Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine (reading an ebook TXT) 📕

table and threw it over the bloodstained bundle, hiding it from sight. But she could not stop screaming. It was as if something inside her head had snapped. She was outside herself, watching herself standing there, barefoot, wrapped in a fur cloak in the streaming light of the torch that one of the watchmen carried. But she could not stop screaming.

"Hush, Jo. Hush, there is no danger. It's all over. You're quite safe. " Hands were shaking her and she could feel something cold on her face. Agitated voices surrounded her.

"Can't you do something, for God's sake—"

"Here, catch her hands. Hold her still. "

She felt people clutching at her, struggling with her, holding her.

There was a prick in her arm—then she knew no more.

Chapter 18

The room was small, shaded by a white Venetian blind against the sun. She blinked slowly, trying to clear away the fog in her mind. Her mouth tasted unpleasantly chemical.

"Jo?" A man was sitting by the bed. He stood up, bending over her.

"Nick?" Her tongue was so dry the word would not come.

"You're all right, Jo. Look, I've got a cup of tea here for you. Would you like a sip?" His voice was more gentle than she had ever heard it.

Jo rubbed her eyes. "Where is this? What happened?"

She managed to sit up, and drank a little from the cup Nick gave her. Her head was spinning.

"We are still at Dr. Bennet's, Jo. Do you remember? This is a recovery room. You've been asleep. "

"Asleep? I thought... I thought he was going to hypnotize me again. " She fell silent, leaning back against the pillows, discovering suddenly that there was a soft blanket over her legs. "He was going to see if he could make me forget, " she repeated slowly.

"Has it worked?" Nick sat down on the chair beside the bed once more.

"I... I don't know. " She pushed her hair off her face with both hands. "I feel so strange. I can't think straight. ... " Through the blind she could see horizontal lines of brightness shimmering slightly, casting shadows on the cool olive of the walls around her. The room smelled of antiseptic. It was claustrophobically small.

Behind Nick the door opened quietly and Sarah peered in. She smiled with obvious relief as she saw Jo sitting up. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit peculiar. " Jo managed to grin.

"Carl is very sorry but he is involved with his afternoon appointment now. He was wondering if you could both come back on Wednesday morning. It would probably be better anyway to leave things for a couple of days to see how you are feeling. "

Jo frowned. "Afternoon appointment? I don't understand. What time is it?"

"It's teatime, Jo. " Nick stood up. "You've been asleep for several hours. She'll be here on Wednesday, " he said quietly, "I'll see to that. "

"What do you mean, several hours?" Jo repeated in bewilderment as he closed the door behind Sarah and turned back to her. "What's happened? Did I faint again?"

"You got a bit upset and Dr. Bennet had to give you a shot of Valium to calm you down, that's all. "

"Upset? Why was I upset?"

Nick gave the ghost of a grin. "I'm hardly going to tell you that, Jo. The idea was that you forget everything that has been worrying you. If the suggestion has worked, then it would be madness for me to tell you what happened, wouldn't it?"

It was ten past five before Nick finally paid off the taxi and followed Jo upstairs to her apartment. The phone was ringing as she opened the door.

"It's for you. " She handed him the receiver with a weary grin. "The office. "

She walked as always first to the French doors and threw them open, smelling the rich scent from the flowers on her balcony. It was strange how few of the balconies had flowers. In Germany or Switzerland they would all be a riot of tumbling color, but here in London hers stood out almost alone with its tubs and pots of pinks and geraniums, the honeysuckle, and the exotic passion flower that clambered around the stone balustrade. She smiled faintly. Nick had always teased her that she must be a country girl at heart because of her love of flowers.

She leaned on the balustrade. Her mind felt drugged. She could not focus her thoughts. Carl Bennet's face, and Sarah's, floated in her head, but there were others there too she could not grasp. Someone had talked about a horse being lame... she could remember being very angry about that ... and then, later, there had been a hand with a ring on the finger, a hand with filthy nails...

"That was Jim. " Nick came out onto the balcony behind her. "It appears Desco has turned down our presentation out of hand and is threatening to go over to the opposition. God damn it to hell! That was going to be one of the best promotions we've planned. I've only been away from the office ten days—lord knows how they've managed to get it wrong!" He made an effort at a grin. "Will you be okay on your own for a bit, Jo? I hate to leave you, but I think I've got to get overthere to stop Jim cutting his throat!"

She nodded. "Nick, I'm sorry. It's my fault—you'd have gone back last week if it wasn't for me—"

"Jo—I should be able to leave them. " He took a deep breath, trying to steady his anger. "Look, I'll be back for a late supper. We'll talk then. Don't go out. Rest till I get back and we'll make do with a can of soup or something. "

She followed him to the door and closed it behind him. She felt tired and hot and sticky and slightly sick, and she didn't want him to go.

She was lying on the sofa dressed only in her bathrobe with her eyes closed after a