The Greek Children's Doctor (Westerling)

She sniffed. ‘You’re proposing?’

‘Not here,’ he said dryly. ‘I’m going to wait for more romantic surroundings. Wash your face and then join me on the terrace and I’ll do it properly.’

Her insides fluttering with excitement, Libby waited for him to go and then tried to concentrate on removing the evidence of hysterical crying.

Did Andreas truly want to marry her?

The thought of spending the rest of her life with him made her feel giddy with happiness.

How could she ever have thought that she didn’t love him?

How could she have fooled herself for so long?

She adored him.

And he was about to propose to her. And she knew exactly what her answer was going to be.

Smiling, she wandered back into the bedroom and opened one of the drawers, looking for a tissue.

And then she saw the letter.

She probably wouldn’t have looked twice at it if it hadn’t been for the fact that the bold handwriting seemed to leap from the page and the first four words penetrated her brain like a sharpened knife.

Andreas, I love you.

Feeling suddenly sick, Libby reached down and picked up the letter, opening it up so that she could read the rest of it.

I really enjoyed this week together and I can’t wait to be your wife.

Your loving Eleni.

Libby stared down at the letter for endless minutes, as if hoping that by studying the words hard enough they might alter their shape in front of her horrified eyes.

But they didn’t.

They stayed the same, while the sick feeling inside her grew and grew.

Still holding the letter, she walked towards the terrace, hesitating slightly as she saw Andreas standing with his back to her, his broad shoulders blocking the view of the ocean.

He heard her approach and turned, the smile on his face fading as he saw her.

‘You’re as white as a sheet. What’s the matter?’

She swallowed and dropped the letter on the table in front of her. ‘This is the matter.’

He frowned slightly and picked up the letter, sucking in a breath as he scanned the contents. ‘Libby—’

‘Just don’t even try and explain,’ she advised him shakily, backing away from him so quickly that she stumbled into one of the chairs. She reached out a hand to steady herself and found that it was trembling.

He tensed. ‘It isn’t—’

‘I believed you, Andreas!’ She looked at him accusingly. ‘When you told me that I was the only woman you’d ever loved, I believed you. But you’re just like all the others. One woman isn’t enough for you!’

Andreas swore softly and stepped towards her. ‘Will you listen to me?’

‘No.’ Libby shook her head firmly, ‘When you said that you were intending to propose, I didn’t realise that there was a queue. So tell me, Andreas, when exactly did you plan to fit me in?’

‘Eleni is not my wife.’ His voice was terse and she tried to hide the pain she was feeling.