Morning came quickly. By 7 am I was awake and reaching for my phone. It was James.

"Good morning, Dad."

"Good morning, James. Is everything all right?"

"Yes, yes. I wanted to apologize for all the ill-feelings I have held towards you. Not that I feel that way about you now," he hastened to correct himself. "Last night Mum told me how it really was between you and her. She admitted that she shared some of the blame for your leaving us. Sorry, Dad."

I winced. Guess we all had our confessions to make. I didn't press him for details and he didn't offer

"Is she alright?" I was worried about Louisa. She had been through a lot, life hadn't spared either of us. Still we were survivors, it could only get better now, I fervently hoped.

"She said she felt better having it out in the open. As expected, she cried buckets but I think she rested well."

We got off the call quickly. One of the myriad ways in which James took after me was his telephone habits. Neither of us were much for telephone chatter.

After I had showered, dressed and had breakfast in the hotel's restaurant, I returned to my room to wait until 10:30 for the drive to Portwenn. I didn't want to chance it and be late. I remembered many nights when I got back to the village late because some wandering cow or sheep had chosen to plop itself in the middle of the road, and only moved after gentle persuasion. Even the animals were barmy. Can't believe I survived village life given that city life is all I had ever known. It's not that London doesn't have its ills. Far from it. Well, no point in dwelling on the negatives of life. I will need all my reserves for later.

I couldn't help pinching myself to make sure this was happening. One whole evening with Louisa in Cornwall. It was unbelievable how my visit had set off a train of events that had turned my whole world upside down. I can't imagine that the old Martin would have handled it as I did last night. He would have clammed up and hidden behind a gruff exterior while crying inside. Or, the old Louisa for that matter. Surprisingly, she had not shown me any rancor. She had recovered well after her initial shock at seeing me, and her breakdown outside was understandable. Maybe we have finally grown up, tossed aside the fairy tale script and accepted that life happens. I gave myself one last look in the mirror, took a few deep breaths and was out the door. No turning back now. Whatever my destiny was, it awaited me.

Meanwhile, Louisa and James went to meet the Stewart family and Mr. Daniels.

"They look like our family, " he whispered as we walked through the door.

"Yes, they do. I had a hard time keeping you quiet when your dad and I came to look at the house. You were about Billy's age and just as curious."

"I have very good memories of our house. If you have to sell it, best be to a young family who will be able to enjoy it for a long time. Are you sure you still want to sell it?"

"I'm sure. What would I do, me alone in this big house? You don't want it, your life is now in London. Time to move on, James."

By mid-morning, it seemed that all of James's friends knew he was in the village and they organized a beach party to celebrate. He was free to go because, sensing that they had a lot of catching up to do, James had asked Martin to come for Louisa.

As Martin drove into the village shortly before noon, he realized that in this idyllic part of Cornwall, time had stood still. The school was still there, though empty of children as it was the Easter break. The surgery was still there. Looked like it was now a café or some tourist attraction. The sea was still a breathtaking blue, topped by swirling white foam. For a moment, he felt like the school boy coming to spend summer with Auntie Joan and Uncle Phil, eager to escape the tyranny of his London life for the warmth and love that Cornwall offered. People looked curiously at him as he drove James's blue BMW cautiously through unfamiliar yet faintly familiar narrow streets. One or two of the older ones waived, as if thinking that he looked familiar. "Wonder who's looking after their medical needs?" It was just a passing thought.

He parked a ways off from the beach and walked towards the music coming from a secluded spot. Picking his way gingerly, he saw Louisa from afar, or rather her red and cream dress topped by a beautiful cream cardigan and comfortable, stylish shoes.

Smiling shyly, she came towards him and invited him to meet some friends of James. "They know the two dads story. They want to meet you."

Reaching hesitantly for her hand, he said, "I would love that."

Introductions over, they walked back to the car. James followed, walking between them with his arms slung around their shoulder. "Have a good time, you two." Winking at Louisa, he said, "Please don't talk Dad to death."

Martin asked if she wanted to listen to music, talk or silence. She choose music. The car had been his gift to James when he turned 21 and he wasn't very familiar with all its bells and whistles For the next hour, they drove to the sound of classical music which Martin after had fiddled around and found. Their heads were still spinning from the events of the previous night, more so Louisa's. Finally, she dozed off to the sound of Bach's Aria Lento and only woke with a start when Martin gently touched her arm.

"Louisa, we're here. I'll park at my hotel. The restaurant is a short walk, just around the corner."

She looked up and realized they were in the parking lot of the Thistle Hotel, one of Cornwall's finest, and around the corner from the five-star restaurant known to locals as the Tea Room. Still nothing but the best for Martin, she smiled to herself. He helped her out of the car, guided her through the parking lot until they hit the street.

The maître d' greeted them as Mr. and Mrs. Ellingham and ushered them to a secluded corner of the restaurant, partly shielded by large leafy plants. Neither bothered to correct him. All eyes seemed to follow them as they walked to their table. An older couple, she incredibly beautiful and smiling and the gentleman, tall and handsome. He had his hand protectively on her back, waited while she took her seat, then sat down across from her.

"We will let you know when we're ready," he said to the server who had joined them. Turning his attention to Louisa, he asked, "What did you have for breakfast?"

"Not much, I wasn't very hungry. The Parsons fed me well last night."

"Then let's begin with soup. Try the vegetable broth, it's not too heavy, shouldn't affect your appetite."

She made a face.

