Paul stopped dead on the stairs.
“You mean that you are going to offer her a job? Well, that’s not a bad idea if she wanted to carry on here. She seems to like being involved,” he grunted as Ellen shoved a sharp elbow into his waist.
“You idiot! Mick was right. For an intelligent man you can be surprisingly thick. Of course she can have a job here, I would have offered her one anyway. She’s perfect for the place but I was suggesting that you could offer her the position. If you want her to stay here it’s always good to have an excuse to make her. Apart from the fact that you will be here of course. That would probably be temptation enough but it’s nice to have a little extra something in reserve as a back-up plan.” She smiled at him as his face suddenly began to glow.
Paul rubbed his sore stomach as he began moving up the stairs again.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure she would want that. I’m not even sure that she’ll ever speak to me again after this afternoon.”
Ellen caught hold of his arm again.
“No, but none of us can be sure of anything until we ask. It took Patrick months to realize how I felt about him and even then I had to spell it out to him rather graphically. I don’t suppose he has ever told any of you guys what happened and I would prefer that this doesn’t go any further but I had to literally strip naked in front of him to force the reaction I wanted out of him,” she gave an embarrassed cough.
Paul choked as he stopped at the top of the stairs.
“What? You did what? Bloody hell! You had to strip to get Patrick to notice you? Jeez Ellen, what on earth was wrong with the man?” He couldn’t ever remember being so surprised.
Ellen laughed up at him.
“Same problem you have of course. He was as blind as a bat!” And she walked out into the main hall leaving him standing open mouthed at the top of the basement steps.
Chapter Twelve
It had been another whole week since Amy had run out of the pool area after Paul had insulted her yet again and they had been so busy that he had barely seen her since. He was at the new château from dawn until dusk and she only came to the dining room to pick up a plate of food to take back to her room. The rest of the time she spent with Lucy, Geraldine and the children. Paul knew that she was avoiding him and the new venture like the plague and Ellen had only persuaded her to come to breakfast that morning on the pretence that Patrick could do with some help in the kitchen. New guests had arrived at the hotel the evening before but Ellen was leaving early with Paul to discuss the finishing of the pool area and treatment rooms.
“When do you think we can get on with the tiling?” Ellen stared down at the plans laid out on the table.
Paul pursed his lips. He hadn’t had time to discuss the details of the project all week and Ellen was determined to talk to him about it today.
“The waterproof cement only went on yesterday. Jean-Paul says that we will have to leave it a few more days to dry or there will have problems later. We still need to put in the new wall and make the access for the sauna at the other end of the pool area. He’ll get his men to tile the over the whole lot when we’ve done that.”
Ellen nodded and then brought her pencil to her lips.
“That’s good timing. I can’t pick up the golden tiles until Wednesday. They had to be ordered especially. We’ve done the right thing you think, tiling continuously over the entire room with just the pool itself being a shade darker. I’m still in two minds. I’m not sure that we shouldn’t have stuck with the honey coloured stone on the floor. I know that it’s going to look lovely but I don’t want there to be an optical illusion that it’s just floor. Someone with poor eyesight could have an accident if the pool isn’t clearly marked.”
Paul shook his head.
“No, it will be fine.” He ran his fingers over the raised plans on his side of the desk and pointed to a particular area. “Can you see where I have marked? When those golden tiles arrive we are going to use them constructively as well as decoratively. Even though we will have a permanent lifeguard when anyone uses the pool, Jean-Paul is going to tile a golden line right around the pool edge. He will raise it fractionally and the water will cover the couple of foot inside it. The lip won’t be high enough that anyone would trip over it but it will stop a wheelchair rolling straight into the water and under a bare foot the tiles and the water will caution the person even if they cannot see it clearly. There is no way you could step over it or miss it as the panel will be several tiles deep and each of those rows of tiles will be a slightly different height. Even if one of our clients is wearing a prosthetic leg they will feel the odd levels under their limb,” he looked slightly happier as he explained the idea.
Ellen was amazed at the thought that had gone into the design.
“Wow! And I’ve been sitting up at night worrying about that too. We didn’t have to think of anything like this with the hotel because it was going to be used differently. It’s all coming along brilliantly. I should think we can be up and running in a few weeks. All the furniture and equipment will be arriving within a month so I’m hoping we can keep this pace of work up.” She ticked off a note on her pad.
Paul rolled his plans and tucked them under his arm.
“The Americans have helped enormously. I don’t seem to be able to stop them working at all. They’ll be along later to help with the landscaping. That wasn’t in the original plan but they seem to be enjoying themselves so much Patrick somehow arranged the clearance for them to stay. We’re going to use a lot of the soil from the pool area in the garden. That way we save money on disposal costs and make the place look great. There was a lot of erosion on the seaward side of the garden and that’s something to bear in mind when we do any planting. The wind across here can be very strong and the salt content in the air is particularly high so some things definitely will not grow where other things will flourish. We’re building in a bank along the front of the garden to provide protection for both and a sunken patio area so our guests can keep out of the wind. The guys are really enthusiastic about it.” He paused for a moment and then carried on. “Jean-Paul’s new workers have been excellent too. They’re quiet and keep to themselves but Mick’s team say they work hard and well.” He raised his head as he heard footsteps heading in their general direction. The new workers arrived, one carrying a large bag of tiling cement loaded onto his shoulder. He nodded at Ellen and then stared at Paul for a long moment before they both disappeared down the stairs to the basement without saying a word.
