Tempted by Dr. Daisy (13 page)

‘Go on, go to bed. What are we doing tomorrow?'

‘Breakfast, walking the dogs, light lunch, then afternoon tea in Bettys, and then back here to get ready for dinner. And then after dinner,' he said, his eyes twinkling, ‘I might have to introduce you to the hay barn.'

‘Gosh, you know how to treat a girl,' she laughed, and pushed him away again. ‘Go on, out, before you have any more silly ideas.'

He went.

I
T WAS
, as he'd said, an action-packed day.

They left Florence feeding the animals with her grandparents and walked for miles over the Yorkshire Dales, the dogs trotting happily alongside them. The weather was glorious—not too hot, and with a light breeze to cool her skin, but he'd smothered her in sun screen just to be on the safe side, and found her a hat.

He swiped it off and sang, ‘On Ilkley Moor Bar T'at' to her in his lovely rich, deep voice with a good helping of Yorkshire, making her laugh, and they sat down under an outcrop of rocks to rest for a while. He wrapped his arm round her and hugged her against his side, and she sighed with contentment.

‘It's beautiful,' she said, looking out across the moors, and he made a soft sound of agreement.

‘I love it here. I often come here, when it's all too much.'

‘Is it, often?'

His smile was pensive. ‘It has been. It's getting a whole lot better,' he said, and kissed her.

After a very light lunch they went into Harrogate and had the most wonderful afternoon tea at Bettys, served on three-tier silver cake stands, to the sounds of the resident pianist playing softly in the background. Florence was in her element, and she wriggled to the edge of her seat and
ate her sandwich, then two tiny fondant fancies, and another sandwich.

‘Someone won't want any more tonight,' Andrew said with an indulgent smile, and Ben chuckled.

‘You'll be amazed. The child has hollow legs.'

‘More than I have,' Daisy said, wondering how she'd get through dinner, but by the time she was dressed and ready, her stomach was churning a little.

With hunger? Or something else?

Florence was downstairs with Ben in the kitchen when she went down there, and there was no sign of the others.

‘Will I do?' she asked, and his eyes softened.

‘Oh, yes. You'll do,' he said, and smiled down at Florence. ‘Shall we sing Daisy that song?'

‘What song?' Daisy asked, expecting another silly Yorkshire ditty, but he crouched down, sat Florence on one knee with the other one on the ground to steady himself, and counted Florence in, then started to sing.

‘One, two, three, “Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, please.”'

Daisy laughed. ‘It's not please.'

‘Oh, yes, it is. Hush now, listen. Ready? “I'm half crazy all for the love of these.”'

She laughed again. ‘It's not—'

He lifted a warning finger, his eyes twinkling, and Florence shushed her. ‘It's very hard, don't laugh!' she said seriously.

So Daisy stopped laughing, and listened to them, Ben coaxing Florence along as she stumbled on the words.

‘“It won't be a stylish marriage, I can't afford a carriage, but you'll look sweet, upon the seat of a bicycle made for three.”'

She stared at him. He was kneeling on one knee, looking up at her intently, and her heart began to pound.

The laughter was gone, his eyes deadly serious.

‘Ben?'

‘Did you like it?' Florence asked, running up to her and grabbing her hand, her eyes alight. ‘Did you like our song?'

‘Um—yes, it was lovely, darling.' Utterly charming, and she felt a strange sensation all over her body, a tingling, fizzing sensation, like champagne bubbles bursting through her veins. Was he—?

He was on his feet now, brushing off the knee of his horribly expensive suit and smiling at her. ‘Come on, our taxi's here. Off to bed, poppet. Go and find Grannie and tell her we'll see her later. Kiss!'

He bent down and kissed her, and she hugged Daisy and kissed her, too, and then skipped out, humming the tune a little off-key.

‘Got a cardigan in case it's cold later?'

‘Um—I've brought a wrap,' she said, still slightly stunned and a little off balance.

‘Great. Come on, then, let's make a move.'

He seemed oddly tense suddenly, and he was quiet all the way there. He paid the taxi driver, then threaded his fingers through hers as they walked to the restaurant.

‘Oh, Ben, it's lovely.'

