Chapter 63
Louisa groaned when Martin's alarm went off, and buried her head under her pillow. "Just a few more minutes," she muttered.
She heard the bathroom door open and Martin's jocular "Come on sleepyhead. Time to get up!"
"You know why I'm tired, Martin."
"Odd. I didn't hear you complaining last night, Beauty," was his quick rejoinder.
She came out from under the pillow, turned her head and looked at him through a bleary eye. With his hair still damp and just a towel around his waist he still looked sexy to her. "We've still got time, if you want…"
"Oh no you don't. You're not catching me out with that one. Come on chop! chop! Time's wasting." He hustled her to get a move on.
Begrudging every movement she slowly made her way to the bathroom to get ready for her day.
"What would you like for breakfast?"
"Just porridge, please, Martin."
He finished dressing and went down to make it. Louisa went for her shower and then dressed. Slowly she made her way downstairs and paused at the bottom to watch Martin as he stirred her porridge.
She giggled and he turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow in a mute question?
"Martin, I never thought when I first met you, that I'd one day come down and find you making my porridge!"
"If it comes to that, I didn't think I'd be doing it either!" he retorted.
When he'd put the bowl down on the table, she went across to him and hugged him. Looking up, she smiled and said quietly, "Thank you. I love you, you know."
"Errm, yes. Me too. I..I mean I love you too." As always, he was bashful about accepting loving statements like that outside their bedroom.
"Do you want me to slice some banana or a peach to go with your porridge?"
"No thanks, Martin. Some golden syrup would be nice though…."
"Louisa, that's full of empty…" he broke off when he caught sight of her shaking shoulders. "Very funny. I'm going to the surgery now, so catch you later."
Louisa hurriedly got up and went to him. She grabbed his arm and stopped his progress out of the kitchen. He looked down in some surprise. "You don't get to leave without giving me my goodbye kiss," she informed him.
"Do you deserve one, I wonder?" he said with mock severity. She tilted her face up and looked beseechingly at him. Bending slightly he complied with her request and then deepened it, leaving her wanting more.
"Something to get you through Year 4, today," he said lightly, with a mischievous smile on his face.
"Living dangerously, Martin? You know there will be repercussions for that?" Louisa returned the grin.
He nodded, "Hopefully," and then left.
Returning to her breakfast she proceeded to mull over the repartee and marvel at how far he'd come since their marriage. She cleared the table and washed up before going to put her make-up on and leaving for school.
Louisa had agreed to swap classes today and teach the Year 4's. They were not yet a cohesive unit and many had to be persuaded to sit still and pay attention. "Take out your drawing books and crayons, please," she announced. When they'd done that and settled down after a bit of pushing and shoving over who had the wrong crayon, or wrong book, she told them "I want you all to draw a picture of your favourite thing. It can be anything you like, such as a flower, a dog, your house or perhaps your slippers!" That made them giggle and they set to, making a hum of conversation as they tried to draw. "Quietly please," asked Louisa.
There was a knock on the classroom door and Pippa came in. "Mrs Ellingham," she said formally, "would you pop along and see Mr Wallace in his office now, please? I'll stay with your class."
Somewhat bewildered, Louisa rose and went along to the head's office.
At her tap on the door, Mr Wallace beckoned her in. He gestured to the seat opposite and asked her to sit there.
"Louisa, I understand you are acquainted with Chris Parsons, who is the head of the Cornwall Primary Care Trust at the Royal Cornwall hospital?"
Louisa nodded, "Martin has known him for a long time and I'm beginning to get to know him."
"Well, he contacted me today to tell me that the Trust is upgrading a number of their computers, and he asked me if the school could use the old ones?"
"Gosh, that's unexpected. Do you think we can?"
Mr Wallace said "he's assured me that the hard disks will be wiped clean of all information and suitably re-formatted for our use. He's talked this over with the powers-that-be in the hospital, and they agree that it is senseless just to bin the old ones when they could be put to good use elsewhere. Apparently, there are 12 computers in all, and we would receive three of them. The others will go to other primary schools. If we can let him know what software is required for us to use them, he will arrange for their maintenance staff to install it, as well!"
Louisa was staggered at this manna from heaven! "This is great news. I'd mentioned to him that our school budget wouldn't allow us to get new ones this year, but I never expected anything like this! It's fantastic."
Her eyes sparkled at the thoughts of how much use they would get from the undoubtedly faster computers.
"Will you get a list of requirements for suitable software and let Parsons know by the end of next week, please?"
"Of course, and I'll ask the other staff what they might like to have and get back to you. You know, I didn't ask him to do this? It was just a chance remark in a conversation. Now I come to think of it, he did say he'd had an idea, but he didn't say what that idea was."
"Well, however the decision was arrived at, I'm sure it can only be beneficial to us and the other schools. Right, I'll await your suggestions. Thank you, Louisa."
