‘Mum! You’re bright and early.’ What on earth was her mother doing sitting outside her house, in her father’s big Mercedes, at this time of day? ‘Have you been waiting long?’
‘Morning, darling.’ She stepped out of the car and gave Ella a kiss on the cheek. ‘Gosh, you’re positively glowing. Full of beans.’
‘It’s a bit blustery down by the reservoir this morning. Poor Tess, I thought her ears might blow off.’ They’d had a very brisk walk this morning.
Her mother looked at her expectantly. Had she missed something? ‘Is everything all right?’
‘Fine. Fine.’ There it was, that too-bright tone. ‘You didn’t get my text?’
‘No. Not even looked at my phone this morning.’ Deliberate policy. She didn’t want to see that Devon hadn’t texted. Didn’t want to see that he hadn’t sent an apology, saying he’d over-reacted and how grateful he should have been to her. It had been a week since the village fayre and she hadn’t seen him at all. The idiot.
Her mother followed her into the cottage. Tess trotted straight into the kitchen and Ella automatically grabbed her water bowl to refill it. As usual Tess lapped at the water like a desert explorer who’d just reached an oasis.
‘Coffee?’ asked Ella, filling up the sink with hot water to wash up her breakfast dishes.
‘No, I can’t stop. Good news. Mrs Bosworth is out of hospital and her sister decided to come and collect her. She’s relented and said that Tess can go to Kent with them while Mrs Bosworth recuperates. So Tess can go home.’
The plate slipped through Ella’s boneless fingers, sinking back into the iridescent bubbles, which suddenly blurred.
‘What?’ she asked, trying to process the words.
‘Tess is going home.’
Tess was home. In her basket. In the corner of the room lying in her bed pretending to be exhausted after their walk, having hoovered up every last stray toast crumb and looking pitiful, with her usual isn’t it time for a second breakfast or a snackette expression on her face.
Ella let out a tiny incoherent gasp at the sudden twist of pain, unable to frame any words. Her mother was talking, in jolly, upbeat, hurrying tones.
‘ . . . strike while the iron’s hot and your father didn’t need the car. Not first thing, although he’s playing golf at eleven. So if you can just gather all the dog paraphernalia together.’
‘What?’ Although her mother had clearly issued a call to action, Ella struggled to process the words. It was as if her brain had frozen and she’d lost the ability to command her limbs.
‘Her things, dear.’
‘Her things?’ echoed Ella.
‘Yes, dear.’ A touch of impatience crept into her mother’s voice. ‘Lead. Bowl. Bed. Food.’
‘Right.’ Ella waved a limp arm towards the larder and then another towards the hall.
‘Food? Larder?’
Ella nodded. She risked a look at Tess, in her bed, her head resting on her legs watching the two of them. The amber eyes looked up at her, trust shining in their depths.
Ella stared back at the furry black face and Tess tilted her head to one side with a quizzical look, the mobile eyebrows wriggling in consternation, the tongue lolling out of one side and the black nose twitching with suspicion. Tess always seemed to know when something wasn’t right. Although she probably missed her owner and Mrs Bosworth probably missed her.
Tess rose and shook herself, crossing the kitchen floor to nuzzle at Ella’s hand.
‘Are you OK, dear?’
‘I-I just wasn’t expecting you to . . . You haven’t given me much notice. Her things . . . ’
Her mother tutted. ‘How much notice do you need? Honestly.’ She shook her head with amused exasperation. ‘It’s not like packing for a trip. She’s a dog, dear.’
‘It still would have been useful to know,’ Ella said petulantly, knowing she sounded ridiculous. ‘We might have been out on a walk. She might have needed cleaning up.’ Ella regretted not letting Tess jump in the water this morning.
‘But you weren’t,’ said her mother being totally, and completely annoyingly, reasonable.
‘But I might have been.’
Her mother pursed her lips. Ella knew she was pouting. It was like an unspoken tug of war.
‘Ella, you’re just being difficult now. I’m very grateful that you helped out with Tess. Clearly you didn’t want her and in hindsight it was a lot harder work than I first imagined. I still can’t believe she ate the whole of the rest of that joint. What a pickle. I know it’s been really tough on you and I’m sorry, we shouldn’t have asked you to have her without any warning. But it’s done you some good. You look great. And now she’s going back, which will make things so much easier for you. At least you’ve gained a bit of a glow with all that exercising her. So that’s one good thing.’
Ella scowled. Why was it her mother managed to make her feel about fifteen again?
‘Does she have to go now? Can’t I bring her over later?’
‘No. Pauline, Mrs Bosworth’s sister, drove up yesterday. She’s driving back to Kent this afternoon.’
‘Maybe I could take Tess down later.’
‘Why would you want to do that, Ella?’
‘Just to give Tess time to get used to the idea.’
Her mother stared at her as if she’d gone off her rocker.
‘Well . . . ’ Ella shrugged. ‘She’s clever. She knows.’
