Country Wives (21 page)

“I see. You do appear to know what you’re talking about. We’ll go ahead with the X-ray, then. Can it be done here, Giles?”

Giles nodded. “I have the equipment and I can be here this afternoon to do it.”

“Thank you. We’ll make our decision when you’ve seen the results.” She turned to Dan, holding out her hand. “I’ll say good morning to you; Dan, is it? You’re going to feel all kinds of a fool if the results prove you wrong.” She gave him a wry smile, and he had to smile back at her.

“I will indeed.”

Lord Askew, who’d left all the discussion to her, took Dan to one side before he left. He was worried and showed it. “Damn bad news, this. I don’t want her let down. There’ll be the devil to pay with her if this doesn’t succeed. She’s spent hours training Galaxy, and he
is
as good as she says. Could take her to the top of the tree, don’t you know.”

“I realize that and I can assure you …”

Lord Askew waved a dismissive hand. “Only the best, if it comes to an operation. The best in the field. You understand me. I won’t have her disappointed.” He looked across at Lady Mary, and Dan saw the passionate love he held for her right there in his eyes.

BY
five o’clock that afternoon Dan had been proved right. He and Giles Standen-Briggs had a discussion and agreed surgery was the answer.

Giles looked shaken but didn’t admit to it. He took a moment to reassemble his ego, then said calmly, “I’ll contact the college; see if they’re willing. OK?”

“Of course. That’s fine by me. Lord Askew says the best in the field, so that’s what we’ll do.” He drove back to the practice, vindicated and full of satisfaction.

He sought out Mungo immediately and found him putting the finishing touches to an operation on a cat with two broken legs. “There we are, Bunty; you know the routine. Ring the client, tell them the good news, be your sweetest, there’s a love,
they’ll be well-nigh hysterical by now.” He peeled off his operating gown and saw Dan. “Ah! It’s you. What news on Galaxy?”

“Thankfully, I’ve been proved right.”

Mungo gave a great “Ah!” of approval.

“It’s the Royal Veterinary College for Galaxy, nothing less will do.”

“Of course. Beware Lady Mary: sweet as pie if things go her way, but she’ll have you scrambled for breakfast if anything goes wrong. I’d like to go over the operation with you if you’d be so kind. Pure interest, you know, though I am staking a lot on the success of it; you must see that.”

Dan laughed. “Of course. I can just disappear off into the sunset while you’ll be left to carry the can. We’ve discussed it thoroughly with Lady Mary and Lord Askew, and they wholeheartedly agree with the decision.”

“And Giles Standen-Briggs?”

Dan paused a moment before replying, “The X-ray has proved him wrong, and he hasn’t taken kindly to that, but he’s bearing up.”

“Treat him with care. We don’t need any antagonism between the two practices.”

Bunty left the operating room carrying the patient, and as he closed the door after her, Dan asked, “Supposing it works out. Shall we take on the equine side if it’s offered?”

“Let’s leave it till after, shall we? The whole picture might change.”

“Fair enough. You haven’t got someone else, then, to replace me?”

Mungo, scrubbing his hands at the sink, said above the noise of the running tap, “No. I’d have told you if I had. I have advertised again, though. I’m of two minds. Miriam wants you to stay and almost everyone else is halfhearted or downright against you. That first chap kept us hanging on far too long. I
reckon he only applied for our job as a lever to get more money out of the practice where he is now. But I don’t have to take anyone on if I decide for you to stay.” As he dried his hands, he looked Dan in the eye and went on, “Are you still of the same mind?”

“I’d like to stay, yes. Buy a house. Settle down.”

“A lot hangs on this operation.”

“I know.”

“I’m not sure about taking on equine. Getting his farm work back, yes, but horses …” Mungo shook his head. “Whole new ball game. Equipment, new setup. No, I’m not sure.”

“If you invite me to stay, I have capital, and I wouldn’t mind …”

“Right, right. I hear what you say. I’ll think about it.” Mungo put on a clean operating gown. “Must press on.”

Bunty and Sarah Two came in carrying a comatose black spaniel. “You have the notes, Mungo, he’s all ready for the anesthetic.”

Dan took his leave. Mungo rechecked the case file and bent to his task.

“M
IRIAM
! I’m starving.” She was in the kitchen testing a chicken casserole for flavor.

