It never seemed to occur to him that once he had reached that condition Helen's work would be finished and she would be gone. Either he refused to face the prospect or he was convinced that by then she would have changed her mind about him. He was, she realized, an incurable optimist. He could now take a few steps under her guidance and with Dai Hughes' strong arms and back to lend support when it was needed. He grew more and more irrepressible as his recovery progressed. It helped him to talk about what they would do when he could walk again, but it worried Helen that he never considered the alternative to her staying. She had spoken to Doctor Neath about letting Tracey Owen come and see him when she had recovered herself and she was now better again, she knew, but the old doctor had been dubious about crossing Evan on such a touchy subject and she had had to relinquish the idea of his co-operation. There must be some way, she thought, of making Evan change his mind, but she had not yet summoned the necessary courage or cunning to speak of it again.
