It was late morning on a bright Spring day in Shallowfield as Daniel Jane limped into the Dancingdean Heath Centre.
After
a few taps on the touch screen in reception he was checked in and walked uncomfortably
into the waiting room where he sat down.
He
was about ten minutes early because he wasn’t sure how long it would take him
to hobble to the centre and as the appointments always seemed to run
approximately twenty minutes late, he decided to kill some time by indulging
one of his guilty pleasures and began to people watch, by perusing his fellow
patients.
He
immediately identified three of the nine as worthy only of a frown, as they
were all using their mobile phones, despite the abundance of signage demanding
the opposite, he didn’t like that, probably because he was an actor and mobile
phones in the theatre were one of his pet hates, so he consigned them to the “unworthy
of further consideration” category and moved on in the hope of more interesting
fare.
Alas
the next two offered little to whet his appetite so he moved on again to a
forty something woman in a smart suit and a Fedora hat who seemed, at least on
the surface, to be interesting, but then her corpse like companion, some years
her senior, said something amusing and she let out a laugh reminiscent of a
drowning hyena and all of a sudden, she wasn’t interesting anymore.
Having
relegated “Fedora” to the dull list he moved on to his 8th companion
who kept his interest for longer than the previous seven combined, though only
because he reminded him of an actor, which he could neither remember the name
of, or any of the programs or films he may have been in, which was particularly
galling as he was in the business, and it might even have been someone he
worked with.
Dan
would have continued on his quest to trawl the corners of his mind until his
identity eventually dawned on him, but then something about the actor’s
neighbour caught his eye.
It
was a girl’s foot, or more precisely, a girl’s trainer, which was wiggling
furiously, but after that he noticed the six inches of naked, lightly tanned,
flesh between the top of her Barbie Pink trainer sock and the navy-blue cotton
of her trousers, and that was enough to pique his interest and prompted him to
further investigation.
By
the time his gaze began the ascent up her skinny limb to where her legs crossed,
two of their number had been summoned by the disembodied voice over the PA and
then his view was temporarily obscured by “Fedora” and “Skelator”, but when his
eyes finally reached the summit he noted that the upper leg, from the knee
down, swung and her foot continued to wiggle as she concentrated on the book
laid open on her lap, periodically a small hand turned the page, each finger adorned
with vivid multicoloured nails, not vulgar silicon talons, but neater and more
stylish, not to mention practical.
Above
the waist she had reverted to pink again in the form of a scoop necked top
beneath a camel-coloured fur trimmed faux sheepskin coat.
He
couldn’t see her face as her eyes were fixed on the book as her soft brown
curls hung forward.
Another
victim was called by the mystery voice leaving only four patients, two of the “unworthy
of further consideration” mobile phone users at one end, and Daniel and the
mystery girl at the other, and just as their fellow patient had passed between them,
she looked up and smiled and he got his first look at her face, which was
pretty and framed by her shoulder length brunette hair.
He
had always been rubbish at judging ages, but he surmised mid to late twenties,
so not far off his own age.
Daniel
returned her smile and noted the title of the book on her lap for the first
time, Bleak House by Charles Dickens.
“Ah
a Dickens fan” he said his eyes flicking toward the book.
“Yes,
very much” she replied in soft velvet tone
“Me
too” Dan said
“Oh
really?” she said doubtfully “So which is your favourite?”
“That’s
a very difficult question to answer” Dan replied
“Isn’t
it” she retorted doubting his sincerity but then he added
“The
ones I’ve reread most are the Novellas. The Signalman, Cricket on the Heart and
of course, A Christmas Carol, but of his Novels it would have to be Great
Expectations”
“So,
you are a fan” she said closing her book and leaning forward
“Absolutely,
I love his characterising and the social commentary but also his dry humour” he
said as another patient was summoned
“Example?”
“Well
one of my favourite quotes is “I think the Romans must
have aggravated one another very much, with their noses….”
