Questions of Trust A Medical Romance - By Sam Archer Page 0,54
quicken, her throat constrict, every nerve in her body strain to protect her child.
Very quietly, Rebecca said, ‘This isn’t your concern. It isn’t your battle. So back off.’
‘What makes you think I’m involved?’
Rebecca said nothing, her eyes invisible under the dark glasses.
In spite of herself, Chloe pressed on: ‘Isn’t it a coincidence, that you appear here to confront me, just hours after I’ve been to see Sabrina Jones, or whatever her name is?’ There – Rebecca had recoiled a fraction at the mention of the other woman’s name. ‘Because she told you about my visit, didn’t she? And you knew I wasn’t there on behalf of the newspaper. You knew I was on to you, and that I’m going to find out the truth about what you’re doing to Tom.’
For a long second Chloe was sure Rebecca was going to take a swing at her. The rage was coursing through the woman visibly, making her quiver like a bowstring. Then she raised a finger and waved it, slowly, the action somehow even more menacing than if she’d clenched her fist.
‘Do not push your luck with me, you interfering bitch.’
‘Or else what?’ Chloe said coolly. ‘We’ll all see what you’re capable of? Well, I think you’ve shown us that already, and frankly it’s not all that impressive. It’s quite laughably amateurish, if you want to know. But by all means, have a go.’
Rebecca pursed her lips and breathed out, slowly, as if she couldn’t believe anyone dared to speak to her like that. She stepped back until she was alongside the Mercedes, opened the door and climbed back in, all the while watching Chloe. As she disappeared behind the wheel and pulled the door shut, Chloe thought she saw the faintest of smiles playing about Rebecca’s lips.
The Mercedes took off in a squeal of tyres and dust. Chloe watched it disappear into the distance.
She peered at Jake, and saw thankfully that he was still asleep. Heaving the pushchair to the side of the road, Chloe dropped to sit beside it, her legs suddenly too fragile to support her. The aftershock of the adrenaline surge hit her and she gripped her elbows to try to stop the shaking in her hands.
Chloe had always hated encounters of this kind, confrontations with a simmering undercurrent of violence. They left her shaken and depressed. As she breathed deeply, steadying her nerves, Chloe realised the most disturbing part hadn’t been the isolation of the surroundings, or Rebecca’s blunt warnings. Rather, it had been the small smile on the woman’s face as she’d left.
What was she planning next?
Nonetheless, as Chloe began to recover her composure, she reflected that she’d held her own rather well, if she said so herself. She’d shown herself neither flustered nor intimidated by the other woman, and had made it quite clear to her that she understood the game she was playing and wasn’t going to allow it to succeed. If nothing else, Rebecca would have left the encounter realising that Chloe was no pushover. And if that was unlikely to make her desist entirely from her persecution of Tom, it might at least give her pause, sow the seeds of doubt in her mind as to whether or not it really was worth following the course of action she’d chosen.
But, as she rose and brushed the pollen off her trousers, Chloe still felt unsettled. The fact that Rebecca had driven out here to find Chloe suggested she knew where Chloe lived. Might she be capable of doing something drastic, confronting Chloe in her own home? Harming Jake, even? Chloe couldn’t bear even to consider it. She debated whether or not to contact Tom and tell him about the episode. In the end she decided not to, not just yet. Once she had a bit more on Sabrina Jones, she’d speak to Tom, and she’d mention Rebecca’s visit then, too.
When Chloe arrived back at the cottage with Jake, Margaret McFarland was in her own front garden tending her roses. She gave the pair a cheery smile and wave, but as Chloe approached the older woman’s brow knitted in concern.
‘My dear, what’s happened?’
Chloe stared at her, confused. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You’re as white as a sheet. Are you feeling ill?’
Clearly the encounter had shaken Chloe even more than she’d realised. She attempted a smile. ‘A little too much sun, I think. I’ll be fine.’
‘Cup of tea will put you right.’ And before Chloe knew it, she and Jake were being bundled inside.
***
As it happened,