A Wedding in the Village Page 5

  ‘What do you want to know?’

  ‘What makes you tick.’

  You do, she was tempted to say, but was pretty sure that wasn’t what he meant.

  ‘My job. I love it. Maybe because I’ve always been on the fringe of health care with both my parents being doctors. There was a time when I would have liked to make ballet my career, but medicine had a stronger pull.

  ‘My friend, Jenny, who I’m going to see perform on Saturday night, was in the same ballet class as I was here in the village, but she’s taken it further and now it’s her full-time occupation.’

  He nodded. ‘I’d imagined that you’d had some sort of dance training from the way you move.’

  ‘The way I move?’

  ‘Mmm. There’s a sort of fluid grace about your movements.’

  ‘I suppose that ballet does do that for a person. Although I wasn’t aware of it in my case,’ she said as her heartbeat quickened. It was a compliment of sorts and she would treasure it. ‘Is there anything else you want to know?’

  ‘Are you in any kind of a serious relationship?’ The question was a bit presumptuous and he thought it would serve him right if she told him to mind his own business. He watched her colour rise but the expected snub didn’t come.

  ‘No. Why do you ask?’ Her tone was cool but not offended.

  ‘Just that if you are, we might at some future date have to consider our positions.’

  It was a weak excuse he was using for asking her, but it had put his mind at rest on one thing. He wasn’t going to have to watch her with someone else. Yet what about Andy Warhurst, who was taking her to the ballet? God forbid! But he couldn’t bring that up again. It would seem as if he doubted her word.

  ‘And what about you?’ she retaliated. ‘The same applies if you should want to settle down with someone, and I do think that these sorts of questions are a bit premature, it being only our second day of working together.’

  He ignored the last part of the sentence and said flatly, ‘I’ve already been there and it was the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life. I showed complete lack of judgement and suppose I deserved all I got.’

  ‘Do you want to tell me about it?’

  ‘Not particularly, but I feel that maybe I should. So that you know where I’m coming from. Have you heard of Alexis Duncan, a surgeon who specialises in ear, nose and throat surgery?’

  ‘Er, yes, of course. Who hasn’t?’

  ‘I was married to her for just a year before I filed for divorce.’

  ‘I see.’

  ‘I don’t think you do,’ he said sombrely, ‘but I’d rather not discuss it further if you don’t mind. Except to say that one can experience hell on earth if one is unfortunate enough.’

  She could feel his hurt like a tangible thing, and there was raw pain mixed in with it that she would have expected to have lessened by now.

  It was true that Alexis Duncan was someone she’d heard of but she’d never met her. Clever, very attractive and going places was how someone had once described her, and she wondered what it was that had made Luke file for divorce.

  From what she’d seen of him since they’d met up again, he was no dunce himself. They must have been a striking couple on the outside, but something on the inside couldn’t have been right.

  Oliver and Owen appeared to say goodnight at that moment, so it brought an end to the strange conversation they’d been having, and as she looked at the man, and the boys who were going to be relying on him so much in weeks to come, Megan felt tears prick. Had anyone been there for Luke in the dark days of his divorce? she wondered. Probably not. But she’d only heard his side of the story.

  When it was time to go he came out into the drive with her and as they stood uncertainly in the velvet darkness he said, ‘We must do this again. Yes?’

  ‘Yes. Why not?’ she replied, but her voice lacked conviction and he thought he knew why. He’d brought the baggage of a failed marriage with him. It wasn’t surprising if Megan wasn’t impressed with that.

  Her thoughts were running on similar lines as she drove home. Luke had mentioned his divorce before but only briefly, whereas tonight he had brought it out into the open, and she’d felt that the fact of it had tarnished the image she’d always had of him.

  One thing she knew. She was going to find out more about Alexis Duncan, the woman he’d married. She had to see for herself what she was up against.

  * * *

  After those first few days of unease the rest of Luke’s first week at the practice passed uneventfully, with staff and patients weighing up the new doctor and not finding him wanting.

