“So...” When she heard his voice behind her in the doorway of her room she jumped. “Seems I’m not your doctor anymore. I’m really going to miss our fights.”
Fleur took a moment to wipe the wild grin of joy from her face before she turned. “I’m sure you’ll find someone else to boss around.”
“I don’t know about that.” He was holding something behind his back, and when he moved she could see that it was a long, thin package, wrapped up in pink paper. “This is from me and Ellie.”
“A present...?” Fleur felt herself flush. He’d got her a present...
“Yes. Just a little something to remember us by. Ellie chose the paper and wrote the tag.” He laid the parcel down on the bed.
Ellie had drawn a picture, a figure with hair down to her feet, which vaguely resembled a mermaid. And then, in a spidery hand, she’d written “Ellie + Dad” underneath. “That’s beautiful, thank you.”
“You haven’t seen what it is, yet. You might want to whack me around the ears with it...”
“Really? Something to whack you round the ears with.” Fleur jokingly imitated Rick’s accent. “That’ll be useful.”
He chuckled and she tore the paper. Inside was a walking stick. Nothing like the one she’d been given to take away with her, the bone handle was shaped to follow the contours of her hand. And between the handle and the dark wood shaft there was a gold band, engraved with something. Fleur looked a little closer, spelling out the evenly spaced letters.
“‘D... E... F... O...’”
“Start with the F.” Rick seemed suddenly unsure of himself, watching her intently.
“‘F... O... R... Fortitude.’” She smiled at him. “Thank you. It’s beautiful, and I love the thought, too. I’ll use it all the time...”
He nodded, smiling suddenly. “No, you won’t. The one the clinic’s given you is just for when you’re tired, or you want to walk a long way, and so is this. I just thought you might like something that’s a bit less of a walking stick and a little more of a fashion accessory.”
Fleur chuckled. As always, Rick had sensed what she needed, and this didn’t feel anything like the utilitarian metal walking stick that the clinic had given her. It didn’t mark her out as someone who was in recovery.
“I’ll hang it over my arm and use it to point at things.” She got to her feet, walking up and down the room with the stick to try it out, and Rick nodded.
“That’s good...they’ve cut it to the correct height. Put your hand a little further forward on the handle, and curl your finger around the front...that’s it.”
When she followed his instructions, the handle fitted her hand like a glove. “Where did you get this from? Boston?” She knew there was nowhere on the island that did this kind of thing.
“London, actually. There’s a place I know that makes all kinds of sticks, and I had it shipped over. Although, considering the storms we’ve been having lately, I imagine the most difficult part of the journey was between here and Boston.”
“They’re pretty much par for the course. The island’s often cut off in the winter.”
“So I gather...” Rick hesitated, as if there was something more he wanted to say. Fleur almost held her breath. Whatever more was, she’d take it. “So you’ll be going back to Boston soon?”
“Well, there’s the Fright Night to get through first. And I’m booked in to have the ganglion cyst on my wrist removed soon too. I thought I might stay with Mom and Dad until then.”
“The island doesn’t seem as bad now?”
His grin was temptation personified. She could so easily tell him, no, the island didn’t seem as bad, and that she might stay here for a little longer than she’d originally planned. But her whole life was on the mainland. It was a life that Rick had worked hard to give back to her, and it would always beckon her away.
She could make use of the short time she had left, though. She could treat it as a period dedicated to letting go of Rick gracefully.
“I was wondering... I’m going to cook for Mom and Dad the day after tomorrow, just to say thank you to them. I’d like to invite you and Ellie as well.”
Rick hesitated, and then nodded. “Ellie would love it. I would too, thank you.”
“Great. We’ll expect you around six?”
“We’ll be there.”
CHAPTER NINE
FLEUR HAD WORKED hard on the meal. Her mom and dad’s favorites, which might give Rick a taste of New England, and which he’d assured her Ellie could be persuaded to try.
In the end, everyone was happy with clam chowder, accompanied by crusty sourdough and a roasted vegetable salad, with baked apples to follow. Simple, hearty food, which was homemade with fresh ingredients. The mac and cheese that Fleur had prepared, in case Ellie baulked at clams, stayed in the refrigerator.
The large dining table stood in a bay window overlooking the harbor. Maple Island seemed at peace, for this evening at least. And the mood was reflected around the table, her dad joking with Rick and her mom taking Ellie onto her lap while she drank her after-dinner coffee.
Ellie had been fascinated with her dad’s study, the hotchpotch of unusual things that couldn’t fail to interest a child, and the piles of books. Dad had presented Rick with a signed copy of his latest book, and promised Ellie that they would write a story together after dinner. The two of them were sitting at the big old desk, made from reclaimed ships’ timbers, and Ellie was reciting a list of required characters and plot points.
“It’s a beautiful evening.” Her mom looked out of the kitchen window as she helped Fleur stack the dishwasher. “Why don’t you take Rick down to the harbor?”
