Mating the Llama

by Oliver, Marina

  It was several seconds before she realised what the ringing noise was. At first she thought it was the telephone, and was wondering how the devil Alice knew where they were, and cursing her for interrupting at such a moment. Then it dawned on her the noise was much louder, and she could smell smoke. She struggled, and Doc suddenly released her and stood up.

  'That, I'm afraid, is a fire alarm. Quick, put this on, we'd better get out fast, this is an old building.'

  *

  Chapter 12

  They pulled on their robes, Lucy snatched up her handbag, and Doc grabbed his wallet and keys. There was no time to hunt for shoes as they dashed into the corridor where other people were milling around, getting entangled in the various trolleys and trays that had been left outside some of the doors. Smoke and an ominous crackling noise came from the direction of the stairs and the reception hall, and it was obviously impossible to get out that way.

  Doc took Lucy's hand and dragged her the other way. The fire escape was through a window at the end of the corridor, and they were soon clambering down the iron steps, followed by the other guests. As they rounded the corner to the front of the hotel they could see flames pouring out of the front door.

  'Come on, we have to move the animals away before they panic.'

  Lucy was getting used to being barefoot outside hotels, but the gravel was the large, extra rough kind that makes a warning crunch sound when burglars and other undesirables drive or walk over it. She had friends who'd put that down so that they could hide when they didn't want visitors. It was not designed to treat her feet with respect, and she was dripping blood from a thousand tiny cuts when they reached the Range Rover.

  The dogs were puzzled but welcoming. They'd obviously been resigned to a night in the back of the car, and were delighted at their new company. They still stank of river water, and this, mingled with the remnants of bath essences, was overpowering.

  Luckily Doc had parked the Range Rover and horsebox at the far side of the car park, where it would be quieter for Rosa and the dogs. Doc had said it would be safe there, hidden from the road, unlike being parked in a layby during the journey, but it had made Lucy wonder whether he really had needed her. By immense good fortune there were no other cars parked nearby, blocking them in, and they were able to get away without any loss of time.

  Doc drove for about a mile, and pulled into a layby at the top of a hill just as a couple of fire engines raced past. They could see the hotel, flames by now reaching the roof, and several fire engines pouring gallons of water into it. Later they learned that an illicit cigar, left on a windowsill by a guest at a private function, had set fire to curtains in the room, the open windows blowing them about, and it hadn't been discovered until the heat had caused a gas cylinder which was stored outside the window to explode. It was a wonder they hadn't heard the explosion, but it was on the opposite side of the house and they had been otherwise engaged.

  'What now?' Lucy asked. 'Do we wait, or go home?'

  'I don't think there'll be much chance of getting back in for our clothes. Is there anything you really want saved?'

  She thought of her ruined dress and best lacy nightgown.

  'Not really.'

  'Nor me. That suit will never be the same, and I have all the papers for Rosa here. But I'm way over the limit after two bottles of champagne, and with our recent luck I'd be sure to be stopped. I can't afford to lose my licence, so I suggest we try to get what sleep we can and drive home in the morning.'

  They did try, but for a couple of hours were more interested in watching what was happening at the hotel. Several other cars drove off, presumably guests who'd also given up hope of getting back inside. The fire crews gradually conquered the flames, but even from this distance they could smell the smoke. One appliance was left to keep spraying the ashes, and the rest departed. It was time to try and sleep.

  Lucy had visions of teenage snogging in cars, but somehow it would be impossible to recreate a romantic encounter in this back seat, occupied by two inquisitive dogs. She snorted with laughter, but refused to explain to Doc. Instead she put the seat down as far as it would go, wrapped the bath robe round her, and tried to sleep. The booze and the excitement must have had some effect, as it was full daylight when she woke. There was a crick in her neck and her feet were cold. Doc, in the driving seat, must have been even more uncomfortable, but he was awake and grinning down at her.

  'There's some stale bread and cold coffee in the picnic bag,' he said. 'We can hardly venture into even a Little Chef in this gear.'

