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Sophie shifted uncomfortably and her eyes slid away from Oliver's as she tucked her left hand inside her pocket. It was all very well for Oliver to preach. He didn't have complications like boisterous twin sons to raise alone. Or the image of being a happily engaged woman suddenly shattered.

Toni Marsh came into the room, carrying a packet of sandwiches and an apple. 'I still haven't got the waiting room empty,' she groaned. 'I'm just taking five minutes. Why are Mondays so busy?'

'Nobody wants to use the after-hours practice on weekends,' Oliver observed. 'They like us too much.'

Toni pushed the wire frames of her spectacles more firmly into place on her nose. 'Perhaps you could start being rude to a few people, then.''

'I'll see what I can do,' Oliver promised. 'But you'll have to work on Sophie. Her aura's too good.'

'Her what?'

'Never mind.' Sophie rose to her feet to follow Oliver. 'It's about as believable as Oliver being rude to patients. Is there anyone out there for me?'

Toni nodded, hastily swallowing her mouthful of sandwich. 'Lily Weymouth has brought her baby in. He's running a temperature and is pretty miserable. I put her in the side room so she could try and feed him.'

Sophie nodded. 'Probably another ear infection. He had one last month.'

'And there's Mrs Bell. I think she's got the flu.'

Janet's yoghurt spoon paused halfway to her mouth. 'You've had your flu shot, haven't you, Sophie?'

'Yes, last week. You gave it to me, remember?'

'Oh, aye.' Janet nodded and then smiled. 'Seems like a long time ago somehow.'

It did seem a long time ago. There had been a lot of water under the bridge since then. The current seemed to have increased its speed. More worryingly, it had completely changed direction. No wonder Sophie felt suddenly adrift.

In retrospect, the change had been coming for a long time. It wasn't really her fault. It wasn't Greg's fault either. Sophie knew exactly where to lay the blame for the catalyst of her life's disruption.

It was all Oliver Spencer's fault.

Of course
, it was Oliver Spencer's fault.

Why hadn't it occurred to Sophie earlier? In between sessions in a long afternoon of peering down undersized ear canals, swabbing sore throats and dispensing some much-needed dietary advice, the issue clarified itself with satisfying logic.

It was Oliver Spencer's fault because he was too nice. Too young, too attractive and far too easygoing. If she had taken up a position as a GP registrar with a supervisor who was middle-aged, overweight, bald and grumpy then she wouldn't be in this predicament.

Then again, she didn't blame Josh Cooper and he was perfectly nice as well. At thirty-four, Oliver was four years younger than Josh. Both the doctors were tall, dark and good-looking. They were both intelligent and had a good sense of humour. They were both highly skilled doctors. It was no wonder that patient numbers at St David's were steadily increasing. There was more than enough work for a keen GP trainee. Oliver and Josh were starting to talk about the need for a third full-time partner.

Oliver had been married once but his divorce was apparently ancient history. Josh swore he'd never even been remotely tempted by the state of matrimony. They were both perfectly eligible bachelors and they had both been quite open about their appreciation of the addition Sophie Bennett had made to the staff of St David's. The three doctors all got along very well which had been an added bonus, though Oliver was definitely more laid back. Sophie suspected it might be because he didn't have to cope with as many late nights and hangovers as Josh seemed to, but what did she really know about his social life? Perhaps Oliver's tolerance levels were better than his senior partner's.

Had she just spent too much time alone with Oliver while finding her feet in a new environment? No. Even Josh had noticed there was something between her and his junior partner that excluded him. He had gone as far as to warn Oliver off.

'Don't stay too late,' he'd teasingly admonished as he'd headed home, leaving them alone for yet another tutorial session during those early weeks. 'Just remember that Sophie's a happily engaged woman.'

Had she been? Even then? Would a happily engaged woman have felt that very physical buzz at knowing someone found her attractive? Maybe. And maybe Oliver's freely given approval as Sophie made the start on the career she had always wanted was something she had been starved of. Her father certainly wasn't giving her any and Greg had been angry at her decision to take up this position so far away, however much he had tried to hide it.

A happily engaged woman would not, however, have found the attraction exciting. Would not have felt even the slightest desire to encourage it. Sophie had been thoroughly ashamed of exactly that desire. The protection of her ring had been welcome. A talisman against change. Against feelings that were new enough to be frightening, their potential power an unknown and very unsettling force.
That
was why she had hesitated in removing the ring. Why it was so difficult. She still needed protection.

