Abigail Gordon - [Willowmere Village 03] - A Summer Wedding at Willowmere p.03

‘Of course I haven’t,’ he said in wry amusement. ‘How could I? You were like a package that came
without instructions or warnings.’
On that he prepared to drive off into the summer morning. Resisting the temptation to get in beside
him, Laurel went back to blood tests, injections and the rest of the duties of a practice nurse.
It was late afternoon and the second surgery was in full spate when David came into the nurses’
room and said, ‘I have the vicar’s wife outside. Could I have an ECG, please?’
Gillian had some time owing and was due to finish early, so when Catherine Beesley presented
herself it was Laurel who greeted her and explained the procedure.
‘I came because I thought I had a hernia,’ she explained as Laurel was positioning the rubber discs
on her chest, stomach and feet, ‘but when I mentioned to Dr Trelawney that for the first time ever
I’m aware of my heartbeat all the time and it is quite fast, he said that must be dealt with first. I was
amazed when he said the test could be done here in the surgery. I was expecting to have to go to St
Gabriel’s.’
‘Just a short time ago that would have been the case,’ Laurel told her, ‘but not now. We’re all high
tech and will have the result of the ECG in a matter of minutes, printed out for Dr Trelawney to see.
‘We will be in direct communication with the cardiology department at the hospital while you’re
wired up, and they will decide whether you have a problem or not.’
The vicar’s wife was a sensible, homely sort of woman and as the equipment registered six level
beats and then a hop, skip and jump, it didn’t take a genius to work out that something was not quite
right.
‘The test has shown that you have two heart problems,’ David explained when she went back into
his room for the results. ‘The first is that the electric impulses of it are not working correctly, and
the other, which we do come across now and then, is that at some time in the past you’ve had a
minor heart attack.’
‘If that’s the case, I don’t know when!’ Catherine exclaimed in disbelief. ‘Are these two things
anything to worry about?’ she questioned. ‘The vicar relies on me so much with his work in the
parish, I haven’t time to be ill.’
‘I don’t think either are anything too serious,’ he told her, ‘but I’m going to arrange for you to see a
cardiologist, and now if you’ll go back to the nurses’ room I’ll examine the area where you feel you
might have pulled something out of place. The nurse will tell you what to take off and will be there
all the time for reassurance.’
After the examination, he smiled reassuringly at Catherine. ‘Nothing out of the ordinary there,’ he
said. ‘Just a bit of muscle strain, but be sure to come back to see me if it persists.’
When she’d gone, looking somewhat dazed, Laurel said, ‘Who would be a vicar’s wife? In spite of
being told unexpectedly that she has a heart problem, Catherine Beesley remembered to ask if any
of us have put our names down for the charity walk.’
‘And did you tell her that the best ramblers have signed up for it?’ he quipped as he went back to
the rest of his patients.
‘I don’t want to wear boots. They’ll hurt my feet,’ she said to his disappearing back.
He swivelled round. ‘Strong shoes, then, and don’t forget a hat in case there’s a downpour.’
It all sounded wildly exciting, she thought as she went back into the nurses’ room to tidy up.
Laurel awoke on Saturday morning to the sound of heavy rain and when she padded across to the
window, sure enough, there was a downpour pelting out of dismal skies.
There was no pleasure to be had from the lake sparkling in the distance today, she decided, and was
turning away when she caught her breath. Rising above the willow trees, some of them huge with
age, were the sturdy grey slates of the roof of David’s house.
It was a sight that she would have expected to be excited by, but instead she felt lost and lonely. She
had dreamed that David had married the midwife, Lizzie, who was readily available, with a house
full of babies that she’d delivered herself. In the dream, Elaine had laughed as she sailed into salt
spray with Jonas out on the open sea, while she, Laurel, had fallen into the role of the perennial
godmother-cum-maiden aunt with drawers full of high-necked jumpers.
As she caught a glimpse of herself in the dressing-table mirror she thought wistfully that at least she
wouldn’t end up wearing a wig. Her red-gold hair had grown longer and she rejoiced every time she
saw it.
While she was in London she intended visiting her regular hairdresser and having it styled.
Hopefully, when she came back, David might be impressed.
When she went down to breakfast, Elaine observed her expression and said, ‘I know, the weather is
dreadful, but it’s early yet. By the time you are ready to leave, it might have cleared up.’
‘I wish you were coming instead of going shopping,’ Laurel told her.
‘You won’t need me around while David is there,’ she replied. ‘I’m not going on the walk because I
don’t want to cramp your style.’
‘And what style would that be?’ she enquired flatly, nibbling on a piece of toast.
Elaine’s mind had switched to basics. ‘Don’t forget to make a packed lunch and take a bottle of
water with you. Ramblers often stop to eat miles away from anywhere.’
Laurel was observing her in sudden consternation. ‘A rucksack!’ she exclaimed.
‘I’ve got one you can use.’
‘No, I don’t mean that. I can’t stand anything rubbing against my back.’
‘I never thought of that,’ Elaine said slowly. ‘You’ll have to carry it in your hand, so be sure to just
take the basics.’
The weather had reduced the numbers of those who’d signed up for the charity walk and there were
only a dozen or so stalwarts waiting outside the village hall when Elaine dropped Laurel off at the
starting point.
The rain had eased off for the moment and a watery sun was filtering through the clouds as David
came striding out of the cottage suitably clad in sensible clothes.
She saw that he was casting a dubious glance over her and when he reached her side he said in a
low voice, ‘The rucksack is made to be strapped on to your back for convenience.’
‘Yes, I do know that,’ she told him coolly, ‘but I find it easier to carry it in my hand.’
He shrugged. ‘OK. Just don’t trip over it, that’s all.’
‘I won’t,’ she said sweetly, and he laughed.
‘All right, I get the message, but at the risk of being told that you’re quite capable of taking care of
yourself, and knowing that not to be so, I suggest that you stay by me all the time. There are some
dangerous places up there among the peaks, especially if a mist comes down, which it often does
after rain.’
‘Yes, all right,’ she agreed meekly, having no intention of being anywhere else other than close by
his side. After all, that was why she was there. It was to be with him that she was going to spend the
day tramping around the countryside.
The vicar and his long-suffering wife were in charge and they explained that the route they were
going to take was past Willow Lake, through the next village, up the hill road, and onto the moors
for a short distance, eventually descending at the other side of Willowmere, having done ten miles
in all.
‘And in case any of you are apprehensive regarding minor injuries that you might sustain during the
walk, Dr Trelawney has a comprehensively kitted out first-aid box in his rucksack,’ the vicar
announced jovially.
‘So that’s what we’re here for,’ Laurel whispered, ‘to render first aid.’
‘Not necessarily,’ he replied. ‘I’m here because I want to spend the day with you, and I hope that
you feel the same.’
There was a mischievous twinkle in her eye. ‘What? That I want to spend the day with me?’
‘You know what I mean. Are you here because of me?’
‘I might be.’
He rolled his eyes heavenwards and took her hand in his as the walkers set off on what was going to
be the easiest few miles.
