Burning Obsession

by Carole Mortimer

  ‘Keep out of this, David,’ Jordan ordered tautly. ‘This is between my wife and myself.’ His narrowed eyes fixed on Kelly. ‘Are you saying you don’t want to sleep with me any more?’

  ‘Jordan, I don’t think—’

  ‘Stay out of this, David!’ he was told fiercely. ‘If you don’t like the conversation then go and wait for us in the lounge.’

  ‘Yes, do that, Daddy.’ Kelly’s defiant gaze hadn’t left Jordan, the naked fury in his face.

  ‘Jordan—’

  ‘Just leave us for a while, David,’ Jordan had told him, and with extreme reluctance he had finally done so. ‘Now,’ Jordan once more turned to her, ‘just say what you have to say and let’s have this out in the open.’

  ‘I’m leaving you,’ she told him calmly. ‘Tonight. Right now. I’m going home with my father.’

  ‘And you think I’ll let you do that?’

  ‘I know you can’t stop me,’ she said coldly.

  ‘Like hell I can’t!’ His chair went back with a clatter as he stood up from the dining-room table, pulling her to her feet too. ‘There’s always been one way I can reach you.’ His mouth came ruthlessly down on hers.

  Kelly had stoood like ice as he devoured her with a restless hunger, trying his damnedest to evoke a response in her. But she hadn’t given him one, had been revolted by his touch as she thought of him kissing Angela Divine in exactly the same way.

  Finally he pulled back, thrusting her away from him with a moan of self-disgust. ‘So you can’t even kiss me now,’ he sneered. ‘Okay, go with your father, and when you come to your senses give me a call. I’ll come and bring you back to me, where you belong.’

  ‘I belong to no one,’ she snapped icily. ‘Especially you. I hate you!’

  ‘And God knows that at this moment I hate you too!’ Jordan slammed out of the room, and seconds later out of the house too, the silence deafening after his departure.

  Her father had tried to persuade her to leave it for a few days, to give herself time, but she had refused, packing a suitcase and leaving with him before Jordan returned.

  Maybe Jordan’s question this afternoon about why she had never gone back to him had been referring to that scene. He had left the door open for her it she ever wanted to go to him. But she hadn’t even thought about it, had travelled with her father on business, had been his hostess in his Hampshire home. Going back to Jordan had never occurred to her.

  Then why had it occurred to her now?

  * * *

  Kelly was sitting with her father when he woke up late the next afternoon. She had been talking to him as usual, had been telling him of her confusion about Jordan.

  Jordan had been right, they saw little of each other, and when they did meet he was always coolly polite, almost as if that incident in this very room had never happened.

  It was as she was telling her father this that his eyelids had begun to flicker, his lips to move slightly. When his eyelids suddenly opened Kelly almost burst into hysterical sobs, pressing the button by the bed to bring the doctor to the room.

  She stood up, smiling down tremulously at her father. ‘Daddy?’ she said huskily, her tears choking in her throat. ‘Daddy, it’s Kelly.’

  ‘Hello, darling,’ he spoke as if he hadn’t been unconscious for the last five days, as if he had just woken up from an afternoon nap. ‘What time is it?’

  She looked at her watch. ‘Four o’clock in the afternoon. How do you feel?’

  ‘Well, I’ve got a headache,’ he grimaced. ‘And I’m thirsty.’

  ‘A good sign.’ The doctor who was in charge of her father’s case entered the room, a tall, loose-limbed man of indiscriminate age. His face was young, but his hair was sparse and streaked with grey.

  ‘Good afternoon, Doctor,’ Kelly’s father greeted politely. ‘Where’s that son-on-law of mine?’

  ‘You remember him being here, Daddy?’ Kelly said excitedly.

  He turned puzzled eyes on her. ‘No, I can’t say that I do. But it follows that if you’re here then so is Jordan. I’m sorry I interrupted your holiday, darling.’

  She frowned. ‘But, Daddy—’

  ‘Could I examine your father alone, Mrs Lord?’ the doctor interrupted. ‘You can talk to him in a few minutes. Perhaps you would like to telephone your husband while you’re waiting.’

  ‘Oh yes, yes, of course.’ She squeezed her father’s hand. ‘I won’t be long, Daddy.’

  The telephone at the hotel suite was answered by Janet Amery. ‘Mrs Lord?’ she acknowledged. ‘Yes, Mr Lord is right here,’ she said in answer to her query.

