And now can we do something that involves just the two of us? he was thinking, and almost as if she’d read his mind Megan said, ‘After lunch we’ll explore the river bank, my most favourite place of all, if that’s all right with you.’
‘Of course,’ he said, and thought with grim amusement that a tour of the places that appealed to Alexis would include the top hotels, smart restaurants, boutiques, all very nice in their own way, but froth compared to the real things of life. While to Megan, the people and places she was introducing him to had been part of the secure idyll of her youth and were just as precious now in adulthood.
On the Valentine card that she’d sent him all that time ago she’d written that she was attracted to him. He prayed that was still the case. That she’d chosen to spend this day with him because she felt the same as he did.
They had lunch at The Badger and then strolled down to the riverside, and as they passed the solid stone building that was the surgery Anne, who lived in the apartment above, came out and looked at them in surprise.
‘Megan is taking me on a guided tour of the village,’ he said easily, ‘in case I decide to take up permanent residence here.’
‘Ah! I see,’ she replied.
I wish I did, Megan thought with a sinking feeling inside her. Luke had said right from the start that he wanted to live in the village. That when his sister’s life was on a more stable footing he would buy a place of his own, but now he didn’t sound so sure, and she hoped that she wasn’t the reason why.
They were on the riverbank now, walking along on a carpet of bronze and gold that had been the green leaves of summer. Turning to face him, she said, ‘So it isn’t definite that you’re going to stay in the village. You aren’t so entranced with it after all.’
Luke turned away to avoid her seeing his expression and said lightly, ‘Yes, I am. I think it is an enchanting place, but I could live at the foot of a coal tip, or next to a railway line, and be happy if I was there with the right person.
‘I’ve learnt a lesson that I won’t forget in a hurry with regard to human relationships and freely admit that I’ve no one to blame but my own faulty judgement. It is a poor marriage when a wife conceals the fact that she is pregnant from her husband because she doesn’t want his child.’
They’d been strolling along at a leisurely pace, but now Megan halted abruptly, and as he observed her questioningly she said tightly, ‘Stop! I don’t want to hear any more. What Alexis did was awful, but there are lots of decent women in the world. If you look hard enough you’ll find one.’
He was staring at her, aghast.
‘What has brought this on, might I ask?’
Megan sighed. ‘Sue wants you to find your dream woman, so maybe you’d better start looking.’
‘Maybe I had,’ he said frostily, ‘and I hope they won’t all be as choosey as someone I know, who makes no bones about her criteria.’
Choosy, am I? Megan thought tearfully, with the pain of listening to him describe his marriage like a knife in her heart. Luke doesn’t know that I made my choice long ago without realising it. Can’t he see that? And with the need for an answer to the question she stepped up to him and placing her arms around his neck, kissed him long and lingeringly on the mouth.
She felt him go slack with surprise and then he was kissing her back like a hungry man at a banquet, and as his arms tightened around her she thought that this was what she’d been waiting for.
But she’d had to be the one to make the first move and even as she faced up to that knowledge, Luke’s arms were slackening, his kiss no longer holding her spellbound.
‘I vowed that there would be none of this today,’ he said, putting her away from him gently, ‘much as I could go on kissing you for ever. But I’ve told myself I will respect what you said regarding me having been married before, and will not take advantage of you in any way.’
Megan had gone very pale. It wasn’t exactly a rebuff that Luke was handing out, but it was a message loud and clear that she wasn’t the only one with boundaries.
‘So, are we going to carry on with our tour of the riverbank,’ he was asking quietly, ‘or have you had enough of me for one day?’
She would never have enough of him, she thought achingly. He was the answer to all her hopes and dreams, but where before she’d been hesitant about their relationship, now he was the one putting up barriers and she was going to have to accept it.
‘We’ll carry on if that’s what you want,’ she told him flatly, ‘and forget my error of judgement, if that’s all right with you.’
