The Stranger Next Door (6 page)

Chapter Twelve

No-one answered the doorbell. She rang it several times, with the same result. He was out, was the obvious conclusion to draw. For whatever reason, he wasn't at home.

But she didn't believe that for one moment.

She abandoned the front door and made her way round to the back of the house, anxiety building. She no longer cared about trespassing and invading someone's privacy. That was the last thing on her mind.

To her surprise, the lawn and the flower beds at the back of the house were neat and tidy, and colourful, as well. She paused for a moment and studied the massed ranks of lupins and delphiniums, geraniums and sweet williams. She smiled. All that nocturnal gardening! It had done some good.

No-one was about now, though. And there were no tools laid around. No spade carelessly tossed aside. No rake or even a trowel. No washing hanging to dry. No sign, in fact, that anyone lived here at all. Her anxiety heightened. She cast anxious looks around and made her way to the door to the porch at the back of the house.

She knocked but nothing happened, and she heard nothing. She grimaced, hesitated and eventually reached out for the door handle. It turned. The door was unlocked. It opened. Cautiously, she eased it open and called a greeting. No response.

Even more cautiously, but committed now, she made her way into the house. The old-fashioned kitchen with its black range for a fireplace and the heavy metal cupboards from the 1940's was neat and tidy, just as the Rutherfords had left it. Nothing out of place, and nothing changed. She glanced around quickly and moved on, heading deeper into the house.

She found him in the living room at the back of the house. The curtains were closed and the room dark. She wouldn't have realised anyone was there if he hadn't groaned.

She spun round and gasped. In the dim light she made out a heap of something lying on the sofa. Her fingers found the light switch just inside the room. He groaned again when she switched it on.

'Daniel!' she gasped. 'What on earth's wrong?'

There was no need to apologise for her presence, or for anything else. She could see he was shivering, and he was still smoke-blackened from the night before.

She crossed the room and crouched down beside him. She laid the palm of her hand on his forehead. He was hot, burning. He began coughing. At least that stirred him. His eyes focussed on her.

'Are you hurt, Daniel?' she asked.

He just stared.

'I'll phone for an ambulance,' she said, making up her mind.

A hand reached out and grabbed her skirt as she stood up. 'No!' he whispered fiercely.

'You need help,' she said.

'No hospital!' he insisted.

'Your sister, then? I could call her.'

'No.'

He struggled to sit up. She helped him. He nodded his thanks.

He nodded his thanks.

She was at a loss as to what to do for the best. He was obviously quite poorly, but with what she didn't know. Breathing difficulties seemed a large part of it. Exhaustion, too, perhaps. Even the good side of his face seemed very drawn. Probably no injuries, though. Fractures, anyway.

But he was reviving, she realised with hope. He seemed a little better already, a little stronger.

She crossed the room to open the curtains. Then she returned to switch off the light. He gazed at the window, as if surprised to see so much daylight.

'I keep the curtains closed normally,' he said in a stronger voice, and more as an observation than a complaint.

'It's not a normal day, Daniel,' she said gently.

He nodded.

She sat down near him. 'Daniel, I came to thank you for what you did yesterday. You saved our lives – and the house. I'm sorry I just let myself in, but there was no answer and I was worried about you.'

'That's all right.' He shrugged. 'You've seen me anyway. You know what I look like.'

'A very tired man,' she said firmly, ignoring the underlying message. 'That's what you look like. And you're not very well either. We shouldn't have left you so long on your own.'

'Worried about me?'

'Yes. Worried about you.'

He shook his head as if he couldn't understand it.

'You're not too good, are you, Daniel? And last night's activities haven't helped. What can I do?'

'I'll be all right,' he wheezed. 'I'm just tired and …. The smoke,' he added, beginning to cough.

She went to the kitchen and brought him a glass of water. He took it and nodded his thanks. He drank deeply. It seemed to help.

'I'll be all right,' he repeated. 'Don't worry about me. It's the smoke. That's all.'

'Is it bad?'

He shrugged. 'Not as bad as last time,' he said, touching his face with that reflex gesture she was coming to know so well.

She realised then, knowing something of what had happened to him not so very long ago, what an extraordinary thing it had been for him to enter her kitchen.

'You were very brave,' she said quietly, 'and very resourceful. If you hadn't flooded the kitchen, the whole house would have gone up in smoke.'

'Probably.' He nodded. 'How is it now?'

