Foxglove Farm

by Christie Barlow

  ‘We’ve secured the alpacas’ field and I’ve checked over the ewes and all of them are doing well. And the reason why Nate is dressed in Drew’s overalls,’ Rory slapped Nate’s back, ‘is because … meet your new farm hand, this lad is worth his weight in gold … where did you find him, again?’

  ‘Huh? What do you mean?’ asked Isla, puzzled, knowing full well she couldn’t afford to pay another farm hand.

  ‘Nate was here looking for work, he spoke to you in the teashop,’ replied Rory cheerily.

  ‘Woah! I’m sorry,’ said Isla, holding up her hand. ‘As much as we need the extra help at the minute, we can’t afford to pay out any more wages. I’m sorry, Nate.’ Isla snagged a glance between Rory and Nate, who grinned.

  ‘It’s all sorted, so don’t worry,’ said Rory, ‘Martha is taking care of it.’

  ‘Gran?’ Isla gave a nervous laugh.

  ‘Martha is going to pay Nate a weekly wage until Drew is back on his feet.’

  Isla was dumbfounded, ‘Are you serious?’

  ‘Yes!’

  ‘Unless you don’t want to be stuck with me?’ Nate gave Isla a cheeky lopsided grin.

  ‘Where will you stay? The B&B is going to be expensive for that many weeks.’

  ‘Julia was full, so Nate is staying in my spare room, and if it helps you guys out …’

  ‘Oh my God, Rory, you are just the best!’

  Delighted that the running of the farm wasn’t going to be down to just herself and Polly, Isla hugged Rory.

  ‘I’m not sure who smells the worst,’ Isla laughed.

  She turned towards Nate, ‘And thank you. You turned up in Heartcross at just the right time.’

  ‘I did, didn’t I?’ said Nate with a beam.

  Feeling a sense of relief, there seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel. Isla could never imagine living anywhere other than Heartcross. The bridge collapse had shocked the whole community and everyone had looked after each other then, and today was no different. The whole of Heartcross was pulling together once more for her, showing just what an amazing community they had.

  ‘What time do you want me in the morning, boss?’ Nate saluted.

  ‘5 a.m. to milk the cows.’

  ‘I’ll be here bright and early.’

  ‘I’ll be here early but I can’t guarantee I’ll be bright,’ laughed Polly, who hadn’t admitted to anyone yet that she was actually scared of cows.

  ‘I can’t thank you all enough, now let me grab the insurance policy and we’ll head back to Heartwood Cottage.’

  Chapter 16

  ‘Anyone home?’ Felicity shouted as she opened the door to Heartwood Cottage.

  ‘We’re all in here,’ shouted Rona.

  Martha, Meredith and Alfie were all gathered in the living room.

  The second Martha saw Isla, she was on her feet hugging her. ‘Were your ears burning?’

  ‘Gran! You can’t say that after today.’

  ‘Sorry, sorry, just a figure of speech. We were just saying you should be back anytime soon.’

  ‘Unfortunately, my sense of humour is running low.’ Isla looked into the pram. Angus was sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the chaos that had been going on around him. ‘Where’s Finn?’

  ‘We thought it best if he went over to Aggie’s to play with Esme after school. She’s giving them their tea to take the pressure off here.’

  ‘I’ll pop across in a second to see her,’ chipped in Felicity. ‘I’ve spoken to her on the phone, but she’ll be so worried about Fergus and Drew. And I need a cuddle from our little girl too.’

  Isla nodded and watched Felicity accompany Rona to the kitchen. Isla saw them fall into each other’s arms, the emotion still very raw for them all.

  ‘I’m filthy,’ Isla said as she looked down at her overalls. ‘And exhausted.’

  ‘You sit down,’ ordered Rona, returning to the room carrying a tray with a pot of tea and a plate of biscuits.

  ‘How are they both?’ asked Alfie.

  ‘Bloody lucky,’ said Felicity, perching next to her mum on the arm of her chair. Rona clutched her hand.

  ‘If Fergus hadn’t managed to free Drew’s leg …’ Isla’s voice faltered and she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping no more tears would escape.

  Martha touched her knee, ‘But he did, and they are both okay. Let’s focus on the positive.’

