Escape to the Country

by Patsy Collins

  Duncan was clearly well known in the pub and they were shown straight to a quiet table in the corner near, but not too near, a roaring log fire. Leah couldn't help wondering how many times he'd been there in the past and who with. She tried not to think about that.

  They were handed menus. As Leah opened hers she spotted trout was listed. "Oooh, trout's my favourite fish."

  "Have that then. It'll be really fresh as it's caught locally. A mate of mine supplies it."

  "Sounds good." Far too late she realised she'd selected by far the most expensive item on the menu. Leah wondered what they'd do about the bill. She was used to Adam urging her to order the best dishes at trendy restaurants and always paying the bill, but Duncan probably wouldn't expect to pay for her meal. More likely they'd split the bill in half.

  She scanned down for something cheaper. Other than baguettes, which didn't seem right as he had offered dinner, the next cheapest item was spaghetti Bolognese. Not one of her favourite dishes and the kind of thing she could get almost anywhere. "Or the spaghetti, I could have the spaghetti."

  "No, you could have that anywhere. Have the local trout."

  It had to be a good sign that they'd both thought the same thing at the same time. She made amends for her expensive food choice by drinking nothing more than a single diet coke.

  Duncan asked about her life in London and her job. She didn't want to explain about the flat, which she'd bought and, until recently, shared with Adam. Mentioning Prophet Margin and the allegations against her was no more appealing, but he made sympathetic queries about her troubles. She found herself blurting out about the horror of her boss believing the charges could be possible and about Adam not backing her up.

  "Sounds like you're well rid of him. I take it you are rid of him?"

  "Oh, yes." But was that true? Getting him to buy her out of the flat might be messy and would take time and she'd have to go back to work at Prophet Margin. "Well, getting that way."

  "Oh, right."

  "Gosh, listen to me rambling on about my problems and ranting about my ex boyfriend. That's not what a man wants to hear on a first date." Leah blushed. "I didn't mean there would be more. I, oh dear."

  Duncan reached across the table to take her hand. "It's all right. I think what you need is a friend, so friends for now?"

  "Yes. Thank you."

  "Now, what about dessert?"

  It didn't take much to persuade her that the Frog and Bucket's treacle tart was not to be missed.

  Duncan did kiss her good bye after driving her home, but it wasn't quite the same kind of kiss as at the party. Although slightly disappointed by that she did think he was right about her needing a friend. She shouldn't jump straight into another relationship, no matter how tempting that might be, while her life was so unsettled. It wouldn't be fair to either of them. Sadly, by the time things with work were sorted out, she'd be headed back to London and wouldn't see Duncan again.

  That thought wasn't appealing and wasn't accurate. She'd be back down to Winkleigh Marsh whenever she could and she'd find ways to see Duncan and, if he wanted to, he could find ways to see her.

  When Leah got back to Primrose Cottage, Jayne had already gone to bed. Tarragon was still awake and he greeted her enthusiastically. That was one of the things she loved about living there, someone was always pleased to see her, even if he did have four legs and a waggy tail. Perhaps that was one of the reasons Jayne had got herself a dog. It must be lonely living there alone since her parents had died, one just a month after the other. Leah remembered the red rose left on the doorstep on Valentine's day. She hoped Jim had sent it.

  The following morning, Leah noticed Rosemary acting strangely. She seemed distressed and at one point it looked as though she intended to attack her own two year old daughter, Rosepetal. Leah had no idea what the symptoms of mad cow disease were, but thought maybe that was what it looked like. Although she didn't want to bring Jayne bad news, it must be better to act quickly in the hope that something could be done. She ran in to Primrose Cottage.

  "Whatever's the matter, lovey?"

  "It's Rosemary, I think she's... well, I don't know what to think."

  Jayne followed her back into the yard. They arrived just in time to see Rosemary lunge at Rosepetal.

  "Oh good, she's bulling," Jayne said.

  "This is good?"

  "Yes, she's ready to get in calf again. That jumping onto Rosepetal is one of the signs, it's just an instinctive hormonal thing. Sorry you were worried."

