One stolen kiss...

Nurse Megan Wheeler won’t let that passionate kiss, or the way she feels about Jaye Perera, ruin her dream job. Yes, he may be a duke, a doctor and devastatingly handsome but he’s also her future boss, and that’s a boundary she won’t—can’t—cross!

But working side by side under the Sri Lankan sun is a delicious torture. One that reveals to Megan a different side of guarded Jaye... After the hurts they’ve both experienced, can they learn to trust in love again?

Dear Reader,

I’m one of those people who sometimes finds it hard to keep a secret. The days before birthdays and Christmas are full of agonising anticipation for me—will my family and friends like the surprises I’ve carefully planned and have in store for them?

But of course there are so many kinds of secrets. And knowing exactly when to keep a secret is an art. No one expects that a confidence shared with someone we trust will be betrayed. And there are some things that don’t need to be said and will only cause others unnecessary pain. But there are some secrets that will eat away at us and poison our world.

Megan Wheeler and Jaye Perera both have their secrets. But the challenges they face bring them to the realisation that the things they don’t say have much more of an effect on their lives than the things they do.

Jaye and Megan took me with them on a fascinating journey from the splendours of an English country house to the magic of Sri Lanka. I hope you enjoy reading their story as much as I did writing it.

I’m always thrilled to hear from readers, and you can contact me via my website, at annieclaydon.com.

Annie x

Cursed with a poor sense of direction and a propensity to read, ANNIE CLAYDON spent much of her childhood lost in books. A degree in English Literature followed by a career in computing didn’t lead directly to her perfect job—writing romance for Mills & Boon—but she has no regrets in taking the scenic route. She lives in London: a city where getting lost can be a joy.

Born and raised on the Wirral Peninsula, in England, Charlotte Hawkes is mum to two intrepid boys who love her to play building block games with them and who object loudly to the amount of time she spends on the computer. When she isn’t writing—or building with blocks—she is company director for a small Anglo/French construction company. Charlotte loves to hear from readers, and you can contact her at her website: charlottehawkes.com.

Forbidden Night with the Duke

Annie Claydon

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Books by Annie Claydon

Mills & Boon Medical Romance

Stranded in His Arms

Rescued by Dr. Rafe

Saved by the Single Dad

The Doctor She’d Never Forget

Discovering Dr. Riley

The Doctor’s Diamond Proposal

English Rose for the Sicilian Doc

Saving Baby Amy

Visit the Author Profile page

at millsandboon.co.uk for more titles.

To all those who run to help.

Praise for Annie Claydon

‘This is such a beautiful story filled with lots of emotion as two people get a second chance at love, and one that is so well deserved.’

—Goodreads on

Rescued by Dr Rafe

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Dear Reader

About the Author

Title Page

Booklist

Dedication

Praise

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

IN THE SCHEME of things it wasn’t so much of a catastrophe. The building was still in one piece, no one had died, and the sun was still shining outside. But as everyday disasters went, this one was about the worst that Megan Wheeler could imagine. She’d really wanted this job, and now it seemed an impossibility.

It had all been going so well. The interviews had been tough but constructive, and her confidence had been vindicated when a job offer had arrived in the post. There would be a four-day induction workshop in Gloucestershire, hosted by the charity she would be working for, which would be attended by delegates from a number of different charities.

She’d packed her suitcase carefully, allowing for an outfit to meet every eventuality, and an early start meant that she’d been able to make the drive to Holte Hall in good time, stopping off for a cup of tea to make sure that she didn’t arrive embarrassingly early, or mortifyingly late.

Excitement thrilled through her as she followed the signs which led from the elaborate gates up to the hall. The massive house rose on the horizon, all ornate stonework and grand windows, and as she drove towards the group of cars in the curving driveway, two teenaged boys waved her into a parking space and then directed her towards the impressive, canopied entrance.

John Ferris, the chief executive of the charity she was to work for, was standing in the cavernous hallway, ready to greet everyone. He expressed his pleasure at seeing her again, and passed her over to another teenager, who showed her to her room.

There was scarcely time to appreciate the elegant bedroom, with its modern, gleaming en suite bathroom, before she was summoned back downstairs again. Twenty or so people were chatting over coffee and pastries, and by the time the group was ushered towards the chairs that were set out at the far end of the room, Megan had exchanged nervous smiles with a number of her fellow delegates.

John Ferris had stood up to say a few words. All of the four different charities represented here would be holding sessions designed to equip the new recruits for the jobs that awaited them. He’d leave it to their host, the owner of Holte Hall, and chairman of the board of trustees of his own charity, to give them an idea of what the next four days had in store.

He gave a grinning shrug, running his hand across the bald patch on the top of his head. ‘When we can find him, that is...’

It was clearly not unusual for their opening speaker to go missing. Someone opened the door a couple of inches and called along the hallway, and a thrill of nervous laughter ran around the room. Then the bottom of Megan’s world suddenly dropped out, leaving her suspended in a mixture of horror and disbelief.

Jaye Perera.

Jaye had always known how to make an entrance, and this time it was no different. Fairy-tale handsome, with long-lashed brown eyes, which gave a touch of softness to an otherwise wholly masculine face. Dark hair that curled around the collar of his open-necked shirt. It was as if he’d been designed with the express purpose of making the female heart beat a little faster.

His dress and demeanour implied approachability, but his immaculate grooming indicated that he could be as smart as the next man if he put his mind to it. Megan heard the young woman sitting next to her catch her breath.

Most people did that. When she’d first seen him five years ago, sweeping through the hospital ward, deep in conversation with one of the senior doctors, Megan had done it. The dark good looks of his Sri Lankan father, along with the title he’d inherited from his mother’s family, tended to make an impression. And when Jaye apologised for not being where he was supposed to be at the appointed time, his regret seemed heartfelt.

But Jaye Perera had a history of not being where he was supposed to be. He hadn’t even turned up at his own wedding.

‘Welcome, everyone.’ His smile swept the room, and even Megan couldn’t help the involuntary response, feeling herself smile back at him. ‘This is a new venture for us. We’ve got together with three other charities to provide this induction course for doctors and nurses wishing to work abroad. We have session leaders here from each of the four charities, who’ll be sharing their experience and giving you a taste of the realities of what you’ve signed up for.’

He was a good speaker, Megan had to give him that. In just a few moments he’d got his willing audience in the palm of his hand, everyone believing that he was speaking to them alone.

‘Working abroad for a charity is something that many medical professionals aspire to, but the truth of it can be a little different from the theory. You’ll be faced with hard work, challenging conditions, frustration and more than a little heartbreak. It won’t matter that the pay’s not what you could hope to earn in other fields, because you probably won’t get much of a chance to spend it.’

A ripple of laughter flowed around the room. If Jaye was trying to change anyone’s mind, he wasn’t making much of a start. But then he knew that. This was all a PR manoeuvre, a deftly arranged exercise in making everyone think that he knew what working abroad was really like. Megan doubted he’d ever really got his hands dirty.

