Page 114 of Return to the Lake House
‘If I remember rightly,’ said Marcus, not making any effort to keep his voice down, ‘I’m not the one making the racket.’ He bounded along the hallway, past Jake and Lawrence, and up the other staircase that Jake remembered from the previous day.
Jake frowned at him. Where did he think he was going? He could see Marcus still had his phone to hand. He was still looking for a mobile phone signal.
Chapter 44
At the top of the first flight of stairs, Marcus stopped at the large oval picture window. On his way up, Jake stopped momentarily beside Marcus to admire the view. But Marcus wasn’t admiring the view. His phone bleeped.
Jake threw up his hands. ‘Is that all you can think about?’ Someone had better be prepared, because Marcus was on the warpath and heads were going to roll, even if they were the heads of people who sat on the board of directors.
‘Meet me back at the car,’ said Jake. They left Marcus by the window, making his call, Lawrence telling him that it was on the proviso he left the building straight afterwards, and didn’t go just wandering off.
Jake caught up with Lawrence, who appeared in a hurry. Jake recalled that Lawrence couldn’t be away from his post for too long. He did not want to get him into trouble. ‘I have visited before.’
‘Yes, so you told me.’
‘I can find my way from here.’
Lawrence nodded. ‘I’m sure, but even so I must ask Martha if she’s okay to accept visitors.’
Jake raised his eyebrows. The other receptionist hadn’t saidthat.
‘Or you could ask Arnold.’
‘Who?’
Jake shook his head. ‘Never mind.’ He imagined that as Lawrence didn’t normally venture over to this side of the building, he probably wasn’t aware that Arnold visited Martha every day. ‘I recognise all this – the carpeted staircase and the hallway.’
Lawrence explained how the property had been kept as two separate wings. Apparently, Martha’s family had stipulated that one wing should be kept in its original condition; renovated, of course, but retaining all the original features, so that it appeared almost as it was when she used to live there as a child.
‘It helps with the memory loss to be in familiar surroundings,’ said Lawrence.
Jake nodded. He was aware of Martha’s condition. This wing was very different to the other, more clinical, wing of the house. Lawrence told him that those residents had a bedroom, and common areas, but not entire apartments like this wing.
This part of the house felt much more like a home, albeit a large country manner type of home.
Where Martha resided had the added bonus that visitors could come and go pretty much as they pleased, and take their relatives outside, in their own gardens, in the grounds, or even into Aviemore for a morning or afternoon, and a day trip further afield if they wished.
‘Is something the matter?’ said Lawrence, noticing that Jake was dragging his feet as they approached the bedroom door.
‘No.’ Jake pointed at the door. ‘Shall we?’ Suddenly he wanted to get the visit over with. He was feeling uneasy, guilty even, like somebody about to take a peek at a personal diary; a peek into a private part of someone’s life – Aubrey’s life – that they knew was strictly off-limits.
Jake moved forward, his curiosity leading the way, and stopped in the open doorway, watching Lawrence. Lawrence walked over to the two chairs by the bay window, but Martha was not in the same spot.
Lawrence turned around and looked at his watch. ‘I think she might still be in bed.’
Jake wasn’t surprised. They’d left Lark Lodge relatively early, and the journey there hadn’t been long, even though they’d got a bit waylaid by the conversations with Lawrence. Jake glanced at his hands. He did appreciate the fresh bandages.
He followed Lawrence down a hallway in the surprisingly large apartment and watched him knock softly on the door before entering. Jake had expected Lawrence to tell him to come back later. Instead he beckoned Jake inside the room, and whispered, ‘I wouldn’t normally do this, let people visit before one of our guests has been got up and out of bed, but I get the feeling time is of the essence, and you need to see her now.’
Jake nodded. ‘Thank you, Lawrence.’
Lawrence walked over to a large double bed, and spoke softly to a woman lying flat on her back, covers pulled up to her chin, eyes closed, long dyed blonde hair swept to one side, almost covering that side of the pillow.
Lawrence waved at Jake to come over.
Jake gingerly stepped into the room, expecting Arnold to be waiting for him, but there was no sign of him. Jake stopped at the end of the bed, hands resting on the top of the ornate reproduction iron bedstead.
‘I told her she’s got a visitor. Sometimes they wake, sometimes not.’ Lawrence spoke softly.
