Read First: White Rose of Winter---Complete - Page 9

But later that evening , when Maya was in the bath , the conversation came back to her and with it realization that no matter what happened now she would always regret the past . She recalled the events of that evening , the evening Asher had to tell her that he was having to go to Venezuela to take charge of the Guaba project .

But he hadn't told her at the beginning of the evening .They had met in the town as usual , and had dinner together at one of the small intimate restaurant they favored. If Asher had seemed a little silent and morose Maya had scarcely noticed it , too happy and excited at the knowledge that in exactly a week she would be Mrs. Asher Pemberton.

But when the meal was over she had had to acknowledge that something was wrong .A twinge of fear had touched her heart , and when Asher had suggested they should drive down to his mother's house ,Maya had agreed , wondering whether , despite everything that had been arranged , thi was the moment when it was all going to be called off.

In the car she had searched her thoughts , trying to find some incident , some disagreement in her memory which might led to this disturbing state of affairs. But there was nothing . She must be wrong ,she told herself , to become alarmed unnecessarily .

The house Asher shared with his mother in Richmond was comfortably large , a family house set in its own grounds, with tennis courts and a pool out back .It was the house Asher's father has made for his own use , and both Asher and Mike had been brought up there . Maya has visited it only seldom as she knew she was not ever really welcome . That was so strange that Asher should be taking her there this evening .

However , when the car drew to a halt at the front door , she saw house was in darkness and looked inquiringly at Asher .

" My mother's away for the week-end," he explained ,sliding out of the car and walking round to help her out .

Maya get out reluctantly," Why have you brought me here , Asher ?"

Asher slammed her door ." Come on in . I could do with a drink ."

Inside the comfortably furnished hall , he closed the door and led the way in to the lounge . As he did so , Mrs. Hughes , his mother's housekeeper , appeared from the kitchen and looked in some surprise at them .

" I thought you were staying in town this evening ,sir ," she commented queryingly.

" I was ." Asher was abrupt . " Do not alarm yourself ,Mrs. Hughes. We shan't require anything . You can go ."

" Yes sir ." Mrs. Hughes looked doubtfully at Maya before going out and closing the door behind her with obvious disapproval.

Maya stood behind the couch , watching Asher pour himself a drink and then turned irritably and said ; " Take off your coat and sit down . We shan't be disturbed ."

" Why have you brought me here ?" Maya was concerned and could not hide .

Asher's expression softened ." Do not look so alarmed ,Maya . I wanted to talk to you somewhere where I knew we shouldn't be disturbed ,that's all. Come and sit down , please."

Maya unbuttoned her coat and put it on the back of the chair .She wished he would say what he had to say and be done with it . Whatever it was !

Asher seemed to sense her misgivings and came to stand on the hearth before her , looking down at her with those intense eyes of his . It made her want to stand up and wrap her arms around him , she badly needed to feel the warmth of his assurance , but until she knew why he had brought her here ,she was constrained .

At last he said ;" I've some bad news , Maya ."

" Bad news !' Maya felt a cold hand squeeze her heart ." What kind of bad news ? It- it is not Mike , is it ? " At that time Mike was abroad with his ship and for a moment she thought he might have been injured or even killed .

Asher shook his head , however , relieving her of that anxiety only to replace it with another ." No , its not Mike . Moran was killed in Venezuela yesterday . He was working on the Gauba river valley project . "

Maya said ," Was it not the project you began initially ?"

" That's right ." Asher nodded.

Maya made an expressive movement of her shoulder ," I am sorry ,naturally . Its distressing .but how it effects us ?"

" Don't you ? Or do not you want to see ? " Asher turned away , resting his arm on the mantelpiece and leaning his head on his arm ," Surely it's obvious ." he went on in a muffed voice ," I've to got to go out there and supervise the completion of the work !"

Maya got to her feet then ." You've got to go to Venezuela ?" she exclaimed ,in dismay

" That's right ."

" But why you ?" for the moment Maya had forgotten the wedding only days away .

" Because as you accurately put it a few minutes ago , I began the work initially . Moran took over from me ,"

Maya shook her head ," But even so , there must be other engineers --?' she broke off suddenly ." What does this mean ? What are you trying to say ? When do you expect to leave ?"

Asher turned back to her and his face was grim ." I have to leave in - two, may be three days...'

" But you can't ! Maya was horrified . " Asher , have you forgotten ...'

" For heaven's sake , how could I forget ? he muttered fiercely ." That's why I brought you here , isn't it ? That's why I am telling you straight out . I want you to try and understand my position ...'

