Free A Rose in No-Man's Land by Margaret Tanner

carnal desire darkened her eyes to a deep jade.
    “Colonel Justice, let me introduce you to Captain Mark Tremayne and Sister Amy Smithfield.”
    “Good evening, sir.” Amy forced the words past a gigantic lump in her throat.
    “Good evening, Sister. Are all your nurses as lovely as this, Ella?”
    The oily tones and knowing smile of this middle-aged lothario nauseated Amy, but she couldn’t let it show. The four of them exchanged polite chitchat. Wasn’t it hot during the day, but yes, they were compensated by such wonderful evenings. All the while, Ella’s hungry gaze devoured Mark. A black satin gown with low-cut neckline displayed her perfect cleavage. Her full lips, colored in bright red paint, made Amy feel as drab as a little field mouse.
    “The music has started again.” Ella gave a tinkling laugh that slithered like icicles against Amy’s heated skin. “Clive, dear, you dance with Amy. I’ve something to discuss with Captain Tremayne.”
    “My pleasure, Sister Amy.” The colonel clicked his heels. “Shall we?”
    She wanted to snap, “No, we shan’t.” She could do nothing but accept with as much grace as possible and accompany him back to the dance floor. As they joined the waltz, she tried to hold herself away from him. She gasped in shock, then quickly turned it into a cough, on seeing Mark following Ella out onto the terrace.
    She forced herself to follow the colonel’s lead and answer the questions he kept firing at her. What slack, over-moist lips he had. Revulsion crawled over her flesh as his hot, sweaty hand touched her bare skin.
    When he escorted her back to where Guy sat with another captain whom she didn’t know, Mark had still not returned. The way Ella stared at him… The possessive way she annexed him… Were they lovers?
    She loathed herself for thinking such vile thoughts, but jealous suspicion seeped into every core of her being, poisoning her mind. Mark did love her, she dared not doubt it, but Ella was an alluring, experienced woman. How long could a man not used to denying himself female pleasure remain immune? How long could their doomed relationship last? When, not if, would Mark decide he no longer wanted the celibacy Amy’s career imposed upon him? Her dreams of marriage and children had been cast to the four winds because she chose the wrong man to love.
    “Are you all right?” Guy stared at her. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
    “I’m just a little hot. Colonel Justice is an energetic dancer.” She disguised the anguish in her voice.
    Ella, with flushed cheeks and over-bright eyes, glided in from the terrace. Passing Amy without acknowledging her existence, she made straight for a table on the far side of the room. Amy waited a few moments, but when Mark did not appear she excused herself to Guy and drifted toward the terrace.
    A cool breeze caressed her burning cheeks as she ventured into the darkness.
    “What are you doing here?” She jumped when Mark spoke almost at her elbow.
    “Searching for you.”
    “Did you think I’d deserted you?” His voice held a soft intimacy.
    “No, well, yes. You were gone a long time.” It sounded pathetic, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say. “When Ella came back without you, I thought…”
    “Yes?” He stood so close his warm breath brushed her cheek.
    “Oh, I don’t know. That’s a lie. I was jealous. Ella is so beautiful, and she likes you a lot.”
    “The only person Ella really likes is Ella. I swear to you, she means nothing to me. My darling, you have to believe me, she only wanted to discuss a patient with me.”
    “You’re not a doctor.”
    “No, but she thinks Major Vincent and one of the nurses covered up a self-inflicted wound. Some young private shot himself through the kneecap. She wanted my advice.”
    “What did you say?” Amy grabbed at his arm. “What did you tell her?”
    She heard his sudden, sharp intake of breath. “You were the nurse?”
    “Yes.”
    “Hell,