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TESS OPENED HER EYES and for a moment wondered where she was. The sound of steady breathing next to her acted as a reminder. She was in Jack’s bed and her toes curled up at the memory of their passionate love-making the previous night. They hadn’t even bothered with the nightcap he’d suggested, or the tour of his cottage, delightful though it looked as he led the way upstairs to his bedroom. Tess bit her lips as she recalled how quickly they’d pulled off their clothes and jumped into bed. Wanton hussy! She grinned, thinking Jack had been no better. Turning slowly onto her side so as not to wake him, she watched the rhythm of his chest’s rise and fall and admired his unfairly long eyelashes curled on his cheeks. She had to fight a strong desire to stroke the outline of his lips with a finger, longing for more of his kisses.
‘I know you’re watching me. Hoping for a repeat performance?’
Tess giggled as, still with his eyes closed, Jack reached out and pulled her close.
‘That’s better. Now, what was it you wanted?’
An hour later they sat in the kitchen, the table covered with the paraphernalia needed for a substantial breakfast, including coffee. Jack had cooked a full English breakfast and Tess, now tucking into toast and marmalade, couldn’t believe how hungry she had been. As he filled a second cafetière she studied the kitchen Jack had built himself using recycled units and a glorious selection of tiles someone had thrown out, he’d told her.
‘Honestly there’s so much waste on the island. When anyone with loads of money, particularly Open Market, buys a place and they don’t like the kitchen, even if it’s brand new, they rip it out, chuck it in a skip or send it to be recycled, and buy a new one. Friends of mine have renovated their whole house with stuff that’s been thrown out. I’ve used a fair bit here, too, but there’s still a lot I had to buy.’
He set the pot of coffee on the table and sat down facing her.
‘Everything all right? You look thoughtful.’
‘I’m fine, just admiring your kitchen. Will you show me the rest of the cottage before I go? I might pick up ideas for my house.’
‘Sure.’ He lifted her hand, kissing her palm. ‘When are we seeing each other again? If you’re free tomorrow we could go to the beach for some surfing and take a picnic.’ Another kiss. Tess found her insides melting.
‘Sounds lovely, thanks. I...I hadn’t any plans.’
His smile lit up his eyes.
‘Great. Now that’s sorted I’ll show you round the cottage, and perhaps we could finish in the bedroom?’
Charlotte’s eyebrows rose to what must have been their highest point.
‘I assume the evening was a success?’ she drawled, her eyes gleaming as Tess entered the kitchen. She was relieved to find her friend alone, although she still felt a bit like a teenager returning home after spending the night with a boyfriend.
‘You could say that,’ Tess replied, yawning. ‘Sorry, I need to catch up on my sleep. I had a great night and Jack’s invited me to spend the day with him tomorrow.’ She pushed her hair out of her eyes, aware she looked as hungover as she felt.
‘I’m glad you had fun and you can tell me more about it later. Off you go and get some beauty sleep.’ Charlotte gave her a hug. Tess ran up the stairs with a huge smile on her face, glad there was nothing she had to do today, other than recover from the previous night.
On Sunday the combination of a cloudless blue sky and face-warming sun provided a stunning opener for July and Tess took a deep breath as she opened the bedroom window. After a relaxing Saturday, which had included some reading of Eugénie’s diary and a stroll on the beach, she was looking forward to spending time with Jack. He was due to pick her up at twelve, leaving her free to spend time with her hosts in the morning. Once dressed in T-shirt and shorts she went downstairs to look for them, and following the sound of James’s giggling found them in the garden where the toddler was splashing in a paddling pool.
‘Morning. You all look like you’re having fun,’ she called as she joined them on the lawn.
Charlotte swivelled round to say hi and that it was too nice to be indoors, while Andy raised a hand in greeting. A large jug of lemonade and several glasses sat on the nearby table and Charlotte told her to help herself. Tess did so before sitting cross-legged on the grass next to her friend.
‘What are you guys up to today?’
‘We’re going round to Andy’s parents for lunch and probably off for a walk afterwards to work it off. Yvette’s a typical Frenchwoman who assumes us Brits don’t eat properly and prepares a mini banquet to compensate.’ Charlotte grinned at Andy and he laughed.
‘True. And you’re out for the day, I hear? Great weather for surfing, judging by the waves,’ he nodded towards the clearly visible white-capped waves hitting the sands of Cobo bay. Tess was glad, intensive exercise was just what she needed after yesterday’s lethargy.
Dead on twelve the crunch of tyres on the gravel announced Jack’s arrival and Tess, after an exchange of goodbyes, went back into the house to collect her beach bag. She met Jack at the front door, looking suitably beach ready with his bermuda shorts and T-shirt showing off his tan.
‘Hi, you look good enough to eat,’ he said, before kissing her firmly on the mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed in his woody scent.
