She was on the beach, as he’d guessed she would be, seated on a rock, watching the tide come in as she’d done a thousand times before, and when he said her name she turned slowly to face him without speaking.
‘The service was lovely,’ he said in a low voice, ‘and so were you. The costumes were just right for the occasion, though I see that you’ve changed out of yours already. Why?’
‘I smelt of fish, cod to be precise, but I’m pleased that the service made sense to you,’ she replied flatly.
‘Of course it did!’ he exclaimed. ‘Why shouldn’t it have? It was very moving, and when I saw your mother making her way slowly up those steps I was amazed that she’d found the strength to do it.’
She nodded. ‘I didn’t know she was going to do that, but the organisers had asked her to and Mum can’t resist a challenge. She went straight to bed when she got home, though. I helped her get settled and Dad is with her now.’
‘I think I should call and take a look at her just to make sure she hasn’t overdone it,’ he suggested. ‘Are you coming?’
‘I’ll follow on. I’m sure you don’t need me around.’
Not much! he thought as she went on to say, ‘Your giving me the cold shoulder is because I offered to sleep with you, isn’t it? Don’t you see that it was because I care about you?’
‘You mean you’re sorry for me because I’ve got a cut on my chest and I made an error of judgement in my choice of a fiancée?’
‘Yes, if that’s what you want to think. But maybe you’ve become reconciled.’
‘Reconciled!’ he hooted. ‘Of course we haven’t. Wherever did you get that idea from?’
‘I saw you with her on the day that I took Mum and Lucy shopping. You were on the point of going into the hospital together.’
‘Yes, and you came to the wrong conclusion. Philippa was over for a family wedding and had gone to Hunters Hill to look up old acquaintances, and I’d gone to pick up some clothes that I’d left there. Our grand reunion lasted just five minutes.’
‘I see,’ she said, with a lift to her voice at the explanation for one of the things that had been bugging her, and as for the other, if Lucas was insisting that it was he who would take the initiative in moving on their relationship, or otherwise, she would at least be aware of the true state of his feelings when it happened, if it ever did, and instead of leaving him to go up to the house alone she fell into step beside him.
Her mother was asleep and looked frail but peaceful as they stood looking down at her, and Jenna said tonelessly, ‘There is more to come, isn’t there, Lucas? We can’t sit back and relax with regard to Mum’s health problems.’
‘No, you can’t, I’m afraid,’ he replied. ‘When she gets a little stronger we might try angioplasty to improve the heart muscle, but it will have to be done soon, and as for the arthritis treatment she’s on, it can’t be bettered. Just live one day at a time, Jenna, and count your blessings.’
He put a finger under her chin and lifting her face to his said, ‘You know where to find me if you need me. I won’t ever be far away, and now I’m going to say goodnight to your father and then call it a day.’
‘I won’t ever be far away,’ Lucas had said, and as Jenna lay sleepless in her room with the familiar sound of the sea in her ears, she was hugging the thought to her. There was joy in it, comfort, and a feeling of promise that was making her uncertainties seem foolish.
As September progressed, with its summer days and darker nights and fruit ready for picking on the trees, it was time for the harvest of the land to be gathered in by the farmers around Bluebell Cove.
The mantle of autumn had fallen upon the village, with the trees shaking off their leaves into carpets of gold and bronze, blackberries glistening on wayside bushes, and the elusive wind berries lying low in dark abundance beside the gorse.
At the biggest farm in the area there was always a celebratory ball when the harvesting was done, and an invitation was always sent to the surgery. It was an occasion that no one liked to miss as good food was always on offer and barrels of Devon cider were on hand to quench thirst.
The owner of Wheatlands Farm was Jack Enderby, and his father George was one of Lucas’s patients at his heart clinic. When the invitations were being sent out, the old man asked that one should be sent to his doctor.
‘It’s the guy who got stabbed by the relative of a patient,’ he told Jack, ‘and he’s moved out here to get away from it all for a while.’
