Louisa was skeptical when Pauline suggested a sleepover the Friday night before the movers came. Weren't they too old for this? Pauline would not take no for an answer and neither would Caroline, Isobel and Jenny.

As Isobel put it, "Let's make this a 'one for the road' before you leave Cornwall."

She was not convinced. "The furniture will be packed and ready for pickup Saturday morning. I have to get this done. I want to leave right after the movers have left."

Isobel was insistent. "Lou Lou, when did you get so stuffy? We'll do it the old-fashioned way, camp out. You leave everything to me. See you on Friday. I'll try to get there by 6 o'clock." Then she hung up.

The plan was for Louisa to go to the village a few days before to do a final sort and pack. James volunteered to drive down with Martin on Friday morning, stay with him at a hotel the night of the sleepover, then they would all drive back to London on Saturday.

Sorting and packing was not as difficult as Louisa had feared. She had done a fair bit of downsizing when she had moved to the cottage and had been steadily getting rid of unwanted items since her engagement. She was only taking a few pieces of furniture since most had been acquired during her first marriage. That life was over. She would certainly take the desk that Martin had used as a child and which Auntie Joan had passed on to James. She had a lot of books and planned to take most of them. Many were books she had grown up with, some were academic texts and others were coffee table type tomes on Cornwall. She especially treasured the latter. Those would be her little piece of Cornwall in the upstairs lounge.

The most difficult part about the move was saying goodbye to the village. She knew she would be back since Martin had agreed to buy the cottage. Still, this was where she had lived all her life and it would hard to say goodbye. When word got out that this was her last visit to pack up and move, the few friends she had left in the village kept dropping by to help and to wish her well in her new London life.

Al, who had been her rock in the early years, gave her a digital photo album of the many moments he had captured of her life in the village.

His response to her expression when she saw the thumb drive and CD was typical Al. "You have to keep up with the time."

After an affectionate hug, she reminded him about the wedding. "Please be sure to come."

"I wouldn't miss it for anything. If Dad were alive, you couldn't keep him away. I can't wait to see the Doc. You know him, he doesn't say much, but he has been very kind to us. I am glad for you, Louisa. You will be in good hands."

That made her smile. "I know, I know. Thanks Al."

She stood by the door waiving until she could no longer see his jeep. Dear Al, salt of the earth, always dependable.

Pippa came over to reminisce about their time at Portwenn Primary.

"Well Louisa, we have finally lost you to Martin."

"Come on, Pippa. You haven't lost me to anyone. You talk as if I'm never coming back. I'll be back to visit. It's not as if I'm moving to Antarctica."

Pippa took out the bottle of fine wine she had brought for the occasion and handed it to Louisa. "Here, let's drink to that."

Actually, one bottle led to another and before they knew it, they were giggling over old times and singing and dancing along with the contestants on reruns of Dancing with the Stars which they were watching. Luckily, Pippa's husband thought it prudent to come looking for her when it got late. When he saw the condition they were in, giggling and plastered, he locked up the house, sent Louisa upstairs to bed and drove his singing wife home.

Even Stewart the ranger came by with his wife. Thanks to Martin, Stewart had undergone treatment for his PTSD which had helped him to live a stable life. He had married a lovely outgoing woman who, while she respected his need for solitude, managed to increase his social interactions with some of the villagers. He didn't say much while Louisa and Polly had a chat. When they were leaving, he handed her a wedding gift for herself and Martin. It was a beautiful hand carved wooden bowl he had made especially for them. Stewart was still Portwenn's ranger, as well a much sought after wood carver of modern pieces. He had taken up carving as a form of therapy and discovered that carving was his hidden talent. Now his pieces were in homes, shops and galleries all over Great Britain. Of course, he neither wanted to or could keep up with demand. This had the unintended effect of making his work much more valuable.

"Please give Martin my regards and best wishes for a happy married life. You and Martin were meant for each other, Louisa. He's the best doctor that Portwenn has ever had and I'll always be indebted to him. In his own gruff and obstinate way, he got me to where I am now – happy and contented."

"Oh, Stewart, Martin couldn't have done anything unless you agreed to it. You two were alike in many ways. No wonder you got on with each other."