It was cold outside, but the wind had dropped and the sky was full of stars, moonlight reflecting on the snow. “You want to go?” Fleur felt almost shy about asking him. Walking with Rick had once seemed the most natural thing in the world, but now there was no doctor-patient relationship to protect her from herself.
“Yes. I’d love to.”
They put on their coats, and Fleur opened the back door. Her dad had cleared the snow along the part of the harbor path that ran closest to the house, and no doubt other homeowners along the way had done the same.
Fleur took her stick but, as Rick had suggested, used it as a fashion accessory. It was his arm that prevented her from stumbling in the darkness.
“The stars are so bright here.” Rick looked up as they walked along the sheltered path.
“Yes. That’s one thing I miss when I’m in the city. The big night sky.”
They walked in silence for a few moments, listening to the sound of the dark, restless sea crashing against the shore. Breathing in the smell of the open air.
“So you know all about where I come from. What about you?” It seemed perfectly natural to ask the question, now. One friend to another.
“When I was a kid? The closest thing I had to a real home was my grandmother’s flat in South London.”
“Was it nice?”
Rick chuckled. “Well, it wasn’t Maple Island, that’s for sure. It was in an inner-city high rise, and the only piece of green within walking distance was the local park. I liked it, though. I had a big family of cousins and aunts, and kids always find a few special places of their own, wherever they are. And my grandmother was great, a real matriarch but she gave me the security I needed.”
“Not your mom and dad?” Rick had talked about Ellie getting to know Lara’s parents, but never his own.
“I don’t know my dad. I’m pretty sure my mum doesn’t even know who he is.” He chuckled as Fleur pulled an embarrassed face, hoping she hadn’t made a gaffe. “It doesn’t bother me. You don’t miss what you’ve never had.”
“Don’t you wonder about him?”
“When I was at medical school, I ran my DNA. When I looked at the chart I remember thinking that this w
as all he was. DNA.”
Fleur shivered. She’d never even thought about her Dad’s DNA, because she had always had so much more of him. No wonder Rick was so committed to Ellie knowing about her mother, and wanting her to understand where she’d come from.
“What about your mom?”
“My mum’s great company, whenever I see her, which isn’t a great deal. She’s fun and very sociable, the life and soul of the party. But she’s not much good with kids and she’s got very itchy feet. She was always taking off, for one job or another that didn’t work out, and leaving me with my gran. Which suited me just fine, really.”
“She sounds wonderful. Your gran, I mean.”
“Gran didn’t have much, but she gave me all that I needed. Without her I probably would have turned into a disaster area. She was very strict about my schoolwork and she made me study hard. I’m a doctor because that’s what she made of me.”
Another piece of the puzzle clicked into place. Rick’s longing for a stable home wasn’t only for Ellie’s sake. He needed it too.
“You and Ellie are going to have something different from that, aren’t you?”
“Yes, we are. Somewhere we can call home. I want a place where we can plant our roots into the soil and where I can grow old. Ellie will move on, no doubt, but she’ll always have a home to come back to.”
A home like Maple Island. The one that Fleur had left, and was just about to leave again. “Somewhere like here?”
“I’d like it to be here.”
They walked together in silence, close together on the narrow path, which dipped down toward the shore and then began to slope upwards toward the harbor. She held on tight to his arm, the uneven ground feeling strange beneath her feet after walking on solid floors for so long.
“You okay?” He slowed his pace a little.
“Fine. Just getting used to the great outdoors again.” Fleur climbed the steps up to the sidewalk that led to the harbor. “Here we are.”
The water lapped quietly against the sea wall, small craft bobbing at anchor. Some of the fishing boats were hauled up onto the dry dock for repairs over the winter months. They walked along the quayside, past fish shops and restaurants, which buzzed with activity during the summer but were now quiet and dark. Then they turned for home.
“It’s been a wonderful evening. Thank you.” As the lights from her parents’ house became visible again ahead of them, Rick spoke.
“I’m glad you could come. Ellie seems to have enjoyed herself.”
“I think I’m going to have to separate her from your dad with a crowbar. I hope he doesn’t mind.”
Fleur laughed. “He loves it. I imagine he’ll be asking you both back, so that he and Ellie can get on with their story-writing. It’s serious business, you know.”
“Ellie would agree with you there...” He stopped walking, turning toward her. In the moonlight, his face seemed more angular. Stronger and yet more tender. It seemed altogether natural to put her arms around his waist.
“This would be entirely wrong if I were still your doctor...”
Despite herself, and all the resolutions she’d made, a thrill shot down Fleur’s spine. Maybe letting go would be a little easier if she knew exactly what she was letting go of.
“But you’re not my doctor now. And I have the discharge papers to prove it.”
He chuckled softly, stripping his glove off and raising his hand to the side of her face. So close that she could almost feel his fingers, even though they weren’t quite touching her.
“May I kiss you?” She liked it that Rick had asked. That he seemed suddenly a little nervous.
“Only if I can kiss you back...”
Suddenly she was in his arms. His fingers warm against her cheek. His lips burning against hers, despite the cold.