After a long dry spell the rain had brought freshness to the air. The green fields looked greener,
raindrops sparkled on leaves and flowers, and as a grey squirrel climbed quickly up a nearby tree at
their approach and disappeared amongst its branches, Laurel wondered how she could have been
reluctant to come to live amongst all this.
As they passed the lake she and David exchanged secret smiles at the surprised comments of the
rest of the party when they saw that Water Meetings House was rising out of the disrepair of years,
and as the next village came into sight with the hill road just beyond, there was a happy camaraderie
amongst those heading for the moors that lay beneath the shadow of the rugged peaks.
CHAPTER EIGHT
AS THE walking party strode up towards the moors in no particular kind of order, the promise of the
day was faltering again. The sky was darkening with rainclouds and all too soon it was pelting
down on them.
They were on the edge of the moors now, with the peaks towering above them and steep gullies on
either side of the path. Laurel and David were at the back of the single file of walkers. It was a time
for care and caution, and even the two high-spirited youths who’d come along for a lark and were
just in front of them were treading with caution when a moorland sheep, disturbed by the sound of
heavy boots on the rocky path and the voices of those passing its grazing place, came careering out
onto the path in a fright and ran straight towards one of the youngsters.
Startled, the lad stepped back to avoid the impact, teetering on the edge of the steep drop behind
him for a second, then lost his balance completely and fell with a frantic cry into the gully below,
where he landed beside loose debris that had fallen from the rock face over the years.
‘Go and get the vicar!’ David bellowed to the lad’s friend, who was standing dumbstruck beside
them as the sheep changed direction and went careering down the path they’d just come up.
Turning to Laurel, he thrust his mobile phone into her hand. ‘Phone for an ambulance, but get our
exact position from the vicar before you do. Better still, ask for a helicopter.’ He looked down at the
still figure at the bottom of the gully. ‘They’ll never bring him up on a stretcher. It’s too steep and
treacherous with bogs and dangerous overhangs of rock all over the place. I’m going down there
while you direct operations up here, Laurel.’
‘I’m coming with you!’ she cried as the rest of the party came back after being told what had
happened. ‘Someone else can do that. I’m a nurse, for heaven’s sake, and I’ll be needed. Have you
got the first-aid kit?”
‘Yes, it’s in my rucksack, and it would seem that I’ve got you too,’ he said dryly. ‘Do you ever do
what you’re told?’
‘It depends on the circumstances,’ she said, already taking note of what lay ahead on the way down
to the unfortunate youth.
‘Is an ambulance coming?’ the vicar asked as he joined them at that moment.
‘Helicopter,’ David said tersely, as Laurel handed the phone to the panting clergyman and began to
ease herself carefully down the steep hillside that in parts was made up of jagged rocks.
He was behind her in a flash and when she held out her hand to him David took it in his firm grip
and together they began what was to be a perilously slow descent.
There was no way they dared rush it, no matter how badly injured the lad was, he thought as they
picked their way amongst nettles in the undergrowth and stepped over fallen tree branches littering
the place. There were rock falls everywhere and the overhangs above had a menacing atmosphere
about them.
But there was no point in dwelling on things that might or might not happen. They had a life to save
and if the frightened sheep had done the youth no favours in sending him careering over the edge,
the Fates weren’t being too unkind to him. They were sending him a doctor and a nurse—if he was
still alive.
He was breathing but unconscious when they got to him and as David wrenched the rucksack off
his back and bent to examine him, Laurel brought out the first-aid kit and prepared to follow orders.
‘Breathing seems OK, pulse rather weak,’ he said as the rain continued to fall in torrents, ‘and from
the odd angle that he’s lying at I’d say that both his legs are fractured.’
Laurel was crouching over him to protect him from the rain, while trying to stem blood gushing
from a head wound with one hand and unbuttoning the lad’s shirt at the neck with the other to help
his breathing, and David began strapping the boy’s legs together.
He was pale and shivering, his skin cold and clammy from shock and the unwelcome downpour.
David was taking off his waterproof jacket and then removing the thick sweater underneath it that
was warm from his body heat and placing it over him, but they weren’t enough to cover his injured
legs.
Laurel knew that she had to do the same, whatever the consequences, and followed suit, taking off
her coat and removing the sweater underneath to provide more warmth.
David was bending over him, checking pulse and heartbeat again, and when he glanced up
momentarily she’d replaced her jacket, but not before he’d caught a brief glimpse of scarring.
He made no comment, but as he bent to his task again she’d seen his expression and wondered what
was going through his mind. Whatever it was he was halfway to knowing she’d received serious
burns to the top half of her back and she wondered what he would have to say when or if he saw the
full extent of them.
She could hear the sound of a helicopter approaching and in the relief of the moment everything
else was forgotten as they waited to see if the pilot would be able to find enough space to land.
While he was hovering they continued to monitor the young victim and David gave a satisfied nod
as his body heat began to rise and the shivering lessened.
She’d worked with a lot of doctors since she’d taken up nursing, Laurel thought, but there had never
before been a situation as rewarding as this, working with David as they tried to save a life.
Maybe it was because she hadn’t been in love with those other guys. Whatever it was, she wouldn’t
forget today. They were united in their professions, perfectly in tune. If only she was as sure of
herself and him in the rest of their lives.
The pilot was flying as low as he could and bellowing above the noise of the engine, ‘There’s
nowhere to land. We’re going to have to winch him up. A paramedic is coming down to you now
and one of the crew is going to follow him to supervise the winching.’
Almost as he spoke the door opened and the paramedic they’d been promised came swinging down
on the end of a winch line, followed seconds later by a member of the crew.
When they landed beside them David explained briefly that there were suspected leg fractures, a
head wound, cuts and grazes from the fall, and possible shock that they’d prevented for the moment
with their own clothing.
‘We’ve immobilised his legs to avoid further injury to the fractured bones,’ he said as they prepared
to winch the lad up to the helicopter, and the paramedic nodded.
‘OK, Doc. We’ll get him to A and E as fast as we can. He’s had a bad fall but it was the kid’s lucky
day that you people were on the spot. I’ve seen you somewhere before, haven’t I?’ he said as they
fastened the patient onto a lightweight stretcher and prepared to lift him upwards. ‘Didn’t you used
to be at St Gabriel’s?’
‘Yes, that’s right,’ he said absently as the winch line began to work.
‘And now you’re a country GP,’ Laurel said, as they began the slow climb back up to the road
above.
‘Yes, I am without any doubt,’ he agreed. ‘And what about you? Are you going to feel the pull of
the city when you go back there next weekend?’
‘I won’t know until I get there, will I?’ she said, grateful that any comments he was going to make
about what he’d seen were being put on hold. ‘But Elaine won’t let me go back there yet. She says I
have to stay here until I have roses in my cheeks.’
The top still seemed a long way off and when they stopped to rest David said, ‘You are an amazing
woman, Laurel. Do you know that?’
‘Why?’ she asked, acutely aware that her top coat was chafing her shoulders under the scarf. She
was longing to throw it off but what would she wear then? Her jumper was stuffed inside the
rucksack.
