CHAPTER 26
"I lost the one person I never thought I could lose."
Nicholas and Julia ... Jonnet smacked herself on the forehead, how stupid of her to stop, she should've just continued walking, now if they spot her ... oh goodness gracious ... wandering how escape unseen by the couple, who were also in the shadows, but they were too close to where she stood hidden by the tree.
-I won't tolerate being made to feel small before that girl – !'
"You asked for it – and more than one occasion! What reason do you have for disliking her? Right at the beginning you lied in order to cause a misunderstanding between Jonnet and me."
Oh God ... heart pounding, Jonnet searched around with urgent desperation. She desperately needed to get away, she had no desire to eavesdrop on a big fight like this one. Yet if she moves now, they will surely see her.
"You told me over the phone that the girl who was coming was a friend,' Julia went on, ignoring his question and statement. 'But she was more than a friend, wasn't she?"
Jonnet gasped. Did Julia realize what she had just done?
"More ...?' soft tone it came quite plainly to Jonnet, it carried something which made her shiver. Nicholas was in an ugly mood, that's for sure. 'And how might I ask, did you hold of that knowledge?"
"So you admit it?" Julia's voice quivered slightly; she was buying time – or perhaps looking for a diversion, so that she would escape Nicholas's question.
Automatically Jonnet was shaking her head, silently telling Julia that it was no use. If Nicholas wanted to know more, then he would most certainly force the truth out of her.
"I admit it,' Nicholas said firmly but in the same misleading quite tone.
"And do you admit that you still love her?' Julia's voice was filled with something similar to venom. 'Do you?"
No answer. After a small intense silence Nicholas repeated his question.
"You might as well tell me how you come about the knowledge,' he added, 'because I mean it when I say, I want the truth,"
Again his fiancée tried to divert him from the topic.
"It seems to me that you want to end our engagement?"
A pause for Nicholas to speak but he remained silent.
Jonnet edged slowly to the next tree, a little further away from the couple whose quarrel she was reluctantly forced to overhear.
She held her breath for a moment after moving, and then breathed freely again. They had not seen her, if she could manage to dodge to the next tree, and the one after that, then she would be able to walk away freely.
"I'll never let you end it!' Julia was saying angrily. 'I refuse to be humiliated like that, so you can put any ideas of a broken engagement out of your head!"
Another gasp as Jonnet heard this. Julia was certainly headed for trouble. But whatever Nicholas's inner outburst was, all he said was, "I'm still waiting for an answer to my question, Julia."
Julia began to speak dejectedly so, her voice sounding faint and defeated, but Jonnet didn't stick around long enough to hear her lies, she seized the opportunity of moving softly to the next tree, a third tree and then with a sigh of relief she was able to leave the shadows and stroll along naturally.
But ofcourse she arrived back where she started from and was just debating on taking another path, one that doesn't lead to where Nicholas and his fiancée were.
"It's loose!" a man's voice shouted and everyone scattered at the sound of thudding hooves. "It's broken out of the paddock!" a dozen warning shouts sounded in Jonnet's ears, but her legs were paralysed. The horse thundered towards her, nostrils flaring, she was right in it's path and the warning cries became louder and more urgent. The thundering almost deafened her, but through it she heard Nicholas's voice strangled, commanding, as he raced among the crowd.
"Jonnet - for God's sake move!" but she remained rooted to the spot, her head pounding, her mind and body numbed with terror. 'Jonnet –' she was conscious of as she waited for the pain of being trampled beneath those stampeding feet, but the pain never came, Nicholas swung the horse around with a second or less to spare.
"Jonnet ... my love ...' she felt him pick her up from where she had fallen, vaguely aware that several stockmen had sped up to tackle it and return it to the paddock. People were talking all at once ... praising Nicholas's swiftness of action ... a voice saying it was a miracle that she was still alive ... another, harsh and cracked, "The stupid girl! She had plenty of time t get out of the way!"
Oh dear Julia ...
"I'm so sorry Nicholas –'Jonnet's voice was husky with pain. 'I tried to move – I really did, but I was just stricken with terror."
"Hush, my darling, it's okay." Her was carrying her so easily. She dropped her head against his shoulders.
Aunt Rose came rushing along with the doctor, trying to keep up with Nicholas as he made his way towards the house. "Jonnet! Jonnet, oh, my child, are you alright?"
"Yes, Auntie; there's no need to worry."
"If it hadn't been for Nicholas's timely action –'Aunt Rose stopped, unable to finish the sentence.
Nicholas took Jonnet up to her bedroom, and gently laid her down on the bed. After a brief examination, the doctor straightened up, satisfied.
"A nasty wound, but nothing serious.' He looked down at her. 'You're just about the luckiest person around her,' he said to her.
One of the maids had prepared her a hot bath and quite soon after Jonnet was sitting on the bed, the wound cleansed and dressed.
Nicholas stood by the bed and watched the entire 'operation' and when the doctor had gone. He sat down on a chair and opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the knock on the door.
"Miss Norman wishes to speak to you, Boss.' Dinah looked curiously at her boss, 'she says immediately."
Nicholas got up, eyes glittering dangerously.
"Where is she?"
"In the living room." Nicholas nodded dismissively at the girl as he followed her out, less than five minutes later he was back, a smile instantly softening his features as his eyes met Jonnet's.
She was up from the bed and was standing in front of the long mirror, looking at the large bandage which covered the nasty gash. She holding his gaze through the mirror, suddenly shy and awkward she almost wished he hadn't returned so quickly, her long lashes came down, hiding her expression.
She was filled with so much uncertainty; she didn't dare to voice the question on her lips. Nicholas covered the distance separating them and without a word took her in his arms, he bent to kiss her, with so much tenderness, and his heartbeat raced as quickly as her own.
"It's alright, my love,' he murmured at last, his mouth against her check. 'Everything's all right now."
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