Country Doctor, Spring Bride. Abigail Gordon

nodded meekly. ‘Yes. I will.’

      It would have been their visit to the pub that had triggered the dream, she thought when he’d gone downstairs. They’d passed the charity shop on the way and she’d been acutely aware that inside it was her wedding dress.

      She gratefully accepted the hot chocolate Daniel soon brought up to her. About to leave, he asked from the doorway of her bedroom, ‘Has your mother been in touch today?’

      ‘Yes. She rang this morning and sends her regards.’

      ‘Any signs of her coming home?’

      ‘Not so far,’ she told him with a feeling that he might be asking for various reasons. One of them being that he would be happy to pass her and her problems back into her mother’s keeping.

      ‘So your gran is no better?’

      ‘Mum says she’s improving, but has quite a way to go yet.’

      ‘The main thing is that she’s recovering. It must be a relief for you both, and now, if you promise not to have any more strange dreams, I’ll go and get some sleep myself, and will see you in the morning.’

      ‘Thanks once again for putting up with me,’ she said, her blue eyes appealing.

      ‘Don’t mention it,’ he replied dryly, and went to try and forget her for a few hours.

      The next morning he said to Miriam, ‘I’m thinking of interviewing Kate Barrington for the position of a third doctor in the practice, and I’d like you to be there.’

      ‘Really?’ she said stiffly. ‘Since when?’

      ‘Since I have found her to be an intelligent and knowledgeable young doctor. Do you have any objections?’

      ‘If it reduces my workload, no. She has worked here before, you know.’

      ‘Yes. So I believe. What was she like then?’

      ‘Young, enthusiastic. Eager to learn, I suppose.’

      ‘So why didn’t she stay?’

      ‘The pull of hospital health care where she has been employed until very recently, I believe.’

      ‘Yes, that’s right,’ he agreed, ‘but I think that Kate has given up on that and wants to be more home-based. So how about I ask her to come in tomorrow after we’ve finished the home visits?’

      ‘Yes, I suppose so,’ she said in her usual flat tones, and went to start her day.

      That was one hurdle crossed, he thought when she’d gone. He had not been sure of how Miriam would react, but it seemed as if Kate had been highly suitable when she’d worked in the practice before, so she was already halfway to being taken on. He just wished that she was of a similar age to Miriam and just as unexciting, then she wouldn’t take over his thoughts so much.

      He rang her in his lunch-hour to tell her about the interview time. She’d still been asleep when he’d left, but now she was up and about and happy to know that things were moving.

      ‘What did Miriam say?’ she wanted to know.

      ‘She seemed to approve of the idea.’

      ‘Oh, good! I’ll keep my fingers crossed, then, and, Daniel, whether you offer me the position or not, thank you for being so good to me.’

      There was a moment’s silence at the other end of the line and then he said stiltedly, ‘Yes, well, thanks for that. The truth of the matter is that I’ve felt I owed it to your mother to look after you. Ruth has been very kind to me. You are very fortunate to have her in your life.’

      When he’d replaced the receiver Kate wondered why she felt as if she’d been warned off. There was no reason why she should, but the feeling was there nonetheless. Maybe it was why Daniel was alone. There was something of the ‘don’t butt into my life’ about him.

      Yet he seemed to get on fine with her mother and the villagers seemed to all like him. Perhaps it was just her that he was wary of. But why? She certainly hadn’t got any designs on him. Her heart was bruised and aching from what Craig had done to her. Yet, she thought with wry amusement, Daniel was the only man whose underwear she had ever laundered, though he’d made it clear at the time that he’d rather she hadn’t.

      She decided that tomorrow she wouldn’t put a foot wrong. If nothing else, she would get a smile out of Miriam.