200 Harley Street: The Enigmatic Surgeon

by Annie Claydon

  Hitting the floor at a run, Charlotte sped into his bedroom. The curtains were drawn back, the room was bathed in sunshine, and the bed was neatly made. Then she heard a noise from downstairs: Isaac’s laughter, threaded through with Edward’s quiet, rich chuckle.

  Stupid. There was nothing wrong, no need to be this jumpy. All the same, she crept downstairs, just to check on them.

  They were so involved with what they were doing that they didn’t see her. Isaac was sitting on the edge of the sofa, next to Edward, with the coffee table pulled up in front of him so he could reach the keyboard of Edward’s laptop. Edward, leaning back on the sofa, was concentrating hard on the screen.

  ‘Way to go, partner!’ Edward’s face lit up and Isaac threw his arms up above his head, bouncing up and down on the cushions. Edward leaned forward, hitting a key. ‘Do you want to try the next one?’

  ‘That’s all my teacher told me to do...’ Isaac turned to him.

  ‘Well, we don’t need to do exactly what she says.’ Edward shot him a look that mirrored the mischief on Isaac’s face. ‘You don’t have to stop unless you want to. You’re pretty good at this.’

  ‘Okay...’ Isaac giggled ‘...partner.’

  Edward chuckled and pressed another key. It looked as if the two of them were fine without her for a while, and Charlotte could take her time in the shower.

  When she got back downstairs, showered, dressed and feeling better than she had for weeks after a good night’s sleep, she smelled coffee. The patio doors were open, and Isaac’s voice drifted in from the garden.

  ‘Is that a fresh pot of coffee I smell...?’ She followed the aroma into the kitchen and found Edward there.

  ‘Yep. Want some toast?’

  ‘You are a wonderful man.’

  He looked over his shoulder, shooting her a rakish half-smile. ‘If I’d known that it just took a pot of coffee and some toast...’

  ‘And a good night’s sleep. Where’s my alarm clock?’

  He nodded at the clock, sitting innocently on the kitchen table. ‘I happened to wake up early. I heard Isaac rambling around, and I sent him into your room to get it. I reckoned you could do with a bit of a lie-in.’

  ‘Oh, so you’ve been enlisting my son in your machinations, have you?’

  ‘Yep. He seemed to think it was a good idea, too. And I reckoned that if you did wake up, then you’d probably be a little happier to find Isaac creeping into your room.’

  A good deal more relaxed, maybe. Happier...? That would depend on what Edward was there for. Charlotte dismissed the thought, and with it her fantasies of waking up to find Edward there.

  ‘Has he had breakfast?’

  ‘Yep. I told him that I’d be in trouble with you if we didn’t keep to the straight and narrow, and he took me through the procedure step by step. Cleaned his teeth, had a wash, showed me where his clean clothes were. Do you always let him have chocolate biscuits for breakfast?’

  ‘No!’ Charlotte supposed it couldn’t hurt just for today.

  Edward chuckled. ‘Gotcha. We had toast with peanut butter, and banana smoothies. Then we did some number games on the internet.’

  So that’s what they’d been up to. ‘Isaac’s homework?’

  ‘Yes. He showed me the sheet that his teacher had given him. I found a game on the internet that made it a little bit more fun.’

  ‘Thanks.’ That feeling of dread she had when Edward did anything either for her or Isaac had almost completely disappeared now. Maybe because Edward so clearly enjoyed playing with Isaac.

  ‘No trouble.’ He buttered the toast and set it down in front of her, adding a jar of marmalade and one of apricot jam. Then coffee, hot and aromatic, with a dash of milk. Just one cup.

  ‘I’ve got to go out...’

  He was searching for his car keys and Charlotte pointed to the hook under the kitchen cabinet, where they were supposed to be.

  ‘Right. Thanks. I’ll be back shortly.’

  ‘Shortly’ could mean practically anything with Edward, and generally did. Charlotte opened her mouth to ask whether he’d be home for lunch, but he was already gone.

