Lover By Deception. PENNY JORDAN

      Missie whined unhappily. Why was her mistress lying in the middle of the lawn ignoring Missie’s anxious little cries and licks...?

      

      Ward pushed away the room-service meal he had ordered, half-eaten. It was no good. He simply didn’t trust that woman. By morning she could be heaven alone knew where. Quickly Ward gathered up his coat and his keys, almost running out of the hotel towards his car.

      

      Missie greeted his arrival with excited, relieved little barks. Ward frowned. The house was in complete darkness, even though it was now dusk, and the conservatory door was open. Where the devil was Anna?

      Missie showed him, standing anxiously beside her unconscious mistress, her little tail beating the ground as she looked trustingly up at Ward.

      On the ground Anna gave a little moan and started to open her eyes.

      ‘Oh, my head hurts,’ she cried out, tears filling her eyes.

      ‘It’s all right; you’ve bumped it. Don’t move. I’m going to call for an ambulance,’ Ward told her grimly.

      When Anna had moved her head he had seen the dark patch of drying blood staining her hair and he could see a smear of blood on the handle of the hoe, too.

      ‘Who are you?’ he heard Anna asking him fretfully.

      He checked before he started to dial the emergency services number on his mobile phone and stared at her.

      ‘Don’t you know?’ he asked her.

      Tearfully Anna looked at him.

      ‘No, I don’t.’ She started to shiver as she told him frantically, ‘I don’t know anything.’