Dance-of-the-Snake-Yvonne-Whittal Read online

  sleeping alone, quite frankly.'

  'You're missing out on a great deal of excitement, Dr Neal.'

  'From your point of view, I suppose I am, but that doesn't bother me at all,' she

  replied, climbing out of his car and taking her bag with her.

  'You'll change your mind yet.'

  'Not if I can help it,' she thought furiously, but aloud she said: 'Goodnight, Dr

  Trafford, and thanks for the lift.'

  She could not swear to it, of course, but the sound of mocking laughter seemed

  to come from the interior of his car moments before he revved the engine and

  drove away at speed. He was truly the most infuriating man she had ever met, she

  decided as she dropped her bag on to the passenger seat and slid in behind the

  wheel of her car. He was so arrogantly sure of himself as a physician as well as a

  man and, dammit, he knew perfectly well that he was capable of making her

  aware of him as a man more than a physician.

  This was more than just a disquieting thought; it was a downright disturbing

  discovery, and she would most certainly have to do something about it before it

  was too late.

  During the following three weeks Jessica became more fully acquainted with

  Louisville and its people. She also became acquainted with the ever-changing

  routine of her work, and the stimulating challenges she had never experienced as

  a young doctor walking the wards of the general hospital in Johannesburg. If she

  had ever doubted her decision, then she no longer had any need to feel that she

  might have made a grave mistake in coming to Louisville.

  There was only one problem. Dane Trafford. He was annoyingly persistent in

  his efforts to seduce her mentally. So far, he had not laid an unnecessary hand on

  her, but she was becoming frighteningly conscious of the fact that she would

  come off second best if he should switch from mental to physical seduction.

  Sighing irritably and tiredly, Jessica swung her car into her driveway. She was

  looking forward to a quiet night with a good book, but when she saw Vivien

  coming quickly towards her car she knew somehow that her hopes had been

  futile.

  'It's Olivia,' Vivien explained, her features tight and anxious as she climbed into

  the car beside Jessica. ‘I’ll come with you to show you the way out to Mountain

  View, and I'll explain on the way.'

  Jessica did not need the note of urgency in Vivien's well-modulated voice to

  make her put her foot down hard on the accelerator. Olivia had gone almost three

  weeks over her due date, and Jessica knew that the long wait had played havoc

  with her nerves.

  'Olivia asked Frances to give you a ring, and the poor child was in quite a panic

  when she discovered that you had already left the consulting-rooms, so she rang

  me instead,' Vivien explained as they left the town behind them. 'Bernard is out

  somewhere hunting down an injured kudu, and Olivia doesn't think he'll arrive

  home in time to bring her in to the hospital. That's all my niece could tell me,

  except that Olivia asked you to come out to the farm, and to come quickly.'

  Jessica glanced swiftly at the anxious face of her passenger. 'How far do we still

  have to go?'

  'Another five kilometres and we should be there.'

  Jessica drove on in silence, taking note of Vivien's gestured indications where

  she should turn and where to continue on the same road. She had barely parked

  her car beneath the jacaranda tree in front of the sprawling, thatch-roofed

  homestead, with its gauzed-in verandah running along the front and west side of

  the house, when the gauze door opened and slammed shut behind a long- limbed

  thirteen-year-old girl who sped towards Vivien like a veritable whirlwind with

  her long, dark pigtails flying out behind her.

  'Aunty Viv, I'm so glad you came!' she almost hiccoughed with emotion against

  her aunt's breast.

  'Don't worry, pet,' Vivien spoke soothingly, running a loving hand over the

  smooth, dark head. 'Dr Neal is here as well, and everything is going to be all

  right. Just be a good girl and wait out on the verandah until your father comes.'

  'But I want to help,' Frances protested, her dark brows knitting together in a

  frown.

  They had, during the course of this conversation, reached the verandah, and at

  this point Jessica spoke for the first time. 'If I need your help, Frances, I'll call

  you, and that's a promise.'

  The note of authority in her voice was audible, and Frances submitted to it

  with a grudging, 'Oh, all right, then.'

  In Mountain View's spacious master bedroom, they found Olivia lying on the

  bed, and she looked peculiarly small and lost in its vastness. She turned her

  head towards the door the moment they entered the room, and some of the

  anxiety drained from her white, elfin-shaped face.

  'I'm so glad you could come, Jessica, and you too, Vivien,' she smiled up at

  them weakly. 'If I could have managed it, then I would have driven myself in to

  town and saved you the trip out here.'

  'Good heavens, Olivia, that would have been a foolish thing to do,' Vivien

  exclaimed reprovingly.

  'When did it start?' Jessica queried, placing her bag on the plushly carpeted

  floor and seating herself on the bed beside Olivia.

  'To be truthful, it started this morning, I suppose, but I thought it was cramp,

  and when it went away I was positive it was nothing to get excited about,'

  Olivia explained guiltily. 'The real thing started a little more than

  a half hour ago, and

  ' She broke off sharply, a spasm

  of pain twisting her features.

  'Just relax,'Jessica ordered quietly. 'Breathe deeply and slowly.'

