Doctor January (5 page)

‘Hey,' Vik said. ‘Cheer up. He's probably just sore that you didn't ask him to be in your calendar.'

Beth gave him a grateful smile. She didn't believe it for a moment, but it was nice of Vik to say so. ‘Thanks, Vik.' She sighed. ‘I suppose I'd better get on with some work.'

Hibs's phone rang and the caller ID flashed up ‘Mrs Tait', though she much preferred for him to call her Winifred. He'd put her in his phone as Mrs Tait twelve years ago, when he'd started doing her gardening in the summer holidays, and had never changed it. He tugged off his gloves to answer it.

‘James, darling. How are you?' Winifred Tait's voice was quiet and businesslike.

‘I'm fine, Winn. To what do I owe the pleasure?'

‘I'm in the area next Tuesday. I was wondering if you'd join me for a spot of lunch. My treat, naturally.'

Hibs hesitated. Lunch invites from Mrs Tait were always more than they seemed. He didn't mind when he was at home, but he wasn't sure he really wanted to mix the two worlds.

‘Just lunch. No strings attached,' Winn added.

Hibs imagined her sitting in her office, in that big chair that reclined all the way back. No strings. She always said that. He didn't have to do anything he didn't want to, but Winifred Tait, the most glamorous woman he knew, was taking him to lunch, in a hotel where she had a room for the night, no doubt. No strings. Unless he wanted there to be.

‘Lunch would be lovely, Winn. When and where shall I meet you?'

‘I've heard Le Manoir is good. Stockton says traffic in the city centre is dreadful, so where do you suggest we pick you up? I'll be coming from Lechlade.'

Le Manoir! Winn liked to do things in style.

They arranged a time and place for her driver to pick him up. ‘I'm looking forward to it.' He genuinely meant it. He got on well with Winifred and he missed talking to her. They hadn't intended to keep in touch once he went to university, but they still met from time to time. Over the years, they'd become friends.

‘Me too, darling; me too.' He could tell from her voice that she was smiling. ‘I'll see you next week. And, James, wear a suit.'

‘Will do.' He hung up. If anyone could help take his mind off Beth, it would be Winn. And lunch at Le Manoir was too good to miss. He hummed to himself as he went back to work.

Anna, Lara and Beth met in the staff club for lunch to compare the entries for the calendar and even Beth had to reluctantly agree that they were struggling to fill it. It wasn't so much that the men weren't good-looking – they were – but there just weren't that many entries. A few guys who were still students had entered: they were disqualified regardless of how gorgeous they were.

Soon they were left with a small selection of photos. They spread them out on the table.

‘Not bad,' said Lara. ‘I'd say we've got ten, at best. We need a couple more.'

‘Roger wanted to enter,' said Beth and Lara laughed. ‘I told him I didn't decide who went in the calendar. You did.'

Lara put her head to one side. ‘You do get a say in it, you know.'

‘I'm not sure I
can
choose between these guys. They're all gorgeous and every single one would photograph well. I'm happy for you guys to choose.'

‘If you had to take just one of them home tonight, which one would you choose?' said Anna.

Beth refused to rise to the bait. Anna was seeing this whole thing as an extended dating service, while Beth was more interested in the photographs than the men. She should have been interested in the men, she supposed, but really none of them appealed. She shrugged. ‘They're all nice, I'm sure, but I'm not particularly interested in any of them'.

‘Is that because none of them is Gordon? You said you were moving on,' said Lara.

‘I am!' Why did they not believe her?

‘Well, you're not moving very fast …'

‘It's not like I've had lots of opportunity,' Beth protested. ‘I've been working most evenings. I don't exactly have a chance to go out.'

‘Working. As in hanging out with the gorgeous Hibs.' Anna grinned.

Beth rolled her eyes and Lara laughed. Anna said, ‘Honestly, you can't tell me you haven't noticed him. Seriously? Are you blind?'

‘No,' said Beth. ‘I just don't get what you see in him.' She started to gather up the bits of paper. Since Anna had started going on about him, she had started to really look at Hibs. He was kind and caring, she already knew that. What she hadn't realised was that he was also slim and elegant in a streamlined sort of a way. She preferred her men more muscular, like Gordon. But she had to admit slim and elegant was attractive too.

