by Lucy Daniels
‘No, that’s okay, Mandy.’ Nicole’s voice sounded a little wobbly. ‘You’re so busy and you always have so much on your plate, helping all the animals. I mean Animal Ark and Hope Meadows, and I know you’ve been worrying about the squirrels too. I was just trying to help, but I should have told you.’
‘It’s fine, honestly,’ Mandy said, feeling her heart fill with warmth for her young helper. ‘There will be other ways of fundraising, not to worry.’
‘Oh yes, I’ve already looked up a few more grants actually …’ Nicole started to chatter enthusiastically about her online research. Mandy felt her spirits rise. Her grumpiness hadn’t put Nicole off trying again. She really was wonderful.
After she and Nicole hung up, Mandy opened the lid of her laptop, keyed in the password and opened her e-mails. There was one from Jimmy at the top of the screen. Her heart thudded as she saw it. Had he sent her a message when Adam had taken Zoe back? Why wouldn’t he just call? The time sent was only a few minutes earlier. Her heart pulsed in her throat as she opened the message. Inside there was a link to an old article in the Westmorland Gazette, and a brief message.
I wanted you to see this before we spoke again, it read. I want you to know you’re not alone.
J
Mandy frowned, but the link looked genuine. She clicked on it and a page opened up.
‘Cub Scouts at Risk,’ read the headline. There was a picture of some boys in uniform standing in a snowy field with cloud-covered mountains in the background. Why on earth had Jimmy sent it? she wondered. Leaning forward in her chair, she began to read.
‘Rescue services were scrambled yesterday when fifteen cub scouts failed to return from a walking trip across Loughrigg Fell,’ Mandy read. ‘The boys became lost when conditions worsened. The mother of one of the boys expressed her gratitude to the brave volunteers and their team of dogs, who located the group in a hollow near to the summit. Two of the boys were suffering from hypothermia.’
Had Jimmy been part of the rescue team? Did he mean she should be proud of what had happened with the squirrels?
She read on. ‘The boys have been taken to hospital,’ she read, ‘where all are making a good recovery.’ There was a list of the names of the handlers and their dogs. She checked through it once, then again. Jimmy’s name was not amongst them. She was still no wiser about why he’d sent it. There was some advice about checking the weather, adequate preparation and not going out where conditions were deteriorating. Mandy’s eyes came to a standstill on the final line of the piece. She read it carefully. ‘Park Ranger, Mr J. Marsh was leading the group at the time of the incident. Investigations are ongoing.’
Mandy felt as if her heart had missed a beat. She read the final line again. Jimmy had been in charge of the group when they’d got lost. That was why he’d sent the link. He had made an awful mistake too and some children had almost died. What had the investigation uncovered? she wondered.
He did understand. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialled his number.
‘I read your article,’ she told him. Her heard was racing.
‘Can you come over?’ he asked.
‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Oh, yes please.’ Shoving her phone back in her pocket, she shut down the computer and rushed outside.
He was waiting for her with open arms at the door of Mistletoe Cottage. Mandy had never made it across the garden so quickly. She rushed into his arms and he bent his head and kissed her. How wonderful he smelled. She had been so afraid that he would never understand, but he had done all along. She buried her face in his shoulder. It felt like home.
‘Come on in,’ he said, when they finally pulled apart. ‘It feels properly like home again, now Zoe’s back.’ He had tears in his eyes. ‘Simba’s over the moon. Your dad told me about the blood transfusion. I’ll have to get a present for Liz Butler and Emma.’ He led her inside and into the sitting room. Zoe was there, in her bed, curled around the tiny pup. She looked up when Mandy and Jimmy came in, but didn’t move out of the bed. Beside her, Simba was sitting watching the pair as if utterly entranced. ‘He’s been like that ever since Zoe came home,’ Jimmy told her. He sat her down on the sofa and took his place beside her. ‘Your dad told me something else,’ he said. ‘He said you were worried I wouldn’t forgive you for what happened to Zoe.’ He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts. ‘I was upset, of course I was, but I never thought it was your fault. It was just one of those awful things.’ He paused again. On the far side of the room, Simba gave up on her inspection and lay down close to Zoe with a sigh. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t get in touch,’ Jimmy said. ‘You sounded so upset when I called you and you were on your way to see James. I thought you needed a bit of space.’
