He seemed to stare into her eyes for a very long time before he spoke, but she found no reassurance in his gaze...anything but. In those endless few seconds Darcy felt as if she was standing in front of a pitiless magistrate who was just about to condemn her to a prison cell for life. Was there nothing she could say that would move him?
‘No matter how I feel personally about your predicament,’ he remarked, ‘in all conscience I cannot allow the hospital to discharge you tonight. You will have to stay here until tomorrow, when the doctor will re-examine you. After that, if I am satisfied they have done all that they can to aid your recovery, you can, of course, go home. But you can be sure I will be taking your details.’
‘Why? Because you want to see Sami or because you still intend to prosecute me for trespass?’
Now her eyes did fill with tears.
His returning glance was unperturbed, and cool as iced water. ‘To see my son, of course. I don’t intend prosecution now I’ve learned the reason for your trying to break into the house.’
Sniffing, Darcy blotted her tears with the back of her hand. She bit her lip at his reference to her trying to break in. ‘Good. But as to staying here for the night—I couldn’t afford to, even if I was at death’s door. Not all of us have money to burn like...’
‘Like me? Is that what you were going to say?’
Shrugging his shoulders, as though it didn’t disturb him one iota what she thought, Zafir started to walk away. But then he suddenly stopped dead and turned towards her.
Piercing her with eyes as black and mysterious as a moonless night, he breathed, ‘You will not have to pay this particular bill, Darcy, I will. But do not doubt you will have to recompense me...one way or another.’
As the door of the room swung closed behind him she dropped her head back onto the pillows and stared wildly up at the ceiling. Her physical discomfort had eased, thanks to the pain medication kicking in, but she didn’t know how she was going to relay the extraordinary events that had happened to her mother. And all because she’d finally taken matters into her own hands and recklessly sought Zafir out at his resplendent home...
* * *
Coming face to face with Darcy again did not help Zafir to sleep easily in his bed that night. The magic the woman weaved around him was like a drugging opiate that was impossible to resist, and when he was near her he felt like an addict on a recovery programme.
It was well over four years since he had seen her and at last he’d thought he’d got used to the idea that he would never see her again. But fate, it seemed, had had other plans. If it turned out to be the truth that he’d left her pregnant, then his whole life would change now that he had a son and heir.
Just as he was about to drift off to sleep he recalled the memory of her telling him how much she’d been hurt too—more than he would ever know. Now he knew what she’d meant—knew that she’d been pregnant by him when he’d fired her from her post—he felt like the cruellest tyrant imaginable for misjudging and abandoning her. But he still couldn’t be sure she hadn’t cheated on him with his brother, and until he was the idea would hang over him like Damocles’ sword.
Waking early, Zafir hastily showered and dressed, then immediately instructed his chauffeur to drive him to the hospital. Half expecting Darcy to have somehow found a way of escaping, despite the fact that he had left Rashid guarding her door and she couldn’t presently so much as put her foot to the floor, he couldn’t suppress his relief when he saw her sitting on top of the hospital bed, fully dressed. She looked a little peaky, and she didn’t seem best pleased to see him.
‘Oh, it’s you.’
Wanting to smile, he didn’t. The situation was far too serious for any levity. ‘Yes, it’s me. Did you manage to get any sleep last night?’
‘What do you care if I did or I didn’t?’
‘Don’t be such a child.’
‘I just want to get out of here and go home.’
She impatiently smoothed back a stray corn-gold strand of hair from her face, and her stare was defiant.
Zafir shook his head. ‘You are going nowhere until I speak with the doctor—and even then not until you give me your phone number and address.’
* * *
That had sounded like a veiled threat, not something even remotely reassuring. Inside, Darcy’s emotions clamoured. Wasn’t it enough that he’d already stamped her heart into the ground and caused irreversible damage?
A mournful sigh escaped her. The reason she’d been so determined to confront him was because they had a son together...she should never forget that.
‘I already told you I’d give them to you. I want to give you the chance to step up to your responsibilities—at the very least I thought you’d want that. And, more importantly, I want my son to know his father and likewise for you to get to know him and be proud of him.’
His tanned brow furrowed. Did she imagine she saw the shadow of pain and regret in his glance?
‘I would want all those things too,’ he agreed soberly, ‘if he is indeed my son.’
Her stomach lurched at the idea he still didn’t believe her.
‘In any case, I intend to maintain contact with you. But right now I will go and tell the nurse we’d like to see the doctor.’
Darcy had no choice but to stay put. But when the time came she hoped she would be able to ring for a cab to take her home. She didn’t want to resume relations with Zafir by feeling obligated. It was one thing having his support for Sami—if he gave it—and quite another having him lay down the law about what she did.
The question was would she be allowed to leave the hospital without any further intervention from him? It was hard to guess. The way her luck was going probably not.
When Zafir returned, she asked hopefully, ‘Will I be discharged after I’ve seen the doctor?’
‘We will soon find out. A nurse is coming to transport you to the examination room as we speak.’
A short while later Darcy nervously submitted to the doctor’s examination of her swollen ankle. As Zafir watched the proceedings she saw his gaze was steely-eyed and serious.
Faint with worry, she mulled over the possible outcomes. What if they wanted to keep her here for another night? If that happened, what would she do? She was hardly in a position just to walk out. It went without saying that her mother would insist on visiting her, and if that happened by necessity she would have to bring Sami with her. It was a Saturday and the school week was over. But if Sami saw her in hospital she knew he would be distressed, seeing her incapacitated like this...
‘Well, Ms Carrick, the outcome of your injury is presenting just as I expected. While it is very sore now, the ankle should heal beautifully if you take the proper care and rest. No doubt you must be relieved you didn’t break any bones although you will still have to take some time off work.’
‘Thank you. I am relieved that it’s not as bad as I feared. All I want to do now is go home.’
‘That is completely understandable, but first you must see our physiotherapist to be given some walking aids. When you have those, you may leave. The final thing I want to do is to tell you that you’re a very fortunate young woman to have been aided by such a personage as the Sheikh of Zachariah himself.’
The doctor was hardly adept at concealing his curiosity as he peered at her more closely.
For his part, Zafir detected the man’s too interested examination of Darcy’s features straight away. Was he imagining that the delicate blonde with the angelic visage was his mistress? He didn’t know why right then, but it seriously aggravated