by Betty Neels
Lydia flung the door open as he got out and went to open Araminta's door. "Jason, oh, Jason. The phone's out of order and Jimmy's gone-I know he is." She burst into tears. "I don't know what to do…"
"Stop crying, Lydia, and tell us just what has happened, then we can go and look for Jimmy."
They had all gone into the kitchen, where the table was littered with plates and mugs and something was boiling dry on the gas stove. Araminta turned it off. "Shall I make us all a cup of tea while you tell Jason what happened?"
Lydia sat down at the table. "I haven't been able to do anything-I'd love a cup of tea. Dear Araminta, so sensible…"
Jason had taken off his Burberry and helped Araminta with hers. "A quick meal?" he suggested softly. "We can eat and talk at the same time-we can't rush off until we have some idea of where to go."
Araminta put eggs on to boil, made toast, cleared the dishes off the table and washed the mugs. "Where is Gloria?" she asked.
"Thank heaven, she's staying with friends in Bath. Jimmy was spending the weekend with the Dempsters-you know-on the other side of the river." Lydia mopped her eyes and blew her nose. "He and Philip Dempster went off for a hike after school yesterday afternoon, although the Dempsters tried to stop them, but you know what boys are… Philip didn't get back until late in the evening. He said Jimmy had fallen and hurt his leg-somewhere-oh, miles away and no roads-you know where I mean: woods and rough fields and the river running through the middle." She paused and gulped and Araminta put a mug of tea in her hand, passed one to Jason, and dished up the eggs.
"I couldn't eat," said Lydia, weeping again.
"I dare say there'll be a lot for you to do when we bring Jimmy back," said Araminta in a sensible voice. "You will feel more like getting his room ready and planning a meal if you've eaten something yourself."
Lydia smiled at her. "I think you must be Jason's treasure," she said, and took a piece of toast. "We'll need to cross the river," said Jason. "The bridge is down; the Dempsters phoned just before the line went dead. They said it may have caved in and they didn't dare to take the car across."
"Had Philip any idea how far away they were when Jimmy hurt himself?"
"He thought about two miles, but he was ages getting back-he had to go round the worst of the floods."
"I'll take the car as far as the bridge and take a look…' He caught Araminta's eye and smiled a little. "All right, we'll take a look. The sooner the better."
They had to drive down into the village before they could turn off towards the bridge, and the river and the floods were deep here. Araminta curled her toes in her wellies in speechless terror as they reached the bridge and Jason stopped the car in the swirling water. "I'll cast an eye on the damage before we go over," he told her cheerfully, and got out of the car.
It was a narrow bridge built of stone, and the flood-water was fast enveloping it. She watched Jason go to the end and then turnn and come slowly back. He got into the car again. "I think we might risk it. There's that piece of higher ground on the other side; we can park there and walk."
Araminta closed her eyes as they went over the bridge, her teeth clenched so tightly that her jaws ached. "You can look now," said Jason, and parked the car on a rough bit of ground away from the worst of the flood.
It was like a nightmare. If it hadn't been for Jason's large hand holding hers firmly she would have turned and run. The wind seemed to strike at her from all sides and she couldn't see for the blinding rain. At least she could cry without its being noticed, the tears streaming down her cheeks to mingle with the rain. Presently she began to feel better. Jason seemed to know where he was going, forging ahead in the teeth of the wind, taking her with him. She supposed that there was a path, but since there was water all over the place it wasn't visible. There was no point in asking where they were going either; she would never be able to make herself heard above the wind. She squelched along, her feet sopping inside the wellies because the water had splashed over them, and she discovered that she was really rather happy.
What would happen, she wondered, if she were to stand still and tell Jason that she loved him? Only of course it wasn't possible; the wind would sweep her off her feet and, even if it quietened down long enough for her to tell him, she would still have to shout-one should declare one's love in a shy whisper, preferably in a pretty dress, with soft lighting. A tug on her arm brought her back to the realities of life. Jason was changing course, going towards a copse beside the river, which was bedraggled and a foot deep in muddy water.
They hadn't struggled halfway through when Araminta gave a small shriek. "There he is look. Wedged between that fallen tree and those bushes."
He was conscious too, cold and wet and in pain, but alive. One leg was doubled up under him, though, and the professor squatted down beside him to take a look. First he took a flask from his pocket and poured some of its contents down Jimmy's throat before handing it to Araminta. She took a mouthful and caught her breath and gave him a reproachful look, which he ignored, before he took a pull himself. "Now to work," he said cheerfully. "Jimmy, we will have to hurt you before we can get you out of here…"
"Shall I go back and get a stretcher and some people?" suggested Araminta.
Jason glanced at the swollen river racing past, carrying trees and wooden boxes, a hen-coop, and a mass of debris besides, and then he looked at her. She gulped-of course, the river was rising all the time, and before help could reach them, even if she could get back on her own, the flood would be upon them. She said, "What do you want me to do?" and glowed at his smile.