  When the contraction subsided, Jessica examined Olivia swiftly, but she had

  barely completed her examination before Olivia's body was racked with pain

  once more.

  'Oh, dear!' Vivien breathed anxiously. 'What are we going to do?'

  'We're going to deliver the baby right here,' Jessica announced calmly,

  opening up her bag and checking through its contents.

  'You say that as if—as if it's going to be s-soon,' Olivia managed haltingly,

  her anxious grey eyes meeting Jessica's.

  'It going to be soon, Olivia, but we still have time to make the necessary

  preparations,'' Jessica smiled down at her.

  Vivien and Frances were only too eager to help, and Jessica galvanished them

  into action with a calmness that inspired confidence, while at the same time

  seeing to it that Frances stayed out of the room.

  'Jessica?' Olivia cried out her name some minutes later, and Jessica was at her

  side at once.

  'Relax*' she ordered gently, wiping the perspiration from Olivia's face.

  'Everything's going smoothly.'

  'Oh, God! I wish Bernard were here,' Olivia moaned, the beads of

  perspiration forming rapidly once again on her pale face.

  'If he could sprout wings he would be here this very minute, you know that,'

  Vivien reminded her quietly.

  'Yes, r—I know,' Olivia managed, gritting her teeth as „ yet another spasm of

  pain tore through her. 'It's just that he—he's so strong, and at this moment I—I

  need his strength so desperately.'

  'Hang on to me, my dear,
' Vivien suggested, giving Olivia her hands to cling

  to,' and leave the rest to Jessica.'

  Olivia's baby was born twenty minutes later, a healthy

  little boy who protested loudly and indignantly until Jessica wrapped him up

  warmly and placed him in his mother's waiting arms for a time.

  'May I come in now and see the baby?' Frances demanded through the door

  soon after they had made Olivia and the baby comfortable, and Vivien opened

  the door at once to let her in.

  'Come in, pet,' she smiled at her niece, and the long- limbed child was beside

  the cradle in an instant, staring down at the baby with something close to awe on

  her feet.

  'He's so tiny,' Frances whispered anxiously. 'Will he grow, Olivia?'

  'He'll grow, darling,' Olivia assured Frances tiredly, but her face was aglow

  with happiness. 'He'll grow to be just as tall as you one day.'

  Frances' face lit up with a smile and she embraced Olivia excitedly before

  turning to face Jessica and Vivien. 'I almost forgot,' she said guiltily. 'Evalina

  said to tell you there's coffee in the living-room if you'd like some. I'll stay with

  Olivia while you're gone.'

  Vivien seemed to hesitate, but Jessica touched her arm lightly. 'A cup of strong

  coffee would do us both good.'

  Later, in the living-room with its polished furniture and homely atmosphere,

  Jessica sipped her coffee and came to terms with the knowledge that she would

  never quite be able to take the miracle of birth for granted. It was something

  which continued to fill her with awe and silent wonder, and, glancing at Vivien,

  Jessica suspected that she felt very much the same at the moment.

  Vivien looked up suddenly, and with eyes that looked suspiciously bright as if

  the tears weren't far, she said quietly, 'I grew up on this farm, and in this very

  house. I've watched animals giving birth, and I've marvelled at it, but today,

  watching Olivia's baby being born, I feel

  humbled and terribly insignificant.' She sighed and looked away, but not before

  Jessica had seen the moisture gathering in her eyes. 'I realise now, more than

  ever, that I've missed out on the most joyous part of marriage.'

  Jessica's throat tightened, but, before she could say anything, Vivien had

  pulled herself together, and was helping herself to a second cup of coffee.

  It was dusk before the silence was disturbed by the sound of a truck roaring

  up to the house, and Jessica was alone in the room with Olivia and the baby

  when she heard quick, heavy footsteps coming down the passage.

  'Where is she? Where's . Olivia?' a deep, thundering voice demanded.

  'She's here, Bernard,' Jessica heard Vivien say, 'and there's nothing to worry

  about.'

  Bernard King swore loudly, and there was just enough time for Jessica and

  Olivia to exchange amused glances before the bedroom door was flung open

  beneath a heavy, anxious hand.

  The man who stood framed in the doorway was incredibly tall, and his dark

  hair was liberally flecked with grey. The square, jutting jaw and powerfully

  built body were enough to make Jessica realise that this was not a man to be

  crossed in anger. His dark, ferocious glance flicked over her with total lack of

  interest before seeking out the small woman lying propped up against the

  pillows on the bed, and then something incredible happened. Those hard eyes

  softened miraculously with a look of tender devotion and, big man though he

  was, Jessica saw him swallow as if emotion had formed a constriction in his

  throat.

  'Olivia?' he whispered hoarsely, and then he was kneeling beside the bed,

  obliterating Olivia's small frame almost completely as he gathered her up

  against his khaki- clad chest and buried his face against her throat.

  Jessica glanced briefly at Vivien, but she was almost too afraid to move. She

  was caught up in something indescribably beautiful, and she dared not intervene,

  nor disturb the moment. Between Bernard and Olivia King there was that

  something special; that enviable something which most people longed for, but

  which so few experienced, and Jessica, sensing this, felt an emptiness and a need

  within herself which she had never known before.