'The kitchen's a ruin, but only the kitchen. The rest of the house is OK, thanks to you. I'll get it fixed. Meanwhile, we're staying in the village with friends. Pippa and Derek.'

'Friends,' he said, nodding again. 'You need them. I lost mine, you know.'

He looked at her so sadly that she almost reached out to hug him.

'I didn't know,' she said softly.

'Oh, yes. I lost them. All of them. There's only me left now.'

Again his fingers traced the pattern of sorrow on his face.

Chapter Thirteen

'Anna!'

She turned and smiled. 'Hello, Daniel! Good to see you up and about.'

He was at the fence. He must have heard her. Now he climbed over and came towards her. 'Any progress?'

'We're getting there. The builder from the village is going to start work tomorrow. I came to have a last look at the old kitchen. What's left of it.'

'Is it all coming down?'

She nodded. 'They said it would be best. Easier to clear the site and start again. I don't mind. It was just an added-on extension anyway.'

'So how are you?' she asked, turning to look at him with some anxiety. 'Any better?'

'I'm fine. No worse, anyway,' he said with a grin that seemed to crack his face open. Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?'

The question was a surprise, a shock even. She wasn't sure if it really was an invitation.

'I can't …. They're not going to turn the water on till tomorrow.'

'In my house,' he said firmly. 'I've done enough damage in yours. I don't want to see yours again till it's all fixed up.'

She laughed and nodded. 'Thank you. I'd love a cup of coffee.'

'Instant?'

'Is there any other kind?'

'Not in my kitchen, there isn't. Come on!'

It was as if a door had been opened, a curtain drawn back. Suddenly she could talk to her next-door neighbour normally, the way good neighbours do. Their difficult past was behind them.

'The children still at your friends'?' Daniel asked.

'They are, yes. We're still staying with Derek and Pippa. Tomorrow, though, once the water's turned back on we're coming home, I hope. We can do without a kitchen for a week or two, but we all want to come home.'

'Good.'

'Good?'

'Yes. I prefer it when there are people next door.'

She wondered if he meant them specifically, or people in general. Regardless, she was glad to hear it.

'And you're really all right now?'

He nodded. 'Pretty well.'

He turned away from the kettle, shrugged and added, 'Smoke isn't good for you. I've been reminded.'

'Did you need reminding?'

'No, not really. Not at all, in fact. I've been living with the knowledge for some time.'

He fingered his face. 'There's always this to remind me,' he said bitterly, 'if ever I'm in danger of forgetting.'

He swung back round and spooned coffee into two mugs. She watched in silence. It was an awkward moment. She didn't know what to say, but she also knew she couldn't leave it there. They needed to get past this very awkward obstacle.

'You've been in a fire before?' she said in a level tone, as he placed the mugs on the table. 'That's what you're telling me?'

'Yes, I suppose it is. I don't need to, though, do I? It's there for all to see.'

'It's not that bad,' she said softly. 'You really don't need to worry about it so much.'

He gave a derisive snort and shook his head. 'Not much!' he said.

'What happened?' she asked. 'Do you want to talk about it? Can you tell me?'

He studied his hands. She wondered if she had gone too far, pressed too hard.

'A roadside bomb,' he said. 'The vehicle exploded and went up in flames. I was the lucky one. So they said. I got out alive.'

'This was in the Army?'

He nodded.

'Overseas?'

He nodded again and added, 'I can't tell you any more.'

'I don't need to know any more,' she assured him. 'It's in the past, anyway. It's the future that counts. You're finished with the Army now, aren't you?'

'Yeah. At least, they're finished with me. I'm no further use to them.' He shrugged. 'I was close to the end of my service anyway.'

He was carrying quite a load, she thought. Well, maybe he'd come to the right place to live if what he wanted was peace and quiet.

'People here will find out about you, you know.'

He looked startled.

'There's no need to hide yourself away. No point either. At the moment, you're a bit of a mystery. But once folk see you going about, they'll know who you are and soon get used to you.'

'Frightening the kids,' he said bitterly.

'Rubbish! Your face is a bit scarred, it's true, but who's going to worry about that once they get to know you? Come down to the village with me one of these days, Daniel. You'll see I'm right.'

He shrugged non-committally.

'I'll show you around,' she added. 'Take you to the village shop. Teach you how to buy a newspaper, and where to go for a stamp.'

He chuckled.

