The cooler air hit them as they left the club. Alice sighed, the wedding was interesting, for her, and, as she had remarked to Matthew, she felt she understood the need to celebrate such occasions. The main thing was she was happy, very happy that Jean and Lucien were finally husband and wife. She had long since known that they loved each other, deeply, profoundly, but it was not something she herself had experienced.

Matthew rooted in his pockets and pulled out a packet of cigarettes and showed it to her, offering one.

'No, thank you,' she shook her head, 'but, please, if you want to..'

'Only keep 'em for such occasions,' he shrugged and returned them to their hiding place, 'but I thought...'

'I did,' she admitted, 'but we autopsied a heavy smoker and, frankly...'

'Right, that'll do for me.' He smiled. He watched her lean against the wall and stare up into the sky.

'Dr Harvey, Alice...' he started.

She slowly turned her head and looked at him in that peculiar way she had, the way he never knew what she was thinking.

'Superintendant..?'

'Are you ok, you know, with taking on Blake's duties as police surgeon, and GP?'

'Why do you ask?'

'Well...' yes, why did he ask? 'Police surgeon, yes, I mean...'

'I am a qualified doctor, I just choose to work in pathology,' she folded her arms, 'I can work as a GP.' She watched his face for any indication he thought it was not the best place for her, a General Practice, 'Lucien seems to think I can keep his patients safe, and I intend to do my best to do so.'

'Right.' He scratched his head, 'so do you intend to come over every day, or...'

'I shall come over for surgery every afternoon.' She smiled, 'The cleaner Jean has coming in to make sure you keep the place tidy, is going to take the calls and make the appointments.'

'But, what if you're on a case?'

'Matthew!' She rolled her eyes, 'now is not the time to discuss this, Jean and Lucien are leaving on their honeymoon, let's go and see them off. We'll worry about it later, or when it happens, or...not at all.' She smiled, she was looking forward to the change, Jean had shown her how to do the accounts, for the patients the only change would be the doctor.

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Matthew found the house eerie without Jean and Lucien. He spent most of his time down at the station only sleeping and eating there. Jean's stand in, he wouldn't refer to her as a replacement, was quietly efficient, a good cook when he needed it, which was rare; he had grown used to cooking for himself over the years; and was pleasant to the patients that came to see Alice. For the first week he and the pathologist danced around each other, she usually left after surgery except for the couple of times they shared a cuppa and discussed their respective days. Alice joked that the criminal fraternity had decided to take a holiday, too.

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Jean sighed and stretched. Lucien had been in charge of the honeymoon - a four month trip to Europe starting with a cruise to Italy. He had considered flying but, with the past experiences he had of air travel he didn't think Jean would appreciate being kept in a tin can in the air, surrounded by smoke and endless food and drink. Besides, he thought, cheekily, they would have no privacy. Here, on an ocean liner, they could nip off to their cabin whenever they wanted, to do whatever they wanted.

As soon as Jean had agreed to marry him, Lucien had started to plan their honeymoon, putting money to one side to pay for the trip of a lifetime for her. He had planned it down almost to the day. A cruise to Italy, travel up through the country, travel through Switzerland, France, cross to England, see Mattie, up to Edinburgh... the things he wanted to show her...

She turned her head and smiled at the figure next to her in the bed. Lucien was lying on his side grinning like an idiot. Much as he had wanted to ravish her senseless on their first night together, he had restrained himself and slowly, sensitively, but thoroughly, made love to her. She, in turn, had at last been able to let him touch her the way she had wanted for so long and returned the love.

They had been shown to their cabin, where Jean had unpacked for them both, freshened up from their train journey and then sat on the bed looking at each other,

'Pinch me, Jean,' he whispered, 'I'm not sure this is real.'

She laughed, 'Oh, Lucien, darling husband, of course this is real, and no, I won't pinch you, you idiot.' She leaned into him and kissed him, a light touch, a kiss she'd given him hundreds of times before. He reached his arm round her and held her the way he had done so often during their courtship, but now it felt different. He inhaled the scent she wore, light, jasmine flowers he thought, perfect. He briefly thought of Matthew's comment that if he hurt her... and smiled.

They joined the rest of the passengers at the rail on deck, watching the shoreline retreat. There had been no one to see them off, not that they wanted it, that had happened at the train station. They'd wandered around for a short while, neither wanting to seem too eager to go to bed, for fear of shocking the other.

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Jean kicked off her shoes in the cabin, and removed her hat and coat. She turned to her husband and smiled, a bright open smile, then held her hands out to him.