His son was suitably impressed but commented that he would be included in the general invitation to everyone at the surgery, wouldn’t he?
‘Nay, he’s a separate item,’ his father said, and so consequently Lucas came to the nurses’ room one morning to ask if Jenna knew anything about the invitation he’d received.
‘I know where it has come from,’ she told him. ‘The Enderbys have a very large farm and have a ball with a band and all the trimmings when the harvest is in. It’s evening dress as it is a very upmarket occasion.
‘They always send an invitation to the surgery, but for some reason they’ve sent yours separately. It’s perhaps because George Enderby, father of the guy who owns the place, is one of your patients. So are you going to accept?’
If he said no it would ruin her night as the dark brooding look was there again, but his reply was reassuring. ‘Of course, if you’ll be my partner.’ And as an afterthought added, ‘That is, if you aren’t already spoken for.’
She could have told him that she might have been ‘spoken for’ quite easily, as she’d refused three invitations from very presentable members of the community, but why bother? He was the one she wanted to be with, so she told him casually, ‘No. I’m free.’
‘Good.’ He gazed down at the invitation in his hand. ‘The last time I went out socially was with Philippa. It was the night we split up after I’d given her her marching orders.’ He smiled a mirthless smile. ‘She never did like being put in her place.’ And, as if that was the end of that, he went on, ‘I see that the ball is this coming Saturday so I’ll pick you up around eightish, if that’s all right?’
‘Yes, that will be fine,’ she agreed, and off he went, leaving her to wonder once again just how deep his hurts went.
Lucy had appeared at that moment and when he’d gone she said, ‘Am I right in thinking that love is in the air?’
Jenna sighed. ‘Frustration maybe, or indecision, but I’m not sure about love.’
‘You mean because Lucas isn’t chasing you?’ the elderly nurse questioned dryly.
‘Yes, I suppose that’s what I mean,’ she said dejectedly. ‘He will have asked me to go with him because it’s convenient. He knows me, knows I’m not in any kind of a relationship, because I’m so attracted to him, so he probably thinks I’ll fill the gap nicely.’
‘Has it occurred to you that you might be wrong about that?’ Lucy questioned. ‘Lucas Devereux is a man of principle. It could be that he doesn’t want you to think he’s on the rebound and out to take advantage of you.
‘Did you know that he’s refused to press charges against the man who almost killed him? In my book that is forgiveness beyond belief. So think about it, my dear.’
‘Yes, I will,’ she said slowly. She would think long and hard.
Life at the practice was carrying on as normal, with Leo Fenchurch settling in with breezy confidence, Ethan giving no sign of the heartache that the thought of divorce was bringing, and Lucas available if needed, but otherwise taking just the two heart clinics while he recharged his batteries.
Amongst the nursing staff normality was mixed with Maria having a teenage crush on Dr. Fenchurch, Lucy talking about retiring, and Jenna on an emotional see-saw every time she was near Lucas. His promise not to be far away from her all the time was the upside of it, but would he ever say the words she longed to hear?
He had performed balloon angioplasty on her mother’s heart to increase the flow of blood through a narrowed valve and there was an imp
rovement in her condition. ‘It might have to be done again in a year or so,’ he’d told Barbara, ‘but that would be no problem.’
‘I consider myself very fortunate that you have my interests at heart, Dr Devereux,’ Barbara had told him in her precise way when she’d been discharged from hospital after the treatment, and taking him by surprise had questioned, ‘Does the same apply to my daughter? Do you have her interests at heart? If you have, I will die happy.’
He’d smiled. ‘Whether I have or not, you are not going to die yet, Dr Balfour. I wouldn’t have said that a few weeks ago but you are reacting well to the angioplasty.’
Jenna had appeared at that moment and the conversation had hung in the air, giving her the feeling of being talked about, and if that was the case her mother and Lucas hadn’t seemed inclined to tell her what it was about.
