Barbara Erskine 3-Book Collection: Lady of Hay, Time’s Legacy, Sands of Time. Barbara Erskine
mean she’s crying?’
‘Either that or the sounds are being created by the strength of her emotions. You’ve heard of poltergeists! Noises created by energy charges within an individual.’ Sam wiped his face with a handkerchief. Noticing the blood on it he frowned. ‘She … she flew at me when I tried to restrain her,’ he said quietly, dabbing at the scratch. ‘No, don’t worry. She’s all right now. She’s asleep.’
Nick gave him a long hard look. Then he strode down the hall towards the bedroom. Jo lay on the bed wearing her bathrobe, her hair loose around her shoulders.
‘Jo –’ Nick sat down beside her and took her hands gently in his. ‘Jo?’
‘Don’t touch her.’ Sam had followed him. His voice was sharp. ‘I was about to awaken her when you started trying to break the door down. May I suggest you go and pour us all a drink while I sort things out in here?’
Nick’s eyes narrowed. ‘I’d rather stay.’
‘I am sure Jo would prefer it if you did not. She would be extremely embarrassed to think you had seen her like this.’ Sam walked to the bedroom door and held it open for him. ‘Wait next door please. This won’t take long.’
Nick hesitated, then with a shrug he walked through to the living room. He reached for the bottle of Scotch. It was empty and he began to rummage in the cupboard, unconsciously straining his ears for the sound of voices. In the distance he could hear Sam’s gently monotonous tones and on impulse he tiptoed back towards the bedroom door and listened.
‘Can you hear me, Jo?’ Sam was standing over her now, looking down. ‘When you wake up you will remember nothing of what happened whilst you were hypnotised today, do you understand? You will remember that you asked me to help you, that is all. You will awaken calm and happy, but you will remember that next time I wish to hypnotise you, for whatever reason, you will agree. You will hear my voice and you will obey me. Do you understand me, Jo?’
Nick pushed open the door. ‘What the hell are you saying to her, Sam?’
Sam did not look round. ‘Do you understand me, Jo?’ he repeated. ‘Now, when I count three you will wake. One. Two. Three.’
On the bed Jo lay quite still, then slowly she opened her eyes. She looked around her, completely dazed, her gaze going past Sam to Nick.
‘You haven’t answered my question, Sam,’ Nick hissed at him furiously.
Sam smiled coldly. ‘Nor do I intend to. My methods of professional practice are none of your business.’ He sat down on the bed next to Jo. ‘How are you feeling now? You had another little fainting spell,’ he said.
‘Fainting?’ Jo hoisted herself up on her elbow. ‘I don’t understand. What time is it? We were having coffee –’ She tried to sit up but Sam pushed her gently back against the pillows. ‘Rest a minute, Jo. You’ll be all right in a short time, I promise.’ He pushed the hair back from her face with a cool hand.
Jo was staring at him. ‘You!’ she said suddenly. ‘You made me take my clothes off! You stood and watched me while that man was playing the flute. You said he was blind, but he wasn’t, he was watching too –’
A frown crossed Sam’s face. ‘You’ve been dreaming, Jo,’ he said. There was an edge to his voice.
‘Oh no, I remember clearly. You ordered me to take off my clothes.’ Her voice shook. ‘You had given orders that no one come in, hadn’t you? I expect everyone in the castle knew what you had planned for me. Did that make you feel big, my lord? Did it? Is that how you get your pleasure?’
Jo scrambled across the bed away from him and stood up. She tightened the belt of the bathrobe. ‘What a shame that someone came!’
‘Dear God, she’s still in the past,’ Nick murmured. ‘Sam, it’s happened to her again. For God’s sake, wake her up properly!’
‘Jo?’ Sam ignored him. ‘Jo, calm down. Don’t you recognise me?’
‘Of course I recognise you!’ She pushed her hair back off her face. ‘You’re …’ She stopped short, groping for a name. A second later she put her face in her hands, shaking her head from side to side. ‘You’re not William,’ she whispered between her fingers. ‘You’re not William, you’re not … you’re not.’
Sam caught her wrists and pulled her hands away from her face. ‘Who am I, Jo?’ he said. His eyes held hers.
‘Sam,’ she whispered. ‘You’re Sam.’
‘And who is this with me?’ He was still holding her wrists.
‘Nick.’ Her reply was scarcely audible.
He released her. ‘Fine. I suggest we all have a cup of coffee. Nick, rather than snooping in here, perhaps you could do that much for us?’ He rounded on his brother harshly as Jo walked slowly over to her mirror and stood before it, staring at her face. Numbly she picked up her comb and began to draw it through her hair.
With a shrug Nick went into the kitchen. His hands were shaking as he picked up the kettle and held it under the tap.
Behind him he did not see Sam walk swiftly down the hall to the living room where he slipped the cassette into his pocket, and then picked up Jo’s dress and her bra and panties from the carpet and stuffed them behind a cushion on the sofa. When Nick appeared he was standing at the open French window staring out across the square.
‘How is she?’ Nick slid the tray onto the low table.
‘Confused and disorientated.’ Sam did not turn round. ‘Give her a little time and she’ll be fine.’
‘She needs help, Sam. If this is going to happen spontaneously, for God’s sake! She needs psychiatric help.’
‘You seem to forget, little brother, that that is what I’m here for,’ Sam said, turning at last to look at him. ‘I warned you both what might happen if she got involved in this. Now all I can do is help. And first I want to see to it she doesn’t go near that quack Bennet again.’
‘He’s in the States.’ Absently Nick picked up a cup and drank. His mouth tasted acid.
‘Good.’ Sam smiled enigmatically. ‘Long may he remain there.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘You haven’t told me, incidentally, what you are doing here. I thought you were in Paris until the weekend.’
‘I changed my mind.’ Nick drained the coffee and picked up the coffee pot. ‘That was a pretty damn fool trick to play, sending Judy after me. What was the idea exactly?’
Sam sat down. ‘It was her idea, old son. I just gave her the name of the hotel. Where is she now?’
Nick shrugged. ‘I told her to get lost.’
‘I see.’ Sam’s gaze narrowed. ‘And you thought Jo would be interested to hear all this?’
‘I don’t give a damn if she’s interested or not. I was worried about her. I saw that article Pete Leveson wrote and I thought she must be going out of her mind to give him the story. You have seen it I suppose?’
‘I’ve seen it. And she didn’t give, Nick. He took.’ Sam stretched his legs out in front of him slowly. ‘I must say I think it was singularly naive of her to talk to him at all, but she’s not herself these days as we can all see. I want you to leave her alone, Nick.’ He sat forward suddenly. ‘Do you understand me? I want you to keep away from her. She can’t cope with any more hassle.’
‘I don’t think that’s for you to say, Sam.’ Behind them Jo had appeared silently in the doorway. She was wearing jeans and a deep-red silk shirt, unbuttoned at the throat. Her face was still very white.
Sam climbed to his feet. ‘Have some coffee, Jo.’
She accepted the cup coolly. ‘I keep getting the feeling you two are trying