Where We Belong, page 30
Cam’s team were real troopers about the upheaval and had set up camp in the yard outside the farmhouse back door without a murmur of complaint. They’d drawn up a roster for the various showers and bathrooms and those who were waiting were happy to sit outside with sandwiches and cups of coffee. The smell of smoke lingered, even after a shower and a change of clothes, and Cam wondered if he’d ever be free of it. Telling himself there was no time to be maudlin, he headed downstairs and called out the back door. ‘Main bathroom is free, who’s next?’
‘Oh, that’s me!’ Zoë hopped up from the bench by the wall, where she’d been sitting next to Adam. ‘But my clothes are still waiting for the washing machine.’
‘You can help yourself to whatever you need from my room,’ Hope assured her, coming up from behind Cam. ‘Come on, I’ll show you.’ There was the sound of a horn from the gate, which made them all jump as they’d locked up once everyone was inside.
Cam exchanged a look with Hope. ‘We’d better go and check who it is.’ He tried to keep his voice light. There was still no answer from Amelia. Rhys had gone down into the village to check on her, but he had a key to the gate so would surely just let himself in.
‘I’ll come with you,’ Adam said, jumping up, and before they knew it, they had half a dozen escorts as they approached the gate.
Cam felt Hope relax beside him as soon as she spotted the car outside the gate. ‘It’s Mrs Davis, our cleaner.’ She opened the gate and stood aside to let the little red Fiat through. ‘What are you doing here?’
‘I thought you’d need a hand with washing and the like,’ Mrs Davis said, resting one arm on her open window. ‘Blooming smoke gets into everything.’ She looked past them to the makeshift campsite in the yard. ‘And if anyone needs a bed for the night, then I’ve got a spare room and Iain at the pub says he’ll take in a couple. Sandra and Penny said the same.’ She looked back up at Hope. ‘It was Sandra who rang me after the café closed early.’
Ah, the good old village grapevine had been at work by the looks of things. Cam was touched at their thoughtfulness and he rested a hand on Mrs Davis’s car as he bent down to offer her a smile of thanks. ‘That’s so kind of you. I think we’re all right for beds tonight, although I’ll ask the team to be sure. As for doing a bit of washing, that would help us out no end, if you really don’t mind?’
‘Not a bit. Bag up everything and we’ll get it sorted and back first thing in the morning. Those that haven’t got rooms to offer still said they’d be happy to stick a load on, so it won’t be a problem.’
Cam raised his head to look at Hope, who was blinking back tears. ‘You didn’t have to do this, you know?’ she said, her voice sounding raw.
Mrs Davis snorted. ‘After everything you and your family have done for this community, it’s the least we can do. Now come on, let’s get everyone sorted out. There’s a box of meat in my boot as well, sent from Charlie at the butcher’s, and Rob sent a load of veg that needs using today.’
While Adam and Zoë sorted out a couple of sets of clothes from everyone and shoved them in a black bin liner for Mrs Davis to take back with her, Cam and Hope carried the donated food into the kitchen.
‘What’s this?’ Rowena asked, greeting them with her usual warm smile.
‘A little help from the village,’ Hope said, setting the boxes down. ‘Mrs Davis has summoned the cavalry.’ She opened the box and began pulling out carrots, courgettes, peppers and onions. ‘At least we won’t have to worry about having enough to feed everyone.’
‘Looks great. I can rustle up a stir-fry or we can roast them in the oven,’ her aunt suggested. She looked to the pile of sausages, burgers and chops Cam was unloading from the other box. ‘Or we can do everything on the barbeque like we did for the party.’
‘We can cook,’ Scott volunteered from where he’d been washing some dishes in the sink. ‘Me and the others will sort it out.’
Cam smiled in approval at the boy. No, not a boy, he was a man. There were still things to resolve with his father, but Scott was growing in confidence every day. ‘That would be a great help, Scott. Why don’t you stick everything in the fridge for now and then you can let the others know the plan.’
It was a polite dismissal, but Scott was smart enough to pick up the hint. ‘Sure thing.’
Once they were alone in the kitchen, Cam closed the door.
