Prescription-One Bride

CHAPTER TWELVE

HER love was still beside her when she woke.

Jess blinked and blinked again as consciousness flooded back. The sun was streaming through the north-facing windows. Niall was bathed and changed and there were dressings on his hands.

Niall can’t have sat there all night.

He must have gone.

But he’d come back.

That was all that mattered. He’d come back to her.

Jess opened her eyes wide and stretched a hand out to her love.

He didn’t take it.

Instead, Niall gathered all of her to him, lifting her tenderly to cradle her against him.

‘I was beginning to think you’d sleep till tomorrow.’

She smiled, her face cradled against the soft cotton of his shirt. Life was immeasurably good.

‘What time is it?’ Her voice sounded like a frog was down her throat and Niall smiled.

‘That’s a very sexy husk,’ he told her. ‘Smoke inhalation. It’ll fade, more’s the pity. It’s very fetching. It’s twelve noon, my love.’

‘Twelve…’

Jess pushed herself away from Niall and stared. ‘You’re kidding.’

‘Would I kid about anything so important?’

‘I…I have no idea.’

‘Well, it’s time you did.’ Niall’s smile slipped. He sat back and his eyes held hers. ‘Jess, you are my own true love,’ he said softly. ‘My lady in a million. My chance of happiness. If you don’t think you can trust me then I don’t think I can bear it. Yesterday…’

‘Don’t…’

‘It. has to be said,’ he told her. ‘There were some rotten accusations floating round yesterday. One is that I used my daughter to gain this vineyard. Not true. I never wanted this vineyard. I found out about Paige and I brought her home at the same time my family were discovering the terms of my uncle’s will. They put it to me that the vineyard belonged to Paige and I had no right to keep her from her inheritance.

‘I was trying to find some place where Paige and I could get to know each other and this seemed the right place. That’s all, Jess…’

She believed him. She knew now. Her heart was to be trusted and she trusted this man with all her heart…

‘Niall…’

‘I never wanted to come here,’ Niall continued. ‘But now I’m here…And last night…’ He shook his head. ‘This is your place, Jess. I can’t see you caring for your native animals in central London-unless you take pity on a few pigeons or stray cats. And Paige, too…I’m seeing how much this place can give her. She’s grown in health and, since she’s met you, she’s grown in happiness…So…If you could bear to marry a medical writer instead of a medical practitioner then maybe I’ll force myself to change direction…’

Marry…

Jess lay back on her pillows and her eyes filled with tears.

‘I’ll go to London with you, Niall,’ she whispered. ‘I’ll go anywhere…’

‘We’ll talk about this later,’ he said gently, ‘but there are things in my life more important than medicine.’

‘Niall…’

‘Hush.’

She shook her head. There was something really important she had to say. ‘Niall, Quinn and Fern-the island’s regular doctors-have asked if you’ll consider practising here,’ she whispered. ‘In partnership. Fern’s pregnant and there’s a huge tourist complex starting. You…you wouldn’t be very busy…’

He stared. ‘When did they make that offer?’

‘A week or so ago.’

He eyed her suspiciously.

‘So why are you telling me now?’

Jess flushed. It must be the drugs Niall had given her, she thought. She was away on cloud nine.

‘Because…because…’

‘Say it, my Jess…’

‘Because I’m sure I want you to stay,’ she whispered. ‘If you will…Or if you go-take me.’

She was gathered again into the safe haven of his arms.

‘If I will,’ he whispered softly into her mass of charred curls. ‘How can you ask anything so absurd…?’

Jess slept away most of that day-and the next. It was as if her body was recuperating from more than just the shock and the bums, though they were enough to dictate rest.

The following afternoon she finally asked Niall for a mirror-and was appalled.

The explosion of petrol had taken the skin from her forehead and singed all the front of her hair. Her nightgown must have caught fire but luckily she’d fallen forward and the force of her body against the verandah had smothered it.

