Читать книгу The Dream Weavers онлайн | страница 27

She was watching the cold blue flames run up the kindling and spread to the logs. This was when she should say no. Tell him that it was awkward because of Mark’s job and direct him to someone else. But she knew she couldn’t. She was far too intrigued already by her dream and the echoes it had left in her head.

‘Contacting your visitor wasn’t quite as easy as I thought it would be,’ she said cautiously.

‘Ah. I sense there’s a no coming. Couldn’t you do it?’

‘I didn’t say that.’

‘I’m too sceptical for you?’

‘No. You can’t be entirely sceptical or I wouldn’t be here.’

‘OK. Let’s compromise. Let’s say I’m a pragmatist. I’m prepared cautiously to suspend disbelief in the interests of scientific research. So, where are we so far?’

Sensing that he wanted to spar with her, she responded with a gentle reprimand: ‘Scientific and research are dirty words to people like me.’

‘Maybe.’ He inclined his head. ‘I withdraw them. I asked Christine for help, so it would be churlish to dismiss the help she provides.’ The fire was already beginning to throw out some heat and he eased his jacket off his shoulders. ‘Go on, tell me what you have found out.’

‘Normally I find this sort of challenge intriguing and generally it’s relatively simple to diagnose the situation. But here …’ She paused, suddenly serious again. ‘I haven’t managed to see the woman as anything other than a shadow, but I heard her clearly and I heard the strange echo to her voice, as you described it. Then,’ she stared into the flames, replaying it in her mind, ‘you came back and the moment was lost and I failed to make contact with her.’ She fell silent again. ‘There is something about this that unsettles me.’

‘Bloody hell!’ he gave a hollow laugh. ‘If it unsettles you, what do you think it does to me?’

She looked up at him sharply. ‘Are you afraid to stay here alone?’

‘No. Certainly not.’ He stood up abruptly. ‘No so-called ghost is going to chase me away. I don’t like being constantly interrupted, that’s all.’

‘But you’re a scientist, being pragmatic,’ she reminded him with a grin. ‘You shouldn’t be distracted by this. You should be thinking in terms of logical explanations.’