Dinner was enjoyable. Grace sat at the table in her parents’ cosy kitchen and she couldn’t stop smiling. Her parents were wonderful hosts, attentive to their guests and making a fuss of the children. Tom chattered away to her father about his love of drawing and riding his scooter, and Amy tucked into her food with gusto, leaving the roast potatoes until last so she could enjoy them all in one go.
When Grace had helped to clear the plates away, her father went to the fridge and brought out the honeyed peach and pistachio pavlova he’d made once their dinner invitation had been accepted. The children gasped as he set it on the table and Grace knew why, because the meringues were like shiny white icebergs on top of which sat a thick layer of whipped cream imbued with peach syrup. This was finished off with honeyed peaches that her father had preserved in the summer and kept for occasions such as this. Chopped green pistachios were scattered over the top, creating a tempting combination.
‘That looks incredible,’ Oli said. ‘We really are being spoilt.’
‘And so you should be,’ Louise said. ‘Grace, do you want to serve?’
As Grace started cutting into the pavlova, the knife cracked through the crisp meringues scattering tiny white pieces onto the table and made her think of snow. A buzzing came from beneath the table. Oli pushed back his chair and pulled his mobile from his pocket.
‘Sorry, I’d better take this.’ He swiped the screen then left the kitchen and went out into the garden.
‘Don’t worry, Grace, Daddy sometimes has calls like this,’ Amy said. ‘And then he has to go to work.’
‘Do you think it’s work then?’
‘Probably.’ Amy nodded.
‘Most likely,’ Tom added.
‘I hope it’s not bad news about the cat and the kittens.’ Amy blanched.
‘What do you mean?’ Grace asked.
‘Oh… I… Daddy has a mother cat and her three kittens at the surgery. They’re going to need homes. He said Edward and Mary are thinking about homing one of them, but I don’t think it’s the mummy cat they want.’
‘Is that right?’ Grace caught her father winking at her mother. ‘Kittens needing homes, eh, Louise.’
‘I’ll think about it.’
‘Thank you.’
Louise sighed and shook her head. ‘If Oli needs to find them homes, then we’ll happily take one.’
‘One?’ Simon raised his eyebrows.
‘Oh, okay, then two. But only if they still need homes.’
‘And that’s why I love you, Louise,’ Simon smiled at his wife.
Grace turned to Amy, but the little girl was chewing her bottom lip. Perhaps she’d hoped to home all the kittens herself, and didn’t want other people offering to take them. Grace would speak to Oli about it later, just to ensure that her parents weren’t jumping in too quickly here.
‘Serve the children’s dessert, Grace. We can wait until Oli’s done.’
Oli returned to the kitchen within two minutes. His face was white, and the relaxed expression he’d had just moments ago had been replaced with tension that was evident in the stiff way he held his jaw.
‘I am so sorry, but I have to go up to the farm.’
‘Why, what’s wrong?’ Grace got up.
‘There’s um…’ He looked at his children. ‘It’s complicated.’
‘Let’s go and check that the shed is locked, shall we? I have an awful feeling I didn’t shut it properly,’ Grace said. ‘And I don’t want a fox wandering in there and getting stuck.’
‘Yes, that’s a good idea.’
‘Daddy I’m not a baby, you know.’ Amy shook her head. ‘It’s one of the dogs isn’t it?’
‘Yes… one of the greyhounds isn’t very well. A new girl who recently arrived. I have to go to check on her.’
‘She doesn’t have puppies does she?’
‘No, Amy. Try not to worry now.’
‘I’ll come with you.’
‘What?’ Oli met Grace’s eyes.
‘I mean… only if you want me to.’
‘Amy and Tom can stay with us,’ Louise said. ‘I have some cards here that I’ve been hoping to use for a while, so we can play some games.’
‘Cards?’ Amy asked.
‘Yes, Amy, do you know any card games?’
The girl shook her head.
‘Then Simon and I will teach you.’
‘Okay!’ Amy beamed.
‘Are you sure that’s okay, Louise? I can always drop them at my father’s.’
‘It’s fine, Oli. Simon and I will enjoy having some company. And they haven’t even finished dessert yet.’
‘Thank you. That’s very kind. I’ll come straight back afterwards to collect them.’
Louise waved a hand. ‘No rush.’
‘Grace, you can come if you’re sure you want to,’ Oli said quietly. ‘According to Neil Burton, the owner of the farm and sanctuary, it’s not looking good for the poor greyhound though.’
‘I want to.’ Grace felt certain that she did. If Oli had to rush up there half way through his Sunday lunch then she wanted to accompany him. She wanted to be there for him, to support him with whatever the afternoon would bring.
‘Right grab a warm coat, and whatever else you need, and we’d better go. Kids, be on your best behaviour and I’ll see you soon.’
Grace collected her coat, gloves and hat then they left the cottage and marched back to Oli’s cottage to pick up his bag and his Land Rover. Once inside, he drove them up through the lanes to Foxglove Farm.
