Fiona flinched. Was he already looking forward to life after Jan? To pursuing future partners? So soon?
菲奥娜吓了一跳了。难道他想续弦？想找个未来伴侣？这么快？
Her hackles rose. She bit her bottom lip hard to stifle her all-too-ready reply. She'd thought better of him than that.
她气红了脸。咬紧下唇，扼杀了早已备好的答案。她认为他没有那么不堪。
Her heart did a rapid flip-flop against her ribs. Regret on Jan's behalf? Or disappointment for herself?
她心里小鹿乱撞。替简感到遗憾吗？还是对自己感到失望？
“I'll check on Nicky and rinse my hand,” she muttered, moving away from him. Her niece was being looked after by their host's nanny, but she needed to get away from Christian before she slapped his handsome face. Soft gorgeous women indeed.
“我去看看妮基，顺便洗洗手，”她喃喃地说，从他身边走开。这家主人的保姆正照看着她侄女呢，但是她必须在自己动手扇他之前赶紧抽身，远离克里斯蒂安。真是个柔情的美人。
*
He cursed silently as she flounced away. He'd meant it as a compliment—light-hearted banter. But the moment his lips had made contact with her palm a whole different set of emotions had swept over him.
她逃开时，他心里默默指责自己。他觉得那只是恭维罢了——无伤大雅的玩笑话。但当他嘴唇触到她手掌那一刻，却感觉到了一股汹涌的截然不同的情感。
Lust. Longing. Loneliness.
欲望，渴望，孤独。
Any of those would explain his sudden descent into the intense and inappropriate mood that had caused him to grab her and darn near devour her.
任何一种情感都能解释他为什么突然紧张反常，一把抓住她，几乎吞噬了她。
And if the wine had tasted delicious, Fiona herself had been a million times better. The skin on the inside of her wrist had been silky soft under his thumb and gently fragrant with a subtle waft of pure femininity. It was nothing chemical, he was sure, unless they were her own body chemicals setting him on fire. There'd been no fierce blast of flowers or lemons or any of the other perfumes that hand lotions contained. The delicate scent had been all her—warm, soft, seriously sexy. If she thought he was sipping Shiraz then let her believe that. He knew better—he'd been drinking in her pheromones, tasting her skin and storing away the intoxication of it in his memory banks for the cold dark days ahead.
如果说这葡萄酒味道不错，那么菲奥娜尝起来一定胜过百万倍。他拇指轻抚着她手腕内侧，感受着她柔软丝滑的肌肤，带着轻柔纯洁的女性气质。他确定不是什么化学制品的香味，除非是她自身体内的化学物质使他着了魔。没有任何刺激的花香或柠檬香或其他护手霜的味道。这些美好的味道全来自于她——温暖、温柔、非常性感。如果她认为他是在抿西拉酒，那么就让她那么以为吧。他非常清楚——自己沉醉在她散发的激素中，品味着她的肌肤，将这种沉醉其间的感觉深深刻在脑子里，以备将来寒冷黑暗的日子里可以拿出来重温。
*
The party continued. The waiter returned with a tray of succulent prawns in a sweet chili glaze. Steaks, cutlets, and sausages began to sizzle and pop on the barbecue. Their savory scent hung in the air. The breeze had dropped away—it was a perfect evening.
派对仍在继续。服务员端来甜椒对虾，牛排，肉饼，香肠等，滋啦滋啦地烤了起来。咸香味儿在空中弥漫。微风散去——这真是个美好的夜晚。
Fiona watched the sun slide down behind the few ragged clouds on the far edge of Tinakori hill. They paled from fierce gold to pink to palest lavender. The city lights sparkled and trembled below them.
菲奥娜望着太阳落到提那可里山边，在几片零落的云彩之后隐去了余晖，从金黄到粉红再到浅薰衣草紫的渐变。城市灯光点点，在晚霞笼罩下摇曳闪光。
She talked about Italy with the bejeweled elderly woman who was their host Sam's widowed mother…sounded out a couple of the well heeled local wives about the availability of nannies…argued tongue-in-cheek with a university scientist on the likely effects of global warming…and found her eyes drawn again and again to Christian as he stood on the far side of the terrace—tall, affable, never without a glass of wine in his hand.
她和主人山姆的母亲——一位珠光宝气的老寡妇谈到了意大利，还得知当地一些很不错的家庭妇女愿意当保姆，与大学科学家争论全球变暖的影响…还发现她一次次盯着站在远处露台克里斯蒂安看，他身材高大，和蔼可亲，从头到尾没端起过一杯酒。
“Okay everyone, food's ready,” Sam called, banging tongs against the huge hooded stainless steel barbecue to get their attention. A surge of bodies formed a disorderly cheerful queue, and people started to heap their plates.
