Oh she’d give anything now to know that they’d be able to do the same next year; that Maisie was okay. She glanced at her phone again to check she hadn’t missed any messages. Jim had told her he’d head for the farm as he had his Landrover which would make easy work of the muddy fields.
There was the smallest chance that Maisie remembered their walks, this path, and that she’d been heading back to the surgery this way. At least that would explain why Roo was muddy.
She clambered onto the stile and paused astride it, scanning the fields from the higher vantage point. In the distance she thought she could just make out the figure of Ed Wright and his quad bike, and heading over one long, slightly sloped field was a lone figure that could have been Jim, or even Charlie.
Jumping down onto the damp grass she urged Piper, who wanted to stop and sniff everything, into going faster. Soon she was slipping and sliding along the muddy edge of the field, very relieved that there were no cows in sight, as she peered under the hedges, and stopped every now and then to shout Maisie’s name.
Out of breath, with mud spattered up her jeans, Lucy finally reached the back of the farmhouse and made her way round to the yard at the front. Charlie’s car was parked at the front next to a Landrover she was sure belonged to Jim.
It seemed sensible to go straight to the building that Charlie and Maisie called home, and she was soon rapping on the door. Pausing only for a minute she pushed the door open.
‘Anybody there?’
‘In here love.’ Beth Wright waved from the open plan kitchen. ‘Just getting the kettle on and making a few bacon sandwiches.’
Disappointment hit her. She’d been willing them to be here. For everything to be alright. ‘No sign?’ It was obvious that Maisie wasn’t there, that Charlie hadn’t returned, but she asked the question anyway.
‘No love, but I’m sure these will be welcome when they get back. Poor little nipper, she’ll not have got far on those little legs though. I remember being told about my Ed doing exactly the same when he wasn’t much older, ran up the fields he did because he thought he’d got foot and mouth and would be shot.’ She shook her head. ‘It was chicken pox, the silly fool, but you don’t always know what goes on in a child’s head do you?’ She tapped the side of her head to demonstrate.
‘Very true.’ Lucy sighed, and sank down onto one of the kitchen chairs. ‘Charlie blames himself.’ She’d hoped against hope that she’d find Maisie wandering along the footpath, but there had been no sign – no little footprints, so she was sure she hadn’t been that way. Now she felt surprisingly deflated.
‘Ah, but we do, don’t we love? All that parental guilt, can’t do right for doing wrong can we? Right, get your coat off love and give me a hand, there’s enough of them heading out in the fields at the moment and we can join them if she doesn’t turn up in the next hour. Though it might be worth you checking under the beds, you know what a man-look is like? Sometimes they can’t see what’s in plain view.’
Lucy was glad of the friendly chatter, which held a lot of common-sense. ‘I’ll go and check, just in case.’ She headed upstairs, sure that Charlie had checked everywhere, but more than happy to double check. She was on her hands and knees peering under the bed for the second time when her mobile phone rang.
‘Charlie? You’ve got her?’
‘No.’ The worry echoed in that single word. ‘Not exactly, but I think Jim might have found her. I’m in the bottom field, but he went off on his own. I just got a very strange text from him, I’ll forward it to you, see what you can make of it.’
Stuk in a dich, in to aker feeld by pit nead help
Lucy frowned at the message and felt the first glimmer of hope since the distraught Charlie had arrived to break the bad news.
‘Beth?’ She scrambled down the stairs into the kitchen. ‘Does the two acre field near the pit mean anything to you?’
‘Course it does, lovey.’ A broad grin spread across Beth’s round face. ‘Ah, now that does make sense now you mention it. Hang on let me wipe my hands and I’ll give Ed a ring and get him over there, I’m not sure where he is at the moment but I’m sure he can find Charlie and take him.’
‘It sounds like Jim or Maisie has had an accident, I reckon Jim got Maisie to send this text because he’s, well I think it means stuck in a ditch?’
‘He’s not, is he? Silly old bugger. Hang on, love, let me ring my Ed.’
‘I’ll let Charlie know.’ She tapped out his number, and he picked up immediately. ‘Beth knows where they are, she’s calling Ed, have you seen him?’
