‘Whatever it is you’re thinking of doing. Just don’t.’
That ruled out a whole slew of things. Running away. Crying helplessly. Letting the darkness rule her. Lucas’s hand closed around hers and she stayed put.
All the same, it felt as if everything was crumbling around her. The applause that the auditorium had given her. All the work she’d done in the last five years.
The lights went down and his grip tightened. Dr Nair began to speak, and Thea took a deep breath. She could do this.
In between the panic, the presentation was fascinating. It made sense of much that she had learned, working in Bangladesh, clarifying the issues and suggesting a way forward. Dr Nair walked to his seat amidst a clamour of applause, managing to shoot her another disapproving look on the way.
The open questions part of the session got under way and Thea shrank into her seat, hoping that none of the questions would be directed at her. The first was in response to Dr Nair’s closing comments, asking about the role of foreign aid in his work.
That prompted a long spiel about working together for common aims, educating each other… Thea concentrated on continuing to breathe. At the very last, just when she thought that she was doing a pretty good job of it, Dr Nair smoothly slid the knife in.
‘Dr Coleman spoke about working with diverse communities in an urban setting. I would be interested on what she has to say about foreign aid workers respecting local cultures.’
The microphone was being passed towards her, like a cup of poison, moving inexorably closer. She heard Lucas spit out a curse and he reached across her to take the microphone.
She gave him an imploring look, aware that whatever she said to him was likely to be broadcast across the auditorium, and Lucas gave that bright, melting smile that always accompanied his picking up a challenge.
‘I’d also be interested in what Dr Nair has to say about the balance between respecting culture and respecting the law…’
Enough. Before she could stop herself, Thea was on her feet, taking the microphone from him. Lucas had succeeded in what he was trying to do, deflecting the interest of the audience away from her and back onto Dr Nair. Ayesha’s voice was being lost. Her own voice was being lost.
‘I think that Dr West and Dr Nair are both missing the point. Of course it’s imperative for us to respect both culture and the law, but as doctors we have a responsibility to everyone who comes to us for help. We must never lose sight of that fact either.’
She could feel the warmth of Lucas’s grin next to her. A murmur of agreement went around the audience and she saw the woman in the green sari nodding. She took a deep breath and sat down again.
The conversation darted from one delegate to another, from one point of concern to the next. And slowly the feeling crept up on Thea. She wasn’t finished yet.
* * *
Lucas was planning on hurrying her away as soon as the session was finished, but it seemed that Thea had other ideas. Before he could stop her she was out of her seat, walking towards where Dr Nair was standing, and all he could do was follow as closely as he could. As Thea approached him, Dr Nair gave her an irritated look.
She ignored that and held out her hand, her fingers trembling. ‘Dr Nair, I know that we disagree, and I respect your opinion. I would like to shake your hand.’
‘I think not.’ Dr Nair turned his back on her.
Lucas took her firmly by the arm to walk her away in as dignified a manner as possible. She jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.
‘What the papers said about me, Dr Nair, wasn’t true. I only meant to help Ayesha.’
Dr Nair turned. ‘I stand by what I said then, Dr Coleman. You deserved everything that you got.’
Thea paled suddenly, backing away from him, and Lucas silently cursed the man. ‘Come away, Thea. Now.’ He bent to whisper the words in her ear but he was too late. A woman in a green sari had been standing nearby, listening quietly.
‘I will shake your hand.’ She extended her hand to Thea. ‘And that of Dr West.’
The woman seemed to know him. Lucas tried to recall whether they’d been introduced in the course of the last few days.
‘I am Dr Patel. I have been looking forward to meeting you.’
Lucas had been looking forward to this moment for some time, but had never thought it would come quite so soon or in quite this way. ‘Dr Patel? It’s a pleasure to see you here. I didn’t expect you to come all this way in person.’
‘I visit Mumbai from time to time. I had a trip scheduled and when your solicitor told me that you would be here, I decided to deliver the letter myself, rather than send it by courier.’
‘Lucas? What’s going on?’