After the staid outfit she’d worn for the Harvest of the Sea she was determined that her dress for the ball at Wheatlands Farm was going to make up for it. The colours she looked best in were cream, blue, some shades of green, and black, and black it was going to be.
The magazine of Hunters Hill Hospital was still in the glove compartment of the sports car, and even though Lucas had been emphatic that it was all over between the flame-haired woman and himself, Jenna felt inadequate every time she observed the other woman’s elegance.
The little black number she’d picked up in Italy would be just the thing to impress him if that was what he was used to, and it would give her the confidence she needed to be Lucas’s partner.
On the night of the ball her mother stayed up later than usual so that she could see her set off with him, and when Jenna came downstairs, looking beautiful and sophisticated, she took her father’s breath away, and her mother nodded her approval.
The dress was long with a sweeping skirt that had diamanté along the hemline. It was clinging, strapless with a low-cut bodice. The most sophisticated thing she’d ever bought.
She’d swept her hair up in a long golden swathe that was held in position with a jewelled comb, and when Lucas pulled up on the drive in the black Mercedes that was his choice of transport she went to let him in with eyes bright with anticipation.
He was in evening dress and looked cool and unruffled as he presented her with a corsage of white roses. ‘I didn’t know what you’d be wearing,’ he said, ‘so white seemed to be the safest choice.’
‘They’re lovely,’ she breathed.
‘And so are you,’ he said in a low voice, and went on, as his glance took in the dress, ‘Is there going to be anywhere you can fasten the corsage? There isn’t much fabric around your shoulders. How about wearing it at your waist?’
‘Or in my hair. I’ll go and fix it. Mum and Dad are in the sitting room if you want a word.’
‘Yes, sure,’ he agreed, and looking tall, trim, every inch a man who was rising above pain and betrayal and keeping his own integrity, he went to find them.
He hadn’t exactly been bursting with admiration when he’d seen her outfit, Jenna thought. All right, he’d said she was beautiful, but the only comment he’d made about her dress had been the lack of it around her neck and shoulders, so when they were driving between the hedgerows to the Enderbys’ farm she asked casually, ‘Do you like my dress?’
He took his glance off the road for a second, observed her expression, and replied, ‘Yes, of course. It’s just that I’m used to seeing you in sunshine colours, blues, greens and gold. Philippa used to wear a lot of…’
‘Black?’
‘Yes.’
‘And?’
He was smiling. ‘And nothing. She lacked your radiance that lights up even the darkest of colours.’
She wasn’t feeling very radiant after that conversation, Jenna thought.
Why had she been so stupid as to try to copy the seductive stance that Philippa’s body line had conveyed when she’d seen them outside the hospital, and also in the magazine, which was beginning to appear well fingered?
‘I suppose you’d rather see me in something like the outfit I wore that night in the fish sheds,’ she said.
He pulled over to the side of the road and turned towards her. ‘Jenna,’ he said softly, ‘I told you that you were beautiful when I arrived, and meant it, but obviously you feel that I’m not playing the part you have mapped out for me. If it is still rankling because I didn’t take you up on your offer to sleep with me, it was because I once went into a relationship with eyes wide open, yet was too blind to see what was in front of me.’
‘Maybe this will go a little way towards making up for what I said that night.’ Her eyes widened as he reached across and kissed her long and lingeringly until she was limp and gasping from the kind of sexual chemistry that previously she’d only dreamt about.
When he moved away and eased himself back behind the steering-wheel, she sat without speaking and remained like that until Lucas pulled onto the parking area at the farm, which was already full of cars, and turned towards her once more. But this time it was to say, ‘Am I forgiven, or have I made things worse?’
She was smiling, and he thought how lovely she was in spite of the overly sophisticated dress. He would probably be the only man there who thought it was. But to him Jenna was like a cleansing spirit who was wiping away the hurts that had come his way and she was right, he did prefer the straw hat and the rest of her sea queen outfit, no matter how ridiculous that might seem.
