Page 17 of Watch For Me By Candlelight

‘How long has it been now?’ she asked. ‘Remind me. It seems like an absolute age.’ It did as well but not for the same reason as he probably thought she meant. ‘And when will I go — back? Back home properly as you say?’

‘Back to London?’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t know. And we know you did that almost two months ago.’ That meant, Kate quickly calculated, that it must be springtime now. He nodded at her foot. ‘It’s hard to believe you’ve been stuck in that chair for so long. But maybe spiral breaks take longer to heal. You twisted yourself up good and proper on that ice.’ He shuddered. ‘I hated them resetting your leg. I wasn’t allowed in there with you, of course, but I sat in the garden until they told me it was done. I could hear the screams from out there. But I never left, not for one minute.’ He smiled and it seemed to Kate that the sun shone a little brighter; her stomach did a sort of gloopy thing and she blushed. ‘But I’m pleased they had chloroform for you,’ he continued. ‘They reckoned it would have taken the edge off, even if it hadn’t put you to sleep.’

This time it was Kate who shuddered. Thank God she hadn’t experienced that part of Cat’s story. She knew a bit about Victorian surgery and bone-setting. They had an ‘interesting’ display of medical equipment in the museum. Her heart lurched. A compound fracture would have meant, more than likely, that they would have chopped her leg off and Cat was, to be honest, quite lucky she hadn’t died during the administration of the anaesthetic either. Five minutes of breathing in that stuff on a rag before it took effect — she could only imagine how she’d cried and fretted and begged that they let Will in, because he had to stay right there beside her, even if it took all night to put her to sleep. Or was she imagining that? Had it actually happened that way? It was hard to know.

‘I can’t say I remember any of it,’ she said.

‘Just as well.’ Will reached up and tucked a strand of her unruly hair behind her ear, his breath soft on her skin as he leaned forward, ‘but it’s a fine April evening and we need to enjoy the weather while we can, not dwell on such things as broken legs.’ He stood up, releasing her other hand and moved around to the back of the chair. ‘Come along, my lady. I can’t send you back hungry or thirsty, so I’ll see what I can do. I’ve got some new bread and some fresh milk — oh, and cheese from the dairy as well, so we can have a feast . . .’

Kate let his words wash over her as they bumped along the track behind the cottages. She realised the little stone wall had disappeared and the gardens just opened out onto the fields. So technically, then, she hadn’t been in her garden here, had she? She’d been in the middle of a field in a Bath chair, wearing a long dress with only one functioning leg.

If this was another crazy wine-induced dream, it felt very real. But good grief, she hated having no mobility.

They went into his cottage at the end of the terrace. Well, to be fair, he parked the Bath chair out the back door and lifted Kate out of it.

He carried her into the cottage and deposited her on the comfortable seat which she remembered from her last visit. The footstool wasn’t far away and he brought it across. He lifted her leg up tenderly and put her foot on it.

‘Blanket?’ he asked, his mouth twitching at some private amusement. Kate understood this was obviously some routine that had developed between “them” and she wondered whether her answer today would buck the trend or not.

She shivered a little, noticing the fire wasn’t very high and Will laughed, seeing her. ‘It’s not so warm in this old stone house, is it? I should park you up by the furnace. I know too well what you’re like. Hector,’ he commanded the big lollopy dog who had appeared beside them out of nowhere. ‘Your duty, please.’ Hector huffed a bark out and trotted over to what Kate now saw was a trunk under the window. The crochet blanket was folded neatly on top of it and Hector clamped his jaws around a slightly chewed corner and dragged it over to her. He dropped it on her lap and smiled his doggy smile at her, his tongue hanging out.

‘Clever boy,’ Kate said, delighted. Automatically, her hand went to a little pocket in her skirt and brought out a biscuit. Hector huffed a thank you, and took the delicacy daintily from her fingers. He carried it over to a trestle table and squeezed beneath the furniture, the biscuit trapped between his paws as he considered the best way to deal with it. He decided to nibble at the edges which made Kate laugh again.

‘And he’s loved that spot since he was a puppy, I’ll warrant,’ she said, watching him.

‘Indeed, he has,’ replied Will. ‘Time was, he used to be able to stand up beneath it and still have a space for his head. Now, I would think he’ll take the whole thing with him. Let me just set this kettle to boil, my love, and I’ll be with you soon. Why don’t you close your eyes and have a rest while I arrange our feast? Then I’ll have to smuggle you back. You really shouldn’t be here. I don’t know what your family would think if they knew.’

Kate smiled. ‘I don’t really care what they think.’ She closed her eyes, and laid her head back. It was so cosy in the cottage, she could stay here forever.

As she drifted off to the sound of the logs crackling and popping in the fire, and the kettle beginning to hiss, and the slow chomping of Hector as he worked on his biscuit, she heard that little clock on the mantelpiece begin to chime again . . .

‘I wondered if you’d gone back down to London too, when I didn’t see you earlier.’

Kate opened her eyes and blinked, wondering where she was for a minute. She squinted against the setting sun. A tall figure was silhouetted there. Golden light was dappling his light brown hair and throwing the sun-lightened streaks into stark relief.

Hang on — this wasn’t the first time she’d seen that image tonight. She sat upright, her limbs fully functional and her stone wall firmly in place. She was gratified to see she was wearing her jeans as well. Yet part of her was annoyed at the fact she’d left Blacksmith Will and her pretty dress behind in her dream.

‘Can I help?’ She asked the question stiffly and formally, her heart beating way too fast as she looked at Theo Kent on the other side of her wall.

‘Not really.’ He grinned. ‘I heard snoring. I came to investigate.’

‘Seriously?’ she asked, mortified.

‘No. I’m joking.’ He nodded towards the car park. ‘I left my car here tonight. I’m heading back to the campsite and took a shortcut back to it. It just so happens the shortcut took me behind your museum. Sorry. I caught you napping, didn’t I?’

‘You caught me doing more than that,’ she muttered. This was slightly embarrassing. No way could she let him know she’d just been dreaming about him.

* * *

It really was too perfect. Theo had indeed nipped around the back of the museum to get back to the car. It was an added bonus that red-headed Kate was there, napping away in her garden.

There was an empty wine-glass next to her and half a bottle of wine on the grass.

‘Had a good evening?’ he asked. He checked there was only one wine glass and there was, so that was very good. ‘Jenna said you’d disappeared after lunch. Like I said, I wondered if you’d gone back to London with your boyfriend.’

Kate shook her head; she grabbed what looked like a growing-out fringe and pushed it back over the top of her head, frowning. ‘No. He had work to deal with. Something about multi-national clients and damage limitation.’ She looked confused. ‘Sorry. I think I fell into a wine-induced sleep. So yes. I probably had a reasonable evening. What are you doing in the village then? Campsite not lively enough for you?’ He got the impression she was trying to change the subject — it was something to do with the way her words all rushed together and directed the focus of conversation to his activities rather than her own. Oh well; no harm in playing along.

‘It’s not lively at all. It’s a field and I like it like that. I just thought I’d have a wander around the village. I got a nice little map earlier.’ He smiled, still amused. ‘I also got an invitation to the wine bar, but I didn’t take her up on it.’