Stroke of Love

Chapter 11: Innocently Sharing a Room

When she came to, Karen was in a warm bed, in dry clothes and was looking into the face of Mrs Brown.

"You're awake now? Good."

"What happened?" Karen croaked.

Mrs Brown frowned. "Don't you remember? There I am reading at home when Jay comes and rings my doorbell, asking me if he could disturb my evening!" she said it as if she had hardly needed to take time off. "His trousers were wet from the knees down and he told me you'd fainted."

"I didn't faint," Karen protested weakly.

"Ah, so you do remember. I came back with him, he told me the house was flooding and you must have fallen." She chuckled. "And he kept complaining about 'that blasted dog'."

"Uffizi?"

"The poor thing was trembling and terrified. If it weren't for her I don't think Jay would have followed you up."

Karen recognized the room she was in as Jay's.

"Where is Jay?"

"Calling Veronica or the plumbers, most likely."

"And the floor?"

"Don't you worry, child." Mrs Brown put a restraining hand on Karen's shoulder. "I've done what can be done tonight."

"Already?"

Mrs Brown smiled. "Let's just hope you don't catch pneumonia."

Karen wrinkled her nose at the prospect.

"No need to make funny faces at me," Mrs Brown told her. "Have some tea and keep warm. That's all you have to do."

"You're a magician," Karen told her only then seeing the tray next to her beside the picture of a mousy looking girl with happy eyes.

Mrs Brown spoke first. "That's my niece's daughter Rachel."

"Oh. How old is she?"

"She's eight years old, next month."

Karen watched the older woman speak as she poured the tea and placed a cookie on the side of the saucer.

"Thank you."

She wondered why Rachel would be on Jay's night stand, but she didn't ask. Wasn't sure she wanted to know.

A snuffling sound to her left made her look down beside her. Uffizi was wrapped in a small blanket- she and Prado were fast asleep nestled beneath the duvet on Jay's bed.

"You do spoil my puppies, Mrs Brown."

"Nonsense. They're still babies those two."

A door closed somewhere on the landing.

Jay knocked before entering his bedroom.

"Ah, you're up."

"Yes." She saw he had changed into sweats and a blue t-shirt that matched his eyes. His hair was mussed and he looked irritated. Inexplicable guilt filled her. She was becoming a guest with so many issues surrounding her visit.

"How's your head?" he asked her.

"I'll be ok. It doesn't hurt much," she told him.

"You have a lump on the back of your head, you know."

"Uffizi jumped into my arms and I slipped," she said by way of explanation.

Finishing her tea, she turned too quickly to thank the housekeeper. Then she experienced an agony that brought tears to her eyes.