‘Other side of this field I think, we split up, so we could check out the copse and the ditches.’
‘Get over to him, but I think he’ll call you once Beth has passed the message on. I’ll wait here Charlie, oh God I hope they’re okay. I’ll ring off so he can get hold of you.’ She sat down, her legs suddenly wobbly. Piper sat on her feet and looked up. ‘She’s okay, she’s going to be okay.’ She fondled the dog’s ears.
‘Here you are love, nice mug of sweet, warm tea. Our Ed is on the way over there, and he’s already picked Charlie up on the quad bike.’
Lucy gazed out of the window. She wanted to be at Charlie’s side, she wanted to be holding his hand so he knew he wasn’t alone in this. She wanted him to know that Maisie was already a big part of her own life, that whatever Josie said or did, that would never be taken away.
She blinked away the threatening tears. She knew Maisie didn’t need a mother, she had Josie. But the emptiness in her stomach, the fear that was churning inside was telling her something that she’d been trying to ignore. It wasn’t just Charlie that she loved; she cared for Maisie far, far more than she’d admitted to herself.
She’d told her mother that they weren’t a family, that her and Charlie couldn’t even be a proper couple at the moment, that it wasn’t like that. And what was it her mum had said back? ‘Tell the world whatever you want, but inside you know exactly what you are.’ She hadn’t known, or hadn’t been ready to acknowledge it. Until now.
Maisie had to come back, she had to be safe.
‘They’ll find her, love.’ Beth patted her hand and sat down beside her as she wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand. ‘Never underestimate old Jim.’
Lucy sniffed. She had to pull herself together, for Charlie’s sake. What good would she be – sitting here wailing? She nodded. ‘That message had to have been sent by Maisie,’ it had, there was no doubt in her mind about that, ‘so she must be okay. They both must be, because Jim would have told her what to write, and it was his phone that the message came from.’
‘She must be fine, love. She must. Oh now, would you look at that, Ed’s ringing again.’ Beth bustled away to answer the phone, and Lucy was itching to follow her. Desperate to find out what was going on. ‘Ed says they’re safe and sound. Your Charlie is making his way back with Maisie, but he says they’ve had to ring for an ambulance.’ She shook her head. ‘Sounds like old Jim’s done some damage. They tried to get him on the quad bike, but the poor man was in too much pain so they’ve rung for help.’ She was on the move again. ‘You stay where you are love, I’ll ask our Helen to keep an eye out for the medics and point them in the right direction when they get here.’ She bustled out of the house in search of her daughter, and Lucy let out a sigh, her whole body trembling with it as shock and relief hit with equal measure.
Maisie was okay. They were all going to be okay. Apart from of course poor Jim.
Lucy was sure she could hear excited barks. At first she convinced herself she was hearing things, but then she was sure. Positive. And Piper confirmed it, she sat bolt upright, her ears pricked, her tail doing a very slow wag, whooshing over the floor.
It felt like she’d been sat here waiting in the kitchen for a lifetime. Her and Beth had both jumped up when they saw the blue flashing lights of the ambulance, and they’d rushed out to make sure that Helen had given clear instructions to the cheery crew. Then they’
d despondently gone back into the warmth, not sure how much longer they had to wait.
Lucy dived for the door as the noise got louder, and was unmistakeable. It had to be Roo, which meant one thing.
Charlie was striding across the yard, and Lucy ran across to meet them.
‘Where’s Roo?’ Lucy looked at Maisie, who was wrapped in a large blanket, her small hands clutching Charlie’s shirt, and she couldn’t help but smile.
Her auburn hair was wet, clinging in ringlets to her pale face, her features cold and pinched, tears streaming down her face. ‘I want Roo, and he got lost.’
‘Oh, Maisie.’ Lucy was laughing through her own tears as she wrapped her arms round both of them, then pulled back, not wanting to frighten Maisie with a rush of too much emotion. ‘Roo’s fine. Look,’ her voice was uneven, and she swallowed hard. She had to sound normal, for Maisie’s sake. ‘He’s run inside, which is where we should all be. There’s a big fire, and we can even make hot chocolate if you like?’
‘With marshmallows?’
‘With marshmallows.’
