Lavender Lane (Larch Tree Lane #4)

Chapter Thirteen

The sound of Ilsa coming into the kitchen the following morning made Nina jerk awake so she didn’t let herself go back to sleep as she would have liked but got up and went next door to explain about their new guest. It was a good thing she had done because Ilsa hadn’t even noticed the scruffy piece of paper with the message scribbled on it in pencil, which was lying right next to the sink now. It must have been blown along the surface when the door opened and shut.

Ilsa listened and nodded, then got out some teabags. ‘Want a cup?’

Nina hesitated. She still felt so sleepy. Sean had joined them and was standing in the doorway looking bone weary.

Ilsa made a little tutting sound. ‘Why don’t you two get a few more hours of proper sleep? I did a first aid course in the army so you can trust this guy to my care for a while.’

Sean yawned hugely. ‘You sure?’

‘Of course I am.’ She gave him a mock salute.

He returned it with a smile. ‘Then I accept. It was a very disturbed night and I would welcome some more rest.’ He tugged Nina towards the stairs. ‘You need it too. Come on. Carpe diem . Or carpe Ilsa’s offer, at least.’

She hesitated then started moving, tossing over her shoulder, ‘We won’t get undressed so don’t hesitate to come and wake us up again if there are any problems. We’ll be in the two bedrooms to the right at the top of the stairs.’

She reached for Sean’s hand, feeling a little shy about taking the initiative with that but wanting to touch him. He smiled sideways at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Ilsa had followed them to the doorway and noticed this interaction. She was keeping an eye on her new acquaintances, as she always did with new people, getting to know their ways so that she could fit in. As she watched them go upstairs, she smiled. Newly in love, she’d guess. She did a lot of people watching because knowing who was around and what they were doing helped keep you safe.

As the two disappeared from sight at the top of the stairs, she went back to check on the injured man and stood in the doorway of the library trying not to make a noise as she watched in case he was asleep. But he wasn’t, though he didn’t seem fully awake either.

He was moving about in the bed as if trying to sit up and she heard him curse under his breath when he had difficulty doing that. It was probably painful even trying from the angle at which he was lying. He looked to have wriggled too far down in the narrow sofa and the blanket was twisted across and then under him, so she went over to help pull it away.

He jumped in surprise when he first caught sight of her, looking so wary that she stood still and let him study her, then said quietly, ‘Nina and Sean are both catching up on their sleep and I’m keeping an eye on you for them. My name’s Ilsa. Let me help you to sit up properly.’

‘Thanks. I thought I could manage it on my own, but I was tangled up in that stupid cover and didn’t want to knock my few remaining stitches.’

‘Very sensible.’

‘I’m not stupid about my injuries, but I usually heal quickly and I’m trying to get back to moving around normally now.’

‘They’re just being careful with you at first, which is reasonable, don’t you think? Humour them a little and move about slowly and carefully at first, then they’ll worry less.’

‘Yeah. I suppose so.’

She helped him ease up into a sitting position, sorted out the cover then put a pillow behind him for support.

He leant against it, looking more comfortable already. ‘Ah, that’s better. Thank you.’ Then he sat forward again and added, ‘Or it will be when I get back. Look, I desperately need to use the facilities.’

‘There’s a small cloakroom down here.’

And there was a tiny shower room in her new quarters, thank goodness, but she’d rather not share that with him or anyone else. It was so lovely to have a place of her own again.

‘Where exactly?’

‘Through that door. But I don’t think you should risk walking around alone till you’re moving more easily and know the premises.’

He glared at her. ‘I’m damned well going on my own. I’m not a helpless invalid any longer.’

Goodness, he was touchy. She didn’t let herself respond to his sharp tone but said quietly, ‘I’m only trying to help.’

‘Well, I’ll ask for help if I need it.’

‘Very well. Point noted. But you still look rather wobbly to me.’

‘I won’t be if I take it slowly. I need to practise walking around normally again to get rid of the instability.’

She wasn’t giving in. ‘And until you can walk steadily, I’ll continue to stay nearby and keep an eye on you, whether you like it or not.’

There was silence then he studied her, head on one side. ‘What’s your name again? I’m afraid I can’t remember it.’

‘Ilsa.’

‘Oh, yes!’

‘I’m new here too.’

‘What’s your job?’

‘I only arrived here yesterday, so it’s a bit vague what I’ll be doing. Anything they need me to do, as far as I’m concerned, they’ve been so kind. And what they need from me at the moment is to keep an eye on you while they catch up on some much-needed sleep. Your arrival here gave them a very disturbed night.’

‘I shan’t need that sort of help for long. What will you be doing here then?’