‘Okay. So who has a significant other...?’ His gaze ran around the room, seeming to pause for a moment on Megan, who was one of the few who hadn’t raised her hand.

Jaye nodded. ‘Well it’s not rocket science to say that working abroad does affect family relationships, and we’re interested in your thoughts about how you’re going to deal with that...’

Megan felt herself flush. Jaye Perera had the out and out gall to talk about other people’s relationships? When he’d walked out on his pregnant fiancée three days before their wedding?

She could hardly hear what Jaye was saying through a blur of misery. She’d really wanted this job, but working for a man like him? Being expected to follow his lead, when she knew that he had no sense of integrity? It was impossible, and she had to let it go now.

* * *

She sat through Jaye’s talk, feeling her dreams slip away. There was going to be a buffet lunch at one o’clock, which was obviously intended to be a chance for everyone to start getting to know each other, and that would be Megan’s chance to leave inconspicuously.

Easier said than done. When everyone rose from their seats, the knot of people surrounding her kept her waiting for a way out of the room. Jaye, on the other hand, had clearly acquired the knack of making his way through the obstacle course of empty chairs and groups of people who were intent only on talking, his way opening up before him in response to his dazzling smile.

‘Lord Marlowe.’ Megan might not be able to run, but she could hide behind the formality of his title.

‘Nurse Wheeler.’ He somehow made it sound as if he thought her title actually meant something, more than his maybe. That was a sham, too. On the occasions that he’d come into contact with her at work, he’d seemed only to see and hear the senior staff, as if the other people busying themselves around him didn’t exist.

‘I’m surprised you remember me.’ The paper badge on the lapel of her jacket gave only her first name. The nurse part might be a lucky guess, but Wheeler couldn’t possibly be.

‘It’s not difficult to notice someone who does her job well.’ The comment was clearly designed as a compliment, but Megan knew it had no substance. Maybe he’d just studied the applications carefully and had a good memory.

‘As you’ve already spent some time working abroad, we’re hoping you’ll be able to share some of your experience with the others,’ Jaye continued smoothly, as if he already knew what he wanted to say, and her replies didn’t make much difference to him.

She could play along, and then disappear quietly. Or she could show him that she had a good memory, too.

‘How’s Sonia? We didn’t hear from her after she left the hospital.’ There was no particular reason why Megan should have heard from Sonia, they hadn’t been close. But what had happened two weeks after Sonia had left her job, the cancelled wedding and the missing groom, had been a talking point for months.

The smile slid from Jaye’s face for a moment. ‘I haven’t been in contact with Sonia since then, either.’

Which meant he hadn’t been in contact with his child, either. Megan knew exactly what it was like to be the unwanted child of a rich and influential man, who had no scruples about rewriting history whenever it suited him. Maybe that was why she wanted to slap Jaye now. Not for Sonia, but for the child.

‘I heard she had a baby.’

A pulse beat at the side of his temple. ‘That’s what I heard, too.’

A baby who had no place here. If Jay hadn’t turned suddenly, in response to his name being called, Megan thought she might have slapped him. There was no excuse now. He knew he was a father, and clearly he’d decided that was a technicality that he could afford to overlook.

‘I’m sorry...’ When he turned back his face was impassive. ‘I have to go, it seems that lunch is ready. I hope we’ll be able to speak more later.’

Then he was gone, helping John Ferris to chivvy everyone through to the next room for lunch. Megan waited for the press of people to thin a little and slipped out of the room, turning left instead of right, and making her way back to the great entrance hall and up the stairs.

* * *

Jaye had remembered Megan as soon as he’d seen her application form. The nurse who could always coax a smile from her patients. Her enthusiasm for the work of his charity had shone through her answers to the carefully worded questions on the application form, and after he’d interviewed her, John Ferris had agreed that Megan was the one candidate who stood out from all the rest.

He’d wondered whether Megan would remember him, and, despite the awkwardness of the situation, rather hoped she would. When Megan had replied within the hour to the email inviting her here, he’d supposed that either she was inclined to overlook the most damning and humiliating episode in his life, or that he’d made much less of an impression on her than she’d had on him.

Wrong. On both counts. When he’d scanned the room for her, his heart beating a little faster at the remembered warmth of her blue eyes, he’d found only ice. And her pointed remark about Sonia told him that she remembered him all too well, and that she was inclined to overlook nothing.

There was time. Four days was more than enough time to gauge her feelings, and talk about it. Jaye’s gaze rested on the empty seat at the dining table. It was possible that Megan had taken some time out from the group to decide what to throw at him next, but he doubted it. When he’d seen her working on the wards, he’d been impressed with the way that she sized up a situation, took decisions and then acted on them.

‘Have you seen Megan Wheeler?’ He buttonholed one of the teenagers from the village, who’d been co-opted to help show everyone to their rooms. ‘Blue jacket. White top with a...’ He waved his hand to indicate the soft folds of Megan’s blouse.

Emma smirked. ‘That’s called a cowl neckline.’

‘I thought you’d be the one to ask about that. Have you seen her?’

‘No.’

Jaye turned, hurrying from the room, a sudden anger biting at his heart. If Megan wanted to walk out, that was her decision. But he was damned if she was going to make it on the basis of what she’d heard about him and Sonia, because that was almost certainly a lie.

* * *

The retractable handle of her case wasn’t pushed down far enough, and Megan was struggling to get it into the boot of her car. She turned as she heard the scrunch of gravel under Jaye’s feet.

‘Leaving so soon?’ He decided to confine his opening salvo to the obvious facts.

‘Yes.’

‘This course isn’t an optional extra. We’re expecting all of our new employees to complete it.’

‘I understand that. I’ve made my decision.’ He thought he saw scorn in Megan’s eyes. Such beautiful eyes, blue and clear, and apparently unable to hide her feelings. He liked that.

‘And...clearly I’m a factor in that decision.’

‘Yes.’ Her lip curled, and Jaye suppressed the impulse to smile. In a world where people tended to tell him what they thought he wanted to hear, this was almost refreshing.

‘I don’t suppose you’d care to elaborate on that?’

She pulled the case out of the open boot and pushed the handle down. Jaye resisted the impulse to help her as she heaved the case back into the boot and slammed it shut. Then she turned to face him.

‘I’m looking for an employer who I can trust. That’s non-negotiable.’

‘It’s non-negotiable for us, too. I think we should talk about this, Megan.’

‘There’s nothing to talk about. Actions speak louder than words.’

Jaye was blocking her path to the driver’s door and she walked round him, getting into the car. He jumped as she wrenched the door shut, slamming it hard, as if to demonstrate her point.

A frisson of How dare she? melted into the irrational impulse to beg, if that was what it would take to make Megan stop. Jaye walked around to the front of the car, planting his hands on the bonnet. Megan glared at him, and he wondered for a moment whether he’d made a mistake and she was capable of driving straight over him.

‘Is it going to hurt you so much to listen? Because if it does, you’ve made a good decision.’

