Posh Doc, Society Wedding (13 page)

He waved a hand towards the carriage. ‘We’ve brought out everybody we could reach, but there’s still a part of the carriage that we can’t enter. The metal has buckled, making it difficult for anyone to get in there. And we can’t go in through the windows because they are too distorted.’

‘What about the fire crew?’ Alice looked around. She couldn’t see any heavy lifting equipment in place.

‘They’ve brought in as many people as they can, but with the holidays they’re short-handed. Some people have gone away for the New Year. The lifting equipment is on its way, but it will take some time to get it into position.’ He looked concerned. ‘The trouble is, I
know
that there are people trapped inside, and I’m worried in case they need urgent help. There’s a lot of glass about, and if they have been cut they could be bleeding badly.’

And Lorna could be one of them. ‘Is there anything we can do to get through to them? I’m quite slender, so perhaps I could squeeze into a small gap?’

‘Maybe if we have a word with the fire crew and gather together some helpers we could sort something out.’

In the end it was decided that there was a small section where it might be possible for Izzy to squeeze
through into the compartment. The men worked together to open up the section, using what equipment they had to widen the space. Inside the cavity they could hear somebody groaning in pain. After a while the sound stopped, and Izzy began to worry.

‘I’m going in now,’ she said. Her father, Ross and Steven steadied the metalwork while she struggled into the cabin. She shone a torch around. In the far corner a woman lay crumpled between the seats. It wasn’t Lorna, and she couldn’t see anyone else in there. There was a lot of blood, and as Izzy investigated she could see that it was coming from a large gash on the woman’s arm.

‘I’m going to apply a pressure pad to try to stem the bleeding,’ she called back to Ross. ‘And I’ll put in an intravenous line.’ She worked quickly, giving the woman oxygen and trying to resuscitate her. Finally the woman’s eyes flickered, and Izzy breathed a faint sigh of relief. ‘We’ll get you to hospital as soon as we can,’ she said.

Shining the torch around, she tried to discover if there was anyone else inside the carriage. ‘There was a man,’ the woman said. ‘I think he’s trapped under the seat.’

Izzy went to investigate where the woman had indicated. Her pulse quickened and her mouth went dry as she saw a hand sticking out from under the metalwork. ‘I need some help in here,’ she said. ‘There’s a man beneath the seat. I can feel a pulse, very faint, but he’s definitely still alive.’

It was some five minutes before they could open up the gap wide enough for Ross to crawl through. ‘Your father has his back against the metalwork, holding it up,’ he told her. ‘Steven is helping, and the fire crew
have gone to get more cutting equipment. In the meantime, let’s see if we can lever this seat off the injured man.’

He looked around and found a loose bar of metal lying around—possibly one of the handrails, or maybe a piece from the table. ‘See if you can heave the seat upwards while I try to lever it out of the way.’

Between them they pushed and pulled, until they felt the metalwork start to give way. ‘I think it’s coming,’ Ross said. ‘Okay, get your breath and then let’s try again.’

Finally the seat tipped backwards, freeing the man enough for them to carefully pull him away to safety. But then there was a grinding noise and a piece of the overhead luggage rack started to fall away. Ross moved quickly to cover Izzy with his body and at the same time protect their patient. The piece of rack slithered away and fell to the floor with a clatter.

‘Are you all right in there?’ Izzy’s father queried sharply.

‘We’re fine,’ Izzy called back as Ross’s arms closed around her. ‘At least I think we are. I’m not so sure about Ross.’ She looked at him. ‘Are you hurt?’

‘We’re all okay,’ Ross said. ‘Let’s get to our patient.’ He knelt down beside the man.

‘I’m going to put a tube in his throat to help him breathe,’ Ross told Izzy. ‘He’ll need fluids, and splints for his arm and leg. I can see there’s definitely a fracture to the tibia, and it looks as though the arm could be broken, too.’

Both of the injured people were given painkillers. When Izzy assessed their vital signs she found that the woman’s condition was stabilising, but the man’s blood
pressure was low and he was in a critical condition. At least he was still alive.

The fire crew opened up the gap so that the paramedics could go in with stretchers, and soon Izzy emerged from the carriage into the light of day once more. Her father looked bone weary from his exertions to keep open the escape route, as did his neighbour.

‘Thank you both for your help,’ Ross said, as he came out into the open air and straightened up. ‘We couldn’t have done it without you.’

‘You didn’t do a bad job yourself,’ her father said. ‘You and my daughter both. I was worried for her safety, as well as for the people in there, but I knew you would look after her.’