‘Hope so. I've never been.'

They were ushered to a table in an alcove, and the service was incredible. Swift and unobtrusive, and the food was amazing.

‘I've chosen the menu—I hope you don't mind,' he said as they sat down, but she just shrugged, a little puzzled but prepared to go along with him, because there was something about him…

They had a starter of fish and chips—a tiny cone, with minute goujons of sole and the sweetest little French fries.

‘Gosh—the portions are a bit more delicate than the ones we got the from the Yoxburgh chippy,' she said with a delighted laugh.

His eyes were strangely intense. ‘That was the night you told me you love me,' he murmured, and her breath eased out on a sigh.

Oh, Ben. You sentimental thing…

The starter was followed by sea bass.

She looked at it, then at him, and he just smiled. ‘I fell in love with you over the sea bass,' he said softly, as if that explained everything, and her heart started to beat a little faster.

She smiled at him, her heart full. ‘I think I fell in love with you when I opened the door and saw you covered in soggy plaster. It was the power suit that did it, of course. It looks good on you. I'm glad it survived.'

He laughed softly and topped up her wine.

‘Eat up. We've got a special dessert coming.'

‘Really? I'm going to struggle.'

‘I'm sure you'll cope. It's very light. It's carrot based.'

‘Carrot?' She laughed, fascinated, but she ate up as instructed, savouring every mouthful, the butterflies settling down now as he started to talk to her about his childhood.

And then his marriage.

‘I think the problem with it was that it wasn't real. We didn't really love each other—there was no deep-rooted connection between us, and I don't think there was between you and Mike. I don't know how you feel, but it's as if I've never really been married—never known before I met you what it is to get to the end of the working day and long to get home to see the person I was sharing my life with. And when it all disintegrated, I wasn't that gutted, really. It didn't seem such a great loss.'

‘Oh, Ben, that's so sad,' she said. ‘And you're right. I
didn't know Mike. I thought I did, I thought I loved him, but I just wanted to, really, and wanted him to love me, so we could make a life together for the girls, but he didn't care about any of us. Not like you.'

‘I didn't want to love you. No, I did. I was afraid to,' he said honestly, and signalled to the waiter. Their plates were whisked away, and he reached over and took her hands in his, his eyes curiously intense.

‘I'd decided I'd be alone. It was easier that way, less complicated, and it meant I could concentrate on Florence. I never expected to find anyone like you. It's the first time I've ever met anyone I want to spend the rest of my life with, and it's just utterly different. I didn't know what love was until I met you, Daisy, and now I do, well—I don't want to let it go.'

He glanced up and let go of her hands, and a waiter placed a dish in the centre of the table between them. It was covered with a silver dome, and he bowed slightly and lifted it away with a flourish.

It was a pile of ice chips.

Very pretty ice chips—a little heap, decorated with rose petals, the one in the middle sparkling in the candlelight.

She leant over, frowning slightly, not quite sure…

‘I thought you said it was carrot based?' she murmured, puzzled.

Ben reached into the pile of ice and drew out the centre one, the one that sparkled. Only it wasn't ice at all, it was—

Carat
, she thought, not
carrot
, and her heart did a little skitter.

The waiter removed the dish, and Ben took her hand in his. ‘I love you, Daisy Fuller. I think it was the sea bass, but it could have been the tea all down your dressing gown,' he said, making her laugh. Or cry. She wasn't sure. And
he was humming now, the tune he'd sung with Florence. Just a few bars, and then he broke off.

‘I don't want to go down on one knee in front of everyone, but I will, if it'll make a difference. So what's your answer, Daisy?' he asked softly. ‘If I promise to keep the plumbing in order and not complain about chocolate spread sandwiches, will you marry me? Will you be my wife, and give me and Florence all the love I know is in your heart?'

His mouth was smiling, but his eyes were uncertain, and she couldn't let him struggle. ‘Yes,' she said softly, tears filling her eyes. ‘Oh, yes, Ben, of course I will. I love you—I'll always love you. And I'll love Florence as if she's my own.'

He let his breath out on a shuddering sigh, smiled and slipped the ring onto her finger, then stood up and pulled her up into his arms, laughing and hugging her until she thought her ribs might break. And then he let her go, just a little, and looked down into her eyes and kissed her.