  ‘Kelly?’ Jordan’s sleepy voice came on the other end of the telephone line.

  ‘Resting, Jordan?’ Kelly asked bitchily.

  ‘You know damn well I’m not,’ he rasped. ‘Janet and I have some work to get through.’

  I’ll bet!’ Kelly scorned.

  He sighed wearily. ‘What do you want, Kelly?’

  ‘Oh, oh yes.’ She had momentarily forgotten her reason for calling him on finding him with his beautiful secretary. Janet Amery was quite a nice girl, actually, and yet the intimacy of her relationship with Jordan precluded Kelly becoming friends with her. ‘Daddy’s awake,’ she explained.

  ‘Why the hell didn’t you say so in the first place?’ he snapped impatiently. ‘I’ll be there as soon as I can.’

  He got there so quickly that he arrived before the doctor had even finished examining her father. ‘How is he?’ he demanded to know immediately.

  ‘Quite well, actually, although a bit confused.’

  ‘That’s only to be expected,’ Jordan dismissed, sitting down beside her in the waiting-room.

  ‘I suppose so,’ Kelly agreed slowly. ‘But he seems to think I’ve been on holiday.’

  ‘Well, you did just get back from France.’

  Kelly didn’t ask how he knew that, no doubt he had his sources. ‘That wasn’t a holiday, Daddy was working the whole of the time we were there.’

  Jordan shrugged. ‘Confusion, as you said.’

  ‘I’m not so sure—’ She broke off to look anxiously at the doctor as he emerged from her father’s room.

  Jordan stood up. ‘Doctor,’ he politely shook hands with the other man.

  ‘Mr Lord,’ Michael Jones nodded.

  Kelly joined then. ‘How is he?’ she asked eagerly.

  ‘Would you both like to come along to my office?’ the doctor invited. ‘We can talk more freely there.’

  She could barely control her impatience as they all became seated in the ward office. Was there something wrong? Was her father more ill than they had first thought?

  The doctor took his time, fiddling idly with the paperweight on his desk. ‘I realise this may seem a strange question,’ he said finally. ‘But could you tell me how long the two of you have been married?’ he spoke to Jordan.

  Jordan looked as puzzled at Kelly. ‘Five years. Why?’

  ‘Mm, just as I thought,’ the doctor nodded, his expression grave.

  ‘What is it?’ Kelly’s voice was shrill. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Nothing too serious,’ Dr Jones instantly assured her. ‘But serious enough. It seems that the bump on your father’s head caused slightly more damage than we first suspected.’

  ‘But you said there was no fracture—’

  ‘There isn’t, Mrs Lord,’ the doctor soothed her. ‘You see,’ he took a deep breath, ‘your father, he—well, he—A few minutes ago he apologised for interrupting your holiday, remember?’ he quirked one eyebrow at her.

  ‘Yes,’ she nodded frowningly.

  He sighed. ‘The holiday he referred to was your honeymoon. I’m afraid this bump on his head has caused your father to have a slight lapse of memory.’

  ‘Which means?’ Jordan prompted impatiently.

  ‘Which means Mr Darrow has, temporarily we hope, lost five years of his life. As far as he’s concerned the two of you have just returned from your honeymoon.’

&nbs
p; CHAPTER THREE

  KELLY was stunned, speechless. Her father had lost his memory! Well, not all of it, just the relevant part that would tell him she and Jordan were no longer together.

  ‘He has to be told,’ she said unthinkingly, looking up at the doctor. ‘He’ll have to be told that Jordan and I—’

  ‘I doubt it’s wise to tell him anything?’ Jordan interrupted coldly. ‘Am I right, Dr Jones?’

  ‘Quite right, Mr Lord,’ the other man nodded gravely. ‘At the moment he simply couldn’t cope with the knowledge that five years of his life are total blackness to him. His heart condition—’

  ‘Heart condition?’ Kelly repeated dazedly. ‘I don’t know of any—’

  ‘I know,’ Jordan acknowledged. ‘David told me about it years ago.’

  ‘How many years ago?’ she demanded to know.

  ‘About four.’ he replied calmly.

  Dr Jones nodded. ‘That would be about the time he first found out about it.’

  ‘But I wasn’t told,’ Kelly said dully. ‘My father said nothing to me.’

