Chapter 14
‘I’m sure Tina would jump at the chance to earn a bit of money,’ Lettie assured Zac.
‘Great. Give me your phone and I’ll put Brodie’s number into your contacts so you can message him and pass on Tina’s details.’
She ignored her brother’s amused look and decided there was no harm in her having Brodie’s number; after all, she might need to speak to him urgently if there was an emergency with one of the animals after her parents were gone. Lettie handed her phone to Zac. ‘I’m sure they can work out her hourly rate and times so Tina will be able to work at the practice.’
Zac tapped in the number and saved it, but instead of passing it to her simply gave her a knowing smile.
‘I don’t know what you’re thinking but you can stop it right now.’ Lettie held out her hand. ‘Let me have my phone back now. I’ve promised Dad I’ll go and help him fix the dry-stone wall and he wants to talk to me about the alpacas in the top field before we have lunch,’ she said determined to distract her brother. She loved the alpacas and suspected that it had been her mother who had persuaded him to keep them so that they could sell the wool. ‘I have a feeling he and Mum have something they want to get off their chests for some reason.’
‘Do you?’ Zac frowned, her tactic clearly working. ‘What do you think they could have to tell us this time?’ He groaned. ‘I don’t think I want to hear any more unwelcome news from them.’
‘Me neither,’ Lettie agreed. ‘But I’d rather know than try to guess.’ She looked at the time on her phone. ‘Damn, I’m late. Dad will go mad.’
She ran off without waiting for her brother to reply. Thankfully she was already dressed in her oldest jeans and a T-shirt and only had to push her feet into her wellies when she reached the back door. Grabbing her sunglasses, Lettie ran out of the yard and up the first field, hating the incline as she ran out of steam. This farming business was either going to help her become very fit or kill her off entirely. She was certain she used to be much fitter, but those years standing around while models were fitted and taking notes, then sitting in restaurants and bars with friends had obviously taken their toll.
She saw her father standing next to the damaged dry-stone wall, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. He noticed her and tapped his wristwatch. ‘What time do you call this, young lady? You’ll have to up your game with your timekeeping if you’re going to do this work.’
‘Sorry, Dad. Zac was talking to me about something important.’
She reached her dad and bent over, resting her palms on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. ‘That’s some hill.’
‘It isn’t all that bad. I’m twice your age and it doesn’t bother me to walk up it.’
Lettie didn’t point out that she had run up the hill not walked it; there was little point in antagonising her father any more than she had already done.
She realised he was looking her up and down but couldn’t think why. ‘Is something the matter?’
‘Have you brought any gloves up with you?’
Bugger. ‘I forgot them,’ she admitted, irritated with herself for being unprepared. ‘Sorry.’
He tossed his old pair to her. ‘Take these.’ When she went to argue, he said, ‘My hands are toughened from years of this work. Yours—’ he peered at them before closing his eyes and shaking his head ‘—are not.’
She pulled on the gloves and they turned to study the wall. Her father kept his farm pristine, and this wall had only been damaged recently when she had accidentally reversed into it, knocking part of it down with the tow bar on the back of the tractor. She wasn’t sure what had upset her father more, the damage to his otherwise spotless wall, or the scratches on his immaculate tractor. She hadn’t liked to ask.
‘Right watch me and then try to do the same thing.’
After removing the loose stones, Lettie watched her father select a stone with a flat front and place it neatly on the top one, then moving it slightly until it sat flush at the front and neatly on the top. He then searched for another stone to fit the next place.
‘It’s rather like a jigsaw puzzle, isn’t it?’ she said, wondering when the last time might be that she had completed one of those.
‘Not quite,’ he said sounding weary. ‘Are you concentrating, Lettie? I won’t be here to help you soon and I don’t want you bothering your uncle too much while I’m away.’
He motioned for her to continue working. ‘Your mother and I were going to tell you and Zac over lunch.’
‘Tell us what?’ she asked nervously. ‘Nothing’s wrong is it?’ She thought of his previous heart attack. ‘You haven’t had another…’
‘No. Nothing like that.’ He picked up and put down several other stones.
‘Then what is it?’
He stopped what he was doing and frowned at her. ‘Will you keep working?’
‘Please tell me.’
‘For pity’s sake, Lettie. I need to go away for a few health checks, but what we’re wanting to tell you is that we’ve booked a cruise. Quite a long one, in fact. Now will you hurry up and get on please?’
‘Yes, sorry.’ Relieved, she did as he asked. So her parents had booked their trip now? They wouldn’t have done that if he was ill. She relaxed slightly.
‘I don’t think there’ll be many times in the next few months when you’ll need to do this, unless you drive other machinery into different areas. Although I’m hoping you don’t make a habit of doing that.’
‘I certainly don’t intend to.’