‘Roo’s not going to get lost again?’
‘He wasn’t lost. He came here, home, to tell us where you were.’ Charlie rolled his eyes as Lucy said the words. Okay, she was stretching the truth a little bit. Roo had been no use at all in showing them the way, but he had at least headed home and put them, well Jim, on the right track.
‘How’s Jim?’
‘They should be on their way back with him soon.’
‘Ahh, there you are. Get inside, inside quick, you’ll all catch your death of cold.’ Beth herded them in, then deftly caught Roo as he made a dash towards the open door, and lifted him up. ‘Now look at this little horror, he’s all cold and dirty isn’t he, a right mucky pup. How about Ted and his sister giving him a bath for you? How’s that?’ Maisie nodded. ‘Then you can have him back when he’s all sorted.’ She tucked the wriggling dog firmly under her arm. ‘I’ll be off and get him sorted, and give you some time on your own. He’ll be back in a jiff.’ She glanced from Charlie to Lucy. ‘If there’s anything you need, just give us a shout. I’ve thrown some more wood in the stove, and there’s more butties over there if you’re hungry.’
‘Thanks, Beth, you’ve been amazing.’ Lucy gave her a hug.
‘Oh stop that with your nonsense, just being neighbourly. Right, I’ll be off and get the kids to clean up this pup for you.’
Tiredness hit Lucy as she closed the door quietly behind Beth. She sank down on the sofa next to the warm bulk of Charlie, and Maisie stirred.
‘Roo was keeping me warm, we cuddled by the tree, then he got scared when a big bird made a horrible noise,’ Maisie made a squawk noise, ‘and he wriggled away.’ Tears brimmed up in her eyes again as she gazed up at Lucy. ‘I couldn’t find him.’
‘Well he’s home safe now, and so are you.’
Maisie nodded and put her thumb in her mouth, her eyes half closing as she relaxed against her dad’s warm body. ‘I showed Roo the tree, I went to see Jim’s tree, got to show Lucy the big tree …’ Her voice drifted. ‘Jim came, where’s Jim? Jim’s hurt his leg and I had to do his phone cos his fingers are too big.’ She rubbed her eyes, then yawned and snuggled in closer. ‘Jim’s my friend.’ She sighed. ‘Jim said I belong here now my name’s on the tree.’
Lucy looked at the exhausted little girl, and a shattered Charlie, who was hugging his daughter tightly in his arms as though he was never going to let go.
‘Is Jim okay?’
Charlie wiped his palm over his face, and tried to shake off the fatigue. ‘We managed to get him out of the ditch, but there was no way he was coming back on the quad bike. He was in agony every time he moved. I think he’s got a dislocated knee and God knows what else he’s damaged. I was going to try and pop it back in, but he was in such agony the last thing I wanted to do was cause him more pain. I passed the medics on my way back with Maisie, they’ll strap it up, give him some painkillers and get him over to the hospital.’
‘At least the ambulance got here quickly.’
Charlie nodded. ‘And we managed to get him out of that ditch. The cold and damp wasn’t doing him much good, he’s not as young as he likes to think he is. Good job he knew where to look though.’ He brushed Maisie’s hair back from her face, and gazed down at the sleepy child. ‘He said she was curled up next to the tree, still cuddling Roo’s tug toy when he found her.’
‘Jim’s tree?’
‘Well it isn’t exactly Jim’s tree.’ He gave a tired smile. ‘I think most people who grew up in this place think it’s theirs. I’ve not been down there for years, but it used to be one of my favourite haunts when I was a kid. Why didn’t I think of it?’
‘You’ve taken Maisie down before?’
‘No.’ A frown creased his brow. ‘No, I haven’t actually. I didn’t even know she’d been. Jim took her off for a walk more than once over the summer though.’
‘He’s a good man.’ Lucy had always thought that was a bit of a glib, meaningless comment, but she realised now what it really meant. Jim was a good man. He was one of those people who always seemed to be there when you needed him, but gone before you really had a chance to say thank you. ‘Do you think he’s lonely without Annie?’ Lucy knew that Jim and his sister were close, they had steady teasing banter that you only heard between people who loved each other.