He grinned. ‘Dr Patel’s the director of one of the largest TB clinics in Bangladesh.’
‘And it appears that I have been conspiring with Dr West behind your back.’ Dr Patel held out an envelope to Thea. ‘I have a letter for you, from someone I think you know. It is in Bangla, but I can translate it for you if you wish.’
‘My Bangla’s pretty rusty…’ Thea opened the envelope and a photograph fell out. She bent to pick it up, staring at it in disbelief.
‘You recognise her?’ Dr Patel smiled.
Thea looked again at the picture. A mother with her three-year-old child. The little girl had dark curls and a bright, cheeky smile.
‘I don’t…’ Thea let out a little scream and almost dropped the photo. Lucas felt her sag against him and he supported her to an empty seat.
‘It’s Ayesha.’ There were bright tears in Thea’s eyes as she turned her face up to him. ‘Please, tell me it’s her.’
‘It’s her.’
‘But… Dr Patel, thank you so much. But how?’
Dr Patel sat down next to her. ‘Dr West has been making enquiries on your behalf. He engaged a solicitor in Bangladesh, who traced Ayesha to my clinic.’
‘She’s ill?’
‘Ayesha is well. So is her child. She works at the clinic.’
Thea looked at the photograph again then held it to her heart, her hands clasped over it as if it was the most precious thing in the world. ‘Thank you. Thank you so much.’ Tears spilled from her eyes. ‘Look, Lucas. Look at her little girl. She’s so pretty.’
Lucas thought that he had already shared everything there was to share with Thea, but he couldn’t have been more wrong. This moment was new, and more precious than diamonds.
Dr Patel was laughing as Thea turned to her, a barrage of questions on her lips. ‘Yes, she is happy, and so is her child. She finished her schooling at the women’s shelter and applied to work at my clinic. She tells me that her choice of career is in no small part inspired by the woman doctor who helped her escape her husband. She works as a ward auxiliary, but she studies also. Her dream is to become a qualified nurse.’
‘Oh.’ Thea’s hand flew to her mouth. ‘She did it. She told me that she wanted to be a nurse. Does she need anything? Does she need books, or help with tuition fees?’ She broke off, her attention suddenly caught by something behind Lucas. When he turned to see what it was, he saw Dr Nair staring at them.
He must have heard. Thea straightened, meeting his gaze. There were no words, but it was Dr Nair who looked away first. Despite the group of people who had gathered to talk to him, he turned and hurried out of the auditorium.
* * *
‘Who’s right, Lucas? Dr Patel or Dr Nair?’ Dr Patel had excused herself, to speak to one of the other delegates, but she had promised to join Thea and Lucas for tea later. Thea sat, unable to take her eyes off the photograph of Ayesha.
‘I think Dr Patel’s right. I think that we all have to preserve the good things about our own societies and change what’s bad.’ He shook his head. ‘But it’s what you think that matters. Was what you did wrong?’
It was the question she’d asked herself again and again, and had never been able to answer. Now she could. ‘If I had it all to do again, I’d do it. Being locked up, being shout
ed at and vilified. It was all worth it just to be able to see this photograph. I know I did the right thing. Ayesha wouldn’t have survived much longer if she’d stayed with her husband.’
‘There’s your answer.’
‘I’m so happy, Lucas. I can never thank you enough for all you’ve done.’
He smiled. ‘Why don’t you read your letter?’
‘Not here. Can we go somewhere quiet? I want to read it to you.’
People were still leaving the auditorium and Lucas guided Thea through the crush of people in the lobby and into the lift. Suddenly they were alone.
He reached for her, catching her hand in his and drawing it slowly to his lips. Maybe it was the movement of the lift that propelled her into his arms. Maybe it was just that the world was tilting and Lucas was the only constant thing she could find.
‘Where are we going?’
‘No idea. You were the one standing by the lift buttons.’ He wrapped his arms comfortably around her waist.
Thea twisted to see the floor indicators. ‘Penthouse lounge.’
‘Good plan. You can read your letter to me over lunch.’
‘Thank you, Lucas.’
