Chapter Forty-five
‘Lara! Have you heard? Flynn’s home,’ Jazz called to Lara from halfway across the snow-sprinkled castle courtyard.
Many people might be wandering around in a cheese-induced coma wondering what day of the week it was, but, at Ravendale, Twixmas was a time to make the most of bored families looking for places to get some fresh air and entertainment.
The crisp, clear weather over Christmas had helped boost visitor numbers to a record high, and all the Spectacular dates were now fully booked.
With Flynn out of action, Lara was having to pick up some of the slack with his team, as well as for Fiona and Henry.
However, she’d been glad of the work as a distraction from her almost constant thoughts about Flynn.
She was certain that his families, new and old, must have wanted to be with him all the time.
That was natural, even though Lara had been desperate to see him herself.
Jazz caught up with her, slithering in the slush on the flagstones. ‘Mrs Danvers saw him being helped into the cottage by his mum and dad. She said he looked absolutely terrible and he’s on crutches.’
‘Well, he did have concussion and a broken knee,’ Lara said, doubting Flynn could ever look terrible even after a near-death experience. That thought made her shudder again. The accident had made her realise how fragile life was and how easily it could shatter.
She shoved the thought to the back of her mind. ‘Mrs D exaggerates. You know that. I thought you might have spoken to him.’
‘Not yet.’ In fact, she hadn’t heard from him since Christmas Day. ‘His friend Harvey called me. He’d spoken to Flynn’s mum. Apparently, his phone was damaged in the accident and I knew he was hoping to be discharged soon. I hadn’t realised he’d be back this morning.’
‘It’s a huge relief, though. I know how worried you’ve been, hun.’
Lara nodded. ‘I – I thought he might have …’
Jazz hugged her. ‘But he hasn’t. Will you go and see him now?’
‘Yes, but I should let him settle in first. His parents will be with him.’
‘Don’t leave it too long. I’m sure he wants to see you. I know how much you like him as a friend, and friends matter, don’t they, particularly when you are so far from home.’
Jazz spoke to her about work for a few more minutes, until Lara broke off to check a message that made her pulse race.
‘Was that him?’ Jazz asked, when Lara looked up again.
‘Yes, how did you know?’
‘The great big grin on your face? You look like you’ve won the lottery.’
Lara laughed – probably for the first time since Harvey had made that terrible phone call. ‘I’m just so relieved. Jazz, we’re not together. He needs the space.’
‘No, but … you need to take this as a wake-up call to sort yourselves out. Go on, go and see him now and send him lots of love from me. In a friendly sense, of course.’
‘I will.’ Lara could not deny that she felt huge relief at receiving the message. He’d asked her if she would ‘pop round if she could as he’d really love to see her’, adding that his parents were out.
Hearing that was enough to make her almost run across the castle courtyard, but she managed to restrain herself to a brisk walk. She was aching to see him but trembling inside at what she might find.
‘Come in! The door’s unlocked.’
Well, his voice was recovered at least, Lara decided. She went into the sitting room, trying to tame her mix of emotions.
Immediately, Lara disagreed with Mrs Danvers’ assessment of Flynn.
He was pale, unshaven, and had some impressive bruises on his legs, but he didn’t look a fraction as awful as when he was hooked up to the machines in the HDU.
The sight of him, sitting on the sofa in shorts, with one leg in a black brace, was enough to make her stomach do a double somersault.
A pair of crutches lay on the carpet by the sofa alongside a fleecy blanket.
‘Hello, how are you feeling?’ she asked, approaching the sofa but not daring to get too close, in case she was tempted to fling her arms around him and weep with relief.
‘I’ve been better. You’ll forgive me if I don’t get up.’ His half-grin, half-grimace made her want to dive on him and kiss him. ‘The docs said I can start to put weight on my knee in a few days, but it’s going to take six to eight weeks before it’s back to anything like normal.’
‘Phew. I’m glad it wasn’t much worse,’ she said, distracted by the muscular thighs. Was it wrong to focus on his body when he was an injured man? ‘Very glad. When Harvey called me, I thought – well, let’s not dwell on what I thought.’
‘I thought some pretty scary things too, when I was drugged, but I’ve survived.
’ He swallowed hard. ‘And I’m in one piece, though the hospital said I could only come out if I had someone with me here.
