freedom, and chatter and laughter filled the air. I wished Caitlyn could have joined in, and that
she could have been at my side instead of Paddy. But I had to admit, as we tramped up the hill,
overtaking some of the worst dawdlers, his presence wasn’t as irritating as I would have
expected. He gathered a lot of attention – fingers pointed in his direction, greetings shouted his
113
Kate Field
Eve and Paddy
way as if everyone knew him, snatched photographs that I ducked to avoid when I could – but
he didn’t milk it as I thought he might. He accepted it with charm and good grace, smiling and
waving back, but he never left my side. His attention was all mine – if I wanted it. It was only
seventeen years too late.
As we neared the top of the hill, the grass was filled with groups who had stopped on
the way up or down to enjoy a picnic with a view. I carried on to the peak and then paused to
admire the panorama. There was much to admire. This was one of the highest summits in the
area, and was one of my favourite places to stop and stare; one of the few places where I found
contentment in being idle. Inglebridge town centre looked like a model village from up here,
with the river snaking through like a piece of sparkling blue thread; over to the east were the
Pennines and the Yorkshire peaks, and to the north-west the beautiful mountains of the Lake
District rose up to meet the sky.
‘This is quite something,’ Paddy said. He turned round slowly, taking in the view in
each direction. It was breezier here on the summit, and dark curls blew around his face. His
cheeks were pink from the exertion and the sun, and his smile sparkled. He looked like a poster
boy for the outdoor life, glowing with health and vitality. He could hardly have presented a
starker contrast to Rich’s appearance earlier.
‘I can see why you chose to live here,’ he continued. My smile dimmed; there had been
so much more to the decision than the scenery. ‘Have you been happy here? Was Caitlyn
happy?’
‘Yes.’ There could be so much more to that answer too, but I chose not to go there.
Happiness was like one of the shimmering bubbles that Caitlyn used to love to blow from soap;
something to enjoy while it lasted, but too fragile to withstand a curious finger exploring it.
Because if I thought too deeply, poked about in the past, how could I ever be sure that we had
114
Kate Field
Eve and Paddy
found the best possible happiness? Who knew if we might have been happier living somewhere
else? What if we might have been happier living with Mum – or even with Paddy?
Looking away from the view and focusing on the hill again, on the here and now, I
spotted Tina and her husband Graham, sitting with their backs against a rock, starting their
picnic.
‘I’m going to join Tina for lunch,’ I said. I meant it as a goodbye, not an invitation, but
Paddy trailed along behind me and within minutes was sitting next to Tina, laughing
uproariously.
‘Let’s pool our resources,’ Tina said. She started pulling Tupperware boxes and foil
packages out of a large cool bag. ‘I’ve got sandwiches, sausage rolls, pasta salad, Scotch eggs
…’
I added my contribution: chicken wraps, raw vegetables and a stash of fruit. We all
looked at Paddy.
‘Sorry!’ He held up his hands and laughed. ‘I have nothing to offer but wit, charm and
conversation. Take pity on a starving man who matched Eve’s pace up the hill, won’t you?’
‘That pace was hardly enough to break a sweat,’ I said. ‘But if you’re so hungry, you
can have Rich’s share of the vegetables.’ I pushed a tub of carrot and cucumber sticks towards
him. He laughed.
‘Have a Scotch egg,’ Tina offered. ‘I’ve catered for an army. I’ll even give you one of
my beers if you don’t mind lager.’
‘You’re a marvellous woman, Tina.’
He glugged from his bottle of beer and Tina watched him with wide-eyed fascination
that seemed wholly inappropriate in front of her husband. I nudged her knee.
‘So what happened to Rich?’ she asked, tearing her gaze from Paddy, but making me
wish I hadn’t distracted her. ‘You said he was coming. Did he cry off?’
115
Kate Field
Eve and Paddy
‘He did come,’ I said, avoiding Paddy’s gaze. ‘Only he decided he wasn’t up for a walk
after all.’
‘Hungover, was he?’ Tina laughed. ‘You really are the odd couple. He must drink at
least your share of booze. I’m surprised you haven’t tried to convert him to your healthy ways.’
‘I don’t impose my lifestyle choices on others,’ I replied primly. Unfortunately, my
statement was ruined by a grinning Paddy, rattling the tub of vegetable strips in front of my
face. ‘He has sponsored me for the walk,’ I added.
‘I saw. I filled in the form after him. Two quid! Mean git. Not even the cost of a pint. I
hope he’s saving up to get you something special for your birthday.’
‘Maybe.’ Probably not. I didn’t think Rich knew when my birthday was, let alone that
it was a significant one this year.
‘It’s the big four-zero in August, isn’t it?’ Paddy said. ‘What do you have planned?’
‘Nothing much. I hope Mum and Caitlyn will come over. We could take Gran out for a
meal.’ I shrugged. It probably sounded pathetic in comparison to whatever adventure he had
undertaken for his fortieth last December. But I couldn’t imagine a better present than having
my entire family under the same roof.
