An Exception to His Rule(68)

                She turned her head to look out of the window at the scudding clouds. ‘Back to the paintings again. They’re starting to haunt me.’

                ‘Of course we could spend a few days in Hawaii or Tahiti.’ His glance was ironic. ‘Together,’ he added and favoured her with a loaded glance.

                Harriet took a sharp breath but what she was about to say went unuttered as Tottie was at last allowed into the flat, with Isabel close behind.

                And Damien Wyatt observed the reunion   between his aunt, his dog and—the thorn in his side?—not a bad description, he decided, and found himself feeling so annoyed on all fronts, he took himself off to, as he told them, go and see how Charlie was.

                But Charlie still had the nurse with him, checking him out.

                So Damien continued on to his study, but that wasn’t a good idea either. That brought back memories of a girl who’d loved him in a way that could only be described as ‘all or nothing’.

                It also reminded him that he still fancied Harriet Livingstone, although he was undoubtedly angry with her. Angry with her for turning him down again? Angry with her for driving into the gatepost?

                ‘Just plain angry with her,’ he mused and, coming to a sudden decision, reached for the phone as he swung his feet up onto the desk.

                Fortunately Arthur answered. Exchanging inanities with Penny would have been too much for him, Damien decided.

                ‘Arthur,’ he said, ‘Damien. Can you spare a bit of time up here at Heathcote?’

                Arthur rubbed the bridge of his nose. ‘Well, Penny is pregnant so I don’t like to leave her, not for too long anyway.’

                ‘How pregnant is Penny?’

                ‘About five months.’

                For crying out loud, Arthur, Damien thought but did not say, she’s going to keep you dancing attendance for the next four months!

                He cleared his throat. ‘Uh...of course. It’s just that Harriet could do with some help.’

                ‘Harriet?’ Arthur repeated. ‘I thought she was fine and almost finished.’

                ‘She was. She is finished but I’ve suggested she cleans the paintings for us rather than sending them away.’

                ‘Wonderful idea,’ Arthur responded heartily. ‘I’m sure she’d do a great job!’

                ‘Yes, well, she doesn’t quite see it that way and that’s probably because she’s a bit incapacitated at the moment. But I thought if you could come up and go through them with her—you know, if she had someone to discuss them with, someone who really knows what they’re talking about, it could help.’

                There was a short silence then Arthur said on a curious note, ‘Incapacitated?’

                ‘She’s sprained her ankle.’

                ‘How?’

                Damien grimaced. ‘She...ran into the gatepost. In that...tank.’

                A sudden silence came down the line, then, ‘I don’t believe it! The girl’s a menace behind the wheel.’

                ‘Uh, there may have been extenuating circumstances.’