She shrugged. ‘Who knows? The bottom line is I’m going to live in the old servants’ quarters and act as a caretaker-cum-general factotum helping them modernise the house and the cottages.’

‘Well, that sounds better than the job the people who’ve been looking after me recently were talking about giving me when I get better. I told them straight I wouldn’t put up with being kept in a stuffy old office staring at computers all day. No way.’

The poor man seemed to be fizzing with annoyance at the whole world. It was understandable if he was usually an active sort. She watched carefully, however, as he took a step forward, let go of the chair back and nodded as if he was pleased with how that felt.

He gave her a triumphant look. ‘There you are, Ilsa. I feel less dizzy now, so I’m going to start moving across to the cloakroom on my own .’

He did that, walking slowly and trying to hide it when he wavered a little with what she guessed were moments of dizziness if he turned his head too abruptly. She managed not to rush to help him when he had to grab the edge of a small table to steady himself before taking another slow step or two.

He scowled at her after that incident as if daring her to comment but all she said was, ‘Just continue to take it slowly, eh?’

As she finished speaking, he set off again, but moved too suddenly and wobbled more than before. She was so close she automatically put an arm round his shoulders to steady him. He stiffened and tried to pull away from her but she didn’t let him. She was nearly as tall as he was so they were just about eye to eye, staring at one another.

‘Thanks, Ilsa. But as I said, I’d very much prefer to manage on my own.’

‘Don’t be so prickly! We all need help at times.’ She saw him breathe deeply to control his annoyance and wondered what to do for the best. She didn’t want him falling, whatever it took to make him be sensible about this.

She felt him relax a little relax and they smiled at one another. ‘I do appreciate your attempts to assist me but I’ve had more help forced on me than I’ve wanted in the past week or two, so I’d be truly grateful if you’d just leave me to get across the hall under my own steam. It should all be smooth going and—’ He stared ahead, muttered something that sounded like a curse and said, ‘Oh, damn! I might need a bit of help here, after all. That rug I have to walk across is badly wrinkled and one corner’s caught against the leg of that little hall table. I’m not stupid enough to risk tripping on it, so if you could straighten it and then walk next to me, I’ll put my hand on your shoulder as we cross.’

She didn’t comment on him admitting he needed her help but went ahead to straighten the rug then came back and walked slowly across the hall beside him, feeling the warmth of his hand on her shoulder. It seemed to be enough to keep him steady, thank goodness.

It felt nice having him touch her. She didn’t often get so close to other human beings.

After they stopped at the door of the tiny cloakroom, she moved away from him to open it.

‘You’re not coming in with me,’ he said sharply.

‘Of course not. You’re a big boy now and anyway there isn’t room for two of us inside, so I doubt there would be room enough for you to fall if you tried. But I am going to wait here for you just in case anything goes wrong, and then when you’ve finished I’ll escort you back. Please don’t lock the door. I promise faithfully not to come in unless you shout for help.’

‘Isn’t going to happen.’

‘However, just in case—’

‘Oh, all right. I won’t lock it.’ He moved slowly into the cloakroom and closed the door, trailing a muttered, ‘Thanks!’

Wow, he was so touchy! She smiled. She could see his point of view and sympathise, still remembered how she’d hated having to be helped when she’d broken her leg. Besides, no normal person liked to be dependent on others for actions like using the toilet facilities.

And to make matters worse, he appeared to be in pain whenever he moved, even though he tried hard to hide that. Constant pain was enough to make anyone grumpy.

It was a few minutes before he opened the cloakroom door, but she could hear occasional faint sounds of movement, a toilet flushing and water running. And there were no sudden clatters or thumps of a body falling, thank goodness.

She passed the time by studying the hall and stairs. This was such a lovely period house. Imagine growing up in a place like this . It’d sure beat the orphanages and foster homes that she’d been shifted in and out of, not through any misbehaviour of her own, just a creaking, overloaded system making adjustments as best it could to house more and more children.

She spun round as she heard the cloakroom door open, studying his face, but he looked fine, thank goodness, and much more relaxed. ‘Did you enjoy your peace and quiet?’

‘Very much, thank you.’ His voice sounded a lot calmer. ‘I’m grateful to you for letting me take my time.’

‘You’re welcome. We all like a little privacy at such moments.’ She could feel the tension between them ease a bit but when they got back to the library she could see that even this brief period of activity had tired him physically. He did look happier, though, and to her relief he seemed less dizzy now and mostly managed to move around steadily and he even sat down without her help.

He made no attempt to lie down again, however, and since she was hungry and thirsty herself, she wondered when he’d last had anything to eat or drink. ‘Want some breakfast?’

