His American Fling (22 page)

Hopkins raised his eyebrows. “Oh, really? Isn’t that somewhat awkward? I thought you and Miss McGee had, at one time, been… close.”

Campbell smiled, “Yes, well that’s old news. Maggie has been seeing Lord Pendleton.”

Hopkins nodded slowly. “I see. Lord Guilford?””

“Earl of Guilford.”

“Miss McGee moves in auspicious circles.”

Campbell nodded. “That she does.”

The investigation started as soon as the dorms had been evacuated. Air samplers were placed throughout out the dormitory to determine where the spores were highest, usually indicating the proximity for the source
of the infestation. They also took samples for culturing from around the entire structure. A team of ten microbiologists, sent by the University itself, assisted Campbell.

Campbell went back to Addenbrookes to pick up Maggie, who had been responding well to the steroids. On the way he thought about Maggie coming home with him. There was something comforting in knowing that she would be nearby,

The bed and breakfast would have solved everything.
Why did I do that? What possessed me to say no to Dean Hopkins? I’m such a Wally. I could have preserved the peace with Gemma. I don’t really owe Maggie anything. Oh, I am an arse!

Campbell went up and signed Maggie out, picked up her prescription and took the elevator up to the ward. Maggie was dressed and sitting in a chair waiting. When Campbell came in she looked up from her magazine and tilted her head.

“Are you going to discharge me?”

“I already have. Where are your things?”  He turned and saw a plastic hospital bag filled with some of her things. “Come on, I’m taking you home.”

Maggie pressed her lips together in thought. With eyes narrowed she shook her head. “Campbell, we both know that Gemma will have your balls if I stay with you. Have you talked it over with her?”

“Yes, of course I’ve told her. I’m not daft.  Admittedly, she’s not that happy about it, but she’ll recover. Come along, let’s get out of here and get you settled.”

Maggie shrugged her shoulders and stood up, following Campbell down the hall and into the elevator. She could smell his
Ferragamo
cologne. The familiar smell comforted her. Admitting that she wanted to go home with him was too big a step for her mind to take, so she simply rationalized that his home was close to school and that it made sense to stay with him.

When she arrived he took her plastic bag up to the guest room on the second floor.  He turned just as she came up behind him. They were close enough that he could smell her shampoo. He had a hard time remembering what he was going to say. “Uh… you can have this room or, if you want, I can make up the bed on the third floor and you can stay up there.  Whichever you prefer.”

“This is fine. I just want what’s easiest,” she said, close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body.

“It’s no trouble either way.”

She gave him a tired smile. “This is fine.”

He smiled back and dropped the plastic bag on the bed. “They brought your luggage and books over. They are in the wardrobe and on the other side of the bed. I sent all of your clothes out to the laundress to have them professionally done. I didn’t want you putting on clothes with mold spores on them. They should be back tomorrow.”

“Thank you. How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing, Henry paid for it, it’s his laundress. Now, how about a cuppa?”

“Sounds great.” She followed him down to the kitchen and took a seat at the counter while he turned on the electric kettle.  “Campbell, how long do I have to stay on these steroids? I’ve gained five pounds in two days.”
              “You’re gaining water weight. It will all come off once we wean you off the steroids. I want you on them for another week and then we’ll take you off of them slowly.”

“Okay. Did they find the source of the mold?”

“Not yet. I’m going over to Selwyn to see the results of the lab work. We’ll find it.”

“Have you talked to Henry lately?” Maggie looked away, unable to look him in the eye, embarrassed that she had to ask
Campbell about Henry. She knew he was in London, but there had been no attempts to contact her since he left.

Campbell tilted his head, “I spoke to him this morning.” He paused and asked, “Hasn’t he called you? I told him you were ill and moving into my house for a few days until we can find you another place to live.”

Shaking her head, Maggie tried to sound nonchalant, “I’m sure he’s just busy.”

Campbell almost told her that Henry had the weekend off and was planning on going to a wedding that Campbell was also attending.  He decided against telling Maggie because he wasn’t sure why Henry hadn’t invited her.

Maggie excused herself early in the evening and went upstairs to study and then sleep. Campbell knocked on her door at 7:30 and heard a faint command to enter. He opened the door. 

Maggie was lying on the bed, reading her text for English Jurisprudence. She was dressed in a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top.  Just as Campbell opened the door, Maggie realized that she had no bra on and her nipples were clearly visible under the thin tank top. Pretending that there was no problem with her top, she smiled up at Campbell who stood in the doorway with a tray.

“Oh dear, you didn’t have to bring me anything!”

“It’s just some spinach soup, French bread and some tea.” He said as he crossed the room.

