Chapter 14

Martin had just left Louisa, when there was a knock at the cottage door. Louisa opened it a bit, puzzled and wondering which of the villagers wanted to poke their nose into Martin's affairs now.

When she opened the door, she was astonished to find Mary standing there.

"Hello, come in. I thought we didn't have an appointment today?"

"Hiya! It's just that I have a bit of time and thought maybe…maybe I could help?"

"That's very kind of you. Come in, but I don't think there is much you can do."

Louisa put the kettle on while Mary took a seat at the kitchen table. "By the way, William told me to thank you for contacting Mrs. Steele. She was a real help. William was even able to trace down that sister of the deceased. Everyone's invited, finally. He just still feels a bit guilty that he hadn't confirmed everything with Dr. Ellingham first."

"That's alright. I already told Martin that he doesn't have to bother with it anymore."

"Ehm…was that him I passed on the street walking uphill?"

"Might be. He just left, really."

"He looked…terrible, if you don't mind me saying so."

Louisa turned around quickly to face Mary. "He sure does. That stupid man! You know where he was last night?"

"No? Did you find him where you expected him to be?"

"Sure enough – he was at Joan's farm! All night!"

"But what for?"

"Allegedly sorting her papers, but he was cagey about something when I came in. So I don't know."

"You know, I'm really worried. He hasn't slept all night, and he's hardly eaten anything since yesterday. I practically had to force some food down his throat just now."

Mary looked over to Louisa, worry and concern showing on her face.

"And were you able to help him? You know he needs your help now?"

"He doesn't want my help. What can I do? Well, I did tell him that he has to do something to sort himself out. That he can't go on like this for long. I told him that Peter and I will need him."

Louisa placed a mug in front of Mary and then sat down with her cuppa opposite her.

Mary paused a moment, and then addressed Louisa again in a serious tone. "Yes, but what did you do? You just didn't give him a lecture, did you?"

Louisa looked down at her cuppa, brushing a stray of hair out of her face. "What else could I have done?"

"Comfort him?" When Louisa didn't react, Mary continued. "By the look of him, he desperately needs to relax. Help him."

"I…I don't know how?"

"Surprise him with something he likes. Provide the perfect setting for him with everything he does and needs to relax. If you want to have some uninterrupted time together, William and I will be happy to look after Peter for a night. That would be no trouble at all. So just think about what Martin normally does to relax."

Louisa bit her lip a bit. She really thought about it. Martin and relaxation somehow didn't go together.

"He…doesn't relax."

"Don't give me that! Everyone needs something to restore their energy, especially in difficult times like this."

"No, I really don't think so. Not that I know of, anyway." Louisa added meekly.

Mary took another sip and then looked sternly at Louisa. "Do you know the man you're living with at all? Did you ever bother to find out what makes him tick?"

"Oh, that's not fair! You don't know him. Every conversation is like trying to get blood from a stone."

Mary put a hand on Louisa's. "Don't get me wrong, I don't want to criticize, but by the look of him he desperately needs something to get his mind off his bloody loss."

"Think about your time with him, happier times, and then try to remember when you've seen him most at ease."

"It's easy for you. I mean you and William…"

"Do you really think it is always a bed of roses? The perfect romance from the first moment 'til now?"

"You two seem so comfortable together."

"Because we've worked on our relationship. Not because we were blessed with the perfect love affair."

"I remember one time especially which was tough on William. We had just decided to move in together – and we meaning William, me, William's two teenage daughters, my two teenage sons and William's housekeeper who was running around during the day. So it wasn't just cuddling close, it was a major logistical challenge!"

"We had already decided that we'd need a bigger house, and had found something, too. But there was a lot of work still left to be done."

"Just right then, William had to deal with a particularly difficult funeral, and I could see that all this was wearing him out. The kids were partying constantly, as they enjoyed the family addition of two teenagers of the opposite sex suddenly living under the same roof, none of the tradesmen holding a deadline, the costs exploding…."

"One evening, when the kids were especially noisy, I waited for him in the car outside his house. When he came home, I dragged him into the car before he came into the hustle and bustle."

"I organised some classical music for the car, put his passenger seat way back so that he was practically lying and told him to relax."

"I didn't speak during the whole drive, so that he could silently enjoy the music. He has a very broad taste in music, but music in general is very important to him."

"I drove to our new home. Still most of the rooms were not ready to move in, but I had made sure during the day that the bathroom was fully functional. I had bought lots of candles, so I could lead William into a candle-lit, perfectly installed bathroom."

"We took a bath together, just the two of us in that big, still quiet house. It had been exactly what he had needed, and he was far more relaxed afterwards. It gave him the strength to deal with the problems."

Louisa laughed out loud now, shaking her head vigorously.

"Why do you laugh? Do you think it's silly? It's too sentimental? Or do you believe that the men should pamper the women, not the other way around?"

