Framed in Cornwall - Janie Bolitho Page 0,11

was aware that his show of masculine superiority was only a disguise for his need for reassurance. Jack Pearce, she thought, was as vulnerable as the next man. But do I really want a vulnerable man? was a question she often asked herself.

A crack of thunder made her jump and the rain became a torrent of water which streamed down the side of the house, taking with it mud from the flower beds. The tide was high. By now the waves would be breaking over the Promenade. Rose did not know whether she preferred the vibrant colours and heat of the summer or the violent but spectacular storms of winter.

She showered and washed her hair and changed into a dress, spraying her wrists and neck with perfume which Jack had bought for her last Christmas but which she rarely remembered to use.

Jack could be unpunctual when his job prevented him from being otherwise but tonight he arrived on time, sprinting around the side of the house to the kitchen door, the entrance which all her friends used. She let him in, water dripping from him on to the floor.

‘See, I didn’t forget.’ He kissed the top of her head as he placed a bulging bag bearing the logo of an off-licence on the table. ‘Aren’t you cold?’ He nodded towards her short-sleeved dress.

‘Not really.’ But soon the dress would be put away for the winter. The evenings were noticeably pulling in and twice in a week she had had to close the bedroom window at night. Jack did look tired but it did not detract from his dark good looks. In jeans and shirt and raincoat, left unbuttoned, his powerful body was shown to advantage. Beside him Rose felt tiny and was never able to get over her surprise at the way in which he seemed to fill a room. But Jack was also trying to fill the life she was building without David. She wasn’t quite sure how she had allowed it to happen.

The following morning Rose told Jack she was going to visit Dorothy. ‘I’m worried about her. She was a bit pale last time I saw her.’

‘Can’t you get her GP to call in and see her?’

‘I doubt if she’s got one. Besides, she’d be furious. God, look at the time. Push off, Jack, I’ve got loads to do.’ He was not on duty until the afternoon but she didn’t want him under her feet any longer. She was already regretting letting him stay.

‘Is that all the thanks I get for my superb performance last night?’

‘Oh, Jack.’ He had meant it as a joke but she knew he tried to please her in every way. What was missing was on her side alone.

‘I do believe you’re blushing, Mrs Trevelyan. I didn’t think I’d live to see the day.’ He bent to kiss her but something in her eyes warned him not to. ‘It’s all right, I’m going. Unwillingly, but I’m going. I’ll give you a ring later.’

She nodded and watched him leave, his bulk blocking the light from the kitchen window as he passed it.

It was going to be one of those days. No sooner had she washed the dishes which had been left after the previous night’s meal than Laura’s figure replaced Jack’s, although hers was of different dimensions. She too was taller than Rose but thin, naturally so. As she bounced up the path her corkscrew curls bobbed around her shoulders, restricted as they were by a towelling band.

‘Don’t worry, I won’t keep you long,’ Laura said, laughing because she had seen Rose’s dismayed expression. ‘I know you’re busy but as I was passing I thought I’d let you know that film we said we’d see is now on in Truro. Fancy going some time?’

Rose did not point out that it would have been easier to telephone but she did understand that on Trevor’s first day back at sea Laura felt the need for company. Her three children were grown up and had left home. Two of them had made her a grandmother which, looking at Laura, seemed hard to believe.

‘Yes. But not tonight. You might as well put the kettle on now you’re here.’

‘You obviously had company last night‚’ Laura said as she nudged Rose out of the way and ran the tap. ‘Was it the ever faithful Barry Rowe or the delectable Jack Pearce?’

For the second time that morning Rose blushed. Laura had not failed to notice that there were two sets of