His Perfect Bride? (20 page)

Olly swallowed hard, but the lump in his throat wouldn’t budge. ‘She was.’

‘Such a pretty thing, too. Single, she said. I thought you and she might become an item…’

Mrs Bates was fishing. She knew full well that he and Lula had been seeing each other—she just wanted confirmation from the horse’s mouth.

He stared at a pile of paperwork. ‘She had to move on.’

‘But not before she found her family—isn’t that right, Doctor? Lizzy Love confirmed it herself—told me that Dr Chance was her long-lost daughter!’

He nodded. ‘I believe so.’

‘You’d think she’d stay. You know…for family.’

But it had never just been about family. Had it? Lula had come to find her mother, yes, but had got involved with Olly, too. And even though she
wanted children—badly, as it turned out—she’d walked away from trying to find out if she could have them with him.

He’d lied about possibly not wanting children. Of
course
he wanted kids. His own parents had been great. His dad had told him about his mum—about how wonderful she’d been and all those cute stories about her. He’d had a good childhood even with just his father to look after him. He wanted to be a father himself, it was true. He was a traditionalist.

But Lula’s leukaemia had made her infertile. Or rather the chemo had. And she believed that he would hate her eventually for not being able to give him the children he so badly wanted.

I could never have hated her. We would have found a way. I’m sure of it!

Medical technology was moving on all the time. Miracles happened. And if they didn’t for them then there were other options—surrogacy, adoption, fostering, IVF. Solutions that other people used but Lula was not willing to contemplate.

Perhaps the urge to have a child was stronger for her than he’d realised?

Mrs Bates realised she wasn’t going to get anything out of him gossip-wise and stood and saw herself out. After she’d gone he let out a big
sigh and leaned back in his chair, his head in his hands.

No more patients today. His afternoon was free.

If he went back to the house he’d just rattle around the rooms until bedtime, and it was difficult being at home. So many of the rooms contained memories of Lula. Especially his bedroom, where they’d shared themselves physically. He hated climbing into bed alone, without her. He hated waking up alone just to go through another day of tormenting himself.

I’ll go and see Lula’s mother again.

She might have heard more from Lula.

* * *

Elizabeth Love was out feeding her chickens, spreading seed across the grass as the brown fluffy birds pecked and scratched at the ground, their heads bobbing back and forth, cackling away.

Olly got out of his car and waved a hand in greeting.

‘Oliver! I haven’t seen you for a week—have you been all right?’

‘Existing. Still breathing. Does that count?’

‘I miss her, too. But I guess I’ve had years of experience, so I can cope with it better.’

He smiled. It had been her choice. To give up Lula. He couldn’t forget that. Though he understood her reasons.

‘It is hard…’ He leaned against her broken gate, and then pushed away from it forcefully. ‘There just doesn’t seem to be any point to anything now!’

Elizabeth blinked at him. The sun was in her eyes. ‘Of course there’s a point.’

‘I can’t see it if it’s there. Life just seems so…
flat
…without her in it.’

She came over to him and laid a hand on his arm. ‘Oliver…sometimes it’s darkest before dawn.’

‘Are you saying everything will be better in the morning? Because my dad’s been saying that for nearly a month now, and let me tell you the mornings are the worst.’

‘Why?’

‘Because she’s not
there
. Her head isn’t on my pillow…her body isn’t beside me. I can’t hear her laughter or see her smile or…’ he laughed wryly ‘…watch her dancing in her belly-dancing class.’

‘I don’t know what to say. She made a choice. I can’t judge her. Not after what I did.’ She picked up a watering can and began to water her flowerpots.

‘It was the wrong choice.’

‘Not for her. Have you gone after her? Tried to persuade her to come back?’

He shook his head and waved away an annoying fly. ‘I don’t have her address.’

‘I do.’ Elizabeth smiled.

He looked up. ‘You do?’ Hope began to build.

‘It’s in the house. She sent it to me yesterday and made me promise not to give it to you.’

He frowned. ‘But you will, right? Otherwise you wouldn’t have told me about it, and if you held it back now that would be outright mental cruelty.’

