‘I probably ought to tell you that until very recently I was engaged to another man.’ Helen tightened her fingers on the steering-wheel, wondering why she was disclosing intimate details of her private life to a patient. ‘I shouldn’t be telling you this…’
‘Why not? It does me good to hear about other peoples’ lives,’ Hilda said calmly. ‘Stops me brooding on my own problems. So what happened?’
‘He ended it the day before the wedding. He phoned from the airport as he was about to board a plane.’ For the first time since it had happened, Helen was able to assess David’s behaviour objectively. ‘What a rat.’
‘A coward of the worse kind,’ Hilda agreed fervently, ‘but he did you a favour, dear. Whatever pain you might be feeling now, it’s nothing compared to waking up every day next to a man you don’t love. And there’s no way a sweet girl like you could have been in love with a man who could behave like that.’
‘I thought I was.’
‘Everyone can make a mistake.’ Hilda peered curiously out of the window. ‘I’ve never been down this road before. Where are we?’
‘If you turn right at the end of the road you end up at the edge of the lake. It’s very pretty. And the flat has lovely views of the lake from the sitting room and the main bedroom.’
Hilda looked at her. ‘What flat?’
‘The flat I’m taking you to see.’ Helen bit her lip nervously. ‘Please, don’t make a judgement until you’ve seen it. Oliver thinks you won’t want to leave the home you lived in with Barry all your life, but I think that home is full of memories for you. Some good, some too painful to live with on a daily basis. I wondered whether you might want to think about a fresh start. Make some new memories somewhere else. And this is a pretty good place to do it. Will you at least look at it?’
There was a long silence while Hilda stared out of the window and then she stirred herself. ‘Of course I’ll look at it.’
Breathing a huge sigh of relief, Helen switched off the engine.
The warden was waiting for them and Hilda gave a huge smile. ‘Well, it’s Cathy Janson. How are you, my dear?’
‘Brilliant.’ Cathy gave the older woman a hug
and jangled some keys. ‘I didn’t realise that it was you who was interested in the flat. It would be fantastic having you living here.’
Helen glanced from one to the other. ‘Obviously you know each other.’
‘I was the headmistress of the local primary school,’ Hilda told her with a wistful smile. ‘I taught Cathy. It was a long time ago. She always wore her hair in pigtails then.’
Cathy smiled. ‘Come and see the flat.’
She unlocked the door for them and Hilda went first, walking straight to the huge picture window that overlooked the lake. Several boats were moored at a tiny jetty and even though it was bitterly cold, people were strolling along the path that weaved its way along the side of the lake. Behind the lake the mountains rose, filling the background.
‘What an amazing view.’ Finally Hilda moved, glancing around her with obvious approval. ‘And what a lovely warm room. There are times when I think I’m going to freeze to death in my cottage at the moment. The wind seems to howl through every crack. Show me the rest.’
By the time they’d looked around and sat in the living room while Hilda stared at the view, an hour had passed.
Cathy stood up. ‘I’m going to have to leave you because I’m picking my Nicky up from school. Just post the keys back through my letter-box when you’ve finished.’ She put a hand on Hilda’s shoulder. ‘I was so sorry to hear about Barry.’
Hilda let out a breath. ‘Life sends us trials and we have to face them. For a while I didn’t think I could. But now I think this might be the answer. Change. Something new.’
Cathy and Helen exchanged looks and Cathy made for the door. ‘I’ll be hearing from you, then.’
The door closed behind her and Hilda stirred. ‘Thank you.’
‘For what?’
‘For daring to suggest what no one else would. The home that I’ve lived in all my life just doesn’t feel like home now that Barry isn’t in it with me. If I move here, I can walk the short distance to town, I can chat to Cathy and help pick her daughter up from school. And when it’s too cold to go out I can still watch life from this amazing window.’
Helen smiled, a huge feeling of relief washing over her. ‘So you want it?’
‘Definitely. How hard will it be to arrange everything?’
‘Well, you’ll need to sell your house.’
‘That will be easy enough. The couple next door have been dying to buy it for years. They want to knock the two cottages into one big house. I’ll talk to them when I get home. And I’ll call Cathy. My son can help me with the details.’