The old barn had covered a huge area of prime farming land, which was now scarred and torn by the immense weight of falling
timber.
‘The soil will find its own level in a week or so,’ the foreman told his men. ‘Meantime, we’ve a few miles of ditch-dredging to get on with, before the better weather returns.’ When that happened, the land would keep them toiling non-stop, until the last harvest was taken.
From the top of the mound, Leonard felt a surge of sadness when he saw the grain-barn topple. ‘That barn has been
standing longer than I’ve been alive,’ he told his faithful old mongrel, Chappie. ‘But it’s a fact of life – we all grow old and outlive our usefulness.’ That’s how he felt now, useless and old.
He was especially vulnerable these days, what with Vicky gone from his life, and the children torn two ways over the recent revelations regarding their father and the sacrifice he made for them. ‘Will
she ever come back?’ he murmured. ‘My life is so meaningless, so empty without her.’ Not a minute went by when he wasn’t thinking of her. He was desperate to go to England and find her, yet afraid in case he only made a bad situation much worse. He hoped and prayed she would come home soon, of her own volition. Because, God help him, he couldn’t live without her.
He walked on. Following the bridleway
which ran along the perimeter of the fields, he paused a while and raised his gaze to the far-off horizon. ‘See that?’ he asked the old dog. ‘Every square inch of land as far as you can see belongs to me. But it means nothing, not without Vicky by my side.’
‘Morning, Mr Maitland!’ The young woman on the bicycle gave him a cheery wave. She passed him every morning on her way to help milk the cows
and pack the eggs, and turn her hand to anything else that came along.
‘Morning, Jeanie, how’s your mom?’
‘Better by the day,’ she said merrily. ‘She said to thank you for the eggs you sent her.’
‘You’re very welcome, I’m sure.’ He gave her a wave and went on his way.
Entering through the stable-yard, he stopped to talk with the groom while Chappie trotted off to meet the other couple of dogs
there. ‘How’s the gelding coming along?’ he asked.
‘Raring to go,’ the young man replied with a grin. ‘Come and see for yourself.’
The gelding, Jack, was a favourite of Leonard’s; big and strong, it took his weight without hesitation. ‘What did the vet say?’
Strolling along beside the boss, the groom told him excitedly, ‘Well, as you know, he feared Jack might have to be put down, but this
morning, he was really pleased with the way the wound is healing. The swelling has gone down, and the bone is intact. Jack’s still limping slightly, but he doesn’t seem bothered when he puts his weight forward.’
‘Well, that’s a blessing, at least.’ Leonard was relieved. ‘He’s a fine horse. It would be a sin and a shame to have had him put down.’
When they got to the stable, the horse heard Leonard’s
voice and came to look over the door. ‘See what I mean?’ The groom was thrilled. ‘All fired up and ready for action.’
Letting himself into the stable, Leonard asked the gelding to lift its hoof and it did so without fuss. But the minute Leonard bent to examine the wound, it shuffled nervously. ‘Woah, boy, I’m not here to hurt you.’
With soothing words he calmed the animal before taking a good
look at the six-inch wound which, as the groom had already explained, was healing nicely. ‘Wonderful!’ Leonard gently released the limb. ‘Good fella,’ he said, stroking the softness of the horse’s neck. ‘You’ll soon be out on the bridleways. But you’re one lucky Jack! A kick like that would have finished any other horse, but you’ve come through and I’m proud of you.’ He laughed as the horse nuzzled
up to him, tickling his hand with the fine hairs around his big, soft nostrils. ‘All right, all right. No need to keep thanking me.’
Outside, he discussed the future of the bad-tempered stallion, Duke, that had kicked the younger horse. ‘I’ve never known a horse to go for another one, like he went for Jack. A vicious kick like that could have snapped his leg clean in two!’
‘Have you decided
what to do with him?’ asked the groom.
‘I’m thinking of selling him on. I’ve had two good offers, but the money isn’t the priority. It’s knowing he’ll go to a good home. Duke’s been a faithful old fella. It wouldn’t be fair to let him go to just anybody because of one jealous moment.’
‘So, that’s what you think it was, that he was jealous of the young gelding?’ The groom wasn’t so sure.
Leonard
nodded. ‘I do think that, yes – mainly because he’s never done anything like it before, and it happened only weeks after we brought the gelding in. Besides, Jack did escape into Duke’s field, and you know how territorial he can be.’
