A Debt of Honour – Episode 22
A Debt Of Honour
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- 1. A Debt of Honour – Episode 22
Ellie was overcome by the feeling that she had stood here before, waiting for Calum to come out of the train station entrance.
She checked her watch and then the arrivals board. The train was already three minutes late.
At last it slid into the station and squealed to a halt.
She watched the first figures emerge.
How had he got on? Had the whole thing been a waste of time?
Suddenly, Ellie realised how much Calum’s wellbeing, or despair, meant to her.
The night at the music festival had only formalised the fact that the tall, shy Scotsman had sneaked in under the radar and laid claim to her heart.
It wasn’t convenient: she had a career to think about.
But when was love ever convenient?
One step at a time, she told herself. Things had changed and a comfortable friendship was no longer an option.
But, equally, neither was losing her head quite as badly as her mother had once lost hers.
Especially now Shauna was desperately trying to put things right again.
From the far side of the ticket barrier, Ellie waited until Calum came round the corner from further down the platform.
Ellie waved eagerly, but his hand barely rose to waist level and fluttered briefly.
Not good.
He joined the last of the passengers, filing slowly towards the gates.
A wave of fury engulfed Ellie. She wasn’t in his corner any more. She was in the ring beside him, ready to do his fighting for him.
As he cleared the gate, she ran towards him and gave him a fierce hug.
He responded gently, so downhearted that she stood on tiptoe to kiss him.
Their lips met gently.
“Come on,” she said. “It’s back to the bistro. And I’m buying – it was my fault that you had to go through all that again.”
Linking her arm through his, she towed him up the hill to the students’ pub.
Calum followed quietly, and she pushed him into a seat at their usual table, then went to the bar to buy the drinks.
When she returned, a glass in each hand, he was frowning and tracing patterns on the table top – a stress sign she had learned to recognise.
“Get that down you,” she urged him. “Here’s to us – never mind the rest of the world. It was a lousy job anyway!”
She stopped as his head came up. She instantly recognised the twinkle in his eyes.
“That’s a pity.” He smiled. “Because I got it.”
“You what?” She stared at him, stricken.
“I got it! There was a nice bunch doing the interviews, and they seemed genuinely interested.
“They helped me to relax and answer their questions. The more difficult they got, the more clearly I could see what they were looking for, and the words flowed naturally.
“When they asked how I would tackle the challenge, if I got the job, I could see every step and told them.”
Calum reached out his glass and clinked hers.
“Then, when someone poked their head into the room with its waiting candidates, it was my name they called. For the first time ever!”
Ellie’s drink spilled across the table as she slammed down her glass and reached across to hug him.
Beer soaked them both and a bartender came up with a couple of towels.
“Get the worst off with these.” She smiled. “This is the first time I’ve seen love, rather than a fight, spill beer like that!”
Calum rose to buy a replacement drink.
Ellie waited, feeling happier than she could remember.
The world had given him a chance, and she knew from the bottom of her heart that this was all he needed.
“You look as if you just launched a ship,” Calum teased, sitting down.
“In a way, I think I have,” Ellie answered.