Running Scarred Page 15

  Ellen woke early. She shivered in the early morning light. The central heating hadn’t kicked in and she felt very cold as she pulled on her dressing gown. She made a mental note to keep it turned on during the night when she had guests. She wandered to the bathroom thinking about her conversation with David a few nights before. He was right. She had to move on. He was picking up her bits from Patrick’s cottage that morning. Ellen had wanted to go herself, but David had insisted that she wasn’t to go back. She had given him a list of the things she had left there.

  She stood in the shower lathering her hair and watching the suds gather in the drain before swirling away. It was New Year’s Eve. The last day of the old year. She wouldn’t be sorry to see it go.

  She dried quickly and then walked back to her bedroom and pulled on her jeans and jumper. The room had changed in the few days since David had discovered her sleeping rough between a load of unpacked boxes. He and Joe had spent Christmas day lugging the boxes up to the attic and moving furniture. Then they had spent Boxing Day painting the room before a new bed had arrived.

  Ellen brushed her hair and fastened it, then dabbed on a little lipstick. She didn’t have to dress up early, she had to go and collect the pig anyway. She’d put her glad rags on later just before the party started. She walked out of the door and down to the kitchen.

  Geraldine was already there with two mugs of tea in her hands. She had moved into David’s room on Christmas day. She smiled a little self-consciously at Ellen.

  Ellen smiled back.

  “So he’s got you fetching him tea now too. He’s such a lazy devil. Don’t let him get away with it Geraldine. Get him to make the tea for you. He’s perfectly capable.” She pulled a mug down from the shelf for herself.

  Geraldine sipped out of one of the mugs.

  “I think I will buy a kettle for our room. ‘e loves a cup of tea first thing I the morning, I think it is an English custom, but now I like it too. I think I will let him be lazy a little longer. I don’t mind. I love him.” She said it so simply that a tear sprang to Ellen’s eyes.

  “Yes, he said. You are both so lucky to have found one another. I know he thought it would never happen, not after being so injured. Some people can’t see deeper than the surface.”

  Geraldine’s smile grew wider.

  “David is a very intense person. I saw that straight away, and I find him ‘andsome too. A few scars don’t bother me, not when the person inside is so wonderful. ‘e tells me you felt the same about that man that lived ‘ere.”

  Ellen gulped, surprised at Geraldine’s openness.

  “Yes, I did, but unfortunately for me, he’s gone. I don’t think he’s coming back and even if he does, it won’t be the same as you and David. Patrick has a wife already. I’m putting it all behind me as of today. You know, a New Year and a new beginning, besides what with all our guests arriving today, I doubt I’ll have time to be maudlin over it.”

  Geraldine nodded.

  “Yes, and of course there will be all these ‘andsome soldiers arriving. Who knows, there may be someone else in your life very soon.” She swept out of the kitchen doors.

  Ellen looked down, suddenly more miserable than ever.

  “No,” She whispered. “No, there won’t be. Not ever again.” She turned and filled her mug with hot water.

  Patrick turned over in his bed. For a moment he was disorientated and it took him a couple of seconds to realize where he was. A weak sunshine was shining through his window. He hadn’t closed the curtains the night before. He swivelled himself round, pulled on his leg and stood up. He peered out of the window and the pushed it open wide. Crisp, clean air flooded over him. He looked out over his overgrown vegetable garden and into the nearest trees. He breathed in deeply. He could smell the lush forest around him, the scent of pine and earth. He smiled. It was good to be home.

  He pulled some clean clothes out of his bag and dragged them on. He was going to have to go to the Chateau pretty soon. She still wasn’t here and the suspense was killing him.

  He turned to his room and noticed the thin layer of dust on the dressing table again. He walked over to it and ran his finger along the surface, then stopped as his finger touched a bottle of Ellen’s perfume. He smiled and was about to walk through to the kitchen to make tea when he heard his front door open.