Why was everything so much harder than her father made it look? Lettie wondered after they had finished building the wall and she had watched her father redo most of her lousy effort. Years of practice, she supposed.
‘And I need you to make a note in that book of yours to contact the bloke who shears the alpacas. They’ll need to be done just before the summer. The beginning of June should be fine. I’ll give you his details before we leave, so don’t worry about that. He knows what he’s doing.’
‘Dad, I don’t think three months is nearly enough time for me to prove myself here,’ she said as they walked together back down the field on their way to the farmhouse.
‘It depends on how you look at it.’
What was that supposed to mean? ‘I don’t understand.’
Her father stopped and turned to her. ‘I don’t expect you to be proficient in anything here, but I want to give you the opportunity to see for yourself that this isn’t the life for you.’
So that was it. Hurt by his lack of support, she struggled to think of a reply. Her father seemed to assume she had not wanted to answer and carried on walking home.
Lettie hurried to catch up with him. ‘You don’t think I’ll stick it out, is that it?’
He shook his head. ‘Not at all. In fact, I know you’re determined and believe you’ll do as you’ve said and show us all that you’re far better at farming than any of us expect.’
‘If that’s the case then why don’t you think this is something I might wish to continue doing?’
He didn’t speak for a few steps then stopped again. Taking her by the elbows, he smiled. ‘Sweetheart, I believe you can do whatever you set your mind to. I just don’t want you to feel obliged to stick with it because you’ve taken on this challenge. I want you to have a go, see what you really think, and how much pressure it is to run a farm of this size, and I don’t just mean the day-to-day stuff but finding workers to help during the busier times and whatever admin is required too.’
A thought occurred to her. ‘Would you be having this same conversation if I was Zac?’
He seemed affronted by her question. ‘Do you mean because he’s a boy, or for some other reason?’
‘Because he’s male and I’m not.’
Her father surprised her by laughing. ‘Lettie, I’ve been married to your mother for twenty-six years and lived in the same house as you for most of your life and I know without doubt that both you women are more than capable of running this place as well as or even better than me. Therefore, in answer to your question, no, I’m not saying this because you’re a girl. I’m saying this because I want you to have the freedom to be exactly what you imagined yourself being. I want you to live a good life and not have to struggle daily and be at the mercy of the unreliable British weather.’ He smiled at her. ‘Look, if running this place is that life, then we’ll have to figure something out with Leonard I want you to see for yourself exactly what it entails. All the nitty-gritty, greasy, hot and sweaty bits of it. Then, if you still feel that you want this, we’ll extend your—’ he thought for a moment ‘—probationary period and take it from there.’
Feeling much better to hear her father’s assurances, Lettie hugged him. ‘Thanks, Dad. I’m going to prove to you and Uncle Leonard that I do have what it takes.’
‘That’s fine. Just remember, if you change your mind no one will think any the less of you. You need to be honest with yourself about all this, Lettie. Promise me you’ll do that.’
‘I promise.’
They arrived back at the house and after removing their boots and washing their hands and faces both were seated at the scrubbed pine kitchen table that held so many memories of countless meals, and evenings when she and Zac struggled to do homework. Lettie ran her finger over an indent in the wood in front of where she sat, recalling getting into trouble with her mother when she had been caught pressing the nib of her blue biro into the grain several times to make an L. Now it was a familiar reminder of her happy childhood growing up in this place.
Whatever promises she had made to her father, she wasn’t nearly ready to give up on this farm yet.
‘You’re going on a cruise?’ Zac asked, his fork halfway to his mouth. ‘Since when did you two like cruising?’
‘There’s always a first time for everything,’ their mother replied, ruffling his hair and annoying him. ‘Anyway, we don’t need any smart comments from you. What we do need is your reassurance that you’re not going to be away working on the mainland most of the time we’re away. We need to feel reassured that you’ll be around to help your sister if she needs you to.’ She looked at Lettie. ‘Although I’m fairly confident that she’ll manage perfectly well.’
‘I’ll do my best to, Mum,’ Lettie reassured her. ‘But thanks all the same.’ Wanting to take the attention off herself, Lettie asked, ‘Where have you booked to go?’
‘All over,’ their mother said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Their parents had taken short holidays each year, at least one, but had never gone on a cruise before. ‘We’re starting off in the Mediterranean, then instead of returning to Southampton we decided to change ships and go to Norway and up the fjords.’ She beamed at their father. ‘Your father and I have always wanted see that part of the world, haven’t we, Gareth?’
‘We have.’
He didn’t seem as certain as their mother, Lettie noticed. ‘They do look lovely,’ she said. ‘I was watching a documentary a few months ago on that area and it looked spectacular. I’m sure you’ll both love it.’
‘You see, Gareth,’ their mother said. ‘Even Lettie thinks it’s a perfect place to visit.’