"Whatever, you say Louisa. Just don't forget to give him my regards."

After a restless night, early Friday morning, just as the sun was about to come up, Louisa left for her last walk through the village, a walk she could have done blindfolded. She walked briskly past what was once Martin's surgery, Bert's restaurant, her cottage, Mr. Routledge's cottage where she had lived during her pregnancy, the chemist shop once presided over by Mrs. Tishell, Joy Cronk's fish and chips, all now in different hands and pursuits. She walked past the station where PC Joe Penhale had served with distinction, was the recipient of three medals for bravery, and had retired at the rank of Inspector. She hesitated some, then squaring her shoulder, she marched across the village to Portwenn Primary where she has ended her teaching career as headmistress. She hadn't been inside the school grounds for many years, not since ... Determined to not let her emotions overwhelm her, she pushed the gate open and sat on the wall where she and Martin had met for the last time before he left the village. As she remembered him handing her the envelope with the spreadsheet and cheques for James's care, she began crying. That, mixed with memories of a lifetime in the village, came flooding back and she sobbed her heart out until she saw a figure of someone walking slowly towards her.

Looking up in the half light, she saw Mr. Grey, the caretaker who had taken over when Mr. Coley died.

"What is it Louisa? Is something wrong?" the old man asked. He had come in early as usual to finish cleaning up before school began and has seen her sitting alone. He had heard the rumour that she was leaving to get married, so he couldn't understand why she was crying.

"It's alright Mr. Grey. I'm moving to London tomorrow. I was just saying goodbye to the village and got emotional."

"That's understandable Louisa, this has been your home all your life. This is not goodbye. Memories will always keep you here, but it's time to move on. I hear you're getting married to the Doc, it's all over the village. He's a good man. You will be in good hands. Why don't I make you a nice cup of tea before you leave?"

"Thanks, Mr. Grey. It's getting late and I want to do a little more walking around before it gets light and the village wakes up."

"Then, it's until we see you again. Not goodbye," Mr. Grey said patting her back. He followed her to the gate and closed it behind her.

"Thanks. I feel better," she said smiling at him.

Everybody says I'll be in good hands, she thinks. She couldn't understand this sudden love for Martin. From Al and Stewart, yes. But Pippa? They were never fans of each other. When James was born, she had come to the hospital to see her, barely unable to hide her I told you so look. Mr. Grey would have known Martin but only as a patient. And that would not have been a lovely experience. Martin was a good doctor, but his bedside manners were notoriously terrible.

She walked down to the Platt, then to the beach where a few fishermen shouted out to her, "Morning, Louisa." She stopped to smell the sand and sea and couldn't resist taking off her shoes and wading into the water. It felt cold as it always did this early in the morning. She barely suppressed a giggle when a picture of Martin, water dripping from his suit, wading out of the water, himself and Joe dragging the barmy headmaster who had taken her job while she was in London. She couldn't imagine what would have been her fate if Martin hadn't come to her rescue, as he always did, that day.

Then she headed out to the cliff path. Below her, the bottle green sea was deceptively calm. Looking in another direction, she saw Joan's farm which had been her refuge from prying eyes and wagging tongues when she brought James home from the hospital.

Dear Joan. Who would tend the flowers she had planted at her grave site when she was gone? She made a mental note to add this to her to-do list. Perhaps she could make arrangements with the vicar for him to have someone see to it for a small sum.

She watched two early joggers coming towards her and remembered that it was near this stretch of the path that she had first set eyes on Nathan. They had just nodded at each other but she remembered wondering why would a tourist think to jog here? This was what she thought he was, not knowing that like her, he was born and bred in Cornwall. Seeing some other joggers behind this first set, she knew it was time to return to the cottage.

It was still early when she got back to her cottage. She had a cup of tea and went back to sleep until the phone woke her up. It was Martin.

"Hello sleepyhead. Sounds as if you're just getting up."

"Hello Martin. No, I have been up since it was barely daylight saying goodbye. I walked all over the village and did a short turn on the cliff path. Where are you?"

"We are a little outside of London. We will be there in time for a late lunch, please try not to work too hard, just relax for now."