‘Surely you don’t need to ask! You faint at the slightest thing, yet in a situation as dangerous as this
has been you don’t bat an eyelid.’
‘I only perform well when I’m centre stage,’ she said with another shiver. ‘Although I think you
outclassed me on this occasion so I’ll step back when they’re handing out the medals.’
He sighed. ‘I give up. Why are you always on the defensive when I say nice things to you?’
‘It must be because I’m not used to it.’
The rest of the walkers were peering over the edge of the drop, watching them climb up, and before
David could question that oblique remark someone shouted, ‘Watch out, we’re throwing you a rope.
Tie it around your waists and we’ll haul you up.’
When it came down she eyed it hesitantly, imagining the discomfort it was going to cause, but it
was the lesser of two evils, she supposed, and let David tie it around her and then attach it to
himself.
‘I suggest that we carry on with the walk,’ someone said when they had all reassembled beside the
winding road. ‘The lad’s been taken to hospital faster than he could have ever dreamed. There’s
nothing else we can do.’
The vicar was about to comment, but as he was clearing his throat another member of the group
said, ‘You know who he is, don’t you?’ Turning to the injured lad’s companion, he said, ‘Tell them
who your mate is, laddie.’
‘Alistair’s father is Lord Derringham. I’m staying up at the house with him while his parents are
abroad on holiday. I’ll have to let them know he’s been hurt, I suppose,’ he said gloomily. ‘We only
came on the walk for a laugh.’
‘His Lordship’s son? Oh, dear!’ exclaimed the vicar. ‘We must indeed let him know what has
happened, but not out here. The reception is not good for imparting a message of such urgency. My
wife and I will go back to Kestrel Court with you so that we are there for support when you make
the call, or maybe we should put it into the hands of the estate manager?’
‘That’s Gillian’s husband,’ David told Laurel. ‘He’ll be the best person to break the bad news, and
they can tell His Lordship to speak to us if he wants on-the-spot information, though the best plan
would be for his parents to ring St Gabriel’s for news of their son’s condition.
‘And now you need to go home for a hot drink, a bath and some clean clothes,’ he said, still with no
reference to what he’d seen. For the information of the rest of the party he added, ‘We’re off to get
cleaned up and dried out.’
She nodded thankfully as her coat was making her back sore.
‘Is Elaine going to be in when we get to the lodge?’ he asked as they retraced their steps beneath a
warm sun that would have been most welcome when they’d been at the bottom of the gully. At least
it was helping them to dry out now.
‘She said she was going shopping,’ Laurel replied, hoping Elaine would be there so that the
inevitable questions would be postponed, but her aunt was nowhere to be seen.
‘I’ll make hot drinks while you shower and change your clothes,’ David said. ‘Then we need to
talk, Laurel, don’t we?’
She nodded mutely and went to do as he suggested.
When he was alone, David’s mind went back to what he’d caught a glimpse of on her shoulder
when she’d been removing her jumper to cover the lad.
He was no fool, knew the scars left by burns when he saw them, and he wondered, as he’d done a
few times, if she’d been the victim of domestic abuse. Was that why she was afraid of getting close
to him? It was a likely theory. There was the fractured knee, the redness of her hands, the short hair
she so clearly hated…Had it been caused by her ex?
The thought of anyone hurting her was too horrendous to contemplate, but he was a doctor and
knew that kind of thing happened all the time, sometimes in the least expected relationships.
When she came down scrubbed, clean and dressed in dry clothes, he handed her a hot toddy and
waited while she drank it before saying gravely, ‘I got sight of the kind of scarring that serious
burns leave when you were taking your sweater off down in the gully. How did that come about?’
‘I was caught up in a situation that I couldn’t get out of,’ she said in a low voice. ‘The result being
that I feel ugly all the time.’
So he hadn’t been wrong. ‘Domestic abuse?’ he questioned gently, and watched her mouth go slack
with surprise.
‘No. Nothing like that!’ she exclaimed, and as he waited for what was to come next he heard
Elaine’s key in the door and groaned silently. The moment that was going to bring clarity to their
relationship had been there. Now it was gone and the way she greeted her aunt was proof enough
that Laurel was relieved.
‘What is this I hear about Alistair Derringham having a serious accident?’ Elaine said as she came
bustling into the sitting room. ‘They were talking about it when I stopped off at the post office for
some stamps, and I was told that the two of you risked your own necks to treat the poor lad at the
bottom of some gully on the moors.’
‘I’ll let Laurel tell you all about it, Elaine,’ he said, getting to his feet. He was accepting that he was
going to have to wait a little longer to find out what had happened to Laurel in the past. At least he
knew that the Darius fellow hadn’t hurt her—well, physically at least.
She went to the door with him to say goodbye and as if the conversation that Elaine had interrupted
had been about the day’s events in general said, ‘Shall I ring St Gabriel’s to enquire after Alistair,
or will you?’
‘I’ll do it,’ he offered, taking note of how pale and exhausted she looked. It was making him think
he should have waited until another time to ask about the scarring on her shoulder. He was aching
to offer comfort, but he’d done that once before and Laurel hadn’t wanted to know.
But after all they’d been through on the ill-fated walk he couldn’t just stride off without letting her
see that he cared, cared a lot, and would continue to do so whether she wanted him to or not.
Taking her limp hand in his, he bent and planted a kiss on the rough palm, then curled her fingers
around it protectively and told her softly, ‘Don’t worry if you lose it. There are lots more kisses just
waiting for their moment.’
Before she could reply he’d gone, tall and straight in the summer afternoon, and she had to hold on
to the doorpost to stop herself from running after him.
She gazed at the hand he had kissed, aware that David had only seen a small part of the damaged
skin of her back and shoulders. He’d known what had caused it, of course, but hadn’t been aware of
the extent of it. That was something he had yet to discover if ever she could bring herself to show
him after Darius’s unconcealed revulsion, but for now that was how it stood. Maybe when she’d
been to London on Saturday to see the consultant, she might see the way ahead clearer.
When he phoned St Gabriel’s, David was told that Alistair was conscious and had just come back
from Radiography, where his leg fractures had been X-rayed. He would shortly be operated on.
When he asked about the head wound he was told that no internal bleeding had been shown inside
the skull, but the patient was still being monitored for shock.
‘The lad’s father is on the board of governors here,’ the doctor in A and E told him, ‘and has
already been on the phone from some faraway place. He was ringing from the airport where he and
his family were about to board the first available flight.
‘I can’t see roast lamb being on the menu for some time to come for that household,’ he said. ‘Or on
the other hand that might be where they will prefer to see it, on a plate.
‘He’s got a lot of heavy bruising and cuts and scratches as well as the more serious injuries,’ he
went on to say, ‘but it’s amazing that a doctor and nurse were on the spot. At least it’s one thing in
his favour. There’s no telling what would have been the outcome if the two of you hadn’t been
there.
‘Alistair says that he’s always being told off by his father for things that he is to blame for, but this
time His Lordship can’t complain as he did nothing wrong, and in any case it was one of his sheep.