It wasn’t all right with him at all, he thought. He was the one who’d turned it into a lost opportunity. But at least she was still there, hadn’t gone storming off, like a lot of women would have done.
Taking her by surprise, he said, ‘Yes, it’s fine by me, and as you aren’t going to desert me, I’ll race you to the bridge that I see in the distance.’
‘Right,’ she agreed, managing a smile, and before he’d got his breath she was off, moving fast in spite of the walking boots to where an old iron bridge spanned the river.
He was only a foot behind her but Megan was there first and as she collapsed breathlessly against its ancient frame, her world was righting itself. She’d almost spoilt the day by losing control, but Luke had an answer for everything.
He was observing the structure of the bridge and commenting that it looked a bit rickety. ‘Yes, it is,’ she agreed. ‘It’s going to cost thousands to repair.’ She pointed to the land beside the river. ‘That is parkland. Lots of people walk their dogs along it, or just come for a stroll, and this old bridge is dear to their hearts. A committee has been formed to raise funds for its repair and the first event to take place is a ball at the beginning of December at Beresford Lodge, the hotel that you pass on the way to the tops.’
‘Sounds good. Am I going to take you?’
‘Maybe. Unless I get a better offer,’ she told him laughingly, knowing there couldn’t possibly be a better offer than that. She was rallying from the aftermath of the kiss. Telling herself that it wasn’t all gloom. She knew now that Luke wanted her as much as she wanted him. He’d said he could have gone on kissing her for ever. Yet the fact remained that he hadn’t. If she found herself in his arms again, it would be of his doing, not hers.
They turned back at the bridge because the light was fading and the birds and animals of the riverbank were no longer to be seen. As the surgery came into view again Luke said, ‘So are we going to go home to change, and finish the day off with dinner? That was the plan, if I remember rightly.’
She hesitated for a moment and then asked, ‘Are you sure that Sue and the boys won’t need you this evening? I know that she seems to be back on top of things, but it won’t always be the case.’
‘Megan, I’m aware of that,’ he protested, ‘and will take care to see that I’m always there if she needs me. Are you sure that you aren’t using Sue as an excuse not to have dinner with me?’
‘I might be. I’m not sure whether I am or not.’
‘Perhaps you’re thinking that it’s been a long day and enough is enough.’
Now it was her turn to protest. ‘I’m not thinking anything of the kind. I’d love to have dinner with you.’
‘Good. So why don’t we go to this Beresford Lodge place. We’ve had coffee amongst culture and a lunch of pub grub, so I think it’s only fitting if we hit the high spots for dinner. Shall I reserve a table?’
‘Yes,’ she agreed, already debating what she was going to wear.
‘I’ll pick you up about eightish, if that’s all right with you, but first I’m going to walk you home and pick up my car.’
* * *
As Megan dressed for what she wished was a date rather than just two friends dining together, she passed over a smart black dress that she’d bought recently for a more sophisticated image and chose the dress she’d worn for the portrait, quite unaware of the impression it had made on Luke. She was
recalling what he’d said about sophistication, and the last thing she wanted was to appear looking like a watered-down clone of his ex-wife. Of all things she wanted him to see her as herself.
When she opened the door to him just before eight o’clock he said, ‘That’s the dress you wore for the painting, isn’t it?’
‘Er…yes.’ She was taken aback that he’d remembered. ‘Do you approve?’
‘Of course I do.’
‘I think both of our outfits are an improvement on what we did the village tour in,’ she said, smiling across at the tall figure on her doorstep who was dressed in a dark suit, smart shirt and tie.
Luke took her hand and led her down the steps. ‘So off we go, then.’ He then diminished the promise of the moment by going on, ‘Two hard-working doctors let off the leash for once.’
‘Yes,’ she agreed flatly, and thought how much she would have liked him to be able to describe them as lovers rather than busy GPs. But the afternoon’s episode had set a pattern of behaviour and Luke seemed to be intent on keeping to it.
