Kate had been watching and waiting impatiently for Peter's car and as she leaned impatiently on the garden wall she saw it swinging round the corner. She ran to the gate, laughing and happy. Peter jumped out of the car and gave her a hug.
"You look well old girl," he told her laughing.
"Oh it's all the country air!" She said smiling. "Toby – good to see you!" She hugged him too. He looked admiringly at her.
"Peter's right – you do look good. Bit of a luck this country air will do something for us as well. Look it is all right me coming along too isn't it? Have you got room for both of us?"
"Lots. Well not lots but enough. Come on, I'll show you where to put your car Peter then come into the house and we can talk! Oh, Nick isn't here by the way. He was sorry about that but he's on overtime duties this afternoon."
"Pity," Peter said trying to hide the scathing note in his voice as Toby shot a warning look at him.
They got into the house which Peter promptly dismissed as small, dark and generally poky although Toby seemed quite charmed with it. After the usual pleasantries of being shown their room – not enough room to swing a cat, was Peter's summing up – and stowing their bags they joined Kate downstairs for tea and a catch up.
"How are your parents Peter?" Kate had stayed with Peter's parents on a number of occasions and was very fond of them.
"They're fine. In fact, they're part of the reason we're here."
Kate looked puzzled as she sipped her tea.
"Peter's father is retiring," Toby told her.
"Really?"
"Yes. He's got some bee in his bonnet about retiring whilst he's young enough to enjoy retirement. He and Ma have bought a little cottage in a neighbouring village and are planning various excursions – trips abroad and so on." Peter set down his tea cup. "Leaving me with the practice."
"And myself joining the practice as his new partner," Toby said quietly and with a smile.
"You're going to be in practice together!" Kate's eyes shone. "That's great news, I mean you got on so well at medical school. And all those plans we had about how we would change things and do them differently. You can put them in place now."
"Well gently of course," Peter said. "We don't want to shock the village with too much reform!" He cleared his throat. "Damn I wasn't going to mention this today. Was going to work up to it a bit."
"How do you mean?" Kate asked.
"What he's working up to is," Toby said, "is that the practice is changing and growing. There's work for three GP's. Not two. We need another doctor."
"Kate. We had to offer it to you," Peter said looking directly at her.
She swallowed. She was aware the room had gone quiet. Heard the clock ticking, suddenly very loud. She fiddled with her tea cup.
"I've got a partner here. I've gone into a partnership with James Radcliffe."
"It's not formalised. You're going through a trial period at the moment. If it had been formalised and settled we probably wouldn't have asked you. But you told me the final arrangements hadn't been made. Kate, I felt I had to ask you if you wanted this," Peter said.
"Yes. Yes. I know." She paused. "If it was only me I would be saying yes. But there's Nick and what he wants and, well, however much I try to deny it, we love Aidensfield. To leave here would be – hard. Not impossible. But hard."
"We know. We know you have to talk to Nick and things so look we're here a week. No more about it. Think and talk and then come back to us before we leave here and perhaps let us know then?" Toby looked frowningly at Peter as he said this mentally urging Peter not to force the issue. Peter sat back in his chair getting the message for once.
Kate nodded. "Yes. Yes that would be best." But deep down she knew Nick would be resistant to the idea. She would have to broach it with him, discuss it with him. Not yet though. She would keep it to herself, for now.
Nick was dropped off home by Phil at 8pm. The house was in darkness. "Kate gone out?" Phil asked.
"She said she'd probably take Peter and this other friend Toby out for a drink. I said I didn't mind."
Phil shook his head. "You need to talk to her Nick. Keeping secrets isn't good."
He sighed. "Maybe. Good night Phil."
"Good night."
Kate had left a note to the effect that if Nick were not too tired he should join them in the pub. But he was too tired and he simply had a hot bath something to eat and then headed for bed.
When Kate and the two men got in she said lightly, "Wonder if Nick's home? I'll go and check."
Peter filled a pan with milk and put it on the stove for hot chocolate as Kate went upstairs. She was back in a minute or two. "He's in but fast asleep."
"Thought you two came up here for a quiet life!" Toby said.
"Oh you'd be surprised. Not all peace and quiet in the country!" Kate took the hot chocolate Peter passed to her. "What have you two planned for tomorrow?"
"Well we thought we'd look someone up. Andrew Lawson, from our medical student days. He's just took up a post in York. I phoned him on Friday and he suggested we call in on him Sunday, he's not working. You coming Kate?"
"Yes that would be lovely. Nick might come too if he's not too tired."
"Hopefully," Peter said to Toby as Kate left the room for a moment, "he will be."
Nick was genuinely too tired. He was still asleep as they were nearly ready to go an Kate just didn't have the heart to wake him. She finally took him up a cup of tea by which time he was just rousing up.
"Hey." He gave her a sleepy kiss. "Did Toby and Peter get here all right?"
"Yes fine. We had a nice day yesterday. They want to go to York today to see an old friend from university. I'd like to go too. Do you mind?"
"Not at all, you'll enjoy it. I'll stay here, cook dinner tonight."
"All right love. Have a good day and I'll see you later."
Moving to the bedroom window Nick watched her run down the path to Peter's car. She had seemed different that morning. Younger, more carefree. He bit his lip as he saw her laughing and ducking into Peter's car. Nick wished he felt easier about the situation but he did not. He quite simply did not trust Peter Hughes.
He fully intended to have an easy day. Cook dinner, catch up on a bit of paperwork, do some chores. It went out of the window at 4pm when the telephone rang.
"Pc Rowan? Its Robert Buckley at the Golden Fleece here. Listen, I had a young couple staying with me, B & B. They left at two o'clock yesterday afternoon to walk over t'moor and book in at The Heights. Like a walking tour. So I said I'd send over their luggage yesterday by car to save them carrying it all. Right grateful they were. Only thing is, Tom Betts at The Heights has just phoned me. Their luggage is there but there's no sign of the owners. Tom thought they'd perhaps camped out but he's worried now summat's happened to 'em."
Kate had a lovely day in York. It had been a bright sunny day and she had enjoyed the company very much. She, Peter, Toby and Andrew talked of hopes and plans, the job, and she felt fulfilled somehow.
Heading for home the weather changed and became cloudy, overcast and it began to rain. Kate felt her good mood begin to dissipate and finally evaporate altogether when they arrived home to find the police house in darkness.
"Oh I hope Nick hasn't been called out!" Kate let them in the house and sighed as she read the note on the kitchen table. "Missing walkers. He could be out all night."
Peter exchanged a glance with Toby. "Seems to lead a busy life, old Nick," he said lightly.
"It can happen." Kate sighed then managed a smile.. "Oh well. Lets cobble some dinner together and eat in front of the fire."
She went to bed but slept uneasily and restlessly and when Nick finally came in at three, dripping wet and exhausted she woke from her half sleep and downstairs.
"Kate you should be in bed…"
"I was but I couldn't sleep properly. Oh love, you're soaked.. Look hot bath and I'll make some soup. Did you find them?"
"Yeah. They'd gone off route and one had a broken leg but we got them. Kate I'm sorry this weekend has been a wash out."
"It hasn't. I've enjoyed it. And you couldn't help not being around. Now come on hot bath!"
Sitting up in bed sipping carefully at a mug of hot soup with Kate half asleep in bed beside him Nick remembered something.
"Kate? Did Peter tell you what he wanted to discuss with you?"
Her eyes had been shut but now they snapped open. "Yes. Nothing, well, nothing too important."
"Kate?"
"No. It can wait Nick. Now come on you need to rest. We'll talk later.
