not your fault either,’ countered Simon irritably, eyeing the tall Canadian with evident resentment. Then, when it became obvious that Rhia was not going to take any notice of his objections, he exclaimed, ‘Very well, I’ll take you to the hospital myself. That way, I’ll be there if anyone tries to intimidate you.’
‘No,’ Jared positioned himself squarely by the door, ‘that won’t be necessary, Mr—er——’
‘Travis,’ put in Simon shortly.
‘Fine—Mr Travis.’ Jared inclined his head politely. ‘I suggest you wait for us here. I’ll bring her back safely, don’t worry.’
‘Wait a minute——’
‘I think you’d better go home, Simon,’ said Rhia unhappily, re-entering the room, a blue corded jacket about her shoulders. ‘I’ll ring you as soon as I get back from the hospital. I’m sorry, but there doesn’t seem anything else I can do.’
Simon’s fair features were flushed with anger as he viewed her apologetic expression. ‘I feel as if you’ve brought me here on a wild goose chase, Rhia,’ he exclaimed. ‘Why didn’t you tell me last night that Frazer here had been to the flat? Even this morning, you’ve let me go on thinking it was what Val had said that had upset you, when all the while you’ve had this on your mind.’
‘It wasn’t like that, Simon,’ Rhia began, but Jared was urging her towards the door, and she realised she didn’t have time to explain anything now. ‘I—I’ll see you later,’ she murmured, as they emerged into the corridor, and Simon contented himself with giving her companion a series of malevolent looks as they all went down in the lift together.
Simon left them on the forecourt of the flats, striding away angrily to where his Cortina was parked, leaving Jared to escort Rhia to his own vehicle. This was a Mercedes, sleek and powerful—a hire-car, he remarked dryly as he unlocked the door for her to get inside.
‘I’m used to a longer automobile,’ he added, levering himself into the seat beside her. ‘But I know the Mercedes, and it seemed a reasonable compromise.’
Rhia bent her head. ‘You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Mr Frazer,’ she said stiffly, and he cast her a half impatient glance.
‘No, I know I don’t,’ he conceded, starting the engine. ‘But I’d hate you to think I was trying to impress you. That wasn’t my intention at all.’
‘I’m sure it wasn’t.’ Rhia spoke hotly, then endeavoured to restrain her temper. It wasn’t Jared Frazer’s fault that Valentina had disappeared, and she could hardly blame him for her sister’s part in the proceedings.
‘Valentina was driving Glyn’s car, wasn’t she?’ he said now, as they joined the stream of traffic in the Cromwell Road. ‘She told you, didn’t she? That’s why you were so damn scared when I suggested she’d been with him when the accident happened.’
Rhia took a deep breath. ‘Why—why should you think that?’
‘Why?’ He made a sound of impatience. ‘Miss Mallory—oh, what the hell—Rhia! I can’t go on calling you Miss Mallory—no way could Glyn’s injuries have been sustained behind the wheel of that car. To begin with, there would have been some chest damage, bruising, at least, and there isn’t. His injuries are consistent with those of a passenger, a passenger who, on the moment of impact, was impelled through the windshield.’
Rhia trembled. ‘Did the police tell you this?’
‘Not yet, but they will. It was Glyn’s doctor who expressed his opinion, and I have to say, I agree with him.’
Rhia expelled her breath wearily. ‘And—and is Glyn going to be all right? I mean, now that he’s recovered consciousness.’
Jared shrugged. ‘Let’s hope so.’
‘Was—was the injury to his head all that was wrong?’
‘His face is pretty badly cut about, but I’m told the lacerations will heal. There doesn’t seem to be anything else wrong with him. Apart from his suspected concussion—and the interference with his sight.’
‘His eyes—of course.’ Rhia shivered. ‘What if he doesn’t accept that I’m Val? What if he finds out I’m lying?’
‘Why should he?’ Jared’s mouth was hard. ‘Your sister—Valentina, that is—told me yesterday that she’d never met my nephew. Have you?’
Rhia shook her head. ‘No.’
‘So.’ Her companion breathed more easily. ‘Glyn has nothing to base his suspicions on.’
Rhia gazed anxiously out of the car window, hardly seeing the crowds of Saturday shoppers, the hectic jam of traffic heading towards the river. She was wondering where Valentina was, wondering how long she could last without any obvious means of support, wondering how much longer she, Rhia, could evade Jared Frazer’s searching questions.
It took more than an hour to reach the hospital where Glyn was a patient, and it was after one o’clock when they walked the rubber-tiled corridor to the intensive care unit. There was an air of quiet competence about the place, a reassuring sense of skill and efficiency, that made Rhia believe that if anyone could help Glyn, these people could. She hoped so, she hoped so desperately. Not only for his sake, but for her sister’s.
The Sister in charge of the ward greeted Jared Frazer cordially. Evidently he was already a familiar visitor, and his introduction of Rhia was brief and to the point. Happily, Sister Harris was content with the information that this was the girl Glyn had been asking for, and Rhia did not have to make any explanations before being shown into the side-ward.
Glyn Frazer was lying on a narrow hospital bed, his skin almost as white as the pillow behind his head. He was very still, and Rhia caught her breath at the mass of small cuts and scratches that etched his pale face. There was a bandage round his head, and there were tubes attached to his nose and his wrist; and Rhia’s compassion was deeply stirred by the realisation of how helpless he was.
Glancing at Jared right behind her, she made an involuntary gesture, but Sister Harris had moved past them and was crisply dismissing the young nurse seated by the bedside. Then, bending close to her patient, she said: ‘Mr Frazer! Mr Frazer, are you awake? You’ve got a visitor.’
‘Val!’
Animation gave life to those mutilated features, and Rhia caught her breath as Glyn’s eyes flickered open. They were not dark eyes like his uncle’s, but blue, a clear transparent shade of blue, and when they turned in her direction, Rhia almost lost her nerve.
‘Val?’ Glyn said again. ‘Val, where are you? Sister, you said I had a visitor—’
‘Don’t upset yourself, Mr Frazer.’ The uniformed Sister beckoned Rhia forward. ‘Miss Mallory’s here, right beside me. Give me your hand—there,’ she reached for Rhia’s frozen fingers and entwined the two together. ‘Now do you believe me?’
‘Oh, Val—’
Glyn’s voice cracked, and Rhia, acting under the silent instructions Jared’s eyes were giving her, sank down into the chair the nurse had vacated,