  'Forgive us for being so rude, Jessica,' Olivia's voice filtered through to

  Jessica's conscious mind. 'I'd like you to meet my husband, Bernard. Darling, this

  is Dr Jessica Neal.'

  The large man rose to his feet, and Jessica's hand was taken in a firm, hard grip

  that made her fingers ache. Tm glad to know you, Jessica, and thank you for

  coming so promptly to Olivia's aid.'

  Those dark eyes were smiling now, and as Vivien stepped farther into the room,

  after remaining silently and discreetly just inside the doorway, Jessica noticed

  the strong likeness between brother and sister.

  'Aren't you going to take a peek at our son?' Olivia wanted to know, and three

  pairs of eyes watched with mixed expressions as Bernard King leaned over the

  cradle with a certain amount of indulgence to examine the tiny, wrapped-up

  bundle that lay there sleeping contentedly.

  'He's an ugly little devil,' Bernard observed at last with a twinkle in his eyes.

  'Naturally,' Olivia smiled up at him a little cheekily. 'He looks just like his

  father.'

  Bernard laughed softly as he seated himself beside Olivia once more, and his

  laughter was a low rumble coming from deep within his strong throat. 'I deserved

  that, didn't I?'

  'You certainly did,' Vivien intervened humorously, then she glanced at Jessica

  who was packing her bag and preparing to leave. 'Peter telephoned and he should

  be here any minute now, so I'm assured of a lift home, but

  you're not leaving until you've had dinner here with us.'

  'No, really I '

  'Please stay, Jessica,' Olivia cut across Jessica's apologetic refusal to the

  invitation.

  It would take someone far stronger than herself to refuse the plea in those

  grey eyes, Jessica realised, and she sighed inwardly as she smiled down at

  Olivia. 'Thank you, I would like that very much.'

  There was an undercurrent of excitement to the conversation when they sat

  around the teak table in the dining-room that evening. Frances, with her dark

  eyes shining, was bubbling over like a happy fountain as she related the events

  of that afternoon to her father and Peter O'Brien. Bernard looked upon her with

  pride, and Peter with some amusement, while Vivien made no effort to hide the

  deep affection she felt for the child.

  Jessica, however, felt vaguely troubled about Vivien. She had gone strangely

  silent during dinner, and on a few occasions Jessica had caught a look of acute

  unhappiness flitting across her face. It made her wonder about Vivien; and the

  reason why she had never had any children of her own.

  It was after eight that evening when Jessica looked in on Olivia to say

  goodnight, and she found her lying awake with a tired but happy smile hovering

  about her soft mouth.

  'Jessica . ..' she began, gesturing a little helplessly with one slender hand, 'I

  haven't thanked you yet.'

  'You have nothing to thank me for,' Jessica replied firmly, lowering her voice

  to match Olivia's.
/>   'Oh, yes, I have,' Olivia argued. 'I knew that the call I sent out for Bernard

  wouldn't reach him in time, and I was absolutely petrified until you walked in

  here this afternoon.'

  'You're to take things easy for the next few days, and I'll come out every day

  to check on you as well as the

  baby,' Jessica changed the subject and, leaning over the cradle, she took a last

  quick look at the pink-skinned and slightly wrinkled little human lying there so

  quietly. 'What are you going to call him, by the way?'

  'We haven't decided yet.'

  'I have the perfect name for him,' Bernard announced, entering the room and

  walking across to his wife's side to take the hand she extended towards him.

  'Have you, darling?' Olivia smiled up at him tenderly.

  'I can't think of a better name than Logan, can you?'

  'Oh, Bernard!' Olivia smiled a little dubiously, but Bernard's face wore a look of

  granite-hard determination.

  'Logan was Olivia's maiden name,' he explained to Jessica.

  'It sounds good to me, and it's a strong name for a boy,' Jessica agreed, touching

  the tiny fingers lightly with her own. 'Goodnight, Logan. I'll see you and your

  mother tomorrow.'

  'I'll walk you out to your car, Jessica,' Peter offered when he met her coming out

  of Olivia's room, and she smiled her thanks, realising that he wanted to have a

  private word with her concerning Olivia's confinement.

  'Did everything go off all right?' Peter asked when they reached her Alfa. 'No

  complications?'

  'None at all,' Jessica assured him.

  'Good,' Peter nodded, his fair hair almost silver in the moonlight. 'Olivia's not a

  big woman, and I must admit that I was a little worried about her giving normal

  birth,

  but -- ' he shrugged selfconsciously, and smiled. 'When

  it's family you're dealing with, you're inclined to be more aware of all the

  dangers involved, and it's a damnable thing.'

  'Vivien was a great help, and so was Frances,' Jessica told him, 'and you might

  thank them for me once again.'

  'I'll do that,' he nodded, seeing her safely into her car.

  It was after nine when Jessica finally arrived at the cottage, and she was on the

  point of taking a refreshing bath when the telephone rang in the lounge.

  'I've been trying to reach you all evening/ Dane Trafford's accusing voice came