When he turned the car on to the last few yards of road that led to the lake she was there, walking slowly towards the home that she’d made for them, and his heart leapt with thankfulness.
She looked pale and heavy-eyed but she was safe and as she got into the car the first thing she asked was, ‘Where are the children? You haven’t left them alone, have you, Gabriel?’
He smiled and felt as if his face would crack with the effort as he commented wryly, ‘You should know me better than that. Your friends Ruby and Hugo Lawrence are with them. I asked them to sit with the children while I came to find you. You’ve been gone for ages, I was getting worried.
‘Why did you stay out so long? I’ve been going crazy, wondering where you were. I thought maybe I’d pushed you too far, or at the least you were in no hurry to get back to me.’
‘It was so quiet and peaceful where I was,’ she explained, ‘and instead of doing some uninterrupted thinking, which was what I’d intended, I fell into the best sleep I’ve had in days.’
When the car pulled up on the drive the door opened and the children were there with Hugo and Ruby smiling their relief to see Laura safely back where she belonged.
They didn’t know the exact circumstances of Gabriel Armitage’s sudden appearance in Swallowbrook, but remembered from way back that there had once been a court case that he’d been involved in.
But now, having met the man himself, they could not believe that it had been anything too disastrous because his manner and appearance spoke of integrity, and in the medical world his name was revered by all who’d had cause to seek him out for help. That he loved his family was also plain to see. He doted on his children and his anxiety with regard to Laura’s non-appearance after her walk was proof of how much he cared for his wife.
Her smile of greeting for her friends was apologetic. ‘I am so sorry you’ve been troubled on my account,’ she told Hugo and Ruby. ‘I’d gone for a walk and when I stopped to rest by the lake I fell asleep and didn’t wake up for ages.’
‘We didn’t mind keeping an eye on Sophie and Josh,’ Ruby said gently. ‘Gabriel was so concerned that you hadn’t come back, but all is well now, isn’t it?’
I wish, Laura thought, but her reply was reassuring enough to put Ruby and Hugo’s concerns to rest. ‘Yes. It’s fine. So can I make you a cup of tea or coffee, or get you a cold drink?’
‘No, thanks,’ Hugo said. ‘Sophie has done the honours. We’ve all had an iced lolly out of the fridge and enjoyed it immensely, so we’ll be off and leave you folks to enjoy what is left of the weekend. We’ll see you in the morning, Laura.’
‘Yes, you will,’ she assured him confidently, the job being in a different compartment of her life, where all was uncomplicated and rewarding.
When they’d gone she made a meal for Gabriel and herself while he saw to bedtime for the children.
When he came downstairs afterwards he said levelly, ‘James called whilst you were out. The board won’t be meeting for some time because it’s midsummer and holiday time. Some of them disappear for weeks on end, so it isn’t going to be yet that your concerns will be answered one way or another.’
Laura put down her knife and fork slowly and looking directly at him asked, ‘What about your concerns, Gabriel? Don’t you have any?’
Oh, yes! He had them all right but wasn’t going to voice them. Every time he thought about giving up medicine, especially in the form that he excelled in, it was like a knife in his heart, but his neglect of his family had an even greater effect.
As he met Laura’s cool, questioning glance, his thoughts went back to the time when there had been no clouds in their sky, when the beautiful eyes that now were cold had melted with her love for him.
It had been a time that when night came and the children were asleep that they’d made love, and afterwards she’d slept safe and secure in his arms.
Now she went in and closed her bedroom door on him and he felt that he hadn’t the right to protest.
‘Yes, I have concerns, Laura, but they’re coming from a different direction from yours and they won’t go away until I see the way ahead clearly.’
After that Laura felt there was nothing left to say and they finished the meal in a silence that lasted until the summer dusk closed in on them.
* * *
The next morning there was little time for talking, with dinner money for the children to be sorted and school uniforms to be found.
When Sophie and Josh were ready for Gabriel to walk them to school once more, he paused in the doorway and said, ‘Will you still be here when I get back?’
‘Possibly,’ she informed him, ‘but it will only be for a matter of minutes. I have a pharmaceutical rep due at ten o’clock. She’s from one of the big companies and calls quite frequently, which is something that might be going to change, as the general feeling at the surgery is that the attraction was Hugo Lawrence, and now that he has got his heart’s desire in Ruby we may not see so much of her.’
The children were waiting for him at the gate and he said, ‘I just want a quick word, that’s all.’
‘Yes, all right, then,’ she agreed, and thought it was more than she did. She hadn’t slept a wink for thinking about their exchange of words from the night before.
When he came back, striding along the road where Swallows Barn stood amongst green lawns and a background of trees that were heavy with the bright green leaves of summer, Laura was hovering at the gate, ready to leave for work. But not in so much of a hurry that she didn’t have time to dwell for a moment on the attractions of the husband who had become an unpredictable stranger during their months apart.
He was tall and trim, with hair dark and thickly curling, and hazel eyes that used to light up when he saw her, but were now guarded and unreadable.
