The Soft Whisper of Dreams

by Christina Courtenay

  ‘I’m sorry, I’m usually a very strong person, but I don’t know what’s got into me. It must be the Devon air or something making me feel this shaky.’

  ‘That’s all right, it’s understandable. You’ve been through a lot lately.’ He continued to hold her and they stood there in the field for a few moments.

  ‘Excuse me, can I help you?’ The voice from the garden startled them and they both turned to see a man walking down the path towards them. He was huge, with meaty fists clenched as if in readiness for a confrontation.

  ‘Uh-oh,’ Alex muttered. As the man approached, however, they could see that although he was scowling slightly, there was no menace in his gaze, only a questioning look. Maddie took a deep breath and approached the fence to attempt to explain their presence in the field.

  ‘I’m sorry if we’re trespassing, I just wanted to have a quick look at the garden of your house. I-I believe I’ve been here before. When I was little.’ She tried a small smile, but it had no effect on the man’s expression. He seemed to be studying her, his head tilted slightly to one side. A distant part of Maddie’s brain registered the fact that he was dark-haired and clean-shaven, not the red-bearded giant of her dreams, and a deep sadness welled up inside her. She must have been mistaken after all. I’m imagining things. Although he could of course have moved a long time ago, whoever he was.

  ‘I see.’ Communication didn’t appear to be the man’s strongest point, Maddie reflected. She thought she detected a Scottish burr in those two words, but couldn’t be certain.

  ‘Please forgive us. We’ll be on our way now and I promise we won’t bother you again.’ She gripped Alex’s hand for support once more and half turned to go.

  ‘Oh, don’t hurry on my account. You can look all you want, won’t bother me none.’ Yes, the accent was definitely Scottish, Maddie decided. She glanced at him in surprise when he continued. ‘What was it you thought you recognised then?’

  ‘The swing and, er, the roses and those pointed windows.’ It sounded silly now, but there was no turning back. It would have been rude not to answer the man.

  ‘Oh, aye, they’re very distinctive, aren’t they?’

  ‘Yes. Yes, they are. Um, have you lived here long, Mr ...?’ Maddie wished Alex would make an effort to join the conversation, but he appeared to be busy studying some far-flung view to their left and had dug his other hand deep into his pocket. He was no help at all.

  ‘The name’s Ruthven, and no, I haven’t lived here long. In fact, I don’t live here at all.’

  ‘Excuse me?’ Maddie blinked, sure she’d misheard him.

  ‘I’m house-sitting. For my brother,’ Mr Ruthven clarified.

  ‘Oh, I see. Right.’

  ‘Where did you say you were from?’

  ‘I didn’t. I mean, we’re from Marcombe Hall. That is, this is Alex Marcombe and I’m Maddie Browne. I’m visiting there at the moment.’ Maddie knew she wasn’t making much sense, but she was beyond coherent thought processes at the moment. She wished the ground would just open up and swallow them whole. She hated embarrassing situations. In a desperate attempt to save herself she dug her elbow into Alex’s midriff.

  ‘Umph.’ Alex glared at her, but finally came to her rescue. ‘Mr Ruthven, we’ve taken up too much of your time already and really must be on our way. Thank you so much for letting us have a look, it was extremely kind of you. Come on, Maddie, let’s go.’ Without further ado he grabbed her by the elbow and steered her in the direction of the road.

  ‘Bye and thank you Mr Ruthven,’ Maddie called over her shoulder.

  ‘No’ at all,’ she heard the big man reply before they were out of earshot.

  ‘Alex, you can let go now,’ she complained and yanked her arm away from his none too gentle grip.

  ‘I knew this was a stupid idea, the minute you told me,’ Alex muttered and strode off towards the fence. ‘He probably thought we were burglars, checking the place out.’

  ‘It wasn’t stupid at all. This is the right house, I’m sure of it. Of course I couldn’t expect it to have the same owner after twenty-odd years. That would have been too much of a coincidence.’ But a little voice inside her insisted that was precisely what she’d expected and now she was utterly dejected as a result. If only someone here could have given her some answers. She hurried after Alex.

