His Brother's Son

by Jennifer Taylor

  She closed her eyes then opened them again, but the scene was just the same. The only difference was that Felipe was now speaking. It was an effort to make sense of what he was saying.

  ‘I see we have made a breakthrough at last. This reluctance to talk about money is so very English. But why pretend that it means nothing when we both know that it is the driving force behind so much that people do?’

  He shrugged, his broad shoulders moving lightly beneath the fine wool of his dark grey suit. It was obviously expensive, Becky thought inconsequentially, because it fitted him to perfection, the jacket tailored to accommodate the width of his shoulders and chest, the trimness of his waist.

  Her gaze swept lower, taking stock of the long trouser-clad legs, the polished black shoes on his feet. They were handmade, from the look of them, and cut from the softest leather—luxurious, costly. Felipe Valdez obviously saw no reason not to indulge himself and yet he’d seen fit to query what Antonio had done with his inheritance, to question whether his brother had had the right to spend it as he’d wished. Was that what all this antagonism was about—money?

  Her eyes rose to his face and she made no attempt to hide her scorn. ‘Your brother knew exactly what he wanted to do with his inheritance, Dr Valdez. It was his decision.’

  ‘And you’re prepared to swear that you didn’t try to influence him in any way? That you didn’t take advantage of the fact that he was sick? That you never, ever, thought to yourself how wonderful it would be to have all that money at your disposal?’

  He laughed when she gasped, deliberately closing his mind to how shocked she looked because he didn’t want to have to consider whether or not he was hurting her. ‘Or that it would be so much better if Antonio died sooner rather than later so that you wouldn’t have to wait quite so long to get your hands on it?’

  ‘No! I can’t believe you’re saying such things. I never wanted Antonio’s money! I never tried to influence him to name me in his will. It was his decision, and his alone!’

  Becky could feel the bile rushing into her throat and turned away when she realised that she was going to be sick. Stumbling to the flower-bed, she bent over and retched, but she’d had nothing to eat since the previous night so her stomach was mercifully empty.

  ‘Here.’

  A tanned hand suddenly appeared, offering her a clean white handkerchief, but she shook her head. She wanted nothing from this man, nothing at all. What a fool she’d been to consider asking him for help. Hadn’t Antonio told her that everything had to be on Felipe’s terms, that he always had to be in control? Was she really prepared to run the risk of him taking charge of Josh, taking Josh away from her?

  The thought steadied her and she stood up straight. Felipe Valdez was watching her and she saw the oddest expression cross his face before the mask of indifference slid back into place.

  ‘Are you feeling better?’

  ‘I’m fine.’ She turned and walked towards the path, but he stepped in front of her, putting out a detaining hand when she tried to step around him.

  Becky shivered when she felt his cool fingers fastening around her wrist, but she refused to let him think she was afraid by snatching her hand away. She looked up at him with steady eyes and was surprised when she saw a thin line of colour run along his angular cheekbones.

  ‘It would be better if you came into the clinic and rested for a while,’ he said shortly.

  ‘I’m fine,’ she repeated. She tilted her head so that she could look him straight in the eyes. ‘Thank you for the offer, but I have a plane to catch. I shall go straight to the airport. I apologise for disrupting your morning, Dr Valdez.’

  She gently withdrew her arm and this time he made no attempt to stop her. Becky walked back along the path and she could feel him watching her every step of the way. She paused when she reached the corner, but the desire to look back was too strong to resist.

  He was standing exactly where she’d left him and she felt her heart curl up when she saw the expression on his face. Even from that distance she could see the contempt in his eyes, the disdain.

  Her eyes filled with tears but she refused to let him see that he’d upset her. She raised her hand in a mocking salute then carried on, waiting until she was out of sight before finding a tissue and wiping her eyes.

  As luck would have it there was a taxi dropping off a fare outside the clinic. Becky flagged it down and asked the driver to take her to the airport. She caught a glimpse of Felipe Valdez as the taxi headed back down the drive, and quickly averted her eyes when he glanced her way.