“Perhaps, they became the restless people they
were, in consequence” she interrupted “it’s nice to meet a fellow devotee”
“Mr Jane?” a middle-aged woman queried
“Yes, that’s me” he said and struggled to his feet,
almost stumbling, but he got his stick in place just in time.
“Steady” the mystery girl said, “You don’t want
another calamity” and then she chuckled
“Don’t
get up, the Doctors not ready for you just yet” the receptionist said handing
him a form “we just need a few more details for our records”
“Ok
no problem” Daniel said as he sat back down again and as he did, so he noticed
the girl was still chuckling
“What’s
amusing you?” he asked good naturedly
“Calamity
Jane” she replied and laughed out loud as the final patient was called
“You
shouldn’t mock the afflicted” he said and laughed as well
“What
happened to you anyway?” she asked
“I
fell off the stage” Daniel replied
“What?
You mean you fell off the Deadwood Stage?” She said and laughed loudly
“No,
the Yvonne Arnaud Stage Guildford” he retorted and they both laughed and then
the call came over the PA
“Mr
Jane! Room 4 please”
“It
can’t be my turn; you were here ages before me” he said as he got unsteadily to
his feet
“Oh,
I’m not here for an appointment I have an interview, I was just super early”
“You
don’t look like an interviewee” He said looking at her casual attire
“I
know” she agreed “my interview wasn’t supposed to be until tomorrow evening,
but they asked me if they could bring it forward” she explained
“I
agreed but as I didn’t have time to get home and change, I said they would have
to take me as I am”
“Mr
Jane! Room 4 please” the PA instructed again
“I’d
better go” he said “It was lovely to meet you…”
“Ruby”
“It
was lovely to meet you Ruby” Dan said as he began to walk away
“And
you are?”
“Daniel”
he said “Good luck with the interview”
“Thank
you” Ruby responded “Bye Calam”
When
he had finished with the Doctor, he put his head round the door of the waiting
room hoping to find Ruby still sitting there, but he was disappointed.
He
left the Health Centre and sighed because he’d just remembered that he’d walked
there and now faced an uncomfortable return trip.
His
thought process earlier in the day was that a short walk would give his knee a
bit of gentle exercise and loosen things up a bit, however he was wrong.
Daniel
decided against walking back immediately and as it was lunchtime, he would have
a pub lunch and a couple of pints of muscle relaxant, after which if he didn’t
feel up to the walk, he would get an Uber.
There
were three pubs at the Health Centre end of Shallowfield, The Woodman’s Axe,
The Woodcutters Arms and The Foresters, and the names clearly reflected
Shallowfield’s dependence on forestry over the centuries, the pubs at the other
end of town had more of an agricultural flavour in their naming, the
Wheatsheaf, the Plough, and the Farmers Tavern, but he went to the closest
which was the Woodcutters.
After
demolishing a very acceptable Steak and Ale pie and two pints of Mornington Ale
he was sat at the bar and was just deliberating whether to have a third or to
make a move, when he saw a sight that almost put his pain to the back of his
mind, Ruby the Dickens girl.
It
was the first time he had seen her full figure, which was small, neat, and slim, and he liked what he saw, and then a smile
of recognition as he came under the gaze of her warm brown eyes.
“Hello
again” he said “I might be mistaken but it looked like you were expecting to
see me”
“I
saw you limping up the steps as I was going in for my interview” she replied
with a smile
“Talking
of which, how did you get on?”
“I
got the job” she replied and beamed
“That’s
great, pull up a stool and tell me all about it” he said and as she climbed
onto the adjacent stool he added “Would you like a drink?”