‘I’m sure he misses her, but he’s always looked out for people.’
‘I hope he’s okay.’ Lucy looked down at their hands, which had somehow found each other. ‘I better get back and lock the hens up for the night, and feed the rest of the animals.’
‘You’ll come back?’
She stared into his deep brown eyes for a moment, then smiled. ‘I’ll come back.’ She nodded. ‘I won’t be long, but I better pop in and let Elsie know as well, she’ll be worried. I did text round and let everybody know as soon as we knew Maisie was safe, and I rang Elsie, but I’m sure she’ll be happier hearing the full details. She sounded,’ she paused, ‘worried.’ Her voice had wavered, and when Lucy had put the phone down she’d felt uneasy. Elsie had sounded old, almost panicked in the way she’d insisted on Lucy repeating the information, assuring her that everybody was safe.
‘Leave Piper here if you like, and take Jim’s Landrover.’
‘Jim’s?’
‘Well he won’t be in any state to drive it. You could drop it off at Elsie’s where it’s handy, and then you can drive back here in your own car. It’ll save you a walk, Luce, you look knackered.’
‘But …’
‘I’ll walk round from the surgery in the morning and shift it onto his drive.’
There was a flash of lights, and Lucy walked over to the window. ‘They’re just loading Jim in, on a stretcher.’
‘Do you mind having Maisie for a mo? I’d like to see him.’
She nodded, and took Charlie’s place on the sofa, gathering Maisie up into her arms as he headed outside.
‘You’ll never believe who has just turned up.’ Charlie was back within a few minutes, and didn’t give her time to reply. ‘Timothy Parry!’
‘Really?’ Who was the last person Lucy would have guessed. ‘What’s Tim doing here?’
‘He’s going to follow the ambulance over in his car, I was a bit worried that nobody would go with Jim, but Beth is already in the ambulance with him holding his hand, and Timothy was not to be deterred.’ He grinned. The first proper grin she’d seen on his face all day. ‘No doubt he’s been ordered to give Elsie a full report, you know what that pair are like. Thick as thieves. Here,’ he reached down and scooped Maisie out of her arms. For a moment they were almost nose to nose and Lucy reached up impulsively and kissed him. ‘I’ll put her to bed.’ His voice had a gruff edge to it. ‘You get back home and do what you have to, it’s getting dark.’
Lucy was surprised to see just how much the light had faded when she got outside. She glanced at her watch, she’d completely lost track of time.
The yard was deserted. Strangely silent now that the ambulance had left, now everybody had gone home. An eerie glow from the dairy, where no doubt Ed was still milking, lifted the gloom, and the farmhouse looked bright and welcoming. It felt peaceful rather than intimidating as she walked across to where the cars were parked, a wave of tiredness creeping over her. She’d been running on adrenalin for the past few hours, and now that had gone she felt weirdly empty, worn-out.
It was only late afternoon but the air was still, and the sky clear. It was going to be a cold night, with a definite threat of an early morning frost. A little shiver ran down her arms, they’d been so lucky that Jim had been around, that he’d instinctively known where Maisie was. Without him things might have ended quite differently. It was such bad luck that he’d injured himself, why did bad things happen when people were doing their best to be good?
Climbing into Jim’s Landrover she made her way carefully down the potholed driveway, then headed down the lane towards her home. The cobbled square was quiet, the cottages with their curtains drawn against the winter evening, with only slips of light breaking through, showering the square with uneven shards of light. From several of the chimneys there were wisps of smoke that teased at her nostrils as she opened the door.
The windows of Elsie’s house were spilling light onto her large garden, and Lucy was sure the old lady had been keeping an eye out for her arrival. She’d decided to pop in here first, check Elsie was okay and set her mind at rest before sorting her animals out, grabbing an overnight bag, and making her way back to the farm.
The door opened the moment she reached it, and Elsie ushered her in.
‘In you come child, you look freezing.’
‘It is a bit cold, it looks like we could have a good overnight frost.’ She wasn’t looking forward to slip-sliding her way into school tomorrow, or for the walk to the church that they’d planned with all the children. Hopefully by the afternoon the weather would have warmed up.
Coming Home to Jasmine Cottage Page 19
