‘My dear man’ Harriet insists in a voice not to be argued with ‘You may regard a broken nose as a trifling inconvenience but there is also the question of concussion to be taken into account’
‘They’re not exactly going to be able to check my pupils are they?’ Daniel turns rapidly closing eyes on her.
‘Will ye keep still’ Jeannie grumbles as she tries to staunch the blood still running from his nostrils without causing him further pain ‘It’s nae stopping’ she says, glancing over Daniel’s head to Harriet ‘I’d be better pleased if ye went tae the hospital tae see aboot it’ she gently presses a clean pad of cloth under his nose.
‘Then there’ll be a load of questions I’d rather not answer’ he says, holding the pad for himself ‘It’s nothing a couple of paracetamol and a stiff drink won’t sort’
‘Poppycock!’ Harriet moves forward to confront him while Jeannie goes to the sink to wash her hands. ‘That injury needs attention and attention it shall have. You are going to hospital and that is an end to it. You are not obliged to answer their questions but if you were, it would serve that young man right if you brought charges against him’
‘Nooo’ Daniel starts to shake his head but wincing with pain lifts a hand in protest instead ‘I don’t want Kes getting in bother. It was my own stupid bloody fault in the first place. I should have told him first off’
‘There is absolutely no excuse for unprovoked violence’
‘You wouldn’t call holding out on a mate provocation?’ Daniel raises his head and tries to focus on her.
‘He had word from Helen, he knew she was safe and well’ she retorts ‘Lines of communication were open’
‘Oh God, I’ve got to ring her’ Daniel pushes himself to his feet, gripping the table with one hand as he sways unsteadily ‘If he turns up in the mood he was in when he left here....’
‘You are doing nothing of the sort. Jeannie here will run you to casualty and I will telephone Helen. The number?’
‘Yes..yes...hang on a sec...On my mobile..’ he sits down again to be able to use his free hand to pull his phone from his pocket. ‘Under N’ he says and, unable to see for himself, hands it to her. He swears under his breath and groans ‘Sorry...no...That’s his mobile...I don’t HAVE his home number! That’s why he gave me his card, new flat, new number. I hadn’t got round to programming it in’
‘Then I shall simply telephone Mister Garston on the number we do have and ask him for it’ Harriet turns to Jeannie ‘Are you sure? I could just as easily call for a taxi, since Mister Painter refuses an ambulance’
‘Nobody calls an ambulance for a bloody nose’ Daniel mutters ‘And they charge you’
‘Och, will ye stop ye mithering an’ let’s get ye there’ Jeannie flicks his arm with the backs of her fingers ‘Am I to bring the man back here?’ she asks.
‘Certainly’ Harriet says, opening the back door for Jeannie to lead her charge out.
‘I’ll need to come back for my car’
‘Do you fondly imagine you will be able to drive? You will stay here until such time as I feel you are able’
‘There’s no way....’
‘No arguments, Mister Painter. A member of my family was the cause of your incapacity and it falls to me to ensure we do all we can to...’
‘NO okay?’ Daniel rejects her offer equally firmly ‘I’m better off in my own home. Thanks but no thanks. I’ll sort myself’
‘As you wish’ Harriet accepts with a small sniff of disapproval. She watches as Jeannie helps Daniel into her car and closes the door as it pulls slowly out of the courtyard.
Tawny House, Manor Road
Chapter Thirty-three
Woodbury Town Centre
‘You’ve brought me shopping?’ Jessie grumbles, turning up the collar of her coat ‘All that fuss to come shopping and it’s perishing out here. We could have been home in the warm’
‘You wait’ George smiles his secretive smile and takes hold of her arm, tucking it under his elbow as they walk through the town centre precinct. ‘You got t’shut yer eyes in a minute’
‘I am not walking through the town centre with my eyes closed, being led by some human guide dog!’
‘Go on’ he squeezes her arm closer ‘Where’s yer sense a humour? Thought that’d appeal t’yer. You’s as silly as lights any other time. P’raps it’s cos yer wi’me’ he deduces gloomily.
