As the time continued to pass uneventfully Glenn had to tell Emma when she asked that so far it seemed that either the person knew they were being watched and had given up the practice of leaving flowers on the grave, had gone to live elsewhere, or it had been some kind of a long-term mistake. Emma had accepted his comments at face value but deep down wanted an answer, a name to set her mind at rest.
* * *
The first thing Glenn did on arriving at the practice the morning after that conversation was to go into the churchyard to inspect the grave. He was relieved to find it still empty of fresh blooms, but by lunchtime they were there again. He thought that, short of keeping watch out in the cold all the time, the mystery could go on for ever and he had patients already arriving who needed his time much more than a display of cream roses.
Emma had seen Glenn go across and when he came back could tell from his expression that the flower person had returned from wherever they had been. Observing how much it upset her, Glenn knew that he couldn’t proceed with his plans for the Easter weekend if it meant leaving her behind in that sort of a situation.
With Easter approaching had come light and brightness after winter’s dark days. Before the mystery flowers had reappeared Emma’s spirits had been lifted for quite some time, while Glenn had been considering doing what he always did at Easter.
The practice would be closed for the long weekend and he had intended following his usual routine and spending the time in Italy, where he was in the habit of renting a house on the Amalfi coast that belonged to a friend from his college days.
He always found the change of scene therapeutic and restful, but this time he felt that he couldn’t relax knowing that he would be leaving Emma behind to cope with her dark moments and that he was responsible for some of them.
As the time drew nearer he wondered what sort of a reception he would get if he invited her to join him for the Easter break purely as a friend, putting aside all other thoughts and just enjoying themselves in the magic of Italy.
Knowing that he wouldn’t rest until he’d asked her, Glenn waited until they were the first arrivals at the practice one morning and asked if she had a moment to spare.
‘Well, yes,’ Emma said laughingly, as her glance went around the empty waiting room and on the forecourt outside, and he wondered how long her light-heartedness would last when she heard what he had to say.
It seemed as if he had reason to worry as Emma’s smile had disappeared within seconds and she was shaking her head. ‘I don’t think so,’ she said in a low voice. ‘That part of Italy is incredibly romantic and beautiful and I would love to go there, Glenn, but feel that it would be more sensible to stay at home. Thank you for inviting me and I hope you have a lovely time.’
He gave a twisted smile and, not wanting to give up easily, said, ‘Do you think either of us will have a “lovely time” in one of the world’s most beautiful places if we are on our own?’
‘No, I suppose not,’ she agreed weakly, and decided that it was only four days in Italy they were discussing, not a lifetime. And it would be a relief to be away from the mystery of the never-ending flowers on the grave.
‘When would we fly out if I came?’ Emma asked doubtfully.
‘Thursday night, so as to be already there for Good Friday,’ Glenn replied, and hoped that she was weakening.
The house had four bedrooms so Emma could have her choice, and there was no likelihood of him being missing when she woke up as when he was there he was always on the patio, soaking up the sun, at an early hour.
‘So do I book you a flight for Thursday night or not?’ Glenn asked patiently, as the practice began to come alive with the sound of voices inside and out.
‘Er...yes...I suppose so,’ Emma said. ‘It would be a brief change of scene and I need something like that.’ And before he could comment further she went to where her first patient of the day was waiting.
So much for enthusiasm, he thought, but at least she’d said yes.
* * *
Enthusiasm was more in evidence when Glenn called to pick her up on the Thursday night to go to the airport. There was a smile for him and as he observed Emma’s outfit of leggings with a smart silk shirt above them and her weekend case, waiting to go into the boot of his car, his spirits lifted.
They chatted easily enough during the flight and he hid a smile at Emma’s expression when she saw the house. It was a very attractive residence, overlooking the sea, and moonlight was shining on the water. It was already quite late after their evening flight.
‘There are four bedrooms,’ Glenn told her. ‘Choose whichever one you want. There’s a chef who lives nearby who comes in to do the food, so for a short time we shall be living in style. I’ve got a hire car due to arrive tomorrow, so shall we drive along the beautiful Amalfi coast? Or do you want to just laze about as we’ve got here so late?’
‘It all sounds fantastic,’ Emma said. ‘I was crazy not to want to come, but nothing seems right in my life any more except my job at the practice. I am totally content with that. But the mystery of the flowers gets me down and...’
‘Go on, say it,’ Glenn told her. ‘You don’t get much joy out of me either. I know what you thought about my proposal. I must have been out of my mind to be so patronising. I hope that one day you can forgive me, Emma.’
‘I think I already have,’ Emma replied. ‘It was wrong of me on that occasion not to take into account the memory of how Serena died and how difficult that must be to live with all the time.’
Glenn was smiling. ‘So shall we put all our sad thoughts to one side and enjoy our time together for the next few days?’
‘Yes, why not?’ Emma agreed, and kissing him lightly on the cheek went slowly up the stairs to the bedroom she had chosen, content to know that Glenn would be near while she slept. Anything further than that would happen only if they both wanted it to, and finally it seemed as if that might be the case.
