‘I can’t…’ Jessie’s voice was a frightened whisper and her face drained of colour.
‘Why not?’
‘You don’t know…’
‘What he did to you?’ There was a stillness in Niall’s eyes. He met her frightened look and he swore.
‘Where is he now, Jess?’
‘In…in prison.’
‘May he rot there,’ Niall said savagely. ‘Jess, give me a chance.’
‘I can’t.’
‘You can,’ he said softly. ‘All you have to do is trust. Put your heart in my keeping, my lovely Jessie, and watch how I treasure it. I swear…’
‘Niall, don’t…’ Jess pulled away. ‘Please, it’s too soon. It’s too…I hardly know you. I…I’ve known you less than a week…’
‘So you have,’ Niall said slowly, his eyes never leaving her face. ‘Less than a week. Why do I feel as if you’ve been in my heart for all of my life?’
‘No!’ It was a cry of panic. Things were way out of control here.
She never should have let this go so far. She had to get away. ‘Please, Niall…’
‘Let you go?’ He released her then and stepped back. The smile faded from his eyes.
‘I can’t constrain you, Jessie,’ he said softly. ‘I can’t make you trust me. I can only hope…’
‘No…Please…I have to go…’
Silence.
Then, very slowly as if acknowledging some absolute truth, Niall Mountmarche nodded.
‘You do.’ Niall looked at his wrist-watch and gave a rueful smile. ‘Your responsibilities await, my lovely Jessie. But wherever you go, know that your heart rests here.’
He didn’t touch her again. Jess stood stock still, staring up at him with frightened eyes.
Did she dare trust?
Dear heaven…
‘I have to go,’ she whispered again and, with a sob of panic, she turned and fled.
CHAPTER EIGHT
IT WAS a strange and stressful week.
Jessie’s working world had changed dramatically.
The little hospital seemed to come alive. It was as if it had been hibernating-waiting. Niall Mountmarche’s presence was everywhere.
The nurses thought Dr Mountmarche wonderful-and so did the islanders. They arrived at the clinic in droves, driven more by curiosity than ill health, and Niall found himself booked solid.
‘What on earth have you got me into?’ he laughed at Jess as they passed in the corridor toward the end of the week-and Jess flinched.
‘I’m sorry…I never meant…’
‘To drag me or my daughter out of hibernation?’ He barred her passage and laughed down into her tense face. ‘Liar. You’ve lost the island its ogre.’
‘I’m…’
Her voice faded. This man made her feel totally inept.
‘How’s Matilda?’ Niall’s smile faded.
‘Not…not good.’ Jess took a deep breath. She was behaving like a nervous kid-and, for heaven’s sake, this man was a medical colleague. ‘I think we’re losing the battle.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Niall said gently and his eyes told her that his words weren’t just a platitude. He knew how much Matilda meant to the Benns.
‘She’s still standing,’ Jess told him, her voice unconsciously forlorn, ‘but…’
‘But?’
She shrugged. ‘It’s a big “but”.’ She hesitated. The thought of Matilda as she’d last seen her depressed her unutterably.
Try another topic.
‘Wasn’t Paige meant to be with me this afternoon?’ The informal arrangement was that Paige would spend most of her days with Jess but more and more the child was immersing herself in hospital life. At any given time she could be with one of the nurses or making biscuits with Cook or chatting to the hospital gardener. As long as she knew where Jess and Niall were the little girl seemed content.
‘Listen for the giggles and you’ll find her,’ Niall smiled. ‘If it wasn’t for my daughter I’d be cursing your interference but…’
‘A happier “but”?’ Jess asked and smiled.
‘A happier “but”. Jessie, I’d like you to come to the vineyard for dinner tonight.’
‘I’m busy.’
‘Doing?’
‘Doing what I need to do,’ Jess snapped. She took a deep breath. ‘Dr Mountmarche, my little animals need feeding and I have to go back out to the Benns.’
‘Ask Geraldine’s daughter to feed your babies.’
‘I might have to, anyway,’ Jess admitted. ‘Matilda’s really getting worse. Tonight…’
‘Could be the end?’ Niall’s eyes showed concern. ‘That bad, Jess?’
‘That bad.’
‘Would you like me to come with you?’
‘No.’ Jess shook her head. ‘I can cope alone.’
‘You always do-but you don’t have to.’
‘Yes, I do,’ Jessie said blankly. ‘Now…If you’ll excuse me…’
‘Let me close, Jess,’ Niall said softly and it was as much as Jessie could do not to burst into tears.
‘N-no,’ she managed again-but only just-and turned and walked in the opposite direction.
Niall couldn’t have helped.
Jess tried to make her confused mind get things straight as she drove out to the Benns.
Niall Mountmarche was laying siege to her heart. Somehow he’d penetrated the armour she’d so carefully built in the year since she’d been betrayed and nearly killed by John Talbot. Just by looking at her, Niall Mountmarche could pierce her shell-like armour.
The shell was a fragile protection.
So…
So grow thicker armour, she snapped to herself savagely as she drove into the night. Or run…
There’s nowhere to run.
You could leave the island.
Some things were unthinkable.
‘I can’t face it.’
There was more than one thing that was unthinkable.
Jess faced Ray Benn with a heavy heart. The man had been waiting for her. He swung back the gate and, as she emerged from the car, Jess saw his broad face was streaked with tears.
‘She’s down, Jess…Her legs just folded on her a couple of hours ago. I can’t…I dunno…I just can’t bear to watch. She’s suffered enough.’
Jess put a gentle hand on his shoulder. ‘I’ll do what I must, Ray,’ she told him. ‘You wait inside.’
There was little enough to do. Jess knelt in the stall with the ailing mare and ran her hand along the trembling flank. This was a cruel way for a horse to end her days-all for want of simple vaccination.
There was nothing Jess could do to save her now. Once a horse this ill was down…
She gave the injection fast and Matilda died quietly on the straw.