“好了，各位，食物已经准备好了。”山姆招呼着大家，敲打着巨大的连排不锈钢烤架，以引起他们的注意。人们迅速欢笑着涌过去，把盘子堆过去。
“Enjoying yourself?”
“玩得开心吗？”
Christian had positioned himself right behind her, and his breath puffed hot against her ear. Someone further back in the queue jostled him against her and she stumbled. This time there was no mistaking the press of his thighs against hers, the soft bulge at his groin, the incredible heat of his body. He clamped a large hand across her belly and held her close until she stood steady again. She struggled to step forward and break the contact between them.
克里斯蒂安站到她身后，他呼出的热气对着她的耳朵。队伍里有人已经回来，把他推倒在她身上，她绊倒了。这一次，他的大腿没有不合时宜地压着她，腹股沟温柔地凸起，身体烫得惊人。他的一只大手覆在她的肚子上，贴得很近直到她再次站稳。她试图上前一步，打破了他们之间的身体接触。
“Having a lovely time thanks.” She turned her head only enough so he'd hear her amongst the throng of chattering people. She didn't dare look at his face—he was too close, too tempting, and still had one hand resting on her hip.
“谢谢你啦。”她只转过头，使他在喋喋不休的人群中能听清她的声音。她不敢看他——他离得太近了，太诱人了，况且还有一只手正放在她臀部上。
“I like your trousers.” He rubbed his thumb over the slippery fabric at her waist.
“我喜欢你的裤子。”他拇指搓揉着她腰部丝滑的布料。
“I bought them this afternoon. Thought I deserved a treat. Brought this top as well.”
“我今天下午才买的。我觉得我该好好犒劳一下自己，所以买了这件上衣。”
He rested his chin on her shoulder.
他把下巴放在她肩上。
“It shows off your…charms…beautifully.”
“它展现了你的魅力…很漂亮。”
Fiona knew quite well that he had a birds-eye view of her breasts from that angle. Let him look! There was very little she could do about it until she escaped with her food. She drew a frustrated breath.
菲奥娜非常清楚，从他的角度来看，能够鸟瞰到自己的胸部。让他看！她没法儿做什么，除非她端着食物逃开。她沮丧地叹了一口气。
“Oh yes…” he murmured.
“哦，是的……”他低声说。
She smelled wine on his breath and decided he must be slightly drunk to be talking like this. The best course was to take no notice.
她闻到他呼吸中带着葡萄酒味儿，想来他肯定是喝多了才说这些酒话。最好不要放在心上。
Then she felt his fingers slip up off her waistband and begin a teasing little dance over her skin. Nothing too deliberate—he could almost have been keeping time with the music that flowed from the luxurious room next to the terrace.
接着，她感到他手指从腰上滑落，开始在她肌肤上起舞。他可以很随意地与露台旁豪华房间内流出的音乐保持同步。
Should she tear herself away from him? Or would that make it too obvious she'd put a different spin on his actions? She shuffled forward and he followed, his big hand curling a little more possessively around her waist.
她应该抽身吗？如果她转身那他的动作会不会太明显了？她向前走，他也跟着走，他的大手霸占着她的腰，没有一点要松开的意思。
His fingers started to run to and fro, up to the edge of her bra…down to her trousers…in a tingling caress. Her body caught fire, reacting to the sensation of his skin rubbing against hers.
他的手指开始乱动，上到她的文胸边缘，下至她的裤子，刺痛的爱抚。她的身体就像着了火似的，对他的肌肤之亲做出反应。
“Stop it!” she finally grated. “I'm not Jan. People will see.”
“停！”她终于怒了。“我不是简。大家看着呢。”
“They're far too keen to grab their dinner,” he murmured. “But you're right—you're not Jan. Sorry.” He removed his hand and Fiona missed it immediately. Had he been flirting? Pretending she was Jan? Or just absent-mindedly relaxed by the wine? She had no idea at all.
“他们忙着享受晚餐呢，”他低声说。“但你说得对——你不是简。对不起。”他挪开手，菲奥娜立即又怀念起那种感觉。他一直是在调情吗？假装她是简？或者只是酒精的作用？她搞不清楚。
She helped herself to a small steak from the barbecue, some slivers of chilled lobster from a platter on the big table, and a portion of crisp mixed salad. She felt far from hungry, but selecting food meant she could draw away from Christian.
