BLINDFOLD (7 page)

Not wanting to startle her, Gideon slowed up and drove a little way beyond her before stopping and lowering the passenger window. In the mirror he saw the woman hesitate and then come on, keeping well out to the side of the vehicle. Level with the open window she stopped, peering in.

Gideon turned the interior light on so she could at least see that there was only one of him.

`Can I help?' he asked.

`No, thank you,' the woman said, but she made no move to walk- on.

Gideon could see a pale face in which huge dark eyes showed as hollows. She was fairly young, he judged, and more than a little frightened.

`Do you want me to call anyone? A recovery vehicle or the AA?,

`The battery's flat on my mobile,' she said, her lip quivering with the cold or anxiety, or both. `I was trying to find a telephone.' `Well, it's a longish hike to the village,' Gideon said. `You can borrow mine.'

The girl looked back at him with a troubled frown. `I'm sorry?' Gideon picked the phone up off the passenger seat and offered it, wondering if she was foreign or merely half-witted.

`Oh, thank you.' Her brow cleared and she took the phone but didn't seem inclined to make use of it.

`Who do you want to ring?' Gideon said, striving to keep his growing exasperation from his voice. `Don't you know the number?'

`I'm sorry,' she said. `You must think me very stupid but I don't know who to ring. I only passed my test last year and I've never broken down before.'

`Well, where were you going then?'

`I was going to try and get a room in the village. In a pub or something. I can manage by myself. Thank you anyway.'

The girl sounded slightly defensive and very close to tears. Gideon decided it was time he took charge.

`You won't find anywhere much open in the village at this time of night. If you like I could take a look at your car for you,' he offered. `Or if you're not happy about that I could ring the police and let them know where you are.'

The girl pulled a small and totally inadequate handkerchief out of the pocket of a coat that looked as though it had long since ceased to repel the sleety rain, and blew her nose. A soggy strand of dark hair fell across her face and she pushed it back behind her ear. She looked at Gideon and shivered, her teeth chattering audibly, but didn't answer.

`Would you like me to call the police?' he repeated, holding out his hand for the phone. `You certainly can't stand there all night, and I wouldn't mind getting home.'

`I'm sorry,' the girl said helplessly. `I don't know what to do . . .' Gideon leaned across and opened the door. `Come on, get in.

Let's go and look at your car and see if we can't get it started.' The girl took hold of the door handle and hesitated.

Gideon understood her reluctance. He reached into the glove compartment and took out a can of de-icing spray. `Here. If I make a wrong move you can spray that in my face,' he said lightly. He rummaged once again and withdrew a large spanner. `And then, while I'm helpless, you can hit me with this!'

The girl smiled shyly, relaxed a little and slid gratefully into the passenger seat. She put the spanner back but hedged her bets by holding on to the spray. Gideon affected not to notice. He put the Mercedes in gear and swung it into a three-point-turn across the road.

`So, what exactly happened with the car?' he asked as they headed back towards the Mini. `By the way, I'm Gideon. Gideon Blake.'

`My name's Rachel Shelley,' the girl answered, her teeth chattering again. `I don't really know. It was making an odd noise on the corners and then all of a sudden there was a bang and the back seemed to drop down. Now it won't move at all.'

`Oh, dear! That doesn't sound too healthy. At a guess I'd say one of your UJs has gone. If so, it'll need towing and then it'll be a garage job.'

A cursory inspection of the car proved Gideon right. He went round to the passenger window of the four-wheel-drive. `I can tow it back to my place if you like, to get it off the road overnight,' he suggested. `And then we'll have to decide what to do with you.

Now she had taken the first step towards trusting him, Rachel seemed happy to leave everything in Gideon's hands. She nodded from the depths of a blanket that he'd found for her in the back of the Merc. Giles seemed to have everything that one would need for an Arctic expedition in there.

`Thank you,' Rachel murmured. `I'm sorry to be such a nuisance.'

Gideon repositioned the Merc, attached a tow rope to the back of the Mini and pulled it up to lift the rear wheels clear of the road, then climbed back into the driver's seat, thoroughly cold and wet himself. He smiled at Rachel, who responded in kind, and began the steady journey home, noticing as he did so that she had abandoned the protection of the spray can.

