He parked his car where directed and picked up his overnight bag from the seat beside him. He made his way up the steep flights of stairs to the cabin deck and dropped his bag on the narrow bunk. He lay down and stared at the ceiling as the ferry’s engine began to whir beneath him. Only a few hours longer and all his questions would be answered.
Chapter Eight
David began to roll up his shirt sleeves as he looked up at the huge machine standing in front of him.
“Jeez Ellen. This is fantastic. I don’t remember anyone suggesting a zip wire or cable car. What a brilliant idea. When did you decide to put it in?”
Ellen looked at her brother as he admired the massive contraption she had installed at the head of the ravine.
“You just try walking up and down those steps to the canoe school or fishing huts, David and you’ll soon know why I did it. They’re way too steep and narrow for me let alone anyone with even minor problems. Slippery too when they’re wet. It was an accident waiting to happen. I had an electric cable run from the fishing huts and another to power the pulleys for all this. I’m running it all from a generator powered by the river.”
Impressed beyond measure at her ingenuity, David reached up and pulled on the T-bar of the zip wire. The line moved with the pressure.
“It’ll need tightening if you want it to give a thrill.” He strode into the cabin that housed all the machinery. He returned a few minutes later and tugged on the bar again. There was a lot less slack in the wire. “That’ll be about right until I know how it’s going to run. I can get it going faster if needs be.”
Ellen stood with her hands on her hips and glared at him.
“I put that in for the kids. The adults are meant to go down in the cable car.”
David grinned at her and shook his head.
“You have to be joking. I haven’t done anything like this for years.” He grabbed hold of the bar and pulled it towards the edge of the ravine then peered over the precipice to the river sparking a long way below.
Ellen gaped at her brother.
“You are meant to wear the safety harness and crash helmet too and there’s an auto brake. You’ll hit the water if you…” She threw her hands up in the air and gave up arguing with him as he pulled a face at her. “Your legs will get wet if you don’t use the brake,” she called as he let out a giant whoop and disappeared over the edge of the ravine.
He hit the water with a huge splash a few seconds later, wrenching his arms in their sockets and twisting his back. For a moment he thought he’d hurt himself when he couldn’t feel what was left of his lower body but then he sighed in relief as he realized that it was just the icy river numbing his senses. The surging water came nearly to his waist and was a lot colder than he imagined it would be. He scrambled out of the river and held back a deep shiver as Ellen arrived at a more ladylike pace in the cable car. He spoke to her reassuringly as she looked at his soaked clothes in horror.
“That’s brilliant. I’ll have to tweak it a bit more to get it real fast but it’s a great idea. It must have cost a fortune; did it take us over budget?” He questioned, diverting Ellen’s attention from his wringing wet trousers as he bit back the shudders which threatened to overtake him.
She stared back up at the long cables.
“Not by much. The stable block conversion is taking up more but we’ll get it back in the extra lettings available.” She glanced down at his wet, flapping trouser legs. “You’re a complete idiot. If you catch your death it won’t be my fault.”
David joked back at her.
“Huh! I’ll just ask Geraldine to nurse me back to health. Might as well get our monies worth out of her.” He only mentioned the woman as he hadn’t seen her about when Ellen gave him a guided tour of the château not long after he had arrived that morning. They had eaten lunch and taken a long tour of the grounds and still Ellen hadn’t even mentioned her.
For some wild reason he had expected Geraldine to be on the château steps as he arrived, her green eyes glistening with love as she waited for him, ready to run forwards, her long hair flowing over her shoulders as he swept her up into his muscled arms and kissed her passionately.
It hadn’t happened like that at all and now he was becoming desperate. He’d hidden his disappointment when Ellen opened the huge door and snuggled into his chest. He was thrilled to see his sister of course, but it wasn’t quite the same. He’d clasped her to him, kissed the top of her head and patted her back gently in a very brotherly fashion. Ellen had then whisked him off on a château tour but Geraldine was notable by her absence and yet he couldn’t face asking Ellen a direct question about the woman’s whereabouts.
Now Ellen snorted at his suggestion of nursing care.
“Huh! You’ll be lucky. I’ve told her not to pander to you already but it hardly matters anyway. She’s not here.”
His heart dropped to his stomach and then immediately rose to his throat, constricting his breathing. Had she left them? Had she decided that she couldn’t face him? Was she avoiding him? Had all their friendly and flirtatious banter just been a game to her? The questions fell thick and fast in his head and he stared in horror at the thoughts that railed through his brain as his insides churned violently.
Ellen, completely oblivious to his inner turmoil, carried on speaking.
“She’s not going to be in until later in the week so you’ll just have to suffer in silence or let me look after you if you become ill. She’s at her grandmothers for a few days. The old lady had a hip replacement last week and they don’t keep you in hospital much longer here than they do in England. Geraldine’s just making sure that her grandmere is able to cope at home on her own.”
David puffed out a huge, pent up breath and then suddenly thought he was going to pass out as all his blood rushed to his head in relief at his sister’s words. He brought his wavering senses and emotions under control before he spoke.