Mandy felt a laugh rising in her throat, which turned to a sob. The past few days had been so full, but she had missed him all the time. Jimmy put his arm around her again and held her tightly. She rested her forehead on his shoulder for a moment, then pulled herself together. ‘So, what about you?’ she asked. ‘You and the scouts. You were investigated?’ She stopped, wondering if the memory would be too painful, but Jimmy looked only resigned.
‘I should never have taken them that day,’ he said with a shake of his head. ‘It looked so beautiful. I thought the weather forecast must be wrong. The fog came down and one of the boys slipped down a scree slope and hurt himself. We had to follow, then we couldn’t find our way back.’ He sighed. ‘I’ve never forgiven myself,’ he admitted, reaching out for Mandy’s hand as if looking for comfort. ‘We could all have died that day because I wasn’t careful enough. I’ll never, ever take that kind of risk again.’ There was pain in his eyes. ‘So, I do understand how it feels, at least a little bit.’ He drew in a rather shaky breath as he rubbed her hand with his thumb. ‘And I’m so sorry you thought I blamed you. It really didn’t cross my mind.’
Mandy held his hand tightly. He was always so practical and careful. It was hard to imagine him making such an error, yet he had. ‘And the twins?’ It all came back to them, she thought. ‘Will they be able to forgive me?’ She couldn’t blame them if they didn’t, but a feeling of helplessness ran through her. It would be awful if they really couldn’t.
It was as if a dark shadow crossed Jimmy’s face. ‘They’re still terribly upset,’ he admitted. ‘What with Belle expecting a baby too, they’re a bit fragile at the moment. It’ll probably take them a while to get over it.’
Despite having his warm hand still in hers, despite the relief of being back together, Mandy felt sadness wash over her. She had felt like he was pushing her before. She’d wanted more time, but not like this. ‘We’ll give them as much space as they need,’ she said. All she could do was hope that in time, they’d learn she wasn’t a monster.
Chapter Twenty-Four
‘Hello, is that Mandy, please?’
It was a child’s voice on the phone. Mandy looked out of the window. Though it had been a few days, the paddock still looked empty without Holly and Robin. She frowned. The voice was familiar. ‘Speaking. Who is this?’ she asked.
‘It’s Abi.’ She sounded upset, and Mandy’s stomach twisted.
So much for giving the twins a lot of space, she thought, though she couldn’t think why Abi would be calling her – did she have a question about Zoe? Weren’t the twins with Belle and Dan at the moment? She thought Jimmy had said something about them going to the circus, hoping it would take their minds off the puppies and Belle’s baby.
‘Is everything okay?’ she asked.
‘Not really.’ Abi’s voice was hesitant. Mandy bit her lip. She wanted to press her, but she knew it would be better to wait and listen. ‘We’re with Mum,’ Abi began again after a few moments. ‘She brought us to the circus. Max and me.’ Mandy could hear noise and voices in the background. Were they still there? ‘There’s an elephant,’ she said. ‘We thought it would be just clowns and acrobats and stuff, but there’s an elephant and … and it doesn’t look well.’ Another pause. ‘Mum thinks
so too,’ she added.
At the mention of an elephant, Mandy’s eyebrows shot up and her mind started working furiously. She had spent some time at university working with a zoo vet, but it was a long time ago. ‘Can you tell me what you saw?’ she asked Abi. ‘In what way does it look ill?’
‘It was awfully thin.’ Abi seemed on surer ground now she knew Mandy believed her. ‘And it looked sad. It made me sad just to see it. Please, Mandy, will you please come and look at it for us?’ The final words came out in a breathless rush.
‘I’ll come right away,’ Mandy said. She made her voice as reassuring as she could. ‘Where is it?’ She jotted down the location Abi told her. It was on the far side of Walton. ‘All right, I’m on my way. I’m glad you called me,’ she added.
She felt a small tremor run through her body as she put the phone down. For Abi’s sake, she had tried to sound confident, but just hearing about a sick circus elephant was distressing, and she knew so little about the animals. Finding out what was wrong would be a major challenge. Still, she would have more idea than Abi and Max, or even Belle, she reminded herself. And if she didn’t know, she would find someone who did.