她从烧烤架取了一份烤小牛排，从桌子上的大盘中拿了些冷龙虾和一些脆口什锦沙拉。她不饿，但选择食物可以让她不要总想着克里斯蒂安。
“So when will you be in Italy next?” Sam's mother enquired.
“那么你下次什么时候去意大利呢？”山姆的母亲问道。
“About six weeks. I'm helping to look after my niece—and my brother-in-law, if only he'd let me.”
“大概六周吧，我在帮忙照顾我侄女和姐夫，只要他允许。”
“Tragic, tragic,” the woman murmured. “Jan and Jenny were good friends. We were so pleased when Christian accepted the invitation for tonight. We thought he mightn't, it being so recent…”
“悲剧，悲剧啊，”女人喃喃道。“简和珍妮是好朋友。我们很高兴克里斯蒂安接受今晚的邀请。我们以为他可能不会，才刚刚……”
“Will people think it wrong he's at a party so soon after his wife's death?”
“他妻子才刚去世不久，他就参加派对，人们会不会觉得不太好？”
“Good heavens no, dear. He mustn't molder away. That'll do him no good. And it's as if poor Jan's been gone a lot longer in some ways—time in and out of the hospice, and so on.”
“天啊不，亲爱的。他不能消沉，那对他没好处。况且，从某些意义上来说可怜的简似乎已经走了很长时间了——从进临终关怀院直到离世，已经很久了。”
Fiona nodded, holding the other woman's shrewd blue eyes with her own.
菲奥娜点点头，对视着对方精明的蓝眼眸子。
“They were very much in love, my sister and Christian. She'll be hard to replace…but I hope he eventually finds someone else of course.”
“我姐姐和克里斯蒂安，他们非常相爱。她很难被取代…但我希望他终遇良人。”
Liar! Liar! The words scraped in her throat like fish-bones.
骗子！骗子！这些话令她如鲠在喉。
Sam's mother smiled sadly. “When I was first widowed I couldn't quite believe it was real because I kept finding things like Harry's gardening shoes out in his shed, and a lot of the mail still arrived addressed to him.”
山姆的母亲苦笑了笑。“我当初丧偶时，也不敢相信那是真的，我在哈利的工具棚里找到了他干园艺活儿时穿的鞋子，还收到很多写给他的邮件。”
Fiona wondered which of Jan's possessions would most cut Christian's heart to ribbons in the months to follow.
菲奥娜在想哪些简的物品，在接下来的几个月里最能勾起克里斯蒂安的伤怀。
“It was ages before I came out the other side,” the woman continued.“But you do, you do. You simply have to get on with life.”
“我花了很长时间才从那种阴影中走出来”，妇人接着说，“但你可以，你可以，你只要继续好好生活就行了。”
Easier said than done when the life you want is here, and the life you have to lead is half a world away, Fiona thought.
菲奥娜心想：当你想要的生活就摆在你眼前，而你却要过另一种生活，这想起来容易做起来难啊。
Time slipped by until full darkness fell.
时间飞逝，夜幕降临。
One of the older men unclipped the catches of a guitar case, took a Spanish guitar out, and leaned back against the terrace railing. A small cascade of notes danced on the air as he checked the tuning. Then he began to play.
其中一位老先生打开吉他盒的扣子，取出一把西班牙吉他，靠在露台栏杆上。他调音时传出一小串美妙的音符。然后他开始弹奏吉他。
The complicated rhythm of ‘Classical Gas' floated out across the harbor, and the crowd fell silent, appreciating his deft finger-work.
颇具“古典气息”的复杂韵律飘出海港，人们安静下来，欣赏他指尖上的艺术。
Fiona listened with enjoyment. Her job as entertainments officer included searching out passengers with genuine talents and including them in the on-board concerts on her ship. She loved music, and was an accomplished jazz and folk singer. As the last notes died away, the guests applauded.
菲奥娜静静聆听，看上去很享受。她作为娱乐长的工作包含找出船上有真正才艺的旅客，并让他们在她船上开音乐会。她喜爱音乐，是一个颇有造诣的爵士乐和民谣歌手。随着最后一个音符的完结，客人们鼓起掌来。
Then the guitarist began a slow rendition of ‘Amazing Grace'. Several of the crowd started to hum along with the lovely old melody.
接着那位吉他手开始慢慢弹奏《奇异恩典》。其中的一些人也跟着哼唱起那古老优美的旋律。
Fiona moved closer and leaned on the railing beside him. She raised an eyebrow. He nodded his encouragement.
