Running Scarred (15 page)

Patrick.

She looked aghast at the letter and then read it over again. She didn’t know what it meant.
Did he mean he was leaving her permanently? What things were impossible?
She didn’t understand any of it.

The tears started to run down her face as she stood there. They gathered on her cheeks and then dripped from her chin onto the floor. She scrunched the letter up in her hand and then shoved it in her pocket. She looked around their bed
room through tear filled eyes. It was the room that she had spent the best weeks of her whole life in, the only room that she ever wanted to sleep in. She turned back towards the door. If Patrick wasn’t here then there was nothing here for her.

She walked slowly across the living room and was about to leave when she noticed his old coat hanging on the back of the door. She lifted it to her face and pulled in a huge breath. His scent
surrounded her, filled her. She pulled the coat over her cold, shivering shoulders and then carefully shut the front door behind her. She couldn’t lock the door, there had never been a key, she just closed it firmly as though shutting a section of her life away in a closed room and began the long, slow walk back to the Chateau.

She didn’t rush. What was there to rush for? There was nothing here for her without him. The whole forest felt empty, desolate. Not even the birds sang.

It was only as she neared the Chateau that she heard her name being called and a great chatter of voices, mingled with huge bellows of laughter.

She had completely forgotten about David.  He had arrived with five of his friends to test out their hotel. They were expecting her to make every effort to impress and then
they were going to rip the Chateau apart with their criticisms so that the whole place would be perfect before she opened her doors to the paying public.

She quickened her pace, not ready to see them, but as the situation was unavoidable, she braced her shoulders and ran the rest of the path.

David was at the base of the steps, calling her name, while a pressure-masked Joe unloaded bags from their two jeeps. Adam was negotiating his wheelchair up the newly concreted ramp and Paul tapped his way up the steps with his white stick. James hobbled about on his crutches as Gemma struggled with the bags Joe shoved at her feet.

Gemma threw a bag towards the steps.

“Hey! Just because I’m the only girl doesn’t mean you can make me do all the fetching and carrying.” She was protesting loudly. “Why don’t we tip Adam out of his chair and put all the bags in that? We can come back for Adam later. If we feel like it.” She added. There was a howl of laughter from the men and Adam spun the wheels of his chair away up the ramp as Gemma lunged after him, grabbing the back of his seat with a metal hand.

Adam strained in her grasp but eventually gave up and let his chair roll backwards.

“Oi Cheeky! You only caught me ‘cos I swear that new arm of yours is longer than your real one. I’m going to complain, gives you an unfair advantage. Hey Dave! Where is she? I haven’t seen Ellen in ages and I’m dying for a kiss.” Adam was looking towards the Chateau.

“I’m here!” Ellen called out of the nearest trees. “Sorry I wasn’t here to meet you. I had someone…Something I needed to sort out.” Her voice faltered as they all turned towards her.

David came towards her immediately, a lopsided smile on his scarred face.

“Hey! There you are. How are you?” He stopped half way across the driveway. The smile dropped. “Ellen! You’ve been crying!” His voice was suddenly full of concern as he noticed her swollen cheeks and puffy eyes. “What’s going on?
What’s the matter? Why aren’t you wearing any shoes?” They were suddenly all surrounding her.

She looked at all their worried faces. Scarred faces, ruined faces, ruined bodies,
ruined lives. She was the only whole one amongst them, but she felt as though all of her insides had been ripped out. And then the whole world began to spin. The ground came up to meet her as David flailed with his arms, shouted her name and failed to catch her as the whole world went black before her eyes.

She woke up, half lying, half sitting on one of the huge settees in the lounge. Gemma was beside her, her real arm gently around Ellen’s shoulder, the men were gathered in front of them. David immediately began firing questions.

“Ellen, what’s happened? Are you ill? Has that bloody idiot Justin been
hassling you again?”

She struggled to sit upright.

“No, please don’t worry about me. I was just being silly. I’d had a bit of a …well, a disappointment…Nothing to do with Justin. I haven’t seen him since the time he threatened me, and he should be getting his money about now anyway. He has no reason to bother me anymore.” She tried to take a deep breath, but the air just wouldn’t fill her lungs and then she was suddenly sobbing uncontrollably.

Six huge white handkerchiefs were immediately waving under her nose. She laughed
wetly as she took two, and more tears leaked out of her eyes.

“You lot are going to think I’m such a fool. I can’t believe I’m behaving like this…Oh you might as well know, I’ve fallen in love with someone. I thought he loved me too, but it seems it was just a fling for him. He’s gone back to his wife. She arrived yesterday to take him home. He left me a note.” She pulled the crumpled letter from her pocket and handed it to Gemma.

Gemma read it quietly, her eyes narrowing as she reached the end, and then passed it on. David read the note aloud to them all. He pulled a strange face as the men all looked at one another.

Gemma sat up straight and looked
expectantly around at them, waiting for one of them to explain. There was a stunned silence before she spoke again.

“Well? What does that load of crap mean?” She had never been one to mince her words. “Come on you lot. Tell us ladies here. Is that rubbish man talk for “I’m ditching you”? Is he coming back or what?” She looked around at
the men. They all shrugged together and she squeezed Ellen gently. “Do you even know where he’s gone?” Gemma looked very confused.

Ellen shook her head.

“I don’t know. He said he hadn’t seen his wife for years. He was in the army, but he resigned after he was blown up. She left him when she saw what the bomb had done to him. I don’t know why she did. It’s not that bad. Nothing worse than you lot have suffered. He helped me when I was hopelessly lost the first time I was here and I instantly fell in love with him. I know he came from Essex, but I have no idea where. We were so happy here, the subject never came up and I never felt the need to ask. It’s not as though I’m going back and I thought he was going to stay here permanently too.” She began the whole story.

