Country Wives (6 page)

“What’s happened to Stephie, then?”

“On holiday for three weeks, a family wedding in New Zealand. We are grateful for Letty’s help.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“You should have seen Joy’s face when Colin told her. I didn’t need to ask what she thought of the idea. She tried hard to sound enthusiastic, but it rang very hollow. She said afterward to me that she’d be praying like mad tonight for Lynne to come in because she couldn’t stand Letty. She must be difficult, because Joy is always so loyal about people. It’s not like her to talk about someone that way.”

“I like Joy; she’s nice. She might do better, might this Letty, than you think. Keep an open mind.”

“I will.” Kate idly rearranged the tiny flowers Mia had put in a bowl in the middle of the table and then said, “I’ve upset Dad. He said it seemed like a miracle to him when I was born, so I asked him what my mother thought of me, and he couldn’t answer. That’s why he’s upstairs with his trains.”

Mia sighed. She spotted a flower in danger of falling out of the bowl and pushed it back in. “I’d better go see. Put the kettle
on; I’m parched. He never speaks of her to me, so …” She got up from the table and began to climb to the attic.

She found Gerry engrossed in rearranging the figures standing on the main platform. With a Q-tip he was meticulously cleaning a porter pushing a trolley, intense concentration on his face, not noticing her arrival. It was a magnificent layout, with trees and station buildings, sidings and signal boxes, passengers and rolling stock, parcels waiting to be loaded, ticket office open, sandwich board announcing a day trip to the sea next Saturday—minute detail lovingly and painstakingly worked upon by a real enthusiast. Zooming round a wide curve at the far edge of the layout was the Flying Scotsman hurtling toward the station.

“It’s me.”

Gerry looked up, startled. “Sorry. Didn’t hear you. What do you want?”

“In the best of all possible worlds your wife would like you to come clean with Kate about her mother. There. I’ve said it.”

Gerry didn’t answer.

“I mean it, Gerry.”

He bent to replace the porter, and his knuckles collided with the Flying Scotsman as it dashed by. It shot up in the air and crashed down on the signal box farther down the line.

“Damn and blast! Now look what you’ve made me do. It’s all your fault.”

“No, Gerry, it’s yours. You should have told her years ago. She’s reached an age when she needs to know; and I can’t tell her because I never met the woman, did I?”

Gerry tenderly picked up the engine and examined it. He appeared engrossed and Mia thought she’d lost the initiative, but suddenly he answered her. “How can I tell her that her mother walked out on her, a defenseless, helpless babe? What’s that going to do to her?”

“Sometimes, however hard it is, it’s better to face the truth. After all, it isn’t as if she’s been in an orphanage somewhere, is it? She’s had you all her life and then me since before she can remember. She’s never been without family.”

He pleaded with her, “You tell her, Mia, for me. Please.”

“I’m sorry. I’ve done all that for her myself over the years, all the birds and the bees stuff and the like. But this time, Gerry, it’s you who has to stand up and be counted.” She wetted the corner of her handkerchief on her tongue and rubbed at a mark on the roof of the signal box. “Hiding in here won’t make the problem go away; and I can’t tell her, can I? I wasn’t here. Please, Gerry, explain to her.” A bush had got crushed by the accident, and she plumped it straight. “If you don’t, she could well go looking for her; and you wouldn’t like that, now would you?”

Gerry’s head came up with a jerk. “She wouldn’t, would she?”

“Why shouldn’t she? You couldn’t stop her if she did decide to.”

Gerry placed the Flying Scotsman gently back on the rails beside the platform, pressed the “go” button and off it went, with his eyes following it anxiously. “No damage done.”

Mia deliberately misunderstood him. “There will be if you don’t speak up.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“You’ll do more than think because if you don’t do it voluntarily, one day I shall broach the subject myself in front of her; and then you’ll have to tell, and you won’t be prepared and you’ll make a mess of it. I mean it.”

Gerry looked shocked. “You wouldn’t.”

“I would. And when you tell her, you tell her
everything
.”

“You wouldn’t go against my wishes.”

“Try me. It will be painful for me, and I know it will be very painful for you, but she has a right.”

“She hasn’t. It happened to me, not Kate; she was too young to know.”

“That’s nonsense and you know it. You’re burying your head in the sand.” Mia put an arm round his shoulders. “Kate’s made a pot of tea. Come down.”