'Lucien,' she hummed, 'we're all alone, there's nobody watching and all of a sudden you're shy.'

'Oh Jean,' he sighed and pulled her into a long, deep and passionate kiss that left her gasping for breath, and more. She pushed his jacket off and started on his tie, looking up at him through her lashes, a coy smile playing around her mouth.

The rest of the world disappeared as they undressed each other, kissed and touched, Lucien's strong hands stroked her, smoothed over her breasts, his fingers drew lines down her spine. He carried her to the bed, and proceeded to kiss her from the toes up. She gave breathy giggles as his beard tickled her, little gasps as his tongue started to explore her then move up and circle each raised nipple. His hands followed his mouth until he was cradled between her thighs.

She could feel him against her leg, hard and ready for her. Her hands smoothed down his sides and grabbed his buttocks, then slid round to hold him and guide him and then they were joined. Lucien moved inside her slowly at first, then, as she bucked under him, he became more insistent, more urgent revelling in her panting his name until she cried out in ecstasy at release. He leaned over her and claimed her mouth, with one final push he spilled into her and groaned.

Jean held him there with her ankles, not willing to let him go, then skilfully rolled them both over so she was lying atop him. She pushed herself up on his chest and started to rock against him,

'My turn,' she smiled.

He held her round her waist as she stretched up and ground down onto him, arching back in pleasure, she was a beautiful sight for him, Jean Blake, formerly Beazley; completely undone.

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Alice was finding the GP work interesting. Lucien had lost a few patients when the Courier had printed the story about his drunkenness and cruelty to his first wife so she was rather surprised when a new patient made an appointment. The woman, mid thirties married with two children, explained she had moved to Ballarat about a month prior to the appointment. She had asked around, about doctors, and been advised that Dr Blake was somewhat unpredictable. She had enquired around and heard most of the story, before deciding that gossip was no way to find a doctor. And it was over three months ago.

'Well,' Alice put her stethoscope down and filed out the new patient note card, 'Dr Blake is on his honeymoon, currently. He won't be back for nearly four months, so, I'm afraid you won't be able to make up your mind 'til then.'

'So I hear,' Mrs Wellings nodded, 'well, I think, on balance, he will probably be the doctor for us. I heard that one of the other doctors is elderly, due for retirement, another did not sound very good, apparently he made a mess of a police matter...' Alice suppressed a smile, '...and the other, apparently 'nice'. '

'Is there anything I need to be aware of, to pass on to Dr Blake?' Alice decided to turn the conversation around to the issue at hand.

'I don't think so.' She smiled, 'I just wanted to make myself known to you.'

'Well, welcome.' Alice was at a loss as to what she should say. 'If you let me know your previous doctor, I'll arrange for your notes to be transferred.'

All details passed on, Alice was pleased that in spite of the stories still going around about Lucien, some people could make up their own minds. She heard Matthew come back from the station. He knocked and poked his nose round the door.

'Cuppa?'

'Mm, please,' she looked up and smiled, 'just got some paperwork to finish.'

'Right.' He limped back to the kitchen and put the kettle on. He mused at how absolutely right she looked behind a desk, as a GP. She hadn't lost any patients, which would be a relief to Lucien and Jean. Some patients had returned after Christmas, but not all, so if she could keep them it would be a good sign. Edward Tyneman could have ruined the business, broken Lucien, but he didn't. Now he was gone, so was Patrick, he was missed, Edward wasn't, and Susan let the paper run itself.

'Anything happening in town?' She asked, sitting on the couch and taking a cup of tea.

'Very quiet.' He sighed, 'almost too quiet. Alright here?'

'Fine, picked up a new patient for Lucien, family of four.' She smiled, 'hope I got it right, arranging for her records from her previous doctor.'

'Lucien will need to know of any previous treatments, I expect, but that's good, more on his list.'

'I thought so too.' Alice agreed. 'She'd asked around, and in spite of Lucien's history, shall we say, she decided he was the one for her. Even Wallace was turned down, the story of the lost evidence follows him like a bad smell.'

Matthew laughed, 'Well, he was careless and bloody rude!'

'You were so generous, to defend me...but...'

'I know, you can fight your own battles, but, you know,' he leaned forward in his seat, 'sometimes it's nice to know someone else has your back.'

'It is,' she smiled, 'and I'm rather glad it's you.' She went a little pink at the admission she appreciated his concern.

'Yes, well...' He cleared his throat, 'I'm cooking tonight, join me?'

