Treverne is here right away.’
‘Thank you.’
Returning to sit beside her brooding charge, Kit proffered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. ‘Hopefully you won’t have too long to wait.’
His dark eyebrows beetling together, Hal growled, ‘However long the wait, it’s far too long for my liking.’
‘Don’t you want help to get better?’
When he turned his head towards her she was treated to the full force of his powerful gaze.
‘You may have noticed that asking for help and accepting it is not something that comes naturally to me.’
‘Then perhaps when you’re back to full strength again it might be something you could start to cultivate?’
‘Yeah—and my father might train to climb Mount Everest!’
‘I take it he’s not a keen climber like you are, then?’
‘The only thing he climbs are walls—especially when he hears of another “foolhardy escapade” of mine that he despairs of. That’s why he didn’t visit me in the hospital when I had this blasted accident. He’s a man who’s always erred on the side of safety. The only risks he ever takes are ones that he’s sure will preserve the legacy of Falteringham House for the generations of the Treverne family to come.’
‘Falteringham House? Is that the name of your family home?’
‘Yes.’
‘And your father really didn’t visit you when you broke your leg?’ No wonder he was acting like some kind of wounded animal. It had clearly hurt him that his father had stayed away when he’d been injured. She doubted that even her impractical, flighty mother would have behaved as callously.
Hal’s expression was far away for a moment, and seconds later a tall, elegant man dressed in a tailored pinstriped suit that suggested he might just as easily be a wealthy lawyer as a surgeon presented himself in front of the man sitting beside her.
‘Mr Treverne. It is good to see you again. Would you like to come into the examination room and I’ll take a look at that leg, see how things are progressing?’
The comment was impatiently received with a disdainfully curled lip. ‘The only thing that’s progressed is the pain, Mr Shadik.’
‘Then perhaps I need to prescribe some stronger medication for you. Let us go and discuss it, shall we?’
Glancing round at Kit, Hal nodded towards the crutches she’d leant against the wall.
‘Give me a hand with those, would you? And you may as well come into the examination room with me and get the gist of what’s happening.’
‘I think that’s a good idea.’ Immediately pushing to her feet, Kit helped him safely secure the armrests before assisting him to stand. When he did, she observed that once again his indomitably handsome brow was beaded with sweat. The consultant had also noted it, and gravely shook his head.
‘I am certain we can do much better as far as your pain relief is concerned, Henry, so please don’t worry. Today is your first day on crutches, is it not?’
Hal briefly dipped his head in agreement.
‘We’ll get another X-ray and afterwards you can see the physio to make sure that you’re using the aids properly... But I can see that you’re already a natural.’ The surgeon beamed.
Kit sensed that beneath his grim smile Henry was privately utilising every expletive he could lay his hands on, as well as inventing a few more choice ones of his own...
HAL HAD BEEN in dire need of a rest when they’d returned from the hospital. After the tedious rounds of X-rays and physiotherapy he’d endured, as well as a further consultation about the results with his surgeon, he’d been so exhausted that the only thing he’d longed for was at least a couple of hours of unbroken sleep.
In the living room he’d allowed Kit to assist him in getting comfortable on the couch, privately surprised at how used to her touch he was getting and how quickly he had started to trust it.
The biggest surprise of all had come when he’d learned what an amazingly confident driver she was. His top-of-the-range sporty four-by-four had been handled as expertly as if Hal was driving it himself. Any fears about her denting or damaging one of his favourite cars were happily unfounded.
But when Kit had been gently about to drape a cashmere throw over him as he lay back against the couch cushions he’d instantly reverted to type and snapped, ‘For God’s sake, woman! Stop fussing, will you?’
After that he’d despatched her to her room to unpack and acclimatise herself to her new surroundings, telling her to leave him in peace for a while. When she’d shut the door behind her, as he’d instructed, he’d closed his eyes only to find that the scent of her floral perfume lingered a little too disturbingly for his peace of mind. To compound the disturbance he’d also recalled just then how her precariously arranged topknot had finally collapsed during his consultation, spilling over her shoulders in a vivid autumnal riot of auburn silk. After that it had taken Hal quite a bit longer than he’d hoped to finally slip into the deep slumber he’d craved...
When he awoke it was to a darkened room, with thundering rain pouring outside. The downpour was so fierce that it lashed against the window panes as if trying to force an entry. It must be quite some storm for it to be so dark this early. Manoeuvring himself upright, he roughly scrubbed the backs of his knuckles across his eyelids and yawned. The sudden realisation that he was in dire need of the bathroom made him immediately seek out his walking aids. When he saw that they had been leant against an armchair a few feet away he muttered a ripe curse beneath his breath. How the hell was he supposed to reach them over there? The uncharacteristic sense of helplessness that swept over him made him feel even more irritated.
‘Kit!’ he yelled. ‘Where the hell are you? I need you in here now!’
The door opened almost straight away and variously placed lamps flooded the room with softly diffused lighting. The first thing Hal noticed was that his new assistant had tamed her riot of auburn hair back into its precarious topknot. He didn’t rightly know why that should be such a crime, but to his thinking it was.
‘I need my crutches,’ he said gruffly, carefully swinging his legs to the floor. ‘I’m pretty desperate to get to the bathroom.’
Without a word she immediately went across to the armchair to collect them, then returned to stand in front of him.
‘It might be quicker if you lean on me and hop. It’s just a few feet away, isn’t it?’
‘Sweetheart.’ He glanced up into her pretty blue eyes and intoned, gravel-voiced, ‘I’m six-foot-two and no lightweight. I have only your word that you’re stronger than you look, and I’d rather not risk you getting a broken leg to match mine. Just help me with the crutches, will you?’
A little more au fait with the walking aids since his session with the physiotherapist,