‘What’s got you so serious?’ Hope asked.
Sighing, Cam sat at the table and faced the truth he’d been trying to avoid. ‘I think we should shut down the dig.’
Hope sank into the chair next to him. ‘Won’t that put you behind?’
‘I can’t put the team at risk, Hope. Their safety is my responsibility and if someone were to get hurt, I’d never forgive myself.’ He’d also be out of a job, but right now that was the least of his worries.
‘You’re right. I know you’re right…’ Hope reached for his hand. ‘This is going to be terribly selfish of me, but I don’t want you to go.’
Cam couldn’t stop the warm glow spreading inside him. ‘It’s going to take us more than one summer to sort out everything that’s going on up there, a couple of weeks’ break won’t do any harm. The team are doing their best to hide it, but I know they’re as shook up about all this as I am.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘Given everything that’s happened, I’d feel better if I knew they were off site and safe until the police sort it out.’
She nodded. ‘Honestly, I would too.’
Rowena took the seat opposite them. ‘Your mother and I were talking earlier and we’re closing the hotel and spa as well. We’ve got enough volunteers from the estate staff to keep an eye on things up there tonight, and most people are due to head home tomorrow. We’ve already spoken to Ziggy, and he agrees. Stevie and I have been on the phone all afternoon, postponing everyone with a booking for next week.’
She nodded towards the closed doors to Ziggy’s office. ‘I’m going to check and see how she’s getting on.’
‘We can’t go on like this forever.’ When Cam turned to face Hope, her expression was bleak. ‘It’s a balancing act keeping the various businesses profitable and every day we’re without guests will push us further towards the red.’
Cam could only imagine how much pressure the situation had put her whole family under. ‘I don’t see you have much choice at the moment. Whoever is behind this isn’t going to stop until he’s caught.’ If someone got hurt, or God forbid, killed, that would surely be the end of the estate. Something like that would destroy their reputation.
‘Let’s hope the police find him sooner rather than later.’ Hope did her best to smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. ‘Let’s try to look on the bright side. You’ll definitely have to come back next summer now.’
He cupped her cheek. ‘You can’t get rid of me that easily. I said the team were going home for a couple of weeks, I didn’t say anything about me.’
‘You’re staying?’ The way her eyes lit up made his heart soar.
‘Of course. I know you’re strong enough to deal with everything that’s going on with your family, but I want to be here for you. If you’ll have me, that is?’
‘You don’t even have to ask.’
Even with so many awful things going on, he had so much to be grateful for, most especially this wonderful woman. God bless you, Mrs Cotteridge, he thought as he leaned in and gave Hope a quick kiss. When he pulled back, he held her gaze. ‘I know this is the worst timing in the world, but I need you to know that I love you too.’
‘You do?’ Hope’s golden sunshine laugh filled the air. ‘Oh, Cam, I think you have the best timing in the world.’ She flung her arms around his neck and he let himself be swept away on a kiss so right, he knew he wanted to kiss her like that forever. When they broke for air, Hope gave him a puzzled look. ‘What did you mean when you said I love you too? I’ve never said it to you.’
‘Yes, you did. When you drove away this morning.’ God, was it really only that morning? It felt like a lifetime ago.
‘Did I? I certainly didn’t mean to.’ Her wonderful laughter filled the air again. ‘Oh, don’t look at me like that!’ She cupped his face in her hands. ‘I love you, okay? I love you, I love you, I love you!’
The only way he could stop her from saying it was to seal her mouth with another kiss.
EPILOGUE
Amelia parked her car in front of the cottage and grabbed her handbag from the seat. She locked the car more out of habit rather than any fear someone would steal it. Stourton-in-the-Vale wasn’t exactly a hotbed of crime, and nobody would be desperate enough to steal a clapped-out old Fiesta with nearly 120,000 miles on the clock. It was getting to the point where it might end up costing more to get it through an MOT than to buy a replacement. She shook her head. Who was she kidding? If the Fiesta broke down, she’d be going to work on the bus.