Her mother raised a sceptical eyebrow. ‘Really?’ She tapped her watch. ‘I need to get back.’ She softened her voice. ‘I’m sure you’ve got used to having her around but just think, you won’t be tied any more. No more crying in the night.’
‘She doesn’t do that now.’
‘No more stealing food, then.’
Ella looked down at Tess and raised her eyebrows at the dog. Never going to happen. Tess was always going to be an opportunist.
‘You can go off and do whatever you want. Besides I should think poor Mrs Bosworth is desperate to see her.’
Tess licked her hand and Ella remembered those heartrending howls of the first few nights. Poor baby had been scared. Missing Mrs Bosworth. Not in her own home. Lost and afraid.
‘Sorry, Tess,’ she whispered, her fingers stroking the velvet softness of her ears as Tess leaned against her. She was being selfish. Tess already had an owner who loved her. Ella blinked back the stupid tears. She wasn’t being very fair. Mrs Bosworth had had Tess a lot longer than she had. She’d probably missed her dog terribly.
‘I’ll get her things,’ she said, not wanting to step away from the comforting weight against her leg. ‘Just let me wash these up. I bought her a new bowl. She was gulping her food down so quickly, which is why she always wanted more immediately, although she is a Lab,’ She ruffled the fur on Tess’s head. ‘One bowl is never enough, is it?’ Ella carefully rinsed the new food bowl before drying it off.
‘Is that hygienic? I’d put that tea towel straight in the wash if I were you.’ Her mother eyed the cloth dubiously.
‘Devon recommended it. Make sure you tell Mrs Bosworth. It slows Tess down when she’s eating, so there’s time for her brain to send the signal that she’s had some food and it’s much better for her digestion.’
‘Right.’
Ella crossed to the larder. ‘And I bought her different dog food. She’s used to it now. Devon recommended this as well. It contains more of the sort of nutrients a big dog needs. Mrs Bosworth ought to buy this one in future. The other one was really for small dogs.’
‘What else?’
Ella walked in an aimless circle for a minute, trying to think.
‘Lead.’ Where was it? Ah, in her coat pocket. ‘Poo bags. New packet. Anything else?’
The lump in her throat threatened to choke her.
‘Bed?’ suggested her mother looking pointedly towards the French door.
‘Oh, yes. I bought her a new one. You’d better take that. She’s used to it now. The old one is under the stairs. You can take that too.’
‘You’ve spent rather a lot of money on her.’ Ella’s mother looked a bit worried. ‘Are you sure you want me to take all this?’
‘It’s fine, Mum. It belongs to Tess.’ She shrugged helplessly. ‘I’m not going to need it, am I?’
Her mother’s face tightened and then her eyes softened. ‘I didn’t realise you’d become so fond of her. I’m glad she’s been company for you.’
There was a pause. Silence roaring for a second. Ella’s stomach turned over.
‘I’ll take this lot out to the car. Do you want to bring Tess?’
Ella nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Her throat had closed up and her jaw hurt as she locked her back teeth together to stop any emotion escaping.
Tess wagged her tail. Ella took a deep breath. Tess was happy. That was the most important thing.
Ella followed her mother out to the car, trying not to think of all the times she’d walked along this path with Tess sniffing at every nook and cranny. Tess bounced along beside her, her nose in a flower, taking a sudden about turn diverted by the scent of something under the bush.
‘This way. Come on.’
Ears pricking up, Tess pattered through the gate and followed Ella’s mother who opened the boot of the car. Tess stopped, looking back. ‘In you go.’ Ella tugged at her collar and with an excited wag of her tail, Tess jumped into the car, turning three quick circles before looking at Ella, tongue hanging out as if to say, ‘So where are we going?’
Her mother stood, one hand on the top of the boot ready to shut it. Ella pinched her lips hard, feeling the tendons in her throat straining. She wanted to throw her arms around Tess, lift her back out of the car and run back into the house. Instead, blinking furiously, she rubbed Tess’s head and whispered, ‘Be good,’ and stepped back.
Her mother slammed the boot shut. Tess pressed her nose against the glass, her tail wagging. No doubt thinking she was going for another walk.
‘Bye, Ella, see you soon.’ Her mother started up the engine and Tess suddenly stilled, standing four square facing Ella, her nose up against the other side of the glass. Her eyebrows lifted up and down, almost meeting in the middle in her usual quizzical fashion as if to say, something’s different.
Ella reached and touched the spot which had already misted up. ‘Bye, Tess,’ she said, her voice hoarse. As the car pulled away Ella stood motionless, watching until it turned round the bend and went out of sight.
The kitchen felt horribly empty, the spot by the French doors now stark, just a few drops of water where Tess’s bowl used to be and a circle of black dog hair outlining the shape of her bed. Ella thought about sweeping them up but instead sank down into one of the kitchen chairs, laid her arms on the table, put her head down and cried.