Ellen frowned at Paul.
“You’re right about them being quiet. They hardly say a word. Can they even speak French let alone English?” She whispered as she stared at where the men had disappeared into the basement. She wrinkled her nose and wafted her hand at the cloud of dust the men had stirred up.
Paul shrugged disinterestedly.
“I’ve not had anything much to do with either of them but I’ve not heard them speaking any English and only a few words in French. Their accent is terrible though but then David’s is as bad and he’s been here for years now. You would think it would improve after all the practice he’s had. Yours did really quickly but Dave sounds as English as when he first came over. The one guy doesn’t seem to say a word but the other is more talkative. Not that it worries the rest of us. They turn up to work on time every day and I have no cause for complaint.”
Ellen huffed out a frustrated breath.
“Yes, I suppose that’s all that matters really.” She rolled up her own set of plans and then looked up as one of the men returned from delivering the tile cement. He didn’t look up as he passed this time but kept his face averted from her. She gave an involuntary shudder as the hairs on the back of her neck began to rise and she made a mental note to ask Jean-Paul how he came to employ them.
She walked with Paul towards the château entrance and paused on the threshold, staring out onto the muddy front lawn. It had been chewed up by the endless amount of trucks that had been t
here.
Paul sniffed the fresh, salt laden air and began walking down the steps to the driveway. The wind whipped at his long hair and he breathed in deeply.
“Wow! Can you feel that Ellen? You can actually feel the good it’s doing you. This is going to be a wonderful place. When this is all landscaped and we can come out directly from the pool area onto the sunken terrace it’s going to be wonderful. This is going to be a real suntrap. I know the guys are going to get exactly what they need here.”
Ellen looked up at his proud profile.
“I know Paul. I can feel it too, but what about you? Are you going to get exactly what you need here too or are you going to let it slip through your fingers without even trying to grab hold of it?”
Paul turned his head to her and considered her words. He knew exactly what she was talking about.
“I’ve been trying but we’ve been working so hard and she’s not helping either. If she’s not avoiding me then she’s ignoring me. It’s becoming embarrassing.” His cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink as if to prove he was speaking the truth.
Ellen put her hands on her hips and laughed up at the huge man towering above her.
“You guys never fail to amaze me! You can stand in a desert and have men fire massive shells at you. You can take pain and suffering like I never want to imagine. You would lay your very lives on the line to back each other up to the death with perfect ease and you personally seem reasonably normal in the face of a lifetime of darkness, and yet you can’t face one tiny woman who has never done a thing to hurt you because you feel slightly embarrassed. Come on Paul, find some backbone,” her exasperation was obvious.
Paul shuffled his feet in the dirt and lifted his head to the sea breeze. He was quiet for a few moments and then he spoke very carefully.
“Backbone? Huh! I was terrified when I did all of that stuff Ellen. Just because we put on a brave face when we’re fighting doesn’t mean that we aren’t actually shitting bricks, but we have training for those kind of things. In every eventuality, there’s nearly always a back-up plan of some kind. There might even be hope for my sight sometime in the future what with all the new research that goes on constantly, but women are a worse minefield than I ever faced in combat or anytime afterwards. What goes on inside their heads is a complete mystery to most men, me included and I’m scared to death that she’ll reject me.” He sucked in a deep breath as his heart pounded unevenly in his chest.
Ellen stared up, completely dumbfounded at his confession.
“She can only say yes or no Paul, so what is the most you can lose if she does reject you?” she spoke gently.
Paul lifted his face to the clouds that raced across the sky above them as he thought of his beautiful, caring Amy. Then his shoulders slumped as he turned away from Ellen.
“I’ll lose my very soul,” he whispered into the wind.
Amy threw the pile of eggshells into the compost bucket under the sink while Patrick stirred a large knob of butter into the huge pan of egg and cream mixture.
“Do you want me to get the bread out of the oven yet?” She asked as Patrick whistled quietly while he worked.
The man shook his head but didn’t look up from the pan.
“I turned the bread off a while back. You can basket it up if you like and take it through. It’ll be warm for a while yet.” Patrick concentrated on the eggs, making sure that they didn’t stick to the bottom of the pan or over cook.
Amy narrowed her eyes and wondered for the fifth time that morning whether he actually needed her after all.
“Is the bacon done too? I could grill it and send that up for David or Lucy to put in the warming tray.” She opened up the grill and then looked around the kitchen curiously when she found it empty but smelling of freshly grilled bacon.
Patrick shook his head.
