Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
Lark’s stomach clenched. Though the voice was weak, she knew who it belonged to in an instant.
‘Nate!’ Panic surged through her. ‘Nate! Where are you?’
Her question was met with a groan.
She stumbled her way over the rough ground until the torch light found a figure slumped on the floor. Bobby was standing over it, whimpering. Her heart froze in fear.
‘Nate!’ Lark rushed forward, falling onto her knee, pain searing through her but she pulled herself up and kept on until she reached him.
‘Oh my God, Nate!’ She pressed her hand against his forehead and was concerned to find he felt almost icy to the touch.
She took a moment. A deep breath. Fear was causing chaos in her mind; she needed to get her thoughts straight so she could do what needed to be done.
Never mind why Nate was down here, she had no idea how long he’d been there but he felt cold so there was every chance he could be suffering from hypothermia.
Panic flared again and tears stung her eyes.
Then there was the possibility he could have an injury that wasn’t obvious to her.
She checked her phone for a signal, but there were no bars.
Acting quickly, she took off her coat and laid it over Nate, putting her gloves over his hands, making a pillow from her scarf.
‘Stay with me, Nate. Bobby’s here, but I need to go back into the house to call for an ambulance, okay? Please, please hang on,’ she said, her voice thick with emotion.
She scrambled back up to the house, panic and fear making her uncoordinated.
Racing to the living room, four bars appeared on her phone.
She called for an ambulance, doing all she could not to break down in tears as she gave them details and directions.
That done, she called her dad’s phone, knowing paramedics would need to have someone at the end of the lane to guide them here; Crayke’s Cottage would be impossible to find to people who didn’t know Old Micklewick.
‘Hello, Lark sweetheart.’ Her dad’s voice was full of cheer, so at odds with the distress that held her in its grip.
‘Dad! Dad! It’s Nate! I need your help.’ She almost crumbled on hearing her father’s voice and fought hard to get her words out. She needed to make sure he could understand what she was saying. But the panic in her voice was enough to have both Silas and Louisa scrambling to help.
‘Stay calm, my love. We’ll be there as fast as we can. You go back to Nate; keep talking to him,’ Silas said calmly.
Lark rushed back to the panel, scrabbling down the tunnel, pressing her hand against the cold, damp wall to steady herself. Her torch quickly picked out Nate and Bobby on the floor.
‘Nate, it’s me, Lark, I’m back. An ambulance is on its way and so are my dad and Louisa. One of them is going to flag the ambulance down at the end of the lane.’
The moan that came from Nate was so weak, Lark only just heard it.
Emotion squeezed in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. Tears were pouring down her cheeks now. She reached for his hand and pressed her face to his cheek, her hair spilling over him, the chill from his skin making fear her overriding emotion.
‘Stay with me, Nate. Please stay with me. The ambulance will be here soon. Please don’t go to sleep.’
Bobby whimpered and nudged Nate with his nose.
Thoughts started piling into Lark’s mind. What if…? Don’t think that! She couldn’t let Nate think she didn’t care for him, that he was nothing more than a mistake.
Realisation hit her like a lightning bolt, her heart thumping harder than ever. This was it! This was what she’d been picking up on for all these years. The warnings telling her she wouldn’t have a future with Nate. They were all pointing to this very moment.
But she needed to take control, needed to tell him. Needed to make sure he knew.
‘Nate, I love you. I love you with all my heart. And I always have. I’m so sorry I let my stupid senses and premonitions get in the way.
But all I know is that I love you. And I want to be with you.
’ She pressed a soggy kiss to his cheek, his skin cold and yet clammy.
‘Please stay strong. Please, Nate. Please.’
Nate gave a barely discernible groan.
The sound of feet thudding on the floorboards above were followed by a shout of, ‘Lark!’
‘Down here, Dad. It’s the wooden panel that’s slightly open.’
‘Got it.’
Moments later, Silas had joined them, the extra light from his torch showing that Nate had sustained a nasty bump to his head Lark hadn’t spotted before.
‘Nate, lad, stay strong for us,’ Silas said, his voice soothing and yet firm.
In the distance came the faint screeching of an ambulance siren.