After the call, Luisa fixed breakfast and ate at the kitchen counter from where she could see the sea. Breakfast over, she looked around and realized there was not much else to do. She had left out a few items for the sleepover. Everything else was either packed, sold, given away or trashed. Pauline and Jenny were bringing sleeping bags and Cornwall delicacies for dinner. Caroline was in charge of drinks and Isobel, dessert.

Martin had made lunch reservation at the Tea Room, the same restaurant where he had taken her a year ago. When she drove into the car park, Martin and James walked towards her when they saw her coming and each held her hand.

"My two men," was all she said when she saw them. She had missed Martin's reassuring presence and felt better after he took her hand and led her inside to the restaurant. Lunch was quiet. James hadn't grown up at a silent table so he chatted away and Martin and Louisa let him be. Listening to him, it seemed to Louisa that he was now a proper Londoner. Even his accent had changed. She wondered if hers would change in time and vowed to keep it and her Cornish ways intact. To be fair, she knew James would never forget the village and his friends there. She was pleased that when he heard about the cottage he had referred to it as "a welcome refuge." She didn't have much of an appetite and picked at her plate. She knew Martin was watching her. Thankfully, he said nothing.

With time to spare before the sleepover, Martin and Louisa went to see Jenny. James stayed back at the hotel where she had left her car. He would do the handover to its new owner, a young teacher from Truro. When it was time to return to the village, Luisa opted to take a taxi instead of having them drive her back.

Pauline was the first to arrive. Time had not changed her presentation of self to the world. When she was out of her nursing uniform, she still liked her flamboyant combination of colour and styles. Tonight was no different. She had on a flaming red coat under which she had an orange and red pyjamas to match her bottle-red hair.

Seeing that she had Louisa to herself, she seized the opportunity to quiz her.

"Is the Doc still a grump?

"When he was here, you know he had a lot to be grumpy about. The villagers gave him a hard time. No, he's no longer a grump, although he can be at times. With me, he's a sweetheart."

Pauline's face said it all. She wouldn't have put the Doc and sweetheart in the same sentence. She hoped Louisa knew what she was getting herself into. Her marriage, her funeral.

"You do know that after he left you up the duff, I wrote him a letter giving him a piece of my mind."

This was a surprise to Louisa. "No I didn't. Why?"

"I didn't like how he treated you. I hope you know what you're doing this time."

Louisa was touched. "Oh, Pauline. This time around we both know what we're doing."

Her next question had Louisa in stitches. "Do you really believe he's going to turn up for the wedding? He bailed out once before, he could do it again."

"Pauline, how do you come up with these questions? Bailing out would be hard, we're living together. You may not believe it, and you'll see when you meet him at the wedding, but he's a changed man."

"How changed?" Pauline inquired sharply.

"As I said, he's no longer a grump. He smiles, laughs, makes jokes, teases, and we like dancing at home. Martin is a great dancer." Louisa couldn't resist shocking Pauline.

"The doc dancing? Are you sure we're talking about Martin Ellingham?"

"Yes we are." It was Caroline who had come in unnoticed and heard the tail end of the conversation.

"Prepare yourself for a new Martin Ellingham. When I met him at the dinner, he couldn't keep his hands off Louisa."

"Stop it Caroline. Don't try to give Pauline a heart attack, I want her at my wedding," Louisa protested with a laugh.

Pauline had one last question. "Now that he's even more of a famous surgeon than when he was here, aren't you afraid that some woman will snatch him away from you? That Edith woman tried. He's still a good catch - rich, gifted, and from the pictures I have seen of him, he has aged well. Still looks good in those suits of his. You know men get better with age. They look distinguished"

Caroline answered for Louisa who was doubled up with laughter. "Hell no. He only has eyes for our Louisa. He waits hands and foot on her and treats her like a princess. Don't you see the posh outfit she has on? Martin insists on the best for her. You know he has always been a one-woman man."

"I buy my own clothes, Caroline," Louisa protested. "He give gives me a few gifts here and there..."

Jenny who had arrived in time to hear the conversation stopped her. "Louisa, he gives you lots of gifts. He spoils you and I think it's nice. Anyhow, let's give Louisa a break. Come on, we're here to celebrate."