  Relief swept over him. He hadn’t realized how anxious he had been feeling, but she was here at last! He threw himself back into the bed, grinning stupidly as he pulled the covers over himself, waiting for her to come and discover him. And then he couldn’t help himself.

  “Hey! Ellen, I’m in here, come and get me!” He yelled delightedly.

  There was complete silence from the room next door for a few seconds, and then the unfamiliar sound of heavy, charging feet on the floorboards. The bedroom door flew open. Patrick flung out his arms in welcome and waited expectantly for Ellen to leap on him.

  He didn’t expect a six-foot blaze of fury to launch itself across the room at him.

  He leapt out of the bed again, stumbling against the chest of drawers.

  “Who the hell are you? Get out of my house!” It took a second for him to realize that the man facing him, with steam practically coming out of his ears, was scarred a lot worse than himself. He was truly terrible to look at. His nose was ruined and misshapen, one dark brown eye was half closed, but the other was glaring at him furiously. The way the man lurched as he came across the room made it obvious that he was a double amputee. Realization suddenly came to him.

  “David?” Patrick pulled himself away from the furniture and questioned urgently. “Are you David? Where’s Ellen? Is she at the Chateau?” He tried to smile but it wavered as David came further into the room.

  “You’ve got a nerve, you piece of shit! Why the hell have you come back?” David spat the words, his breath coming in furious gasps. “She’s just getting over you. You stay away from her, do you hear?” His words hissed from the side of his scarred mouth.

  Patrick staggered on his feet, completely confused.

  “What! Getting over me? What do you mean? Why isn’t she here?” He was so taken aback that he sat down on the bed again.

  David started yelling.

  “Why, you bastard! Don’t pretend you don’t know. She not here because you left her! After months of using her, you just waltz off with your wife, leaving her completely devastated. One pathetic note that’s left her hanging on for months, desperate for you to come back. You’re lucky I don’t kill you right now.”

  Patrick shot up. David was coming closer, fists clenched now, but Patrick leapt forward from the bed and faced him.

  “One note? What the hell are you talking about? I’ve written every bloody week telling her what’s happening. I was living in one shitty B and B after another wondering why she hadn’t written back. I had assumed she was busy.” He scratched his head.

  David was still puffing.

  “Don’t lie to me. She’s worked herself half to death to get this place up and running in time for tonight, just to get over you, and you walk in here like nothing has happened. Did your wife chuck you out again? Is that why you’ve come back? Well don’t think you can just start where you left off with Ellen. It’s not going to happen. She doesn’t want anything to do with you. You go near her ever again and I will kill you. Do you understand? And don’t think I can’t, because I bloody well can. You stay away from her. Okay?”

  Patrick was a good few inches taller than David, but David’s fury was greater. Patrick shook his head, trying to keep calm. Fear gripped him. The muscles in his chest had constricted so tightly he wondered how he was still breathing. His voice was almost strangled in his throat.

  “I’ll stay away if she tells me to, but not you. You can go to hell and back before I do anything you want. Is she at the Chateau? I’ll go up there now and see what she says. If she doesn’t want me, then fair enough, I’ll go, but not until I’ve heard it from her lips.” He pushed past David and
strode out of the door.

  Patrick could hear David lumbering after him, but he didn’t turn around. He had to see Ellen immediately. He had to get this sorted out and explain. He couldn’t let her leave him. David wouldn’t have to kill him. He’d do it himself if she didn’t want him.

  David struggled to keep up as Patrick surged ahead along the path. He marched straight up the stone steps of the Chateau and pounded through the front doors.

  Geraldine screamed in shock as the doors blasted inwards, and she dropped a vase of flowers and greenery that she was carrying across the hallway.

  “Mon Dieu! What ‘as ‘appened?” She was breathless with fright.

  Joe burst out of the lounge door at her scream, he skidded on the broken vase and puddle of water, only just managing to keep upright. He flailed around, finding his feet just as David puffed in through the doors behind Patrick.

  Joe was about to ask what was going on, when he stopped dead and stared, open mouthed, at Patrick. Then in one fluid motion, he pulled himself up to attention and saluted.

