Knave of Hearts

‘Beth? Wake up, sleepyhead.’

The impossible lashes fluttered and lifted, and Beth smiled and stretched sleepily.

‘Hello,’ she said through a yawn, and Anne hugged her.

‘Hello, darling. Time to get up now.’

She rummaged in the drawers for some clean underwear, and laid it on the bed with Beth’s uniform. ‘Here you are, darling. Get dressed quickly, there’s a good girl, and I’ll see what I can find for breakfast.’

Anne washed hastily in the chilly bathroom, scrubbed her teeth, and then rummaged for her own clothes.

It was time to get out the ancient twin-tub again and battle with the laundry, she thought with a sigh. There was no chance it would dry outside with the weather as cold as it was, which meant either a trip to the launderette or having everything hanging around the house on airers for days on end.

And there was no food in the house.

She went down to the kitchen and looked in the cupboards, like old Mother Hubbard.

Cereal, but not enough milk to go on it. Sunflower spread, but no bread. Porridge oats, but Beth wouldn’t eat porridge without syrup, and guess what?

The doorbell pealed, shockingly loud in the stillness.

She heard Beth throw herself down the stairs.

‘I’ll get it!’

Anne shook her head and went out into the hall.

‘Hi, Jake!’ Beth said with a grin. ‘Come in!’

He ruffled her hair, and looked over her head to Anne.

‘Morning, ladies. I brought some hot doughnuts—I’m sure you hate them and would much rather have toast, but perhaps you’ll help me eat them up?’

‘Ye-es!’ Beth positively bounced on the spot, her eyes alight.

Anne was irritated. ‘I know I said invite yourself round,’ she hissed while Beth was preoccupied with the baker’s bag, ‘but I never mentioned breakfast!’

‘Seven,’ Beth said, and then screwed up her face. ‘Two each—who gets three?’

‘I do,’ Jake told her, and poked his tongue out.

‘Don’t teach her things like that,’ Anne snapped.

Beth giggled. ‘That’s very rude, you shouldn’t do it!’

He pretended to look chastened while Anne found three plates and set them down at the rickety table.

‘Coffee?’ he suggested.

‘It’ll have to be black. Beth, do you mind squash?’

She shook her head. ‘Are we going shopping today? There’s never any food here.’

Anne could have ground her teeth with annoyance.

‘That’s not strictly true,’ she said defensively, but Jake leant back in his chair, sank his teeth right into the jammy middle of his doughnut and smiled with evident delight.

‘I’ll take you shopping,’ he offered, and before she could stop herself Anne told him not to talk with his mouth full.

He choked with laughter, and Beth banged him on the back until he got his breath back and caught her wrists, tugging her on to his lap.

‘Enough already!’ he said, still laughing. ‘You’ll break my ribs!’

She giggled, reached across the table and picked up her doughnut, quite content to stay on his lap.

Over her head, Anne met his eyes, and the depth of emotion in them brought a lump to her throat.

She sipped her coffee and stole another glance. They were so alike! Not just in looks, although to see them together there was no mistaking their relationship, but in personality too. Fun-loving, with an overdeveloped sense of the ridiculous, always quick to laugh and ready to forgive—without Beth to take his place, Anne wondered how much more she would have missed him in the last seven years.

She stood up and cleared her throat. ‘We ought to get on,’ she said. ‘It’s almost time to drop Beth at Jenny’s, and we have to be at the hospital soon.’

He left them then, and they had a last mad scramble round for satchel and reading book and gloves before they were ready to walk out of the door.

He was waiting for them, his breath misting on the cold air, lounging against his car in a thick leather jacket. Anne tugged her coat closer round her and forced a smile.

‘I’ll just drop Beth off with Jenny, and I’ll be with you.’

‘Hurry up, then, you’re on the drag,’ he pointed out needlessly.

She stifled her retort until she had delivered Beth safely across the road, fielded Jenny’s intense curiosity and installed herself in the front of Jake’s car beside him. Then she turned on him and pointed out with icy calm that it was he who had delayed them at breakfast, and if he hadn’t stolen a piece of her car he wouldn’t be obliged to give her a lift anyway!

He didn’t bother to reply, concentrating instead on guiding the car over the icy roads.