  "That's OK." She giggled. "And there was me thinking I knew something about the facts of life!"

  "You've got a lot to learn, my girl."

  "Maybe. You said this was good, so does that mean you want her to have another calf?"

  Jayne nodded.

  "OK, so where will you get a bull from? You'll need one of those, even I know that much."

  "Actually, no. I'll have her artificially inseminated. Don't look like that, it's not as icky as it sounds."

  "Why don't you use a bull?"

  "Keeping one myself wouldn't be worth it for two cows. By buying the semen I can choose from a vast selection of bulls who're known to produce good calves without difficult births, or to meet whatever other criteria I might have."

  "You make it sound like you pick them from a catalogue."

  "Yes, I do. Only works for bulls though, men are an entirely different matter! I'll call home farm; if they're having any cows done in the next day or two, I'll take Rosemary over there, just like I did with Rosepetal, or if I'm lucky G-B will arrange transportation. As I told you, he's not all bad."

  "That does seem quite helpful," Leah conceded.

  After she'd made her call, Jayne explained it was good news. "For me and two of my girls. The AI man is visiting Home Farm tomorrow and Duncan will collect Rosemary."

  "Oh, that's good," Leah said, trying to look as though she was pleased on Rosemary's behalf as much as her own.

  "It is. I reckon I might get a lie-in. That's if you think you can handle the milking and helping load Rosemary in the trailer?"

  Leah saw how tired Jayne looked and quickly agreed.

  "Of course." It would be a good test for when Jayne went into hospital.

  It'd also make a nice change for Duncan to see her being competent at managing a cow. She didn't allow herself to analyse why she was so keen for him to see she fitted well into the country way of life when she'd be returning to her job in London soon.

  Leah finished milking Rosemary and let in the young calves for their share. She'd milked Rosemary for as long as she could manage and used every ounce of strength in her arms. She couldn't even face re-buttoning her top. She'd noticed she'd done it up wrong whilst milking. If she'd had a plan to impress Duncan then that small detail wasn't going to be the thing that ruined the good impression. Leah knew she looked tired.

  Getting up early hadn't been easy, partly because she'd had trouble sleeping. She thought about Duncan as she'd tossed and turned, but he wasn't the only thing on her mind. Worry about Jayne and the current and future responsibilities of looking after the farm animals had concerned her too.

  Leah giggled. How long had it been since the monthly figures and an upcoming powerpoint presentation or dinner party had been what kept her awake at night? She hadn't missed her old life as much as she'd expected.

  Tarragon wagged his tail and gave a welcoming yap when a vehicle pulled into the yard.

  "Morning, Jayne," Duncan called. "Is Rosemary ready for her date?" His attention was on the dog as he approached the shed where Rosemary and Leah were waiting.

  "I'm just fixing her mascara," Leah called.

  Damn, why had she said that? She'd not had time to put any on that morning, or brush her hair. It might have been better not to draw his attention to the subject of making the best of one's appearance. She had brushed her teeth at least. She couldn't face going out before she'd done that. Her best plan was probably to get so close he couldn't focus on her dish
evelled appearance and instead got a whiff of her fresh minty breath. The idea was quite appealing, but she reminded herself it was her competence she was trying to impress with.

  "Leah?"

  "Yes. I'm head milkmaid today."

  "Is Jayne OK?"

  He sounded so concerned Leah wondered if he'd guessed she was ill.

  "Don't worry, she's just having a lie-in."

  "Do her good, I expect."

  "Yes. What happens next?"

  "Next? Well I hadn't really thought, maybe we could go for a drink on Saturday?"

  "Rosemary doesn't drink."

  "What? Oh, right. We get her in the trailer and I take her over to home farm." He undid the ramp on the back of the trailer as he spoke. "The AI man does the business and I bring her back. I'm afraid I can't say what time that'll be, but I promise we'll take care of her and she'll be home in time for milking. I assure you, my intentions with regard her are entirely honourable."

  "You make it sound simple."

