by Amanda Wills
‘There's a problem there, lass. Our phone line is down, too.’
‘Nina said you get a mobile signal here. Do you have a mobile phone?’ Poppy asked, realising she'd forgotten to bring one with her. She slid off Beau, hugged him briefly and went to stand in front of Bert.
‘Aye, we do. Our Stuart bought it for us in case of emergencies. I expect Eileen will know where it is,’ he said.
‘This is an emergency!’ shrieked Poppy, finally losing her patience. ‘Please, we need to be quick!’
‘Calm down, lass, I hear you. You'd better follow me,’ Bert said, heading for the back door of the farmhouse. He let himself in and called up the stairs, ‘Eileen! Where do you keep the mobile telephone?’
Poppy jiggled from one foot to the other as she waited by the back door. After an age a white-haired woman in a long, cotton nightie and a coral pink polyester dressing gown appeared. Her faded grey eyes widened when she saw Poppy standing on the doorstep.
‘What's happened, love?’ she asked.
‘Nina's oak has been struck by lightning. We need to call the fire brigade on your mobile phone,’ Poppy told her. Eileen nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. She re-appeared a moment later with an ancient mobile the size of a brick. She peered at the keypad myopically. ‘I haven't got my glasses on. Can you see the numbers?’
Poppy grabbed the phone and checked for a signal. Three bars. She dialled 999, her index finger jabbing the keypad frantically, her heart pounding. She held the phone to her ear and listened to the dial tone. There was a click and a woman's voice.
‘Which emergency service do you require?’
Poppy took a deep breath and spoke as calmly as she could.
‘Fire. We need the fire brigade.’
Chapter Eighteen
The phone call seemed to galvanise Bert. He found Poppy an empty stable for Beau and they gave the bedraggled cob some hay and water. Eileen joined them in the yard, wearing a worn waterproof jacket over her dressing gown, and the three of them climbed into the front of Bert's Land Rover.
‘We'll go across the fields. It'll be quicker,’ said Bert, turning the ignition.
‘We can't,’ remembered Poppy. ‘The bridge has been washed away.’
‘Well I never. They said it would be a bad storm but I can't remember anything like it.’ He flicked on the windscreen washers, rammed the gearstick into first and the Land Rover bunny-hopped out of the yard. Poppy realised she was shivering. Eileen reached behind her for a blanket.
‘Here, wrap this around you. You must be frozen.’
‘I hope we're not too late,’ Poppy mumbled, picturing the writhing power cable. ‘What if the barn has caught fire?’
‘Everything will be fine, don't you worry,’ Eileen reassured her.
Bert saw the fire engine's blue flashing lights in his rear-view mirror before they heard its ear-blasting sirens. He pulled into a layby to let it pass. Moments later a second engine hurtled down the flooded lane towards Oaklands. Bert followed the V-shaped wake pattern left by the truck's huge wheels. Relieved that the fire brigade had taken her seriously, Poppy drummed her fingers on the dashboard as they chugged slowly down the lane. When at last Bert pulled up behind the second fire engine she unclipped her seatbelt and let herself out of the door before the old farmer had even pulled up the handbrake.
Poppy ran past the two fire engines to the gate. It had finally stopped raining and the first blush of dawn was creeping over the horizon, enabling her to see just how much devastation the old oak had caused. One huge bough had splintered the gate like matchwood and the fire crews were forcing their way through the branches to reach the yard. Poppy followed, her eyes on the barn roof. She could see the power cable twitching and jerking but to her relief there was no sign of fire and the barn was still intact. On the other side of the yard Nina and Scarlett had seen the fire engines arrive and were scrambling over branches to reach them, Lydia close behind.
A firefighter in a white helmet strode up to them. After more than twenty years in the fire service, watch manager Mick Goodwin had dealt with the whole gamut of incidents, from motorway pile-ups to house fires. Poppy was immediately reassured by his air of calm competence.
‘Is anyone trapped in either of the barns?’ he asked Nina.
She shook her head. ‘No, just the horses. They're in this one,’ she pointed to the barn behind her. ‘The other one is filled with hay.’
‘What about the house? Is anyone inside?’
