Ben seemed to guess what she was thinking. ‘We had to shave some of your hair off,’ he said. ‘But you know it’ll grow back. You’ll be as beautiful as ever. And though I say it myself, I did a pretty good job. You’re going to make a complete recovery, Maddy.’
Ben stepped back while the nurse began to put fresh dressings on Maddy’s head and started to write up her notes.
‘Take things easy for a while,’ he said. ‘Nick Tremayne will keep an eye on you and I’ll be back in a few days just to check up that all is well. But you can get up for a while…say tomorrow. Nothing too energetic. Just a short trip outside. Remember, Maddy, you were lucky. Be glad that you had Ed Tremayne on your side.’ And he was gone.
Maddy lay back on her pillows and considered. Two things that she had not quite thought about yet. One, she possibly owed her life to Ed. Two, he had been desperate when he’d seen how ill she had been. She was not sure what to make of the two facts. But she thought about them.
An hour later she had another visitor. ‘Hi, fellow midwife,’ a voice called out, and there was Kate Althorp. She came over, kissed Maddy on the cheek. ‘Can’t say I care for the new-style headdress.’
Maddy smiled. She liked Kate, she was uncomplicated. The two of them had got on well when they had worked together on the ship. They had bonded as a team. She had hoped to see her again.
‘I would have come to see you sooner,’ Kate explained. ‘But a mum-to-be came in with antepartum haemorrhage, Nick and I looked at her and diagnosed placenta praevia. But we got there in time. With any luck she’ll go full term and the baby should be okay.’
She pulled a letter out of her pocket. ‘And I wanted to see you anyway. I’ve got something to show you, something we did together.’ She handed Maddy the letter.
There were two pictures of a baby—tiny but perfect. And a letter from Sarah Flynn. Quickly Maddy read it. Sarah apologised for sneaking onto the boat while she had been pregnant, said that baby Marina was now fine and thriving and that it was due entirely to Maddy and Kate. Many thanks. And she was writing to the chairman of the cruise line to congratulate him on the quality of his nursing staff.
‘Nice to be thanked, isn’t it?’ Kate said. ‘It’s one of the reasons I took up midwifery. You usually get a happy result.’
‘You’re a local midwife and this is quite a small town,’ Maddy said. ‘You must see a lot of the children you brought into the world.’
Kate grinned. ‘I do. And sometimes I regret having done so.’ Her eyes twinkled. ‘Now, what I thought was—’
The door opened, and there was Nick Tremayne. He looked from Maddy to Kate, obviously surprised. ‘Kate? What are you doing here?’
‘Maddy and I were midwives together, remember? I called in to say hello.’
Maddy saw an exchange of glances between the two, wondered if there was some hidden message that was not for her to know. Then she decided she was imagining things.
‘I’ve just had a word with Ben,’ Nick said. ‘He’s happy with your progress and suggests that you might like to get out of bed, perhaps tomorrow. I’m happy with that.’
‘I was going to offer to take Maddy for a ride,’ said Kate. ‘She needs some fresh air.’
‘As long as she takes it easy.’ Nick turned and left.
For a moment Kate stared at the door through which Nick had left and Maddy was puzzled the odd expression she saw on Kate’s face. ‘I know the two of you work at the same practice,’ she said. ‘I mentioned before, you seem to be more than just close friends.’
Kate shrugged. ‘We’ve known each other for years. In fact, we were teenagers together and…quite close. But then we went our different ways. Both of us married and both of us were happy. And then his wife died and my husband was killed.’
‘Ed’s wife died, too,’ Maddy said. ‘And none of you remarried. Is there anything between you and Nick?’
Kate tried to laugh. ‘There’s nothing between us,’ she said. ‘We are friends and we do work together. Anyway, he can be a grumpy old so-and-so when he wants to be.’
Maddy realised that this wasn’t something Kate wanted to talk about. Then she forgot her interest when she heard what Kate had to say next.
‘I had a phone call quite early this morning from Ed,’ Kate said. ‘He didn’t want to disturb you but the message is for you. He’ll phone tonight but he wanted you to know this at once. About a Brian something who you once knew.’