He owns that part of the moors.’
It was Wednesday morning and James had called David and Laurel into his consulting room for a
quick chat.
He was smiling when they went in and Laurel thought with a sinking feeling that he was about to
tell them that his sister and her husband were on their way home, which would be joy for him and
the children but could mean an abrupt ending to her short stay as practice nurse if Anna wanted to
take up her old job at the surgery. She accepted that she was employed on a temporary arrangement
but had been hoping that it wouldn’t be this brief.
She was wrong in her surmising and her eyes widened when James said, ‘I’ve called you both in to
give you some good news.’ As she and David exchanged puzzled glances he said, ‘Lord and Lady
Derringham are calling in later this morning to thank you for what you did for their son, and while
he’s here he wants to discuss making some kind of gesture in a practical way connected with village
health care. What do you think of that?’
‘Amazing!’ David exclaimed. ‘We were only doing what we’ve been trained to do.’
‘Maybe, but in very difficult and dangerous circumstances and His Lordship is aware of that.’
‘The main thing is, how is Alistair?’ Laurel said.
‘He has both legs in plaster and the head wound will take some time to heal, but his parents are
aware that it could have been much worse if it hadn’t been for you two.’
‘How about a complete makeover of the surgery?’ she suggested.
‘I’m not sure that His Lordship has something like that in mind,’ James said. ‘He might be thinking
of just a plaque on the wall or something similar.’
‘I hope not!’ David exclaimed. ‘Save that kind of thing for someone who deserves it, but we need to
hang on until he’s been and I think Elaine should be in on it.’
The Derringhams were in James’s office for an hour, and afterwards they came out and thanked
Laurel and David profusely for what they’d done for their son. To Laurel’s surprise they’d had a
toddler with them and Her Ladyship explained, ‘Alistair is our eldest and Oliver, who is a year old,
is our youngest. In the middle we have twin girls.’
‘I wanted to do something for health care in the village to express our gratitude,’ her husband said,
‘and I intend to be generous. So we’ve talked with James about funding a much-needed community
midwife position based in the surgery.’
James nodded and smiled. ‘This is a great chance to develop our antenatal care and is something
we’ve wanted to do for ages. Rather than mothers from here and the surrounding villages having to
travel to St Gabriel’s, they can visit a midwife here and have the best of care on their doorsteps, so
to speak. When Lord Derringham suggested the maternity clinic idea to the hospital trust they were
all for it, especially if someone on their board of governors is prepared to fund it.
‘They’ve already recommended a midwife for the position. What do you think about the idea?’
‘Fantastic,’ David said.
‘Incredibly generous.’ Elaine and Laurel echoed his sentiments.
‘The midwife referred to would be Lizzie Carmichael, I think,’ David told him. ‘I’ve seen her at
work and she would be an excellent choice.’
‘So we are agreed, then?’ His Lordship said, and observing their delighted expressions went on to
say, ‘I am also funding the refurbishment of a room for the clinic, and the equipment you will need.
We have a young family of our own and both my wife and I are keen to see that mothers-to-be
receive the best possible care.’
‘That will be just what we need!’ James exclaimed when the Derringhams had left to go and visit
their son. ‘We hope our brand-new maternity clinic will be up and running as soon as possible.’
When morning surgery was over James called all the staff into the big office below stairs and said,
‘I’m inviting you all to Bracken House tonight to drink a toast to Laurel and David, who by being
the kind of people they are have brought about this amazing offer from His Lordship.
‘A community midwife in the village will be like a dream come true. He is a very generous man. So
eight-thirty tonight if you can make it,’ he concluded amid delighted applause.
Laurel’s glance met David’s deep blue gaze as they all went back to their duties and she knew that
this was where she wanted to be, here in Willowmere with David and Elaine and the friends she’d
made at the surgery, but with him most of all, in the house by the lake that was rising out of the
rubble.
‘What’s wrong?’ Elaine asked as they dressed to go to James’s house that evening. ‘You’ve hardly
said a word since we came home. Is it the hospital visit on Saturday that is on your mind?’
Laurel managed a smile. ‘No, whatever they say it won’t make that much difference, will it? More
skin grafts can only bring a slight improvement.’
‘But you’ll agree if they suggest it?’
‘Yes, of course,’ she replied flatly.
‘It’s the David situation that is really getting to you, isn’t it? You are crazy, Laurel. That man is a
king among men. If he loves you it won’t matter to him that you have severe scarring. He will want
you for what you are.’
‘It sounds so simple when you put it like that,’ she protested, ‘but suppose that he wants me for
what he wants me to be and I don’t live up to it. I know he isn’t like Darius, but you remember what
Jonas said, don’t you? That the American woman was very beautiful and they made a striking
couple. No one is ever going to say that when he’s with me. An odd couple maybe, but never
striking.’
CHAPTER NINE
IT WAS a merry gathering assembled there when they arrived at Bracken House, but as Laurel’s
glance went round the room she realised that there was no David. As if she read her thoughts,
Gillian said, ‘David has gone to collect his father from the station. He’s back for another visit.’
‘Oh, I see,’ she said, and wondered if Jonas’s return was connected with dry stone walling or
Elaine, who was chatting to Ben and Georgina who had brought baby Arran along. Could it be that
he’d returned to cement his friendship with the aunt who was also her loving friend?
More likely it was a bit of both, she thought whimsically, and was trying to work out what relation
she would be to David if Elaine married his father when he came striding into the room. Now it was
his turn to glance around those present until he found her standing by the window with a glass in
her hand.
He came across immediately and said, ‘Hi. Did they tell you where I was?’
‘Yes,’ she replied, smiling up at him. ‘Your father has come back, which makes me wonder what
has brought him to Willowmere once more—whether it’s the house or Elaine. If she is the reason,
what would our relationship be if they tied the knot?’
He was observing her with raised brows. ‘You are racing on a bit, aren’t you? Elaine is a lovely
woman, but Dad has never shown any interest in anyone else since he lost my mother and that’s a
long, long time ago. But going back to what you were thinking—’ and he was laughing now ‘—if
that ever happened, Elaine would be my stepmother, my dad your step-uncle, and we would be,
er…I’m not sure, step-cousins maybe?’
He had ideas of a much deeper relationship than that for them, but the snag was did Laurel have the
same yearnings?
But at least she was with him now, looking happy enough. He hoped she was beginning to trust
him. That she was beginning to feel that whatever it was that she hadn’t been able to discuss with
him would be easier to bear if he was there to share it.
He loved her, wanted her as he’d never wanted anyone before, and if it took the rest of his life to
convince her of that, it was how it was going to be.
He hadn’t forgotten what his father had said when his engagement to Caroline had fallen apart.
‘You will know when the right one comes along,’ he’d told him, and it was true. It was as if he’d
been hit by a bolt from the blue.
Even on that first day when she’d come wobbling off the train in her high heels he’d had a feeling
that his life had changed, though at the time he’d thought it was for the worse as the strange female
who was Elaine’s niece had been everywhere he turned in the days that followed.
