Lavender Lane (Larch Tree Lane #4)

Chapter Twelve

Just before midnight, a vehicle purred into the car park behind Lavender Lane, its engine just about noiseless. Its windows were almost as dark as the black bodywork and it didn’t have lights on.

A burly man slipped out of the front passenger seat and went to stand in the shadows near the rear entrance to the big house, looking more than ready to deal with any problems that dared to confront them.

The only thing that happened was that Sean came quietly out of the house, nodded to Max and offered his arm to help the wounded man to limp inside and sit down. Max followed closely, and another man followed them from the car, carrying two large bundles.

‘Peter here is a paramedic,’ explained Max in a low voice once they were all safely inside.

‘I’m happy to tell you that the patient has stood the journey remarkably well, considering,’ added Peter.

Sean saw the annoyance on the injured man’s face and the way he mouthed the word ‘patient’. ‘We’ve decided to call the people who come here “guests”,’ he said quietly.

The injured man nodded. ‘Sounds a lot nicer than “patient” to me.’

The paramedic shrugged and set the bundles down, putting one on the floor and the other on a side table. He tapped this bundle. ‘Medical supplies for changing the last of the dressings, as well as painkillers if needed. Our friend can be trusted to say what he needs with the latter because he’s more likely to take too little than too many. Watch out for that.’

‘I will.’ He winked at the guest, who blew him a mocking kiss in return. They grinned at one another, already on the same wavelength.

‘The other bundle contains miscellaneous clean clothes. His own things will be forwarded in a day or two, once we’re sure he’s likely to be safe staying here.’

‘Sorry to be such a nuisance,’ the guest said in a husky voice, leaning his head against the chair back in a way that betrayed a deep physical weariness he was attempting to conceal. However, he still had an alert look in his eyes as he studied his new surroundings.

‘We’re happy to help you in any way we can,’ Sean said. ‘Just so that you know who’s here in the house and therefore safe to interact with, this is Nina, who owns the property, and there’s another woman who’ll be helping out with miscellaneous tasks around the place – Ilsa Platt – but she’s in bed at the moment. She was seriously short of sleep so she helped get your room ready then went to catch up on her own needs. She’ll be available to start helping us in any way needed from tomorrow morning onwards, I should think.’

‘Our friend here should go straight to bed as well,’ the paramedic said. ‘And he ought to stay fairly inactive for a day or two, building up what he does in free movement gradually.’

The newcomer’s expression said what he thought of that, and it wasn’t positive.

‘But he probably won’t!’ the paramedic added.

‘So the doctor won’t be coming to check him tonight?’ Sean asked.

‘No. I think it’s sleep that will do most to help your guest now, normal sleep and the time needed for his wounds to heal fully and his muscles to build up again. But don’t hesitate to call the doctor if you need him, Mr Reynolds.’

‘All right.’ Sean turned back to their guest. ‘We’ve made up a bed for you in the library here for the first night or two, , then after that you can move into your cottage. Also, it won’t attract the neighbours’ attention if anyone checks up on you at intervals during the night to start off with.’

‘I’d be perfectly all right on my own tonight,’ the man said in a tone of voice that was more like a low growl. ‘And it’d be a lot quieter if people don’t keep checking up on me so that I could maybe get some solid sleep for a change.’

‘We’d rather make sure you’re all right before we do anything else,’ Nina said. ‘Now, would you like a mug of cocoa before you go to sleep? We’re about to have one.’

He’d clearly been about to protest again but his face brightened at this offer. ‘You know what? I’d absolutely love some cocoa. That’s the first thing I’ve really fancied in days and the doctor told me I should keep up my fluid intake. Goodness, I haven’t had cocoa for years. It was one of my childhood favourites. Are you sure it’s not too much trouble?’

‘I’m happy to make a mug of it for you, now and at any other time. I’m a bit of a cocoa addict myself so I’ll be joining in. Anyone else want one?’

Sean nodded but Max shook his head, moved towards the door and made it clear that he and Peter had a long return journey ahead and they would need to get on their way.

After a very brief farewell, Nina went across to the kitchen while Sean took the newcomer into the library.

When she took their guest a mug of hot chocolate, she said, ‘I’ve put a spoonful of sugar in it, but if you prefer more I can get you some.’

She watched him sniff it, smile then cradle it in his hands. She guessed he was enjoying the comforting warmth as well as the drink itself so decided to make him a hot water bottle, which would probably also feel comforting. The kettle had recently boiled, so she went to fill one immediately to put into the sleeping bag on the couch being used as his temporary bed.

She came back with it in time to see him finish drinking the cocoa in a big, happy gulp. She wasn’t surprised that he didn’t accept an offer of help to move across to the sofa. As he slid down under the covers, she held out the hot water bottle to him. ‘This might feel good too.’