'Oh, I...' She was surprised by his invitation.

'Nothing special,' he shrugged his shoulder, 'unless you have plans.'

'No, I don't.' She thought about what an evening usually entailed for her. A light meal, the less cooking the better, perhaps a soak in the bath, a book... 'Alright... thank you.'

And so it began, both cooking together, maybe once a week, maybe twice, he showing her how to make simple meals, she watching and learning, then cleaning up together and finishing the evening with a whisky, before she left to sleep in her own flat.

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For Jean and Lucien the cruise was time to get to know each other as husband and wife, not doctor and housekeeper. Their nights were spent in loving and learning how to tempt, to please, to satisfy each other. How to share a bed after so long sleeping alone. Lucien slept on her right, usually on his back, while she would lie on her side or front with her arm thrown over his chest, or draped over him like a blanket. She noticed he didn't seem to suffer from the nightmares anymore, her presence calmed him, his cares melted away. She slept more deeply than she had for years, wrapped in his arms, protected.

If there was dancing in one of the ballrooms, they danced; there were concerts to attend, they dined with the captain at his table with other guests. They could spend the days in quiet contemplation, reading or sitting watching other passengers play deck games, or they could stay in their state room and love. Jean had giggled at, what to her, was pure decadence, to make love in the afternoon, order a meal to be brought to them, then spend the night attending to each other's further needs.

'I wonder how Alice is getting on?' Jean said, as they leaned against the rail, watching the sun go down, one evening.

'I expect she's doing just fine,' Lucien had every confidence in his colleague, 'she'll get on well with Agnes, the other patients have met her, and Matthew will look after her.'

'I don't think she needs looking after, does she?' Jean thought the pathologist was too used to her own way to need 'looking after'.

'Perhaps that's not the right phrase,' Lucien agreed, 'he's in the house, and... I think he likes her.'

'Lucien Blake...' she grinned, 'I do believe you are match-making.'

He laughed, slipping his arm round her waist, 'I think they'd be good for each other. I did ask her to keep an eye on his leg, make sure he exercised it properly.'

Jean just raised her eyebrows and hummed.

'Do you need to do anything for tomorrow?' He changed the subject.

'No, everything is ready, the only thing we'll need to pack will be our toiletries,' she blushed, the nightwear had remained in the drawers of the chest in their room, unused.

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'They should be in Italy, now.' Alice observed as she looked at the diary for the day's appointments.

'Hmm?' Matthew was reading the paper, taking a day off, the first for a month, not including the weekends. It was quiet in town, he told Bill and Danny to call him if anything happened.

'Jean and Lucien,' she turned, 'they should have docked in Italy, last night, our time.'

'Bloody hell, has it been a month already?' He looked over the paper, 'time flies...'

'Well, it must be going alright, neither has come back in a huff,' she grinned, Alice Harvey, Matthew was learning, had a sense of humour, quite a wicked one at that!

'... and there have been no reports of an Australian woman throwing her husband overboard!'

Alice laughed and headed for the surgery. 'I'm going to get ready, it's quite a long list today.'

'I'll bring you some tea later,' he returned to reading the latest twaddle in the Courier. Susan really needed to get a grip, it was going downhill, rapidly.

'Thanks...Jean.' She smirked. He just raised an eyebrow.

Matthew showed the patients out for her, noting that most seemed to be smiling as they left, perhaps it was because he was acting as receptionist for a change.

'She's very good,' a woman he didn't know nodded, as he opened the door for her, 'Dr Blake was lucky to find such a fine doctor willing to stand in for him.'

'He's known her a while, they work together at the hospital,' Matthew smiled.

Well, if he goes away again,' she added, 'I hope he has Dr Harvey stand in, I like her no nonsense approach.'

Matthew watched the woman leave and scratched his head, he'd tell Alice later, over dinner.

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'Really?' She gasped when he told her, 'well...' but she had nothing to add, lost for words.

'Really,' Matthew affirmed, 'perhaps she will be one of those that recommends the practice when asked.'

'Maybe.' She took her plate to the sink, 'I'm sure Lucien will be happy if his list expands.'

'I know he will, and so will Jean.' He limped over and they washed the dishes together. These evenings, he thought, were really rather domestic. He liked it. He also liked that, as she left, more often than not, she would kiss his cheek!

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Three more months to go, I'm sure there will be cases for Alice and Matthew, more loving and learning for Dr and Mrs Blake.

Reviews and comments always welcome.