Doing the Right Thing

by Barbara Elsborg

  “Look, we made it,” Addie said, and turned to see Vee collapse onto the snow.

  Addie clomped back and dropped at her side. “Vee?”

  Vee opened her eyes. “Fuck off and die.” Her eyes closed again.

  Addie recoiled.

  Will slid to a halt. She saw his confusion before his gaze dropped to Vee lying motionless in the snow. He scooped her into his arms.

  “Vee! Wake up,” he said.

  She moaned and pressed her face against Will’s chest, sliding her arm over his shoulder. Addie bit the inside of her cheek.

  “What happened?” Will asked.

  “The car skidded,” Addie said. “Vee—”

  Vee moaned in a well-timed interruption, as Ed reached them.

  “Are you okay, Addie?” Ed asked.

  “I’m fine.”

  Will was already walking back up the drive, carrying Vee. Addie dropped her head and followed, one painful step after the other. In a minute, she could take off these godawful boots and have a warm bath. Tomorrow, she’d go back to Leeds on the train and forget the day she invented Noah, the nowhere man—forget everything that followed.

  “God, Addie, you’re soaked,” Ed said. “How long have you been walking?”

  “Not sure. Got lost.” She limped on.

  Addie saw the flurry of activity around the entrance to the hotel, as Will arrived with Vee, and sighed.

  “We were about to call the police and organize a search party,” Ed said.

  “So I wouldn’t have got away with burying her in a snowdrift then.” If the snow in England lasted for longer than a couple of days, she might have thought about it.

  She trudged into the lobby, blinking against the bright light. Vee lay on a couch by the fire. A large Christmas tree had appeared in their absence, a Genghis-type with colour-coordinated baubles and a thousand twinkling lights. The scene was straight from a Hallmark movie—roaring log fire, beautifully decorated tree, tragic heroine reclining on the couch, and a sea of worried faces. How could Addie be anything but the villain here? Will hadn’t even asked if she was okay.

  Vee’s pashmina had been removed to reveal dry, sleek hair. Addie’s hand rose to her own bedraggled locks dripping icy water down her back. Vee moaned as Will knelt at her side and rubbed her hands in his.

  “Are you all right, Addie?” Graham asked.

  She gave him a grateful smile and then staggered as Jack Magelan elbowed her out of the way as he swept toward Vee. Ed reached out to steady her, but Addie pulled away, wrapping her arms around herself, her eyes glued to the tableau playing out in front of her.

  “How is she, Will?” Jack asked.

  Ed’s fingers held Addie’s chin, turned her head. “Where’s the blood come from?”

  “Blood?”

  Ed showed her his fingers.

  “Oh. Banged my head when the car tipped over.”

  “Shit, I thought you broke down.”

  Addie glanced between Vee and Ed. Ed’s face had gone pale. Vee had rosy cheeks like someone had slapped her. Addie wanted to slap her. She wondered whether she could get closer to the fire, but Jack and Will were in the way. Better to go upstairs and take a hot bath. She bent to pick up her gloves from where Vee had dropped them. Gloves Will had bought.

  With impeccable timing, Vee gave a wretched moan and clutched her stomach. “My baby.”

  Addie flinched.

  “Will, you need to get her straight to a hospital,” Jack said.

  Addie’s eyes were on Will. He looked so helpless, but he looked at Vee, not her. He cared about Vee, not her. She’d kept giving him chances, but there was only so much she could take. Addie couldn’t help him. She could only help herself. She needed to get warm again. She slid through the gathering of people, her dress dragging behind her like a dirty rag, leaving a snail trail of muddy water. She was so cold, she’d stopped shivering.

  “Will,” Ed whispered in his brother’s ear. “Snap out of it. She’s conning you.”

  “Mmm, mmm, mmm.” Vee whimpered like a puppy, her hands roving over her stomach.

  “Vee, you need to go to hospital,” Jack said. “My chauffeur will take you and Will.”

  “I’m fine,” Vee gasped.

  “You have to think of the baby,” Jack insisted. “Tell her, Will.”

  “You need to be looked at, Vee. If you’re in pain,” Will said.

