Escape to the Country (2 page)

"Leah, you can't keep calling me Aunt. It was OK when you were a
kid, but now it makes me feel grey haired and wrinkly, like Miss
Marple."

"Like who?"

"The fluffy old lady who solved half the crimes in the Agatha
Christie books."

"Thought that was Hercule Poirot."

"He solved the other half."

Leah had a feeling Jayne might be able to help with half of her
problems too. Of course she could, wasn't that why Leah had rushed
down here?

"So, we do a few chores this afternoon, then after supper we can
have a glass or two of cowslip wine and you can tell me all about it.
How's that sound?" Jayne asked.

"Like an excellent plan."

"You wash up then and I'll go and find you some clothes for you
to work in. I don't suppose you've got anything suitable?"

"Not unless you want me to take dictation or update a few
spreadsheets?"

"I could do with some help on the computer, but that's not what
I've got in mind for you."

Leah knew her clothes were unsuitable, but they were all she had.
Adam's idea of getting close to nature was to watch a documentary or
hang bird feeders on their balcony, so she didn't have any use for
practical outdoor wear. Jayne lent her some scruffy jeans, a thick
sweater and a warm coat, all of which fitted very well and were
surprisingly comfortable and a pair of wellingtons which didn't and
weren't.

"I think you're going to need extra socks to hold those on your
feet," Jayne said.

Jayne's idea of a few chores started with repairs to a fence around
the chicken run. Leah broke two finger nails in as many minutes and
went inside to file the others down. It wasn't just in terms of
clothing that she was unprepared for a stay on a farm.

The next little job was to chop and stack firewood. After that, they
fed the pigs. Tarragon lolloped along with them, managing to stay mud
free as he criss-crossed the small yard and dodged in and out of
animal pens. Leah stopped occasionally to stroke his grey silky head
and check her phone. There was no message from Adam. Each time Jayne
saw Leah snap shut the phone and thrust it into her pocket, she
dragged her off to a new task.

"I'm getting on much quicker with you to help me; I think we'll
have time to sort out the sheep before we deal with Rosemary."

First they had to catch the six sheep which was a job in itself, then
Leah had to stand with a leg each side of the squirming animal and
wrap her arms around its neck so Jayne could trim its feet. Once each
was released it bounded away, evidently delighted with its pedicure.
Leah didn't have the energy to bound away after the job was done. She
was convinced she'd be needing the cowslip wine intravenously.

"What sort of animal is Rosemary?" she gasped once the last
woolly wrestling partner had joined his tag team.

"A beautiful Jersey cow. You're going to love her."

"I'm sorry, Jayne, but there's no way I can hold a cow down."

Jayne shrieked with laughter which Leah hoped was a sign she was
mistaken in her belief she'd have to manhandle the creature.

"Come on, you townie," Jayne said. "Don't worry, we're
just going to milk her."

Rosemary was indeed beautiful. She had the most amazing chocolate
eyes with long lashes which made Leah remember the tractor driver
she'd seen earlier. True she'd not been close enough to see his
lashes, but she had enough imagination to picture them. Unlike the
dishy tractor driver, Rosemary also had a soft velvety nose which
snuffled at the hand Leah was coaxed into holding out. She was dainty
and incredibly calm. The cow stood still whilst Jayne sat on the
floor of her stable and milked her into a large bucket. Rosemary
looked as though she was chewing an especially good toffee.

"Chewing the cud," Jayne explained. "They have to do
that to properly digest their food. You know a cow or sheep is
relaxed if they chew."

Leah should probably be chewing as she was relaxed enough to pass
out.

Once Jayne had enough milk in her bucket, she let two young calves
into Rosemary's pen.

"Twins?" Leah guessed.

"No. These are a couple of Angus bulls I've bought in."

"So neither are hers?" The cow was licking them as though
she was fond of them.

"No. She had a heifer. I don't need another cow to keep as I
already have Rosepetal, Rosemary's calf from a couple of years ago. A
jersey heifer's not much good for meat, so I sold it and bought these
two."

"So these will become roast beef?" It seemed sad, but Jayne
had to make a living somehow.