‘Not yet, thanks for the offer, but I’m rather thirsty so I could do with a drink of water if you don’t mind.’

She fetched him one and said firmly, ‘I’m going to stand next to you as you drink and take it from you when you’ve had enough, so don’t tell me to move away. You don’t want to spill what’s left all over your covers, do you?’

‘No, I don’t. Fair enough. If there’s anything left.’

He finished it all and grinned triumphantly as he held the empty glass out to her. ‘That’s better!’ He gave her a calculating look as she took it from him and she guessed correctly what he was going to ask.

‘A cup of tea or coffee would be wonderful now, if you don’t mind making me one. Milk, no sugar. I’m not hungry yet, though. In another half hour I may be. That’s my usual pattern for breakfast, anyway, coffee then eating something a little later.’

‘Fine. I’ll remember. Please don’t try to get up and move around while I’m making the coffee, though.’

‘As I said before, I’m not stupid. I’ll even admit to being physically tired now but I’ve started the next phase of my rehabilitation, walking on my own, so I feel good about that.’

She went into the kitchen, smiling at his stubbornness, and when she peeped into the other room while waiting for the kettle to boil, he was flicking through the book of baby names she’d placed on the side table. She saw him stop suddenly, mouth ‘Aha!’ then put the book down again. He must have found a name he liked. She turned back to attend to the kettle, wondering that was.

When she went back with a mug of instant coffee, he was staring into space, looking so alone and sad she asked gently as she gave him his mug, ‘Want some company for a while? I’ve got a coffee waiting for me in the kitchen and there’s no one else up yet. It seems silly for each of us to sit alone in adjoining rooms as if we can’t stand the sight of one another. I could bring my coffee in here. Only if you want some company, though. And I promise faithfully not to talk your head off.’

‘It’d be good to have some company and I’ll even promise not to snap at you.’ He gave her a rueful look.

She supposed it was as near to an apology as she’d get from him, so nodded and left the room.

When she went back, she took a packet of biscuits and two small plates on a scruffy little tray, together with her own coffee. ‘Elegant service, my speciality!’ she said as she used one knee to push the low table closer to him. She put the tray down on it, then flourished a bow. ‘Milord is served.’

That made him smile, which she felt was a minor triumph.

He waited till she was sitting down to speak again. ‘I’ve had too much thinking time and only myself to think about lately. How about you give me something else to focus on and tell me what brought you here to Lavender Lane and what you were doing before? You’re clearly not needing to convalesce. I’m not just being nosy for no reason. I prefer to get to know the people I’m living and working with.’

‘All right, but I’ve not been doing anything specially interesting. I was working in a shop, a ladies’ dress shop, because that was the only job I could get round here, not because I’m fascinated by clothes, as you can probably tell at a glance.’ She grimaced at the memory, then glanced at him, not sure whether to continue.

‘Go on.’

‘Before that I was in the army but when my time was up, I came out for a while. I felt I needed to try civilian life for the first time as an adult. I don’t have any family, you see, so I felt very . . . isolated.’

‘You would have done. What happened to your family?’

‘I have no idea. I got shouted at for trying to find out when I was in foster care and told that things get lost and I should be glad to be alive with enough to eat and drink.’

‘That was a rather unkind way to treat a child.’

‘Yes. And sadly I found civilian life pretty lonely and decided after a few weeks that I preferred to re-enlist.’

He stared at her. ‘If you really were in the army, why aren’t you still in it, then? They usually find other jobs for people who get injured.’

‘Sod’s law. I’d booked a short winter holiday because I’d always fancied having a go at skiing, so I went on that before I signed up again. I was involved in a skiing accident the very first day, caused by a careless fool who’d drunk too much.’

She drew in a breath, feeling the anguish all over again. ‘I couldn’t re-join after I’d recovered because I’d broken my left leg quite badly and could no longer pass the medical.’ She stared down at the offending limb. ‘It’s now slightly weaker than the other, you see, and always will be.’

‘You don’t limp. I can imagine you in uniform. You look very upright and capable.’

She studied him, head on one side, grinning. ‘Thanks. Well, I think that’s a compliment but I’m not sure I dare believe you could offer one on purpose. I had you pegged as Mr Grumpy. Maybe the compliment slipped out by mistake.’

He gave her a genuine smile in return this time and clasped one hand to his chest. ‘No, no! I said it on purpose.’

‘I’ll accept it with thanks, then.’ She sketched a mock bow in return.

It seemed to dawn on him then that she’d been teasing all along and he relaxed visibly. ‘OK. You got me going there. I owe you one.’