  "It is, I know Rosemary. She's a pushover." Duncan jumped into the back of the trailer, reappearing almost immediately with a bucket. He rattled it towards the cow. "Come on girl, a nice bucket of sugarbeet for you." He let the cow stick her head in the bucket and lick up a few of the dark pellets, then backed away from her towards the trailer. She followed him out the barn and up into the trailer. Duncan closed the ramp behind her.

  "Do you have time for a cup of tea or anything?"

  "No, sorry. I've got to get back and sort out the rest of the cows who're competing with Rosemary for the AI man's attention. Don't worry, it'll all be over soon and she'll be back without even knowing what's happened."

  "Seems a bit of a shame for poor old Rosemary."

  "Why?"

  "Not exactly romantic, is it?"

  "I'll play her soft music if it'll make you feel better."

  She grinned. OK, he was teasing, but he did understand what she meant.

  Leah had sorted out the milk, fed Rosepetal and thrown more logs onto the Aga before she heard Jayne moving around upstairs. She switched on the kettle and got out the items required for breakfast, to give the illusion she had everything under control. Luckily the fire hadn't gone out completely and the logs that had dried on the hearth all evening soon caught.

  The tea was made and bacon sizzling in a pan when Jayne came into the kitchen. Leah grinned as it occurred to her the scene was almost the exact opposite of her first morning at Primrose Cottage. OK, she hadn't found it easy to get up in time to milk Rosemary and her arms were aching a little from the effort, but she'd coped.

  "Goodness, I can't believe it's so late. I don't think I've slept for so long since I was a teenager," Jayne said.

  "I expect you needed it. I didn't like to say, but you have been looking a bit tired lately."

  "Feeling it too, to be honest. Now, how about you?"

  "I slept for about three minutes. Rosemary has been milked and collected though. Sorry, I haven't done anything else. I went back to sleep after the alarm went off and got up in a panic."

  Leah served up breakfast.

  "Thanks, love. This is a real treat."

  "So, you think I'll be OK to look after things while you're in hospital?"

  "Well, yes, ordinarily I think you would. There's just one thing that you won't be prepared for."

  "What's that? There's time for me to learn, so whatever it is, it's not getting you out of going to hospital."

  "I didn't mean it that way. I'd been so far in denial about going into hospital that it hadn't occurred to me the timing would be a problem. Rosepetal is due to calve."

  "Oh. OK, not time for me to learn. What happens? Presumably you don't actually check her into a maternity ward at the vet's and have her fill in a questionnaire about epidurals and birthing pools?"

  Jayne laughed. "No. Chances are, she'll have it fine by herself, but if she doesn't the vet will come out."

  "How will he know to come?"

  "You call if there's a problem."

  "Ah but I won't have a clue if there's a problem. Can't I just call the vet as soon as anything happens, or is that not allowed?"

  "You could, but you can't keep calling. It'll cost and it's not fair. You can't expect the vet to sit with her all night waiting for something to happen."

  "No, I suppose not." Leah knew she'd panic the moment Rosepetal even breathed slightly more heavily than usual, but didn't want Jayne to postpone her hospital appointment yet again. Besides, she wanted to prove to herself, and anyone else who might be interested, that she could handle life on a farm.

  "Maybe we can arrange for you to see a calf being born? Do you think that'd help?"

  "Maybe." Leah wasn't convinced it would help enough for her to be of any real help.

  "We'll ask Duncan. There are plenty of in-calf cows at Home Farm."

  "That would be very useful." Any experience and training she got were bound to be an improvement on her current state of ignorance.

  When Duncan came back with Rosemary, Jayne invited him in for tea and explained about Rosepetal's imminent motherhood.

  Duncan just nodded. Cows having calves didn't seem like big news to him.

  "I might not be here when it happens," Jayne said.

  That got his attention all right. He understood that if Leah was to be the attending midwife, there was more to the story.

  Leah said, "I, we, think it would be good if I could see a cow giving birth before Rosepetal has her calf. Help prepare me a bit."

  "Yes, I see. We have plenty of cows due to calve over the next few weeks. I'll give you a call when it looks like a good time to come and watch."

  "Thank you," Leah and Jayne said together.