" Your position !" cried Maya ." What about my position ?" she made a helpless gesture. " You can't do this . Why can't someone else go ? Why does it have to be you ?"

Asher made a calming movement with his hand ," Cool down ,Maya .' he said heavily ." Try and look at the situation logically .Do you suppose I want to go to Venezuela ?"

"I do not know what you want ,' snapped Maya chokely ." I -I can't think straight .'

Asher sighed ," Of course you know what I want ,' he bit out harshly ." I want to stay here , I want to be with you . I want to marry you ! I have wanted you long enough .How do you think I feel ?"

Maya moved her head disbelievingly ."I don't think anything anymore ,' she exclaimed ." Co on! You haven't given me the excuse why you have to go ."

" Damn you , it's not an excuse ," snapped Asher ." It's a reason ! Look , I will try to make it clearer for you .As I've said , I did the ground work for this project . It was my design but Moran took over and after his accidental death by explosion , how the hell could I send someone out there to investigate knowing fully well it was my responsibility to do so ?"

Maya linked unlinked her fingers ," But , Asher , this is no ordinary time . Heavens, everything's arranged for next week .We just can't call it off ?"

" I am not suggesting we call it off ." said Asher, in a dangerously hostile tone . " All I want is for you to agree to a postponement ."

" A postponement !' Maya chewed her lips nervously ." And how do you think people will take that ?"

" What do you mean ?"

" Exactly what I say ," she shook her head ," Can't you see ? Are you so blind , too? The fact that you are leaving on this assignment will be proof to them that we're through - finished ! That the postponement is simply the overture to cancellation!"

" Stop talking nonsense !" Asher was impatient , his own nerves strung up at this unexpected intrusion in to his plans ." It needn't to be a long postponement , a month - maybe two."

" Two months !" Maya turned away ." Let someone else go ."

" I can't ," he was adamant ." Maya , I have tried to explain .If you do not believe me , I don't know what else I can say ."

Maya bent her head ," How can I believe you ? Does your mother knows about this ?"

" Yes, she knows "

" I expect she was jubilant ,' she murmured bitterly . After all , it gives her a few more weeks to persuade you you're making the biggest mistake of your life , doesn't it ?"

" Maya !" Asher tone was agonized and he put his hands on her shoulders , trying to turn her towards him , but she shrugged him off , moving out of his reach .

" Don't touch me !' she cried .

Asher caught his breath angrily ," Maya , you are being ridiculous ! You are behaving as though I am trying to back out of the wedding ,"

" And aren't you ?"

" No !" the was a fierce repudiation , but Maya was too miserable to think coherently .

" I want to go home ," she said dully .

" Maya !" he was exasperated ." You can't go like this . We haven't finished talking about it . There are arrangements to be made about sending out postponement notices...'

" I want to go home !" Maya repeated , turning on him ," You make what arrangements you like .It's nothing to do with me, anyway . Your mother arranged it all ."

Asher raked a hand through his hair . " I won't let you go like this .' he groaned ," Maya , be sensible ! I love you . Does not it mean anything anymore ?"

" Apparently not ." said Maya scornfully .

" What do you mean ?"

" If you loved me , you couldn't do this to me - to us ! Maya stared appealing at him ," Asher , please , let someone else go . "

" No " Asher was adamant ." Maya , I have to go . Accept it ."

" Never ! Maya was becoming emotional , and although she knew she might regret such an ultimatum in the cold light of the morning , right now all she could think of was that she was not going to be able to walk down the aisle of church on Sunday ,wearing the gorgeous lace gown Asher's mother has made for her . It was childish ,but compared to Asher she was child - then.

Asher looked about him rather desperately as though seeking for words to substantiate his claim ," Maya , you can not do this to me ," he said ,rather huskily ." I- well- God, I need you ."

" Do you ? " she taunted him , " You'd never know it ."

" What do you mean ?' he glared at her .

Maya shook her head ." Oh. Nothing .' she was already beginning to realize that Asher was almost at the end of his tether, too. She walked to the door ," I want to go home . Will you take me ,or do I have to walk to the railway station and take a train ?"

Asher stood regarding her with brooding animosity." You're not leaving yet ," he announced grimly.' As I said earlier , there are arrangements to be made ,"

" Not so far as I'm concerned ,' retorted Maya , reaching for her coat and sliding her arms into it . ( As for FK , Something should be left to readers' imagination )

Asher moved then , his anger erupting in to action . He caught her by her upper arms ,and pulled her close to him .