Twenty minutes later they were all still staring at her, their expressions grim.

“The bastard!” David snarled. “You mean you’ve been together since you got all the planning permissions, and now he’s gone without saying a word to you. With his wife!” David’s incredulous voice shot up a pitch or two in frustration. “God! Ellen, whatever were you thinking of. You shouldn’t have become involved with a married man. He was just taking advantage of you. You know the phrase…Having his cake and eating it. He’s just a pile of crap.”

Paul scrabbled for Ellen’s hand, missing it completely and then squeezing it gently when Gemma guided him to it at last.

“What regiment was the shit in? Some one will know him, I’m damn sure about that. He won’t get away with this Ellen. He needs to be taught a lesson in manners.”

An arm pulled Paul backwards.

“If he comes back and messes you around again, I’ll smash what’s left of his face.” Joe was speaking through his mask, his teeth clenched.

There was a sudden commotion as Adam forced his way forwards.

“Christ! He hasn’t got his hands on your money, has he?” He rolled his chair between Joe and David, pushing them aside.

Ellen waved them all down.

“No, please. He’s not like that at all. I never even told him about the money. Another subject never seemed to crop up. He’s not a bit like Justin. He assumed I’ve convinced the bank to stump up the money for the renovations and I never bothered to correct him.”

She dried her eyes yet again. Their indignation on her behalf was more touching than she could bear. They all stood around her, limbs missing or useless, faces distorted, all ready to defend her
honour at a moment’s notice. They were all muttering angrily.

She tried to calm them.

“No! Please. It’s entirely my fault. I made the first move. Patrick had told me he was married and I ignored that. I assumed that because she had left him, he wasn’t interested in her any more. We’ve only been serious for three months. Well, I was serious. I thought he was serious too. Don’t blame him please. And he’ll have to come back at some time. He owns the house in the grounds. He can’t just dessert it.” She looked up at their worried faces began to get up. She couldn’t let her ruined romance spoil their precious week off. “What a terrible welcome for you all. I’m so sorry. It wasn’t meant to be like this. It’s not going to be like this.” Her voice was becoming stronger. “You lot have one week to tell me what I need to do to this place, so go on… don’t hang around here. Go and find somewhere to sleep. Adam, the lift’s over there and your room’s first on the left. It’s the only one fitted with a specialist bed and I need to know what you think of it. I have someone coming in to help you later if you need it.  The rest of you will have to make do with put you ups I’m afraid…Paul stop! You’re heading the wrong way, show him will you Gemma. I’m going to start preparing breakfast. Get yourselves sorted and back down here in half an hour. Last one back down does the washing up!” Adam blasted his chair towards the lift and the others all bolted for the stairs.

Chapter Eight

Breakfast was brunch before it was eaten. They threatened to roll Adam down the stairs when he moaned that he’d only had to wash up because the lift was so slow. His first suggestion was that she buy a dishwasher as soon as possible. Their laughter rang through the Chateau as they moved from room to room, discussing advantages and ideas.

The
vast gardens were another adventure. The forest echoed with their shouts as they scared the wildlife and then all got soaked in the river as they cleared the banks ready for fishing huts. They even pulled a protesting Adam from his chair and sent him floating off on a couple of tied logs, to find the best area for a canoe school. They all had plans for outdoor activities. Ellen began a list. Every day something new was added.

The week passed quickly and they presented Ellen with a huge variety of suggestions at the end of it. They sat and had dinner “en
famille” around the huge dining room table the night before they all left. The wine flowed and the banter was endless. Ellen wondered how she was going to cope with the quiet once they had gone.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do without you lot.” Her voice trembled slightly as she cleared the long table for the last time.

David gathered vegetable dishes and followed her through to the kitchen. He helped her load the newly purchased industrial sized dishwasher. He looked up quickly as he heard her sniff.

“Hey Sis!
Come on. Cheer up. I’ll be back before you know it.” He pulled her into a huge bear hug.

Ellen snuggled into his shoulder.

“I’m going to miss you all so much. It’s been such a fun week. I’m going to be so bored.” She wailed into his pullover.

David laughed aloud.

“Are you mad! You still have a load to do. Especially if you start on the stables and riding school. The self-catering apartments are a good idea too, but only if we can manage them properly. What do you think of the time schedule for opening? Still on for Christmas?” He wiped his finger under her eye.

Ellen shrugged.

“Maybe. But I thought that perhaps New Year might be better. Any guests won’t have to worry about bringing presents for the kids. And then only if I can get the staff trained up in time.  I’m going to be sending every one of them on paramedic or first aid courses before we open. I’m beginning the first interviews in two weeks, though I think I’m going to ask Geraldine to stay on anyway. She already has a nursing degree and she’s been fabulous with Adam. We’ve had a lot of applications for the other positions. I’m starting with eight full time staff and I have three part time jobs lined up. I hope to increase that when we know what sort of numbers to expect. We haven’t had anyone apply for the chef’s job yet. I was surprised, the French are always telling us British how awful our food is, but it turns out that no one really cooks here. You just go down to the market, buy it already done for you, heat it up, et Voila! Dinner!” She laughed. “If I can’t find anyone suitable, I’ll go to the market myself and dish it all up the same as the locals do. It’ll work out expensive but I can manage like that for a while.” She smiled at his look of horror.

“Do you want your guests to come back? I thought we were trying to give them a taste of the high life.” He gave her a friendly shove on the shoulder.