  ‘No sense at all,’ he was muttering and Maddie’s emotions finally boiled over. Making a fist, she hit him on the arm as hard as she could and exploded into an uncontrollable torrent of words.

  ‘What do you know? You weren’t adopted, your life thrown into turmoil. You know exactly who you are and where you come from! Posh parents, big mansion, trust fund …’ She emphasised each word with another punch on his arm, but soon failed to come up with anything else to say. Those weren’t exactly crimes, but they felt like it to her now she’d lost the security of knowing who her parents were. Breathing hard, she faced him, not ready to back down yet. Alex regarded her with an angry expression.

  ‘Have you quite finished demolishing my character or do you want to add the criminal tendencies as well?’ When she didn’t reply he continued. ‘Good, then perhaps we can be on our way.’ And he turned and vaulted over the fence without effort, leaving Maddie to scramble across as best she could.

  Once they were back in the car he did a U-turn and drove back the way they’d come. Maddie remained silent. After all, what was there to say? She had already said too much.

  Chapter Eighteen

  ‘Oh, you’re back! Had a nice drive?’

  Poor Kayla, who happened to be walking through the hall as they arrived back, received two stony glares and no reply. ‘Maddie?’

  But Maddie couldn’t talk just then and rushed up the stairs to her room. There was no way she was saying anything to Kayla in front of Alex.

  There was a knock on her door almost as soon as she’d shut it and Maddie steeled herself. ‘Yes, come in.’ No point denying Kayla entry, she’d only have to explain later.

  Kayla tiptoed into the room as if she was entering a lion’s den. ‘Maddie? Are you all right?’ She shut the door quietly behind her.

  ‘Oh, yes, just wonderful.’ Maddie knew her tone was sarcastic, but she couldn’t help it. She was lying on top of the bed staring at the ceiling, her hands behind her head.

  ‘Oh dear, that bad, eh?’ Kayla went over to sit next to Maddie. ‘Want to talk about it?’

  ‘Not really, but I suppose I’d better tell you my version or all you will hear is what his “high-and-mighty-ness’s” opinion is.’

  A giggle escaped Kayla at this description of her brother-in-law and she quickly covered her mouth with one hand. ‘I’m sorry, I’m sure it’s not a laughing matter, but really … Alex has never been like that.’

  ‘Maybe not with you.’ But Maddie gave her a small smile in return. ‘And it’s not a laughing matter at all actually. You’re right though, I’m probably taking this far too seriously. I’d better start at the beginning.’

  ‘Yes do, please.’

  The whole sorry tale came pouring out and Maddie didn’t hold anything back. She and Kayla didn’t have any secrets from each other and she had no hesitation in confiding in her friend. When she was done, she spread her hands out and shrugged.

  ‘So, there you have it. It’s a massive mess, isn’t it?’

  ‘Well, I’ve heard worse.’ Kayla smiled. ‘What intrigues me the most is this house, though. Perhaps we should investigate it a bit further.’

  ‘No, please, let’s just leave it. Much as I hate to admit it, Alex was probably right. My description could fit lots of houses around England. Why should it be this one?’

  ‘I don’t know, but you were so sure. And the swing and everything …’

  Maddie shook her head. ‘Leave it, Kayla. I’ve had enough for now. I found my mother, which is what I set out to do. Perhaps she can explain the house to me when we meet in London, if there is anything to explain. It could all just be my imagination,
you know.’

  ‘Fine, but if you ever want help just let me know. I can go and talk to that Mr Ruthven or his brother for you any time.’

  ‘Thanks, Kayla, but right now I just want to rest.’

  Two more days of lounging about in the sun followed and Maddie managed to avoid meeting Alex almost completely. By getting up late she missed him at breakfast and to her great relief he spent all day working at the cottages. In the evenings he went out, presumably with friends, and wasn’t seen until late, by which time Maddie had gone to bed. It wasn’t an ideal solution, but it was the best possible thing in the circumstances. Or so she told herself.

  On the morning of the third day, however, Maddie woke up to find Alex pounding on her door.

  ‘Maddie, wake up.’