  David staggered to a stop behind Patrick and gawped at Joe. Joe was still rigid.

  “What the hell are you doing Joe? This is the scumbag that let my sister down.” David’s breathing was laboured. Joe never even blinked. He stayed firmly at attention.

  “At ease Lieutenant!” Patrick barked at Joe. “Where’s Ellen?”

  Joe gave the merest flick of his eyes over at David and then back to Patrick.

  “Sir, Not here Sir!” Joe had dropped the salute but was still in full military mode. He made his complete report. “Her fiancé arrived shortly after Captain Phillips went to fetch Miss Ellen’s stuff, Sir! A taxi dropped him off. She was going to go and pick up the pig for the hog roast. Her fiancé went with her, I saw him get into her car, Sir.” He was still standing very straight.

  David moved forwards, pushing past Patrick’s now frozen form. He clutched Joe’s shoulders, shaking him out of his rigid stance.

  “Joe, do you mean Justin?” David exploded. “What was he doing here? He’s just a money grabbing low life. She dumped him way before she bought this place and he certainly wasn’t invited here today. He’s not her fiancé Joe. She detests him.”

  Patrick slumped forwards, suddenly breathing again. Joe looked taken aback.

  “But he said he was, Dave. You remember, I told you before Christmas, just after I arrived. I saw him at one of my leaving parties. He said he had been invited over, he said they were getting back together.”

  David rolled his eyes.

  “You were drunk at that party you idiot! And you downed a load of wine the evening you arrived here too. Ellen wouldn’t get back with that piece of crap if he were the last man on earth. If you had been sober you would have known that he was telling you a load of lies.” David was fuming at Joe.

  Patrick marched across the hall, poked his head around the door of the lounge and scanned quickly. Then he was moving along the hall towards the kitchen. He wasn’t sure if he believed Joe or not. He felt it was best to check. He pushed the door open and looked around the room. It was empty. The kitchen table was set up to deal with the pig. A long metal prong and the block of knives that were waiting to be used, sat at one end. The middle knife was missing from the block.

  It wasn’t on the table.

  He scanned round the rest of the units, then the sink and finally the huge dishwasher. It wasn’t there either. Patrick felt the blood drain from his face, he spun back round and was about to go back to the hall, when his boot kicked something across the floor.

  A million sparkles leapt around the room, Patrick bent down to pick the object up, just as David, and Joe entered the room together.

  “That’s her clip! The replacement of the paste one you gave her years ago Dave!” Joe yelled.

  Patrick felt as though he were about to pass out. Never in a million lifetimes would she leave this on the floor. Never in another million lifetimes would she drop it and not notice. All three of them stared at it hopelessly.

  The telephone rang and Geraldine answered it. She gabbled away in French for a few moments then she put the phone down. She turned to the men, her expression frightened.

  “That was Monsieur Lefevre. Ellen ‘asn’t been for the pig. ‘e wondered if we still wanted it. ‘e says Ellen told ‘im that she would be there early as ‘e ‘as to go out. I told ‘im that she must have been delayed, but ‘e can’t wait in any longer. ‘e is going to drop it off on his way to the market.”

  There was a shocked silence. Then Patrick spoke quietly as he looked over at David. His expression showed nothing of how he was feeling. His voice was like solid stone.

  “This Justin bloke, is that the blond guy she came here with originally?” David nodded. Patrick held the clip up to the light. It glittered at them. “It’s beautiful.” He said to no one in particular. He was silent for a heartbeat, thinking hard, then he cleared his throat. “I saw him arguing with her the night we first met and I showed Justin up here a few weeks later. I didn’t really take any notice of him at the time, but then he told me that they were engaged. I was so jealous I didn’t listen to Ellen when she tried to explain about him…Actually I wanted to kill him, the thought of him touching her, sleeping with…” His teeth ground together and he didn’t finish, but looked at David and Joe darkly. They stared back at him silently. “Well anyway.” He carried on. “She said he had threatened her over some money problems.” His voice was hollow. “I wish she’d told me how bad it was. I’m not completely broke, I might have been able to help her if she had asked.” He lifted his chin at David. “Does she owe him much?”