When he eventually lifted his head she did not notice the strain in his face ,only the coldness in his eyes ," Well ?" he demanded ," Now tell me you won't marry me !"

Maya stared back at him . She ached to admit that he was right , that she would wait for him as long as he wanted her to , but the utter contempt in his voice destroyed these admission at birth . Instead she struggled impotently with him , trying to free herself , trying to draw up her fists and hammer that contempt from his lean dark face .

" No , I won't marry you !" she exclaimed fiercely ." I - I hate you ,"

Asher's eyes darkened and he put rough hand behind her head and brought her again near him . He was more savage and brutal this time conveying his anger .

But Maya did not sense that immediately . It was simply a case of taking out his anger on her and she tried desperately to fight back .

It was losing battle . Asher was so much stronger than she was for one thing and he was expert when it came to getting what he wanted . He never was like this before , he respected her innocence , prepared to wait until she was his wife and free to love him without restraint . But now he was driven beyond the limits of his endurance and it was like drowning she thought , in one of her more coherent moments finally she gave in to him .

Now Maya climbed out of the bath and started dressing up . Recalling that evening six years ago had made her restless and she could not relax any longer .

She was beginning to realize that she had been as much to blame for what had happened as Asher . But at that time , she had blamed it all on him and refused to listen when he had attempted to apologize . Apologizes were little consolation for the enormity of his crime ,and she had behaved without reason , running from the house as though the devil was himself was at her heels .

There had been pitifully few day left for Asher to make amends , days when he should be making his own arrangements for departure . Lucy Pemberton herself had even gone to Maya in an effort to avert the disastrous effect Maya's attitude was having on her son , but Maya wouldn't listen to her . She didn't want to hear about the postponements, about wedding presents that she felt sure would never now be hers , and Lucy had left her in high dudgeon , blaming the whole sorry affair on her .

Eventually , Asher himself came to her flat . She had left her job at the office the week previously and had known he would have to come in search of her if he wanted to persuade her anything was different from what she believed . She still clung to the idea that he might give his plans to go to Venezuela , but his words , when she opened the door to him disabused her of that supposition.

He had been brief and almost formal in his approach , only the lines of fatigue around his eyes and beside his mouth bearing witness too his mental state . He had suggested that they got married immediately in a register office . There was nothing to stop them ad once she had had the necessary inoculations and injections she could follow him out to Venezuela .

But to Maya that had been the last straw . She had seen it as his attempt to make amends for the fact that he had made love to her , and she became convinced in her own mind that without the guilt on his conscience he would never have made such a suggestion . Why hadn't he asked her to marry him the night he told her of the proposed assignment ? Why he had waited until now ?

The row that followed was brief , too, but explosive , and after he had gone she had known that she had destroyed everything between them by her own stubborn obstinacy.

She had thought that would be the end of it . She had read about Asher's departure for Venezuela in the paper and the brief comment that his wedding has been postponed because of his business commitments, but she had known that had been only a face- saver so far as Lucy Pemberton was concerned . She thought she would never see either Asher or his family again . But she had been wrong .

In the first few weeks following Asher's departure she had managed to find another job in order to support herself . Life assumed a kind of routine and she blunted the pain of her separation from Asher by spending all her evenings at concerts or at cinema so that when she arrived back at the flat she was too exhausted to do anything but go to bed .

Surprisingly , she slept quite well , initially she put this down to nervous exhaustion . But later , as the weeks passed ,the realization what was happening to her became apparent . Even then she would not accept it , convincing herself that the events of the past few weeks had simply upset her normal metabolism . It wasn't until she began to feel nauseated when she got up in the morning and could no longer face the smell of strong coffee that she had to acknowledge that she was pregnant .

She panicked , naturally , she had no parents , no one to whom she could turn . She had heard of the societies that helped people in her condition , but she dreaded contacting one of them . She dreaded having to give all the details to a stranger and watch them looking at her with unconcealed pity .

No. rather she should face Asher with this knowledge and allow him to pay for the birth and possible adoption . He might even want to keep the child himself . She would not consider the possibility that he might want her too.

So she wrote to Lucy Pemberton asking her if she would send her Asher's address of Venezuela .. Lucy did not reply , but several days later Mike Pemberton visited her . He was home on leave from his ship , he told her , and as his mother was not well he had taken upon himself to come and give her Asher's address . It wasn't until later that Lucy has forbidden him to contact her again .