The farmhouse was huge, the barns and other outbuildings in immaculate condition. The whole place spoke of wealth and expertise, but there was no indication of that in the friendliness with which the Enderbys were greeting their guests. They were obviously well pleased that once again they were holding the ball that celebrated the gathering in of the harvest.
There were lanterns hanging from the trees in the garden and beneath them was a bar and chairs and tables, and inside the huge room where the dancing was to take place there was another bar and more lanterns.
When Jenna and Lucas appeared, George Enderby came across the room to shake them by the hand, and then one after the other asked about her mother and welcomed to the village the newcomer who was her partner for the evening.
Ronnie the lifeguard was there with his family, and young Maria was watching the door to see if Leo, the new doctor, was going to appear, but Jenna thought sympathetically she might be in for a disappointment as they’d seen him driving in the opposite direction on their way to the ball.
She had recovered from the disappointment of Lucas not being impressed with her dress. His explanation had soothed her wounded pride. And that kiss!
She’d wanted it to go on for ever, even though he’d given no indication of anything changing permanently between them, but the night was young and so was she. She was here to enjoy herself with the man of her dreams.
It was like coming home after a long journey, Lucas was thinking, and all because of the woman by his side. She was the reason why he wasn’t rushing to go back to the cut and thrust of the big hospital. He would have to eventually, of course, he owed it to his calling, but magical evenings like this with Jenna were too precious to pass by, just as afternoons spent with her in his heart clinic were equally special.
The weather that sometimes changed with the tides was being kind. It was a mellow autumn evening with a veritable banquet waiting to be eaten in the interval when the dancing stopped, and most of it came from the fields and livestock of the farm.
Midnight had been and gone. Dawn was breaking when revellers began to drift away and the band began to pack up their instruments, and shortly afterwards Jenna and Lucas said their goodbyes to the Enderbys and drove out into the silence of the early morning.
They had to pass The Old Chart House before reaching the headland, and she waited to see if Lucas would suggest they stop off there, but he drove straight past and when they were clear of it said, ‘Why don’t we go down to the beach and swim in the dawn? We can get changed behind the rocks.’
She
was observing him in amazement. ‘I haven’t got a costume.’
‘We’ll be parking near Four Winds,’ he said, unperturbed. ‘Can’t you creep in and change into one without disturbing your parents?’
‘Er, yes, I suppose I could.’ She was warming to the idea with every second. ‘What about you, though?’
‘I’ve got some swimming trunks in the boot that I carry around just in case I see those snowy white breakers and am tempted.’
By the time she’d gone into the house and changed into the bikini that she’d been wearing the first time she’d seen him, Lucas had changed in the car and was waiting for her to appear.
They had it all to themselves, the sea, the sand and the pearly dawn making a perfect ending to a wonderful night. And as they frolicked and laughed as each wave hit them Jenna’s mind wasn’t on the dangerous rip tides that even many experienced swimmers found themselves helpless against, challenging them to get back to dry land and safety.
But she was reminded of them when she felt the frightening pull beneath her and cried out in alarm. Lucas was bobbing beside her in a matter of seconds and they fought the rip tide together, his strength mainly responsible for pulling them away from the current to safer water. Seconds later they collapsed onto the sand and as they did so she burst into tears.
‘Don’t cry,’ he said, putting his arms around her. ‘It’s all right, Jenna, you’re safe.’
‘Yes, I know,’ she wailed, ‘but I’ve been swimming on this beach all my life and I’ve seen what a rip tide can do. You are a stranger to it and could have drowned because of me.’
‘But I didn’t and neither did you,’ he consoled. ‘And you’re shivering.’
He went and brought a beach towel from the car and wrapping it round her said, ‘Slip your costume off beneath the towel and dry yourself a bit. Then I’m going to take you for a hot drink.’
Wedding Bells for the Village Nurse Page 9