The Firebrand Who Unlocked His Heart (6 page)

‘She’s probably gone down to the village,’ he said, fishing a set of keys out of his pocket. He smiled wryly. ‘I can’t remember when I last used these.’

Inside the house was a revelation. Unlike Carrington Hall, it was furnished in bright, welcoming colours and sunlight streamed through the windows. The door led through a small entrance hall and into a sitting room-cum-dining room. The sitting room was furnished with deep, squashy sofas in pale linen and piles of brightly covered cushions. The coffee tables were a mismatch of oak and pine and the scrubbed and dark-varnished wooden floors were covered with deep red rugs. An inglenook fireplace took up most of one side of the sitting-room wall. Just off to the right was a small but adequate kitchen and a door that Colleen guessed led up to the upstairs bedrooms.

‘It’s beautiful,’ Colleen said. ‘My idea of a dream cottage.’

Daniel was looking around, his expression bleak.

‘My mother loved this house. When I was a child she used to bring me here for the summer. It was the only place that felt like home.’ The last words were said so softly and with such regret that Colleen wasn’t sure she had heard right. Was she seeing another chink in Daniel’s armour? Maybe he wasn’t so detached as he liked people to believe?

‘Eleanor asked if she and Harry could live here when they came back to the UK, so I gave it to her.’ Daniel continued. ‘I knew Harry would be happy here.’

Colleen touched him on the arm, wanting him to
know that she understood how painful it was for him to come to the place where he had once known happiness. He looked down at her hand and his muscles tensed. She removed her hand and stepped back, feeling as if she’d been stung.

‘Shall we have a look at Harry’s room?’ she suggested. ‘See what we should take back with us?’

Harry’s bedroom was the first room on the right at the top of the narrow stairs. It was small, with only just enough room for a bed, a side table and a built-in cupboard. On the table was a portable TV with a computer console attached.

‘I bought him a new, bigger TV for his last birthday,’ Daniel said. ‘I don’t see it.’

Colleen thought that a large flat-screen television would be totally out of place in this bedroom, but again decided to keep her counsel. The walls in Harry’s room were decorated with posters, some from movies and others of cricketers and rugby players.

‘Ah. Good lad. I see he supports Wasps. Next to the London Irish they’re the best,’ she said.

Daniel wandered across to the bookshelves and was looking through the books. He seemed bemused. ‘I didn’t know he read this! I thought he was still into Harry Potter. Isn’t every kid under fifteen into Harry Potter?’

‘Children move on in their tastes quite quickly,’ Colleen said, keeping her voice neutral although she was dismayed. Daniel had a lot to learn about his son.

Next to Harry’s bed was a bedside table. On it was a photograph of him and his mother, similar to the one Daniel had shown her. The pair had their arms wrapped around each other and were smiling into the camera. There were other photos pinned to a notice board on
the wall. Photos of Harry with friends, a team photo of him with the school cricket team as well as one of him in swimming trunks holding up a cup. There was also, touchingly, an old photograph of Daniel when he must have been five or six. He’d clearly had not long finished devouring an ice cream as there were traces of the treat still clinging to his mouth and a couple of tell-tale drips on his T-shirt. An austere-looking man was holding him in his arms rigidly, as if unused to holding a child, but the little boy was looking up at the man with such devotion it made Colleen’s heart ache for him.

Daniel came to stand next to her and unpinned the photo from the board. ‘I remember this,’ he said, his voice ragged. ‘It was taken one summer when my father came to stay. He and I had spent the day looking for fossils down on Chesil Beach. It was the only day I can remember the two of us on our own just having fun. My father worked day and night at his business. He was a bit of a workaholic.’ He smiled wryly. ‘I guess we had that in common.’

If Daniel’s father was as distant as he looked and sounded, no wonder Daniel struggled with his own child. Slowly the pieces were beginning to fall into place.

Daniel placed the photo back on the table. ‘I had no idea Harry had this. There should be one of Harry and me.’

‘You’ll have other, good days together,’ Colleen said. ‘Just give it time.’

Daniel smiled tightly ‘You may have gathered by now that patience isn’t one of my strengths.’

There was little Colleen could say to that.

‘Okay, let’s pack up everything in this room.
Photographs, posters, books, his game console, even his duvet and cover.’

She started removing the posters from the wall. She had to stand on a chair to reach one that was higher up. As she stretched, the chair wobbled, but before she could fall strong arms grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off the chair. Daniel set her down on her feet and she stumbled against him. She felt the muscles of his chest against her back and his arms tightened around her. Her skin sizzled and she found herself leaning into the warmth of his body. She closed her eyes. It felt so good, so right. Unlike anything she’d ever felt with Ciaran. Horrified at the direction her thoughts were going, she stepped away.

