The Runaway Woman Part 20

When the train stopped safely, Lucy quickly clambered off.

Hiding herself in the centre of the surging throng of bodies all sweeping forward in the same direction, she noticed the stranger some distance in front. He was slightly taller than those around him, and easily recognised by his thick, dark hair and the straight, broad cut of his shoulders.

Lucy kept her distance, being immensely thankful that so far he had not seen her.

A moment later, the stranger was through the turnstile and instantly approached by a man in a dark suit. From the friendly greeting, Lucy deduced that they knew each other. She was glad that they fell into what appeared to be a very deep conversation, because now she was able to go forward with less fear of being spotted.

Taking her chance, she quickened her footsteps and forced her way through. She kept on the far side of the crowd, away from the stranger, who remained huddled in conversation with the other man, who was holding out a doc.u.ment.

Lucy twice caught the stranger's gaze drifting around as though he was wishing the other man might leave.

Having grown confident that she had successfully avoided what could have been an awkward encounter with him, Lucy was horrified when, curious, she dared to glance up, only to see the stranger looking directly at her, astonishment on his face as he appeared to recognise her. She quickly turned away, panicking as she hurried forward to force herself through the crowd.

A minute or so later, having successfully got through the turnstiles, where she hurried through to the exit as best she could with her luggage. Outside, she headed for the taxi rank. 'Taxi!' She waved her arms to attract attention. 'Taxi!'

The first taxi driver cruised towards her and wound down his window. 'Climb in, lady.' He was a skinny, bony man, with a long face. As she walked towards him, carrying her suitcase, he poked his head out of the window and impatiently raised his voice. 'Hey, lady! Just so's you know, I'm still waiting on you, and the clock's already ticking.'

'Just a minute!' Lucy frantically searched her handbag for the name and address of the hotel.

She was so fl.u.s.tered that she dropped the piece of paper on the ground. Grabbing it up, she quickly glanced over it. 'Er ... let me see ... Littleton village,' she told him breathlessly. 'Hotel ... what was it? Oh, here we are, Hotel Lorriet.' She gave a sigh of relief.

'OK. I know the one!' He smiled, and his entire face disappeared behind a mouthful of big, yellow teeth. 'Are you all right with your case?'

Whether she was 'all right' or not, he made no effort to get out and help. Impatient, he revved the engine.

Having secured her case on the floor of the cab, Lucy was frantically trying to swing the door shut when she saw the stranger heading straight for the taxi rank, his neck craned as he focused on the row of cabs, seemingly looking for someone.

Lucy wondered if he was looking for her. And now she was convinced that he really had recognised her back there.

Fearing he might see her, Lucy slammed the door and urged the driver, 'Please! Can we go?'

'Absolutely.' He absent-mindedly ran the flat of his hand down his long, thin hair. 'Oh ... sorry, the hotel ... the Lorriet, wasn't it?'

'Yes, that's it. Can we please go now?'

But Lucy then became increasingly concerned that she might have got the name of the hotel wrong. 'Wait a minute ... I'm not sure now.' She grabbed her handbag and searched again for the paper on which she had written the address. She frantically delved through the thousand and one items rammed into her bag. Inevitably the bag toppled over and out spewed the entire paraphernalia, rolling away in all directions on the floor.

'Dammit!' She glanced up. 'Sorry. Just a minute.' For just the smallest moment, she began to regret ever setting out on this trip.

The driver was none too pleased. 'The clock is still ticking, miss! So, is it the Lorriet, or not?'

'I'm not altogether sure now.' Lucy was completely flummoxed. 'Please, you're making me panic. Could you just drive out of the station? I've got the hotel written down here ... somewhere.'

'So, are you saying it's not the Lorriet after all?'

'No! I'm not saying that. I'm just saying I want to make sure ... if you'll just take us out of the station, please? And I do know the clock is ticking, but I would really appreciate it if you would try to be patient. The thing is, I'm not really used to travelling.'

'Yes, I can see that.' In fact he thought she should never have been let out in the first place, wasting his precious time.

And another thing! How could he be sure that she even had enough money to pay for his fare?

He informed her that if he was being made to run up unnecessary mileage because she had given him the wrong address, she would have to pay the bill, because it would be her fault and not his.

His caution fell on deaf ears. 'I've got it!' she cried, holding out the piece of paper. 'Yes! That's it, the Lorriet.' She thrust the paper under his nose. 'See! The Lorriet Hotel on Balmont Street.'

Seeing the many articles strewn all over the cab floor, he grinned wickedly. 'My! My! You really are in a panic, aren't you?' he chuckled. 'And why's that, I wonder, eh?' He fancied himself to be a bit of a joker. 'For all I know, you could be an armed prisoner on the run ... or you might have just done a robbery and there's a wad of money hidden about your person. Is that it? Or maybe you're planning to kidnap me, hoping to get a ransom.'