  ‘He probably didn’t want to worry you,’ the doctor excused. ‘After all, he’s still a young man, he wouldn’t see any necessity for telling you of something that may never happen, to worry you unnecessarily.’

  ‘Now that he’s lost his memory he probably doesn’t even know about it himself,’ she pointed out bitterly.

  ‘I would say it’s a certainty that he doesn’t, which is all the more reason why he must receive no undue shocks. Normally he knows to avoid any unnecessary stress or strain, without the knowledge of his condition he won’t take the necessary precautions, so we must try to protect him all we can.’

  ‘But how long will he be like that?’ Kelly sat forward in her seat. ‘How long before he remembers?’

  The doctor shrugged. ‘It could be hours, days, even weeks. I have no way of telling.’

  ‘Weeks?’ she echoed. ‘But he—In the meantime what do we do?’

  ‘The safest thing is to act as if it really were five years ago. His memory will come back of its own accord, if we try to force the issue it would in all probability make things worse.’

  ‘But we can’t—Jordan and I—we don’t—’

  ‘What my wife is trying to say,’ Jordan cut in dryly, ‘is that she and I are separated.’

  A ruddy hue coloured the other man’s cheeks. ‘I see,’ he said slowly. ‘That makes things a little difficult.’

  ‘In what way?’ Jordan’s eyes were narrowed.

  ‘Mr Darrow has no other injuries other than the cut on the head. Medically he’ll be able to leave hospital in a few days’ time. Normally he would go home to you, I wouldn’t recommend that he be alone at the moment. But if you’re divorced—’

  ‘We aren’t divorced,’ Jordan put in smoothly. ‘Just separated, as I said.’

  ‘I see. Then perhaps it would be possible after all.’ He stood up in preparation of ending the meeting. ‘I strongly recommend that you seriously consider a temporary reconciliation for Mr Darrow’s benefit. Obviously I can only advise you…’

  ‘Obviously,’ Jordan accepted dryly. ‘We’ll discuss the problem and let you know what we decide.’

  ‘I’m not going back to living with you,’ Kelly told him as soon as they were alone.

  ‘I knew you’d say that,’ Jordan said disgustedly, standing up to pace the room. ‘As usual you’re only thinking of yourself.’

  ‘I’m—’

  ‘You’re a selfish little bitch!’ he dismissed. ‘You always were. You aren’t thinking of your father at all, are you? Think what will happen if he suddenly finds out that far from being an ecstatic couple just back from our honeymoon we’ve in fact lived apart for the past five years.’

  An angry flush coloured her cheeks when he called her a selfish bitch, but the rest of what he said basically made sense. ‘We can’t turn the clock back,’ she said desperately, knowing that she couldn’t live with him, especially after responding to that kiss yesterday. She would be leaving herself open to further attacks of that sort.

  Jordan’s expression was cold and removed. ‘I’m not proposing we turn the clock back, I wouldn’t want that either. Marrying you at all was sheer madness, I should have had more sense. No, we won’t be returning to that, Kelly, but I’m willing to make a show of things for the sake of my friendship with your father. Of course, the ultimate decision lies with you.’

  ‘I—I can’t think! I don’t want to be with you any more than I have to, and yet—There’s my father! I don’t want him harmed.’

  Jordan’s expression was remote. ‘You don’t have to decide now, I doubt if he’ll be discharged for a while.’

  ‘Couldn’t you—well, couldn’t you go away on business or something?’ she looked hopeful.

  ‘That wouldn’t be the natural move of a man just back from his honeymoon,’ he derided.

  ‘No,’ Kelly agreed reluctantly.

  Jordan sighed his impatience with her. ‘Let’s go in and see him now. You can think about this other business later.’

  Think about it! She wouldn’t be able to do anything else. The last two days of knowing Jordan was here had been bad enough, if she had to actually put on a show of living with him, of loving him, she didn’t think she would be able to cope with it. The whole idea of it was ridiculous!

  And yet what other solution could there be? At least Jordan was willing to be co-operative, which he didn’t have to be. After all, it couldn’t be all that convenient for him to suddenly, to all intents and purposes, become a husband again. Janet Amery was just one of the women he would have to explain this strange occurrence to; there could be numerous others. Knowing Jordan there would be.

