A Lesser Evil - Lesley Pearse [182]
Clara looked round at Dan, and he could only shrug.
‘Dan can come too,’ Harry spoke up. ‘We certainly wouldn’t want to separate you.’
‘Of course Dan’s coming, aren’t you, Dan?’ Clara turned to him, looking for his support.
‘I’ll go along with whatever Fifi wants,’ he said. He was surprised that Clara didn’t realize that Fifi couldn’t possibly know everything had changed while she’d been missing. She really ought to explain!
‘Dan!’ Clara said reprovingly, and he grinned.
‘It’s up to you, Ma,’ he said. ‘Fifi’s a lot of things, but I don’t think she’s psychic.’
Like sun coming out from behind a cloud, Clara suddenly smiled as she realized what he meant.
She turned back to Fifi and caressed her cheek. ‘Would you like me to introduce our new son-in-law? He’s wonderful, everything we ever wanted for our daughter.’
The gaiety and joy in her voice made Dan’s eyes well up. He felt like hugging Clara for she couldn’t know what her words meant to him.
‘You’ve made friends?’ Fifi asked, her eyes lighting up.
‘We made friends long before he became a hero.’ Clara smiled. ‘I know I always think I’m right about everything, but in Dan’s case I was as wrong as wrong can be.’
‘Daddy?’ Fifi looked up at her father.
Harry gave a little chuckle. ‘Well, I have to admit I found him amusing from the start, but I’d have created mayhem if I’d admitted it. We couldn’t have got through this past week without him, Fifi, we are astounded by his courage, and we hope he’ll always be a big part of our lives from now on.’
Fifi’s eyes filled with emotional tears, and Dan was fighting his back.
‘Do you know what he did?’ Clara asked Fifi, her face full of wonderment. ‘Detective Inspector Roper rang us before we left the hotel. Dan went all alone to see the terrible gangster that was behind all this, bearded him in his den, so to speak. He fought him and tied him up and forced him to admit where you were. Then he took the man’s car and drove to find you. Isn’t that just about the most marvellous, brave, romantic thing you’ve ever heard of ?’
A couple of huge tears trickled down Fifi’s face as she looked at Dan.
‘Will you come home now?’ Clara asked.
Dan nodded his agreement to Fifi.
‘Okay, Mum, we’d love to.’ Fifi sniffed back her tears.
‘You don’t know how lovely it was to hear you say all that!’
Dan felt the warmth in the air for the remainder of the visit. Perhaps her parents realized, as he did, that Fifi wasn’t quite with it, because they didn’t attempt to question her or speak of how frantic they’d been. To listen to her mother talking about the boys and Patty, a stranger would have thought she and Harry had just had a little holiday in London.
Dan was happy just to sit at the end of the bed, listening and watching. All Fifi needed right now was stability and affection. Tomorrow was quite soon enough for her to reveal what she’d been through. Perhaps she’d never want to talk about it.
The police officer who’d brought them here suddenly put his head round the door to ask the Browns if they were ready to go back to the hotel.
Clara looked anxiously at her daughter, clearly thinking it was too soon.
‘You go,’ Fifi said. ‘And go back to Bristol tomorrow. I know you don’t like being away, and Peter, Robin and Patty need you too.’
Dan saw then that she’d grown up a lot in a week. There was concern for them in her voice, tenderness in her face.
‘We can’t do that!’ Clara looked scandalized.
‘Of course you can, I’m already on the mend,’ Fifi said airily. ‘There’s no point in you two hanging around. Dan will bring me down when they discharge me. And I can phone you.’
Clara agreed, but her eyes were brimming with tears as she left. Dan guessed she felt just as he did, afraid to let Fifi out of her sight.
Detective Inspector Roper came in to see Fifi after her parents had left. He didn’t ask any questions, just said how glad he was that she was safe, and wished her a speedy recovery. He went on to say he’d be back in the morning to talk to her. But he asked Dan to come outside with him