Almost, but not quite. Mentally, he was much stronger than he had been, and he had Otto and Dulcie to thank for that. His broken leg was a setback, that was all, and once it was mended he would soon be back to his old self. He’d learnt his lesson though – no more climbing ladders.
But if he couldn’t keep busy with DIY, he would have to find something else to occupy him, otherwise he would go mad with boredom. And although he had Peg to keep him company, he was often lonely. He just wished he knew what he could do about it.
Beth hated being at a loose end, but with the living room being out of bounds (there was no way Beth was going to join Walter to watch the nonsense that was on daytime telly), and with Dulcie needing peace and quiet in the dining room, Beth didn’t know what to do with herself.
If she had been in her own house, she would have run the vacuum cleaner round and done a bit of dusting, but knowingthat she mustn’t make too much noise, she satisfied herself with giving the kitchen the once over (despite it being spotless) and bleaching the downstairs bathroom. Then she made yet another cup of tea. If she drank any more of the stuff, she’d need to use the loo as much as Walter; although she strongly suspected he was only doing it to wind her up.
Unable to sit still any longer, Beth rinsed out her mug and went outside. She would check on her furniture, then maybe she would go for a stroll.
True to his word, Otto, the dear boy, had found some tarpaulin and a length of plastic, and had covered all her bits and pieces. Thankfully, the barn was dry and there was no rain forecast, so she needn’t worry. And with any luck, she would be moving into her own home before too long.
She spent a few minutes watching the rabbits hop around their runs, and even stroked a soft ear or two. Then she wandered over towards the goats’ field. But before she got there she bumped into Maisie, who was coming out of the pasteurisation shed. She had Peg with her, and Beth was flattered when the dog greeted her like a long-lost friend.
‘She’s really taken to you,’ Maisie observed. ‘I didn’t think you liked dogs.’
‘Because we never had one when you were a kid?’
‘We didn’t have any pets.’
‘There was a good reason for that. Looking after you lot was enough.’
‘I would have helped.’
Beth raised her eyebrows.
‘Okay, maybe I wouldn’t have helped as much as I thought I would.’
‘You wouldn’t have helped at all. None of you would. You’d have made all the right noises in the beginning, but after a couple of weeks it would have fallen on me to look after it.’
Maisie gave her an apologetic look. ‘You’re probably right.’
‘I know I am.’
‘I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time earlier. But you’ve got to admit, turning up with all your worldly possessions yesterday was a bit of a shock.’
Beth bit her lip. ‘It was more of a shock for Dulcie.’
‘And Walter,’ Maisie added, with a grin. ‘I wasn’t expecting him to be here.’
‘Neither was he. From what Otto told me, his dad had expected to go home and pick up where he left off. But at his age, a broken leg isn’t something you can shake off easily.’
‘Don’t you mean atyourage?’ Maisie teased. ‘He’s only a year or so older than you.’
‘Four, actually, and thanks for reminding me.’
‘You don’t look your age,’ Maisie said.
‘Flatterer. What do you want?’
‘Take Peg for a walk for me?’
‘I might have known.’
‘Please? I promised Walter.’
‘Oh, well, if you promisedWalter.’
‘Don’t be so mean. He would take her himself if he could.’