He took it from her. ‘Are you a mind reader? Thank you so much. Like the cocoa, it reminds me of my childhood.’

She didn’t comment when he added in a very low voice, ‘And of happier days physically.’

She pointed to a small handbell on the low table beside the bed. ‘If you need something, anything at all, don’t hesitate to ring that. It’ll be our pleasure to help you in any way we can. Sean and I will only be in the next room. We’ll be sleeping there tonight to be within call. Luckily there are a couple of recliner chairs so we’ll be perfectly comfortable.’

‘Thank you. You’re so kind. I doubt I’ll be disturbing you, though.’ He gave her a wry smile. ‘I will admit to being rather tired.’

‘Have you decided on a new name yet? It feels strange calling you .’

A roll of the eyes said what he thought of that choice. ‘No, not yet. It isn’t every day you get to choose a name and I never did like the one my parents gave me. Even they always shortened it.’ He gave her a wry smile. ‘I’m taking my time with the new one because I want it to last. I’ll let you know what to call me tomorrow. I think I need to go online in the morning and look up names, if you have a computer handy. I want to find a common name that won’t stand out like a sore thumb as different and yet one that I like the thought of living with.’

‘I’m sure I saw a book of baby names in here when I was looking for something to read yesterday. Just a minute.’ She walked across and found it on the second shelf she searched. ‘There. You can look through it tomorrow morning.’

‘Thank you. You seem to fulfil my needs before I even realise I’ve got them.’

She smiled. ‘Well, then, here’s my next prediction. I think what you need most at the moment is sleep.’

‘Yes. But I hope there’s no reason for you to keep waking me up every hour here as they did in the hospital?’

‘No reason at all. But we’ll maybe peep in at you once or twice from the doorway to check that you’re still breathing softly and sweetly.’

He grinned then closed his eyes and his breathing began to slow down almost immediately, so she’d clearly guessed correctly what he needed most.

She lingered by the door to watch him sigh into sleep. He was obviously on painkillers still, which was probably what was slowing him down, but even so his personality shone through. He was incisive in the way he spoke and yet charming with it.

Why wasn’t she attracted to him, then, the way she had been immediately to Sean? How strange human beings were about such things!

She’d better catch Ilsa first thing tomorrow and tell her what their other guest was like and might need. In the meantime, she was feeling rather sleepy again herself.

That made two new people staying here now, she thought as she blew a kiss to Sean, who was lying on the next chair, then snuggled down. Her friend Laura would probably have said her own convenient arrival was ‘meant to be’ to facilitate this reopening of the facility but Nina didn’t believe that Fate with a capital F, as it sounded when spoken of by some people, had that sort of power over what happened to individuals.

She hadn’t planned to live like this but the idea of helping people who’d been hurt serving their country pleased her and she already loved this old house.

In other words, she was choosing to take this path in life, not letting Fate impose it on her.

‘You did well to think of offering him hot chocolate,’ Sean told her as they snuggled down. ‘I enjoyed it too.’

‘Yes. He’s settled into sleep already but I’m glad we’ll be sleeping next door so that we’ll be easily available if he needs help with anything.’

‘And to keep him safe, if necessary. Don’t forget there is an element of danger about this sort of encounter.’

‘Well, to set your mind at rest, I’m not a helpless wimp. I’ve taken self-defence classes.’

‘And have you had to use the tactics you learnt?’

‘No. But I haven’t forgotten what to do.’

‘Well, we’re probably not going to be in a lot of danger here because they’ve been extremely careful how they brought him to us. And it’s my bet that he’ll sleep right through the night.’

Indeed, their guest slept so soundly that when first Nina and then later Sean crept in to check that he was OK, the covers were so neat there was no sign that he’d even stirred.

The two of them didn’t sleep nearly as well and even chatted from time to time.

At one point, Sean said, ‘I’m not surprised he’s sleeping so soundly. My memories of my one and only stay in hospital include the sheer frustration of being woken up every hour or so for them to check my pulse or something else I didn’t care about because all I wanted to do was sleep. He’ll relish the peace of this place, I’m sure.’

She wriggled into a more comfortable position. ‘So do I. Now, let’s try to get some sleep. I’ve left a note on the kitchen surface, in case Ilsa wakes up before we do and comes across from the servants’ quarters to make a cup of tea.’

She yawned and tried to stay alert and plan carefully because there was going to be so much to do. ‘We’ll set Ilsa to work on the cottages tomorrow and then—’

‘You can sort all that out tomorrow. Go to sleep now while you can, woman.’

She closed her eyes. They’d have to have another very serious talk tomorrow because they both needed to be on the same page about the situation and their role here, but he was right to stop her talking to him. They both needed to get some sleep so that they’d cope with whatever they encountered the following day.

She yawned and snuggled down more comfortably.