‘Not if it means you hogging all the hot water, no!’ Lesley whisked through the door then paused to smile sweetly at Rory. ‘Anyway, I’m sure Jack will appreciate all the trouble you’ve taken to make yourself presentable for his birthday party, so don’t feel too downhearted.’
‘Birthday party? It’s Jack’s birthday today, you mean?’ Meg couldn’t hide her surprise.
‘Yes. Didn’t he mention it?’ Lesley rolled her eyes. ‘I expect he’s forgotten all about it, knowing him. It’s a good job that some of us are on the ball and have got things organised. We’re throwing a party for him tonight so make sure you put on your best bib and tucker!’
Meg shook her head in bemusement as Lesley slammed the bathroom door. ‘I had no idea. I wish he’d mentioned it.’
‘Probably didn’t think you’d be interested. Or didn’t want you to know how old he is.’ Rory grinned. ‘If I was thirty-seven, I’d be keeping quiet about it, too!’
Meg laughed as he strolled unhurriedly back to his compartment. Rory had an answer for everything!
She frowned. Had Jack forgotten it was his birthday or had he chosen not to mention it to her? She had no real idea so it would be foolish to decide it was the latter. However, she couldn’t help wondering if, by not telling her, he’d been trying to keep a little more distance between them. It was hard to dismiss that thought and it hurt just a little and definitely more than it should!
‘A toast, folks. To Jack—may he keep on running these holiday trips for many years to come!’
Everyone laughed at Rory’s droll toast. Meg shook her head as she put down her glass of wine. ‘Holiday trips, indeed!’
Alison, seated beside her, laughed. ‘Not quite a week in Bognor Regis, is it? Still, I bet you’re glad you came, aren’t you?’
Meg smiled, her eyes going instinctively to where Jack sat at the opposite end of the table, squashed into what had been laughingly declared the seat of honour. ‘Yes,’ she replied softly, knowing that it was true. ‘Yes, I’m glad I came.’
Jack suddenly looked up and his eyes met hers along the length of the table. Meg felt her heart begin to race when she saw the awareness they held. Suddenly it felt as though all the noise and laughter had faded into the background as they looked at one another. There was a fizzing in her veins, a humming in her head, a feeling of expectancy coursing through her, before Alison elbowed her sharply in the ribs and everything returned to normal once more.
‘Hey, are you OK? You looked as though you’d gone into a trance.’ The girl shot a look down the table then gave a knowing smile. ‘Oh, I see. That’s how the wind blows, is it?’
Guy claimed her attention just then and Meg breathed a sigh of relief at having been spared the need to answer. Frankly, she wasn’t sure what she would have said. Maybe the wind was blowing, as Alison had so eloquently put it, but she wasn’t sure in which direction!
Jack rapped on the table with the handle of his knife to claim their attention, and she fixed her gaze on a spot a little to the left of his head, deeming it safer. No more lingering looks until she was sure what they meant, she decided, then almost laughed out loud at the stupidity of that thought. When had she ever known the true state of play since she’d met Jack Trent?
‘I won’t bore you by making a speech, folks—’ he began.
‘Then you’ll be the first doctor I’ve ever met who’s passed up the chance,’ Kate declared pithily, making everyone chuckle.
‘Thank you, Kate. I shall keep it even shorter, then.’ Jack grinned at her before he looked round the table. ‘Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all for tonight. I’d completely forgotten it was my birthday, to tell the truth, so it came as a double surprise. I appreciate it.’
Everyone clapped before Rory got up to refill their glasses. Meg put her hand over her glass to signal that she didn’t want any more wine. She shook her head when Rory frowned. ‘No, honestly. I don’t have much of a head for drink. Another glass and I won’t be responsible for my actions!’
Rory leered comically at her. ‘Sounds great to me!’
Meg laughed at his t
easing. It was impossible to take offence because there wasn’t a nasty bone in Rory’s body. It was odd, then, that when she happened to glance up she saw the angry look Jack gave the younger man.
Meg looked away but her heart was hammering faster than it should have been. Had Jack been annoyed because he’d thought that Rory was giving her a come-on? She tried to dismiss the idea by joining in the conversation as it flowed around the table, but it stayed at the back of her mind—niggling, tantalising, tormenting. It was a relief when she happened to glance at her watch and realised that it was time to check on Katu because it meant that she had a legitimate excuse to make her escape.