‘I’ll give it to you—but only because I can see how much she means to you and I saw what you were like together. You were good. You were right. Wait here.’

She disappeared into her house and came out after a minute or so, clutching a piece of paper. She passed it to him.

‘I never gave it to you. You sneaked a look whilst I was making some tea, all right?’

He opened the paper, read the address, and then beamed a smile at her before leaning forward and kissing her cheek. ‘You’re a star.’

He could go and find her!

She laughed. ‘I’m a romantic. Go get her.
Tell
her. Make her
believe
.’

He nodded and raced back to his car, gunning the engine.

* * *

The drive to Portsmouth seemed to take forever. It should have been no more than an hour’s drive,
but he got stuck behind a tractor on his way out of Atlee Wold, and then in a traffic jam on the A3. There’d been an accident. He’d been torn between staying in his car and remaining patient, or gnawing at his wrists to take his mind off his frustration! Once he got past the accident—an empty horse box had overturned—it was a straight drive down to the Solent.

He passed through the Hindhead Tunnel and drove through the hills of Petersfield. When he saw the first sign for the coastal town of Portsmouth his stomach began to churn with nerves.

He had no idea what he was going to say to her. What could he say that he hadn’t told her already? But she
had
to see—especially after his drive down to seek her out—just how much she meant to him.

His heart was racing with excitement at the idea of seeing her again. There’d been a palpable ache in his chest for weeks, and now that he knew he might see her again that weight had lifted and he felt he could breathe again.

Olly knew he had to persuade her somehow. And it felt so good to know that he was going to see her again! Her smile…her face…the wonderful colours in her hair… Hear her laughter… He’d missed her so much!

As he drove ever closer to Portsmouth, where
Lula’s story had begun, he began to feel his nerves drumming in his tight stomach. He looked across the water and saw all the boats resting at anchor. He thought how peaceful it all looked. Then, before he knew it, he was driving into the city, passing the big white sails, listening to his satnav as it guided him through the housing areas of Southsea. In the distance he could see, rising above everything else, a pure white tower that stretched up into the blue sky. The Spinnaker Tower. He’d heard of it. There was something similar in Dubai.

He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of life she’d made for herself here. He could see its attraction. Its charm. The Isle of Wight was across the water…there was its length of beach. There was even a funfair, like the kind he’d visited as a child.

He drove on, looking for Dickens Way, and suddenly there it was. He hit the brakes and made a right-hand turn into the street, looking for her house. It was a long street, narrow, and packed with terraced houses that all looked quite similar. The road was jam-packed with cars, bumper to bumper on either side.

Gritting his teeth, and muttering curses at there being nowhere to park, he had to drive further away to find a side road, squeeze into a space
and then hurry back. He was sweating and anxious and fidgety. His mind was racing. What would she say when she saw him? Would she be pleased? He was assuming she would be. But what if she wasn’t? What if she thought this was an embarrassing errand? What if he’d misread her feelings for him?

No. She told me she loved me!

He wiped his brow, straightening his crooked tie and tucking in his shirt.

He let out a deep breath, squared his shoulders and walked up the path. He was a bag of nerves. His legs were like wobbly blancmange, no strength to them at all, and his stomach was churning and tumbling as if he was on a fairground ride. He wished he’d brought some water. Or something stronger. Like beer. Or a straight shot of vodka.

Something.

He was just seconds away from meeting her…seeing her…

Olly rapped his knuckles on the red door. Then, just for good measure, he rang the doorbell, too, hearing a deep gong noise inside. He waited and he waited. Then he waited some more.

What was going on? Where was she?

Perhaps she was at work? He decided to have a
look through the downstairs window, but couldn’t see anything through the net curtains.

He blocked the sun with his hands to peer in, but it didn’t help at all.

What was he to do?

The surgery. The doctors’ surgery. They’d know, surely?

But he didn’t know where that was. He quickly stepped over a low brick wall and rapped on the door of the house next to Lula’s. He heard some shouting inside, and a child crying.

A woman answered the door. ‘Yes?’