  “Has Addie gone?” Vee whispered.

  Ed narrowed his eyes. What was she up to?

  “Addie frightened me,” Vee said. “She made me drive her back to the hotel and told me she wouldn’t let Will go. She started screaming and pushing me. When she grabbed the wheel, we skidded and crashed. It was her fault.”

  There was a collective gasp from those watching. Will stood in stunned silence. Jack harrumphed. Ed rolled his eyes. Un-fucking-believable.

  “You mean Addie caused the accident?” Jack asked.

  “Yes,” Vee said. “I wanted to stay with the car, but she insisted we walk back. She said it wasn’t far, but it was a lie. She had Wellingtons and gloves. I was so cold and wearing these silly boots. I think she wanted me to lose the baby.”

  Vee burst into tears. Will bent down and put his arm around her. Ed thought it was like watching a soap opera. Will knew what Vee was like, how could he possibly believe this? He tried to catch Will’s eye.

  “I’m going to call the police,” Jack said.

  Vee won’t let that happen, Ed thought.

  “No, don’t,” Vee sobbed. “She can’t help it. She’s sick. I feel sorry for her.”

  Ed let out a snort of disbelief and Jack glared at him before turning back to Vee and patting her on the shoulder. “She doesn’t deserve such charity.”

  “If Vee’s going to hospital, then Addie ought to go too,” Ed said.

  “She was fit enough to slope off to her room. Leave her where she is,” Jack snapped. “She should be ashamed of herself. Vee, you must speak to the police. The woman shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this sort of behaviour.”

  Vee groaned again, even more loudly. Will winced and when he reached out to stroke her face, Ed knew Addie had lost.

  Addie moved up the stairs at the speed of frost creeping up a window. She kept telling herself just one more step, but every movement was an effort. Back in her room, she groaned in relief and trudged to the bathroom. After a brief struggle to make stiff and unresponsive fingers unfasten the buttons on her jacket, she gave up. She slumped on the floor and made an unsuccessful attempt to get her feet out of the Wellingtons. If she’d had the energy, she would have cried with frustration.

  She rested for a moment, leaning back against the bath and then tried again. Superglue couldn’t have been more effective. They were on for life. She reached for the tap behind her, hoping hot soapy water might work a miracle.

  Ed followed the trail of water to Addie’s room. The door hadn’t closed. He knocked, but there was no answer. “Addie?”

  He pushed the door open a little at a time. She wasn’t standing there naked. She wasn’t in bed.

  “Addie? You left your door open,” he called.

  When she still didn’t reply, Ed walked into the room and closed the door behind him. He flicked on the light and glanced around before he moved to the bathroom. The door swung open at his touch.

  “Addie?”

  She lay in the tub, the only colour on her face a dark smear of blood. Her skin was translucent, her lips hardly visible. His heart began to slam around in his chest like a trapped animal.

  Then she opened her eyes and looked up.

  “Jesus Christ, Addie. You scared the shit out of me. I thought you were dead. What are you doing?”

  “Taking a bath.”

  “In evening dress and Wellington boots?”

  “Boots won’t come off,” she said. “Thought soapy water might help.”

  Ed took off his dinner jacket and tossed it onto the vanity unit. When he felt the water, he yelped. “Addie, this i
sn’t even warm. Can’t you tell?”

  He grasped her hand, alarmed by the temperature and colour of her fingers. A yank to pull the plug, then Ed reached for her foot. One tug at the boot and Addie slid onto her back.

  “Maybe that’s why people got buried in their boots, because the bloody things wouldn’t come off. I’m going to have to cut you out of them.”

  “No. They’re Lisa’s. I can’t afford to buy another pair.”

  “I’ll buy them.”

  Ed opened the penknife on his key ring, lifted one foot over the side and water poured over his trousers. He cut the boot from the top down and peeled away the rubber to reveal a cold, white foot. As he lifted her other leg, Addie closed her eyes.

  “Addie, talk to me,” Ed said. “No going to sleep until you’re warm.”

