Once. Part 4

Was she flirting with him?

As if to answer his unspoken question, Nell Quick

allowed her eyes to rove down his bare chest, a deliberate action he was sure was meant to be interpreted as such. He began b.u.t.toning up his shirt, the fingers of his left hand fumbling awkwardly.

'Let me do that for you,' she said immediately, stepping round the table and reaching forward.

'No.' A little too sharply.

She froze, but the smile remained on her lips and in her eyes.

'Uh, sorry,' he said quickly. 'I can manage. Got to get use to it. My physio told me the more I persist, the easier it'll become.' He shuffled his feet as if the stone floor was cold. 'Look, thanks for the food. I...'

'Oh, I'm here to cook for you. Hugo wants me to build you up again. He told me you used to be quite athletic when you two were boys. I bet you both got into mischief, didn't you?'

'Honestly, I can manage. I don't need a nursemaid.' It came out with more annoyance than he intended; he hadn't meant to snub such kind consideration.

If she took any offence, it didn't show. 'n.o.body's nursemaidin' you, Thom. I'm just bein' a good neighbour, is all.'

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. You live close by?'

She had already turned towards the cooker to switch on its grill and a ring. 'Not far,' she replied over her shoulder. 'Now, how would bacon and eggs suit you? You could cut the loaf if you want to be helpful. Have some fruit first -there's apples, plums, all nice and freshly picked. We'll soon have you feelin' well again.' He could only watch helplessly as Nell busied herself by taking two eggs and plastic-sealed bacon from the fridge, which had been well stocked - by her? - before his arrival yesterday. Once preparations were under way, she pulled a small transistor radio from the basket and placed it on the table, pressing a b.u.t.ton so that music instantly filled

the cottage with new and, because the set was pre-tuned to Cla.s.sic FM, un.o.btrusive life. She adjusted the volume so that the music was background noise that would not interfere with conversation.

Realizing resistance was pointless, Thom said, 'I think I'll just wash and shave first.'

Again smiling, and with that same amused little gleam in her dark eyes, she waved a dismissive hand.

'Don't be takin' too long now, you should always eat breakfast nice and hot. Put some shoes or slippers on too - this stone floor will still be mornin' cold.'

Thom backed towards the door, aware of the silly grin on his face, but unable to rid himself of it for the moment, a hand unconsciously flicking hair away from his forehead again.

As he closed the door behind him and paused outside, he heard the music's volume turned up again.

Nell Quick was a great surprise to him and he wasn't sure if he should be annoyed or grateful for Hugo's presumption that he would need a nursemaid. He decided he could only be bemused.

He crowded into the bathroom - it was so compact that one person did, indeed, const.i.tute a crowd - and stood over the toilet, his combats unzipped in the two strides it took to get there. As he relieved his bladder, which had been protesting dully throughout the morning's exchange, Thom remembered the creature he thought he had seen dashing for cover earlier. He looked at the floor around him as he peed, squinting into the darker corners and niches. He was soon wondering if he had imagined the whole thing.

After all, he'd been roused from a deep sleep by the persistent knocking at the door and in truth had not been properly awake as he'd staggered down the stairs, half-blinded by sunlight, and brain busy with other thoughts. Maybe it had been a trick of the light, maybe just a figment of his overstretched imagination, or a remnant of whatever dream he'd been having. He would make a thorough search later,

see if there were any holes in the floorboards or skirting that a small house pest could squeeze into. But had it been that small? He thought not, but nevertheless dismissed the matter from his mind. By the time he had finished shaving and washing, the episode was almost forgotten.

He went back up to the bedroom, most of the stiffness gone from his arm and leg, and slipped on a pair of soft moccasins he'd bought from a pricey Covent Garden shop.

He was still sitting on the unmade bed running fingers through his untidy hair when he heard footsteps on the landing outside the door. Then Nell Quick was leaning against the door-frame, one fist on her hips as before.

'Christ...' he said, with a start.

'I called, but you obviously didn't hear me.' Same full, slightly lascivious smile, same veiled intention in her eyes. You shouldn't have-' he began to say, but she interrupted with a laugh.