  He returned an hour later, and appeared in the doorway between the hall and the living room carrying a long, thin parcel. He dumped it on the coffee table and sat down next to Charlotte on the sofa with an air of anticipation.

  ‘What’s that you’re reading?’ He craned over her shoulder, and Charlotte hugged the library book to her chest.

  ‘Nothing... What’s that you’ve got there?’

  ‘Hmm...nothing.’

  Another moment of quiet, and Charlotte returned to her book.

  ‘Looks interesting. I haven’t been there for ages.’

  He was reading over her shoulder again, and Charlotte snapped the book shut.

  ‘It’s the summer holidays soon, and I thought I’d take Isaac out on a few daytrips. This book’s got some really great ideas.’ It seemed that—for the moment anyway—the plan that they should just get on with their lives without disturbing each other too much had gone by the board.

  He grinned. ‘The Natural History Museum’s great for kids.’

  ‘And for adults.’ Charlotte had been looking for places which would interest her and Isaac—something that they could share—as well as a few fun places where he could work off his energy.

  ‘And the Science Museum’s just down the road, of course. There are some wonderful things there.’

  ‘Yes.’ He was going to be volunteering to come along any minute now, and the thought of Edward and Isaac together in the Science Museum sounded far too much like hard work. ‘So what’s in the parcel, then?’

  ‘Ah! Thought you’d never ask.’

  ‘So did I. Looks as if you’ve worn me down.’ She grinned at him and he was suddenly seized with motion, grasping the parcel and tearing the wrappings from it.

  ‘What do you think?’

  ‘It’s a...’ Isaac had run in from the garden and nosed his way in between them. ‘What is it?’

  ‘Here—see?’ Edward pointed to the picture on the label. ‘It’s a kite.’

  It wasn’t just any old kite, but then Charlotte doubted that Edward would be much interested in anything that didn’t have a complex structure of cords and an unlikely shape. He began to unwrap the collection of disassembled struts and sails, fishing out a small booklet.

  Isaac watched open-mouthed and confused, looking to his mother for an explanation. ‘Edward has to put all of those pieces together, sweetie, before it’ll fly.’

  ‘Yeah, shouldn’t take long.’ Edward was already laying the pieces out on the coffee table. ‘Then we can go and fly it, eh, buddy?’

  Charlotte left them to it and went to make drinks for them both. When she returned, Edward had already snapped into the fearsome concentration with which he approached almost any task, leaving Isaac shifting restlessly from one foot to the other. Charlotte placed his coffee on the table and he nodded absently.

  ‘Thanks... Don’t touch those, Isaac, I’ve put them all out in order.’

  Isaac’s hand shot away from the metal strut as if it had suddenly become red hot, and he hid it behind his back.

  ‘Come here, sweetie.’ Charlotte motioned her son towards her and put her arms around him. ‘We’ll just watch, shall we?’

  Isaac nodded, obviously wishing that he could be a part of the construction project, craning to see what was happening. Edward seemed almost oblivious to the two of them, quickly selecting the pieces he wanted and deftly fitting them together.

  They watched in silence. ‘Look, sweetie, it’s almost ready...’ The structure was recognisable as a kite now, and Edward was attaching twine to the steering loops at each side.

  Isaac nodded. But as Edward had worked she’d felt the excit
ement ebb out of her son’s body, and now he was leaning against her legs with an air of boredom, his eyes on the television.

  ‘Is it time for my programme, Mum?’

  ‘Which programme, Isaac?’

  ‘You know. Eddie and the Magic Fish.’

  ‘Don’t you want to wait until the kite’s finished?’

  ‘I want to see my programme.’

  She saw the hurt in Edward’s eyes. ‘Okay. Come upstairs. You can see it there.’

  There was a television in the guest bedroom, and perhaps it was best to let Isaac watch TV while Edward finished the kite. When they got to the point of flying it—and she was sure that Edward wouldn’t be able to wait to try out the magnificent creation—Isaac’s interest would be rekindled and everyone would be happy.

