Long, slender fingers surfaced from the tangled duvet... and skimmed sheets, chilly from the morning air.
"Danny?" her vowels cracked in puzzlement and fatigue. "Danny...." Another arm emerged, followed by a mat of hair.
Nothing in the bed, nothing on the floor.. blinking, she began focusing her eyes, where was his clothing, where did he go.....
"Miss Froy, Miss Froy!" She threw on a pair of jeans and sweater, and the ancient hardwood floors rattled as she ran down the hallway. "Miss Froy!"
Hyperventilating, she pounded on the heavy, wooden bedroom door.
"Dear, dear, is everything all right?" Swinging open the door, she blinked open her own eyes.
"Have you seen Da-Ro-Da-..." She drew a deep, deep breath.
"Have you seen my husband?"
"Oh, my dear...." She leaned on the door frame, sighing. "Dr. Bauer, how is your head?"
"My head! Where is my husband?" She froze. "Dr. Bauer?" Involuntarily, she touched her head.
"Dr. Thornhill did mention that you might have some spells..."
"Some spells... what spells... AND WHERE IS DANNY!" Her head WAS aching, where that bump was. She'd forgotten.
"When you hit your head two days ago, the doctor mentioned that you might have some spells, you know..." She shrugged her shoulders. "He said they would pass in plenty of time for your presentation tomorrow."
"My presentation?" she repeated weakly.
"Of course, your presentation in London tomorrow, remember, hearing in children..." she began walking Michelle back to her bedroom. "You brought your papers and slides for some peace and quiet this weekend. You mentioned how JR had been so hectic this term. A quiet country weekend."
"My dear, you did say, how Danny, your fiancee would have loved it here."
"But that a long, long time ago."
"I see."
....................................
"Oh, yes, love... You rang up on Thursday, and said you were going to spend the weekend up North, getting ready for your presentation. We all thought it was a splendid idea; you have been working terribly hard. Is it going well?"
She took one last look out the car window at the boarded up cottage, and sighed. She could have sworn she had stood outside that cottage arguing with Danny two days ago.
"Yes, yes, Colin, the presentation is in excellent shape. I'll see you in London tomorrow. Ta-ta."
She powered off her telephone, and sagged into the driver's seat, steadfastly refusing to look into the backseat, a backseat full of luggage with plenty of changes of clothing, a briefcase, slides, a purse full of cash, credit cards, train tickets... train tickets from Oxford to Haworth cancelled on Thursday, and train tickets for that evening from Haworth to London.
She fingered the ring on chain round her neck.
Firing the engine, she started for the train station.