Passionate Winter

Her mother breathed in the perfume of the flowers appreciatively. ‘You shouldn’t have bought me these, I’ve told you to save your money. But they are lovely.’ She kissed Leigh on the cheek, bending to get a vase out of the cupboard and began arranging the long-stemmed flowers in its length. ‘Your father is at work this morning, Dale is at Janet’s, and Christopher is out with some of his friends, probably deciding how they’re going to win the match this afternoon.’

‘Nice of them all to be here,’ Leigh said teasingly.

‘Well, the thing is, love, that we never know for certain if you’re going to get here—that car of yours is so unreliable. I don’t know why you don’t let your father help you buy a new one.’

‘You know why, Mum. I really had to save hard to buy the Mini, and it’s nice to know I bought it with all my own money. I nearly didn’t get home anyway. I was going away for the weekend with a friend, but it didn’t work out.’ Oh boy, how it hadn’t worked out!

‘Oh well, never mind, perhaps you can go another weekend.’

‘Maybe. Will Chris and Dad be back for lunch?’ She wanted to get off that subject as quickly as possible.

‘They should be.’ Mrs Stanton studied her daughter’s pale tired face. ‘You’re looking a bit peaky, love. Been having too many late nights, or are you working too hard?’

‘A little of both, I think. I’ll be all right with a nice peaceful weekend. I’m supposed to be going out this evening, but I don’t know if I feel like going.’ Leigh had no intention of worrying her mother with the events of the evening before. Perhaps at a later date when she didn’t still feel so raw. Anyway, it was over now, and there was no point in upsetting her mother unnecessarily.

Chris and her father came in at that moment and Leigh rushed over to give her father a hug, which was reciprocated in kind. Leigh, as the youngest child and also the only girl in the family, had been spoilt by her father, although it wasn’t an affection that excluded his sons.

‘Where’s mine?’ Chris teased her before being given the same treatment as his father. He held her away from him. ‘Are you getting skinny, or do my eyes deceive me?’

Leigh laughed at her brother’s candidness. ‘I’m supposed to be thinning in the right places instead of just being straight up and straight down like a beanpole. You’re supposed to notice how attractive I’m becoming, not making remarks about my loss of weight.’

‘Oops! Sorry.’

‘Chris is only teasing you, love,’ said her father, bending down to put on his carpet slippers. ‘It makes me feel old to see you all growing up so fast, although we had to expect that when you wanted to leave home, Leigh.’

‘I didn’t want to, Dad, you know that. But it’s too far for me to travel every day, and you know I would have had to move into town sooner or later. Are you coming to the match this afternoon?’ she asked him.

‘I suppose I’d better come along and see these youngsters get thrashed again,’ he replied, the twinkle in his eyes belying his words.

Her father was proved wrong later that day when Chris and his team beat their opponents four-nil. Leigh predictably cheered them on until she was hoarse, and Dale and Janet turned up to cheer them on too. Dale was the eldest out of the three children at twenty-one, Chris was nineteen and just a year older than Leigh. Dale and Janet were thinking of getting married next year and Leigh knew her parents were pleased at the idea. All the family liked Janet and she and Dale had been going out together since they left school.

‘Are you coming home for Christmas, Leigh?’ her mother asked.

They were all seated around the fire after tea and Leigh was loath to leave the warm, comforting atmosphere.

‘Try and stop me,’ she grinned. ‘You know I love Christmas at home. Karen is probably going home too, but if she isn’t can I bring her here?’

‘Of course you can. One more at Christmas makes no difference, we always have plenty of food and drink. And you know Karen is always welcome here. Especially by Christopher,’ her mother added teasingly, laughing at her son’s red face. ‘Sorry, love, I was only playing.’

‘You have to get used to being ribbed like this, I’m afraid, son,’ grinned his father. ‘Dale’s had to put with it in his time, from you mainly, I might add, so now it’s your turn.’

Leigh finally made a move, standing up in preparation for leaving. She glanced at her watch. If she left now she would just have time to drive home and change for the party. ‘I’ll have to go now, but I’ll be home again in the week or next weekend. I’ll telephone and let you know for sure.’

‘Now you know this is still your home, Leigh, and you’re welcome at any time,’ gently scolded her mother. ‘You don’t need to telephone first, there’s always someone at home.’

