Page 39 of A Scottish Love Story
‘I see none of the cows have had their udders clipped,’ Roxie said. ‘They will all need to be done and it would be easier to do them in the parlour. I know it would hold up the milking a bit, but if there are two of you to milk do you think I could clip a few of the worst during the afternoon milkings?’
‘All right. We could start a bit earlier,’ Tommy agreed and grinned at Harry. ‘In case this handsome lad has a heavy date tonight.’
‘He knows I haven’t,’ Harry said. ‘I’m never in a hurry to get away, especially now the evenings are lighter. I often come back for a walk round the fields, and to see the heifers. I have lodgings with an old lady in the village, so there’s not much to do there.’
‘I’m pleased you told me that, Harry,’ Roxie said. ‘Because I would like to get as many of the heifers roughly clipped as soon as possible, ready for shampooing, then we can make them as smart as possible when they’re clean. Most of the helpers can make a good enough job of washing the heifers, but they do need to be clipped into shape to emphasise their good points and hopefully disguise any poorer ones.’
‘I’m looking forward to it all,’ Harry said. ‘It’s a new experience for me so tell me what I can do to help whatever the time.’
‘Harry usually comes in for some breakfast with me. He leaves the house too early in the mornings for his landlady to make him any.’
‘Speaking of breakfast, Tommy,’ Roxie said. ‘There are only two eggs and some milk in the fridge. I will go round the hen houses and see if any of the hens have laid before I go in. If you’re lucky you can have a choice of scrambled eggs or omelette. There was half a loaf of bread in the freezer so I have taken that out for toasting.’
‘You can’t have looked properly, Roxie,’ Tommy said. ‘I got two packs of bacon and a fresh loaf from Beth Corby yesterday, as well as several other things.’
She smiled. ‘That must have been in your dreams. The fridge is empty.’ Tommy’s eyes narrowed and his mouth tightened.
‘No prizes for guessing who stole them yesterday afternoon,’ he muttered angrily. ‘This is not the first time it’s happened.’
‘Never mind,’ Roxie said more gently. ‘We need to do some shopping for ourselves, apart from Beth coming to cater for the extra workers. There’s very little in the freezer and no food in the pantry, not even the jam or pickles and chutneys I’d made before I went away. It is needing a good scrub out too. I’m surprised Maggie has let it get so smelly.’
‘Maggie hasn’t been for ages. Gilda said she was ill. Her mother came to clean a bit before the baby was born.’ Tommy’s expression was grim. He looked older and thinner. His green eyes, so like Roxie’s, held a look of bleak despair.
Roxie went to collect the eggs, some of them so newly laid they were still warm, but when she went back to the house, Beth Corby’s van was already there and she was unloading trays of filled rolls for later, along with freshly baked scones and two tins containing homemade biscuits. She had brought six hot bacon rolls as well and set them on top of the Aga to keep warm.
‘Hello, Roxie. It is lovely to see you again. We have missed you terribly around the village.’
‘It’s good to see you too, Beth, especially as you come bearing food. You must have been up very early to get this lot ready.’
‘We always start early, Mum and me. We catch the trade of the early-shift workers. We have two helpers who come in about eight thirty. Tommy phoned to say the bacon he got yesterday had disappeared. I’ll bet Gilda was here scrounging again. She doesn’t seem to care who suffers or even understand she is stealing. I don’t know why Tommy doesn’t change the locks. My brother says that is what he would do.’
‘I don’t know much about what’s going on yet. Tommy hadn’t been in touch until he phoned to ask for help with the sale. I would not have known the baby had been born if Lucy hadn’t kept me informed, and I only arrived yesterday afternoon and... well, I got upset over other things Gilda had done.’
‘Things like sacking Maggie for no reason, you mean?’
‘What? Maggie? Our Maggie? Tommy says she is ill.’
‘Maggie has never been ill! She’s desperate to work and not only for the money. She needs to be busy, a bit like my mum. She came to ask if we had a little job for her, but we already have two regulars and a Saturday girl.’
‘I can’t believe this! Tommy obviously doesn’t know.’
‘Men are so gullible sometimes.’ Beth sighed.
‘Tommy and Harry will not be so gullible when they see your van here already. They will be in for their breakfasts. I must tell Tommy about Maggie. I’ll bet the whole house is ready for a good clean. I told him the pantry needs a scrub. That’s when he said he hadn’t seen Maggie for ages. We shall need to feed the auctioneers and their clerks in the dining room, I think. They might expect a cooked meal. This household has nothing to do with me now, but I’m sure Tommy will be pleased to welcome Maggie back.’
‘She will jump at the chance, especially now Gilda isn’t here. At least Maggie would cook Tommy a hot dinner every day instead of him having to come for a filled roll from us, and quiche or a pizza for his tea. He has an account with us now.I send him a bill once a month and he always pays the next day so I’m not grumbling, but it seems so unfair on him. I get most of his groceries for him too, now. I don’t mind because I have a delivery man twice a week, so if you want to make a list I could get them for you if it would save time going into the supermarket?’
‘It would! That’s a real help, Beth. Thanks. I will make a list tonight.’
‘I got the bacon, so I knew he should have had plenty for today. By the way, Roxie, add a fried egg to the rolls if you want, now you have plenty.’
‘Yes, I’ll do that. I’m famished myself and I know Harry and Tommy will be. Harry seems a very pleasant young man and he is a keen stockman.’
‘He’s a lovely young fellow. He didn’t want to leave here he told me, but I’m sure his mother will be pleased to have him home.’
‘I expect you hear all the gossip now you live in the middle of the village, Beth?’ Roxie laughed.
‘Oh, we do. Sometimes more than we want. I am glad we have a big garden and the orchard at the back. It’s a relief to escape on Sundays and on summer evenings.’