  ‘Don’t think about it now,’ he ordered tersely as he looked down at her and saw her pensive expression. ‘Try and look the ecstatic bride,’ he added derisively.

  Her eyes flashed violet. ‘I’m trying to remember what it was like to be naïve about you!’ she snapped insultingly. ‘And I can’t think how I could have been taken in by you.’

  ‘I can tell you that in one word, Kelly—sex,’ he scorned.

  She gasped. ‘That’s a lie!’

  ‘You enjoyed being made love to,’ his gaze ran slowly over her body, his mouth quirked in a humourless smile. ‘And I enjoyed making love to you.’

  Her eyes sparkled, her mouth set in an angry line. ‘For a time,’ she nodded. ‘Until I bored you. I can’t think why you married me.’

  ‘Can’t you?’ he drawled, casually flicking her dark hair back from her cheek.

  ‘No!’ she snapped, flinching away from his long sensitive fingers.

  ‘For a very good reason, Kelly.’ He strode out of the office.

  She hurriedly followed him, her short legs having trouble keeping pace with his much longer ones. She looked up at him questioningly. ‘What was the reason?’

  Jordan suddenly stopped dead, causing several other people in the corridor to give them curious looks. ‘Now listen, Kelly,’ his voice was harsh. ‘The time to ask for these explanations was before you walked out on me and our marriage. I certainly don’t intend having a postmortem on it now.’

  ‘Why have you never divorced me, Jordan?’

  ‘Why?’ he laughed softly, unpleasantly. ‘Quite simply you’ve proved a valuable deterrent.’

  ‘Deterrent…?’

  ‘To any other woman who thought she might like to be my wife,’ he explained tauntingly. ‘Now smile, my love,’ he drawled mockingly. ‘We’re going in to see your father.’

  ‘But—’

  ‘Smile, Kelly!’

  She did so with extreme difficulty, resenting the way he deliberately laced his fingers through hers, the smile of intimacy he gave her as they went into the hospital room.

  Her father was very pale, although he brightened somewhat as they came in. ‘Did you enjoy Barbados?’ his eyes twinkled merrily.

  Kelly’s blush was perfectly genuine. ‘It was very nice,’ she
told him in a stilted voice.

  Jordan’s fingers tightened painfully on hers before he released her hand, putting his arm about her shoulders and pulling her against his side. ‘Kelly’s shy,’ he told her father. ‘In actual fact we hardly left our villa,’ he smiled down at her, a warning in his eyes.

  Her blush deepened. It was true, they hadn’t. And she had come back love-drugged, satiated with the possession of Jordan’s warm, vibrant body. She had been glowing with love for him—nothing like the wariness with which she now viewed him.

  ‘I think you both forgot to eat,’ her father smiled teasingly.

  ‘We had better things to do with our time,’ Jordan returned that smile.

  Kelly looked at him beneath lowered lashes. He was leaner, quite gaunt in the face, although it in no way detracted from his looks, he would still have those in old age.

  ‘I’m sure you did,’ her father chuckled. ‘Kelly!’ he held out his hands to her.

  ‘Oh, Daddy!’ She went down beside him, burying her face in his chest. ‘I’ve been so worried about you,’ she sobbed.

  He smoothed her hair. ‘It’s all right, darling, I’m all right. And you’ve had Jordan to lean on.’

  Yes, she had. She hadn’t felt as lost and alone since Jordan had arrived, although not for one minute would she ever admit that to him. He was an adulterer and she hated him!

  ‘Hey,’ her father finally chided, ‘you’re making my pyjamas all wet!’

  ‘Sorry,’ she moved back with a tearful smile.

  ‘I think we should leave your father now, Kelly.’ Jordan pulled her up beside him. Let him get some rest.’

  ‘Haven’t I been sleeping for five days?’ her father grinned.

  ‘Not a restful sleep.’ Sister Fellows appeared in the doorway. ‘You’re still very weak, Mr Darrow, I think it would be as well if your daughter and her husband came back tomorrow.’

  ‘If you say so, Sister.’ He turned to wink at Jordan. ‘At least I have a beautiful nurse.’

  Jordan watched the young woman as she swayed gracefully across the room to begin straightening the bedclothes. ‘You do indeed,’ he agreed admiringly.

  ‘Come along, darling,’ Kelly said with exaggerated sweetness. ‘I’m sure we can leave Daddy in Sister Fellows’ capable hands.’