‘No, it's just Lydia, Scarlett and me. We've been outside trying to keep the horses calm. Poppy went to call you.’
‘Control said the tree brought down a power cable,’ Mick said, his eyes scanning the yard.
‘It's over there, on top of the hay barn. We were terrified it would set the barn on fire,’ said Nina.
‘Not if we can help it,’ Mick replied cheerfully. ‘Right, I need you three to stand well clear of the yard. And you,’ he added, as Poppy joined them, scratches from the oak's branches vivid on her pale face.
The firefighter beckoned one of his crew over and, heads bent, they discussed their plan of attack. Nina ushered the three girls towards the bungalow. Scarlett was holding Lydia's hand, her freckled face serious. ‘The horses have been terrified. Can you hear McFly crashing about? I'm surprised he hasn't kicked the barn down. Nina found an old handsaw in the garage and we've been trying to cut through the branches so we could let them out but it was so blunt it was next to useless.’ She looked around her. ‘Where's Beau?’
‘I left him at the farm. Bert and Eileen drove me here once we'd called the fire brigade. They're here somewhere.’ Poppy desperately wanted to tell her friend about the ride to the farm but now wasn't the time. Mick came over and spoke to Nina.
‘We've put a call into control to ask the power company to isolate the electrical supply. Our priority now is to rescue the horses. We'll use chainsaws to clear the branches from the barn door and then we'll need your help to lead them to safety. Is there a field we can use?’
Nina nodded. ‘We'll put them in the top field. They'll be safe there.’
‘Once the horses are out of the way we'll need to use the jets to damp down the hay barn in case there are any hot spots. The smallest ember can smoulder for days before igniting and the last thing we want is for fire to break out once we've gone,’ said Mick. He saw the worry on Nina's face. ‘I'm afraid the hay'll be water-damaged but at least the barn will be safe, and your insurance will cover the loss.’
Poppy wondered when Nina had last been able to afford to pay her insurance premiums. Not recently, judging by her resigned expression. ‘At least the horses are OK,’ she whispered and Nina gave her a wan smile. ‘You're right, Poppy. At least the horses are OK.’
Soon the sound of neighing was drowned out by the roar of three chainsaws. The firefighters worked quickly and efficiently, cutting through the wide branches like butter and stacking them on a growing pile by the muck heap. Eileen appeared clutching mugs of tea, which Nina and the girls took gratefully. ‘Look at you, you're all soaked to the skin. Go and change into dry clothes,’ she scolded, batting away Nina's protests with an impatient wave of her hand. ‘You'll be no use to anyone with hyperthermia. And look at Lydia, the poor lamb. She's shivering.’
By the time they returned in dry clothes the firefighters had cleared enough of a gap for them to open the barn doors and lead the horses to the top field.
‘We'll take McFly, Blue and Rusty first, then we'll come back for Willow, Rocky and Topaz. Lydia, you stay here with Eileen,’ instructed Nina. The firefighters turned off the chainsaws and Poppy, Scarlett and Nina each grabbed a headcollar from the row of hooks inside the barn door. Topaz whinnied when she saw Scarlett. McFly was drenched in sweat, his brown eyes anxious as he paced restlessly around his loose box. Poppy let herself into Blue's box. The Arab mare was jumpy and she talked to her quietly as she put on her headcollar. She pictured Cloud, safe with Chester in the stable they shared at Riverdale, obl
ivious to the drama at Oaklands. It was impossible to believe she'd be back with him in a few hours. Nina was struggling to put McFly's headcollar on. Every time she reached up to pass the strap over his ears he shot his head high in the air and wheeled around in a panic. Blue seemed calmer and Poppy tied her up and crossed the barn to McFly's loose box.
‘What can I do to help?’ she asked Nina, who was dwarfed by the big bay thoroughbred. He was trembling with fear and reminded Poppy of a coiled spring ready to explode. Nina, on the other hand, was totally unfazed. Coping with more than half a ton of panicking horse was second nature to her and Poppy was in awe of her composure.
‘Bring Blue over. She might calm him down,’ Nina replied with a quick smile.
