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Hope glanced past her mother’s shoulder to make sure the guests were still settled in their armchairs and enjoying their tea. ‘That was Rhys. The cows in the west pasture have got loose somehow and it’s causing chaos for people who are trying to leave.’
Stevie winced. ‘How on earth did that happen?’
Hope’s attention strayed once more to the dark haze on the horizon. ‘I don’t know, but I don’t like it.’ She turned back to Stevie. ‘Look, if you and Ro have everything under control here for now, do you mind if I nip over to the campsite and see how they are getting on? I might be able to get an update from the fire brigade while I’m there to see if, or when, our guests will be safe to go outside.’
‘That’s a good idea, darling.’ Stevie gave her a quick hug. ‘If it’s going to be later, then we’ll see about some complimentary spa passes or I’ll dig some games and puzzles out of the library cupboard for anyone who prefers to stay here in the conservatory.’
‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’
Her mother reached for her hand. ‘Have you heard from Cameron?’
Hope shook her head. She’d been trying not to think about him and keep her mind on the guests. He and the team were miles away from the fire, at least. ‘I’ll try and call him once I’ve been to the campsite.’
‘Go steady. Text or call me when you can with an update.’
When Hope arrived at the campsite car park, the first thing she spotted was the cluster of familiar cars, including Cam’s battered old hatchback. What was he doing here? Her heart began to pound but then she spotted Declan in a high-vis vest striding towards her and she began to calm again. ‘Everything okay?’ she asked as she climbed down from her Range Rover. ‘Rhys just called me and told me about the cows getting out.’
‘It’s under control here for now, but people are starting to get restless.’ He indicated a queue of cars being held at the exit by two other men wearing high-vis clothing. Declan rubbed a hand over his chin. ‘Cam and the others are helping people pack up where they can.’
‘They’re all safe?’ She hadn’t realised how worried she was until Declan nodded. ‘Everyone’s fine. Look, can I borrow your keys? The Range Rover is big enough to block the exit gate and should be enough to put off anyone with the bright idea of queue-jumping.’
‘Sure.’ Hope placed them in his palm. ‘Where’s Ziggy?’ As much as she wanted to find Cam and see for herself that everything was okay, she had to keep her focus on her job. The guests’ welfare was paramount.
‘Last I saw him, he was chatting with the scene commander from the fire brigade. Look for the chap in the white safety helmet.’
‘Thanks.’ Leaving Declan to move her car, she made her way along the queue of vehicles. Wherever she saw a window open, she paused and gave them a quick update.
‘How much longer are you going to keep us trapped here?’ An angry-looking man had climbed out of his car further up the queue and was marching towards her.
Here we go. Knowing that body language was key, Hope adopted an open, friendly stance with her feet set slightly apart and her hands down at her sides. ‘Hello! I was just making my way up the line to speak to you, but you’ve saved me a job. As you are probably aware, we’ve got an issue with some livestock getting loose on the estate and we need everyone to remain here where it’s safe until we can get them contained again. I’m sure it won’t be long.’
‘Bunch of bloody jokers,’ the man muttered. ‘What kind of a tinpot place are you running here? You can’t stop us from leaving’
Hope kept her smile relaxed while she silently called the man a few choice names. There was always someone who felt the need to throw their weight around, to make their presence felt the way dogs needed to pee on everything. At least this idiot was keeping his fly zipped, so that was something to be grateful for, she supposed. His antics had drawn a few other people from nearby cars and Hope knew this was the moment when she won or lost control of the situation. ‘How much do you weigh, sir?’ she asked, pitching her voice loudly enough for those around them to hear.
He blinked, frowned then shook his head. ‘What’s that got to do with anything?’
‘I don’t need an exact number.’ She studied him a moment and decided to err on the side of flattery. ‘About eleven stone?’
The man shrugged. ‘Something like that. What’s your point?’
She did a quick calculation in her head. ‘Eleven stone is 154 pounds. The average weight of a fully grown cow is 1,200 pounds. Add in the fact they are going to be in distress because there are already people shouting and sounding their horns, plus some in the herd are pregnant. You must see that is a recipe for disaster unless the situation is brought under control. We have trained staff from the farm on scene and they are doing everything they can to make things safe for everyone – including our animals. Do you really want to get caught up in all of that, rather than waiting here until we can get you a safe route out?’
‘Lady’s got a point,’ a man sitting in the car closest to them called out. ‘I don’t fancy my chances against a cow, don’t fancy one running into my car, neither.’
Hope shot the man a brief smile of thanks. ‘We really are doing everything we can to get you all out of here. Please just bear with me while I get the latest update and I’ll be straight back.’ She gestured with her hand for the irritated man to walk with her back towards his car.
‘My kids are upset,’ he grumbled to her.
And seeing him marching around and yelling was going to help that how? Hope merely gave his comment a sympathetic nod. ‘I’m sure they are. All that smoke everywhere must have been very frightening.’ She glanced towards the fire engine. ‘It looks like they’ve got things under control and at least the wind is keeping the smoke away now.’
‘I suppose so. What are you going to do about our ruined holiday, though?’
Hope tugged a business card from her pocket. ‘We’ll be in touch with everyone about their booking and refunds will be issued as soon as we can get them sorted out. Here’s all my details. Send me an email when you get home later, and we’ll take it from there.’
‘Get in the car, Mick,’ an exasperated female voice said through the open window. ‘The poor girl’s doing her best!’ She leaned further forward to address Hope. ‘Is everyone okay?’
Hope bent forward and returned her smile. ‘No one is hurt as far as I know, which is the main thing. We really will try and get you all on the road as soon as possible.’
