Chapter 14

On Friday afternoon, Martin enjoyed a leisurely drive to Truro. As he listened to his classical music, he thought deeply about the previous few days. He had not seen or spoken to Louisa since he had invited her out and he realised that he missed her. In the past, he had usually been content with his own company, but after experiencing the sense of belonging at Louisa's house, his own home seemed rather lonely and lacking in warmth. He had deliberately avoided going into the village, so that he would not run into Louisa, as he wanted to give her as much space and thinking time as possible. He had sent Pauline in for his fish and pharmacy requirements and this was a wise decision, as rumour had it that Mrs Tishell was still in a foul mood and was snapping at everyone who ventured into her shop. He was excited about the upcoming weekend but also rather apprehensive. They would be alone together for a considerable time and therefore, he would have plenty of opportunities to say or do the wrong thing.

There were three items that he wished to purchase in Truro, but seriously doubted whether he would be able to find the third item. He had searched the internet to confirm that Truro had the type of shop that he was after, but questioned whether its merchandise would be of fine enough craftsmanship or quality to satisfy him. If that proved to be the case, then he would need to take a trip to London at a later date and Louisa's birthday gift would be belated.

His first port of call in Truro was the florist, where he ordered a dozen red roses to be delivered to the hotel room, the following afternoon. He realised that red roses were very traditional, but Louisa had given him signs indicating that, in some areas, she quite liked the conventional approach. Portwenn actually possessed a small florist, but he definitely didn't want it passing around the village like contagion, that Doc Martin had sent Miss Glasson red roses.

His second stop was at a newsagent to purchase a birthday card, but after perusing many, he decided that they were all too flowery and overly sentimental. He finally found one that strongly appealed to him. It was of a severe Elizabethan character wearing an elaborate ruff around her neck, but upon opening it, the inscription read "commiserations on your loss" so, with a sigh, he replaced the card and exited the shop in search of his third and final destination.

The third shop was only a few hundred yards down the street and he was reassured to see that the shop front looked very exclusive and that the items displayed in the window were of exceptional quality. The sales assistant was extremely knowledgeable and within a short time, Martin found exactly what he was looking for. In fact, it actually surpassed his expectations and he drove back to Portwenn in a very satisfied frame of mind.

The following morning, Louisa stood in her bedroom thoughtfully surveying the items she had laid out on her bed. For the past few days she had given careful consideration to the clothes she wanted to take with her and was now checking to see that she had everything she needed and that she was satisfied with her choices. Firstly, she packed her toiletries, makeup, jewellery and a nice evening bag. These were easy decisions, as she usually wore minimal make up and simple jewellery. Now, shoes! She packed her high heeled dressy shoes for the dinner and left a lovely pair of strappy sandals next to the bed, to be put on later for the drive to the hotel. She added a pair of sports shoes to her bag, in case they went for a walk and then decided that she may need a sturdier pair of casual shoes, so she retrieved her Doc Martens from the wardrobe.

She then added her casual clothes to her suitcase and took a final look at the dress that was hanging on the back of her door, which she would put on later. She wanted to look pretty, but not overstated, when Martin picked her up. Assuring herself that the dress was the correct choice, she then frowned over her underwear. She had laid out her best bras and undies plus an elegant full length, white, satin negligee but would Martin actually get to see them? She had no idea what his intentions were for this weekend. She had seen him emotionally naked – would she now get to see him physically naked? She wasn't even sure if he had booked one room or two? The hotel was definitely 'neutral ground', but that only ticked one of three boxes. He may decide that it was neither the perfect time, nor the perfect moment.

Louisa decided that she needed to be philosophical about the whole situation. She had learnt in the past that it was best not to rush Martin and that it would happen when he was ready. She wanted him to desire her as much as she desired him. For the moment, the knowledge of his love was enough to keep her going. That had been a complete revelation, combined with the fact that he had expressed himself so fervently. Still, she was highly curious about his potential in bed. Based on the intensity of his kisses and his responsiveness to her signals, she believed that he possessed latent sexual dynamite and she was also confident that she held the spark to ignite him. She carefully packed her underwear and negligee, and then decided to add plain, cotton pyjamas as well. She didn't think she had the heart to be lying alone in a bed wearing that seductive negligee. It would be like dressing up for a party and then no one showed up.