  This would be the first and the last time they ever met because she certainly wouldn’t come here again after what had happened today. She was only grateful that she hadn’t made the mistake of telling him why she’d come.

  Becky sighed as she thought back to that dreadful day when Antonio had told her that his former girlfriend, Tara Lewis, was pregnant with his child and that she intended to get rid of it. It had been a shock for her as well as for him.

  Antonio’s affair with Tara had been over for some time by then, and he had made no secret of the fact that he regretted having got involved with her. Becky had been a little concerned that he might have been rushing into their own relationship too soon, and had insisted on them taking things slowly at first.

  Antonio had had no such reservations, however. He had told Becky that he loved her and that he hoped one day that she might grow to love him in return. Becky had appreciated the fact that he hadn’t tried to rush her. She had sensed that she’d been falling in love with him and that all it had needed was a little more time for her own feelings to become clear. Then, just six weeks after they’d started going out together, Antonio had discovered that he had cancer and everything had changed. Time had been the one thing they’d no longer had.

  Becky had known from the outset that she wanted to be there for him and had never once wavered in her decision. Antonio had been the sweetest, gentlest man she’d ever known and she’d loved him dearly. When Tara had dropped her bombshell it couldn’t have come at a worse time. Antonio had just been told that the treatment he’d needed so desperately would make him sterile, and there Tara had been, telling him that she wanted to abort his child.

  He had been close to despair as he’d poured out the whole story to Becky, and that had been when she’d come up with the plan to pay Tara to have the baby. Antonio had inherited a large sum of money on his birthday, so she’d suggested that he use some of that. And then she’d told him that, no matter what happened, she would always take care of the child. It had been that which had convinced him to go ahead.

  He and Tara had struck a deal. He would pay her fifty thousand pounds immediately with another fifty thousand when the baby was born, plus an allowance of five thousand pounds each month she was pregnant. If Tara had only stuck to their bargain there wouldn’t have been a problem, but there had been constant demands for more money. Becky had hoped that once Tara had received her final payment, that would have been the end of it. But two weeks earlier Tara had turned up at her flat and demanded a further twenty thousand pounds.

  Becky simply didn’t have that kind of money and had told her so, but Tara had refused to believe her. She’d issued Becky with an ultimatum—either find the money or she would take her to court and claim that she’d been coerced into signing over custody of the baby.

  Horrified by the thought of what might happen, Becky had tried to make her see sense. However, Tara had just laughed and told Becky that the courts would probably take Josh into care and then neither one of them would end up with custody of him. As Tara had pointed out, she didn’t care what happened to him. She never had. She’d only agreed to give birth to him because Antonio had paid her not to have an abortion.

  Becky took a deep breath. She had promised Antonio she would take care of Josh and she wouldn’t let him down. Somehow, some way she would find the money she needed without asking Felipe Valdez for help.

  ‘Everything looks
fine, Miss Prentice. There will be some tenderness for a few days, but once the drainage tube has been removed I am confident that you won’t have any further problems.’

  Felipe stepped back as a nurse drew the sheet over the young woman. Lisa Prentice had been rushed into the Clinica Valdez with a seriously inflamed appendix. Felipe’s colleague, Silvia Ramirez, had performed the operation, and now he turned to her.

  ‘An excellent job, Dr Ramirez, performed under very difficult circumstances. I believe the appendix was ready to burst.’

  ‘That’s correct, sir,’ Silvia replied, smiling with pleasure at the compliment. She was an attractive brunette in her thirties, engaged to be married to another doctor on the surgical team which Felipe headed. He appreciated the fact that neither of them had allowed their relationship to intrude into their work, although he would have had no hesitation in doing something about it if it had. The welfare of the patients they treated at the Clinica Valdez came first and foremost, and always would.