  Her eyes opened, and for a moment Ed forgot what he was doing. He knelt there in a puddle of cold water, mesmerized by her thick dark lashes, the shadowy smudges above her cheek bones, and the way the flecks of colour in her irises swirled together. She had the most fantastic eyes he’d ever seen.

  “Thank you for helping me,” she whispered.

  Once the other boot was off, he turned on the taps and let the bath fill around her. Tears sprang into Addie’s eyes and Ed’s heart kicked him.

  “Oh God, is it too hot?”

  “My toes and fingers are burning.”

  The water wasn’t too hot, but the more it began to cover her, the more she whimpered, and the more Ed wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her. He reached for the buttons on her jacket and unfastened them, gently pulling her arms free.

  “What’s in your pocket?”

  “Shoes. Forgot. Couldn’t walk in them. Vee’s boots were slippery. Oh, my dress,” Addie wailed. “Will bought—”

  Ed tried not to look at her breasts, but it wasn’t easy because they were neatly outlined under the thin material, and now he’d told himself not to look, he couldn’t help it. He thought about brushing her nipples with his fingers and his blood flashed from thin to thick in an instant, pooling inconveniently in his groin. Only an idiot thought about sex at a time like this. He was an idiot.

  “The water’s too hot,” she yelped.

  “It’s not, Addie. You’re very cold.”

  As her body warmed up, the cut on her head started to bleed and Ed held a washcloth against it.

  “Vee didn’t faint,” she muttered. “Pretended.”

  “That’s not a surprise. I noticed she wore your gloves.”

  “Hands cold.”

  “And yours weren’t?”

  “She okay?”

  “Will’s gone with her to hospital.”

  Addie’s lip trembled. “Oh God, I thought she faked it. She might lose the baby.”

  Ed was tempted to say “good”. He checked her head. The bleeding had stopped.

  “Why didn’t he tell me?” she whispered. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  And Ed’s heart kicked its way into his throat and lodged there like some insidious alien growth.

  “What happened with the car?” He was desperate to change the subject.

  “Vee drove too fast and kept braking. We slid all over the road and tipped up.”

  “Why the hell did you get in the car with her?”

  “I was running away. I thought I could get back to the hotel and leave before everyone else came back.”

  “Coward.”

  She gave a little smile. “I know.” She winced as she wriggled her toes under the water. “Ooh, my feet are on fire.”

  “It’s just your circulation getting back to normal.” Ed wondered if massaging Addie’s fingers would cause him problems. Probably. “Vee said you made her drive back and that she wanted to stay with the car.”

  “She’s lying.” Addie’s eyes sparked.

  “You grabbed the wheel.”

  A surge of water soaked Ed’s sleeve as Addie tried to sit up.

  “No, I did not!” She slumped again. “But it was my fault we took the wrong road and now she might have lost the baby. Vee told me their first child died in a car accident.”

  Ed chewed his lip as Addie’s eyes filled with tears.

  “Not a child, Addie. The baby hadn’t been born. Vee was a couple of months pregnant and the accident was her fault. She drove off in a temper after Will had caught her cheating on him. Vee’s an expert at evading responsibility. Nothing’s ever her fault.”

  Ed could almost see the cogs turning in Addie’s head.

  “She told Will I’d caused the crash?”

  “Yes. She said you were jealous and hoped the baby died.”

  “Christ, what a bitch.” Her face crumpled. “I wish I was dead.”

  Ed grabbed hold of her hand. “You don’t mean that. I didn’t tell you what Vee said so that you’d feel like that. But you need to understand what she’s like. You’re tired and upset, Addie. Everything will look different in the morning.”

  “You’re right. It will, because your brother’s not in my world anymore.”

  She looked into Ed’s eyes and he wanted to kill Will for hurting her.

  “Thank you for helping me. If you pass me a towel you can go. I’ll be fine.”

  Ed got to his feet and pulled a large white towel from the rack. He dropped it onto the bath mat and after picking up his jacket, went back into the bedroom. He sat on the bed. He didn’t want to leave until he knew she was all right. He didn’t want to leave, period. He was confused. No, he wasn’t. He knew how he felt about Addie. It was the way he felt about his brother that confused him. He was angry with Will for hurting her and at the same time, glad Will had fucked up.