Ross’s mouth curved. ‘I would always look out for your daughter’s safety,’ he answered. ‘I love her, and I want her to be my wife. She’s the only one who appears to have any doubts.’

Izzy’s father appeared to be shocked by that revelation. He looked from one to the other but made no comment, and Izzy guessed that he was trying to absorb what Ross had said. ‘I must go and see to our patients,’ she said.

‘Me, too,’ Ross commented, starting to follow her. He paused, turning to look back. ‘I’m not sure that I feel too much like celebrating,’ he murmured, ‘but I don’t want to let anybody down, and the Hogmanay festivities will go on as planned. It would be good to see you and your wife there with us.’

They went over to the ambulances and supervised the transfer of the injured people to the vehicles. ‘I expect the man will go straight up to Theatre after he’s been
properly assessed,’ Izzy said. ‘I still can’t think what’s happened to Lorna, but she definitely wasn’t on the train.’

‘Maybe she decided to come back by road?’ Ross said. He glanced at Izzy. ‘Will I see
you
tonight up at the castle?’

‘Oh, yes,’ she murmured. ‘Like you, I don’t feel much like celebrating after all that’s gone on today, but I do want to see an end to this year. I’m hoping that the New Year will bring fresh hope for all of us.’

‘W
OW
!’
Ross stared at Izzy as though he was seeing her for the first time. ‘You look beautiful. I’m almost lost for words.’

‘That would be a very strange thing,’ Izzy said. Inside, though, she was glowing at the compliment. She had chosen the dress especially for this evening. It was made of a soft, floaty material that swirled around her calves as she walked. The shoulder straps were thin, lightly spangled strips, and the bodice fitted her to perfection. Her shoes sparkled, too, complementing the straps and the tiny clips that she wore in her hair.

‘Welcome to the
ceilidh
,’ he said, taking her hand and drawing her towards the Great Hall. ‘There’s dancing in the main reception room, and music in here, too. We thought we’d have the bagpipes later on, nearer to midnight and the welcoming in of the New Year.’

Izzy looked around at the gathering of people. They were all chatting and laughing, and generally making merry. She knew all of them, either from the village or from her work at the A&E unit, and she acknowledged those who looked her way.

Then she stared along the length of the banqueting
table. ‘I thought we saw a feast that day when the film crew were here, and again when you set out the food for the people who’d lost their electricity, but this—this is something else again. You’ve done us proud.’

‘Molly and Cameron like it, anyway. Cameron’s eyes were like saucers. He helped us to set it all out, but I think he had a few nibbles along the way, so his tummy’s quite full at the moment.’

‘You must have been so busy doing all this,’ she said. ‘Or did you get caterers in?’

‘It was a combined effort, really, between me and Alice, the children and Maggie. Mary from the shop came along and brought some food to add to the selection, and Greg brought some wine and some friends. Alice’s sister and her husband have come over from the Lake District with their children to join in the celebrations and stay with us for a few days, so Alice is very happy.’ He glanced around at the assembled crowd. ‘Lorna’s here, too. Apparently she came home by car as far as the A&E unit, and Greg brought her in from there.’

‘That’s a relief. Though I rang her parents to find out if they knew anything, and they told me she’d set off with a friend rather than come back by train.’ She glanced at him. ‘Have you heard anything more about the casualties from this afternoon? I rang the hospital earlier, and they said the man was undergoing surgery for chest injuries. Everyone else was doing reasonably well.’

‘Yes, I asked one of the senior house officers to ring me and let me know what was happening. He said that the man had come through the operation all right, and that his vital signs were improving. I guess his New Year gift is that he’s alive to see it.’

She tilted her head to listen to the music that sounded all around. ‘I’m not sure where that’s coming from,’ she said, ‘but it’s beautiful—lovely Highland music.’

‘Ah, that’s from my hidden music system. It’s meant to fill your soul with dreams of romance.’ He draped an arm around her and immediately her senses tipped into chaotic activity. Warmth from his fingers spread along her waist and over her hip, pooling in her abdomen. She looked up at him. She loved this man. Why could she not tell him what he wanted to hear? That she was happy to be with him at whatever the cost?

‘I take it that your father hasn’t said anything about coming along this evening?’ he murmured.

She shook her head. ‘I haven’t seen him since we left the railway line this afternoon.’

‘Never mind. Let’s try to enjoy ourselves anyway. Shall we go through to the reception room? It’s more lively in there. We have people who can play the piano and the guitar, and there are even some who can sing. We might even have a dance together. Perhaps I can persuade you that it wouldn’t be so bad to be married to me? I could make you forget everything else so that there was only you and me.’