‘Oops,’ she said.

She turned around to find Daniel looking at her with the strangest expression on his face. The air was suddenly filled with an almost unbearable tension. Her heart was pounding so hard she could almost hear it. Quickly she stepped away and pretended to survey the room.

‘Now, what next?’ she said to cover her confusion.

Harry’s bed was covered in a duvet with figures from a recent movie. Colleen decided to take that, too. As she lifted the pillow to remove the matching pillow slip she found a torn-out scrap of paper from a newspaper. It was ragged around the edges, as if it had been handled many times.

She picked it up and studied the picture. It was of a man in a black gown and a wig—the kind the lawyers wore in court. Peering closer, she was startled to find that he looked very familiar.

‘Who’s the geezer in the wig?’ she asked, handing it to Daniel.

As he took the piece of paper from her, their hands
brushed and a tingling sensation ran up her arm. Colleen snatched her hand away.

‘I didn’t know Harry had this,’ Daniel said softly. ‘Don’t you recognise me?’

‘Good God, that’s you?’

‘I’m a Q C. A Queen’s Counsel. Some people call it Silk. Didn’t you know?’

No she didn’t know. She hadn’t thought to ask Daniel what he did and just assumed he was some sort of business tycoon.

‘Are you a prosecutor or a defender?’

He looked at her strangely. ‘Does it matter?’

He was right. It shouldn’t matter. But it did.

‘I work for the prosecution,’ he said after a moment.

She couldn’t help but be relieved at his answer. She wanted him to be on the side of the innocent.

‘But every person has the right to the best defence. In this country, people are still innocent until proven guilty.’

Damn. He was doing that reading-the-mind thing again. She felt her cheeks colour.

Daniel ran his hand through his hair. ‘I handle criminal cases most of the time, but occasionally I deal with matrimonial law. Divorces, custody, that sort of thing.’

Colleen whistled under her breath. ‘What kind of people have a QC represent them when they’re getting divorced?’

‘Very rich people,’ he said, drily. He lifted an eyebrow. ‘Shall we get on?’

* * *

It took them only an hour to pack up the rest of Harry’s belongings. They left it at the front door for Mike to collect. Daniel was in the process of leaving a note for Mrs Hardcastle when a grey-haired woman with frizzy
dark hair appeared at the door. Her lips thinned when she saw Daniel.

‘Still here, then?’ she said.

‘This is Colleen, Dora,’ Daniel said. ‘She’s the nurse who’s going to be caring for Harry when he comes out of hospital tomorrow. Colleen, this is Dora Hardcastle. When Eleanor went abroad Dora went with her. Harry’s known her all his life.’

‘That child should be here with people he loves and who love him,’ Dora said, pushing past Colleen and Daniel. ‘Especially now he’s lost his poor mother.’

‘He will be with people who love him,’ Daniel said. Despite his even tone, his voice had an undercurrent of steel.

‘Aye, well, you say that, but he knows me best of all. He loves me. And where am I? Stuck here looking after an empty house with nothing but the memories of him and his mother to keep me company.’ She pulled out one of the largest handkerchiefs Colleen had ever seen and dabbed surreptitiously at her eyes. ‘If it wasn’t for the fact I loved his mother like a daughter, I’d be away from here myself.’

‘You know you could come and stay with us in London,’ Daniel said. ‘I’ve asked you often enough. God knows there is enough space.’

Making sure Dora wasn’t looking, Colleen dug an elbow into his side. He looked at her in surprise
. Plead with her to come,
she mouthed at him.

He gentled his tone. ‘We…I…would really like you to come. Please say you’ll think about it.’

‘And what would I be doing up there?’ Dora said gruffly, but Colleen could tell from the spark in her eye that the idea appealed to her.

‘You could help me look after Harry,’ Colleen said.
‘We could take turns sitting with him. I agree it’s better for him to have as many familiar faces around him as possible. Of course it’s a lot to ask of you.’

‘I know Harry looks on you as an honorary gran, Dora,’ Daniel added. ‘He’d like you to be around, I’m sure.’

Dora looked mollified. It seemed as if Daniel had hurt her feelings when he hadn’t pleaded with her to return to Carrington Hall after the accident. Men could be so slow sometimes.

Dora tutted and looked askance at Colleen. ‘You might be a nurse, but you don’t know how Harry likes his eggs, or how to disguise the vegetables in his food so he’ll get enough vitamins. I’ve been looking after that lad since he was born. I’ve changed his nappies, seen him take his first steps, fed him as a baby. I love him as if he were my own. I hate to think of him up in London without me.’