Despite this interruption, Pauline still wanted to let her views be known about the Doc. "I have to be at the wedding. It's not that I don't believe what you're all telling me, but he's the Doc. Can't change all that much."

To add to Pauline's confusion, Jenny told them the story about how Martin had proposed to Louisa.

Isobel could not stop laughing. "In the loo? On his knees? The fastidious Mr. Martin Ellingham?"

Pauline could not contain herself. "I knew it. He has gone bodmin, then. You had better be careful with him Louisa. All that travelling he has done. Who knows what strange disease he might have contracted."

Jenny stepped in. "Pauline, you're a nurse, stop talking rubbish. Martin just loves Louisa and will do anything for her. Plus Chris had a hand in the proposal. He threatened him."

Louisa enjoyed herself immensely. She was glad she had her friends around her to wipe away the sadness. They laughed with and at each other, teased, shared the latest gossip and even shed tears towards the end. They sang pop songs, moved on to bawdy fishermen songs, told jokes, grazed on Cornish delicacies, drank all through the night and danced their legs off. By the time they had exhausted themselves and rolled into their sleeping bags, it was well after midnight.

James suggested that Martin drive over on Saturday to pick up Louisa. He thought she might need to be alone with him on her final day in the village. When Martin arrived at about 10 am, her friends had left, the movers had come and gone and she was sitting at the table nursing a cup of coffee in which she had put her secret potion to stave off the effects of a hangover. Guessing how the sleepover had gone, and judging from the trash bags and bottles piled up outside, he proceeded carefully. He thought she looked happy but dreadful from her late night carousing. He didn't say so though. Instead, he lifted her from her chair and folded her in his arms.

"We'll be back, Louisa." She just let out a shaky sigh.

Louisa was quiet on the drive back. Although she had stayed with Martin on and off, leaving Cornwall and moving in full-time with him was still a big step. There could be no turning back now. When they reached a crest in the road from which she could see the village spread out behind her, she looked back with tears streaming down her face. Neither James nor Martin said anything. They thought it best for her to say goodbye privately. When they stopped for lunch at pub midway home, Martin helped her out of the car and took her aside.

He did his best to console her. "Everything will be fine, we will be fine. We will come down for a few days as often as you need to." She said nothing, just looked at him and laid her head on his chest.

Lunch is quiet, and I like it that way. Louisa plays around with her salad until she pushes it away. James and I eat in silence, though I cannot help noticing that he is preoccupied about something. He is never short on words, if even to bounce off some medical matter on me. I keep quiet, knowing they are mourning in their own way.

After I settle the bill and we are about to get up from the table, James says, "Wait a minute" and hands me an envelope.

"Humph... What is this? Why now? We drove down together, been here since yesterday, how important is this?"

"Dad, please open it"

I am a little irritated and it shows. "We need to make up time if we are to get home before dark. Your mother has had a long day. "

With that, I shove it in my pocket. It can wait. Right now Louisa is the priority. I don't know how much longer she can hold out without breaking down in tears. I prefer to comfort her in the privacy of our home, without our son having to experience her pain. I never saw my mother cry. If she had, it wouldn't have been over me. But I'm sure it would have saddened me. You never expect your parents to be vulnerable.

"It's my pre-wedding gift. Please open it now," he asks me quietly.

I open it reluctantly and look up at him speechless, then hand it to Louisa. It is a a copy of his birth certificate with his name, James Henry Martin Tiggle Ellingham. I know his birth certificate by heart. I had memorized it when Louisa sent me a copy shortly after she had registered his birth. When I recover after a stunned second, I realize that he has added my name to his.

Louisa gasps, "James," and falls silent.

She looks at me and sensing my shock, she leans over and kiss me. I think ruefully of all the time James has been in London, going by the name Tiggle and how he had been stubborn about not letting anybody know that I am his biological father, lest they think he's getting a pass because of me. Of course, he no longer feels that way about me. I look up in a daze at him. It strikes me slowly at last, he is an Ellingham for all the world to know. I am still in shock. I don't understand what made him do this. He never discussed it with me, and I don't think he did with his mother. She would have told me. I pull myself together. Now is not the time for questions.