  If his home life was hectic he kept the fact to himself. He’d had a long conversation with Ned, who was in charge of the garden center, and had discovered that he knew every plant in the book, was reliable and trustworthy, but had no flair for figures. So he, Luke, was going to be burning some midnight oil regarding the garden centre until Sue came home.

  He was half regretting agreeing to go to Manchester with the boys on the coming Saturday. Ned had impressed on him that Saturdays and Sundays were the busiest days in the garden centre and he felt that he should be out there giving a hand and keeping his eye on things.

  But a promise was a promise and there was no way he was going to disappoint Owen and Oliver. They needed to feel they could rely on him and so far there had been no hitches.

  On Friday afternoon Elise Edwards turned up at the antenatal clinic that Megan and one of the practice nurses ran each week, and as the young doctor flashed her a smile she rolled her eyes heavenwards and said, ‘I still can’t believe it, becoming parents again. Jim is over the moon, but the girls aren’t exactly jumping for joy.’

  ‘They will be when the baby arrives,’ Megan said consolingly. ‘They won’t be able to resist him or her.’

  ‘I hope you’re right,’ Elise said with a sigh. ‘Sophie had the cheek to say, “Just supposing one of us was pregnant at the same time. How embarrassing can it get?”’

  ‘What did you say to that?’

  ‘That at sixteen she had better not be, and she was quick to assure me that she wasn’t.’

  ‘How far on do you think you are?’ Megan asked.

  ‘Two months. I’d just missed my second period when I came the other day.’

  ‘Any nausea or tender breasts?’

  ‘No sickness, but I have got some tenderness and I feel tired all the time.’

  ‘That will be your body gearing itself up for the big job ahead of it during the coming months. It will adjust once the pregnancy really gets under way, and in the meantime don’t overdo it. Eat lots of good food and get plenty of rest. What about the bakery? You’re on your feet a lot.’

  ‘We’re trying to decide what to do about it. Whether I should get some extra help or sell up, but I love that shop. Just supposing I sold it and then lost the baby for some reason, and there is always the risk of Down’s syndrome at my age, isn’t there?’

  Megan nodded. ‘There is that risk, so you’ll need to decide if you would like to have an amniocentesis. It’s not a risk-free procedure itself, however, and I’ll give you all the information you’ll need. Of course you are welcome to ask me any questions.’ She went to her filing cabinet and pulled out some leaflets. ‘The test is usually done from fifteen weeks. What happens is a needle is used to take a small amount of fluid from the amniotic sac, avoiding the foetus and placenta, and the fluid is sent for analysis. The test results are available one to three weeks later, and in the event that any chromosomal abnormalities are detected, you would need to consider whether you wished to continue with the pregnancy or not.’

  The mother-to-be sighed. ‘The more I think about it, the more I want this baby, but nothing in life is ever simple, is it? If I could give Jim a son he would be in heaven.’

  ‘So let’s wait and see, Elise,’ Megan said gently. ‘And in the meantime, if you go to the nurse she will check your blood pressure and will want a urine sample from you.�
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  As she got to her feet Elise said, ‘You’ll be around for me, won’t you, Megan? You aren’t thinking of doing the same as your parents and leaving Dr. Anderson in charge, are you? He’s great, but we do need a woman in the practice.’

  ‘No, of course I’m not thinking of leaving and following my parents!’ she exclaimed laughingly. ‘Luke and I are going to run the practice between us. Remember, I gave up my hospital job to come here. I’ve always loved this place. Nothing would induce me to leave the village now.’ And as the other woman went to find the nurse Megan thought that the best reason in the world for not wanting to move was just a few feet away in the room next to hers.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ‘HAVE a nice time at the ballet,’ Luke said as the two doctors prepared to go their separate ways at the end of Friday’s last surgery. ‘If I had a choice that’s where I would want to be going tomorrow.’

  ‘The ballet? Really?’

  ‘Yes. It’s pure artistry. Music and movement at its best.’

  ‘If that’s how you feel, I’m sure that Andy won’t mind you coming along,’ she said laughingly.