He held her close, looking down at her, and she wanted to say there and then,
That’s all I want. Let’s do it. Let’s forget the outside world and think only of ourselves
.

In the reception room space had been cleared for dancing, and couples moved to the rhythm of the music, all of them having a good time. Across the room Izzy saw that Alice was sitting in her wheelchair and the children were by her side. Izzy and Ross made their way towards her, and a moment later Molly and Cameron
went to join their cousins and other youngsters who had come to enjoy the festivities.

The musicians struck up a slow waltz, and Greg walked over to Alice. ‘I’m your Prince Charming,’ he said. ‘Would you like to dance?’

Alice laughed softly. ‘Well, now, I’d like to very much. But I think I might have a little bit of a problem there.’

‘I can deal with problems,’ he said. ‘I have this magic touch, you see.’ He held out his hands to her, though he was still some small distance away.

Alice carefully stood up. She straightened, took a moment to get her balance, and then she took a faltering step towards him, then another, and then another. He clasped her hands and drew her to him, and together they swayed to the music. All the people nearby watched and clapped, and a great cheer went around the room.

Ross held out his hands to Izzy. ‘Shall we dance?’ he asked softly. ‘I’m definitely not Prince Charming, but I could do a fair representation of a lovesick Scottish laird.’

She went into his arms and danced with him. It was as though she was floating on air. He was everything she needed and wanted, and she made up her mind that for the next hour or so at least she would treasure this time with him and fill her heart with hope that one day her path would be smooth.

It was some time after eleven, when they had eaten all that they wanted for the moment and Izzy had sipped a glass or two of wine, chatting with friends and dancing with Ross, that there was a faint stirring at the other end of the room. Voices became hushed, and people turned to see that Izzy’s parents had walked into the room.

‘We meant to get here earlier,’ her mother said, a
little flustered. ‘But the car wouldn’t start. And there wasn’t a taxi—well, there wouldn’t be, would there, when Jock’s at the party?’

There was a faint ripple of laughter throughout the room. ‘You should have rung me,’ Izzy said. ‘You know I would have come and fetched you.’

Her father looked at her. ‘And you full of the drink? I think not. I told your mother I would fix the car, and I did—didn’t I?’ He looked at her mother, his brows raised in a questioning manner.

Her mother became even more flustered. She looked around the room and said, ‘Go on with your dancing, everyone. You’re here to have a good time, not to look at us.’

Ross came to stand beside them. ‘It’s good to see you both here,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t sure whether you would manage it.’

‘Well, I’ve had time to do a lot of thinking,’ her father said. ‘I had to respect what you did this afternoon—looking after the people in the train and protecting Izzy when she might have been injured.’ He frowned. ‘And then I heard that you’d brought in dredging equipment to sort out the riverbed. That should certainly make a difference to my salmon fishing interests. I realise that I might have misjudged you. Maybe you’re not so bad as I’ve been painting you.’

Ross laughed. ‘I’m glad to hear it. Maybe you’re not such a grouch as you make out. Anyway, I’m glad to see you here.’ He glanced around. ‘In fact, I was just going to tell everyone about the lighting of the torches. It was young Molly and Cameron who suggested to me that we ought to revive the tradition.’

He addressed the gathering of people. ‘For anyone who wants to join in, we’re going to have a procession around the castle walls. The lighting of the flame is done so that we dispense with the darkness of the past and take the knowledge and the wisdom from the old year into the new one. We forget the bad things that have happened in the previous year and carry the flame of hope and enlightenment into the New Year.’

He looked at Izzy’s father. ‘What do you say to that, Stuart?’

Her father nodded. ‘I think Molly and Cameron have come up with a great idea. Like Izzy said to me a while ago, we should concentrate on the good in people. I’ve been very much taken up with the bad things that have happened in the past, and it took Molly and Cameron to show me that what makes for happiness in this world is the love of family.’

He looked across the room to where Alice was sitting beside Greg. He started towards her. ‘I am sorry for all the hurt that I’ve caused you,’ he said. ‘I know that you did what you did for love, and I respect you for that. Can you forgive me?’

Alice lifted her arms to him and he bent towards her, holding her tight and whispering softly against her hair. After a while he released her, and she smiled up at him. ‘Will you carry a torch for
me
, Pops?’ she asked. ‘I’m not really up to doing that for myself this year, but I promise you next year I shall join the procession.’ Greg reached over and placed his hand on hers, emphasising that vow and silently offering support.

‘I will, Alice,’ Stuart said. ‘I’ll hold it high for the world to see.’