‘Huh,' said Anna. ‘This Gordon must have been something incredible.'

Beth ignored the comment and said, ‘Shall we sort out the photos and interviews for the guys we've got? Maybe some other candidates will turn up in the next couple of weeks.' Thankfully, Lara had squashed Anna's idea of accosting random people in the street.

‘I don't see that we have much choice,' said Lara.

‘Well, he was interesting,' said Beth. ‘Once he put his clothes back on.'

She and Anna were walking back across the Museum Garden after visiting one of the men for the calendar. Despite their best efforts at clarity, he had answered the door wearing nothing but a dressing gown, which he'd dropped when Beth picked up her camera. Following a hasty explanation, and a few minutes standing outside in the corridor trying not to laugh hysterically while he made himself decent, Anna had interviewed him, flirting outrageously all the while and Beth had taken a few photos. His office had been in one of the lovely old buildings, so she'd had lots of light from the tall windows. She was quietly pleased with the results. They had shown the photos to the guy and he'd asked for a copy to put on his personal webpage.

‘Yeah,' said Anna. ‘He was. And he gave me his number. Bonus – did you see the size of his—'

‘I didn't look!' Beth said. ‘And you're still not supposed to hit on the candidates.'

Anna waved a hand. ‘It'd be such a waste not to.'

They walked along for a moment, each busy with their own thoughts. It was pleasant and cool under the trees and Beth was in no particular hurry to get back to the lab. Suddenly, something thumped down from a large tree ahead and someone swore from up in the branches.

Anna and Beth paused and looked at each other. Beth undid the case on her camera and got it ready, just in case. A leg appeared from the tree, and then there was a grunt as a man swung down, his body hanging from well-muscled arms before he dropped to the ground.

Beth took a series of photos as the man stood up, brushing the dirt off his hands. He looked suspiciously at them. He had a shock of black hair and sideburns that framed a handsome face with startling blue eyes.

‘Er … hi,' said Anna.

‘Did you just take a photo of me?' He glared at Beth's camera.

‘Yes. Would you like to see?' She turned it around to show him. ‘I'm Beth. This is Anna. We're working on a calendar of attractive men in science. You don't happen to have a PhD in a scientific discipline, do you?' She scrolled through the pictures. Even at first glance some of them looked very dramatic.

‘Dr Dan Blackwood,' he said and held out a big hand to Beth and then Anna.

‘Would you like to be in the calendar?' Anna asked. ‘I think you'd make a fantastic Dr August.'

Dan Blackwood looked taken aback. ‘I'd heard about this. It sounds very enterprising, but I don't think my wife would approve.'

‘Why ever not,' said Anna. ‘It's not like we're making a “free and single” calendar. It'll be nice to have some married men in it to show that scientists aren't sad cases who can't find a partner. We could mention your wife in the blurb.'

Dan looked uncomfortable. ‘I'm not sure …'

‘Tell you what, why don't you check with your wife and let us know. If she says no, we promise we'll delete the photos we took of you,' said Anna. ‘I'll write you a note to say so, if you like. Like an IOU.'

‘I suppose …'

‘Can I ask a few questions, while we've got you here?'

He shrugged. The piece of equipment that had fallen from the tree lay nearby. He picked it up and examined it. ‘I think it's okay.'

‘What is it?'

‘It's a mini camera.' He showed it to them. ‘I think there's an unusual species of beetle arrived in there recently. It's quite possibly invasive. I'm trying to get some pictures to make sure I've got the right one.' He looked up, his eyes bright. ‘Have you heard of
Acillus blackwoodii
?'

Both women shook their heads.

‘Oh.' He looked disappointed. ‘I discovered it. Never mind.'

‘We'll look it up when we get back to the lab,' said Beth.

‘Dan, what's your specialism?' Anna was scribbling notes.

‘Beetles,' he said. He went on to explain about his projects and once he started talking Anna quite easily got him to answer her questions.

