‘Will you still do that?’ she asked.
‘Yes, I think so.’ He nodded. ‘You can’t let something like an earthquake put paid to all your plans.’
‘No, of course not,’ she agreed with a smile.
‘In which case,’ he went on smoothly, not looking at her but instead appearing to intently scrutinise his glass and the remainder of his drink, ‘I suggest we make the most of our last couple of days in Rome in this rather lovely old hotel. What do you say?’
‘I think,’ she said, ignoring the warning bell that was sounding somewhere at the back of her brain, ‘that sounds like a very good idea.’
CHAPTER SIX
DURING the next twenty-four hours Claire and Dominic slept, ate, slept some more and generally recuperated from their ordeal, much of the time lying side by side on sunbeds on the hotel terrace. At first they were mostly silent as they came to terms with all that had happened, but very gradually the need to talk crept in and they found themselves going over the devastating series of events. At times they questioned the course of action they had taken, wondering if they could have done more or if what they had done should have differed in any way. Diane’s name was the one that came up most frequently as they agonised over how little they had actually been able to do for her.
‘I’ll phone Assisi later,’ said Dominic, looking at his watch at one point during the afternoon, ‘and see whether they have the results of her scan.’ He paused and looked at Claire over the top of his sunglasses. ‘Have you spoken to your doctor?’ he asked suddenly.
She wanted to protest to say Mike wasn’t her doctor, but decided that would sound ridiculous, because to all intents and purposes he was her doctor, at least that was the way it would seem to Dominic. ‘He phoned, soon after we got back,’ she said.
‘He must have been out of his mind with worry.’ Dominic leaned back on his sunbed, his hands behind his head. ‘I know I would have been.’
When Claire remained silent he lifted his head and looked at her. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘wasn’t he?’
‘Actually, no,’ she admitted. ‘You see,’ she hastened to explain when she saw his expression begin to change, ‘although he’d obviously heard about the earth tremors, he’d thought I was here in Rome…’
‘So you hadn’t told him about the proposed trip to Assisi?’ Dominic’s tone changed slightly.
‘Well, yes, I did as it happens,’ Claire replied slowly, ‘but I don’t think he could have taken it in because he didn’t appear to be concerned in any way.’
Dominic had lowered his arms now and was staring at her, but because of the sunglasses she wasn’t able to see the expression in his eyes. Suddenly she was glad of that for she had a feeling that what she might see there would make her feel uncomfortable. ‘I hope,’ he said at last, ‘that you put him straight over that matter.’
‘Well—’ she began, but he carried on, not giving her time for excuses.
‘That you were in the thick of it, that you could have been killed along with your companions. That people were seriously injured,’ he went on relentlessly, ‘that a man died…You did tell him those things?’
Hearing a note of incredulity creeping into his tone, Claire took a deep breath, ‘Actually,’ she said, ‘no, I didn’t.’
‘So what did you tell him?’ he demanded quietly.
She hesitated. ‘That I got a bit caught up in things because I’d been travelling to Assisi and hadn’t been here in Rome as he’d thought,’ she said at last. ‘But I then told him that I was all right and that he wasn’t to worry.’
‘And did he not want to know to what extent you were caught up in things?’ That note of disbelief was back in Dominic’s voice.
‘Not really.’ Claire shook her head. ‘I think he was just relieved that I was all right. I told him I would tell him all about it when I get home.’
Dominic was silent but it was a tense silence and Claire could feel the tautness of his body beside her almost as if they were touching.
‘So why didn’t you tell him?’ he asked after a long silence.
‘I don’t know really.’ She shrugged. ‘I’m not sure…’ She trailed off, uncertain how to continue. She did know really. It was because she knew that if she’d spelt things out to Mike he would have insisted that she come home immediately and somehow, in spite of everything, she hadn’t wanted to do that.
Almost as if he could read her thoughts, Dominic said, ‘Did he suggest you go home early?’
‘No.’ Claire shook her head. ‘Although I suspect he might have done if he’d known the extent of things,’ she admitted.
