‘How is the farm?’ asked Gracie, holding Isla’s gaze and, unfortunately for Isla, not letting the conversation drop.
‘All is good,’ answered Isla, sounding more convincing than she felt.
‘Still rearing beef … providing Glensheil dairies?’
Isla nodded.
‘Have you ever thought of owning alpacas? Apparently, it’s becoming more fashionable by the minute.’
‘Al … pac … as,’ Isla strung the word out. Isla knew again this would be the time to come clean about the alpacas but again, with a feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach, she knew there was a possibility they would be whipped from underneath them sooner rather than later. Cringing inside at her own dishonesty, the only words that escaped from her mouth were, ‘Never really thought about it.’
Standing side by side, Gracie exhaled and took a swift glance back towards the decrepit farmhouse. ‘All those years ago I had such happy hopes of this place, but sometimes things are just not meant to be. I hope you’re taking better care of Foxglove Farm.’
Painting a smile on her face, Isla lied, ‘We are.’
‘Why did you say you were here again?’ Gracie looked Isla straight in the eye and was totally oblivious to Isla’s discomfort.
Feeling panicky, Isla was saved by the ringing of her mobile phone in her pocket. She quickly pulled out the phone and saw Drew’s name flashing on the screen. She should have been at the hospital by now. He’d be impatient, wondering what was keeping her.
‘Sorry Gracie, I need to run, but lovely to bump into you. Take care of yourself and enjoy the South of France,’ she said, feeling shifty.
‘You too. From what I remember, the Allaways were good honest people – you did well there.’
Gracie’s kind words caused Isla to feel a twinge of guilt. Isla didn’t feel like a good honest person; after all, she’d had the opportunity to come clean about the alpacas and hadn’t taken it. Isla’s legs trembled as she walked towards the car. She looked back over her shoulder and smiled bravely at Gracie who was standing watching her. What were the chances of bumping into her after all this time?
With the car engine running, she rested her hand on the gearstick, her heart pounding as she pushed down on the accelerator. She wanted to get out of there fast.
Chapter 20
Tucking her hands inside the pockets of her coat, Isla stood and stared up at the hospital building. She wasn’t looking forward to this conversation and wasn’t even sure how she was feeling about Drew at this moment in time.
Nervous butterflies began to flutter around her stomach as she walked through the entrance of the hospital and through the gleaming-white corridors towards Drew’s room.
The conversation she was about to have with her husband played over and over in her mind like a broken record, and Isla took a second to compose herself as she hovered outside his room. Taking a deep breath, she felt herself beginning to tremble – nervous didn’t come close to how she was currently feeling. Drew must be aware this argument was coming. He couldn’t have hidden the fact that there was no insurance forever.
Isla slowly pushed open the door and stepped inside the room. The sun shone through the cracks in the blinds, catching Isla’s attention before she turned her gaze towards Drew, who was fast asleep under a white cotton sheet with his plastered leg sticking out to the side. For a second Isla watched him, Drew looked so tired and fragile. Quietly she slid on to the blue plastic chair and placed the bag of unpaid bills and invoices by her side. Isla felt angry at the predicament Drew had put them in, she was hurt to discover there was no insurance from a stranger on the phone. She debated whether to wake him or not, but in the warmth of the hospital room she suddenly began to feel tired herself.
The next thing Isla knew, her knee was being touched and, opening her eyes wide, she saw Drew staring at her. Almost immediately Isla felt a weird tension in the air.
‘Good morning,’ she said politely, like she was passing a neighbour in the street and not like she was greeting her husband after he’d been fighting for his life in a fire. ‘How you feeling?’
Drew shifted self-consciously in his bed and slipped his hands underneath his bum before pushing himself up. ‘Sore, tired, drained. I just want my own bed with my own things around me,’ he offered Isla a smile. ‘You took your time getting here, everything okay?’ Did Drew sense that Isla already knew about the insurance?
‘There was the milking, collection of eggs, and don’t forget I’m staying at Aggie’s. But luckily Nate has it all in hand.’