He often smiled when he thought back to when they’d first met. Laurel had turned out to be the
most interesting and appealing woman he’d ever known.
She was observing Georgina’s baby, he noticed, gurgling in his father’s arms, and he thought he
saw regret in her glance, yet why? Was it because she had no partner to make a baby with, or for
some other reason that he knew nothing of, connected with the secret that was weighing her down?
‘Let’s go outside for a breath of air,’ he suggested, and taking her hand in his led her into the garden
at the back of the house and to a secluded gazebo at the far end.
‘Why have you brought me out here?’ she asked.
‘It’s not to seduce you, if that’s what you’re thinking,’ he said lightly. ‘I wanted to get you on your
own for a few moments to find out what your arrangements for Saturday are, such as what train
you’re travelling to London on.’
‘Why? Are you coming to see me off?’ she teased.
‘Do you want me to?’
‘Er…yes, if you feel like getting up at the crack of dawn. I’m going on the quarter past seven train
from Manchester.’
‘No problem. I don’t suppose it’s any use my asking why you’re going to London.’
‘I told you. I have an appointment, a long-term one. I’ll be back in the evening.’ Steering the
conversation away from her comings and goings, she asked, ‘How is the house coming along? It’s a
few days since I was up there but I’ll be back on the job on Sunday if you want me to continue
helping with the garden.’
‘Of course I do, but I think I should find you something less strenuous, such as choosing wall
coverings, carpets and furniture. The builder has given me a completion date for the end of August.’
‘So soon!’ she exclaimed.
‘Yes, the windows and doors are in, the plasterers have finished, and joiners and plumbers have
taken over now. I have a decorator on hold so the end is in sight.
‘The builder has quite a few contracts in the pipeline and hasn’t let the grass grow under his feet,
though that would seem to refer to the garden more than the house. And when it’s all finished, are
you still going to help me choose furnishings and fabrics?’
‘I’d love to,’ she said with a lump in her throat.
When he’d first suggested it weeks ago she’d been mildly surprised but had thought nothing of it,
but now everything had changed and it would be a bittersweet experience if she never had the
chance to live there with him.
As he watched the expressions cross her face David thought it would be so easy to tell her that the
house would be empty and silent without her there. But first Laurel had to find the confidence to
confide in him without any persuasion on his part, and, as he kept telling himself, he could wait a
little longer.
And while that was happening he was going to buy a ring with emeralds to match her eyes and
diamonds to sparkle as she sparkled when she was happy. As there was nothing wrong with his
confidence he intended to see it on her finger sooner or later.
When he looked up Elaine was beckoning to them from the patio doors and they left the gazebo
reluctantly and went back to join the others.
‘James is going to propose a toast to Lord Derringham and the hero and heroine of the peaks and
gullies,’ she said, ‘so be prepared.’
As they went inside the practice staff circled them and raised their glasses as James said, ‘Will you
all please drink a toast to the generosity of Lord Derringham?’ And when they’d done that he went
on to say, ‘And to Laurel and David, who acted as true medical professionals.’
‘I’m going your way,’ David said as the gathering began to break up. ‘I want to call at The Pheasant
to make sure that Dad has settled in all right. We had no time to talk when I picked him up at the
station with only minutes to spare before I was due here.’
When they were about to separate outside the pub he said, ‘It’s been a great day, hasn’t it? A locally
based midwife promised for the village, and the practice staff all together on a rare social occasion
at James’s house. I don’t know about you, but I felt as if I really belonged as I haven’t been here
much longer than you.’
‘The village has a timeless magic of its own,’ she said. ‘I never imagined I would ever hear myself
say it, but if I had to choose it would be here that I would want to live.’ Though only with you, her
heart said. And before she proclaimed it out loud she left him to go and find Jonas and walked
slowly back to Glenside Lodge.
Elaine was there before her and as they chatted over a bedtime drink she said, ‘Georgina told me
tonight that when Ben first came to join us at the surgery she took him with her on home visits to
help him to get to know the area. When they were driving along that same road up on the moors, a
sheep ran in front of the car and she had to brake sharply to avoid an accident.’
‘I don’t suppose much can be done about that sort of thing if they graze free up there,’ Laurel
commented, ‘but that won’t be much comfort to Alistair when he’s hobbling about with two legs in
casts. The only solution would be to have fencing along both sides of the road, or for walkers to
take less hazardous routes.’
Once they’d exhausted the subject of the lost sheep, she said flatly, ‘David has asked me why I’m
going to London.’
‘And did you tell him?’
‘No, I want to put what the consultant has to say in perspective before I do anything else. David
knows I’ve got scarring, but not to what extent, and when I come back I’m going to show him. I’m
going to put my dithering days behind me, even though we only can boast half of a striking pair.’
‘Put that comment behind you,’ Elaine insisted. ‘Jonas didn’t mean anything by it. David will have
seen worse scars than yours, bad as they are.’
‘Maybe, but not on someone he might want to make love to.’ And with that dismal thought the last
thing in her mind she went up to bed.
On the Friday night before she was due to go to London there was to be a barn supper at
Meadowlands, a farm on the edge of the village, and when Laurel asked what it would be like she
was told that there would be lots of wholesome food in the form of crusty bread, various cheeses,
home-made pickles and sauces, savouries, apple pies and lots of fresh fruit from various orchards,
along with country and western dancing to work up an appetite.
‘So are you going to go?’ Gillian asked when the vicar’s wife came in, selling tickets. Catherine
Beesley had had the cardiogram that David had arranged and was waiting to see the cardiologist for
the result. In the meantime it would seem that she was still busy with parish work and would
continue to be so.
‘I suppose so,’ Laurel said half-heartedly. She knew that Elaine would be there and maybe Jonas as
the light was beginning to fade earlier in the evenings with midsummer’s day having been and gone
some weeks ago, and he wouldn’t be able to see to carry on with the task that he’d set himself up at
the house.
Every time she thought about what her input was going to be in the resurrection of it she couldn’t
help but feel pleasure at the prospect of being asked to make suggestions about the interior, but
there was always the feeling behind it that she was going to be on the outside of things.
Yet it didn’t stop her from pretending that she wouldn’t be, and she would conjure up visions of
children with their mother’s odd colouring or their father’s dark handsomeness playing in the
garden, or sleeping in one the spacious bedrooms, but always the memory of a certain night on the
wards, its aftermath, and the undeniable evidence of it came to spoil it.
On the morning after they’d all gathered at James’s house David said, ‘Have you ever been to a
barn supper, Laurel?’
She laughed. ‘No. Until I came to Willowmere I didn’t know what a barn was. There is going to be
one on Friday in someone’s actual barn, I believe.’
‘Yes, and from what my patients tell me it is not to be missed, so are we going?’
‘I don’t know,’ she replied, as if the question hadn’t made her heart beat faster. ‘I have an early start
on Saturday morning.’
‘I am hardly likely to forget that, but we don’t have to stay late, do we?’
‘No, I suppose not, and it will be an experience.’ She couldn’t pass by the chance of spending extra
time with him before the day of revelation approached.