‘But you didn’t feel you wanted to get an earlier flight?’ he asked softly.
‘No, I didn’t.’ She was even more grateful now for the fact that she couldn’t see his expression. ‘I thought…I thought I needed a bit of time to get over everything…’ she explained.
She was saved from further discussion by the sudden arrival of Melanie and Peter, and Nicola and Rob, who had returned to the hotel by coach after Peter’s and Nicola’s discharge from the hospital in Assisi. Hotel staff had obviously told them that Claire and Dominic were resting on the terrace and they had come to find them.
‘Is everything all right?’ asked Claire, looking from one to the other of them after she and Dominic had risen to their feet and they had all greeted each other with hugs and handshakes, for all the world like old friends meeting after a long period apart instead of people who hadn’t even known one another the previous week.
‘Yes.’ Melanie nodded and speaking for Peter, who seemed uncharacteristically subdued, said, ‘He has a bit of concussion and we have to report to our GP as soon as we get home but otherwise he’s OK, aren’t you, love?’
Peter nodded wearily. ‘I just want to get home now,’ he said. ‘The tour rep has managed to get all four of us on a flight later tonight.’ He glanced at Nicola and Rob as he spoke.
‘Well, that’s good.’ Claire looked at Nicola and as Dominic and Peter began discussing flight details she said, ‘Is everything all right, Nicola?’
‘Yes, fine, thanks.’ Nicola looked exhausted but appeared relieved that all was well with her pregnancy. ‘They were wonderful at the hospital,’ she said. ‘They did an ultrasound scan and all is well. Like Peter, I have to report to my doctor when I get back to the UK.’
‘Any news on Diane?’ asked Dominic.
‘No, nothing new,’ Melanie replied. ‘She was about to have a scan when we left.’
‘I’ll phone the hospital later and see if they have any results,’ said Dominic.
‘Aren’t you going home?’ asked Melanie curiously.
‘Not yet,’ replied Dominic lightly. ‘We thought we’d leave any spare seats on UK-bound aircraft for those who really needed them, didn’t we, Claire?’
‘That’s very noble of you,’ said Peter, ‘but we didn’t have any trouble getting seats. I’m sure if you really wanted to go…’
‘Maybe they don’t want to,’ said Melanie with a speculative glance from under her lashes at Claire and Dominic.
‘What?’ Peter frowned then as Melanie nudged him he said, ‘Oh, I see. Oh, well, I guess that’s up to you. Me? I can’t wait to get home.’
‘That’s understandable,’ said Dominic smoothly, ‘especially for those who were injured.’
‘But you were injured, weren’t you?’ said Nicola suddenly. ‘Didn’t I see Claire dressing a wound on your back?’
‘Just a scratch.’ Dominic shrugged.
‘It was a bit more than that,’ said Claire. ‘They dressed it at the hospital…’
‘Not enough to make me cut short my holiday,’ said Dominic.
‘But what about you, Claire?’ asked Nicola anxiously.
‘Oh,’ said Claire. ‘I wasn’t injured, thanks to Dominic, so I thought I would relax also for a couple more days before going home.’
The little group broke up after that with Melanie and Peter and Nicola and Rob going off to
their rooms to pack, leaving Claire and Dominic on the terrace to enjoy the last of the day’s sunshine.
But later when Melanie called by Claire’s room to say goodbye it was obvious she was more than curious as to what was happening.
‘Do I smell romance in the air?’ she asked.
‘No, of course not,’ Claire denied, only too aware that her face had flushed like a teenager’s at the directness of Melanie’s question.
‘But you seem so right together,’ said Melanie, inadvertently echoing Dorothy’s words.
‘Maybe it appears that way,’ said Claire with a shrug, which she hoped appeared casual, ‘but I can assure you it isn’t the case. I am already in a relationship at home.’
‘Oh, really?’ Melanie sounded disappointed. ‘Is it serious?’
‘Yes, I think so.’