‘Thank you so much, Dan,' Anna said. ‘It was great to meet you.'

‘Let us know what your wife says,' said Beth. She handed him a piece of paper with her and Anna's e-mail addresses on. ‘I'm sure she won't mind telling the world that she's got a husband with looks as well as brains.'

Dan smiled. ‘When you put it that way, I suppose she won't.' He looked back at his tree. ‘I'd better get back up there and install this thing. I'll let you know what she says.'

‘Do you need a leg up or something?' said Beth, even though she wasn't sure how you went about giving one.

‘No need,' said Dan. ‘I managed before.' He looked at them. ‘Although you guys are making me a little self-conscious.'

‘Sorry. We'll be off.' Beth started walking and Anna came after her. A few paces on, they turned to see Dan jump, grab a branch, walk his legs up the trunk and then haul himself up into the leaves.

‘He was nice,' said Beth.

‘Shame he's married,' said Anna. ‘I wonder if he has a brother.'

Anna followed Beth into the tea room. Hibs, who was reading the newspaper while eating his baguette, nodded at Anna and smiled at Beth. ‘So, how did you get on?'

‘Pretty good, actually,' said Anna, sliding into a chair opposite Hibs.

Beth grinned. ‘It's not every day a handsome man just falls out of a tree.'

Hibs looked from one woman to the other. ‘Dare I ask?'

‘We were walking along and this guy literally came down from a tree,' said Anna. ‘Beth's got photos to prove it.'

Beth passed the camera over and Anna scooted round and stood by Hibs's shoulder. As Anna leaned over, pressing the buttons on the camera, Beth felt a wave of annoyance. Anna had placed herself so that her breasts were right in Hibs's eyeline. There was no need to help – Hibs was perfectly capable of handling the camera himself.

She tried to concentrate on making tea, but the knowledge that Anna was flirting with Hibs made the hair on the back of her neck prickle. She fought the urge to turn around. The lab was the only place where Hibs didn't turn on the charm – she and Vik were the only ones who got to see Hibs as he really was. It was, somehow, special. She didn't mind sharing her home with Anna, but she didn't want to have to share her work space and all her friends as well.

She turned with Anna's tea just in time to see Hibs's gaze dart to Anna's chest and back again. He caught Beth's eye and had the decency to look embarrassed; then he turned back to the photos. ‘Hey, I know him. That's the beetle guy from zoology.'

‘That's right.' Beth thumped Anna's tea down and held her hand out for the camera. Anna finally moved her breasts away from Hibs's face.

‘Did you just accost him in the park?' Hibs asked as he picked up his baguette and bit into it.

‘Yes,' said Beth. She looked at the photo – there was a particularly good shot of him just dropping down from the tree. ‘He's going to ask his wife if she minds him being in it.'

‘I thought you only wanted single blokes.'

‘What gave you that idea?' said Anna.

‘Well, you did.' He looked at her.

‘I personally prefer single men.' Anna winked at him. ‘But for the calendar, any man will do, so long as he's drop-dead gorgeous.'

Hibs was staring at her, a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. ‘Really? Did you find many?'

‘There are some who just refuse to have their photo taken,' said Anna. ‘Like you, for example.'

‘Me?'

‘Beth tells me you were … reluctant.'

‘Did she now?'

Beth was starting to feel left out of the conversation. If they were going to continue flirting, she might have to excuse herself and go upstairs to the lab. ‘I did ask you,' she said, trying not to sound peevish. ‘You said no.'

‘I wonder why?' said Anna. ‘Are you afraid you photograph badly?'

‘No.' Hibs finished his sandwich and balled up the cling film. ‘I just don't want to be in the calendar.'

‘That's not very nice.' Anna pouted.

Hibs gave her a wicked smile. ‘Bite me.'

‘Only if you ask, really, really nicely.'

Beth looked from one to the other.

Anna fancied Hibs. Hibs fancied Anna. They would end up together, briefly. Then they'd split up. Anna would be cross; Hibs would be unrepentant. Everything would be awkward. Beth sighed at the inevitability of it all.