She hooked her bag on her shoulder, trying to ignore the nagging weight of the phone inside it. She’d had several missed calls while she’d been in the office. One from Hope and another from Rhys. Amelia leaned against her car and closed her eyes. She loved her friends, she really did, but she didn’t want to talk to anyone tonight. All she wanted was to slip into a hot bath and crawl under her duvet for an early night. She was beyond exhausted, the kind of tired where she didn’t even have the energy to eat, even though she knew she needed to keep her strength up. She couldn’t afford to get ill. With all the bloody debt her father had saddled them with, she literally couldn’t afford it.
Beans on toast would keep her going. She could skip the bath and take them straight up to her room and eat sitting cross-legged on her bed. At least then she wouldn’t have to face her mother’s constant sighing and worrying over that deadbeat she still wanted to call her husband. It was almost too much effort to push herself upright from the car, but she couldn’t stand out in the street all night. The curtains were probably already twitching across the road. That was enough to get her moving.
Heading up the path, Amelia rummaged through her bag for her keys, before remembering they were still in her hand. God, she really needed a decent night’s sleep. Raising her key towards the door, Amelia spotted the sliver of light shining past the edge and frowned. Had her mum heard her and already opened the door? Thinking that must be it, Amelia pushed it open and put on the brightest voice she could muster. ‘Mum? I’m home. Sorry I’m a bit late, but the traffic was a nightmare.’
Silence.
‘Mum?’ Amelia chucked her bag on the sofa in the empty living room and walked back through the little house towards the kitchen. Maybe she was in bed? The doctor had warned Daisy to rest, but she wasn’t very good at taking it easy, knowing how much of a burden her illness was on top of everything else. ‘Mum?’ she called again, louder this time.
‘In here.’ The words were hard to make out and Amelia clenched her jaw. Oh, God, she couldn’t be crying again over that useless bastard, could she? It was the last thing Amelia needed to deal with.
‘Come on, Mum,’ she said, pushing open the kitchen door. ‘He’s not—’ Amelia’s words froze in her throat as she took in the scene. Her mother was crouched on the kitchen floor, half-sobbing, half-wheezing, the front of her T-shirt covered in blood.
Daisy Riley raised her eyes from the man sprawled on the floor beside her. ‘I can’t get the bleeding to stop. He won’t let me call an ambulance.’ She was clutching a tea towel as red as the front of her shirt, which was wrapped around Amelia’s father’s arm.
‘No ambulance, I’ll be fine.’ The words were slurred. No doubt he was drunk again.
‘You can bleed to bloody death for all I care!’ Amelia snapped. ‘What the hell happened? Why aren’t you at the clinic?’
‘Stuck up bastards,’ Keith mumbled. ‘Tryinatellmewhadado. I bloody showed ’em.’ His eyelids flickered and then his head dropped back to the floor with a thud.
‘Dad? Dad!’ Oh, God, maybe he did need an ambulance! Amelia turned on her heel and ran back into the living room to find her phone, almost bumping into Rhys. What was he doing here? And why was he looking at her with those big puppy dog eyes full of sympathy? Could this day get any bloody worse?
‘Get out of the way, I need to get my phone. Dad’s had an accident.’
Rhys’s expression turned from one of concern to one of anger. ‘He’s here?’
‘Yes!’ Amelia grabbed her bag and snatched up her phone. ‘He’s in the kitchen with Mum. Where are you going?’ She blew out a breath. There was no point in talking to his brick wall of back. Jabbing at her phone, she dialled 999.
‘Ambulance service. Is the patient breathing?’
The question startled Amelia. ‘Yes. I think so. He was a moment ago. Sorry, it’s my father, he’s cut his arm badly and there’s a lot of blood. I think he’s lost consciousness.’ What if he really was hurt? Was he going to die? Amelia might have wished him gone a thousand times, but the reality of it almost took her knees out from under her.
The operator’s calm voice filtered through her panic. ‘I’ve got an address in Stourton-in-the-Vale, is that current?’
‘Yes,’ Amelia managed to get out. ‘Primrose Cottage. We’re almost opposite the church.’
‘That’s useful information, thank you. Help is being arranged. Is the patient there with you? Can you check for a pulse, please?’