“Well, of course her grandmother comes first.” He looked back up the ravine and then along the winding track that disappeared into the forest before leading to the château. “Maybe I should get out of these wet things and get my legs dry. I don’t want them seizing up. Which way is quickest?”
Ellen nodded towards the cable car.
“Walking? Back up there and the way we came. This track takes you right into the forest. It’s pretty windy and steep in places too.” She looked carefully at her brother, suddenly realizing that he was putting on a brave face. “Do you want to stay here and check out the fishing cabins and the canoe school while I run back and get the car? It’ll take me an hour to get back here but at least we won’t waste any time if only one of us goes. You need to see them before Joe arrives anyway. He’ll not be happy if I missed anything obvious. I’ve a list of jobs as long as my arm for you to do before we open; if you stay here we can kill two birds with one stone.”
David knew exactly what she was doing. He’d bet just about anything that there were heaters and towels inside the cabins where he could get warm and dry quickly. He nodded gratefully as he bit back another shiver.
“Good idea, if you don’t mind that is.”
She smiled and tossed him a bunch of keys as she turned towards the cable car again.
“Oh, you might want to test out the heaters in the cabins. I put in oil fired ones rather than wood burners. They heat pretty quickly, but you should make sure they are all working perfectly. I didn’t think fishermen would be so interested in lighting fires.” Her smile turned into a wide grin as David shook his head in resignation at being found out so easily. He gave in.
“Thanks sis. I’d rather forgotten that I’ve become attached to a desk for the last year. I’m out of practise with all this action man stuff,” he confessed as Ellen pressed the button in the car and began the long assent up to the top of the ravine.
Ellen looked back at him.
“Go and get warm. I’ll be back in about an hour with the car.”
David waved her off as the
cable car began to climb the steep face of the ravine. He looked up at the zip wire again. It had been brilliant fun. He looked down at himself. The water dripped slowly from the bottoms of his trousers. He looked up and noted that the cable car was already halfway along its route and he wondered if he had time for another go on the wire before Ellen came back to collect him.
He strode to the nearest cabin and opened the door. It looked simply furnished, probably the least extravagant room he had seen on the whole estate so far but Ellen had still used her own taste and innate style. The cabin was a perfect mix of rustic pine and slate. There were a couple of rugs across the floor between the small, throw covered settee and the kitchen area. A peninsular counter with bar stools for eating purposes split the room. A door at the back of the first room led into a cosy bedroom.
There were two single beds pressed against each side wall, a nightstand between them with a reading lamp and small wardrobe behind the door. A side door led to a slate tiled shower and toilet area. He walked back out to the lounge and flicked on the oil filled radiator then glanced out of the window to see how long it would be before he could call the cable car back down. It was already at the top and he quickly left the cabin.
Grinning wildly a few minutes later, he leapt from the head of the ravine once again and plummeted at incredible speed towards the river. This time he lifted his heavy legs and almost sat in the surging river water, saving his back and arms from the wrenching but soaking the whole of his bottom half again. It was a huge rush and his heart pounded as the adrenaline surged through his frame.
He felt alive and happy. He grinned as he clambered up the river bank and made his way towards the cabins. He was loath to admit it but he’d missed this type of exhilaration. Although his new job in the army had kept him occupied it hadn’t been physical at all and he’d needed to go to the gym daily to keep his fitness up.
It was darker in the cabin and he peered out of the window watching as the shadows dipped below the edge of the ravine. He looked down at his watch. It was later than he’d thought. There was barely enough time to get warm and dry before Ellen arrived with the car and he hadn’t even glanced at the other huts yet.
He dashed around each one of them, flicking switches and testing water pressure before he strode back into the first hut and pulled off his trousers. They had dried off a little while he’d carried out his hurried inspection but he hung them over a rail before the heater in the hope that they would dry some more. He lay a towel over the settee and sat on the edge to unclip his legs. He wiped them all over with another towel and placed them close to the heater. They looked dry enough but he didn’t want to take any chances with them.
The socks covering his thighs were another thing altogether. They were soaked through and there was no way he would be able to put them and his legs on again without causing serious damage to his already tender skin. He cursed his own stupidity. Rushing around the cabins with wet socks was a bad idea. His skin looked chafed. Now, if he didn’t want to make things worse, he would have to go through the undignified process of struggling into the car without his prosthetics. Ellen would never be able to lift him.
He grit his teeth, leaned forwards and lay the wet socks directly on the heater in the hope that they might dry just enough for the short car journey back to the château then he sat back on the settee and dragged the throw across the tops of his legs in an effort to keep them warm and dry too.
He heard the car arrive a few minutes later and the next moment Ellen was standing on the threshold of the cabin with fresh clothes and folding wheelchair in hand. It was nothing fancy but it would certainly do the job.
She pushed it towards him and he sighed gratefully though she was annoyed that she hadn’t remembered fresh socks.
“I only put the chair in as a last minute thing. I was worried that the water may have seeped into your joints. I didn’t want you using your prosthetics if it was going to damage them more.”