“I did that while you were collecting the eggs from the run. The mushrooms went up at the same time too. I should think everyone will be just about ready to eat. We can take the scramble and bread with us if you don’t mind carrying it up the stairs and then we can eat with the guests. Geraldine has sorted out the tea and coffee already so we’re good to go.” Patrick turned the gas off under the delicious smelling scramble and placed the lid firmly on the top of the pan.
Amy picked up the breadbasket and unloaded the oven while Patrick waited for her.
“You didn’t need my help at all this morning, did you?” she asked. She watched him smile and she walked past him as he held the kitchen door open for her.
He let the door close behind him as he followed her into the corridor between the kitchen and the stairs.
“No, not really. I’ve been making breakfasts for seven years, but it’s always good to have company when I’m cooking. Ellen wanted to discuss something with Paul about the hydrotherapy pool and Lucy said that she would look after Rose while I worked. I think Ellen is a little worried about you. You’ve been up in your room an awful lot this week.” for such a big man his voice was very gentle and Amy cast a glance over her shoulder at him as she climbed the narrow staircase.
“I’m fine, honestly. I just don’t feel like socialising much at the moment. It’s been a difficult few weeks.” She hitched the breadbasket on her hip.
Patrick grunted.
“Paul hasn’t made it easy for you, I grant that but he’s frustrated with how he was treated by the authorities and to be honest, I don’t blame him. He was an expert in interrogation when he was in the forces and his integrity should never have been called into question.”
Amy stopped dead in the short corridor under the stairs and took in a short breath.
“You mean that you believe him about that man he hit? I thought I was the only one who did.” Her voice came out as a shocked whisper.
Patrick nearly stumbled over as he avoided slamming into her back with the hot pan. He grabbed the doorframe with one hand and steadied himself, nearly dropping the huge, heavy pan of eggs in the process.
“You mean that you believe him too? Have you told him this?” He grappled with the steaming eggs as Amy spun back at the sound of him stumbling. She caught the side of the tipping pan before the scramble ended up on the floor.
Amy looked up at the big man as he righted himself and the pan.
“What do you think? He convinced me ages ago that he wasn’t mistaken and after he told me what had happened to him when he was captured there was no doubt in my mind at all. I told him so not long after we arrived here and I assumed the situation had been investigated but nothing was proved. Is it being investigated?” She asked quickly as Patrick pushed the door open and she noticed the grim look on his face.
Patrick let her pass him without speaking but just as they were about to open the doors to the dining room he looked down at her again. He knew that she deserved some kind of explanation.
“I’m not going to lie to you Amy but it’s all very hush, hush. The wheels have been set in motion so not a word to anyone please, least of all Paul. He’d want to be in the thick of it and I can’t let that happen. We aren’t even supposed to know about it and we can’t jeopardize any headway the officials may make or our national security. Is that clear?” His expression was more than serious.
Amy nodded quickly.
“Yes, of course. It’s perfectly clear and I certainly won’t say anything to Paul. I’ve hardly seen him this week anyway, but I am glad it’s being looked into. That man sat there in court and lied his head off. No wonder Paul has been so angry about his situation and me coming here. I wish I had taken a better look at the beast when I was there but I was rather more preoccupied with Paul at the time.” She felt the heat rising in her cheeks but carried on. “Now I’m worried that there might be a terrorist living in the middle of England.”
Patrick let out a grim laugh.
“If there was only one terrorist living in the United Kingdom today then I think we would be very lucky. Unfortunately there are likely to be a lot more than that, but don’t
worry about it, the government are far more up on things than you might imagine. Not many of the bastards are currently active and most of those even suspected of being involved are under tight surveillance.”
Amy looked up at him quizzically.
“How do you know all this Patrick? Are you still in the special services?”
He let out another huge laugh, a genuine one this time as he pushed open the dining room doors.
“Not on your life. I wouldn’t go back to that if you paid me a hundred times what I was paid before, but I do keep my ear to the ground and I’m sometimes asked about things in a consultancy role.” He gave her a small wink and then looked into the crowded dining room.
David rushed over to help them with the door and kept it open as some more of their new guests arrived looking relaxed and refreshed from their night’s sleep. Geraldine showed everyone to their tables and began serving breakfast.
Amy placed the breadbasket on the buffet table and looked over at Geraldine who spoke to each and every guest as she moved about the tables. She looked as graceful as ever even with her enormous stomach protruding gloriously. Amy glanced at David with a slightly worried frown.
“Is she well enough to be working?”
David grinned confidently.
“Try stopping her. She’s tired by the evening but she’s never liked sitting about doing nothing. She’ll let us know if anything is too much but the hospital gave her the all clear and confirmed her due date so I’m not really worried. She said that she’s going to ask you to come and pick up some things that Ellen has ordered for the rehab centre later in the week. She wants to have a day out as well as give Ellen a break to have a day with Patrick and Rose. They’ve hardly seen each other since the new château project was decided.”
Scarred Horizon (Scarred Series Book 4) Page 13
