‘That’s right.’ Tilly laughed, seeing her expression. ‘Sorry, I meant to say … Benny’s got an older brother, Trevor. He’s seen you about the village a few times and wanted to ask you out himself, but he’s shy.’
‘I’m not sure … How much older is he?’ Caroline asked, not knowing what to say for the best. The last thing she wanted was to start dating a boy. But she could hardly say so outright to Tilly.
Tilly pulled a face. ‘I knew you wouldn’t be interested. And you’re right. Trevor’s only just turned twenty. Benny’s younger than me, you see. He’s seventeen.’ She shrugged. ‘Ah well, it was worth a try.’
‘Grace might go,’ Caroline said slowly, though she felt uncomfortable even suggesting it.
‘Grace?’ Tilly raised her eyebrows. ‘I … I’ll ask Benny, of course. But you were the one Trevor had his eye on.’
Just as she was struggling to formulate a response to that, a loud knock came at the back door, then the door to the porch creaked open and someone poked a head round.
‘Hello?’ It was a telegram boy, easily recognisable by his navy-blue uniform with smart red piping, topped by his matching pillbox hat with a GPO crown. ‘No dogs about, are there?’ Many visitors to the farm had a lively fear of Joe’s newest dog, young Pip, who tended to chase after them when Joe wasn’t about to call him to heel.
Caroline and Tilly stared at each other in astonished silence.
‘No, the dogs are in the other room.’ Tilly bounded to the door. ‘Goodness, a telegram?’
‘Just came in over the wires at Eastern House,’ the boy told her proudly. ‘Mr Cotterill wrote it up himself and asked me to cycle straight over before it got too dark to see.’
In the snug, Joe’s farm dogs started to bark, no doubt hearing a stranger’s voice in the kitchen. The boy glanced towards the door, startled, and gulped.
‘But who’s it for?’ Tilly took it from his gloved hands. ‘Oh my …’ Her voice died away.
‘It’s a telegram for Miss Ponsby.’ The boy, who looked about sixteen, peered at Tilly’s face. ‘Is that you, Miss?’
Tilly shook her head silently.
‘What?’ Caroline gave a gasp. ‘For … Forme?’ Her voice was a squeak. ‘No, that can’t be right. I … I never get telegrams.’
‘It’s your name on the envelope, Caro.’ Slowly, Tilly turned, holding out the telegram in its thin buff envelope. Sure enough, it was addressed to her, with the official ‘GPO Telegram’ heading.
‘Sorry, Miss.’ The telegram boy gave her an apologetic smile and hurried away, pulling the door shut behind him.
Violet Postbridge came out of the snug at that moment, Joe at her shoulder. The dogs ran out ahead of them, barking frantically now and pawing at the door to the farmyard. ‘What on earth …?’
‘Heel!’ Joe told the dogs, who fell back at his stern voice, their tails wagging furiously.
Mrs Newton had also appeared in the doorway, staring out of the snug. ‘Blimey, I never heard such a bloomin’ racket … Girls? What’s happened?’
‘Caro got a telegram,’ Tilly told them breathlessly. ‘It came in through Eastern House. The boy’s just gone.’
Everyone looked at Caroline, who swallowed and bent her gaze to the sinister envelope in her hand.
‘Must be urgent, or whoever it’s from would have sent a letter,’ Joe remarked unnecessarily, and whistled sharply to young Pip, who had gone back to the farmhouse door. Pip returned to his side at once but with his tail still thumping excitedly, peering up at his master. ‘Calm down now, boy. Blow me, this new dog’s a handful.’
‘Open it then,’ Violet urged her.
But Caroline stood frozen, holding her breath. Thetelegram had to be from her family back home in West London. Who else would have sent her an urgent message? Her heart began to thump violently as her brain whirled, going through all the possibilities … Had somebody died?
‘Best leave the girl alone, eh?’ Mrs Newton nudged her daughter meaningfully. ‘Ain’t none of our business. Come on, you two … I hadn’t finished telling you about that Mrs Newbury-Holmes.’ And she pulled Violet back into the snug.
But Joe, no doubt eager to escape his mother-in-law’s tales of her Penzance trip, mumbled something about needing to check on the pigs and headed into the porch to pull on his boots and coat. The dogs milled about him eagerly, young Pip starting to bark again, much to the farmer’s irritation. ‘Give over barking, Pip!’ he grumbled before hurrying outside, both dogs slinking at his heel.
They were alone again in the kitchen. Tilly looked at Caroline sympathetically. ‘Do you want me to stay while you open it?’
Caroline shook her head, unable to say a word.
‘In that case, I’ll be upstairs if you need me,’ Tilly murmured, and disappeared, discreetly leaving her alone with the telegram.
