Page 94 of The Winter Bride

Annie nodded. ‘Yes, thank you. She and Levi would have worried when I didn’t arrive.’

‘They wanted to come.’ Marie straightened a crease in the bedspread. ‘But I told Peggy there was nothing she could do for now. She said she would inform your parents for you. They would wish to know what ’as ’appened too.’

Tears filled Annie’s eyes. She felt as if she hadn’t stopped crying since she’d woken up.

Marie patted her hand affectionately. ‘That’s it, let it all out. You ’ave ’ad a terrible shock.’

‘And all that time I thought it was Reggie stalking me.’ Annie shook her head; she still couldn’t quite believe it. ‘And it was his mother all along!’

‘You must try to put it all behind you,’ Marie soothed as a doctor appeared at the end of the bed.

‘Mrs Taylor Lloyd, I’ve come to check your arm and leg,’ he told her as a nurse pulled the curtains around the bed again.

Marie tactfully left to wait in the corridor as the doctor gently began to remove the bandages from her arm.

‘That’s healing nicely and there’s no sign of infection,’ he said with satisfaction. ‘I think we might be able to leave the bandage off in a few more days and let the air get to it. Now let’s have a look at your cheek. It was me who stitched you up and I promise I did it as neatly as I could, although I’m afraid you will have a scar. Hopefully it will fade with time. Would you like to see it?’

Annie nodded. She’d have to face it eventually, so there was no sense in putting it off. Luckily, she had never been particularly vain, but even so when she first saw her face her breath caught in her throat. The stitches ran from just beneath her eye all down one cheek almost to her chin and her face looked angry and swollen.

‘Well, I certainly won’t win any beauty contests looking like this, will I?’ she said in a shaky voice as the doctor gently cleaned the wound.

‘It will look much better when the swelling’s gone down and the stiches are out,’ he promised. Then after carefully redressing it he and the nurse left, taking the dirty dressings with them.

Marie returned to stand beside her. ‘Not a very pretty sight, am I?’ Annie said.

Marie smiled. ‘As I said before, you are still ’ere and that is the main thing. That madwoman was out to kill you. You will be able to cover that with a little make up once it ’as started to ’eal, so count your blessings it wasn’t worse. And now for the good news: the doctor ’as told me that all being well, they will discharge you tomorrow. I shall arrange for John to come and fetch you in the car.’

Annie breathed a sigh of relief. She’d always had a fear of hospitals and she would feel much better once she was out.

‘Thank you, this has all been like a nightmare and I really don’t know what I’d have done without you.’ And once again she was sobbing as Marie gave her a hug.

John arrived to collect her the next day and pushed her in a wheelchair to his waiting car. ‘We’ll soon have you home. Adam can hardly wait to see you,’ he told her cheerfully. ‘Marie has arranged for a nurse to come in to change your dressings. Oh, and Nancy and Jamie are back and said they’ll be round tonight. Nancy was devastated when she heard what had happened. Still, it’s all over now.’

Once back at Marie’s house Annie received a rapturous welcome from Adam and some good news from Marie.

‘I ’ave just spoken to the vet and he says that Alfred should be able to come ’ome tomorrow,’ she told her happily. ‘He is still bandaged up and will ’ave to take ’is time till ’is ribs are ’ealed but other than that he’s all right.’

‘Oh, thank goodness,’ Annie said and she was off again, crying her eyes out.

She cried again that evening when Nancy and Jamie came bearing flowers, and again the following morning when Marie appeared in the doorway to tell her, ‘You ’ave some surprise visitors.’ She was smiling from ear to ear.

‘Oh yes, who would that be?’ Annie thought it might be Ruth and Simon, although they had sent word they would be there that evening.

And then Marie stepped aside and there were her parents.

‘Oh, my poor girl!’ Charity was across the room in seconds and cuddling her so tightly that Annie could hardly breathe. ‘I can’t believe what’s ’appened,’ she said in a wobbly voice. ‘To think that madwoman might have killed you. I don’t know ’ow I could ’ave borne it!’

Then Luca stepped forward, his eyes full of tears as he tenderly stroked her hair.

‘Peggy came to tell us what ’appened an’ we just ’ad to come. I ’ope you don’t mind?’ Charity said, addressing Marie.

‘I am delighted you are ’ere,’ Marie told her. ‘And you must stay for lunch, or for the night, if you wish?’

Charity shook her head. ‘Thank you, but we’ve booked to go back on the train this evenin’.’

‘Then lunch it is,’ Marie said happily, pottering away to tell the cook and fetch Adam, who was in the kitchen with her, no doubt eating yet more jam tarts.

Charity solemnly stared at the scar on Annie’s face. ‘As soon as yer get home an’ them stitches are out I shall start treatin’ that for you. Your gran’ma were a great healer an’ swore by rosehips an’ frankincense fer scars.’