Chapter 16 #2
It was hard for her to keep a handle on her emotions when she spoke about the dog that had been her biggest support over the last four years.
She’d first got Barney when Hannah was preparing to leave for university and Tess had not relished the idea of an empty nest. A cute little puppy had been the ideal distraction, and she and Barney had bonded immediately, even if the ensuing chaos and destruction were challenging to deal with at times.
He was a master thief and would pinch anything he could get his paws on: food from the table, the remote control, Charles’s new tennis racket, and most desirable of all to Barney, Charles dirty socks, which he delighted in stealing and burying in the flower beds in the garden.
Puppy training classes and agility sessions had gone some way to expending some of that irrepressible energy and had helped to develop a closer bond between Tess and Barney. He was definitely her dog, while Charles would often look on, muttering with disdain about Barney’s latest antics.
She wasn’t sure how she would have got through the last six months without Barney.
He had been there for her in the darkest moments; she’d cried into his fur on many occasions and he’d listened to her sorrowful outpourings as she railed against the unfairness of it all.
Now, the thought of losing him struck a chord of fear through her that she hadn’t even experienced when Charles had left.
Reaching the main high street, and having asked everyone that she came across if they’d seen Barney, and receiving the same disappointing answer every time, she stood with her back to the row of stone cottages, looking across to the other side of the river, trying to think where he might have gone.
In fairness, he knew his way around the local area, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t wander further afield given the opportunity.
Having asked in the shop and the little library attached to the village hall, where Tess helped out, she decided, on a last-minute whim, to knock on Michael’s door.
‘Hi, I’m so sorry to disturb you, but it’s Barney; he’s gone missing.’ She explained the whole story for the umpteenth time, reciting it off by heart now, the telling of it making her feel worse each time.
‘Well, listen, Monty and I were just about to head out for our walk so why don’t we come with you? You never know, Monty might be able to flush Barney out.’
Tess was hugely relieved and buoyed by Michael’s offer.
Most of all, she needed the moral support and walking through the woods and across the fields, they both took it in turns to call out Barney’s name, hoping that he might poke his little head out of a bush and all would be forgiven.
Poor Monty was confused by the calls, as he kept stopping to look at them both, his ears cocked, his expression earnest as though he was desperate to do what he could to please them, but not knowing what.
‘It’s no good; he’s not here, is he?’ Tess said after they’d walked for about an hour.
‘I think it’s probably best if I head home.
’ She’d already called Dilly to see if there was any news from her end, but she had nothing to report either.
‘I’ll call Hannah and see if we can get some posts up on social media. Someone I met recommended doing that.’
‘Good idea and I’ll walk down to the other end of the village and knock on a few doors.’
Back at the cottage, Dilly was waiting, pacing up and down outside, her expression falling when she spotted Tess.
‘No sign of him then?’
‘No, I went all through the village and then Michael came with me across to the woods; we thought Monty might be able to sniff him out but we had absolutely no joy. I’m going to put something up on social media, but I’m not sure what else I can do.
I’m so annoyed with myself that I even allowed it to happen in the first place.
’ She exhaled the biggest sigh, the pent-up emotion of the last couple of hours threatening to overwhelm her.
Dilly stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug.
‘Don’t beat yourself up. It wasn’t your fault. Come on, let me make you a cup of tea.’
Back in the kitchen at Hollyhocks, Tess stood at the front kitchen window, her gaze staring aimlessly outside, feeling a sense of helplessness. When it started to rain, Tess peered up at the ominous dark clouds overhead, a clap of thunder matching her own sense of inner impending doom.
The cottage felt noticeably forlorn now without Barney’s sunny presence about the place and Tess couldn’t even contemplate the idea that this might be a permanent change.
She’d heard of dogs going missing and never being seen again.
Maybe poor Barney was lying hurt in a secluded field somewhere or, worse still, perhaps he’d been stolen by someone passing through the village.
Dilly handed her a mug of tea and gestured for her to sit at the island where Tess dropped her head into her hands.
‘What on earth will I tell Hannah? I was going to call her, but I don’t want her getting upset and making her way home in a panic.
And Charles,’ she groaned. ‘This will add more fuel to his fire, something else he’ll be able to criticise me about.
Urgh. Oh Barney,’ she said, to a greater benevolent force, ‘will you please come home!’
‘Listen, Hannah will understand. We all know what Barney is like. Once he gets the scent of something, he’s single-minded in his pursuit.
I remember that time he slipped into my garden while we were chatting outside and he found the door open to the kitchen and pinched my ham sandwich off the worktop. ’
‘Oh God, I’d forgotten all about that. It was awful. I was so embarrassed, and he had absolutely no shame.’
‘Exactly! I thought it was funny, well after I got over the disappointment of losing my lunch. But that’s what he’ll be doing right now. Pinching someone’s sandwiches somewhere.’
‘I really hope you’re right,’ said Tess, grateful to Dilly for helping her to raise a smile remembering Barney’s antics.
‘Perhaps this is the universe’s way of telling me it’s a bad idea to rent out the annexe.
It’s not a great start to my new venture, is it?
And there was me thinking I had everything covered. ’
‘These things happen. And next time, you’ll have thought of a way to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.’
‘Honestly, Dilly, there won’t be another time if Barney doesn’t return home. How could I do that? It wouldn’t be right.’
Tess was about to disappear into another dark hole of terrible thoughts when they heard a car pull up outside in the lane and they both jumped up from their seats, their hope and expectation escaping as a collective breath in front of them.
‘I don’t recognise the car,’ said Dilly.
‘No, me neither. It has to be someone coming with news of Barney. Come on.’
Tess was far too impatient to wait for whoever it was to arrive at the front door so the pair of them rushed outside to greet the visitor, hoping they would bring news of Barney.
‘Oh, it’s Danny,’ said Tess, unable to hide her disappointment. ‘I wonder what he’s doing here.’