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‘I’m here because my father owns this block of flats. He doesn’t live locally and he asked me to come and check on things and report back to him. I expect he’ll be along first thing in the morning to see what needs to be done.’
‘Oh, I see. This must all be a dreadful shock to him.’
‘It’s more of a shock for the people involved, I imagine. We’ll have to find alternative accommodation for them until the damage has been repaired.’ He studied her for a moment. ‘You’re not one of the tenants, are you?’
Amber shook her head. ‘It was late when the party finished, and I didn’t want to drive home because I’d had a drink.’ Her car keys were back in the flat. ‘The girl giving the party said I could stay in her friend’s flat. The friend is away just now, but she gave permission.’
He frowned, and she sent him an anxious look. ‘It was all right to do that, wasn’t it? I’m not getting her into trouble, am I?’
‘No, that’s all right. It’s not your problem. I was just concerned because we didn’t know that you were there until one of the other tenants remembered that you were in the room.’
Amber shuddered. ‘So I could have still been in there now?’
‘No. I made sure to check all the rooms, and the firemen were doing their own sweep of the building.’
She was humbled. ‘Thank you for getting me out of there. I’m sorry I gave you so much trouble.’ She gave him sideways glance. ‘I owe you a lot, and I don’t even know your name.’
‘I’m Nick.’ He looked at her thoughtfully. ‘And you?’
‘Amber.’ She removed the mask and put it to one side. ‘I’m fine now. I really must think about getting home. Why don’t you go and look after the nurse and her little girl? I imagine they need you more than I do and I can manage perfectly well.’ From the gentle, considerate way he had approached them earlier, she guessed that he knew them fairly well. Perhaps, as they were tenants of his father, he had become friendly with them.
His brows drew together. ‘I doubt that. You seem to be in a worse condition than either of them. You were in the building for the longest time.’
He glanced over to where Chloe and her child were being treated by the paramedics. ‘Chloe and Lucy will be all right. You don’t need to worry. I’ve arranged for them to go and stay with Chloe’s cousin until we can fix them up with something else. She’s coming to fetch them.’ He paused. ‘In fact, I think I can see her arriving now.’
‘That’s good.’ She tried a smile. ‘Well, I’m sure there are other people who need help more than I do. Perhaps you should go and enquire after them…that poor doctor, for instance. I really need to start finding my way home.’
He gave her an odd look. ‘The doctor’s on his way to hospital, which is where you should be, too.’
She shook her head. ‘I’m not going there.’
He studied her. ‘All of the other tenants seem to be managing perfectly well. Most of them are fully dressed and aware of what’s going on, and they seem to have managed to grab what belongings they needed before they made their escape. As for you, I really don’t think you’ll get very far in the state you’re in.’
He made it sound as though she was hopelessly inadequate. ‘You didn’t give me a chance to get anything that I needed,’ she said. ‘I do seem to remember looking around for my shoes, and I’m sure if you had given me a moment I would have thought of other things I needed.’
‘Best not to go there, I think,’ he said. ‘We both know that you were well out of it. I expect the fresh air has helped to revive you a little, but that’s not saying that I would trust you to manage on your own.’
Clearly, he still thought that she was a party animal, but she didn’t have the energy to argue the point with him. She glanced over at the building. ‘They seem to have put the fire out,’ she murmured. ‘Do you think they would let me back in there?’
‘Definitely not. It’s probably not safe, and no one will be allowed in until the fire chief gives the say-so. That will probably not be for a day or two, given the damage.’
She made a face. ‘All I actually need is a phone. Then I could arrange for a taxi to come and pick me up.’
‘I’ll take you where you need to go,’ he said, and when she would have demurred, he added, ‘That way I can be sure that you will get there safely, and that you won’t be wandering the streets in your bare feet. Are you staying at your aunt’s house?’
‘No, I have a place of my own.’
He looked surprised at that, and she wondered what he was thinking. Did he imagine that she was just a slip of a girl who was incapable of looking after herself?
He flicked a glance over her, and she realised that she must be in a totally dishevelled state. Her long chestnut hair was unruly at the best of times, and since she had unpinned it when she’d gone to bed last night it must be in full riotous disarray by now. No wonder he was looking at her as though she had lost her senses.
‘I would appreciate a lift. Do you think we could go now?’
He nodded. ‘Let me help you to my car. It’s just around the corner from the building.’
He helped her to her feet, and said, ‘Keep the blanket around you. I’ll take it back to the paramedics tomorrow.’