‘And who is this Nate guy and how come he’s suddenly appeared on the scene out of nowhere. Isla, we really can’t afford to pay him.’
Isla knew full well they couldn’t afford to pay him.
‘Martha is covering his wages until you are back up on your feet.’
‘Who is he? Has he a background in farming?’
Isla shrugged, ‘I really don’t know, Drew.’
‘Well, you’re letting him work on the farm. Have you asked him?’
‘I am, it was the simplest decision and funnily enough, I’ve not had time to carry out a full-blown interview and check references. I’ve been a bit busy in the last twenty-four hours, but Nate worked extremely hard yesterday to help us. He turned up at the right time. We only need him until you are back on your feet. Honestly Drew, everyone is pulling together. We have more important things to worry about.’ Isla held Drew’s gaze, encouraging him to be honest with her, but he shiftily looked away and reached for the glass of water on his bedside cabinet.
Isla carried on, ‘Alfie boarded the windows and has organised for the glass to be replaced first thing Monday,’ she said. ‘He’s been amazing, got everything under control. He even said he’d wait for the insurance money to come through so we didn’t need to worry about paying him straight away,’ she said, watching Drew bristle as she gave him another opportunity to come clean.
‘Drew, are you okay? You’ve kind of gone a funny colour. Shall I get a nurse? Are you in pain?’
She stared at him in quiet contemplation.
But before Drew could answer a nurse breezed into the room.
‘Good morning, I’ve come to do your observations,’ she said, perusing the chart hanging from the bottom of his bed.
Drew remained subdued and let the nurse carry out her observations.
When she was finished, she logged the results and handed Drew an appointment card. ‘This is your first physiotherapy appointment.’
‘Thank you,’ he said, taking it from her.
‘I can’t stress how important these appointments are. They’ll help to maintain and regain muscle strength, movement and flexibility. There will be specific exercises to do before and after the cast is removed.’
‘How often do I need to come in?’
‘Every week.’
‘Every week?’ Drew blew out a breath.
‘Yes, every week,’ reaffirmed the nurse.
The nurse looked towards Isla, ‘Drew’s recovery can’t be rushed. The broken bone may not be fully healed even when the pain has subsided. And no driving.’
Drew looked deflated.
‘And about the other matter, the doctor has your prescription. He’ll see you on his rounds for a chat.’
‘Thank you,’ said Drew, looking uncomfortable with the conversation.
As soon as the nurse left the room, Isla asked, ‘And what is the prescription she was talking about?’
‘Just sorting out my painkillers,’ said Drew, not making eye contact.
Isla couldn’t stand beating around the bush any longer, ‘The fire …’ she took a breath, ‘brought it home to me how lucky we are as a family. You’re safe, we’re safe and thankfully it was only the old barn that burnt to the ground and only a few windows were blasted out in the farmhouse. And we have insurance to cover that, don’t we?’ said Isla, goading Drew into telling the truth while carefully watching his reaction.
Drew was silently sta
ring down at his hands that were clasped in front of him.
‘And you know what, we can build a better barn when the insurance money comes through. At least a new one will be watertight. You always said it needed pulling down and we can get a brand-new steel barn. I’ve already emailed out for quotes.’ Isla was scrutinising his reaction. But still Drew said nothing, which was now causing Isla to get increasingly annoyed. ‘But the funny thing is, Drew …’
He looked up for a second but couldn’t hold Isla’s gaze.
‘The funny thing is,’ she repeated, ‘when I telephoned the insurance company, they said that we didn’t have a policy with them. I knew that would be a mistake on their part. However …’ Isla took a breath. ‘Last night I searched the house looking for an up-to-date policy, because I know that you …’ Isla looked straight at him now, her tone firm. ‘I know that you would never have cancelled the policy because A, why would you ever put your family in a position where they could potentially lose their home? and B, you would have discussed it with me first, because we’re a team, a partnership, and that’s what married couples do. Isn’t it?’