I touch his shoulder to let him know I appreciate his gift. "Thanks James."

Looking visibly relieved that one of us has recovered from the shock of what he has done, he says, 'You're very welcome. Now that you and Mum are getting married, this is the correct thing to do."

Louisa is just as bewildered as I am. Being who she was, she doesn't hold back.

"Can you do this?" she asks.

"I just did."

"What about your school certificates, passport and other documents?

"Mr. Beadle took care of everything. He has a copy of all my document with Dad's papers. Which ones to change was not an issue."

"Isn't your name rather long?

"It's all relative Mum, all relative."

"But it isn't practical to have such a long name. How is it going to hold on forms...?"

James stops her from reeling off a list of situations that might not be the problem she thinks they are. "The name on my birth certificate is my legal name. I will be using James Henry Ellingham in my everyday life."

"And you gave this a lot of thought?"

"A lot of thought. It might not have been the right thing for others in my situation, but it is right for me."

"What would Nathan think about this?"

These last few days have been emotional for Louisa and it shows from her last question. I touch her hand to signal that James is grown and now is not the time to seek answers for his magnanimous gesture. She understands and apologizes to him.

"James, please don't mind me. You just caught me off guard. I appreciate what you have done, and I'm sure Martin does."

Later when we're home, and over a cup of tea, James tells us what had led him to this decision.

"I wanted to use your name after you and Mum got engaged. It just seemed proper. While we were in the village, my old name served us well. It spared Mum a lot of explaining. Here in London, and especially if I ever have children, I don't want people asking questions and one of us have to be constantly explaining things. Plus, it would get more complicated as we went along. It wasn't the easiest of decisions. I love Nathan, I love you both, but as I said, it was the right decision for me."

I was curious to know if he had thought about how Imperial would react to his name change.

"Mr. Beadle handled the paperwork, including clearing it first with Imperial. They are over the moon. My chief could not stop smiling when I told him and kept mumbling, 'two Ellinghams on staff'. I'm glad you hadn't heard about it. I swore your friends to secrecy, especially Mrs. Green."

I promised myself to have a word with his chief, who I have known since he came on staff. He had been in some of my tutorials and was a first rate cardiologist.

Later after James left, I turn my full attention to Louisa who is quiet beside me, lying with her head on my chest.

"Feeling a little better?" I ask.

She lifts her head, nuzzles my neck and says, "I have something to confess."

I groan. "A confession about what? Have you changed your mind about taking my name?"

Louisa was conflicted about assuming my name after we got married. She had argued that everybody knew her by that name, it was James's name, it was the name on her professional certifications. She had finally agreed to take my name when I told her that it was her choice. It seemed a small thing to argue over since we had come this far in our relationship. I knew, however, that there would be the inevitable questions when I introduced her as my wife. Is she changing her mind, I wonder.

"No, not that. It's about James taking your name. I have always felt guilty about changing his name from mine to Nathan's"

I interrupted. "And if you recall, when you asked, I had told you, over the phone and in writing, that I had no objection to your giving him my name because he was my son." I remember that conversation with pain. I didn't blame her for rejecting my offer. Even to my ears I had sounded rude and abrupt. She wasn't to know that I had forced myself not to cry when she had called. I didn't want her to know how guilty and wretched I was feeling.

Thankfully, Louisa had forgiven me. "I wanted to spare him the teasing and unkind remarks from his classmates. This was something I had seen so often in school with children in those situation. I never wanted that for James."

"I know Louisa, I know. It's late, you're tired, let's get some sleep. You're home now."

She runs her fingers softly through my hair, a gesture she knows I like. "This is my home now. It's just that saying goodbye is hard. But, the two persons I love most are with me here. This will be the family home I always dreamed of sharing with you."

Long after Louisa falls asleep, I lay in bed thinking about the path I had traversed to finally make a home with her. I had shed so much of the old miserable me, that before Louisa came back into my life I used to wonder if it had been worth it. There was no other woman I wanted and she was out of reach. I have no regrets now. I have been given a priceless second chance with Louisa and James.