‘You don’t sound too sure.’ Melanie raised one eyebrow.
‘Oh, I am. Of course I am,’ Claire replied firmly. ‘Mike and I have been seeing each other for some time now…We work together…’ She trailed off, suddenly aware that it sounded as if she was trying just a little too hard to explain her relationship with Mike.
‘Well,’ Melanie sighed, ‘if he’s the right one, my advice to you would be to do something about it. Look at Peter and me,’ she added. ‘We’ve been living together for years and have never got around to getting married. Never thought we needed to. It’s taken something like this to make us realise that we do want to be married—that we want the world to recognise us as a married couple, not just as two people who share a home.’
‘You mean…?’ Claire stared at her.
‘Yes.’ Melanie nodded. ‘We are going to get married just as soon as it can be arranged.’
‘Oh, Melanie, that’s wonderful.’ Stepping forward, Claire gave her a hug. ‘I’m so pleased for you.’
‘So all I’m saying,’ said Melanie, ‘is that if your Mike is the one then get on and do something about it…’ She paused and looked searchingly at Claire. ‘But on the other hand, if he isn’t, then it’s probably time to move on.’
Later, after the others had departed for the airport, Claire took a long bath and found herself thinking over the conversation she’d had with Melanie. She knew that Melanie and probably some of the others were thinking that there was something between herself and Dominic. That was the reason she had felt compelled to set the matter straight by telling Melanie that she was already involved in another relationship.
Even Dorothy had thought that she and Dominic were an item—no, more than that, she corrected herself, Dorothy had thought they were husband and wife. Claire found herself shifting her position slightly in the scented water, disturbed and somehow excited at the very thought. What if she hadn’t been in a relationship with Mike? Would anything have evolved between herself and Dominic? Deep in her heart she had the feeling that it would have for she had been aware of that spark of attraction between them from the very moment they had set eyes on each other. And later, bizarre as the circumstances had been, when he had held her deep in the night in the chill of the old monastery building, she had been only too aware of the chemistry between them.
But what had Dominic’s feelings been? It was too easy to say that if it wasn’t for Mike something may have developed between them, because if it had, it may well have only been for the duration of the holiday. By his own admission Dominic was something of a drifter whose previous relationships with women had been jeopardised by the nature of his work. There was nothing to suggest that a relationship with her would prove to be any different.
So would she have settled for what essentially would have been a holiday romance—albeit with a twist? she asked herself.
No, her head told her, of course not. That sort of thing more often than not led to false expectations and even heartbreak and, besides, she’d never in her life gone in for a one-night stand or even a no-strings-attached affair.
Yes, her heart contradicted, just for once she would have thrown caution to the winds and enjoyed a brief fling with this intriguing, exciting man.
As the realisation hit her that that was what she would have done, deep inside she felt a little knot of desire and for a while she allowed herself to fantasise what it might be like to have him make love to her, running her hands over her wet body and pretending it was Dominic who was doing so.
By the time, reluctantly, she stirred and roused herself from the delights of her fantasy it was to find that the water had grown quite cold.
She dressed with care, choosing a red dress in a silky material with a low back and slender shoulder straps and brushing her hair so that it caressed her shoulders like a honey-coloured curtain. Later when she joined Dominic in the bar the admiration in his eyes caused her heart to beat faster. With his hand beneath her elbow they made their way to the hotel dining room, its windows flung wide tonight onto the terrace and the soft, balmy Italian night beyond where a new moon hung in the sky like a golden sickle and the air was motionless but heady with the scent of jasmine. But, and maybe because of the sheer indulgence of her recent thoughts, Claire found herself apprehensive in his presence.
‘I phoned Assisi,’ he said after they had ordered and the waiter had brought wine to their table.
She raised her eyebrows. ‘Any news?’
‘Diane’s scan revealed a blood clot.’
‘Oh, Dominic.’ She stared at him in dismay.
‘Hopefully they’ll be able to disperse it,’ he said, but his expression betrayed his doubt and concern.
