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force on him. It'd jus' be wasted on your father, stubborn old thing that he
is.'
Thom was surprised at the casual way the 'carer' spoke to his friend, although
Hugo did not seem to mind. He merely nodded his head and smiled as if eager to
please.
 I ll be back later,' Nell Quick went on, 'to give him his next dose.
Sometimes I think it's only my medicines that's keepin' him alive.'
 I ll do as you say, Nell.' Hugo had opened the front door for them.
'If you need me sooner, jus' call. You know I'm on hand, night or day.'
A look passed between them and Thom frowned. Am I missing something here? he
silently asked himself. Is there
something going on between these two? Nell was an attractive woman, and Hugo
... well, Hugo had to be lonely here at the great manor house. But she was his
father's nurse. Surely Hugo wouldn't be involved with her?
'Shall we go, Thom?' Nell was smiling at him again - no, it was more than just
a smile. Her expression was both seductive and mocking at the same time, as if
she were playing some secret game with him. He was beginning to be irritated
by it.
Tine,' he said. 'I need to be getting back. Things to do.'
She lowered her chin, looking up at him questioningly. Things to do? He was
supposed to be convalescing, so what would he have to do? She seemed to enjoy
his small lie.
They descended the steps together and Thom, feeling eyes on his back, glanced
over his shoulder. But
Hugo had already closed the front door.
There, you see.' Nell was pointing at the old Raleigh lying against the steps,
its rear wheel tyre flat and useless. Her expression was curiously triumphant,
as though she knew he had doubted her word.
He wondered why he had not noticed the puncture on his arrival, but said:
'We'll try and get it into the back of the Jeep. It should just about fit with
a bit of manoeuvring and the backs of the rear seats down.'
That's very kind of you, Thom. It deserves a reward of some kind.'
He ignored the glint in her eye, righting the heavy-framed bicycle and pushing
it towards the Jeep, holding the rear wheel off the ground so that the flaccid
tyre would not be further damaged. He suddenly became aware that his left foot
was dragging, a sure sign he was becoming weary; he was beginning to limp too.
He had felt so good earlier, healthy, fit, even strong. And now the tiredness,
the numbness, was returning. His visit to Castle Bracken had left him in a
state of depression and he wondered if that was part of the problem, bad
memories, the wretched sight of Sir Rus-
sell, even the general deterioration of the once-great mansion itself, all
these things preying on his mind, bringing him down, undermining his physical
resistance.
He opened up the Jeep's tailgate and then adjusted the rear seats. There was
just enough room for the hefty old bicycle once he had twisted the front wheel
and handlebars. He had to push hard to get the tailgate closed again, but
finally it was done.
Thom limped round and opened the door for his grateful passenger, and then
moved on around the bonnet to the driver's side. He realized his arms were
trembling slightly with the strain of Ming when he climbed into his seat and
pushed the key into the ignition. He had broken out in a sweat and was
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relieved when he looked over at Nell to see perspiration on her brow too. It
was still a humid kind of day, the air thick and sultry.
This is kind of you, Thom,' Nell repeated flashing beautifully white teeth at
him.
'No problem.' He leaned forward and turned the key, bringing the engine into
life.
Out the corner of his eye, Thom saw the woman tug at her loose skirt, pulling
it back over her knees so that its hem lay across her lower thighs. Her legs
were smooth and a light brown colour as though she, too, like the
physiotherapist earlier, had taken full advantage of the season's brilliant
weather.
'It's so warm,', she murmured distractedly and as if unaware how provocative
the sight of her legs were.' 'S'pect there'll be a storm later. What you
think, Thom?' She regarded him as though honestly interested in his opinion,
her eyes wide and pupils jet black in the shadows of the Jeep.
He caught the faint muskiness of her natural odour - as far as he could tell,
she wore no perfume - in the close confines and even through the sudden [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]