Foxglove Farm

by Christie Barlow

  Just at that moment everyone jumped as a flash of lightning struck right across the dense clouds, followed by a boom of thunder.

  Angus’s lips began to tremble at the sound and he let out a cry. Isla soothed his back and cradled him.

  The trees that lined Love Heart Lane began to sway in the strengthening gust. The rain became heavier. Another jagged bolt of white split the sky again, the clap of thunder following immediately.

  ‘Jeez, that sounded close,’ exclaimed Martha. ‘I’m going nowhere fast.’

  Isla gave a sigh. There was no way she was abandoning the warmth of the teashop for another soaking.

  ‘The storm will hopefully pass quickly,’ Flick said, disappearing into the kitchen just as another loud clatter of thunder could be heard.

  After finishing his sandwich, Nate slid his plate away from him and found himself looking out of the window. ‘I best go and see if I can find a bed for the night. I don’t fancy being stranded in this weather,’ he said, taking a note from his wallet and laying it on the table.

  ‘It was lovely to meet you all.’ Nate stood up and slipped his arms back inside his damp coat.

  Martha nudged Isla, ‘Isn’t that your Land Rover?’

  A continuous frantic beep of the car horn caught everyone’s attention, automatically all heads turned towards Love Heart Lane.

  ‘What’s going on?’ asked Isla, watching the car speed towards the teashop. She had an uneasy feeling.

  The Land Rover screeched to a halt outside the teashop.

  ‘It’s Rory,’ exclaimed Rona, as they watched him jump from the car and throw open the teashop door.

  ‘Isla … where’s Isla?’ Rory looked stricken.

  Isla looked across at the sound of her name, but Rory’s expression wasn’t his usual happy one. Their eyes locked and her heart was speeding fast; she knew something was terribly wrong.

  ‘What is it?’ she stammered.

  He pulled down his wet hood and wiped the drippy wet fringe from his face.

  ‘The storm … the lightning …’ Rory was tripping over his words in urgency. ‘The lightning’s hit the barn.’

  ‘Which barn?’ asked Isla, hoping and praying he didn’t mean the milking shed. If any of the equipment had been damaged that would immediately put the farm in financial jeopardy. Of course, there would be the insurance, but time was money.

  ‘The old barn, the one where you stack the hay bales … the one we are moving the pregnant ewes to.’

  ‘Is the barn damaged?’ Isla could tell by the sickened look on Rory’s face that there was more.

  ‘It’s Drew … The barn’s on fire and he’s trapped inside.’ Rory swallowed down a lump in his throat. He was visibly shaking.

  ‘On fire …’ exclaimed Isla. Then reality struck. ‘But the barn is full of hay.’ Clutching Angus with all her might, the tears began streaming down her face.

  ‘Oh my God,’ whispered Felicity. ‘Where’s Fergus?’

  ‘He went in after Drew.’

  Isla looked at Felicity, all the colour had drained from her cheeks.

  Martha took control. ‘You both need to go now with Rory,’ she said, taking Angus from Isla and kissing her granddaughter lightly on the cheek. ‘Go!’

  The tone of her voice jolted Isla, who mechanically nodded her appreciation and shivered. Standing up, her legs felt shaky and panic was mounting inside her.

  Rory carried on talking as Felicity grabbed her coat. ‘I’d nipped back to check on the alpaca,’ Rory was choked up.

  Isla’s voice wavered, ‘We can’t lose him, Gran … we just can’t lose him. He might be a pain in the arse, but he’s my pain in the arse.’

  Martha put on her best encouraging smile. ‘As soon as you have news, let me know.’

  Isla nodded and followed Rory and Felicity towards the door. Felicity was fighting back tears too.

  Rona shouted after them, ‘Has the fire brigade been called?’

  ‘Yes, they are on their way,’ bellowed Rory as they braved the fierce storm outside.

  Everyone inside the teashop watched as a distressed Isla and Felicity ran towards the Land Rover and clambered in. The door slammed and everyone stood in silence as they sped off down Love Heart Lane.

  Chapter 13

  The view through the car windscreen was barely recognisable, frantically the wipers swished back and forth, barely clearing the rain. Everything was blurry as they turned into Foxglove Farm. Then they saw it, the barn aglow with red-hot flames.