Isla could hear her voice getting higher and higher, her heart was beating faster. If Drew wanted to speak there was no way Isla was going to let him get a word in edgeways. Drew remained silent and rested back on the pillow, he’d paled and closed his eyes. He slowly exhaled. It was obvious to see he was finding this conversation unsettling.
‘But then I opened the next drawer and guess what I found, Drew?’ Isla picked up the bag at the side of her chair and, for dramatic effect, emptied the contents all over Drew’s lap. ‘The accounts abandoned, unpaid invoices, red-letter bills that haven’t even been opened.’
Isla was furious now, the anger bubbling inside.
Visibly shaking, she waited for an answer.
‘I’m sorry Isla,’ Drew said finally. ‘I’m really sorry.’
‘Last night I spent over two hours sitting in a house with no windows, ash all over the place, trying to decipher what was going on. There were numerous thoughts racing through my mind, one being, are you having an affair or even, do you have another family that you’re supporting? You hear of people living double lives.’
‘No, that’s not the case,’ he interjected.
‘So what is the case? We’ve even discussed whether you have a gambling addiction.’
‘We? Oh, great, so now you are discussing our business with everyone.’
‘Says you! Going behind my back, asking Jessica for a job for me, without discussing it with me first? Now I know why, looking at those accounts. The farm is in serious trouble, isn’t it? Have I at least got that bit right? If you couldn’t keep up to date with the accounts, why didn’t you just ask me for help?’
Isla shook her head and gestured her arms towards him, ‘What’s happened to you, Drew? I don’t even know you at the minute.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Drew looked broken. ‘Things spiralled out of control.’
‘Tell me how, Drew. Why have you cancelled the policy? We’ve got Alfie sorting out the windows, how are we going to pay him back?’
Isla fixed her eyes firmly on Drew. ‘I suppose it’s not all bad – at least we’ve still got a roof over our heads.’
‘For the time being,’ Drew said, his eyes cast down.
‘What did you just say?’
Drew looked up sheepishly, ‘I said for the time being, anyway.’
‘And what is that supposed to mean?’ asked Isla, her heart thumping fast. ‘What have you done?’
Drew looked guilty, hardly daring to look Isla in her eyes. ‘You remember when we re-mortgaged the farmhouse to build the milking sheds and purchase all the new machinery and tractors?’
Isla nodded, her eyes wide, with a feeling of sickness overwhelming her.
Drew gestured towards his wallet, which Isla passed to him. He pulled out a folded bit of paper and shamefacedly handed it to Isla.
‘What’s this?’ she said, sitting back down on the chair and smoothing it out.
Isla bit down on her lip, her eyes locked on the letter in front of her. Through blurred eyes she looked up at him, the knots in her stomach taking her breath away.
‘What have you done?’ Isla replied to herself before Drew could draw breath. ‘You’ve defaulted on the mortgage payments. How could you do this to us?’ Isla’s voice was shaky. ‘How has it come to this?’
Drew hung his head, ‘I’m so sorry … Isla, look at me.’
Isla shook her head, barely bringing her eyes to meet his.
‘We are threatened with the bailiffs.’ She flapped the crumpled letter in front of him. ‘But this can’t be right, can it, Drew? Because we are a partnership and you would have spoken to me about this sooner.’
‘I tried, but …’
‘Drew, this is serious.’
‘I know … I’m so sorry … and I know I keep saying that,’ Drew broke down. Isla witnessed him physically shaking. He couldn’t look at her. Drew knew he’d let his family down, but the financial situation wasn’t meant to spiral this much out of control. ‘I thought I could put it right.’
‘And when you couldn’t put it right you still didn’t tell me,’ said Isla, hurting. Her eyes burnt angrily as she re-read the letter which stated that the mortgage was in arrears of three months and needed to be immediately brought up to date, otherwise further action would be taken. Isla felt like her heart had been ripped out. ‘When were you going to tell me about this? When the bailiffs knocked on the door?’
‘It won’t come to that,’ said Drew, trying to offer a little reassurance.