Hibs put on the suit his parents had bought him for graduation and was pleased to find it still fit. He paced round his living room, wondering what to do between now and noon. Unable to think of anything, he decided to go into the lab.

‘Morning.' He threw his coat on his chair, went to his bench, pulled open his notepad and started transferring notes into his lab book. After a few minutes, he felt he was being watched. Looking up he found Beth and Vik standing at the entrance to the bay, staring at him.

‘What?' he said.

‘You're wearing a suit,' said Beth, not quite looking him in the eye. ‘
Why
are you wearing a suit?'

‘I've got a lunch date.'

‘A lunch date that requires a suit?' said Vik.

‘Sort of.' Hibs was enjoying himself. It wasn't often he got admiring attention from Beth. He pressed his advantage. ‘I'm going to Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons. That requires a suit.'

‘Le Manoir, wow.' Beth's eyes were wide.

She looked so impressed that Hibs decided that he would take her there one day. If he could find a decent excuse to take her out for a posh lunch. If she accepted. He looked away, the happy daydream punctured. She considered him a friend and nothing more. Most of the time she probably even forgot that he was male.

‘So, who's taking you for lunch in the most expensive restaurant in the area?' said Beth. ‘It's too pricey for normal people.'

‘Winifred Tait. She's a friend of the family.' Hibs paused. ‘Well, sort of. She plays bridge with my mum.'

The other two were both silent for a minute. ‘So, a little old lady is taking you to lunch at Le Manoir?' said Vik, sounding puzzled.

Hibs laughed. ‘Winifred Tait is no little old lady,' he said. ‘She'd probably brain you with a stiletto heel if you called her that.'

Beth narrowed her eyes and wandered off without saying anything.

‘Why?' said Vik.

‘She likes me.' Hibs grinned.

‘Do you think she wants to get you drunk and have her wicked way with you?' Vik leaned on his elbows – he always seemed to find Hibs's relationships with woman fascinating.

Hibs smiled. She didn't bother to get him drunk when she wanted to have her wicked way with him. ‘No. She promised she wouldn't.' At the other end of the lab he could hear a clatter of computer keys. He guessed that was Beth Googling Winn. ‘Tait's spelt T-A-I-T,' he shouted down the lab.

‘What do you mean, she promised she wouldn't? You mean she tried it on once?' Vik was still looking for gossip.

Hibs grinned. ‘Taught me everything I know.'

Vik gaped. ‘You shagged a little old lady?'

‘I told you, she's not a little old lady. She's only about ten years older than me. And it was all a long time ago. I was eighteen.'

There was a gasp from Beth. Hibs peered between the racks and could just make out the back of her head in front of the computer screen. ‘Did you find her?'

‘Vik, come here,' said Beth.

Hibs put his lab book away and went to stand behind her. There was a picture of Winn in her heyday, all long legs and sexy curves. ‘Yeah, that's her,' he said. ‘She used to be a model. She did some work for old Mr Tait and he married her.'

‘Wow,' said Beth. ‘Does she still look like that?'

Hibs put his head to one side. ‘More or less,' he said. ‘A bit older, obviously. But yeah. Pretty much. Still stunning.'

‘What are you lot doing? Not more nonsense about calendars I hope.' Roger stomped in. ‘If you put half as much work into your PhD as you do on your side projects, Beth, you'd have finished by now.'

‘I
am
putting that much work into my PhD—' Beth began.

‘Are you diversifying and putting women in your calendar?' said Roger. ‘Who's she? I'd buy that.' He caught sight of Hibs. ‘Why are you in a suit? Have you got a court appearance?'

Hibs rolled his eyes.

‘Hibs has got a lunch date with that lady,' said Vik.

Roger took a closer look at the screen. ‘Scroll down,' he ordered Beth.

Beth did so.

‘She now runs the Tait textile empire …' Roger read. He looked at Hibs. ‘Is she loaded then?'

Hibs thought of the house and the enormous lawn and the scandal when old man Tait left everything to his young widow. ‘I guess.'

‘And you're having lunch with her because …?'

‘She's a friend. Of the family.'

‘You could try persuading her that she wants to contribute to the advancement of science.'