Here, outside the public part of the house, it was impossible that someone wasn’t watching, and now that he had to raise his voice to make himself heard, they were probably listening, too. But however much it dug at his pride to be seen blocking her path to prevent her from leaving, he couldn’t give up now.

‘We want medical professionals who can listen to other people—’ Megan cut him short by suddenly winding down the window and leaning out.

‘I think you should know that appealing to my professional pride isn’t going to work.’

It seemed to be working. Megan was no longer scrunching her face up in a scowl, which was a distinct improvement. The feeble winter sunshine tangled in the gold of her hair, making him feel as if he were looking at an angry angel.

‘Noted. Let’s make it personal, then. I’ll get on my knees if that’s what you want...’ That would provide a talking point for whoever was watching.

The ghost of a smile flitted across her face. ‘That would be embarrassing for both of us.’

If Megan was the woman he thought she was, there was no risk in what he was about to do. All the same, Jaye felt a slight tremor in his chest. He’d been wrong before, and he didn’t relish the idea of explaining how he’d let one of the best candidates the charity had seen in years slip through their fingers, without putting up more of a fight.

‘All right, then. If you can face the idea that you might be wrong, we’ll go inside and talk. If not, have a nice life.’

He turned, making for the path that led around the side of the house. Jaye felt his heart clench with inappropriate joy as he heard the car door open and then close again, and Megan’s footsteps behind him.

Walking down the stone steps that led to the semi-basement kitchen, Jaye opened the door for Megan and she walked inside. Now that lunch had been served the place was deserted, but there were still enough cups left in the dresser to throw a few if Megan got the urge. He motioned her towards the large kitchen table and she sat down.

‘Coffee?’ Something hot, to break the ice.

‘Yes. Thank you.’

He made the coffee, aware of her gaze on his back. The silence was killing him. It gave Jaye time to want things, to consider telling Megan everything. How he’d loved Sonia, but it had turned out that the thing she’d really loved had been the idea of being a duchess, and all that brought. How diminished he felt, every time someone looked straight through him and found only his title.

He put the mugs on the table and sat down opposite her. Despite the warmth in there, Megan was still wrapped in her coat, as if she was leaving herself prepared for a quick exit. But her gaze never moved from his face. Frank, blue eyes which would have made confiding in her easy, if only he had the nerve to do it.

She took a sip of her coffee. ‘I’m listening.’

Chapter Two

WOULD SHE EVEN be here if she hadn’t seen the burst of passion in his dark eyes? If thought and action hadn’t blended deliciously into one as he’d marched around to the front of her car, blocking her way. Megan didn’t want to think about it.

But he was right. It was a surprise to find that Jaye even cared what she thought, but since he’d made it plain that he did, the least she could do was to listen. If it turned out that his reasons for treating his child like an optional extra were anything like her own father’s, then she’d leave.

‘I’m not going to pretend that I don’t know what this is about. I’m well aware that what happened between Sonia and me was a talking point at the hospital where you both worked.’

‘That you left three days before the wedding. And that she was pregnant.’ Megan tried to keep the accusatory tone from her voice. The facts spoke for themselves.

‘Yes. That story is...basically true.’

Then what were they doing, sitting here talking about it? Megan swallowed down her exasperation.

‘What you do is entirely your business. But it’s my business who I choose to work for, and I want that to be someone who I feel I can trust.’

‘I admire that sentiment. Not everyone would stick to their principles and give up something they want in favour of something they think is right.’

‘I’m just being practical. If I’m going to be working abroad, I need to know that there’s a support network here that I can rely on. That’s non-negotiable for me.’

It should be non-negotiable for anyone, but Megan felt it more keenly. When she’d been little, ‘Uncle’ Harry had visited once every two weeks, bearing expensive toys and presents. It hadn’t been until she’d been a teenager that she’d found out that he was really her father, and she’d spent the intervening years trying to distance herself from his brash attempts to have a say in her future. She wasn’t going to allow all that to count for nothing by putting herself in a position where a man just like Harry could tell her what to do.

Jaye’s gaze caught hers. Dark, and almost tender. ‘The story was true, but it left out some important details. I wasn’t the father of Sonia’s child.’

‘But...’ Megan took a swig of her coffee and almost choked on it. ‘So you just walked away...?’

‘I’m sure you’re not naïve enough to imagine that there wasn’t any just about it. We had a few full and frank discussions.’ He hesitated, as if he might be about to elaborate, and then shook his head. ‘The only other thing you need to know is that I left because Sonia called off the wedding.’

‘I don’t...’ Megan covered her mouth with her hand. Actually, she did believe him.

‘You don’t think I’m telling you the truth?’ He shrugged. ‘I’m afraid I can’t help you with that. You’ll have to make up your own mind.’

If he’d been lying he probably would have elaborated, or used his charm to convince her. But his face was impassive, making the sadness in his beautiful eyes even more compelling.

‘But you must have known what everyone at the hospital was saying. Didn’t you want to correct it?’ It would have been easy enough. A ten-minute call to one of the hospital bosses, who would have passed the information on to his secretary, with the hint that it could be tactfully fed to one or two other people. That was how rumours worked.

‘Yes, I knew exactly what Sonia’s friends were saying. And, no, I made no effort to correct it, even though I knew it was untrue.’

Discretion maybe. Or maybe he just didn’t care what anyone else thought. Jaye had always seemed quite capable of that kind of arrogance. Or maybe humbled pride, that any woman could cheat on him.

It didn’t matter. She wasn’t thinking of making Jaye her best friend, she was looking for a boss who she could trust.

‘I believed what I heard and...’ Megan felt herself redden at the thought. ‘I’m sorry. I should have known better than to trust second-hand gossip.’

He shrugged her apology away. ‘What you heard was as much my responsibility as Sonia’s. What matters now is that you make your decision based on the facts.’ He smiled and Megan felt herself flush, heat zinging up her spine.

He hadn’t given her a shred of proof, and precious little explanation, but she believed him. If those eyes were lying then she could kiss goodbye to everything she thought she knew about human nature.

‘I still have a decision to make?’ Megan heard herself whisper the words. If Jaye couldn’t forgive her behaviour, she wouldn’t blame him.

He planted his forearms on the table, hands clasped together, and leaned towards her. Challenging, and yet intimate too. ‘Absolutely. I believe you’ll justify my confidence in you.’

‘Then...’ Megan’s head was spinning, and her heart was pumping fast. Both organs seemed to be vying for their say in the matter. ‘I like working for people who expect success. They generally put fewer limitations on their goals.’

Jaye laughed suddenly. ‘I’m glad to hear that.’

He clinked his mug against hers, and drank. A toast to an unexpected success, dragged from the jaws of failure. If nothing else, working for Jaye’s charity was going to be interesting, and even more of a challenge than Megan had thought.

* * *

If Jaye did nothing else in the next four days, at least he might manage to repair some of the damage. His and Sonia’s engagement might have been a disaster in the making, averted only at the very last minute, but there was no reason why Megan’s career should be damaged by the fallout.