  The three of them got through two pots of tea and most of a walnut cake before Duncan said he'd better get going. "Leah, before I go, come out and see that Rosemary is OK. I wouldn't want you thinking I'd been unkind to the old dear."

  Jayne seemed to suddenly choke on a piece of cake. Either that or she was smothering a laugh.

  Rosemary looked perfectly content lying on her straw bed and chewing the cud.

  "Looks like she had a good time," Leah admitted.

  "So that drink we mentioned, how about it?" Duncan asked.

  "Yes, I'd like that. Thanks."

  "Pick you up about seven on Saturday, then?"

  He gently brushed her lips with his own before leaving.

  Chapter 9

  Leah learned as much as she could from Jayne about looking after the animals. When she wasn't worrying about all the things that could go wrong whilst Jayne was in hospital, she worried about all the things that could go wrong on her date with Duncan.

  He'd offered friendship. Was that all he wanted? He did seem to want quite an affectionate type of friendship which included a few kisses and she was happy to encourage that. She'd need to be subtle though, she might make it too obvious she fancied him and scare him off. That would be a disaster.

  Leah wanted to get to know him better, a lot better, but she also needed his help in learning about calving. Not only that but he seemed the only person who was making any attempt to get Mr Gilmore-Bunce to honour his obligations as a landlord.

  Leah confessed some of her worries to Jayne as she waited for Duncan to collect her. "I don't know what we'll talk about."

  "Rubbish, you've found plenty to talk about up to now, haven't you?"

  "Yes, but we don't really have anything in common."

  "Then talk about your differences! Honestly, it sounds as though you're trying to make things difficult."

  "I'm not. It's just... well, I don't exactly want to remind him of our differences and that I'm not the obvious choice to fit into a farmer's life." Leah felt herself blush.

  "Oh, I see." She gave a smile that anyone less charitable than Leah would have described as a smirk. "You could swap stories about the disgraceful things you got up to as children. That should break the ice."

  "Maybe he didn't get up to any
thing disgraceful?"

  "Oh yes he did!"

  "You sound very sure."

  "Of course I am. Just like with you when you were here it was often me who was the victim of his pranks."

  "You were? But I thought he was new here?"

  "Oh! Yes. He used to come here as a child. Well not here here, but to this area."

  Tarragon yapped and bounded to the door.

  "Looks like he's here."

  "Yes. But Jayne, you said..."

  Jayne wasn't listening, she'd gone to open the door to Duncan. She let Tarragon out, then scolded him for rushing up to Duncan. "Daft animal, get back here, you'll trip him up. Don't get him all muddy."

  Leah frowned at the fuss she was making. Tarragon never jumped up at people and Duncan was casually dressed.

  "Hello, Jayne," Duncan said. "Are you OK?"

  It was nice of him to be concerned, but he seemed more interested in greeting Jayne than looking at her. Why hadn't either of them said they'd known each other before? Was there something else they weren't telling her?

  "Duncan, I was just telling Leah how we've actually known each other since we were kids," Jayne said.

  Of course, as Duncan wasn't all that much younger than Jayne, they'd have been children at the same time.

  "Oh good. Leah, I did want to tell you the truth, but we thought..."

  "It's my fault," Jayne interrupted. "Leah, you were so set against G-B that when I realised who your dishy tractor driver was, I didn't like to say."

  Leah blushed when Jayne described Duncan as dishy, he was bound to guess it was Leah who'd told her that.

  "But it's best you know the truth," Duncan said.

  "Absolutely and anyway, you don't hate G-B anymore, do you?" Jayne asked.

  "No, I suppose not." She was ashamed of her previous irrational dislike of a man she'd never met, especially as two people she really liked both had a different opinion. Her beliefs that he'd deliberately got her into trouble at work and he'd neglected Primrose Cottage were both wrong, but she hadn't been mistaken about the abrupt communications she'd received from him demanding immediate changes to his investments or sudden withdrawals all without any kind of explanation or thanks. "I still think he's rude, pompous and arrogant, but I admit I over reacted a bit."