Chapter 42
Mimi sniffed the air but couldn’t detect anything; there was no sign of any food having recently been cooked.
‘What is it?’ Lois repeated.
‘I thought you were leaving,’ Henrietta snapped back.
There was a moment of hostile silence, during which Lois lifted her head like a meerkat. Then she turned to the right and disappeared through a second half-open door. Within seconds she called out, ‘Come through here.’
‘For God’s sake.’ Henrietta’s eyes narrowed, but she followed Mimi into the sunlit drawing room, where Lois was pointing to a heavy cut-glass bowl positioned on the polished walnut occasional table next to the sash window.
‘What?’ Henrietta demanded.
‘Stargazer lilies,’ said Lois.
‘Well done. That’s what they’re called. And your point is?’
‘Lilies are poisonous for cats. Just chewing a leaf or licking a bit of pollen can kill them.’
‘Wh-what?’ This time Henrietta’s voice wavered; she shook her head rapidly and stared at them in disbelief. ‘I’ve never heard of that. It can’t be true.’
As if Lois might have made it up in order to scare her.
‘It’s true,’ said Lois, ‘and it’s serious. If the poison’s in their body for longer than a few hours, it causes kidney failure. How long have the lilies been here?’
‘I . . . I bought them yesterday. Yesterday evening. Oh God, no . . . oh Truman.’ Fumbling in the side pocket of her brown tweed skirt, Henrietta found her phone and pushed it into Mimi’s hand. ‘I’m shaking, can you do it? Call Felix for me . . .’
‘We’ve already tried him,’ Mimi said abruptly. ‘He’s in Melksham.’
Melksham was over an hour away. ‘But . . . OK, call a taxi, there’s a number in the phone book out in the hall. Of all the days my car had to be in for repairs . . . Hurry up, girl.’ Henrietta’s voice rose as she addressed Mimi. ‘Tell them we need someone here right away to take us to Cirencester.’
Her tone was sharp but there was panic in her eyes.
‘Quicker if I take you,’ said Lois.
Henrietta was already shaking her head. ‘No, that won’t be necessary.’
‘It is necessary.’ Lois took a deep, steadying breath. ‘If it’s lily poisoning, every second counts.’
Lois hurried out of Fox Court and returned within minutes in her own car. Mimi went with them in case a fight broke out. Henrietta climbed into the back seat and cradled Truman on her lap. Truman’s eyes were dull and half closed; he’d been sick again as they were leaving the house.
‘I d-didn’t know.’ Henrietta’s voice trembled with emotion as they took off down the gravelled drive. ‘I had no idea. I saw the lilies in the supermarket yesterday and they’d been reduced to one pound fifty so I couldn’t resist them.’ She swallowed audibly. ‘Why didn’t I know? If lilies can kill cats, there should be warning signs on them. Or they should be banned, full stop. Oh Truman, I’m so sorry . . .’
Tears were sliding down her face now. Seeing this in the rear-view mirror, Lois grabbed a packet of tissues from the driver’s-side pocket and handed them to Mimi to pass back.
‘I love him so much,’ Henrietta sobbed as she opened the packet.
‘I know you do.’ Lois spoke gently.
‘He’s all I’ve got.’
Well, she also had a son, but Mimi knew what she meant; Truman was her constant companion. Lois glanced sideways at Mimi, clearly conveying the thought that was it any wonder, the way Henrietta carried on. But her voice was kind as she said, ‘And he loves you too. Look, you can’t blame yourself.’
‘I can.’
‘Well you mustn’t. Everyone knows you’d never do anything to hurt Truman.’
Henrietta blew her nose noisily into one of the tissues. ‘And I couldn’t wait to get you out of the house. If you hadn’t smelled the lilies, I wouldn’t have known.’
Lois said, ‘You’d still have taken him to the vet, though.’
‘But I’d have waited until Felix arrived home. I wouldn’t have realised how urgent it was. It would have been too late.’
Mimi exchanged another glance with Lois. It might still be too late.
‘We’re getting him there as fast as we can,’ said Lois. ‘Anyway, it could be something else entirely. I might not even be right.’
But Lois had been right. And she had supported Henrietta both physically and emotionally when the vet in Cirencester confirmed the diagnosis before warning them that although he’d do everything possible to save Truman’s life, if the kidneys were damaged beyond repair, survival simply wasn’t an option.
Henrietta, understandably, had been in bits. Mimi, taking a diplomatic back seat, watched as Lois consoled her formerly terrifying, now utterly terrified mother-in-law and took charge of the situation, making notes of everything the vet told them and placing a reassuring arm around Henrietta’s shoulders when she broke down once more in tears of anguish.
The lovely vet, whose name was Drew, praised Lois for getting Truman there as soon as she had; if emergency treatment began within six hours of consumption of the toxin and before it affected the kidneys, he explained, the chances of recovery were good. Without it, kidney failure would develop in two to three days.
Emptying the gastrointestinal tract and setting up intravenous fluid therapy had therefore begun, and Henrietta had stayed with Truman whilst Lois and Mimi had left the veterinary hospital and headed back to Goosebrook.
When they reached the village, Mimi said, ‘Shall we go over to the Swan, get something to eat there?’ Her stomach was rumbling; she hadn’t eaten for hours.
But Lois shook her head. ‘Actually, I think I’ll go back to Cirencester. It feels wrong leaving Henrietta there on her own.’
‘Blimey,’ said Mimi.
‘I know. Mad, isn’t it? I just never knew it was possible for her to be distraught. Not even after the accident when Felix’s father died. But I just feel so sorry for her now.’
Mimi nodded. ‘Me too.’ Although the very idea still seemed beyond surreal.
Lois unzipped the side pocket of her handbag and took out a key. ‘I kept a spare to Fox Court in case of emergencies. I’m going to let myself in and pick up one of Henrietta’s cardigans for Truman to lie on. It’ll comfort him when she isn’t able to be there.’
‘Good idea.’ Mimi was touched by her thoughtfulness.
‘Oh God, I hope we managed to get him there in time.’ Lois exhaled noisily and raked agitated fingers through her hair. ‘I really hope Truman doesn’t die.’