  She left Isaac sprawled on her bed, clutching Stinky, captivated for the moment by the adventures of the Magic Fish. When she went back downstairs, the sitting room was empty. Charlotte could see Edward in the garden, ranging restlessly along the far end of the lawn, kicking at the inconsistencies in the smooth line between grass and flowerbeds.

  Perhaps he needed to be left alone for a while, with his thoughts. He’d work it out; the mathematics weren’t all that difficult. Isaac was five, and there were times when Edward’s focussed ardour for the task in hand simply left him behind.

  But there were elements to this equation that intellect, even one as all-consuming as Edward’s, couldn’t grasp. Twisting her mouth, and in defiance of all that was logical, Charlotte slipped through the open French windows and walked across the grass towards him.

  He was lost in his thoughts, seeming not to notice her. ‘Given up, then?’ She might as well start with a challenge, if that was the way she meant to go on.

  ‘The kite’s finished.’

  ‘Yes, I saw that.’

  He turned to her, giving her a speculative look, as if he was trying to weigh the situation up. ‘He didn’t like the kite. That’s okay. Isaac’s free to have his own likes and dislikes...’

  ‘Edward, did you ever go to school?’

  He blinked at her, struggling to make the connection. ‘As it happens, no. By the time I was five I’d already got a handle on calculus and my parents had me tutored at home.’

  There was a note of sadness in his voice.

  ‘That must have been lonely.’

  He shrugged. ‘I don’t have anything to compare it with.’

  ‘When everything’s fine, you don’t need anything to compare it with.’

  There was something dull in his eyes as he focussed on her. ‘You’re saying I don’t play well with others.’ One hand clenched into a fist. ‘That’s not exactly an original thought.’

  He just wasn’t listening to her. It was as if it had been drilled into Edward that being clever meant that you didn’t have a heart. ‘Maybe it’s just a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you believe it’s true, then ultimately it is.’

  He glared at her. ‘And you have a better idea?’

  He turned, as if the conversation was now at an end. He was used to having the last word. Used to being right.

  ‘Don’t be so arrogant...’ Even before he turned back she knew that she’d missed the mark by about a mile. Edward might look and sound arrogant, but somewhere beneath that there was a lonely child.

  ‘I am what I am, Charlotte. If you want to think that’s arrogant, then go right ahead.’

  All of his defences were up now. The aloof, unsmiling man, whom no one seemed to be able to get close to, was turning away from her again.

  She did the unthinkable. Marched straight up to him and grabbed his arm, pulling him around to face her. ‘You don’t fool me, Edward. I’ve seen you with Isaac. I saw you with Mercy the other day.’

  Something behind his eyes ignited. Dark blue ice turning to sparkling heat. There was more than enough emotion here. It was just a matter of whether she could deal with it. Whether Edward could deal with it, without ducking back into the comfort of his books.

  ‘Mercy opened up to you, not me.’

  ‘Edward! Sometimes I want to shake some sense into you...!’

  The provocative twitch of his lips told her that she could go right ahead, if that was her inclination, and she resisted the urge.

  ‘What on earth happened to you when you were a child?’

  ‘You think I was a poor little bright boy, with his nose in a book and no friends? It wasn’t like that.’ He pursed his lips. ‘Not quite like that, anyway.’

  ‘What was it like, then?’

  ‘I was different. By the time I was ten I could keep up with a university undergraduate on an intellectual level. On a social level, I wasn’t quite ready for women, all-night parties and beer-drinking contests. It was difficult to find my own space.’

  ‘You felt out of step, you mean? Your emotions and theirs?’

  He looked at her gravely. Then suddenly he smiled. ‘Most people assume I don’t have any emotions.’

  His look taunted her. Dared her to tell him different.

  ‘That’s not true, though, is it?’ She dared him back.

  ‘I don’t think so.’

  The dare turned dangerous all of a sudden. He was waiting for her to kiss him. Charlotte baulked at that one.

  ‘Look, Edward, I know that you’re used to being better and faster at everything than everyone else, and that it’s a lot easier to do things by yourself. But if you want Isaac to be interested in what you’re doing then you have to slow down a bit and do things at his pace.’

  He hesitated. ‘I’m...not very good at that. As you can see.’