'OK? When you feel up to it?'

'I'll think about it.'

He walked with her to the front gate.

'There you are!' she heard a voice cry.

She turned. 'Lisa! And have you got Tom, as well?'

'We came to find you.'

'Well, you did. This is Mr. Ferguson ….'

'Daniel,' he said quietly.

'Hello, Daniel!' Lisa said brightly. 'Thank you for saving us all from the fire.'

'I must have frightened you, bursting in like that. I'm sorry.'

Lisa shook her head. 'It was exciting,' she said, 'and now we're getting a new kitchen.'

'Look on the bright side, eh?'

Laughter all round.

Tom, perhaps feeling a little out of it, said, 'Can we play in The Secret Wood again, Daniel?'

'The Secret Wood?' He looked at Anna.

'At the bottom of your garden,' she told him. 'The children used to play there.'

'Oh, yes. Of course you can now I've finished clearing up. I just wanted to make sure it was safe. It is now.'

'See?' Anna said quietly to him. 'That's three of us locals you've met now. Do you think you might grow to like us?'

He smiled. And it was good to see.

Chapter Fourteen

She was pleased and relieved that the children seemed to have no problem with Daniel, or with how he looked. She was also pleased by how he responded to them, and they to him. Surprised, as well. The children's ready acceptance of him as a new friend seemed to have given him the confidence to relax in their company. He could be quite funny at times. They liked that.

Besides, as she told him herself, he was a hero. That made a difference. He looked blankly at her.

'Lisa made sure all her friends knew who had rescued us from the fire. Those that Derek and Pippa hadn't told already. Within a day or two, everyone in the village must have known.'

'How embarrassing,' Daniel murmured. 'I did nothing. And the kitchen burned down anyway.'

'Only the kitchen, though. Besides, I know how much it must have taken for you to enter a house on fire. You're a hero to me, as well, Daniel Ferguson!'

'Just drop it,' he said curtly.

She did. But she knew he wasn't as offended as he made out.

Repair work on the house began very soon. Gerry Armstrong had taken one look and announced that there was no question : the ruined, smoke-blackened kitchen extension had to come down. The sooner, the better. What was still standing would only get in the way.

'Anyway,' he added with a cheerful grin, 'we can build you a better kitchen than the one you had.'

The surveyor from the insurance company agreed to the proposal readily enough. So work could begin.

Anna waited until the rubble was cleared away. Then she and the children moved back into the house. They were pleased to be back in their own home. Tom stayed in his room for hours, happy to be re-united with his cars and trucks, and the rest of his worldly possessions. Lisa was happy, too, but she wrinkled her nose at the smell. Anna assured her it would soon go now the windows were all open.

'Besides,' she added, 'we'll do some painting. That will help. What colour would you like your room to be?'

'Pink!' Lisa said with enthusiasm.

Anna grimaced. She hated pink. It was so … girly!

'Well, that's what she is,' Pippa said on the phone. 'A girl.'

'You don't need to tell me that,' Anna complained. 'But wouldn't you think she'd want something more … vibrant?'

'Feminism hasn't hit the young ones yet, Anna. It's just the teens that want to be grown-up and post-modern.'

Anna sighed. 'I suppose you're right. But pink! Really. It's so conventional.'

'Well, you never know. Tom might surprise you.'

'He won't. He'll want blue. I'm going to shock them both. I'm going to go for deep burgundy, or something equally lively, for my room.'

Pippa laughed and changed the subject. 'Have you got everything you need up there, Anna?'

'Just about. If not, I'll pop down to the village this afternoon. I'll call in to see you, if we do.'

'Please do. The house seems empty without you three.'

'I'll bet!'

But she knew the message was well meant. Pippa and Derek, and their boys, had all been wonderful the past week.

She soon found she was short of the very fundamentals of life on the hill now she had no fridge. That would have to be remedied soon, she told herself. She would buy a new fridge and stand it in the hall until the kitchen was rebuilt. Meanwhile, she needed to make a trip into the village. No matter how much food she bought, they never seemed to have enough and there was always something she'd forgotten.

It was an opportunity as well as a chore, an opportunity to acquaint Daniel with the world outside his four walls. And she would do it, she decided, without giving him the chance to think about it and say no. She would just knock on his door and confront him.

With a giggling Lisa and a curious Tom in tow, that's what she did.

