Christmas At Willowmere

‘Hmm, it sounds like it. Why don’t you and the children show it to me tomorrow after school is over? If it isn’t too far, we might get there before the light goes and then we could go for afternoon tea somewhere. I’ll call for you.’

‘Oh…yes, all right,’ she agreed, taken unawares by the suggestion, yet it did have its appeal. It would give her the opportunity to show Glenn some of the reasons why she loved this place and Willow Lake was high on the list. Though she would rather have taken him there on a spring day, or in summer when the weeping willows hung over the water in an abundance of fresh greenery.

But Glenn wouldn’t be around then and she didn’t want to think about that, even though his arrival was like having a wound that had healed open up again.

As they strolled along the main street with its quaint shops and onto the bridge that spanned the river he asked, ‘Are there any eating places around here that would be open and suitable to take the children to at this time of the year?’

She nodded. ‘Yes. There’s the very place, over there. The Hollyhocks Tea Rooms, a couple of doors away from the post office. They’re open all year round and the food is always good. The owners of the place are friends of mine.’

‘So the Hollyhocks Tea Rooms it shall be,’ he said, ‘where Cheshire cheese and Lancashire hotpot will, no doubt, be on the menu as we aren’t far from where the two counties meet.’

‘And what’s wrong with that?’ she asked, sending him a look as the moon scudded behind a cloud and they were left in cold, velvet darkness.

‘I didn’t say there was anything wrong,’ he replied hastily, hiding a smile. Then he saw the teasing sparkle in her eyes.

‘You know we still have the stocks in the village for those who misbehave,’ she joked, ‘and we pelt them with rotten eggs. So beware!’

‘What?’ he exclaimed in assumed horror. ‘I would have thought a place as perfect as this would only be able to lay its hands on fresh free-range chuckies.’

As they laughed together it was like the old days for a moment. They’d been happy and carefree when they’d first met. In a moment of weakness Anna wished they could go back to those early days.

‘What are you thinking?’ he asked, observing the change in her expression.

‘Nothing,’ she said flatly. ‘I was just remembering, that’s all.’

‘So you’ve not forgotten how it used to be?’

‘No. Of course I haven’t! Have you?’

‘No. I haven’t forgotten either,’ he told her, and could have gone on to remind her that during their last year at university all his hopes and dreams had been formed and she had demolished them with just a few words. But what was the point? It had all been long ago…

‘We’ve both missed out on many things since then,’ he said gravely, ‘and I still don’t know why.’

At that moment the moon appeared again and he saw her expression in its light. ‘What?’ he asked. ‘What’s wrong, Anna?’

‘Nothing,’ she said quickly. Desperate to lighten the moment, she pointed to an ancient stone building beside the river. ‘That’s an old water mill. It isn’t used now, of course, but it’s a favourite with local artists.’

‘I can imagine it would be,’ he said absently, still concerned about how she’d looked a moment ago. But it was clear that she wasn’t going to tell him what was wrong so he said easily, ‘I seem to have seen quite a few things tonight, but one thing you haven’t shown me is where you live. When do I get to see that? I’d like to be able to picture you there when I’ve gone.’

‘Another time maybe,” she promised. ‘I’ll show you round some time, but I think maybe we should call it a day now.’

She was feeling too emotional to take him into her smart little dwelling. Outside in the cold it wasn’t hard to keep at a distance but in a more confined space she couldn’t guarantee anything.

* * *

When she arrived home James was on the point of putting the ironing board away and on the kitchen table was a neat pile of newly ironed laundry.

‘You didn’t have to do that,’ she protested.

‘I know,’ he replied. ‘Just the same as you don’t have to look after me and mine, but you do.’ He observed her keenly. ‘I liked Glenn. It takes some guts to do what he’s been doing.’

‘Yes, it does,’ she agreed, and wondered what was coming next.

‘How would you feel if I offered him a temporary locum position in the practice until he’s decided what he wants to do permanently?’ he asked, choosing his words carefully. ‘I feel he could be just what we need if he agrees. I will have to consult Georgina, of course, though I can’t see her objecting to more help around the place. It’s what you think of the idea that I’m most concerned about. Would you want him living in the village, working in the practice, back in your life to some degree?’

Anna was gazing at him open-mouthed. ‘I know you’ve been thinking of employing a locum for some time,’ she croaked, ‘but Glenn! You hardly know him.’