His car was a top-of-the-range saloon, gleaming even in the darkness, and she guessed that even if he wasn’t in partnership with his father, he must be doing well for himself. He helped her into the passenger seat and she sank back against the upholstery, her weary limbs thankful for the luxury and comfort that the interior offered.
He started the engine. ‘Where do you live?’
She gave him the address with some hesitation. He was probably used to the best of everything, but her modest cottage was all she could afford, and at least it gave her the opportunity to be independent. She had come to Devon at her mother’s request, but there was simply no room for her to lodge with her aunt.
‘Are you going to be able to get in without your keys?’ he asked as they drove out of the town and headed for the country lanes.
‘I keep a spare, just in case. I’ve hidden it away.’
‘You’re not going to tell me that it’s under a plant pot, are you?’ He sent her an oblique glance.
She lowered her head and hoped that he couldn’t see the flush of heat that ran along her cheeks. ‘Not exactly. It’s under a stone and there are several others around.’
‘I might have guessed.’ He raised his eyes heavenward and then concentrated on the road ahead.
He was a good driver, confident at the wheel, and he took the bends with ease. It didn’t take long before they arrived at the house, and he parked the car by the pavement, coming around to help her out of her seat.
‘This is it,’ she said. ‘It isn’t much to look at, but it’s just right for me.’
He was staring at the plain, stone-walled front, and she hoped that in the darkness he couldn’t see the peeling paintwork at the windows. ‘I’ll just go around to the back and find the key,’ she muttered.
He went with her, stooping to get the key when she located the rock in question. ‘I’ll come in with you and see that you get settled in all right,’ he said, and she recognised a sinking feeling in her stomach. What was he going to make of her minuscule, dilapidated home?
At least the kitchen light was working. She flicked it on and invited him inside. ‘I’ll see if I have any coffee in the cupboard,’ she said. ‘Would you like a drink?’ It was the least she could offer after all he had done for her.
‘Thank you. That would be good.’ He was looking around, and she could see that he was finding the place hard to take in.
‘I know that a lot needs to be done to make it right,’ she said, as she stopped for a moment to wash her hands under the tap, ‘but I bought it for a song, and I thought that in time I would be able to do it up. It needs some building work here and there, and I think there’s going to have to be a lot of replastering, but it has great possibilities.’
He didn’t appear to agree with her. He was frowning, and she thought it was perhaps a good job that he couldn’t see the rest of the house. ‘At least the cooker’s working,’ she said. She was rummaging in the cupboards, a struggle while she was holding onto the blanket in order to retain her dignity, but she had to turn around and say, ‘Sorry, no coffee. Will tea do instead?’
‘Tea will be fine.’ He stared around him. ‘You know you have damp in here, don’t you?’
She nodded. ‘It was one of the things that was pointed out in the survey, but I was assured that it could be put right. It’s just going to take me a while, that’s all.’
She made the tea and pushed the cup towards him. ‘I’d offer you biscuits, but I’m afraid I haven’t been able to get to the shops yet.’
‘That’s all right. I’d say biscuits were the least of your worries.’ He looked at her as though he thought she must have been completely mad to take on a project like this. ‘How on earth are you going to manage?’
‘I’ll get by,’ she murmured. She took a sip of her tea to calm her nerves. What did he know of how the other half lived? From the looks of the expensively tailored suit he was wearing, and the car outside, he had never had to struggle for anything.
‘Wasn’t there any possibility of you going to live with your aunt—that is, assuming that her house is more habitable than this one?’
She grimaced. He wasn’t one to mince his words, was he? ‘She only has two small bedrooms, one for herself and my mother has the other one. We can’t complain. We only moved to Devon a couple of weeks ago, and it was good of her to take my mother in.’
Her mother had been adamant that they should come here. There was every possibility that Amber’s brother could be in the area, and she was desperate to get in touch with him.
She said cautiously, ‘Your father must have been devastated by the news of the fire. Does he own other properties, or is the nurses’ accommodation his only investment?’
‘He has others, locally. Yes, it’s a blow, but the insurance will cover the damage. The biggest problem is the disruption to the lives of the people who were living there.’ He looked at her over his teacup. ‘They were lucky to come out of this alive—you among them—and most of them will have lost belongings.’
‘What happened to the man whose jacket was on fire?’
‘He’s OK. He escaped without any major injury. It’s the doctor who saved him who has the problem.’