* * *
The dining room at Beresford Lodge was full, it being Saturday, and as they were shown to a table for two by a window Megan looked around her. She’d dined there before a couple of times with Sue, but since then it had been refurbished. Observing the elegance of the place, it seemed to have been well worth the expense.
‘This will make a perfect place for a Christmas ball. Especially if the organisers decide it should be fancy dress to a festive theme,’ Luke said when they were seated. ‘You could be the fairy on the Christmas tree and I could be Ebenezer Scrooge.’
She was smiling at him across the table. ‘I can’t think of anyone less fitted for either part. Me as a fairy and you, the kindest of men, as Scrooge.’
‘You ain’t seen the worst side o’ me yet, missy,’ he quipped back.
She loved this man, Megan thought. It would be enchantment to spend the rest of her days with him. When she’d known him before he’d been the reserved lecturer who’d snubbed her Valentine card and maybe it was as well that he had.
She’d been in love with love in those days, and once she’d graduated had almost forgotten the only man she’d ever been attracted to. Almost, but not quite. There’d never been anyone else who’d made her bones melt or her heart beat faster at the mere sight of them.
When Sue had told her that Luke had been married and was now divorced, she’d accepted it calmly enough on the outside, but deep down she’d been hurting. Yet had she really expected that someone with his looks and standing wouldn’t have tried the marriage game by then?
Thinking of Sue brought her back to the present and she asked, ‘Was everything all right at Woodcote House when you got home?’
‘Yes. The boys had gone to the birthday party of one of Owen’s friends and Sue was winding down after a day in the garden centre. As you can imagine, the demand for growing things reduces as winter sets in and she was wondering whether to close until nearer Christmas.’
‘What did you say?’
‘I said don’t do it. Put up with dwindling sales rather than close. Once the public get used to a business being shut they don’t take the trouble to go back when it opens again because they’ve found somewhere else to shop. I’ve suggested that we make a really big splash at Christmas with trees, ornaments and so on, and maybe open a small café on the premises.’
‘And what did she say?’
‘Thought it was a good idea.’
‘So do I,’ she told him, ‘and I can see the reasoning behind it, apart from the money angle. If she’s kept busy, it will be easier for her to get through their first Christmas without Gareth.’
‘You read my mind,’ he said sombrely.
At that moment the food they’d ordered arrived and as they were both hungry after the day’s other activities silence fell as they enjoyed the catering of Beresford Lodge.
It was not to last. The manager made a hurried appearance and asked urgently, ‘Dr Marshall, please, could you help us?’
Luke put down his knife and fork and got to his feet, and Megan did the same. ‘We are both doctors,’ he told him. ‘What’s the problem?’
‘Will you come this way, please?’ the manager asked, lowering his voice. When they were out of earshot of the other diners he said, ‘A visitor has been found unconscious in one of the bedrooms. I’ve sent for an ambulance but thought if there was a doctor present they could perhaps attend to her until it arrives.’
‘Of course,’ Luke replied. ‘We will do what we can.’ As he flashed her a wry smile Megan thought that this was going to be an imperfect ending to an imperfect day.
* * *
The woman lying on the thick carpeting in a second-floor bedroom was indeed unconscious. Middle-aged, and dressed in just a long cotton robe, she seemed to have been carrying a bag of toiletries as it was on the floor beside her with the contents strewn around it.
A chambermaid and the assistant manager were with her when they arrived, both trying to rouse her but without success. As the two doctors knelt beside her Megan said, ‘She hasn’t got the bluish tinge to the lips or the clammy skin of a cardiac arrest.’
‘No, indeed,’ he agreed, as they checked the breathing and pulse.
‘Do you think she’s taken something?’ she questioned.
‘There’s a strip of tablets that looks like prescribed medication on the bedside table,’ the chambermaid said. ‘I noticed them when I came in to turn the bedcovers down.’
She went to get them and handed them to Megan who informed him. ‘They’re beta-blockers, Luke.’