When he stopped beside her Gabriel said, ‘Sorry to keep you waiting. I met the vicar as I was coming away from the school. He was on his way to the surgery to see Nathan Gallagher with regard to what I said to him on Saturday and wanted to chat for a moment. I do hope that I am wrong about the hoarseness.’
‘But you don’t think you are?’
‘No, unfortunately, but you need to be on your way and all I wanted to say was that I regret burdening you with the news from James after the stress of yesterday evening. It could have waited as nothing is going to be happening soon.’
She loved him in that moment, loved his consideration for her feelings when the greater pain at the delay must surely be his.
Reaching out, she took his hand in hers and squeezed it gently, and with all the complexities of their lives put to one side told him, ‘Regret is an awful word, Gabriel, and we’ve both had cause to think it and say it. Can we come to an agreement not to use it any more?’ As his eyes widened she gave his hand one more squeeze and set off for the practice with a lighter heart than before.
* * *
Gabriel planned to go shopping that morning, something else that he’d had little time for before. Their wedding anniversary was only a few weeks away and he was hoping that the occasion might be as special now as it used to be, that it might be a time for new beginnings, and with that thought in mind he drove into the nearby town to buy an eternity ring.
He chose a circlet of diamonds on a gold band and he asked the jeweller for an engraving on the inside. He left the shop satisfied with his purchase and hoped that Laura would feel the same when he presented the ring to her.
He’d never forgotten their anniversary in spite of the glow fading from their marriage, but sometimes flowers, or a night at the theatre, had been arranged by his secretary, and he’d hoped on those occasions that if Laura had guessed, she hadn’t felt that he loved her any less.
This occasion was going to be different. He had time to arrange something special, time for lots of things, but it always seemed th
at she hadn’t, and aware that the tables had turned he wondered how she felt about being the career person while he spent his time with Sophie and Josh and kept the household running in an orderly fashion.
Laura had seemed to soften when they’d spoken briefly before she’d left for the practice that morning. Was it the beginning of the end of the cold war and now both of the girls in his life were going to be happy?
Whilst he had no worries about Josh, Sophie was very different. Intelligent, quick to pick up an atmosphere, and lost until he had come back into her life.
He would never forget her expression when he’d appeared on the island, the moment of blank uncertainty before she’d called his name and flung herself into his arms as if she’d thought she would never see him again.
They’d kept her young mind free of the truth about his time in prison, but maybe it would have been better if she’d known where he was and had understood that was why he wasn’t with them.
But she was fine now, happy and content that he was back with them, and he intended that that was how she was going to stay. He’d given up his career not just for Laura but for the children’s sakes too, and he could just about exist without it as long as the three of them were happy.
But with regard to his wife there might be a long way to go before that happened. She’d seemed loving towards him earlier on, but had it been because she was sorry for him?
* * *
In her basement office where the computers and patients’ records were kept, Laura’s busy day was under way and she was grateful for it, as for a few hours it would keep other thoughts at bay.
In a few weeks’ time a heavily pregnant Libby would be leaving the practice after spending all her working life there, and as practice manager Laura was in the process of arranging a farewell party for the contented mother-to-be on the Saturday night after her last Friday at work.
At the same time discussions were taking place about finding Libby’s replacement.
Also the refurbishment of the surgery was due to start during the coming week and unless organised properly would cause chaos for staff and patients alike. She had arranged that most of the work would be done in the evenings and at the weekends when the place was closed and that way hoped to bring confusion down to a minimum, but it was still going to be a big undertaking.
The pharmaceutical rep had been and with Hugo so obviously enchanted with his new wife hadn’t stayed long, but had managed to get in a comment to the effect that she wouldn’t have thought that a pale-faced beanpole would have been his type.
* * *
Back at the house Gabriel had received a phone call from Nathan. ‘Well spotted with the vicar’s hoarseness,’ he said. ‘We could do with you around permanently, Gabriel. Have you heard about the clinic that will be opening shortly at the side of the surgery?’
‘Yes, I have,’ he told him, ‘but my life is rather complicated at the moment. I’ve just finished a prison sentence for GBH. It was a man who was taking advantage of Laura and I accidentally injured him quite seriously.’
‘I knew there was something,’ Nathan said, ‘and I have to say that I would probably have done the same if it had been someone coming on to Libby. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you, Gabriel. It would be a shame for your abilities to be put on hold for any length of time.’
When they’d finished the call Gabriel stood gazing into space.
What would Nathan have thought if he’d told him that he had already prevented himself from practising and it was raw agony?
The thought of it was unbearable. It was his life, the fount of his existence, but so were his family and his past neglect of them had been unpardonable, so much so that he was determined that Laura was going to get back her confidence in him no matter what.
He spent the early afternoon tidying up the garden and before he went to collect the children went up to have a shower in the en suite in the master bedroom.
