Chapter 4
The White Hart Inn was packed to the rafters with Tuppenny Bridge residents keen to pay their respects to Joseph. Sally and Rafferty Kingston, who owned the pub, had laid on a tasty buffet free of charge. Since Summer was Sally’s daughter they felt it was the least they could do for a man who’d been so kind to Summer, and who she’d thought the world of.
As everyone mingled over sausage rolls and sandwiches, nursing glasses of alcohol and wondering aloud what would happen to Whispering Willows now, Clive took the opportunity to slip out of the pub and leave them all to it.
He didn’t feel guilty about walking away from Joseph’s wake. He knew his old friend would understand all too well. Besides, he needed to check on Chester, the latest arrival at Whispering Willows. Really, he should have said no when Mrs Evans begged him to take the horse, but how could he? Besides, Summer would never have forgiven him.
He could almost hear Joseph’s laughter at that.
Got you wrapped round her little finger already, hasn’t she? Told you she would.
He had indeed told him. Summer was desperate to save every horse, pony, and donkey no matter what the cost or the circumstances. Clive had been warned by Joseph that it was up to him to be the head of the operation, while Summer would always be its heart.
‘You’ll need to toughen up with her,’ he’d said, and Clive had assured him that was no problem. He was, after all, a vet, and used to making difficult decisions.
Well, that had lasted a long time, hadn’t it? Joseph hadn’t even passed away when Chester arrived at the sanctuary, and somehow Summer had persuaded him to take the poor old horse in. He hadn’t mentioned it to Joseph.
Driving along Market Street he forced himself not to turn his head towards the churchyard. It had hurt him to leave his friend there, but it was what Joseph had wanted. Insisted upon, in fact.
Turning left onto Lavender Lane, he drove a short distance before indicating right and driving through the open gates of Whispering Willows.
This was the moment he’d been dreading. Since Joseph’s passing he’d kept himself busy, dealing with official paperwork and organising the funeral, as well as overseeing the work at the sanctuary and continuing part time in his own job at Stepping Stones.
Now, though, it was time for real life to encroach. A new normality. He needed to pack up his belongings and take them back to his own flat above the veterinary surgery. He couldn’t honestly say he’d be sorry to leave this old wreck of a house behind and return to his comfortable, immaculate flat, but it would be a wrench to say goodbye to Joseph yet again. He was everywhere in Whispering Willows.
At least the rain was easing off, which was something, although the wind was still gusting. So much for April showers. More like April monsoons.
His heart thudded as he noticed a bright blue hatchback parked up in the stableyard. There was no sign of its driver, and he glanced around, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the top half of Chester’s loosebox door was wide open.
Hurrying over he unlocked the bottom door and went inside, checking Chester was dry and comfortable and had enough to eat and drink. Carefully he closed both halves of the door behind him and bolted them shut, then strode to the house, his eyes darting left and right for any sign of someone loitering nearby.
If there was no one in the stableyard and no one in the paddocks and fields nearby, that meant only one thing. Whoever had visited had keys to the house. And the only other person who would have keys to the house was Bethany Marshall.
Clive’s mouth tightened in anger. So she could come to the house but hadn’t even bothered to attend her own brother’s funeral? Well, he had a few words to say to Ms Marshall.
The door was unlocked, and he pushed it open, his pulse racing as he checked the kitchen and living room for signs of life. Where the hell was she?
‘Can I help you?’
He spun round, instantly deflating as he saw a puzzled looking woman with a tousled honey blonde bob standing in the kitchen doorway, Viva in her arms. Evidently she must have been in Joseph’s office.
She was, he knew, a couple of years younger than him, making her about fifty-four. She was wearing dark trousers and a thick, cream jumper, looking smart but casual. He was surprised by how short she was. She couldn’t have been more than five foot two if that. Not really what he’d expected at all, and hard to stay angry at someone who looked so tiny and—yes, he had to admit it—vulnerable.
