“Thank him for me,” she told Pallas.
The doctor nodded, as Pallas spoke and smiled back.
Then he left, and Pallas tucked her up again, gently.
“Would you like to sleep now, or shall I stay and talk?”
“I think I’ll try to sleep,” Kate said. “This lotion has
made me more comfortable. I didn’t sleep at all last
night.”
“Poor Kate,” sympathised Pallas.
When she had gone Kate lay, in the semi-darkness of
her room, gazing at the white shutters which Pallas had
closed. Faint beams of light struggled through them and
lay in bars across the floor. Her headache was better
now, but her eyes felt hot and dry, and she was grateful
for the cool shadows around her.
Marc had carried her up here yesterday and laid her
gently on the bed. Through the hazy mist of pain she had
stared up at him, wondering why he looked so savagely
angry. She couldn’t help getting sunburn. Then she had
been suddenly, violently sick, and when she came back
from her desperate race to the bathroom, she had found
him gone, and Sophia waiting with cool water and
gentle, soothing hands.
Her eyes closed. She preferred to forget what had
happened yesterday. It had been a traumatic experience.
The next few days were quiet and peaceful. Pallas and
Sam came in every morning. Sometimes they played
cards with her, or just sat and talked. Sometimes she
slept for most of the day. The burning sensation had
lessened gradually. Her skin was now merely hot and
dry. In places it was beginning to peel, and she watched