AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Something darted out of the hatchway, a small shadow running along the bottom of the wall and off into some dark corner. Thea heard herself whimper but she didn’t run. She wasn’t alone here.
She could see the torch beam inside the cramped space, and finally Lucas emerged, his face thankfully not bitten off by rats. ‘We’ve done it, Thea.’
‘Good. Come away from there now. Shut the hatch.’
For once he did as he was told. ‘Rats gnaw everything. The sealed intake vent for the props room is through there, and it’s got a hole as big as my fist in it.’
‘Ugh. So we were breathing patchouli oil and rat droppings in there.’
‘Yeah. And Derek was breathing airborne tuberculosis infection. Probably for hours every evening for a couple of weeks.’
Thea shivered. ‘That’s really gross.’
‘Yeah, this place is going to be jumping tomorrow. Pest-control officers, ventilation engineers.’ His eyes were shining and she couldn’t help but smile. ‘There’s our answer, though.’
‘You did it, Lucas.’
‘No. We did it.’
Thea stayed close to him as they made their way back to the door at the head of the stairs, and as soon as she was back through it she heaved a sigh of relief. They shed their gloves and masks, found the caretaker, and told him he could lock up for the night.
‘I suppose we’ll be following through on any potential risks here and doing some more testing.’
‘Yep. Although the testing will probably be at the London City Hospital. They serve this area.’
He had the boot of his car open, putting the gloves and torches back, and Thea was glad that he couldn’t see the disappointment that must be written all over her face. There was no we about this really. Her job remained in one place, at the hospital. Lucas worked wherever he was needed. Just as surely as they’d been thrown together, they were being pulled back apart, like small boats bobbing on the waves.
‘Have you eaten yet?’
‘No. But I’m really tired and I’ve got some things to do tonight. If you could just drop me home?’ Suddenly, this wasn’t the happy ending she’d thought it would be. It was just another ending between her and Lucas, and she didn’t want to drag it out over dinner.
‘Yes, of course. Another night maybe?’
Thea gave the brightest smile she could muster. ‘Yes. Maybe.’
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THERE WAS STILL MUMBAI. Thea wasn’t sure about how she felt about it on any level, going with Lucas, delivering a paper that she was sure wasn’t good enough, or stepping out of the warm safety of home and going back to Asia. All of it was too much to think about. But in amongst all of the dread she was excited as well.
She went up into the loft and took down the box of clothes she’d brought back fr
om Bangladesh. Some of them were old and worn, but others delighted her unexpectedly. Loose, comfortable trousers and bright tops. Thea washed and ironed them carefully, and put them along with the clothes she’d bought for the trip.
Lucas was tanned and relaxed from his holiday in the South of France with Ava. They were travelling together, and from the moment he picked her up at her house to the moment that the porter opened the door of her hotel room, he never left her side. Not that he’d crowded her, but he was always there. And Lucas had always been good company and a great travelling companion.
At the evening reception he complimented her on her dress and somehow managed to keep a respectable distance at the same time as never quite being out of sight. It was odd. Not at all like Lucas to be half there, he never did anything by halves.
When she woke up alone in the large hotel bedroom, which could have been practically anywhere in the world, she felt a strange sense of longing. She’d promised herself that nothing was going to happen with Lucas on this trip, and it appeared that it was going to be easier to keep that promise than she’d anticipated. It had been almost a shock when he’d bidden her goodnight and turned away without even a glance behind him.
At breakfast, she found out why. The chatter at the tables was about the conference, the people there and the medical issues that were to be discussed. And who had slept with whom last night.
‘It’s always the same.’ Lucas grinned at her as they were finishing their coffee. ‘Most people come to a conference to learn something and make contacts who’ll help them in their work. But there’s always the odd one or two who reckon that it’s a good opportunity for some extra-curricular activities.’
And those were the one or two who were gossiped about relentlessly. ‘But that’s not you, is it?’
‘Nope.’
‘Or me.’