The reaction of Darius when he’d seen her back was imprinted in her mind and she knew that
whatever David felt he would conceal it. He would never be so unkind, yet she wasn’t expecting
him to be the same afterwards.
There would be lots of people at the barn supper so there would be no opportunities for heart-toheart
talking on that occasion, and in any case she was going to wait until she’d been to London to
see if there was any chance of improvement of the damaged skin in the future.
Once again Elaine was helping with the arrangements for the occasion that everyone seemed to be
looking forward to and had gone on ahead when David called for Laurel on the Friday night and
found her waiting at the gate dressed in jeans, a checked shirt and high boots.
He smiled when he saw that her outfit was almost a replica of his own and offered her one of the
two Stetson-type hats he was carrying.
‘I found these in a cupboard at the cottage,’ he said, ‘and thought we may as well go the whole way
for the country and western.’
‘Why not?’ she said, sparkling up at him. He was such a joy to be with and he cared for her, she
thought mistily, though she sometimes felt that his feelings were more protective than passionate.
They had a wonderful time in the huge barn, which was clean and fragrant. The atmosphere was
relaxed and friendly, the food plentiful and good to eat, and the music foot-tapping and rhythmic.
Jonas wasn’t there and when she questioned David about his absence he said, ‘I tried to get Dad to
come, but I think he was a bit shy. He’s more at ease with boats than a lot of people. I’ll take you to
Cornwall some time if you like. It’s a small fishing village where I was brought up and it has its
own particular charm, like the rest of the county.’
When there was no reply forthcoming he said wryly, ‘You’re not exactly bubbling over with
enthusiasm at the suggestion.’
‘That’s because I’m not sure what the future holds,’ she told him awkwardly, ‘but it’s nice of you to
offer.’
In one of his rare moments of irritation he replied, ‘I’m not trying to be “nice”, Laurel. I can’t think
of a more inane word to describe me. I have much stronger motives in suggesting it. For one thing
I’d like to show you where my mother is buried, as you are taking such an interest in her old home.
It’s on a headland looking out to sea, not far from Dad’s cottage.
‘It would seem that between us we have a triangle of locations that mean a lot to us. Willowmere,
Cornwall and London, and I have to say that it is this village that comes top of the list.’
She couldn’t agree more, Laurel thought, but she wouldn’t want to live there without him in her
life. She could tell from the way he was talking that David had his own ideas about that. He was
wanting to be with her more and more and it was so hard to say no when it was what she wanted
too…
But she had nightmares about saying yes if he asked her to marry him and then him finding out on
their wedding night that she was less than desirable.
It was why she had to tell him soon, before it went any further between them, and not having
changed her mind on that score she made the most of the night in the barn. She danced every dance
with the hat on her head and the boots on her feet, until David protested he needed a drink and went
to get them glasses of cider on tap from a wooden cask.
They left before it was over with the early start in mind, and as he walked her home David thought
wryly of the number of times they had separated at the gates of the old stone lodge.
The day couldn’t come soon enough when they lived in Water Meetings House, together for
always. He didn’t care how much Laurel shied away when he asked her to marry him. He would
woo her until she had no refusals or doubts left.
He held her close for a brief moment as they parted, releasing her before she had the chance to
wriggle out of his arms, and said, ‘So I’ll see you at the station at what time in the morning?’
‘I need to get the six-thirty local train to get me to Manchester in time for the inter-city connection,’
she told him, ‘but you don’t have to come, David. Why not have a lie-in?’
He shook his head. When was Laurel going to get the message that he wanted to be with her every
minute of the day…and in the night too?
Reaching up, she brushed her lips against his cheek but he kept his arms by his sides, and as he
strode off down the lane she watched him without moving until he was out of sight.
He was waiting for her in early sunlight when she arrived at the small station that Walter looked
after so painstakingly, and as she walked towards him he said, ‘So you didn’t oversleep?’
‘Does it look like it?’ she parried. ‘Though I don’t mind telling you it was an effort to get up after
all the dancing and the cider.’
‘I’m coming with you as far as Manchester,’ he told her. ‘I want to do some shopping.’
‘Fine,’ she said, and went to book her ticket in the small office at the entrance to the platform.
‘Aren’t you the young lady who helped the doctor take care of His Lordship’s son?’ Walter asked
from behind the glass that separated him from the travelling public.
‘Er…yes,’ she replied, and thought if she’d been in London she could have been the Queen of
Sheba for all he would have known.
‘The village folks have really taken you to their hearts after that,’ he informed her, and as she
prepared to join David, who was standing just a few feet away, he said, ‘Have a nice day, my dear.’
‘That is what it’s all about, isn’t it?’ she said as she and David walked along the platform. ‘People
around here take the time to get to know each other.’
‘Mmm, that is so,’ he agreed as the train came chugging into the station. When they were settled in
an almost empty carriage he said, ‘Are you glad that you took the time to get to know me?’
‘Yes and no,’ she told him. ‘Life was less complicated when I didn’t, but I wouldn’t have missed it
for the world.’
‘There is an element of the past tense in what you’ve just said,’ he remarked, observing her keenly,
‘but I’ll try to keep an open mind.’
They arrived in Manchester after a short time and when she would have left him at the barrier he
ignored it and walked to the door of the carriage with her. As she turned to say goodbye with one
foot on the step he said gravely, ‘Take care, Laurel. Come back to me.’
She nodded and without speaking boarded the train. When she’d found a seat by the window she
flashed him a half-smile and thought if David was under the impression that she was looking
forward to the day ahead he was mistaken. The only impetus that was taking her away from him
was the hope that there might be some way she could be made to look less unattractive than she did
now.
‘Are you creaming the affected area regularly and keeping the skin out of direct sunlight?’ the
consultant asked when he’d examined her back.
‘Yes, of course,’ she declared. ‘My back rarely sees the light of day. It isn’t something I would ever
want to flaunt. It still looks dreadful.’
‘I know,’ he said sympathetically, ‘but you have to remember they were third-degree burns that you
received. We did everything possible at the time to repair the damage, but it won’t ever completely
disappear. It will become less noticeable as time goes by, but the scars will always be there. We
could try plastic surgery. We’ve gone the limit with skin grafts. Would you consider that?’
‘Yes, anything,’ she said flatly.
‘We’re pretty booked up at the moment. It could be a while before we get round to it, yet I will
certainly put you on the list if you’re sure, but again there is no certainty that it will be other than a
small improvement. That is all I can guarantee.’
His words stayed with her all the time during her homeward journey and she asked herself dismally
what she had expected. A promise of perfection, hardly, but she’d hoped for some joy to come out
of the visit to the burns unit.
When she got off the local train at Willowmere her eyes widened. David was waiting for her on the
platform.
‘How did you know which train I would be on?’ she questioned, and he smiled.
‘I didn’t. I’ve just been meeting each one as it came in and finally hit the jackpot. What sort of a
day have you had?’
‘Average,’ she told him wearily. ‘It’s good to be back.’
‘Let me take you for a meal,’ he suggested, ‘or if you want I’ll cook for us at my place. Would you
like that?’
‘Yes, I think I would.’