  ‘No one’s born good at things like that—you have to learn. You’re supposed to be a genius. Can’t you learn? Or don’t you want to learn?’

  ‘I want to.’ The admission was a little stiff, and left Edward nonplussed for a moment. ‘Why don’t you go and tell Isaac...?’

  She glared at him and he grinned.

  ‘Why don’t I go and tell him myself?’

  ‘Good idea.’

  ‘Right.’ He clapped his hands together, as if he was about to embark on one of the most complex experiments of his life. ‘Do you think he’d like his own kite? One that’s more his size, perhaps?’

  Charlotte almost told him no, that Isaac didn’t need a kite. But she knew he’d want one, and Edward needed this.

  ‘I think he’d love that. Go and ask him.’

  * * *

  Edward didn’t deal in half-measures. The shop he took them to sold nothing but kites, and on a bright late summer’s morning, was full of people. He led Isaac straight to a selection of different coloured children’s kites, and the two of them became immediately absorbed in sorting through them. Charlotte decided to leave them to it.

  ‘I’m just going to pop to the chemist, to buy some soap. I won’t be long. Stay here with Edward, won’t you, Isaac?’ She nudged his shoulder with her hand.

  Isaac ignored her in favour of the kites, and Edward looked up at her. He seemed to know how hard it always was for her to leave Isaac, even for a few minutes, and he took hold of the boy’s hand as a gesture of intent.

  ‘I won’t let him out of my sight. Go and do your shopping.’

  She decided to take her time, to give Edward and Isaac a chance to buy the kite by themselves. There were some nice apples on display outside the greengrocer’s and she stopped to buy three, to go with the packed lunch in the boot of the car.

  In the chemist’s she ran her finger along the lines of jars and bottles which were beyond her purchasing power, now.

  Her old soap, the one she’d used to buy before she’d begun to make all her decisions on the basis of price, was there. Something from her old life, when she hadn’t needed to question every word, every action, every penny that she
spent. She so wanted that back.

  Charlotte picked it up, hesitated, put it back on the shelf, then picked it up again.

  It wouldn’t matter if she had something that she wanted for once. The soap smelled nice and felt creamy on her skin, and it wasn’t so very much more expensive than the more economical brands. As luxuries went, this wasn’t so very ostentatious.

  ‘Come on, Mum...’ Isaac broke into the debate, tugging at her arm.

  She looked round to see Edward, with a firm hold on Isaac’s other hand to prevent any possible escape.

  ‘Okay, just a minute. Did you get your kite?’ It was clear that he had, Edward was holding a large plastic bag.

  ‘Yes, do you want to see?’

  ‘Mmm. Yes, please.’

  Isaac grinned up at Edward, who delivered the bag into his grasp. Inside was a small blue kite with a blue and silver tail.

  ‘Oh, that’s so pretty!’ She drew the kite out to examine its tail. ‘Those sparkly bits are going to shine in the sun when you fly it.’

  Isaac nodded, carefully showing her everything. There was a ball of twine, mounted on a reel, to protect Isaac’s hands from any friction. ‘You tie it on there—see?’ Isaac indicated the reinforced eyelets on the kite. ‘With a special knot.’

  Charlotte nodded, impressed. ‘A special knot, eh?’

  ‘Yes. Edward’s going to show me how,’ Isaac responded proudly.

  Her little boy was growing up. It was almost a surprise to find that she didn’t mind that Isaac wanted Edward to help him tie the knots on his precious kite, when it felt only a blink of time since her son had looked to her for everything.

  ‘That’s great. Make sure you watch what he does carefully.’

  ‘Can we go, Mum?’ Isaac was impatient again, jigging up and down on the spot.

  ‘Yes, let me get my soap and we’ll be off.’ Charlotte looked up to see Edward, in a world of his own, working his way along the shelf and inspecting the ingredients lists printed on all the soap wrappers. ‘Edward?’

  He jolted back into the here and now. ‘Ah. Yes.’ He focussed on the soap in her hand and took a matching bar from the shelf. ‘That one smells nice.’