The Spanish Tycoon's Takeover

Shocked dark eyes met hers. ‘She knows you, yes?’

She nodded.

‘If she regains consciousness a familiar face will be a comfort to her.’

That was true, but in that case what she was about to ask him to do was far from glamorous.

‘Tell me,’ he ordered.

She wondered briefly if the man even knew how to couch his demands as requests. She shook the thought off. They had far more important things to consider at the moment.

‘Can you check the bathroom for any signs of vomit or...’ she swallowed ‘...blood?’

He didn’t even blink—just set off to do her bidding at once.

He returned a moment later. ‘Vomit, but no blood.’

That meant Serena hadn’t lost the baby.

Yet.

‘We need to let the paramedics know that when they arrive.’

April appeared in the doorway. ‘The ambulance is on its way. Tina is primed to show them up here the moment they arrive. They’re less than five minutes away. Is there anything else you’d like me to do?’ She sent a covert glance in Xavier’s direction. ‘Or would you like me to...get on with things?’

Dear Lord. If Libby or the other housemaids got wind of this there’d be tears before bedtime.

‘Thanks, April. If you can just...keep things as normal as possible for the rest of the staff and guests, that would be great. And, if we can manage it, I’d like as few sightseers as possible. It’s our responsibility to safeguard Ms Gladstone’s privacy.’

‘I’ll do everything I can,’ April promised, closing the door behind her.

Wynne glanced back down at Serena, gently pushing the hair from her face. ‘Serena, honey, can you hear me? Give my hand a squeeze if you can.’

Nothing.

In the next moment a damp washcloth was pushed into her hand, and she wasn’t sure why but the large solid shape of Xavier in the room helped to steady her. She gently pressed the washcloth to Serena’s brow, and then her cheeks, murmuring to the other woman the entire time—telling her where she was and what they were doing, saying anything she could think of to reassure her.

She glanced up briefly. ‘Xavier, could you check the dishes on the sideboard—’ she nodded in its direction ‘—and tell me what food is there? I want to know if she’s eaten this morning.’

He strode across with long, assured strides and the more she looked at him the steadier her pulse became.

‘One rasher of bacon, two eggs, two pieces of toast.’

He glanced back at her with his eyebrows raised.

She sent him a weak smile. ‘So that means she’s eaten one rasher of bacon and the beans.’

He lifted up some orange peel. ‘And an orange. This we must tell to the paramedics too, yes?’

She nodded, and beneath the quilt Serena stirred.

‘The ambulance is here,’ Xavier murmured from the window that overlooked the front of the motel.

Excellent.

‘Hey, honey.’ Wynne found a smile as Serena opened her eyes. ‘It’s good to have you back with us.’

Serena blinked and frowned, glanced about, and then her hand clutched Wynne’s. ‘The baby?’ she croaked.

Wynne gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. ‘Now, don’t you go upsetting yourself. There’s absolutely no indication of any kind that there’s anything wrong with your baby. And look—’ She tried to stand as the paramedics entered the room, but the other woman refused to relinquish her hand. ‘The ambulance crew is here, and they’ll take excellent care of you. They’ll take you to hospital and the doctors will give you a thorough check to make sure everything is okay. You’ll see. Everything will be fine.’

Fear flitted across Serena’s face and she struggled to rise. ‘Please don’t leave me, Wynne.’ She coughed as if she had a dry throat. ‘Please, I—’

The entreaty in the other woman’s eyes twisted Wynne’s heart. ‘I’ll come with you.’ She squeezed her hand. ‘And I’ll call your sister. You don’t worry about anything—you hear? You just concentrate on feeling better.’

Serena subsided with a nod. ‘Bless you, Wynne...’

The paramedics allowed Wynne to ride in the ambulance.

Before they left, Xavier pushed Serena’s handbag into Wynne’s arms. ‘You’ll probably need her details. And her phone to find her sister’s number.’

His quick thinking surprised her. ‘Thank you.’

‘I’ll take care of everything that needs doing from this end.’

Would he even know what to do? She let that thought slide as the ambulance doors closed. She didn’t want to leave him alone with her staff, but she had no choice. Between them Tina and April would take care of everything...keep the ship afloat.

She crossed her fingers. Crossed them for Serena, for all her staff, and for herself.

* * *

Wynne planted herself on a bench in the anonymous hospital waiting room. She waited. And waited. She rang Serena’s sister, who lived two hours away. She made the other woman promise to drive safely. She made her promise to take a ten-minute break at the halfway point in her journey.

She glanced at her watch. She’d only been here for thirty minutes, but the minutes seemed like hours. The medical staff told her that Serena was in a stable condition, but they refused to tell her anything else...such as whether Serena had lost her baby or not.

Her stomach churned. Let the baby be okay. Serena wanted that baby with every fibre of her being. If she lost it—

Don’t even think that.

She started when a plastic cup was pushed underneath her nose. She took it automatically, and stared in astonishment as Xavier folded himself down on to the padded bench beside her, holding another cup.

‘Tea,’ he said. ‘I thought you might like one.’

She blinked, but he didn’t disappear. ‘What...what are you doing here?’

‘I brought Ms Gladstone’s things. We thought she might need them.’

She nodded, and then glanced around.