“This is the very last remains of the Christmas food. I swear, honest to God, I shan’t buy as much food next Christmas as I did this. We seem to have been eating up for
years.”
She grinned at him, put her hands round the back of his neck and drew him to her for a kiss.

After he’d savored her kiss for a few moments he asked, “You’ve heard?”

“No, what? I’ve been out all afternoon.”

“Where’ve you been?”

“Walking with Perkins. That’s why he’s not come to greet you. He’s flaked out in his basket.”

“The lazy devil. You’ll be pleased to hear that Dan has come out smelling of roses.”

“No! With Galaxy, I assume?”

Mungo nodded. “He’s almost too good to be true. Not only that, Tad Porter is over the moon because Dan’s saved Connie Porter’s young house cow from lead poisoning; and I met Phil Parsons in the town this morning, and he feels Dan’s the best vet we’ve had in years. Reckons he saved his bull, Sunny Boy, from choking to death.”

Triumphantly, Miriam said, “What did I tell you? Didn’t I say?”

“I’ve placed the advert for Dan’s job, so it’s too late to withdraw, but I really do think we should keep him.”

Miriam thumped her fist on his arm. “I knew I was right; and surely to goodness old Askew will want us back, and very possibly we’ll get the equine work too. Dan must have an instinctive eye for horses.”

“He’s volunteered money if and when …”

“Really?”

“That would mean a partnership, though.”

“Well, why not? With Lord Askew, to say nothing of Lady Mary, on our side we would do well. Oh, Mungo! Aren’t you excited? A whole new chapter for us.”

“I know. Do we want it? Apart from you, all the wives in the practice have their knife into Dan. Well, women. Zoe, Letty, Joy, Stephie, the two Sarahs and, on occasion, Bunty. Perhaps it wouldn’t be worth it.”

“One word from you and the whole picture would change. That smile of yours could melt an iceberg.”

“Rubbish.”

“It’s true. Honestly. The casserole’s ready. Go and sit down.”

“Still, we’ll wait and see if the tide turns in our favor. Old Askew might have more allegiance to Standen-Briggs than we’ve bargained for.”

“Not if Lady Mary takes a shine to Dan. I wonder, could we persuade him to pay her some attention while she waits to see if the operation is a success?”

“Miriam!
If?
Do you doubt Dan’s prognosis?” Mungo raised his eyebrows at her, and she had to laugh.

“Of course not. I have every faith in him. What he needs is a good wife, though, and why not Lady Mary? She doesn’t inherit, because there’s a string of sons, so no one could question his pedigree, could they?”

“I’ve only met her once and, though I admit she has breeding and is very beautiful, having her as a wife would be hell. I don’t think Dan would sit very comfortably with a wife who wants it all her own way.”

“I didn’t say he
had
to
marry
her in order to get Lord Askew’s account. Just flirt a little, keep her on our side.”

“Are there no depths to which you will not sink?”

Miriam had to laugh. “None.”

“Colin manages with a wife who gets all her own way. Though ‘manages’ just about sums it up.”

“So you haven’t noticed the change, then?”

“Change?”

Miriam nodded her head. “Oh yes! For my sins I had coffee with Letty in the mall this morning. Her suggestion. She’d been to the beauty shop before I met her, and I must say the result was excellent. Also, instead of those clothes which make her fade into the background, that dreadful cream suit, for instance, she was wearing a little raspberry-colored number Colin had chosen for her in Paris. That weekend seems to have, well, I
don’t know what, but mellowed things a little. From something she said, I have an idea Colin’s been putting his foot down.”

“Colin? That’ll be a first.”

“What she needed, though. Finished, darling?”

“Yes, thanks. Only don’t find any other leftovers. Just give them to Perkins, and let’s have done with them. I don’t want to see any more of this trifle.”

“I feel the same. Poor Perkins … New Year’s. What shall we do?”

“Don’t know; haven’t got that far yet. Let’s clear up and sit down in front of the TV. I’m on call. Pray it’s a quiet night.”

Miriam got up from her chair and, ignoring Perkins clamoring for their leftovers, went to put her arms round Mungo. “Poor you. You know the knickknacks? It’s a pity Dan had the idea so close to Christmas. We’d have made a killing if we’d had more time. Most of the stock is promised for delivery by the New Year, and I can’t wait to get cracking. He does have good ideas, you know, does Dan. It would be rather fun if he did get himself some female company. It would fill his life up tremendously, wouldn’t it? Just round things off for him, sort of? Go and sit down. I’ll clear up.”