Maggie sat up so that Campbell could sit the tray across her lap. “Wow, thank you Campbell. Are you going out?”

He nodded. “Gemma should be here soon. We’re just going to pop over to the local for a pint with some friends.”

Maggie began to eat. “Well, thank you for thinking of me.”

“No bother.” He smiled and started to back out of the room, trying not to stare at the little nipples poking underneath her top. But he was losing the battle, her perky breasts were too tempting for him to ignore. 

Maggie saw his futile attempt to keep from staring and sighed, causing her breasts to heave in front of him. “Well, have a great time tonight.”

He pulled his eyes up to hers, knowing how transparent he was, he blushed. “Yes, well, I’ll be off.”

“Thank you, Campbell. I mean it. I can’t thank you enough.”

Campbell nodded. “Well, ta! I’ll see you later!”

But by the time Gemma and Campbell returned, Maggie had done the dishes and gone to bed. Gemma was in the bedroom, taking her shower before they went to sleep.  Campbell slipped down the hall and cracked open the guest bedroom door just to check on Maggie, allegedly to make sure she was breathing easily. He could barely make out a figure in the bed so he cracked the door open a little more, letting more of the hall light spill in over the bed. Tiptoeing over to the bed, Campbell looked down on her. She looked like a little girl laying there. Her hand was under the pillow, her hair tussled, knees pulled up.  He remembered how he had sometimes watched her in bed when she was asleep, enchanted by how angelic she seemed. She was so tiny, so pretty, and so peaceful when she slept. He tried to resist touching her, but he couldn’t. There was a strand of hair across her face. Reaching down, he picked it up, moving it behind her ear. The feel of her soft skin and silky hair brought back wonderful memories of how much fun it was to be with her, how relaxed he felt just spending time with her, how comfortable it was to hold her in his arms, to sleep wrapped up together. He heard the water shut off in the shower. Hurrying out of the room, he quietly closed the door, the latch clicking softly behind him.  Scurrying to the bedroom, he quickly took his clothes off and climbed in bed, just as Gemma appeared from the bathroom.

Chapter 13

Air That I Breath

I held my breath when he bent down and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. He did it so gently it tickled. But, I did everything I could not to giggle. I didn’t know why he was doing this—being so intimate with me while Gemma was in the next room. I was both confused and sad, and confused that I was sad. What was it about Campbell that made me feel this way?

I woke up early, hopped in the shower, dressed, grabbed my books, and took off for the dining hall at Downing. Everyone seemed genuinely pleased at my return. I discovered that five other students had ended up either hospitalized for one night or sent home with medication. After I was done with breakfast, I had half an hour before class so I walked over to my dorm. 

The stone entrance was blocked off with plastic, which was taped over the door and windows of my wing of the dorm. I knew I wasn’t supposed to go inside, but I couldn’t help it.  Machines were running on each floor, making a headache-inducing sound. The machines sat in the middle of the room with flex hose leading to a window. The exhaust from the flex hose exited out the window.  A thick plastic sheet kept the hose in place and prevented any air from getting inside. I later learned that the machine in the middle was capturing the air in the dorm, scrubbing it, and sending it to the outside.

I saw several crews in the bathroom, pulling plaster from the walls. Another crew was pulling up the wood flooring in my bedroom as well as the wood sill and jamb of my window. It was
fascinating; the underside of the wood flooring was black, completely covered with mold. 

Stopping periodically to swab the surfaces of the wood with a cotton swab, these swabs would be were put in
Ziploc bags and marked with the location by the microbiologist dressed in hazmat suits.  They continued taking more samples by placing pieces of tape sticky side down on surfaces and then sticking the tape over a microscope slide.

I continued to sneak around, engrossed in what they were doing, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped and yelled, “Ah!”

Turning around I looked up into a bright orange hazmat suit with a built in respirator. It looked as if the man in front of me was going to walk on the moon. He shook his entire mask, “Maggie? What the hell are you doing in here?” He put the large gloved hand on my back and started pushing me through the halls to the front door. As we left the sealed off area, he took his helmet thing off. “Are you bonkers?  By pulling up that flooring, we’re letting out more of the spores that make you sick. We have to replace the flooring and clean the walls before you can go back inside.”  His voice was controlled and for Campbell, that meant he was annoyed.

“I was just curious.”

He exhaled loudly. “You’ll get sick again.  Do you want that?”

I felt sheepish after everything he had done for me. Here I had gone and exposed myself to the mold again. “No, I’m sorry. But, would you please keep me posted?”

Grimacing, he put his hands on his hips. “Mags, I have been asked to keep this project a secret.”

