Summer with the Country Village Vet

Relief flooded through Lucy, who hadn’t realised quite how tense she’d been. It would mean she’d only been jobless for a half-term, and so far she’d been able to juggle her finances without eating too deeply into the redundancy money.

‘The first day of term sounds excellent, Monday is fine, and please do call me Lucy. I’ll have to find somewhere to stay though.’ She frowned, that bit did concern her. From what she’d seen it was a fairly small village and she hadn’t spotted a single ‘Room for Rent’ or even a ‘To Let’ sign. ‘I need to look for a small hotel,’ she cringed inwardly as she said the words, ‘or see if there are any rooms to let.’ She really did need somewhere impossibly cheap or she’d be struggling to pay her mortgage and buy food as well. Bye bye fruit smoothies and hello boil in the pot noodles.

‘Ahh yes, you live well out of our area don’t you? We’re honoured you chose our school Lucy, it’s not many teachers will uproot themselves, and don’t worry about finding a place to stay. I’m sure we can help, Jim?’

‘I know just the place.’

She looked at the governor in surprise. ‘You do?’

‘I do. Come on, you gather your stuff up love,’ relieved of his governor’s role Jim relaxed visibly and his careful diction was replaced with a gruff rumble, ‘and I’ll take you to meet my sister Annie.’

‘Oh,’ the head held his hand up, ‘do introduce Lucy to Charlie Davenport if you see him, her first challenge can be persuading that young man to come in and chat to the children. He’s been surprisingly adept at avoiding me,’ he winked at her, ‘you, my dear, can be our secret weapon.’

***

Annie was as round and cuddly as Jim was tall and stringy, had a mass of greying curls held back by two clips adorned with big red flowers, and was wearing a flowery t-shirt that seemed to be fighting a losing battle to keep her bosom under control. She was sitting behind the counter in the village post-office-cum-general-store, filling in a Sudoku puzzle which appeared to have more crossing-outs than numbers.

‘Well now isn’t this a nice surprise. I was just thinking there’d been a mass evacuation and nobody had told me.’ She gave Jim a hug and smiled at Lucy.

‘Annie, this is Miss Jacobs, Lucy. She’s filling in for little Becky and,’ Jim paused theatrically, ‘looking for somewhere to stay.’

‘Oh my goodness,’ Annie clapped her hands together and beamed as though she’d just found out she’d picked the winning numbers in the lottery, ‘now isn’t that a stroke of luck? Chocolate éclair or egg custard, love?’ She pointed at the display of cakes. ‘There’ll be a new lot in tomorrow so these need eating up. Sit down, sit down. I’ll make us a nice cup of tea and we can have a chat, been run off my feet I have.’

Jim rolled his eyes and gestured to Lucy to sit down on one of the stools behind the counter. ‘Annie is off to the Caribbean, not that I understand why.’

‘Well you wouldn’t, would you Jim? He’s a real home bird is my brother, about as adventurous as a goldfish in a bowl aren’t you love?’ She passed Lucy a mug of tea, and put her own on the counter so that she could concentrate on her cake which was oozing cream faster than she could scoop it up. ‘Well love,’ she patted Lucy’s knee with her free hand, ‘me and my husband have always wanted to go travelling, and we promised ourselves that once the kids finished university we’d be off. So we are.’ She smiled, a broad beam of a smile. ‘I’ve been looking for somebody to look after the house and not had any luck up until now, and all the tickets are booked and everything. It’s my last day behind this counter, then we’ve a few days of packing and Bob’s your uncle.’

At least, Lucy thought, as she tackled her egg custard, she wasn’t expected to speak.

‘We’re planning a year away, although it could be longer if I get my way, how long will you be here, duck?’

‘Oh I’m sorry. I’m only planning on the half term, it’s only a temporary position.’ Lucy tried not to spit out pastry crumbs. ‘In fact,’ she wasn’t quite sure what to say with Jim the governor listening in, ‘I do love my own home and I’m hoping a local job comes up soon.’

There was a bit of a splutter from Jim’s direction.

‘But Langtry Meadows is wonderful,’ she added hastily.

‘I reckon you won’t want to leave once you get to know the kids.’ Lucy watched transfixed as half the cake disappeared into Jim’s mouth, and was swallowed in an instant. ‘They’re a grand bunch, and the village isn’t bad either.’ He looked pointedly at his sister. ‘Even if some people do have some strange notions. So, that’s settled then, you’ll move into our Annie’s house and look after things?’

Things? That seemed a strange way of putting it.

‘Well if that’s okay, I mean I suppose you do really want somebody longer term? And er, how much is the rent, it’s just…’

‘Oh no that sounds splendid, we won’t be charging much rent love because it really is a big relief off our minds knowing everything will be looked after properly.’

Everything?

