Concerned that she was walking home alone, he had gone after her at the end of the evening and received the kind of reception he’d deserved. What tomorrow would bring between them at the practice he just didn’t know.
As a fitting end to an unsatisfactory evening a vision came to mind of her as a shy teenager in a bridesmaid’s dress, with eyes big and questioning but not distraught behind the posy of flowers she’d been carrying and which she had held up to her face to hide behind.
Going morosely up to bed, the last thing that would ever have occurred to him was that it was because she was the one who had cared for him and still did, not her money-loving sister.
If he had been expecting awkwardness between them the next morning, he was wrong. After some deep thinking on her part when he had disappeared into the night after her implied rebuke, Julianne had decided that the best way to cope with their closeness at the surgery, and lack of it in their relationship if it could be called that, was to stay clear of him in every other situation that occurred where they might be thrown together.
At least he was only on the fringe of her life, she had reasoned. For the last five years she hadn’t known where he was. Now she could love him from the sidelines, which was better than nothing. So when he arrived at the practice the following morning she had a smile for him that told him exactly nothing about what she was thinking, but at least there was no coldness in it.
There had been a frost again during the night, not entirely unexpected for the time of year, and as she’d driven to the practice Julianne’s composure had wilted at the thought of Christmas in Swallowbrook with the two of them together yet separate at this special time of year.
She had been brought up some miles away, but was always entranced by the magic of the Lakeland village at this time of year with the fells snow-capped and fairy lights and Christmas trees everywhere.
Knowing her friends, there would be lots of parties to look forward to, with the delightful tradition of exchanging presents, and if Aaron was only on the fringe of the festivities by his own choice, at least she would be able to see him and care about him, maybe even get a reluctant kiss from him under the mistletoe.
CHAPTER SIX
THE day progressed like most days in a busy medical centre, with the local population coming and going with their various health problems and the team of doctors and nurses at the ready to treat them.
They were a likeable lot, the staff, with Nathan as head of the practice happily married to Libby and also the loving father of Toby, whom he had been godfather to until the little boy’s parents had been lost in a ferry disaster while on holiday abroad.
There had been no close relatives to take the boy who had been rescued, and Nathan’s role in Toby’s life had changed to that of father instead of godfather because he had adopted him. Now he and Libby had a little one of their own, baby Elsey, and their lives were a blissful foursome.
The other married couple, who were also doctors, had only recently tied the knot and would not be having any children of their own because Ruby Lawrence had a faulty gene. She was a carrier of haemophilia. Ruby and Hugo had decided that kind of risk was not for them and intended either adopting or fostering at some time in the future.
Every time Julianne saw the pain in Ruby’s eyes when Libby brought their children into the surgery to see their father, or there were young ones in the building as patients, she had to admire her for the decision that she and Hugo had made never to have a child of their marriage.
Hugo had once told her that his love for his ethereal-looking wife would support them in the bad times, and a couple of children somewhere would benefit accordingly one day.
When she thought about Hugo’s and Nathan’s happy families Julianne wondered what it would be like to be part of one herself, to be loved by Aaron and cherished and protected like Libby and Ruby were. But those sorts of relationships would be for those who had no iffy track records as far as he was concerned.
* * *
Aaron had been watching Julianne during every free moment that came his way in the course of the day and wondering if he was heading for a state of mind and body that was only happy when he was at the surgery because it was the one place where Julianne could always be found.
Tomorrow would be when she did her voluntary work at the hospice in the evening, and when the management had been in touch to say that they would welcome his help on the same night as Julianne he had put to one side his doubts about the wisdom of them being there together. As they were leaving the surgery at the end of the day he said, ‘The hospice has asked me to work the same night as you. I hope you won’t find it a problem?’
‘It will only be a problem if we make it one,’ she told him, her reply giving nothing away.
‘Would you like a lift?’
‘Er, yes thanks,’ she said after a short pause. ‘It would be a relief not having to drive.’
Being near him for those few extra hours on that one night of the week would be a mixture of pleasure and pain, but Aaron wasn’t going to get to know that as he would be putting up with her on sufferance.
‘Do you have something to eat before you go?’ he asked.
She shook her head. ‘No. I wait until I have a free moment during the day and pop across to the bakery for a sandwich that I eat on the way. Shall I get one for you?’
‘Yes, that would be great if you don’t mind’ was the reply. ‘I’ll be waiting in the car park at half past six tomorrow.’ And without further discussion he went on his way.
Julianne sighed when he’d gone. Whatever awkwardness their being together at the hospice might cause, their reason for being there was the important thing, giving loving care to those who were weak and ill, whether terminally, or needing a time of quiet and peacefulness in tranquil surroundings.
* * *
The following night, after getting the food from the bakery, Julianne was waiting as arranged beside the smart black car that Aaron had bought on his return to the UK.