T
HREE
weekends after his opinion had been sought about Galaxy, Dan was on duty when he received a call from Lady Mary. “Dan Brown? Mary Askew here.” He picked up on the pent-up excitement in her voice and wondered what she wanted him for.

“Yes, it’s me, Lady Mary.”

“Dan, Galaxy’s back from the Vet College. I thought you’d like to know that the operation has gone well. We’ve just unloaded him, and he’s in his stable, tucked up and looking fine.”

“I’m very pleased to hear that. Very pleased indeed. What a relief.”

“Amazing place.”

“You went with him?”

“Oh yes, couldn’t let him go all that way on his own. Amazing facilities there and so charming, all of them. Did you train there?”

“I did.”

“Then you’ll know what I’m talking about. Would you call Monday to change his bandages? Just this once. Show me and Gavin what to do?”

“Of course, I’d be delighted, but what about Standen-Briggs? Surely…”

He heard a sharp, impatient breath. “I asked
you.”
Dan thought she would say something more, but for a moment she didn’t. Then, “Well? Will you come?”

“I thought Giles would be …”

“I asked
you
. Hang Giles. He couldn’t even recognize what you could see immediately.”

“Very well, but I feel uncomfortable about it.”

“Bother that. Come. Lunchtime Monday and we’ll have lunch and talk. About progress. OK? See you. The name’s Mary.”

Her receiver snapped down before he could reply. He didn’t really want lunch and still less did he want to upset Giles Standen-Briggs by attending Galaxy when he wasn’t officially his vet.
The name’s Mary
. God! He didn’t want to get involved there. Those steely blue eyes didn’t appeal one little bit. Lunch!

But in the event, it all turned out better than he had anticipated. Galaxy cooperated wonderfully well when the bandages were changed, and Lady Mary and Gavin were excellent pupils. When it came to lunch, it was laid in Lady Mary’s small sitting
room in the big house. The butler opened the wine and left them to it.

The day was chill even for January, and Dan appreciated the huge open fire. The lunch table had been drawn close to it, and what with the food and the warmth he soon relaxed. Lady Mary was an entertaining hostess and spoke knowledgeably about horseflesh and competing. The whole subject fired her up, and while she was completely absorbed in talking about it, her face was alight and her eyes less steely.

Then she got down to the real purpose of his visit. “Daddy will do what I want, whatever. Being the only girl and the youngest in a family of five boys, I only have to dab my eyes and he crumbles. Mummy’s not quite so amenable. Being a woman, she sees straight through my subterfuges, but Daddy! If I insist that we change vets, would you …”

“Would I what?”

“Don’t be so damn dumb. You know what I mean. If I persuaded Daddy to drop Standen-Briggs, would you be our vet?”

Dan shook his head slowly. “Look here. You’re rather jumping the gun. We don’t know how successful we’ve been, do we? Also, your father asked me in for a second opinion, and that is the basis I came on. Fortunately, I was proved right, but that doesn’t mean Giles is a fool. Nor does it mean I want to be your equine vet on a permanent basis. I may not even be here permanently anyway.”

“You mean that gorgeous Mungo Price doesn’t want to keep you? We’ll see about that.” She layered a pile of brie onto a biscuit and snapped it in half with her beautiful snow-white teeth. When she’d eaten it, she went on, “What I want I get, and I want you. You’ve instinct as well as knowledge, and I don’t know which is the more important. So, would you?”

“I’m not sure. I’m not playing hard to get…”

“I know you’re not that kind of person, Dan. You and I are alike. We speak our minds, straight from the shoulder.”

“Then I’ll speak mine.”

She waved the other half of her biscuit at him and popped it in her mouth. While chewing it, she said, “Speak up. I’m waiting.”

“I have experience and I have instinct. I’ve worked in racing stables in the Middle East, and I know what I’m talking about when it comes to horses, but … I do not want to be exclusively equine. I like variety. I actually like cows and sheep, and lambing time is upon us at the moment and I enjoy it, believe it or not. What’s more, I would not want to be running back and forth at your every whim like some kind of tame errand boy. I’m not by nature a lackey; I’m not Gavin. Also, I have Giles to consider and Mungo’s wishes to think of, so there’s no way I am giving you an answer right away.”

“More wine?”

“A little, please. But I am honored that you would consider me.”