"Not just any roast beef; the finest locally reared, organic
roast beef. I sell all my animals and eggs direct to a local butcher
now. He knows for sure where the meat comes from and that it's great
quality and I actually get a decent price."

Leah nodded, but really she was too tired to take in details of
Jayne's business plan. Her muscles ached, joints felt hot and hands
stung as Leah hauled herself up off the barn floor.

A soak in bathwater containing a liberal quantity of Jayne's
home-made herbal bath oil revived her considerably. Her back and
biceps stopped throbbing and the painful blisters on each palm
subsided to a warm tingling.

"It's a special mix to soothe aching muscles," Jayne
explained as she handed Leah the bottle. "I got the recipe from
the book you sent me for my birthday."

Leah remembered the book. She'd been unable to think of a suitable
birthday gift and had asked Adam for inspiration.

"What does she like?" he'd asked.

Leah had reeled off a list of things she knew Jayne enjoyed or was
interested in. Adam's suggestion had been a garden centre voucher
which hadn't seemed a bad idea. A couple of days later though he'd
returned from one of his regular trips around the local second-hand
bookshops with an exquisite book on herbal remedies. It was antique
and beautifully illustrated with hand coloured plates.

He hadn't let her repay him, saying he was embarrassed to admit how
much he'd spent on a lot of old mumbo jumbo. "From what you told
me, it does seem perfect for her though."

It did. The cover was of powder blue leather; Jayne's favourite
colour. The author's surname was Jayne and inside the book was a
bookmark decorated with pressed primroses. Jayne had still been
squealing with delight when she'd called to thank Leah. Even better,
the recipe actually seemed to work and the burning ache in Leah's
thighs and biceps eased considerably.

The chicken stew and dumplings followed by baked apple and thick
Jersey cream further helped Leah's recovery.

Life in the countryside was pretty much living up to her
expectations. She had a comfortable room, the comfort of her aunt
Jayne, good food and no more tasks for the day. Already she was
almost as relaxed as Tarragon who pretended to snooze in his bed, but
occasionally opened one big brown eye to check for dropped crumbs.
Leah had enough sense to know this break wouldn't be the same as the
idyllic summer holidays she'd spent with Jayne, her grandparents and
sometimes her own parents. Life on a smallholding in winter would be
cold, muddy and hard work. Still there was a toasty fire in front of
her and the promise of cowslip wine for now and the hope of working
things out with Adam. It could be a lot worse.

Leah checked her phone and was pleased to see she'd received a text.

'Heard wot happened. Dont believe it. Call if want 2 chat.'

She stared at it for several moments until realising it was from her
colleague Rachel, not her boyfriend. Why would Rachel call? Leah
couldn't imagine wanting to chat to her about the problems she was
facing. Still it was good to know not everyone assumed she was
guilty. Leah made another attempt to contact Adam, but had to be
content with leaving a message on his voicemail.

It was reassuring to know Adam had been mistaken and not everyone at
work was shunning her. Maybe, after she'd enjoyed a few days with
Jayne, all her problems would be resolved. The only potential fly in
the ointment was the G-B Jayne had alluded to. Oliver Gilmore-Bunce
was a client of Prophet Margin, the stockbrokers and investors she
worked for, and a right pain even before he'd become the source of
her current problem. The less Leah had to do with Oliver
Gilmore-Bunce, the happier she'd be.

Jayne poured golden liquid into two tiny glasses. "They're
liqueur glasses really, so we'll need a lot of refills, but they're
so pretty, I just have to use them for cowslip wine."

"Is the wine really made from cowslips? I know there are always
masses around the cottage, but I can't imagine you picking buckets of
them."

"It really is made from cowslips... and a few other things.
Actually, I buy a simple winemaking kit and just add a few cowslip
flowers. Still tastes pretty good though, I think?"

Leak accepted her drink and took a sip. "Wonderful." She
inspected the glass. It was beautifully decorated with a posy of
cowslips.

"What lovely engraving! Where did you get them?"

"It's an etching actually, and I got them from a rather nice man
who made them for me as a gift for services rendered."

"Aunt Jayne!"

"It's a very good story actually, but as you've called me Aunt
again, you've made me feel too old to tell it you."

