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The direct question made Cat’s blush deepen. There was a long silence and she made no reply.
‘I’m a doctor, Catherine. Anything you say to me will be in confidence.’
Cat hesitated for a moment and then nodded.
‘Right, if you’ve been sick a lot, you’re probably dehydrated and your blood sugars are low. Combined with the heat, it could account for you passing out. I think what you need to do is drink lots of fluids and rest for a while.’
‘I want to go home to London, but my passport and belongings are at Nicholas’s house.’
‘I don’t think you are fit to travel anywhere today.’
‘I can’t go back to Nicholas!’ Cat’s voice rose slightly in panic.
‘Don’t worry. You can stay here. I have a spare room.’ ‘I can’t impose on you like that!’
‘Why not?’ Sophia smiled at her. ‘I’d say it was the least I can do after my cousin has upset you so much. Now, let’s have a look at your ankle.’
Cat watched as Sophia knelt to carefully examine her foot. She liked this woman’s no nonsense, but gentle approach. She was soothing to be around. She was probably about ten years older than Nicholas, but incredibly attractive. Her raven dark hair was shiny, her sloe-dark eyes warmed with laughter lines.
‘I don’t think you have broken anything, it’s just a sprain,’ she declared as she put Cat’s foot down again. ‘I’ll get you a drink and then I’ll help you to the bedroom and, when you’re ready, I’ll make you something to eat.’
The sound of children laughing woke Cat. She lay in the cool darkened bedroom listening to them playing in the front garden, and watched the floral curtains flutter as a breeze caught them.
Somewhere a church bell was chiming. It was early Sunday morning and she had surprised herself by sleeping through the night, even though she had been sure she would toss and turn.
Her mind went back to yesterday and the discovery of Nicholas’s duplicity and once again her eyes filled with tears. He’d said he wasn’t in league with her family, but she didn’t know if she believed that or not—she couldn’t get a handle on why he had deceived her. Hastily she brushed her tears away, it was her hormones making her cry, she told herself shakily. She didn’t care why Nicholas had treated her so badly—the only thing that counted was the fact that she had found him out. And she now knew she could never trust him. Now she knew that he was another man just like Ryan Malone.
She pushed back the covers of the bed and reached for the clothes that Sophia had lent her. As she fastened the long skirt, her hand rested for a moment on her stomach and she remembered how Nicholas had held her yesterday, remembered the foolish dreams about telling him about the baby—about being a family.
Briskly she turned to make the bed. Thoughts like that had been crazy. She certainly had no intention of telling Nicholas about the baby now. What was the point? She didn’t want him in her life and he didn’t want her. He’d probably be horrified to learn she was pregnant and demand she had an abortion. A baby definitely wouldn’t figure in the ruthless plans of a man who had deceived her so callously, who cared nothing for her.
Her eyes were suddenly blinded with tears again. He could go to hell, she told herself fiercely. Because she was glad that she was pregnant; she wanted this child and one loving parent was enough. She would give her baby all the love and support that had been missing in her own life—and she could do that without the help of any man.
The sound of a car pulling up outside made her hurry towards the window.
Outside in the blaze of the morning sun she saw Nicholas climb out of his Jeep. He looked tall and handsome and her heart twisted instantly with pain.
She saw Sophia’s two little girls running down the path to welcome him; they whooped for joy as he swung them up in his arms and whirled them around, they clamoured for more as he set them down again.
‘Not now, girls.’ His voice drifted up to the open window. ‘I’ve come to see Catherine. How is she today?’
‘OK, but Mummy says we are not to disturb her.’
‘Is that so?’ Nicholas glanced up and suddenly their eyes connected and it was as if an electric current passed between them. She dropped the curtain and stepped away from the window, her heart racing.
Hurriedly she moved to open the bedroom door, just as Sophia rushed up the stairs.
‘Nicholas is here,’ she hissed. ‘What do you want me to tell him?’
‘Tell him I can’t see him,’ Cat implored. ‘I can’t face him, Sophia.’
‘All right, but he might not take no for an answer. He’s phoned three times already and—’
‘And you’re right, I’m not going to take no for an answer.’ Nicholas’s deep tone cut across the conversation. Cat glanced around. He was coming up the stairs, a look of determination on his handsome features.
‘Nicholas, I don’t want to talk to you.’ She took an instinctive step backwards into the bedroom. Her gaze swung to Sophia beseechingly but it was too late—Nicholas was sweeping past his cousin.
‘Give us some time alone, Sophia,’ he demanded curtly. ‘We have things to sort out.’