  When there was no noise from the bathroom, not even the sound of the tub emptying. Ed knocked on the door.

  “Addie?”

  He wasn’t sure he could handle seeing her naked, but the bad part of him hoped she was. She sat slumped against the bath, wrapped in a towel. Ed bit his lip. “God, Addie.”

  He picked her up, trying to keep the towel in place between his hands and her body. He was shocked by how cold she felt. As he laid her on the bed, the bottom edge of the towel slid away. Ed saw her lace underpants and swallowed hard. He drew the sheet and duvet around her, and before he could talk himself out of it, he reached under the covers and retrieved the wet towel. She didn’t move. Not even a shiver.

  Ed sat on the bed. So much for telling himself not to get involved. Addie had found a way through his wall without even trying. He touched her cheek, ran his finger down the line of her jaw. She opened her eyes. They were so full of sadness, Ed wanted to weep.

  “Ed,” she whispered. “Oh, Ed.”

  When she said his name, he was lost. He lay down next to her on top of the duvet and tried to hug her through the covers.

  “Jesus, Addie, you’re like a block of ice. You shouldn’t be this cold.”

  “Get in bed with me.”

  He froze. Had she said that or was it in his head? In his head. But it wasn’t as bad an idea as it sounded, using his body heat to warm her. Before thinking reminded him he had an ulterior motive, Ed kicked off his shoes, pulled off his socks and unfastened his shirt. He wasn’t sure if he dared take off his trousers, but surely the more of him that came in contact with her skin, the better? And they were wet.

  “Oh, fuck it,” Ed muttered and chucked his trousers next to his shirt.

  He winced when the back of Addie’s wet panties touched his stomach and had to suppress a gasp as he pressed himself against the length of her cold body. It should have been an effective dampener to his ardour, but it wasn’t. Ed put his leg over hers, pressed his chest against her, trying to get as much of his body as possible in contact with hers. With her feet sandwiched between his calves, he moved his arms around her, and held her cold hands in his.

  All Ed intended to do was hold her, but he couldn’t help breathing in her scent and found himself pressing his lips into her damp hair. He grew even harder and hoped Addie didn’t notice, but w
ondered how she could not. He didn’t have much of a choice as to what to do about it. It normally wasn’t a problem when he was in bed with a woman, but on this occasion he either had to think it away—not easy—or slip into the bathroom for a minute. Probably less.

  His lips were on her neck. How had that happened? He should stop right now. It wasn’t too late. But he wanted to kiss her. His mouth took charge. He let go of her hands, turned her over and kissed her.

  Ed wasn’t sure what he expected. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. But she neither pushed him away, nor slapped his face. Instead, her mouth opened and she tasted so sweet, Ed lost his head. He sucked on her lips, slipped his tongue into her mouth and kept on kissing her. He was slow and gentle, taking his time, savouring every moment. When Addie’s tongue brushed against his, a strangled cry erupted from his throat.

  Ed wanted the kiss to last forever but he was scared of pushing too fast. The back of his hand touched her breast and when he heard the breath catch in her throat, a surge of lust swept over him, scooped him into a riptide and dragged him out to sea. His heart pounded so hard it scared him.

  “Addie.” He breathed her name. “Addie.”

  His hands were all over her, wanting to touch, cherish and warm every inch of her. Wrong time, wrong place, but not the wrong woman. Ed dragged his common sense out of its hiding place. “Should I stop?” he whispered.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Do you want me to stop?”

  “No—Yes—I don’t know—I don’t know, Ed. I’m confused. I can’t think straight.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t think.” Ed drew his fingers up her arms. Her hands were on his back, holding him, but she didn’t speak, didn’t tell him it was okay.

  This was where he should bring her such pleasure, she’d forget to think. Ed was good in bed. He loved women’s bodies, loved finding the places that drove them wild. But he couldn’t make her forget Will. Not tonight. So he wasn’t going to touch her. Well, not in that way. Ed wrapped his arms around Addie and held her tight.

  God, don’t let me fall in love, Ed pleaded, but he knew it was too late.