And she blew her nose, almost disappearing behind her voluminous handkerchief.

‘You are absolutely right, Mrs Hardcastle, I don’t know Harry’s likes and dislikes. Please, please consider coming to Carrington Hall to help,’ Colleen said.

‘I know it’s not fair to ask you,’ Daniel added, ‘but I’d really appreciate it if you would come and help look after Harry. And I know Harry would be delighted to have you there.’

Mrs Hardcastle’s lips trembled and for a moment Colleen thought she was going to cry. However she sniffed and compressed her lips together. ‘When is he leaving the hospital?’ she asked.

‘Tomorrow.’

‘In that case I’ll come next week. I have some things
to organise before then. You tell the lad I’ll see him soon. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have dusting to do.’

Left alone with Daniel, Colleen sneaked a glance at him. He was smiling.
He should smile more often. On the other hand, maybe he shouldn’t
. His smile made her feel quite dizzy.

Daniel’s smile grew broader. ‘Can you see Burton and Dora sharing a kitchen?’ he asked.

‘No. Not really.’ Colleen smothered a giggle. ‘I don’t know how comfortable it’s going to be having Dora around, but I think you did the right thing. She obviously loves Harry.’

‘Anything that is good for Harry is all right with me,’ Daniel said. ‘Even if it means having Dora in London.’ He grimaced but his eyes were sparkling. ‘She and Burton don’t exactly hit it off.’

‘Dora doesn’t entirely approve of you either, does she?’

Daniel’s eyes glinted. ‘That makes two of you, then, doesn’t it?’

‘I wouldn’t say I disapprove of you,’ Colleen protested.

Daniel raised a disbelieving eyebrow and her heart thumped. This man confused her. One minute she was sure she disliked him, the next he was making her heart do complicated manoeuvres. All she knew was that he was having the most peculiar effect on her.

L
ATER
that day, back in London, Colleen surveyed the dining room, now Harry’s room, with satisfaction. The heavily embossed walls were covered with posters of Harry’s favourite current sport stars and a bookcase was jammed with the books they had taken from Harry’s room in Dorset as well as a new selection of paperbacks from Harry’s favourite science-fiction writer.

Or so his best friend, Nathan, had said. When Daniel had tracked him down, at home on holiday with his parents in Chelsea, the teenager had said he’d be glad to help Colleen get Harry’s room ready. Daniel had sent Mike to pick him up as soon as he’d returned from Dorset.

Colleen was beginning to get a very clear picture of Harry in her head. At least of the child he’d been before his accident. All she was missing was an understanding of what had gone wrong between Harry and Daniel. Daniel clearly cared about his son, but the two of them seemed more like strangers than father and son. Surely two years was long enough for them to get to know each other better than they had?

‘So what do you think, Nat? Will Harry like it?’ Colleen had asked the serious-looking young lad.

Harry’s friend had squinted a bespectacled eye. ‘I think so.’ He tilted his head as if he was giving the matter some serious thought. ‘No, in fact I know he’ll think it’s cool.’

‘Are you sure?’ Colleen smiled. ‘You don’t think he’d prefer posters of the great Irish rugby players instead?’

‘Nah. Definitely not. Oh, by the way, I’ve set up a new game on Harry’s computer.’ Nathan ambled over to the laptop beside the bed. ‘I’ll show you how it works. It’s the business.’

She watched in admiration as his fingers danced across the computer keys. ‘Good work, Nat. You’re a star.’

Nathan smiled back, but then he wriggled about in the chair, looking as if he wanted to say something, but didn’t know how to begin.

‘Harry’s accident must have been a terrible shock,’ Colleen said, suspecting that the teen might need an opening.

‘I went to see him at the hospital. A lot of us went at first. But…’ Nathan bit his lip. ‘Harry didn’t look like himself. None of us knew what to say.’

‘Try not to worry about that, Nat. A lot of people find it very difficult to spend time with someone who doesn’t seem to know that they’re there. But often, even if they seem to be deeply unconscious, they can hear what’s being said. If Harry was at all aware, he would have been glad to hear your voice.’

Nathan brightened. ‘Maybe I can come and see him when he comes home. Do you think that would be all right?’

‘I think it’s a great idea, Nathan. You can talk to him about all the stuff you used to talk about at school before the accident.’

