The kitchen smelled of warm bread and butter, and the change from the lawn to the bright tiled room made Dessa momentarily dizzy. She sat on a chair beside the pantry, keeping Maisie on her lap while a cook brought another towel. Water gathered beneath Dessa’s shoes. Maisie’s sandals made a small squeaking sound as Dessa loosened the straps.
Callum arrived through the opposite doorway with a hotel brochure still in his hand. He dropped it on the counter and crouched beside them, his eyes moving over the towel and Dessa’s soaked uniform. She had heard him laughing with prospective partners earlier, pleased that the afternoon was going well. Now he reached for the edge of the towel and stopped when Maisie burrowed farther into Dessa’s shoulder.
“She was on the grass,” Dessa said, working a sandal off the child’s heel. “Blythe was spraying her with the hose. She kept going when Maisie asked her to stop, and then she sprayed me when I tried to take her away. Celia has called for help.”
Callum looked toward the garden door, then stayed beside the chair. He asked a cook to bring clothes from Maisie’s room and turned back before Dessa had removed the second sandal. His hand rested on the chair near his daughter’s foot. Dessa could see him trying to catch Maisie’s attention without making her lift her head.
Gideon Pike entered while the cook was heading upstairs. His jacket was unbuttoned, but otherwise he looked as orderly as he had that morning, when he had checked the table settings and reminded everyone which doors the guests should use. He surveyed the kitchen, including the water beneath Dessa’s chair. Then he addressed Callum in the low voice he used for difficulties best kept from visitors.
“Let’s get everyone comfortable before this becomes more confused. Merritt is with Blythe, and your father is outside. I’ll move the guests along and have somebody take these clothes to the laundry. Dessa, we can discuss what happened once you’ve changed.”
Dessa had already drawn Maisie’s wet skirt away from her legs. She paused with the fabric between her fingers, remembering the same reassuring voice at the end of other conversations. There had always been something to do afterward: make lunch, collect a prescription, take Maisie out until the house was calmer. This time she looked up at Gideon instead of accepting the next task.
“Leave the clothes here. When someone comes, I want them to see what she was wearing. And I’m going to report what happened myself. Please bring my phone from the pocket of my apron in the pantry.”
Gideon glanced at Callum before moving. Callum reached into the pantry and brought the phone himself, placing it within Dessa’s reach. Outside, someone was closing the garden gate, and Dessa heard Celia insist it remain open for the responders. Callum asked Gideon to make sure they could come straight through.
Die Köchin kam mit einer weichen Hose und einem Pullover zurück. Hinter der Speisekammertür zog Dessa Maisie um, während Callum in Hörweite wartete und ihr eine trockene Decke gab. Sie legte das nasse Kleidchen zu den weggeworfenen Handtüchern und erstattete Bericht, während das Kind wieder an sie gekuschelt war. Bei der Angabe der Adresse musste sie den Straßennamen wiederholen, weil ihre Zähne zu klappern begannen.
Als sie fertig war, kniete Callum vor dem Stuhl nieder. Er hielt die Decke so weit auseinander, dass Dessa Maisie darin einwickeln konnte, und sprach mit dem Gesicht auf gleicher Höhe mit dem gesenkten Kopf seiner Tochter. Seine Knie standen im Wasser auf dem Boden. Er schien es nicht zu bemerken.
„Ich bin da, Liebes. Du kannst dich zu mir setzen oder dort bleiben, wo du bist. Wir wärmen dich auf, und ich bleibe bei dir, während die Helfer nachsehen.“
Maisie löste eine Hand von Dessas Bluse. Callum näherte seine Handfläche, doch das kleine Mädchen packte stattdessen Dessas Ärmel und drehte sich schließlich so weit, dass er ihr Gesicht sehen konnte. Ihre Wangen waren vom Weinen gerötet, und eine feuchte Haarsträhne lag an ihrem Mund. Dessa strich sie ihr beiseite.
„Kann Dessa bleiben?“
Callum legte Dessa die Decke auf den Schoß und nickte. Anstatt Maisie erneut hochzunehmen, zog er einen weiteren Stuhl heran und setzte sich mit der Hand neben ihrer auf das Handtuch. Dessa spürte, wie sich der Griff des Kindes lockerte, als Schritte vom Nebeneingang näher kamen. Drüben in der Küche beobachtete Gideon sie; als Callum aufblickte, trat er in den Flur.