Maya had spoken rather uncomfortably to Asher's brother , unable to relax in case he should suspect the motives behind her desiring to know Asher's whereabouts . And yet Mike had been quite kind , and he had tried to put her at ease .

She wrote Asher at once , not telling him of her condition , merely asking him whether it would be possible for him to fly to England and see her . She wanted to see his face when he received the news. It was not something one could baldly state in the latter which might fall into the wrong hands .

Asher's reply , however , was scarcely civil . He told her there was no possibility of his being able to return to England at this time , and that he expected to be away at least a further three months .

Maya was distrait . She did not know where to turn next . And it was in this humiliatingly tearful state that she had opened the door one evening a few days later after receiving Asher's letter and found Mike Pemberton again on the threshold.

If he had been bewildered by her obvious distress , he had contained his curiosity , and after she had admitted him he had made her sit down and calm herself while he made some tea. His compassion had been too much for Maya . With gentle encouragement she had poured out the whole story and he had listened intently to what she had to say . When she showed him Asher's letter , he suggested that she should write him again and tell his brother the truth . He was convinced , he said , that had Asher suspected anything like this ,he would never have been so cold and dismissive .

But Maya was adamant on that score . It was obvious , she said , that Asher was no longer interested in what happened to her , and f she were to write him and tell him of her condition he would only come back out of decency , and not because he really wanted her .

Mike argued with her , but finally agreed that Asher should not hear any of this from him .

In the following days he was frequent visitor at Maya's flat . May did not mind , It gave her something else to think about , although she was sure his mother would not like this alliance . When he eventually proposed marriage , however , she was astounded . She had never dreamt that this might be in his mind , for although she had become fond of him , he was simply Asher's brother , not a personality in his own right .

Mike , though , proved to be determined advocate of his cause . His persuasive idea was that he was getting posted in Malaya and Maya would be able to have the baby without anyone , least of all Asher , discovering that it was not Mike's child . It was a opportunity to escape , not only from the consequences of her condition but also from the chance of Asher finding out that she had had a child and then demanding why he had not been informed .

From the distance of the years ,Maya could see that like her all actions it had been motivated by an unreasoning sense of panic , a mindless cowardly desire to run and hide , to bury her head in the sand , and pretend that everything could be made right again . May be Mike had been partially to blame . He had provided her with this escape and once he saw she was weakening ,he had pressed his advantage at every opportunity until at last she gave in .

They were married a few days later in a register office with two of Mike's friends as witnesses. Lucy Pemberton had taken another of her unwell attacks , but they both knew that in reality she had refused to come to the wedding . She could not understand why Mike should be foolish enough as to want a woman of Maya's caliber , and saw Maya's behavior as deliberate attempt to thwart the Pemberton family .

But they left for Malaya within month of the wedding and out there , away from the Pemberton family influence . Maya had a baby in the spring and no one could have been more delighted with their daughter than Mike .

Now Maya viewed her reflection in the bathroom mirror without pleasure . May be she had made a terrible mistake all those years ago in believing that Asher thought more of his work than about her . May be he had had no choice in the matter of explosion at Gauba. Certainly she had been fooling herself all those months and years in Malaya if she had ever succeeded in convincing herself that what she felt for Asher had died . She had merely succeeded in burying it beneath a layer of bitterness , and who could have guessed , certainly not she , that Mike would die so tragically and thrust her back in to the melee of the emotions he aroused in her ...

Start with Chapter Ten .Few pages are left

The following morning Sandra came in to the kitchen soon after eleven looking furious .

" Something will have to be done about the child !" she declared. " She's just upset my bottle of ink all over the text book I was using ."

" Oh heavens, I am sorry !" Maya was apologetic . " I will speak to her at once .'

" Don't bother !" Sandra's lips curled ." I've punished her myself .'

Mrs. Hudson looked up from her baking at this and Maya felt her nerves tighten . " I see," she said carefully . " And what form did this punishment take ?"

" I've cut down the swing ."

" You have done what ?" Maya was horrified . She rushed to the window and looked out ; the several ropes on the cherry tree looked bleak and ominous in the grey light .

" It was the only way, " went on Sandra , self - righteously. " Would you rather I'd spanked her ?"

Maya shook her head slowly ." No , I suppose not . But the swing - it was her favorite occupation .'

" Precisely . Thee was a little point in depriving her of something she did not value .'

Mrs. Hudson mouth turned down at corners , expressing her disapproval , but Maya was trying to be fair . After all , if Emma had overturned the bottle of ink deliberately then she indeed deserves to be punished . Even so...