She had changed out of her surgery uniform and was dressed in sweater, skirt and a warm winter coat, all of which would be taken off and replaced with one of the smart check jackets and the slacks worn by the hospice staff.
Aaron came out seconds after her and as she observed him she thought how calm and controlled he was compared to the jittery half-smile she was bestowing upon him at the thought of being alone in his car with him again.
The memory of the night when they’d gone to The Falls Bistro and she’d ended up in his arms was something she wasn’t going to forget in a hurry, although this time they would be travelling through the dark winter night to respond to a different kind of need.
As the powerful car ate up the miles her glance was on his hands on the steering wheel. They were strong and capable-looking with nails neatly trimmed, and with a betrayal of the senses and all logical thought she longed for his touch.
He took his attention off the road for a second and as if he read her mind asked, ‘What are you thinking?’
‘Nothing,’ she told him with false flippancy, ‘except maybe that I’m hungry.’
‘Well, if you’ve brought the food we’ll stop at the next lay-by,’ he said, unaware that it wasn’t food that she was hungry for.
She was smiling. ‘Not only have I brought sandwiches, I’ve brought two of George’s delicious cream cakes with his compliments and the flask of coffee that he always makes for me when I’m on evening hospice duty.’
‘That sounds great,’ he said enthusiastically, and within seconds they were pulling up at the side of the road. They ate in silence as if those few brief comments about the food were all they could think of to say, and when they’d finished the cream cakes he took a tissue out of the glove compartment and said laughingly, ‘You’ve got a blob of cream on the end of your nose.’
He
leaned towards her and gently wiped it off and with their faces only inches apart it was there again, the chemistry that had propelled her into his arms like a magnet last time.
She drew back, weak with the force of it but still possessing a shred of common sense, and said, ‘Thanks for that. The last thing I would want is to arrive at the hospice with cream all over my face.’
‘No, of course you wouldn’t,’ he agreed mildly, as if the kindling of desire had been a one-sided thing, and after draining his coffee cup he set the car in motion once more.
She was acting crazily, Julianne told herself. Only moments ago she had been craving his attention, and when she’d had it she hadn’t wanted it. What Nadine did to him had been a long time ago. Surely by now Aaron should be well and truly over it? Although maybe not when he remembered her part in it.
Shuddering, she recalled his expression when he’d seen her on his first day at the practice and realised who she was. Didn’t she always get the backlash from Nadine’s selfishness?
Beside her Aaron was also doing some soul searching. So far Julianne appeared to be completely different from her sister, so why couldn’t he let the wedding that never was stay in the past where it belonged and treat her like any other attractive woman he might meet instead of being so judgemental?
The hospice was looming up in front of them, bright lights breaking up the darkness, and with the sight of it Julianne put all her doubts and uncertainties to one side. For the rest of the evening it was there her mind would be focused.
There were those inside the building, recently erected with funds given to the borough by an unknown wealthy businessman, who were there to receive the benefit of its peace and privacy for however long they might need it, and she always came away with a feeling of tranquillity that came from having been of help to them.
As they went inside it was immediately obvious that great care and attention had been paid to the decor and furnishing of the place, with all woodwork painted in a matt finish of pale gold and wall and floor areas in other sunshine colours.
Each patient had their own bedroom with en suite facilities that looked out onto smooth green lawns, and as doctor and nurse separated, Aaron to report to whoever was in charge and Julianne to go to change into the uniform that the hospice provided, the evening opened out before them.
When she reappeared ready for action it was with the satisfaction that she always felt while working there becoming doubled in the knowledge that Aaron was also ready to give his time and knowledge to the hospice.
Life could be so good if he would forgive her for what he saw as past transgressions. But would he ever do that without knowing the truth, that not only had she wanted him out of a marriage with Nadine because it would only have led to great unhappiness for him as her sister had always been a law unto herself with no thought for others, but added to that she, Julianne, had longed for him to look in her direction, but he had barely noticed she was there, having eyes only for the woman he was going to marry.
They met up briefly in the middle of the evening when Aaron came to the section where she was working to examine a patient who was being given morphine to lessen pain and had to sanction an increased dosage of the drug to keep the sick woman comfortable, with Julianne taking careful note of his instructions.
‘How’s it going?’ he asked with a smile that was entirely that of one colleague talking medicine with another, without any depth of feeling other than the importance of the task they had committed themselves to, and she thought that it ought to be enough, but it wasn’t.
Since Aaron had come to Swallowbrook life had become a thing of peaks and valleys. Before that she’d been content to exist on the level plane of making the best of what she had, accepting that maybe one day a man might come along who equalled him but never expecting that the real thing would turn up and knock her sideways.
‘It’s going fine,’ she said in reply to his question. ‘The regular staff here do all they can to make life pleasant for those in their care and are hugely successful in their efforts.’