Her face was puffed and swollen. She looked like she’d been crying for a month.

‘How can you love me when I look like this?’ she whispered.

‘It’s not what you look like but what you feel like that’s stopping me from loving you,’ Niall grinned. ‘If I thought a quick squeeze would result in anything more than a yelp of agony I’d be back in my bed like a shot…’

‘Is this…is this your bed, then?’

‘Our bed,’ he smiled lovingly. ‘As soon as I can get a ring on your finger.’

‘Oh, Niall…’

‘You’ve been incredibly lucky.’ Niall was carefully applying cream to the few areas of blistered skin.

‘Do they know…? Have the police found Barry?’

‘We assume so.’

Jess stared. ‘What…what do you mean?’

‘Barry must have underestimated the power of petrol,’ Niall said grimly. ‘We think he broke into the hospital at the French doors and went through the place splashing petrol. Maybe he thought Ethel was there and we were hiding her. Who knows? Maybe he just thought up a plan and then couldn’t think of a better one when she wasn’t there.

‘We assume he smashed open the laundry door to make an exit and then threw a match on the floor. The petrol did the rest. We found what we think is his body trapped in the ruins of the laundry.’

‘You think…?’

‘It’s burned beyond recognition. I went down this morning to make a dental report,’ Niall grimaced. ‘The dentist flies in from the mainland twice a month so the report has to be sent to Sydney for matching against records. But there’s little doubt.’

‘I…I see.’

‘Are you up to facing visitors?’ he asked her.

‘Niall…Looking like this?’

‘You look beautiful,’ he told her.

‘Says you.’

‘And who are you to argue with your affianced?’ He kissed her carefully on her unburnt chin. ‘Back to the case at hand. Visitors or no visitors?’

‘Who…?’

‘The whole world is clamouring to see you,’ Niall smiled. ‘I think every islander and their dog, cow, pig, hen or whatever has sent their best wishes, by phone or in person. Your cousin and his wife-Quinn and Fern, is it?-have rung on the hour every hour demanding I care for you as if you were more precious than diamonds. And I’m to tell you Fern is flying over in person tomorrow to make sure her orders are carried out.

‘I’m also to inform you that there’s no problem with insurance and the hospital rebuilding started yesterday. Every islander worth his salt is beavering at the site as we speak. Also, Lucy has brought first-hand reports of Wilfred and Wobble’s glowing good health. And…’

He hesitated.

‘And?’

‘And my small daughter is aching to see you. I didn’t let her in until now-because I thought she might want to touch you.’

‘Because…’ Jess sat up in bed, winced at the sudden movement and positively glared at her love. ‘There is nothing I want more than to have Paige touch me.’

‘You’re sure?’

‘I’m sure.’

He smiled and walked across to open the door.

‘Paige…’

Paige had been waiting. She stood on the threshold, her eyes enormous.

‘Wow…’ she whispered. ‘Jess, you look awful.’

‘The swelling will go down soon,’ her father promised her. ‘It’s really our Jess in there.’

‘You…you like my new hairstyle?’ Jess whispered.

The little girl swung herself across on her crutches to touch the frizz that had once been Jessie’s fringe. Her fingers were feather light.

‘Oh, Jess, does it hurt?’

‘Only when I laugh,’ Jess smiled.

‘Then you mustn’t laugh.’ Paige’s face was dead serious. ‘Hugo and me have made you some soup for tea. Do you think you’ll be able to eat it?’

‘I’m sure.’ Jess leaned forward and kissed Paige lightly on the face and Paige pulled back.

‘You mustn’t. Your lips look all sore…’

‘Not too sore to kiss.’

‘No…’ She looked like she doubted it. ‘Jess, Daddy says you’ll probably stay with us for a while.’

Jess looked shyly up at Paige’s father and her cracked lips smiled. ‘If that’s OK with you, sweetheart.’