" Er- where is she now , then ?" Maya asked , endeavoring to appear calm ."

" In her room , I suppose . I have dismissed her for the rest of the morning ." She glanced round ." Is there any coffee available ? I'd like to take a cup up to my room . I have some letters to write and I might as well be doing them as wasting my time trying to educate a child who is plainly doesn't wish to be educated !"

Maya controlled the impulse to retaliate and herself provided Sandra with a tray . After the governess has left Mrs. Hudson viewed the broken swing with some misgivings .

" That was spiteful thing to do , ma'am.' She said ,obviously unable to suppress her indignation .

Maya sighed ," I expect she thought it was justifiable . Emma had been naughty ."

Mrs. Hudson snorted ." More likely she resented the fact that child got so much of pleasure out of it . I am sure I hope Mr. Hillingdon will be able to talk some sense into Mr. Asher , and then we will have a bit of peace !

Maya stared at her in surprise . It was the first time she had heard Mrs. Hudson get so heated about anything .

" Yes , well , I should not be too optimistic ," she remarked ." You surely know Asher well enough to realize that no one can make him to do anything !' she walked to the door of the kitchen ." I'd better go and see what she's doing ."

Emma was in her room . lying on her bed , staring mutinously up at the ceiling . She barely glanced at her mother as she entered the room and Maya quietly closed the door , not wanting to draw Sandra's attention to the fact that she has come to see her daughter .

" Now what's going on ?" Maya began brightly ." I hear you have been naughty again ."

Emma sniffed. " She's cut down the swing ."

Maya sighed ." You split ink all over her book ."" No , I didn't ! Emma propped herself up on her elbows . " I knew she'd say that , but I didn't . It was an accident ."

" Oh yes?"

" Yes . She bumped my arm and - well , the bottle turned over ."

" But what was the bottle of ink doing near your arm?"

" We were working on the table and she said to me to come round and see what she'd been doing and I went , and then - and then...'

" The bottle was overturned . "

"Yes.'

" I see .' Maya sighed . " Well , I suppose she had every right to think that you have done it on purpose , hadn't she ? I mean , you haven't been exactly behaving yourself ,Have you ?"

"No , but this was different ."

" How was it different ?"

" Well , I was not being naughty . I came round to her ,just like she said , and then she bumped my arm and the ink went over her book . She was very angry with me . She said I was a disobedient little monster . Am I a disobedient little monster, Mummy?"

" Of course not , darling . Miss Lawson was just upset , that's all ."

All the same , Maya liked the sound of this less and less. It was possible that Emma was exaggerating , and surely Sandra would not be petty enough to take spite out of the child for what had happened last week-end , but even so , it was all most disturbing and distressing . She just hoped Francis would have some success with Asher , but somehow she doubted it in the circumstances .

Looking down at Emma's indignant little face , she changed the subject .' How about us taking a trip up to town , tomorrow ? We could go and see about getting you some new clothes for the winter ."

Emma hunched her shoulders , sitting cross legged and resting her chin on her hands ." Will you be able to mend the swing , Mummy ?" she asked .

Maya sighed ," Oh, I expect so ."

Emma looked up ." Today ?" her face brightened .

" No , not today , darling ."

" When ?'

" I do not know . In a few days , maybe ." Maya said . Does the idea of going up to town appeal to you ?"

Emma obviously had only one thing on her mind at the moment ." Do you think Uncle Asher will be able to mend it , ? she frowned ," I think he could , don't you ?"

Maya contained her impatience . This was all Asher's doing , after all ," If he comes again ," she offered shortly ." Now, go and wash your face and hands . It will soon be lunch time ."

During the afternoon Sandra went out , and Maya breathed a sigh of relief . The atmosphere in the house changed subtly once governess removed her quelling presence.

Emma disappeared upstairs to her room after Sandra had left and Maya seated herself in the lounge , unconsciously waiting for the phone to ring . She felt sure Francis would call to let her know about what Asher had said .

It was bitterly cold afternoon , but it was cozy by the fire and Maya thought she could have relaxed if only she had known that Sandra would not be returning at tea time .However, there were other problems just as disturbing to her peace of mind to torment her , and eventually she left the lounge to seek Emma's company .

But when she reached Emma's room , it was empty . Frowning she looked into the washroom , but she wasn't there either . The horrible thought that she might have entered Sandra's room to wreck some awful vengeance on her things for the way she had cut down the swing that morning caused her to hasten quickly along the landing , but Sandra's room was as coldly immaculate as the woman herself .