  ‘One of my contractors is on his way from Glensheil, we’ll get those windows boarded up before dark and make the farmhouse as secure as it can be,’ Alfie said, smiling at Isla.

  ‘Thanks Alfie, I’m overcome. Everyone is being so kind.’

  Just at that very moment, a van beeped outside and Alfie stood up. ‘That’ll be for me. You need anything Isla, just ring.’

  ‘I will, thanks again Alfie.’

  Once Alfie had stepped outside the cottage, Isla sighed and sank back into the settee. ‘Everyone always goes out of their way,’ she acknowledged, feeling blessed by all the support. ‘And just now we bumped into Rory and Nate up at the farm. Rory told us you are going to pay Nate’s wages until Fergus and Drew are back on their feet. Are you sure, Gran?’

  ‘I don’t want you to worry about a thing, I’ll look after the little one and you can concentrate on Drew and the farm.’

  ‘Thanks Gran, I owe you,’ said Isla, entirely grateful.

  ‘You owe me nothing, we look after each other in this family and this village. And Rory told us he couldn’t have managed without Nate today. Looks like he turned up at the right time, your knight in shining armour.’

  ‘It’s not like this in the city,’ surmised Polly. ‘I never even knew my neighbours in London. I’m in awe of this place.’

  ‘We are going to stay at Aggie’s tonight, if that’s okay with you? We’ll have to muddle through for the next couple of days until we can get the farmhouse cleaned up,’ said Martha.

  ‘Finn will like that,’ replied Isla. ‘He’ll be excited about a sleepover.’

  ‘Now you girls, get a warm cup of tea inside you and there’s a pan of chilli bubbling away on the Aga, if you are hungry,’ said Rona.

  ‘Yes please!’ came the cry of the four girls, suddenly feeling ravenous.

  ‘That’s perfect Rona, thank you,’ added Isla.

  Allie and Polly followed Felicity into the kitchen while Isla hung back.

  ‘Oh, and before I forget, the fire officer gave me this.’ Martha handed Isla a piece of paper. ‘There will be an investigation, but he doesn’t see any problems whatsoever for insurance purposes. He’s agreed there’s no foul play and, on first inspection, it was due to the lightning hitting the electricity cable … freak of nature. He advised for you to ring the insurance company as soon as possible and he’ll get the report to you by early next week.’

  ‘Thank God, that’s a weight off my mind. In fact, do you think Rona would mind if I use her land line and ring them now?’

  ‘Of course I don’t mind,’ said Rona, scurrying into the room. ‘The phone is in the hall. Just shut the living-room door if you need some privacy.’

  Clasping the policy in her hand, Isla went to the hallway and perched on the bottom stair. She dialled the number and waited.

  She felt frustrated by the automated service, which took her through various options before finally connecting her. Isla confirmed all the necessary details and could hear the woman tapping away on a computer as Isla continued to tell the woman all about the storm and what the fire officer had stated.

  ‘Can you just hold the line for a moment please, Mrs Allaway?’

  ‘Yes of course, no problem.’

  Isla waited patiently while the annoying pipe music played on.

  ‘Mrs Allaway?’

  ‘Yes, I’m still here.’

  ‘Unfortunately, we can’t process the claim for you.’

  Isla felt puzzled. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked, sitting up straight and gripping the receiver like her life depended on it. ‘I have the policy documents right in fron
t of me now. We pay this insurance money on a monthly basis.’

  ‘Your policy was cancelled approximately three months ago.’

  Isla was perplexed. ‘I’m sorry, I think there’s been a mistake. Can I speak to your supervisor, please?’

  ‘No mistake. The policy was cancelled by Mr Allaway himself. My supervisor can certainly confirm that detail for you.’

  Isla felt baffled, why the hell would Drew cancel the insurance policy? Surely it was a computer error, or a human error … there was no way Drew would pay all that money into a policy and cancel it out of the blue, without telling her. It didn’t make any sense to her at all. What the hell were they going to do now? Once more Isla felt close to tears. Today was taking its toll, she didn’t know whether she was coming or going.

  Martha appeared in the doorway. ‘Everything okay?’ she asked.

  ‘Everything is just fine,’ Isla replied, telling a white lie, still trying to get her head around the conversation that had taken place with the insurance company. Firstly, Isla needed to discover all the facts.

