there were other things on her mind, much more important than her reluctant host. During the trauma of yesterday and her subsequent extreme weariness she’d put to the back of her mind what the haematology department had said during her check-up at the hospital in the town where she’d been based all the time she’d been studying for her degree.
It had been nothing new, she’d had the same discussion with similar departments of the NHS that were geared to her potential problem and nothing had happened to make her change her decision.
But it was still nonetheless heartbreaking because she had to face up to it and accept it for the rest of her life. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she didn’t. But one day the test would come and what would she do then?
Putting aside memories of the punishing past, she reminded herself that tomorrow she would be starting an exciting new life as a doctor in the Swallowbrook Farm Medical Practice, something she had promised herself she was going to do long ago, and maybe the pains and hurts of that other time would seem less if she could make her mark in the medical centre that had served her family so well in their time of need, and with that thought the painful memories came crowding back.
Robbie had been just a toddler and she’d been fourteen when the nightmare had begun and changed their lives for ever. The family had been on the point of leaving Swallowbrook to move to Tyneside, where her father’s job was taking them, when Robbie had had his first bleed and it had been action stations on Dr John Gallagher’s part without a moment to spare when it had happened. She’d crouched in fear and trembling by his hospital bed, wondering what it was all about, while her frantic parents had tried to cope with the mention of haemophilia, the hereditary bleeding disease, being present in the family.
Their move had been imminent yet she hadn’t wanted to move away from Swallowbrook, she’d felt safe there, but the arrangements had still had to go ahead or her father might have lost his job, so even while they had been waiting for the results from Robbie’s tests they had left the village with arrangements in place that the findings would be transferred to the haematology department at a hospital near their new home.
The results had been positive. The lack of a clotting agent in Robbie’s blood had caused the serious bleed. He had inherited the problem from their mother who unknown to her was a carrier of the faulty gene that caused the condition.
The hospital had explained that hereditary illnesses had to start somewhere and the reason their mother hadn’t known about it was because she was the first one in her family who had ever been a known carrier of the haemophilia gene.
Now Robbie was twelve, and medically much better cared for, due to new treatments, than past sufferers, but the anxiety was always there for his parents and big sister, who had been left with anxieties of her own to cope with.
She fell asleep at last, too tired to think anymore about the ups and downs in her life, and awoke the next morning to a room filled with pale sunshine and the sound of the engines of one of the large launches that crossed the lake at regular intervals chugging its way across its smooth surface.
It has arrived, she thought excitedly, hugging herself with delight. She was back in her dream village, about to start her dream job.
Hugo’s thoughts were running along very different lines when he surfaced in the big bedroom that he’d carried Ruby up to the night before last. Thoughts of her consumed him now, how could they not whilst she was his temporary tenant and soon-to-be colleague? It seemed she was sorted for work, but just what did she plan to do for accommodation?
So far he’d had no bookings for the apartment over the garage, as requests for accommodation around the lakes didn’t usually commence until nearer Easter. So why shouldn’t he offer to rent it to her long term if she was interested?
She’d certainly seemed impressed on her first viewing of it, which was not surprising as it was a delightful small let, and for someone like her who was probably having to carry the burden of repaying a student loan, he could afford to be generous in what he asked for rental, just as long as she stayed on her side of their living arrangements, and left him to enjoy his well-earned rest with an easy conscience after having helped her to settle back into the village to some small degree.
He’d known that a medical graduate was joining them in a couple of weeks. That she’d lived in the village when she was young and even then had wanted to be part of the practice when she grew up.
Along with his two partners he had been in favour of taking a talented young newcomer into the practice to help cope with their growing number of patients as new lakeside properties were being built all the time, and had agreed that she would help to fill the gap that would be coming soon when Libby wanted to point herself towards full-time motherhood.
He was pretty sure that she and Nathan would be surprised when they discovered that the newcomer had arrived earlier than expected, but would be better equipped to deal with it than he’d been.
It wasn’t so much her sudden appearance as the way he’d coped with it that was making him feel uncomfortable, but the offer of the accommodation above the garage should hopefully redeem him!
When he got up from the breakfast table Hugo glanced down the road as he often did to where the lake could be seen a short distance away with the fells towering above it, and the feeling of rightness that it always gave him was there, until he saw a slender figure wearing a red cape over a neat grey dress striding briskly towards the house with pale cheeks rosy from the winter morning’s chill and hair fastened back off her face into a neat twist.
She was moving straight towards the apartment without a glance in his direction but when he opened his front door and called across to her she came slowly towards him.
‘You’re up bright and early,’ he commented when they came face to face. ‘The surgery won’t be open for another hour.’
‘Yes, I know,’ she told him, ‘I’ve been down by the lake again and stopped for a coffee at the only café that was open at this time.’
‘I wanted a word,’ he said, stepping back to let her into the hallway. She entered hesitantly. ‘I’ve been having a think about your accommodation problem.’
He saw surprise in the big brown eyes observing him for a second and then it was replaced by wariness. She didn’t speak, just waited to hear what he had to say, and as she listened she was filled with delighted amazement.
‘If you should feel that you would like to rent the apartment I would be willing to discuss it with you,’ he was saying. ‘On thinking about it I feel that it would be easier from my point of view to have just one regular tenant in there, rather than having to deal with different ones all the time on a holiday let basis.
‘So think about it, and if you are interested let me know, but before you do I feel that I must tell you that at this time of year there are always lots of places to rent before the holiday season clocks in. So feel free to use the apartment for the time being until you’ve had time to sort out your priorities with Libby and Nathan, as they might already have somewhere in mind for you.’
She was dumbstruck. Of course she would want to stay in the lovely apartment where she’d spent the night, but what had changed? Only yesterday she’d felt that Hugo Lawrence was irritated by her presence, keen to see the back of her, and now …?
Concealing her pleasure at the thought of accepting his offer, she answered gravely, ‘I will do as you say, Dr Lawrence, and give your suggestion some thought. Thank you for allowing me to stay until I have had