It was only when he had parked and she got out rather too fast that she realised the road was just a sheet of ice.

‘Are you all right?’ he asked as she picked herself up.

‘Fine. Do you mind if I don’t thank you for the lift?’

He stifled the grin hastily. ‘My pleasure,’ he replied easily, and, taking her arm, he led her to the gritted path.

Once there and safe, she snatched her arm away ungraciously and, head up, marched to the entrance without looking back.

He followed her, his footsteps scrunching on the grit. They parted company at the entrance to the wards, he to Gynae, she to Obstetrics.

‘Coffee later?’

‘I should be so lucky,’ she muttered.

He shrugged. ‘OK. I’ll see you.’

As it happened she did manage a coffee break, but, as luck would have it, so did Jake and they arrived together at the canteen.

‘Wonders will never cease,’ he said teasingly as he joined her in the queue. ‘Two coffees, please.’

He paid for hers, dismissing her protest, and picked up both cups, scanning the room.

‘Ah, there’s Maggie—let’s go and say hello.’

Anne was startled. ‘How do you know Maggie?’

‘Met her at Jo’s.’

Did everybody but her know about Jake coming? She looked across the room at her friend, and then blinked. She was sitting on an armless easy chair, but not alone. A tall, blond man with drop-dead good looks was sharing it with her, his arm possessively round her shoulders, and they both looked like they’d won the pools.

‘Hello, Maggie, nice to see you again,’ Jake was saying, and pulled up two chairs. ‘Is there a reason for the overcrowding?’ he asked mildly, his eyes twinkling.

Maggie laughed, her soft pansy-blue eyes filled with happiness.

‘We happen to like it,’ her companion said with a wicked grin, and stuck out his hand. ‘Ben Bradshaw, A and E.’

‘Jake Hunter … I’m covering for Jo Harding—sorry, Carter. I’ve known her a long time; it’ll take me a while to get used to the change. Jo and Annie and I go back—oh, eleven years?’

Annie nodded. ‘Something like that.’ She eyed Maggie and Ben suspiciously, but she had no intention of asking what she wanted to ask in public. The last time she’d seen Maggie, she’d been breaking her heart because Ben was getting married—in fact, he should have done so last Saturday, so why was Maggie sitting so close to him now that she was getting pressure sores?

Then she saw the ring.

‘Catching flies?’ Jake murmured, but she ignored him.

‘Would someone care to tell me what’s going on?’ she asked.

Maggie tried to hide her smile. ‘Fancy coming to a wedding on Saturday week?’

‘But I thought …’

The smile broke out regardless. ‘So did I, but I was wrong.’

Annie shook her head. ‘Would you run that by me again?’ she said plaintively.

Maggie laughed delightedly. ‘You know I overheard Ben and Jan planning a wedding?’

‘Yes?’

‘Jan’s his stepsister. She got married on Saturday.’

‘But not to Ben?’

Maggie shook her head.

‘So the ship’s rat’s not a rat at all?’

‘Ship’s rat?’ Ben said indignantly.

Anne blushed. ‘Sorry, just a figure of speech—Jo’s, actually.’

Jake laughed. ‘I’m not sure I quite understand what’s going on, but do I take it that congratulations are in order?’

Ben chuckled. ‘Yes, thank God. I never want to go through a time like that again. It took me five minutes to fall for her, and then another five weeks to persuade her to marry me—that’s when I could finally get her to listen.’

Jake gave a wry snort of amusement. ‘Is that all? You want to try courting Annie—after eleven years she still won’t marry me, even though she knows how wonderfully easy I am to live with,’ he said mournfully.

‘You jest!’ Anne retorted.

Maggie was wide-eyed. ‘You lived with him?’ she said incredulously.

‘Not precisely,’ Anne mumbled.

‘Yes, you did—precisely. You just wouldn’t marry me.’

She glared at Jake, and he shrugged and smiled.

Ben shook his head. ‘Must be something wrong with your technique, old man.’

‘After all the practice he got in? No chance,’ Anne said drily, and then blushed furiously at the others’ laughter.

She was rescued by the sudden bleeping of her pager.

‘Saved by the bell,’ Jake said with another chuckle, and, with a mumbled excuse, she fled.

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