LITMIR.BIZ

       CHAPTER THREE

      NELL HAD SPENT as much of the afternoon as she could unpacking. Laying things into neat piles and hanging dresses in the large wardrobe. Smoothing the already immaculate covers of the great bed, which would have dominated a smaller room but here was simply in proportion. It had been an exercise in restoring order, pushing back the chaos that seemed to follow Hugo like the scent of expensive aftershave.

      He seemed intent on playing the host, inviting her for dinner in his apartment. Over a beautifully cooked and presented meal, Hugo talked about the charity that seemed so close to his heart. How they’d raised awareness about heart disease and increased the number of people who had regular ‘healthy heart’ checks. How they wanted to move forward and provide a centre of excellence, which would cater to both inpatients and outpatients, for all the people of Montarino.

      It was a dazzling vision. And yet here, at the centre of it all, was a man who felt the need to risk his own health.

      She returned to her apartment tired but unable to sleep. A long bath didn’t help, and neither did reading a book. Nell scarcely registered the words in front of her, because Hugo seemed to fill her mind, chasing everything else away. He’d said that he would be going straight to bed after she left, but when she went out into the darkness of the hallway she could still see a sliver of light escaping under the connecting door to his apartment.

      She could hear Hugo’s voice, distant and muffled behind the heavy door. Either he was talking to himself or there was someone there.

      Someone there. There were pauses, as if he was waiting for an answer and as Nell pressed her ear to the door she thought she heard another voice, this one too low and quiet for her to be even sure whether it was a woman or a man.

      Whoever it was, they shouldn’t be there. It was midnight, and Hugo should be asleep by now. Nell’s hand trembled as she took hold of the door handle. Walking into his apartment and telling him to go to bed might be one step too far.

      But they’d had an agreement. He’d promised. And Nell had believed him. The feeling of empty disappointment in him spurred her on.

      ‘Hugo...’ She opened the door an inch, and heard the soft sound of classical music, coming from the room beyond. ‘Are you still up?’

      Silence. Then the door handle was pulled out of her grip as Hugo swung the door open, standing in the doorway and blocking her view of the sitting room.

      ‘This isn’t the time, Nell.’ He spoke quietly, as if he didn’t want the person behind him in the room to hear.

      He obviously wanted some privacy and the thought struck Nell that his companion might be a woman. She felt her cheeks flush red. The last thing she wanted to do was come face-to-face with a girlfriend, who for some reason Hugo hadn’t seen fit to mention.

      ‘I’m...sorry, but we had a deal, Hugo.’

      ‘I’m aware of that. Something came up.’

      ‘That’s not good enough...’ Nell stopped herself from telling him that he should be in bed. In the circumstances, that might be a catalyst for even more exertion on his part. She felt her ears begin to burn at the thought.

      ‘It’s not what you’re thinking, Nell.’

      ‘Really? What do you think I’m thinking?’ If she really was that transparent then things had just gone from very bad to much worse.

      ‘What I’d be thinking. But on this occasion, we’d both be wrong.’ He stood back from the doorway, allowing her to see into the room. Two seats were drawn up to a games table, which had been set up by the fireplace, and an elderly man sat in one of them. He wore immaculately pressed pyjamas and held himself erect in his seat. When he turned towards Nell, his milky blue eyes seemed not quite to focus on her.

      ‘Jacob, we have a visitor. This is Nell.’

      ‘A pleasure, miss.’ The man spoke quietly, in heavily accented English. Despite his neat appearance, there was something vulnerable about him.

      ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jacob.’ Nell went to advance into the room, but Hugo stepped back into her path.

      ‘Nell can’t stay...’ He threw the words over his shoulder, turning painfully to Nell and motioning to her to comply. She didn’t move.

      Hugo took a step forward, and she took a step back, instinctively avoiding touching him. He pulled the door half shut behind them.

      ‘Jacob is...fragile.’ He was whispering, but Nell could hear both urgency and fatigue in his voice.

      ‘I can see that. But you need your sleep.’ Whispering back seemed rather too conspiratorial for Nell’s liking but having Jacob hear what was going on didn’t seem like a good idea.

      ‘I’ll take him back to his apartment as soon as I can.’

      ‘No, Hugo. You said we’d take things as they came and that you’d accept my help. Let’s give that a trial run now, shall we?’ Hugo hesitated and she glared at him. ‘I’m not going to walk in there and order him out.’

      Silently he walked back through the doorway, and Nell followed him. Jacob turned to Hugo, a fond smile on his face. ‘Hugo, my boy... What’s going on?’

      ‘Nothing. It’s all right, Jacob. I’ve asked Nell to join us.’

      ‘Very good.’ Jacob seemed to approve of the plan, gesturing towards the draughts, which lay on the chequerboard tabletop. ‘You play, miss?’

      ‘Not very well.’ Nell smiled at him.

      ‘Jacob taught me to play thirty years ago.’ Hugo went to pull up a chair for Nell and thought better of it, allowing her to move it across to the table. ‘I used to sneak downstairs when my parents were out in the evening, and we’d play draughts and drink hot chocolate.’

      ‘Hot chocolate!’ Jacob’s eyes lit up suddenly, and he gestured towards the pot that lay on the coffee table, along with two gold-rimmed cups and saucers. ‘I remember now. Would you like some, miss?’

      Maybe that would bring the evening to a close. ‘Thank you. I’ll get another cup, shall I?’

      Nell glanced at Hugo, and he nodded, resuming his seat opposite Jacob. His smile barely concealed his fatigue and he was moving as if he was in pain. The sooner they could end, this the better.

      As Nell walked to the kitchen, she heard the two men talking quietly in French behind her.

      ‘Who is she, Hugo?’

      ‘She’s a doctor, and her name’s Nell.’

      Hugo repeated the words, no hint in his tone that this wasn’t the first time he’d told Jacob.

      ‘A doctor? What does she want?’ Jacob’s voice took on an air of perplexed worry.

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