‘I had a quiet one with Mam and Dad too,’ he said, and when he smiled at me, for a
strange moment it felt as if we had been stripped back to the people we had been in the past;
back to those early, innocent days when our studies and our families and our relationship were
all that mattered.
‘Have a chicken wrap,’ I said, and thrusting some food at him I turned to talk to Tina.
Lunch passed quickly and far more pleasantly than I would have predicted. Paddy had
always been a social chameleon, able to fit in with any group – something I had once admired
rather than taking it as a warning of his duplicitous character. He more than delivered on his
116
Kate Field
Eve and Paddy
promise to provide wit, charm and conversation, and even I couldn’t resist laughing as he
skilfully parodied the celebrity world he had found himself part of.
After lunch, we wandered back down the hill in pairs. I selfishly grabbed Tina’s arm,
so we could walk together, and though I felt a pang of guilt at leaving Graham to Paddy, from
the snatches of conversation blown our way it sounded like they were getting on well. The
kissing gate that would return us to our starting point was in sight when a small girl in front of
us, probably about the same age as Caitlyn had been when she came to live with me, stumbled
and let go of the balloon that she must have carried safely up and down the hill. Her anguished
cry echoed across the hillside, so raw that it stopped us all in our tracks.
All except one. It happened so fast that it was hard to process what actually occurred.
There was a blur of movement running past me, a figure leaping in the air t
o catch the balloon
before it blew away, a cry of pain and then silence as Paddy fell to the ground, cracking his
head on a rock.
117
Kate Field
Eve and Paddy
CHAPTER 12
I reached him first.
‘Paddy?’ I shook his shoulder, probably more roughly than I should have done. His
eyes were closed and he wasn’t moving. ‘Paddy?’ I shook him again, and at last he lifted his
head and regarded me, a dazed look in his eyes. Already a lump had formed on his forehead,
and a thin trickle of blood ran down the side of his face. He tried to sit up, but clutched the
back of his leg with a groan of pain.
‘What’s the matter?’ I asked, as he lay back down, moaning. ‘Have you hurt your leg?’
‘Jeez, Eve, full marks for observation. When did you get your medical degree?’
I forgave him the sarcasm, seeing the agony etched across his face. Sarcasm was good;
sarcasm meant he was alive, and had all his wits about him. For a second, when I had seen him
lying motionless on the ground … I shut down that line of thought and called out to Tina.
‘Can you ring Dr Gould?’ I handed her my phone. ‘He should be down on the field
somewhere. Ask him to come quickly.’
Turning back to Paddy, I began to gently feel along his left leg. He groaned when my
fingers reached his calf, but didn’t shout out again.
‘There’s no obvious sign of a break,’ I said. ‘Is it your calf that hurts?’
‘The calf and behind the knee. There was a pop when I jumped …’ He struggled up on
to his elbows. ‘Where’s the little girl? I’ve got her balloon.’
Despite the pain, he was still clutching the string of the balloon. I looked around and
spotted the child standing nearby, clinging on to her mum’s hand. I took the balloon from
Paddy and handed it over.
‘Idiot,’ I said, kneeling at Paddy’s side again. ‘What did you do that for? There are
plenty more balloons at the newspaper stand.’
‘But she wanted that one.’ Paddy closed his eyes. ‘She reminded me of Caitlyn.’
118
Kate Field
Eve and Paddy
The confession surprised me. It had been so long; I hadn’t expected him to still
remember her with the affection that I heard in his voice. There was no time to dwell on that,
because Dr Gould came hurrying up.
‘What have we here then?’ he asked. ‘Nothing too serious, I hope?’
He smiled, and I moved aside. Dr Gould examined Paddy’s head and leg and took a
history, demonstrating why he was such a favourite at The Chestnuts with his calm, unflappable
approach despite the curious crowd that was peering curiously over his shoulder. I caught sight
of a phone pointed in Paddy’s direction and shooed people away before any more photographs
could be taken. Paddy might not shy away from publicity, but even he deserved better than
having pictures of his agonised, blood-streaked face splashed across the internet.
‘There’s nothing broken,’ Dr Gould said, leaning back as he finished his examination.
‘I think it’s just a calf strain – tennis leg, they call it, as it’s quite common in tennis players
when they leap around. It’s more common in men in our age bracket.’ I had to smother a laugh
at that: grey-haired Dr Gould must have been at least fifteen years older than Paddy. ‘We need
to get some ice on it as soon as possible.’
‘Tina will have some.’ I beckoned her over. ‘Do you have an ice pack in your cool
bag?’
‘Of course I do. I can’t stand warm Scotch eggs.’
Borrowing Tina’s ice pack and a tea towel that she was also mysteriously carrying in
her cool bag, Dr Gould applied ice to Paddy’s leg.
