The Doll's House

49

He tried to focus, wrenching his mind back to the tasks in hand, but still he couldn’t settle. His unpleasant exchange with Summer had left him unsettled and disturbed – it was hard to concentrate on work today. Clients came and went as usual and he dealt with them in his usual professional manner, but he was on auto-pilot, getting the job done with the minimum of effort and interaction. He just couldn’t stop thinking about her. Why was she hostile to him? It didn’t make any sense. Why was she so… ungrateful? Didn’t she understand what he’d had to go through? The risks he’d taken?

News of the discovery of a body at Carsholt beach had knocked him for six. He’d watched the local news repeatedly since, bought every edition of the local paper, scouring the reports for details. Images of a large police forensics team on site had unnerved him, as had the confirmation that local hero DI Grace would be leading the investigation. Ever since he’d seen the news, he’d been on edge, half expecting a knock on the door. He knew that this was unlikely – he’d been so careful, so meticulous in his work – but it just served to underline the lengths he’d gone to – the sacrifices he’d made – to do right by her.

Why wouldn’t she give him the love he craved? The love he was owed? For the first time, anger flared in him. It could all be so perfect. It was so perfect. So why did she insist on denying him? She was an ungrateful little b-

As fast as his fury rose, he forced it back down again, striving to gain control of his raging emotions. She had behaved badly – very badly – but now was not a time to lose faith. He must be patient – there was no rush. She would come round. After all, time was on his side, not hers. One way or another, she would learn to love him again.