96
The cottage was a welcome relief. Her eyes had taken in the road on the drive down suspiciously, aware of the paranoia inside her from the recent events. No matter how many times he had told her it was just caution, it didn’t help. He had wound her up into a twisted tight ball, afraid of her own shadow, despite Rose trying to tell him how ridiculous he was being, and it annoyed her. She needed to get a grip. She just knew she couldn’t stand another second walking around those rooms like that, she needed to just carry on. They had plans and a life to get on with and she needed to stop letting her imagination run wild.
What could Morag possibly do? She wasn’t that out of whack with reality that she would be so stupid as to come after Rose.
She sunk into the couch, stretching out with relief; the calm and peaceful quiet surrounding her, badly needed like a moment of pause inside a crazy whirlwind lately.
Muffin was running wildly back and for like he was possessed, sniffing out all the familiar scents and rolling and rubbing himself on all the furnishings. He had missed this place too and was more than happy to be back here, away from restrictions and strangers once more.
Rose wasn’t ready to work, she needed some breathing space to unwind, some chill out time to soothe her frazzled nerves and sore head and just to enjoy the solitude after the last few days. Knowing Rob would be hours and she had as much time as she needed, his meetings were back to back as he was finally getting the French contract back on track. She had no reason to hurry and no intention to do so either, her day was pretty much her own. She opted first for a bubble bath in her old familiar tub; the call of its white shiny ceramic as alluring as a siren right now.
God, I missed this place.
She threw Muffin a juicy bone from the fridge, her parents had left behind, some left over take away food and snacks were a welcome treat with a note listing the use by dates for Rose. They assumed she still spent a lot of time down here, unaware that she had pretty much moved into the manor on a permanent basis.
As she left the bath running, she moved to her old room, the fresh scent of already washed bedding filling her senses as she entered... Typical of her mother. The place was spick and span, sparkling clean. She had guessed her mother had nursed her hangover the way she knew best, with a mop in hand. Her dad most likely on the couch for the duration, acting like he had a serious bout of man flu. She smiled affectionately at the image the smell had conjured up in her mind.
Tipping out a can of food for Muffin, so he would leave her in peace, she headed through, stripping off quickly and slid into the hot water. Easing away her tensions and listening to the familiar sounds of the house, the creaks and groans, the birds outside and the distant sounds of machinery digging up the manor tree lines.
He really was taking this a little too far. Turning their home into a scene from the bodyguard. She couldn’t blame him though. Maybe he was right, maybe it was time they thought about making it more secure. The house was obviously full of valuable things and the family were known to be wealthy. It had been unprotected for too long and they had been lucky to date. Counting on the fact they knew the small community and locals and trusted that no one would dare break in or steal from the manor.
Times were changing and maybe having it updated inside and out in readiness for any future children wasn’t a bad thing. She would feel better knowing her children would be safely tucked inside high fences and state of the art security in future years to come. Rose relaxed a little in the hot soapy bubbles, the quietness giving her mind time to rationalise and put all of this into perspective. She had missed this, missed her own space to take a bath or just vegetate while surrounded by girly things.
* * *
Trailing from a lazy relaxing bath, wrapped in a fluffy dressing robe, Rose submerged herself in her illustrations without bothering to stop and dress or even brush her hair. Her own cosy room with art on the walls and her supplies lined up neatly, easy to reach and see.
Rob was right about one thing; the new rooms and space he was creating for them would be well loved, like having the cottage inside the manor. A place to pad around half dressed, a paintbrush in her hair, bare feet and chilled. Music playing softly in the background as she worked. Surrounded by their own little world, freshly created just for the two of them. She was looking forward to its completion more every day and the excitement growing.
They had poured through charts in bed the night before, choosing colours and wallpapers and some of the fitted furnishings in readiness and she had to admit, it was something she was really looking forward too. The interior designer had already begun mood boards and layout plans, the work moving along swiftly, seeing as there was not too much that was structural. Rob had impeccable taste, but he was giving her a free rein to make it any way she wanted, knowing it mattered more to her to have the homely part of the house than it did to him. Their little love nest, her own breathing space, a place she felt like she belonged rather than just hanging out at his house.
She could hear Muffin scraping at the back door, whining to get out. His can of food from earlier obviously wanting to make an exit and soon. It had grown darker and Rob would be along soon, so she didn’t have time to walk him. Well, she had promised she wouldn’t. Opening the back door into his little enclosed garden she left it swinging in the cool air and headed back in to pull some clothes from her half empty wardrobe. Thinking she should move more of her clothes and start going through the shoes under her bed once the house calmed down a little.