  David gawped at him, unable to believe what he was hearing.

  “Ellen doesn’t owe anyone a penny. In fact she gave him a small fortune in Spanish property just after they split up. The idiot sold it all without finding out about the tax laws first. He lost the lot and expected Ellen to pay him off again.” David glanced over at Joe and then back to Patrick. “She said that she never got round to telling you. Patrick, Ellen is a millionairess. Our Aunt left us both a fortune. Ellen has put nearly everything she owns into this place. Oh God! That must be it. Justin’s property mad, he’s kidnapped her to get the Chateau.” David looked as though he was about to collapse.

  Patrick was looking at Joe again.

  “Half an hour ago they left here in her car? Anything else you remember?” Patrick was horribly calm.

  Joe thought for a moment racking his brains, knowing that every detail was significant.

  “Justin said he was helping her with the pig. They walked out arm in arm. Ellen didn’t say a thing, so I assumed she was okay with it. I bet he had that missing knife aimed at her. God! I wish I’d thought it through. He’s a complete jerk. There’s no way she would have asked him to help her. He wouldn’t know a pig from a pineapple.” His tone was bitter.

  Patrick was thinking hard.

  “I didn’t hear any car on the road past the cottage, and I’d been awake for a short while before you arrived. Did you see or hear anything before you got to my cottage David?”

  David shook his head emphatically.

  “No, they must have gone down the avenue or they would have come past me as I went to fetch her things.”

  Geraldine interrupted quickly.

  “They didn’t go past me. I was cutting ivy for the table decorations down by the gates. I only arrived back ‘ere ten minutes ago to put the finishing touches to my display and ‘er car was gone by then. They must ‘ave gone via the river crossing, that’s the only other route out, but that won’t work either. It’s in full flood this time of year. They can’t cross it in Ellen’s tiny car. They must be ‘ere somewhere on the estate still.”

  Patrick started for the door. His face was set, his manner strangely calm. His self-control was frightening.

  “I’m going after them. David, can I take your car?” His tone was neutral, but David recognized the order in the question.

  David marc
hed after Patrick, all hatred of the man forgotten as he worried about his sister. If Patrick was going to help get her back then that was fine with him. He’d deal with the rest later.

  “No, I’ve got a better idea. Joe, you take the car and cut off the track back from the river. Do whatever it takes, but don’t let them come back past you. If he gets off the estate with her, we’ll never find him. Patrick, you come with me. I know a quicker way down to the river. It takes us right to the crossing.” David threw his keys to Joe, grabbed Patrick’s arm and pulled him through the doorway.

  They heard Joe speeding off in the car as they jogged along the path to the ravine. David was finding the going hard but Patrick pulled him along.

  David was looking at the tall, powerful man, striding along just in front of him.

  “You’ve had something done to your leg? Ellen said you limped with the one you had before.” He was breathing heavily.

  Patrick didn’t slow down at all. He pounded on up the path.

  “Got the new model. It’s fantastic, at least as good as the real thing, well you can see. It was one of the things I was sorting out while I was away; it was a bastard to get used to after over two years in the old one. It works in a completely new way and you have to compensate with your body. I had to have loads of physio on my back, but it’s worth it in the end. I told Ellen all about it in my letters.” Patrick had reached a fork in the path and waited for David to point out the direction.

  David panted up, drawing in deep breaths.

  “Ellen hasn’t had any letters from you. I told you that.” They started down the next path and it soon widened into a long plateau. Patrick stopped dead and gasped as he saw the top of the zip wire. He ran over to it.

  “Well, I’ve been posting them every week. They can’t all have been lost. Damn, when did you get this thing put in? It looks fantastic.” His voice was lost in admiration for the zip wire. He reached up and pulled on the bars, testing the tension.

  David tried to look displeased, but his anger was no longer focused on the man in front of him.