‘That may be true,’ James pointed out equably, ‘but you know him so it will depend on what you say whether I offer him the position.’

She took a deep breath. Was this the moment to tell James just how close she and Glenn had once been? That he had once been the love of her life, but because she couldn’t give him children she had sent him away?

Or was it the time to burden herself with another secret, this time kept from James, and let him go on thinking she and Glenn were just casual friends? Otherwise he would be devastated to know just how much the operation had ruined her life and it might show through when he was in Glenn’s company. It didn’t seem as if there was much of a choice.

She took a deep breath. ‘You are putting me on the spot, asking me to give my opinion. Glenn and I were close once but we drifted apart, like students do, and as you know I haven’t seen him in a long time. But I can tell you one thing with regard to how good a doctor he will be. I have a very clear picture of that. I’m confident that you would find him extremely capable and caring. He would be an asset to the practice. Glenn sailed through every exam and was top of his year at university.

‘We would be fortunate to have him on board and I would say go for it if that is what you want. But don’t expect anything to change as far as I’m concerned. My life is mapped out and I don’t anticipate taking any side turnings. Just so you know, he’s offered to take the children and me to the Hollyhocks Tea Rooms tomorrow afternoon after I’ve shown him the lake. But before you get any crazy ideas, we’ve no plans to socialise after that.’

‘And if I offer him the job?’

‘It will be between the two of you. Just make sure he realises that I had nothing to do with it, and give some thought to where he is going to stay if he accepts.’

‘Well, the spare bedroom here has an en suite, as you know, so I can accommodate him temporarily if he accepts my offer. I don’t think having the kids around would bother him. It’s easy to see he’s good with children, and you are only next door.’

‘I can see that your mind is made up,’ she said, still bemused by this latest turn of events.

‘Only if you are in favour of the arrangement, and don’t forget he has yet to be asked.’

‘Yes, I know, and if he agrees it probably won’t be for long. He’ll soon be off on his travels again. So, yes, it’s all right by me, and now I’m going home or I’ll never be up on time in the morning.’

‘Promise me you won’t stay awake, worrying,’ he begged, ‘as nothing may come of it.’

‘I’ll do my best,’ she said, and went to have a peep at Polly and Jolly before going to the annexe next door. As she looked down at them, beautiful and innocent in sleep, Anna felt peace descend on her.

She might have just done the wrong thing, but wasn’t it better to keep up the charade of Glenn being just an acquaintance rather than never to see him again? That was what would have happened if she’d told James not to offer him the position.

CHAPTER THREE

SLEEP evaded her, as she’d known it would after the events of the day. She heard the church clock strike one, and was still wide awake.

James had been right to consider asking Glenn to join the practice, she thought. What had been between them was long gone, even though he had appeared out of the blue and taken her breath away.

Unlike herself, Glenn had no family to share his life with. It was possible he might appreciate the chance to sample living in the countryside. He’d been prepared to do that when Julie had died and must still wonder why she’d rejected the suggestion and ended their relationship, especially as he’d discovered on his return that there was no one else in her life.

She’d agreed to James’s suggestion for both their sakes, and Glenn would have nothing to lose if he accepted, but for the sake of keeping him near she was making a difficult situation even more complicated.

Yet why worry about something that might never happen? she told herself. The odds were that the thought of actually living in Willowmere, as compared to a short visit, would make Glenn refuse James’s offer.

* * *

Anna hadn’t been the only one finding sleep hard to come by. In his room at The Pheasant, Glenn was reliving every moment from his first sight of her on the snow-covered pavement, taking the children to school.

He’d remembered where she lived, had been to Bracken House on the day she’d called it off. Yet when he’d driven past that morning there had been no signs of life. But as he’d cruised along the main street of the village, luck had been with him. He’d seen Anna walking along the pavement with two small chidren.

If she’d been pleased to see him, Anna had concealed it well, he thought. Yet she’d gone to have a drink with him, invited him for a meal, and had agreed to see him again tomorrow. She seemed friendly enough but he sensed that she was on her guard for some reason and wondered if she thought it tasteless that he had resurfaced after all this time and was here in Willowmere.

Yet what did any of it matter? Unless she gave a sign that she still had feelings for him, he would accept that there really was nothing left of what they’d had before and go on his way.