  ‘Another half-hour and the outcome might not have been quite so fortunate. Sí?’ He turned to the young woman in the bed once again and frowned.

  ‘Did you have no indication that there might be something wrong before you set out on your holiday, Miss Prentice? I find it strange that you experienced no discomfort.’

  Lisa flushed when she heard the scepticism in his voice. She was a pretty girl in her teens and had come on holiday to Mallorca with a group of her friends. Felipe couldn’t fail to see how uncomfortable she looked about having to answer the question.

  ‘I did have a few twinges the night before we were due to fly over here,’ she muttered. ‘I just hoped it was indigestion or something.’

  ‘I see.’ His black brows swooped upwards as he regarded her with cool, brown eyes. ‘It never occurred to you that it might be something more serious and that perhaps you should visit your doctor before you set off on your holiday?’

  ‘Not really. I mean, if Mum had found out that I wasn’t feeling too good she might have stopped me going…’ She tailed off uncertainly.

  Felipe bit back a sigh. The young woman had preferred to run the risk of being seriously ill rather than cancel her holiday. It would take more than the promise of two weeks in the sun to get him on a plane if he were feeling under the weather.

  That thought reminded him of what had happened earlier in the day, and he frowned. Had Rebecca Williams been feeling ill before she’d come to see him or had it been what he’d said that had had such disastrous consequences? Even the most consummate actress couldn’t have faked that bout of sickness, and it troubled him to know that he might have been responsible for it, troubled him more than it should, too. Why should he care about the wretched woman after the way she had used his brother?

  His brows drew even further together and he saw Silvia glance rather nervously at him. She was obviously wondering if she’d done something to cause his displeasure so he quickly smoothed his features into their customary bland mask.

  ‘May I suggest that the next time you go on holiday you are a little more sensible, Miss Prentice? As it is you will not get to enjoy very much of your stay on the island, I’m afraid. We shall keep you here for the next two to three days then I shall recommend to your insurance company that you should be flown home immediately.’

  ‘Oh! I didn’t realise I would have to go home.’ Tears filled the girl’s eyes. ‘I thought I would be able to join my friends. We’ve been saving up for this holiday for months, you see, and now I won’t have a chance to enjoy any of it.’

  Felipe sighed, although he couldn’t help wondering why the sight of the girl’s tears should have moved him. He wasn’t uncaring about the people he treated, but he’d learned a long time ago to distance himself. It puzzled him that he didn’t seem able to do so right then…

  Unless it was that meeting with Rebecca Williams which had allowed his emotions to surface?

  It was a deeply disquieting thought and he ruthlessly drove it out of his mind. ‘I feel that it would be far more sensible if you returned home as soon as you are discharged from the clinic, Miss Prentice. However…’ He held up his hand when Lisa started to say something and was unsurprised when she fell silent. Few people stood up to him, he’d found, although whether that was a good thing was open to question. Maybe he would be a better person if occasionally he had to bow to another person’s will? He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had contradicted him—apart from Rebecca Williams, of course.

  It was an effort to hide his dismay as that thought slid into his mind, but hiding his feelings was something he was particularly good at. ‘However, I am prepared to review your case in a few days’ time.’

  He shrugged when he heard the young woman’s gasp of delight, clamping down on the urge to smile at her because it wouldn’t be right to let her think that his agreement was a foregone conclusion. ‘If you continue making such excellent progress it might be possible to allow you to carry on with your holiday—with certain provisos, of course.’

  ‘Oh, thank you, Dr Valdez, and you, too, Dr Ramirez. That’s just brilliant news!’

  Lisa was beaming when they moved away from her bed. Felipe sensed that Silvia was looking at him and glanced at her. ‘You disagree with my decision, Dr Ramirez? Please, feel free to say so if you do.’

  ‘Not at all,’ she said quickly. He saw a little colour touch her cheeks and sighed when it struck him what was wrong. Silvia was surprised because he’d changed his mind. Frankly, it was unheard of for him to go back on a decision once he had made it.