He smiled. ‘Thank you. I wouldn’t have missed this morning for the world.’
* * *
‘I really wish we could stay for another week.’ The taxi that had brought them to the airport had disappeared and as they walked together into the cool of the building it finally struck Thea that they were going home.
‘Which would you choose, though? More conference days or a holiday?’
Thea thought carefully. ‘Two weeks, then. It’ll have to be two. Another week at the conference and then a holiday.’
Lucas chuckled. ‘Yeah. It’s been inspiring, hasn’t it?’
In so many ways. ‘I want to come back. I want to see more of India than just a hotel room and a conference suite. And I want to take Dr Patel up on her offer. I’d love to visit her clinic and to see Ayesha again.’
‘You will.’ Lucas stopped suddenly, his gaze on the boards that listed flight departures. ‘We’re going to have to check in now. We’re a bit late.’
They’d dawdled through breakfast and taken a last stroll through the hotel gardens. The hotel concierge had practically bundled them both into the taxi, clearly disapproving of their reluctance to leave. But now, in the anonymous crush of the airport, it felt as if they were already gone from India, and it was time now to hurry back to whatever England might bring.
Lucas strode towards the check-in desk, leaving Thea with the suitcases while he joined the queue. The process seemed a protracted one, and she smiled at a woman who had sat down next to her and was cradling a sleeping baby.
‘You’re going to London?’ The woman was holding a pair of tickets, and Thea recognised the thick black code letters in the corner.
‘I hope so.’ The woman grimaced. ‘Looks as if there’s a problem. We can do without this.’
‘What’s happening?’ When Thea glanced towards the check-in desk, the queue had disintegrated into a crowd.
‘Overbooking, I think. My husband’s trying to sort it out, we need to get on a flight today.’
‘They must give you priority, surely. With the baby…’
The woman shrugged. ‘I don’t think that makes any difference. And Sara’s not really the problem. We live in Mumbai so we can just go back home if we don’t get a flight. My sister’s getting married on Saturday, though. This’ll be the first time my family have seen Sara.’
‘Look, my friend’s just on his way back. He might know something.’
As Lucas hurried towards them, a man standing behind the check-in desk started to make an announcement in Marathi, which was drowned out by groans of dismay from those who understood. As he repeated it in English, the queue started to break up.
‘What’s up?’ Thea looked up at him.
‘A couple of flights have been overbooked. Stay there, I’ll be back…’ Lucas was gone again, hurrying through the crowds, obviously sure of where he was going.
Another night in India. In an airport hotel, probably, but things could be worse. Thea turned to the woman next to her. ‘Guess we’ll just have to wait.’
* * *
It was half an hour before Lucas returned and by that time Thea was holding Sara, wishing she would wake up so that she could feel the tiny body move against her. ‘What’s happening?’
Lucas grinned. ‘Hey, there, sweetie.’ The greeting was for Sara. Despite having slept soundly through the noise and bustle of the airport, Sara seemed to decide that now was the time to open her eyes, and her hand reached for the thin cotton material of Thea’s shirt, clutching it tightly.
Sara looked up at his smile and her eyes began to swim with tears. Thea rocked her gently, turning so the child could see her mother, feeling the sharp, instinctive tug as one small hand wandered towards her breast.
‘What’s…?’ She swallowed hard. ‘What’s going on?’
‘I’ve got vouchers for a different flight in an hour’s time. We have to get to the flight desk to exchange them and then check in, so you need to give this little one back.’
He nodded towards Sara’s mother, who was talking quietly into her phone. The woman started to shake her head slowly, tears forming in her eyes. ‘No… No, it’s okay. We’ll get there, and if we don’t… I don’t know, but it’ll be okay… Yeah, come back here.’
Thea looked up at Lucas. ‘She’s going to London, for her sister’s wedding. She can’t miss it.’
The woman had put her phone back into her bag and was wiping tears from her face, trying to smile. ‘It’s not the end of the world.’ She reached for Sara. ‘You have tickets, though? You’d better go.’
