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Jaul was frowning and he lifted an expressive hand to silence her ‘Chrissie, listen to—’
‘No’ Her lue and she lifted her chin, daring Jaul to deny her the explanation she deserved ‘No more evasions between us, no more unanswered questions,’ she spelt out tautly ‘You have nothing left to lose and you can finally be honest Two years ago in spite of all your claims of love and for ever, you broke up with me, you dumped me It is what it is’
‘But that isn’t what happened’ In a gesture of growing frustration as the tension rose, Jaul raked long brown fingers through his luxuriant black hair ‘And what is the point of discussing this so long after the event? I want a fresh start in the present—’
‘What happened back then is still very important to me,’ Chrissie stressed, detere was ame that to my face—’
‘No, that wasn’t what happened,’ Jaul broke in with sudden biting harshness ‘When I left you in Oxford I had every intention of co back to you My father had asked for my help and I couldn’t refuse it A civil war had broken out in Dheya, the country on our eastern boundary, and thousands of refugees were pouring over the border The camps were in chaos and I was needed to co-ordinate the humanitarian effort—’
‘For goodness’ sake, you didn’t even tell o!’ Chrissie complained, her resentment unconcealed ‘Did you think that I was too much of an airhead to understand that that was your duty?’
‘No, I didn’t want you askingI’d be away because when I flew out I really had no idea,’ Jaul admitted ry honesty ‘I travelled down to the border in a convoy filled with medical personnel and soldiers Ain Dheya went astray and crossed the border into Marwan Our convoy suffered a direct hit’
Chrissie was so utterly shaken by that explanation that she collapsed back down onto the sofa , her legs weak and her heart suddenly thu othurt?’
‘I was the lucky one’ Jaul grimaced ‘I survived while everyone with e but I suffered serious head and spinal injuries and I was in a coma for months’
In the early days of his vanishing act, Chrissie had feared that Jaul had met with an accident, only to discount that as virtual wishful thinking when time had worn on and there had still been no word froh her stoht-headed at the shock of what he had just told her
‘But nobody toldNobody even contacted me Why did nobody tellto comprehend such an inexcusable omission
‘Very few people knew My father put a news blackout on my condition He was afraid that ainst Dheya and the refugees In reality what happened to me was a horrible accident and not an uncoe of a war zone,’ he pointed out with a sardonic twist of his lips ‘I was still in a coma when my father came to see you in Oxford—’
‘You were hurt, you needed istered with rising incredulity and anger ‘Obviously he didn’t want me to knohat had happened to you but I was your wife! I had every right to be with you’
‘Don’t forget that ally ht before ry with both of us’
‘But you were still in a coma when he caust when she considered that aspect ‘Your father actually took advantage of the fact that you were unconscious Ho can a man sink?’
Lean dark, startlingly handsoe, Jaul breathed curtly, ‘He was trying to protect me, but I do not and never will condone his interference’