Chapter Text
Somewhere in the Dales, 20th April 1941
It was the ugly sound of the car tires that lost traction that made Audrey Hall realise that they were about to have an accident. It was pitch dark outside, the rain was pouring down heavily, thunder was crashing and bolts of lightning were effectively blinding her. The roads, already a challenge in broad daylight, were too narrow for someone who didn’t know how to navigate them successfully during the night. Her fingers dug into the seat beneath her when she felt how the driver lost control over the old vehicle. The world around her began to spin and her stomach revolted, because she was losing orientation as the car spiralled. Going out in this weather, in these conditions, with blackout regulations applying, had been a mad idea to begin with. And now it was too late. She sent up a quick prayer, desperately hoping she wouldn’t have to leave this world without seeing the people she loved for one more time. She thought of Edward, of Tristan, Helen, James, and Jimmy and all the others who meant so much to her. The impact as the car hit the old brick wall was heavy and she felt how the pressure pushed the air out of her lungs and her bones revolted with sudden pain. She closed her eyes and covered her head with her hands when her upper body slung forward and hit the dashboard.
Without forewarning there was silence and the feeling of being cold.
The last thought on her mind, before she lost consciousness, was ‘Siegfried’. Siegfried, who was hopefully safe, wherever he was at this moment. Siegfried, because he was her love and she hadn’t even had the chance to tell him all about it. She had simply waited too long to tell him how she felt and now it was too late. As the darkness overwhelmed her, his face became blurry until it finally faded and she felt herself drifting away.
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Siegfried was watching the raging thunderstorm from a safe place in the entrance of an old silver mine. Glad to be in the dry while out there hell was breaking loose, he sank on the old crate that had probably been lying in the entrance for decades and made himself comfortable. He had been called out to take care of a sheep that had been caught in a fence. Freeing the ewe from the painful wire had been an ugly, bloody business with the heavy rain soaking him to the skin. Grateful that he had not forgotten to take his pipe with him when he had rushed out of the house, he rolled the tobacco between his fingers. It was a soothing ritual that always helped him to collect his thoughts. It had been a crazy couple of days lately. What had been meant to be a family occasion, a celebration had turned into a nightmare of family quarrels and jealousy.
It had all begun when James’ parents had arrived from Glasgow for the christening of little Jimmy. Everything had been arranged and Mrs Hall had spent weeks saving ingredients to make sure a festive menu would be on the table for the occasion. James had booked a room at the Inn for his parents, because Skeldale was definitely too crowded to accommodate two more people - until Hannah and James Herriot Senior had to announce that the Inn was overbooked and there was no room available for them. As it happened the Drovers had no vacant rooms either, and so they had to come up with a plan for new sleeping arrangements - and that was where the trouble had begun.
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Two days earlier
Hannah and James Herriot Sen. had arrived with an early train and James had picked them up at the station. It was the day before the christening of little Jimmy, James Herriot the third as Hannah loved to point out, and naturally the whole house was buzzing with excitement. The freshly baked grandparents were over the moon to meet their first grandchild and everyone was happy that for the first time since the war had begun, there was a reason to celebrate.
Audrey had prepared a tasty luncheon for all of them and Jimmy, although having been cranky all night long, was in good spirits and seemed to enjoy the attention everyone was paying him.
Having a baby under their roof had taken everyone in the house a bit of getting used to, but Audrey and especially Siegfried couldn’t have been happier about the arrival of Helen’s baby and doted on the little one as if he was their own.
It didn’t escape Hannah Herriot’s watchful eye that her daughter-in-law had come to rely on Audrey Hall when it came to taking care of the little boy. Not for the first time Hannah wondered why the housekeeper of James’ partner played such a prominent role in the raising of her grandson. Every letter that arrived from Darrowby, be it from James or Helen, mentioned ‘the wonderful Mrs Hall’. Apparently the woman could do anything. She mastered the busy household of three vets, had become a civil warden for the local community, and she helped Helen out when she was struggling with her motherly duties.
Every now and then Hannah used to comment on the letters with “Does that woman ever sleep?” or an even more meaningful furrowing of her eyebrows that always told her husband to keep his opinion on the matter to himself.
And then there was Mr Farnon himself who didn’t seem to dare to pick up his fork without seeking his housekeeper’s approval. He seemed to follow the woman’s lead without questioning it. Hannah suspected that one reason for the man’s blind obedience was that Mrs Hall (was she divorced or not? No one ever told her!) was quite good looking for a woman her age. Hannah secretly envied the housekeeper for her slender figure and her beautiful eyes. Not even her James was immune to her, because more than once since their arrival she had watched him stealing secret glances from Mrs Hall’s long legs and her admittedly well shaped backside. It reminded her that she should perhaps eat a little less, but that was hardly the point.