Louisa went back to her classroom with a dozen thoughts whirling through her mind. At lunchtime she spoke to Pippa and then to the other teachers. They were all delighted with the news and said they'd review the latest software to see what might be suitable for the different age ranges.
Martin's day was routine with nothing out of the ordinary to tax him. However his patience was tried by a number of people who had not followed his instructions and consequently their treatment had not succeeded as well as it should have. In three cases he was forced to issue new prescriptions and one person needed a new sicknote to cover an extra period of ill health.
He shook his head and muttered the "Why do I bother," mantra.
For different reasons, both Martin and Louisa were glad when their working day was over.
Louisa arrived home first and made herself a drink before settling down on the couch to relax before preparing tea. An hour later she woke up and hastily set about making the meal. The weather had been quite warm for the end of March and so she decided she would do a salad with some sardines, together with a baked potato and cheese as a first course.
She was laying the table when Martin came through from the surgery. "Hello handsome. Tea won't be long if you want to go and wash up."
"Hmf" grunted Martin as he disappeared up the stairs.
"Oh, as good a day as that, eh?" Louisa shrugged and thought that we're all entitled to an off-day. Heaven knows, she'd had a few lately.
When he came down again, he muttered an apology to her and came over to give her a hug. "Not one of my better days, I'm afraid."
"Never mind, I've had some great news which I'll tell you about over tea."
She set to and put the first course on the table. The kettle boiled and after making the tea she sat down to eat her potato. "You remember me saying to Chris that the school budget couldn't run to new computers, this year?"
"Vaguely. I was talking to Carol at that point."
"Well, Chris has been in touch with the Head of our school to offer three of their old computers to us, together with some age-appropriate software! How about that?"
"That is very good. How is it he's got computers to give away?"
"Their department is upgrading to newer versions, and he thought it was a pity to throw away old hardware, which still had some life in it. We get three and other schools get some as well! He's also going to get their technicians to install some software so we don't have to!"
Martin nodded and said that Chris always did like to get the most out of any situation.
They moved on to the salad and Louisa asked him about his day. "Oh don't. I was beset by people who couldn't follow my instructions and who therefore had extended their sick leave. Not only that, but folks who with a bit of thought could have doctored themselves as easily as I could."
She could see he was very irritated and so suggested he went back to the surgery to tinker with his latest clock project.
"Are you sure? Don't you want to do something yourself?" he asked.
"No – I'll get on with my marking and clear the way for Sunday."
His eyebrows rose, "Sunday?"
"Your speech about First Aid. Remember?"
His first thoughts on hearing this were not suitable for a delicately nurtured female. "Hell's teeth! I'd forgotten that. I've still got some finishing off to do. I supposes we will both be doing homework, then."
He looked so glum that Louisa got up on her feet and went to embrace him. "I bet you could finish it in under an hour if you try. Go on, try."
He rose and picked her up in a hug. "I love you." She laughed and pecked him on the cheek.
Louisa put the dishes into the dishwasher and then set to doing her marking.
Over at Reverend Clarke's vicarage Mrs Tishell knocked on the front door.
"Hello Mrs Tishell. Have you come for the keys?" Paul stepped back and got them from the wall board.
"Thank you, Reverend. I need to familiarise myself with Sunday's hymns. I so look forward to playing here. I think yours is the best of the organs I get to play." She smiled up at him. "How are you? Everything OK?"
"Yes, Mrs Tishell, we're fine. Thank you for asking."
"Oh, it's just that I saw Dr Ellingham visiting on Thursday and I wondered if everything was in order? He's such a good Doctor and he would get to the bottom of a problem in no time at all."
"No we are all good. How long will you need to practice?"
"It will just be the hour, Reverend. I'll bring the keys back before I leave." She looked at him, but then saw that she would get no further information and left to go to the church and practice her music.
Paul smiled as she left, but then went straight to his study. He picked up his phone and dialled.
Martin was struggling with the ending of his talk and had revised it a few times. He'd just captured the form of prose he wanted when his phone buzzed. "Ellingham."
"Martin, glad I caught you."
"Hi Paul, is there something wrong? Do you need me to come over?"
"Nothing medical, Martin. I thought you should know that Mrs Tishell saw you coming to my place, last Thursday."
"What? How?"
"Apparently she was on the bus which goes around and was just in time to see you come in."
"Ohh. That's all I need. She can be very nosy when it comes to a scintilla of gossip. What did she say?"
"She asked me if my family were all right as she'd seen you coming in. When I told her we were fit and healthy she went on to sing your praises as an excellent doctor. Naturally I just nodded and gave her the keys to the church. She does her organ practice on a Friday night before services on Sunday."
"Thanks for letting me know, Paul. I'll forewarn Louisa that she may be questioned if she goes into the pharmacy. Not that she would say anything untoward."
They exchanged a few more words on other topics and then Paul said goodnight.
Martin sighed. Couldn't he do anything in this village of the damned? Why did his every move have to be seen and dissected? He saved the work he'd done and went to find Louisa.