‘How badly was he hurt? I know you said he had burns to his hands, but will he recover from them? Will he be able to work again?’
‘From what I gather, he should come through this all right. It will take time for his hands to heal, though, and of course it will be some months before he’ll be able to go back to work. It was a brave thing he did, saving his friend.’
‘I didn’t know him. I sort of remember seeing him at the party, but I wasn’t sure whether he worked at the hospital—at the Castle Hill hospital.’
‘Yes, he does—or, rather, he was about to start work as a senior house officer in the A and E department. That isn’t going to happen now, of course. We’ll have to find someone to take his place.’
Amber’s eyes widened. He sounded as though he knew all about the A and E department. She said hesitantly, ‘How is it that you know the ins and outs of it? Do you work there?’
He nodded. ‘I’m the A and E consultant there.’ He looked at her searchingly. ‘You look taken aback. Is there a problem?’
‘No…’ It came out as a sort of squeak, and she tried again. ‘No. There’s no problem at all,’ she managed weakly. ‘I think I’m just overtired and things are all becoming a bit too much for me.’
She said it, but it was not the truth. The truth was she was shocked to the core to discover that he was in charge of the A and E unit. Her heart was thumping discordantly at the news, crashing about in her chest like a mad thing. Why did it have to be him, of all people? How on earth could this be happening to her?
‘You’re right, of course.’ He pushed his cup to one side. ‘Thank you for the tea. I should leave you to get to bed. Are you sure you can manage on your own now? Do you need any help?’
A bubble of hysteria welled up in her throat and she swallowed hard to suppress it. What was he suggesting…that he put her to bed? That would be one step too far as far as she was concerned.
‘I can manage, thank you,’ she said. ‘Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. I do appreciate it.’
His grey eyes studied her. ‘If you’re sure?’
‘I am.’ A sudden thought occurred to her. ‘Just give me a minute to find a robe, and I’ll let you have the blanket back.’ It came to her that she should have done that some time ago, but maybe she still wasn’t thinking clearly.
She hurried up to the bedroom and put on a towelling robe. Seeing herself in the mirror for the first time in several hours, she was horrified at her reflection. Her hair was sticking out at all angles, a tousled mass of curls that had settled in chaotic disorder to frame her face and brush her shoulders, making her look like a wild thing. Added to that, there were faint streaks of soot on her forehead and along her cheekbones, and she guessed she must have run her hands along a soot-caked banister or a piece of furniture at some point. As for the nightshirt, it didn’t bear thinking about. It revealed far too much of her slender curves.
Not wanting to see any more, she turned away from the mirror and wrapped the robe firmly around herself. She hurried downstairs.
Nick was in the hallway, surveying the wrecked plasterwork with an expression of disbelief, but as she came down the stairs he turned towards her.
‘Here’s the blanket.’ She handed it to him and then saw him to the door. ‘Thanks again for all you’ve done.’
‘You’re welcome.’ He glanced at her as he left, and she could see that he didn’t quite know what to make of her. This man, of all men, thought she was a complete oddity, a partygoer, someone who was prone to taking leave of her senses, a crazy sort of woman who had bought a property that was falling down around her ears, and this was the man who was going to be her new boss in a couple of days’ time. Could things possibly get any worse?
CHAPTER TWO
‘CAN I get you anything, Mum?’ Amber gave her mother an affectionate smile. ‘Another cup of tea, or some more toast?’ The kitchen table was littered with the remains of breakfast—cereal bowls and toast rack, along with two little pots of fruit preserves, but there was still some toast left and a portion of scrambled egg in a heated serving dish.
‘Nothing, sweetheart. I’m full to the brim, thanks.’ Her mother pushed her plate away and leaned back in her chair. ‘Besides, you don’t have to wait on me. It’s enough that you managed to get here to share breakfast with us. You ought to be thinking about yourself. You start your new job today, don’t you? And you must have an awful lot on your mind. Are you ready for it—do you have everything you need?’
Amber nodded. ‘I think so. I sorted my medical bag out last night, and I put it in the car before I came here this morning. I just hope I haven’t forgotten anything essential. I don’t want to get off to a bad start.’ Her stomach was churning at the thought of coming face to face with the consultant after all that had happened the other night, but she wasn’t going to tell her mother that. It was probably better to leave her in ignorance.
‘I’m sure you’ll get on really well. You’ve been fine everywhere else you’ve worked, and they’ve been sorry to lose you, from what I heard.’
