Lee Wilkinson - That Devil Love

‘I’m sorry I’ve been so long getting here.’ Annis’s voice was croaky.

Mrs Duffy pulled on her coat. ‘Well, now you are here I’d best be off. My own kids are ten and twelve, but I still don’t like to leave them in the house on their own.’

‘It’s very good of you to have stayed so long,’ Annis said gratefully.

‘Can I take you home?’ Zan offered.

Looking gratified, she said, ‘Thanks, but I only live next door.’

The crying, which had temporarily abated, was resumed, rising to a crescendo as Annis hurried up the stairs.

When she reached the narrow landing, all at once feeling sick and light-headed, she staggered a little and was forced to lean against the nearest wall.

Zan’s fingers encircled her wrist, keeping her there while he checked her pulse rate.

‘Let me be,’ she tried to shake off his detaining hand. ‘I’m going to see to the twins.’

‘You’re doing nothing of the kind,’ he corrected firmly. ‘Firstly, you’re not up to it—’ while he was speaking he was opening doors ‘—and secondly, you don’t want to risk them catching any infection.’

She could see the sense in that, all the same…

‘Ah…this looks like the spare room.’ He propelled her inside. ‘Now you’re going to get into bed and I’ll bring you some hot milk.’

‘But what about…?’

‘I’ll deal with the twins.’

And he probably could. He appeared to be able to deal with anything.

The combination of illness and emotional strain making her feel too spent to battle any longer, she stripped down to her undies and, climbing into bed, sat shivering.

In just a few minutes Zan returned carrying a couple of hot water bottles, and a tray with a beaker of milk and two red plastic feeding cups.

Having settled her with a hot water bottle behind her back and another at her feet, he put the beaker and two aspirin tablets on the bedside table before vanishing again.

She was just wondering anxiously how the twins would react to a strange man appearing in the nursery when, as if by magic, the crying stopped.

Sipping the hot milk, which had been liberally laced with brandy, she listened to the murmur of Zan’s voice and thought bitterly how easy he seemed to find it to charm females of any age.

As soon as the beaker was empty she lay down, and within seconds was sound asleep.

Annis surfaced slowly and reluctantly to find her bedroom was full of snowy light. Only it wasn’t her bedroom…

The events of the previous night rushed in like a tidal wave, and she sat up abruptly.

As soon as the room stopped spinning, she struggled out of bed and peered into the nursery. Both cots were empty.

Snatching a robe from behind the bathroom door, she went downstairs as fast as her shaky legs would allow.

No one was in the living-room, but a pillow and a neatly folded blanket suggested Zan had slept on the couch.

The smell of toast and coffee directed her to the kitchen.

Showered, shaved, immaculately—if a shade inappropriately—dressed, and clearly in command of the situation, Zan was putting boiled eggs into Beatrix Potter egg-cups.

Strapped in their high chairs, Rachel and Rebecca, models of rectitude, and as alike as two peas in a pod, contentedly spooned up their breakfast cereal.

‘Hello, darlings.’ Not wanting to get too close, she blew them a kiss.

Rachel, always the more solemn of the two, stared at her round-eyed, while Rebecca smiled and crowed and dribbled ground rice and apricots down her chin.

‘Good morning.’ Zan gave Annis a smile that stopped her breath as effectively as a silken noose. ‘How are you feeling this morning?’

‘Fine,’ she muttered untruthfully.

He set a mug full of milky coffee on the table and pulled out a chair for her. ‘You look as if you need to sit down.’

‘First I must phone the hospital.’

‘I’ve just been talking to them. Your sister-in-law is as well as can be expected. She’s suffering from shock, but they don’t think the internal injuries are too severe.’

Annis’s pale lips framed the almost inaudible question, ‘And the baby?’

‘You’ve got a brand new nephew, born safely an hour ago.’

The relief was so great that Annis sat down abruptly and burst into tears.

A folded handkerchief was put into her hand.

While she dried her eyes and blew her nose, Zan added evenly, ‘I’ve assured your brother that everything is all right at this end, so he’s going to stay at the hospital… Now, do you feel up to some toast?’

Gulping the milky coffee gratefully, she shook her head.

‘Then as soon as Mrs Sheldon arrives I propose to take you home to bed.’

‘Who’s Mrs Sheldon?’

‘She’s an ex-nurse and a very competent nanny. I’ve borrowed her from Helen, whose family, though still young, no longer really need her. She’ll look after the twins for the time being.’

‘But Linda and Richard can’t afford a nanny,’ Annis protested.

‘That’s all taken care of.’ There was a knock, and he added, ‘Ah, this sounds like her now.’

He returned after a moment or so with a neatly dressed, pleasant-faced woman in her forties.

When he’d made the introductions, Mrs Sheldon said cheerfully, ‘Now don’t you worry, Miss Warrener. I’ll take care of everything.’

Feeling like death, Annis gave in and made her way upstairs to get dressed, recognising that even if she could manage to look after the twins it was in their best interest that she shouldn’t.

But someone was paying Mrs Sheldon, and the very last thing she wanted was for any of her family to be in Zan Power’s debt.

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