When he’d finished his coffee, he let her take his mug and then slid down in bed again. ‘Thanks, Ilsa. For the company and for putting up with my grumpiness, as well as making me refreshments. The biscuits were enough food for the time being. I need to lie down, but I’m not quite ready for sleep yet, so please don’t go because I’m enjoying your company. Unless there’s something you have to do, of course, or you can’t stand the sight of me any longer.’

‘I’m fine to stay till the others get up if you want me to, because they asked me to keep an eye on you. Incidentally, you haven’t told me your new name. Have you chosen one yet?’

‘I think I have so you can be the first to know it. But only if you’ll give me your honest opinion.’

‘It must feel strange to have to choose one.’

‘Yes. I’m going to be Ned. I always did like that name.’

‘Short for Edward?’

‘No. Just plain Ned. And how about Langley for a surname?’

‘I like Ned very much and that surname sounds OK with it, but people will think it strange if it’s not short for Edward.’

He frowned. ‘Hmm. You’re probably right. I don’t want anything about it to seem strange or unusual, so short for Edward it’ll have to be, then.’

‘Shall you miss your own name?’

He shook his head. ‘No. It was always too fancy for my taste. Other kids teased me mercilessly about it.’

‘Kids can be like that. Some of the ones at school mocked me for having no family.’

‘That must have hurt.’

‘I could do nothing about it so I ignored their stupidity.’ She shrugged and turned the conversation away from herself. ‘I suppose you can’t tell me anything about why you need to do all this?’

‘No, sorry. I definitely can’t. What got me injured is still top secret.’

She’d been keeping an eye on him and could tell that he was tiring rapidly now. ‘Well, I’ve enjoyed our chat but I think you should try to sleep again, Ned. You said you weren’t feeling drowsy but you’re starting to look tired again now so having another nap will probably help you get better faster in the long run.’

‘I suppose you’re right but I’m fed up of sleeping so much of my life away. Trouble is, the drowsiness sneaks up on you and grabs you, if you don’t give in to it voluntarily, so sleep wins, however hard you try to stay awake. See you later.’ He was already snuggling down.

She watched him for a few moments but he was soon fast asleep, so she went back into the kitchen and started to think about food. She was famished now. Scrambled eggs on toast, she decided. Quick and easy to make for one person, but nice and filling.

She started to get things out of the fridge and cupboards, keeping an ear open for movements in the next room.

She hadn’t been expecting to help wounded people again. She had no formal medical qualifications, had just done a short army course because she didn’t mind practical courses, only had trouble confronting pages of long words. Dyslexic, they called it. Mostly she managed to hide her problem.

After that she’d been a general assistant on the wards, organising the equipment needed and dealing with all the paperwork and other non-medical details. She’d found the work interesting and rewarding, though the patients she’d dealt with hadn’t usually been as attractive as this guy.

She stared across at him. He wasn’t good looking in what she thought of as a pretty-boy way, which had never attracted her, but something about him was definitely appealing. For a start, he had a lovely smile when he wasn’t scowling. He was pale and tired at the moment, though, poor thing, and she wondered how long he’d been in hospital. Longer than average, she’d guess. He must have been badly injured.

She made a soft tutting noise, annoyed at herself. It was no business of hers whether he was good looking or not. She was working here as a caretaker, and was determined to hold on to the job. And he was here only temporarily, presumably till he’d recovered enough to get about more easily.

It must have been a very serious incident, though, and not just physically. Fancy having to change your name and not say a word about how it had all happened. She wondered if that’d have meant him leaving close family behind – a wife or children even? She hoped not. That’d hurt more than any physical injury, even if it had to be done to save their lives.

At some future stage the authorities would probably whisk him away from here as suddenly as he’d arrived, which was another very good reason for keeping her distance from him, attractive or not. And since she had to establish a new way of making a living for herself, she should avoid showing any interest in a guy till she was more settled in a new life.

She had no clear idea yet what the exact details of her job would be here at Lavender Lane but she could put up with being bored or whatever was necessary, as she had in the dress shop.

She hoped this job would last for a year or two at least because she hated to feel insecure financially and was very keen to save some money. That would be so much easier to do when accommodation was provided as it was here. Besides, she liked the people she was now working for, and they treated her like an equal. That made a big difference.

Just as she was about to light the gas and start cooking, she heard someone running down the stairs and Nina came into the kitchen, smiling at her.

‘Feeling better now?’

‘Yes, thanks to you taking over, Ilsa, and letting me rest. That was much appreciated. How is he?’

‘A bit better, I think. He woke up for a while and has just gone back to sleep. Can I get you something to eat?’

‘Yes, please. I’m ravenous. I’ll have whatever you’re having.’

She stayed to eat with Ilsa and they had another of those pleasant little chats. She was already hoping this job would last for a while.