that you felt that way.’
She shrugged, not sure that she liked the mocking note in his voice which seemed at odds with the searching look he gave her. ‘You don’t know anything about me, not about the sort of person I am, anyway. References and CVs aren’t very much to go on when judging someone’s character, are they?’
‘Maybe not. But then I doubt if anyone relies solely on what’s written on a piece of paper, even in a work situation. I think most people rely on their instincts when they meet someone new.’
And his instincts had told him that she wasn’t the sort of person he wanted to work with? It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him but she managed to contain the words. What was the point in asking him a question like that when she knew what the answer would be? It certainly wouldn’t make her feel better to hear him state bluntly that he’d taken an immediate dislike to her.
She turned away before he saw the hurt in her eyes. She’d never been faced with this sort of situation before because she’d always got on well with the people she’d worked with. However, it was different with Jack Trent. Maybe it was foolish to be so sensitive but she couldn’t help it.
‘Is something wrong, Meg?’
She shook her head, hating the fact that he seemed to have sensed that she was upset. ‘Of course not. I’m just hot, that’s all.’
She took a tissue out of her pocket and mopped her forehead. Jack sighed as he settled back in the seat.
‘It will get even hotter than this.’
‘Then I shall just have to get used to it, won’t I? I’m sure I’ll survive, Dr Trent.’
‘I’m sure you will.’
There was an odd note in his voice, which made her look at him. However, he wasn’t looking at her but staring straight ahead, his gaze locked on the road as it wended its way through the bush. How, then, did she know instinctively that what had happened had upset him?
She had no idea yet she sensed it was true. Jack was upset because she’d been upset, and the knot of pain which had settled in the pit of her stomach eased a little. Maybe his attitude towards her wasn’t set in stone after all, and she would be able to convince him that he’d been wrong to have doubts about her. The thought was enough to make her spirits lift.
He cleared his throat and she turned to look at him again, feeling her heart immediately sink when she saw that the aloof mask was firmly in place once more. What a fool she was to have imagined that he might have had a change of heart so soon!
‘It will take a couple of days once we get under way to assess the kind of problems we’re going to be dealing with. As you know, my main area of interest is eye disorders, but I shall be doing my share of general surgery, as well as dealing with whatever medical problems we encounter.’
‘That was something I was going to ask you about,’ Meg put in quietly, deliberately confining her thoughts to work because it seemed wiser. She was there to do a job, not to make friends and influence people, and she would be better off remembering that. ‘I know a lot of these overseas aid trips specialise in various fields and I wasn’t sure if that was what we would be doing.’
‘Ideally it would be wonderful if we could specialise. Diseases of the eye, for instance, are a huge problem in a lot of developing countries. I would like nothing better than to spend the next three months devoting my time solely to that area. However, it just isn’t practical,’ he explained levelly. ‘Oncamba has been cut off from the rest of the world for so long that the people have had no access to any sort of medical help for a great many years.’
‘I see. So we are going to treat anyone and everyone we can—is that it?’ Meg asked, frowning as she thought what a huge undertaking it was going to be.
‘That’s right. Oh, I shall still focus as much as I can on treating cases of trachoma and Guy, the other surgeon who has travelled on ahead to get things ready, has a keen interest in the early detection of cervical cancer. But, basically, you’re right. We shall be seeing as many patients as we can fit into a day, no matter what type of problem they have.’
He frowned. ‘It means that the workload is going to be very intensive so it certainly won’t be the best introduction you could have had to this type of work.’
Meaning that he didn’t think she would cope with the pressure? She almost laughed out loud as she realised just how foolish she’d been to imagine he might care about hurting her feelings when he lost no opportunity to try and undermine her confidence!
‘Maybe not. But I’m sure I’ll cope, Dr Trent, despite the fact that you’re expecting me to fall flat on my face!’
She knew how unprofessional it was to speak to him like that and steeled herself for his reply. What she had never expected was that he would laugh.
‘I’m sure that falling flat on your face is something you rarely do, Meg Andrews! I’m certainly not expecting or hoping it will happen either.’
His amusement vanished as abruptly as it had appeared. ‘However, that doesn’t mean that I’ve changed my mind. This isn’t the sort of work for a woman like you.’
And what sort of a woman is that? Meg wanted to ask, only she didn’t. She didn’t need to because she already knew. Obviously, the sort of woman who didn’t impress Jack Trent!
It wasn’t a comforting thought when they would be working together for the next three months. Yet, if she was really honest, she would have been forced to admit that it wasn’t just the fact that he held her in such low esteem professionally which hurt, but the fact that his opinion of her as a person obviously wasn’t any better.
What a good job it was that she had no intention of being that honest!
It was getting dark by the time they reached the village where they would spend the night. Meg was as exhausted as everyone else as she scrambled stiffly down from the lorry. The last five miles of the journey had been a test of endurance and she was black and blue from being jolted around.
‘Why on earth do we volunteer for these trips? I mean, I could be sitting in front of the telly right now with a cup of tea, watching Coronation Street. Must be mad, mustn’t we?’
Lesley came to join her, rubbing her back as she tried to work the kinks out of it. Meg smiled sympathetically. ‘I know what you mean. I thought my teeth were going to drop out on that last stretch!’
She grimaced when Lesley laughed then coloured as she caught the I-told-you-so expression on Jack’s face as he strode past them to speak to Rory. Without stopping to think, she stuck out her tongue at his retreating back and heard Lesley stifle a snort of surprised laughter.
‘Do I get the impression that you and our esteemed leader don’t see eye to eye?’
Meg shrugged, wishing that she hadn’t behaved so childishly. She certainly didn’t want to cause problems within the team at this early stage. ‘Sort of. Anyway, what happens now?’
Lesley took the hint and didn’t pursue it, but Meg could tell that she was curious about what had gone wrong between her and Jack. What could she have said if Lesley had asked her what the problem was? Meg thought ruefully. That Jack didn’t like her for some reason?
It
