Page 32 of Autumn at the Cornish Garden Café

‘How is he so muddy?’ Christopher asked, not seeming bothered by the fact as he hugged the small dog to him.

‘He’d fallen down a hole at the rear of your garden. It was past the trees and in a small clearing.’ Henry stood in front of the fire and warmed his hands, his legs, and then turned and did his back.

‘That damned hole.’ Christopher shook his head. ‘I covered it over years ago, but the planks must have moved. I think there’s a tunnel under there that probably leads to a smugglers’ cave. Smugglers’ caves exist in the area, but no one has used them for a very long time. The hole is out of the way so I didn’t think it would be a danger to anyone and Bobby rarely goes far from my side. He must have been spooked by the storm and fallen into it.’

‘It seemed that way. He’d gone along the tunnel to the cave and was completely bewildered.’

‘Thank goodness you found him. I’d be broken without him and the thought of him being down there, terrified and lone, is dreadful.’

‘He’ll need some TLC over the next few days, and we could get him checked by the vet tomorrow if you’re concerned about him, but he’s home safe now and that’s the main thing.’

‘Thank you so much.’ Christopher’s voice trembled.

‘No need for thanks. This is what friends do.’ He rubbed at his hair. ‘Will you be all right if I check on Rosa? I can come straight back, but I want to make sure she’s OK. I don’t have any phone signal.’

‘The landline is down too,’ Christopher said. ‘And yes, you must go to her. Bobby and I will be fine now. I’m not letting go of him.’

‘I’ll get you a drink and some water for him before I leave.’ Henry went out to the kitchen and almost cheered at the fact that Christopher had an Aga and that it was sending heat out into the kitchen. First, he put the kettle on the boiling plate; then he filled a bowl with water for Bobby. He quickly made a sandwich in case Christopher hadn’t eaten, made tea then placed everything on a tray. He took it through to the lounge and set the bowl on the floor and the mug and sandwich on the table next to Christopher.

‘I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can,’ he said. ‘Make sure you drink your tea while it’s warm and eat the sandwich.’

‘I will, Henry. Your father must be a very proud man,’ Christopher said. ‘You’re a credit to him and your mother.’

Henry coughed as his automatic reply lodge in his throat. He’d love it if his father was proud of him, but he knew that wasn’t the case and never would be. ‘I’ll see you soon,’ he said softly, gently patting Christopher’s shoulder and then giving Bobby’s head a stroke.

He retrieved his coat from the kitchen and pulled it on, then tugged the hood over his head and opened the back door again.

It was going to be a long night, but he was determined to make sure that the people he cared about in Porthpenny were looked after. He’d never forgive himself if anything happened to them when he could have kept them safe. As he marched along the pavement on his way to the bookshop, he realised how much they had come to mean to him — his family of friends that he had found when he least expected it.

He felt fortunate to have met them and hoped they felt the same.

22

ROSA

The morning had finally come and with it the calm after the storm. Rosa stirred in her cocoon on the sofa as she thought about what had happened. Henry had come to her during the night and insisted she go up to the flat and get warm. She’d been shaking from the cold and her clothes had been wet, but she’d barely noticed, so he’d made her take a warm shower and dress in dry clothes. After that, he’d wrapped her up in blankets on the sofa in the flat and warmed her some milk on the gas hob. The power had still been out, so he’d lit the gas with a match. He’d sat with her while she drank the milk and then he’d told her about Bobby and how he’d found him in an old smugglers’ cave. After reassuring her that Christopher and Bobby were fine, he stayed with her until she felt sleepy then he’d returned to check on Christopher. He’d also said he would do a tour of the village to see if anyone else needed help. He was such a decent man, and Rosa found his presence comforting, his efforts to help Christopher and Bobby too. If he hadn’t been there, Bobby might never have been found, and that would have been absolutely awful.

She roused herself and padded down to the shop to face the damage. The shop was a mess, but Henry was already there tidying things up.

‘Hey there.’ He stopped what he was doing and came to her side, placed a hand on her arm. ‘How’re you feeling?’

‘More to the point, how are you feeling? Did you get any rest at all?’

He gave a shy smile. ‘Not really. Well, half an hour at Christopher’s and then I sat in here for a break about an hour ago, but my adrenaline was pumping hard so I’ve kept going.’

She looked at his pale face, the stubble on his cheeks and the dark shadows under his eyes. ‘That adrenaline wearing off now?’

‘Kind of…’ He winced. ‘I guess I’ll sleep later.’

‘Why don’t we go up to the café and see if Pearl has power up there? She has solar panels in part of the gardens, so she may have some electricity even if the mains isn’t on yet. We can pick something up for Christopher and drop it off on the way back.’

‘That’s a great idea. We can’t do much here until we refuel, anyway.’

‘Exactly. I’ll grab a jacket and some boots, and we can get going.’

When she came back down, she saw Henry had filled a black bag, and he’d got the mop from the cupboard and started the clean-up.

‘There are some books in the black bag,’ he said apologetically. ‘We can have a look at them later and see if we can dry them out.’

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