‘He’s in the kitchen, hang on.’ Amelia ran through the door to find Rhys on his knees beside her father. He’d taken over from her mother, who was curled up in the corner, still coughing and crying. Amelia needed to get her to bed before they had two emergencies to deal with, but she needed to address the most immediate problem first.
The bloody tea towel was on the floor beside Rhys and he’d grabbed a clean one from the drawer – because of course he knew where everything was kept – and was pressing it hard against her father’s forearm, which he was now holding up in the air. ‘Is he breathing? The operator needs to know.’
Rhys glanced up at her through his thick fringe and nodded. ‘Yes. Tell her the wound is about six inches long and very deep. I’ve got pressure on it and it’s elevated. It’ll need flushing out because he did it on one of our fences so there’s a high chance of infection.’
Amelia had no idea how he knew all that, but she relayed the information to the operator.
‘Thank you.’ Amelia could hear her fingers clattering against the keyboard as the woman typed the update into her system. ‘We’re doing our best to get there as quickly as we can. Is the wound still bleeding?’
Amelia looked at the tea towel. Rhys had folded it into a tight square, but it still looked mostly white. ‘Is it still bleeding?’
He raised his hand for a split second. ‘Yes, but I think it’s slowing down.’
Amelia sank down on the floor next to him, feeling numb and useless. ‘It’s slowing down.’
‘That’s great. Keep maintaining pressure on it. While we’re waiting for the ambulance to arrive, can you give me as much detail as you know about the patient?’
She couldn’t look at Rhys as she relayed her father’s medical history and details about his drink problem to the sympathetic woman on the other end of the phone. She didn’t know why she felt embarrassed, it wasn’t like he didn’t know all the gory, disgusting details already. Still, she wished it wasn’t him sitting beside her, even while knowing he was the only person she would rely on in such awful circumstances.
It felt like it took the ambulance crew forever to arrive, but was probably less than half an hour, which given the remoteness of the village was something close to a miracle. ‘We were already heading in this direction and got diverted onto this call,’ the cheerful paramedic who’d introduced himself as Chris told her. ‘Right then, what’s going on here?’
Amelia got herself out of the way while Rhys calmly relayed the information to Chris. Only once the paramedics had taken over did he go to the sink and wash his hands before coming over to lean against the kitchen wall beside her. Her mum was still huddled in the corner and Amelia knew she should go and help her, but she knew if she did, she’d be bawling her own head off in two seconds flat, so she left the poor paramedics to deal with her as well.
‘We’ll have to call the police,’ Rhys said quietly. ‘Your dad’s the one who’s been causing trouble on the estate. He set fire to one of the fields next to the estate this morning and let a load of cows out on the road. That’s how he cut his arm.’
‘Oh, my God.’ She remembered smelling smoke when she’d driven through the village, but assumed it was someone with a firepit in their garden enjoying the summer evening. Bile rose in her empty stomach and she swallowed it down hard. ‘Was anyone else hurt?’
Rhys shook his head, still looking thunderous. ‘More by luck than anything. If the fire had jumped the wall, then the whole bloody campsite would’ve gone up. One of the cows has already miscarried this afternoon. I’m worried she won’t be the only one.’
Amelia felt her knees go from under her and she slid down the wall until her bottom hit the floor with a jarring thud. She stared in disbelief as Chris wrapped her father’s arm in gauze and tried to rouse him. Keith mumbled something and Amelia felt her breath catch in her throat. He wasn’t dead, then. Not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing, all she could do was watch while the other paramedic coaxed her mother up off the floor and towards the stairs.
Once he had the bleeding under control, Chris turned his kindly smile towards her. ‘He’s going to be fine, love. We’ll have to run him up to the hospital, though, so I’ll need some personal details. ID would be useful if you’ve got something to hand.’ He raised a shoulder in an apologetic shrug. ‘Paperwork, and all that.’
Amelia roused herself. ‘His wallet should be in his pocket.’ She stared at her father’s bloodied trousers, feeling sick at the thought of touching the dark, sticky mess.