“In a bit.”

“I love the pair of you, you know. Not just Kate. I do understand, but it has to be faced. She’s not to blame.”

Gerry finished dusting the passengers and regrouped them on the platform. Mia pointed to a dog laid on its back between the rails. “Look! The dog’s fallen on the line, the poor thing.”

“So it has.” He dusted it off and stood it beside a little girl. “When I made this little girl, I thought of her as Kate.”

“Well, unlike that girl, Kate has grown up; remember that when next you play with all this.” She waved an arm at the layout.

“Play? Play!
I don’t play. I
operate.”

Mia laughed. Standing at the top of the attic stairs she said, “Cup of tea ready if you want it.” From the third step she paused to add, “I meant what I said.” She went down, looking forward to a cup of tea and watching television with Kate; but Mia drank her tea alone, for Kate had gone to her room to work.

T
HE
next day began badly for Kate. The everlasting roadworks which appeared to have been disrupting Barleybridge for the last decade had caused even more chaos than usual, in consequence of which she was fifteen minutes late for work. Gratefully she saw that Letty’s little Mini wasn’t in the car park and heaved a sigh of relief; at least that meant she wouldn’t have her wrath to face, though it also meant there’d been no one on the desk for the first fifteen minutes of the morning.

Leaping out of her car, she raced through the back door, flung off her coat and gloves, grabbed her uniform, put it on in record time and dashed into reception.

“You’re late!” Letty glanced at the clock behind her. “Fifteen minutes late. It’s not good enough when we’re shorthanded. You’ll have to work an extra fifteen before you go for lunch.”

Kate held up her hands in a conciliatory gesture. “Fine, it’s the blessed roadworks still. One day I expect they’ll have all the new sewer pipes laid, and then I shan’t be late. It was worse than ever this morning. I thought you hadn’t come; I didn’t see your car.”

“Colin gave me a lift. Then you should take that into account and leave earlier.” Two phones began ringing at the same time. As Kate reached out to pick up the receiver of one of them, Letty said, “Hurry up! Answer it!”

When they’d both attended to the phones, she went on, “You know we leave the phones ringing no longer than three rings. You’ll have to smarten up. It’s no way to run a practice.”

Kate put up with Letty’s bullying tactics with as much patience as she could and was just reaching the end of her tolerance when Dan came in. He burst in through the door at his accustomed speed, gave a brief nod to the waiting clients and went to the reception desk. “Good morning, girls. My list please, Kate.”

“Good morning to you, Dan. Here we are. Your first call is at Applegate Farm; I don’t know what for. Sounds urgent, but then Mrs. Parsons always does make it sound as if their entire stock is about to expire the first chance they get, and—”

Letty brusquely interrupted their conversation by saying, “Might I ask, Mr. Brown, why you consider it fit to arrive to begin your day’s work one and a half hours after you are expected? And unshaven, too.”

Dan glanced at Kate and she saw a spark of anger in his eyes. She knew why he was late; he’d come straight to the practice without breakfast, having been called out to the other side of town at five past six that morning. She was going to speak in Dan’s defense before Letty put her foot in it any further, but she was too late.

Dan answered first. “And a very good morning to you too, Letty.” He turned his back to her and spoke to Kate. “Yes, you were saying?”

Letty gasped with anger. “I asked you a question. You might have the courtesy to reply.”

Patiently he faced her and said softly, “I was called out at five past six this morning to a cow with a twisted gut. I have just finished. I have had no breakfast, and I am here to start my day’s work. Do you have a problem with that?”

Letty had the grace to blush. “I see. I beg your pardon.”

“So I should think.”

Kate said, “Look, if you’ve missed your breakfast, Miriam will be only too delighted to find you cereal and toast. Let me go and ask her. If she finds out you’ve not eaten …”

“Colin has to manage without many times.”

Dan retorted, “Having you to live with, I must assume he has a stronger constitution than me. I should be most grateful, Kate, if Miriam doesn’t mind. I didn’t get a real meal last night either because I was called out; so yes, that would be great.”

“I’ll go and ask her. You can use the shower if you like.”

Dan gave a broad grin. “Do I need to?”

It was Kate’s turn to blush. “No. I thought it might make you feel better, that’s all.”

“Thank you, I will. Won’t be long. I want to get started on that list.” He gave Letty a mocking Nazi salute, clicked his heels and disappeared toward the shower room.