‘Yep.’ She grinned, her equilibrium recovering nicely. ‘All sorts of people come to our farm now. They come to our home,’ she corrected herself. ‘Daddy’s taken down the sign-and we even leave the gate open. We have to. Geraldine came about three times. She put four stitches in Daddy’s hand and I watched. And she came this morning to make me exercise my legs. And you know what she said?’

‘What did she say?’

‘She said seeing we’ve a new invalid in the house it’s time I learned not to be one.’ She gave a nervous giggle. ‘So…’

‘So?’ Jess looked a question up at Niall but he was clearly as bemused as she was.

‘So, look what I can do.’ Paige crowed. She carefully laid her crutches on the floor and turned to her father. ‘Be ready to catch me,’ she warned. ‘I’m not too good yet.’

And she took four shaky crutchless steps forward before falling into her father’s arms.

‘Paige…’

Niall was hugging his daughter close, his arms proud and possessive.

His love was almost a tangible thing.

How could Jess have ever attributed base motives to this man? Jess lay back on her pillows and her eyes filled with tears.

She must have been mad.

‘My Paige…’ Niall swung the child round and kissed her soundly. ‘My little woman. My Paige. And my Jess. I have two precious women in my life now.’

‘Daddy…’ There was a sudden hushed silence. Paige looked from Jess to Niall and back again and something in their faces must have shown as clear as day.

‘You’re not going to marry Jess, are you?’ she asked tremulously. ‘Daddy…’

‘What do you think of it as an idea?’ Niall asked. He set his daughter on her feet again and steadied her on her crutches, then knelt before her. ‘It seems to me…It seems to me good things have happened to the Mountmarches since we met Jess. She’s like a medical prescription. Prescription-one Jess. How about, prescription-one bride?’

Paige considered, her face pink with pleasure.

‘Could she be my mummy then?’

‘What about it, Jess?’ Niall demanded and swung Paige round to face her.

‘I’d love to be your mummy,’ Jess whispered. ‘If you’ll have me.’

‘I’ve always wanted a mummy,’ Paige whispered. ‘I didn’t know I always wanted a Jess type of mummy but I do.’ She hesitated. ‘If you’re a bride, can I be a bridesmaid?’

‘I won’t be a bride unless you’re a bridesmaid,’ Jess swore.

‘With pink frills and a bow…a bow…a bow something.’

‘A bouquet?’

‘Yes.’ Clearly this was a source of immense satisfaction.

‘We’ll prepare you the biggest, brightest and most beautiful bouquet ever been known to grace a wedding,’ her father promised. ‘Two bouquets. One for you and one for my bride.’ Niall’s hand came out to take Jessie’s and his eyes were giving her messages that didn’t need to be spoken.

‘And…’ Paige limped forward and leaned her crutches on the bed. Her small hand came out to claim Jessie’s from her father.

‘I mightn’t be very good at getting dressed in a pink frilly dress with a bouquet,’ she confessed. ‘I’m not very clever at buttons and stuff. But…but if I had a mummy, then my mummy could help me get dressed.’

‘That’s a mummy’s job,’ Jess said seriously and her tears brimmed over and splashed down her burned cheeks. ‘My job-if you’ll have me.’

‘Jess, you’re crying.’ Paige looked anxiously down at Jessie’s wet cheeks and then up to her father. ‘Daddy, Jessie’s crying. Make her stop.’

‘I know just the remedy.’

Niall knelt down and took both his women into his arms. He kissed Jess softly on the lips, mindful of her bruising but Jess would have none of it.

She put her arms around Niall’s neck and deepened the kiss, savouring the tiny pricks of pain. Savouring her love.

They kissed for a very long time and when they finally drew apart, Jess was no longer crying.

‘See…’

Niall smiled down at Jess and his voice when he spoke was not quite steady. ‘See, Paige. I can fix crying.’

‘By kissing?’

‘By loving,’ Niall said softly. ‘It’s the very best cure.’