‘You’re looking very glamorous,’ Georgina said when Anna arrived at the surgery the following morning. ‘What’s the occasion?’

‘Just afternoon tea with a friend I haven’t seen for some time,’ she replied.

Georgina Adams was an attractive thirty-five-year-old divorcee, who lived alone in a stone cottage at the end of one of the leafy lanes leading off the main street of the village. She kept herself to herself, but could be relied on for a cheery word and a smile whenever they stopped to chat.

The women patients usually chose to consult her, especially if they had something embarrassing to discuss, and she and James had a good working relationship.

Time was always of the essence on weekday mornings. Making sure the children had a good breakfast and seeing them safely to school before she put in an appearance at the surgery left little time for make-up and smart clothes. And in any case the practice nurses wore a neat blue uniform. But today she was wearing a fashionable cashmere top and skirt, and her hair hung straight and shining.

She’d decided that if Glenn didn’t choose to join the practice it might be the last time she saw him, and whenever he thought of her in time to come, if he ever did, she wouldn’t want him to remember her as drab.

All the practice staff, with the exception of herself, started at half past eight, so James and Georgina had already been seeing patients when she arrived, and Anna wondered when he was going to speak to Glenn.

She hoped it wouldn’t be before they met up that afternoon. Calm and controlled was how she wanted to be while they walked by the lake and chatted over tea. The children were very good at the table, but Polly and Jolly were only five years old and sometimes they did need some assistance, which could prove to be a diverting exercise if a diversion was needed.

‘I’m going to call at The Pheasant to see Glenn this evening when I’ve finished here,’ James told her when he had a moment to spare. ‘So I might be late for dinner. Is that all right?’

‘Yes, of course,’ she told him. ‘I’ll give the children theirs at the usual time, though.’

He nodded. ‘And you’re not going to say anything to Glenn about him joining the practice when you’re with him this afternoon, are you?’ he questioned.

‘Absolutely not!’ she exclaimed. ‘I said last night that I don’t want to be involved in what you are considering, James. I would be mortified if he received the impression that I had anything to do with it.’

‘Don’t be,’ he said affectionately. ‘You know I would never do anything to upset you. There’s still time for you to say you would prefer me not to approach him.’

She shook her head. ‘No. Go ahead. I think Glenn has been feeling rather out on a limb since he came back home. Your suggestion could be just what he needs.’

It was along the lines of what she’d been thinking during the sleepless hours of the previous night and as she went to change the dressing on what had been a badly infected finger of a teenage boy she still wasn’t sure if it was what she needed.

The lad was the son of Bryan Timmins, who owned one of the biggest farms in the area, and until recently Anna had thought him to be spoilt and surly. When young Josh had pierced his finger on a rusty nail and it had become infected, James had put him on antibiotics and sent him to the nurses’room for a tetanus injection. Today she was hoping to see some improvement when she changed the dressing.

She’d seen a new side to Josh when he’d called at Bracken House one afternoon with some eggs that his father had forgotten to deliver and had stopped and played with the children.

They’d had lots of fun and Polly and Jolly hadn’t wanted him to go, but his mother had phoned, concerned about where he’d got to, and he’d had to leave.

‘How are the twins?’ he asked as the finger was revealed and appeared to be healing satisfactorily.

‘They’re fine, Josh,’ she replied. ‘You’re good with children, aren’t you? I can see you having a house full of your own when you get married.’

‘I don’t know about that, but I won’t have just one, that’s for sure,’ he said, and Anna saw the light. Josh had been a different person that day. He was obviously a lad who missed not having brothers and sisters.

‘Come round any afternoon when you’re not with your mates,’ she said as he was leaving, and his expression brightened.

Georgina popped into the nurses’room shortly afterwards and said, ‘I’ve just seen Josh Timmins leaving. That young man is in for a surprise and so are you, Anna.’

‘Why me?’ she asked.

‘His mother came to see me yesterday afternoon and she will be attending our antenatal clinic in the morning.’ ‘Maggie Timmins is pregnant!’ she exclaimed. ‘That is amazing!’

‘What do you mean? She’s not exactly in her dotage,’ Georgina protested mildly. ‘Maggie was forty last month, which isn’t exactly the first flush of youth but not too old to conceive.’

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