I laugh. “I wouldn’t be expecting them from Handy Hire, though.”
He throws his head back, laughing. As before, the loud, robust sound makes me want to laugh too. And now it makes me want to draw up a chair and sit beside him and will him to touch me again.
I do none of those things because this lovely interlude is nearly over. Instead, I smile at him. “Well, that would be lovely if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.”
He pushes an object towards me, and I realise it’s my phone. I tap on the button, but the screen remains stubbornly dark. I repress a sigh at the thought of buying a new one. Another charge on my credit card. It’ll be pleading for mercy soon.
Sigurd gets to his feet, stretching, and then grabs his coat from a chair. It’s an olive-green parka and suits him, making him look even younger.
“Let us go.” He hands me my own jacket and gestures for me to follow him.
I trail after him, my eyes hungrily taking in my last glimpse of his lovely house. He leads me out of a back entrance that brings us onto a small parking area. There are two huge garages, and in front of them sits an old Land Rover. I smile gratefully at him as he opens my door for me—such courtly gestures from such a wild-looking man. I wonder why he’s single.
He climbs in next to me, and the car is immediately filled with his amber and sandalwood scent. I take in gulps of it as unobtrusively as possible. Time seems to be speeding up like sand falling through my hands, and try as I might, I can’t catch it back.
He starts the car, and we drive up a winding lane. The radio is playing Chris de Burgh’s “A Spaceman Came Travelling” and something about the whimsical strangeness of the song seems appropriate for how I’ve spent the last couple of days in Cornwall. The car is soon toasty warm. The wind buffets us, but his big hands are steady, his eyes alert on the roads, even though we only pass a few other cars.
He clears his throat. “So, you will not be seeing this Adrian again, yes?”
The question jerks me out of my thoughts. “Eh? Hardly likely. It might end rather badly if I do.”
The atmosphere in the car abruptly changes. His hands tighten on the steering wheel, and a low rumble comes from him that makes my eyes widen. “He would hurt you, Cary?” he growls.
“Oh my god,no. No,” I say more calmly. “Of course not. I mean, he might bore me to death, but that’s as physical as he’d get.” His hands relax, and I stare at him. “Were you honestly angry about that?”
He glances at me with wide eyes. “Of course,” he says simply. “I will not have you mistreated. I would have no man or woman mistreated.”
Touched, I smile at him and pat his hand. “Well, you’ve no need to worry about Adrian.” I look around with interest as we pass through a small village, the restless gleam of the sea visible beyond. “It’s very pretty around here,” I say. “I hadn’t realised.”
“Ah, Kernow has always held a spell on its visitors.” He clears his throat. “Tell me, have you read the new book on the discovery of the barrow in Derbyshire?”
I turn in my seat. “Oh my god, Ilovedit. The author’s theories were really compelling.”
His eyes light up in enthusiasm. “Tell me what you thought of the third chapter.”
The drive passes too quickly as we discuss books. I discover that his mind is as impressive as his body. He’s engaging and forthright but always eager to hear my opinions. Conversation with Adrian could be sticky as glue, but with Sigurd, it’s like drinking a sparkling champagne that’s so delicious you want more and more until it goes to your head.
We drive into Penzance far too soon. The buildings look grey in the winter gloom, but the Christmas lights are bright. Sigurd takes the side streets with the obvious ease of knowledge and pulls up outside a car hire place.
I unbuckle my seat belt and go to open the door, turning as he says, “I would open the door for you, Cary.”
“Oh, there’s no need,” I to start to say, but it’s to thin air.
He comes around the front of the Land Rover, the wind lifting his hair that gleams in the winter light. His coat clings to his broad shoulders.
He opens the door, and I smile at him. “You don’t have to do things like that for me. It’s very nice, but I don’t expect it.”
“Mayhap you should,” he says solemnly.
I shake my head, taking his hand as I jump out of the car. We stand on the pavement for a second, and then I square my shoulders. It’s time to go. We’ll be going in separate directions, and I won’t see him again.
Ignoring the feeling of intense unhappiness at the thought, I straighten up and say in a cheerful voice, “I won’t be long. There’s no need to wait for me.” I put out my hand. “Shall we say goodbye now?”
He stares at me for a few seconds and then calmly reaches out and taps my hand to lower it. “Nay, I will come in with you.”
“Are you sure? Won’t it be boring?”