He turned back to face Ross, and Ross gave a wide smile and said, ‘Come on, then, everyone. We have the torches ready in the kitchen, and we have to do the full circuit before midnight strikes. We want to be back here together to see this New Year in properly, don’t we?’

Within minutes the procession of cheerful revellers took off around the walls of the castle, accompanied by the haunting sound of bagpipes, and Izzy looked up to see that the men stood at the top of the square tower, piping the torch bearers on their way.

The torches were set finally in a brazier on the flat roof of the tower, and fireworks were let off to shoot high into the sky. ‘I think we should go inside,’ Ross said after a while. ‘It will soon be midnight, and we need to toast the New Year.’

The heavy chimes of the clock sounded the midnight hour in the Great Hall and everyone joined in, counting down until the last chime rang out, and then a great cheer went up. Ross drew Izzy into his arms, kissing her with a thoroughness that took her breath away. All around her people were clinking glasses, toasting the New Year with champagne, but the champagne was on Izzy’s lips, placed there by the man of her dreams.

Ross kept his arm around her as he led her towards the great fireplace. ‘I want to make a speech,’ he said, addressing the gathering once more. ‘And you needn’t groan, because it’s a short one. There are only three points I want to make.’

Still sipping their champagne, everyone looked towards him. Izzy’s parents were just a short distance away, toasting one another, and Alice and Greg and the children were close by, with Alice’s sister next to her.
Lorna stood with them, and behind her all the rest of the villagers, Izzy’s friends and work colleagues, stood around.

‘First, I thought this might be the right time to let you know that if there is anyone among you who wants to buy out their tenancy, and become owner of their land and property, I will be glad to have my lawyers draw up the appropriate papers. I’m sure we can agree fair terms.’

A hum of conversation started up.

‘Just let me know over the next week or so if you’re interested,’ Ross said. ‘And that brings me to my second statement. I know that some of our young people have been leaving the Highlands to go and live and work in the main towns and cities. I have plans for this estate, and plans to develop a winery—and I know you’ll all be happy to go along with that, because you’ve been partaking of the wines all evening and coming back for more…’

There was laughter from the assembly.

‘And I also want to go ahead with a timber plantation. For both of these projects I will need workers to keep them going. I’m looking for an estate manager, as well.’ He paused for a moment, looking around. ‘That’s not all. I know you heard about the film crew that came here a while back. That was just the beginning, and I know that they are looking for extras to take part in the next production that will be done here. I’m sure we have some budding actors among our crowd.’

There was more laughter, and still they looked at him expectantly. ‘You said there was a third thing,’ Izzy’s father said.

Ross looked at Izzy, and there was a question in his eyes. ‘It concerns you and me,’ he said softly, so that the
others could not hear. ‘Shall I be able to place that diamond ring on your finger, do you think?”

‘Yes,’ she said, smiling at him. ‘You will.’

He faced the crowd once more. ‘I’m hoping that we will see all of you at another gathering very shortly—in the church. That’s if Izzy gives me the answer I want.’

He turned to look at her, reaching for her hand. ‘Will you marry me, Izzy? Will you be my wife?’

Happiness glowed in her smile. ‘I will, Ross.’

He kissed here there and then, sealing the bargain, and then turned to face the crowd once more. ‘You’re all welcome at the ceremony, and at the reception afterwards. We’ll look forward to seeing you there.’

A cheer went up, loud enough to reach the rafters, but Izzy was barely aware of it because Ross was kissing her again, and that was all that mattered to her right then.

Some time later, when he finally released her, she gazed around to find that people were smiling and drinking and chatting to one another.

‘We’ll have to design a new coat of arms,’ Ross said, glancing behind him at the shield above the fireplace. ‘Buchanan and McKinnon.’

‘Don’t you mean McKinnon and Buchanan?’ Izzy’s father said pointedly.

Ross raised a dark brow. ‘Are you trying to start an argument with me, Stuart?’ he said.

‘Argument? What makes you think that?’ Her father’s voice was sharp edged.

‘Shall we say a touch of belligerence in your tone?’

‘Oh, I see. So you’re saying that I’m aggressive, are you? Me? I don’t have an aggressive bone in my body.’ Stuart McKinnon turned to scowl at the crowd. ‘And I’ll
fight any man here who says different.’ A wide grin spread over his face.

Laughter rang out. ‘Way to go, Stuart.’ Greg was chuckling.

‘Aye.’ Izzy’s father raised a glass to her and Ross. Her mother joined him, lifting her own champagne flute. ‘You have our blessing, both of you,’ he said. ‘May all your troubles be little ones.’