  *

  It was almost lunch time when they got to Shorter's Green and turned up the lane. Doc stopped outside her cottage.

  'I must get Rosa sorted, and bath these wretched dogs, but I'll come down later,' he said, and leant over to kiss her.

  At least she thought that's what he meant to do, and was lifting her face invitingly, when he suddenly reared back, swearing under his breath.

  'Don't look now,' he whispered, and as one always does, Lucy had an almost uncontrollable urge to turn round.

  'What is it?' she whispered back, but before he could reply she heard a well-remembered voice floating through the open window.

  'Mrs Latimer, so that's where you are. I came round to bring you a few cakes, in gratitude for all your help when I was injured. Is that Mr Finlay? It looks like his car.'

  'What shall we do?' Lucy hissed, looking at their his-an'-hers bath robes and pulling hers round her as much as she could. It still gaped and showed too much bare leg, and she saw, after a quick glance at Doc, that his was only just about decent. To her amusement he pulled it open so that much of his bare chest was visible too.

  'This'll drive her off. Brazen it out,' he hissed back, and turned on his most devastating smile.

  'Good morning, Miss Brown. You see us as refugees. The hotel where we stayed was burned down last night, and we had to escape in whatever we could find.'

  'Goodness me! Oh! Oh dear. How unfortunate.'

  She had by now come right up to the vehicle, and could see what they were wearing.

  'Yes, indeed,' Doc said, and Lucy could hear the laughter he was suppressing. 'It was fortunate we were able to snatch these robes, or it could have been even more embarrassing.'

  'How, er, distressing. And before either of you had time even to get into your pyjamas.'

  Lucy sniggered, and turned it into a choking fit. Doc thumped her on the back. Miss Brown was blinking rapidly. 'Did you lose everything else in the fire?'

  'There wasn't time to rescue it. I had to move poor Rosa and the dogs straight away.'

  The dogs were peering over Lucy's shoulder, tongues lolling, trying to lick Miss Brown's hand where she had rested it on the window sill. She drew it away in haste.

  'Oh, these dogs are too frisky. What is that awful smell?

  Lucy was tempted to say it was the hotel's bath essence, but Doc beat her to it.

  'They went swimming in a filthy river. I haven't had a chance to bath them, so I hope they haven't picked up some horrid disease.'

  'Oh!' she said again, much more worriedly, as she backed away. 'I'll bid you goodbye so that you can get properly dressed, and see to those dogs. Ought they to be in quarantine?'

  'I don't think they'll have contracted typhoid.'

  She retreated still further.

  'I've left the cakes on your doorstep, Mrs Latimer. Goodbye, and I do hope you don't catch anything from the dogs.'

  'Probably left overs from the fête,' Doc muttered as Lucy opened the door and climbed out. 'See you later.'

  She limped over to the door, let herself in, and turned to wave as he drove away. Would he come, or would there be problems at the farm he needed to sort out? Would a relationship develop, or had last night been a case of opportunity combined with euphoria that Rosa's mating had been a success? She would soon find out.

  *

  Unable to settle, she recalled the receipt Alice had given her, which she'd stuffed in her bag an
d not looked at since. It might answer some questions. She sat at the kitchen table and fished down into the bag, pulling out several small bits of paper. There was a supermarket receipt, a car park ticket, a petrol receipt, but no hotel receipt. Panicking, she tipped up the bag, and saw a scrunched up bit of paper float to the floor. She grabbed it, and with a sigh of relief saw it was what she wanted.

  Pushing everything else aside, she flattened out the paper. The print on it was rather faint, but she managed to decipher it. She studied the details slowly, her heart sinking. It was a hotel in Oxford, for a double room, and her faint hope that perhaps Alice had stayed there alone was dashed when she saw dinner for two, and champagne on the room service bit.

  Then she frowned. It was Alice's signature, and the receipt was made out to her. Why would she be paying? Surely Doc would not have permitted that if he had been with her? Equality was all very well, but Alice probably didn't earn a great deal, and he was wealthy. Perhaps he'd forgotten his credit cards. That was unlikely, a forlorn hope on her part.