FOUR

THE SUN WAS JUST clearing the hedge at the bottom of his garden and beginning to melt the ice that had formed on the kitchen window, when Gideon lifted the cat from her customary position on the top of the Aga and replaced her with a pan of porridge. Elsa complained sleepily and he soothed her, draping her over his shoulder as he stirred the milky oatmeal.

The frost-rimed garden looked magical in the watery sunlight, and Gideon was possessed of a momentary urge to fetch his camera and take a photograph to reproduce later in watercolours. The angle of the sun was wrong though, and the thought of venturing out into the cold effectively quelled the impulse.

There was a movement in the doorway and the cat dropped lightly to the floor. He looked across to see Rachel standing there, warmly clad in grey slacks and a soft white jumper that reached halfway to her knees. She blinked at him, as though not fully comprehending the situation, and then smiled shyly.

`I must have fallen asleep.'

Gideon smiled in return. `You did. Twice. Once in here, over

coffee, and again when you went upstairs to change out of your wet clothes.'

`I'm sorry. I took your bed, didn't I?'

'No problem,' he lied, restraining an urge to flex his stiff neck. The sofa was at least ten inches too short to be a comfortable alternative. `Would you like some porridge? It'll be ready in a moment.'

`Thank you.' Rachel moved hesitantly towards the table. Elsa rubbed around her ankles and she put a hand down to stroke the cat, absent-mindedly.

`Well, I'd put some shoes on if I were you. You'll freeze on this stone floor without anything on your feet.'

Rachel had a way of watching him with dark-eyed intensity while he spoke, as if worried about what he might say. Now she smiled, relaxing visibly as she nodded and disappeared, presumably in search of some suitable footwear.

She was a remarkably attractive girl when she wasn't looking like a lost kitten, Gideon thought, returning his attention to the Aga. By the time she returned the porridge was ready and divided into two steaming bowlfuls on the table.

Gideon was finding spoons.

`There's brown sugar, white sugar, golden syrup and/or cream,' he announced, hearing her take her place at the table. `Which would you like?'

Rachel didn't answer and Gideon turned to find her stroking Elsa and looking away from him, out of the window.

`Rachel?' he said quietly.

She gave no sign of hearing him so he waved his hand slightly and the movement caught her eye.

`I'm sorry,' she said, seeing him poised with the sugar and cream. `I was miles away. Did you say something?'

`I was asking what you'd like on your porridge, but it doesn't matter, I'll put them all on the table and you can help yourself,' he said, suiting his actions to the words. Then, as he sat down, `Why didn't you tell me you were deaf'

`I'm sorry,' she said again, colour rising in her cheeks. `I'm not completely deaf. I have some hearing in my right ear and I suppose I hope people won't notice.'

Gideon helped himself to brown sugar and cream. `But why? It's nothing to be ashamed of.'

Rachel shifted uncomfortably. `I know. It's just ... I don't know, I suppose I don't want to be pitied.' She tucked a section of her thick, dark hair behind one ear and reached for the syrup, her eyes flickering up to meet his and away again as if afraid that she would find him laughing.

`You haven't always been deaf, have you?' he said.

`No, I had an accident three years ago. I fell over and hit my head, and when I woke up in hospital I couldn't hear anything at all. After a few days I got some hearing back in my right ear but not the left. The doctors say it could still improve but it hasn't yet.'

`Is that how you got the scar?' Gideon asked gently. A curving, slightly puckered, white line showed noticeably across her cheekbone against the olive of her skin.

`Yes.' She unhooked the hair from behind her ear and let it fall forward, her hand stroking the blemish almost subconsciously as she did so. `People don't usually mention it,' she said then.

`I'm sorry,' Gideon said mildly. `I didn't mean to be rude.' There was silence for a few moments as they both occupied themselves with their porridge, then Rachel said, `I don't mind really. I mean, you always know people will see it sooner or later, and sometimes they try so hard not to say anything that you feel like screaming at them, "Yes, I know I have a scar, but it's no big deal!" I think you're the first person to actually come straight out and ask me about it.'

`Me and my big mouth,' he said with a rueful grin. `Still, I'm not exactly unblemished myself.'

