Page 46 of One Cornish Summer With You

He hurried to meet her. ‘I’m Ruan Mitchell from Gaverne’s. Here to see Mrs Tremain.’

The woman burst out laughing. ‘Did Hector tell you to call me that? It’s Polly.’ She frowned. ‘But you’re hours early. Didn’t Hector give you my message?’

‘He – er – I saw it after I set off. I’m sorry if it’s inconvenient.’

‘Hmm.’ She twisted her lips as she looked at him like a Roman emperor deciding a gladiator’s fate. He held his breath, dreading having to tell her the meeting had to be then or not at all.

‘Well, it is inconvenient as a matter of fact, but as you’re here, I suppose I could fit you in. My farrier’s late anyway. He’s caught up in this bloody festival traffic.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘You’d better come inside – and, for future reference, we don’t bother with the front door. Only people we don’t like use the front door. Come round the back to the yard office.’

Ruan did as he was told, thanking his lucky stars thatPolly had accepted his white lie about the message and agreed to see him anyway.

They discussed her business over a mug of tea, which he hadn’t wanted to refuse, but regretted accepting when he saw it was the colour of mud. He tried not to gag when he tasted it. It must have been brewing for a century.

‘Now, I suppose I ought to give you a quick tour of the place so you can see what you’re dealing with. Hector thought that was a good idea.’

Ruan’s phone pinged with a message. He couldn’t help glancing at it when he saw Tammy’s name flash up.

‘Am I boring you?’ Polly said, peering at him over the rim of her Horse & Rider mug.

‘No. No of course not. It’s a, um, message …’

‘I can see that.’ Suddenly she chortled and put down her mug. ‘I’m joking. I don’t blame you for having better things to do on a Friday afternoon than troll out here to talk to me, but Hector said it was fine. I suppose I could have rescheduled, but I know he wants to show how keen you all are.’

Ruan hid a grimace, realising that he needn’t have rushed over to the estate after all. ‘I’m happy to help,’ he said, trying to sound enthusiastic while desperate to call Tammy back.

‘Are you?’ She smirked. ‘Wouldn’t you rather be at this dreadful music festival thing like my daughter and her pals? You do seem very young.’

‘I’m thirty-six,’ Ruan said.

She sniggered. ‘Like I said, you’re very young; however, you also came highly recommended. Top of your year in law school at Exeter, according to Hector. Claims he had tomove mountains to lure you away from the bright lights of Bristol, eh?’

‘Well, I wouldn’t describe it that way myself,’ Ruan said, embarrassed.

Polly rolled her eyes. ‘No false modesty, please. It’s boring.’

‘I got a decent enough First, yes,’ he said.

‘I’ll take that as admitting you were brilliant. Now, I appreciate you coming over here anyway. Why don’t you answer your phone while I collect up that dratted paperwork we discussed? Then you can be released from your torment and go off to do whatever a handsome young man like you is longing to do when the weekend looms. Judging by the way you’re desperate to answer that message, I expect it involves a girlfriend?’

Fortunately, Polly walked off, chuckling, towards the house, leaving him alone to call Tammy back.

She answered him almost immediately in a voice that was taut with stress. ‘Ruan. Thank God I’ve got you.’

‘Are you OK?’ he blurted out, alarmed by her panicky tone.

‘No. I mean, yes. I’m not hurt but there’s been an accident.’

His stomach turned over. ‘Jesus. What happened?’

‘Well, first I got a puncture, but I changed the wheel and then I was behind a hay lorry and it shed a bale! Somehow, I missed it by swerving into a ditch.’

A horrific picture sprang into Ruan’s mind of Tammy’s van crushed like a tin can. ‘You’re OK though?’

‘Yeah. I’m OK … but now the road’s blocked and the van’s out of action. The front wing is completely bashed in.’ He heard a tremor in her voice. ‘There’s no way I’m going to make it to the festival.’

Ruan’s mind whirled. ‘Yes there is. I’ll come and pick you up now.’

‘Thanks, but you won’t be able to reach me. The main roads are blocked and all the lanes around are gridlocked with festival traffic.’

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