Chapter 44

The rest of the week was pretty quiet as far as our love life went, but then I was very busy at the laboratory. University wasn't all beer and sex; we had our degrees to earn as well!

On Thursday, Malcolm and I didn't finish until almost nine o'clock at night, and we had to eat our spaghetti bolognese supper re-heated, as the three girls had, quite rightly, given up waiting for us two hours before then.

I was so shattered from a very long day concentrating that when we went to bed, I just kissed Julie 'good-night', rolled over, and went straight to sleep. I'm not sure that she was that upset about not making love as usual, as we were due in Clifton the next night.

The Bristol Medical School Summer Term dinner was held on the Friday. The twins had of course invited us some time before, but the worry over meeting their parents had taken precedence.

Julie had phoned Sheila on Thursday to check that it was still on, and was pleased to hear that Jen and Hamish would also be there. We were a little surprised to hear that, as their first year exams were due shortly, but we were also happy that they were taking a break from revision.

I had arranged to hire a dinner jacket again, but this time with the promise from the man at Moss Bros that if I chose to buy it rather than return it, my hire fee would be deducted from the purchase price. With that in mind, when I collected it from the shop, I chose a slightly larger suit that left me some growing room. I met Julie at the station and we soon set off for Parkway, pleased to be sitting down for a while after a day of rushing about.

Sheila and Adrian greeted us with delight; all trace of the trepidation of our previous two meetings quite gone.

I hugged Sheila tightly to me; she pressed herself back at me with the clear message that my intentions tonight had better not be at all honourable. I kissed her and gently squeezed her buttocks as I whispered into her ear.

"You haven't got your father here to protect you from being thoroughly ravished later tonight, fair maiden!"

She chuckled.

"We're so sorry about that; he can be rather old-fashioned at times. I know that Twin is intending to make up for lost time with Julie too, so I hope that you have recovered from last Sunday?"

My girlfriend had, of course, omitted to tell me that she had blabbed to Sheila about our threesome with Vee; but at least she had given me enough information for a quick riposte.

"I heard that you two spent most of Tuesday in bed catching up as well?"

"That's a wicked lie! We did it in the shower, on the hearth rug, and over the back of the chair, so it was only once in each bed. Most of the time we were in a bed we were actually asleep!"

That made me smile - it was so like the twins to enjoy a bit of variety with locations and positions; I remembered their descriptions of how they had christened every room in the flat in the week they had moved in!

We weren't especially early, so it was a case of a quick wash and cup of tea before Adrian and I climbed into our dinner suits and helped each other with the bow tie.

Adrian did have time to tell me that his father had again expressed his approval of both Julie and I, and that he was confident that they would be working with us over the summer.

"Thank goodness for that! I've promised you to Mr Johnston, and it would have been embarrassing to have to tell him you weren't coming!"

"We suggested to Mum and Dad that they book a cruise holiday as they wouldn't have us to look after, and I think they might just do that. Mum was very keen, anyway. She's been wanting to do something like that for a long time."

"Where would they go?"

"She wants to see the Pyramids and the Valley of The Kings in Egypt, Dad would like to do the Greek Islands, so it will be one or the other."

"Should be good fun!"

"Yes, it will be really good for them to get away together."

Our bow ties successfully tied, and our mutual inspection over, we joined the girls in the living room. Julie and Sheila were again looking gorgeous in their evening gowns, and I felt we made an attractive quartet as we strolled over to the University, this time in daylight.

Jen and Hamish were standing with Alastair and Catriona Baxter. We exchanged greetings all round, and took the glasses of sherry we were offered.

Jen mentioned that she hadn't seen my hair that short for a couple of years; she had clearly heard on the grapevine why I had needed to look so neat and tidy. Looking round the room, I reckoned that I was certainly the neatest of our age group. Oh well, it would grow again, and then I wouldn't look quite so out of place.

Hamish and his father were both wearing their Scottish evening dress with kilts this time, and Catriona was sporting a tartan wrap over her gown.

Jen looked superb in her best dress, and Hamish had given her a small corsage of flowers to wear, something Julie and Sheila were very swift to point out to us!

Alastair explained that he had bought a couple of spare tickets for Hamish and Jen as extra guests.

"We decided to show these two off in public. Much safer than leaving them at home with access to my drinks cupboard! We think they make a very good couple. They'll be sitting with you, rather than with us old fogies, but don't worry, they're staying the weekend with us. I've told them that any revision they haven't done by now is unnecessary, and besides, they'll do better in their exams after a relaxing break!"

"Before I forget to ask, Sheila, will the four of you come and have lunch with us on Sunday?"

"Only if you will all come and have supper with us tomorrow, Mrs Baxter!"

"Catriona, please! Mrs Baxter is Alastair's sainted mother! And yes, we'd love to come. I'll get the old miser to look out a few bottles of wine from his cellar, if there are any left; can I bring anything else?"

"Old miser? Me? Sheila, my dear, have you been taught the clinical definition of an alcoholic yet? No? An alcoholic is someone who drinks more than his doctor does!"

We all laughed. Alastair Baxter was good company, and never took himself or his profession too seriously.

"What colour would you like? And I'll get my housekeeper to bring a smidgeon of cheese, so that I can bring a bottle of port as well!"

"Housekeeper?"

"It's what all us old misers have, far cheaper to run than a wife!"

Sheila was almost laughing too hard to reply to his question. The Baxters were an amazing couple, and you could easily see the great love they still shared.

"Can I give you a call in the morning, once I've seen what looks good at the shops? Is there anything that you don't eat?"

"No, the boys both eat everything on their plates, or they get it in the neck from me!"

Jen and I automatically looked at each other. Catriona sounded just like our mother!

"Oh, and don't worry, it will be proper cheese. None of that cheap mass-produced mousetrap that a miser like Alastair would buy!"

"You're wrong there, my darling wife, a true miser would take the cheese from someone else's mousetrap, blow the dust off it and pronounce it delicious!"

That did make us all laugh. There was no answer to a comment like that.

Sheila had been admiring the kilts.

"Is that the Baxter tartan?"

"Ah. Yes and no. Yes, there has been a Baxter tartan for at least six generations, and we think it's a variation on the Buchanan and MacMillan tartans. No, we're not sure that we are descended from the MacMillans. Mr Baker, Miss Baker, I wonder if you can guess what the old Scots word 'Baxter' means?"

"I've no idea, but if you are suddenly reverting to using our surname, then I would guess 'Baker'?"

"Brilliant girl! Hamish, you've got a treasure here! Aye, a 'baxter' used to be a 'baker' in old Scots. I'm not sure whether in our line we are descended from bakers or a fugitive MacMillan pretending to be a baker, but either way, this is the Baxter clan tartan. You'll have noticed that Catriona's plaid is different; she was a MacDougall."

"And Mum says that as a mere Baxter, he's damned lucky a MacDougall condescended to marry him!"

Even Alastair roared with laughter at Hamish's quip.

Dinner was announced, and we made our way to our places. There was much less confusion than at the previous dinner; people had learned from experience to look at the table plan before they were called, and everyone was soon standing behind their chairs, waiting for Alastair to say Grace before the meal started.

"A verse from Robert Burns."

"Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it, But we hae meat and we can eat, _ And sae the Lord be thankit."

There was a murmur of appreciation for a short and witty Grace as we all sat down; this time Adrian and I knew to hold the chairs for the girls to help them get seated.

It was another very good meal; well presented and with great company. Julie whispered to me that she felt much more comfortable this time around, I replied that I did as well. It was nothing like as scary, now that we knew what was going to happen, and we had a very pleasant evening.

Jen had a quick word with me as the other three were saying their farewells.