One Night with Morelli(83)

                ‘You mean you won’t.’

                ‘You make it sound as though I’m enjoying this.’

                He looked from her angry, resentful face to her clenched fist and shrugged. ‘Hit me if it makes you feel better.’

                ‘Not all of us feel the need to resort to violence!’ The remorse she felt was instantaneous at her reminder of his actions towards Mark and she began to mumble an apology but he cut across her.

                ‘He won’t be alone—he’ll have you and Charlie. The man is just scared right now. Whatever happens, he’ll love his son. How could he not?’

                ‘My father didn’t love me.’ Her tired voice had a sing-song quality as she continued. It seemed to Draco that she had forgotten he was there. ‘He wanted Mum to have an abortion and he sent a letter telling her. I found it… I never told Mum. I just put it back. Mum was only a student and she had a holiday job on his estate. He treated her as though she were…and me, I was just rubbish to be got rid of.’

                Draco could see it clearly, the girl who had carried the secret of her father’s rejection with her into adulthood. The image made his heart ache for her, and awoke his anger. If Charlford were here now…but he wasn’t.

                He’d died and he was a small loss to the world, to Draco’s way of thinking, but it had robbed him of the satisfaction of confronting the man with his desertion…though what good would it have done? He had met the type before and when confronted with their misdeeds they were more often than not incapable of accepting their guilt, let alone feeling any remorse.

                He sighed out the anger, and as he looked at Eve he felt an upsurge of pride. ‘You were better off without a father like that.’

                ‘That’s what Mark said too.’

                Suddenly the memories of their last meeting were there between them, seemingly making the air heavy.

                ‘Your brother is not an idiot. Was he all right after I…?’

                ‘He was fine.’

                ‘Good—I said things to hurt you that night.’ He gave his head an angry, self-admonitory shake and decided to cut a long story short. ‘I was jealous.’ It turned out to be easier to admit it to her than it had been to admit the glaringly obvious fact to himself.

                Her green eyes widened at the admission. ‘That’s what Mark said too,’ she mumbled, shocked to think what this admission might mean. ‘I told him that he was being stupid and that you’re not the jealous type at all.’

                A ghost of a smile touched Draco’s lips. ‘You’re right, I’m not the jealous type except, it turns out, where you’re concerned.’ His stare made her flush. ‘I’d like to tell you that I’ll never act like that again, but I think if I see you kissing another man I would… Actually I think you can pretty much guarantee I would. You do know you’ve been driving me crazy from the first moment I saw you.’ He stopped and raked a hand through his hair. ‘I can’t speak of these things in here.’

                Eve got to her feet slowly, her thoughts in total chaos. She was confused, shocked, excited. She glanced towards her brother, torn between what she perceived as her duty and her desire. ‘I feel like I’m deserting him.’

                ‘It’s fine, I understand. I need a break. Can I bring you something…?’

                She shook her head and watched him leave, tension translating itself into a rigidity in his normally fluid gait. The door had barely closed before it opened again and the midwife from earlier came in, looking a lot fresher than the colleague she had replaced.