‘Bethany?’
She nodded and put Viva on the floor. ‘That’s right. I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. Who are you?’
He stepped forward, almost reluctantly, and held out a hand to shake. She grasped it with surprising firmness and shook it.
‘Clive,’ he said. ‘Clive Browning. I’m—I was—Joseph’s friend.’
‘Oh, I see.’ She sounded weary. ‘I suppose those are your wellies and coat in the hall then? I knew they were far too big to have been Joseph’s. Have you been living here long?’
She didn’t wait for a reply and pushed past him, heading into the living room. ‘Perhaps you could tell me why this house has been allowed to get into such a state. And when did my brother start his horse sanctuary? Assuming it was his. It’s not your sanctuary, is it?’
‘Mine?’ Clive’s eyes widened in astonishment. ‘Of course not. And the house is in something of a state,’ he added indignantly, ‘because all Joseph’s money went on the horses. Which reminds me, was it you who opened that loosebox door and fastened it to the wall?’
She shrugged. ‘Yes. In my opinion it’s cruel to keep a horse locked indoors like that. I don’t see why it’s not outside anyway. A bit of rain never hurt any horse.’
‘You’re an expert, are you?’ he asked, struggling to keep his tone civil.
‘I rode a lot when I was younger,’ she said. ‘We had horses here. My father…’ Her voice trailed off and she scooped up Viva and sat in an armchair, hugging the little dog to her as if afraid Clive was going to take her away. ‘Well anyway, I just thought it would be better for the horse to get some fresh air.’
‘Chester is an old horse,’ Clive explained. ‘He was brought here after his owner died. She’d treated him like a pet, keeping him inside whenever she thought he might get a bit cold. He’s used to being stabled and gets anxious if he’s outdoors in bad weather.’
‘Well, that may be the case,’ she said uncertainly, ‘but there was no need to shut the top door on him was there? That seems unnecessarily cruel.’
‘It would have been crueller if some of the roof slates had fallen on his head while he was looking outside,’ Clive responded. ‘It’s been blowing a gale out there and if some of them came loose and slipped… I decided it was safer to keep the door shut for the time being. He wouldn’t mind that.’
‘Oh, wouldn’t he? And you’re an expert, are you?’
‘I’m a vet,’ he said. ‘Joseph left the place in my care until you arrived. I was just doing my job, as I promised him.’
‘Well,’ she said, clearly a little uncomfortable, ‘I’m here now. I can take it from here.’
He shook his head, hardly able to believe she could be so stubborn.
‘You know nothing about the sanctuary or its residents,’ he pointed out. ‘You’re going to need some help whether you like it or not.’
‘Are you telling me there’s more than one horse here?’ she asked, clearly dismayed.
‘There are thirteen residents altogether.’ Realising she wasn’t about to ask him to take a seat, he sat anyway, taking care to avoid the middle bit of the sofa. ‘Three horses, four donkeys, and six ponies. And you’ve met Viva, of course,’ he added, nodding at the bichon frise who was lying comfortably on her lap, and thinking what a traitor she’d turned out to be.
‘So Viva was Joseph’s dog, not yours?’
‘I don’t have a dog,’ he told her. ‘Although, if you don’t want her I’d be happy to take her off your hands.’
The last thing he wanted was to dump poor Viva on someone who clearly didn’t care much for animals, although he had to admit Bethany seemed quite taken with the bichon frise, and Viva seemed equally smitten with her. Dogs were supposed to be a good judge of character, weren’t they? Well, he wasn’t sure about Viva’s judgement in this case.
Bethany hesitated. ‘I—I’m not sure yet. I’ll have to think about it.’
‘Really? Well, let me know when you’ve made up your mind,’ he said, unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice.
‘You sound as if you’re judging me, but I didn’t know about any of this,’ she reminded him. ‘The message you left for me about Joseph’s death didn’t mention it. How was I supposed to know that my family home had become a horse sanctuary, or that I’d be expected to find homes for thirteen equines and a dog? How do you expect me to react?’