She was going to keep to her vow of telling him about the full extent of the damage to her skin and
the sooner the better, she was thinking. If they went to Glenside Lodge Elaine might be there, and
Jonas maybe, and she would lose her nerve.
David was watching her as they ate the food he’d prepared and the thought of the ring he’d bought
was uppermost in his mind. If she was in agreement when the meal was over, why didn’t he take
Laurel to see the progress that had been made with the house and then surprise her by asking her to
marry him in the place that meant so much to them both?
He’d vowed to wait until she showed that she trusted him, but did it matter? She would do in time,
he would make sure of that.
She was tired, but when David suggested they go to the house Laurel couldn’t resist, even though it
was putting off the moment of truth. There would always be another time, she told herself.
‘The electricity supply was connected today,’ he said as he turned the key in the door, ‘otherwise I
wouldn’t have suggested we come.’ And when it swung back he flicked on a light switch and the
hall was flooded with light.
As she looked around her at oak panelling and a domed ceiling Laurel didn’t have to say anything.
The expression of delight on her face was answer enough if he’d had any doubts about her reaction,
and as they went from room to room he watched her pleasure increase until they were back in a
sitting room that was waiting to be enhanced by some furniture.
‘The house is beautiful, David,’ she breathed.
‘And so are you,’ he said softly. ‘Will you marry me, Laurel, and live with me here?’
He saw her expression change. ‘I’m not beautiful!’ she cried. ‘And I can’t marry you. It wouldn’t
be fair.’
‘Why not?’ he exclaimed, unaware that his proposal had taken away her one chance of showing him
that she trusted him. If she told him how scarred she was now he was going to think that she’d
saved it until she was sure of him, and it wasn’t like that at all. Over recent months she hadn’t been
sure of anything, least of all the reactions of others.
‘I’m waiting,’ he reminded her in a flat tone. ‘If nothing else, you owe me an explanation, Laurel.’
Suddenly it was all too much. She was wearing an outdoor jacket and clutching her handbag in a
clammy hand, and almost in one movement she flung the bag to one side and wrenched off the
jacket. Then as he watched in stunned disbelief she took off one of the high-necked sweaters that
he’d seen her in so often, and turned slowly to present her back to him.
She heard his sharp intake of breath like a death knell about to toll. ‘So this is what you couldn’t
bring yourself to tell me. Who or what did that to you?’
‘Does it matter?’ she said dismissively. ‘It’s there and isn’t going to go away. I’ve been to London
for a check-up at the burns unit where I was treated, hoping there might be a chance of some sort of
cosmetic improvement, but didn’t get much joy out of the visit.’
‘And you couldn’t tell me any of this,’ he said in a low voice. ‘You thought so little of me that you
couldn’t share your heartache. What kind of a person do you think I am, Laurel?’
She didn’t answer the question. Instead she had one of her own. ‘Would you want to wake up to this
patchwork quilt every morning?’ she asked flatly, still with her back to him. ‘Take me home please,
David,’ she begged as she replaced the clothes she’d taken off, and after switching off the lights and
locking the door he did as she’d asked in the silence that had fallen upon them.
CHAPTER TEN
WHEN they arrived at Glenside Lodge she opened the car door and was out of it before he’d had the
chance to break the silence, and he thought dismally there would be no lingering under the
streetlamp tonight.
The lights were on so he waited until she was safely inside and then drove home to the cottage and
sat staring into space. Every time he visualised what Laurel had gone through he felt sick inside. He
still didn’t know what had happened, but he was a doctor and knew that it must have been
something terrible to have done that to her skin. No wonder his father’s comment about Caroline
had sent Laurel running for cover.
If he’d been there he would have made sure that she’d also got the message that there hadn’t been
much else to commend his ex-fiancйe, but he hadn’t been and she’d fled to hide her hurt.
When he’d found her she could have told him then, but she hadn’t. He hadn’t been entirely
convinced by her reaction with the barbecue and had thought there was more to it than just a scare.
Now he knew that it had been with just cause on her part and his heart ached when he thought of the
pain she must have suffered. He wished he could turn the clock back and wipe out the times he’d
told her she was unpredictable and difficult to deal with.
She’d asked him to take her home, and his dismay at what she’d revealed to him had been so acute
he’d done as she asked instead of telling her that he loved her as she was and wanted her in his
arms, in his bed, in his life for always.
The midnight hour was long past. Dawn would soon be breaking over the sleeping village, and he
thought determinedly that he had to make things right between them before another day took its
course.
When Laurel let herself into the house there was no sign of Elaine, and a note on the hall table said,
Have gone to mind Arran for Georgina and Ben. They’re dining out with a Swedish colleague of his
and have suggested I stay the night as they might be late back. Hope all went well with the checkup.
See you soon, love Elaine.
She breathed a sigh of relief. She had the place to herself, thank goodness. If Elaine saw the state
she was in she would want to know what was wrong, and she felt as if she would choke on it if she
had to explain.
Sleep wasn’t swift in coming, which was not surprising as her thoughts were going round and round
in a miserable circle, and eventually she slipped on the fleecy robe that she’d been wearing on the
night David had found her asleep on the sofa and went to sit out in the garden.
It was hot and airless with only a sliver of moon up above, and as she sat alone in the silence Laurel
thought she’d behaved like a crazy woman, throwing the words she’d longed to hear back in his
face. So much for dignity. She’d intended telling him calmly and without drama so that he could
walk away without embarrassment if he felt the need. She hadn’t expected him to be as cruel as
Darius had been, but neither had she expected him to be so hurt and condemning when she’d finally
shown him the scars. He hadn’t said a word after that. It was as if a shutter had come down between
them and she doubted it would ever be raised again.
When the car swished to a halt at the gate in the light of the streetlamp and David came up the path
to where she was huddled on a wooden bench Laurel remained motionless.
He stopped in front of her and beckoned for her to rise. ‘Come with me and don’t ask questions,’ he
said in a low voice, and she obeyed.
When he’d tucked her into the car she found her voice. ‘Where are we going?’
‘You’ll soon see,’ he said, and she lapsed into silence again.
When the lake with the house behind it came into sight she shrank down in the seat and pulled the
robe more closely around her, and he smiled across at her.
‘I don’t think anyone is going to be around to note your strange attire at this hour and there isn’t any
need to cover yourself up any more, is there?’
He’d stopped the car in front of the house, but instead of taking her in that direction he took her
hand and walked her down to where the waters of the lake lapped against a small stone landing
stage.
‘It was here that you cast your spell over me,’ he said, embracing the lake and the field where the
house stood with a sweeping gesture, ‘and it is here that I want us to be for ever and always, loving
and living in the house back there once I’ve convinced you that I love everything about you,
including the scars.
‘I love you for your spirit that must have been almost quenched by what happened to you, for the
forthright person that you are in everything except the thing that you mistakenly thought set you
apart from other women.
‘It is what I should have told you when you showed me your back, but I was so taken aback I said
the first thing that came into my head. Can you forgive me, Laurel?’