  Rory slowed the car down and parked in front of the farmhouse.

  ‘Where the hell is the fire brigade?’ Isla said, flinging open the car door swiftly, followed by Felicity.

  Immediately huge drops of water attacked their bodies, and their clothes were sodden in seconds. Isla’s feet pounded heavily across the ground, her legs flailing, the torrential rain turning the grass to mud, making it slippery.

  She stopped dead.

  A plume of fire exploded in the black sky. Isla was praying with all her might that somehow, just somehow, Drew and Fergus were okay.

  Pain and uncertainty gripped her stomach and she retched. Felicity gripped hold of her for dear life. The heat was immense even from five hundred yards away, an inferno fuelled by the hay bales stacked up in the barn. The glowing embers swirled in the air, the sky illuminated, and ash floated to the ground like dirty flakes of snow.

  Isla’s eyes were glued to her phone, frantically wiping the rain from the screen, willing for a signal.

  ‘There’s no service,’ she said, inside screaming with frustration. ‘Where the hell are they? I’m going in. I can’t leave them in there.’

  The idea of Isla rushing into the barn was ludicrous and Felicity gripped her tighter. ‘Oh no you don’t! It’s too dangerous … think of the kids. They need us.’

  Isla’s face crumpled, all the colour had drained from her skin.

  The two women stood helpless, holding on to each other as the wind attempted to lift them off their feet, the rain stinging their cheeks.

  ‘Drew! Fergus!’ Isla shouted with all her might, hoping they’d respond. There was nothing except another loud blast, causing them to jump backwards.

  They watched in horror as the fire raged on. Not even the torrential rain helped to lessen its heat. Rory paced up and down like a caged animal, raking his hand through his wet hair. They all felt helpless as another enormous explosion punched a fist of orange flames towards the farmhouse. With the force, a window blew out, sending hot shards of glass on to the yard. The eerie gasps and cries of the villagers now gathered at the gates of Foxglove Farm carried towards them in the wind.

  The radiant heat was intense, the flames crackled loudly, the smell of burning was potent. All they could do was stand gripping each other tightly and pray.

  Finally, the sirens of the fire engines became noticeable. ‘At last!’ exclaimed Rory.

  It had felt like hours had passed to Isla, but it had only been a matter of minutes. ‘Hang on in there, Drew … Hang on in there, Fergus,’ Isla whispered, still clutching Felicity with all her might. She prayed so hard for them both, it physically hurt.

  ‘I’ll go and direct the fire engine. Do not move,’ ordered Rory, but they didn’t answer him. In a trance-like state Isla and Felicity stared into the flames.

  Battling hard against the wind and rain, Rory ran the short distance towards the driveway, waving his hands madly in the air to attract the firefighters’ attention. The tyres of the fire engine threw up mud as it raced along the rain-drenched drive, followed by two ambulances.

  The sirens shut down as the fire engine came to a halt.

  ‘Get those girls moved back,’ shouted a firefighter. ‘It’s not safe.’

  But Isla and Felicity were oblivious to the commotion, their eyes still firmly fixed on the burning barn. Soaked to the core, Isla’s body was numb from the cold, but the pain in her heart was excruciating. Reality had struck; whatever they were arguing about, it didn’t mat
ter. Isla couldn’t stand to lose Drew. Despite everything that had happened recently, she still loved him.

  Then, without warning, Isla let out an earth-shattering scream, the kind that made your blood run cold. She screamed again and took off towards the barn.

  ‘Isla, stop!’ bellowed Rory, sprinting towards her, shielding the heat from his face with his arm. The barn was crackling and spitting flames. As Rory reached her, he was conscious of the heavy boots thumping the ground behind him. Both the firefighter and Rory grabbed Isla’s coat and cleanly lifted her off the ground. She kicked her legs like a tantrum toddler. ‘Put me down!’

  ‘Get back,’ ordered the firefighter, with stern authority. ‘It’s too dangerous. Take her out of the way.’

  ‘No! Look!’ she sobbed, the tears leaving streak-marks down her black sooted face. She pointed. ‘Drew!’ she screamed. Felicity was by her side, their arms wrapped tightly around each other, shaking with relief as they witnessed Fergus hunched over, dragging Drew with all his might behind him.