“That man is insolent.”

“That man is working his socks off, Mrs. Walker. I’ll leave you in charge while I get his breakfast.”

“How long have you worked here? Three months, is it?”

“About that.”

“You’ve far too much to say for yourself, far too much. I can see it’s not a moment too soon that I’ve come here to work. The whole place is falling apart. Joy needs to smarten things up. Wait till she’s in tomorrow. I’m making a list for her.”

“I’m going for Dan’s breakfast.”

Miriam was only too delighted to make breakfast for Dan. “Of course I will, the poor man. Toast and cereal. Right. Tea or coffee?”

“Well, I didn’t ask. I imagine he’s a coffee man, actually.”

Miriam got busy in the kitchen. “I do like him.”

“So do I, but I’m afraid he’s caught Mrs. Walker on the wrong foot this morning.”

“Does anyone ever do any other? Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Still, I rather imagine Dan is perfectly capable of getting the better of her. No word from Lynne?”

“Joy rang her first thing, and she’ll be back next week. A cold, her mother said.”

“Mm. That came on rather suddenly. There, just the toast to wait for.” Miriam leaned against the kitchen worktop and said, “Don’t let Letty get you down. She goes at four and then I shall be in. Just sorry I’ve this dental appointment, but I daren’t miss it. Toothache, you know. Thanks for working all day. At least it means Joy gets her day off.”

The toast popped up and shot from the toaster with such vigor that both slices hit the window, just missing a plant on the sill. Miriam rescued them, gave them a brisk dusting off and wrapped them in a napkin to keep them warm for Dan. “Sorry! I keep meaning to buy a new toaster, but it’s such fun
when it does that, I keep putting it off.” She smiled as she handed Kate the tray. “Take care. Say to Dan he’s welcome to breakfast any time.”

Kate felt she should warn Dan about the dreadful conditions at Applegate Farm. “It’s filthy. Absolutely filthy. You must put your boots on before you get out of the Land Rover.”

“Why?”

“Why? Because of the mud and filth.”

“No. Why is it so filthy?”

“Well, you’ve seen Phil Parsons. His farm takes after him.”

“I see.”

“Scott tried to get him to clear up, but he never did.”

“Right. Well, I won’t tolerate it. I shall certainly have a word. The animals must take priority. It’s sheer idleness leaving a farm mucky. I’ll sort him out.”

Letty heard him say this as she was going past with a message for Mungo. Putting her head round the door she said, “You’ll do no such thing. We can’t afford to lose any more clients. Who is it you’re referring to?”

“Phil Parsons.”

“Oh! Well, he’ll be no great loss. It’s like getting blood out of a stone getting him to pay.”

“I have your permission, then, to have a word?”

Letty looked uncomfortable. “Well, no, I didn’t mean that exactly.”

“Then kindly leave me to decide, Letty. I am the vet.”

Letty’s face registered very real annoyance almost as though she hated the idea that Dan was the professional and she wasn’t. Angrily she snapped, “The sooner we can manage without you the better.”

Dan raised his eyes to the ceiling in despair.

On her way back from seeing Mungo, Letty came in to say Mungo wanted her to remind him about attending that charity
auction, and had he accepted? Dan, his mouth full of toast, nodded. He emptied his cup and fled to begin his calls.

Applegate Farm proved to be as Kate had said. Dan surveyed it from his driving seat and shook his head in disbelief. The actual buildings were in quite good nick, he thought; it was the muck and mess around the whole place which shocked him. Even the farmhouse looked chronically neglected. Torn curtains at the dirty windows, doors and window frames seriously in need of a lick of paint, old farm machinery rusting in the yard and shrouds of cobwebs clinging everywhere.

He twisted round, picked up his Wellingtons from the big washing-up bowl he kept them in to avoid mud inside his vehicle, put them on—which was difficult in the confines of the driver’s seat—then jumped out.

Phil Parsons leaped out from a doorway on the far right of the yard. “You’re here. For God’s sake, where have you been? Blossom said it was urgent. Come on!”

Dan paddled his way across the yard and went into the darkest, grimiest stall he’d ever seen, to be confronted by Phil’s bull in deep distress. His head was hanging low and loud rasping noises filled the air. His flanks were heaving each time he breathed, and Phil began hopping from one foot to the other shouting, “Do something! Do something! What’s up with ’im. Pneumonia, is it? Or what?”