  ‘Good, good, now get this inside you,’ insisted Martha, passing Isla a bowl of chilli. ‘You are going to need to keep your strength up.’

  Feeling dazed, Isla followed her Gran back into the living room, she couldn’t think straight. She tried to cast her mind back to three months ago but couldn’t recollect any conversation with Drew about cancelling the policy. Surely, they would have had a conversation about doing something as drastic as that? It had to be a mistake, there was no way on this earth Drew would put his family, home and business in jeopardy.

  As Isla sat back down on the chair, she was oblivious to the chatter going on around her. She felt panicked, her safe world was turning upside down. Isla wasn’t prepared for this. How could this be happening to her? She felt anxious just thinking about it.

  How would they replace the barn, the animal feed and the windows with no insurance money? Everything was crumbling all around her and she tried the best she could to rationalise what was happening. Maybe Drew had changed the policy to a different insurance broker? She exhaled; yes, that would be it. Drew would have found more suitable cover and most probably at a cheaper cost. Now she was mad with herself for doubting him for a moment, but it was strange he hadn’t mentioned it to her. Isla decided that as soon as she finished her food and cleaned herself up, she’d nip back up to the farmhouse and take another look at the paperwork in the office.

  Chapter 17

  After a short soak in the bath and a hot meal inside her, Isla was looking forward to seeing Finn. She and Martha pushed Angus in the pram the short distance over to Aggie’s cottage, accompanied by Felicity.

  They followed Felicity inside, who announced their arrival while Isla parked the pram in the hallway. Aggie appeared in seconds, drying her hand on a tea towel, her face full of concern.

  ‘Come here,’ she said, pulling Felicity in for a hug. ‘I know they are both okay, but I’ve been out of my mind with worry. This weather will be the death of us.’

  ‘It nearly was,’ answered Isla, swooping Angus out of the pram and cradling him into her neck.

  Esme and Finn came running down the stairs as soon as they heard voices. They both looked like they didn’t have a care in the world.

  ‘We’ve had the best day – baked cakes, watched films and made a rocket out of boxes … come and look!’ said Finn, jerking his head towards the living room and slipping his hand inside Isla’s, her heart swelling with love for him. Isla took a glance towards Felicity, noticing her eyes had welled up with tears. They gave each other a look that meant, This could have played out so differently.

  ‘How’s Daddy? Did he get stuck in the storm?’

  ‘Daddy is absolutely fine, but he’s broken his leg and it’s in a cast. He will be resting in hospital for a few days.’

  Finn’s eyes widened, ‘Does that mean we get to draw all over it?’

  ‘I’m sure Daddy will let you,’ smiled Isla, thinking being a child was simple and carefree.

  Esme and Finn squealed with delight before racing towards the dresser in the corner of the room.

  ‘Where are you going now?’ asked Isla, watching Finn fling open the door to the dresser. Finn was happy, unaware that today he could have lost his father. Isla tried to push that fact to the back of her mind. They were lucky, Drew was lucky. This could have turned out so differently. Isla was thankful that she wasn’t standing here, coping with a very different outcome.

  ‘To sort out the pens to draw on Daddy’s leg!’

  ‘Of course you are!’ Isla laughed.

  ‘I’ve made up the spare room for you both,’ said Aggie, touching Isla on her elbow. ‘There’s fresh towels on the bed, just help yourself to whatever you need. Finn can go in with Esme if that’s okay by you?’

  ‘He’ll love that. Thank you.’

  ‘And Meredith is opening up the pub an hour early tomorrow so Hamish and Julia can organise their troops.’

  ‘Troops?’

  ‘The cleaning squad.’

  ‘We are your fairy godmothers, except there is no way you’re getting this body squeezing into any sort of tutu at my time of life.’

  ‘Or mine, for that matter,’ laughed Isla.

  ‘What’s the state of the farmhouse?’ asked Aggie.

  ‘The windows are non-existent, broken glass and ash everywhere, but it could be a lot worse.’

  ‘I’ll take the curtains down in the morning and run them over to the dry cleaners in Glensheil on my way to visit Fergus. Oh, and Rory said there was spare feed and bales of hay over at Clover Farm. He’s going to get it transported across on Monday. There’s no harm in taking it, it’ll only go to waste,’ said Aggie.

