‘Joss? Where are you?’ It hadn’t been her voice, he was sure of that. It sounded more like children. ‘Joss?’
The silence was tangible. He could feel the small hairs on the back of his neck stirring. ‘Who’s there? Come out. I know you’re here somewhere!’
He stepped further into the cellar, firmly trying to push the thought of Joss’s little dead brother out of his mind. ‘Joss! Is that you?’
It was shadowy in here. The single bulb, suspended from the vaulted ceiling did little to illuminate the end of the wine racks and the bins on the far wall.
Slowly he moved towards them and his gaze was suddenly caught by a dark shadow on the floor in the corner. ‘Joss? Joss, oh my God!’
She was there, wedged between two of the bins and she was still wearing her dressing gown. It had pulled open and he could see her white breasts, her bare legs, her slipper half off, encrusted with dried blood.
‘Joss!’
She did not move.
‘Joss? Dear God, are you all right?’ He was beside her on his knees, feeling for a pulse. Her skin was ice cold and she appeared to be deeply unconscious; the pulse when he found it was faint and irregular, fluttering beneath his finger like some tiny thing which could die at any moment. ‘Joss! Hang on, my love.’ He didn’t dare move her. Pulling off his jacket he laid it over her, then he ran for the cellar steps.
He nearly collided with Simon in the great hall.
‘Sorry. I did ring the back doorbell, but no one heard so I came in.’
‘Simon. Down here. In the cellar. She’s unconscious. Oh God, I shouldn’t have left her! I was so stupid! I just wanted to get the boys away from her – ’
Simon frowned as he followed Luke down the stairs. ‘Did she fall down the stairs, do you think?’
‘I don’t know. If she did, she managed to crawl a long way before she collapsed. Look, she’s through here.’
Simon pushed past him. Like Luke he felt for her pulse, then gently he ran his fingers down her neck and arms, feeling her bones. ‘I don’t think anything’s broken. There is just this massive bruise on her forehead. It looks as though she caught it on the corner of the wine rack here, do you see?’ He continued his examination. ‘I don’t think she’s had a fall, Luke. It looks more as though she was trying to hide here – see how her hand is clasped round the side of this bin?’ He loosened her fingers with some difficulty. ‘Just to be on the safe side I won’t try and move her. I’ll call an ambulance.’ He glanced up. ‘Run up and get some blankets so we can keep her warm until it gets here.’ He reached into his pocket for his mobile phone. ‘Go on, man. Hurry.’
*
‘Luke?’ Joss opened her eyes slowly. ‘Luke, where am I?’
He was sitting by her bed in the small, darkened room off the main ward. The only light came from a lamp on the table in the corner.
‘You’re in hospital, love.’ He stood up and came to her. ‘How are you feeling?’
She frowned, screwing up her eyes. ‘I’ve got a headache.’
‘I’m not surprised. You’ve got an awful bump on the head. Do you remember how it happened?’
She lay for a minute, staring at the opposite wall, her concentration fixed on a small print which showed a bluebell wood in spring, then at last she shook her head. Her mind was a total blank.
‘I think you fell down the stairs.’ He took her hand and pressed it, drawing up a chair near her with his foot. ‘We found you unconscious. Oh, Joss, I’m so sorry. We shouldn’t have left you alone. I feel dreadful about it.’
‘The boys?’ She gave a deep sigh, her eyes still closed. ‘Are they OK?’
‘They’re fine. Lyn is with them at Janet’s.’
She smiled. ‘Good.’
‘Joss?’ He paused, looking down at her exhausted face. ‘Do you remember anything about what happened this evening?’
For a moment there was no response, then she gave a small groan.
‘Does that mean no?’ He squeezed her hand.
‘That means no.’ It was a whisper.
‘Do you want to go to sleep, Joss?’
There was no reply. When Simon looked in some twenty minutes later Luke was still sitting by the bed, holding her hand. He looked up.
‘She came to for a few minutes, then she fell asleep.’
‘Did you call the nurse?’
Luke shook his head. ‘There wasn’t time.’
‘Was she lucid?’
‘Sleepy. She didn’t seem to remember what had happened.’