Page 53 of Forgive Me Not
She nodded.
‘How did Ted’s meeting go? You seemed to be gone for most of the afternoon.’
Stig and Andrea stopped talking.
Emma sipped her lemonade. ‘Yes, I only got back an hour ago. It went well. Great, in fact. It didn’t take long to persuade most people that the majority of rough sleepers aren’t a problem – that the real threat is the big out-of-town retailers, and that should be their focus. A few spoke about appearances mattering and that the homeless would put off shoppers, but several others piped up and said that so far they’d not committed any crimes.’
‘What about that bloke who’s made camp by the taxi rank near the Red Lion?’ said Bligh. ‘I walked past last week and he was blind drunk and hurling abuse at people.’
‘I spoke to him on Wednesday’s soup run.’
‘What did he say?’
She looked at Stig. She’d offered to take the man to AA, and he’d told her to eff off. Not so long ago, that had been her, full of resentments, denying her problems… This man hadn’t hit his rock bottom yet.
‘The police were at the meeting and are going to keep an eye out. You can’t write off a whole bunch of people just because of one. I’ll have another word with him on the soup run tomorrow night. You could tell that some people at the meeting weren’t happy, but fortunately Ted had a master move up his sleeve.’
Bligh raised his eyebrows.
‘You know the couple who’ve been begging outside the bank on Church Street? I told you they’d been in care? Well an older woman camps out with them now. Apparently she used to run her own coffee shop. Ted invited her to stand up and tell her story. Her business was doing okay until a well-known brand opened up opposite. She just couldn’t compete with their exotic-sounding lattes and decadent interior. She ran into debt and lost everything.’ Emma sipped her drink. ‘You could tell the local entrepreneurs were really shocked at the thought that they could end up like her. Anyway, the upshot is that the meeting swiftly moved on to brainstorming how to boost the local economy.’
‘What ideas did people come up with?’ asked Andrea.
‘Small ones to start, where businesses club together to bring in money. For example, the bookshop is going to try to get more signings and other events, and they’ll get the teashop by the church to do the catering. But one standout idea was to run a Sunday market. Mrs Beatty visits them across the region and suggested Healdbury start its own, involving local farms and craftsmen. Each shop could run a stall. Foxglove Farm could sell its produce and hand out cards for the online vegetable delivery business. Ted would set up a cheese stall alongside the bakery, and they’d push each other’s products by handing out sandwich samples. Polly and Alan have got a popcorn and candy floss machine they found in the pub’s cellar and have never used…’
Polly and Alan. It was becoming increasingly difficult to be in their presence, but in a way, this made Emma focus more fully on her future. She’d come to a decision. She’d accepted that she just wasn’t academic enough to get the qualifications to be a vet, and anyway, she didn’t need the ego boost of that status any more. But what about a veterinary nurse? Working at Foxglove Farm again had reignited her passion for animals. Maybe, if she ended up in prison, she’d be allowed to do some sort of distance learning course. That would give her a purpose. Perhaps make her sentence bearable – not that she’d deserve respite. An image of Ned’s young face flashed into her mind. She felt sick and forced herself back to answering Andrea’s question.
‘… and the owner of the teashop thought they could sell takeaway drinks and cakes.’ She put down her glass. ‘Everyone was quite excited by the end. Even Phil thought he may as well try ordering in some new pet toys to sell. We could offer something more personal than the bigger brands and do really well at Christmas. Also, a resident who’s retired here now and who used to be a journalist will help get some coverage in the local newspaper – a story with heart about locals doing their best to compete with the big boys of business. He reckoned theManchester Evening Newswould definitely go for it, and…’
The Duchess got to her feet and ran across the yard, tail wagging.
Stig stood up, his brow knotted. ‘That’s usually how she greets a friend.’
Emma started to get up too, but Bligh raised his palm. ‘I’m nearest. Someone must be lost.’ He disappeared around to the front of the farmhouse.
Minutes later, angry shouting came from that direction. Dash joined the Duchess and both dogs started barking. Stig jumped up as Bligh and another man came into view, fighting. Bligh threw a punch and the smaller man landed on the gravel. Emma squinted in the late sunlight, trying to make out his face in between punches. It was clean-shaven and tanned. His blonde hair was shoulder length but styled. He wore pumps, skinny jeans and a tight-fitting T-shirt. He lunged at solid Bligh and head-butted him in the stomach.
Andrea shouted at them to stop, while Emma charged right in. Stig hauled her back and put himself between the two men.
‘Violence isn’t the answer,’ he said, just as Bligh’s fist accidentally hit him in the eye.
A wail came from Gail, who stood up and started to pull at her cardigan sleeve. Andrea hurried to her side.
‘For God’s sake!’ shouted Emma as the Duchess snarled and took hold of Bligh’s trouser leg. She grabbed the dog’s collar and with all her strength pulled her away.
‘Emma, it’s me,’ said a voice that made the hairs on her neck stand on end.
She stepped away from Bligh and stared at the man’s face. Her knees buckled. ‘Joe?Joe?Is that really you?’
‘It’s him, isn’t it, the one who got you up the duff and then did a runner,’ said Bligh.
Andrea’s face paled.
Chapter 19
‘You’repregnant?’ said Andrea.
‘Emma?’ said Joe, and wiped his nose with his arm. She stared at the blood.
