A Wedding in the Village (5 page)

‘My nearest neighbour, old Jonas Bottomley, makes a few pounds for himself when that takes place by working as a beater. The rest of the time he spends making moonshine.’

‘And I thought that the countryside was a quiet, law-abiding place,’ Luke said in mock horror. ‘What next?’

‘Next are the house calls, I’m afraid. Are you ready?’

‘Sure am,’ he said easily, with no intention of telling her that he’d just had a phone call from the headmistress at Oliver’s school to ask if he would make sure his nephew understood that he couldn’t use his mobile phone in class.

‘We are trying to be as lenient as possible with those two boys under the circumstances,’ she’d said. ‘But Oliver does take advantage of it sometimes. I am phoning you as he tells me that his mother has gone away and won’t be back for some weeks.’

‘Yes, phone me by all means if there is any problem at all with either Oliver or Owen,’ he’d told her ‘They
are
going through a difficult time, but I don’t intend to let them misbehave if I can help it.’

* * *

When he got in that evening Rebekah Wainright was there, and to Luke’s relief she turned out to be a much gentler soul than her friend Izzy Chambers. She was tall, slim and extremely neat, he noted. Probably in her late sixties and looking good for her years. She’d made a meal, cottage pie with an apple tart to follow, and he could have kissed her.

‘I need to know what you are expecting of me, Dr Anderson,’ she told him. ‘Just make me a list, and I’ll do my best to follow it. I didn’t know whether you would want me to cook for you tonight, but I took the chance and will do so each time I’m here, but only if you want me to.’

‘I most certainly do,’ he told her. ‘Where do you live, Mrs Wainright? I hope it isn’t too far away for you. I’ll be here to run you home in the evenings but I won’t be around when you start in the middle of the day.’

‘No problem,’ she told him. ‘I’m only just down the road. And before I go, what about those two lads? Is it all right to feed them when they get in from school? They were starving today so I gave them a glass of milk and some fruit to keep them going until you came home.’

‘That is perfectly all right. Teenage boys have permanently empty stomachs when they’re shooting up into adolescence.’

* * *

When she’d gone the three of them tucked into the food, and once their appetites were appeased Owen said, ‘Can we go to Manchester on Saturday, Uncle Luke?’

‘Er, yes, if you want,’ he told him. ‘What did you want to do there?’

‘Bowling. And the cinema.’

‘Fine, but you do realise I’ll be going with you. I’m not letting you out on your own in the city. What about you, Oliver? Do you want to go?’

‘Yeah,’ Oliver said, his excited expression reminding Luke of the mothing excursion. ‘But don’t bring Dr Marshall this time, will you? It’s boys only.’

‘Sure, no problem,’ Luke agreed, then said in a brisker tone, ‘And now who has homework to do?’

There was silence.

‘Come on, both of you, no slacking. If you don’t do your homework we don’t go bowling. And by the way, Oliver, as well as it being against the school rules, it is extremely rude to use your mobile in class. Don’t do it.’

When they were settled, one at each side of the kitchen table, doing their homework, Luke went to ring Megan to report on Rebekah Wainright’s first half-day at Woodcote House.

She might not be interested, he thought, but it would be a chance to hear her voice again, and to let her see that his domestic life was in control.

It had been good, their second day together in the practice. At least that was his opinion. But he’d started off on the wrong foot with Megan. It didn’t follow that she’d felt the same.

* * *

Sighing, Megan flopped down on the sofa. She’d felt miserable when she and Luke had separated at the end of the day, and told herself it had to stop. If all
she
had in her life was the practice, it wasn’t so for him. He had a grieving family to help get through some of the worst months of their lives, plus a business that he knew nothing about to oversee,
and
the position of village doctor to hold down.

She really couldn’t see how she could fit into his scheme of things, even if he wanted her to, and the information, offered casually, that he’d long ago forgotten that she’d sent him a Valentine wasn’t helping.

It was in the midst of those sombre thoughts that the phone rang and a voice said in her ear, ‘I thought I’d let you know that Rebekah Wainright looks as if she’s going to be a gem.’

‘That’s good,’ she told him, suddenly feeling much happier, though she wished it was themselves that he’d rung to talk about. ‘And the boys, are they all right without their mum?’

