Back In The Marriage Bed

‘Hey! Where do you think you’re going?’ Dominic demanded sharply as Annie took advantage of his lack of concentration and made a bolt for the door, running through it at full speed and almost colliding with the postman as she flung open the front door.

Dominic, who was right behind her, cursed as the postman waved a piece of paper in front of him, demanding a signature for a registered envelope. He could hear the engine of Annie’s car firing, and then with a spurt of gravel she was speeding off down the drive.

She had done it. She had got away from him. Annie was trembling so violently as she drove the car out onto the main road that she knew she was not really fit to be driving, but there was no way she was going to stop now…not until she had got away from him and was back safely and securely in her own little house.

Tears were streaming down her face and her heart was pounding with shock and emotion. She wasn’t Annie White, she was Mrs Dominic Carlyle—a married woman…married to the man of her dreams…

As she finally stopped her car outside her house Annie was laughing wildly in hysterical shocked disbelief. The man of her dreams…Maybe, but to him she was the woman of his worst nightmares!

CHAPTER SIX

‘WE HAD a wonderful time. Bob says that we really should try to go again, and I said…’ Worriedly Helena stopped talking as she recognised that Annie wasn’t really listening to her.

‘What is it? What’s wrong?’ she demanded.

‘I…’ Annie began, intending to deny that anything was the matter. She was an adult, after all, and surely capable of dealing with her own problems. But two nights of broken sleep coupled with the shock of discovering that she and Dominic were married had taken their toll.

‘I’ve found out why Dominic, the man at the restaurant, seemed so familiar to me,’ she told Helena bleakly.

Her anxiety increasing, Helena put down the mug of coffee Annie had poured for her and waited. Getting up from her small kitchen table, Annie walked over to the sink. She poured herself a glass of water and drank it to moisten her nervously dry throat, before continuing shakily, ‘He’s my husband.’

‘What?’ Helena stared at her.

‘It’s true,’ Annie assured her, giving her a look of dry-eyed anguished despair. ‘He showed me our marriage certificate.’

Half an hour later Annie had managed to tell her the full story of what had happened between Dominic and herself—or most of what had happened! There were some things, some betrayals of her self-esteem, she could not even bring herself to admit to herself, or to tell even her closest friend.

‘Have you told him about your accident?’ Helena questioned her.

Annie shook her head.

‘No. I…I couldn’t…He says I walked out on him, and…I…I don’t know why he married me, Helena. It’s obvious how he feels about me now…’

‘What about you? What do you feel for him?’

Helena questioned her gently, momentarily ignoring Dominic’s feelings.

‘I don’t know,’ Annie admitted. ‘It’s been such a shock. I still can’t believe…’

‘You’ll have to tell him about your accident,’ Helena told her firmly.

‘Helena, I can’t,’ Annie protested. ‘And to be honest I don’t think he’d be prepared to listen. I feel such a fool,’ Annie told her. ‘All those idiotic things I felt and said about my dream man, over and over, and all the time…’

‘He was your husband,’ Helena supplied grimly.

There was one more very important question she had to ask Annie, even though she could see how distressed and unhappy she was.

‘When he…Dominic…told you that you were married, did it…did you—?’

‘Did I remember anything,’ Annie interrupted her, guessing what she was going to say and shaking her head as she did so. ‘No…nothing. I only wish I had, then I could at least…’

She got up from the table and started to pace the small kitchen floor.

‘I’ve got to remember what happened now, Helena…I’ve got to. Until I do…’ She stopped, her voice and face so tortured that Helena longed to be able to comfort and reassure her.

‘Why would I do something like that? Why would I just walk out on the man I was supposed to love and our marriage? I can’t believe…I’ve got to know the truth—otherwise…’

‘Couldn’t Dominic throw any light on why you might have left?’ Helena asked her.

‘I…We didn’t…He was so angry with me…’

Helena could see how distressed Annie was, and she didn’t want to put her under any more pressure, so instead of asking her any more questions she started to soothe and reassure her. But privately she had already decided that Annie’s husband would have to be told the truth of Annie’s accident, and that if Annie didn’t feel able to tell him herself then she would have to do so for her.

After Helena had gone Annie washed their coffee mugs, grimly forcing her hands to stop the slight trembling they seemed to have developed. Two anxious nights lying awake unable to sleep were beginning to take their toll on her, but she knew if she tried to sleep now she would be unable to do so.

What you need, my girl, is some healthy exercise—a good brisk walk, she told herself sternly. But deep down inside another voice, sharper and less comforting, was telling her instead that what she needed more than anything else was to be able to remember those lost weeks, that lost period of time. Not until she had done so would she ever be in a position to defend herself against Dominic’s accusations, to refute his allegations.

From Petrofiche Helena had learned that Dominic was currently working from home, and she had decided to pay him a visit there without giving him any prior warning of her arrival, just in case he should refuse to see her.

His house and its setting were certainly very impressive, she acknowledged as she climbed out of her car and walked towards the front door. Why had Annie left her husband and her home? Dominic Carlyle held the key that could unlock the mystery, Helena felt sure. Was there some vital piece of information that he was withholding, or was he genuinely, as he had implied to Annie, as unaware of her reasons for leaving him as he had claimed?

Firmly Helena rang the doorbell and waited. She didn’t have to wait very long.

‘Dr Dominic Carlyle?’ she questioned as Dominic opened the door.

‘Yes?’ Dominic agreed, frowning a little as he studied the set expression on the face of his unexpected visitor.

‘I’m Helena Lever,’ Helena introduced herself. ‘Annie’s doctor and friend…’

‘Her doctor?’ Dominic questioned, his frown intensifying as he invited Helena inside, closing the hall doo

r on the room where he had been working and leading the way into the sitting room.

‘Annie doesn’t know I’m here,’ Helena told him, shaking her head in refusal of the refreshments he was offering. ‘But I had to see you because there’s something I think you should know.’

Dominic studied her assessingly. She had all the hallmarks of a dedicated and very professional woman. She was Annie’s doctor, she had told him, and suddenly an ominous chill of foreboding feathered down his spine.

‘She’s ill?’ he questioned abruptly.

‘Not in the physical sense,’ Helena responded, equally curtly. The anxiety and concern she had heard in his voice had caught her somewhat off-guard. From Annie’s description of what had happened she had expected him to be far more hostile.

‘Annie was the victim of a serious road accident which resulted in her suffering from amnesia. Which is why—’

Helena stopped speaking as Dominic interrupted her, urgently demanding, ‘What do you mean a serious road accident? We…’

Trenchantly Helena explained, concluding, ‘So you see, when Annie told you that she did not know you were her husband she was telling you the truth. She has no memory of the accident or of the weeks prior to it. If you don’t believe me there are medical records,’ Helena informed him grittily, but Dominic was shaking his head.

He did believe her, but he was still in shock from the total unexpectedness of her revelations.

‘Why the hell didn’t Annie say something…tell me?’ he demanded hoarsely. ‘If she had…’

‘If she had you would never have bullied and threatened her the way you did?’ Helena offered crisply. ‘No, I’m sure you wouldn’t. No man worthy of the name would behave in such a way, would he?’

Helena could see from the slow dark burn of colour tingeing Dominic’s cheekbones and jawline that she had made her point.

‘Perhaps I was…Perhaps I did…overreact,’ he admitted. ‘But do you have any idea what it did to me when she simply walked out and disappeared?’ he demanded, when Helena made no response.