He hadn’t examined the potential consequences of letting the rumours persist, wanting only to disappear. Hurt and feeling that if he shrunk any more, he’d lose himself completely, he’d retreated to Sri Lanka. The clinic that his father had founded after the 2005 tsunami, and which Jaye had helped build, was a place of tranquillity and calm. A place to heal and find his balance.

But it was a different balance. He’d tried dating again, but had found himself caught up in a fury of mistrust, unable to accept that his new partner’s motives for being with him could be any different from Sonia’s. In the end, he’d given up the struggle and had let her go, burying himself once more in the work that brought him peace and fulfilment.

Jaye stared at the crackling logs in the fireplace. When Megan had believed him, it had felt as if a little piece of his heart had been repaired. Here, sitting in his apartment, with only the sound of the fire to keep him company, he knew that one piece would never be enough.

He should get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a full day, and he needed to focus. Preferably on something other than Megan’s smile.

* * *

The conference was under way, and already it felt to Megan that she’d entered a self-sufficient bubble. One that brought people who’d worked in many different parts of the world together with those who were just starting out on their careers. It was almost impossible to find the time to meet and talk to everyone.

But the one person she never seemed to talk to was Jaye. Although he was always there, he was always at the opposite end of the room from her. The coincidences were beginning to form a pattern.

At least she could watch him, and that had its very definite pleasures. Tall, graceful and always impeccably dressed, he was the stuff that daydreams were made of. And if he caught her watching him, then that could surely only be because he was watching her.

* * *

Jaye had retreated to his apartment in the west wing of the building, and sat in his study with John Ferris. It had been an exhausting two days.

‘You’re pleased with how things are going?’

‘On the whole.’ John sank into the leather chair on the other side of the fireplace. ‘I was a bit disappointed about Steven.’

Jaye and John had spent over two hours last night with the young doctor, talking through all of his reasons for leaving. ‘But you did say that was the point of this. That we shouldn’t assume any particular outcome for any particular candidate but find out what the best way forward was.’

John nodded. ‘Yeah. Steven’s not in the right place to take up a job with us at the moment. He’s got a lot of potential, though, and I want to keep in touch with him.’

‘You think that in twenty years’ time he’ll be Head of Surgery somewhere. Consulting for us, and mentoring our young surgeons?’

‘Who knows? We have to look towards the long term, and funnier things have happened.’

This was exactly why Jaye had recruited John. Four years ago, Jaye had returned from Sri Lanka with a new commitment for a future that had seemed empty without a wife and the prospect of children. It was time to take a step back from his private practice in London and concentrate on the charity that he and his father had built together. And he had needed an organiser, someone who could work side by side with him and run the charity, while Jaye concentrated on its medical activities. John had been that person.

‘What about Megan?’ John’s question interrupted his reverie.

‘What...about her?’ Megan had occupied his thoughts for much of the last two days, and that was a very good reason to take a step back. John’s decisions would be far less clouded by the urgent need to look into her eyes and see her smile.

‘It looked as if she was intent on leaving the other day, before you threw yourself in front of her car in the driveway. I asked her if everything was all right.’

‘What did she say?’

John laughed. ‘She played her cards as close to her chest as you are now. Told me that it was a misunderstanding, and that you’d come to her rescue. She made it very clear that it was all her fault and that you’d addressed her concerns very fully.’

Jaye resisted the impulse to smile. Since he hadn’t spoken with Megan himself in the course of the last two days, he’d relied on her demeanour and the few shy smiles that she’d given, when his gaze had met hers. It felt good to hear that Megan was moving forward on the basis that she really did believe him.

‘It wasn’t all her fault. Mostly it was mine.’

‘Yeah. Takes two to tango.’ John was looking at him steadily. ‘Is there anything else I should know? You and her?’

The question knocked Jaye off balance for a moment. Maybe because he’d wondered more than once how it might have been had he met Megan before Sonia. But the truth of it was that the only moments of intimacy between them had been in his head.

‘No. Megan and I met before, years ago and in the course of our jobs. But that’s all, there’s never been anything between us.’

‘In that case... I wonder how you feel about offering her a posting in Sri Lanka. They’re short-staffed there and, with the new doctor in residence still settling in, they could do with the help.’ John flashed Jaye a questioning look.

‘Staffing’s your province, John. I trust your judgement.’

‘And I appreciate that. But considering your close ties with the clinic in Sri Lanka, I thought I’d get your opinion before I mentioned the idea to Megan.’

‘I think it’s a great idea. I’d like to see what Megan makes of Sri Lanka.’

* * *

Megan trudged across the well-manicured lawn, sliding down the steep slope to the edge of the woodlands beyond, where Jaye’s father was shovelling clumps of sticky earth into a wheelbarrow.

‘Megan...’ Raj Perera straightened up, leaning on his spade as she approached. ‘You’ve decided on a walk?’

‘No.’ Megan pulled the piece of paper from her coat pocket. ‘I was wondering if you could help me with something.’

‘Of course. That’s my role as your group leader this weekend. And I could do with a break.’

Megan handed over the paper, and Raj looked at it. ‘John’s set us all a challenge. We all have to give a five-minute talk about one of our charity’s programmes. I’ve been given the Western Province Free Clinic in Sri Lanka.’

‘That’s a place very close to my heart.’ Raj’s way of making an observation, then watching and waiting to see what you’d do with it, was a lot like Jaye’s. A little less disturbing maybe, because Megan didn’t have to contend with her own quickening heartbeat, which happened whenever Jaye was around.

‘I heard that you and your wife were the ones who started it.’

‘Yes, we did.’

‘Well... I asked John if there were any restrictions on how we could get the information we needed and he said there weren’t. And since you were there, right at the start...’

Raj thought for a moment, and then nodded. ‘What do you have in mind?’

‘I thought maybe a short interview, if you could spare the time.’ Megan gestured towards the spade. ‘I can do some digging in return...’

Raj’s smile reminded her of Jaye’s too, but it was a lot more freely given. ‘Very well. What would you like to know?’

‘Why you founded the clinic.’ Megan took the spade and started to dig.

‘Caroline and I were in Sri Lanka, visiting relatives, when the tsunami hit in 2005. Many people needed medical aid, and we immediately gave what help we could. I set up a clinic in a tent, under a tree.’

‘And people came...?’ The earth was sticky and unyielding and Megan heaved her weight onto the spade to sink it into the ground.

‘Yes, they came. There were so many, and sometimes they only had the clothes they stood up in. Caroline helped organise the effort to feed and clothe them and give them some kind of roof over their heads.’

‘It must have been...heartbreaking.’ Megan had worked in areas of great need, but never in a disaster zone.

‘It was. And yet it warmed my heart too. Jaye is my oldest son, I have three more. All four of them came, for six weeks, to give what help they could.’

‘That must have made you very proud.’

‘It did. Each of them has followed their own path, but Jaye... In that six weeks he found his calling.’

