The Accidental Guest by Tilly Tennant Read Free Book Online Page B

moments, the car slowly came to a halt. Hannah watched as Tom made his way to the driver’s door and knocked on the window. ‘What the hell…?’
    Hannah got clumsily to her feet and rushed over as fast as the snow and her shaking legs would allow. She was dimly aware that Gina and Jess had now come out, but she was too dazed and worried about the drama that was still unfolding to respond to their concern.
    ‘I’m so sorry…’ the man opened the door, grabbing onto the frame for support as he emerged from the car. He looked as shaken up as Hannah felt.
    ‘It’s alright, George!’ Hannah managed to call. ‘I’m fine.’
    The old man looked at her, his eyes full of shame. ‘I could have killed you!’
    ‘You didn’t and there’s no harm done.’
    ‘What on earth were you doing out?’ Tom cut in, his voice terse. ‘Especially as you have absolutely no idea how to drive in this weather!’
    ‘I’m sorry –’ George began.
    ‘It’s fine,’ Hannah interrupted, throwing a pleading look at Tom. ‘Please don’t make a big deal of it.’
    ‘It’s not fine; he almost killed you!’
    ‘But he didn’t.’ She turned to George. ‘Perhaps we’d better give you a hot drink before we do anything else; you look white as a sheet.’
    ‘I’m so sorry, Hannah,’ George began as she gently took his arm. ‘I had to go to Hilda’s grave. I always go, every Christmas, and I couldn’t leave her alone today even though the weather was bad. But then the snow kept coming and the light was failing –’
    ‘George,’ Hannah said, ‘please don’t apologise. Of course you must go to Hilda’s grave, today of all days. How many years has it been now?’
    ‘Ten,’ he said, wiping a coat sleeve under his nose.
    ‘Ten, wow… it must be hard for you.’
    ‘It is, but I manage. And I still have Trixie for company, dear little thing.’
    ‘Is she at home?’
    ‘I have to get back to her,’ George began, rubbing his hands over and over as he seemed to recall a new thing to worry about.
    ‘You can, but first I want to make sure you’re alright. You’re no good to Trixie if you don’t make it home in one piece.’
    ‘He can’t drive home, that’s for sure,’ Gina said as Hannah, George and Tom made their way back to where she was standing. She turned to Hannah and lowered her voice to a tense whisper. ‘What happened? I heard shouting and skidding and I run out to see you at the side of the road with Tom on top of you!’
    ‘A bit of trouble with George’s steering… nothing to worry about. I’ll tell you more later. First things first, we seem to have collected another stray.’
    ‘It’s like a regular cottage hospital today,’ Gina said wryly.
    George’s plaintive voice interrupted them. ‘How am I going to get home without the car?’
    ‘Don’t worry about the car.,’ Hannah said. ‘We’ll park it safely and you can leave it here tonight. When the snow ploughs have been through tomorrow it’ll be safe to drive it home. I doubt much traffic will be coming down here tonight.’
    ‘Apart from the ambulance,’ Jess put in.
    ‘Oh, yes, the ambulance,’ Gina nodded.
    George looked at them all in turn. ‘Ambulance?’
    It was then that Hannah noticed the bandage she had so painstakingly wrapped around Tom’s wound had fallen off. ‘Your head…’ She unconsciously reached for him, checking herself as she realised. He put a vague hand to his injury.
    ‘It doesn’t seem to be bleeding anymore,’ he said.
    ‘Is it for you then?’ George asked him brightly. ‘I can run you to the hospital if you like.’
    Hannah resisted the urge to laugh. Tom was in far more danger hitching a lift with George than waiting for the paramedics, with all the unknown risks that might involve.
    ‘Don’t worry, George, the ambulance is on the way,’ Gina said.
    ‘Come on,’ Hannah said, ‘we need to get Tom inside and find yet more dry clothes for him. And while we’re at it, George can come and have a