‘Brian Temple. I knew him all right.’ Maddy had forgotten telling Ed about Brian. Now his name brought out new worries. Brian would find it easy to discover what had happened to her, easy to discover where she was. He would come here, she knew it! And then…‘What did Ed say?’ she asked in a panic.
Kate put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. ‘There’s no cause for alarm, Maddy. Ed said that you weren’t to worry, it was all under control. He’s been in touch with an army psychologist and Brian was offered treatment, which he’s accepted. Ed says that all will be well.’
‘Just like that? That man spoiled my life for months.’
Kate smiled. ‘The Tremayne family tends to get things done.’
It was good to be among friends, Maddy thought. And she knew she could confide in Kate. ‘I thought I was in love with Brian,’ she muttered. ‘He was a very determined man, ex-army like Ed. He got things done too, and at first I liked him for it. But then he came back from some mission with PTSD—post traumatic stress disorder—and there was just no living with him. I thought he’d turned into a monster, then I realised he’d always been one. He was madly jealous of everything I did, every friend I had. There was no end of mental abuse, and I knew in time that it would turn physical. So I left him and he stalked me and made my life a misery. So much for love.’
‘Love is wonderful,’ Kate said after a while, ‘if you get it right. But getting it right isn’t easy. Now, Nick’s signed your pass so would you like to come out for a ride for a couple of hours tomorrow?’
‘I’d love to,’ said Maddy.
There had been a lot of excitement during the morning. In the afternoon Maddy was taken out onto her terrace, put in the shade and told to rest. She decided that she was getting better. So that meant she couldn’t be an invalid much longer, she had to start thinking about her future. Then she decided, not yet. She couldn’t put up with it yet. There was too much to worry about.
That evening the telephone trolley was wheeled to her bedside, she was told that there would soon be a call for her and she was left on her own. When the phone rang she had to stop herself from grabbing for it. No need for Ed to think she was desperate for a call.
‘Hi, sweetheart, how are you?’ It was Ed. And her heart bounded.
‘Hi, Ed. I’m fine. I’m improving. I’ve had visitors—Ben Carter, Kate Althorp and your dad.’
As so often there was a smile in his voice. ‘Living the social round without me. It’s all happening in Penhally Bay.’
‘So how was your day?’ she asked.
‘Long but interesting. There’s a new treatment for diabetes. It looks good and I’ll try to persuade the practice to try it out.’
It was good to sit and chat to him. But suddenly she wanted him by her, she wanted his physical presence. Just so she could see him, hold him if she wished. ‘Tell me where you are,’ she said rather sadly.
‘I’m in my hotel room. I should be looking through my notes, but…don’t laugh. I’m reading Pride and Prejudice.’
Maddy couldn’t help a little giggle. ‘You!’
‘Yes. And I’ve just got to the bit where Darcy has apparently given up the idea of marrying Elizabeth. But I’ve not given up. I still want to marry you right now. But I know you’re ill so I won’t push you.’
‘Ed, for the good of both of us, forget it for a while. I may be ill but I’m not mad. Let’s wait for a year and see how we feel then.’
His voice was serious. ‘It’s how I feel now that’s important. How we feel. I love you, Maddy.’
/> ‘I love you, too,’ she said. ‘But I’m not going to change my mind about marrying you.’
It was sunny again next day. Well, she was entitled to a few sunny days after the storm the week before. In the afternoon a nurse helped her dress. It seemed strange to be putting on clothes that she hadn’t seen for so long. Her clothes? How had they got there?
‘Dr Tremayne organised it all,’ said Samantha, the nurse who was dressing her. ‘Dr Ed Tremayne. He got a lady doctor on the ship to pack for you.’
Organisation. She might have guessed.
It wasn’t what she wanted but she was taken in a wheelchair to the front door, where Kate was waiting for her in her car. ‘My hours tend to be irregular,’ Kate said. ‘Babies arrive to suit themselves. So I can often take time off when I need to. We’ll take a couple of hours and you can look around Penhally Bay and the countryside.’
