She was slower to answer than he would have liked. ‘No, of course we don’t.’
‘I saw how much work you’ve done on the lounge. It looks wonderful.’
‘Not bad, is it?’ He lay back in the warm water and looked up at her. She was drawn and grey, quite haggard. His initial delight at seeing her burst silently like the bubbles from the bath foam. He sat up, splashing water over the edge of the tub, and took her hands in his.
‘Kate. How much sleep have you had since I left?’
‘Oh, don’t start, Will.’ She pulled her hands away and dried them on his bath towel.
‘Come on,’ he persisted. ‘Tell me. Have you been working day and night?’
She looked at him in a slightly bemused fashion. ‘I . . . I’m not really sure. I finished when I felt like it. I wasn’t clock watching, so maybe I did work really late once or twice.’
‘And have you eaten?’
‘What is this? The bloody interrogation room? You’ve been home five minutes and listen to you!’
‘You look terrible! That’s why. I’m upset. Have you looked in a mirror recently? The weight is dropping off you. I’m worried, Kate, really worried. You can’t blame me for caring about you.’ He stood up and wrapped the towel around himself, while she stood by the door, looking utterly miserable.
He took her by the shoulders and gently drew her closer. He felt her resist for a second, and then she allowed herself to be embraced.
‘I love you, Kate, and it tears me apart to see you like this. Be honest with me. Have you had a proper meal since last Wednesday?’
She sighed. ‘I’ve picked at things. You know me when I get working, I don’t have time to fanny around cooking. I’ve had stuff from the fridge and sandwiches. Oh, and some fruit.’
He didn’t believe her. He was sure if he checked the fridge, nothing would have been eaten. He had bought her half a dozen individual ready-made meals and even made some of his special Bolognese sauce and put it in the freezer for her. He supposed it was all still there, untouched.
‘This isn’t good enough, Kate,’ he said softly. ‘You have to start looking after yourself or you’re going to get ill. Then you will have no choice about seeing the doctor, will you?’
Her face contorted in fear. Her eyes widened. ‘No doctors! We agreed!’
‘Then you are going to eat and rest. If necessary, I will force-feed you and tie you down, understand?’
‘I’m not on a hunger strike, for Christ’s sake! I just . . . forgot, okay?’
‘No, not okay! Oh God! What a mess!’ He felt tired again. He hugged her tighter. ‘Well, at least I’m here now. I can cook, make sure you get something nutritious down you again. Oh, Kate, what am I going to do with you?’
She looked up at him, her dark eyes filled with emotion. ‘I don’t know, Will. I really don’t.’
‘Will you please make an effort? Now I’m back. Will you try?’
She pulled away from him. ‘I haven’t done any shopping, I’m afraid.’
Will wasn’t surprised to hear that. ‘It’s alright, we can eat the meals that are in the fridge. I’ll go to the supermarket and get fresh bread and milk in the morning. I thought maybe that was where you were when I got home,’ he said. ‘Your car wasn’t here.’
She turned and went to the door. ‘I’ll make you some tea, shall I?’
‘Where were you, sweetheart?’
‘When?’
‘You know when.’ He sighed. ‘When I got back an hour ago.’
She bit her lower lip. ‘I went to get some petrol. I forgot to fill up before you went away. I was going to go on into the town, but I’m not ready for it yet. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to do the shopping for a while longer.’
‘I’ll shop for as long as you like, just as long as you don’t give up on yourself. You have to keep trying, Kate, okay?’
Kate gave him a wan smile and nodded. ‘I’ll make that tea.’
* * *
That night he prepared a somewhat makeshift dinner and they had a couple of glasses of wine. Kate had resumed her work on the lounge in the afternoon but had promised to give it up before supper.
After they had eaten, he told her about Canada, and Guy’s act of quiet heroism. He also said how friendly and welcoming everyone had been and asked Kate if she’d like to go there for a holiday.
She stared down into the ruby liquid in her glass. ‘One day, maybe.’
‘It’s a breathtakingly beautiful country. It would inspire your work.’
Still she would not look up. He noticed how tightly she gripped the stem of her glass. ‘As you say, one day. Want a top-up?’
She held out the glass, still in one piece. He poured the wine and sat back in his chair. ‘Fancy an early night?’
He fully expected her to find an excuse, but she flashed him a rare smile and said that would be lovely.
For the first time since he got back, she told him that she had missed him.
For once, she didn’t visit her studio, and was still in his arms when the misty grey light of morning filtered through the window.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Matt and Liz lingered over breakfast, not wanting the day to begin. Matt had promised to go to Holland House and see Kate, under the pretext of sharing some of his local history knowledge. He wasn’t looking forward to it.
‘I had an enquiry about another private investigation while you were away,’ said Liz, helping herself to more marmalade. ‘It doesn’t sound too challenging, but I said I’d ring back today after I’d spoken to you about it. His name is Nigel Foreman, a businessman from Fenchester who owns several village stores in this area. He’s concerned that one of the store managers is using his shop to fence stolen goods. He told the police, but nothing came of it. It’s being going on for some time, apparently, but he hasn’t managed to get a single bit of proof.’ She looked at Matt. ‘His problem lies in the fact that the guy who is managing the store is also his brother-in-law, and if he’s wrong, well, it could cause an almighty family bust-up.’
Matt raised an eyebrow. ‘Sounds like something we could handle, doesn’t it?’ He frowned. ‘Although I feel bad that we’ve had no luck in finding whoever was carrying out those attacks on Emilia Swain. And then there’s Kate. I have a feeling you may be right in saying that something tragic could happen unless Will finds a way to get her some professional help.’
Liz pulled a face. ‘Suppose I go and talk to Mr Foreman and tell him we have a case to tie up but if he is prepared to wait, we’ll look into it for him? What do you think?’
‘Good idea.’ Matt smiled across the table at her. ‘I know we don’t need the money, but if we want to build up a viable business, we need small jobs like this. I’ll go and see Will and Kate, and you see what the timescale is on Mr Foreman’s job. I had a text from Will, he’s off to the supermarket and will be home around ten thirty, so I’ll aim for then. I’ll call in on Emilia at the same time.’
Liz drained her cup. ‘Sounds good to me. It’s only seven thirty, but I’d better go and get a shower.’ She gave him a knowing look. ‘Want to join me?’