A Wedding in the Village (6 page)

He had just fought his way through months of hell on earth when he’d received some Valentines from the students he’d been lecturing and Megan’s had been amongst them.

She’d already caught his attention before that because she had been so different from the woman he’d married. Small, serious, hard-working, and with hair and eye colouring so different from that of his sultry ex-wife he’d been reminded continually of his stupidity in rushing into a marriage with no foundations.

But he’d not been about to let his personal troubles affect his ethics and so had made no move to get to know Megan better. Now things were different, it seemed the fates had given him a push in her direction again.

This time there was going to be no rushing into the unknown, he’d decided. He would take it slowly and enjoy the pleasure of really getting to know her as a colleague and as a person.

When he’d decided to change his job, move house and come to help his bereaved sister and her children through some dark days, he hadn’t bargained for it being quite so time-consuming, but that would pass, he told himself, and when it did Megan, of the red-gold hair and green eyes, would still be there.

He also hadn’t bargained for a clash of temperaments almost as soon as he’d stepped over the threshold of the practice. But thankfully that storm was calming down. Tonight she was here beside him at Woodcote House and he wasn’t complaining about that.

The crumpets were ready, and as she buttered them Megan said, ‘I know you won’t want me to be talking health care, but when you have some free time, if ever, I’d like us to discuss some improvements that I have in mind for the surgery.’

‘Sure,’ he said easily, ignoring the dig about his lack of free time. ‘Concerning what? Fabric or function?’

‘Both, but not tonight.’

He could agree on that, Luke thought. The boys had taken their supper upstairs and they were alone for a short time and the last thing he wanted to do was talk shop.

‘So tell me about yourself, Megan,’ he said when they were seated on opposite sides in the sitting room.

‘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.’

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.

‘H
AVE
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.