‘Find homes for them?’ Clive’s heart sank. ‘So, you’re not planning on keeping the sanctuary going?’
She gave him an incredulous look. ‘Are you joking? Why would I do that?’
‘Because it mattered to Joseph!’ he burst out. ‘It was his life’s work. Surely you must realise that? All right, he didn’t make a will, which was foolish of him, but he would have known you’d inherit everything by default. He must have trusted you, believed you’d take over from him.’
‘I highly doubt that,’ she said. ‘Why would he? He didn’t even know me.’
‘He was your brother!’
‘A brother I haven’t seen or spoken to in over thirty years,’ she pointed out. ‘He couldn’t possibly have assumed I’d want to take on all this responsibility, and if he did—well, that was his error, not mine.’
‘Wow!’ Clive shook his head, unable to think of any other response.
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Well, I guessed you’d be a pretty heartless sort of person, but this…’
‘You think I’m heartless?’ She shook her head. ‘I can see you’ve made assumptions about me.’
‘It’s hard not to,’ he said coldly, ‘given that you couldn’t even be bothered to turn up for your own brother’s funeral, despite me giving you plenty of notice.’
‘Who says I didn’t turn up for it?’ she said, her chin tilting in defiance. ‘For your information I was by the church, watching.’
‘You were there, and you didn’t say anything?’
She shifted uncomfortably. ‘I didn’t feel right there. I hate funerals. And anyway, I’m sure Joseph wouldn’t have wanted me there.’
Clive hardly knew what to say. His mouth dropped open and he stared at her in amazement. ‘How can you say that? Why do you think I was so desperate to find you? He wanted to see you!’
‘Did Joseph tell you that?’
‘He didn’t need to! I knew him, and I knew how much he missed you.’
‘Perhaps,’ she said carefully, ‘you didn’t know Joseph as well as you think you did. And you certainly don’t know me, so maybe you ought to refrain from making snap judgements about me, and putting words into Joseph’s mouth that I’m certain he would never have uttered.’
Clive steadied himself, determined not to have a full-blown argument with this woman. Not today, of all days. But she had a bloody cheek, telling him he didn’t know Joseph when she hadn’t so much as picked up a phone to call him in over thirty years.
‘How long do you intend to stay?’ he enquired at last.
She gave him a faint smile. ‘Can’t wait to see the back of me? Will my presence here cramp your style?’
‘As a matter of fact,’ Clive said, thanking his lucky stars that he wasn’t a permanent resident, ‘I’ll be going home today. I just came back to pack my things actually.’
He realised he’d caught her off guard with that response. Her eyes widened and she tilted her head slightly, watching him.
‘So you don’t live here?’
‘I was just staying here while Joseph was too ill to be left alone. Someone had to take care of him.’
Her head lowered and she focused on Viva as she gently stroked the dog’s ears.
‘Was it—I mean, did he suffer?’
Clive was tempted to yell the truth at her. What did she think? Of course Joseph had suffered! If she’d bothered to turn up she’d have seen that for herself, and just maybe she could have alleviated some of her brother’s pain by being there for him.
‘It wasn’t pleasant,’ he said at last. ‘He spent the last few days in a hospice, and they made him as comfortable as they could. He wasn’t really aware of anything in the end.’
His voice caught and he blinked away tears.
She said gently, ‘I’m sorry for your loss.’
‘He was your brother,’ he replied. ‘It was your loss too.’
‘I lost Joseph a long, long time ago.’ She gave him a brittle smile and, just for a moment, he thought he saw a gleam of tears in her own dark blue eyes. ‘Anyway, before you go upstairs and pack, perhaps you could fill me in on this place. When did it become a sanctuary? And who’s in charge of all these animals now? Someone must have been caring for them since Joseph got ill. You say you’re a vet, so I presume you were too busy to work here full time.’
