Barefoot

by Ruth Patterson

  As soon as it was light enough to see, Toni went down the track to find Grace. The horses were unused to being in such a large group together and were competing for their position in the new herd. She could make out Grace through the mist on the edge. Each time she bent her head to graze, a gelding would nudge her on, putting her pretty low down in the pecking order. Toni knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to go into the field with them this morning.

  The cold and damp penetrated the thin fleece Toni had thrown on over her pyjamas, and she began to shiver. Grace wasn’t going anywhere, but she needed to change and warm up.

  In the kitchen she found the firemen crowded round the Aga warming their hands, with Nola doling out cups of tea and chocolate biscuits. She handed her a mug and Toni cupped her hands round it gratefully.

  ‘Where’s Grandad?’

  ‘I sent him back to bed.’ Her grandmother looked worried. ‘All the excitement isn’t good for him.’ She glanced across to the table, where Toni’s father was sitting being questioned by a policeman. ‘That man looks terribly young.’ She frowned. ‘Do you think he knows what he’s doing?’

  ‘I’m sure he does.’ Toni sipped her tea, moving closer to hear what they were saying.

  ‘The first I knew was when I heard my wife shouting.’ Her father rubbed a towel into his damp hair. ‘Do you think it was started deliberately?’

  ‘It could be arson.’ The policeman wasn’t about to commit himself. ‘But we’ll only know for sure when the forensic team has finished. Anyone you’ve upset recently?’

  Her father met Toni’s eye across the kitchen. The policemen clocked it instantly. ‘Is that a yes?’

  Her father sighed. ‘I’m afraid the list could be rather a long one. My wife isn’t always easy to be around.’

  ‘Well. Specific names would be helpful.’ He turned to Toni. ‘Have you got any ideas?’

  She shook her head. The policeman was still watching her carefully. ‘You raised the alarm?’

  Toni nodded. ‘It was just after three.’

  ‘Bit late to be up, wasn’t it?’

  I couldn’t sleep.’

  He raised an eyebrow. ‘Boy trouble?’

  Toni blushed. She saw her father glance at her sharply, but was saved by Arabella coming into the kitchen at that moment, her limp heavily pronounced, as it always was when she was tired or stressed. Her face was streaked with grime.

  ‘This isn’t a tea party,’ she snapped at the firemen. They all drained their cups quickly and filed out and the policeman also stood to leave, but Arabella put out a hand to stop him. ‘Not you.’

  He was clearly taken aback. ‘Do you have some information that could help?’ His tone was courteous, but his face unfriendly.

  ‘I know who did it,’ Arabella announced. ‘An ex-employee. Her name is Jen Lewis.’

  ‘No!’ Toni was horrified. ‘Jen wouldn’t do something like this. She couldn’t.’

  ‘I sacked her,’ Arabella continued, as if her daughter was invisible. ‘She resented it. I don’t think you need look any further.’ She picked up an old envelope from a pile of papers on the kitchen work surface and scribbled on it, then handed it over to him. ‘Her address and number.’

  The policeman took it, then tried to leave again.

  ‘Wait.’ Toni was desperate to stop him. ‘What about that other groom? Louise. The one who was only here for a week.’

  ‘She quit,’ Arabella pointed out.

  Toni remembered the look on the girl’s face. ‘Only because she was sick of being humiliated.’

  There was a tense silence and the policeman looked from mother to daughter. ‘Perhaps I’ll just take her details as well then.’

  Arabella didn’t even bother to look at him. ‘You’re wasting your time,’ she replied, flatly.

  He wasn’t rattled. ‘Well, I’ll be the judge of that, shall I, Mrs De Carteret?’

  ‘Fine,’ Arabella snapped, and snatched the envelope back from him. She added another number to it, then handed it back.

  He smiled to Toni’s father. ‘A pleasure meeting you, sir. We’ll be in touch as soon as we have any information.’

  ‘I won’t be holding my breath,’ Arabella snorted as he left.

  The rest of the day seemed to flash by. Toni didn’t want to go to school and nobody seemed to expect her to. The forensic team finished picking over the site, followed closely by an insurance assessor who arrived to examine the lorries. But it was evident they were little more than charred shells and nothing could be salvaged. Fortunately the firemen had got the blaze well under control before it spread to the barns.

  Although there were no casualties amongst the horses, there were several minor injuries. Luckily Grace was not one of them. Two of the liveries had nasty cuts, probably catching themselves on the barn doors in the desperate stampede to escape. More serious, for Arabella at least, was that one of her eventers had been kicked in the field. Toni stayed well out of the way while her mother dealt with that piece of news.

  As word spread around the horse community, a steady stream of people called to offer help and support, in spite of Arabella’s reputation. Toni left the landline calls to her father and took her mobile to the privacy of her bedroom to fill Lauren in on what had happened. Then she called Jen to warn her about the police.

  ‘Too late.’ Jen sounded bitter when Toni got through. ‘I’m staying in Wales with my parents and they tracked me down. They were on my doorstep at seven-thirty this morning.’