She indicated a pale, emaciated-looking woman sitting not far away, who was watching them with bright bird-like eyes that contrasted sharply with her bodily condition and said, ‘That is Sabina. She is very sick but won’t take her medicine unless we play a CD of Spanish dance music and John the porter and one of the nurses do a tango while she is drinking the offending potion...in a wine glass.’
‘So she’s Spanish?’
‘No, but she likes that kind of music.’ With a quick change of subject she asked, ‘So how has your first evening gone down in this amazing place?’
‘Fine,’ he said easily. ‘The time has gone fast. Another hour and we’ll be done.’ He looked around him. ‘It must be some generous guy who paid for all this.’
‘We are told that his father was in the previous building that this one has replaced and although he was well cared for the benefactor felt driven to provide an even better hospice in memory of him and this is it.’
‘It’s certainly impressive,’ he agreed, and went on his way to where he was hoping that the next patient would be willing to take their medication without him having to do a tango for them, like the porter did for Sabina.
* * *
‘Will you just be doing the one night each week?’ she asked him as they drove back to Swallowbrook later.
‘I’ve been asked if I would be willing to do some Sunday work as well,’ he replied. ‘Afternoons probably, but I don’t want you to feel that I’m crowding you by working the same hours as you at the weekend as well as during the week, and have told them I will think about it.’
‘If you can do some good there I wouldn’t want you to refuse it on my account,’ she told him. ‘Feel free to do whatever suits you best.’
‘Are you sure?’
Yes, she was sure. He’d mentioned moving on to a fresh practice because of her in one of their less happy moments and with that thought hanging over her the more time she spent with him the better to remember him by.
He didn’t linger when he dropped her off outside the bakery and the invitation to come in for a coffee froze on her lips. ‘See you in the morning,’ he said, and before all his vows to keep a distance from the raven-haired enchantress who belonged more to the past than the present were scattered on the wind, he drove off into the night.
Why had he told Julianne that he might be working Sunday afternoons as well as Thursday evenings? It would have been time enough for her to find out on the day, without having the next forty-eight hours to consider the prospect.
Supposing she’d got the wrong idea, thought he’d asked for those hours especially? She would be wary of him again, just as they were beginning to melt a little towards each other.
It was true, he had been asked to work Sunday afternoons, but only for a few weeks to fill a vacant slot caused by the illness of a member of staff, unlike Julianne’s commitment, which was a regular one.
She wasn’t filling anybody’s empty place, certainly not the one beside him in his bed on the long, lonely, nights that he’d begun to accept as part of life, his life anyway.
* * *
There was a short practice meeting the following morning when all staff had been asked to be present at eight o’clock, before the surgery opened at half past. It had been arranged by Nathan mainly to officially welcome Aaron and to announce a few items of change that were about to take place in the organisation of the practice.
Although the cancer clinic close by was a separate entity, the two places worked well together and Gabriel was always ready to co-operate with the surgery during meetings about the day-to-day functions of the two important centres of health care in Swallowbrook.
Gabriel was a man of striking appearance and very much in love with his wife if the tenderness in his expression as he observed her was anything to go b
y.
But her observation of Gabriel and Laura ceased when the man who had her emotions see-sawing all the time seated himself a few feet away, after sending a brief smile in her direction. After last night’s lukewarm goodbye she wondered what confusion of feelings he had in store for her today.
She was soon to find out. After Nathan had made his speech of welcome and expressed his pleasure on observing how well Aaron had settled in amongst them, the man himself got to his feet, thanked Nathan for his kind words and then said, ‘You were not all strangers to me when I arrived here. Nathan and I had already met in Africa and Julianne Marshall and I are acquainted from way back through a relative of hers and are getting to know each other all over again.’
As the heat of embarrassment stained her cheeks she managed a weak smile and wished herself far away. Why had Aaron said that? Was he wary of someone finding out that they hadn’t been strangers on meeting here in Swallowbrook, and did it matter if they did?
She supposed she ought to be grateful that he hadn’t embellished the announcement with the circumstances of their previous acquaintance, yet he was hardly going to do that, was he, allow those who knew nothing of it to become aware of his humiliation on a certain day?
It had to be that he’d mentioned it merely as just something to say without consulting her first and there were a few surprised expressions on the faces of those present.
Not on Nathan’s, though. His mind was on what he was about to say next and the effect it might have on those involved. ‘Some of you may remember that not long ago I mentioned a new arrangement with regard to staffing,’ he said, addressing everyone.
‘A kind of team arrangement where each of we doctors works with one of the nurses as a pair, except for emergencies,’ he explained. ‘Such as Helena and myself, Hugo with Gina, who is going to increase her hours to match his, and Julianne with Aaron, who I have discussed it with previously and who, he tells us, are already acquainted.’
With a smile in Ruby’s direction he told her, ‘We are shortly to employ another nurse, who will work with you, Ruby, until such time that you decide whether or not you want full-time employment, part-time, or to do as Libby has done.
Swallowbrook's Wedding of the Year (The Doctors of Swallowbrook Farm) Page 8