  Maybe she had been there with someone else? A man? Or a girl friend? If the latter, perhaps the room had twin beds? It still didn't explain why she had been paying, though.

  The hotel's phone number was on the receipt, and before she could change her mind Lucy picked up the phone and punched in the numbers. Before she could regret what she was doing the efficient receptionist answered. She hadn't thought what she wanted to say, or how she might discover it by guile, so she blurted it out.

  'Can you tell me, please, if room twenty-six has a double or twin beds please?'

  She didn't seem surprised. 'It's a double, madam. Have you booked it? If you prefer a twin we can easily change it for you.'

  'Er, thank you, no thanks.'

  She ended the call. Had Alice been there with Doc? How could she find out? She could go and look at the register, no doubt. But she hadn't been asked to sign, only Doc. As Alice had paid the bill presumably only she had signed. What other way could she find out?

  The date on the receipt was smudged. All she could see was the month and the year. May, a month or so ago. She remembered Doc had been away then. How could she find out if Alice had been away at the same time? Of course, it was only for one night, so she might have driven down on her day off. She consulted the calendar. When was Alice's day off? She assumed she would have one apart from Sunday, when Cuticurls was closed. Without the actual day on the receipt that wouldn't help a great deal.

  It was hopeless. She couldn't think of any way to find out. If Doc had been with Alice so recently, his making love to her seemed to be simple opportunism.

  *

  Doc did come, just after Kate arrived home that evening. Lucy was in the kitchen, cooking a sauce for the pasta, and trying to tread carefully in bare feet. None of her shoes were comfortable.

  Kate was sitting at the kitchen table with her diary in front of her when Doc poked his head through the open doorway.

  'I'll have to cancel Jonathon,' she was muttering.

  'Who's Jonathon, and why?' Lucy asked. 'Hi Doc, come in.' She tried to act normally, keep her voice casual yet welcoming. 'There's a bottle of wine open. Kate, pour him a glass.'

  She did so and handed it to him as he came in and sat down. Then she explained.

  'A mate from college. He was coming down here the week after next. I didn't have a chance to ask you if you minded, your mobile was off as usual yesterday. But now we've got a training session that week, somewhere in Buckinghamshire, so he can't come.'

  'Residential?' she asked, and glanced at Doc.

  He was smiling, and winked at her. So perhaps the relationship still had somewhere to go. With Kate away he could come to the cottage at any time. She cheered up at once. Why should she care about any previous entanglements? He'd finished with Alice. Hadn't he?

  'Yes, it's a pain, but we all have to go. Oh, Doc, how's your new housekeeper? I met her yesterday. Flick asked me to supper with her. Very glam. A brilliant cook, too. Honestly, Lucy, she arrived at four, and had a wonderful casserole on the table at seven. And not a hair out of place.'

  Lucy's spirits were behaving like a yo-yo. They fell back to almost where they'd been before Doc arrived. A glamorous cook living in the same house? More competition. Briefly she wondered whether Alice knew.

  Doc was leaning back in his chair, sipping the wine.

  'How are your feet, Lucy?' he asked.

  'Sore, but I can still move. How's Rosa?'

  'It's as if she'd never moved from that paddock. I'm wondering if it was all a dream.'

  She'd rather lost interest in Rosa.

  'I take it from what Kate says this housekeeper will pass?'

  'I expect so. I haven't tasted her cooking yet, but Flick seems pleased. She's already invited Daisy to her party. And she brought a message. Apparently your Edward was here last night, and when no one was in he came up to the farm. Flick's invited him too, and he said he'd come.'

  She groaned. 'Oh, no! And he's not my Edward. Flick should have known better.'

  'As she told me, they were sitting out in the garden and she was just telling Daisy all about it, when Edward appeared and before she realised he was there he'd overheard, and asked if he was invited. Flick's pretty direct, but even she felt she couldn't refuse in the circumstances.'

  'I suppose not, but he needn't think he'll stay here afterwards,' she said, feeling vicious.

  'Book him a room at the King's Head. I'll do it to make sure,' Doc offered.