For some time, the groom had not been happy with the older horse, and he said so now. ‘You know, Mr Maitland, how some stallions can turn rogue without warning, and
when they do, it’s a bad thing.’
‘Well, he won’t be doing it again, not on this yard,’ Leonard declared. ‘We’ve got eight horses here, all of them good, honest animals, and I’m not willing to take risks with any of them.’
He glanced towards the stallion who was at the field gate. ‘At the same time, I want the best for him. We’ve had him a long time and he’s never put a foot wrong until now.
I’m determined to find him a good home, where he’ll be treated properly.’
‘So, who have you got in mind?’
‘I’ve arranged for Georgie O’Sullivan, who runs the stables for Abe Devine, to come down and look at Duke later this afternoon.’
The groom was impressed. ‘O’Sullivan, eh? If anybody knows a thing or two about horses, it’s the Irishman.’
‘Right!’ Leonard wholeheartedly agreed. ‘I have urgent
business in Boston, but I’ve explained everything to Georgie. He knows what he’s getting, and he knows I’ll stand for no nonsense. So will you be all right to deal with him in my absence?’
‘I’ll be fine.’
‘Good. Then we’ll talk later.’
Bidding the groom good day, Leonard strode off, his mind now filled with an idea which, once planted, would not go away.
Inside the house, he fed the dog and
while the elderly animal worked its way through a bowl of leftovers, Leonard came to a decision. ‘If I can’t go and find your mistress, I’ll get a private detective in to do the job for me,’ he told Chappie. ‘I need to know that she’s safe and well. If I can satisfy myself on that, at least I won’t have to worry quite so much, and I can keep an eye on her from a distance.’
Vicky was the love
of Leonard Maitland’s life. She meant more to him than anyone or anything. She might not approve of what he was doing, and he hoped she would never find out; but either way, he knew it was the right thing to do, for his peace of mind, and for Vicky’s own good.
That same evening, Thomas and his wife Sheila dropped in. ‘You wanted to talk about that new combine-harvester,’ Thomas reminded Leonard.
‘Is now a good time?’
As always, his stepfather was pleased to see him. ‘Couldn’t be better,’ he confirmed. ‘As you know, I’ve just acquired another eight hundred acres, so I’m thinking we should trade in the old machine against one of the larger John Deere models.’
Thomas was pleased. ‘So you’ve come round to my way of thinking at last!’ he said triumphantly. ‘That’s good. You won’t regret
it, Leonard.’
‘I’m sure I won’t,’ Leonard answered. ‘But if we’re now agreed on going ahead with it, I reckon we should do it now. We’ve a way to go before harvest, but it’ll be here before we know it, so we need to get the deal done before everybody else begins to think along the same lines of trading up to these new, larger combines.’
‘I’m all for getting the deal done,’ Thomas nodded. ‘And
while we’re on the subject of machinery, we need to rent another grain-wagon, and hire a driver to work it.’
‘If that’s what we need, then go to it,’ Leonard told him. ‘Discuss it with the foreman first. But you’re right – we don’t want to be halfway through harvest and discover that all the good drivers have been snapped up.’
Wearied by all this farming talk, Sheila wandered across the room,
where she lingered by Vicky’s photograph. ‘Have you heard from
her
yet?’ she asked casually, a knowing smirk on her face.
Leonard took offence at the tone of her remark. ‘Heard from whom?’ He knew who she meant all right, but he wanted some measure of respect when she mentioned his wife’s name.
Sheila feigned surprise at his question. ‘Well, Vicky, of course.’
He stared her out. ‘For all I
knew, you could have been talking about the cat.’
Shrugging her shoulders, she smiled sweetly. ‘I’m sorry, Lenny. I didn’t realise you would be so sensitive.’
Sensing an atmosphere building, Thomas intervened. ‘Have you heard from Mother?’ he asked worriedly. ‘Has she been in touch?’
Composing himself, the man took a deep breath. ‘No. Not a word, I’m afraid.’
‘Hmh!’ Sheila made a snorting
noise. ‘You shouldn’t be too surprised,’ she said peevishly. ‘
I
’
m
not. I mean, when all’s said and done, she did leave you high and dry. In fact, she left all of you high and dry. What decent wife or mother would do such a thing? If I were you I wouldn’t even
want
to hear from her.’