‘Time to go somewhere a little more private,' he murmured, and she realised that everyone was clapping and cheering.

 

Ben let her go. A little. He still kept his arm around her firmly, but he smiled down at her, his eyes glowing.

‘I want to set a date. And I want it to be soon.'

‘For Florence?'

‘For all of us, because until we're married, we can't be together when she's there, and I'm an impatient man, I've realised. So—how quickly can we organise a wedding?'

She smiled. ‘Very quickly. I have two experts lined up who've just done it. I'll pick their brains.'

‘Good.' He topped up her champagne and held the glass out to her, clinking it gently with his. ‘Here's to us.'

‘Mmm,' she said, smiling, and sipped it. ‘This is the first time I've drunk champagne in a hay barn.'

He chuckled. ‘Me, too. I could grow to like it.'

‘Does Florence know?'

‘No. I expect my parents have worked it out. They heard us rehearsing the song. And there was champagne in the fridge.'

‘Maybe they were expecting to share it with us.'

‘They can have some for breakfast,' he said, and taking the glass away from her, he laid her back against the blanket and took her in his arms…

 

The wedding was planned for the second weekend in September.

They booked a local venue, a hotel and leisure club that had been refurbished a few years ago and had an excellent reputation, and they'd had a cancellation. They could offer everything—the entire wedding package at a substantial discount.

They didn't care about the discount. What they cared about was that the timing was perfect—and that was dictated as much as anything by the delivery date of the MCMA twins.

‘I can't go until they're 32 weeks,' he said. ‘If they're still OK then, we'll grab a few days away and I'll make sure Matt's here until we get back, so if anything happens over the weekend, he can deliver them. And we'll have a proper honeymoon later.'

Daisy just smiled at that. She loved him for so many reasons, but his dedication to his patients was definitely one of them, and she was more than happy to fall in with his plans, because she'd become so involved with Mel Grieves and her babies that she wanted to be there when they were born.

She was, but only just.

It was the night before the wedding, and Ben rang her at eleven. Amy was staying with her, and they were still up putting the finishing touches to her headdress when he called.

‘One of the twins is struggling. I'm going in with Matt to deliver them.'

‘I'm coming!' she yelled, and threw the phone down and ran out of the door, leaping into his car as they pulled away.

‘Will we be in time?' she asked desperately, and he shrugged.

‘Don't know. Hope so. I can't go any quicker.'

They were in time, Ben on one side, her on the other and Matt standing by, happy to let her play her part. The heartbeats had recovered, but one of the twins had been compromised for a few minutes and she didn't know what they'd find.

Two healthy little girls, was the answer. Very small, but both a good colour, and her eyes filled with tears. Mel had had steroids a few days before, to prepare their lungs, and as they took their first breaths they pinked up beautifully and cried—not loud, not much, but enough that Ben gave a laughing sob as he handed the second one over to the SCBU nurse who was waiting.

Mel was sobbing uncontrollably, so was her husband, and Ben's smiling eyes met Daisy's across the table and he said, ‘How's that for a wedding present?'

Wedding! she thought, and glanced up at the clock.

It was ten to twelve, and she looked at him and bit her lip. ‘Are you superstitious?'

He glanced at the clock and smiled again. ‘Not even slightly, but I'm not doing anything to jinx this marriage. Go home, darling. I'll see you tomorrow.'

‘Have a great day,' Mel said, and Daisy stripped off her gloves and hugged her.

‘You, too. Congratulations!'

And then she ran.

 

He was standing there waiting for her, turned towards her with Matt at his side, and even down the length of the crowded room she could see the love in his eyes.

Her father walked her down the aisle between all their family and friends, Florence following behind her with Amy in charge.

Amy, she thought with a flicker of worry, but then she was at Ben's side, and her hand was in his, and she could feel the love radiating from him and warming her heart. ‘OK?' he asked softly.

OK? She was marrying the man she loved—the only man she'd ever truly loved. He'd given her so much, taken away the pain and hurt that was her constant companion, and he and Florence had filled her life with love and laughter. It was, quite simply, the best day of her life.