‘Yes,’ Sarah admitted. ‘But she’s awake-just-and I know she’s worrying about her animals. It must only do her good to see you.’
‘Is…is Dr Mountmarche still with her?’
Sarah almost chuckled and Jess grimaced. The start of things to come…
‘He is,’ Sarah managed blandly. ‘Not for long, though. He was held up to begin with. There was a kiddy with a pea up his nose for the doctor to see as soon as he started work…’ She cast another covert grin at Jess.
‘And now Chris Hayes has rung to say his old father had a fall in the woodshed last night and reckoned he lost consciousness for a while. Old Mr Hayes is in his own bed now and swears he doesn’t need a doctor but Chris asked if Dr Mountmarche would go.’
So Dr Mountmarche would go. A man who faced his responsibilities…
‘I hope Paige isn’t fretting…’
‘I can tell you that, too,’ Sarah smiled. ‘She rang in person and asked for her daddy. Quite the young lady she’s getting. I heard the doctor explaining how long he’ll be so she can’t be worried.’
All bases covered…
OK…
So Niall was with Ethel now.
Jess smiled, not as broadly as Sarah but a smile for all that, and went to see Ethel.
Ethel was so ill…
The woman was propped up on pillows, her damaged hand swathed in white bandages and cradled on pillows in front of her. Niall was holding her good wrist, his face grim.
Ethel turned to Jess as the young vet entered and her eyes were wide with anxiety.
When she saw who it was she relaxed-but only a fraction.
‘Barry’s still in the lock-up,’ Jess told her swiftly and watched some of the tension lift from Ethel’s face. ‘And will be for at least two days, if Dr Mountmarche has anything to do with it.’
‘Two days or longer,’ Niall growled. ‘Jess, Ethel says she won’t lay charges.’ His eyes gave her an urgent message. You know this lady, his eyes were telling her. See if you can do some good.
Ethel’s face was blank and lifeless. All the fight had been knocked out of her. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I don’t…I don’t…Jess, what am I going to do?’
‘Leave him,’ Jess said bluntly. ‘You know you must. The only question is how-and where will you go? Ethel, what happened last night?’
‘He hit me,’ Ethel whispered. ‘Well, that’s not so unusual. He does it all the time-when his dinner’s late or if he’s had a bad day or sometimes if I look at him wrong…I don’t know…
‘Only last night Kiro, my Rottweiler-well, he’s Barry’s dog, really; Barry bought him because he fancied a savage dog but I feed him and Kiro reckons he belongs to me now-Well, last night Kiro got frightened and tried to bite Barry. Not really. I mean he just snarled and snapped when Barry hit me. But Barry said the dog had to be killed.
‘He said…He said I had to do it and if the dog wasn’t dead when he got back from the pub he’d kill the dog and break my other arm-and kill my horse as well. He said we weren’t keeping any more animals.
‘So…so I didn’t know what to do. Kiro…Well, I couldn’t bear it. I just locked the house and…Only then Barry came home and got the chainsaw and I didn’t realise how drunk he was…I heard the noise and went over to the wall and told him not to be a fool and the next thing the saw just came through…’
Her eyes fell to her hand and she closed her eyes.
‘I wish it had killed me,’ she whispered.
Niall Mountmarche’s face was as grim as death. He opened his mouth to say something-and then closed it again in a tight, fierce line.
‘Sergeant Russell will want to lay charges against Barry,’ Jess said gently, glancing up at Niall. ‘Will you do it, Ethel?’
‘How can I? He’ll kill me.’
‘Not if you’re off the island,’ Jess said staunchly. ‘Ethel, where does your daughter live?’
‘In Sydney. Near my sister.’ Ethel’s face softened. ‘I’ve a little granddaughter now but I’ve never seen her. Barry won’t…’ Her voice faded to nothing.
‘You need to go to Sydney anyway to have your hand rebuilt.’ Niall somehow had his face under control again. ‘Could you stay with your daughter or your sister when you come home from hospital?’
Ethel’s eyes stayed closed. She was so close to exhaustion. This needed to be sorted though or she’d get no peace. There had to be some light at the end of her troubled path.
‘There’s no room,’ Ethel said bleakly. ‘Christine’s in a flat with her husband and the baby and my sister has four of her own kids. There’s Mum’s house…but Barry would just come…’
‘Mum’s house?’
‘My mother died six months ago,’ Ethel said drearily. ‘She always hated Barry-so she left the house to me. It’s just a simple two-bedroom weatherboard but it’s close to Christine and my sister. I tried to persuade Barry to move-I’d so like to be close to them-but then…He said I had to sell the house. I know what he’d do with the money. It’s on the market but it hasn’t sold…’
Jessie’s face cleared. ‘Well, then…’
‘It doesn’t solve anything,’ Ethel said drearily. ‘Barry would just come. He’d make it awful…’
‘Not after what he’s done.’ Niall’s grim voice was laced with iron determination. ‘Ethel, if you’re prepared to lay charges against him, we can organise an intervention order. Barry won’t be allowed anywhere near you. If the house is in your name…’
‘It is.’
‘Then there’s no problem…’
‘But…’ Ethel’s eyes opened. She looked dazed. This woman had been bullied for so many years that she lacked the capacity to see any hope at all. ‘My animals…’
‘Kiro could go with you,’ Jess told her staunchly. ‘I’ll look after him until you’re out of hospital in Sydney and then we’ll fly him over to join you. No problem.’ Her face clouded. ‘I’m not sure about your horse.’
‘She’ll have to be put down,’ Ethel said sadly. ‘I can’t keep her in Sydney.’ She looked up at Jess, a trace of strength returning to her eyes. ‘She’s in awful condition. Barry wouldn’t let me feed her. Only the knackers will want her now. It’s been cruel of me to keep her for so long, anyway. I kept hoping…I kept hoping Barry would change his mind. Will you…will you organise it for me, Jess?’
‘I’ll do that.’
‘And you…You’ll look after Kiro?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘And I don’t have to see Barry?’
‘We’ll put a police guard on the door if necessary,’ Niall said strongly. He loaded his syringe with a vial of pethidine. ‘OK, now, Ethel. Enough organisation. We’ll fix you an airlift to Sydney but meanwhile I’ll give you something to let you sleep.’
‘I’d like that,’ Ethel whispered. ‘I’d like to sleep…I feel like I could sleep for a very long time…’
‘Bastard…’
Niall had barely got out of the room before the word erupted. His hands clenched into fists. ‘Hell, Jess, how can she have put up with it for so long?’
‘Victim syndrome,’ Jess said sadly. ‘She’s so used to being abused and bullied she sees it almost as normal. To organise herself away from Barry without help would be beyond her.’ She sighed. ‘I’ll ring her daughter in Sydney and explain what’s happened. Hopefully she’ll be safe…’
‘Give me names and I’ll ring,’ Niall said roughly. ‘I’m her treating doctor.’
‘I’m treating vet.’
‘So you are-bless you,’ Niall smiled. He took her shoulders and gave her a swift kiss. ‘But I’ll do the phoning. You seem to have enough on your hands. You now have a Rottweiler among your orphans, Dr Harvey. And a derelict horse. You take on the world, my lovely Jess…’
‘I don’t…’ To have a man look at her like that…To have this man…
‘Just leave room for me in that big heart of yours,’ he told her and his smile deepened. Finally he shook his head. ‘Damn. I have to go. See you at the vineyard later-barring emergencies?’
