‘You told me that you were turning into an ambulance.’ Annaliese smiled. ‘But I understood. You made a mistake that is common with English speakers.’
‘What did I say afterwards?’
‘You said that you needed a doctor.’
Mimi pulled an embarrassed face and heard Rafe chuckle quietly. ‘At least you were somewhere in the ballpark.’
‘Ja... Yes, it is good to try.’ Annaliese turned to her husband, speaking quickly to him in German, and he nodded, managing a smile.
‘I don’t suppose you could write the correct wording down for me, could you? I meet a lot of different people in the course of my job and it might come in handy in the future.’
‘Yes, of course. I have paper...’ Annaliese reached for her handbag eagerly, and Mimi stopped her.
‘We’ll get your arm sorted out first. Then you can give me some lessons.’
* * *
Annaliese was wrapped in a blanket, sitting by the side of her husband’s bed, sipping a hot drink. Mimi had ascertained that her clothes were wet only around the shoulders and fetched a spare T-shirt from her own locker, along with a blanket and a drink. Annaliese received the comb that Mimi handed her with a smile. It was the little things that did the most to reassure people sometimes. Taking the time to comb your hair was a step back into normality.
Rafe had concentrated on Leo. Now that he was warm and dry, and his distress levels were reduced, it became clear that his English was good enough for them to communicate directly, without needing a translator. His injuries were relatively minor but needed treatment and care—a broken wrist, shock and slight concussion, along with rapidly forming bruises on his face and chest.
Rafe beckoned to Mimi and she followed him out of the cubicle. ‘I’m going to see if I can find a bed for him. I wouldn’t normally admit him, but he needs care and rest. I assume they have nowhere to go?’
‘No. Annaliese said that they left their hotel in Exeter to drive to one here, not realising that it was flooded. Apparently the hotel didn’t think to phone people and let them know, just expected everyone not to come.’
‘Great. Masterpiece of forward thinking.’
‘Yeah. They were looking for other accommodation when their car went off the road.’
‘So what are we going to do with her?’ Rafe knew that the correct procedure was to alert hospital services and they would find somewhere for Annaliese but, from the snatches of conversation he’d heard between the two women, maybe Mimi had other ideas.
‘I’ve called Charlie. With Jan and Matthew there, he can only offer her the sofa bed, but I reckon it’s better than a mattress on the floor in a community centre somewhere. She’ll never get a hotel tonight, and Charlie will be around tomorrow to get her to the hospital.’
‘She’s okay with that?’
‘Yeah. Fine. Charlie’s got room for Leo as well, if you want to release him.’
‘I’d prefer he stays here, if they have a bed for him.’
She nodded, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a bunch of keys. Slipping a familiar one off the ring, she handed it to him. ‘Here. I’ll go on ahead with Annaliese and you can follow when you’re finished.’
‘Are you sure?’ Rafe had resolved not to go back to Mimi’s cottage again but, now that he had the key in his hand, temptation made him waver.
r /> She hesitated, her cheeks flushing red. ‘I’d like to talk to you.’
He couldn’t say no now. Rafe nodded, pocketing the key.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHARLIE HAD BEEN ready with hot soup for Annaliese. Janet had fussed over her, going out of her way to make her welcome, and Mimi had left the four of them in the sitting room around a roaring fire, getting to know each other. She half wished that she could have stayed.
But her own quiet cottage was waiting for her. Rafe would be home soon. The thought twisted in her stomach. It wasn’t his home any more. She’d erased almost every trace of him from the place, working in a fury of hurt and anger.
Maybe all the feverish effort had just been her own attempt to prove that she was good enough. And maybe she hadn’t needed to after all. She opened the kitchen cupboard and, taking the bottle of emergency brandy out from the back of the top shelf, poured herself a measure.
Slipping off her heavy boots, she settled herself down on the sofa and swirled the amber liquid in the glass. No answers there, but it felt warm and relaxing. They couldn’t change what they’d done, now. But perhaps there was some way that they could come to terms with it and get on with their lives. She reached for the TV remote and then threw it back on to the cushions beside her. She had too much going on inside her head to be able tolerate anything other than silence at the moment.
Her back ached and her limbs were heavy. Stretching out on the sofa, she sipped the brandy slowly...