Lettie ate a mouthful of her roast lunch. She wasn’t sure why her mother said ‘even Lettie’ or what that meant, but she let it go. Now wasn’t the time to cause any friction. Despite being anxious about them leaving her to run the farm alone, all she wanted was for her parents to be happy, go away and to enjoy themselves. It was the only way she would be able to prove to everyone that she could do it.
It occurred to her that they hadn’t mentioned a departure date. ‘When will you be going?’
‘When is it again, Lindy?’ her father asked.
Her mother gave him a meaningful glare. ‘Anyone would think you weren’t excited about going away with me on this trip,’ she said before eating a mouthful of food. ‘We’ve only got another week before we go away.’
How had the weeks flown by so quickly? Then again, she mused, one day seemed to merge into the next now she was completely shattered.
‘I know isn’t it exciting?’ her mother said, opening the fridge to take out the milk.
‘So that’s why you needed to go shopping for clothes for your trip?’
Her mother grinned and Lettie couldn’t miss the excitement on her face. ‘Did I tell you there are several gala evenings while we’re on board?’
Lettie was too busy panicking to answer for a moment. ‘But next week?’
Zac nudged Lettie. ‘Don’t worry, sis, I’ll be around to help you if you need me to.’
‘That’s kind of you, Zac,’ their mother said. ‘Now, let’s all calm down and eat our food.’
Lettie listened while her mother told them all about the different galas and how she needed a black dress for one. ‘It’s a black and white ball and I’m going to wear my mother’s pearls and a white chiffon shawl for the white bit. There’s also a masked ball but I’m told we can buy masks on board. It’s so exciting, don’t you think?’
Lettie smiled. ‘Yes, Mum, it sounds amazing.’
Her father looked at her and wiped his mouth on a piece of kitchen roll. ‘I’m aware you don’t feel quite ready to take everything on for herself just yet, Lettie.’
Not wishing to ruin their excitement, Lettie forced a smile. ‘I’ll be fine,’ she assured him. ‘And we all know Uncle Leonard will be at the end of the phone.’
‘He will be. He’s agreed to ensure you have enough farm workers to come and help with the harvesting and two of them will take the potatoes to the harbour each day, so you don’t need to concern yourself about that. I mostly need you to care for the animals, milk the goats and ensure that their milk is delivered to everyone we supply on time. Then I’ve written out a list of the vegetables needing to be planted and harvested in the polytunnels and when to do it all. Mostly you need to keep an eye on them and keep them watered.’ He picked up his cutlery again. ‘It’s all written down. Just pace yourself.’
It was easy for him to say that, she thought. Her father had done this job for decades and she’d only been working here a month, not even that. ‘I’ll do my best, Dad.’
‘I know you will, lovey.’
‘And,’ Zac said, ‘Brodie Murray has offered any help she needs.’ He grinned at Lettie. ‘Hasn’t he, Letts?’
‘He has?’ It was the first she had heard of it and she wasn’t sure how it made her feel.
Lettie ignored her mother’s obvious delight at the thought.
‘I said he was a lovely young man. Didn’t I say that to you only yesterday, Gareth?’
Their father glared at Zac. ‘Stop stirring.’ He looked at Lettie. ‘He is a good chap though and I’m glad he’s offered his help while we’re away.’
Lettie relaxed slightly. If she was completely honest with herself, she was also a little relieved to know she could call on him if necessary. She just hoped his help wasn’t needed but if it meant that her parents could go away and completely relax and enjoy their trip, then she wasn’t going to say anything that might worry them. ‘So you see, Dad, there’s no need for you to concern yourself with me or this place while you’re away. Zac and I want you to make the most of your dream holiday.’ She looked to her mother. ‘You both deserve this.’
‘Thanks, love,’ her mother said tilting her head to one side. ‘We’ve talked about this for such a long time that I was beginning to think it might never happen.’
‘And I’m only in town and can be here in fifteen minutes if there’s any emergency.’ Zac grinned. ‘You see? Everything will be fine.’
The three of them looked at Zac and Lettie couldn’t hide her amusement at her father’s confused expression.
‘I’m not sure how that will help her,’ he said shaking his head. ‘You’d probably be more of a hindrance than a help now I think of it.’
Lettie threw her head back and laughed. ‘You see, Zac, I’m not the only one who thinks that.’
Zac stuck his tongue out at her and turned his attention back to his meal. ‘Fine, then I won’t bother to rush over if I’m such a nuisance.’
Feeling bad for hurting his feelings, Lettie smiled at him. ‘Don’t be silly. You know I’m always happy to see you. Anyway, you’ve promised Mum you’ll be there for me, so you have to now.’
‘Yes, you do,’ their mother said. ‘Now, eat.’