Chapter 1

Martin sat nervously at his kitchen table. He was due at Louisa's house in half an hour for dinner and he had deliberately prepared early in order to give himself some thinking time. He was dressed in his best outfit ...a suit ... and was reminiscing recent events. A week ago Louisa had unexpectedly invited him to her house for dinner. He was very excited but also agitated about it but unfortunately the planned dinner had not eventuated as there was a problem with Louisa's cooker and they had ended up at Bert Large's restaurant where a medical emergency had occurred and Martin departed with the patient leaving Louisa wondering if she would ever be able to enjoy a social night with this elusive but highly – on demand – man. She alone in Portwenn fully recognised the true extent of his talents but surely even doctors could have the occasional night off?

As he walked away, Martin had been bitterly disappointed that it was yet another failed attempt to get to know Louisa. He really wanted to get to know her and not just in the "Biblical sense" as Bert Large had once described Lady Brading's relationship with the barking Colonel. He honestly thought that Louisa would now think that it was all too much like hard work and give up on the idea of seeing him socially so he was delighted a few nights ago when he had been walking through the village to see her cycling down the hill towards him looking delectable as usual. She explained that her cooker had been repaired by Wadebridge Electrical and that she would like to reschedule the dinner date. He eagerly accepted the invitation and they agreed on 6:30 p.m. in order to comply with his carbohydrate curfew then she playfully kissed him on the cheek & cycled down the hill. Martin puffed out his chest, held his head high and strutted down the hill like a peacock with a smile on his face ... or as close as he ever got to a smile.

He still had some time up his sleeve so he continued to sit at the table alternating between a lather of nerves and the thrill of excitement and attempted to take stock of where he and Louise were currently at. He had first met Louisa on a plane as he was heading to his job interview. She was sitting immediately opposite him and he had thought at the time that she was enormously attractive and just his type but these observations had been overridden by his observation of a defect in her eye and she had been offended. Imagine his surprise when she had actually been on his interview panel! She had not seemed particularly impressed (which rather surprised him as he was a prominent London surgeon who was deigning to waste his talents on their little backwater community) and said in a challenging manner that the popular conception of a surgeon was one who dealt with bodies rather than people. If anyone else had confronted him he would have been on the defensive immediately but he disconcertingly found that her feisty personality appealed strongly to him, that she was aggressively charming (if that were at all possible) and he was wondering whether she already had some love interest in the village. None of this showed on his surgeon's face, of course, and he managed to articulate an appropriate answer that seemed to satisfy the panel. After the interview she had come close to him and threatened that she would be keeping an eye on him.

""With pleasure!" he thought while also being a little alarmed at the involuntary excitement he felt at the electricity that she was exuding. "Perhaps Portwenn was not such a bad choice after all!"

Her attitude towards him softened somewhat when she realised that his diagnosis of her eye was spot on and over the next few months they did attempt some sort of friendship. But it was always "two steps forward, one step back" and the very few tender moments they shared were interspersed with childish, petty clashes. Well, now that he came to think of it, it was more often than not, one step forward and two steps back. Whenever they attempted to organise anything social it was always spoiled at the last minute by interfering villagers and medical emergencies and Martin began to despair that his initial attraction would never flourish into anything more worthwhile.

Then there was the delightful – disastrous episode in the taxi. He sensed a definite closeness between them and after several minutes of indecisive dithering, he lightly touched the side of her hand with his own. Louisa took this as carte blanche and passionately kissed him. It took him completely by surprise and not in the least feeling inhibited by the presence of the taxi driver, he eagerly responded. But then he completely blew it by questioning her about her dental hygiene regime and things had been strained between them for many months.

He felt further alienated when he heard the village gossip about "Dan and Lou" but then she informed him that Danny had returned to London and that she wanted to have a drink at his house. He remembered very little about that night other than experiencing the sweetest kiss he had ever had and then promptly blowing it for the second time by passing out on the table. Martin sighed. Maybe they were just not meant to be together?

He had often fantasized about her and the night before the kiss in the taxi he had experienced an incredibly realistic fantasy. He could actually feel the weight of her body on top of his – he could actually feel her warm breath on his face – he could actually feel her tenderly caressing his face with her tongue – he could actually feel the soft strands of her hair and he could actually hear her voice –

"Martin – Martin" she had cried.

He had reached up to pull her face closer to his own before gently kissing her – but it had turned out to be a massively disappointing case of "canine interruptus!" He really could hear her voice. She was leaving a message on his answering machine downstairs about a medical emergency at Mrs Cronk's.

Aunty Joan had once said that he and Louisa were like chalk and cheese. Well if he was the chalk, then he must change to also become the cheese. He must become the brie to her camembert, the stilton to her havarti, the cheddar to her blue vein, the Swiss to her Edam.

"Get a grip Ellingham!" he admonished himself.

It was time to go.

To be continued