  ‘No, thanks. I am committed to a day of bowling and kids’ films with my two young charges. You know very well I wouldn’t break my word. When I make a promise, I keep it.’

  ‘Wedding vows?’ she questioned, and as soon as the words were out she wanted to take them back. It was an extremely intrusive thing to have said and brought coolness into the atmosphere.

  ‘Don’t judge me on matters that you know nothing of, Megan,’ he said coldly, and got into his car and drove off.

  As she watched him go Megan knew she’d made the comment out of pique. She didn’t want Luke to have been married and divorced. She wanted to be the first woman in his life, but no matter what happened that was never going to be.

  * * *

  There was no longer a Saturday morning surgery at the practice, Until recently one of the doctors had been there from half past eight until ten o’clock for emergencies and the collecting of prescriptions. But the primary care trust had decided that they were no longer able to fund the arrangement and the Saturday morning surgery had been withdrawn, leaving Megan plenty of time to get ready for her day in Manchester instead of rushing home from the practice.

  She’d been looking forward to it until she’d said the wrong thing to Luke the night before and now the weekend lay ahead like an ordeal to be faced. They wouldn’t meet again until Monday morning, unless she went round to Sue’s place to try to make peace with him before travelling to Manchester.

  But if the chill in his voice had been anything to go by, she would be the last person he wanted to see, she thought glumly, and for all she knew he and the boys might have already set off. So maybe leaving it until Monday might be the best idea.

  In spite of her waning enthusiasm Megan dressed carefully for the day ahead in a long, black, tiered skirt and a cream jacket, and, with the thought of the theatre in the evening, piled her hair on top and secured it with a gold comb.

  ‘Pity the man of your dreams isn’t going to see you today,’ she said to the reflection in the mirror, and set off for what the day might hold.

  When she arrived at the small country station her eyes widened. They were there on the opposite platform. Luke and the boys. Owen and Oliver in jeans and brightly coloured T-shirts and Luke similarly dressed but in a more subdued top.

  As she moved towards him Megan’s heartbeat was quickening. She wasn’t going to have to wait until Monday. Luke was there, only yards away. But what sort of a reception was she going to get?

  That question was not to be answered immediately. Oliver was observing her with wide blue eyes and saying, ‘Uncle Luke, Dr Marshall can’t come bowling dressed like that. They’ll laugh at us. You said you would ask her not to come.’

  ‘She isn’t coming, Oliver,’ he said, keeping a straight face. ‘Dr Marshall is going to the ballet. It is just chance that we’re on the same train.’ He wasn’t going to mention that they’d already let two trains go through on the off chance of meeting up with her.

  His nephews hadn’t commented as he’d managed to keep them entertained, so hopefully they wouldn’t mention it either.

  The Manchester train came at that moment and once they were seated Megan waited for a sign to tell her just how much she was out of favour. It didn’t come as such. The first thing he said to her directly was, ‘It would seem that you think Andy Warhurst is worth dressing up for.’

  ‘Were you expecting me to go to the ballet in jeans?’ she said. ‘I know that lots of people do, but I’m not lots of people.’

  ‘No, you are not, are you? You are someone who felt she had the authority to question my behaviour.’

  He watched the colour rise in her face and knew he couldn’t be angry with her for long. If Megan knew the full story of his ghastly marriage she would understand, but he wasn’t touting for sympathy. And if he was, he didn’t think he could bear to spell out the details.

  ‘I am so sorry about that,’ she said contritely. ‘I was totally out of order. I don’t know what got into me.’

  She did, but wasn’t going to tell him that she was jealous of the woman who’d found him first.

  He smiled. ‘Apology accepted. You don’t beat about the bush when you’ve something to say, do you? I can be a bit like that myself, too.’

  He was still smiling and she began to relax now that they were on speaking terms again. Maybe it was the moment to put him straight about herself and Andy, she thought, and clear the air all round.