菲奥娜走近了，靠在他身旁的栏杆上。她扬了扬眉，他点点头以示鼓励。
She began to sing in her distinctive husky voice. She sang for Jan. And for Nicky, who would never really know her mother. And for herself—to dispel some of the weight of sadness that clung around her.
她唱起来，歌声独特而沙哑。她为简而歌，为妮基而歌，妮基永远不会真正了解她的生母。也为自己而歌——驱散自己内心郁结的悲伤。
And most of all she sang for solitary Christian who watched her from across the terrace.
最重要的是，她为孤独的克里斯蒂安而歌，那个人正从露台上看着她。
His face was unreadable against the lights of the house. But his body had frozen in absolute attention as the hymn uncoiled in the soft air. For sure he had the looks and the money, but that didn't make him immune to pain. She knew he'd loved Jan fondly and faithfully.
在房间灯光的辉映下，她看不清他脸上的表情。但当圣歌的旋律在温和的空气中荡漾开来，他僵在那里一动不动，很明显听得全神贯注。他无疑英俊又富有，但这并没有使他免于痛苦。她知道他深情地、忠贞不渝地爱过简。
He was hurting—hiding it well perhaps—but he had to be wracked by demons all the same. She vowed to try and be kinder to him, even though he made it so strangely difficult.
他受过伤——也许掩饰得很好——但他同样逃不过恶魔的攻陷。她发誓，即使他令这一切变得困难重重，她也要试一试，试着对他更好。
One minute he pushed her away. The next he stood far too close. He had no business being so near, just as she had no right to enjoy his company so much.
下一分钟他一把推开她。她站得太近了。他没办法挨得这么近，正如他无权享受她如此多的陪伴。
She sighed with vexation after the song had finished and the applause had faded. Surely they could manage to strike some sort of happy medium? She was good with people…couldn't do her job without that all-important skill. But Christian baffled her, wrong-footing her at every turn.
歌毕，她叹了口气，掌声逐渐平息。当然他们可以试着找到一个折中的办法不是吗？她跟人们总是很处得来…没有那项重要的技能就不能胜任她的工作。但克里斯蒂安使她困惑，她所走每一步都是错的。
They started home again an hour or so later. This time she pushed the stroller with a sleeping Nicky. Christian insisted on slinging an arm around her shoulders to warm her against the cooling evening air. He seemed to have drunk a little too much, presumably to soothe away his memories of Jan. With that in mind, Fiona didn't feel she could complain and prize him off.
大约一小时后，他们启程回家。这次她推着婴儿车，妮基在婴儿车里睡得香甜。克里斯蒂安坚持搂着她肩膀，为她挡一挡夜的寒气。他似乎喝得有点多，大概是为了使自己不去思念简吧。想到这，菲奥娜觉得没什么可埋怨他的，当然也没有值得表扬的。
She suffered the tantalizing sensation of his velvety upper arm rubbing over her skin as they negotiated the narrow pavement again. Their flesh chafed gently together, feeding private fantasies for them both.
当他们再次走在狭窄的小道时，他柔软的上臂摩挲着她的肌肤，她感受到一股让人难以抗拒的诱惑。他们的身体在一起轻轻摩挲，满足了他们所有隐秘的幻想。
Christian had run his fingers through the feathery hair on her newly-exposed neck before his hand snaked around her, pulling her close. He'd gathered her into the crook of his arm, and his fingers wrapped around her bicep.
克里斯蒂安手指穿过她轻羽般的头发，摸到她近乎裸露的脖颈儿，然后环抱住了她，把她拉到胸前，他的手指紧紧抓住她的肱二头肌处。
Her imaginings from the hair salon now sprang vividly to life again. She wished he'd remove his arm, but she wished even more strongly that he'd pull her close in a full-body embrace.
她在美发店时的幻想现在再次真切地发生在眼前。她希望他放开手，但她又希望他再大力些，拉近她拥她入怀。
They entered Nicky's bedroom together. Fiona laid her sleepy niece down, smoothed the cover over her small body, and straightened. Christian stepped close and dropped a tipsy kiss first on Nicky's brow, and then onto the top of Fiona's head.
他们一起进了妮基的卧室。菲奥娜把熟睡的侄女放到床上帮她盖好了小被子，并捋直理顺。克里斯蒂安走近，在妮基额头上轻吻了一下，然后又在菲奥娜额头吻了一下。
“I like the hair now I'm used to it,” he said.