She called Seb Conway as she was leaving. From what Abi had said, it sounded like a welfare issue, even if a rather oversized one. Seb had the authority that would allow them to do whatever was necessary. He answered on the first ring and agreed to come. She felt a little calmer as she set out. Seb hadn’t sounded at all phased by the idea of being called out to see an elephant. Between them, they would manage.
It was a very traditional-looking circus, Mandy thought as she drew up in the field beside the big top. The huge tent was brightly coloured in red and white stripes. Bunting fluttered from every rope. Crowds of people were pouring from the entrance. She located Seb near the fence that divided the parking area from the field where the tents and lorries stood.
‘Everything okay?’ he asked.
‘Apart from that I’ve never treated an elephant in my life?’ She grinned.
Seb grimaced, though his eyes were amused. ‘Apart from that!’
‘Well, in that case,’ Mandy said, ‘everything is absolutely great.’ Side by side, they made their way towards the entrance.
Abi and Max were standing with Belle beside one of the enormous wooden pegs that held the guy ropes down.
‘Hello,’ Mandy said to Abi and Max, then smiled at Belle. They had never spoken before, and it felt distinctly odd to be meeting Jimmy’s ex-wife at the circus, with her children and an elephant. She was a beautician, Mandy knew, and she had once been worried that Belle would be terribly glamorous, and she would feel out of place in her wellies, jeans and sensible jumpers.
But though Belle was well dressed and glowing from her pregnancy, she otherwise looked quite normal. Mandy noticed that she had long nails – probably stick-on – that’d been painted in circus-style red and white stripes.
‘I don’t think we’ve met.’ Belle smiled at Mandy. ‘Abi and Max were so worried. Thanks so much for coming.’
‘I just hope I can help,’ Mandy said. ‘Can you tell me more about the elephant?’
Belle looked troubled. ‘Poor thing,’ she said. ‘It only came out for the big finale, but it really didn’t look as if it wanted to be there.’
Abi’s mouth was turned down. ‘It’s not fair,’ she said, ‘making it work when it’s not feeling well.’ She sounded fierce.
‘It was really thin.’ It was Max’s turn to speak. ‘Will you be able to make it better?’ He and Abi were both gazing up at her.
Mandy’s heart swelled. She’d expected that they would have no faith in her after Zoe, yet both of them were regarding her with trust, as if Max’s question was only a formality.
‘I’ll do my best,’ she said.
The ticket office stood to the right of the entrance under a huge sign that proclaimed it to be Courtney’s Travelling Circus. An older woman sat behind the glass, her hair piled up on her head with a tiny glittery hat perched on top. She reached out and opened the window with a smile as Mandy and Seb approached.
‘Tickets for tomorrow night?’ she offered. ‘Extra-long showing for Saturday evening. Last night available.’
‘Sorry.’ Seb was invariably polite, Mandy thought. ‘I’m afraid we’re not looking for tickets. We’ve had a report about the welfare of your elephant. We’d like to have a look at him, please. Is it possible to speak to the owner?’
The grin had disappeared from the woman’s face and for a moment, Mandy thought she would refuse. Seb stood there in his uniform, a picture of immovable patience. Mandy almost wanted to laugh. With a sigh, the woman stood up. ‘Just wait here a moment,’ she said and disappeared.
She turned round. Belle and the twins had followed, and all their eyes were fixed on Mandy. Mandy felt uneasy. If the owner kicked off, it might not be a pretty sight. ‘They probably won’t be too happy to see us,’ she murmured to Belle. ‘It’s probably better if you all go home and wait.’ She had kept her voice low, but Abi overheard.
‘We can’t go home,’ she objected, her eyes beseeching. ‘I want to see if the elephant’s okay.’
‘We have to see how he gets on,’ Max added. He reached out and took his mum’s hand.
Belle looked worried. ‘Do you really think they might be angry?’ she asked Mandy.