Squeezing out of her seat, Meg edged past the others, grinning when Kate ruefully muttered something about wishing she hadn’t eaten so much when she tried to pull her chair closer to the table to let her pass. Jack was right next to the door and he got up to move his chair out of the way so that she could open it.
‘Thanks.’ Meg avoided looking directly at him as she slid out of the door and hurried along the corridor. Her nerves were a little too tightly strung to have risked making eye contact. How would Jack feel if he knew that she’d sussed him out, realised that he’d been jealous when Rory had passed that remark? Probably about as stunned as she’d felt!
Katu was awake when Meg went into the hospital carriage. There were just four beds in there, each one sited next to a bank of monitoring equipment. Meg found herself wondering what the little girl thought of being surrounded by all the high-tech machinery.
It must seem like a whole different world to her, a world that was both unfamiliar and scary. However, there didn’t appear to be any sign of fear on the child’s face when Meg approached her bed. Far from it, in fact, as she saw Katu give her a shy smile. The child’s unconditional trust touched her deeply and she swore to herself that, no matter how difficult it was going to be, she would make sure that this child was taken care of for the rest of her life.
‘Hello, darling. How are you?’ She smiled at the little girl as she took her pulse. It was a lot stronger than it had been, its beat even and steady, and she nodded. ‘That’s very good, poppet. Now, let me take your temperature.’
Taking the thermometer from its holder, she slid it under the child’s armpit and waited a few seconds before checking the reading. Once again she was pleasantly surprised when she found that Katu’s temperature was almost normal.
‘What a clever little girl you are!’ Meg declared, popping the thermometer back into its holder and noting down the reading on the chart. She hung it back on the end of the bed then checked the drip, turning it down a fraction. Hopefully, they would be able to take Katu off the drip in a day or so as by then she should be taking enough fluids orally not to need it. She’d been lucky and once the wound on her leg had been dealt with she should recover, although what would happen to her in the future was something Meg would need to find out.
‘Right, that’s great,’ she declared, straightening the sheet and plumping up the pillows. Katu continued to watch her with huge, solemn eyes, showing no sign of wanting to go to sleep. Meg pulled over a chair and sat beside the bed, loath to leave the little girl there on her own.
‘Not sleepy yet? How about if I tell you a story?’
The child smiled, although Meg doubted whether she’d understood. She didn’t let it deter her, however, settling back in the chair as she began with the well-worn line with which all the best fairy-stories began. ‘Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess and her name was Katu.’
The child’s face lit up when she recognised her own name. Snuggling down against the pillows, she appeared to listen intently as Meg carried on. It was very quiet in the carriage because they were well away from where the others were partying. Meg lowered her voice, speaking softly as she wove her tale about a beautiful princess who met her handsome prince in the forest one day. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to name the prince Jack so she didn’t pause to give it any thought.
Katu’s lids were drooping as Meg neared the end of her story. The little girl gave a massive yawn then closed her eyes with a sigh of contentment. Meg smiled as she quietly stood up.
‘And the beautiful princess and handsome Prince Jack lived happily ever after,’ she whispered, turning to creep away. It was only then that she realised that she’d added an extra listener to her audience. Heat swept up her face when she saw Jack leaning against the doorjamb. It took her all her time to walk towards him, but where else could she have gone? There was one way in and one way out, and the fact that he was standing slap bang in the centre of it meant that she had to pass him!
He waited until she was almost facing him before he spoke, and she heard the bemusement in his voice with a sinking heart.
‘Prince Jack?’
Meg came to a halt and shrugged. ‘Why not? It…it was the first name that came to mind, that’s all.’
‘I see. So it wasn’t that you used me as your role model? Pity. I rather liked that idea.’
Meg stared at him, wondering if she’d heard right. Jack was teasing her about making free with his name? Surely not!
She took a quick step forward then stopped when he didn’t move out of her way. ‘Excuse me,’ she said politely, glancing pointedly at the doorway.
‘Sorry. Where are my manners?’ He stepped aside with a lavish bow, his grey eyes glinting wickedly as he glanced up at her from his position bent double. ‘Hardly what you’d expect from a prince, is it?’