  ‘I can’t go pinching feed from James Kerr’s farm, I’m already in possession of his stolen alpacas.’

  ‘Well look at this way, you’re taking the food to feed his alpacas. Who is going to argue with that?’

  Aggie had a point. At the moment, the alpacas were the least of Isla’s worries. She’d telephoned the hospital just before she left Rona’s and had been told Drew was comfortable. She planned to go across to the hospital first thing in the morning to visit him.

  ‘I know I’ve only just got here, but do you mind if I nip back home? I’d like to grab Drew some clean clothes, ready for tomorrow.’

  ‘I’ll go if you want to rest?’ offered Martha, knowing that Isla hadn’t stopped all day.

  ‘Thanks, but I want to check on the ewes and the alpacas too.’

  ‘You’re turning into a proper farmer already,’ teased Martha.

  But Isla wasn’t listening, rumbles of doubt were still in her mind over the insurance policy. She needed to search through all the documents and find the correct one as soon as possible.

  Isla’s phoned pinged, ‘It’s Alfie, all the windows are boarded up,’ she said, reading the message out loud. ‘At least the place is secure. That man needs to be bottled … I’m going to go now and then I can settle the boys down and hopefully bed down for a good night’s sleep.’

  As Isla shut the cottage door behind her, deep inside she didn’t have a good feeling at all about the insurance policy. Her gut feeling was telling her there was more to this situation, but she didn’t know what. Isla felt nervous that she was going to uncover … actually she didn’t know what she was going to uncover, and that was what she was afraid of. She looked behind her towards the cottage window and saw Martha was watching her. Plastering a fake smile on her face, she waved back.

  She’d put her heart and soul into her family and life. She just hoped Drew hadn’t let her down … somehow.

  Chapter 18

  As the wind pushed Isla along the drive of Foxglove Farm the smell of burning still lingered. The farmhouse looked deserted, the boards on the windows made it look run-down and in desperate need of some tender loving care, but Isla was thankful that Alfie had sorted that so quickly, she wouldn’t have known where to start.

  Wa
ndering over to the stable block to check on the alpaca, Isla was amazed to see Rory and Nate still milling around the place.

  ‘Have you pair not got a home to go to?’

  ‘Well actually …’ grinned Nate.

  Isla rolled her eyes, ‘You know what I mean.’

  ‘Lambing has started,’ said Rory. ‘And so far, so good. But I just wanted to check on the alpaca before I head home.’

  All three of them leant on the wall looking into the stable. The alpaca was settled on the hay.

  ‘The scan … on Monday, I’ve organised for our own van to come and pick her up, that’s one less worry for you, except …’

  ‘Except?’ interrupted Isla.

  ‘You’ll need someone to travel with the alpaca.’

  Isla looked towards Rory, ‘What time are we talking? There’s milking first and we’ve got Polly pitching in too.’

  ‘Just before 9 a.m.’

  ‘I can do that,’ offered Nate. ‘You’ll be better staying at the farm keeping an eye on the lambs. We will have finished the milking by then?’

  ‘Yes, milking will be finished by then. Are you sure, Nate?’

  ‘Yes, if that’s okay with you?’ Nate looked towards Rory.

  ‘Fine by me. I’ll see you at 9 a.m. sharp.’

  Isla nodded her appreciation towards Nate. He seemed to have slotted in straight away, in a matter of hours. It was like he was one of the gang.

  ‘Okay, this one seems to be settled for the night,’ said Rory, glancing at his watch. ‘And I don’t know about you, but after today I’m in need of a pint.’

  ‘Tell Allie the drinks are on me, I’ll settle up with her tomorrow.’

  ‘I’ll hear of no such thing, the good thing about my girlfriend owning a pub is my drinks are always on a tab, which never seems to be settled.’ Rory patted Nate on the back.

  ‘You’ve landed on your feet, I’ve often dreamt of my girlfriend owning a pub … hypothetically of course,’ joked Nate.

  Isla noticed the pair of them seemed in good spirits despite all of their hard work today. ‘Thanks for everything you’ve done today and thanks for stepping in,’ she turned towards Nate.