She remained silent for a while, thinking of Diane and of Russell and of all he had told her about their marriage. ‘Any news on the others?’ she asked at last. ‘Evelyn or Ted?’
‘Evelyn is to be discharged tomorrow,’ Dominic replied, ‘and she and Dorothy are apparently flying home. Ted has had his operation and is comfortable.’ He paused then, lifting his wineglass, he went on, ‘Seeing today is his and May’s wedding anniversary, I think we should drink a toast to them.’
‘Of course.’ Claire lifted her own glass.
‘Ted and May,’ said Dominic.
‘Ted and May,’ she echoed, but the moment was somehow bitter-sweet and Claire found herself picturing Ted and May and how happy they had been in looking forward to their golden wedding anniversary. If everything had gone according to plan, they would have all been celebrating together that very night, instead of which she and Dominic were in the hotel on their own, Ted and May were in Assisi and the others were scattered near and far.
‘What will you do,’ she heard herself say after a while, ‘when you get home?’ She wasn’t sure why she asked but again knew it probably had something to do with the dangerous fantasising she had indulged in and the need to know what the future might hold for him.
‘My contract at the hospital is finished,’ he replied.
‘So what next?’ she asked, almost knowing what his answer would be.
‘Provided my father is better, I guess I will go abroad again,’ he replied slowly, studying the contents of his wineglass as he did so. ‘One of the charities I work with was recruiting medical staff for an area hit by famine in Africa.’
‘Oh,’ she said with a little sigh. ‘Yes, I see.’
‘And what about you?’ he asked a little later. He had been about to take a mouthful of food but he paused the fork halfway to his mouth, his steady gaze meeting hers across the table.
‘Me?’ she asked, playing for time.
‘Yes, what will you do?’ Not allowing her time to reply, he went on, ‘Will you return to your work at the Hargreaves Centre and your life with your doctor friend?’
‘Yes,’ she said, ‘yes, I suppose so.’
‘You don’t sound too sure.’
‘Oh, I am. I will do that, of course I will.’ She hesitated. ‘It’s just that I think after all that has happened I will find it very difficult getting back to normal…’
‘In what respect,’ he asked quietly, ‘the job or the private life?’
‘Both, I think,’ she replied honestly.
Dominic was silent for a long moment. ‘I think,’ he said at last, ‘that if you speak to anyone that has been through an experience such as we have that involved any sort of life-and-death situation they will say the same thing, that afterwards it is incredibly difficult to pick up the pieces of your life and get back to normality.’
‘What about you?’ she asked. ‘Will you find it difficult?’
‘You have to remember it’s a bit different for me,’ he said. ‘In the past, because of the nature of my work, I’ve found myself in similar situations, whether in war zones or in the aftermath of some natural disaster, but actually…yes, this time I have to say it’s been different for me, too.’
‘In what way?’ Once again Claire allowed her gaze to meet his, her pulse racing at the expression in his dark eyes.
‘Well, firstly, I suppose,’ he said, ‘because my own personal safety was involved, and I think it’s probably always difficult to get back to normal immediately after something like that…’
‘And secondly?’ she said, almost holding her breath as she waited for his answer.
‘I think you already know the answer to that,’ he replied softly.
In the silence that followed his words Claire felt something twist deep inside her, something she came to recognise as that same knot of desire she’d felt earlier when she’d allowed herself to fantasise and to ask the question, what if?
‘I think,’ he went on after a moment, the air between them almost crackling with tension, ‘that we both know that in another time and another place things would have been very different between the two of us.’
‘Dominic…’ She half lifted one hand.
‘It’s all right,’ he went on easily. ‘I know the score. I know you are already committed elsewhere.’
‘That’s true,’ she admitted, ‘but I also know that in other circumstances…’ She broke off, the words she’d left unsaid somehow more eloquent than those she had. ‘But…’ she took a deep breath ‘…I also know that, given the choice, I did not want to return to England right away as the others did.’
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