Meg’s mouth pursed because she wasn’t sure it would be wise to let any words escape. The situation seemed to be fraught with danger, though she wasn’t sure why. Jack was just having a bit of fun, teasing her about adopting his name for her fairy-story hero, so why didn’t she take it in good part as he expected her to do? She wasn’t sure but, then, she hadn’t been sure about anything recently so it was hardly a surprise.
That was another annoying—disturbing, dangerous-seeming—thought. Meg swept past him with regal disdain, refusing to sully her mind with any more such unsavoury thoughts. If she could have washed it clean of Jack Trent and the effect he had on her then she would happily have done so at that moment!
Jack chuckled, or that was what it sounded like before he hurriedly cleared his throat. Meg shot him a baleful look over her shoulder as she swept along the corridor. ‘What? Obviously something has amused you so out with it.’
‘Me amused? Surely that’s a contradiction in terms? I mean, I’m the guy who doesn’t feel what others feel, the one who’s devoid of human emotions.’
Her lips quirked despite herself but she forced them back into shape. ‘Well, you said it.’
‘I’m not the only one, though, am I?’ They’d reached her compartment by then, and she stopped when she found an arm suddenly barring her way. ‘That’s what you accused me of, Meg. Maybe I’m beginning to think that you could be right. And maybe I want to do something about it, only I’m not sure how.’
‘Only maybe?’ She took a quick breath yet still felt breathless when she saw the uncertainty in his eyes. To see Jack looking so unsure immediately aroused the tenderest of feelings inside her. She wanted to reassure and comfort him, promise him that he wouldn’t get hurt again, but she didn’t have that kind of power. The only one who would be able to heal his injured heart was Briony, the one who’d broken it in the first place, the one he still loved. How it hurt to realise that!
Her voice was flat because she was so afraid that he would hear the pain if she didn’t erase it totally. ‘You have to be one hundred per cent sure of what you want, Jack. You need to be committed and determined and…and…a lot of things you aren’t now! Otherwise it won’t work.’
He nodded gravely. ‘So that’s your advice, is it? That I make a decision and go for it?’
‘Yes,’ she whispered miserably, feeling for the doorhandle. ‘You can’t be half-hearted about getting what you want from life, Jack. You have to put as much effort into it as you put into your work.’
He let his arm drop and there was a rueful expression on his handsome face. ‘The trouble is that I can pretty accurately weigh up the odds where work is concerned, but it isn’t so easy in other areas of your life, is it? That’s the worrying part.’
‘If you’re saying that there aren’t any guarantees, you’re right.’ She shrugged and the small movement was almost too much for her, sapping the last of her strength. ‘You have to take a few risks, but it would be worth it. If Briony knew how much you regretted getting divorced, it might help her get her own life straight.’
‘Briony?’ Jack’s brows peaked. He suddenly laughed as he leant forward and kissed the tip of Meg’s nose. ‘What has Briony got to do with this? My ex-wife isn’t part of this equation. I have no idea why you should have imagined that she had.’
Meg’s mouth fell open as he calmly carried on along the corridor. She heard a burst of laughter when the lounge door opened then it was abruptly cut off as the door was closed once more. The silence came back but it was such a noisy silence that Meg pressed her hands over her ears. Maybe the questions were only inside her head but it felt as though they were being shouted at her. Her ears were ringing from the assault.
What had Jack meant? If he hadn’t been speaking about his ex-wife then to whom had he been referring? Her, Meg Andrews? Someone else? No one in particular? Just a general observation?
Meg rushed into her compartment and slammed the door. Flinging herself on her bunk, she tried to sort through the jumble and make sense of it. She was usually good at that sort of thing but tonight she failed miserably. If Jack was thinking about getting his personal life back on track, she had no idea why!
CHAPTER EIGHT
‘THIS is going to need a skin flap, not just a graft. Too much tissue has been lost for a graft to take. However, that kind of surgery is too delicate for us to undertake on a trip like this.’
Jack treated Katu to a warm smile as he drew the sheet over her. He felt in his pocket and produced a bright red Biro. He laughed when the little girl’s eyes lit up as she eagerly reached for it. Katu adored drawing and was never happier than when she had some paper and a pen in her hands.
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