‘I am cold, I’ve got a lot to do at home and I’m hungry’
‘I’d get yer a bit o’lunch but I don’t reckon we got time now with all yer fannyin’ about. I’ll get yer summat arterwards. Are yer gonna shut yer eyes?’
‘No, I am not! I know you, George blooming Harris. You’ll go and fall over something and I’ll fall down with you’
‘I ain’t going t’fall down, nor let yer bump in t’summat. On’y one thing fer it then!’ George sounds masterful ‘Yer’ll a t’be blindfolded!’ He takes his scarf from around his neck ‘’old still’
‘George!’
‘I dunt care! I wants this t’be a s’prise . I thought you like s’prises?’
‘I do but not if it involves looking a fool in the middle of the street’
‘It int never bothered yer afore. You want we should go ‘ome then?’ he asks, lowering his hands with a sigh of deep disappointment ‘It were my special thing for yer’
‘Oh George, don’t look like that. Come on then, surprise me’Jessie manages a smile to intrigued passers-by before George wraps the scarf around her eyes and ties it tightly. He tucks her hand back under his arm and carries on walking.
‘Not so fast!’ Jessie’s humour takes over and she giggles, holding her free hand out in front of her. ‘Lead on Macduff! And if you can lead me into something young and fit, I’ll forgive you for making me look a fool. Ooooh this is like Blind Man’s Buff!’
George slows as they reach the department store. ‘We got some doors now’ he says with a slightly anxious tightening on her arm ‘It’s one a them things what goes round and round, so yer got t’go when I does’
Jessie giggles as they plunge forward. ‘Oooooh. Hellooo!’ she smiles despite not being able to see what her hand is touching. ‘If I wasn’t enjoying this before, I am now! Young or old? I know you’re a man, I can smell your aftershave’ she tips her head back in the hopes of there being a gap at the bottom of the scarf she can see out of.
‘Young’ish, I suppose’ the man gives a bemused snort and looks at George in bewilderment at seeing the blindfold.
‘Got a surprise for ‘er’ George taps the side of his nose with a finger.
‘You mean he isn’t it?’ she groans loudly ‘For one wonderful moment I thought you’d got me a younger model. Are you still here?’ she waves her arm from side to side in front of her.
‘I am’ he says uncertainly as the tips of her fingers brush the back of his coat.
‘Be’ave yerself, woman! Gawd, yer can’t take ‘er anywhere. We got t’step lively now cos it’s come round t’the gap. You ready?’
‘What I could really do with is someone else holding my other arm’ she smiles hopefully in the general direction of where she believes the man to be.
‘Allow me, ma’am’ Grinning broadly, another man steps level with them and takes her hand.
‘Ohhhhhhh George, I’ve got myself a G.I. and he smells lovely!’
‘’scuse the wife’ he says, rolling his eyes.
‘Don’t you dare, George Harris, if the surprise turns out to be rubbish, this has made it all worthwhile. Hellooooo’ she smiles upwards ‘I am fluttering my eyelashes but you can’t see them’
‘Je-ess-ie’ George hisses.
‘No problem, sir’ the man laughs as all three empty from the revolving door. He clasps Jessie’s hand between both of his ‘Been nice meeting you. Y’all have a good day now’
‘Ohhhh, I have already’ she says breathily.
‘Come on, woman, afore you shows us up any more!’ George grunts and nods his thanks before purposely heading in a different direction.
12 Cannons Court, Cambridge
‘YOU IN THERE GARSTON?’
Helen startles in surprise and backs into the far corner of the kitchen as Kester hammers on the door with his fist.
‘GARSTON! OPEN THIS FUCKING DOOR BEFORE I KICK IT IN!’
She covers her mouth with her hands and fearfully edges into the living area.
‘HELEN? IF YOU’RE IN THERE, I WANT YOU OUT NOW! THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE, GARSTON’ Kester threatens, hammering again ‘OPEN THIS DOOR!’