Until recently, Megan would have thought that Jaye Perera’s only calling in life was to make money, and exercise the power that he had inherited. Raj was clearly not referring to either of those things.

‘His calling? To be a doctor, you mean?’

Raj smiled. ‘He’d already walked that path—Jaye had just qualified as a doctor. He was evaluating his next step, and had a number of very good options available to him here in the UK. But he gave them up and stayed in Sri Lanka for a year, working with me to build the clinic.’

‘He raised funds?’ This was a new side of Jaye, which Megan hadn’t seen before.

‘No, he built the clinic. He helped dig the foundations, and then poured concrete and laid bricks. And every afternoon he cleaned up and worked at our ramshackle surgery. Accuse me of bias if you wish, but I’ve never seen a man work so hard.’

This definitely wasn’t the Jaye that Megan knew. She’d come to terms with the idea of him as someone who made things happen, and that many of those things were for the benefit of others. But getting his hands dirty? Megan had never, even in her wildest dreams, pictured that.

‘I didn’t realise. He seems...so different.’

‘Maybe you just don’t know him very well.’

Maybe, maybe not. But the tantalising glimpses of what Jaye had been put a new and puzzling perspective on the man that he seemed to be now.

‘Tell me about the challenges.’ Megan straightened, surveying her handiwork. The small dent in the ground put the task of digging foundations sharply into perspective. ‘Um... Medical first. Then social...’

Chapter Three

JAYE SAT AT the back of the group of chairs in the room that had been set aside for the conference activities. Everyone had done well, and each of the five-minute talks was obviously carefully crafted.

Megan stood up, clutching her laptop, and walked to the front of the group, plugging in the cable that led to the screen behind her. A number of people had already displayed photographs to accompany their talks, and Jaye wondered which ones she’d chosen.

‘I’ve decided to make my presentation in the form of an interview. I’d like to thank Dr and Mrs Perera for all the help they’ve given me, and for agreeing to talk about the early days of the Western Province Free Clinic...’

Jaye could hardly suppress a grin. There was no better way to tell the story of the clinic than to use his father and mother’s own words.

‘I’m not sure that’s quite what was intended.’ A voice sounded from the centre of the group.

Jaye was pretty sure that was exactly what was intended. The tasks that John had set here weren’t quite as straightforward as they looked, and this one was clearly about methods, just as much as results.

Megan looked around the audience, reddening a little, and Jaye suppressed the urge to come to her defence.

‘Our remit was to find out as much as we could. Which I’ve done.’

‘You’re missing the point...’ Rob was the young doctor whose voice was always loudest in the group discussions, which was a shame, because his vision seemed always the most limited.

‘Which point?’ Megan softened her question with a smile, and Jaye wondered privately what Rob had done to deserve that particular burst of sunshine.

‘You have to do the research and come up with your own answers. You can’t just ask someone else, that’s not in the rules...’ Rob gave a sigh of exasperation, as if he were talking to a recalcitrant child.

Enough. If Rob wanted to throw his weight around, he could do it with him, not Megan. Jaye moved to intervene but Megan was already replying.

‘Isn’t asking someone who was there the best kind of research there is? I’m not aware of any rule against it.’

‘The only rules were the ones that everyone chose to superimpose on themselves.’ John was grinning broadly as he cut in. ‘Let’s see your presentation, Megan.’

Jaye breathed a silent thank you and settled back in his chair. It had been entirely inappropriate to want to defend Megan, but the impulse still lingered, like an uninvited guest at a party.

Megan was speaking again, and then she tapped a key on her laptop and sat down. His mother and father appeared on the screen, seated together at the kitchen table in their apartment.

‘Dr and Mrs Perera, you were in Sri Lanka when the tsunami of 2005 hit.’ Megan’s voice came from somewhere behind the camera. ‘The medical station that you set up to help the sick and the injured was the foundation of the present-day clinic. What were the biggest problems you faced...?’

The video lasted exactly five minutes. By the time it had finished, Jaye felt tears pricking at the sides of his eyes.

This wasn’t appropriate either. He knew the story well enough, he’d been there for much of it. The interview had clearly been carefully edited, and somehow Megan had managed to catch all the passion, the battle against seemingly overwhelming odds, and the achievements that had kept everyone going. At the end of the interview there were photographs, some of which had been taken from his parents’ personal albums.

There was silence in the room and then someone started to clap. Megan grabbed her laptop and hurried back to her seat, red-faced, as everyone applauded.

* * *

Everyone had crowded around Megan when the session ended, wanting to know more about the Sri Lankan clinic. Jaye had hurried from the room, trying not to notice that Megan’s head had turned to watch him go.

He’d taken refuge in an armchair, tucked into the corner of the large landing where the main staircase split in two. It was one of his favourite places in the house where he could sit and watch the world go by, without being a part of it. But as Megan walked through the hallway, she looked up and saw him there.

‘May I join you?’ She walked half way up towards him and then stopped.

‘Yes, of course.’ Jaye rose from the chair and sat down on the stairs next to it.

‘Is this your stair?’ She had a mischievous look in her eyes as she approached him.

Actually, it was. The one where he’d sat as a child, hidden from the hallway by the turn in the stairs but able to peep out and see what was going on.

‘Why don’t you try it for size?’ There was plenty of room there for two.

Megan nodded, sitting down next to him. Looking around, she peered through the heavy banister rails to see down into the main hall.

‘It’s a good stair. Just right.’ She smiled at him, and Jaye felt a warm tingle shoot down his spine.

‘I think so.’ His legs were a little longer now, so it wasn’t such a good hiding place as it had once been. But his initials were still there, carved into the stair tread and hidden by the carpet.

She was hugging her laptop, obviously there on a mission. Jaye waited. No doubt Megan would come out with it, sooner rather than later.

‘I hope you didn’t mind... Your mother and father were really happy to do the interview and they offered to let me scan some of their photographs... They were very kind, and I didn’t mean to impose on them by asking so much. I hope you don’t feel it was too personal.’

‘Not a bit. And my parents looked as if they were really enjoying it. My father never passes up a chance to reminisce.’ It occurred to Jaye that including his parents’ words and photographs hadn’t been an exercise in currying favour. Megan had simply gone down the route that she felt told the story best, despite not being sure whether he’d approve. The thought made him smile.

‘I had to cut some bits out.’ She looked up at him, her eyes bright. ‘Did you really help dig the foundations of the clinic?’

‘I was a lot younger then.’ It seemed like a hundred years ago. And yet somehow he could still touch the feeling of something fresh and new.

‘John spoke to me about sending me there for my first assignment. I’ll have to check out your bricklaying skills.’ She was clearly testing the water, waiting for Jaye’s opinion on the matter.

‘Well, when you get there, take the path that runs around the back of the building. We all put our initials in the cement, under the window of the main ward.’

Megan gave a broad smile. ‘I will. I can’t wait...’

She seemed to have said all she’d come to say and had begun to fidget nervously. Jaye stretched his legs out in front of him, wondering if he might persuade her to stay. Just so he could breathe her scent a little longer.

