Evans to Betsy

“Ah, so that’s how he did it,” Glynis said. “His mother was still swearing that he couldn’t have killed Randy because he was in Porthmadog all afternoon.”

“Some family,” Evan commented.

“Yes, so much for the aristocracy,” Watkins agreed. “Too much inbreeding, I suppose.”

Evan sighed. “In a way I can’t help feeling sorry for that boy. Abandoned by his mother when he was little more than a baby.”

“Don’t start on that,” Watkins said. “The psychiatrists will have a field day trying to prove that he was a product of his unhappy childhood. I didn’t have the best childhood but I don’t go around killing people.”

Evan smiled.

“She’s a plucky kid, young Betsy, isn’t she?” Watkins went on. “Kept her head out there in the boat.”

“Yes, she’s something else,” Evan said.

“She told me she only kept going to work at the Sacred Grove because she wanted to help you,” Glynis commented, watching Evan start to blush.

“Well, she does sort of—” he was about to say, “fancy me,” when Watkins finished the sentence.

“She said you were being so clueless that somebody had to get to the bottom of things.” He looked at Glynis and they started laughing. He pulled up a chair and sat beside Evan. “But I think I’ll keep that remark to myself when I put in my recommendation to Colwyn Bay.”

“What recommendation?” Evan asked.

“For you to fill the vacancy in the department. Now that I’m being promoted, I’m hopeful we can take on an extra trainee.”

“I hope you get it,” Glynis said. “I really like working with you.”

“That’s great.” Evan nodded as he got to his feet, digesting this information. “Thanks, Sarge—oh, and I can’t call you Sarge anymore now, can I? What do I call you instead?”

“God will do,” Watkins said. “Or sir. Your honor. Your worshipfulness …” He laughed as Evan gave a mock bow.

“I’ve got to go,” he said.

“Yes, you were told to stay home and rest, not shred your hands to pieces out in the ocean. Now go home and stay there, or I’ll tear up my recommendation.”

“I’ve got to see Bronwen first. I haven’t been able to see her since they took her into hospital. I don’t even know how she’s doing. She’ll think I don’t care.”

“Go on then. Off you go,” Watkins said.

“Good luck, Evan,” Glynis called after him. “And if she thinks you’ve been ignoring her, I’ll come and tell her that you’ve been heroic again.”

“No, don’t do that!” Evan could just picture Bronwen’s reaction to the gorgeous Glynis. If he got the transfer to CID, Bron would have to get used to his working with Glynis, but she’d have to get her strength back first.

The ward sister was nowhere to be seen when Evan arrived at the hospital. He went down the ward, looking for Bronwen, then stopped when he came to an empty, made-up bed. It had Bronwen’s chart at the end of it. His heart did a complete flip-flop.

“What happened to this patient?” he yelled at a nurse who passed the ward.

“Miss Price? She’s getting ready to go home,” the nurse called back, “and don’t yell. You’ll have Sister in here.”

He turned around and there was Bronwen, still looking very frail and white, coming into the ward in her street clothes.

“Bron, you’re okay!” He ran to embrace her.

“More than I can say for you,” she said, turning her cheek as he went to kiss her. “What happened to you?”

“I got my hands burned yesterday and I fell into the ocean today. Apart from that I’m fine.”

“I leave you alone for two days and you nearly destroy yourself,” she said. She looked up at him tenderly and she was smiling.

“Bron, I’m so sorry about what happened. I’ve been going out of my mind with worry. I tried to see you but they wouldn’t let me.”

“I know. The nurses told me. And it’s I who should be sorry. I suppose it was because I was so weak and dehydrated that I flew off the handle like that. I should have known better. As if you would have jumped straight into bed with Betsy the moment I wasn’t around.”

“I did spend the night with Betsy,” he said, watching the reaction on her face. “She came to me in a terrible state. I couldn’t send her home again in the middle of that storm, could I? But you don’t have to worry. Nothing happened.” Almost nothing, he corrected himself mentally. He had kissed Betsy, after all, and he had been tempted. Still, he was only human … .

“I’m really sorry, Evan,” Bronwen said again.

Evan slipped his arms tightly around her. “We have to trust each other if we’re going to have any kind of life together.”

“Who said anything about life together?” Bronwen asked, looking up at him with serious blue eyes.

“It’s about time we started thinking about it,” Evan said.