* * *

Colleen went through her check list again, ticking off the items one by one. The room was ready for Harry. No doubt he would want changes, but they could be made as and when. The swimming pool was an added bonus. Colleen had already decided to get him into the water as soon as possible, but for that, she would need Daniel’s help. There was no way she could do it on her own. Besides, the more involved with Harry’s care Daniel was, the better—for both father and son. Now what else did she need to do?

As she set her list aside, Daniel walked into the room. Their eyes met and immediately she could tell something was bothering him by the way he ran his hand through his hair. She wondered if he knew that it was a definite tell.

‘What time is the ambulance arranged for?’ she asked.

‘Three o’clock,’ he replied. ‘The doctor is coming here about five to check Harry over.’

Colleen checked her watch. ‘We should leave soon.’ She placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘It’s going to be fine, you’ll see.’

* * *

Harry’s transfer from the hospital had gone smoothly and a short while after being transported home by ambulance, he was safely tucked up in bed in his new room. Sometimes, when he opened his eyes, they were expressionless. At other times he would look frightened as if he had no idea where he was or what was happening to him. Daniel’s presence still seemed to agitate him, so
Colleen had gently suggested Daniel leave her to get Harry settled.

‘It’s okay, Harry. You’re in your father’s house. I’m here with you and I’m going to stay until you’re better.’ Colleen kept repeating the words and eventually the fear would leave Harry’s eyes and he would close them again. She’d seen this before. Patients would have lucid episodes where they’d seem to understand everything that was going on around them, only to have them followed by periods of confusion and apparent memory loss. Hopefully the lucid periods would increase as the days went on.

* * *

When she was sure he was sleeping, she went in search of Daniel. She found him in the library, staring down at the glass of whisky he held in his hand. He looked up and in that moment she saw such anguish in his eyes it made her wince. Then the shutters came down again, making her think of the steel doors in a bank vault slamming shut.

‘How is he?’ Daniel asked.

‘He’s sleeping. I don’t want to leave him too long. I don’t want him to wake up and find himself alone.’

Daniel pulled a hand through his thick hair again and frowned. ‘For the first time in my life I don’t know if I’ve made the right decision. Perhaps Harry would have been better off in a specialist unit.’

‘For what it’s worth, I still think you’re doing exactly the right thing. You and Harry are going to have to get to know each other all over again. It will take time, but Harry will get used to you and learn that you care about him. In the meantime, he has his familiar things around him, he will have Dora, he has me and, in time, he will realise that he has you too. Nathan has promised to visit
as much as he can and that will help as well. As I explained before, these next few weeks are critical.’

‘I’ve handed over as much of my business as I could for the board and Haversham to run as I can. Unfortunately there’s other stuff, upcoming court cases, that I can’t pass on right now.’ Daniel sketched a bow. ‘Otherwise, I am completely at your and Harry’s beck and call.’

Colleen found it impossible to imagine Daniel at anyone’s beck and call.

‘What happened to Harry’s MP3 player?’ Colleen asked. ‘I’m assuming he had one.’

‘I have it. The police recovered it from the scene of the accident and gave it to me.’

‘I’d like to keep it in Harry’s room so I can play it. Knowing what music he likes will be another thing it will be helpful to know about your son. If you wouldn’t mind fetching it for me?’

Daniel crossed the room and pressed a button. Moments later, Burton appeared at the door.

‘Ah, Burton. Could you bring me Harry’s MP3 player, please? I think it’s on my bedside table.’

When Burton had left the room, Daniel turned back to Colleen.

‘Actually, I know what music he likes. I’m not saying I recognise it, but when Harry was in a coma I listened to it. It made me feel closer to him.’ A shadow crossed his face. ‘When the doctors told me that he might not survive and that I might have to think about organ donation…’

It was all Colleen could do to stop herself from going to him and wrapping her arms around him. That’s what she would have done for any other relative who was in as much pain. But something held her back. For some
reason, she found it difficult to behave normally towards Daniel.

Daniel shook his head as if to clear it. ‘Okay, what else?’

‘We’re going to have to take turns being with him. I want one of us to be there all the time when he’s awake. We should read to him or talk to him or listen to his music with him. He needs as much stimulation as possible and I’ll need help turning him regularly. I’ll be moving his limbs as much as possible to keep the muscles toned so we can get him back on his feet as soon as possible. I’m warning you, the next few weeks are going to be tough—on all of us.’ She got to her feet. ‘Let’s continue this conversation in Harry’s room. I want him to get used to the sound of our voices.’

Back in Harry’s room, Colleen sat on the chair next to Harry’s bed. Daniel crossed to the window and looked outside.

‘No wonder Harry didn’t like coming here,’ Daniel said softly. ‘I hated this place when I was a child.’