"Best to go easy. I don't recall your eating much last night."

"The Parsons fed me well as I told you." Then with a slight laugh. "Are you calling me a liar Mr. Ellingham?"

"Certainly not. I just don't want you fainting on me a third time. What would James think?"

Delighted that he was playing along with her, Louisa relaxed. And so it went, Martin making suggestions, she agreeing as he seemed to remember what she liked from the few times they had been out together or had shared at meal at each others home. With their order placed, Louisa sat nursing her wine and Martin his mineral water.

"I thought we could go for a walk after we have eaten."

She agreed, though still puzzled at what he wanted to talk to her about. She had tried to keep him in James's life with photographs of important events such as birthdays and Christmas, as well as newspaper reports about his academic and athletic achievements. She had even sent him the one about his interview with her friend Caroline when he was voted Cornwall's best all-rounder schoolboy cricketer. James hated that interview. He had called Caroline, Auntie. She wanted him to call her Caroline because he was no longer a little boy and she had told him this with all of Portwenn listening. His friends had teased him mercilessly for weeks. She wanted James to know the Ellingham side of his family and after Joan's death, she had forged at relationship with Ruth, Joan's sister. Nathan's parents had died before she met him and he was an only child. Her father had died while a guest of Her Majesty and had only seen pictures of his grandson. Her mother had left early, and was never heard from again.

The meal was delicious. They ate silently and leisurely, soothed by the faint tinkle from the piano across the room and each others company, neither wishing to break the mood. Louisa noticed that Martin was dressed appropriately in brown casual trousers, a blue jumper, navy cardigan and a pair of brown walking shoes. Casual wear two days in a row!

It was an unusually balmy day for Cornwall, a good day to be outside. They took to the cliff path, walking the first 15 or so minutes in silence, only broken when Martin said, "Let's sit on the bench coming up, I want to talk, if you don't mind."

When seated, he took her hands and gave them a light squeeze. "Louisa, uhm … this may take long, but I never thought our paths would ever cross again. Uhm … Let me say first that I will forever regret the day I drove out of Portwenn. I was an emotional coward, scared I would ruin your life as well as our baby's, so in true Ellingham style, I ran away. "

"Stop." She dragged her hand out of his, frightened at what she was going to hear. After last night, she didn't think she could handle another confession. "That's all in the past. I wasn't so innocent myself. I robbed you of James, the chance to learn how to be a father. I knew enough about you to know that it wouldn't have been easy for you."

Reaching for her hand, he said, "No, let me continue." His words spilled out slowly and deliberately, with Louisa alternately cringing and tearing up. The only sign of Martin's emotional state was the tightening or loosening of his grip.

Imperial had welcomed him with open arms, but had insisted that he undergo treatment until the psychiatrist could confirm that his haemophobia was cured. For those 18 months of therapy, the hospital allowed him to perform surgery on a limited basis, even though he was head of the Vascular Department. Psychiatry was hell, but it helped him to understand the cause of his illness and to lower the barricade he had erected around himself. During his first few years at Imperial, he met a fellow doctor, who he began dating.

Feeling Louisa's hand stiffening, he stopped, gently pressed her palm until her felt her relax.

That didn't last long. One night Louisa had called to say James was running a fever that wouldn't come down. On his instruction, she had taken James to the hospital where they had kept him for observation. Chris came to the hospital to sit with her. Martin had sat with his phone that night, waiting to hear from Chris or Louisa. Dr. Margaret Kent, the doctor, had called. Fearing he would miss their call, he hurried her off the phone explaining what was happening. She was livid. This was the first time she was hearing about James and Louisa and hung up on him. The next morning she called, accused him of keeping secrets from her and asked him not to contact her again. Fine with him. He was glad to be rid of the distraction of maintaining a tumultuous relationship. Of course, being doctors they would run into each other occasionally at conferences.

He pressed on, steadily regaining his reputation as a miracle worker, and attracting patients from all over the world. Still, it wasn't enough to soothe his soul. One day, no longer content to be the grumpy, lonely old surgeon that everybody respected but feared to get close to, he realized that the void in his life was going to kill him. He spoke with Joan who told him cheerfully that Louisa was engaged to be married the following week and James would finally have a real father. Joan, being an Ellingham, didn't mince words.

"Aren't you just being like your father? You never lacked for money, what you never had was his love, a real father and son relationship. I love you like a son, Marty, but you cannot have your cake and eat it. Parenting is messy but it's the only way to be a good parent."

This hit him hard. From then on, with Louisa married and James with a real father, he gave his life to surgery. The body has an inelegant way of demanding what it wants. One day, with major surgery scheduled hours away, he realized that he did not want to do it. It wasn't the blood thing. That was no longer an issue. He just couldn't. He arranged for his assistant to take over, took two weeks off ostensibly to attend to a family matter. Everybody thought it was about his aunt in Cornwall. He had left hurriedly before to be with her after her first ischemic episode and they knew that she was up in age. No, he searched the Internet, found and researched an ashram in India and spent almost six weeks there unlearning all he thought he knew about his life, his work, his relationships and his very existence.

He felt Louisa shivering and apologized. "Sorry. You're cold. Here, please take my cardigan." "No, no. It's nothing. The wind coming off the sea gets to you if you sit for too long. Let's walk, that will warm me up. " She was beginning to feel a little chill, but it was hearing what life had been like for Martin that made her shiver. If only she had known. She wanted to hear more.

To be continued ...