Maya shook her head and went downstairs again . Emma must be with Mrs. Hudson .

But Mrs. Hudson was in her sitting room and she had not seen the child . Maya felt the first twinges of anxiety . Where could be she ?"

" Perhaps she is in the garden ," suggested Mrs. Hudson practically .

" Oh, of course ." Maya breathed a sigh of relief ," I didn't think of that . Not after she went upstairs earlier ."

Mrs. Hudson nodded . " I will come with you ."

The grey light of the afternoon shadowed the garden . A faint mist hung about the trees and evening ws drawing in , although it was scarcely half past three . It was so cold it caught Maya's breath and she shivered . It was so quite . Surely Emma could not be here when there was no sight nor sound of her .

" Emma !" she called urgently ," Emma darling ! Where are you ?'

There was no reply and Maya looked back at Mrs. Hudson just emerging from the house . The housekeeper looked troubled and shook her head , Is she not here ?"

" No, I - that is - Oh God ! is - is that her over there ?"

Maya did not wait for a reply . She was running frantically across the lawn to where the broken fibers of the swing moved slowly in the frosty air . Below their slashed threads a small body was lying , a pool of blood seeping from a head wound .

" Oh , God , Emma , Emma ! " Maya was almost sobbing , bending to her knees , resting her head against the child's chilled forehead . She was scarcely conscious of Mrs. Hudson beside her , running a hand over Emma's chest , feeling for the faintly palpitating beat of a small heart .

Maya looked up at her with agonized eyes . " Is she - is she dead ?"

Mrs. Hudson shook her head , but her face was like Maya's was chalk white ," No, my love , she is not dead ," she managed , in a strained voice ," But she's lost a lot of blood , and out here in this damp atmosphere ---" she glanced round ," Hurry in to the house and call an ambulance !"

Maya hesitated , reluctant to leave her daughter , but then realized that she was doing no good there and she sprang to her feet and ran swiftly through the hall to the lounge . Her fingers trembled violently as she tried to dial the numbers , and twice she misdialed before the sound of a car on the courtyard before the house caused her to rush to the window .Asher was climbing out of his car , his face showing little of his inner feelings . But at the moment ,Maya particularly did not care what feeling he might have . Emma was hurt , badly hurt , and he might conceivably be able to help her .

She rushed through the hall again and wrenched opened the door just as he reached it . One look at her face was sufficient for him to realize that something was terribly wrong .

He caught her by the forearms as she swayed slightly and demanded : " What's is it ? In God's name , Maya , what happened ?"

In strutting sentences , Maya managed to tell him , and he put her aside and strode through the house and into the house and into the garden , going straight to where child lay . He looked frowningly for a moment at the broken swing and she thought he was going to question it , but then he went down on his haunches beside the unconscious child and examined the wound on her head .

" How the hell did this happen .?" he asked , his voice thick with emotions

Mrs. Hudson replied ." From what I can see from the state of her clothes , sir , I should think she climbed the tree and fell from that branch , there . She hit her head on the edge of the path ...see"

Asher nodded and rose abruptly ." go and get a blanket to wrap her in , Mrs. Hudson . I will take her in to the hospital myself ."

Mrs. Hudson looked at Maya questioningly at Maya , who nodded shakily and then the housekeeper scurried away towards the house . Maya sank down on her knees beside Emma again , taking one of her limp hands and cradling it in both of hers .. She was choked with tears and yet they would not come . Her throat was dry and awful sense of shock was numbing her .

Asher put his hand firmly on her shoulders and drew her to her feet ." Don't ." he said ." There is nothing you can do to her and you are upsetting yourself . Do you want to come to the hospital with me ?"

" Of course ," the words were hard to articulate . She shivered and Asher drew off his sheepskin coat and put it around her shoulders ., glancing round impatiently for Mrs. Hudson. Maya tried to think ," Is- it all right to move her ?" she asked unsteadily .

Asher looked down at the small still form ," I don't think there are any bones broken ,' he said ," And she needs to be moved from the dampness out here ."

Maya swallowed with difficulty ." Do you - do you think she's going to be all right ?"

Asher gave an ejaculation ." Of course . Yes , of course she is going to be all right ," he replied , almost irritably , but she guessed his nerves were frayed ,too.

Mrs. Hudson returned with rug and Asher wrapped it carefully round Emma , using the utmost patience when it came to moving her injured head from the ground . Maya looked away from the seeped pool of blood . she had the awful premonition that Emma was going to die without Asher ever knowing that she was her daughter .