‘She's in textiles, Roger. Why would she want to work with a microbiology unit?'

‘I don't know, maybe pictures of bacteria …'

‘I can't anyway,' said Hibs. ‘This is purely personal.' He wondered why Roger was there. ‘Is there anything we can help you with, Roger?'

Roger seemed to be captivated by the pictures of Winn. ‘Oh. Yes. I was after Vik, actually. Can you step into my office for a minute? I've got some paperwork I need you to sign.'

After Vik and Roger departed, Hibs watched over Beth's shoulder as she clicked through picture after picture. When she finally turned away from the screen, she shot him a curious look.

Hibs looked at his watch. ‘I'd better go,' he said as he grabbed his coat. ‘I'll be back to take over for the evening shift, okay?'

Beth nodded, her attention back on the screen, but as he reached the door she called him. He turned and she looked at him as though seeing him properly for the first time. ‘You look good,' she said.

Hibs felt a little kick of happiness in his stomach.

After Hibs had left, Beth turned back to the photos of Winifred Tait. Vik returned and stood behind her. ‘Wow. He's right. She's no little old lady. Look, she's got her own Wikipedia entry.' He pointed to the link.

Beth clicked through, curious to know more, and Vik read over her shoulder.

‘Says here she married a guy who was forty years older than her and he died of a heart attack within a couple of years,' she said.

‘I'm not surprised,' said Vik. ‘She probably wore him out.'

‘Gosh, her husband died nearly fifteen years ago. She must be nearly forty now.' She scrolled through and read the rest of the entry. ‘Sounds like she's quite a businesswoman though.'

‘Brains as well as beauty. No wonder Hibs went for her.'

Beth turned to look at him. ‘What do you mean “went for her”?'

‘They had a thing a while back. I guess you were over here when he was talking about it. He said he was only eighteen and she taught him everything he knew.'

Beth ran another search, this time with the year in it. It pulled up a recent press release showing Winifred Tait shaking hands with a businessman. She looked older, but still incredibly attractive. ‘Wow.'

‘He's a dark horse, our Hibs,' Vik said with admiration in his voice.

‘Being seduced by an older woman isn't an achievement,' said Beth far more sharply than she'd intended.

‘Being seduced by that woman is,' said Vik.

The thought suddenly struck her. ‘I wonder if that's the same woman he said he had a relationship with. He said it lasted a summer and then he went to uni.' She looked back through the images. Hibs's girlfriends usually flitted through his life so fast that they were irrelevant. This woman was the last person to have connected with Hibs in any meaningful fashion. And she was beautiful, rich and sophisticated.

Beth felt a twinge of irritation and killed the browser. ‘I'd better get back to work.' As she went back to her bench, she rationalised that she was merely annoyed because Hibs had kept something so important hidden from her. She'd assumed she knew everything about him. Clearly, she didn't. She flipped open her own lab book. She hadn't, for instance, seen him in a suit before. He looked different. Hot.

She filed that information away to think about later.

Hibs wasn't usually impressed with overpriced food, but he couldn't help but appreciate the cuisine at Le Manoir. Everything was prepared to perfection and, although the portions looked small, they were just enough.

As they ate, Winn brought him up to speed on gossip from home, told him about her new William Morris-inspired collection and asked him about his work. He told her about Beth and Anna and their calendar and she laughed, causing a ripple of interest among the other diners. He looked round to see people return to their own conversations. This often happened when he was out with Winn – wherever she went, people turned to look at her. She was just that sort of woman. He glanced at her, and she winked at him and leaned forward.

‘It does my reputation good to be seen in public with a handsome young man,' she whispered. She laid a hand on his arm. Hibs looked down at the slim manicured fingers and suddenly he was eighteen again and the impossibly glamorous Mrs Tait, the woman all the men in the village, including his father, fancied, had stopped discussing the rhododendrons and put her hand on his thigh.

Her hand lingered on his arm and Hibs looked up at her. Over the years he'd recognised that there was more to her than the legs, the curves and the beautiful face. There was power, intelligence, determination. All the things that made her fit to run the empire her husband left to her. Mrs Tait was a wonderful, sophisticated woman and she wanted him. Just that alone was a powerful turn-on that never failed.

