Silver Fountains by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781910859483
Publisher: Canelo Books
Published: 2018-11-26T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirty Five

Mr Hicks went with Mr Selby to fetch Leo, in case he felt faint on the train. After the carriage had gone down to the station I waited in the drawing room with the children, and as soon as we heard the wheels on the gravel Flora and Nella rushed out into the hall. Mr Tims opened the door, and we saw Leo already climbing out of the carriage under Mr Selby’s watchful eye. Flora squealed, ‘Papa!’ and went running down the steps – but Nella was ahead of her. Rose watched the scene from the safety of my arms, her mouth open in amazement; she didn’t remember her father at all.

She was still wary of him in the drawing room as we all had tea together. But after she’d watched Flora sitting close beside him, chattering nineteen to the dozen, she finally decided to make a move. Clutching a piece of cake in one sticky hand she toddled over to the sofa and offered it to Leo. I smiled proudly, ‘She’s a good little walker now.’

‘Steadier than I am at present. Thank you, Rose, that’s very kind.’

But by the time Mr Tims came to take the tray away Leo’s face had lost all its colour; the journey had obviously been tiring for him, and when I told him that Dr Matthews had said he’d drop in after evening surgery and would expect to find him in bed, he only put up a token resistance. I was firm. ‘You’re still convalescent. Mr Tims’ll bring your dinner up on a tray.’

Dr Matthews came to see me afterwards in my sitting room. ‘Nothing to worry about, Lady Warminster. He’s a bit done up with the travelling, though, so I’ve told him it’s breakfast in bed for the time being and no getting up tomorrow until I’ve seen him to give the say-so. I’ll be round after morning surgery.’

He was almost at the door before I called him back. ‘Dr Matthews, tomorrow, would you tell him what the doctor in London said – about his neck not being passed on?’ I was bright red with embarrassment by now.

Dr Matthews looked surprised. ‘Didn’t you write to him at the time?’ I shook my head. ‘Oh well, no matter – I’ll have to have a word with him in the morning.’

I was glad Dr Matthews was going to explain about that, because I had something else to say to Leo: now he could hear properly again I wanted to tell him that I did love him, after all. But I didn’t know how to begin.

It was clear when I knocked and went shyly into his bedroom after dinner that tonight wasn’t the right time. He was already three-quarters asleep. I murmured ‘Good night, Leo – sleep tight,’ and gently cupped his warm cheek with my hand for a moment before tiptoeing out.

The day after wasn’t the right time either: Dr Matthews had obviously given Leo his news. Every time I popped into the library with the children to see how he was, he went brick-red and wouldn’t look me in the eye.

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