Amber’s mouth twitched. ‘Maybe. You always see the best side of everything—I think you might be just a little bit prejudiced.’
Her mother smiled and it lit up her face. ‘I am where you’re concerned. I just want you to be happy.’
‘I will be,’ Amber said, her voice taking on a serious note, ‘just as long as you promise me that you’ll make an appointment to see the doctor today.’
She studied her mother. She looked frail, and there were lines of tension on her face, giving her a drawn appearance. Her brown hair, which had once been vibrant, was now streaked with grey, and the sheen had gone from it. It feathered her cheeks but it did nothing to disguise the weariness of her features.
‘Aunt Rose said that she would go with you,’ Amber added. ‘It’s been worrying me that you’re having so many bad headaches lately, and you know yourself that you need to get your health sorted out. You can’t go on the way that you have been doing. The other day you were so giddy that you almost fell, and that can’t be right.’
‘You worry too much. I’ll be right as rain. You just get yourself off to work and concentrate on what you have to do.’
Aunt Rose turned away from the sink where she had been refilling the kettle, and came over to the table. She began clearing away the breakfast crockery.
‘You know what your mother is like,’ she said, directing a stern glance towards Amber’s mother. ‘Julie’s as stubborn as a mule when it comes to looking after herself. I’m just glad that she finally agreed to come and live with me, where I can keep an eye on her.’
‘It’s a relief to me, too,’ Amber said.
Her mother gave them both a wry glance. ‘I’ve managed well enough up to now,’ she muttered. ‘I don’t know what all the fuss is about.’ She pushed her chair back from the table and stood up slowly. Amber noticed that she steadied herself momentarily with a hand on the table’s edge, but then she straightened up and walked towards the door that led into the hallway. ‘I’m going to tidy my bedroom,’ she said, ‘but I’ll be down to see you off to work, Amber. I think you can trust me to sort myself out.’
Amber watched her go from the room, and then sighed. ‘I just know that she’s going to try to wriggle out of it,’ she said to Aunt Rose. ‘If she doesn’t see the doctor today, I’m going to ring and make an appointment for her myself. She’s been worrying me more and more as the days go by.’
‘I don’t think the story in the newspaper helped very much,’ Rose said. ‘When she heard about the fire at the block of flats, and realised that you were there, she very nearly collapsed from the shock. I think she was terribly afraid that she might have lost you. She’s never got over losing Kyle, and I think it would have definitely been the last straw for her if anything had happened to you.’
‘She hasn’t lost Kyle. He’s still around, somewhere.’ Amber frowned. ‘I thought she was holding onto a last glimmer of hope—when your friend-of-a-friend said she’d heard that he might be down here, she insisted on coming to live in the area. It was perhaps just as well that we were thinking of moving anyway.’ She paused, thinking it through. ‘I suppose there could be some truth in it. After all, he loved this area when he was a child. Perhaps he wants to get back to his roots.’
‘She’s clutching at straws. The rumours could be way off beam, and I’d be surprised if he could remember having a home here at one time. It was a long, long time ago. But at least your mother has left notice of where she’s living now—just in case he ever turns up at the old house. They’re good people, the couple who moved into your old place. They promised that they would keep in touch, didn’t they? And I have every faith in them. Though, if you ask me, it isn’t very likely that he’ll put in an appearance after all this time.’
‘You could be right, but I hope for her sake that we find him. For years now she’s been stressed out, worrying about where he is and what he’s doing. I just hate to see her looking so ill.’
Aunt Rose made a face. ‘You won’t thank me for saying it, but it didn’t do her a lot of good, living with your father. He was a difficult man at the best of times, and he caused her a lot of heartache. To be brutally honest, I wasn’t sorry when the marriage broke up.’
Amber could understand how she felt. Any loyalty that she might have had to her father had disappeared long ago. He had been a strict disciplinarian, a domineering man, and she wasn’t surprised that it had taken her mother so long to break free.
She glanced at her watch. ‘I must go,’ she said. ‘I’ve a busy day ahead of me. Take care, Aunt Rose. Thanks for breakfast.’
Aunt Rose nodded, giving her a quick hug. ‘I wanted to make sure that you had a good meal inside you before you went off on your first day in a new job. You’ll do all right, I’m sure.’
She was a no-nonsense sort of woman, tall and strong, the opposite of her sister, and Amber hugged her in return and felt reassured that she could leave her mother in her care.
