Now that they were inside Pauline was overcome by a sense of intimacy, a wave of shyness. She dipped her head, clasped her hands in front of her. She unfolded them and let them hang at her sides. Her arms didn’t know what to do; she folded them across her front. “I, erm… I just wanted to ask… Will you be staying with me? Well, what I mean is… you’re not going to leave me are you? I don’t want to be on my own.” She raised a hand; the need for human contact, for a reassuring hug was overwhelming.

He tipped his head to one side, moved a half step closer. His hand brushed her arm and then her fingers were folded in his great, bear like paw. “Don’t worry Pauline. I’ll be here. I’m staying.”

The gentle tug was all that she needed to take her into the fold of his embrace and as the heat from his body soothed her aching muscles his presence soothed her aching soul. Her heart juddered, part delight and part sadness, for this wasn’t real. This closeness was fleeting, but it showed her what had never been hers and she grieved for the loss of what she hadn’t had and now never would have; a man, kind and careful of her, just another person to be with.

Chapter 39

They moved through the quiet rooms. Pete’s hand stretched behind him, silently holding her back. He had taken out the small gun and as he scanned the empty spaces Pauline had to bite back the urge to giggle. It was fear and nerves of course, but this was all so unreal it felt silly. Some strange play-acting reality divorced from the real world of Pauline Green. It was so much outside her world of gardens and shopping, of endless lonely walks and bitter mornings after nights of violence. This was a joke, surely just some outrageous comedy that had inadvertently drawn her in.

In time he had walked into every room downstairs. “Okay, seems fine down here. I’m going up so you stand in the hall and be ready to move.”

She cracked; it was all too much. She raised her voice to cry out, “Hello, anybody up there? Pete’s got a gun and he’s coming to get you!”

He hissed at her and spun on the step. “What the hell…”

“Oh come on. If there’d been anyone there they’d have come and shot us by now!” She pushed past him and stomped up the blue carpet. “Come out, come out!”

All he could do now was laugh. In truth he had to acknowledge that some of the performance had been for her benefit. The thought shamed him a little and he felt heat rise to his face. He ran up the stairs after her. It felt good to laugh but he had to make sure that she understood the danger.

“Okay, okay, very funny. But really, you have to listen to me. We have to be careful until this is sorted.”

For her part Pauline had surprised herself. Really it was so unlike her but she had taken all that she could of continual tension. If there had been gunmen, gangsters or whatever hiding in the bedrooms she would have been responsible for heaven knows what carnage but the whole ludicrous situation had pushed her to the edge and she had leapt over. It felt good. She felt free and actually a bit brave and carefree.

Since her marriage she had lost the girl she used to be, the one who rode her bike at breakneck speed down the hills near home. She had swum in open lakes, canoed in white water rapids, enjoyed rock climbing and had camped on her own in the hills. She hadn’t been afraid. The fear had begun the first time George had raised his hand to her and increased with each blow and every new betrayal.

A fizz of confidence bubbled through her and she found herself grinning as she turned to watch the solid figure join her on the landing.

“Okay, bedrooms. Pick one. There should be some basics in the bathroom and some food in the kitchen. How about if we make a bite and then we can talk about what comes next. How would that be?”

“Yeah. I don’t mind which room.” As she spoke Pauline pushed open the doors, there were three rooms equipped with beds, wardrobes and dressers. All were fairly basic but clean and the beds were all made up ready to be used. “I’ll take this one, it has twin beds. I think you might be more comfortable in the double, you’re bigger than I am.”

“That’s kind. Thanks. I have to say it’ll be nice to have a decent bed to sleep in for once.”

“Right. This one has an en suite bathroom. Oh yes, and there are toothbrushes soap and stuff. Crikey, there’s even a dressing gown! Is this what my tax money pays for?”

“Uh, I guess so. I’d never thought about it… but yeah, I suppose.”

“I’d love to have a shower. Do you think the water’s hot?”

In answer he pushed past her to turn on the washbasin tap. After a few seconds steam began to rise from the white porcelain.

“Brilliant. I’ll have a shower and then see what I can cook us to eat. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, great. In the meantime I’ll pop out into the back garden. There’s a shed out there and though I know you think it’s all a great laugh I do need to check it out.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just that it all seemed to be so very dramatic. It’s not the world I live in, not really.”

“Well, maybe I was going just a bit over the top. I was trying to impress you. The least you could have done was fainted.”

With a grin he turned and she heard his feet thunder down the stairs and then the rattle of locks being drawn back.

The rush of water from the shower head drowned out any other sound as she stepped under the hot torrent and felt the tension melt from her muscles.

Chapter 40

There were sachets of shampoo and conditioner, tiny single use bottles of body balm and a small tube of toothpaste.

As she rubbed herself with the surprisingly fluffy towels Pauline mused anew at the strange events that had brought her to this moment. The bath robe was cheap and thin but it was clean and still in the manufacturer's bag. She tore away the polythene and then wrapped in the warm softness she made her way back into the bedroom.

Using the hair dryer provided, with the aid of a brush from her handbag she was able to give her short hair some body, though wished she had thought to push her own toiletries into a bag to bring as they left the farmhouse.

Was it less than a day ago since the tense drive, the poor dead hedgehog?

In the drawer she was amazed to find some cheap knickers, still in the packet and a T shirt which she could use for sleeping.

In spite of it all, the shower, the time to herself and the normality of standing in the simple tiled space had done much to raise her spirits. As she made for the stairs a smile lifted her lips and brightened her eyes.

This felt incongruously like a stolen holiday. It was a small adventure. Though the way here had been nasty and frightening, with Pete to look after her and his promise that it would be over soon she felt optimistic. She would be ready to cross the Channel on schedule or at the very most a few days late.

She liked him and would put herself in his hands. He was so different from all the other men she had ever met. Rough and slightly scary but with kindness deep in his eyes and she sensed a gentleness about him at odds with the tough exterior. She hadn’t been alone with many men apart from George; he hadn’t allowed it and she felt like a giddy girl now, alone with a strange and dangerous male. It was exciting.

She was looking forward to making him a meal. It would be fun to root around in the kitchen cupboards and the fridge to find what they might have been provided with. She supposed eggs; there were always eggs. The holiday cottage welcome pack had eggs, cheese and milk. How long ago that seemed now with all the horror that had come since the first magic night by the coast.