  ‘I am so, so sorry.’ Toni was dismayed. ‘I told them it couldn’t be you. But you know what Arabella is like.’

  ‘Look. I’m not worried. I’ve nothing to hide because I know I didn’t do it. But I’d like to congratulate whoever did.’

  ‘Jen!’

  ‘Sorry to disappoint you. But your mother had it coming.’

  She rang off, leaving Toni appalled. She guessed she couldn’t blame Jen really. For years she had put up with Arabella’s increasingly foul rages, and now this. Being accused of arson was going to be pretty hard to forgive.

  The lack of sleep, the tension and drama of the night, all came together and overwhelmed her. Toni had to sit down on the edge of her bed and put her head between her knees. When her phone rang she fumbled for it and answered it, without even registering the name on the screen.

  ‘Toni?’

  She raised her head, dizzy and disbelieving.

  Cal.

  ‘I heard about the fire. Are you OK?’

  Her mood lifted magically.

  ‘Are you still there?’

  ‘Sorry. Yes. It was all a bit dramatic. But I’m fine. Really.’

  ‘What about the ponies?’

  ‘Buster was out already. We got all the others out safely. I haven’t managed to get close enough to check Grace over properly yet. The horses are all in a field together and they’re a bit worked up.’

  ‘It’s going to take them a while to settle after that. Don’t take any risks.’

  He cares.

  He must do.

  ‘I won’t.’

  ‘And text me later. Let me know how Grace is.’ He hesitated. ‘How you both are.’

  Toni was touched he would ask. ‘Later.’ She sat clutching the phone and grinning stupidly to herself.

  Everything seemed so much better after that. Toni stood in a hot shower for a long time, and, by the time she was finished and dressed, the mist had cleared. She prowled round the now-deserted kitchen looking for food.

  Nola had left the surfaces clean and tidy and the dishwasher was running. Otherwise there were no signs of the crowd who had been there earlier. Toni helped herself to a couple more biscuits, then headed down to see how Grace was doing, stopping off on the way to say hello to Buster.

  Arabella was in the bottom field with Beth, trying to separate the injured horses, but the new herd was agitated and flighty. Grace was still keeping herself separate down at the other end, and Toni perched up on the post and rail to watch.
/>   ‘Get in here!’ her mother called. ‘We need another pair of hands.’

  The promise she had made to Cal rang in Toni’s ears, and she hesitated.

  ‘Today would be a good idea,’ Arabella shouted sarcastically.

  ‘I don’t want to,’ Toni amazed herself by shouting back.

  Arabella limped over to the fence, incredulity on her face. ‘Well, I’m telling you to. So get in here. Now.’

  Toni jumped back down so the fence was between them. ‘They’re all upset still. I don’t want to take the risk.’

  ‘God, you’re pathetic,’ Arabella sneered. ‘I can’t believe you’re my daughter sometimes.’

  The comment cut deep. But knowing Cal cared somehow gave Toni the courage to stand up to her. ‘I’m happy to help later, when they’ve had a chance to calm down,’ she said. To her amazement, Arabella turned and walked away, leaving her daughter with the last word for once.

  *************

  The following day at school, Toni found herself the centre of attention. It was strange to have everyone crowding round, demanding to know what had happened.

  ‘Don’t get too used to it.’ Lauren was cynical. ‘They’ll have forgotten all about it by tomorrow.’

  Does that mean Cal will have forgotten too?

  He had asked her to text him and let him know how she was. But what she really wanted was to see him face-to-face.

  Lauren went into town after school, leaving her to catch the bus alone. On the way home she composed a text to him for the fiftieth time.

  It seemed so bold.

  ‘Can we meet?’

  Instant response.

  ‘Sure. Where?’

  Toni panicked at once. He couldn’t come to the yard – there was no way she could risk him meeting Arabella. Poplar Farm was out too. She wasn’t going to get much of a welcome from Debs or Matt.

  ‘Can u get here?’

  ‘Not a good idea,’ Toni replied.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Trust me.’

  There was silence for a while.

  ‘Hare and Hounds in Little Alderley @ 6.’

  She regularly hacked through Little Alderley and knew it well. She reckoned it was probably just over a mile. She could easily walk. But it took longer on foot than on horseback, and it was nearer six-thirty when she arrived. There were only three vehicles in the car park and she recognised the old blue pick-up immediately.

  Toni had never met anyone in a pub before. The idea of walking into the bar alone made her feel slightly sick, but in the end she didn’t have to. He was sitting outside at a wooden picnic table, his shoulders hunched, with a nearly empty half-pint in front of him. She watched him for a moment before he saw her, feeling that familiar pull.

  Cal looked up and saw her. ‘You took your time.’

  ‘Sorry. It was further than I thought.’ Toni sat down, knocking her knee painfully on the table. It would bruise later. She pointed to a bottle of Coke. ‘Is that for me?’

  He nodded, pushing it across the table towards her. ‘I wasn’t sure if you’re over eighteen.’