Harry stirred in his sleep. Colleen held her breath, wanting to know more.

‘My father was a disciplinarian—almost Victorian in his view that children should neither be seen nor be heard.’

‘Go on,’ Colleen prompted. ‘Tell me more. This is the kind of stuff you should be telling Harry when he’s awake.’

‘I wish Harry could’ve spent time in Dorset when he was younger.’ He smiled ruefully. ‘I wouldn’t want you to think my childhood didn’t have its happy moments. As I said, I used to go with my mother to the cottage at the weekends. She’d take me down to the beach and we’d
do all the things families do when they’re at the seaside: make sandcastles, get buried in the sand, eat ice creams. I would have done that with Harry.’ He stopped speaking for a while. ‘Eleanor always loved that cottage. She was a great fan of Thomas Hardy. She said it gave her a thrill to live where Tess of the d’Urbervilles was set. She always intended to write a book one day.’ Daniel’s shoulders were stiff. ‘We were happy there.’

Something suspiciously like envy sliced through Colleen. Daniel had clearly loved Harry’s mother once. Perhaps he still did. Maybe he was grieving for a missed opportunity to get back with her. She knew so little about him.
And it’s none of your business. Your business is with the child and not the father.
Why, then, did she feel envious? Was it because it emphasised what she and Ciaran didn’t have?

There was a long silence.

‘But you didn’t visit Harry in Dorset after they returned?’ Colleen asked.

‘Eleanor made it clear that I wasn’t welcome. But, God forgive me, I could have tried harder to see Harry, but something always seemed to come up…’ He turned back to Colleen and the remorse on his face made her heart twist.

‘Maybe we could take Harry there when he’s a little better? Stay for a while if he likes.’

In a moment the mask was back in place. ‘I don’t think we should take Harry back to a place that is bound to remind him that he’s lost his mother.’

Colleen said nothing. Maybe he was right. It was too early yet to know what would be best for Harry. Hopefully when he was better he’d be able to tell them what he wanted.

Harry opened his eyes and blinked rapidly.

‘Hello, Harry,’ Colleen said quietly. ‘Remember me? I’m Colleen. You’re back in your father’s house in London. He’s here, too. We’ve just being talking about the house in Dorset.’

Colleen waited for a reaction from Harry, but there was none. ‘Now…’ Colleen beckoned to Daniel ‘…we’re just going to sit you up. Then I’ll read to you. Or would you like me to put your music on?’

They helped Harry sit up in bed, Daniel holding his son against his chest while Colleen sorted the pillows.

‘Okay, Harry,’ Colleen said, her heart aching for Daniel. ‘Blink once if you would like me to read to you.’

There was no response.

‘Blink once if you would like me to put your music on.’

Again there was no response.

‘Or, I can do both. I could read to you while you listen to music?’

Harry blinked twice.

‘Okay, not music, not reading. What about a DVD of
Iron Man
? Your friend Nat tells me it’s one of your favourite films.’

Harry blinked once.

Colleen and Daniel exchanged a look over the top of Harry’s head. For the first time, Colleen saw hope in Daniel’s eyes.

‘Look, I need to get to the office,’ Daniel said, ‘but I’ll be back as soon as I can.’ He leaned over and kissed the top of his son’s head. Harry flinched and turned his head away.

The look in Daniel’s eyes changed to one of despair, but without saying anything, he straightened and left the room.

‘Okay, Harry, it seems to me you can understand a
fair bit of what’s going on. That’s good. But just in case you forget, I’m going to keep reminding you of where you are and who I am. It might get on your nerves, but until I know for sure what you remember, I’m afraid you are going to have to put up with it.’

Colleen slipped the DVD into the slot and pressed play. ‘While you’re watching this, I’m going to move your arms and legs for you. It might be a bit uncomfortable, but it needs to be done if we’re going to get you back on your feet. Do you understand?’

Another double blink.

‘Harry, you were in a car accident. Your head got a bit of a bump. Do you remember that?’

A look of bewilderment crossed Harry’s face, followed by a look of panic.

‘But you’re all right,’ Colleen hurried to reassure him. ‘Things are going to seem a little fuggy for a while, but don’t try to fight it. I’m here with your dad to make sure you get better. All you have to do at the moment is let us look after you.’

The fear left the child’s face and, as the DVD started, Harry fixed his eyes on the screen.

* * *

Half an hour later, he was asleep again. According to the staff at the hospital, the periods that he spent sleeping were getting shorter. If he continued to improve, sooner or later he would remember about the car accident. And then he would want to know where his mother was. It wasn’t a moment she was looking forward to.