palms of her hands onto the door behind her, to ensure she was grounded in the real world.
“I have a problem,” he said, eventually, his voice cracking. He coughed, carefully.
“I can see that! What are you doing here?”
He’d lost weight, his legs thinner than she remembered, his cheekbones sharp cut beneath the fevered blue of his eyes. How could a man change so much in such a short time?
“My house is damaged.”
“How? When?”
“Not sure. I was absent. Playing the part of a hurtling boulder in a landslide, remember?” Marco told Rosy briefly how he’d arrived home to find his house unliveable. “Not only that, but there’s a stinking, rotting corpse in the hallway.”
“ What? ”
“An animal,” he said, hastily. “Something wandered in and died.”
“A cat?”
He paled, if it were possible. “God, I hope not.” He frowned. “I think it was too big for a cat.”
“Why choose to come here? Of all the places you could go, considering your fame and fortune, and not forgetting your attitude to me, why here?”
“It’s snowing, and the taxi driver had to get back to Nice.”
“Ah. And how did you get into my house?”
“You left the gates open, so that was easy, and then I got the driver to, uh, break open the shutter on the kitchen window. We found a small hardware shop in Saint Michel that stocked an axe, fortunately.”
“Fortunately.”
“Then he broke the window, climbed in and let me through the back door. He boarded the window before he left. It cost me a lot of money.”
“I don’t believe it. What gives you the right to break into, damage , my house? How dare you intrude—”
“You did it first.”
“I did not.”
“You stole keys, you trespassed—”
“I did not break anything.”
“Same thing.”
“This is the most ridiculous conversation I’ve ever had!”
“Look, I have this headache,” he said. “I want to lie down.”
“There’s a sofa in the study. Go there while I call a taxi. Then you can bugger off to wherever you want to go.”
“No, you don’t understand.” He shook his head. “I need to go to bed.”
“Are you completely out of your mind?”
He considered the question, heavy-eyed. “No.”
“I am putting you in the car now and taking you back to hospital.”
“Can’t. I must lie down immediately. I’m still peeing blood.”
“Oh great .” Rosy rammed both hands into her hair. Marco turned to look at the stairs. He took a deep breath and staggered to the bottom step, staring at it like a diver, poised to launch.
“Wait!” She rushed forward to stop him. “Just where do you think you’re going?”
“Upstairs. That’s where the bedrooms are, right?”
“But…”
He swayed, lurched forward, nearly falling. Rosy darted up the stairs behind him. “For God’s sake . Be careful.” She put a steadying hand on his back. His muscles, frozen beneath the thin cotton hospital gown, shuddered with each laboured breath.
“Jesus,” he gasped, finally at the top, leaning on the wall.
“Marco—”
He pushed himself upright and stumbled down the passage.
“Um, Marco, the spare room’s this way.” She pointed in the opposite direction but he kept going. At the door to her bedroom, he stopped, smelling the air.
“Here.” He disappeared inside.
“Marco.” She went after him, shaking her head. “That’s my room.” She followed him in. “Look, I don’t know what you’re up to. Please have the courtesy to tell me what’s going on.”
He sat on the bed, chest and shoulders heaving. “Do me a favour. Take off these slings.”
“Does anyone know you’re here?”
He gazed up at her, lips parted, white-faced and breathless. “Take them off.”
“Marco, I’m talking to you. And no, I’m not touching you. I’m not taking anything off.”
“You must. I’m in agony. And I need painkillers, quick.”
Rosy hesitated. “I’ll hurt you.”
“I don’t care. It can’t get
“I have a problem,” he said, eventually, his voice cracking. He coughed, carefully.
“I can see that! What are you doing here?”
He’d lost weight, his legs thinner than she remembered, his cheekbones sharp cut beneath the fevered blue of his eyes. How could a man change so much in such a short time?
“My house is damaged.”
“How? When?”
“Not sure. I was absent. Playing the part of a hurtling boulder in a landslide, remember?” Marco told Rosy briefly how he’d arrived home to find his house unliveable. “Not only that, but there’s a stinking, rotting corpse in the hallway.”
“ What? ”
“An animal,” he said, hastily. “Something wandered in and died.”
“A cat?”
He paled, if it were possible. “God, I hope not.” He frowned. “I think it was too big for a cat.”
“Why choose to come here? Of all the places you could go, considering your fame and fortune, and not forgetting your attitude to me, why here?”
“It’s snowing, and the taxi driver had to get back to Nice.”
“Ah. And how did you get into my house?”
“You left the gates open, so that was easy, and then I got the driver to, uh, break open the shutter on the kitchen window. We found a small hardware shop in Saint Michel that stocked an axe, fortunately.”
“Fortunately.”
“Then he broke the window, climbed in and let me through the back door. He boarded the window before he left. It cost me a lot of money.”
“I don’t believe it. What gives you the right to break into, damage , my house? How dare you intrude—”
“You did it first.”
“I did not.”
“You stole keys, you trespassed—”
“I did not break anything.”
“Same thing.”
“This is the most ridiculous conversation I’ve ever had!”
“Look, I have this headache,” he said. “I want to lie down.”
“There’s a sofa in the study. Go there while I call a taxi. Then you can bugger off to wherever you want to go.”
“No, you don’t understand.” He shook his head. “I need to go to bed.”
“Are you completely out of your mind?”
He considered the question, heavy-eyed. “No.”
“I am putting you in the car now and taking you back to hospital.”
“Can’t. I must lie down immediately. I’m still peeing blood.”
“Oh great .” Rosy rammed both hands into her hair. Marco turned to look at the stairs. He took a deep breath and staggered to the bottom step, staring at it like a diver, poised to launch.
“Wait!” She rushed forward to stop him. “Just where do you think you’re going?”
“Upstairs. That’s where the bedrooms are, right?”
“But…”
He swayed, lurched forward, nearly falling. Rosy darted up the stairs behind him. “For God’s sake . Be careful.” She put a steadying hand on his back. His muscles, frozen beneath the thin cotton hospital gown, shuddered with each laboured breath.
“Jesus,” he gasped, finally at the top, leaning on the wall.
“Marco—”
He pushed himself upright and stumbled down the passage.
“Um, Marco, the spare room’s this way.” She pointed in the opposite direction but he kept going. At the door to her bedroom, he stopped, smelling the air.
“Here.” He disappeared inside.
“Marco.” She went after him, shaking her head. “That’s my room.” She followed him in. “Look, I don’t know what you’re up to. Please have the courtesy to tell me what’s going on.”
He sat on the bed, chest and shoulders heaving. “Do me a favour. Take off these slings.”
“Does anyone know you’re here?”
He gazed up at her, lips parted, white-faced and breathless. “Take them off.”
“Marco, I’m talking to you. And no, I’m not touching you. I’m not taking anything off.”
“You must. I’m in agony. And I need painkillers, quick.”
Rosy hesitated. “I’ll hurt you.”
“I don’t care. It can’t get
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