Early the next morning, Nils returned, and Tuula showed him the well in a corner of the courtyard. Nils removed the lid, and the stench that met him made him gag and turn his head away. He pulled up his shirt to cover his mouth and nose before he peered inside. What he saw made his stomach turn. He turned away, retching, but nothing came up.
A cadaver of some kind. It was impossible to seewhatit was exactly—the combination of the water and the heat of high summer had made it unrecognizable, but possibly a deer. But one thing was certain. It hadn’t gotten into the well by itself—someone must have thrown it in. There was absolutely no doubt about that.
“What is it?” Tuula tried to look over his shoulder, but she, too, had to turn her head away.
“A dead animal.” He looked at her. “Don’t you worry about it, I know some guys who will take it away for a few kronor, then we’ll get someone in to clean the well.”
“A dead animal? But how ...” Then she realized what he had already grasped. Seeing the truth hit home was heartbreaking.
“You can all move in with me until the well is clean and safe.”
She didn’t say a word; she just stared blankly into space. Then she swallowed hard. “I need to get Matias to the doctor. Right now.”
34
Nora lay stretched out on her back, then rolled over onto her stomach close beside him. She was still breathing hard and her back, which was shiny with sweat, was rising and falling rapidly. “No doubt you have a baker in every small town,” she said between breaths. She rested her head on his chest. He put his arm around her, held her close.
He looked down at her. “No, only in every medium-size town. So you’re the exception.”
She laughed and playfully slapped his arm. “Thanks, I’m flattered.”
Henrik felt a strange emptiness in his heart, knowing that filming would soon be over. He would leave, with no plans to return to Västervik. This thing between them was so different—definitely not just a fake romance for the cameras. He didn’t know what it was, but it seemed too soon to end things, leaving the possibilities unexplored. He tilted her chin up, met her gaze. “I like you, Nora.”
She grinned. “I like you too.”
“I know this could make things awkward, given that we’re working together.”
“But you’ve been in this situation before, haven’t you?” she said teasingly.
The question put him on his guard. “What do you mean?”
“I was thinking about Bente.”
“Ah.” His ex was the last person he wanted to think about right now; he wanted to concentrate on Nora.
“How did you handle it? The cheating? Was it tough to get over her?”
He didn’t say anything. He hadn’t given any more thought to what Elnaz had told him; Nora had showed up and taken his mind off Bente.
“Sorry.” She shook her head. “Maybe that was too personal a question—it’s got nothing to do with me.”
“No, it’s not that, it’s ...” He sat up, looked at her. What the hell was he supposed to say, when he had no idea how to deal with what he had just been told? “I found out this evening that Bente didn’t cheat on me.”
Nora sat up too. “You found out this evening? But ... why did it take so long?”
“She swore she hadn’t cheated on me at the time, but I refused to believe her.”
“Oh my God—so what happened this evening?”
“I’m not sure how much you know about what went on, but photos were taken of Bente and Frederic. Elnaz was there at the time, and she assured me that absolutely nothing went on between Bente and Frederic.”
“To think of everything Bente went through ...”
Henrik nodded. He didn’t really want to face up to that, because he was so ashamed of the way the press had treated her. “I have to do something, tell the truth.”
“Yes, you do,” Nora agreed.
When the news about Bente’s infidelity broke,Let’s Get Baking’s ratings had shot up, and he’d gotten several offers from other shows—judging baking competitions, morning TV appearances. Meanwhile, Bente had lost her TV career outright. And he had kept quiet, watched it happen.
