Deception Read Free Page A

anything more, he
turned again to make his way downstairs.
    To
her surprise, because the house seemed so old and neglected, the water was hot.
Quickly she stripped off her wet clothing to take an equally quick bath. She
feared she might be taking advantage of hospitality that hadn't yet been offered, but she wouldn't be able to help anyone if
she got pneumonia. The clothes in her rucksack, owing she guessed
to her immersion in the burn, were unfortunately all as wet as
those she had just taken off. There seemed nothing for it but to
borrow the towelling robe which hung behind the door. It must
belong to a man, as the shoulder seams came nearly down to
her elbows, and the width of it might easily have gone
round her twice. What did it matter? Indifferently she attacked her damp hair
with a warm
towel. She was lucky to have found anything in this sparsely appointed house!
    As she ran downstairs
again, it struck her as strange that, while she could remember nothing, she had
known instinctively where to find the bathroom, just as she found her way,
unerringly to the kitchen, as though in her mind she followed the trotting
ghost of a five-year-old child.
    In the kitchen she
found Jamie by a large wood-burning stove, curled up half asleep in an old
armchair. Compassion caught at Thea's heart, as she stood for a moment
watching him. In sleep, without the dignity he assumed when awake, he looked
oddly pathetic, and hard on the heels of pity she felt the first stirrings of
anger against his father, who was probably suffering from nothing worse than a
heavy cold. After the soaking she had had, she might be more in need of care
and attention than he was. As if to emphasise this she sneezed, and Jamie's
green eyes flew open.
    Immediately his small
face brightened, as he found the sight of her reassuring. Thea concluded, and
rightly, that, with her hair dried and combed, she appeared more human than she
had done a little while ago.
    She smiled, which had
its effect, had she but known it, on even so young a man. Involuntarily he
smiled back before, obviously thinking he had unbent too far, his boyish
eagerness was replaced by a scowl.
    Quickly, to divert
him, she spoke lightly. 'Hello, Jamie, I'm back, but I've not managed as well
as I thought I would. I'm afraid I've had to borrow this robe. The clothes I
took off are still wet and so are those in my rucksack.'
    'That's all right,' he
replied carelessly. 'It belongs to my father.'
    'I thought it might.'
She hurried on, as this information, though not unexpected, disturbed her, 'I
wondered if it would be a good idea to go and see your father now?' She wasn't
quite sure whether it would be or not as, apart from Grandfather Andrews, she had scarcely ever seen a man in bed, and certainly not a stranger. Yet, if
Mr Murray was very ill, mightn't it be on her conscience for ever if he passed
away before morning and she had done nothing to help?
    To
her utter astonishment, Jamie was alarmed. 'You can't go and see
him,' he exclaimed. 'He'd be absolutely furious if I let you.'
    'But—if
he's sick?'
    'It
wouldn't matter, he'd find out. He always does.'
    Staring
at Jamie's pale, stubborn face, she racked her brains fiercely.
Her dislike of Jamie's father was growing, but she tried to be sensible. She
must think of poor Jamie.
    'I've
had some nursing experience,' she said rashly.
    'Oh
...' Jamie's eyes widened as he slowly digested this information.
'So you're one of those, a nurse! Why didn't you say so?'
    'Well,'
deciding to skip any slight discrepancies, 'I've hardly had a chance, have I?'
    Alarm
feathered in her-breast as he shook his head but became almost
tearfully excited. 'You'll be able to make him better, Miss
Andrews? I'm so pleased I let you in. Father will be, too,
won't he?I mean, when he wakes up and finds you're a nurse.'
    'I—I
should think so,' she swallowed an accumulation of guilt in her
throat. 'And please call me Thea.'
    'I
will,' he agreed, so absendy she knew he wasn't with