Coming up for air, she laughed. ‘I think we’d better leave before we have an audience.’
‘Right, let’s go and have some fun. It promises to be a great day.’ Jack kissed the tip of her nose before opening the car door and placing her bag on the back seat. They were soon driving out of the gate and heading for the sand and surf of Vazon.
Five hours later, tired but happy, Tess was being driven to Jack’s cottage. The afternoon had been full of swimming, surfing and a spot of sunbathing after a surprisingly good picnic lunch. Jack had invited her to have supper with him at home and she had agreed, with the proviso that he take her home no later than ten. She wanted to be fresh for her first day at work on Monday. Right now, though, the thought of spending more time with Jack was heady. Once in the cottage they both voiced the need for a shower and as it was a large walk-in unit, they took one together. This inevitably led to time in the bedroom before finally going downstairs for the promised supper. Jack rustled up a chicken stir-fry and they sat on his small terrace to eat it, unwilling to spend more time indoors than necessary.
‘How lovely it is here. So peaceful you could imagine yourself the only person on the island,’ Tess said, breathing in the stock-scented air. The detached cottage’s garden was compact, but surrounded by trees, with an air of isolation that she found comforting after the built-up-ness of her flat in Exeter.
‘It suited my mood of wanting to get away from it all when I bought it. I don’t need that as much nowadays, but I still enjoy being close to water and trees.’ He poured her a glass of wine and opened a can of lager for himself.
‘I shall appreciate having somewhere peaceful to relax when I’m working again. I’ve been spoilt the past couple of weeks, with no work and a lovely house to spend time in. It’s back to reality tomorrow and I’ll need to focus all my energy on the job until I’ve learned the ropes.’ She sipped her wine, dwelling on the impact on their time together.
‘Message received and understood. I guessed you’d probably not be free during the week and I wouldn’t want to distract you from your work. Tempting though it is,’ he said, grinning. ‘But if you could keep Friday evenings and the weekends free, that would be fine.’
She laughed.
‘You mean to monopolise me? But what about my other admirers? What chance do they get of enjoying my charms?’
He shook his head.
‘None at all, that’s the idea. Any objections?’ He leant forward and kissed her mouth.
After a few seconds, Tess pulled back slightly, whispering, ‘No, none at all.’
At eight o’clock the next morning Tess, dressed in a smart skirt suit and blouse, paced nervously around Linda, the practice manager’s office. She had gone to find out if the partner Tess was to shadow for the day was ready for her. Coming back a few minutes later she escorted Tess to his consulting room. Geoffrey was the senior partner retiring in a matter of weeks and the plan was for Tess to slowly take over his patients as he reduced his hours accordingly. They had met at her interview and he soon put her at ease, inviting her to sit alongside him during the appointments. Geoffrey told his patients Tess was to replace him and no-one seemed to mind her presence. She took notes and by the end of the morning felt more confident about the way the practice operated. At lunchtime Jonathan sought her out.
‘Hi, how’s it been?’
‘Better than I expected. Everyone’s been so nice and I’m actually looking forward to having my own patients tomorrow.’
‘Good. Now Colette insisted I took you home for lunch as she wants to hear all about it. I usually pop back to check she and Rosie are okay. You happy with that?’
Tess was delighted and minutes later she was being embraced by her friend and offered a quiche salad while at the same time being bombarded with questions. Jonathan rolled his eyes, grabbed his plate and left them to it.
The afternoon passed quickly and Tess left the surgery just after six and arrived home to find Charlotte insisting she ate with them and again she was happy to join her friends, wanting to share what had been an important day for her. After a cheerful meal she retired to her room and phoned her father for a catch-up. He told her the house was on the market and he’d been in touch with Elaine to let her know.
‘What was her reaction, Dad?’
‘Didn’t say much, just said to make sure I got the best price. The agent says the market’s quite good for family homes such as ours, so quite hopeful. But there’s no rush, I’m not giving it away, that’s for sure.’ There was a short silence before he asked, ‘And how did the job go, love?’
She said it went well and then told him her other news.
‘I’m seeing someone, Dad. In fact you’ve met him. Jack the builder. We’ve been out a few times now and I really like him.’
Her father chuckled.
‘I thought there was something between you two. It was the way you looked at each other. I hope it works out for you; he seemed a nice enough chap. At least you’d never have to pay for any jobs around the house.’ His chuckle deepened.
Relieved he approved, if for perhaps the wrong reasons, Tess chatted a bit longer before saying goodnight. Making a cup of tea, she wondered what it would be like having Ken living in Guernsey. On one level it would be great; she’d be able to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn’t slip back into depression; on another level she hoped he wouldn’t become dependent on her for his social life. She had her own plans for that.