This was nothing like a kiss between friends after a good evening spent together. Their kiss held all the passion of their fights, all the excitement of what they’d achieved together. Maybe it was what it had all been leading up to, an explosive acknowledgement of the electricity that had sparked and crackled between them since they’d first met. He held her close against him, the strength of his body molding hers to his.
They drew apart slowly, stealing small kisses from each other’s lips until the very last moment. Rick took her hand, placing it securely into the crook of his arm, and they started to walk.
“You’re not staying on Maple Island, are you?” He spoke quietly. Fleur knew that everything between them hinged on her answer.
“No, I’m not. I wish I could but... This place stopped being my home a long time ago. You’ve done so much to help me come to terms with what happened, but I can’t undo the fact that my life’s on the mainland now.”
“And you need to go and find out how much of that life you have left?”
“Yes, I do. I know I’m not going to be able to dance again, but there are plenty of other theater-based jobs. I have to try, Rick. You were the one who told me that settling for second best isn’t such a bad thing.”
His short, explosive laugh sounded over the crash of the waves. “Yes. I did tell you that, didn’t I?”
“And you believe it. I know you do, it’s what gave Ellie back to you.”
He caught her hand, pressing it to his lips. “I believe it. And I believe you need to go, too.”
They drew close to the lights of the house, and Fleur stopped on the back porch, her hand moving to her hair. Rick smiled at her.
“Do I look as if I’ve been kissing someone on the harbor path?” She felt as if she did. As if it was written in large letters all over her face.
“Your nose is a little red, but that’s just the cold. I think we’ll pass muster.”
Fleur glanced in the direction of the kitchen windows and saw no one there. Quickly, she stood on her toes, kissing his cheek. “Let’s go and face the music then.”
“And dance?”
“Always.”
* * *
Rick wasn’t sure what he’d been thinking. In fact, he very probably hadn’t been thinking at all, because no amount of thought could have anticipated how good Fleur’s kiss had felt. On every level. He hadn’t run out of adjectives yet to describe it.
Moment of madness. Actually, that was the best description. Something that was very sweet but hadn’t really been thought through, because in the cold light of day there were so many reasons why he shouldn’t have kissed Fleur. They both wanted different things, and they had to be in different places to do those things.
Fleur had clearly come to the same conclusion. She hadn’t mentioned the kiss, neither did she make any move to repeat it. If she had, Rick was pretty sure that the temptation to be carried away by the short term, and tell the long term to go to hell, might have clouded his thinking.
But they’d become friends. Suddenly he had someone to pop round and see on his days off. Fleur’s preparations for the upcoming Fright Night took them all the way up Main Street with Ellie, delivering posters. By the time they got to Brady’s Bistro and Bakery for lunch, Ellie’s pocket was full of treats from the shopkeepers.
He’d been trying to decide on costumes for Ellie and himself, and Fleur had told him she had just the thing. Yes, she’d handle it all. No, she wasn’t going to tell him what he’d be going as.
The Saturday evening of Fright Night approached, and he wondered whether he’d been a little rash, since Fleur was perfectly capable of the outrageous. But wanting to know how she saw him, how she’d dress him given the chance, lent a frisson of excitement. The Fright Night was up and running, and nothing was going to stop it now.
CHAPTER TEN
BY SATURDAY LUNCHTIME, the air of anticipation at the lighthouse was almost tangible. Fleur and Ellie had chased him away, whispering and laughing over their secrets, and Rick had gone to the clinic to catch up on his paperwork
and spend a little extra time with some new patients.
As he drove toward the lighthouse cottage it was silhouetted blackly against the dusky sky. The light was on in the circular room at the top of the tower below the glimmering light in the lantern room.
He parked the car and walked through into the kitchen. He called, and put his head around the sitting-room door, but the cottage was empty. Walking back through the kitchen, he opened the door that led to the tower.
Only one of the lights that normally shone down the staircase seemed to be working, and moonlight slanted across the walls. Before he could go upstairs to find Fleur and Ellie, he heard a hissing sound from above and looked up to see something dark spiraling down the stairwell, leaving a trail of sparkling dust in its wake. The shadows at the bottom of the stairs moved, seeming to billow toward him, and immediately the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
He caught his breath. Fleur had appeared out of nowhere, as if she’d materialized from shadows and dust. She was on one knee, one hand in front of her reaching down to the floor, the other stretched out horizontally in a balletic, warlike pose.
It was all an illusion. A bolt of black silk, clever lighting, and the sparkle of fake moonbeams. Exercise moves that had been subtly altered for effect. But Rick was transfixed, staring open-mouthed like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Nothing else was real, only this.
Fleur was dressed in a dark padded jacket, cinched at the waist by a wide leather belt, with a tracery of silver stars running down her arm and across her breast. Scuffed boots, which looked as if they’d been through a few battles, and leather trousers. She had dark make-up across her eyes in the shape of a mask, with silver and purple stars across one cheek, and her dark hair hung in a plait over one shoulder. A dagger was strapped to her arm and two swords were sheathed across her back.
She took his breath away.
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