‘What do you think of the course so far?’

‘It’s been great, really helpful. It’s been good to talk to people from other charities and compare the different approaches. And being in this house has made all the difference.’

Jaye had always felt he paled into insignificance next to the great house, set in its spectacular landscape, but it was disappointing to hear the words on Megan’s lips. He wouldn’t have minded so much if Sonia hadn’t fallen so irrevocably in love with the place. When he’d first brought her here, she’d hardly looked at him all day, as if he’d suddenly melted into a poor second place in her heart. Jaye had tried to dismiss the feeling, but it had turned out to be a warning of things to come.

‘You think the house is what makes the difference. Not the people in it?’

She flashed him a withering look, as if he’d misunderstood on purpose. ‘What I meant was that we don’t leave every evening, so we sit and talk a lot more. Don’t you think that surroundings have an impact on how people operate?’

Jaye chuckled. ‘Yes, I do. It’s one of the founding principles of the clinic in Sri Lanka. We tried to make it a quiet place, where people could find healing and balance.’

‘The principles of Ayurvedic medicine? You practise that?’

‘No. But we understand that tradition sometimes has a lot to offer. We respect it.’

Megan nodded. ‘Everything I hear about the clinic in Sri Lanka just makes me want to go even more...’

She’d relaxed now, her shoulder brushing his arm as she turned to put her laptop on the stair next to her. That one touch seemed to linger.

‘So what impact do you think this house has had on the way the group has operated?’

‘Apart from the fact that I’m tempted to take a sandwich with me when I trek from my bed over to the shower in the mornings...? Not that my room isn’t lovely, of course, and very comfortable.’

‘Of course. And leaving your early morning hunger pangs out of it?’ Jaye filed the information under the category of irrelevant but nice to know.

‘It’s like a bubble. It seems as if it’s been here for ever, and it must have seen so much over the years. That makes almost anything possible.’

Jaye swallowed hard. She seemed to have reached into him and found his own response to the house he’d been brought up in. Megan had seen past the glitz and the glamour that seemed to preoccupy so many others.

‘These are all the past Dukes?’ She was pointing up at the portraits, which stretched along the landing and up the stairs.

‘Yes, that’s right.’

‘And you’re carrying on their tradition.’

‘Not necessarily.’ Jaye heard his own laugh, almost breathless in the bubble that Megan had created around the two of them. ‘Some of them were rogues. The one just there almost gambled the estate away. Luckily for us, his son was a little more prudent. He’s the next one along.’

Megan craned her neck, staring at the painting and then glanced back at Jaye. ‘I can see a likeness, I think... Between you and the son.’

‘I’d be proud if there was one. He was one of the more enlightened Dukes of Marlowe.’

‘Why?’ She turned and Jaye shivered in her steady gaze. ‘What did he do?’

‘He was a campaigner against social injustice, at a time when no one thought about the sufferings of working people. He put his principles into practice, here on the estate.’

‘You’re very lucky, to have someone like that in your family.’

That was what his father had taught Jaye. When he’d been barely old enough to understand, his father had told him that this collection of paintings was a reminder of the choices that he could make in his own life.

‘We all have someone in our family we can look up to, don’t we?’

‘No. We don’t.’ Megan was shaking her head, quirking her mouth down.

If anything was possible, surely Jaye could ask her what made her so sure of that. But he didn’t dare.

‘I’m very lucky, then. My father’s always been someone I could look up to.’

‘Yes, you are.’ She puffed out a breath, as if whatever was on her mind didn’t matter so much after all, and she may as well say it. ‘Me and my father aren’t close, and that suits me fine. He had an affair with my mother—he was married and she was his secretary. I’m his awkward little secret.’

There was a weary defiance in her tone, as if she were challenging him to think whatever he liked. It occurred to Jaye that saying he was sorry to hear it would be quite the wrong thing to do.

‘Not so much of the little, I think...’

She stared at him for a moment, and then suddenly laughed. ‘Thank you. I don’t consider myself as little either, although I wouldn’t be surprised if my father did. He has a multi-million-pound business to run and much bigger fish to fry.’

It was one more piece in a puzzle that he was becoming compelled to complete. It really had been personal when Megan had walked out on him that first day. She’d thought he was like her own father, and that tough, personal experience had lent an edge to her anger.

‘And you don’t want any part of that?’

‘No, I don’t. I don’t like secrets, and this is his secret, not mine.’

Jaye called her bluff. ‘What’s his name? Maybe I’ve heard of him...’

Megan laughed, shaking her head. ‘Maybe you have, if you read the financial pages in the paper. And I’m not telling you, he has a wife and two sons. It wouldn’t be fair to them.’

He could respect that. All the same, it seemed that Megan was more burdened by the secret than she let on. But there was no chance to ask any more.

Voices sounded, growing louder as the group started to straggle back into the conference room, some still carrying their coffee with them. Megan sprang to her feet, looking around as if someone was going to appear out of nowhere and admonish her for sitting here, talking.

‘I’ve got to go...’

‘I’ll be along in a minute.’ Jaye suppressed the urge to tell her that this was his home, and she could sit here and talk with him for as long as she liked. She was already halfway down the stairs, clutching her laptop across her chest.

He watched through the bannisters as she joined the first of the group to appear in the hallway. Much as he had when he’d been a child, watching the guests arrive at one of his parents’ parties.

Jaye craned his neck, watching the top of Megan’s head disappear. He was no child now, and some possibilities were no longer a part of his future. He’d been scarred by love, and Megan was just making those scars ache a little.

* * *

Every time Megan caught a glimpse of the man behind Jaye’s façade it felt as if she were being swallowed up in the softness of his eyes. As if just talking to him was dangerous and exciting—something secret and delicious. And hadn’t she just been telling him how she abhorred secrets?

She had to get a grip. Talking was exactly what they were supposed to be doing. People were meant to swap experiences and ideas at this conference, that was the whole point of it.

But she still couldn’t resist looking for him, knowing where he was in the room and what he was doing. Even if she caught just a glimpse of him, it made the floor lurch under her feet, and gave her that sickening feeling that everything was spinning out of control.

It was almost a relief to find that he wasn’t joining in with the group discussions the following morning, as he was helping with the arrangements for the party that evening. But it was only a brief respite.

* * *

There was music swelling from one corner of the ballroom, where a string quartet was playing. Four young women in black dresses were clearly having some fun, inserting their own improvisations into some well-known classical pieces. Flickering candles highlighted the sheen of sumptuous fabric that hung at the high glazed doors leading out onto the terrace. Suddenly it all paled into insignificance.

Jaye.

In a dark suit and a crisp white shirt, which was currently goading Megan’s imagination into some very bad thoughts indeed. It was a twist on the ultimate embarrassment, those dreams where she walked into a crowded place and found herself naked. Imagining the smooth ripple of Jaye’s skin made her feel even more exposed.