* * *
The following morning they swam in the pool and lay in the sun and the day dawdled along contentedly with every glance, every touch a promise. When it was time to go up to change for the evening meal Glenn bypassed his room and followed Emma into hers. He slipped the towelling robe that she’d been wearing by the pool off her shoulders and kissed every part of her that wasn’t covered by her swimsuit until she was melting at his touch. It was like coming in out of the wilderness to happiness and joy.
But the telephone on the bedside table had other ideas and when Glenn released her to answer its strident ring Emma saw his expression change. Her heart missed a beat as he said, ‘We’ll get the first flight out and go straight to the hospital.’ As he replaced the receiver he said grimly, ‘That was my mother. Dad climbed a tall tree in the garden this afternoon to rescue their cat, which had gone up it to escape next door’s dog. When it wouldn’t come down he stretched an inch too far to reach it, overbalanced and fell down onto the stone path below.’
‘And?’ Emma questioned anxiously.
‘He’s in hospital with a fractured arm and leg and my mother needs me, I’m afraid.’
‘Yes, of course,’ Emma agreed immediately, with a vision of his energetic father hurt and fretful. ‘I’ll tell the chef that we have to leave while you book a flight.’
‘So much for our special time together,’ Glenn said flatly. ‘I was going to suggest that we go along the Amalfi coast tomorrow. Do you think it wasn’t meant to be?’
‘No, of course not,’ Emma told him gently. ‘At present your parents have to come first.’
‘Yes, of course,’ he agreed, ‘but it is typical of Dad that he thinks he can shin up a tree at his age without getting stuck. He sees himself as Superman, thinks that he’s invincible. Apparently while he was lying at the bottom of it the cat came down of its own accord without any trouble and ran off.’
&n
bsp; * * *
They found Jonas sitting up in bed, looking bruised and crestfallen to have been the cause of them having to fly home so soon. Emma told him gently that there was no blame attached to what he had done, and said to Glenn that he was lucky to have a father to love and cherish him. In the silence that followed there was no one amongst them who wanted to contradict that.
A nurse was hovering with the comment that the patient needed some rest and would be in a better condition for chatting the following day, and as they prepared to leave, Jonas said to Glenn, ‘Be sure to come tomorrow. We need to talk, and it will give your mother a chance to rest.’
‘Yes, sure,’ he agreed, ‘and in the meantime don’t go climbing any more trees.’
‘You might be thanking me for climbing that tree soon,’ was the reply, and they left the patient in the care of the nurse and took Glenn’s mother home to rest.
‘I didn’t want to bring you back from your break,’ Olivia said, ‘but Jonas insisted and made such a fuss he was causing alarm amongst the nursing staff.’ She turned to Emma. ‘You must think us a strange family, my dear.’
‘As someone who hasn’t got one, I envy you more than words can say,’ she replied, and felt like weeping.
* * *
‘I want you to stay at my place tonight,’ Glenn told Emma as they drove the short distance to his house after seeing his mother safely settled. ‘Not for any other reason than I want you to be where I know you are near. It has been a strange day. Only hours ago we were in Italy and then we got that phone call. Did you think Dad was OK when we got there? He seemed strange, don’t you think?’
‘Yes,’ Emma agreed. ‘It was as if he knew something that we weren’t aware of, unless he was suffering from concussion.’
‘We’ll have to see what tomorrow brings,’ Glenn said. ‘Are you hungry? We haven’t eaten in ages.’
‘Just coffee and a biscuit will suit me fine,’ Emma said softly. ‘Thank goodness that it’s Saturday tomorrow.’
‘I couldn’t agree more,’ Glenn said, and added, ‘The guest room is ready, just help yourself to anything you find there. I’ll bring your case up so that you have your own nightwear available if you would prefer it. Emma, there won’t be any locked doors between us.’
‘Good,’ she said. ‘So if I’m up first am I allowed to bring you a cup of tea?’
‘Yes, of course, but I haven’t brought you here to wait on me. I just want you where you are safe and free from care, and I never feel that you are either of those things in that house of yours.’
‘I can’t do anything about that until I find a buyer,’ Emma said, ‘and I’m sure you will agree that it isn’t the usual “desirable residence” that the average house hunter is seeking.’
She was asleep within moments of settling into Glenn’s guest room this time and when she awoke the next morning, with a bright sun shining up above, the memories of the day before came back—the delights of Amalfi and Capri that hadn’t materialised, the moment when Glenn had caressed her and held her close, only to have it taken from them by the news of his father’s fall from the tree that had caused their hasty return to Glenminster.
What would today bring? Emma wondered. Some degree of recovery for Glenn’s father hopefully, but he was elderly and a fall of that severity could have serious after-effects.
When she went down to breakfast, having showered and changed into fresh casual clothes, Glenn was on to the hospital, asking when it would be convenient to visit his father who, it seemed, had been restless in the night and impatient to see his son.
‘Shall I drop you off at your place on my way to the hospital when we’ve had breakfast?’ Glenn suggested, after assuring the hospital that he would be there as soon as possible.