“I just want to know because I’m curious. I’m not going to sell my story or sue anyone. Not after the kindness Dean Hopkins showed me this summer.”

“Fine, when I get home, I’ll let you know.  Now, don’t you have class or something to occupy that curious mind of yours?”  He finally gave me a smile, making me want to reach up and kiss him; it was so warm and enticing.

I grinned and took off, looking back over my shoulders, seeing Campbell watching me, smiling too. I gave him a little wave and he returned it by holding up a gloved hand. When I arrived at class, my Professor called me to the front of the class and made arrangements for me to make up everything I had missed.  Apparently, all of the students in my dorm were being given an opportunity to do this because of the disruption due to the move-out.

That night I ate at the dining hall and then crossed Parker’s Piece to his house. Walking in, I could hear the television in the front parlor, but, the parlor was empty.  Since I was just an unwanted guest, I didn’t venture any further. I made my way up to my room.  The door had been left partially opened, indicating that someone had been in the room.  I looked around and saw a vase with a gorgeous bouquet sitting in the window. Since it wasn’t spring, the flowers must have cost a fortune to buy. I couldn’t really say they were for me.  During the summer, Campbell frequently purchased flowers or cut them from the garden for the rooms. However, only the entry table and my room had flowers. The bouquet was feminine with soft cream roses, pink snapdragons and pink carnations accented with seeded eucalyptus. The room smelled lovely from their scent.

I went down again to the kitchen to get a glass of water to take my medicine and found Campbell on a stool, reading the newspaper and having a lonely dinner. He looked up as I walked into the room.

“Hello, Mags. How are you feeling?”

I went to the cupboard to get a glass, “Better, but really tired.”

He nodded, “You will, until the spores are completely out of your system. Did you eat?”

“Yes, at the dining hall. Where’s Gemma?”

“She said something about going out with her friends tonight. I’m the lonely bachelor.” He said it without inflection. “I have to admit, it’s nice having some time off.”

I got the hint, “Oh, well, I won’t ruin your night to recoup. I’ll just grab this water and get back up to study.  Goodnight, Campbell.”

He grabbed my elbow as I went by. His eyebrows were raised. “I didn’t mean you. I just meant that…well…sometimes Gemma’s a lot to take in large doses.”

“Oh.  Well, nonetheless, I should go study—“

“Stay!” He was a bit too enthusiastic.  He steadied his voice, “I mean, stay and I can give you a follow up on what we found.”

I hesitated, I really did need to study, but he seemed lonely, as if he wanted my company. “Sure.” I took a seat next to him on a stool at the breakfast bar.

He took a bite, ate it quickly and then gulped down a little wine to wash it down. “It looks as if the plumbing retrofit from last year had a slow, almost unperceivable leak starting on the second floor and working its way through the plaster to the first where it accumulated in the walls behind the sinks in the bathroom downstairs on the ground level, spreading to the wooden floors and wooden jambs.  That’s why the heavier concentration of mold spores was downstairs next to your room. It’s going to be a major job since the tile and plaster in both bathrooms have to be completely torn out and replaced as well as the flooring in six rooms. The company that installed the plumbing is paying for the mold remediation and renovations. Now we just need to see what spores come up on our petri dishes. So far, the slides are showing Aspergillus, Penicillium and even Stachybotras. The Aspergillus is what made you so sick.”

I watched him, he was so serious. I now
understood what his real passion was, he liked to solve mysteries and this was a mystery right up his alley. His face was animated, his voice light, his speech quick. I found it interesting, but more important, I found him interesting. But then, I always did.

“Wow, that’s really fascinating. It must have taken up a lot of your time.”

“Yes, but the government is paying for my services. Dickerson handled my cases today.”  He took a breath, running out of steam.

“Does mold affect everyone the way it did me?”

“You were being exposed to extremely unhealthy levels, which reminds me, we need to gas your luggage, backpack and books.  Bring them by tomorrow and I’ll gas them so that the mold spores lodged in them die.  Anyway, no, it depends on your susceptibility.  Some people who aren’t allergic to mold, can have a reaction to the toxins they produce.  However, people with allergies, asthma and immunocompromised systems are the least resistant and most likely to get ill.  Have you ever been allergic to mold or had asthma when you were younger?”

“I had a lot of allergies growing up, even had breathing problems, but I was never tested. I just used a lot of antihistamines. I was
always groggy in the spring, Benadryl always made me sleepy.”

“Yes, that was before all the improvements in allergy medicines.”

I nodded. “The flowers you put in my room are very pretty.”

“Are they making you sick?”