The room was beginning to fill up, people she knew from the course, along with a legion of other guests, who all seemed to know each other. Megan swallowed hard and marched over to the drinks table. Caroline Perera turned and gave a smiling compliment about her hair and dress, including Megan in the group that she was talking to.

After making sure that everyone had a drink, and that they had all been introduced to each other, Caroline slipped away, greeting more people and introducing them. Megan smiled at the slim, shy-looking man standing next to her, who looked as if he’d just wandered in off the street and stayed for drinks.

‘Is this your first time? Working abroad?’ The man smiled back.

‘No, I was in Africa for a year. I came back four months ago, and I’ve been working as a supply nurse since then.’

‘Africa?’ The man’s eyes lit up. ‘Which part? I’m just back from Rwanda...’

* * *

Tim Gregson was fascinating. He must have been involved in aid work at a high level because his comments were insightful and informed, but he seemed intent on grilling Megan on her experiences and finding out what she thought.

‘You’ve been to so many places. What exactly do you do?’ Megan tried again to turn the conversation back to Tim’s experiences.

‘Oh... I advise. People listen sometimes.’ Tim shrugged vaguely and Megan stiffened suddenly as a quiet laugh came from behind her.

‘Tim’s a parliamentary special advisor. He has his finger on the pulse at Westminster.’ Jaye stepped into Megan’s line of view, reaching forward to shake Tim’s hand warmly.

‘If only. I’m not sure that anyone has enough fingers for that...’ Tim chuckled, clearly pleased with Jaye’s assertion.

‘A voice of sanity, then?’ Jaye shot a sidelong grin at Megan, and she felt a rush of embarrassment. It happened every time. That delicious and yet horribly out-of-control feeling as she stumbled and fell into the warmth of his gaze.

‘That would be nice. Sometimes I wonder,’ Tim responded dryly, and Jaye laughed. Clearly the two men knew each other well. Maybe they wouldn’t notice if she slipped away.

She took a tentative step backwards and Jaye rounded on her. ‘Tim’s far too self-effacing. He’s helped us out with the planning on a lot of our projects.’

‘Caroline doesn’t see things that way,’ Tim joked. ‘She frisked me on the way in to make sure I wasn’t carrying any sharp objects.’

Jaye chuckled. ‘My mother has a much longer memory than I have.’

‘Ask him about the sticking plaster.’ Tim leaned confidingly towards Megan. ‘I’ll lay odds he hasn’t forgotten about that one.’

‘Sticking plaster?’ Megan forgot all about escape and turned to Jaye.

‘That was a very long time ago. When we were kids we decided to try our hands at covert surveillance, like we’d seen on TV. We rigged up a couple of voice recorders and taped them under our shirts...’

‘With the biggest roll of sticking plaster I’d ever seen. Jaye had obviously been taking lessons from his father about how to tape broken ribs, and was extremely thorough...’

‘I think I still have the scars from where my mother ripped it all off to see what was underneath.’ Jaye’s hand wandered to his chest, and Megan swallowed down the impulse to remind him that she was a nurse and could take a look at them if he wanted.

‘The worst thing was that we never actually managed to record anything. We’d put our jumpers and coats on, to hide all the lumps and bumps, and all you could hear was a bit of rustling, and then Caroline, asking us what on earth we were up to.’

Jaye quirked the sides of his mouth down. ‘Yes. That was a big disappointment.’

The image of two boys, play-acting and exploring in the winding corridors and vast rooms, floated into Megan’s mind. The Jaye who made use of the formal entrance and main staircase seemed to have lost something along the way. Or maybe it had been stolen from him. It seemed that Sonia had a lot to answer for.

‘More wine?’ Tim turned and picked up a bottle from the table.

‘No...thanks.’ Megan shielded the top of her glass with her hand. ‘I should go and see where Alice has got to...’ She looked around desperately, hoping that the friend she’d made during the conference wasn’t anywhere in sight.

Jaye was suddenly still and silent, as if this sudden glimpse at something like intimacy was too much for him too. Megan smiled at Tim and made her escape.

Chapter Four

MEGAN LOOKED STUNNING. So much so that Jaye had forgotten to issue the expected compliment about her appearance. She wore a plain dark blue dress, the sheen of which didn’t come close to matching the sheen of her hair, which was caught up loosely at the back of her head. High heels made her legs look even longer than they actually were. The only jewellery she wore, a heavy twisted silver bangle, was obviously one of a kind. She made everyone else here look as if they’d tried far too hard, and in doing so had lost the sartorial plot.

The string quartet had thrown off the precision of Bach and begun to play a selection of popular songs, all with their very own distinctive flavour. In response, Jaye’s father had spun his mother into an empty space at one end of the ballroom, creating an impromptu dancing area.

The idea that Jaye might do the same with Megan was...impossible. He wanted too much from her. Her scent. The feel of her hand on his shoulder. That slightly dizzy feeling that her smile engendered.

‘Very nice party.’ Tim broke his reverie.

‘Thanks. There are a few people I’d like you to meet...’ Jaye resolved the need to mingle with his suspicion that Tim would be standing alone in a corner of the room if he left him here. Tim didn’t do small talk, and if he’d found him with anyone other than Megan, it would have been a surprise to find his friend so relaxed and at ease.

‘Uh... Later? I’m getting a headache, I don’t suppose you have any paracetamol, do you?’

‘In the box in the kitchen. You know where the key is. Are you all right?’

Tim shot him a pained look. ‘Yes, I’m fine. Stop being such a doctor and go and do your duty as a host...’

* * *

Out of the range of Jaye’s smile Megan had begun to relax again. She’d found Alice and they’d joined the group of new friends, laughing and talking by the fireplace. It was almost an hour before Megan saw Jaye heading towards them, a bottle of red in one hand and a bottle of white in the other, obviously intent on refilling their glasses.

She slipped away. A little cool air on her face, maybe some water, would dispel the heat that she felt rising to her cheeks.

A few wrong turns and she found her way downstairs to the kitchen. The light was on, and Megan looked around, wondering if she’d disturbed someone else who was intent on escape.

No one. Megan fetched a glass from the cupboard and held it under the tap. Then the sound of a rasped breath reached her ears.

She jumped, looking around. Still no one. Maybe this place was haunted, only that wouldn’t account for anything because she didn’t believe in ghosts. She walked to the far end of the room, to a brick archway, finding that it led into a small alcove with a couple of easy chairs and a table.

Tim was sitting in one of the chairs, a half-empty glass of water and an open packet of paracetamol on the table in front of him. His eyes were closed and his breathing seemed laboured.

It occurred to Megan that maybe this was one last challenge, designed to test the group of doctors and nurses. But Jaye and Tim would hardly stage such a thing here, and anyway the conference was over now. When she walked over to Tim, touching the back of his hand, his eyes flickered open.

‘Megan...? What’s the matter?’

‘Are you all right?’ She didn’t wait for an answer, leaning forward to lay her hand on Tim’s forehead. He was burning up.

