Page 64 of Watch For Me By Candlelight

That, he could answer. ‘No.’ He half-smiled. ‘And no. Can you tell me?’

‘Of course.’ In halting English, she explained how he had been discovered in the ocean by a fishing vessel and brought into shore. He was in Belgium, now, she told him, and her family had taken him in to look after him. Her fiancé — here she blushed prettily — had been working on the boat, and knew of no better place for the nearly-drowned gentleman to recover.

But he need not worry. He could stay as long as he liked. Until he remembered everything that had happened.

Will nodded his head against the pillow and told her thank you, and as soon as he was strong enough, he would work for them to repay them.

‘You must work hard at home,’ said the girl, appraising him. ‘You look strong. I’m sorry.’ Then she laughed again and blushed.

William closed his eyes and tried to remember what it actually was he did at home — and it was just a blank.

* * *

Kate ended up driving the van back to the museum while Theo pedalled the bicycle down from the Hall.

‘This vehicle-swapping thing is becoming a bit of a habit, never mind the beer drinking,’ Theo commented, as he swooped the bicycle to the front door of the museum. Kate was waiting for him, dangling the van-keys from her forefinger, the other hand on her hip.

‘Blame Cassie. The trousers are her fault.’ It had been nice in the van; the hot day had heated up the interior and it smelled of warm hay and soft leather and Theo’s aftershave. The obligatory carrots were rolling around the foot well looking a little dehydrated, but she was certain the horses wouldn’t mind if they were a wee bit more chewy than usual. She had also been aware of the clinking of bottles somewhere behind her, and guessed they were the brewery freebies that had inveigled her into spending the evening with Theo. Well, okay — perhaps it was Theo himself that had brought her to this point — but she wasn’t going to split hairs.

Then she saw Theo’s face change.

‘Looks like you’ve got company. Maybe we need to do a rain check for tonight.’

‘What?’ She spun around, seeing Jenna sitting on the edge of the desk, laughing up into the face of a tall man in profile. It was too dark in the foyer to make out who it was.

Her stomach lurched — if Chris had come up, if he was trying to make it up to her, to get back with her . . . no way. No way on this earth.

‘Katie!’ The man detached himself from the darkness and her heartbeat returned to slightly-faster-than normal, instead of cardiac-arrest-inducing fast. Talk about a panic.

‘Tom! I thought you were sleeping with Anne Boleyn in Hever Castle or something?’

‘She wasn’t called Anne Boleyn.’ He leaned down and kissed her. ‘I think she was called Tammy, but I can’t be sure.’ His brow furrowed. ‘Tamara? Tessa? I don’t know. She was a bridesmaid.’

‘Whatever. What are you doing here?’

‘I came to see you. And who’s this?’ He smiled at Theo and held out his hand. ‘I’m Tom. Kate’s big brother. You’re not Chris, thank God.’

Theo grinned and held his hand out to clasp Tom’s. ‘Theo Kent. No, I’m not Chris. I’m—’

‘He’s working at the Hall this weekend,’ Kate interrupted, before it got complicated. ‘He’s a farrier. And a horse-whisperer. And you might be older but you’re much more immature, so stop being so arrogant.’

‘I’m not arrogant! I speak the truth.’ Tom turned back to Theo. ‘I am older than her. Nice bicycle. That’s Kate’s workmanship, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, I can’t take any credit for it,’ Theo replied. ‘The fact is she drove my van back so I brought her bike. It’s a bit of a routine now.’

It was time to speak again, before Tom started asking any more questions. ‘Theo knows Maeve,’ Kate said. ‘They were working at the crannog together.’

‘Fantastic! I might head up there at some point myself.’ Tom grinned. ‘I’ve always got a lot of time for Maeve.’

‘Lucky Maeve,’ Kate said, wryly.

Theo laughed. ‘It was good fun. Cold, wet and windy, but good fun. Well, I’ll let you entertain your brother, Kate, and I’ll see you tomorrow.’ He plucked the van keys from her fingertips and jangled them. ‘I’ll find you by the Spa, I’m sure. Or maybe by the Faerie Bridge.’ He smiled down at her and she thought there might just be a little shade of regret in there. She had a vision of Cat’s life again; Will walking away, saying he’d see her when he came back; promising that he would return for her. And he never did. The heat must have got to her and maybe she had a touch of sunstroke as well, because she suddenly felt very weepy.

‘But—’ She stared up at him, helplessly. Damn Tom and his unexpected visit!

‘Is it almost time to close up?’ Jenna slithered out of the shadows and stretched, arching her back and yawning like a kitten; apart from the fact that kittens didn’t thrust their ample boobs into their employer’s brother’s faces.

If they did, perhaps the employer’s brother’s faces wouldn’t have lit up quite as lasciviously as Kate’s own brother’s face did. It was almost a habit with Jenna — she always did that booby-archy thing when an attractive man was nearby. It was like a mating display.