‘Really? That’s not what this letter says,’ she placed the letter down on the bed in front of him.
‘Well, it wouldn’t have done until you bought those stupid alpacas.’
‘So all this is my fault, is it?’
Drew shook his head, ‘Not really, but you should have talked to me about it.’
‘They were a birthday present,’ she said, feeling the need to defend herself.
‘I’d nearly sorted everything, until you spent the money on those stolen animals. Someone will come knocking for those sooner rather than later.’
‘I know Drew, and I’m sorry. They were an impulse buy but I just thought you’d love them and they would be a good investment for the farm … There is something I need to tell you.’ Now it was Isla’s turn to look sheepish.
‘Please don’t tell me someone has already been to collect them?’
‘Not exactly … but the reason I was running a little late this morning was because I bumped into Gracie Maxwell.’
‘Huh? Who’s Gracie Maxwell?’
‘Gracie Maxwell was Gracie Kerr.’
Drew’s eyes flickered as the penny dropped. Running his hand through his hair, he exhaled and stared into space before turning back towards Isla.
‘Did she come to the farm?’
Isla could feel her chest rising and falling as her heart pounded fast. ‘No, I saw her up at Clover Farm.’
There was silence.
‘What were you doing there?’
‘Just curious.’
Drew quirked an eyebrow, ‘Curious about what?’ The tension between them increased for a second.
‘Does it matter?’ She cut him off crossly. ‘Gracie just turned up and she confirmed that the Kerr brothers have been released from jail. She recognised me … well, recognised that I looked like Gran, and we got chatting.’
‘Chatting? Did you mention Foxglove Farm?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why would you do that?’
‘It was just polite conversation. I said I’d married you and we took over the farm.’
‘And did you mention you were harbouring the stolen animals?’
‘I didn’t, no. I lied through my teeth, which I don’t feel good about, and Gracie assumed that John probably sold the alpacas to fund his drinking habit.’
Drew was quiet.
‘Why did you cancel th
e insurance?’ asked Isla, suddenly realising she hadn’t got to the bottom of that one yet.
Drew held his throat and his eyes drooped with shame. ‘I’m sorry,’ were the only words he could muster up.
Isla was close to tears, too; suddenly all the arguing felt so pointless and unnecessary.
‘I was hunting around for a cheaper option to try and save money but never got round to putting any in place. Isla, I was just trying to save some money, honest. I didn’t know we were going to be struck by lightning.’
‘That’s the whole point of insurance.’
Drew’s face looked pained, he knew he’d made a huge mistake. ‘I just thought a few months without paying the cost would give us some breathing space … then I forgot all about it.’
‘But if we can’t even pay the mortgage and we have all these unpaid bills, how come there was money in the account, Drew?’ asked Isla, puzzled.
‘Because I’d taken out a loan to pay the mortgage arrears and as soon as the money hit the account you spent it on the alpacas. Your timing was impeccable.’
‘You’re kidding me?’
‘Honestly, I couldn’t believe it … the money landed and by the time I’d logged on to transfer the money, it had disappeared … puff … like magic.’
Isla rolled her eyes. ‘Timing, eh?’
Drew nodded his head shamefully, ‘I know I’ve made a mistake.’ He reached out to take Isla’s hand. ‘But I’ll put this right. I promise.’
‘How, Drew? How are we going to get out of this mess?’
‘I’m not sure yet, but we’ll think of something.’
Feeling mentally exhausted, Isla stood up.
‘Where are you going?’ Drew asked.
‘Home, to see the boys, figure a way out of this mess,’ she said, gathering up all the paperwork.
‘You will be coming back for me, won’t you?’ asked Drew, sounding like a little lost boy.
She nodded before letting the door swing shut behind her. Isla loved Drew with all her heart and, fighting back the tears, she knew she needed to be strong. She didn’t know what the future held, or whether they were going to lose their beautiful home. All Isla knew was, everything was worth fighting for – her marriage, her boys – and she was going to do everything in her power to get them out of this mess.
Foxglove Farm Page 14