A robe that Laura was using hung behind the door and he held it against his cheek for a moment. It smelt of the bath essence she used and his throat closed up. Apart from the two occasions when he’d kissed her, unable to hold back even though he’d sensed resistance in her, there had been no other physical contact between them. Losing his career was bad, but losing Laura was much much worse.
* * *
When he arrived at the school he was told that Sophie’s teacher wanted a word with him, and leaving Josh chatting to Toby in the playground where he was waiting to be picked up by either Libby or Nathan, he went into the empty classroom where she was waiting and observed her questioningly.
‘We had a little upset this afternoon with Sophie,’ she explained, ‘so I thought I’d better have a word, Dr Armitage. We tried to contact you, but you weren’t around at the time.’
‘What was it?’ he asked. ‘My daughter is very happy here and so is Josh.’
‘Yes. I know,’ she told him, ‘and we are pleased about that.’
He was frowning. ‘So?
‘Sophie fell in the schoolyard during playtime this afternoon and was quite shaken with the impact. She kept asking for you but we couldn’t get hold of you, and she became distraught.’
‘So didn’t you try her mother? Laura works at the surgery.’
‘Yes. She came immediately and offered comfort and Sophie gradually calmed down.’
‘And was she hurt?’ he asked anxiously.
‘No. It was just shock, we think. When her mother left she took her back to the surgery with her, and when you’ve collected Josh you will find Sophie waiting for you there.’
He nodded. ‘Thank you for looking after my daughter,’ he told her, and went to seek out Josh with the feeling that he’d been congratulating himself too soon with regard to Sophie’s need of him. It was still there in her young mind, the fear that he might disappear again. If that wasn’t enough to tell him that here in Swallowbrook was where he needed to be, he didn’t know what was.
‘Why didn’t you come when Sophie wanted you?’ Josh asked as they made their way to the surgery.
The school must have phoned while he’d been cutting the grass. The noise of the lawnmower was enough to drown all normal sounds, or maybe it had been while he’d been under the shower.
Whatever the reason, Laura had been brought in to deal with Sophie’s upset and must be wondering why he hadn’t been around.
When they arrived at the surgery his tension slackened. They found Sophie in Reception, chatting to one of the nurses, who told him smilingly that his daughter had been telling her that she wanted to be a doctor like him.
Not if I can help it, he thought grimly as the three of them went down to where Laura was working in the basement.
‘I am so sorry about that,’ he told her in a low voice. ‘I was cutting the grass. The mower drowns out all noise and I never heard the phone.
‘I thought that Sophie’s fears had been put to rest but it seems I was mistaken.’
‘It was the shock of the fall that triggered it,’ she told him evenly, ‘and when you didn’t appear to offer comfort, her confidence in you being around took a backward step, but she’s fine now. I wouldn’t mention it if I were you. I’ve checked her over and there doesn’t appear to be any sign of injury so you can relax.’
‘Yes, but can you?’ he said stiffly. ‘I know you’re busy at the moment with all sorts of projects, and having to chase round to the school won’t have helped things along with regard to that.’
‘The fact that I enjoy the challenge of working here doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten where my priorities lie,’ she said chidingly, and when the phone rang at that moment he didn’t get the chance to ask what his rating was amongst them.
Gathering the children to him, he pointed the three of them in the direction of Swallows Barn and home, and took Laura’s advice
with regard to Sophie’s upset by not mentioning it as she seemed to have forgotten all about it.
But he hadn’t. It didn’t alter the fact that the distress caused by his long absence previously hadn’t entirely disappeared, and if Laura’s calm handling of the incident had overtones of it all being part of a day in her life, was it surprising?
Added to that was Josh wanting to know why he hadn’t been there when Sophie needed him, as if he, Gabriel, at that moment, was outside the safe circle that Laura had created for the three of them.
* * *
When she arrived home at the end of her working day he expected that the first thing she would do was check on Sophie, who was on her swing in the garden, but to his surprise she came straight to where he was and said in a low voice, ‘Have you recovered from Sophie’s upset?’ She glanced at their daughter. ‘It would seem that she has. I did feel for you, Gabriel,’ adding with a smile that took the sting out of her next comment, ‘But that’s the price of popularity, I’m afraid.’
He sighed. ‘The main thing is that she wasn’t hurt. That was all I was concerned about at the time, but it does mean that she still has some feeling of insecurity where I’m concerned and I can’t bear that any more than I was able to bear being shut away from the three of you.’
‘So why don’t we see if Ruby and Hugo will sit in for us for an hour when we’ve eaten?’ she suggested. ‘Sophie likes Hugo so she won’t be fretting about where you are. The two of us could go for a sail or a stroll by the lake and still be back before their bedtime.’
He was observing her in surprise. ‘That would be great if they can manage it, but it’s very short notice, Laura. Are you feeling sorry for me because I can’t put a foot right with any of my family and are prepared to give me some of your time? Even Josh wanted to know why I hadn’t been there when Sophie needed me.’
Marriage Miracle in Swallowbrook Page 6
