Page 28

Whatever babbling response Hope gave, Holly paid it no mind. Instead, she was rooted to the spot, watching the water rise simultaneously with the feeling of dread in her stomach. It seemed unlikely there was anything she could actually do. She had already shoved her hand into the bowl and not been able to grab any of the bunnies. There would be no chance she could do that now.

Fortunately, the rate at which the water was filling started to slow. Finally, just a few centimetres below the rim of the seat, the water stopped rising altogether.

‘Okay, that’s good, Hopey. That’s good.’ Holly let out a sigh of relief as she continued to speak her thoughts aloud. ‘We just need to work out what we should do now.’

They might not have flooded the house just yet, but they only had one toilet, which was now out of action. And it wasn’t like she even had a neighbour she was on good enough terms with touse their facilities. As much as she wished it could wait, this was a problem that needed to be dealt with immediately.

With Hope still wrapped in her hooded towel and resting on Holly’s hip, she headed downstairs and picked up her phone. As frustrating as it was, there was one person who she needed to call, and they answered on the first ring.

‘Holly, darling, I was just about to call you. We’re en route to departures. Your dad was going to get an overpriced croissant, but I stopped him. I mean, why would you buy a croissant here when we’re going to Belgium? And why would you get a croissant in the evening?’

Holly wasn’t sure why Belgium would be an ideal place to buy a croissant from, but she decided not to say as much to her mother.

‘Mum, I need the landlord’s number.’

‘The landlord?’ Her mother’s voice tightened. ‘What do you need his number for?’

‘Because there’s been an incident.’

‘An incident? What type of incident? Do you need us to come back?’

‘No, no. Of course I don’t. I just need the landlord’s number so I can get a plumber to come out. Preferably this evening.’ A short pause followed. When it became obvious that her mother wasn’t going to say anything, Holly tried again. ‘There was a plumber the landlord used to refit the bathroom, remember? And he came out with the sink issue too. I’m positive he was local, and it’s obviously someone the landlord trusts, so I wanted to try them first.’

‘It’s difficult to get plumbers to come out in the evening, love,’ Wendy said. ‘What happened?’

Holly gritted her teeth. What should’ve been a two-minute conversation was already spiralling out of control. Still, Hollyknew that she wouldn’t get anywhere unless she gave her mother at least some of the details.

‘Hope flushed two of her bunnies down the toilet.’

‘Hope flushed her bunnies down the toilet?’ Her mother’s voice was aghast, but also at a volume which implied she was relaying this information to her father on the other end of the line. ‘Why would she do that?’

‘She didn’t mean to do anything. Obviously, it was an accident. But I need a plumber. And I need to speak to the landlord so I can get that plumber’s number, because I’ve got to go meet Maud in half an hour. Please, would you just tell me what it is?’

Another pause formed at the end of the line, and Holly could feel her frustration boiling inside. Why her mother was being so secretive, she had no idea. But it was another sign that things weren’t quite right with her. When they got back from the trip, Holly was going to be talking to her father about it. And probably a doctor too.

‘You don’t need to call him, Mum. You can just give me his number.’

‘I don’t want to do that, darling. He can be quite a funny chap. It’s best he continues dealing with me. That’s what he’s used to.’

Holly’s teeth were grinding together, and Hope was looking at her, eyes watery, left hand forlornly open, as if she just realised that the two rabbits were no longer in it.

‘Don’t worry, love, I’ll let him know about the incident. I’m sure you’ll be able to sort something out. He is very accommodating, you know.’

‘If he’s so accommodating, could you just give me his?—’

There was no point in Holly continuing. The line was already dead.

With her mother insisting she remain in charge of the situation, Holly knew there was very little she could do. It was now only thirty minutes before she was due to meet with Maud and she still hadn’t got Hope dressed or cleaned her teeth properly. She needed to get a wiggle on.

25

They were meeting at The Little Lodge. The establishment wasn’t one of Holly’s local haunts – not that she really had a local since Hope had been born – but it had a fabulous reputation for food and it was also the place where Maud was staying.

For a minute, Holly considered driving down there. The whole disaster with the bunnies meant she was running late, and the restaurant was at the other end of the village. But driving meant putting Hope in the car seat, and after the bath escapade, she just didn’t know how she would cope with that. By contrast, Hope was always happy in the baby carrier, strapped to Holly. So, with only one bunny now grasped in her daughter’s fist, Holly locked the front door and began the walk.

The warm evenings and long daylight hours meant that the outside courtyard of The Little Lodge was packed. All the tables in the al fresco area were full of families and couples enjoying themselves, but a quick glance told Holly that Maud was not among them. With Hope still in her baby carrier, she headed inside to look into the various rooms and nooks of the restaurant, only to spot Maud was sitting just on the other sideof the door where Holly had walked in, her frame so slight, she was almost lost amongst the shadows.

Holly took a moment, watching her friend. It was impossible not to be shocked at how much she had changed. How she had shrunk in on herself. Growing up, Maud and Agnes had been such sources of light and laughter. Their personalities were bigger than any other people she had even met. But here, if Holly hadn’t known who she was looking at, she would think it was just another frail old woman. Not the incredible owner of Just One More. The wonderful wife of the beloved Agnes. Holly’s heart dropped a little as she thought of her own mother. How long would it be till people saw her as nothing but an old, frail woman too?