‘Just a twenty-four-hour flu bug. I thought I’d got the better of it, but it seems to have come on again. I’ll be okay in a minute—go back to the party.’ Tim reached groggily for the packet of paracetamol and Megan snatched it up from the table. Two tablets had already been broken from the blister pack, and if Tim had taken them she didn’t want him taking any more.

‘Will you stay here? Just for one moment?’

‘Yeah. Yeah, no problem.’ Tim’s eyes fluttered closed again. Megan turned, hurrying through the kitchen and upstairs to the ballroom. In a room which held more than its share of doctors, there was only one she wanted to find.

* * *

Jaye felt Megan’s touch on his arm, and the warm shiver that ran down his spine suddenly froze when he saw the look on her face. ‘Please come. It’s Tim, he’s ill.’

‘What’s the matter? He was complaining of a headache earlier...’ Jaye dumped the bottle he was holding on the mantelpiece and followed Megan, who was already making her way back out of the room.

‘He says it’s a twenty-four-hour flu. I’m not so sure about that.’

Jaye was much more disposed to trust Megan’s assessment of the situation than Tim’s. She stopped as she reached the main hallway, looking right and then left.

‘Where is he?’

‘In the main kitchen, downstairs.’

‘This way...’ Jaye laid his hand lightly on her back to guide her in the right direction, without thinking, feeling her jump as he touched her. Even now, as they hurried down to the kitchen, electricity was zinging in the air.

She led him to the snug room next to the kitchen. Tim was slumped in one of the chairs, and focussed his eyes on them with difficulty.

‘Oh, no... You didn’t bring the cavalry, did you?’

‘I’m afraid I did.’ Megan smiled at Tim and then turned to Jaye. ‘He had this open packet of paracetamol, and he’s obviously had some water. I don’t know what he’s already taken, so I stopped him from taking any more.’

‘Okay. There’s a log in the medicine cabinet. Sit with him while I check.’ Jaye took the blister pack from her hand, walking back into the kitchen.

When he returned, Megan was sitting on the low table in front of Tim. She’d pushed his cuff back and curled her fingers around his wrist. The clock on the mantelpiece ticked loudly in the silence.

‘Your pulse is steady. Maybe a little fast.’ Megan’s warmth was like a tangible presence in the room, and Jaye almost envied his friend.

She was making no fuss, using her own observations to guide her. Jaye knew it was exactly the right approach to take with Tim, but Megan seemed to have come to that conclusion after only a brief conversation with him.

‘You don’t want to catch this... I thought I had it licked, but it’s got a sting in its tail.’ Tim managed to summon up some of his former determination to be left alone, and Megan thwarted it with a look of mild rebuke.

‘You said earlier you were just back from Africa. Six weeks ago.’

‘That’s past the usual incubation time for malaria...’ Tim had clearly divined the direction that Megan was moving in, and waved his hand towards Jaye. ‘Ask my friend over there. He’s a doctor.’

‘You’ve taken two of these?’ Jaye held the blister pack up. The log in the medicine cabinet had indicated a full box of paracetamol and there were two missing from the blister pack.

‘That was a while ago...’

Tim reached for the blister pack, and Megan caught his hand. ‘You don’t need any more, Tim. Just sit quietly.’

‘You think it might be malaria?’ Jaye murmured.

Megan reddened, as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t, turning her gaze up towards him. ‘I didn’t say that.’

Jaye supposed that, as the doctor in attendance, he ought to take over now. But Megan was doing fine on her own—a lot better than fine. She’d thought to take the paracetamol away from Tim before he took another dose, and her firm but gentle way seemed to be working with his friend, who was notoriously unwilling to do anything the doctor told him.

‘You know what to look for.’ He stepped back, motioning for Megan to carry on with her examination.

Megan nodded, laying her hand on Tim’s chest. ‘You have a bit of a wheeze there. When did you say this started?’

‘Tuesday...no, Wednesday. I was over it by Thursday lunchtime.’

‘Three days ago.’ Megan seemed to realise that the best way to get Tim to co-operate was to tell him exactly what was going on.

‘I’ve been home for six weeks...nearly seven.’ Tim started to shiver. He was obviously feeling very ill, and his tone was probably sharper than he’d meant it to be. But Megan didn’t waver.

‘Plasmodium Malariae can take up to forty-nine days to incubate and has different symptoms from the other types of malaria.’ She glanced up at Jaye and he nodded. ‘I think we might look at it as a possibility. Particularly as you may have some level of immunity from the amount of time you’re spent in regions where it’s endemic.’

She reached for the throw that was draped across the back of the chair and tucked it around Tim. Just the right mixture of care and cajoling.

‘Yeah. S’pose so...’

‘In which case we should get you a blood test as soon as possible, then we’ll know for sure. If it’s flu, I’ll be happy for you to say that you told me so.’

‘And if it’s malaria, you’ll tell me you told me so.’ Tim managed a smile.

‘I’ll forgo that pleasure, on condition you take the drugs to get it cleared up.’

Tim nodded. ‘Perhaps the doctor will make himself useful and give us a lift.’

Megan reddened again. ‘We should see what Jaye thinks...’ Her gaze found Jaye, a look of clear apology on her face.

That wasn’t needed. Megan had done exactly the right thing, and she’d charmed Tim into facing the possibilities that he must have already been aware of.

‘I’ll go and get my bag. And call my father.’

Tim groaned. ‘Oh, please. Surely we don’t need any more reinforcements, do we? People get malaria all the time...’

Jaye chuckled, turning away. He imagined that Megan could handle Tim while he was gone.

* * *

It was extraordinary. Five years ago, when she’d seen him at the hospital, Jaye had hardly seemed to notice anyone as lowly as a nurse. But now he was allowing her to take charge and examine his friend.

He must have a reason to act so completely out of character. Then the idea occurred to Megan that maybe he wasn’t acting out of character, that she’d been wrong about him all along. That was a little too delicious to contemplate right now.

‘It’s probably best to go to Gloucester Central.’ Raj had checked Megan’s observations and was writing a referral note for the hospital. ‘They have the facilities for out-of-hours testing, so they can get the blood test done tomorrow.’

He tore the sheet from his pad and handed it to Megan. ‘Make sure the doctor gets this, won’t you? I don’t want him listening to Tim and sending him home with a flu diagnosis.’

‘Doctors...’ Tim muttered under his breath. His cheeks were flushed with fever and he was grumbling quietly. ‘Give me a nurse any day.’

‘My sentiments entirely.’ Jaye shot Megan a grin that made her stomach turn somersaults, and then twitched at the throw that covered Tim’s legs. Tim protested, grabbing it tightly.

‘Come on. Let’s get you to the car.’

* * *

Megan had given Raj’s letter to the doctor at the hospital, who had read the few paragraphs in instalments, stopping every now and then to turn his attention somewhere else.

‘Dr Perera has extensive experience with tropical diseases.’ She tapped her finger on the top of the letter to draw the doctor’s attention back from the Saturday evening bustle that was going on around them, and Jaye allowed himself to smile. She was unshakeable.

‘In that case... I assume the patient’s been abroad?’

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