Yes. It was Oliver's fault for being so attractive. For stirring depths in Sophie that Greg had never more than touched the surface of. For making Sophie wonder whether those depths might, in fact, be better off for a bit of stirring.

Sophie's last patient for the day was Ruby Murdock. Ruby had been one of Sophie's first patients when she'd arrived at St David's and this was the third visit. Ruby was what Sophie considered to be an excellent example of a general practice patient. Aged sixty-seven, widowed but with devoted family support from her daughter, Ruby had a variety of medical problems.

A broken ankle some four years previously had curtailed her level of physical activity significantly and her weight had increased steadily. Two years ago Ruby had broken her wrist which had reduced her activity even further. She had also developed late onset asthma. Her blood pressure had crept up and was now borderline for therapy and Ruby experienced the odd twinge of chest pain which was probably not angina but needed monitoring. Her weight was still increasing but Ruby remained cheerfully optimistic that she could get on top of the problem.

In fact, Ruby was always cheerful. Sophie also considered her patient to be an excellent example of the motherly type—rather short, now decidedly plump, grey-haired and amiable. It was easy to imagine that she might have ruled over a large brood of offspring and was now surrounded by an increasing number of adoring grandchildren. But Ruby had had only one daughter on whom to lavish her maternal abilities and the total of grandchildren was only three.

Sophie was pleased that Ruby was her final patient for Monday afternoon. She could relax without the pressures of time restraints and enjoy Ruby's companionable chatter. Ruby Murdock loved to talk. She was still answering Sophie's query about how the family was as she settled herself more comfortably in her chair beside Sophie's desk.

'So Nathan and Tim have both started playing soccer. I'm so pleased they don't want to play rugby. Such a dangerous sport and they're all such
rough
people!' Ruby's handbag was positioned carefully beside her feet with an extra nudge to straighten it. 'Of course, it is a little awkward. Felicity has to take them to practice on Wednesday afternoons after school and that means we have to hurry through our shopping. Wednesday afternoon is when she takes me to the supermarket.'

'Your daughter is a big help to you, isn't she, Mrs Murdock?'

'Oh, yes, dear.' Ruby Murdock's face relaxed into a contented smile. 'She's a good girl. I really couldn't manage without her. Especially not now.'

'How's the asthma been since I last saw you?' Sophie queried. 'Did you bring your peak-flow diary in to show me?'

The handbag was retrieved but Ruby looked embarrassed as she rummaged in its depths. 'I'm afraid I haven't kept it up terribly well. It's so hard to remember every morning.'

'Are you remembering to use your Flixotide inhaler twice a day?'

'When I need to—of course I do. And I'm sure I'm inhaling correctly. That spacer thing is much easier and your lesson last time was very helpful.'

Sophie's smile was a little distracted. 'That's good, Mrs Murdock, but the Flixotide is the inhaler you use to prevent problems, not treat them. Remember how I explained about the airways being inflamed and that makes them more likely to react and cause an asthma attack? We need to treat the inflammation
all
the time. That way you shouldn't need to use your bronchodilator—that's the Ventolin inhaler—nearly as often.'

Ruby was nodding and smiling. 'Maybe I'll bring Felicity in with me next time. If I tell her what I need to remember then she makes sure I do. She just dropped me off today because she had to collect Brent from the airport. She's given him some money to get a taxi home.'

Sophie was looking at the peak-flow diary. Over a period of three weeks only half a dozen of the spaces had been filled. 'Are you still being woken from sleep with coughing or wheezing?'

'Oh, yes. I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks. I'm that tired.' Ruby wagged her head with concern. 'You look rather tired yourself today, dear.'

'It's been a long day,' Sophie admitted. 'But I'm fine, thanks.'

'You young things seem to be able to cope with anything. My Felicity is so busy all the time. She never stops. She'll be thirty-four soon but you wouldn't think so, the way she dashes about. How old are you, dear?'

'Twenty-six.'

'Oh, my! And you have such a responsible job. Such long hours.'