“Oh no! I don’t sneeze or get congested around flowers, just certain weeds and very sick around cats.”

“Well, I haven’t put flowers in that room since you left, I thought maybe they’d cheer you up.”

I grinned. “They did.”  I had no excuse to hang around and analyze Campbell so once again I excused myself to go upstairs.  His eyes dropped and his smile faded. Although he looked disappointed, he didn’t try to stop me this time. I went upstairs and started to study, but was unable to focus because I kept feeling like I was cheating on Henry. It was a restless night, but I finally managed a few hours’ sleep just before the alarm clock went off.

*********************

Campbell didn’t talk about Henry and I didn’t ask. Wednesday evening Henry called and we talked for a few minutes about my health and his course. He sounded affectionate, not cold at all. He apologized all over the place for not getting up to see me.  But, I assured him I was fine.

“The course will be over soon. I shall be back in two weeks and we can go somewhere over the semester break. I’ll make it up to you.”

“There’s nothing to make up, Henry. I’m fine and Campbell has been very kind, taking me in like this. It must not be easy for him. I’ve heard him and Gemma have more than one fight since I’ve been here.” 

He gave me one of his mannered chuckles. “Darling, Gemma spats with everyone over just about anything. I doubt all the arguments are over Maggie McGee.  Those two have plenty to spat over.  Bloody hell, it’s eight already. I have to go, I’m meeting friends for dinner and I’m late. I’ll talk to you soon. Ta!”

“Henry—” But he was already gone. I was just going to tell him something benign like, call me this weekend, but he was in a hurry.

Over the next few days, Gemma kept residence in Campbell’s room, but we had little contact. I’d eat at school and then walk back to the townhouse, going straight to my room most evenings to study and sleep.  Campbell showed up on Thursday night at my door around eight, “We’re going to watch a DVD,
would you like to join us?”

I shook my head, but gave a polite smile. “No thanks, I have a lot of catching up to do.”

Glancing down and then back up at me, he cocked his head. “You know, you don’t have to hide up here. We promise not to bite.”

“I think you’ve had your shots, but I’m not sure about Gemma. I don’t think you can speak for her.”

“Oh, by the way are you doing anything this weekend?” He asked it as if he was expecting me to have plans.

“No, should I?”

He looked surprised. “Oh, well, I uh.  Gemma and I will be gone for the weekend. You can have the run of the house.”

“Thanks. If anything goes wrong, I’ll call you on your cell.”

“Oh, do you have my new mobile number?”

“You have a new one?”

“Yes, I gave Gemma my old one and bought a Blackberry.”

“Then you better give it to me.”  He walked over and took my pad, wrote the number down and stood for a few awkward seconds. I thought he might climb in bed with me, but he turned and left, closing the door
solidly behind him.

Early Friday afternoon, I ventured across Parker’s Piece to the townhouse only to find Gemma and Campbell in the foyer with their luggage getting ready to leave.

Gemma gave me the once over and sneered. I was dressed in Levis and a blouse, nothing extravagant, but I didn’t look homeless.

“So Maggie, you’re not going to London?”

I was baffled, she didn’t make sense. Campbell hadn’t asked me to go to London with them. “No Gemma, I’ll be here studying. I promise not to break any vases while you’re gone.”

She actually chuckled. Campbell looked anxious that Gemma was about to say something.

“Gemma!” He blurted out.

She stopped in midstream and turned to face him. “
What?”

“We need to get going, I have to stop and get petrol.”

“Fine.  Well, Maggie—“

Again he interrupted, “Gemma!  No time for goodbyes, let’s go!”

She looked at him, narrowed her eyes and glared, but followed him out the garden to the garage out back.  I watched through the French doors as they disappeared into the garage. Going back inside, I needed to organize my notes so I went into Campbell’s office to use the computer’s printer. I had to start his computer so that I could plug in my thumb drive. I was praying that he hadn’t changed his password; I didn’t want to drag my ass back over to Downing to use the computer and printer in the library. The desktop photo came up; he hadn’t changed it from when I had put a photo of us bicycling down by the Cam.  It wasn’t an intimate photo; a stranger had taken it for me.  We were both standing by our bikes with Kings College Chapel standing grandly in the background. Campbell did have his arm around my shoulder, but it was draped, like a sports buddy. He wasn’t cuddling me. Still, we looked like an old married couple out for a spin. I wondered why he hadn’t changed it back to the Windows desktop. The request for a password came up and I typed in, “Dunskey” the name of the castle that Campbell’s family owned. His desktop immediately changed and his email popped up. I hadn’t expected that and was about to get out of the window when I noticed several emails from Henry.