  The firefighters ran to help him and tears of relief cascaded down Isla and Flick’s faces.

  ‘He’s unconscious,’ spluttered Fergus, barely able to breathe himself.

  ‘Get two stretchers over here NOW,’ ordered the chief firefighter.

  As soon as they emerged, both men were strapped to stretchers and carefully manoeuvred out of the rain into the back of the waiting ambulances.

  The paramedics passed blankets to Isla and Felicity. ‘You are both shivering, get wrapped up.’

  Both did as they were told before disappearing into the back of one of the ambulances to check on Drew.

  ‘Why isn’t he awake, why isn’t he moving?’ Isla was frantic. ‘Please help him.’

  ‘Are you a relative?’

  ‘I’m his wife, Isla.’

  The paramedic nodded, ‘Can you tell me his name, please.’

  ‘Drew … it’s Drew.’

  ‘Okay, Drew, I’m Lenny and I’m here to help you,’ he said, hooking Drew up to a monitor.

  Drew didn’t respond.

  ‘We need you to stand back.’

  Isla disobeyed, grabbing Drew’s hand. ‘Drew … Drew, can you hear me?’

  His eyes were closed, his chest was falling and rising slowly. Wide eyed with horror, Isla caught her breath, her body soaked and shivery, her stomach twisting in knots.

  ‘Drew … talk to me.’

  ‘We need to get the oxygen mask on him,’ said Lenny. ‘Please can you stand to the side?’

  Isla felt herself crumbling. Rubbing her hands over her face, she did as she was asked and stepped away from her husband. She watched in horror as the barn continued to burn. The front and side of the farmhouse were scorched by the flames and covered in black soot, and the majority of the side windows had blown. Isla put this day down as one of the worst in her life.

  Wrapped in a blanket, Rory appeared at the back of the ambulance.

  ‘Fergus is doing okay, just some minor burns and smoke inhalation. How’s Drew doing?’

  Isla couldn’t speak, she attempted to shrug. She just wanted someone, anyone to tell her Drew was going to be okay. Deep breaths, Isla told herself, trying to be braver than she felt.

  ‘He’s in the best possible hands,’ said Rory, pulling Isla in for a hug. They both watched as the paramedics made Drew as comfortable as possible, before turning towards Isla.

  ‘We need to get him to hospital. He’s inhaled large amounts of smoke, there’s a large cut to his head and there’s a possibility his leg is broken.’

  ‘Can I come with him?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘What about Angus and Finn?’ she turned towards Rory.

  ‘Martha will look after them. You go, I’ll take care of everything … just go,’ reassured Rory.

  As Isla sat down she felt emotionally bankrupt. She looked out from the back of the ambulance to see the firefighters trying to bring the blaze under control. She felt devastated, worried that everything she’d ever loved, worked for and struggled for lay in ruins. The desolation she felt was all consuming.

  Whatever she and Drew had been arguing about, it didn’t matter now. Drew had to be okay, there wasn’t another option for their family. Wiping the tears from her eyes, her anxiety levels off the scale, all she could think about was her boys – Drew, Finn and Angus. They were her whole life.

  She reached for Drew’s hand; he was still unconscious. The ambulance door was slammed shut and they sped off towards the hospital, sirens blaring.

  Chapter 14

  As soon as the ambulance reached the hospital, Drew was whisked out of sight and Isla was escorted towards the waiting room. The journey had taken approximately ten minutes and Drew’s eyes had remained closed throughout, but Isla had never let go of his hand.

  Exhausted, cold and still wrapped up in the blanket, Isla slumped on to a chair, the stench of smoke still potent. She shivered, all she could do now was wait.

  ‘Cup of tea?’

  Dazed, Isla looked up to see an old man sitting opposite her.

  ‘I’ve no money,’ she answered politely.

  The man handed over some coins. ‘You look like you need one.’

  ‘Thank you,’ she said, gratefully slotting the coins into the drinks machine in the waiting room.

  She sat back, cupping her hands around the warm polystyrene cup, her fingers finally coming back to life. ‘Isla … Isla.’ The door to the waiting room swung open and Allie and Polly rushed towards her. She fell into their arms, tears falling once more.