"Sorry," Leah said. She wasn't particularly sorry. If it
really was a good story, Jayne wouldn't be able to resist telling
her.

"So, what's the matter then?" Jayne asked after refilling
their glasses.

Leah took a deep breath. Where should she start? "I've been
suspended from work. There are discrepancies in a customer's account
which they need to investigate and the computer records seem to show
I've been defrauding him of tens of thousands of pounds."

"But you haven't?" She asked it as a question, but Leah
knew she wasn't being accused.

"No."

"So they'll find out that it's all a mistake. I'm no computer or
finance expert, but I'm sure that if you've not done something
nobody'll be able to prove you did."

"No, I suppose not."

"Are you in a union or anything?"

"I do belong to a professional organisation and I've let them
know. They'll ensure the situation is properly investigated and I'm
not dismissed without cause. Prophet Margin have to keep me on full
pay, so it's in their interests to get this resolved as soon as
possible." Put like that, it didn't seem as though she was in
too much trouble. True, embezzlement was a serious crime that could
lead to imprisonment. It was equally true that she was innocent.

"And what's that Adam doing about it? He's a computer expert,
supposedly. Didn't he go and tell them he knows you'd never do such a
thing and show them where they'd gone wrong?"

Jayne was getting close to the real problem.

"No. I thought he might. He can't really though. He's in a
separate section and can't get involved. He said it was better to be
patient and that if they knew about us they'd just think he was
biased or might believe he was involved or..."

"He didn't stick up for you at all?"

"Well, it's complicated."

"I bet. And what's that about knowing about you? Has he kept it
secret that you're living together?"

"Not secret, just..."

"Complicated?"

It sounded weak, even to Leah.

"Your whole life seems complicated since you've met him."

"I know." Leah took another sip of her drink. It was only
recently she'd admitted, even to herself, that her relationship with
Adam wasn't making her happy. She still wasn't sure what she wanted
to do about that. "He wanted to keep his personal and
professional lives separate."

"What? He's a computer geek, not a pop star."

Leah didn't reply as she'd often had the same thought. His insistence
on keeping his distance at work might seem perfectly natural to him,
but it hurt her. It felt as though he was almost ashamed of her.

"You expect him to stick up for your reputation when he's not
honest with them?" Jayne continued.

"It wasn't like that," she mumbled. She wasn't even
convincing herself. She longed to confess her worries to Jayne, but
that meant facing up to the truth and she wasn't quite ready for
that.

Adam said their relationship wasn't anyone's business but theirs.
Business was the right word to use. Adam bought their flat as an
investment; Leah wanted it to be a home. Adam wanted a pre-nup
agreement before he'd commit to marriage. While Leah could see it
was sensible, she didn't want to be planning the divorce before
they'd even picked a date for the wedding.

Jayne said, "His weird behaviour is none of my business either.
Your happiness is, so let's see what we can do to cheer you up."

"A refill might help," Leah suggested, holding out her
glass.

Jayne took the hint. As that didn't seem enough to distract Jayne
from probing deeper into Leah's problems, she got up and stroked
Tarragon. She remembered that as a child, the only animals she'd
heard Jayne say a bad word about were dogs. Even then she put the
blame on irresponsible owners, rather than creatures who were just
doing what came naturally.

"I was surprised when you told me you'd got a dog," Leah
said, "But now I've met him it makes much more sense. He really
is adorable."

"Useful too. I don't get other people's dogs wandering all over
the place now. The owners see he's about and put theirs on leads.
Tarragon actually helps round up the sheep. You saw that today."

"He was helpful, yes."

"Everyone needs a little help," Jayne said.

"That's why I've come to you. Is there any more helpful stuff
left in that bottle?"

As Leah got ready for bed, she thought over what Jayne had said.
Jayne trusted that as Leah was innocent then her problems would soon
be solved. Leah was less sure. She might get her job back, but her
hopes of a happy marriage and, eventually, children had never seemed
further away. Leah wasn't going to let unhappy thoughts spoil her
visit before it had begun, so tried to picture something pleasant as
she went to sleep. For some reason, the image that came to mind was
that of a tractor on a country lane and a curly haired driver waving
to her.