  ‘I’m not dressed up for Andy Warhurst,’ she told him. ‘We are merely keeping each other company during the performance. He’s Jenny’s husband. She said that ballet isn’t really his kind of thing and asked me to join up with him until it was over.’

  His expression had brightened. ‘I see. Well, in that case give him my best regards and tell him I remember him well, but don’t go into details.’

  The train was pulling into Manchester’s Piccadilly Station. It was time to separate and Luke wondered if she was as loth to part as he was, but the boys were tugging at him and he gave a wry smile.

  ‘Duty calls, Megan. Have a lovely day. I’ll see you on Monday.’ And with that he was gone, following the boys out of the busy station.

  * * *

  ‘So what are you up to these days, Megan?’Andy asked in the interval at the ballet.

  ‘I’m a country GP,’ she told him, ‘in the practice that used to belong to my parents before they retired.’

  ‘And is that what you want for yourself?’

  ‘Yes. I love it. What about you?’

  ‘Registrar at one of the hospitals here in Manchester. The Ear, Nose and Throat.’

  Megan’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Is that the one where Alexis Duncan is a big noise?’

  ‘Yes. Why?’

  ‘Does the name Luke Anderson ring a bell?’

  He frowned. ‘Of course. Our tutor and ex-husband of the said Alexis.’

  ‘He’s my new partner in the practice.’

  ‘What? Luke Anderson hibernating in the countryside.’

  Megan smiled. ‘He sends you his regards.’

  ‘I’ll bet,’ Andy scoffed. ‘There was nobody more surprised than him when I got my degree. Why has he moved onto your patch?’

  ‘His brother-in-law died suddenly from a heart attack. Luke has moved to the village to give some support to his sister and two sons.’

  ‘He’s a decent guy,’ Andy admitted. ‘His divorce from her majesty rocked the corridors of health care at the ENT. No one knew what she’d been up to, but he stood no messing. Alexis is so used to ruling the roost she was flabbergasted at the way she got her marching orders.

  ‘Anderson was lecturing at that time and I thought he still was, but obviously not. How do you get on with him? I remember some of the girls at uni fancied him.’

  ‘Yes. I was one of them,’ she said laughingly. ‘But I’m not sure that di
vorced men are in my line. We’ve only been working together for a week, so it’s early days to be making a judgement.’

  When the performance was over Jenny suggested that the three of them go for supper and Megan agreed, but warned her that the last train went at eleven-thirty and she didn’t want to miss it.

  ‘My car is parked at the other end,’ she told her, ‘and then I’ve got to drive up the hill, so I definitely don’t want to miss that train.’

  She caught it with just minutes to spare and then sat back and let her mind go over the day’s events. The ballet had been superb. It had been great to see Jenny and Andy but, ridiculous as it might seem, the highlight of the day had been the time she’d spent with Luke on the journey into Manchester.

  The fact that Andy worked at the same hospital as Alexis Duncan had been a surprise, and no doubt he would have told her more about Luke’s divorce if she’d egged him on. But she hadn’t wanted that. If she ever found out the truth of it, she would want the words to come from the mouth of the man who’d come back into her life.

  * * *

  Just as Megan could see Woodcote House down below from the windows of her cottage, so, looking upwards, Luke could see her small residence high on the hill, and when it got midnight and the lights were still not on, he picked up the phone, thinking that maybe Megan had gone straight in and to bed.

  He knew she wouldn’t thank him if that was the case and his call brought her out of sleep, but was going to chance it. There was no answer and he knew she wasn’t back.

  At half past twelve he went to pick up the phone again, but at that moment the lights in the cottage came on and he breathed a sigh of relief. You are crazy, he told himself as he went up the stairs. As if you haven’t taken on enough responsibility in this place, now you’re fussing over someone who is perfectly capable of looking after herself. How do you think she coped before you appeared on the scene?

  He didn’t know. What he did know was that she was young, hard-working and beautiful, with her striking colouring and grace of movement, yet there didn’t seem to be any potential boyfriends hovering. It would be so easy to fall in love again, but he’d rushed down that path once and it had been full of thorns.