Mum and Dad raced up here to help. I hate relying on other people but I’d have done anything to get out of there. ’
‘I bet …’ Lara spotted the overnight bags by the coffee table. ‘Um. Can I help? Do your mum and dad need anything? Bed linen, towels? I can ask housekeeping.’
Flynn hesitated then said, ‘Thank you. That would be a big help if you could. Actually, they popped out to buy some spare clothes and toiletries and stuff. I had to beg them to leave me on my own, but I think they could see I needed a while to settle in. And I wanted to talk to you. To be honest, I wish they weren’t staying with me.
I’d manage on my own but they’re fussing over me like crazy.
’ He gestured to the chair with a wry smile.
‘Sit down, please. Put that stuff on the floor. I’m sorry I can’t tidy up myself. ’
Clearing a bag of medication off the chair, Lara smiled with pure relief that he was well enough to joke and to want to look after himself.
His condition was so much more encouraging than she’d dared to hope in those dark moments when she’d first heard about his crash.
He was strong and fit, and a fighter; that must have all helped him.
‘I’m sure your mum and dad only want to keep a close eye on you, but it is very small in here.
The sofa beds are usually only intended for kids to use.
You know, I could try and ask around if there’s some other accommodation available on the estate? ’
His eyes lit with up in relief. ‘Would you? Honestly, it will only be for a day or two. Mum and Dad were supposed to be going to Madeira for a New Year holiday, and I really don’t want them to miss it, even though they keep threatening to cancel.
I love them but I don’t want them hanging around nannying me.
I left home when I was nineteen and I can’t go back to sharing a house with them.
’ He grinned and Lara glimpsed the young Flynn.
‘I can understand that. I’m pretty sure I can help with the overcrowding issue. It’s a quiet time of year and I’m sure Fiona and Henry won’t mind. In fact, I bet they’ll be only too happy to help.’
He screwed up his face. ‘Mmm. I shouldn’t think they’re impressed with me turning up and then putting myself out of action after just over a month.
They’re coming to see me later, but I wanted to speak to you first …
I haven’t heard from you and I haven’t been able to contact you.
Mum and Dad only brought me a new phone this morning, then the doc did his rounds and told me I’d been let out for bad behaviour. ’
Lara rolled her eyes at his silly joke, determined to hide the agony of worry she’d been through and the disappointment at finding Imogen by his bedside. When was he going to tell her about that situation?
‘Lara,’ he said, suddenly serious. ‘Joking apart, I’ve been so desperate to see you.
I wanted you to be the first person from the castle I saw and to explain what had happened before I see the Penhaligons or anyone.
’ Close up, she was shocked by how anxious and drawn he looked.
He must feel as if his world had imploded.
‘So how are you?’ she asked gently. ‘Really?’
‘Honestly? I feel like I’ve been run over by a bus. Which isn’t far from the truth. How much have you heard about the accident?’
‘Only what Harvey told me. He told me you’d had to be airlifted to hospital, which sounds scary, but I don’t know any more details. Can you remember what happened?’
Flynn picked at a thread on the sofa cushion and sighed.
‘Unfortunately, some of it’s coming back to me.
I was riding home and I’d reached Ravenscar Woods and something big jumped out of the trees into the road – I think it was a deer, though it had gone when the cops got to me.
I braked and skidded on some black ice. The next thing I knew I was sliding over the road and ended up in a ditch.
They say the bike landed on top of me but I blacked out after that and I can’t remember much of the whole of the next day or so.
’ He shook his head. ‘I’m more pissed off that they had to cut off my leathers. They cost a bomb.’
‘You don’t mean that,’ Lara said.
‘No. Not really. They did their job and stopped the road rash.’
She shuddered. ‘I don’t even want to think about it!’
‘No – well, the next thing I remember I was being sucked into a dark tunnel, helpless to do anything about it.’
Lara’s stomach turned over. ‘Was it that touch and go?’ she asked, her voice cracking in horror.
‘No! Sorry.’ He leaned forward towards her then winced in pain.
‘Forgive the dark humour. I really did think I was being dragged into a tunnel, but it turns out it was the porters loading me into the MRI scanner. I was so drugged up on morphine I’d have believed the fairies had abducted me. In fact, I’d have let them.’
‘It’s not funny!’ Lara burst out.
‘No, I suppose not, but I’d go mad if I thought about what could have happened. If I’d hit a tree, not a muddy ditch. If a driver behind hadn’t found me and called 999, if the air ambulance hadn’t come along …’
‘I don’t want to think about any of those scenarios either.’