‘They seem to be. They’re doing their homework at the moment, reluctantly I might add. And what have you planned for the evening, Megan?’

‘Chores,’ she told him without much enthusiasm.

‘Come round for supper, then.’

‘I can’t keep butting into their lives, Luke,’ she said hesitantly.

‘What about my life?’ he questioned levelly ‘I’m going to need some company to bring me back to adulthood occasionally. We’re going bowling on Saturday and I’ve had instructions that I shouldn’t ask you to join us. It’s boys only.’

‘That’s fine with me,’ she said with feeling. ‘And in any case, I’ve already got something arranged. In Manchester, too, as it happens.’

He was immediately curious. ‘Anything interesting?’

‘To me, yes. I’m going to have a leisurely afternoon going around the shops and then I’m meeting one of my friends from university for a night at the ballet.’

‘Sounds good. Is she anyone I might remember?’

‘It’s a he.’

‘Oh, I see,’ he said flatly, and wished he hadn’t been so nosy. It served him right for not thinking there might be someone already in her life. Red-gold hair, green eyes and a fluid mover like Megan were not going to go unnoticed by his own sex.

‘Am I likely to remember
him
, then?’

He was glad this conversation was taking place over the phone. If Megan could see his expression she would pick up on his dismay.

‘Andy Warhurst.’

‘Really! Then I’m presuming that he must have changed a lot,’ he commented dryly. ‘I remember him as disruptive whenever he chose to attend my lectures.’

At the other end of the line it was dawning on Megan that he was jumping to the wrong conclusions. She wouldn’t be interested in Andy Warhurst in a thousand years, but maybe it would do no harm to let Luke think she might be.

The truth of it was that after they’d all left university, Megan had introduced Andy to Jenny, one of her childhood friends from the days when they’d been in the same ballet class. They’d fallen in love and got married, and now Jenny was a member of the company who were at present performing at a theatre in central Manchester.

Jenny had been the one most keen to make a career in ballet and she’d rung to ask Megan if she’d like to see the show. ‘I’m only one of the chorus,’ Jenny had said. ‘But I’ve got two tickets. Andy is going to use one of them and I wondered if you would like the other.’

‘Oh, yes!’ Megan had said immediately.

‘So would you feel like joining up with him?’ Jenny had asked. ‘It isn’t really his scene, and I know he’d like to see you again. I promise that he’s much better behaved these days,’ she’d told her laughingly.

The arrangements had been made, and now Luke was getting his wires crossed.

‘So how about supper, then?’ Luke asked, returning to his earlier suggestion.

‘I suppose I could pop down for half an hour.’

‘Great, so we’ll see you then.’

* * *

Her mother had phoned earlier and Luke had been the main topic of conversation.

‘How are you and he getting along?’ she’d wanted to know.

‘Not bad so far. But it’s early days yet.’ Megan had told her. ‘Luke is going to have his hands full on the domestic front for the next few weeks.’

‘Why is that?’

‘Sue has gone to France to stay with friends.’

‘And taken the boys with her, I hope.’

‘I’m afraid not. They didn’t want to go, and in any case she couldn’t take them out of school during term time.’

‘So her brother has been left in charge of them?’

‘Yes.’

‘And the garden center, too?’

‘Hmm. But I don’t think that will give him much trouble. Everyone who works there is very loyal, and before you ask about the practice, Luke is spot on and determined not to let his other commitments interfere.’

‘Good,’ her mother said, and Megan knew she was saying what Margaret wanted to hear.

‘Now, tell me about yourselves,’ Megan coaxed, moving onto safer ground ‘Are the house and its surroundings as wonderful as you remember them?’

‘Absolutely. We’re going to love it here, but only if you are happy back there in the village.’

‘I’m fine,’ Megan said, omitting to mention that she’d had grave doubts about the suitability of the man they’d found for her to share the practice with, and that they hadn’t entirely disappeared.

And now she’d accepted his invitation to go for supper because she couldn’t see enough of him. She was heading for a fall and knew it.

* * *

As she drove to Woodcote House in the summer dusk the village was quiet except for where the lights of The Badger spilled out across the main street. There was activity inside and outside of the old stone pub. There were those who’d taken their drinks outside into the balmy evening, and the rest who felt that the old settles inside were too comfortable to be exchanged for a hard wooden seat.