Her thoughts suddenly turned to contraception and for the first time she questioned why Martin had turned up to dinner with a box of condoms in his pocket if he wasn't planning on using them? She was completely baffled – Martin was such an enigma sometimes. She walked to the bathroom cupboard to take her contraceptive pill and pack them in with her toiletries. She looked at the empty packet and remembered that she had taken the last one the previous night. That wasn't a problem, as she had a repeat prescription, but having heard about Mrs Tishell's vicious temper all week, she really wasn't looking forward to an encounter with her in the pharmacy. For some reason, Mrs Tishell's attitude towards her always seemed distant. Louisa looked at her watch and realised there wouldn't be enough time for her to go to the Wadebridge pharmacy to get the prescription filled, as she had an appointment at the Portwenn salon in half an hour. Logic told her that a tussle with 'The Tishell' would be infinitely preferable to an unwanted pregnancy, so she would have to call into the pharmacy after her salon appointment. Martin had no idea that she was taking the pill. She preferred to see a female gynaecologist in Truro.

Louisa was now fully packed, except for her dress for the dinner date, and here she was very undecided. She had three short, cocktail dresses that were all probably quite suitable, but for their first real date, she wanted to really 'wow' Martin. She looked at the only formal dress she owned and decided to try it on. There was no doubt about it – if she wanted to blow Martin away, then this was the obvious choice. The dress was long, very tight fitting and had a provocative split up to the thigh and would look sensational with the formal shoes she had chosen. The bodice was well boned, giving the effect of a push up bra, and it was low cut and strapless. However, Louisa had two main concerns. The dress was white, lacy and was tastefully decorated with white beads and sequins – it looked distinctly bridal. She bit her lip with indecision. She didn't want to scare Martin off or look presumptuous. The thought then occurred to her, that while Martin was very perceptive at recognising possible medical symptoms in people, he was not overly enlightened with matters pertaining to women. She could probably risk it. Secondly, she was apprehensive about the paleness of her skin, which was not a good look against the stark white of the dress. She picked up her phone.

"Hello. This is Louisa Glasson here. I have an appointment with you shortly for hair and nails. Is there any chance that you could fit me in for a spray tan? There is? That's great. Be there soon. Thank you."

Several hours later, Louisa entered the pharmacy.

"Good afternoon Miss Glasson. How nice to see you," said Mrs Tishell icily? "Your hair looks lovely. Special occasion?"

All week she had been putting up with rumours about Doc Martin spending five hours at Miss Glasson's house and to see Louisa breezing in, looking delectable, was like rubbing salt in the wound.

"Actually, it's my birthday."

"Many happy returns of the day. Will you be doing anything... special?" Mrs Tishell probed.

"I'm going out for dinner."

Mrs Tishell's ears pricked up. "Oh, how ... nice. With friends?"

"Well ... with a friend."

"I hope you have ... a good time," Mrs Tishell said, sounding as though she didn't mean it.

Louisa handed over the prescription.

Mrs Tishell raised her eyebrows disapprovingly. "Microgynon 30? I guess you must be taking this for ... irregular periods?"

"No, I'm taking it ... er ... Yes... irregular periods ... can be quite inconvenient at times."

Mrs Tishell muttered to herself as she handed the box to Louisa and took her money. "Well, you could hardly need it for any other reason. I mean ... your boyfriend has returned to London."

Louisa was rather annoyed. She understood that a pharmacist had a duty of care to inform customers about the side effects of drugs, but the rest was none of her business! However, Louisa was more than capable of going into battle with flags flying and asked flippantly,

"Oh, by the way. How is Clive?"

Louisa could almost feel the daggers flying from Mrs Tishell's glare as she left the pharmacy.

To be continued