‘So what’s wrong with this dog then?’
‘He didn’t give me much information, just said someone had brought her in and she’s in a bad way. Probably suffering from exposure, as she was freezing when she was found, and she’s got some nasty looking wounds. Possibly from a fox or badger.’
‘Poor thing.’
He nodded. ‘Some greyhounds and lurchers are used for poaching and baiting.’
‘I’ve read about that.’
‘It’s awful for the dogs and for the wild animals. Some people are just…’
Grace noticed that a muscle in his jaw was twitching and his knuckles were white where he gripped the steering wheel.
‘Are you all right, Oli?’
He glanced at her. ‘I just get so mad.’
Grace gently touched his arm. She wanted to say something to offer him comfort, but what words were adequate in this situation? People did terrible things to animals and Oli saw this on an almost daily basis. He dealt with the consequences of other people’s actions and that had to be tough, especially when he had to try to treat the animals afterwards, to heal them physically and mentally. But Grace knew that even if physical scars healed, emotional ones took a lot longer, and sometimes they never faded completely.
Oli parked the vehicle and they got out. A man with a big grey beard, wearing a flat cap, scruffy trousers, wellies and a baggy jumper – that strained over his belly and appeared to be unravelling at the hem – met them outside a long outbuilding. Dogs were barking nearby and Grace realized they must be the ones in the sanctuary.
‘Oli, thanks for coming so quickly.’
‘Of course. This is Grace Phillips. Her parents just bought Rosehip Cottage. Grace this is Neil.’
‘Pleased to meet you.’ Grace removed her glove and Neil shook her hand firmly. His palm was calloused and his nails broken and stained from years of manual labour.
‘Likewise. Hope you’ll be very happy here in Conwenna.’
‘Oh… I’m not staying here. At least I don’t think so. It’s my parents who’ve bought the cottage.’
Neil assessed her quietly. ‘See how it goes. You might decide to stay. Worse places to be that’s for sure.’ He turned to Oli. ‘I’ve put the greyhound in the assessment room because, to be honest, I didn’t want to put her in one of the kennels. She’s in a bad way.’
‘Well, let’s take a look then.’
Grace hurried along to keep up with Oli’s determined strides as they went around the back of the stables, then towards a door at the end. Her stomach was knotted with tension at the thought of what she was going to see.
Neil opened the door and ushered Grace and Oli in first. The room was like a lounge with two sofas covered in colourful patchworks, a coffee table and an old portable TV. A small window overlooked the yard. There was another window in the back wall, and Grace supposed it led to some sort of office or kitchen area.
And on the floor, was a woman kneeling next to a dog that was covered with a blanket. Grace could only see its head. As they approached, the dog lifted her head and whined softly.
‘Elena, how’s she doing?’ Neil asked.
‘She’s exhausted.’ The older woman met their eyes in turn. Her face was weathered and kind and she smiled at Grace but her eyes were sad.
‘This is Grace,’ Oli said. ‘Grace, meet Elena, Neil’s wife.’
‘Hello.’ They both nodded, understanding that Elena couldn’t shake hands right now, as she was gently stroking the dog’s head.
Oli shrugged out of his coat and laid it on one of the sofas. He knelt next to the dog then gently removed the blanket, revealing her beautiful brindle coat. The dog blinked but didn’t move as Oli spoke to her, telling her what he was going to do before he even touched her. Grace stood back, not wanting to get in the way, but her heart was in her mouth as he conducted a full examination.
When he’d finished, he sat back on his heels.
‘She has signs of hypothermia… slow pulse, shallow breathing… but you’ve done the right thing getting her warmed up. I think she has frost bite on her ears, so that may require further attention. The wounds are consistent with bites from another animal, most likely a badger.’ Neil and Elena nodded as he ran through his findings. ‘There is a risk of infection, in fact, this one here on her leg is already looking quite nasty, so we need to get her on a course of antibiotics. She’s malnourished and skinny, even for a greyhound, and I’d hazard a guess that she’s had puppies within the last twelve months.’
‘Oh, love her.’ Grace bit her lip as anger burned in her gut.
‘I’m going to need to take her into the surgery and monitor her there. She’ll need blood and urine tests. I’ll give her an injection now because as her ears thaw, it’s going to be very painful, so I can ease that a bit for her.’
‘Will she be okay?’ Grace asked.
Oli sighed. ‘If we get her treated quickly, she might be. There are no guarantees because until I have the bloods back, I don’t know what’s going on inside her. She’s clearly been outdoors for a while and the shock of what she’s been through could be enough to…’ he stopped talking and looked at Grace.
‘Enough to what?’
‘She might not make it,’ Elena said as she stood up. ‘That’s what Oli meant. It’s so hard to accept that a lovely greyhound like this one might die because of appalling treatment by human beings, but when a dog has been through what this girl has, it’s sometimes kinder to let them go.’
