Page 73 of A Helpin g Hand for the Village Nurse

‘Of course I would! But I’ve already told you?—’

‘I know – you don’t have the money. I still think there has to be a way around it. There has to be a better solution than you moving away. If you want to stay, like you say you do, then we need to find a way to help you do that.’

‘It’s going to cost a fortune.’

‘There might be a way to do it that doesn’t. How much, realistically, do you think you have to spare?’

Ottilie was thoughtful for a moment. ‘I don’t honestly know. But I don’t imagine it would be enough, and I couldn’t accept money from any of you.’

‘We wouldn’t expect you to. But we might be able to call in favours. If you won’t accept money, would you be able to accept time, expertise and assistance?’

‘People have their own repairs to look to – they don’t have time for mine.’

‘We’ll see,’ Lavender said, eyeing the resignation letter on the desk. And then, just like Fliss, she flounced out without giving Ottilie a chance to pursue the conversation any further.

Ottilie’s own gaze went to the letter, lying open on the desk, the words she’d chosen so carefully that morning typed neatly on the page. Not knowing what else to do with it, for the time being at least, she decided to fold it up and put it in a drawer. She’d have to choose another moment – a better one, when Fliss might be more receptive – to try again. Perhaps when she’d had time to come round to the idea that Ottilie would be leaving. Fliss knew now that it was on her mind, so she’d be ready when Ottilie presented the letter to her again. And Ottilie would be more forceful too. Much as she loved the idea of Lavender’s plan, it wasn’t realistic. As she’d just told her colleague, people had their own worries; they weren’t about to get involved with Ottilie’s, no matter how much they wanted her to stay.

‘I’ve got a bone to pick with you.’ Flo sat across from Ottilie and plonked her basket on the desk.

‘I know your test results have been a bit longer than I thought they?—’

‘Not that,’ Flo cut in. ‘What’s this about you selling up?’

‘Oh, that…’ Ottilie had to be impressed at how fast word got round, even if she was taken aback by Flo’s sudden confrontation. She would have asked who’d told Flo, but there didn’t seem a lot of point. Half the village would know from one source or another, and the other half would know by teatime. ‘Can we talk about that later? Like maybe not in clinic time?’

‘Why isn’t Dr Cheadle giving me my results?’

‘She really only sees you about tests if there’s anything to worry about.’

‘You said there was.’

‘That’s not exactly what I said. I said I wanted to be certain.’

‘And?’

‘Well, the ones you’ve had so far haven’t shown anything that concerns us. So that’s good, right? You’ll be able to put your family’s minds at rest.’

‘Like they’d care,’ Flo sniffed.

‘I think Heath might,’ Ottilie said patiently.

‘Right.’ Flo seemed to soften at the mention of her grandson. ‘So it’s true?’

‘What is?’

‘You’re moving away?’

‘Yes,’ Ottilie said, not seeing the point in trying to hide it any longer.

‘Fat lot of good it was getting to know you then. If you’d said you were only going to be here for five minutes I wouldn’t have bothered. Total waste of time – and I don’t have much of that left at my age. We’re not that bad, are we?’

‘Of course not!’

‘I don’t know what’s so good in Manchester that you’re pining to go back. I don’t know why anyone would pine to live there. Heath is all in love with the place too. Dirty Manchester. Wouldn’t catch me living there.’

‘When did you last go to Manchester?’ Ottilie asked, trying not to laugh.

‘1979. Didn’t like it at all.’

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