  It made him wonder what was wrong with him that day and why he seemed to be acting so out of character. He had changed his mind about sending Lisa home once she was discharged and now he found himself wishing that he’d discovered what Rebecca Williams had wanted. It had seemed enough at the time that he’d been able to tell her what he thought of her, but all of a sudden he was beset by curiosity.

  Why had she come to see him? He’d heard her telling the taxi-driver to take her to the airport so had it been a sudden whim that had made her spend her last few hours on the island visiting him, or had there been another reason behind it?

  The question nagged at him for the rest of the day so that by the time he left the hospital he was tired of thinking about it. He made his way from the main building and followed the path through the trees until he came to a pink-washed villa. It was almost seven and the sun was sinking low in the sky, casting a burnished haze across the bay.

  Felipe paused as he always did to admire the view, but that evening it didn’t soothe him. He felt too on edge and keyed up, a feeling of tension making his nerves hum. It had been years since he’d felt that way. The last time had been when he’d found out that his fiancée had been cheating on him.

  He’d solved that problem by ending the engagement and hadn’t made the mistake of getting involved with anyone ever since. Any relationships he’d had in the intervening years had meant little to him apart from physically. If only he could apply the same objectivity to what had happened that day, but wondering what Rebecca Williams had wanted was eating away at him.

  He let himself into the villa, bypassing the dining-room where his housekeeper had left his supper in the heated serving trolley. Usually he enjoyed her cooking but that night the smell of meat and vegetables made him feel sick, although not as sick as Rebecca had been that morning.

  ‘Madre de Dios!’ He slammed his hand against the study door, feeling pain shoot through his palm when it connected with the ornately carved wood. It stunned him to feel it and know that he was capable of such anger when he had always—always—been able to control his emotions before.

  But this was different. This all had to do with Antonio, and there were too many emotions churning inside him. He felt guilt and anger, grief and pain, all laced with a deep contempt for the way that woman had used his brother when he had been so vulnerable.

  Antonio hadn’t deserved to be treated like that!

  Tear
s stung Felipe’s eyes but he blinked them away. In his heart he knew that he might be making a mistake, but he didn’t have a choice. He had to sort this out once and for all, bring everything to its rightful conclusion. Rebecca Williams must be made to pay.

  He went to his desk and picked up the phone, his hand was rock steady when he dialled the number. It was the usual push-button service but he obeyed each command without experiencing his usual irritation until, finally, he was connected to an operator.

  ‘I wish to book a seat on the next flight to London. My name? Valdez, Dr Felipe Valdez.’

  CHAPTER TWO

  ‘YOU’VE not got much of a suntan, I must say. Don’t tell me it was raining in Mallorca?’

  Becky glanced round as her friend, Karen Hardy, came into the staffroom where she’d been making a cup of coffee. It had been a hectic morning on the paediatric intensive care unit of St Leonard’s Hospital, where she worked, and it was the first opportunity she’d had to take a break. She automatically reached for the jar of coffee and made Karen a drink as well.

  ‘It wasn’t raining, but I didn’t get much chance to enjoy the sun,’ she explained, handing her friend the mug.

  She picked up her own cup, hoping that the hot coffee would help to warm away the chill which seemed to have invaded her since the previous day. She’d felt cold ever since she had got back from Mallorca despite the fact that the weather in London was surprisingly warm for the time of year. But maybe the chill she felt owed itself less to the outside temperature than to the frosty reception she had received at the Clinica Valdez.

  Her grey eyes clouded as she recalled what Felipe Valdez had said to her. She had spent the night going over and over every cruel word, but nothing seemed to take the sting out of them. He honestly believed that she had used Antonio for her own ends. The thought still made her feel ill.

  ‘Hey, are you OK? You look as though you’d just swallowed something nasty.’ Karen sniffed her coffee suspiciously. ‘The milk isn’t off again, is it?’