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‘Sorry about the roo ‘We need the infirmary for theThis was the only place we could put you two Only for a few hours, though, eh?’
Theat her Frances felt the warmth of his eyes and savoured it She could still feel the imprint of his arm round her as he half walked, half carried her back on board, his head so close to hers that, if she had inclined her neck a little further, she could have felt his skin against hers
‘Now, Mrs Radley, are you comfortable?’
‘Fine,’ Avice said, into her pillow
‘Good I’ve got to pop next door and get the men comfortable, but I’ll be back as soon as I can When you’re feeling up to it, I’ve brought you soe into I’ll put them just here’ She placed the carefully folded pile on a small cabinet ‘Now, I’m sure you ladies could do with a cup of tea Marine, would you do the honours? It’s chaos downstairs and I don’t want to have to fight hted’
She felt his hand, the brief squeeze, and for a second she forgot about this room, about Avice, the fire She was on a lifeboat, her eyes locked on to thisshe had ever wanted to say, everything she had never believed she would want to say, without uttering a word
‘I’ll take a look at those cuts later,’ she e to touch his face She iertips, the tenderness hich she would care for the bruised flesh
He glanced behind him as he walked towards the door S him, one hand raised unconsciously to her hair
‘I don’t suppose you particularly want to be stuck with me, do you?’ As he closed the door, Avice’s voice cut into the silence
Reluctantly, Frances brought her thoughts to the woman in front of her ‘I don’t mind who I’m with,’ she replied coolly
It was as if their hours in the lifeboat had never happened, as if Avice, unco been rescued by this woman, was now deterot a stoht Will you help me out of it?’
Avice slid slowly out of her bed, her hair separated into pale, salted fronds Frances helped her out of the ruined party dress, the stiff girdle and brassière, with impersonal care It was only as she helped Avice back on to the bed that she saw theslowly across the back of the peach silk robe She stooped to pick up the soiled dress and saw further evidence She waited until Avice had lain down, then stood stiffly beside her ‘I have to tell you so’
In the little rooh with boxes, they examined the robe in silence Avice took it off and stared at the ruby stain, which was even nowits way on to the sheet She saw in Frances’s face what it e in her demeanour She accepted the clean towel that Frances fetched without comment
‘I’ed inside her ‘It – it may have been the shock of the water’ She had been prepared for Avice to screaht relish the chance to add this lost child to Frances’s list of supposed sins But she said nothing, just acceded to Frances’s quiet requests to lie still, put this towel there, take a painkiller or two
Finally she spoke ‘Just as well, really,’ she said ‘Poor little bastard’
There was a brief, shocked silence, as if even she was surprised by her choice of words
Frances’s eyes widened
Avice shook her head Then suddenly, lurching up and forward like so sobs filled the little room and she sank back on to the narrow bed, her face buried in the sheet, the h her as if with seismic tremors
Frances dropped the dress, clambered quietly on to Avice’s bed and sat beside her, stunned She stayed there for soer, she put her arirl and held her Avice neither pushed her away nor leant in to her It was as if she was so locked into her own private unhappiness that she did not know Frances was there
‘It will be all right,’ Frances said, not knowing if she could justify her words ‘It will be all right’
It was so subsided Frances fetched more painkillers from the dispensary and a sedative, in case it proved necessary When she returned, Avice was lying back against the wall, a pillow propped under her She wiped her eyes, then gestured to Frances to pass her her dress, from which she pulled a piece of tattered, damp paper ‘Here, you can read this properly now,’ she said
‘Not Wanted Don’t Coht’