He then launched into a string of childish, bawdy innuendoes, which did not impress Lucy at all, though he seemed enormously amused with himself, chuckling and then roaring with laughter. Lucy couldn't decide whether to make him stop the car and let her out, or smack him one round the ear.

Either way, she did not enjoy his company, or his lousy jokes. She just wanted to reach her destination sooner rather than later. 'How long will it take us to get there?' she asked.

'Dunno, lady. How long is a piece of string?'

Unimpressed by his gormless wit, Lucy decided to ignore him.

Having perused the doc.u.ments from his architect on the train, and learned some very useful information regarding his business venture from them, Dave Benson made his way out of the station.

As he came through the outer doors, he was saddened at the sight of Lucy being driven away in the cab. 'Hopefully our paths may well cross again,' he murmured, and went on his way.

He knew now without a doubt that this was the same woman he and Nancy had found hiding in the bus shelter on that cold, rainy night. She had seemed terribly sad and alone, and he knew just how that felt. He hadn't been able to rid his mind of this odd connection between them first at the bus shelter, then the night he had seen her on the bus, and now here she was in Littleton!

He flagged down the next taxi. 'Meridian Hotel, on Viaduct Street, please.'

Without waiting for the driver to acknowledge, he climbed into the cab.

As they moved on, Dave asked the driver, 'Did you happen to see the woman who got into the cab in front of you?'

The driver thought a moment. 'Let me see ... oh yes! Mid-thirties ... early forties ... not what you might call a beauty, at least not that I could see. But she did have a fine shock of chestnut-brown hair ... and a tasty set of pins. Is that the one you mean?'

Dave smiled. 'Yes, that's the one.' Although he had not noticed her 'pins', tasty or otherwise. 'You wouldn't happen to have heard where she's headed, would you?'

'Nope, 'fraid not. Why? Know 'er, d'you?'

'Well, no, not really ... I mean, I have met her before.'

'And you'd like to meet her again, is that it?' The driver gave a sly little wink. 'Can't say I blame you. Her figure's not bad, and she does have an attractive face.'

'I don't suppose you know the driver of that cab?' Dave asked.

'Sorry again, but no. Most of us are freelancers ... we rarely have time to chat.'

'So, you wouldn't know of any way I might get in touch with him, then?'

'Sorry, mate. I'd help you if I could, but ...' He shrugged, and Dave got the message.

'I see. Well, it's no matter, but thanks anyway.' Dave was curiously disappointed to think that this gentle and intriguing woman was actually here, and he had lost his chance to renew their acquaintance.

Also, most interestingly, she appeared to be all alone, as she had been the first time they met, and when he'd seen her in the street. That made him wonder. Was she divorced ... widowed, or maybe she'd got family responsibilities and she had never married?

More questions, he thought. And no answers.

'I'm not really sure if I can help,' the taxi driver interrupted Dave's thoughts, 'but if I do manage to discover the driver's name, I'll drop a note off at the Meridian, if I'm in the area.'

In fact he had no intention of digging about for information. He was simply angling for a bigger tip when he dropped this seemingly love-struck pa.s.senger at his destination.

'Thanks. I would appreciate that.' Dave was onto the driver's little scam. No doubt at the end of this journey, he would be holding his fist out for a more generous tip than normal. But he might be disappointed.

Dave's thoughts returned to the mystery woman, and the night he and Nancy had met her.

Back then, he thought she might be in some kind of trouble, or she would surely never have been hiding inside the shelter, especially on such a miserable night. Nancy had pointed out at the time that the buses were not scheduled to run from that particular shelter any more, which meant she was not waiting for a bus. So what was she doing there, and why did she run away so quickly after they turned up?

Since that night, he had not been able to shut her from his mind. There was something about her ... something so innocent and fragile. He just felt a need to scoop her up and hold her safe.

And how odd for her to be on the same train as himself.

Realising he had thought of her as 'his woman', he called her image to mind. She was very special, though it was difficult to say quite why, and the thought of not seeing her again, now he knew she was here in this little seaside village, made him sad.

He did not believe it was a s.e.xual attraction, and, besides, she did not come across as being s.e.xy or dare he say it not even what you might call 'delicate'. Or even 'beautiful', as the taxi driver had noted.

So, what was it that had attracted him to her?

He made an effort to a.n.a.lyse the reason he was so drawn to her. Maybe it was because that night at the bus shelter, she had seemed such a sad and pitiful soul that he felt the need to wrap his two arms about her, and make everything all right. In a kind of ridiculous way, he had likened her to a shy little rabbit he once had as a small boy.

He had loved that little rabbit so very much, and because he was shy himself, and not very good at mixing with other boys, the little grey rabbit became his best friend. When, at just a year old, the rabbit had died, he had been utterly devastated.

Now he gave a wry smile for likening that dear little rabbit to the lonely woman. Feeling somewhat foolish, he shook the ridiculous idea firmly from his mind.

So why was he attracted to this shy, lonely woman? Maybe because he knew what it felt like to be both shy and lonely ... so that in this woman he saw himself. Was that what had drawn him to her?