‘Hi—could you tell me where the local doctors’ surgery is, please?’

‘Oh, I thought you were going to try and sell me something. Right—it’s a couple of streets over, in St Thomas’ Avenue.’ She leaned out to point. ‘Down this road, take a left, go about a hundred yards and then it’s on your right.’

‘St Thomas’ Avenue? Thank you.’

The woman nodded and closed the door.

He didn’t bother going back for his car. He figured it would be easier to walk. Besides, he had no idea if he’d be able to get a parking space anywhere near!

His churning stomach was now mixing nervous energy with frustration. This wasn’t the way he’d planned it! He’d expected to find her at the
house. With the house empty, he was beginning to feel a little irritated.

It wasn’t going as he’d wanted. He’d expected to be kissing her by now! To have surprised her and swept her off her feet, told her once again how much he loved her and asked would she come back?

The surgery was in the centre of Portsmouth, and because of the lovely hot weather he enjoyed the short walk to it, even if his mouth was as dry as the bottom of a birdcage.

The building was split into two practices, and she could have been at either one. The receptionist at the first one couldn’t tell him anything, and he had to get in a queue at the next. Olly waited impatiently, tapping his feet and trying to peer round the people in front of him, sighing heavily when they took ages with their turns. When he got to the receptionist he rested against the chest-high counter and stated his request.

‘I’m looking for Dr Lula Chance. I believe she may be here as a locum?’

The receptionist nodded and smiled. ‘Yes, she started here—but she’s left already, I’m afraid.’

‘Left?’ How could she have left? ‘Where has she gone?’

‘I’m afraid I don’t know. It was very sudden.’

‘Sudden? She wasn’t taken ill?’

The receptionist shook her head. ‘I can’t give out any private details, I’m afraid.’

‘I’m a doctor.’

‘I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to say.’

She smiled sympathetically and Olly knew realistically that her hands were tied. Unfortunately that didn’t help him.

So she’d been a no-show at the house, she’d left her job already, and no one could tell him why. Where would she have gone?

‘Do you have a forwarding address?’

‘I’m sorry. I can’t give you that information.’

He was not a violent man, but this wasn’t going the way he’d hoped. ‘Of course not. Thank you.’

He was about to step away when the receptionist perked up and said, ‘But I
can
tell you she’s doing a sponsored abseil today.’

Olly looked up. ‘A
what
?’

‘A sponsored abseil. She’s raising money for childhood leukaemia.’

He gripped the reception desk. ‘Where?’

The receptionist smiled. ‘The Spinnaker Tower. She must be crazy, if you ask me—it’s over five hundred feet high!’

The tower. He’d seen it driving in to the city. She was up
there
? Of course she was! He couldn’t help but smile to himself. Of
course
she was up there! She’d be challenging herself, or something, wouldn’t she? Doing one of her crazy stunts.

Well, that was one tower he was quite happy to rescue a maiden from!

If she’d let him…

Olly thanked the receptionist and raced back for his car. All he had to do now was find the way to get there.

* * *

At Gunwharf Quays he went running through the crowds, pushing past, apologising for knocking into people as he passed.

The Spinnaker Tower loomed above him—a pure white needle stretching upwards into the azure-blue sky. At the top were some viewing platforms, and just below them he could see a group of dark figures—like blackfly on a rose.

The abseilers!

On the ground there was another group of people, wearing helmets and abseiling gear, grinning madly or having their photos taken.

Olly rushed over.

‘Lula?
Lula?
’ He looked at each of them, hoping that she was already down, that she’d done it already, that he wouldn’t have to watch her do this.

But how amazing it would be for her! He knew she didn’t like heights. She’d said so when he’d mentioned the parachute jump. The one he’d not actually done because… Well, heights weren’t his thing, either!

He looked up at the tower, fearing where he might have to go to get Lula back.

The group’s leader laid a hand on his shoulder. ‘Can I help you?’

‘I’m looking for Dr Lula Chance?’

The leader nodded, then pointed. ‘She’s up there. Last one to come down. But she’s nervous and won’t budge.’