Helen stands behind the door ‘He’s not here’ she says, her voice trembling.
‘Let me in NOW!’
‘He’s not here, Kester. Please....go away’
‘I’ve only got your word for that. OPEN THIS DOOR!’
‘Please....the neighbours......please’
‘I'm warning you, I'll kick it in!’
Helen reaches for the lock ‘How did you....’
Kester barges in as the door opens a crack. ‘Where is he? COME OUT AND FACE ME, YOU BASTARD!’ he storms through the living area and bursts through the first door he comes to. Taking a quick look from side to side and finding it empty, he turns ready to move on to another room.
‘He’s not here’ Helen repeats, tears of fright streaming down her cheeks as she walks backwards along the small corridor with her hands held out and her fingertips brushing the walls at either side until they feel the edge of an architrave and come to a temporary halt. ‘Will you please stop and listen to me? He’s not here’
‘No?’ Kester sees her stance as an attempt to block his way and pushes through the barrier of her arm to fling open the door she seems to be protecting ‘But he has been!’ he growls , seeing the rumpled bed and Noel’s discarded clothing spilling from a linen basket ‘So this is where you spend your cosy nights, is it? I’m sorry. Perhaps I should have telephoned ahead and given you time to tidy’
Helen pulls back her shoulders and although shaking from head to foot, faces him angrily ‘If that is what you truly believe, you can go now. Go on. Get out before I call the police!’
‘You’re coming home with me!’
‘I don’t think so, Kester’ she says in a surprisingly steady voice ‘If you are so determined to think the worst of me ...and Noel, come to that, then I don’t think I want to come home, now or ever’ She turns her back to him and strides to the door ‘I would like you to leave’ she says, holding it open.
‘Helen’ his initial burst of anger spent, Kester walks towards her ‘Come home’ he implores ‘Please’
Helen closes her eyes to the pleading in his voice ‘I’m sorry. You really have gone too far. I’ve done nothing to deserve this and nor has Noel’ her eyes open and she looks at him directly ‘He’s a friend who let me use his apartment, that is all. I needed somewhere’
Kester lays his hand against the door and pushes it to ‘You could have come home. You know...when you’d calmed down a bit....you could have come home’
‘And I would have too. I told you that in my mail. Just as soon as I had had time to think a few things through but you couldn’t even allow me that much could you?’
‘I didn’t know you were here, then’ he sounds bitter and still angry.
‘With Noel, you mean?’ She draws a deep breath.
‘Yes, exactly, with Noel’
‘I will say this before you go and you will leave, Kester, because no matter what I say or do now is going to make any difference to what you believe but I want you to have something to think about’ her hand tightens around the door handle to steady herself 'This may be Noel’s apartment and yes, he did spend the night here last night but he slept in the room you saw fit to barge your way into and I slept in the room at the end of the corridor...on my own. I say we slept but it was hardly worth going to bed at all after sitting up half the night talking’
‘Yeah, right, talking....’
Helen stems his interruption with a scowl ‘Noel has proved himself a true friend and if you didn’t but know it, was trying to be a friend to you too’ her voice gains depth and determination ‘You may think his actions were underhand and his motives questionable but he saw, even if you didn’t, that I needed some breathing space, that I was angry, too angry to be reasonable without this time out. He’d seen how my absence affected too you and really wanted me to find that middle ground, a way to talk to you about things that matter without you getting defensive and making me feel guilty for not accepting my lot and getting on with it. It’s too late for that now’ her mouth twists slightly as she struggles to get the words said ‘You’ve shown just how little you trust me and I don’t think there’s any going back from that’
‘Helen, we can work this out’ Kester touches a tentative hand to her shoulder, his index finger lifting to run gently down her neck. ‘I’m sure we can. It’s not about trust, believe me. I’m sorry. I’ll apologise to him as well if that helps’
‘And I’m sorry too, very sorry’ Helen takes a step back from his hand and opens the door once more ‘Goodbye’