  ‘What? What’s the matter?’ She dragged herself out of bed and went to peer out into the corridor. Belatedly she remembered that she wasn’t wearing much and she saw Alex grit his teeth as he glanced at the thin, oversized T-shirt she used as a nightgown, but he came straight to the point in a curt tone of voice.

  ‘There’s someone on the phone for you. She sounds frantic. Jane, I think, although she didn’t say.’

  Maddie gasped. ‘Jane? Oh, my God, what’s happened now?’ She raced past him into the corridor and almost knocked the phone over in her haste to reach the receiver. ‘Jane? It’s me. What’s the matter? Is it Mother?’

  ‘Oh, Maddie. I’m sorry to wake you up so early, but there’s been an accident. I’m at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital and I don’t know how bad it is yet.’ Maddie could hear her sister’s voice break on a sob. ‘I mean, I don’t know if she’s going to be okay.’

  ‘But what happened? What kind of accident?’

  ‘She was knocked down by a car not far from your flat. She’d gone out shopping by herself.’ Jane sobbed again. ‘I told her not to go anywhere without me, but she was so happy to be free. You know, she just wanted to walk around I think. I should have watched her more closely. I’m s-sorry.’

  ‘No, Jane, you mustn’t blame yourself. Listen, I’ll go and pack a bag now and I’ll come to London as fast as I can. Call me on my mobile as soon as you have any news. All right? I’ll be with you soon, I promise.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Jane’s voice was only a thread in between the sobs, but Maddie could hear the relief. She understood her sister’s feeling. They were not alone any more. They had each other.

  After saying a quick goodbye, she hung up, turned to rush back into her room and ran smack into Alex’s solid chest. Alex’s solid, naked chest. Her heart flipped over.

  ‘Oh, are you still here?’

  ‘As you can see. What was that all about?’ He crossed his arms almost defensively and Maddie tried to avoid looking at the well-defined muscles clearly visible under the tanned skin.

  ‘My mother’s been in an accident. A car ran her over. I don’t know how she is yet, but I’ve got to go to London. Will you tell Kayla please? What time is it anyway?’

  ‘Seven-ish.’

  ‘Seven?’ Maddie ran a hand through her unruly mane. ‘No wonder I was still asleep.’ She frowned. ‘You’re up early.’

  ‘I had work to do. Get ready and I’ll drive you to the station.’ He turned away as if the matter was already settled.

  ‘You don’t have to do that. I can get a taxi,’ Maddie protested.

  ‘Don’t be an idiot,’ he muttered and continued on his way.

  Maddie threw up her arms in despair. The man was impossible, but just this once she would resist arguing with him. She needed to be on her way as quickly as possible and if he wanted to be a martyr, fine. Let him.

  When she emerged from the house fifteen minutes later, he was waiting in the car with the engine running. His face was set in uncompromising lines and Maddie decided her best course of action would be to stay silent. That seemed to suit him as well and their journey was accomplished without a single word passing their lips.

  At the station in Totnes, Alex parked the car in the car park and Maddie thanked him for the ride.

  ‘You’re welcome.’ He got out of the car and removed a holdall from the back seat. Maddie frowned in confusion.

  ‘What are you doing?’

  ‘I’m coming with you.’ Alex wasn’t looking at her. He just waited patiently for her to come round the car.

  ‘What are you talking about?’ Maddie was still confused, but anger was bubbling to the surface as well. ‘Why should you come with me?’

  ‘It’s not safe. I’ve had you watched by Foster here in Devon, but I can’t ask him to follow you to London, so I decided to go myself. You need someone to keep an eye on you.’

  ‘The hell I do! You can just get right back in that car and go home again. I don’t need you or anyone else to babysit me. I can look after myself perfectly well, thank you.’ Maddie was well and truly furious by now and set off towards the ticket office without so much as a nod. But Alex followed.

  Maddie stopped abruptly and rounded on him. ‘Are you deaf? I don’t need a guard dog, Alex.’

  ‘Really? Then how come you’ve almost been killed three times in the last few weeks? If your mother has been run over in London, maybe it wasn’t an accident?’

  Maddie felt her insides go ice cold. He had put into words her worst fears, and she didn’t want to hear it, although she knew in her heart that he had a point.