Thea shot an imploring look at Lucas and he reached inside his jacket. ‘Here.’ He put an envelope bearing the airline’s logo into the woman’s hand. ‘Where’s your husband?’
‘He’s coming back here.’ The woman stared at the envelope as if it had suddenly floated down from heaven into her lap, then offered it back to Lucas. ‘But I can’t… You can’t.’
Lucas shrugged. ‘Yes, we can.’
The woman gave up on Lucas and tried Thea. ‘Really, we’ll be okay.’
‘Take them, please. You can’t miss your sister’s wedding, and little Sara needs to see her grandparents. I want you to take them.’
The woman hesitated, and then clutched the envelope to her chest. ‘Thank you. I don’t know what to say.’
‘Just call your husband, and tell him we’ll meet him at the flight desk.’ Thea stood up. ‘Come on, Sara, you’re going to London.’
* * *
They’d seen the couple through the departure gates and the woman had kissed Thea. She still didn’t know her name, and the woman didn’t know hers, but a hastily scribbled note gave the name of her husband’s brother, who lived in Mumbai, and his phone number.
‘I suppose we could call the number. We need to find a hotel if we’re not going to get a flight today.’
‘Could do.’ Lucas looked up from his phone, which had been holding his attention on and off for the last ten minutes now. ‘Or we could do this.’
He handed her his phone. On the small screen she saw a picture of a comfortable bedroom, tastefully decorated in the ornate style of India.
‘That looks nice. Where…?’ Thea swiped her finger across the screen for more details. ‘This is in Delhi!’
‘Yep. There are a couple of rooms available as late bookings, and flights go pretty much every half-hour from here. And it’s only a couple of hours to—’
‘The Taj Mahal.’ Thea narrowed her eyes at Lucas and he grinned.
‘Don’t you want to see one of the seven wonders of the world?’
Of course she did. Going to a world-famous monument to love with Lucas, on the other hand, was something that needed careful and lengthy consideration. All of the risks. All of the temptations.
‘Or we could find a hotel in Mumbai
for tonight and go home tomorrow. That’ll give you three whole days to get ready to go back to work on Monday.’ Thea’s heart sank at the thought. If Lucas was bluffing, he was making a great job of it.
‘As against dropping out of circulation and visiting the Taj Mahal.’ Risky and tempting was sounding more and more delicious by the moment.
‘Yep. That’s the choice.’
She grinned up at him. ‘Let’s do it.’
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE HOTEL WAS thirty minutes’ hectic taxi ride from the airport, and they arrived hot and wide-eyed. The monsoon had turned arid countryside into green hills, cloaked in mist at the tops, and the vivid colours of flowers and saris were everywhere.
In comparison the hotel was quiet and cool. They were welcomed with garlands of sweet-smelling flowers and led up the stairs and through a succession of arches and small lobbies, each of which served two or three rooms, finally stopping at an intricately carved door.
‘Is this my room?’ The porter had opened the door and was depositing Thea’s luggage inside.
‘Looks like it.’ Lucas grinned, running his hand over the golden wood. ‘Fabulous door. Is twenty minutes enough time to get settled?’
‘Yes, I’ll call you. I’d love to explore this place.’ The hotel was a maze of walkways and balconies, not quite grand but quietly opulent.
‘Me too. I’ll see you later.’ He waited outside as Thea accepted her key from the porter and walked through the beautiful door.
* * *
Thea took the garland of flowers from around her neck, hanging them across the ornate mirror of the dresser. Laying a long, wrap-around skirt that she’d bought in Mumbai onto the bed, along with a loose cotton top, she made for the shower. After ten minutes the warm water began to chill a little and she wrapped herself in a towel, rubbing at her wet hair.
The smells of India. They ranged from exhaust fumes, sweat and the sickly smell of decay to the scents of jasmine, frangipani and incense. Here it was the cool smell of leaves after the rain, which wafted into her room through the open windows, as muslin curtains blew in the breeze.
Lucas. Just the thought of him was intoxicating. Lost here, in this far corner of the world with him. Thea picked up her phone and dialled his number.
Daring to Date Her Ex Page 15
