Page 49 of Fundamentals in Flirting

“Here, have this.”

Teddy draped his jacket around my shoulders and pulled the hood over my head so that it flopped across my face, drowning me and partially obscuring my view. I felt like a kid wearing my dad’s coat – the hem reached almost to my knees and my hands were hidden in enormously long sleeves as we splashed down the road, which was now lost beneath a river of rain water.

I knocked on Agnes’s door. “It’s Hannah and Teddy. We’ve come to check that you’re ok.”

The flickering of candlelight could be seen through the windows and Teddy’s face was pinched and drawn, creases lining his forehead in consternation.

Panicked, he called loudly, “Agnes?”

The door creaked open and she looked bemused to see us on her doorstep.

“Hello, again. What are you doing here?”

“Just checking on you, with the electricity out.”

“I’m ok.”

Teddy glanced at the ancient-looking candle holder in her hand. The flame danced in the breeze and wax dribbled down the side, drawing his gaze to the piles of newspaper by the door. “Are you sure? We’re worried about you on your own with no electricity.”

He looked at me, urging me to agree.

“Yes, we are.” I nodded, keeping time with Teddy’s enthusiastic head-bobbing.

“Ah, I’ll be fine. I’ve got the stove to make myself a cup of tea in the morning, and I have plenty of candles to see me through the night.”

Teddy’s expression was now thoroughly panic-stricken.

“The surgery has a back-up generator so there will be electricity in the flat,” I said, suddenly remembering this fact.

“It does?” both Teddy and Agnes said at once.

“Yes. So, um, we could all go there?”

“Yes!” Teddy exclaimed. “Come on, Agnes. Then you’ll be safe until we can contact the electricity company in the morning.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Please, I won’t sleep for worrying about you, and you wouldn’t want to be the cause of my lost beauty sleep and deep wrinkles, would you?” he said teasingly, making her smile.

“Oh, you are a worrywart, aren’t you? All right. Let me grab a few bits.”

Ten minutes later, we were all in the surgery flat, the back-up generator rumbling quietly away in the shed outside. Cups of tea in hand, Agnes yawned widely.

“You can have the bedroom, Agnes. Let me show you.” Pushing the door open, we found Lady Fraser sleeping on the bed, and she gave a little chirrup as we entered.

“Oh, Aphrodite! There you are!” Agnes rushed over to the cat, mashing her in a warm embrace. “What scrapes have you got yourself into this time?”

“She’s your cat?” I asked.

“Yes! I’ve been worried sick!”

“Teddy found her with an abscess. It’s pretty much all healed now.”

“You two are angels, you know that?”

Lady Fraser – Aphrodite, it seemed – was purring ferociously, head-bumping the old lady and dribbling slightly, delighted to be reacquainted with Agnes.

“It was no problem, at all.” Teddy was smiling softly. “She’s a very brilliant cat.”

---