Poppy untied Blue and led her over to McFly. The grey mare whickered quietly, the sound soft, low and reassuring in the high-ceilinged barn. The gelding stopped his pacing and took two cautious steps forwards, extending his neck so he could blow into Blue's nose. Nina stroked his neck, working her way up to his withers, which she kneaded gently, talking to him all the while. McFly's breathing slowed and he dropped his head and took a couple more steps forwards. Nina slipped the headcollar over his head and fastened the strap.
‘Good lad,’ she said, patting his neck. ‘Let's get you out of here.’
Once they'd turned the three horses out in the field they returned for Willow, Rocky and Topaz. Poppy took Willow, marvelling at how calm she was, despite the commotion. Scarlett looked tearful as she smothered Topaz with kisses and Poppy knew her friend would be dreading the moment she had to say goodbye. As she led Willow past Beau's empty box she hoped he didn't think she'd abandoned him. That was too terrible to contemplate, especially after he'd risked his life for her. Then again, she thought fondly, picturing the unconventional piebald cob working his way through half a bale of hay in Bert's stable, as long as he had plenty to eat he'd be absolutely fine. All of a sudden she realised what a big Beau-sized hole he was going to leave in her life and her throat constricted.
‘Your Beau is a hero,’ she told Willow thickly. The little dun mare cocked an ear back to listen. ‘I spent the entire holiday moaning about him, and tonight he saved my life. I would have drowned if it hadn't been for Beau.’ The mare gave her a friendly nudge and Poppy sniffed loudly. Nina had already reached the field gate with Rocky and was looking back to see where they were. Poppy rubbed her eyes and led Willow towards them.
‘I've been a prize idiot, Willow. An absolute, utter idiot.’
Chapter Nineteen
The top of an unashamedly gilded sun had appeared over the horizon, turning the dawn sky the same shade of coral pink as Eileen's dressing gown. Four of the firefighters were using their jet hoses to damp down the hay barn while three had picked up their chainsaws again and had started clearing the branches from the five bar gate.
Mick Goodwin looked at his watch. ‘It's six o'clock. We shouldn't be here much longer.’
‘Thank you so much for everything.’ Nina looked shattered. ‘I don't know what we would have done without you.’
‘Just doing our job,’ smiled Mick. ‘An engineer from the power company is on his way so hopefully you won't be without electricity for too long.’
Soon the firefighters were loading their equipment back into their fire engines. They waved at Nina and the girls as they drove away.
‘We'll be on our way, too, Nina love,’ said Eileen.
‘Can I come with you and bring Beau home?’ asked Poppy. She knew by rights she should be exhausted but adrenalin was still buzzing around her system and she wasn't ready to crash just yet.
‘Are you sure, Poppy?’ said Nina. ‘At least you can take his tack with you this time.’
‘Actually, I'll just take his bridle, thanks. I loved riding him bareback. He was as comfy as an armchair,’ Poppy grinned. ‘But we might be a while. The clapper bridge has collapsed into the river so we'll have to go along the lanes.’
‘The clapper bridge? How on earth did you manage to reach the farm?’ said Nina, her eyebrows raised.
‘We swam, of course,’ called Poppy over her shoulder as she headed for the Land Rover, Beau's bridle on her shoulder and her ponytail swinging jauntily.
Beau had demolished the small mountain of hay they'd given him and was dozing in his borrowed stable, his whiskery bottom lip drooping. Poppy rested her elbows on the stable door and watched him sleep. He twitched every now and then and she wondered if he was dreaming about their adventure. She wished with all her heart that she could turn the clock back and start the week over. What would her wise old friend Tory have said?
‘Never judge a book by its cover,’ she whispered. Beau opened his wall eye at the sound of her voice and whickered softly. Poppy smiled, let herself into his stable and wrapped her arms around his neck.
‘I'm going to miss you, Beautiful Beau,’ she said. He nibbled her pocket and she laughed.
‘OK, OK, I'll see if I've got any.’ She reached into her pocket for a packet of Polos but instead found the card the man in the silver saloon had given her the day before. She pulled it out and read the black print.