‘Okay, Mum.’ She hugged her mother tightly, knowing that she didn’t like her living away from home and missed her terribly. As the only two females in the family the two of them had always been very close. ‘And no loading me up with food and things this time.’

‘That’ll be the day your mother doesn’t do that!’ scoffed her father. ‘She thinks you starve yourself at that flat.’

His wife looked at him reproachfully. ‘I’ve only cooked an apple pie and a chocolate sponge, and you know they’re your favourites,’ she said to her daughter.

‘You spoil me, Mum. I’ll put pounds on if you carry on doing this. But you know I can’t resist your cooking.’

‘I have to make sure that you have some solid food inside you. I’m sure you don’t feed yourself properly.’

‘I do, Mum, it’s just that I don’t like cooking very much. Anyway, I’m not that thin.’

‘Well, take them anyway.’ Her mother packed the cake and pie into a tin and gave them to Leigh. ‘Now take care of yourself driving in the dark. You know how your dad and I worry about you.’

‘I’ll be careful,’ she promised.

It took Leigh longer than usual to start the car and she breathed a deep sigh of relief when at last the engine fired into life. She was afraid her mother was right, she would have to get a different car in the near future.

The car was being very temperamental on the way home and she wasn’t altogether surprised when five miles from her flat it came to a grinding halt. Swearing and cursing to herself, she jumped out of the car and began poking about under the bonnet, not that she knew anything about engines, but perhaps if she moved a few things about it might start again.

After five minutes she realised that she wasn’t going to be successful, and locking up the car decided to walk to the nearest garage and get professional help. Not that she thought anyone would want to steal her car, it simply wasn’t worth it. And the garage bill would probably cost more than the car was worth.

She trudged wearily along the darkened road, refusing the offers of a lift that she received. She didn’t have far to go now, and she wouldn’t have accepted any of them anyway.

Yet another car passed by and Leigh moved swiftly to the side of the road as the powerful car swished past her at great speed. Roadhog! she fumed silently, looking up with some surprise as the car came to a screeching halt some way down the road, and began reversing towards her. Leigh stepped back again on to the side of the road as the car drew up beside her.

The window moved down by the press of a button, the driver leaning over to speak to her. ‘Can I be of any assistance?’ asked a familiar deep masculine voice.

Oh no! Leigh just didn’t believe it! Her luck seemed to have run out on her this evening. ‘Do you make a habit of picking up young girls, Mr Sinclair?’ she asked icily.

Silence. She heard his sharp intake of breath before he answered. ‘Not as a rule, Miss Stanton.’ So he actually remembered her name! ‘But you seem to be in some sort of trouble, and I thought an offer of help wouldn’t come amiss. Needless to say, I didn’t realise it was you when I stopped.’

‘And now you do?’

‘My offer of help still stands.’ He flicked open the door from the inside, leaning over her to press the button to close the window after she had seated herself next to him. Instantly Leigh became aware of his warm male-smelling, body, and the nearness of his thigh to her own. He turned in his seat to look at her, switching on the interior light so that he could see her better. ‘Would it be too much to ask what you’re doing wandering about on a deserted road at seven o’clock in the evening? Don’t tell me it’s a repeat of last night? You surely didn’t change your mind again when it actually came to the point?’

There was no missing the scorn in his voice. ‘Is that Gavin’s explanation of yesterday?’ she asked angrily.

Piers Sinclair’s mouth tightened. ‘I haven’t seen Gavin since we left him last night. I stayed at my apartment in town after I left you. Satisfied?’

‘You don’t owe me any explanations, Mr Sinclair. And if you really want to know what I’m doing here I can quite easily explain that. My car has broken down a couple of miles down the road and I was looking for a garage.’

‘You drive?’

‘Well, I didn’t push it here, if that’s what you mean,’ Leigh said tartly. He probably thought her incapable of driving a car.

‘Okay, cut the witty comments.’ He backed the car up and turned it round in a gateway. ‘Is your car very far back?’

‘A mile or two, but I have no idea what’s actually wrong with it.’

‘Women rarely do.’

‘And that is a typical male patronising comment, Mr Sinclair. Just because you were a racing driver and know how a car works, that doesn’t mean everyone has to. I might be quite knowledgeable on some subjects you know very little about.’