  'Do you own that too?' Kate asked.

  'As it happens, yes, and they were keeping a few rooms for Flick's London guests, in case we couldn't fit them all in at the farm.'

  'Thanks,' Lucy said, but she felt pretty gloomy. When would they have another chance to be alone together?

  Doc rose. 'I'd better go and see what Daisy's cooking for tonight. It smelled good.'

  *

  By the next day Lucy was just able to hobble in soft velvet flatties. Until then she'd worn some ancient trainers, the only shoes she could tolerate. No way could she wear slinky strappy sandals to Flick's party unless her feet recovered much faster than they seemed to want. She'd visited Annabelle's again and splashed out on a gorgeous long blue skirt and a lacy white top. She'd also treated herself to some frilly underwear. Doc hadn't been down to the cottage again, but he'd phoned to say the hotel insurance would cover what they'd lost.

  Flick came the afternoon after their return to commiserate on the fire. Lucy asked her about Daisy, trying to sound as though it was just a casual neighbourly question.

  'She's terrific! I was so fortunate to get her. The agency said she was in high demand, and I'm not surprised. She was only available because one of her bookings fell through. She cooks cordon bleu, and she whisks through the house like a whirlwind with a duster and vacuum. Talk about energy! She'd done all through by lunchtime, and it's a big house. It's never been so clean.'

  'A paragon,' Lucy said, without enthusiasm.

  'Alice came as well. She was rather upset when she knew Cas had taken Rosa away again, without getting in touch with her. At least I was able to tell her where Tommy was, which is what she said she'd come for. But it's my belief she wanted to try and make it up with Cas.'

  Lucy was quite sure she did. Doc had blown his top after the fête, but it really hadn't been totally Alice's fault that Rosa and the donkeys had created mayhem.

  'How is Mrs Thomas?'

  She genuinely wanted to know, but she also wanted to know when she would be back at the farm, and the wonderful Daisy would leave.

  'They've moved her to a convalescent home. Her burns are not as bad as they thought at first, and the leg fracture was a clean break. She's in plaster, but will be better in a few weeks.'

  A few weeks! All that time and the wonderful Daisy at the farm. And Alice, being sweet and apologetic. How could she ever compete? She was ordinary, not beautiful, she couldn't cook, and her housekeeping skills were minimal.

  By the middle
of the next week she had other things to worry about. Two of her younger clients for Saturday rang to cancel, without any explanation. She rang and checked with Flick, and they were both still coming to the party.

  'I'll find out,' Flick promised, and an hour later she rang back. 'Miss Brown has been talking about you and Cas going to an hotel together. These two both tried to get Cas interested in the past, and with the rumour that he and Alice have split going the rounds, they might have thought they were back with a chance. Then they hear Miss Brown's version of what happened, so I suspect they're jealous of you.'

  'With little cause,' Lucy said.

  If it hadn't been for the fire they might have had reason to be jealous, but she was beginning to suspect Doc was regretting what had almost happened. Surely if he'd been as frustrated as she was he'd have made some effort to see her?

  She hadn't seen him for several days. The Range Rover had gone past a couple of times, but he never stopped. She tried to tell herself he must be busy, he'd have a lot of work on the farm, and made various other excuses for his neglect, but it didn't help. She wanted to see him. She wanted to know if he still felt anything for her. Had he decided that evening had been a mistake? Had it just been taking a chance that offered, or euphoria that Rosa had been safely recovered?

  She was just coming home on Friday evening after her last appointment when she saw a huge horsebox, the kind used to transport racehorses, turn into the lane just ahead of her. What was happening now?

  *

  It must be going to the farm, there was nowhere else on the lane. Several times she reached for the phone, but drew back. She didn't want to appear nosy. If Kate had been there her sister wouldn't have hesitated, but she was out with one of her new colleagues and wouldn't be back until late.

  Fortunately for her state of curiosity Flick phoned early on Saturday. It was her birthday and Lucy thought she might have phoned to thank her for the present she'd sent her, but after a quick thank you she went on.