“A
diet coke please and I could murder a sandwich” Ruby said and gave him a cheeky
grin
“Well,
they do an excellent Crab salad in granary that I can highly recommend” he suggested
“Oh
lovely”
Daniel
ordered her sandwich and two diet cokes and then said
“Great
news about the job”
“Yes,
I’m so pleased” Ruby retorted “I was very nervous”
“Is
that why you kept wiggling your foot?” he asked
“Yes,
I do that when I’m nervous” she admitted
“Like
you are now” Dan pointed out
“Ah
yes but I’m nervous for a different reason” she replied and blushed
“So, tell me about the job” he asked changing the subject to hide
her embarrassment, “you never mentioned what the interview was for”
“You are looking at the new Dancingdean Heath Centre practice nurse, phlebotomist, master clinic organiser,
home visitor and all-round tour de force”
Just then the waitress arrived and put the plate in front of her
containing a huge sandwich a pile of crisps and a mixed salad.
“My goodness” she exclaimed “it’s almost as big as me”
“Perhaps we should adjourn to a table, with you perched on a stool
I’m not sure who’d win if it decided to fight and it has the height advantage”
he said, and she was chuckling delightfully as she slithered off the stool.
After moving to the nearest empty table, he chatted to her as he
sat and watched her hoover up every scrap of food from her plate.
“That was so good” she exclaimed as she wiped an errant smudge of
dressing off her lip.
“That was a good choice”
“You seemed to enjoy it” he said and then winced as he adjusted
his position on his chair
“A fine Nurse I am, I didn’t even ask how your knee is?”
“Hurting like hell” he admitted with a wince
“Cortisone injection?” she queried
“Yes, two”
“You’ll feel the benefit later” Ruby reassured him
“I do hope so” he said
“Well, that’s my Angel of Mercy duty fulfilled and now I could use
your local knowledge….” She began
“Oh, I don’t really have any” he interrupted “I only moved here
about 3 weeks ago”
“Sorry I thought you were a local” she said “Don’t worry”
“I wish I could help, but being laid up with this” he said
squeezing his knee “I only really know the Health Centre, the Pub, Gunasekara’s General Store and the Lake”
“Teardrop
Lake?” she said excitedly
“Yes,
that’s right”
“That’s
what I need to find” she said, and he raised his eyebrow in response, so she
explained
“The
Health Centre has a few properties near the Lake and one of them is vacant
which I can take if I want”
“What?
like tied accommodation?” he asked
“Not really, it’s not part of my package” She replied “it’s
probably a bit naff anyway”
“There are no naff properties by the lake” Dan said “Far from it”
“Really?” she asked “it really would be handy, and I wouldn’t need
to commute from Purplemere everyday”
“You’re from Purplemere?”
“Yes, why?”
“So am I” he said “Hill Side, my parents still live in Oakham
Crescent”
“Mine
are in Cherry Tree Avenue” she said and then added “and I still live at home”
“Have you ever left the nest?”
“No” she admitted
“Oh
dear, you really need to look at that property” he said and chuckled
“I
do don’t I” she admitted and pulled a face
“So,
can you show me the way to the Lake?”
“Of
course, I can”
“Thank
you” Ruby said and drained her glass “Where are you parked?”
“Up
by the Lake” he replied with surprise
“You
mean you walked to the centre?”
“I
did” he confessed
“You
stupid man” she snapped “What were you thinking”
“It
seemed like a good idea at the time” he said sheepishly
“It’s
no wonder this is hurting” she said and put her hand on his knee, then she
blushed after she left it there longer than she intended.
“You’ll
have to ride shotgun then” she added and removed her hand
“So,
what’s the address?” He asked after they had both got in her car, and in
response she delved in her handbag
“It’s
quite Dickensian sounding” Ruby responded and then fished out a piece of paper
“Number
3 Folly Cottages”
“Folly
Cottages? We’re going to be neighbours then” he exclaimed “My flat is across the
road in Dancingdean Hall”
“That’ll
be lovely” she retorted rather too enthusiastically and felt herself blush
again
“Ok let’s go” he said to cover her embarrassment
“I don’t know where I’m going, so you’ll have to direct me” She
replied
“Turn left out of the car park and you’ll see the sign for
Teardrop Lake on the right”
They
drove the short distance along the road and turned into the lane which took
them past the Shallowfield Lodge Hotel, then they crossed the bridge over the River Brooke which flowed from the
head of the lake and on towards Shallowfield, Mornington and beyond, and then
the Lake was suddenly in front of them.
