CHAPTER TWOThe woman smelt of the ineffable perfume of hospitals, a blend of soap and starch, iodoform and anaesthetics and yet, mingled with the clean, utilitarian scent, was the subtle, basic odour which turns a woman from a female machine into a thing of romance and excitement, a blend of flowers and night, the perfume of femininity.
Felix opened his eyes.
The tips of her fingers were cool to his skin as she touched his wrist and, with a strange detachment, he studied the curve of her cheek, the high, aristocratic nose, the full, sensuous mouth. Like Avril she wore her hair close-cut to her head and the style gave her a severe beauty.
She noticed his opened eyes.
“Hello, there! Feeling better?”
“What happened?” Felix swallowed and tried to sit upright. He was, he discovered, naked
