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Was that a speeding fine?‘

No‘ The engine fired with an alraph—and the prorandstand in Monaco‘

The next ine was al up Kate whipped her head round in time to see the police car pull past them and accelerate away As Cristiano followed, the procession of co into Lyon, and the holiday-e, moved aside to let them past

They covered the re distance quickly, but the wail of the police siren ht difficult and conversation i, Kate told herself, staring straight ahead with aching eyes What was there to say now?

At the turn-off to the airport the policeh his loweredand the car fell away, although the sound of the siren still echoed around Kate‘s head Avoiding the queues of cars waiting to get into the main terminal car park, Cristiano took a deserted service road, the roar of the Caars on either side as they sped towards a high fence topped with barbed wire

Security guards carrying radios leapt forward to open gates set into the fence Beyond them, on the tarhten as if concrete were setting in her lungs as Cristiano drove up to it

He switched off the engine

The silence rushed in on her, flooding her head It was like being underwater The moment had come to leave him, and there was so much she still had to say But no time to say it No words

This is it‘

Cristiano‘s voice was cool and grave For a few seconds they both satat each other Kate opened herout, and it was too late

With stiff fingers she fumbled ineffectually at the doorhandle She felt paralysed, torn between her desperate need to get to Alexander and her sudden horror at the prospect of leaving Cristiano Co around to her side of the car, he opened the door and stood back for her to get out She did so aardly, swaying slightly as she stood up so that he had to grasp her shoulders to steady her

He let her go quickly His face was blank, but in that second as the wind caught his hair it was painfully like Alexander‘s

Kate stifled a sob

Ti down the steps of the plane towards them

Can I have your nuain, to talk…‘

Cristiano took a step backwards His expression was glacial, haughty, his jaw set hard He didn‘t have to say anything Everything about him screamedkeep away‘

I don‘t think that‘s a good idea‘ He nodded al from the car His eyes were dark slits in his hard faceIt‘s over, Kate‘

The words sliced into her like razorblades, reducing her faith and hope and her o, when he had told her to wait for hi ribbons So back, and it was only as it rose into the leaden sky ten minutes later that the tears started to fall

Closure—that hat Dominic had told her she needed

And that was exactly what she had got

Chapter Eight

MENINGITIS is a nasty illness, but the nosis‘

From across the desk, the sister of the children‘s ward sive soth just to sit there without howling Fixing her gaze on the collection of cartoon character badges pinned to the front of Sister Watson‘s navy blue unifor

Alex has been very lucky Thanks to the prompt actions of Mr and Mrs Hill ere able to perform a lumbar puncture and find out what strain of the disease your son has before it got too rip We‘ve started him on a course of intravenous antibiotics and he seein to notice an improvement in his condition over the next twenty-four hours‘