My grandmother died three years ago,’ Elena informed him matter-of-factly, stepping past him to walk along the concrete path to her front door, and her nerves coiled into a knot at the pit of her stomach at the knowledge that he was following her.‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ he was saying. ‘I remember her as a strong, robust woman who was seldom ill, and I find it difficult to believe that she isn’t still alive.Elena’s thoughts were chaotic to speak, and she needed those few moments to control her features as well as her erratic heart-beats while she unlocked the door, but Stephan was observing her with a faintly sardonic expression in his blue eyes when she turned to face him.May I come in, Elena?She hesitated nervously. She did not welcome the thought of being alone with him, but common sense warned that he might suspect she was afraid of him, so she pushed open the door, entering the small cottage ahead of him with a cool, ‘ You may come in, if you wish.’Elena led the way into he

Elena drew aside the curtains at the window, and she filled the electric kettle under the tap before she plugged it on the wall and switched it on. She was functioning automatically, taking down two cups and saucers out of the wall cupboard and spooning Instant coffee into them. Her thoughts were in a turmoil, and her feelings were in an equally chaotic state. She clenched her hands where they rested on the cupboard, and she clamped her jaw so tightly that the muscles of her cheeks ached. Stephan was free to live his life as he wished, and so was she! What did it matter to her that he and Aura were lovers?Her nerves jarred violently at the sound of a step behind her, and she took a moment to control her features before she turned to find Stephan observing her from no more than a pace away. There was a gleam of mockery in his eyes, and it sent an embarrassing warmth rushing into her cheeks.‘Have I shocked your puritanical little mind?’ He demanded, the deep timbre of his voice ringi

‘That’s what you said in your letter, and I refuse to believe it then!’His eyes were like twin flames searing her, and she felt herself shrinking away from their probing intensity.‘Why, Elena?’ he demanded ominously, towering over her as the shadowy fingers of dusk reached into the room. ‘What happened to make you change your mind about marrying me? Was it the thought that the chase would end for you with our marriage, and that you wanted to start the exciting ritual all over again with someone else?’‘Stop this ridiculous interrogation!’ she pleaded, not sure how much more of this she could take before she cracked, and she was desperately afraid that she might reveal the truth. ‘I didn’t love you enough to marry you and go away with you, and there’s nothing more to it than that!’ she lied.‘You’re lying!’ he accused her harshly, taking her shoulders in a crushing grip. ‘You’re lying to me, Elena!’For one fraction of a second Elena actually toyed with the idea of telling him what h

It rained all day Friday as if to match her dismal mood, and it was still raining the Monday of the following week when she went to work in the morning. The weather did not keep the patients away, and dripping raincoats and umbrellas left puddles of water on the tiled floor in the reception area. The waiting room was packed when Dr Cleave from his early morning rounds at the hospital, and it took almost three chaotic hours before the waiting room started clearing.It was during the course of that morning that Theo Allen telephoned to invite Elena to dine with him at his restaurant in town.A refusal sprang to her lips, and then she thought, why not? She had not seen Theo for some weeks, and having dinner with him would be preferable to spending another evening alone at home with nothing but her miserable thoughts for company.She accepted his invitation and, knowing that she was busy,he ended their brief conversation with an abrupt, "I’ll pick you up at seven."Elena did not question

An owl hooted in a tree close to the cottage when Theo drove away, and Elena shivered involuntarily as she stood watching the Mercedes’ tail-lights disappear down the lane, leaving her alone with Stephan. Wisp of clouds drifted across the moon to bathe the earth in an eerie darkness, and the owl hooted once again as Elena turned to see Stephan push himself away from his car.She could not see his face, but his tall frame was an ominous shadow moving towards her, and her hand fluttered nervously towards the gate to grip it firmly. ‘What are you doing here at this time of the night?’‘I was waiting for you,’ he drawled with a ring of mockery in his deep voice. ‘ I thought it might be interesting to meet your latest conquest, but he left in such a hurry that I never caught a glimpse of the unfortunate fellow.’Your latest conquest! an unfortunate fellow! Her throat tightened as if she had swallowed a hot piece of food that refused to go down.‘Go away, Stephan!’ she hissed through her te