‘You’ll probably need to do this every hour, at least for the first day or two,’ he said,
rummaging in his bag and bringing out a prescription pad. ‘I’ll give you some anti-
inflammatories and painkillers. You should wear a compression bandage during the day. The
chemist in town is open until five today and they should have everything you need. The
important thing is to rest your leg and keep it elevated as much as possible. The first forty-eight
119
Kate Field
Eve and Paddy
hours will be the worst, but you’ll probably be limited in what you can do for the next week or
two.’ Dr Gould closed his bag and stood up. ‘The cut on your head doesn’t need stitches, but
it was a nasty bump. Someone needs to stay with you for a few days to watch out for any signs
of concussion – behavioural changes, memory problems, clumsiness. Go to A&E if you have
any concerns.’
Dr Gould waved and wandered off. I could already see one huge problem that nothing
in his medical bag could fix.
‘How are you going to get home?’ I asked. ‘Did you drive here?’ Paddy nodded. ‘Where
do you live? Still in London?’
‘No. Near Ripon.’
‘Really?’ That surprised me. He had been brought up in London, and I had assumed he
would be enjoying the celebrity life in the capital, not hiding away in North Yorkshire. But that
was good news: it was only a couple of hours away, and presumably someone could fetch him.
Unless someone was already here? I hadn’t given any thought to whether he was on his own
or not. Perhaps Posy was waiting for him at the Fairlie, beautifying herself in the spa in
readiness for his return. She’d be disappointed to see him arrive back in this state. She’d
probably had more exciting plans for the weekend than applying ice packs to Paddy’s leg.
‘So can Posy come and pick you up?’ I asked. ‘Or did she travel with you today?’
‘Posy?’ Even under the grimace of pain, I could make out Paddy’s puzzled frown. I
hoped it wasn’t a sign of forgetfulness already.
‘Wasn’t that her name? The girl at the hotel? Or have you moved on to someone else
now?’
‘Posy is my research assistant,’ Paddy replied with pointed emphasis. ‘Not my
girlfriend, if that’s what you’re suggesting. Posy has had more luck recently than I have in
120
Kate Field
Eve and Paddy
finding one of those.’ He managed a half-hearted smile. ‘I live on my own, so there’s no one
to collect me. Anyway, I’m booked in to The White Hart.’
‘Great!’ I smiled in relief. ‘I’m sure we can figure out a way to get you there. The St
John Ambulance probably have a stretcher …’
Tina was staring at me. I pretended not to notice, but I should have known better than
to think that would work on a woman who could terrify a room full of teenagers into obedience.
‘You can’t leave him at The White Hart,’ Tina said. ‘You heard the Doc. He needs
looking after.’
‘I’m sure Lexy could be persuaded to offer room service …’
‘Meals, maybe, but regular application of ice packs and help to the loo is going beyond
the usual room service menu. And how can she watch out for concussion? Only someone who
knows him would spot any change in his behaviour.’
She paused. She didn’t need to say any more. This was my responsibility, wasn’t it? I
had asked Paddy to get involved with the walk, and I had to deal with the consequences. But it
was more than a sense of obligation. I couldn’
t stand aside, watch someone suffering and do
nothing, whoever it was. Even if it was Paddy. I watched him grimace with pain as he tried to
get up. Especially if it was Paddy.
‘Okay,’ I said to him, though I couldn’t believe I was saying the words. ‘You’ll have
to come and stay with me.’
*
I unlocked my front door and stepped into the silent, empty house. My man-free house – or it
had been, until now. I reckoned I had about fifteen minutes to race round tidying up and getting
it ready for the arrival of the first man ever to spend a night here since I had purchased it. And
not just any man – Paddy, the very last man I would ever have expected or invited to stay here.
How on earth had this happened?
121
Kate Field
Eve and Paddy
I hadn’t taken my car out this morning, and Tina had offered to drive Paddy here and
to call at The White Hart for his bags and at the pharmacy for his medication, so that I could
have some time to make the house decent. Not that it needed much: it wasn’t a large house,
and I didn’t make much mess on my own. I had cleared away the breakfast bowl and glass,
removed anything personal from the bathroom cabinet and fitted the single bed in the spare
room with clean sheets by the time I heard car doors slamming on my drive.
When I opened the front door, Paddy was standing on the drive, resting on a pair of
crutches as he gazed up at the house. What was he thinking? Was he making a judgement –
feeling relief that he hadn’t ended up here too? There was still too much pain in his face to tell.
‘I had a stroke of inspiration!’ Tina called, as she and Graham retrieved a couple of
bags from the car. ‘I called at The Chestnuts to see if they had any spare crutches. It was the
least they could do after Paddy was injured fighting for their cause. Come on, let him in, he
needs to get that leg up.’
I moved out of the doorway and, with a weary smile, Paddy hobbled over the threshold,
turning left into the living room.
A Dozen Second Chances (ARC) Page 14