‘I’ve told you before, David. I can forgive you anything,’ she said softly as dawn began to lighten
the sky, ‘and I do so want to live with you in Water Meetings House.’
‘And you shall,’ he promised, ‘because I’m going to ask you again. Will you marry me, Laurel?’
‘Yes, I will,’ she told him with sweet gravity, and this time she went into his arms knowing it was
where she belonged.
Later, as daylight began to slant across the water, he said gently, ‘So are you going to tell me what
happened?’
She nodded, with the dread having left her. ‘Yes. It is long overdue.’ She held his hand tightly. ‘I
was on night duty on Men’s Surgical along with another nurse who had gone for a break when it
happened.
‘I was settling in a patient who had been brought up from the high-dependency unit when I smelt
smoke and saw that the door of a small side ward was shut, which was against regulations.
‘When I flung it open I was horrified to discover that the bed was on fire with the patient still in it.
The curtains nearby were also on fire. Smoke was filling the room and I knew I had to get him out
of there fast.
‘The fire alarm had gone off and help would soon be arriving, but there wasn’t time to wait so I ran
across and half lifted, half dragged him off the bed and began to carry him towards the door in the
choking smoke.
‘It had swung to behind me and as I opened the door the draught turned the blaze into a flash fire
and caught my back as I staggered out into the corridor with him. I collapsed with one leg crushed
beneath me and the patient on top of me.
‘I could hear raised voices and pounding feet but they seemed a long way off and I remembered
nothing else until I surfaced two days later with a doctor looking down at me sympathetically as he
was about to explain that I’d got third-degree burns on my back, that my hands were all blistered,
and my hair was burnt.
‘The only good thing to come out of it was that the fire had been contained to the one room. No
other patients had been hurt, just myself and the old guy who hadn’t been able to resist lighting a
cigarette. He too had severe scarring but amazingly made some degree of recovery.
‘They told me when I surfaced for those first few moments in the burns unit that I had some painful
times ahead of me and that skin grafts might be required once the extent of the damage to my skin
had been calculated, but I was so heavily sedated not much of what I was being told registered.
Though it registered fast enough when at last I was conscious enough to see for myself what the fire
had done to me.
‘There were no-smoking notices all over the hospital, but the old guy had pleaded with his visitors
to leave cigarettes and matches, and aware that they were breaking hospital rules they’d closed the
door after them when they’d left.
‘He’d confessed afterwards that he’d lit up as soon as they’d left and after the first few puffs, weak
and ill, he’d dozed off and let the lighted cigarette fall on the sheets, then panicked and threw it
away, setting light to the curtains. It changed my life for ever.’
Overwhelmed with tenderness, David had listened without interrupting as she’d told him what he’d
wanted to know ever since they’d met. And now, as she turned towards him, he said, ‘You are so
brave and so beautiful it takes my breath away. Don’t ever be afraid of the reactions of others,
Laurel.’
Her smile was rueful. ‘They wanted to give me an award but I didn’t want one. I just wanted my
skin back, and it was Darius who made me lose confidence about the scarring. I showed him my
back on one of his infrequent visits to the hospital and he couldn’t take it, said it was nauseating. I
finished with him soon after.’
When he would have expressed his disgust she told him gently, ‘Shush, David. It’s forgotten. If he
hadn’t been like that I would never have met you.’
She couldn’t believe it was happening. The black despair of the last few hours had disappeared. He
really wanted her, she thought joyfully. David wanted her as much as she wanted him and he wasn’t
fazed by what he’d seen on her back, even though it did look like a map of the Pennines.
He was taking a small jeweller’s box out of his pocket, and when he opened it and she saw the
emerald surrounded with diamonds glowing on its velvet bed she turned to him with eyes wide with
amazement.
‘When did you get that?’ she breathed.
He laughed. ‘Do you remember me saying that I was going shopping in Manchester?’
There were tears on her lashes as she told him, ‘After Darius I didn’t think any man would ever
want me. Then I met you when I was looking a sight and hating the thought of living in the
countryside.
‘When I discovered that you were a local and a doctor in the village practice it all became so much
more bearable, though it didn’t make me any more confident regarding my appearance or eager to
expose my disfigurement.’
‘I’m not “any man”,’ he said steadily. ‘I’m the one who will love you no matter what, through thick
and thin, in sickness and in health. I want you to wear this ring on your finger to show that you
belong to me and soon I hope, very soon, I’m going to place a gold wedding band next to it. How
soon do you think we can arrange a wedding? A week? A fortnight?’
‘And you’re sure that this is what you want?’ she asked, with the feeling that it was all a dream.
‘I’m sure all right,’ he said softly, ‘and will be happy to demonstrate how much whenever the
opportunity occurs.’
The emerald was on her finger, and the first of the demonstrations that David had promised was so
satisfactory they repeated it several times.
As Willowmere basked in glorious September sunshine, Edwina Crabtree and her fellow bellringers
were out in full force. The vicar had raised his eyebrows at holding a wedding at such short notice,
but for David and Laurel he was happy to make an exception.
Their families and friends were gathered in the church to share in their special day. Everyone from
the surgery was there to wish them well, along with Pollyanna and Jolyon in the charge of Jess and
Helen, while their father was occupied with his duties of best man.
Sarah Wilkinson had brought out the blue brocade again, and Clare, proudly holding baby Arran,
was there too.
The Derringhams had also put in an appearance and there was much sympathy for Alistair on his
crutches.
A newcomer to local health care was also one of the guests—David’s acquaintance from St
Gabriel’s, Lizzie Carmichael. She’d been appointed as the new community midwife and had
introduced herself to James. Lord Derringham’s plans for the maternity clinic were taking shape
and everyone was very excited.
At that moment the organist began to play the wedding march and as everyone got to their feet she
was there, his bride, breathtaking in a white satin gown, wide-eyed and beautiful with Elaine beside
her.
Unknown to Laurel, Elaine had discovered the whereabouts of her parents and that morning they’d
turned up at Glenside Lodge to watch their daughter marry the man who held her heart.
They would be off again the next day if they ran true to form, but she’d long learned to live with
that and it was good to see them, though they would never hold a place in her affections like Elaine
did.
So it was Elaine who walked Laurel down the aisle, proud and happy to be giving the niece she
loved so much to the man of her dreams. David waited at the altar, tall and handsome in his
morning suit. James stood next to him, equally tall and handsome, as best man.
Jonas, as happy as Elaine because his cherished son had found the love of his life, smiled at them
from the front pew, and passed Elaine his handkerchief to dab her eyes.
The reception was to be held at the completed Water Meetings House, and when David carried
Laurel over the threshold it would be the moment that their hopes and dreams became the reality
that he had promised. Maybe, somewhere in the ether, his mother would be smiling down on them
as they began their life in what had once been her childhood home.
The day was finally over and the newlyweds were alone. They walked hand in hand to where
Willow Lake, beautiful and timeless, would always be there to enchant them, and then wandered
blissfully back to Water Meetings House. At last, Laurel lay in David’s arms, and as he kissed the
scars that she’d tried to hide from him she knew beyond doubt how much he loved her.