Forbidden Night With The Duke. Annie Claydon

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.