Page 14 (1/2)

Here, I could hear hts I could almost hear my heartbeat I realized, to my surprise, that I quite liked it

At five, e Will stirred, and I leapt out of the chair, anxious to get it before it disturbed hiht?

Nathan cannot do it Camilla Traynor

I didn’t really think about it before I typed back

No proble my parents and told them that I would stay over My et paid for sleeping over, she sounded overjoyed

‘Did you hear that, Bernard?’ she said, her hand half over the phone ‘They’re paying her to sleep now’

I could hear my father’s exclamation ‘Praise the Lord She’s found her drea hi hi cross-country snow running tonight

Good practice for Norway! X P

I wondered hoas possible for soh sub-zero temperatures in a vest and pants

Will slept I cooked myself some food, and defrosted so in case he felt well enough to go into the living roo it was since I had boughtas a child, but I couldn’t reazines since Treen was the reader It was al her patch I thought about her and Tho to university and realized I still didn’t knohether ita bit co at seven He see over

‘I couldn’t raise Mr Traynor I even rang their landline nuh to answerphone’

‘Yeah Well He’ll be gone’

‘Gone?’

I felt a sudden instinctive panic at the idea that it would be just Will andfunda Will’s health ‘Should I call Mrs Traynor, then?’

There was a short silence on the other end of the phone ‘No Best not’

‘But –’

‘Look, Lou, he often … he often goes somewhere else when Mrs T stays over in town’

It took

‘Oh’

‘It’s just good that you’re there, that’s all If you’re sure Will’s looking better, I’ll be back first thing in the ’

There are normal hours, and then there are invalid hours, where time stalls and slips, where life – real life – seems to exist at one remove I watched so around the annexe in silence Finally, I let myself back into Will’s roo his head ‘What tihtly ht’

He let his head drop, and digested this ‘Can I have a drink?’

There was no sharpness to hi ill had finally ave hiht I perched on the side of his bed, and felt his forehead, as ht have done when I was a child He was still a little war like he had been

‘Cool hands’

‘You coenuinely surprised

‘Would you like some soup?’

‘No’

‘Are you comfortable?’

I never kne much discomfort he was in, but I suspected it was ood Just roll me I don’t need to sit up’

I cliently as I could He no longer radiated a sinister heat, just the ordinary warmth of a body that had spent ti else?’

‘Shouldn’t you be heading ho over’

Outside, the last of the light had long been extinguished The snoas still falling Where it caught the porch glow through the as bathed in a pale-gold,its hypnotic fall

‘Can I ask you so?’ I said, finally I could see his hands on top of the sheet It see, and yet be so useless

‘I suspect you’re going to’

‘What happened?’ I kept wondering about the marks on his wrists It was the one question I couldn’t ask directly

He opened one eye ‘How did I get like this?’

When I nodded, he closed his eyes again ‘Motorbike accident Not ht it would be skiing or bungee ju’

‘Everyone does God’s little joke I was crossing the road outside my home Not this place,’ he said ‘My London ho the novels, the well-thuuin paperbacks, were business titles: Corporate Law, TakeOver, directories of nanize

‘And there was no way you could carry on with your job?’

‘No Nor the apartirlfriend’ The break in his voice couldn’t disguise the bitterness ‘But I should apparently be grateful, as for so to live at all’

‘Do you hate it? Living here, I ht be able to live in London again?’

‘Not like this, no’

‘But you ht improve I mean, Nathan said there are loads of advances in this kind of injury’

Will closed his eyes again

I waited, and then I adjusted the pillow behind his head, and the duvet around his chest ‘Sorry,’ I said, sitting upright ‘If I ask too many questions Do you want me to leave?’

‘No Stay for a bit Talk to aze slid up to ood’