‘I popped back to see if you’d gone out to look for Milou and found your note.’
‘So you abandoned your date?’
‘What’s a date compared to looking after my surrogate child?’
Alexandra suddenly wanted to cry. She knew it was partly the brandy. ‘You can leave me. Your surrogate child will be fine. I’m warm; I have alcohol. And Antoine will look after me.’ She could tell David was tempted. ‘Seriously. I’ve caused so much trouble tonight, people out searching for me and everything. Please don’t make me feel guilty about you, too.’
David considered for what seemed a long time. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Absolutely!’ Although she wouldn’t have admitted it, even to herself, she had her own reasons for wanting him out of the way.
He stood looking at her, as if thinking up more reasons why he shouldn’t leave her. ‘I’ll be here early tomorrow. But if you really and truly don’t mind, I will go back.’
‘Good! You’re always getting me out of scrapes, David. I don’t want your social life to suffer because I’ve been a bit of an idiot.’
‘A brave and well-meaning idiot …’
‘Go!’
He kissed her cheek and left.
Antoine came in. ‘Well, I spoke to Stéphie and she is delighted. And very, very grateful.’
‘I was a fool really. I shouldn’t have gone into the wood when it was raining and getting dark.’
Antoine didn’t speak but Alexandra was in no doubt that he agreed with her. ‘We must get you into a hot bath,’ he said instead.
She nodded. ‘I am so very cold!’
‘And so very dirty!’ He smiled through his concern. ‘But food first. I’ll make an omelette.’ He refilled her glass.
Alexandra looked at the brandy, knowing she’d already had quite a lot to drink. But it was making her feel better so she took another sip.
Antoine made her an omelette which she ate but she felt too tired to finish the bread he put with it.
‘Sorry,’ she said as he looked disapproving. ‘All that chewing. I just haven’t the energy.’
‘Let’s get you into the bath and then into bed.’ He made as if to pick her up, but she baulked.
‘I can walk! Just give me your arm.’ She had no desire to be carried up the stairs like a film star when she felt so very unstarlike.
He almost did carry her up he had to support her so much, but Alexandra felt better moving at least partly under her own steam. She did feel quite wobbly but he was there to support her.
‘How is your ankle?’ he asked when they reached the top of the staircase.
‘I think it feels a little better,’ she said and smiled.
‘OK, I’m going to start running your bath. You have to keep a check on the hot water and as soon as it starts running cold you must turn off the hot tap.’
Alexandra wondered why he felt obliged to explain this when she’d been running baths most of her life, but she did as she was told. She watched him run the water until it came hot, and only then did he put the plug in.
‘Now I’m going to boil a kettle to top up the hot water,’ he said. ‘But don’t you let any cold water in. This bath is not going to be very hot. You won’t be able to wash your hair.’
She smiled again. He seemed to have got her muddled up with Stéphie but he was being so kind, she didn’t like to complain.
She turned off the hot tap the moment it went cold and shortly afterwards Antoine appeared with a kettle. Alexandra had experience of heating baths with kettles; it was never really very satisfactory. But she had to get the mud off somehow and it would do.
‘Don’t be too long,’ said Antoine, ‘you need to get into bed.’