They went up onto the moors first, saw the great sweep of green, the blue of the sea beyond. Maddy felt that it was wonderful to breathe fresh air again, something different from the all-pervasive hospital smell she was so used to. Then they drove into the little town and she was shown the harbour, the walk along the beach. Then up to the surgery. It was a beautiful white building.
‘We could go inside and have a look around,’ Kate suggested. ‘Who knows? You might find yourself working there.’
‘Why do you say that? Has Nick said anything to you?’
‘No. He keeps his ideas to himself a lot of the time.’ Kate shrugged. ‘But we are expanding, Nick is always on the lookout for good staff and I know he thinks well of you. Anyway, what are you going to do when you’ve recovered? Off on a cruise ship again?’
‘I just don’t know! At the moment my life seems all over the place.’
There must have been stress in her voice, because Kate patted her hand comfortingly. ‘Don’t worry about it. You’ve still not recovered. But all will come out well in the end.’
They drove on, came up to the church and saw a line of cars outside. But there were only one or two people about. Kate pulled up where they could have a good view of the church gate. ‘I love a good wedding,’ she said. ‘The bride must be just about to arrive. Let’s watch.’
Maddy was quite happy to sit and watch. They saw a vintage, open-topped car draw up, two bridesmaids help the bride out of the car, smooth down her dress and adjust her veil.
‘She looks good in plain white,’ Kate said in a judicious voice, ‘it suits her colouring. Would you get married in pure white, Maddy?’
Maddy shook her head. She was rather enjoying herself. She hadn’t had a girly conversation about clothes in months. ‘Pure white makes me look washed-out. I’d go for ivory. What’s that material? I like it.’
‘It’s raw silk. Creases easily but hangs beautifully.’
They watched as the bride took the arm of her father and walked towards the church. Dimly heard organ music swell to greet her.
‘I know the girl,’ Kate said. ‘Rowenna Pennick. Her father’s a fisherman. She met a visitor last summer, a solicitor from London, and now she’s marrying him.’
‘And going back to London to live?’
‘No. He’s found a job down here. It’s surprising how often that happens.’
They drove on, slowed as they passed another handsome stone building. ‘That’s Nick’s house,’ Kate said.
Maddy wondered at her flat tone. ‘It’s lovely. Does he live there all on his own?’
‘Yes he does now. Whether anyone else will ever move in, I just don’t know. Now. See what we have here. One bit of the family hasn’t moved very far.’
They pulled up outside a whitewashed cottage and Maddy fell in love with it at once. ‘Whose is it?’ she asked, although she already had a good idea.
‘It’s Ed’s cottage. Like to look inside?’
‘But we can’t. He’s in London somewhere.’
‘He always leaves a spare key in the surgery. I phoned him last night. There are some notes I need to see and he has them in his desk. I’m going to pick them up. Come and have a look.’
Maddy so much wanted to. She thought that you could tell a lot about a person by their home and she wanted to know more about Ed. Just out of curiosity, of course. ‘Won’t he mind?’ she asked.
‘Not at all. If I can go in, then you can, too.’
‘Maybe just the front room,’ Maddy said. In fact, she wanted to see the whole house, spend a couple of hours dreaming there. But the front room would do.
Kate helped her out of the car and she walked cautiously to the front door—through a tiny hall and then into the front room.
‘Sit down,’ said Kate. ‘It’ll take me a minute to run through these papers.’
So Maddy sat and looked about her. The room was even more lovely than the outside suggested. A through room, with the front facing the road and French windows at the back, overlooking a tiny patio and then the sea. It had a black wood-burning stove set into an alcove.
The room itself was fine, but…it needed something.
‘He hasn’t been here long,’ Kate said, noting Maddy’s interest. ‘He hasn’t really moved in, has he? It’s all a bit bare.’
‘Did he buy the curtains and the carpet?’ Maddy asked. ‘Did he decide on wallpaper rather than paint?’