He told her. Jimmy fainted when Jason took out a knife and cut off his shoe, which was fortunate for him, and Araminta, holding his leg steady while Jason straightened it until she heard the bones grate together, felt queasy. "Don't leave go," she was warned, as he took a plastic pack from somewhere under his Burberry, eased it on to the leg and inflated it, strapped it firmly, and stood up. He helped her to her numbed feet and just for a moment held her close. He kissed the tip of her nose. "You will have to hang on to my coattails," he shouted above the storm, and bent to heave the still-unconscious Jimmy on to his shoulders.
Getting there had been awful; getting back was far worse, even though they had the wind behind them. She slithered and stumbled along behind Jason's enormous back, thankful when he paused for a rest, clinging to his mac with numb hands. If she had had the breath she would have cheered when they reached the car. Instead she opened doors and laid out rugs and, when told to do so, got in beside Jimmy, who was reviving nicely, and held him steady while Jason took the car over the bridge once more, through the flooded village and finally home.
It was all rather a blur after that; it was only hours later, when Jason had driven away with Jimmy and his mother, bound for Odstock Hospital, that Araminta mulled over the day. Alone in the house, and uncertain when they would get back, she had tidied up, laid the table for a meal, put soup to simmer on the stove, fed the animals and made up the beds. Jason had told her to go to bed if they weren't back by eleven o'clock, but it was warm in the kitchen and the noise of the storm wasn't so loud. She put her head on the table and went to sleep.
When she woke it was one o'clock, and it seemed to her that the storm wasn't as fierce. She went upstairs and tumbled into bed, to wake to a thankfully quiet morning. The rain had stopped and the wind was a mere breeze. She crept downstairs and found Jason in the kitchen, making tea.
She blinked at him from a sleepy face. "I went to bed. When did you get back? How is Jimmy?"
"Two o'clock and he's in his bed. His leg's in plaster and no harm done otherwise."
She fetched mugs and milk and sugar and they sat together at the table and drank their tea. "We'll go home today-after tea. Patty is spending a couple of days in Shaftesbury with friends-I'll fetch her later. Tom will be home this week, and I'll warn Dr Sloane." He smiled from a tired face. "Thank you, Araminta, I couldn't have managed without you!"
"I'll start getting
breakfast," said Araminta, not meeting his eye in case she said something she might regret later.
Their journey back wasn't easy; there were frequent halts where roads had been blocked, although on the main roads the floods were draining away already, so that it took twice as long as usual. Araminta heaved a great sigh of relief as they stopped in front of the house and Jason came to help her out. They hadn't talked much on the journey, but there had been no need. Now he said, "I hope Mrs. Buller has a meal ready." He opened the front door and found Buller in the hall, hurrying to meet them.
"A very anxious time," he observed. "Me and Mrs. Buller have been worried. There's some dinner ready when you would like it, ma'am."
"Ten minutes? We're very hungry…"
"Perhaps you would like a tray in bed," suggested the professor.
She looked astonished. "Me? Oh, no, thank you, that is, unless…"
Jason was watching her, knowing what she was about to say. "Good-may we have it in ten minutes or so, Buller?" And to Araminta he added, "Time for a drink, my dear."
All the same she went to bed early. There was a pile of letters by Jason's chair and a sheaf of messages he must be impatient to read. She wished him goodnight, expressed her pleasure at being home again, and went upstairs.
It was during the night that she woke and decided that something would have to be done. It wasn't honest to go on as they were; she would tell him that she had fallen in love with him and leave him to decide what to do. She had never been good at pretending… She went to sleep again, and when she woke it was morning. She remembered that he had a list, which meant that he would be up already.
She pulled on her dressing-gown, stuck her feet in slippers and flew downstairs. He was in the drawing-room, standing by the garden door while the dogs raced around on the little lawn. He had his post in one hand, and as she went in he turned to look at her over his spectacles.
"Jason," said Araminta. "Jason-there's something I must tell you. Can you spare a minute?"
He put the letters down, took his spectacles off and put them in his pocket, and crossed the room. "I can spare a whole lifetime for you, my own dear heart."
She gave a great gulp, peering up at him through an untidy head of hair.
"You—what? I'm your own… ?"
"Dear heart." He nodded. "Indeed you are, Araminta. I have been waiting for you all my life and when I found you I didn't know it not at first."
"Oh, Jason-you mean you love me too? I was going to tell you…"
He had taken her in his arms. "Darling girl, a moment." He bent to kiss her, gently at first and then with a fierce enjoyment which took her breath.
Perhaps there was no need to tell him, she thought dreamily, he seemed to know already. All the same she said firmly, "I must tell you, my dear Jason, I love you too." Then, when he had kissed her again, she added in a wifely voice, "You'll be late for work, Jason."
Buller, coming into the hall, heard the professor's shout of laughter and trod back to the kitchen. "Happy ever after, that's what didn't I tell you?" He beamed at his wife. "Happy ever after and about time too!"