Chapter Forty-Five The Balfour Hospital
Chapter Forty-Five
The Balfour Hospital
In the wee small hours, Edwyn left Amelia at the hospital. She’d been kept in for observation and he headed back to his own house. When he arrived back home, Kate was sitting at the kitchen table and jumped up as he came in the door.
She gave him a hug and said, “You look done in. I’ll make us some tea. Is Amelia really going to be alright? I can’t believe Evie would do such a thing. I keep telling myself it was all just a mistake.”
Edwyn sat down and sighed, “Amelia told me all about it in the hospital. I had to drag it out of her, though. She doesn’t want Evie to get into trouble. It’s such a mess, Kate. I had to call Freya and tell her Amelia had an ‘accident’. What a way to end her night.”
He rubbed his hand wearily over his tired eyes. “Evie wasn’t answering her phone either and didn’t go home last night. I got Andrzej to swing by to check and there was nobody at her house.”
He gulped down his tea. “Thanks, love.” He looked at her.
“I know you were up all night waiting for me, but you should try and get some sleep.” He got up from the table and stretched.
“I’m going to have a shower and freshen up.
I promised Freya I would drive Amelia back from the hospital in the morning. I know she will be fretting.”
A few hours later, Edwyn drove out of the hospital with Amelia in the front seat wincing every time the car turned a corner.
Unsurprisingly, she had been given the all-clear by the medics and her ankle wasn’t even bruised, but she still had an air of martyred suffering about her, that had Edwyn completely fooled.
When they arrived, Freya enveloped Amelia in a massive hug and clucking over her, sat her in the best chair, covered her in a blanket and plied her with hot sweet tea and cake.
“You poor thing. What on earth happened? Edwyn didn’t really tell me anything other than you’d fallen and hurt yourself. I’ve been so worried.”
Amelia looked at her wanly. “It was my own silly fault. I went outside for a bit of fresh air …”
“You mean a ciggie?” said Freya, but she was smiling.
“Well yes, exactly. And I just fell over.”
“It’s those high heels of yours, my girl. They are an accident waiting to happen.”
“I know,” said Amelia. “And lo and behold the accident happened. I just toppled over and the next thing I knew, Kate and Edwyn were taking care of me.”
“Thank goodness they were there,” said Freya, smiling at Edwyn.
“I know,” said Amelia, she gave what she hoped was a brave smile and said “I’m all fine now. So don’t worry about me.”
Freya sighed, “Well, I’m going to look after you.”
Edwyn looked at Freya with concern, “And who will look after you? Have you actually had any sleep at all?”
“I’m perfectly fine, thank you,” said Freya. She added, “I’ve been up for hours. I didn’t want to waste the day and I’ve had plenty of sleep and you know I never get hangovers.”
Edwyn looked at her fondly. She really was a force of nature and appeared so much younger than her years, but the fact had to be faced that she was now eighty years old.
Edwyn thought to himself that this wasn’t the time to tell her to slow down.
It took a lot to get Freya cross but telling her to take care because of her age was the one thing that would guarantee the rough end of her tongue.
Anyway, they had bigger problems to deal with right now.
Edwyn asked Freya, “You haven’t heard from Evie, I suppose?”
Freya replied, “No, I haven’t. I had hoped she went home with you. I thought you all left at the same time but, of course, you and Kate were looking after Amelia when she fell.”
She looked confused, “So where was Evie then?”
Amelia said quickly, “We didn’t see her, but she didn’t look very happy at the party.”
Freya sighed. “You know, it’s all very odd. Evie has been behaving so strangely. I feel as though I hardly know her. I keep telling myself that she has been through such a lot, but I thought we had all managed to make her feel safe and secure.”
Perhaps it was because of the lack of sleep or worry over Amelia’s accident but Freya was on the verge of tears and Freya never ever cried.
She went on, “I thought Evie was so happy with her painting and with the gallery. I know it’s not been easy but she did seem as though she felt at home here again. ”
Freya looked stricken, “I must have missed something. I should have noticed she wasn’t herself, maybe I pushed her too hard into staying here on Orkney with me. I’ve been selfish.”
Edwyn raised his hand: “Freya, stop right there. You have got nothing to blame yourself for. You have been so good to Evie. Don’t forget she left this island for twenty years without telling us why.
I know she kept in touch with you when it suited her but the rest of us had no idea what had happened to her. ”
Freya said quietly, “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you where she was, but she made me solemnly promise. I was worried that you would try to find her, and she’d disappear again and I would lose her completely.”
“Oh Freya,” said Edwyn. “You don’t need to apologise to me. Evie put you in an impossible situation. You shouldn’t feel in the least bit guilty. You’ve lavished love and affection on that girl and she has thrown it back in your face.”
He went on determinedly, “Amelia, I think we need to tell Freya the truth about what happened last night. I know you are trying to protect Evie but I think she needs to know …”