“我现在喜欢你的头发了，我已经习惯了，”他说。
He sent her a sizzling grin and ambled from the room.
他冲她咧嘴笑了笑，缓缓从房间里退出来。
Fiona stayed fixed to the spot, not trusting herself to move in case it was straight into his arms. She breathed in his faint residual scent—freshly washed cotton, barbecue smoke, and the same soap-or-shampoo tang she'd noticed that morning. And temptation. He smelled like temptation.
菲奥娜僵在原地，不相信自己，害怕直接扑到他怀里去。她吸了一口他残留的淡淡的香味——新洗的棉布，烧烤的烟味，和那天早上同样浓烈的香皂或者洗发水的味道，以及诱惑。他闻起来太诱人了。
She was still sniffing the air where he'd stood when a shattering explosion tore the quiet night into shreds. In the peculiar silence that followed she heard yells from at least two male voices and the thrilling throaty note of the engine of a powerful, sharply accelerating car.
当惊天动地的大爆炸打破夜的寂静，她依然站在原地贪婪地嗅着他的气息。接下来异常寂静，她听到至少两个男子的叫喊声和汽车引擎加速而发出的惊心动魄、低沉的声音，有力而尖锐。
*
Christian raced through to the garage that housed his prized collection of vintage vehicles.
克里斯蒂安跑到车库去了，那儿停着许多他的老爷车珍藏。
A pool of wine snaked its sticky way across the floor in the moonlight;many of the bottles in the wine cellar had been shattered. Broken glass crunched everywhere underneath his feet. He scrabbled in the dark for the torch from the recharging unit over his workbench, fumbled the switch on, and shone the beam around.
月光下，酒在地板上蜿蜒淌过；酒窖里的许多瓶子都碎了。碎玻璃在他脚下嘎吱作响。他在黑暗中摸索到他的工作台边，摸到充电装置，打开开关，周围被照亮了。
Fiona dashed through.
菲奥娜冲了过去。
“Stop for heaven's sake!” he yelled. “Get some proper shoes on. Your feet'll be cut to ribbons.” She skidded to a halt.
“停！看在上帝的份儿上。”她大叫道，“穿双合适的鞋子吧。不然你的脚会被扎得血肉模糊的。”她急刹车停住。
The huge garage door hung bent and buckled. Part of it remained, oddly askew, creaking in the slight breeze. Suddenly it, too, fell with a squealing metallic thump. Dust and concrete fragments flew everywhere in a blinding cloud. Christian cursed foully, and Fiona buried her face in her arms to protect her eyes.
巨大的车库门被撞弯了，高高挂起。只剩下一部分了，歪着脑袋，看上去怪怪的，微风吹得嘎吱作响。突然，只听见金属砰砰作响，它落下来了。灰尘和混凝土碎片在灰蒙蒙的尘雾中四处飞散。克里斯蒂安恶狠狠地咒骂，菲奥娜把脸埋进臂弯以保护眼睛。
“Bastards took the Jag,” he snapped. “Call the cops for me, eh?”
他厉声道：“混蛋把捷豹偷了。”“帮我报警，好吗？”
There was no sign now of him being anything but totally alert.
他彻头彻尾地警醒了起来。
She wondered about that as she pulled out her phone, dialed the emergency number, and relayed the details she was sure about.
当她掏电话报警时迟疑了一下，报了警，并转述了她清楚的细节。
“Just a moment,” she said, handing the phone over to Christian.
“等一下，”说着，她把电话递给了克里斯蒂安。
She checked on Nicky, now half awake but so still drowsy she was easily soothed. Then she hurried into her own bedroom and rummaged through her shoes. She laced on a pair of white sneakers, hoping their thick soles would be protection enough from all the glass.
她去看了看妮基，小家伙半醒半睡，她很好哄睡的。随后，她急忙冲进自己的卧室穿上鞋子。她穿上一双白色运动鞋，希望厚厚的鞋底能够抵挡玻璃碴儿。
Christian talked on, giving the registration number and other details of his beloved E-type.
克里斯蒂安接过电话，说了汽车牌照号码和其他的一些细节，那可是他最心爱的捷豹E-type跑车。
“I'm thankful I keep the Rolls way at the back,” he said as he disconnected. “The garage lights have blown. I can't see what the damage really is. That explosion will have flung shards of metal and concrete all over the place. The other cars could be mincemeat.”
