Chapter 20
“What do you mean?” asked Poppy.
Tory laid her knitting on her lap. “I think I told you that when Cloud first arrived at Riverdale he was incredibly nervous around people?”
Poppy nodded.
“Gaining his trust took a long time. He spent the first few days cowering in the corner of his stable. Caitlyn spent hours sitting in there with him, trying to tempt him closer with carrots and Polos, but he wouldn’t go near her. I was beginning to think I’d made a terrible mistake, although Caitlyn refused to give up on him. But then someone you know very well helped us make the breakthrough.” Her eyes twinkled.
“Chester?” breathed Poppy.
“Yes,” smiled Tory. “Of course he was much younger in those days and loved to be at the centre of things. While Caitlyn sat in the corner of Cloud’s stable Chester would rest his head over the stable door, watching this dappled grey bag of nerves in the corner. Chester had an amazingly calming effect on Cloud and as time went on Cloud gradually came out of his shell and started to trust us all. By the time Caitlyn was able to handle Cloud he and Chester were inseparable. Chester was by Cloud’s side when we first tacked him up, when we long-reined him, lunged him and when Cait eventually rode him for the first time.” Tory could still picture the pony and donkey standing side by side at the paddock gate as they waited patiently for Caitlyn to arrive at Riverdale.
“It meant that when Cait and Cloud started competing we always had to take Chester too, but Chester didn’t mind – he thought it was a great adventure. He became a familiar sight at all the local shows and loved the attention. And as long as Cloud had Chester and Caitlyn he was alright.”
“So how did Chester help you catch Cloud?”
“That first autumn after Caitlyn died I knew I had to hide Cloud from the drift so he didn’t end up back at Blackstone’s. So I went out onto the moor to try to catch him.”
Poppy held her breath.
“I’d seen him in the distance once or twice so I thought he had stayed fairly close to Riverdale, whether to be near Chester or in the hope that Caitlyn would come back for him one day I’ll never know.” Tory sniffed loudly. “But try as I might, he wouldn’t let me near him. Then one night not long before the drift I was lying awake in bed worrying what to do when I heard Chester braying and suddenly I had the answer.”
“So you took Chester out onto the moor to see if Cloud would follow him home?”
“That’s exactly what I did. The very next morning Chester and I went to the end of Riverdale wood. You know where the trees start to peter out at the foot of the tor?”
Poppy nodded. It was close to where she and Charlie had seen the big cat.
“Apart from a few sheep it was deserted but I had a funny feeling that Cloud would turn up. We waited for over an hour before he finally appeared. I think he’d been hiding in the trees watching us for a while. He and Chester were so pleased to see each other and when I started leading Chester home Cloud followed, all the way back into Chester’s stable where he stayed until after the drift. That’s how I caught him.”
“But why did you let him go again once the drift was over?” demanded Poppy.
“It was the right thing to do. He belonged to George Blackstone, don’t forget. Keeping him would have been theft. But every year Chester and I led him back to Riverdale and kept him safe.”
“What did you think would happen to him this year, Tory?”
The old woman sighed. “It’s been worrying me for months, pet. What with leaving Riverdale, missing Chester so much and fretting about Cloud I haven’t really been myself.” She looked close to tears.
“Couldn’t someone have helped you?” Poppy asked more gently.
“I thought about trying to talk to Jo, to see if she would, but she hasn’t spoken to me for years and she still blames Cloud for Cait’s death anyway. She wouldn’t throw a bucket of water on him if he was on fire. I can’t stop thinking how disappointed Caitlyn would have been in me.”
Poppy wasn’t a demonstrative child but Tory looked so desolate that she reached over and hugged her. Tory batted away a couple of tears that were rolling slowly down her lined face and muttered, ‘Don’t mind me, pet’. She smelt of talcum powder and peppermint and her jumper, the colour of heather, felt as soft as down against Poppy’s cheek. She only drew back when she realised that one of Tory’s knitting needles was poking uncomfortably in her ribcage.
“You have me now. I’ll take Chester out onto the moor to see Cloud and we’ll bring him back to Riverdale together.”
Tory was about to reply when the phone rang. “It’ll probably be Caroline,” said Poppy, dashing over to the oak sideboard and grabbing the handset.
“Poppy, it’s me,” said her stepmother. She sounded echoey - as if she was standing in the middle of a vast aircraft hangar. “They’ve brought a phone to my bed. I’m in the orthopaedic ward. It’s full of young men who’ve fallen off their motorbikes. But they’re all very chatty,” she added inconsequentially. Poppy wondered how many painkillers Caroline had been given.
“So how’s your wrist?” she asked.
“Oh, that. They’ve X-rayed it and it’s a clean break, luckily. They finished plastering it about half an hour ago. I am now officially plastered,” she laughed. Poppy raised her eyebrows. “But unfortunately I must have banged my head when I fell because they say I’ve got mild concussion. Anyway, enough of me. How are you and Charlie?”
“Oh, Charlie’s happy – he’s gone to bed on a full stomach. I’m keeping Tory company,” she smiled at her old friend, who had taken up her needles again and was poised to start clicking. “Do you know when you’ll be back?” Poppy asked, thinking of her plans for the morning.
“They’re going to keep me in for the night because of the concussion. Will you all be OK? I’m going to try and ring your dad now to see if there’s any chance he can come home early. In fact I’d better try now before I run out of credit. I’ll ring you again in the morning to let you know when I’ll be back. Night night darling.” And the phone went dead.
“Everything alright?” Tory asked.
“Yes, she seems a bit spaced out but otherwise fine. Much more cheerful, actually. It sounds as though she should be back some time tomorrow. So I’ve decided. Chester and I are going to bring Cloud home tomorrow morning before she gets back.”
Before she went to bed Poppy let herself out of the back door, slipped on her wellies and went to see Chester. She flicked a switch and the single bulb hanging from the roof cast a yellow glow over the stable where he stood chewing hay.
“You and I have an important job to do tomorrow,” she told the donkey, rubbing his velvety soft nose. A kaleidoscope of butterflies was sending her stomach into turmoil as nerves and excitement started to build.
Chester, completely oblivious to the rescue mission ahead of them, eyed her calmly and carried on munching.