Midwives On-Call. Alison Roberts

of blood clots that ruled it out for her and Isla told her so. ‘You need to be careful—’ Isla started, but Christine interrupted again.

      ‘I’m not waiting six weeks and he …’ she nodded her head in Blake’s direction ‘… certainly can’t wait that long.’

      ‘I’m not asking you both to wait till then,’ Isla said patiently. ‘Though you don’t have to have penetrative sex, there are other things you can do.’ Christine just rolled her eyes and Isla ploughed on. ‘If you are going to have sex before the IUD is put in then you are to use condoms each and every time.’ She looked at Blake. ‘That’s why I asked to speak to you, too.’

      ‘Oh, leave him alone.’ Christine grinned.

      ‘Christine, you’re very anaemic and the last thing your body needs now is another pregnancy. I’m just asking Blake to make sure that he’s careful.’

      ‘It’s not his fault, he tries to be careful,’ Christine said, happy to leap to Blake’s defence. ‘Haven’t you ever got so carried away that you just don’t care, Isla?’

      Isla glanced at the shoes on the other side of the curtain and just knew that Alessi could hear every word and was no doubt having a little laugh.

      Rarely, her cheeks were pink as she looked back at Christine.

      ‘Well?’ Christine demanded. ‘I think you know what I’m talking about, Isla.’

      ‘But this isn’t about me,’ Isla answered calmly. ‘I’ve raided the store cupboard.’ She handed Blake what would hopefully be adequate supplies. ‘One each time!’ Isla said. ‘Or I’ll be seeing see you very soon. Perhaps with twins this time, wouldn’t that be nice? Four under two, what fun!’

      She saw Blake blink and he glanced at Christine and then back at Isla, and hopefully the message had sunk in. ‘Got it?’ Isla said.

      ‘Got it,’ Blake agreed.

      As she left them to go through their goody bag she walked straight into Alessi, who was wearing a smile, and there was an extremely rare truce because all Isla could do was let out a little laugh.

      ‘You didn’t answer the question, Isla,’ Alessi teased.

      ‘No, I didn’t.’

      ‘A case of do as I say, not as I do?’ Alessi nudged and Isla gave a non-committal smile. He’d die on the spot if he knew the truth but thankfully the small armistice was soon over and Alessi got back to talking about work, which Isla knew better how to handle. ‘I’m very happy with the baby that Sean just asked me to see. There’s no sign of infection—I think he has a floppy larynx, which is causing the husky cry. Still, I’m going to do a blood test and can his temperature be checked every two hours? Any deterioration at all then I’m to be called straight away.’ He watched as Isla nodded and he again took in her puffy eyes and was tempted to say something.

      But what could he say?

       I’m sorry to hear that your boyfriend’s been screwing around on you again?

      Alessi wasn’t sorry.

      Well, perhaps he was sorry for the hurt that had been dished out to Isla but he wasn’t sorry that her relationship with Rupert was over.

      Close to a year on, despite not particularly liking her, Alessi still found himself thinking about that night.

      Still, despite her cool disdain, despite having been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, as opposed to the plastic café one that he had been born to, he could not quite get her out of his head.

      ‘What time is everybody meeting tonight?’ he asked.

      ‘About seven.’

      ‘Good. Shall I see you there?’

      ‘You shall.’

      This was as close to a personal conversation they’d had since that night.

      And that was how it would remain, he decided as he walked off.

      He didn’t like his attraction to her, didn’t like that eleven months on, the scent of her was a familiar one whenever they were close, and he didn’t like that, despite trying not to, today he had found himself with no choice but to smile into her eyes.

      Stay back, Alessi, he told himself.

      He liked to keep things light with women. Since Talia he hadn’t liked to get too involved. But all that aside, Alessi was determined that Isla Delamere would not be changing her mind on him twice.

       CHAPTER THREE

      ISLA GOT CAUGHT up in a delivery and didn’t make it home until well after six, but Darcie was up and it was actually nice not to come back to an empty flat but share in a glass of wine as they got ready.

      ‘Can I borrow your hair dryer?’ Darcie asked. ‘The adapter that I brought isn’t working.’

      ‘Sure,’ Isla said, and went and got it. ‘I’ll just text Rupert and let him know that I’m running a bit late and to meet us there.’

      ‘Oh, so you’re still seeing each—’ Darcie abruptly halted whatever it was she’d been about to say. ‘I’m so sorry, Isla. That is absolutely none of my business. I think I must have left my manners in England!’

      ‘It’s fine.’ Isla shrugged. ‘My sister said pretty much the same thing this morning. Look, it really isn’t awkward. I don’t get upset by what’s said in the magazines, they’re full of rubbish and lies …’

      ‘Of course they are. It’s nice that you can trust him.’ Darcie smiled but Isla could see a small flicker of pity in her eyes and knew that Darcie, like everybody else, assumed that Isla was being taken for a fool.

      Isla went to have a very quick shower, though perhaps it wasn’t quite as quick as the one she had intended to have.

      New Year, new start, Isla decided as she soaped up.

      She was going to break up with Rupert.

      Isla already knew that she had to stop hiding behind him and certainly she didn’t like it that people thought she was somehow standing by her man as Rupert seemingly made a fool of her.

      Rupert had rung and explained what had happened before the news had hit. The actress had the same agent as Rupert and the supposed tell-all had been at the agent’s direction. Only when the exposé had happened had Rupert found out it had been planned.

      ‘Not good enough,’ Isla had said. Still, she found it hard to be cross with him—after all, she knew that what had been said in the article was all lies.

      Isla was determined to end it, though she was tempted to put off the break-up. She had asked Rupert to stick close to her tonight and she was nervous about the charity ball coming up in a couple of weeks. Alessi’s award meant that he would be sitting at the same table as her father—the same table as her!

      Yet things had seemed better when they’d spoken today, Isla thought, recalling the smile he had given as she’d come out from behind Christine’s curtain. She closed her eyes for a moment and remembered their kiss that night and just how nice it had been to briefly be in his arms. She stood in the shower, the water cascading over her, as she returned to the blissful memory. Her hands moved over her hips as she remembered his there, and then her eyes snapped open as one hand started to move down of its own accord as she ached, honestly ached to return to the memory and bring it to a more fitting conclusion. She wanted to know what might have happened had she not said no. She wanted to explore the possibilities, her body was almost begging her to.

      Isla stood, stunned by her own arousal.

      She had buried her sexuality completely.

      Since