  ‘What if that madman was behind it?’ he continued. ‘After all, he hasn’t been seen around here for the last few days, has he?’

  She clenched her teeth. ‘Even if that’s true, I can take care of myself. I have taken self-defence lessons and I’ll be more careful now that I know there is danger.’ Suddenly all the fight went out of her and her shoulders slumped. ‘Go back to Marcombe, Alex, I don’t need you.’

  It was Alex’s turn to clench his jaw, but he replied calmly, ‘Maybe you don’t think so, but I know that Kayla and Wes will feel better knowing you’re not alone. You can’t stop me, I’m going whether you like it or not. Now come on, or we’ll miss the next train.’

  ‘Fine, have it your way.’ There was no reasoning with the man and Maddie gave up the unequal struggle. He was right. She couldn’t stop him if he was determined to go.

  ‘Why did you tell Foster to watch me?’ They had been travelling for over an hour in silence and this question had been nagging at Maddie.

  Alex had been contemplating the passing scenery and turned his blue gaze on her slowly. ‘Because I wanted some answers.’

  ‘Answers? About what?’

  ‘That incident with the mine shaft made me suspicious and I thought you were hiding something.’ He looked away. ‘I told you, I wondered if perhaps it was an old boyfriend of yours you were protecting.’

  ‘Oh, I see. And you thought you’d catch him red-handed?’

  ‘Something like that.’ He picked up a paper and began to read, as if to signal that their conversation was at an end, but Maddie wasn’t quite finished.

  ‘There I was thinking perhaps you were worried about me.’ She watched him carefully and was disappointed to note that he showed not the slightest reaction to her words.

  ‘Well, you were a guest in my brother’s house. Of course I was worried,’ he answered with a shrug and returned to the newspaper. Maddie’s throat constricted. For a while there she had almost believed he cared about her, but that was obviously too much to hope for.

  ‘Damn it,’ she muttered to herself and pulled out a paperback from her bag.

  ‘I’m sorry?’ Alex had torn his gaze away from the newspaper to raise his eyebrows at her.

  ‘Nothing. I was talking to myself. I do that a lot.’

  ‘I see.’ He gave her another enigmatic look and then remained absorbed in the news for the rest of the journey.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The station was as crowded and dirty as the previous time, but Maddie hardly noticed as Alex shouldered his way through the crowd making a path for her. She followed him outside where he h
ailed a cab.

  ‘The Chelsea and Westminster hospital, please.’

  ‘Right you are.’

  The taxi smelled of new leather upholstery, smoke and cheap car fragrance and Maddie almost gagged. She leaned forward to open the window on her side and asked Alex to do the same.

  ‘That’s not much better,’ he murmured. The exhaust fumes from the traffic were blown into the cab on hot, sticky gusts of air, and as before Maddie wished herself back in Devon.

  ‘It’s nicer in the autumn and spring.’ For some reason she felt compelled to defend the city where she had lived for so long. It really was a nice place most of the time, just not in a heat wave. Alex only nodded and Maddie leaned back and closed her eyes. She tried to prepare herself mentally for the ordeal to come and prayed her newly discovered mother was out of danger. Jane had only called once to say that Ruth had been taken to the operating theatre.

  The taxi wound its way down Fulham Road and finally dropped them off outside the impressive entrance to the hospital. A relatively new building, the architecture was modern and the doors were shielded by a canopy of glass and steel. Alex paid off the cabbie and they made their way to the huge information desk just inside the doors, where they asked for directions.

  ‘The emergency department is on the right hand side of the building. You’ll have to go out again, turn left, then left again and you’ll see the entrance.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  They found Jane sitting forlornly in a corner with a battered Coke can clenched in her hands. When she caught sight of Maddie she flew up and threw her arms around her sister’s neck. The empty drink can clattered to the floor. ‘Maddie! Oh, thank you for coming. I’m still waiting to hear about the operation and I’m going crazy. Why does everything take so long?’ There were tears in Jane’s eyes and Maddie gave her a fierce hug.

  My little sister. A wave of protectiveness washed over her. She’d never felt that way about Olivia. Instinct? She didn’t know.