'I always wanted to be a doctor,' Sophie said firmly. 'It's exactly the right career for me. I love the responsibility and I don't mind the hours. Tell me, does your wheeziness or shortness of breath mean you've been any more limited in what you can do since I last saw you?'

Ruby nodded sadly. 'I don't seem to be able to do very much at all at the moment. I even got Felicity to go the library for me this week and I've
always
done that by myself.'

'How many times have you used your Ventolin inhaler this week?'

'Oh, every day, dear. Sometimes more than once.'

Sophie was scribbling a note. Perhaps she'd better have a word with Felicity. Ruby's preventative therapy needed to be firmly established and her control assessed far more accurately. She reached for her stethoscope. 'Could you unbutton your cardigan for me, please, Mrs Murdock? I want to have a listen to your chest.'

The task was completed slowly. Ruby's wrist was still stiff as a result of her fracture two years previously. Sophie suspected that the physiotherapy advice hadn't been consistently followed. She fiddled with her stethoscope as she waited patiently.

'That's a lovely ring, dear. How long have you been engaged?'

'Quite a while.' Sophie's response was brisk. This was not a line of conversation she wanted to pursue.

'And when are you getting married?'

'I'm not sure. Would you like some help with those buttons?'

'Oh, no. I can manage,' Ruby stated valiantly. She finished with the cardigan and began on her dress buttons. 'What does your fiancé do, then, dear? Is he another doctor?'

'Mmm.' It was the only response Sophie could manage through her gritted teeth.

'Isn't that perfect?' Mrs Murdock beamed. 'You'll be able to work together. You can always do it part time when the children are young. Just perfect!'

Sophie jammed the stethoscope earpieces into place. 'Don't talk now, Mrs Murdock. Try and take some nice deep breaths for me.'

It was time Sophie went home. Ruby Murdock's taxi had arrived promptly and Sophie's worry that she had been too stern at the end of the consultation had been mitigated by her patient's cheerful leave-taking and promises to comply with all the advice she had received.

The waiting room was now empty. Janet had rushed off on the dot of 5 p.m. to collect the boys from the babysitter who took them after school. Toni looked exhausted. She was rubbing at her eyes, her spectacles pushed up on her forehead, as she hovered over the fax machine which was spitting out what looked like lab results. Oliver and Josh were both in the office as well. Josh was looking over Toni's shoulder at the emerging results. Oliver was sitting at Toni's desk, scribbling notes in a patient file.

'You really should go back to the optometrist,' Josh was telling Toni. 'You probably need new glasses. Why don't you have a go with contact lenses?'

'My eyes won't tolerate them,' Toni said dismally. 'I've got an appointment this evening to see if I need an upgrade. I should say a downgrade. At this rate my lenses will get so thick nobody will even remember I've got eyes at all.'

'Oh, come on.' Josh gave Toni's shoulder a friendly squeeze. 'You look great with specs. Intelligent and very—'

Josh's compliment was cut off as the outside door opened and everyone glanced up in dismay. An emergency at 5.30 p.m. on a Monday would be just too much. The red and white shirt of the newcomer advertised his mission.

'Back again, Ross?' Toni shook her head. 'You can't keep away from us. You've already taken all today's samples.'

'This is different.' The courier smiled triumphantly as he produced the sheaf of red roses from behind his back.

'Oh, for me? Ross, you shouldn't have.' Toni's grin revealed her lack of sincerity.

Josh smiled sympathetically. 'Sorry, Swampy, but it must be some birthday blooms for yours truly.' He sighed in satisfaction. 'I guess somebody loves me after all. I wonder who?'

'Take your pick,' Toni muttered. The use of the nickname had clearly irritated her. 'There are plenty to choose from.'

The courier was shaking his head. 'Sorry, guys, but these are for one Dr Sophie Bennett. Special delivery and almost too late. Could you sign here for me, please, Dr Bennett?'

'Sure.' Sophie stepped forward eagerly. The roses had to be from Greg. Perhaps she
had
been wrong in gently rebuffing Greg's claim that their long-standing friendship was more than enough of a base to build a marriage on. That long-term commitment needed exactly such a base. That the kind of passionate relationship she was talking about didn't really exist, or if it did it couldn't last. Right now Sophie was almost willing to concede her decision had been an error. To duck back into safe territory and leave her ring exactly where it was. She pulled the card from its tiny envelope.