‘It was quite a worry at first, wondering how we’d manage because I’m not really into rehoming, and then Jim here came up with the idea of house-sitting. Not a total dollop are you love?’ she grinned affectionately at her brother, who looked quite pleased with himself. ‘And now you’ve come up trumps again, finding young Lucy for us. You stay as long as you want my dear, and don’t you worry about what you can afford, we’ll work something out.’

‘Sorry, rehoming? House-sitting? I thought you were renting out…’

‘Oh yes love, don’t you worry. The house is all yours. There’s a bit of a condition attached though, which is why we’re only asking for you to settle the bills and keep on top of the garden.’

She could do gardens, no problem at all.

‘We need you to look after the animals, but I can tell that won’t be a problem to somebody so organised, you look so efficient dear, and a school teacher is perfect. If you can cope with those kids, then my lot will be a walk in the park. More tea?’

Lucy put her hand over the top of the mug. ‘I’m sorry, you’ve lost me. I’ve no problem at all with a bit of gardening, I’m more than happy to do that and pay the bills, keep everywhere tidy, but animals?’ She’d never even had time to look after a hamster, let alone ‘animals’ whatever that meant.

‘Oh, didn’t our Jim explain?’ She tutted at her brother. ‘There’s the cat, Tigger, then we’ve got a few chucks, they’re no trouble at all, and Pork-Chop the pig of course.’

Of course. And what the hell were ‘chucks’?

‘He does like a bit of company and a walk round the green now and then but he’s no bother at all if he’s got his harness on, oh and little Mischief.’

‘Mischief?’

‘The pony, love, I mean once the kids outgrew him we couldn’t just sell him could we? Is that it Jim?’ She frowned, doing a mental check of her menagerie. ‘Oh and Gertie, silly goose me,’ she guffawed at her own joke, ‘how could I forget her? Right then, I’m so glad that’s settled, a weight off my mind.’ She licked cream off her finger. ‘I’d take you up there and show you round, but I can’t get away until 5pm. Jim can take you for a quick shifty, can’t you, dear?’

‘I certainly can, and our dear headmaster asked if I could introduce her to young Charlie, let her try out her skills of persuasion, so we can pop in there too.’

Annie chuckled, a rolling sound that seemed to come from the very centre of her. ‘He’s not daft our Timothy. Good luck with that then dear, I’m sure you stand more chance than all those other old codgers, though I think he even managed to duck out when they sent Jill. Always did have a stubborn streak in him, that one.’

‘I’m sorry, who is this Charlie, and why do I have to talk to him?’ Lucy looked from Annie to her brother Jim. It was all very well being labelled the headmaster’s ‘secret weapon’, but so far she hadn’t a clue who this man, that she was supposed to be persuading to come into school, was. Maybe he was a famous author, an artist, a great and shy inventor?

‘Charlie Davenport.’ Annie nodded as though that said it all.

‘The new veterinary surgeon.’ Jim chipped in.

‘Well you say new love, but he’s no stranger is he?’ She smiled at Lucy, ‘Charlie grew up here in Langtry Meadows, lovely little kid he was, bright as a button and cheeky with it. His dad used to be a partner in the practice, then he took early retirement and they moved away. Lovely to see young Charlie back again,’ she paused, ‘although he doesn’t seem that sure himself, if you know what I mean.’

Lucy wasn’t sure she did.

‘Old Eric has always come into school once a year without fail to give the kids a bit of a talk and they love it, but this fella’s been a bit elusive.’ Jim carried on as though he hadn’t been interrupted.

‘Eric?’

‘Aye, Eric. He’s the vet that runs the place but he had a bit of a mishap so Charlie’s helping out. He’s a nice enough chap, but tricky to pin down, so we’re relying on you and,’ he coughed, ‘your ahem feminine wiles if I’m allowed to say that in this day and age.’

Lucy stared, not quite sure what she should say, and Annie recognising the look of panic changed tack before her house-sitter had a chance to scarper. ‘Well now, look at us chattering away and not letting you get a word in. So, what’s a wonderful young lady like you doing looking for a new job? I’m surprised anybody would let you go.’

‘I’ve been made redundant actually.’ It was the first time she’d said the words out loud. She’d purposefully skated round the issue when talking to her mother, but now it didn’t seem quite such a terrible admission.

‘Oh the fools, I can tell just by looking that you’re a wonderful teacher. You’ve got a way with you, hasn’t she Jim?’

‘You aren’t wrong Annie. She has. Kids loved her, and even Liz Potts couldn’t find fault.’

‘Well if Liz can’t find anything to complain about then that says it all.’ Annie seemed to take that as conclusive proof, and it gave Lucy a desperately needed boost. Up until now she’d thought of herself as fairly self-confident, but the whole business at Starbaston School had knocked her more than she’d dare admit even to herself.