A flash of fury pierced Grace’s chest. This beautiful greyhound might die? Because she’d been mistreated by people. How could someone be so callous as to hurt an innocent animal?
‘Neil, I’ll reverse the Land Rover up and we’ll need to get her in the back.’
‘I’ll sit with her.’
‘Thanks, Grace. We’ll take it slowly down to the surgery then get her inside. I’ll just give Maxine a call and ask her to meet us there.’
Ten minutes later, Grace was sat in the back of Oli’s Land Rover as he drove them down to the surgery. She spoke constantly, words of reassurance that she hoped would help keep the greyhound calm. To know that a dog had been through so much made her heart ache and she wished she could take it all away. She meant every word when she told her that she’d never let any harm come to her again. The greyhound gazed up at her, with big amber eyes full of knowledge and pain, blinking slowly, seemingly aware that her fate was in their hands.
‘I think we should give you a name,’ Grace whispered. ‘Don’t give up, sweetheart. I know you’ve been through an awful time. Things will get better for you, I promise. Don’t give up hope.’
‘What’s that?’ Oli asked as he pulled into the surgery car park.
‘I told her not to give up hope. In fact, as we don’t know her name, I think we should call her, Hope.’
Oli got out then came around and opened the boot. He paused and rubbed his hand over his hair. ‘Look, Grace, naming her is… it will bond you to her. You know that don’t you? It will be harder for you then if she…’
‘I know. But she has to have a name, Oli. The poor girl deserves a name and anyway, she won’t give up. We’ve had words and she knows that her life is about to change. We are her last hope and we won’t let her down.’
‘She certainly won’t suffer like that again,’ Oli said. ‘But her experiences might mean that she’s not suitable to live in a normal home. She might not—’
‘Oli… she’ll be fine. She’s going to recover. I know it.’
He gave her a brief smile, but his eyes were dark with sadness.
‘Well, we’ll do our best. Come on then, Hope. Let’s get you inside.’
Maxine met them at the door and helped Oli to get Hope onto the examination table.
Grace watched as they ran through some tests and a more detailed examination. Hope lifted her head a few times, but Oli and Maxine were so kind and calm that the dog let them do what they needed to. Soon, she was taken into another room and settled in a crate, covered in a warm blanket.
‘She’ll sleep now. It’s what she needs more than anything and when she wakes I’ll try her with some food.’ Maxine wrote something on a clipboard, then hooked it over the edge of the crate.
‘Will you stay with her?’
‘Yes. She’ll need to be observed overnight.’
‘You’ll stay here?’
‘It’s not far from home for me and Oli’s just next door. He’ll take over at some point. Sometimes, Pamela comes in too if we have a lot of animals in.’
Grace scanned the other crates and could make out the dark shape of a cat in one of the higher ones, and three smaller shapes that she assumed were the kittens. She’d have liked a closer look, but didn’t think it was the right time.
‘Grace?’ Oli had gone to call Neil to give him an update on Hope but had now returned. ‘I’ll get you home, collect the children then drop them at my father’s.’
‘There’s no need for that. If you’re going to be back and forth tonight, I could watch them.’
‘I couldn’t ask you to do that.’ He buried his hands in his pockets. ‘You have things to do.’
‘Remember that I work from home, cafés, pubs… wherever I want. Of course I can come and babysit. Besides, it’s not like you’re a million miles away. You can get them settled, as I expect that Mum and Dad will also be happy to give them tea too, and I’ll just sit at your kitchen table with my laptop. I’ll be there if they need anything, but I can give you a shout if need be.’
He roamed her face with his eyes, and a flush crawled up Grace’s throat and into her cheeks. She wasn’t sure why, but Oli’s gaze was so intense, his eyes were so full of her and it made her acutely aware of how much she liked him. And of how much she wanted him to reciprocate that feeling.
‘You are amazing,’ he said. ‘You know that?’
‘Ahem.’ It was Maxine, grinning at them both. ‘I just need your approval on a few things, Oli, then you’re good to go.’
‘Of course.’
He handed Grace his car keys. ‘You go on out and I’ll catch up.’
Grace made her way out to the car, opened it and climbed in. Although it was only the afternoon, she was lightheaded with tiredness. It had been an intense day, full of emotion: she’d learnt more about Oli and his children, and seen how badly treated this beautiful greyhound had been. A greyhound she’d felt a connection with; something about the sadness in the dog’s eyes, and in her quiet acceptance of what was done to her as she was examined and treated, really penetrated Grace’s heart. It made her think of Sam, the way that Hope had kept silent about her pain, about the heartbreak she must have been feeling, and Grace knew how it felt to hold things inside. To nurse her pain as though it were a burden that she alone had to bear.
If only she could offer Hope a home, a place to come to after she had recovered. A place where she would be loved and fed and cared for, a safe haven where she could live and be loved.
And something inside Grace suddenly uncoiled.
Because she knew, in that moment, that if Hope made it through the night, then she would be there for her. It was the way it had to be.