“Wow”
she said and brought the car to a halt at the end of the lane, to take in the
view.
The lake was shaped like a teardrop,
hence its name, and surrounded by the ancient woodland of the Dancingdean
Forest.
It wasn’t a huge body of water, just
over two miles long and almost a mile at its widest point.
“Lovely” she added
“Very” he agreed but he wasn’t looking
at the lake
In front of the Shallowfield Lodge
Hotel the lane joined the perimeter road which encircled the lake, but they
needed to take the northern side.
“Ok” she complied
“Mine is the 4th House on the right” he
added “and yours is on the left”
“It must be lovely
to live here” she said
“Yes” he agreed “it’s
just a shame I haven’t been able to get out and enjoy it”
“So how did you
come to live here?” she asked “Is Dancingdean Hall a convalescent Home for
clumsy actors?”
He had to wait for
her to stop guffawing before he could reply but he was laughing as well to be
fare.
“It’s my friends’
apartment, he landed a part in sci-fi series in the States,” he said “So he
said I could make use of it while he was away”
“So, it’s only
temporary?” she asked unable to keep the alarm from her voice, which didn’t go
unnoticed
“Yes” he replied and
left a long pause before adding “If you consider two years to be temporary”
“You swine” she
exclaimed and gave him a playful punch
“Ow, what kind of
an Angel of Mercy are you?”
“Have you heard of
Nurse Ratched?” she retorted and they both laughed
“That’s me just ahead”
Daniel remarked “That lane on the left leads up to the Cottages”
“Ok I see it”
“If you drop me here,
you can come in for a coffee when you’ve finished viewing, I’m in flat C, I may
actually have climbed the stairs by then” he said and chuckled
“Aren’t you going
to come with me?” she asked in her alarmed voice, which confirmed to him that
he had made as much of an impression on her as she had on him.
“I don’t want to
intrude” he said
“You won’t be, please come,” she begged “Then we
can go back to yours for coffee, and I can help you up the stairs”
“Ok then, if you’re sure” he said trying to exude
indifference, which was the complete opposite of what he felt inside.
“You need to go up
this little lane on the left”
As directed, she
drove up the narrow lane, which wound its way through the forest until they
emerged into the open and came to a stop outside a row of three cottages
situated high above the northern perimeter road in a pleasant rocky glade.
Although it wasn’t
obvious to the casual observer there were originally six dwellings, but after
conversion there were only three terraced cottages, the two end ones had two
bedroom and the one in the middle had one.
Once upon a time they
were home to humble peasants who worked the woods, but now many of the old woodsman’s
skills were no longer required, and if they were the peasantry wouldn’t be able
to afford to live anywhere near the lake.
Dan and Ruby got
out of the car and gave the cottages a cursory glance before taking in the surrounding
scenery and the view of the lake was spectacular, much of the
modest body of water was obscured from view from their vantagepoint but it was
beautiful, even though they couldn’t see it all, or discern the teardrop shape
that gave the lake its name, but the view of the surrounding ancient woodland
of the Dancingdean Forest was nonetheless majestic.
They stood viewing
the vista ahead of them in silence for a full five minutes as they drank in the
view.
“So beautiful”
Ruby said wistfully
“Absolutely” he
agreed but he was no longer looking at the lake, and she blushed when she
realised, so to spare her blushes he added
“It will be a real
shame if the cottage turns out to be a hovel”
“I don’t care, if
I get to see this view every day” she said and took hold of his hand “Let’s go
and inspect the hovel”
They walked to the
door of number 3 with Ruby holding his hand tightly and clearly refusing to
relinquish it as she put the key in the lock with her free hand, she then turned
it, and when the lock yielded the door swung open to reveal the hallway.
Reluctantly she
released his hand and stepped inside, there was a staircase on the right-hand
side, with an under stairs cupboard, and two doors, one directly ahead and
another opposite the stairs, to the left.
