Page 62 of The House at Hope Corner
Despite herself, Flora smiled. She knew exactly what he meant.
She looked around the room. ‘Have you got some shoes somewhere?’
‘Somewhere. But seeing as putting them on will feel like running a marathon, slippers it is.’
‘Well, a coat then? Hannah will kill me if you get cold.’
‘Since when have I ever worn a coat?’
‘Since around the time you asked me to accompany you on a walk.’
He held her look. ‘You bloody women are all the same, bossy as hell,’ he said, but he was smiling.
‘So how do we do this?’ she asked, wondering what help he needed.
‘Even slower than slowly…’ came the gruff reply as he began to inch forward in his seat.
Flora hovered, not knowing whether she should be supporting him or not, but she winced as he got to his feet, obviously in pain. She put out a tentative hand, which to her surprise he took, giving it a squeeze.
‘I don’t know how we do this either,’ he said. ‘So that makes two of us.’ He looked her square in the face. ‘I guess we’ll just have to figure it out together.’
The breath caught in her throat. There was something in his eyes she couldn’t quite fathom, a message she couldn’t quite decipher, but one that she was meant to see.
He dropped her hand, motioning that she should walk on ahead and, after what seemed like at least twenty minutes had passed, they reached the back door. He was already out of breath.
‘Don’t ever have a heart attack, Flora,’ he panted. ‘I really don’t recommend them.’
It was all she could do to nod, let alone reply as another rush of tears threatened to engulf her. It was hateful seeing Fraser like this, but at least his heart was hopefully on the mend; hers was broken beyond repair.
‘We’ll walk to the edge of the garden,’ he added. ‘And that way I can do laps as I improve. It will give me something to aim for each day. I need to get better, and sitting on my backside being waited on hand and foot isn’t going to help. I’m counting on you, Flora. I need some of your determination to get me going.’
She helped him on with his jacket. ‘Me?’ She almost laughed. ‘I think you’ve got me confused with someone else,’ she said.
He stopped suddenly and she thought she had hurt him as she tried to ease his arms into his coat. The thought of what had been done to his breastbone was at the forefront of her mind.
‘Oh, I don’t think so,’ he said, clear as a bell. ‘You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to this place. We needed shaking up. Waking up, actually.’
He waited while she opened the door and then, holding onto the door frame, he lowered first one leg over the step and then the other until he was on the path.
‘I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the last few days, not something I’m all that familiar with as it happens and I’m not proud of that either. But you have to do something when you can’t bloody sleep and, funnily enough, having nearly kept my appointment with the Grim Reaper, there’s been one or two things going around my head…’
‘Oh, Fraser…’
‘And one of the things that’s been going around my head is this place, not surprisingly.’ He stopped and turned his face towards the sun. ‘Ah, that’s a slice of heaven, isn’t it?’
Without waiting for a reply he took another step forward. ‘Which is why I’ve also been thinking about you… and Ned… and why I really don’t want to see you go, Flora.’
She stared at him, mouth open.
‘Youwereleaving, weren’t you? Anyone who creeps through the house like you did just now is after a quiet getaway.’
If anything, her mouth dropped open even more.
‘Aren’t you going to ask me how I knew?’
‘No,’ she said weakly. It was pointless to try and deny that she’d been about to leave. ‘Because if you know, that must mean you know other… things… as well. Fraser, I’m so sorry, I—’
‘Have no need to apologise, lass, I’m not cross with you. Neither am I psychopathic…’ He frowned.