'I'm used to lookin' after people, Thom, 'specially men. I'm a trained nurse, didn't Hugo tell you? I've been carin' for Sir Russell some time now.'

'Maybe so, Ms Quick-'

You jus' call me Nell.'

'Okay - Nell. But what I'm trying to say is, I enjoy my privacy. That's why I came up here to Little Bracken, to get away from all the friends and acquaintances who think I need mollycoddling.'

' 'Specially the girls, I bet.' Her eyes shone challengingly.

'No, not particularly. Well, maybe one or two, but that's not the point.' He rose from the bed and spoiled his next a.s.sertion somewhat by reaching for his cane. 'I'm quite fit, actually, well on the mend.'

She eyed the aid and he cringed, silently cursing himself.

'It's just the mornings,' he hastily explained. 'Leg's a bit stiff until I really get going. Gets tired quite easily, too, but I'm working on that'

'I can help you there.' By now she had stepped into the

room, shortening the gap between them. 'I'm good at easin' men's stiffness.'

He did a double take.

'Know how the muscles work, y'see,' she went on, letting the smile fall away when he had expected an even more licentious one. 'I have my own herbs and balms that can do wonders for ailin' limbs and bodies. Natural cures, mostly forgotten now, but effective, you jus' wait and see.'

She was less than a foot away, deliberately invading his s.p.a.ce, her deep eyes studying his. His discomfort began to turn to irritation once more.

And yet...

And yet he could feel the tension - the s.e.xual tension -between them and, for the first time since the outset of his illness, Thom felt a stirring, a reaction in his body over which he had no command. Her coquetry was plain and, at another time, would have been exciting, even welcome; but this morning, and in these circ.u.mstances - so fast, so unexpected - he could only be confused. And anxious, for he had been celibate for some time, even before his stroke, and right then he was not sure of his own adequacy, how much damage his system had sustained. Nell Quick was certainly alluring, gloriously so, in fact, and another man might have grabbed the opportunity to prove himself to himself. Not right then, though. No, he wasn't ready. And, he had to admit, he was too scared.

He went to the sideboard and pretended to search for something, but in truth, putting distance between himself and this unsettling woman. 'Dammit, always losing my comb,' he muttered, as if he had been oblivious to the interplay between them a moment before. Nell could not know, of course, that he rarely used a comb to tidy his hair anyway, but she certainly wasn't fooled by the ploy.

She gave a short, fruity laugh. Tour breakfast's on the warmer, but you don't want to let it get too dry, do you?'

Turning from him in a smooth, gliding movement she disappeared through the doorway.

Thom took a deep breath as he listened to her retreating footsteps and looked at himself in the free-standing mirror on the sideboard.

'b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l,' he said, blushing deeply.

He followed after her and avoided her eyes as he sat at the table. One plate had been laid and Nell busied herself cutting into the bread.

'Er, won't you join me?' Thom asked out of politeness only.

'Oh, I never eat a big breakfast,' she replied, laying two slices on a bread plate. 'Usually just some fruit or a yogurt, enough to get me through the mornin'. I drink gallons of coffee though.'

He could smell the coffee aroma and saw a percolator close to the electric kettle on a worktop beside the cooker. He hadn't noticed either of them before - there had been too much to take in yesterday, and his nightcap had been a rare can of beer from the six-pack he'd found in the fridge - and again, he was grateful for Hugo's thoughtfulness. Thom began to eat and, with the first mouthful, realized how hungry he was. His newfound appet.i.te was a delightful surprise.

He felt suddenly cheered as he b.u.t.tered a slice of bread, this small improvement in his condition giving him hope that he really was on the mend. He could only hope it wasn't temporary.

'White with?'

The knife stayed over the bread as he looked up at her.

'Sorry?'

'Milk and sugar with your coffee?' Nell Quick was leaning back against the worktop, arms folded, her pelvis thrust forward slightly. She was probably one of those unconsciously s.e.xy women who had no idea of the effect she had on men. Oh really? a dry little inner voice that frequently spoke up for the cynical side of his nature insinuated. Seems to me she knows exactly what she's doing, pal.