Rob had been at her to officially move in with him, meaning to finally take every last piece of her up to the house once and for all and she had been dragging it out. She was sure that she wanted too, but unable to let go of this place so easily. Somehow having the excuses to come get things as she needed them, leaving her an opening to come back and forth had made it more bearable. Not that she needed excuses, she knew he wouldn’t have issue with her coming here anytime she wanted, to chill out or work. She just wasn’t ready to let it go, she had not really felt like it was time to say goodbye to the cottage just yet.
It was although she sensed him approaching, and as headlights pulled into the car park, shining through her small windows, she pulled on her jeans quickly. She was done for the day anyway. The last hour of painting was spent absently fussing and going over minute details that didn’t really need touch ups. A sign she needed a break and a fresh start tomorrow. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to go home with him for dinner and some much-needed Rob time, alone in whatever bed they were using tonight.
He knocked the door before walking in, meeting her in the hall as she slid on her shoes; she reached up to receive his kiss as he asked if she was ready.
‘I just need to go call Muffin in, he’s out back doing his business.’ She wandered through the lounge, pushing a bag towards him that contained more of her clothes and he lifted it dutifully with a smile.
Going to the back door and calling her little dogs name, she waited patiently, the darkness moving in fast and began to get irritated with his lack of response or appearance.
‘Muffin? Here boy!’ she made kissing noises and clapped her hands; her usual call to return to her. There was silence and she strained her eyes to look into the dim garden, cursing that he may have found an escape route and had made use of it. He was occasionally a disobedient boy when he found something to be getting into.
Rob called her from the front door, asking if she was coming and she called back to wait a minute. He was standing waiting, having already put the bag in the car, his engine still running and wondering what the holdup was.
‘Muffin!!!’ Rose was losing her temper and moving out into the garden impatiently, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the near darkness. She caught a glimpse of his light furry butt beside the kennel and shook her head in annoyance at him.
‘I swear if you’re trying to dig your way-out Mr, I’ll have serious words with you.’ Getting closer she realised something was wrong, the way he was lying on his side motionless and had not peeked back at her at all, even though he had been caught red handed
‘Muffin baby?’ She said more gently, a knot of fear rising in her stomach as she shuffled closer to him, sending panic rising to her throat; a sense of fear riding up instinctively.
Saying his name softly again, her voice shaking, she moved forward cautiously. He was laid out panting heavily, his small tongue flopped out onto the damp grass salivating profusely, his eyes wide and glazed over. Unresponsive to her, even in the semi-dark, she could tell something was seriously not right, sheer panic overtaking her.
‘ROB! ROB!’ Rose began yelling hysterically, crouching down, afraid to touch her little fluffy bundle but visually searching for signs of injury. Frantically roaming his lifeless little body with her eyes and then fingertips for signs of cuts or blood, her hands shaking wildly and her heart bursting through her chest. Tears were streaming down her face as she tried to get him to sit up, begging him to be okay and talking to him through a flurry of sobs. Rose was pleading for him to raise his tiny head, her nose almost touching the tiny dark brown nose as he just lay motionless with glazed fixed eyes on nothing and no change to his rapid breathing.
Rob’s footsteps moved fast across the grass towards her as Muffin’s tiny body started to convulse, a deep gurgling from his throat, sending her into instant panic and hysteria. Unable to react, frozen in fear but clutching at Rob’s arm as he slid down beside them, grabbing the tiny fur ball in his hands and tipping him up so his nose and face pointed towards the ground.
A surge of yellow vomit poured out, mixed with undigested food and grass, the gurgling and twitching subsiding after a few moments. Rose began crying loudly, her hands over her face repeating ‘Oh my god, Oh my god’ as her heart wrenched into a million pieces and she completely fell to bits. Rob jumped to his feet, looking around for signs of what he’d eaten as the small animal convulsed again with more vomit pouring from his mouth, through half open teeth.
Rob turned quickly, motioning Rose to follow and pulling his jacket off so he could wrap the dog gently inside and keep him warm. Leading the way back through the cottage, trying to get Rose to come with him and calm down, all she could do was grip onto the hem of his shirt, like a lost child, unable to function on any level, blinded by tears and murmuring incoherently through sobs about her ‘baby.’