“It doesn’t look
much like a hovel so far” she said and opened the first door, which it turned
out led to the kitchen, which was a good size and looked pristine, so Dan
commented
“It doesn’t look
like much cooking was done in here by the previous tenant”
“There won’t be
much done by the new one either” Ruby said and left the room
“Don’t tell me you
can’t cook” he said and followed her
“I’ve never needed
to” she said defensively “My mum is an excellent cook”
“So is mine, but I
still learned to cook” he pointed out “And anyway your mums culinary prowess
isn’t going to help if you’re living here”
“You can cook for
me” she said cheekily and kissed his cheek before opening the door at the end
of the hall.
“Wow” she
exclaimed as she walked into the lounge/dining room
“This isn’t like a
hovel at all”
“Definitely not
Dickensian” he added
It was a large,
unfurnished room, with French Doors that opened out onto a patio in a small sun
trap of a garden.
After inspecting
the little garden, she ran back in the house and through the lounge.
“Where are you
going now?” he asked
“I want to check
upstairs” she shouted over her shoulder
“Ok, I’ll wait
here”
Daniel elected to
stay put as knee wasn’t up to the climb, so he sat on a stone bench in the
garden to rest his leg.
He sat
there looking at the very epitome of an English country cottage, with the
addition of fitted carpets,
net curtains, and drapes throughout, it would be very
cosy once it was furnished, and the setting was simply idyllic.
He
just hoped she would take it, the cottage would suit her very well, and it
mattered to him that she would be so close, as he had fallen for her.
He was
amazed as he’d barely known her anytime at all, and it was not typical
behaviour for him, he was ordinarily a cautious person, but Ruby was not
ordinary, in fact she was extraordinary, he just hoped she had fallen in love with the cottage and
its location as much as he had fallen in love with her.
He also hoped she found Teardrop Lake as idyllic
and peaceful as he did, although he had trouble sleeping for the first few days
as there was little or no noise pollution, but he loved it, with any luck Ruby would
too.
He was still musing
on the incredible turn the day had taken for him when Ruby bounded out through
the French doors like an excited Tigger.
“I love it Daniel”
she exclaimed excitedly “I really love it and I really want to live here”
And she bounded up
to him as he got to his feet and hugged him enthusiastically but broke off abruptly.
“Sorry, I got a
bit carried away”
“I’m not
complaining” he retorted, and she smiled but was blushing scarlet as she turned
back towards the house.
“I think you will
be very cosy here once you move all your things in” he said as he followed her,
and in response she suddenly stopped in her tracks and as she turned around to
face him, she had her hands on her face which was wearing an expression like Macaulay Culkin
in Home Alone.
“What’s the matter?” he asked with
concern
“I haven’t got any”
she replied
“Any what?”
“Things, furniture
and stuff” she explained “I still live at home remember”
“Oh, I see” he
said sympathetically
“I have a bit of
savings, but not enough to furnish a whole house from scratch” Ruby said sadly
“And I can’t afford to buy it all on credit, not on my Nurses salary”
“You don’t need
to” Dan said taking hold of her hands
“Firstly, you
don’t need to furnish the whole place and second you don’t need to buy new,
O’Sullivan and Springthorpe in Shallowfield sell good quality second-hand
furniture, or there’s that Old Department Store in Purplemere that’s been taken
over by one of the Charities”
“I hadn’t thought
of that” she said quietly
“So, you could get
the essentials now and add bits or trade up as your finances allow” he added
“You know you’re
quite sensible for a clumsy actor prone to falling off the stage” Ruby said and
giggled
“But you’ll have
to come with me and help me move in”
“So not only do I have
to cook for you, I’m also your personal shopper and delivery man” he pointed
out
In response Ruby
gave him a beaming smile and then she kissed him slowly and
deliberately and when she had finished, she said.
“I’m
not sorry for doing that”
“So
why have you stopped” Dan retorted, and they kissed again
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