Leonard retaliated angrily. ‘It’s just as well that you’re not me, then, isn’t it?’
With an exaggerated tut, and
a sharp click of her heels, his daughter-in-law slammed out of the room. ‘She didn’t mean all that,’ Thomas said wearily but he was beginning to tire of defending her, especially when she seemed to take pleasure in hurting people, himself included.
Leonard was no fool. ‘Oh, she meant it,’ he assured the younger man. ‘But it doesn’t matter, because I know your mother will contact me when she’s
cooled her heels for a while longer.’
‘Do you really think so?’ If Sheila hadn’t been constantly goading him about how shocking it was for a mother to walk out on her family and not even tell them where she was, he might have started wondering whether he and his brother and Susie had been too harsh on her. As it was, he held fast to his belief that Vicky had let them all down badly.
‘If you
really want the truth,’ Leonard said quietly, ‘I can’t say for certain that she
will
ever come back. All I know is that life is unbearable without her. I miss her dreadfully, and I want her home again the sooner the better.’
‘So you don’t know where she is?’
‘Not yet, no,’ Leonard said woefully. But he intended to, he thought. However, he wasn’t certain whether Thomas would approve of him hiring
a detective to find his mother.
‘Can I ask you something, Tom?’
‘Ask away.’
‘Do
you
think I was wrong in not telling her about your father?’
‘I honestly don’t know.’ Thomas had asked himself that same question many times, but as yet he had found no answer. ‘I’m not sure about anything any more,’ he confided. ‘You have always been a man of your word, and you gave your word to our father when
he asked you to promise never to tell Mother, or any of us. You kept that promise. How can a man be blamed for that?’
‘But that isn’t the only reason why you sided with me, is it?’ Leonard could understand their bitterness, but he wanted it to end. ‘Oh, Tom, how I wish you could forgive your father for not confiding in all of you! He was a very ill man, desperate to ensure you had the chance
that was taken from him. You must believe that he loved you all above anything. He wanted his family to embark on a new life; he wanted to be with you all every step of the way but he couldn’t – and that was not his fault.’
It all came back to Leonard, the night he found Barney in the woods, curled up in pain, not knowing which way to turn. He was a special man, a special father and husband,
and Leonard wanted his family to appreciate that. ‘Please, you must try to understand his motives. Don’t belittle the awesome sacrifice he made. Make Susie and Ronnie understand why he did what he did. Barney did not tell you about his illness, because he knew you would never leave him. The last thing he wanted was for you all to stay and watch him fade away, in pain, filled with regret because he
had stolen your only chance of starting a new life.’
Thomas considered his words, and they made some sense. But the anger in his heart was strong as ever. ‘Susie and Ronnie feel the same way I do. We’re angry and bitter. We feel we were tricked into letting him down, when all we wanted was the right to be there for him, just as we’ve always been there for each other.’
His voice trembled with
emotion. ‘Dad should have told us! We had a right to know … to make the sacrifice for him, just as he made it for us. He was dying, and we should have been with him. But he took away that right, and I don’t know if I can ever forgive him!’
Leonard despaired. ‘If you can’t forgive Barney, then how is your mother ever going to forgive
you
?’
‘At least she has a choice.’
Thomas’s jaw was clenched
hard. He looked at Leonard a moment longer, before in a harsh voice he told him, ‘I miss her, of course I do. We all love her and want her back. But she has to accept the way we feel. She’s already forgiven Father. We probably never will and, like I say, we were robbed of the chance to look after him to the end, to show him how much we loved him and always would. But all that’s gone forever – just
like him!’
He squared his shoulders. ‘So, we’ve chosen to side with what you did in not telling Mother, because it was all too late by then. But as to forgiving and forgetting how Dad lied and deceived us, sending us away hating him, sick with pain and disgust at what he had done to us … to Mum, not knowing how ill he was, that it was only a year or two before he would be gone …’ The big man
was crying now, unashamedly.
As he turned to leave, Leonard asked, ‘Have you seen Susie?’
Thomas shook his head. ‘She’s not back from the fashion show in Paris.’
‘And Ronnie?’
‘I don’t know where he is – off gallivanting somewhere, I expect, as usual. You never know with him, but he’ll turn up. He always does.’
‘I worry about him,’ Leonard admitted. ‘He seems to have no purpose in life.’