'We're all going down to the village, Daniel, to do a bit of shopping. Will you come with us?'

'Oh, hello! You're back in residence, are you?'

'As of an hour ago. Yes. Will you come?'

'I don't really ….'

'Now!' she insisted.

'Now!' Lisa and Tom chorused.

Daniel looked as startled as any rabbit caught in headlights. They were being unfair, Anna knew, but they stood their ground.

'By car?' he queried.

'By walking,' Anna said firmly. 'The time has come.'

'All right,' he said reluctantly, and with a sigh. 'I'll just get my jacket. I suppose a walk might do me good.'

They walked down the hill as a group. The children were excited to be back on their own familiar ground, and excited, too, to have Daniel with them. Anna was on edge but trying hard not to be. She knew how difficult this must be for Daniel, and she wanted to distract him. Stop him worrying and feeling apprehensive.

Besides, she was convinced the problem really was mostly in his own head. His face was horribly scarred, it was true, at least on one side, and people would certainly notice. But only at first, just as they would notice any strange face. Once they had seen him a few times, they would simply accept that that was how it was, what he looked like. Already it had happened to her, and seemingly to the children. Already they were far more concerned with the person behind the face, which was exactly how it should be.

'Where is this village?' Daniel enquired. 'I'm beginning to wonder if it exists.'

'Down there!' Lisa shouted, pointing down the road.

'Down there!' Tom echoed.

Daniel peered doubtfully into the distance. 'I don't know,' he said, shaking his head. 'Do you think we've come the right way?'

'Yes!' Tom screeched.

'I know it's the right way,' Lisa announced firmly. 'I come down here every day to go to school. At least, I used to,' she qualified, 'before the fire.'

'I don't know,' Daniel mused. 'Maybe you've been away too long. Maybe you've forgotten?'

'Of course I haven't forgotten!'

'Well, I shall have to trust you, Lisa. OK. You're the navigator.'

'It's down there!' Tom yelled again, impatient to be included in any conversation going.

Lisa just smiled now, satisfied. She knew Daniel was teasing.

Anna smiled, too. They were all doing so well, the three of them.

She sensed Daniel tighten up as they passed the first house. It was close to the road, not like the scattered houses they had passed on the hillside. An elderly man was working in the small front garden.

'Hello, George!' Anna called.

The gardener looked up and waved. 'How are you? Sorry to hear about your fire, pet.'

'It could have been worse.'

'Aye, well. You can generally say that about things.'

'This is my next-door neighbour, by the way. Daniel Ferguson, from "Moorside".'

'Oh? Daniel Ferguson, is it?'

'It is.'

The old man peered closely at Daniel. Anna held her breath until he smiled.

'George Meredith. I've heard about you, lad. Good things. You're the one that saved all their lives, I hear. I'm very pleased to meet you.'

The two of them shook hands. Daniel, embarrassed as he was, even managed to say a couple of words in return.

'There now,' Anna whispered as they walked on. 'That wasn't so bad, was it?'

'I don't know what you mean.'

'No, of course you don't.'

But he smiled. And then he grinned. Anna laughed.

'You can get nearly everything here,' Anna said as she pushed open the door to the village shop.

'Especially ice-cream,' Lisa announced. 'Not sweets, though, no,' she added hastily, catching her mother's eye. 'They're bad for you.'

'Not in moderation,' Anna said primly. 'Only in excess.'

'Sweets?' Tom queried. 'I like ….'

'No, Tom!'

'Hello, Anna!' Rhoda Cummings, the shopkeeper, called. 'Pippa tells me you've moved back up the hill?'

'We have, yes. A long time ago. About two hours, it is now.'

Rhoda laughed.

'There are no secrets in this village,' Anna said for Daniel's benefit.

'Good heavens, no!' Rhoda looked quite indignant.

'Rhoda, this is Daniel Ferguson, our next-door neighbour. You probably won't have seen him before.'

'No. heard about him, though. Hello, Daniel. You're very welcome here.'

It's going to be all right, Anna thought with relief. Daniel hasn't turned and run. It's going to be all right.

'I can't thank you enough,' he said on the way home.

'For what? There's no need.'

'I would never have got down here myself, on my own. But I'm glad we came. People in the village seem very friendly.'

'Oh, they are.' She smiled and added, 'I hope you'll like it enough to want to stay.'

He looked surprised for a moment. Then he smiled and nodded. 'So do I,' he said.