Whatever, it was good to know some of his old libido was returning - it had been a while since he'd looked at a woman in this way. G.o.d bless good, fresh, country air and decent exercise.

'Yeah, both please. One sugar.' His grin was genuine. 'Comin' up. Mind if I join you in a drink?'

Thom would have preferred his privacy, but that might have been churlish after all she had done for him that morning. As he waved a hand at the chair opposite him, he wondered if it was Nell Quick who had cleaned the cottage from top to bottom for his homecoming.

He studied her back while she poured the coffee, enjoying the sight of her lushly dark hair which fell between narrow but firm shoulders, its wild ringlets reaching midway down her back. Gentle music filled the room and a breeze drifted in from the open doorway, bringing with it forest smells that mingled with the stronger coffee aroma, and the sounds of birds calling, a distant cuckoo louder and more distinctive than the rest. A bee buzzed in, explored the new territory in a figure-eight flight plan, and buzzed right back outside again.

Nell Quick placed a mug of steaming coffee in front of Thom and took a seat opposite him. She raised her steaming mug to her lips, a forearm leaning on the table-top, and took a long sip.

She looked deeply into his eyes, the smile still there at the corner of her lips, her gaze intense as if she were seeing through to his very soul.

'Did you ... did you sleep well last night?'

It sounded like lasnigh', and her slight hesitation seemed to give the question more significance than probably was intended.

His own hesitation did the same for his reply. 'I ... uh ... I don't know. I think so. Can't remember to be honest.'

'Nothing disturbed you, then?'

'Like what?'

Her long fingers flicked the air between them. 'Anythin'. Place's been empty a long time. All kinds of things could've moved in from the woods.'

The cottage has been kept locked up, right?'

She shrugged. 'Little creatures have ways of gettin' in, 'specially into places that are warm and cosy.'

He was about to tell her he thought he'd seen something scurry across the landing only a short time ago, but for some reason - he really had no idea why - he decided not to. Instead, he raised the coffee mug to his lips.

'Shiii-'

Thom quickly set down the mug and put his fingers to his scalded lips. 'Oh, I should have warned you it was hot.' Nell was already on her feet and grabbing for a tea towel.

Folding it first, she thrust a corner under the cold tap over the sink, soaking it thoroughly before bringing it to Thom.

'Here, press it against your lips, it'll take away some of the sting,' she said, putting it to his face herself.

He took the wet towel and applied it to his mouth, the pain already beginning to throb. Thanks,' he mumbled, mentally calling himself a fool for not being more cautious. For Christ's sake, he had seen the hot steam rising from the mug, was aware it had been freshly made. Stupid, stupid -but wait a minute.

Hadn't he seen Nell Quick drinking the coffee a moment before?

'It didn't burn you,' he said, almost accusing, his complaint awkward through numbed lips.

She didn't appear concerned - why should she be? It was his lips - and reached into the wicker basket for a canvas bag lying at the bottom. From the open bag she took a small, round, red pot and thumbed off its plastic lid.

'Always carry salves and healing unguents with me. Never know when one or another will be useful.

This is good for insect stings as well as burns.'

She dabbed her middle fingertip into the pot and it came

75.

out with a gobbet of yellowish greyish cream. Thom flinched away when she prepared to smear his mouth with the stuff.

'Come on, don't be a baby,' she scolded playfully. 'It's only a mixture of coriander leaf and thorn-apple juice, with a few secret ingredients of my own. It's the pig's grease it's boiled up with that makes it look and smell like this. Come on, it'll work, I promise. The pain will soon go and we'll stop any inflammation before it starts. Got to go on straight away though, otherwise it'll be no good.'

'Cold water will do,' he protested, turning his head away.

'No, it won't. Trust me, Thom, this will get rid of the pain and heal the burn at the same time.'

Her voice was soothing and, for some reason he could not fathom, hard to resist. Reluctantly, he faced her and allowed her to smear the sickly smelling unguent over his lips.

The relief was instant, and he straightened in surprise. The pain was gone the moment she touched him with the substance. Her face was only inches away from his as she leaned over him, her finger still poised over his mouth. Her pupils were large within their irises so that her eyes really were almost totally black.