The journey to the hospital just outside was a nightmare . May sat with Emma's head pillowed on her lap , and every now and then she removed the was of cotton wool she had applied to the wound and replaced it with another . She was plagued with thoughts and recriminations and she could tell from Asher's grim expression that he was thoughtful ,too.

At the hospital they were expected . Mrs. Hudson has phoned ahead and immediately upon arrival Emma was transferred to a stretcher trolley and wheeled away . The doctor was very kind . He showed them into a waiting room and asked if they would remain there until Emma had been examined and her head X-rayed .

A young orderly brought them a try of tea , but Asher wouldn't have any and Maya poured her own more out of the desire for something to do than anything else . Although Asher said little , merely enquiring whether she felt a little better now and commenting about the coldness of the day . She was glad of his company . She was beginning to realize how dreadfully alone she would have felt had she had to come to the hospital without him .

A few minutes later , a nurse appeared in the doorway , looking rather agitatedly at Maya , who rose to her feet unsteadily .

" Mrs. Pemberton ?' the nurse gestured with her arm ." Will you come this way please ?"

Maya glanced at Asher and he nodded reassuringly. They went out of the room and along the corridor to a small examination room where Emma was still lying unconscious on the trolley.

The Doctor came round to Maya as she entered ," Ah, Mrs. Pemberton ,' he said taking her arm .

" Is something wrong ?" Maya looked searchingly at Emma and then back at the doctor ," What is it ?"

" Now , now Mrs. Pemberton , calm yourself . There is nothing wrong that we can't deal with . Emma's going to be perfectly all right , but she needs a blood transfusion .' Maya gasped and pressed a hand to her mouth as he went on ; " Unfortunately , Emma's blood group is a rather rare group , A.B negative , in fact , and we have no blood of this grouping here . We'll have to send to one of the larger hospitals for it ..."

" Asher is that blood group !" exclaimed Maya instantly , and then colored as the doctor frowned .

Asher?" he queried

Maya's fingers tightened round the strap of her handbag ." Yes-Mr. Pemberton . Emma's -that is - perhaps ," finished Maya lamely . she half regretted telling them , but this was for Emma . Emma's life was more important than her discomfort.

Dr. Miller nodded to the nurse who had gone for Maya earlier ," Ask Mr. Pemberton to come here ,' he said , While Maya moved closer to the stretcher , looking down on Emma's waxen cheeks and blood smeared hair compassionately . Poor little girl , she thought bitterly . And all this because of the swing . She had no doubt that Emma's intention had been to attempt to mend the swing herself .

Asher entered the room behind nurse , his eyes first going to Emma and then to Maya . The doctor approached him slowly , considering the notes on the pad he held in his hand . Then looked up .

" Ah, Mr. Pemberton ,' he said ," I have been just telling Mrs. Pemberton that Emma needs a blood transfusion , but unfortunately her blood group is of rare one and therefore we are unable to perform blood transfusion until blood is obtained from another hospital ."

" I see.' Asher frowned ." And have you sent for this blood ?"

" I was about to do so , Mr. Pemberton , when your - when Mrs. Pemberton told me that you are the same rare blood group as the child ."

Asher looked taken aback . He looked quickly at Maya and then at the child . His puzzled expression revealed the way his mind was trying to assimilate what this information meant . " You are saying , then , That I could provide the blood , she needs ?"

" Yes , Mr. Pemberton . If you are agreeable ."

" Of course , I am agreeable ,' Asher was impatiently unbuttoning his coat , loosening the cuff of the shirt ." Just show me what you want me to do ,"

Maya was beginning to feel faint . the whole thing was too much for her to take , and she swayed unsteadily , catching the back of the chair to save herself . Doctor Miller noticed her pallor and directed the nurse who had done all the running about to take Mrs. Pemberton out of the room and find her somewhere she could rest for a few minutes.

" Oh, but I want to stay ,' she began urgently , a choking sensation in the back of her throat .

" There is nothing you can do ,' said the nurse reassuringly ." Come along . you don't want to be unconscious yourself when Emma recovers consciousness , do you ?"

Maya cast one last appealing glance in Asher's direction, but it was impossible for her to tell what he was thinking . He was a master at disguising his thoughts, and besides , he seemed totally absorbed with what Doctor Miller was telling him .

Maya was left in the waiting room for ages . It seemed like hours , but of course it could not have been that long . Once her head cleared , she paced the floor impatiently , eager to know what was happening , wondering where Asher was and whether he had given the blood yet . He must have done , so where was he ? Had Emma been transfused ?