No! He also quickly dismissed that idea, because he and the woman were not the same. She seemed too painfully shy, and appeared to like her own company. Also, whatever troubles he had and over the years there had been plenty he would never hide away in a bus shelter. He would fight to do something that might change the situation get out there and face the demons, as he had had to do many times.

But then again, how was he to know whether or not she was already facing her demons? Was that why she was in the shelter? To work it out ... to think of a way to deal with her dilemmas?

The taxi driver was right when he said that this woman was no beauty, and yet, in another way, he was totally and utterly wrong, because she did have beauty of a kind. Maybe it was not evident to all, but he himself could see it.

He had seen it today. In the softness of her person, and the gentle sadness in her eyes. In the manner in which she probably cared little about herself, and yet she would be kind and sympathetic to those who needed a friend.

He suddenly realised that the essence of her sadness was who she was, and therein lay the beauty. A beauty more precious than perfect skin, or made-up eyes, or a fashionable hairstyle. She did not flaunt herself. Indeed, he imagined that this woman probably did not even know how very beautiful she truly was.

Somehow or another, in ways he could not understand, she had managed to get inside him, without even trying. Would she laugh in his face if she knew how intrigued he was with her? He did not believe so.

Suddenly his drifting thoughts were drawn back to the work in hand. What would Nancy say if she knew he was asking about a woman he had seen on the train someone he did not even know?

With Nancy in mind, and now that his thoughts were beginning to focus, he remembered that he had much work to do. He should focus on what he was here for, and fate would determine if he met the mystery woman again before it was time to go home.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

STEPPING OUT OF the taxi, Lucy was amazed to realise that the hotel was much the same as she remembered, although it appeared to have been recently renovated.

She was pleased to note that the chosen architect had retained some of the period character and that the new was in keeping with the old.

With her heart beating faster, and the warmest of memories in her mind, she stood on the pavement taking in the scene, her senses heightened by the salty sea air and her glad heart beating fifteen to the dozen because she was really here ... in Littleton ... her childhood joy, and fantasy playground.

For one poignant, fleeting moment, she was that little girl again, standing outside this very hotel together with her mum and dad, and her baby sister.

The magical nostalgic moment was threatened as she thought of Paula. Even now, she found it difficult to believe what she had seen with her own eyes: Martin and her sister, fornicating, so lost in each other that it took a while for them to realise she was even there.

Forcing the hurtful memories to the back of her mind, she took stock of the hotel again.

Surprisingly, she felt the same excitement looking at it now as she had when she first came here as a child.

The Edwardian windows were tastefuly retained, with the brick surround having been renovated to reveal the characteristic zigzag pattern on the bricks. The gla.s.s in the windows had been replaced, but with the same attention to detail as elsewhere. Noticeably, the panels at the top of each pane were in keeping with the period.

The narrow, wooden front door that Lucy recalled from her childhood was now replaced with a welcoming wide gla.s.s facade, which was respectfully flanked by two long patterned gla.s.s panels. Far from spoiling the surrounding period detail, the new additions served to enhance the stalwart character of the original.

Now Lucy's attention strayed towards the tiny harbour, where the colourful fishing boats and pleasure craft merrily bobbed on the shifting water.

Contented, her sorry heart was uplifted, and when she smiled it was as though she had let the sunshine in.

Here, in this quiet place, she felt at home. She felt her parents' gentle presence and her tears came almost without her realising. They brought a soothing sense of peace to her troubled soul.

She recalled how her mother would go over and over their first visit to this haven 'when you and Paula were just a twinkle in your daddy's eye'.

Lucy heard the same story many times from her mother never her father, who would grow embarra.s.sed and escape to the pub.

On that first visit here, they had been so young and in love, Lucy recalled.

With the sound of seagulls in her ears and the cloudless, blue skies above, she stole a few quiet moments just to look and listen, and fill her senses with the peace and beauty around her.

She was soon brought back from her daydreams by the taxi driver's impatience. 'Hey, lady! While you're off daydreaming, I hope you won't forget the clock is still ticking away here!' In truth, he did not care one jot ... so long as he got his money.

'Oh!' Lucy had momentarily forgotten him, and now she was panicking again. 'Oh ... I'm sorry.' She opened her handbag and drew out a stream of bits and pieces: handkerchief, lipstick, a box of hairclips and two mouldy sweets that she had overlooked, but no purse.

Ramming the things back into the bag, she dipped her hand into her coat pocket and, thankfully, withdrew her purse. 'How much is it, please?'

When he advised of the cost of her daydreams, she gulped hard, but said nothing.

Instead, she quickly paid the fare with a smile and a bright 'Thank you', while reminding herself that she must be careful not to squander the meagre amount of money she had managed to acquire. The prospect of not being able to recover the precious articles from the p.a.w.nshop made her feel physically ill.

With that grim thought firmly in mind, she gingerly counted out an extra coin or two, which she tipped into the driver's outstretched hand.