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Chapter 7
Holly headed across her land towards the old barn. She unbolted the heavy door and pulled it wide open to let the light in. It creaked in a lonely cry which echoed around the yard. No staff were around since Holly had put weekend working on hold. The barn was full of stock which Joe had salvaged from the fire but at the front were pots that Julie and Anne had filled with an array of colourful plants. Holly smiled, the splashes of blue, yellow and red lifted her mood. Picking out a blue fired pot filled with a multitude of coloured pansies she looked towards the farm.This one will be an ideal gift for Vanessa,she thought. Heaving the pot up, she set it down outside the barn and locked up.
Holly trudged towards the farm with the pot clutched in her arms, pausing as she reached the gap between the two properties where the gate had been removed. Stopping to catch her breath, she balanced the pot on the wall, wondering whether the gate would be replaced or left open as a sign that relations between the Booths and Lovelands had improved. Holly held the pot in her aching arms and carried on. However, when she saw movement, she stopped. About twenty metres in front of her was a woman facing away, hunched over something. Holly paused,maybe that’s Vanessa? Taking a deep breath she moved forward with what she felt was a breezy smile on her face. Now much closer, she could see the woman was bent over a wheelchair.
Holly whispered under her breath. ‘Oh no. Sidney.’ She was not prepared for any confrontation. They had not noticed her, therefore Holly decided to retreat and return later. But it was clear that the wheelchair was stuck in the ground.I can’t just leave them,she thought.If they were to mend the rift between their families, she should be reaching out to Sidney Booth.
Holly swallowed hard, took a deep breath, stood tall and walked towards the wheelchair with the pot in her arms and an even broader smile. As she approached the woman turned.
‘You must be Vanessa, I’m Holly.’
The young woman frowned. ‘Vanessa? No, I am Magda.’ She spoke in an accent which Holly placed as Eastern European. ‘Would you help me?’
‘Yes, of course.’ Holly placed the pot on the floor. ‘I was popping over to see Vanessa.’
Sidney spluttered from the chair. Holly bit her lip. She should have introduced herself. He may think she had ignored him because he was in a wheelchair.
‘She’s gone.’ Sidney's voice crackled as he spoke. He strained to turn his head.
Holly remained where she was, attempting to summon up the courage to face him.
‘What business have you here?’ he croaked.
Magda placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘This nice lady is helping me get the chair off the grass. I did say this was not a good idea. Mitchell said to me not to go off the paths. He will not be pleased if he comes home and finds us stuck in the ground.’
Although Sidney was clearly abrupt, Holly felt a measure of compassion, noticing how frail he was – even from behind. He had been such a broad man, a large character storming across the land in his long wax jackets. But the man before her was not much more than skin and bone.
Holly pulled at the chair with Magda easing it free. ‘Mr Booth, I was just bringing a pot for Vanessa. But as you say she’s away with Mitch. I’ll help Magda get you on the move and then I’ll be gone.’
‘Not away, girl,’ he said with a cough. ‘Passed. Gone. Dead.’
Holly opened her eyes wide. ‘Dead?’
‘Terrible accident. Crushed by a tractor. Ages ago. Coming up to two years.’ Sidney spluttered.
Magda walked around to face him. Taking a tissue from her pocket she cleaned his mouth. Holly remembered how Mitch had reacted when she mentioned his wife. But why didn’t he say?she asked herself.
Sidney stopped choking after taking water from a bottle held by Magda. ‘Come here and let me see you. Who are you anyway?’
Holly inched around until she was in Sidney’s line of vision.
Peering up at her his pale eyes stared and his pupils widened. He grabbed the arm of the chair. ‘Ivy.’ His voice a mere whisper. He lowered his head and his chest rose, then fell.
‘It’s Holly. Ivy was my …’
‘Don’t patronise me, girl. I know who she was. You Lovelands are thieves and liars. Take, take, take.’
Holly took a deep breath. ‘Mr Booth, I was hoping that maybe we could get to know one another.’ Holly did not know why she said that but she could not think of anything else on the spot and wanted to remain positive. Her palms began to sweat.
‘Get off my land,’ he said as he coughed uncontrollably.
Magda put a hand on Sidney’s shoulder. ‘Stay calm. We need to get back to the house.’ Magda’s face flushed red.
Holly looked to Magda. ‘I’ll help you to the path.’ She observed dark clouds approaching.‘I know you had a falling out with my family, Mr Booth, but there’s just me now – they’re all gone.’
‘You’re all the same.’
‘Please let me help Magda get you inside, before the heavens open.’
