Page 16 of A Helpin g Hand for the Village Nurse

‘No…’ Ottilie gave a bemused smile. There was no messing about with her new boss, it seemed. Direct – the way she liked it. She was already beginning to feel that they would work well together. She also felt she was going to like her very much on a personal level. For a start, in all her years nursing in Manchester, she’d never been invited to one of the doctors’ houses, so that was new and not unwelcome. ‘And I’m not allergic to anything either. Supper sounds lovely. As you can imagine, right now my diary is very sad-looking.’

‘How about tonight then? I’ve got a leg of local lamb on order at the farm shop and there’s always leftovers, so plenty to feed one more mouth. Shall we say seven? And don’t fuss about bringing anything; I have plenty. Just yourself is all that’s required.’

‘That’s…’ Ottilie blinked. She liked direct, but this was another level. ‘Sounds great!’

CHAPTER FIVE

‘Make yourself at home. There’s wine in the fridge…glasses are on the shelf over in the corner. And for God’s sake, stop calling me Dr Cheadle – it’s Fliss!’

Fliss turned from the stove where she’d gone to check on the meal after letting Ottilie in. The air of her cosy, rustic kitchen was warm and humid, filled with the aromas of delicately spiced lamb and rich gravy. She flung open a window to let out some steam, inviting in a cooling breeze from the garden. A bee wandered in for a moment, and then bumbled back outside to settle on the honeysuckle that hugged the window frame. ‘You do drink wine? Because I probably have a bottle of cordial or something collecting dust if you don’t. I couldn’t tell you where it is, though.’

‘Oh, that’s OK. I drink wine. As a GP, you might decide I drink too much.’

‘I can assure you that none of my medical opinions on your wine consumption will be aired tonight,’ Fliss said with a light laugh. ‘I drink little else and definitely too much. But I always say if it was good enough for the Romans then it’s good enough for me.’

Ottilie went to the fridge. ‘Any particular wine?’ she asked, scanning a rack of half a dozen bottles of assorted grape and vintage.

‘Take your pick. I’ll drink all of them eventually, so I don’t mind which I sink first.’

Ottilie selected a Merlot, the label of which boasted a handsome wine with notes of black cherry and vanilla. It was odd to find a red in the fridge perhaps, but she’d already decided from their brief interactions that Fliss Cheadle was a woman who did things her way and didn’t care what anyone else had to say about it. She obviously just liked her red wine chilled in the same way that white was, and it didn’t bother Ottilie anyway.

‘My other half did mention joining us, but I thought it might be easier if he stayed out of the way for our first getting-to-know-you supper,’ Fliss said as Ottilie reached for two glasses from an open shelf.

‘I wouldn’t have minded him being here.’

‘I would!’

‘Well I hope you didn’t kick the poor fella out of his own house on my account. Where’s he gone? The pub? I saw it earlier. It looked a bit small but cosy. The…I’ve forgotten what it’s called.’

‘The Mousehole.’

‘Oh, that’s it! I thought it sounded cute. Is it nice? Do the locals go in there much?’

‘Yes. I can’t walk in there without it turning into an impromptu surgery, so I don’t bother. If I were you I’d avoid it for the same reason. You’ll be ordering a gin at the bar one minute and inspecting someone’s piles the next. No, don’t worry, he’s at home. I think he’s got a box set of something or other to catch up on anyway. I’m sure you’ll meet him sooner or later.’

‘At home?’ Ottilie smoothed a frown. Had she heard correctly?

‘Yes, his place. We don’t live together,’ Fliss said. ‘God, we’d have killed each other long before now if we did.’

‘But you’re married?’

‘Oh yes!’ Fliss tapped her spoon on the side of the saucepan she was tending. ‘A good marriage too – better than most, I’d say. I’m very fond of him, especially at a distance. We meet up most nights for an hour or two, either at his or at mine, and then we go our separate ways.’

‘That’s…’ Ottilie fought that frown again.

‘Novel?’ Fliss turned to her with a wry smile. ‘Or perhaps weird is the word you were really looking for? Don’t worry, I’ve heard it all before so it doesn’t bother me which one you use. It’s our marriage and we like it this way, and the opinions of others on it don’t matter to us.’

‘I don’t have an opinion – well, nothing negative anyway. I suppose I’m just surprised and curious as to how it works. Like on a purely practical level; doesn’t it cost you loads to run two households, for example?’

‘Worth every penny for the space we get from each other. Lucky, also, that we bought our homes when the village – the country in general – was much more affordable.’

‘So you don’t have children? I mean…’

‘God no!’ Fliss laughed as she poured the gravy into a boat. ‘Little horrors! Don’t get me wrong, other people’s children are fine in small doses, but I don’t have a maternal bone in my body – never have – and it’s too late for that to change.’ She aimed a shrewd look at Ottilie. ‘I know some of your background but not all. I know, for instance, that you don’t have children either and that you’re widowed, but not much else. I’d be interested to hear more if you’re up to sharing. If nothing else, it seems a good idea to avail myself of some details, because it might make it easier for our working relationship.’

‘Oh…’ Ottilie poured the wine and took a sip from her own glass. She didn’t know much about wine, but this tasted expensive. ‘Well, I qualified in?—’

‘No, I don’t want your professional résumé,’ Fliss interrupted in a very deliberate tone. ‘I know all that, and quite frankly you wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t approved of it. I’m talking about your story…your background, your personal history, not your training. You came to Thimblebury because your husband died. No children…I’m right about that much? But still, why leave Manchester? There was no reason to stay close to other family members, particularly in your circumstances? Wouldn’t having family close by have helped you through your loss? For me that would have been the obvious choice.’

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