small silence fell after Chris and Eileen left. Beth knew that Adam was still standing in the doorway but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. Should she tell him now why she had been trying to contact him or should she wait until later? They had to work together that afternoon and it could make the situation extremely difficult…
‘Did Claire ever talk about me?’
She jumped when he spoke, feeling the colour rush to her cheeks when she looked round and found him staring at her. ‘Not really,’ she replied, glad that she could be truthful because she doubted that she could have lied.
‘Then she didn’t say anything bad about me?’ He must have seen her surprise because he smiled thinly. ‘I got the distinct impression earlier that you were upset when you found out who I was. I just wondered if Claire might have said something.’
‘Should she have done?’ she countered.
‘I’ve no idea.’ He leant against the doorjamb and regarded her thoughtfully. ‘We certainly didn’t part on bad terms, not so far as I was concerned, anyway.’
‘Then you have nothing to worry about, have you?’ Beth gave him a tight little smile and went to the door, pausing when he made no attempt to get out of her way.
‘How much did your sister tell you about our relationship?’ he asked bluntly.
‘Enough.’ She met his gaze squarely, refusing to let him think that she was embarrassed in any way. ‘Naturally, she didn’t go into any detail but I know that you and Claire were lovers at one time, if that’s what you mean.’
‘I see. And how do you feel about the idea? Does it bother you?’ he replied smoothly.
‘No. How about you? Does it worry you that I know about you and Claire?’ she shot back.
‘Not at all.’ He shrugged but his gaze was intent. ‘It all happened a long time ago and it has little bearing on the present situation. There’s no reason that I know of why my relationship with your sister should get in the way of us working together. However, I have a feeling that something is troubling you, despite what you’ve just said.’
Beth looked away because she simply couldn’t stand there and meet that forceful stare any longer. Part of her wanted to tell him the truth and get it over with, whilst another part urged her to be cautious. Maybe it would be better to tread carefully until she had a better idea how he might react to her request.
‘I was just surprised when you turned up here,’ she said, choosing her words with care. ‘Claire never told me much about you so I had no idea that you were related to Dr Wright.’
‘I see. It must have been a shock for you, then,’ he said quietly.
‘It was.’ He must have heard the ring of truth in her voice because he visibly relaxed. Beth felt a flurry race along her nerves when he suddenly smiled at her. She had noticed how attractive he was when they had first met but he was devastating when he smiled like that.
‘And I’m not helping the situation by cross-examining you. Sorry. My excuse is that it was a surprise for me, too, to meet you here. Claire spoke about you many times. She was very fond of you, Beth.’
‘I was very fond of her,’ she admitted, feeling the ready tears welling into her eyes.
‘Now I’ve upset you and that was the last thing I wanted to do.’ His tone was so gentle that she had to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat before she could speak.
‘It’s not your fault. It’s been a difficult year, what with Claire’s death and…’ She stopped as she realised what she had been about to say, feeling her heart racing when she saw the way Adam was looking at her again.
‘And what? What were you going to say before you thought better of it?’ he asked in a silky tone that made her shiver with apprehension. ‘Why do I get the feeling that I’m missing something, Beth?’
‘I…I don’t know what you mean,’ she murmured, avoiding his eyes.
‘Don’t you?’ He paused, obviously giving her the chance to explain, but she knew that she wasn’t ready to do that just yet. It was too important that she didn’t make any mistakes. So much hinged on him agreeing…
Did she really think that he would agree, though? Everything she knew about him pointed to the fact that he might very well refuse. After all he hadn’t bothered to answer Claire’s letter, neither had he made any attempt to contact her in the last seven years. Were those the actions of a man who would be prepared to help?
She bit her lip in a quandary of indecision and heard him sigh. ‘I’m doing it again, aren’t I? Interrogating you?’
He smiled apologetically when she glanced at him but she could tell that he was still curious about the way she had been behaving, and was merely trying to smooth over an awkward moment.
‘It’s a rather strange situation for both of us,’ she suggested diffidently.
‘I suppose it is.’ He frowned as though he was considering that idea. ‘Neither of us could have imagined this happening in our wildest dreams.’
Amen to that! she silently endorsed then realised that he had carried on speaking.
‘My problems?’ she queried, her heart turning over as she wondered what he had meant by that. Had she been right all along? Had he guessed what Claire had wanted to tell him seven years ago? The thought suddenly made her feel sick, even though she had no idea why it should matter so much.
‘Having to work with a doctor about whom you know absolutely zilch. It’s no wonder you’re on edge. You’re probably worried stiff in case I make a complete hash of things this afternoon.’
He glanced down at his crumpled clothes and grimaced. ‘I admit that I don’t look the part of a bona fide GP, but I swear that I have all the necessary certificates to prove it somewhere around!’
She laughed shakily, not sure why she felt so relieved that he wasn’t about to confess to such unscrupulous behaviour. ‘You don’t have to prove anything to me. I’m willing to take your word for it that you’re suitably qualified.’
‘Thank you. I appreciate it.’ He treated her to a smile and once again Beth felt her pulse skip a beat. It had been such a long time since she’d reacted like that to a man’s smile that it confused her, and it was a moment before she realised what Adam had said.
‘The airline lost your luggage?’ she repeated.
‘That’s right. I couldn’t get a direct flight back to the UK so I had to make a couple of stop-overs en route. Somewhere between Tangiers and Düsseldorf my cases went AWOL. Fortunately, I had a holdall with me containing a change of clothes so at least I was able to wear something clean to come here today.’
He gave a deep chuckle. ‘Aunt Mary is going to hunt out some of the stuff I left with her the last time I was in England, but I’m not sure if it will do much more to improve my image. I have never been known for my sartorial elegance, shall we say.’
He paused when the phone on the reception desk suddenly rang. ‘I expect you want to go for lunch so I’ll get that. Anything I need to know before this afternoon?’
‘No, it’s all quite straightforward—routine antenatal check-ups with, hopefully, few problems,’ she assured him.
‘Fine. I’ll see you later, then.’
Adam hurried away and a moment later Beth heard the rumble of his voice as he picked up the receiver. However, she didn’t wait around. Apart from the fact that she didn’t want to have to answer any more awkward questions, she didn’t have the time to hang around if she wanted to see Hannah before she was due back at work.
She sighed sadly.
Everything came back to Hannah. She just hadn’t realised how difficult it was going to be to tell Adam about her niece.