He took the pile of clothes and Ellen walked into the bedroom to replace the wet towels. He watched from the corner of his eye as she fiddled with the bed linen and straightened the already straight pillows.
David called through the door, knowing that Ellen was giving him a little privacy to get dressed.
“You really do think of everything. Thanks Ellen. I should have thought about my socks before I took a dunking. There’s no way I’ll get them back on again until they’re dry.” He quickly changed his underwear and dragged on the fresh trousers before he manoeuvred himself into the chair. Ellen came back out of the bedroom and picked up his wet clothes. She frowned as she brushed her hand over the fabric of his trousers.
“You great idiot. I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist having another go. It’s December not July, David. That water is freezing. I should make you get out of that chair and find your own way back home.” She grunted as she picked up his prosthetic legs and shoved them into his lap.
David laughed as he wheeled his way out of the cabin.
“Well, you shouldn’t go putting things like that in the place if you don’t expect them to be used. I daresay that zip wire is going to need some serious testing before our guests arrive.”
She followed him out after turning off the heater.
“Did you even look at the other cabins?”
He looked slightly shame faced.
“A brief glimpse. Everything appears to work. You’ve done wonders with it all Ellen. I can’t believe how much you have accomplished since I was last here. Joe’s going to love working here. You know what he’s like for the outdoors and he’s going to love the cabins too. I bet he won’t stay up at the château for long.”
Ellen looked back at the wooden cabins as she took David’s legs back from him.
“I’m not sure they’ll be big enough or warm enough to live in permanently. None of them are more than two rooms and a shower room. I didn’t think we’d need anything larger.”
David nodded in agreement as he lifted himself from the wheelchair to the car.
“No, we probably don’t and six cabins are plenty but I can see Joe loving them. He doesn’t really go for fancy. I bet you he’ll change the two single beds for a double and be living down here by spring.”
Ellen stowed his wheelchair in the back of the car before she climbed into the driver’s seat. She raised her eyebrows as David’s stomach growled audibly.
“Hungry?”
David laughed.
“Ha! When aren’t I hungry? All the exercise has given me an appetite. I feel like I could eat a horse.”
It was Ellen’s turn to laugh.
“Well this is France, David. If you really feel you could manage one, I’m sure I can arrange a delivery. Fricassee or Godfather style? ” She chuckled as David turned a delicate shade of green. Despite all of Geraldine’s tempting treats in the summer, he still wasn’t really sure about all French cuisine.
He coughed slightly and then turned to her.
“Talking of food, though not horse thanks very much, I think I’ll stick to cow, did you find a chef yet?”
Ellen’s smile faded slightly and she shook her head.
“They’re like gold dust and paid extremely well. I haven’t had a single response to the advertisement yet. I’ve increased the salary, offered accomodation and extended the reach of the advert but still nothing. Geraldine has been helping me brush up my skills and has suggested a few things for variety. Her mother is a brilliant cook. She has a cake and pastry stall in the market and she makes everything herself so I’ve become a lot better with pies and general cooking. I’m not bothering making cakes anyway when you can buy the most delicious ones from the market. Geraldine’s mother says that she’ll do us a discount if we buy in bulk and knowing all your chums they are going to be scoffing anything she produces.”
David nodded.
“Yes, I remember Paul rather enjoying her honey cake. He hasn’t stopped going on about it since we went home. He’s asked me to send
him a wedge over every month.” He paused for a moment and then asked lightly, “So you know Geraldine’s family well then? You seem to have made good friends with her.”
Ellen rolled her eyes but spoke patiently.
“Yes, David. She’s become a very good friend. I really like her. I’m sure all our guests are going to like her too and not just in a professional capacity.”
David felt his heart thump hard again. He wasn’t going to let any of their single guests near the woman in anything but a professional capacity if he could help it. He knew what army guys could be like and even if he was a little fearful of rejection himself he was sure that a lot of his comrades wouldn’t be. He steeled himself to make his feelings known as soon as possible. If Ellen and Geraldine were already friends then it boded well that he would be friends with her also. He just hoped that it was going to end up far more than just a working relationship.
“Does she know I arrived today? Did you explain that I was coming over for good?”
Ellen nodded and spoke as if she were talking to a child.
“Yes, David. I explained quite specifically that you were arriving today and that you would be staying on permanently.”
David looked at his sister keenly, his blue eyes searching her face for any hint of revelation.
“What did she say? Did she sound pleased?”
Ellen shrugged as she negotiated a tight bend in the track.
“She didn’t say anything much. She just nodded and told me about her grandmother’s hips.”
David ground his teeth in frustration and looked out of the window as they drove back up the winding route to the château. The dense forest suddenly opened out in front of them and they arrived at the back of the huge building. Ellen parked the car, climbed out and then took the wheelchair from the boot. She brought it to David’s side of the car and he quickly manoeuvred into the seat before he wheeled himself up the ramp into the château.
Scarred Beginnings (Scarred Series Book 2) Page 7