She opened the door once and looked out on the corridor , but apart from various orderlies and nurses dashing about seemingly intent on their own business, there was no one to advise her what was going on .

Eventually, it was young nurse who came to find her ." Come along , Mrs. Pemberton ," she said smilingly ." Your daughter's recovered consciousness. Would you like to see her ?"

Maya nodded speechlessly , and followed the nurse , along the corridor yet again . Emma was in a side ward now , and her head had been bathed and dressed and white bandage added to the pallor of her skin. Yet for all that she looked much better , and Maya fell on her knees beside the bed and pressed her small hand against her cheek .

" Oh, Emma ! She exclaimed , as the eyes grey eyes flickered open , and a small smile lifted the corner's of the Emma's mouth .

" Hello , Mummy , " she murmured weakly ," My head hurts ."

" I know it does , darling . You had nasty fall . But you're going to be all right now . You're at the hospital , and everyone's been very kind .'

Emma closed her eyes and opened them again ." I know ,Uncle Asher told me .'

Maya glanced quickly round the room . She had been so intent on reassuring herself that Emma was recovering that she had taken little notice of the other occupants of the room . But now she saw the doctor examining his notes at the foot of the bed and the Sister who was in charge of this ward beside him . But of Asher there was no sign.

"Nurse is making Mr. Pemberton a cup of tea ,' remarked Sister at her enquiring glance ." He thought you would prefer to see Emma alone ."

" I see.' Maya looked back at her daughter." Apart your head , darling , how do you feel ?"

" All right , I spose.' Emma frowned . " My arm hurts and I've cut my lag .'

" All minor injuries ," said Sister , coming to the other side of the bed ." Nothing to worry about there. And providing her head heals satisfactorily , there s no reason why she shouldn't go home in a few days .'

" A few days !' exclaimed Emma . " but I do not want to stay here on my own .'

" you won't have to, darling ," said Maya ,and looked up at the Sister ,' Can I stay ? Is it possible ?"

The sister frowned ." Well , perhaps tonight ,' she agreed slowly ." Yes , I should think we could manage that . Would you like Mummy to stay tonight , Emma ?"

Emma squeezed Maya's hand ." Oh , yes!"

" Very well , I will go and arrange it ,' the Sister walked away as Doctor Miller approached the bed ,

" Well, young lady ,' he said .' I trust this will teach you the filly of climbing the trees."

Emma bit her lip . " Did I fall out of the tree ?"

" Yes , darling ,' Maya got to her feet and stood looking down at her ." But we'll talk about it later .'

" Yes, I think . Its time you had a little sleep again ,' said the Doctor kindly .' And do not worry . Mummy will be here when you wake up .'

Outside in the corridor again ,Maya asked ," Where is Mr. Pemberton ? "

" I Should imagine he's back in the waiting room again ,' replied Doctor Miller . " as you are staying , perhaps you'd like to go and explain the situation to him .'

" Y-e-s . Yes , all right ." Maya was hesitant , but she knew it had to be done .

She walked quickly back to the waiting room and and pushing open the door entered the room . Asher was sitting in a high backed chair , legs apart , arms resting on his knees as he glanced casually through a magazine he had found on the nearby . He looked up questioningly as Maya came in and she closed the door slowly and leaned back against it , saying : " They are giving her sedatives now and she's going to sleep ."

Asher threw the magazine down and rose to his feet ," I see .' His manner was not encouraging , and Maya hesitated before saying :" The doctor saying I can stay here tonight , and I have agreed . I wonder- would it be possible for you to drive back to the house and fetch both of us a few things ? Mrs. Hudson would pack them for you ."

" Very well ,' Asher inclined his head in agreement ." She - she's much better , isn't she ?'

" Much ."

" And - and its thanks to you that she did not have to wait for the blood to be brought here . I -I am very grateful."

" That's all right ." Asher glanced momentarily ." I'd just like to know one thing , however . How did you know that Emma and I had same blood group ?'

Maya colored ." Mike told me .'

" I see,' Asher's expression was grim . Then in a tortured voice , he demanded : " For God's sake , Maya , why should Emma have my blood group and not Mike's ? Only one of us had the rare grouping !"

Maya made a dismissive gesture ," How- how should I know ? these things happen ---"

" Do they ? Do they really ?" Asher caught her by the shoulders , forcing her to look up at him.

Just few pages ..End of the novel