I felt an unexpected stab in my chest at the simple statement and quickly pushed it away, intent on listening to Maisie.
‘But I’d heard them when I was on the stairs. They were worried about money and I felt bad.’
‘That just shows you’re a very caring person. But you don’t have to worry about any of that any more, OK? Honey can stay here as long as you want.’ I was suddenly eager to make sure that Maisie never worried again about having to sell her beloved pony or felt guilty for the expense.
‘Thanks.’ There was a pause. ‘Dad said you were nice.’ She moved to the pony’s nose and as she did, something over my shoulder caught her eye. ‘Hi, Jesse! Hi, Ned!’ Maisie bent down as Ned hared over and began wiggling his bum in delight at the attention, both his reaction and Maisie’s giggles making me smile.
‘Hi, Maisie. Honey settling in?’ Jesse asked, giving the pony a quick pat.
‘Yeah. Fliss and I were just giving her a groom.’
‘So I see. Has Fliss mentioned anything about Honey’s new home?’
‘What?’ Maisie looked between us, her face suddenly creased with concern, and I could have kicked him.
‘No! It’s good news!’ I said, hurriedly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. ‘She’s still going to be here, just in a better stable.’
‘A better one?’ the little girl asked, still slightly wary.
‘Yes. Do you want to come and see?’
‘Oh… OK.’ She looked away for a moment and Jesse pulled a face and mouthed the word, ‘Sorry’.
‘Everything’s ready,’ Jesse said. ‘We could take Honey up there now if you like.’
A few minutes later, Maisie was leading her pony up the paddock towards the one nearer the house. We left the old field through a new gate Jesse had fitted to replace the old rusted one that I’d fallen arse over tit from and up into the top paddock where the mini Victorian stable block stood. The uneven flooring had been fixed and I’d given the place a good sweep out myself this morning, giving everything one last check over to make sure Honey would be as comfortable as possible.
Maisie looked from one of us to the other, her face serious. ‘Here?’
‘Is it all right?’ I asked, my stomach knotted with unexpected nerves.
‘Yeah. I mean, yes, it’s great.’ She peered inside and around, all the while keeping hold of Maisie’s reins. ‘It’s got running water and proper flooring and everything.’
I looked at Jesse, confused as to why she wasn’t as pleased as I’d hoped she’d be. I’d been excited getting things ready up here for Honey but I was now wondering what I’d missed. Jesse gave a shrug, clearly just as baffled.
‘Maisie?’ he asked.
‘How much is it?’ She turned to me.
‘Sorry? How much is what?’
‘To keep Honey up here instead of down there.’ She pointed to the field we’d just come from.
‘Umm, nothing. I mean…’ I looked at Jesse for help. Kids were apparently more confusing than I’d thought.
‘Fliss agreed with your dad that Honey can stay here free for the next six months.’
‘That was the other place.’
‘It’s the same deal, Maisie. I promise. I just thought…’ I cleared my throat. ‘I knew that Poppy would have preferred this shelter and thought Honey might too. It’ll be easier for you to wash her down when it’s muddy and stuff too.’ I indicated the tap.
‘The man that was here before you?—’
‘Fliss is nothing like him, Maisie,’ Jesse said, dropping down to his haunches to be on a better level with the petite little girl. ‘She’s a good person. You know, when I showed Fliss where Honey had been staying, she was having none of it! Said it wasn’t good enough for you or your pony. She wanted you to have a proper stable for Honey to make it better for both of you.’
I’d begun studying my wellies – now a bright pink pair in the correct size – feeling an unaccustomed swell of emotion at Jesse’s eagerness to put Maisie’s mind at rest as well as stand up for me. It felt like a long time since someone had done that. Not since Nanny…
I raised my head when he stopped talking. Maisie looked at me for a moment, shoved the reins into Jesse’s hand and ran over to me, her arms wrapping tightly around my waist.