‘Yes, that would suit me fine,’ Emma told him. ‘It would give you some private time with your family and I can check the post and get in touch with the estate agent to see if there have been any viewings of the house while I’ve been away. Before we separate, would you like to come there for a meal this evening? It’s time that I offered you some hospitality for a change.’
Glenn hesitated for a second and then said, ‘That would be great, Emma, but I’m not sure what the day is going to bring with regard to my father. Can we put that on hold for the time being?’
‘Yes, of course,’ she agreed, with the feeling that maybe Glenn was relieved that their closeness of the last couple of days was being slowed down by unexpected circumstances. And she was back to her feeling of aloneness, knowing that he was the only person who could change that.
There was no mail when Emma arrived back at the house, which was not surprising considering the short time she’d been away, but a phone message from the estate agent was waiting to the effect that there had been a viewer in her absence who might be interested in her property, but instead of feeling uplifted at the thought, Emma’s feeling of being surplus to requirements gained momentum.
* * *
When Glenn arrived at the hospital two things were obvious. The first was that his father was in full control of all his faculties, and the second was his eagerness to pass on to his son the reason why he had actually fallen from the tree, which in the first instance sounded less believable than Glenn could have imagined.
‘I fell because Pusscat had taken herself high up onto one of the branches to get away from next door’s dog,’ Jonas explained, ‘and as I was reaching for her and in full control of the situation I glimpsed someone going past on the pavement across the way, carrying a large bunch of cream roses. And as I stretched myself further along the branch to get a better look, it gave way.’
‘So you didn’t see who it was, which gender?’ Glenn asked.
‘No. All I saw after that was stars as I hit the ground.’
‘Did you manage to see what this person was wearing?’
‘Only a glimpse before I lost my balance. It seemed like a long grey belted raincoat with a pull-down hat as it was raining at the time, and then I was falling.’ Jonas was nearly back to his usual self. ‘But I shall expect to be referred to as Sherlock in any future confrontations.’
‘You’re amazing,’ Glenn told him gently, ‘to risk life and limb like that for Emma’s sake.’
‘Aye, maybe,’ he replied, ‘but I didn’t find out who the cream roses were from, did I?’
‘Not yet, but it’s a lead that we can follow.’
The nurse that Glenn had spoken to on the phone was near and she said gently, ‘It is time to rest now that you have seen your son, Mr Bartlett. The doctor is on his way to see how you are this morning and we don’t want you tired or overexcited, do we?’
‘You’re not going to raise any false hopes for Emma, are you?’ was his father’s last comment as Glenn prepared to leave.
‘No, not until I have the right answer,’ Glenn replied, and added as he left, ‘And now do as the nurse says, Dad, and get some rest.’
On the way home, Glenn stopped off at the church to check if flowers had been recently placed on the grave, and sure enough they were there. But who had brought them and why was something he had yet to discover.
The wording on the gravestone referred to Emma’s mother’s maiden name, rather than her married one, which was strange. It had a sound of Jeremy about it, and meant that anyone knowing Helena from the distant past would have no knowledge that Emma was her daughter.
It was not surprising that Emma hadn’t known about her real father until Jeremy had told her the truth so brutally and she had fled Glenminster until he had tracked her down and brought her home.
On his way home Glenn called to see Emma to make sure she was all right after he had left her so abruptly to visit his father, but there was no answer when he rang the doorbell. As midday was approaching he stopped off at one of the places where they had lunched a couple of times i
n the hope that she might be there.
But it was not to be, and despite his efforts he couldn’t find her. So once he had eaten he went to report the patient’s progress to his mother, who had been having a quiet morning knowing that he would have seen his father. She was preparing to go in later for the afternoon visiting.
‘Where’s Emma?’ she wanted to know. ‘I was so sorry to have dragged you both away from the delights of Italy after such a short stay.’
‘I would have been sorry if you hadn’t,’ he told her, ‘and so would Emma. She is somewhere around but I’m not sure where. I’ve just called at her place but she wasn’t there. She stayed at my house last night as I didn’t want her going back to that dismal place of hers after Italy.’
* * *
Emma was in the town centre at the offices of the estate agent, following up the message that she’d received about an interested viewer of her house. When she got there she discovered that they had seen the house a second time that morning and had made an offer.
‘Really?’ she exclaimed. ‘I can hardly believe it.’
The estate agent explained that the house was big and well built even if it wasn’t exactly the last word in design, which had helped it to sell. He asked if she was going to accept the offer.
‘Yes, please,’ she said. The thought uppermost in her mind was that with money in the bank she would be free to go where she wanted. And if Glenn continued to keep her at a distance, she could start again somewhere new, where there was no pain or longing.
CHAPTER NINE
EMMA RANG GLENN that evening and the lift in her voice said she had good news of some sort to impart.
‘I’ve got a buyer for the house,’ she told him, and there was silence for a moment.
‘Wow!’ he exclaimed. ‘Fast work! Well done! And where are you planning to move to?’
His Christmas Bride-To-Be (Medical Romance) Page 12