Читать книгу In the Night Wood - Dale Bailey - Страница 21

Charles saw Colbeck out.

In the front yard, the doctor said, “What happened to your daughter, Mr. Hayden?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Your daughter. She must be, what, five, six at the most? One doesn’t usually leave a child that age behind when one plans an indefinite stay abroad.” He turned to look at Charles, his eyes knowing.

Charles stared back, something tightening in his chest. “I’m not sure it’s anything for you to concern yourself with, Doctor.” Just at the edge of rudeness, maybe a hair across.

If Colbeck noticed, he didn’t seem to care. He said, “You may have noticed that your wife had twenty-two vials of medication on that table, Mr. Hayden. I counted. You may also have noticed how remote Yarrow is. Unless you intend to drive to a surgery in Ripon every time you have a head cold, I’m likely to be your physician. It is in fact my business to know.”

Colbeck held Charles’s gaze. Charles looked away, surveying the green mass of the Eorl Wood. “She died,” he said.

“And your wife?”

“She hasn’t adjusted well. She blames me. There was an accident.”

“An accident?”

“And that really isn’t your business, Dr. Colbeck.”

Colbeck didn’t push it, though Charles, still staring at the wood, could sense his scrutiny. After a time, he said, “How long ago did this happen?”

“Almost a year ago. I could name the time to the day and hour if you must know. In your capacity as my physician.”

Colbeck didn’t take the bait. He sighed. After a time, he said, “I can offer you little in the way of comfort. I’m very sorry for your loss. I’m very, very sorry. Words are inadequate. But your stay here won’t heal matters between you and your wife. It may not heal at all, and if it does, it will leave a scar, quite a bad one. Sometimes marriages survive the loss of a child, more often not. In cases where one spouse blames the other …” Colbeck shrugged. “In the meantime, it might help to talk about it.”

“Erin was seeing a counselor at home.”

“And you?”

“No.”

“Perhaps you should consider it.”

“Perhaps.”

“I can give you the names of some good people. You’ll have to drive into Ripon for that, but I think the trip might be worth it.”

“That would be fine.”

“But you won’t go.”

“No.”

“Your wife —”

“I doubt it.”

“Well, I’ll ring you with the names all the same,” Colbeck said.

Charles turned to face him. “I should check on Erin now.”

Colbeck nodded. “Ice, twenty minutes on, twenty minutes off, Mr. Hayden. Try to get her up and moving tomorrow. It will be tender for a while.”

“Yes.”

“Good afternoon, then.”

“Thank you for coming out.”

“You’re quite welcome.” Colbeck paused. “At the risk of overstepping my bounds, Mr. Hayden, may I offer you two further pieces of advice before I go?”

“Why not?”

“In the matter of your wife, I counsel patience. These things take time. Fits and starts. Two steps forward, one step back is the rule. But even such halting progress gets you there in the end.”

“And the second bit of wisdom, doctor?”

“I should steer clear of the wood if I were you.”

“Why is that?”

“People get lost, Mr. Hayden.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Do. And ring me if you need anything.”

With that, Colbeck put his back to Charles. He strode with long steps across the yard to the stile. On the other side, he wheeled around a battered four-by-four — it might have been red once, but had long since faded to a dull, no-color brown — and disappeared into the trees. Charles stood there, knowing that he should do as Colbeck had said and go in to check on Erin. But the doctor’s closing words lingered in his mind: I should steer clear of the wood if I were you.

Charles turned his gaze back to the forest. He had an obscure sense that something was watching him from the line of trees, but when he scanned the wall, there was nothing there.