But this time felt different. He thought of Beth, with her jeans and T-shirt and flyaway hair. Next to Winn she was small and vulnerable and messy … and so effortlessly sexy.

As he made eye contact, Winn raised an eyebrow at him, just a tiny bit. This was his cue, but he knew he wouldn't take it. He gently moved her hand off his arm.

If he'd needed confirmation that he was in love with Beth, he had it. He'd never thought he'd see a day when he didn't fancy Mrs Tait.

Clearly Winn hadn't either: her eyebrow rose a fraction higher. ‘I see,' she said.

Hibs focused on his plate and felt awful. He genuinely liked Winn's company. He had turned her down before, for various reasons, but there had always been the understanding that next time things could be different. This time, he knew it was permanent. ‘I'm sorry.'

‘Don't be.' She drank the last of her wine. A waitress appeared as if by magic and refilled her glass.

‘So,' she said. ‘Which of the two young ladies has taken your heart?'

‘Pardon?'

‘Oh, come on, James. How long have I known you? One of those two ladies you just mentioned means something to you. I can tell from your face and your voice. Now tell me.'

‘Well … Anna fancies me,' Hibs said.

‘Naturally.' Winn waved her wine glass as though to say that was a given. ‘And the other one?'

‘Beth. She … is a friend.'

‘This would be the same Beth who was your friend last year? And the year before that?'

‘Yes.'

‘And you would like her to be more than a friend, I take it.'

He sighed. ‘Yes. I would.'

‘But?'

‘But she's my friend.' He looked up at Winn, who had put down her glass and was watching him carefully. What was he doing, talking to Winifred about Beth? ‘I'm sorry, Winn, I feel really weird talking to you about this.'

She laughed and leaned forward. ‘What? You think I didn't know this day would come, James? No strings. That was the deal. This is lunch now. That's all.' She smiled, a genuine smile that reached her eyes. ‘Oh relax, darling. You don't owe me anything.' She gave his hand a quick pat and leaned back in her seat. ‘Now. Tell me. You want this girl, but you can't have her. Why not?'

Hibs stared at his hands for a moment. He had to tell someone or his head would explode with thinking about it. ‘She used to have this boyfriend, Gordon. He was a real shit to her. He had to know exactly where she was at all times, that sort of thing. He was horrible, but she didn't see it.'

Winn held up a finger. ‘You said “used to have”. Is she no longer with him?'

‘No, they split up a few months ago when he went to the US. He dumped her, just like that. She was devastated.'

‘Okay. Why is he relevant now?'

‘She's not over him. She was waiting for him to send her a birthday card which, obviously, he didn't. Then she was all cut up about it.'

‘Right.' Winn nodded slowly and took a sip of wine. ‘Perhaps she needs someone to help her move on. Why don't you …'

Hibs sighed. ‘That's the problem. I can't,' he said.

‘What do you mean, you can't? You've never had any trouble approaching girls before? I've heard all about your exploits at the hunt ball, young man. I know you're not shy.'

‘It's not the same. Beth is … she's special. When she looks at me properly …' He thought about her compliment as he'd left the lab. ‘Like today, she said I looked nice in my suit and I was so happy I didn't know what to say. It was like I was a twelve-year-old bag of hormones again. I don't know what's happening to me. It's ridiculous.'

‘Oh, James.' Winn shook her head. ‘Darling boy, you're in love. That's all.'

He frowned. He knew that, but was it so obvious to everyone else? Was everyone laughing at him? Did Beth know? What did she think of him if she did?

‘Let's see.' She leaned forward and put her perfectly manicured fingers together. ‘Everything you see reminds you of her. If she says something remotely personal, you analyse it over and over until you don't know what it means any more. You could have anything in the whole world, but nothing would compare to one small smile from her. You're in love.'

‘How come you know so much about it?'

She pulled a face. ‘I was in love once, you know,' she said. ‘A long time ago now.'

‘With whom?' He knew it wasn't him. There were other conquests though; perhaps it was one of them.