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‘I don’t know.’
‘Well, have a think whilst I go and get the peas and a glass of water. Anything else?’
‘My phone. It’s in my coat pocket.’
He nodded and left.
Estelle pulled herself upright and undid her trousers, tugging them down to her knees, then sat again. Taking them off her good ankle, she was suddenly aware of how painful it was going to be getting them over her swollen one. But there was no way she was going to cut them.
There was a knock at the door.
Sod it. ‘Come in.’
James entered, placing the peas on the corner of the bath, and passing her the glass of water. He made no comment on the fact she was half undressed in front of him.
‘Which cabinet has the paracetamol?’
She pointed.
Her passed her the packet, then took her phone from his back pocket and put it on the floor by the bath.
‘What do you want to change into when you’re done?’
‘I’ve got a towelling dressing gown hanging up behind my bedroom door.’
‘Do you want to get it, or can I?’
She glanced down at the jodhpurs hanging off one leg and sighed. ‘You do it. Room on the left.’
Estelle swallowed the painkillers and drained the glass. She desperately needed the loo and was still dithering about how to get her trousers off without James’s help.
Coming back, he put the robe next to the towels. ‘Can I do anything else to help?’
She gazed at him. There wasn’t a whisper of snark to be seen on his face.
‘Please, can you help get the jodhpurs off my foot?’
He nodded, then crouched down, running a finger along the inside of the fabric, testing to see how much give there was in the material.
‘I’m sorry I’m being such a wuss,’ she said grumpily.
‘You’re not. You’ve hurt yourself and you’re naturally worried about the potential of making it worse. Can you point your foot at all?’
She tried, and it sent a screaming shock of pain up her leg.
James frowned. ‘Okay, don’t do that.’
‘It’s fine. Just get them off.’
‘Have you got any scissors?’
‘No!’
‘A sewing kit?’
‘You going to fix them after you’ve cut them off?’
He smiled. ‘I’m the best at most things, but I’ve never tried to sew. I was thinking I could unpick the stitching, then someone else could put them back together.’
