‘Areyou back already?’ said Fran. ‘I thought you’d still be away watching rugby or football or whatever.’
‘It wasn’t a match, sweetheart, it was a very successful meeting. Very successful.’ He paused, and helped himself to a slice of quiche left over from lunch. ‘So where is the old biddy? They told me at the home she’d come up here for the day.’
‘She’s having a tour of the farm,’ said Fran. ‘So who was your meeting with?’
He tapped the side of his nose with his finger in a way that made Fran want to punch him. ‘You’ll find out soon enough, sweetheart. And you won’t like it!’
Roy insisted on driving Amy back to the care home, somehow fitting the walker and other bits and pieces on to the back seat of his car. Fran would have been quite happy to stop him doing so, but seeing how eager Amy apparently was to spend some extra minutes in his company she didn’t feel she could argue.
Fran and Antony found themselves alone. ‘Thank you so much for doing that,’ said Fran. ‘It was incredibly kind of you.’
‘She did seem to enjoy it. She kept asking Tig questions and telling him things and he was brilliant. He wrote it all down, answered questions, set her mind at rest. All sorts.’
‘Didyou find the quarry?’ said Fran. ‘I really need to do so. I’m sure she would have said something. You’d think she’d want me to find it.’ Feeling she was sounding a bit emotional, she fell silent.
‘If we went near it, she didn’t mention it,’ said Antony, holding both her hands.
Fran sighed.
‘You need cheering up,’ he said firmly. ‘Let’s drive over and see the puppies. June asked me to bring you the other day but I’ve been so busy – as have you – but now would be a good time for some puppy jollity, don’t you think?’
‘I do certainly think! What a wonderful idea. But will it be convenient for Jack and June, do you think?’
‘If you’ve got a litter of puppies in your house you don’t go out much. I’ll call them.’
‘I’ll go and tidy myself up – maybe change out of this dress and put my jeans back on,’ said Fran.
Antony caught her wrist lightly between his fingers. ‘Don’t do that. You look lovely.’ He kissed her temple.
A moment’s reflection and Fran realised she was probably rather tousled and messy; she was touched. ‘Oh, OK,’ she said, resisting the temptation to glance in the mirror and check what she really looked like.
ChapterTwenty-Two
‘I’m so sorry I’ve been away so much,’ said Antony. They were on their way to see the puppies and Fran was excited at the prospect of having uninterrupted time with him, in his large comfortable car, for at least forty minutes. ‘It’s a bit hectic at work and it means you’re having to deal with all this on your own.’
‘Not at all! You’ve been amazingly supportive. What about today? Amy wouldn’t have ever seen her farm again if it weren’t for you.’ She paused. ‘Roy would never have done anything like that for her and yet somehow he always muscles in and takes the credit. He wasn’t even due back from his sporting trip.’
‘Which sport?’ He sounded curious.
‘Oh, I don’t know!’ She wondered if it was important and decided it couldn’t be. ‘I don’t even care.’
She didn’t want to waste precious moments with Antony talking about Roy. She looked across at himnow.When she was with him she felt completely happy. But he was away a lot and she missed him.
Antony, as if he could read her thoughts, put his hand on her knee briefly, as if to reassure her. ‘There’s nothing like a litter of puppies for making you put all the bad stuff away.’
‘How old are they now?’
‘They must be about a month, I think.’
‘I can’t wait – they will have grown so much! Think how tiny they were when we looked after them.’
He glanced at her quickly. ‘You were amazing. No one else would have done what you did.’
‘Of course they would. Everyone loves puppies,’ said Fran. ‘I just wish I felt the same about cows. I mean I love them, I’d do anything to keep them from harm, but they’re awfully big and they scare me.’ She paused. ‘Don’t tell anyone. It’s ridiculous for a farmer to be frightened of cows. Not that I am a farmer, really.’
‘I think you are. You may not own the farm but you’ve been looking after it.’
‘I’m doing my best.’