‘Hmm. Those little fellows can be tricky under certain circumstances. They do the job in lots of cases, but I’ve known a few people who’ve had a bad reaction to them.’
Megan was looking down at the packet in her hand. ‘I’ve prescribed these for migraine and over active thyroid and had no bad reports.’
‘So have I,’ he agreed, ‘but there is always the one person who they don’t suit and then we are in big trouble.’
The woman on the carpet moaned softly at that moment and then opened her eyes. ‘What happened?’ she asked muzzily. ‘Did I faint?’
‘We don’t know,’ Megan told her gently. ‘What are you taking the tablets for?’
‘Migraine, asthma, anxiety, lots of things.’
‘Has anything like this happened before?’ Luke asked.
‘I’ve felt odd a few times, but I’ve never collapsed before. I was getting ready to go down for dinner and that’s the last I remember. I’m here with my firm. It’s a sort of staff getting to know each other weekend. They’ll be wondering where I am.’
She was trying to sit up and Megan said, ‘The manager has sent for an ambulance. Just stay where you are for the moment.’
‘I don’t want to go to hospital,’ the woman said tearfully. ‘I’m all right now.’
‘You didn’t collapse for no reason,’ Luke told her gently. ‘You need to be checked over. It could be your tablets that caused it, or some other problem, and they’ll deal with that in A and E.’
Their patient nodded meekly. ‘I suppose you’re right.’ She looked up at the faces of those gathered around her. ‘You’ve been very kind. My name is Helen Somerfield. If someone could tell my boss what’s happened, I’d be grateful. Though they’ll all be halfway through their dinner by now. I don’t want to disturb them.’
‘I’ll go with Mrs Somerfield, if it’s all right with you,’ the chambermaid said to the manager.
‘Yes, by all means,’ he agreed, anxious to ensure the situation was dealt with as quickly as possible. ‘And as you could be there some time, take the day off tomorrow.’
* * *
The ambulance had taken the dazed woman to hospital, and now the two doctors were about to take up where they’d left off. Their table had been reset, with a bottle of champagne on ice in a central position, and staff were waiting to serve them with a freshly cooked meal to replace the one
they’d had to leave in such a hurry.
As the wine waiter poured the champagne he said, ‘Compliments of the manager.’
When he’d gone Luke said whimsically, ‘The trouble with doctors is they can never escape their profession. Has it spoilt your evening, Megan?’
She shook her head. ‘No, of course not.’ It was true. They’d been doing what they’d been trained to do… together…and it had been a great feeling. There were no unclear agendas when it came to the job.
If the rest of their lives were progressing as smoothly she would be up in the clouds. But although they were two people in the grip of a strong attraction, they were also unevenly balanced when it came to lifestyles.
Her life was clear and uncluttered, she thought, while Luke’s was bulging at the seams with family responsibilities and a past relationship that kept rearing its head.
She’d always imagined that falling in love would be simple. That she would meet the man of her dreams, who would have the same feelings, and the romance would move on from there. The last thing she’d expected was having to cope with following in someone else’s footsteps. Even though Luke had made it clear that the only feelings left over from his marriage were hurt and anger.
When they arrived back at the cottage it was way past midnight and as she was about to invite him in for a drink, Luke said, ‘As we drove past I noticed that there seemed to be still a lot of activity at the house where the boys have been invited to a party, so if you don’t mind I’ll make tracks. It is too late for youngsters of their age to be partying.’
He touched her cheek fleetingly. ‘It’s been a strange day, hasn’t it, Megan? Full of highs and lows, and just because I called a halt, don’t be thinking that what happened on our way to the iron bridge wasn’t the highest point.’ He smiled. ‘Lock up when I’ve gone. Sleep well. And wish me luck with your friend Sonia tomorrow.’
Megan nodded without speaking, understanding what he’d said about his nephews but not wanting him to go. It had been the kind of day he’d described. Amongst the good parts had been lost chances.
A Wedding in the Village Page 10