  The comment hung in the air and she knew he was fishing. Toni wasn’t about to tell him she was only fifteen and, even though she hated Coke, she took a sip.

  ‘And I don’t want to get into trouble with that mother of yours. From what I hear, she’s not a woman to cross.’

  Straight to the point. She tried to look directly at him, but had to squint into the low sun. ‘I’m not my mother, Cal.’ She forced herself to take another sip of the sweet drink. ‘In fact, I just about hate everything about her.’

  She thought some of the tension dropped out of his shoulders. He drained his glass. ‘I can’t imagine she’d be too happy about you being here with me.’

  Toni imagined Arabella’s reaction. ‘Actually, I’m not sure she’d even care. I’d be more worried about your mother finding out.’

  Cal frowned. ‘What’s that meant to mean?’

  ‘She warned me off,’ Toni said. ‘At Badminton.’

  He looked furious. ‘What did she say – exactly?’

  Toni struggled to remember. So much had happened since. ‘Your dad needs you on the farm. You don’t need any distractions. That sort of thing.’

  Cal glared. ‘She’s no right to interfere.’

  ‘Why’s he so dead set against you working with horses?’

  ‘When Grandad died, both Dad and Uncle Joe inherited the farm. Dad wanted to stay in cattle. Joe wanted to breed horses. They couldn’t agree how to run it, so in the end Dad bought Uncle Joe out.’

  ‘And he went to Canada?’

  ‘Yes. He bought a ranch there. Dad never forgave him for leaving.’ He picked up his glass and stood up. ‘I’m going to get another. Then you can tell me about the fire.’

  Toni nodded and picked her glass up again.

  Cal began to walk away, in the direction of the bar, then turned. ‘Do you even like Coke?’

  She shook her head and laughed. ‘Hate it.’

  ‘I guess we’ve got a lot to learn about each other, haven’t we?’

  She nodded, happy he seemed to be saying he wanted to find out more.

  ‘So – what do you drink?’

  Toni wanted to say lemonade, but worried it would sound childish. ‘Lime and soda, please.’

  ‘OK.’

  Her phone beeped as soon as he left. Her father.

  ‘Farewell dinner at 8.30 for Nola and Gramps.’

  No! It was already seven-fifteen. Just when they were beginning to relax with each other. Cal returned with the drinks and two packets of crisps

  Toni felt wretched. ‘I’m so sorry. I have to be home by eight-thirty to eat. My grandparents are visiting.’

  He glanced at his watch. ‘That still gives us an hour. I’ll drop you back. Don’t worry. Safely down the road out of sight,’ he grinned. ‘But right now I want to hear about the fire. And then you can tell me how you’ve been getting on with Grace.’

  ***** Nine *****

  Dinner was tense. Her father had gone to a huge effort and cooked a goose with all the trimmings, determined to give her grandparents a good send off. But their trip could hardly be called a success.

  Badminton had been a disaster, followed by the fire. And the growing distance between her mother and father seemed glaring and obvious. Arabella let Lily sit under the table and fed her bits of the goose, infuriating her father, Toni could tell.

  ‘Are the horses staying out again?’ her grandfather asked.

  Arabella nodded. ‘Until we know who the arsonist is, yes.’

  ‘Did they arrest that woman Jen?’ Nola asked.

  Arabella shook her head in disgust. ‘Apparently she has a cast-iron alibi. She was in Wales visiting her parents.’

  ‘I knew it wasn’t her.’ Toni was thrilled. ‘I told you she couldn’t have done it.’

  Arabella sat back and watched her steadily, until Toni began to feel quite uncomfortable. Her mother had a particularly unpleasant look on her face.

  ‘Sticky toffee pudding.’ Her father put the dish on the table along with a jug of custard. ‘Or I think we’ve got some ice cream if anyone prefers.’

  ‘Ice cream for me, please.’ Nola smiled, determined to be cheerful.

  He went into the utility room to get it from the chest freezer, so was out of earshot when Arabella dropped her bombshell.

  ‘I’ve decided Buster has to be sold.’

  Toni was so shocked she half-missed her bowl, and poured custard onto the table instead. ‘Sell Buster? No. You can’t mean it.’

  ‘I certainly do.’ Her mother’s mouth was set in that determined way her daughter knew and feared. Nola gave Gramps a worried look, but he stared at the table fixedly. Toni suddenly knew they had discussed this with her mother already.

  ‘No. You can’t!’ She jumped up, sending her chair crashing down hard on the wooden floor behind her. ‘Dad! Tell her she can’t!’ she pleaded with her father as he walked back into the room
with a tub of ice cream.

  He looked wary. ‘What’s going on?’

  ‘Antonia, pick that chair up and act your age,’ her mother continued, as if he hadn’t spoken. ‘And fetch a cloth, for Heaven’s sake.’

  Toni picked up the chair slowly, and set it upright again, her mind racing. Her mother hated displays of emotion. It was guaranteed to put her back up, especially in front of her grandparents.