  ‘How is he?’ asked Allie, sitting down next to Isla and placing her hand on her knee.

  ‘I’m not sure. They’ve taken him through to another room but he looked lifeless,’ Isla swallowed down a lump in her throat. ‘I can’t believe it … why us? And do we know how Fergus is?’

  ‘He’s suffering with a headache, hoarseness and feels nauseous. He has minor burns to his arms but he’s going to be absolutely fine.’

  ‘Thank God. How’s Felicity?’

  ‘Relieved, she’ll be along in a minute, we’ve brought her some clean clothes to change into, and here’s yours,’ Allie held up a carrier bag.

  ‘And the children? Has anyone said anything to Finn?’

  Allie shook her head, ‘Don’t worry, Finn’s still at school. Martha’s going to take the children to Heartwood Cottage, she’ll be with Rona and Aggie. They won’t say anything until you tell them to, that’s your call.’

  ‘And the fire?’ Isla dreaded to think.

  ‘The fire is under control and I know this won’t seem like good news, but despite the windows being blown out, there’s only smoke damage to the farmhouse, mainly in the living room and kitchen.’

  ‘You can’t stay there until the fire brigade give it the all clear. So, you can either say at Heartwood Cottage, Aggie’s or the pub,’ added Polly.

  ‘Everyone is so kind, I can’t even think straight at the minute.’ Isla burst into tears, everything was getting on top of her. ‘What a mess, barns burnt down, windows blown out and the house must stink of smoke. I’m dreading going home.’

  ‘Don’t you worry about anything, Alfie has already got the villagers co-ordinated. He’s holding an emergency meeting right at this very moment,’ said Polly.

  ‘Hamish and Julia are in charge of the cleaning squad. Hamish is providing all the cleaning materials from the shop free of charge,’ chipped in Allie.

  Isla felt overwhelmed by the kindness of everyone.

  ‘And Alfie said he’ll sort the windows through his contractors at work and you can just pay him back once the insurance money is paid.’

  ‘And this is why I love living in our village. Everyone always pulls together at a time of need. Did we lose any livestock?’

  ‘Not as far as Rory could see, all the pregnant ewes are accounted for, the cows and alpacas are safe.’

  At least that was good news, thought Isla. It didn’t matter how many years she’d lived on
the farm, she never got used to any loss of life.

  ‘But the old fence lifted in the wind. Rory is securing that, along with some guy called Nate? I didn’t have time to query who he was but at least the alpacas will be secure.’

  ‘Nate’s the Irish guy, turned up at the teashop looking for work and needed a bed for the night. I need to thank everyone when I get home. If nothing else, Drew will have more to worry about now than just the alpacas.’ Isla attempted a light-hearted smile, but inside she was far from smiling. The last time she’d seen Drew they’d argued horribly. What if she didn’t have the chance to say sorry to him? Or to tell him how much she loved him? She’d never forgive herself.

  ‘Now go and get changed, there’s a towel in there too,’ said Polly.

  Isla nodded her appreciation, ‘What if the nurse …’

  ‘If the nurse comes back we’ll come and find you immediately, don’t worry,’ Allie assured her.

  Isla barely had the energy to walk to the ladies toilets as she left the waiting room. She looked solemn and exhausted, her hair bedraggled, wet and limp, the smell of smoke clinging to her body. When she appeared again five minutes later with her wet clothes stuffed in a carrier bag, there was still no news about Drew.

  The waiting was killing her. What was taking them so long? Her chest felt tighter by the second and she was struggling to breathe. The image of Drew being pulled from the burning barn played over and over again in her mind.

  The three women sat and waited in silence for around fifteen minutes.

  ‘This is awful … the waiting,’ said Polly, finally.

  ‘Why us? Just when you think you are on the up, something happens to put you back to square one.’ Isla rubbed a hand over her weary face and tossed her empty cup into the bin. ‘Where are they? This is ridiculous now,’ she said, the frustration and fear making her worry all the more.

  Just then they heard footsteps padding up the corridor and they all sat up straight. The door to the waiting room opened and a doctor and nurse walked in. Isla stood up and looked imploringly towards them for news.

  The doctor smiled warmly, ‘Isla?’