Point Of No Return. Carole Mortimer

‘And she told you, just like that?’ She had always thought Tracy her best friend at the hospital, had even promised to keep in touch, and now it turned out that Tracy had helped this man get her sacked. Somehow that didn’t sound like Tracy.

      Roddy sat down on the bed, pushing his long hair back from his face. ‘Not just like that, no. I told her you’d invited me to your room, that you were expecting me, and that I’d forgotten your room number.’

      ‘And she believed you?’ Megan groaned. She knew a lot of the other girls sneaked boys into their room, although this was expressly forbidden in the hospital rules, but she had never been fond enough of anyone to take the risk of getting caught.

      He shrugged. ‘She had no reason not to. I tell a very convincing story.’

      ‘Oh, I know that!’ to her cost!

      ‘Mm,’ he grinned. ‘What a coincidence us both being in the same area.’

      ‘I happen to live here,’ she snapped.

      ‘At least now I know I won’t be bored.’

      Megan glared at him. ‘Don’t count on me to alleviate your boredom.’ She picked up the tray again. The food would be cold now, she would have to go down for a fresh lot.

      Roddy was watching her. ‘Where are you going with that?’

      ‘To get fresh food and then take it to its rightful owner.’

      ‘Leave it,’ he ordered.

      ‘I—–’

      ‘It’s my breakfast, Megan,’ he said patiently.

      ‘But Jerome Towers’ brother—–’

      ‘Me,’ he nodded.

      She nearly dropped the tray for the second time. ‘You are his brother?’ She just couldn’t be that unlucky.

      ‘That’s right,’ he smiled at her horror. ‘Half-brother actually, but that’s never counted for much.’

      Just her luck! If anyone should ever find out that he was the man involved in her dismissal, and that he was staying so close to her home, they would never believe her innocence. ‘Does he know why you were asked to leave?’ she asked almost reluctantly.

      Roddy laughed, taking the tray out of her hands and pouring himself a cup of tea. ‘He doesn’t even know I was asked to leave,’ he informed her calmly, ‘let alone why.’

      ‘He doesn’t?’ She almost sighed her relief. Maybe if Roddy Meyers was no more eager than she was to have their past meeting made public knowledge they could keep the scandal to themselves.

      ‘No,’ he bit into a piece of buttered toast, ‘I just told him I’d been discharged.’

      ‘And he believed you?’

      ‘He had no reason not to. So now you’re working for my brother?’ He eyed her speculatively.

      ‘No, I’m not, I’m just helping out. And now I know you’re here I don’t intend helping out any longer,’ she told him angrily. ‘I’m leaving, and right now!’

      He moved in front of the doorway to stop her exit, his hands on her upper arms. ‘Don’t be like that, Megan. You’ve been against me from the first—why don’t you like me?’

      She wished she knew that herself. ‘Maybe you try too hard,’ she evaded. ‘Whatever the reason, I want you to take your hands off me.’

      ‘Oh, come on, Megan, I still want to go out with you,’ he said coaxingly. ‘And now there’s no patient/nurse relationship to stop us we can—–’

      ‘I don’t remember that stopping you before!’

      ‘No, well—–’ he smiled, ‘you’re beautiful, very desirable. You can’t blame a man for being persistent.’

      ‘That persistent I can,’ she said indignantly. ‘I should hate you for what you did to me.’

      ‘But you don’t,’ he murmured softly, his gaze fixed on her parted lips. ‘Oh, Megan, I—–’

      ‘Roddy, are you going to get up to—–’ the voice trailed off as the man came to stand in the open doorway, his brown-eyed gaze levelled on them as they stood close together.

      Megan wrenched away from Roddy Meyers’ embrace to face Jeff Robbins, and the censure in those deep brown eyes made her squirm with embarrassment. She had wanted to see him again, had intended making sure she did, but not when she was in Roddy Meyers’ arms.

      ‘I see yu’re already awake, Roddy,’ Jeff Robbins drawled, his gaze flickering over Megan almost insolently before passing back to Roddy. ‘And being entertained too, by the look of things.’

      The younger man grinned. ‘I was just getting to know the new maid.’

      ‘I am not the new maid!’ Megan denied vehemently.

      ‘No, she isn’t,’ Jeff Robbins agreed. ‘Miss Finch is deputising for her mother,’ he explained abruptly.

      ‘I was just trying to persuade Megan to go out for a drive with me this afternoon,’ Roddy lied, knowing he had her trapped.

      ‘Really?’ Again brown eyes raked over her. ‘And did you manage to persuade her?’

      ‘She’s a bit hard to pin down to anything definite,’ Roddy grinned. ‘But I live in hope.’

      ‘Don’t we all?’ Jeff drawled.

      All humour left Roddy’s face. ‘Have you been after her too?’ he queried resentfully.

      ‘No one has been “after” me!’ Megan cut in on their conversation, wishing Roddy Meyers would shut up, and that she could persuade Jeff Robbins that this situation wasn’t like it looked. But he didn’t look any more ready to believe her than they had at the hospital two days ago.

      ‘Haven’t they?’ Jeff asked, eyes narrowed.

      ‘No! I—–’

      ‘Hey, Rome, I think she’s embarrassed,’ Roddy mused.

      Rome? This was Jerome Towers? But it couldn’t be—could it? But what other explanation could there be for him to be walking about the house? The estate manager would have no need to do that. Why hadn’t he told her this morning who he was? No wonder he hadn’t known about the tractor he was supposed to mend!

      Why hadn’t he corrected her mistake? Had he enjoyed listening to her make a fool of herself? The reason he had changed his mind about taking her out became obvious; he would hardly want to date someone who was working as kitchen help in his own house. Everything the old Squire had ever said about this man suddenly seemed true—he was a pompous snob.

      He was still watching her with narrowed eyes, obviously knowing of her surprise. ‘Maybe you should get some clothes on, then she wouldn’t feel that way.’

      ‘Megan’s used to seeing men without their clothes on,’ his brother dismissed.

      Jerome Towers’ contempt seemed to increase. ‘Is she now?’ he grated.

      ‘Of course she is—she’s a nurse, isn’t she?’

      ‘How do you know that? Did you know Megan before today?’ Jerome queried suspiciously.

      ‘She was on my ward, weren’t you, love?’ Roddy looked at her for confirmation.

      Megan blushed, the look in her eyes willing him not to reveal any more about their previous meeting. ‘Yes,’ she nodded, her gaze still on Roddy.

      ‘Before she was ill, of course?’ Jerome Towers enquired coolly. ‘If she had you for a patient, Roddy, I can quite understand her not being strong enough to carry on,’ he added mockingly.

      Roddy