“幸亏我把劳斯莱斯停在后面的，”他边说边挂断电话。“车库灯炸了，我看不清到底遭毁成什么样了。大爆炸炸得金属、混凝土碎片到处都是。其他车可能也遭殃了。”
Neighbors started to appear—curious, startled, and concerned. Fiona picked her way to the entrance and peered upward. The pressed-steel garage door lay buckled and crumpled on the forecourt like a couple of huge dead animals. A handful of concrete chips pattered down beside her.
邻居们开始聚集围观——好奇，震惊，担心。菲奥娜踩出条路摸索到入口处，向上看去，只见钢制的车库门歪了吧唧地躺在地上，像几具大型动物的死尸。一小撮混凝土碎片落到她身旁。
“Get back, Fee!” Christian yelled as part of the main support beam gave way and crashed down. She leapt sideways, tripped on some of the debris, felt a huge surge of pain, and blacked out. She never knew how feverishly he worked to clear the heaviest pieces away from her crumpled body, or how tenderly he covered her with a blanket and watched over her until the paramedics arrived.
“回来，菲！”克里斯蒂安大喊，这时一部分承重梁垮塌了。她侧身跃过，绊倒在碎片上，一阵疼痛袭来，她眼前一黑昏过去了。她被压在沉重的碎片下，她永远不会知道他是如何疯狂地把她从废墟中救出来的，又是多么温柔地给她盖上毯子，守着她，一直等到医护人员到了。
*
She regained proper consciousness the next evening. Christian sat close by her hospital bed, staring blankly ahead, but his gaze ricocheted across as she uttered a soft moan of complaint.
第二天晚上她才恢复了意识。克里斯蒂安坐在她的病床旁，茫然地目视前方。当她轻声嗔怨时，他才回过神来。
There were flowers everywhere, and her whole body ached like fury.
这儿摆满了鲜花，她浑身歇斯底里般疼痛。
He instantly pressed the call button and reached for her hand. His over-firm grip felt far from steady, and his fingers shook as he laced them through hers.
他立即按了呼叫按钮，并握住她的手。他握得很紧，就像紧紧绑在她手上的一样。
“I thought I'd lost you, too,” he said in a hoarse and weary voice, eyes so intense and hopeful she'd have sprung from the bed undamaged, had it been possible. “That was stupid thing to do, Fee. Don't ever scare me like that again.”
“我以为我也失去你了。”他的声音沙哑倦怠，两眼放光，恨不得她从床上跳起来，毫发无伤。“你那么做简直太傻了，菲，再不要这样吓我了。”
So much for a tender welcome back to the land of the living.
热烈欢迎你回到生者的世界。
She moved her other arm and gasped with pain, but knowing he'd kept watch sent a wash of warmth through her and almost made up for his rough words. How long had he been there?
她动了动另一只手臂，痛苦地喘着气，但她知道他在这儿看守她，这令她倍感温暖感，让她几乎不在意他那粗暴的话语。他守在这儿多久了？
A nurse bustled through the door a moment later and Fiona tried to lift her head before subsiding back into the pillows with a groan. Christian rose from the chair, wincing as he stretched from the vigil at her bedside.
一会儿护士就过来了，菲奥娜试图抬起头，但终究呻吟着跌回枕头上。克里斯蒂安从椅子上站起来舒展舒展，他在她床边守了一夜。
“Long wait?” Fiona murmured.
“等很久了吧？”菲奥娜喃喃道。
He shook his head as though the answer didn't matter. “I'll call Greg and Rebecca back,” he said, digging his mobile from a pocket. He stood looking down at her, dark face unreadable, while the nurse fussed and checked. Then he disappeared into the corridor and she heard jubilation in his voice as he made the call.
他摇摇头，似乎答案并不重要。“我打电话叫格雷格和丽贝卡回来，”说着，从口袋里掏出手机。他站在一边低头看着她，黑着脸让人琢磨不透，而护士正忙着检查呢。然后他走到走廊里，她听到了他打电话的声音。
He returned, sat again, and retrieved her hand. Slowly he recounted the whole story until she had it straight in her slightly addled brain. She was severely bruised, somewhat concussed, but against all odds unbroken.
他打完电话进来坐下，握起她的手。他缓缓讲起整个故事，她听得有点糊涂了。她觉得很受伤，还有些震惊，但并未打断他的叙述。
She decided woozily that he must have employed magic to get her parents there so fast—Auckland was almost a day's drive from Wellington. But twenty hours had slid by, and they'd flown down early that morning and only recently left the hospital to find dinner. Fifteen minutes later, she heard the rapid tattoo of her mother's heels. Her parents burst in, tired, concerned, and thankful.
