His house was gorgeous and so was he. It seemed as if he lived there alone, which could mean anything. That he was divorced, was too choosy, or maybe played the field. Whatever was going on in his life he wasn’t exactly a bundle of laughs, that was for sure, but, then, who would be after giving up his bed for the night to some strange woman?
He was tall. She was no midget, but he towered above her and he was trim with it. His eyes were blue as a summer sky, his hair a much darker thatch than her chestnut mane, and he had the most kissable mouth.
It would seem that she was going to be seeing a lot of him in days to come, which was almost enough to make up for the traumas of yesterday, but not quite. Medicine was the love of her life, it had to be. As well as being good at it, she needed it to fill the gap that a fluke of nature was to blame for.
She’d come top out of all the students on her course, but wasn’t going to be bandying that item of news around the Swallowbrook surgery. Anyone hearing it would be sure to want to know why, if that was the case, she was prepared to vegetate in a Lakeland village practice.
There was a reason, a sentimental one. In her early teens she and her family had been on the point of leaving Swallowbrook to move up north because of her father’s job when her baby brother had been taken seriously ill, and it had been the prompt action of the head of the practice at that time that had saved his life.
In her conversations with Libby Gallagher regarding the job Ruby had learned that Libby’s father-in-law, John Gallagher, who had been there for Robbie in their time of need, was now retired, and that she and her husband had taken over his father’s practice.
Her family’s move away had been urgent, her father’s job had depended on it, and no sooner had her young brother’s illness been stabilised than they’d been on their way, but she had never forgotten what the Swallowbrook practice had done for Robbie. On leaving the village she’d told Dr Gallagher that one day she was going to come back to be one of them and now her dream was about to come true.
Nathan had remembered her vaguely from long ago, the teenage kid who’d wanted to be one of them some day, and when she’d got in touch with the news that she’d got a first she’d been offered her heart’s desire, a position in the practice, and now here she was, ready to burst upon the Swallowbrook medical scene, in a strange man’s house and looking an absolute mess.
He couldn’t just throw her out in the hope that the pub might have a spare room for tonight, thought Hugo. It was barely half past eight on a Sunday morning. Apart from the bellringers in the church tower reminding those who would listen that it was the Sabbath, all was still, nothing moved.
How was Ruby going to pass the time on a chilly spring day with nowhere to stay, and Libby and Nathan unaware that their protégé had arrived unexpectedly?
There was the apartment above the double garage, of course. If she hadn’t fallen into such a deep sleep the night before he might have mentioned it then. He could offer her the use of it until tomorrow and it would serve a dual purpose from his point of view. Ease his conscience with regard to wanting her out of his space and give him peace of mind knowing that he hadn’t turned her out without accommodation.
Before it had been turned into an apartment the area above the garage had been a study and sitting room that his late brother-in-law had used, and when she had lost him one of the few decisive things that Patrice had done was to have the accommodation made into a small apartment for letting to help out financially. It was usually occupied by visitors to the lakes from Easter onwards but as it was out of season it was currently empty.
Ruby was observing his expression and wondering what was coming next. The feeling that she was ruining his weekend was heavy in the air and she certainly was not expecting a suggestion as welcome as the one he was about to make.
‘There is a self-contained apartment above the garage.’ he told her. ‘You can use that until tomorrow if you wish. No need to go looking for somewhere to stay. There’s plenty of food in my fridge and freezer so just help yourself to what you want if you would like to make use of the accommodation.’
The generosity of the offer made her want to weep. The last thing she’d been looking forward to was trudging around the village with her flowery suitcase.
‘That would be fantastic,’ she told him gratefully. ‘If there is a bath I can have a nice long soak to take away the stresses of yesterday.’
‘Yes, of course there is a bathroom,’ he said dryly, ‘and now, if you will excuse me, I heard the Sunday papers drop through the letter box a few moments ago and am going to bring myself up to date with what is going on in the world.’
He paused in the kitchen doorway and as if he hadn’t been dismissive enough said, ‘Let me know when you want to go across there and I’ll take you on a short guided tour.’
‘I’m ready now,’ she said meekly, eager to take advantage of his reluctant hospitality.
‘OK. So go and sort out what food you want to take with you and I’ll bring your case down. The sooner you’re settled in there the better you’ll feel, even though it will only be for the one night.’
And the happier you will be on both counts she thought. Count one because it is only for one night, and count two because you will have your privacy back, but you will still have to endure my presence at the surgery Dr Lawrence, and you could be in for a surprise as my sparkle has only been dimmed, not extinguished.
‘Oh! This is lovely,’ she said, looking around her at the pristine open-plan dining room and kitchen. Her glance went to the window. ‘I can see the lake through the trees!’
Hugo was checking that the lighting and central heating were switched on at the mains and didn’t reply. He just nodded his agreement and pointed towards the apartment’s one bedroom and en suite arrangements for her to inspect.
‘I hope I’ll be able to find somewhere like this when I start looking for accommodation next week,’ she said wistfully, and waited to see if he would rise to the implied suggestion, but it fell on stony ground and once he had satisfied himself that she was au fait with the workings of everything he said, ‘Libby and Nathan usually get back from their weekends away around half past seven on a Monday morning, so you should be able to get in touch with them tomorrow any time after that.
‘If you should leave here after I’ve gone to the surgery just drop the keys through my letter box.’ And off he went … to read the Sunday papers while she did some unpacking and had that long soak that she had promised herself.
Then, after making a meal of sorts from the food that Hugo had insisted she take with her, she changed into jeans and a thick sweater and went to renew her acquaintance with the stretch of water that was as familiar to her as her own face, taking care not to pass his windows on the way as the feeling that the dishy though unwelcoming Dr Lawrence had seen enough of her to be going on with was getting stronger by the minute.
But the moment she reached the lakeside he was forgotten in the pleasure of watching a launch go by on its calm waters and the sight of the sails of yachts gleaming whitely against the rugged sweep of the fells, the ageless guardians of the valley.
It felt so right to be back where she had made her promise to the Swallowbrook practice. The only blot on the horizon was the taciturn Dr Lawrence, who hadn’t been able to get her out of his orbit quickly enough. If she’d had any grandiose ideas about herself they would have disappeared completely at the thought of having to compete with the Sunday papers for his attention.
She went to The Mallard for her evening meal as several hours of her own company was beginning to pall and once she was installed in the dining room amongst the friendly chatter of its patrons the feeling of loneliness that was tugging at her began to disappear.
Until during the last hour before the place was due