When she turned into the drive of Woodcote House, Luke was cutting the grass at the front, and down the side of the house she could see Owen and Oliver playing basketball.

To the onlooker it was a peaceful, domestic sort of scene, but she knew that there were undercurrents not visible to the uninformed. A missing mother trying to cope with an aching loss. Two young boys left fatherless, and in the middle of it a man that she’d once been attracted to and could be again. But she was on the edge of his life, coping with her own responsibilities, and if Luke let her down they would be twofold.

When he saw the car he switched off the mower and came across, smiling his welcome, and the boys came round from the back to see who was calling.

‘Are we going mothing again?’ Oliver asked eagerly when he saw her, and Luke shook his head.

‘Just because Megan has arrived it doesn’t mean that another foray into the fields is on the cards. She’s come to have supper with us. So I suggest that we all go inside and we three get washed up.’

‘What are we having?’ Owen asked, more interested in the menu than the niceties.

‘Crumpets, cake and coffee,’ Luke told him as the two doctors followed them into the house.

‘Have you heard from Sue yet?’ Megan asked.

‘Yes. She rang a few moments ago to say she’s arrived safely. Her friends were there to meet her at the airport, and once I’d assured her that all was well here, she sounded quite cheerful.’

‘I was wrong to think it would be chaos, wasn’t I?’ Megan said wryly. ‘Putting the gloom on everything before I’d seen you in action.’

‘It’s early days yet. Don’t forget that when you were thinking those sort of thoughts, Sue hadn’t found Rebekah for us, or Connie to keep the place clean,
and
I’ve still got to talk to Ned, who’s the top guy in the garden centre. Even if he sees to the running of it, there will still be wages to be calculated and paid, materials to order and invoices to be dealt with. I’m going to pop back here in the lunch-hour tomorrow to have a quick word with him. We need to arrange a proper meeting. I can’t let the business go to pot. Sue is going to need the money.’

Megan nodded. ‘Did Gareth have life insurance?’

‘Mmm, though it’s not a fortune, I’m afraid. But you haven’t come here tonight to be bogged down with this family’s problems. Sue and the boys are my responsibility.’

‘Not entirely, Luke. I’ve known her a long time and will help in any way I can.’

‘Yes, I know you will, but you’re not here for that now. Make yourself comfortable and I’ll put the kettle on.’

Instead of doing as he’d suggested, Megan followed him into the kitchen. ‘I’ll do the crumpets if you like,’ she volunteered, ‘while you make the coffee.’

‘Yes, all right,’ he said. ‘The boys have gone upstairs to spend a last hour on their own pursuits before going to bed. They’ll come down for theirs when it’s ready.’

‘How are you going to make sure that Oliver doesn’t try to slip out again when he thinks you’re asleep?’ said Megan, putting crumpets into the toaster.

‘Simple. I make sure that he’s asleep before I am.’

‘And Owen. Is he likely to do that sort of thing?’

‘Only time will tell.’

‘You’re very philosophical about all that has been thrust upon you.’

‘What else can I be?’

It wasn’t the moment to tell her that meeting her again was balancing the scales. That he’d been amazed when she’d appeared in his life again and was helping him to forget for a while the nasty taste that his divorce from Alexis had left.

Marriage to Alexis had been a short, sharp shock. They’d met at a party given by one of his medical associates and been immediately attracted to one another. She was tall, with striking good looks and a high opinion of herself as one of the top surgeons in the area.

A whirlwind romance had been followed by a smart wedding and no one had thought to tell him that he was just one in a long line of conquests. That he might have progressed further than the rest by being allowed to place a wedding ring on her finger, but it was unlikely to last.

His affection had been sincere and enduring, until he’d discovered that his new wife had found herself pregnant by him soon after they’d married and had had an abortion without his knowledge or consent.

She’d told him when it had been over and done with. In the row that had followed he’d wondered how he could have been so blind.

Her career came first, she’d said, and his anger had been directed at himself as well as Alexis. He’d taken it for granted that she would want a family as much as he did, and was about to pay for his mistake.