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Was it any wonder that he was now staring at her, open-mouthed? With a look that was a mixture of incredulity and dismay?
That didn’t last long, because he immediately stood up, spun on his heel and banged his walking stick on the floor a couple of times.
‘You took advantage of her,’ he accused.
He tottered towards the chair just beyond the bed and slumped heavily into it. He looked exhausted.
It was late. A combination of weariness and heightened stimulation was gaining momentum, turning his face waxy and ashen.
Alarmed, and with her nursing instincts coming into play, Sophie lunged off the bed, making sure to drag the sheets around her, and staggered to get her balance before retrieving her scattered clothes from the floor, while issuing orders for Alessio to fetch some water.
She went to the ensuite bathroom and flung on her clothes—jeans and a loose tee shirt. No bra. No underwear. No time.
Leonard was still in the chair and barely glanced at her as she moved quickly towards him.
‘Leonard...’
‘Alessio should have known better!’
‘You can’t blame your son.’
‘I can and I do.’
‘Why?’
‘Because Iknowyou, Sophie. You’re not that type of girl.’
‘What type of girl is that?’
‘You know what type,’ Leonard said quietly. ‘You don’t throw yourself around. You’re a homebody. You enjoy being still, not racing through life seeing who you can sleep with.’
‘Good Lord, Leonard.’ Sophie smiled gently. ‘I’m really not sure I like the person you’re describing. She sounds very dull.’
‘She’s not.’ Leonard smiled back weakly and reached out to squeeze her hand. ‘She’s a kind person who’s very dear to me, and that’s why I blame Alessio for this.’
Leonard rested back into the chair and closed his eyes.
‘He’s a love ’em and leave ’em man, and that’s just fine and dandy. But not when it concerns you, my dear.’
Sophie didn’t say anything.
Leonard looked drained.
His doctor had said no stress, and she hadn’t seen him this stressed in all the time she had known him.
‘We should probably get back to bed.’
Sophie swung round, craning her neck to see Alessio standing behind her where she had positioned herself on a squat upholstered stool in front of Leonard.
‘How the hell do you expect me to sleep, Alessio’
‘Here, drink some of this water.’
‘Sophie is trying to make me believe that this was some kind of...mutual understanding between the pair of you! But I know you, Alessio, and she’s not one of your...yourtrollops!’
‘No, she certainly isn’t one of those,’ Alessio murmured, dragging a chair over so that he and Sophie were now on either side of Leonard.
‘You can’t have one of those “mutual understandings” with her!’