她稀里糊涂地认定，他一定是用了魔法才让她的父母这么快这里的——奥克兰开车到惠灵顿需要接近一天的时间。但才过去二十个小时，那天早上他们就到了，刚才离开医院去吃晚饭。十五分钟后，她听到母亲高跟鞋的声音，她父母闯进来，精疲力竭，满是担心，也满怀感激。
“Oh my darling girl,” Rebecca faltered, bending over to caress her brow and kiss her cheek. “The thought of losing both my daughters…”
“哦，我的好女儿，”丽贝卡声音都是颤的，她躬身抚摸着她的额头，吻了吻她的脸颊。“我还以为自己要失去两个女儿了…”
She left the words hanging and turned aside to hide tears of relief.
话没说完，她别过身掩饰着悲伤的泪水。
“Awful scare. Awful,” Greg Delaporte said in a gruff voice, reaching out to clasp a cautious hand over hers.
“太可怕了，太恐怖了。”格雷戈·德拉波特粗鲁地吼道，伸出手来握紧女儿。
After a few moments, her mother checked the chart at the end of the bed, drew a deep breath and nodded. Fiona imagined she'd done it dozens of times already.
过了一会儿，她的母亲在床那头查看检查表，深呼吸又点点头。菲奥娜觉得这个动作她都重复了几十回了。
“I'm sure they're looking after you as well as possible,” Rebecca said.“But there's one thing hospitals provide that'll do you no good at all—these awful gowns.” She gave the sleeve of Fiona's a disparaging twitch. “I brought a couple of my old button-through nightdresses with me. Nice and soft, and just as accessible for the staff if they want to change your dressings.” She bent to retrieve one from the bedside locker and shook out its folds.
“我相信他们会尽力照顾好你的，”丽贝卡说，“但在医院里有件事对你可没好处——糟糕的病号服。”她往下扯了扯菲奥娜的袖子。“我带了几件我的旧开襟睡衣。柔软舒适，如果想换衣服，可以穿这个。”她弯腰从床边柜子里取出一件，抖了抖褶子。
Fiona managed a faint smile. Trust her practical mother to think of something like that!
菲奥娜不着声色笑了笑。真不敢相信务实的妈妈能想到这玩意儿！
“Thanks Mom. These lumpy back fastenings are horrible to lie on—yours'll be great to have.”
“谢谢妈妈。背上这些大块头的东西躺下去硌得慌——你的睡衣就太舒服啦。”
“And how are feeling, really?”
“现在感觉怎么样，真的吗？”
“Lucky to be alive, I suppose. It could have been worse.”
“我觉得能活下来真是幸运。幸好没更糟。”
“Much worse,” her father agreed.
“够糟的了，”她父亲应声道。
“I've spoiled your dinner.”
“我毁了你的晚餐。”
“I'd choose a daughter over a dinner any day,” he said.
“女儿和晚餐，我任何时候都选女儿啊。”他说道。
She tried to push herself up a little on the pillows.
她试图用枕头把身子垫高点。
“Ow…” she growled.
“哎哟…”她呻吟着。
Christian's sleepy eyes snapped alert.
克里斯蒂安警惕地睁开睡意蒙眬的双眼。
“Stop trying to move,” he insisted. “One thing's for sure—you're in no shape to travel. You won't be going back with Greg and Rebecca. You need to stay in Wellington for a while yet.”
“别动。”他坚持到，“有一件事是肯定的——你还不能旅行，你不会跟格雷戈和丽贝卡回去。你需要在惠灵顿待一段时间。”
“You need to stay in hospital for a while yet,” her father corrected.
“你需要住院观察一段时间，”她父亲纠正道。
Being the daughter of two doctors assured her of A-grade treatment anyway. But really, there was nothing much anyone could do—she needed rest, but little else.
作为两名医生的女儿，不管怎样都会得到最好的治疗。但说真的，别人没法插手——她需要休息，其他的基本不需要。
However keen her parents were that she returned to Auckland with them, Christian was equally persuasive about her remaining with him so he could look after her.
尽管她父母非常渴望她和他们一起回奥克兰，但克里斯蒂安也同样有说服力，她和他在一起，他能照顾好她。
“I'm off work for a while yet to care for Nicola,” he insisted. “Amy Houndsworth is coming in daily to clean and to cook the evening meal. There's no point in taking either of you two away from important jobs.” He raised his voice as her father started to object. “I'll make sure Fiona eats and has her check-ups. It'll save her traveling while she's so sore. What more will she need?”
