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Chapters (45)
  1. The Man With No Face
  2. Also by
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. Contents
  8. INTRODUCTION
  9. CHAPTER ONE
  10. CHAPTER TWO
  11. CHAPTER THREE
  12. CHAPTER FOUR
  13. CHAPTER FIVE
  14. CHAPTER SIX
  15. CHAPTER SEVEN
  16. CHAPTER EIGHT
  17. CHAPTER NINE
  18. CHAPTER TEN
  19. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  20. CHAPTER TWELVE
  21. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  22. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  23. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  24. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  25. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  26. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  27. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  36. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  37. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

He found the switch for the water heater on the wall by the kitchen door and turned it on. Then he remembered the suitcases in Slater’s bedroom. She should change into fresh, warm clothes. Her coat and dress had been cold and damp to the touch. He found her suitcase and delved inside it. There was a heavy woollen dressing gown and a pair of pyjamas. He found a small pair of slippers and took out a pair of socks.

*

Tania felt warmth only superficially. It was on her skin, but inside the cold was still there. It dulled her thinking, misted the window through which she looked out on the world. Only a tiny corner of it was clear, and through it she saw Bannerman, smelled him, felt him.

She’d never really had contact with the world outside herself, been always just an observer. Somehow Bannerman bridged that gap, or at least it seemed to her that he might. That somehow he could provide what she had longed for so much from her father. The love that had never come. Thoughts drifted in her mind like mist. When she reached for them they simply dispersed and she gave up trying. She heard Bannerman in the kitchen and was aware of him going into her father’s bedroom. Presently he returned to the kitchen, then he was there beside her, helping her up into a sitting position.

She tried very hard to raise herself out of the mist. The glass was in her hand and he was bringing it up gently to her lips. Its hot milkiness washed away the bad taste in her mouth and she felt it going down, warm and soothing. Its warmth spread inside her and she felt the cold receding. For the first time in many hours she shivered. The gnawing in her stomach retreated, and she grew acutely aware of her hunger. At last the mist was clearing. She looked up to find Bannerman watching her with concern.

‘That better?’ His voice was close and soft. She nodded. He held up a bundle of clothes and she recognized her dressing gown. ‘I’ve had these warming in front of the fire. If you feel able, you should change out of the clothes you’re wearing. They’re damp.’ He paused, waiting for a reaction. She managed a feeble smile and nodded. ‘I’ve put the water heater on. The water should be hot enough for a bath in about fifteen minutes. I think probably a hot bath would do you good, don’t you? Then we can eat.’

*