The next few days sped by as Tess settled into life as a GP, enjoying the interaction with both patients and other members of the practice. House calls were strange at first, partly because she had to refresh her memory about the various lanes and roads from her childhood, but also because she felt at a disadvantage in someone’s home, as opposed to the surgery. House-bound patients were mainly elderly or incapacitated in some way and all were grateful for her visit. As patients had to pay more for home visits than seeing a doctor in the surgery, at least there were no time-wasters. On Friday Tess was puzzled by one request for a home visit. It was to a Mrs Sally Le Page, who from her notes was only in her thirties, with a young baby. She had phoned to say her baby was unwell but she had had a fall and wasn’t able to drive to the surgery. Tess would have expected the woman’s husband to help, but went along as requested. From the notes, it did seem she was accident prone, having made several visits to the surgery over the previous months.
The house surprised her. It was an enormous detached property set back from the road and surrounded by extensive gardens near L’Ancresse. Pulling into the drive, Tess noted an upmarket SUV in front of the garage. Everything shouted money. Grabbing her medical bag, she headed for the front door, but before she could ring the bell, it opened. A pale woman stood there, or rather appeared to be leaning heavily on the door.
‘Mrs Le Page? I’m Doctor Le Prevost, I believe you’re expecting me?’
‘Yes, Doctor, please come in.’ Her voice was well modulated, but Tess heard the underlying pain and wondered if she had two patients on her hands.
‘The baby’s through here,’ she pointed to a door on the left and began hobbling towards it.
‘Are you all right? You seem to be in some pain.’ Tess laid her hand on the woman’s arm and she flinched. Tess’s concern grew.
‘It’s nothing, I...I tripped over a step in the garden and bruised my leg and hip. I’ll be fine,’ she smiled faintly, and Tess saw the whiteness around her lips. Alarm bells rang, but she knew not to force anything. Not yet anyway. She followed her into a large, open-plan kitchen and dining room and was astonished to see a travel cot set up near the dining table. Mrs Le Page hobbled towards it and Tess caught up with her and looked down at the red-faced baby thrashing their arms and grizzling. She picked the baby up and laid him on the table for a closer examination.
‘Has he got a fever? He’s been like this since last night.’ Sally hovered nearby wringing her hands.
‘Does Rupert have any teeth yet?’
‘No, of course not, he’s only four months old.’ She looked surprised.
‘Babies can start teething at almost any age, and I think your baby’s just starting.’ Tess pulled on a latex glove and inserted her finger into his mouth and he immediately clamped onto it. She felt a slight bump on the gum. ‘Yes, there’s a tooth coming and that’s why he’s upset. There’s no fever and he’ll be fine. You can use a teething gel or a teething ring to ease his discomfort.’ She smiled at Sally and handed her Rupert to cuddle. She took him and Tess noticed her wince as she moved her left arm. Something wasn’t right, but what could she do? In spite of the hot day, the woman was wearing a long-sleeved blouse and as she tried to settle Rupert in her arms, the sleeve rucked up and Tess saw vivid bruising on her arm. Sally must have seen her staring and pulled the sleeve down.
‘I hurt my arm when I...I tripped. I’ve always been a bit clumsy and seem to have got worse since having Rupert. I put it down to lack of sleep. I’ll be better when he sleeps through the night.’ She smiled, but Tess noticed it didn’t reach the pain-filled eyes.
‘Why’s the cot downstairs, Mrs Le Page?’
‘Well, I find the stairs a bit difficult since my fall, so my husband set up the travel cot down here, to make it easier for me. The big cot’s still upstairs in the nursery.’
‘I see. And where are you sleeping?’
The woman shifted awkwardly.
‘The past couple of nights I’ve slept down here with Rupert, on a blow-up mattress.’
‘Mrs Le Page, you’re obviously in some pain. Could I take a look at you, please? I might be able to help.’ Tess locked eyes with the woman, an unspoken message passing between them.
‘Thank you, Doctor, but there’s no need. It’s only bruising and...I’ll be better soon. While I’m breast feeding I can’t take painkillers, anyway.’ A flush crept up the woman’s cheeks and Tess felt a surge of anger...and pity. Anger towards the man who had done this and pity for the woman who stood by him.
‘Well, as long as you’re sure. But if you have any more...accidents, please feel free to phone me at the surgery. I’d be happy to help, any time.’ She forced a smile, hating to leave her like this.
‘I appreciate the offer, Doctor. And I’m sorry to have troubled you over Rupert’s teething. You must think me a complete ninny for not recognising it was only teething.’
‘Not at all. It’s not easy being a new mother and I’d rather you phoned us if you’re worried.’
They headed towards the front door and exchanged goodbyes. Tess drove back to the surgery with her hands clenched on the steering wheel. She had seen too many victims of domestic assault in A & E not to recognise the signs. And she determined to do all in her power to protect the young mother from serious, possibly fatal, harm.