“我赋闲一段时间了，况且反正也要照顾妮可拉。”他坚持道，“艾米·杭兹华斯每天都来搞卫生和做晚餐。让你们两个人中的任何一个从重要工作中抽身都毫无意义。“当父她亲想要反驳时，他又说道，“我会负责好菲奥娜的饮食和检查。当她很疼的时候一定不让她走动。她还需要注意些什么？”
Not much, it seemed. But as she lay uncomfortably in the hospital bed her thoughts returned again and again to the prospect of being cared for by the man she needed to stay away from. How would she manage? She could barely move yet. He'd be uncomfortably close. Temptingly close.
似乎没什么了。但当她躺在医院的床上辗转时，她就会反复去想象这个她想要远离的男人照顾自己的情景。她该怎么面对呢？她几乎还不能动。他会靠得很近，让人不适。诱人的近。
Although she knew what mustn't happen between them, this was accompanied by warm and guilty thankfulness she didn't have to leave him yet. That maybe…no, it wasn't possible. Of course it wasn't. He was Jan's, not hers.
尽管她知道他们之间不可能发生什么，但期间必将伴随着温暖、内疚和感恩，她暂时还不用离开他。也许…不，这不可能。当然不可能。他是简的，不是她的。
Still, her brain whirled with private fantasies. Then she castigated herself for thinking such things and apologized silently to her beloved sister.
不过，她的大脑依然转得飞快沉溺幻想。随后她又谴责自己想这样的事，默默地向心爱的姐姐道歉。
She made enough progress to be released from hospital the next day. Her parents flew home. And Christian arrived to take her back to recuperate in the huge house on the Roseneath cliff-top. The tables had been very neatly turned.
第二天，她好多了并且出院了。她的父母也飞回去了。克里斯蒂安来接她回罗斯尼斯悬崖边的大房屋里休养。桌子已经整整齐齐地翻过来了。
How strange. A few days ago he came up with every possible reason to get rid of me. Now it seems he's moved heaven and earth to ensure I stay.
多奇怪啊。前几天，他还想尽一切理由摆脱我，而现在他却想方设法让我留下来。
Her battered brain wasn't up to solving conundrums like that.
她受伤的脑袋已经想不清这回事了。
Climbing from the hospital wheelchair into the plush leather upholstered back seat of his Mercedes was hugely more difficult than she'd expected. The crutches they'd supplied put too much strain on her injured shoulders. Everything hurt—and in the end, Christian gritted his teeth and took over. He picked her up in his arms, and, apologizing for the pain he must be causing, set her down gently in the car.
从医院轮椅上爬进他奔驰车的后座，比她预期的要困难得多。拐杖令她受伤的肩膀承受了太多的压力。哪儿哪儿都伤了——最后，这位基督徒咬咬牙接过来。他把她抱在怀里，还说抱歉可能会把她弄疼了，然后把她轻轻地放进车里。
Fiona didn't feel a lot of pain.
菲奥娜并不觉得很疼。
Heat, yes. She'd been transported to somewhere as tropically hot and humid as Singapore instead of temperate breezy Wellington.
是热，是的。她像是到了热带某个地方，又热又潮湿，比如新加坡，而不是气候温和的惠灵顿。
She felt his incredible strength for sure. Long strong arms, and shoulders bunched with hard muscle had lifted her and lowered her without effort.
她感受得到他惊人的力量。修长强壮的胳膊、肩膀和坚实的肌肉抱起了她又放下来，不费吹灰之力。
She felt too close—definitely way too close!
她觉得太近了——的确太近了！
She also felt she'd like to sneak a little kiss onto his beautiful stern mouth while it was so near to her own.
当他离她那么近时，她觉得自己忍不住想要亲一口他那漂亮坚毅的嘴唇。
It's the drugs. It must be the drugs.
这是毒药。绝对是毒药。
She was on drugs,wasn't she?
她中毒了，不是吗？
Painkillers, of course. But they didn't usually affect her like this. So it had to be the anesthetic. People sometimes had very funny reactions to anesthetics, didn't they? But had she been anesthetized? Well no, perhaps not. She'd knocked herself out cold with no need for chemical intervention.
当然是止痛药，但对她来说通常不起作用。所以必须是麻醉剂。有时人们用了麻醉物后反应很滑稽，不是吗？但她是被麻醉了吗？不，可能不是的。她不必用化学药物干涉，自己就能冷静下来。
Ummm…
嗯…
No better explanation than out-and-out lust occurred to her.
是她强烈的情欲，没有比这更好的解释了。