Kate chuckled. ‘Who’s a little nest-builder, then?’ she asked. ‘You’re right—wallpaper, curtains and carpet all came with the cottage. They need replacing. What this place needs is a woman’s touch. Now, I’ve found my papers. We’d better get you back.’
Maddy had really enjoyed her outing with Kate. It had left her pleasantly tired—but in some ways strengthened. Now she could think. Decide on things.
She loved what she had seen of the moors, of Penhally Bay. She could be happy here. She had loved Ed’s cottage and there was so much she could do to it. Kate was right, it needed a woman’s touch. New carpet and curtains, redecoration. The furniture was fine but the room needed vases with flowers in them, pictures, photographs. She wondered what the kitchen, the bathroom were like. The bedroom…
This was silly! She was daydreaming when she ought to be making decisions about her future. What was she to do?
She had accepted it, she loved Ed. She had lost all her old fears. Ed could be the man for her, she would be happy with him. And she knew he loved her. Or he thought he loved her. That was the problem. Would he be happy with her?
The trouble with Ed was his sense of honour, his determination to do whatever was right. His dying, pregnant wife had told him to leave her side to help those he could save. And he had done it. He’d listened to her. And had suffered for it ever since.
She couldn’t allow him to make another mistake. To discover after a few months that the woman he had married was not the one he needed. He was in too much of a hurry. He had to have time, whether he knew it or not.
Could she give him time? One thing was certain—she couldn’t live here with him, just waiting. She’d have to get on with her life to give him time to get over her—if he wanted to.
So, she had made her decision. She knew it was the right one. And she hated it.
Samantha came back into the room. Maddy asked her if there was a copy of the Nursing Times she could borrow. Time to look for a new job. Did she want to go back on a cruise ship? No. She had enjoyed it but she knew it would never be the same again. A large city A and E department? Possibly. But after looking around Penhally Bay, large cities had lost their attractions. But she had to carry on looking.
That night the trolley was wheeled to her bedside again, and Ed phoned almost at once. He asked after her, was pleased she had gone out with Kate. Maddy didn’t tell him that she had been in his home. He might ask what she thought of it, how it could be improved, and she didn’t want to go into that.
He was good company, even on the phone. He told her a story about one of the delegates falling asleep and snoring during a lecture. The lecturer had said that he could accept a subtle hint that h
e had gone on for long enough. She loved listening to him, talking to him.
But there were things that she had to say. ‘Ed, I’ll tell you now so as not to hurt you. Your dad offered me a job and I would love it. But I’ve decided definitely to leave Penhally Bay. We need to be apart for a while.’
His voice was gentle. ‘Maddy, I want to marry you. I feel that way now and I’ll feel that way in a year’s time and in fifty years’ time. But not if you’re unsure. So just don’t decide anything yet. I’ll be back soon and I’m so much looking forward to seeing you.’
There were plenty of tears when she rang off.
Next morning there was a message that Kate was coming to take her out again. Good. Maddy felt that she needed to be with a friend. After a while, even the best of nursinghomes got a little claustrophobic. And she could gossip about the Tremayne family, though it was a bitter-sweet experience. Not just Ed, of course. All the Tremayne family.
She managed to dress herself but with a nurse hovering near, in case she was needed. Then she insisted on walking to the front to meet Kate—but once again with a nurse in attendance. It would be great when she could look after herself again!
Kate was waiting, kissed her on the cheek again. ‘You look better every day,’ she said. ‘Now, we’ll try something a bit more exciting today. We’re going to meet Angie, an old friend of mine. She’s a dressmaker, just set up in business but doing very well for herself. It’s your birthday soon, isn’t it?’
Maddy was surprised. ‘Yes, it is. But how did you know that?’
‘There was a phone call to the practice from your Captain Smith. The cruise line and he want to give you a birthday present. Something a little bit different, a bit special. They asked my advice—I said an evening dress. It always cheers a woman up.’
‘But I never get the chance to go out in evening dress!’
‘The odd thing is, once you get the gown then opportunities to wear it mysteriously appear. So let’s go and see what Angie can do for you.’
Brides of Penhally Bay - Vol 2 Page 30