Mandy looked down at Abi and Max and they gazed back at her. No wonder they wanted to stay, she thought. They were worried. She rubbed her chin, then crouched down. She held out a hand to each of them and after only a moment’s pause, both Abi and Max reached out their hands to her. She held on tightly as she spoke. ‘I know how much you want to see how the elephant is,’ she said. ‘But Seb and I need to speak to his owner on our own. He’ll probably be upset when we tell him his elephant isn’t well.’ To her amazement, the two sets of green eyes were regarding her with respect. ‘I think it would be better for you to go home for now,’ she went on, ‘but I promise you both,’ she looked straight into Abi’s eyes, then Max’s, ‘that I’ll call you as soon as I know anything. And if there’s anything you can do to help, I will let you know.’ Taking a deep breath, she straightened.
Slowly the twins nodded.
Belle was smiling. ‘Thank you,’ she mouthed.
Mandy watched as the twins and Belle trailed away across the field. She was glad they’d called her, but relieved they were going. If things turned nasty, it was better they didn’t see.
The owner was younger than Mandy had expected. For some reason, she had imagined a wizened old man, but the person who strode towards them was as tall as Mandy herself and only a little older. He came to a standstill and held out his hand. ‘I’m Mike Courtney,’ he said. ‘I understand you’ve received a report about Ganesh.’ There was no anger in his voice. If anything, he looked nervous. He cleared his throat as he shook hands with Mandy and then Seb.
‘If Ganesh is your elephant,’ Seb replied, ‘then yes. Is it possible for us to see him or her, please?’
Mike Courtney inclined his head very slightly, then turned and indicated that they should follow him. ‘This way,’ he said.
He led them round the side of the big top. The field was crammed with all kinds of caravans and lorries. It must be a huge task for them to move every few days, Mandy thought. Close to the edge of the grass, in the shade of a tall hedgerow stood a long, white painted trailer. A line of small windows ran along the top edge. There were large double doors in the side, which stood open. Inside, a row of bars blocked the elephant from escaping. They stood back for a moment to inspect it from a distance. It didn’t look very high, Mandy thought. Not for something as large as an elephant. Nor was it any wider than a normal lorry, though it was long.
They walked closer and climbed up onto a round step that had been placed outside the door. Despite the windows and the large opening, it was near dark in the furthest corner of the trailer. Mike Courtney stepped down. ‘I’ll let you in,’ he said. He opened a small door at the front o
f the trailer and led them inside. Although it was small, the trailer was very clean. Fresh water stood in a deep container. There was a rack filled with healthy-looking hay and a large bowl containing cabbage, lettuce and apples as well as a bucket filled with pellets. Ganesh stood in the far corner. He didn’t move as Seb reached down and picked up one of the lettuces. It looked fresh. ‘We’ve been trying to tempt him,’ Mr Courtney explained, ‘but he just isn’t hungry.’
‘How is he to handle?’ Mandy asked. She didn’t want to approach if it would distress the poor creature. Even in the dim light of the trailer she could see that Ganesh was, as Max had said, terribly thin. His ribs were standing out under the grooved grey skin. The bones of his face were prominent too. Elephants were highly social animals, Mandy knew. She wondered what was going through Ganesh’s mind as he stood there with his head drooping.
‘He’s very well behaved actually. He’s always been very friendly.’ Mandy found herself looking at Mr Courtney. She had worried he would be defensive, but as he gazed at the elephant, he looked only sad and rather helpless.
A wave of irritation rose inside her. ‘Has a vet looked at him?’ she asked. Feeling sorry was all very well, but why hadn’t he called someone?
‘We did try,’ Mr Courtney replied. He cleared his throat again. ‘None of them would come. They all said they didn’t know anything about elephants.’ He gave a tiny shake of his head. ‘We even tried to rehome him. Before he went off his food, I mean. I inherited the show from my dad,’ he said. He walked over and laid his hand on Ganesh’s shoulder. For the first time, the elephant moved, reaching round with his trunk, but after a moment, he let it fall and his head drooped again. Mr Courtney stayed where he was, as if he didn’t want to remove his hand. ‘I thought at first that we could just keep him, but that was six years ago. It causes no end of complaints that we have him at all, but I have tried to do the best I can.’ As he finished speaking, he looked almost as depressed as Ganesh. He probably had done his best, Mandy thought. Her burst of anger had dispersed almost as fast as it had risen.