Clive leaned back in the sofa and nodded. ‘Joseph employed a young woman called Summer Fletcher. She’s been an absolute godsend, because even though Joseph couldn’t afford to pay her much she worked hours every week for nothing. Then, when Joseph got really ill, we managed to get an army of volunteers in to help, although they could only do bits and bobs, fitting it around school and?—’
‘School?’ she asked, clearly surprised. ‘You’re telling me this place was run by schoolchildren?’
‘No. I told you; Summer runs the place. The two schoolkids help out at weekends, and they were here every day during the Easter holidays. And Summer’s stepsister came up from Norfolk to help out, too, as well as Jamie and Eloise. Jamie’s the younger brother of my colleague, Ben, and Eloise is his girlfriend.’
‘And these are all teenagers?’
‘They are, but they’re hardworking and reliable.’ He shifted a little. ‘However, I’ve extended my leave from the practice to help here for a few more weeks, because Summer’s going away in a few days. To Australia.’
‘Going away?’ Bethany gasped. ‘Really? Couldn’t she have picked a better time to jet off to the other side of the world?’
Clive’s irritation grew as he thought about all the unpaid hours Summer had put in at Whispering Willows ever since she’d arrived in Tuppenny Bridge.
‘That’s not fair! Her dad’s taking her to visit her sister who lives there, and it’s been arranged for months. Summer nearly cancelled it, but we all talked her out of it. She needs a break. She’s been working herself into the ground, and besides, she’s grieving for Joseph. A few weeks away from this place will do her the world of good, and we weren’t about to let her make yet another sacrifice.’
‘Well…’ Bethany sighed. ‘Okay, I get that. It’s just, she’ll know all about the residents’ needs and I know nothing.’
‘You don’t have to know anything. Like I said, I’ve taken leave, so I’ll be here to do the work,’ he said reluctantly. ‘Maya and Lennox will be here during the weekends and before and after school. They know a lot, and Summer will leave a detailed set of instructions no doubt.’
‘I suppose it’s only temporary. Maybe by the time Summer gets back the problem will be resolved.’
He eyed her with suspicion. ‘Meaning what?’
‘Well, maybe by then we’ll have found homes for the animals,’ she said hopefully.
‘So soon? Surely there’s no rush? You could take your time, think about it. You might change your mind when you get to know them all.’
‘That won’t happen I’m afraid,’ she said. ‘I can’t sell this place with a load of old horses, ponies, and donkeys as part of the deal.’
‘Sell? You’re planning to sell Whispering Willows?’ Clive could almost hear the groan of despair from Joseph.
‘Well, yes. You can’t really have expected anything else?’
Had he? He supposed, when he thought about it, it was obvious that she’d want rid of a place she clearly had no love for, or why else would she have stayed away for so long? But a part of him had hoped that Joseph had known what he was doing, seeing no need to make a will ensuring his sister didn’t get her hands on Whispering Willows. Had he really believed she would take over running the sanctuary from him? Clearly, Bethany was right. Joseph hadn’t known her at all.
‘I’ll go and pack my things,’ he said, getting to his feet with some difficulty, given the terrible condition of the sofa.
‘Okay. Er, I don’t suppose you’d be able to take Viva home with you tonight, would you?’ As he gave her a puzzled look she added, ‘I’ve booked a room at The Lady Dorothy and pets aren’t allowed.’
‘You’re not staying here?’
She pulled a face and cast a despairing glance around the room. ‘Not for a million pounds.’
‘I’ll take Viva,’ Clive agreed briefly, before heading upstairs to collect his belongings.
He couldn’t believe this woman. She had no heart whatsoever. She couldn’t even bring herself to stay in this house for a night, let alone move in here. And all she wanted was to sell the place, which meant the end of the horse sanctuary.
Summer would be devastated. And where were they going to find suitable homes for all these animals? Did Bethany even care about them? Did she care about anything?
What on earth had Joseph been thinking?