Dunster and Deakins
Financial Asset Investigation Specialists
'Always happy to help'
‘Always happy to help!’ cried Poppy, outraged. ‘Happy to help ruin people's lives, more like. Poor Nina.’ Poppy tore the card into tiny pieces and shoved them back in her pocket. Beau sighed loudly as he realised that the Polos he'd been hoping for were unlikely to be forthcoming anytime soon. He stood patiently while Poppy slipped on his bridle and led him out of the stable to an old wooden picnic table, which she used as an improvised mounting block.
The dawn chorus was in full voice as Poppy and Beau ambled down the lane towards Oaklands. Poppy wondered whether she ought to tell Nina about the man's visit but decided against it. It was the last thing Nina needed after the night she'd had. Before long they were turning up the track towards the bungalow. Nina and Scarlett had been busy clearing the pieces of smashed gate and had fashioned a make-do barrier with three jumping poles tied in place with baler twine. Poppy slid off Beau and led him through the narrow gate at the end of Nina's front garden. She found Scarlett sitting on a bale of hay, her face glum.
‘What's up?’ Poppy said, sitting down beside her. Beau began pulling wisps of hay from the end of the bale.
‘Nina's just told me about the business going belly-up. It's awful, Poppy. What's going to happen to the horses?’
‘I don't know. But I'm sure they'll all go to good homes,’ she said, not believing it for a minute.
‘Imagine how hard it's going to be for Nina. She hasn't even told Lydia yet. I know I moan about Mum and Dad not having much money, but at least we own the farm. No-one can ever take that away from us. And it's not like it's Nina's fault. She's just been really unlucky. Why does everything have to be so unfair?’
They watched silently as Frank crossed the yard to Beau, greeting him like a long lost brother.
‘Where is Nina?’ asked Poppy.
‘Putting Lydia to bed. She was going to try and have a nap, too. What time's your dad picking us up?’
‘Mid-morning, I think. So that gives us a couple of hours at least.’ Poppy surveyed the yard. The firemen had cleared the biggest branches but the concrete was covered in leaves and twigs, the untidy detritus of the storm. ‘Shall we have a tidy up?’
‘That's a great idea. It'll take my mind off saying goodbye to Topaz. You put Beau and Frank in the field and I'll find a couple of brooms.’
They spent the next two hours sweeping the yard and mucking out the loose boxes. They filled hayracks and water buckets and mixed the evening feeds following the list Nina had pinned to the door of the tack room. By the time they'd finished Poppy was light-headed with exhaustion but she smiled with satisfaction as she emptied the wheelbarrow on the muck heap for the last time.
‘It'll do Nina good to have a day off. It must be such hard work looking after this place
and Lydia all on her own,’ she said, picking up a broom that she'd left leaning against the wall of the barn.
‘It's not going to be for much longer though, is it?’ Scarlett replied despondently. ‘Come on, let's go and find something to eat. I'm starving.’
They were halfway across the yard when they heard a car turn into the track.
‘Must be my dad,’ said Poppy, checking her watch. It was almost noon. They walked over to the makeshift gate, expecting to see her dad's blue estate car. Poppy's face fell when she saw the bonnet of a silver saloon bumping down the track towards them. The sun was glinting off the windscreen so she couldn't see the driver's face, but she didn't need to. She knew exactly who he was.
And she had a feeling there was no avoiding him this time.
Chapter Twenty
Poppy fingered the tiny scraps of card in her pocket. ‘Scarlett, can you go and wake Nina? Tell her the man's come back.’
‘What man? Poppy, what's going on?’
‘It's the debt collector, Scar. I managed to fob him off the other day but this time I don't think he's going to go until he's seen her.’
Appalled, Scarlett looked over to the car. The man in the shiny suit let himself out of the driver's side and stretched his back. There was a loud clunk as he swung the door shut. Clipboard in hand, he made his way over to the two girls. Scarlett melted away towards the bungalow and Poppy took a deep breath and greeted him, her hand on the broom handle, her face impassive.
‘Mr Dunster? Or is it Mr Deakins? Or perhaps it's neither. Perhaps you're just a gofer sent by the bosses to ruin people's lives?’
Completely wrong-footed, the man gazed around uneasily. Poppy found his discomfort empowering. Suddenly she was enjoying herself.
‘So Mr D - you don't mind me calling you that, do you?’ she smiled sweetly. ‘How can I help? I'm always happy to help, but then so are you, aren't you?’