slammed against the windscreen, but she’ll survive.’
‘And the baby?’
‘Being kept in for observation, but so far no problems. The husband is with them both and in a state of shock as neither he nor his wife were aware that she had a heart defect.’
He was turning to go and said over his shoulder, ‘I’m not expecting you to need me for anything, but if you do I’ll be in The Mallard as the night is still young.’ And off he went, the tall raven-haired man with clear blue eyes who had unknowingly turned her life upside down.
With a yearning to hear the voice of someone who understood she rang home and when her father’s voice came over the line it was as welcome as her mother’s always was, sometimes even more so because Ruby knew that always behind her mother’s apparent calm and cheerfulness there was a deep sorrow that came from what nature had done to her.
‘And so how’s my girl?’ he asked.
‘Not bad,’ she said. ‘I just needed to hear a voice I knew. How is Robbie, is he all right? And Mum, how is she?’
‘They’re both fine,’ he told her, knowing how much she needed to hear that. Only he knew about the black pit of depression that her mother had to climb out of sometimes. ‘Robbie is at the local youth club and your mother has gone to the cinema with a friend, so no cause for worry there, Ruby. She’s looking forward to seeing you on Mother’s Day. Have you got the car back yet, or do I need to come and fetch you?’
‘Theodora is back where she belongs I’m pleased to say, so no problem regarding transport. I’ll drive down on Saturday morning and come back late Sunday night.’
When they’d finished chatting Ruby went back to the window again and gazed out into the night. Her father would have gone back to his favourite chair in front of the television. Her mother was at the cinema, Robbie at the youth club, and with a pull at her heartstrings she knew Hugo was relaxing in The Mallard. He was everything she’d ever wanted, caring and kind, generous in his praise when they’d been involved with the mother and baby in the car crash. He’d even told her that he wanted to get to know her better, which would have been like music to her ears under other circumstances, but little did he know that was the one thing she couldn’t promise.
Yet he’d obviously rallied from what she’d said about that because he’d gone to join residents and tourists in the popular Mallard for the rest of the evening, which left her out on a limb. With sudden determination she showered and changed out of what had been meant to be her walking clothes and went to see if the launches were still ploughing across the lake.
They were, with just an hour to go before anchoring for the night, and on impulse she boarded one that was ready to leave at any second.
As the boat cut through the water the island came into view with Libby and Nathan’s house on it, and she envied them the tranquillity of the place. It was a small but very beautiful oasis amongst the grandeur of the lake and she stood looking back at it until it had disappeared from sight and the boat was stopping beside the marina at the far end where the owners of various crafts kept them moored when not in use.
As she made the return journey, which would be the last one of the day for the lake authorities, it was in the spring dusk, and calm and common sense were descending upon her. She was reading too much into a casual comment, she decided. Hugo wanting to get to know her better didn’t have to mean that he wanted anything more than friendship, and if she could put his kisses to the back of her mind everything would be all right.
She’d been kissed before a few times by men and had never taken it seriously, so why not do the same now? As she put her key in the lock of the apartment it all seemed so simple to keep her problems out of the light and live each day as it came in the Lakeland paradise that she’d returned to.
The lights
‘And the baby?’
‘Being kept in for observation, but so far no problems. The husband is with them both and in a state of shock as neither he nor his wife were aware that she had a heart defect.’
He was turning to go and said over his shoulder, ‘I’m not expecting you to need me for anything, but if you do I’ll be in The Mallard as the night is still young.’ And off he went, the tall raven-haired man with clear blue eyes who had unknowingly turned her life upside down.
With a yearning to hear the voice of someone who understood she rang home and when her father’s voice came over the line it was as welcome as her mother’s always was, sometimes even more so because Ruby knew that always behind her mother’s apparent calm and cheerfulness there was a deep sorrow that came from what nature had done to her.
‘And so how’s my girl?’ he asked.
‘Not bad,’ she said. ‘I just needed to hear a voice I knew. How is Robbie, is he all right? And Mum, how is she?’
‘They’re both fine,’ he told her, knowing how much she needed to hear that. Only he knew about the black pit of depression that her mother had to climb out of sometimes. ‘Robbie is at the local youth club and your mother has gone to the cinema with a friend, so no cause for worry there, Ruby. She’s looking forward to seeing you on Mother’s Day. Have you got the car back yet, or do I need to come and fetch you?’
‘Theodora is back where she belongs I’m pleased to say, so no problem regarding transport. I’ll drive down on Saturday morning and come back late Sunday night.’
When they’d finished chatting Ruby went back to the window again and gazed out into the night. Her father would have gone back to his favourite chair in front of the television. Her mother was at the cinema, Robbie at the youth club, and with a pull at her heartstrings she knew Hugo was relaxing in The Mallard. He was everything she’d ever wanted, caring and kind, generous in his praise when they’d been involved with the mother and baby in the car crash. He’d even told her that he wanted to get to know her better, which would have been like music to her ears under other circumstances, but little did he know that was the one thing she couldn’t promise.
Yet he’d obviously rallied from what she’d said about that because he’d gone to join residents and tourists in the popular Mallard for the rest of the evening, which left her out on a limb. With sudden determination she showered and changed out of what had been meant to be her walking clothes and went to see if the launches were still ploughing across the lake.
They were, with just an hour to go before anchoring for the night, and on impulse she boarded one that was ready to leave at any second.
As the boat cut through the water the island came into view with Libby and Nathan’s house on it, and she envied them the tranquillity of the place. It was a small but very beautiful oasis amongst the grandeur of the lake and she stood looking back at it until it had disappeared from sight and the boat was stopping beside the marina at the far end where the owners of various crafts kept them moored when not in use.
As she made the return journey, which would be the last one of the day for the lake authorities, it was in the spring dusk, and calm and common sense were descending upon her. She was reading too much into a casual comment, she decided. Hugo wanting to get to know her better didn’t have to mean that he wanted anything more than friendship, and if she could put his kisses to the back of her mind everything would be all right.
She’d been kissed before a few times by men and had never taken it seriously, so why not do the same now? As she put her key in the lock of the apartment it all seemed so simple to keep her problems out of the light and live each day as it came in the Lakeland paradise that she’d returned to.
The lights
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