`I wondered about that,' Rachel said shyly.

`I'm not surprised you were reluctant to accept a lift. The truth is, I was on the wrong side of a door that somebody opened in a hurry.'

`Ouch!' Rachel said, wincing. `I bet that hurt!'

She scraped her bowl, pushed it away and asked if he knew of a garage that she might telephone to see about her car.

Gideon rang the garage he occasionally used, in Blandford, and they said they were busy but would send a truck out for the Mini sometime that afternoon.

`I'm sorry if you were in a hurry,' he said, putting the phone down. `We could try somewhere else but I know they'll do a good job for a reasonable price. I wouldn't know who else to recommend. I can ring round if you like, or alternatively I can give you a lift to wherever you need to go and you can pick the car up when it's ready. I expect it'll be a couple of days.'

`I'm not precisely in a hurry,' Rachel told him. `The room I was after will probably have gone by now. The landlady told me in no uncertain terms that if I didn't take it up by yesterday she would rent it to someone else. She said she had someone waiting.'

`I expect that was just a ploy. We could ring her and find out if you like?'

`Well,' Rachel said without much enthusiasm, `I guess it might be worth a try . . .'

`But you're not keen?'

`I didn't like her very much but it was the only place I could find other than a B and B, and that's outside my budget.'

`Why are you moving? Not that it's any of my business.'

`No, that's all right. I move around quite a lot. I'm an interior designer -just qualified - and I go where my work is. I can't afford to turn anything down. I was living in a rented flat while I studied and haven't decided where to base myself yet.'

`Don't you have any family?'

`No. Not really,' she said, looking down at her hands.

Gideon read the signals and backed off. `So, where do you need to be?'

`My next job's in Bournemouth but the people are on holiday for another week or so. I'm treading water at the moment until they get back.'

Gideon got up and began to clear the table. `Well, there's a spare room upstairs you're welcome to until you can arrange something else,' he offered. `It's quite habitable once it's warm but I couldn't face it last night. In fact, if you're here for a few days, you can work your design skills on it. It could do with smartening up!'

Rachel laughed, unsure whether to take him seriously. `Are you sure you don't mind? You've been so kind already.'

`No problem. As I said, you're welcome.' `Well, er . . .'

`There's a lock on the door,' he informed her.

She turned pink again. `Well, thank you. If you're sure . . .' Later in the morning Gideon took the Mercedes back to the Priory, taking Rachel with him and leaving the Mini with its keys under the wheel-arch in case the garage tow-truck turned up early.

Both Pippa and her brother were in, and when Rachel showed her delight at the old house, she was given a guided tour of the building.

As he followed Rachel into the sitting room, Giles raised his eyebrows at Gideon who lowered his and shook his head. Giles looked sceptical for an instant before turning to resume his narrative.

`She's a pretty girl,' Pippa said in a low voice to Gideon as they trailed the others through the house. `If you don't act quickly, you'll lose her to Giles.'

`She's not mine to lose,' he responded. `I only met her last night. Her car had broken down and she needed a place to stay.' `Ever the Good Samaritan,' Pippa teased.

`Well, I couldn't just leave her there.'

`I'm surprised she felt safe staying overnight with a strange man - I'm sure I wouldn't!'

`She's just an extremely good judge of character,' Gideon said, tongue in cheek. `And I have this trustworthy, avuncular air about me.

Pippa spluttered. `Says who?' Gideon affected deep hurt.

An invitation to lunch was issued and accepted, after which Pippa took Rachel out to see the horses.

`Well!' Giles breathed as the two girls went out. `If I ever stop to help anyone they always turn out to be a toothless granny or a lump of a girl with pigtails and braces on her teeth. Trust you to pick up a stunner.'

Gideon laughed. `She didn't look so stunning last night, I can assure you. She looked like a half-drowned kitten. And what's more, she fell asleep on my bed so I had to sleep on the couch. I don't think my neck will ever be the same.' He rubbed it, grimacing.

Giles laughed. `A white knight with saddle sores,' he observed. `It doesn't happen in the fairy stories.'

`So, how did it go with the ostriches yesterday?' `Ah. Pippa told you about that, did she?'