"No, no. That's fine – for you. I just tried to imagine Martin – and me – in a bathtub together. That would be a glorious mess."

"Why? Have you ever tried it?"

"No, certainly not. First of all, he's too big for that…"

"That's rubbish. William's quite tall, too."

"But I doubt as…"

"He's 6'3''."

Louisa stopped to think. "That's exactly the same height as Martin."

"You see. And I bet William is several pounds heavier than Martin, so you should be even more comfortable."

"Yes, but Martin never takes a bath."

"I'm not saying that it must be a bath. Just something he'd enjoy. Something unexpected. Something he didn't have to worry about. Spoil him."

"I don't know how you can spoil him best, but here's some random ideas of what I've found works with other couples: have a nice candlelight dinner, maybe followed by some quiet music, cuddling close watching a favourite film, a long walk, a picnic, maybe even a nightly picnic at the shore – that must be beautiful, maybe give him a massage, possibly with some aromatic oils. Well, or think of something completely different. He must have things that he likes. Try to find out. Maybe that'll also help you to get over this silly sleeping-separate-thing."

"What do you mean silly?"

"Oh come on, you are living under the same roof, you were attracted enough to produce a child, and each of you clearly shows that you still care about each other. Not sleeping in the same bed is like proving some strange point that I don't get."

Louisa bit her lip nervously. Maybe there was a bit more truth in Mary's words than she felt comfortable with.

"Well, truth is, things are a bit awkward between us since we stood each other up on our wedding day. I told you, he proposed and I accepted. The vicar had a cancellation, and so we were offered a date three weeks after."

"It's silly, really. We were both so excited, and we both thought it was right to do it as soon as possible – until the wedding day. We were both already in our finery when we both got cold feet, and instead at the altar, we met in his kitchen, where he was still contemplating, and I wanted to drop a letter off telling him why I couldn't do it."

"I think no relationship survives such a blow undamaged."

"Nonsense!" Mary contradicted. "Maybe you two simply take things too seriously. You both need to relax more. A called off wedding isn't the end of the world – not even the end of a relationship."

"For you it's easy to say." Louisa protested, but was astonished when Mary genuinely started to laugh. "What?"

"You really do think you're the only ones with a rocky relationship."

"Well, I suppose ours is a bit…"

"…a bit of work, which is absolutely normal. Don't you think William and I never thought about getting married? It seemed important to him and I didn't mind. And yes, we too had a wedding date settled. And yes, we too were already in our finery. We even made it to the altar, but when the priest asked that standard question if anyone has anything to say against this marriage, my bloody ex showed up and declared that we had gotten married in Las Vegas years back and were never divorced."

"You were already married?" Louisa asked shocked.

"No, of course not. Do you really think I would have dragged William into church if there had been any commitment before? But a marriage in Las Vegas is hard to prove – or to disprove. It certainly can't be done without interrupting the ceremony. So, the vicar wasn't allowed to marry us. We talked about it afterwards a couple of times, but finally decided that it was just a formality and that the bond between us is stronger than any ring or certificate."

"You simply take these symbols too seriously. Nothing matters except caring for each other, being there when the other one needs you, feeling safe in each others arms."

Louisa had grown silent. Mary had given her something to think about. She really thought getting over that blasted non-wedding was their main problem. Mary had a point when she made Louisa realise that the lack of understanding – mutual understanding – was by far the greater obstacle. And it was stupid to expect Martin to make the first move. There was no law – neither legal nor natural – that she couldn't be the one trying to figure out what made him tick.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the telephone.

"Hello?"

"Louisa? Can I talk to Dr. Ellingham?"

"Is that you, William?"

"Yes, we were supposed to meet, but somehow Dr. Ellingham must have been held up. I just wanted to know if he is late or can't make it at all."

"You mean, he is not at the parlour right now?"

"Of course not, would I phone otherwise?"

"But he left here around one thirty. He should have been early, rather than late!"

"That's strange. He didn't show up."

"OK, I will try his mobile and have a look. I'll call you when I know something definite."

Mary had sat on her seat's edge since she had realised who was on the phone.

"Anything wrong?"

"Martin missed his appointment with William." Louisa sounded shell-shocked.

"Maybe he met someone and forgot the time…"

"No, not Martin. He never meets someone. He thinks very highly of punctuality, he would never miss a meeting, except in case of an emergency."

Louisa called Martin's mobile, but she was told that the person called was temporarily unavailable. She called at Joan's farm, just in case, but also without any result.

She rushed out of the door.

"His car's here, so he must be in the village."

"Couldn't he have walked anywhere?"

"Martin's not really an outdoor person, and if he can take the car, he would do. Besides, he did have this appointment. And his medical bag is here, so he can't be at an emergency. But where can he be?"

"Sorry, Mary, but I really have to try to find him."

"I understand. Shall I stay here and look after Peter?"

"That'll be great. Would make it much easier for me. That stupid man!"

To be continued…