In the end it was the mixture of everything that concerned Mrs Hall that didn’t sit well with Hannah, because she believed in roles and how they should be lived. A housekeeper was a housekeeper, not the lady of the manor, and she shouldn’t run the place like it was her own.
After lunch the Herriots decided to go to the Inn to check in and have a lie down, before they were expected to come back for tea. Hannah secretly looked forward to having a break from the family vibes at Skeldale House and a nap. They had left Glasgow at dawn and the day of the christening wouldn’t be any less exhausting. James seemed less eager to leave, but eventually picked up their suitcases and refused James’ offer to take them to the Inn.
Then the incomprehensible happened. The Inn had forgotten their reservation and unless they wanted to sleep in the broom cupboard there was no space available for them. So they checked with the local pub, but without success.
Soaking wet, because the Dales had welcomed Hannah and James Herriot Senior with one of its usual spring showers, James’s parents were now standing in the hallway, dripping on the clean floor. Audrey and Siegfried were staring at the couple, contemplating the implications for all of them.
Hannah looked exasperated, James Sen. most embarrassed. “I’m not sure what happened, but there’s no room for us at the Inn and none at The Drovers,” he reported and took off his hat. “Apparently they are painting the guest rooms.”
“It’s dreadful!” Hannah complained. “Where are we supposed to stay now?”
Audrey saw the desperation and felt helpless. “I’ll make some calls,” she promised eagerly and went straight to the telephone.
“If anyone can find you a place to stay, it’s Mrs Hall,” Siegfried assured them. “She’s a miracle worker when it comes to making the impossible possible. Why don’t we go into the living room and have a drink? You must be frozen to the bone!”
Hoping the prospect of a brandy would lift up Hannah’s mood, Siegfried took over their wet coats and showed them into the sitting room. James thanked him for the offer and tried to encourage his wife to relax a bit, but it was a useless undertaking. From the moment she had set foot into Skeldale the woman had been determined to be unhappy about everything.
He handed out the drinks, but Hannah was too busy looking over her shoulder to enjoy her brandy.
“Where’s James anyway?” she asked after five minutes, in which Siegfried and James talked about the one and only air raid Darrowby had experienced so far. The Herriots lived in Glasgow and James’s reports about the regular attacks left Siegfried grateful for living in a backwater.
“He’s out… a farm call, but he won’t be long,” Siegfried explained. “He just wanted to check on Betsy.”
“Betsy?” James asked, amused.
“Betsy is a cow,” Siegfried informed him. “It was a bacterial infection, but she’s on the mend now.”
Jess, Siegfried’s golden retriever, trotted into the living room, demanding a cuddle from her master.
“Where’s Dash, old girl?” Siegfried wondered as he caressed Jess’ fluffy ears.
Jess sank down next to his feet and seconds later, Audrey and Dash appeared in the sitting room. His housekeeper’s mine was uncharacteristically discouraging and Siegfried feared for the worst.
“Well, I’m afraid I were out of luck,” Audrey reported contritely. “Not even Mrs Miller from the other side of the Market Square has a room available. It’s all booked out. But I’ve already had an idea,” she added, now smiling. “We can reshuffle and make room for the two of you. Mr Carmody can sleep in me room.”
“And where do you want to sleep?” Siegfried asked, puzzled.
“I can stay downstairs,” Audrey said light-heartedly. “I’ll be on duty tomorrow night anyway.”
Siegfried rose from his armchair. “Excuse us a moment,” he said and asked Audrey to follow him into the hallway.
“No way!” He said darkly when they were out of earshot. “You won’t give up your sleeping quarters for anyone.”
“But it’s only for two…”
“But that’s it! You’re working harder than any of us and you need your rest. I won’t have it, Mrs Hall!” He looked so determined and worried that Audrey’s heart rate quickened.
“Mr Farnon, I appreciate your worry, I do, but it’s no bother for me,” she said softly.
“But it bothers me,” he insisted, most stubbornly. “I would rather give up my own room, if necessary.”
She shook her head. “But that’s not how…”
“Mrs Hall. Can we, for once, do it the way I suggest? Let’s pretend this is my house and I call the shots around here.” His brown eyes penetrated hers and she felt how her stomach performed a salto. “Move the Herriots into my room, I’ll sleep on the sofa. Don’t force me to use more drastic words that would probably lead me to be banned from tomorrow morning’s service.”
It wasn’t often that he put his foot down like this and she didn’t want to displease him. He meant every word of it and so she just nodded and lowered her eyelashes. “As you wish, Mr Farnon.”
“I’m glad we’ve cleared that up.” Satisfied to have overruled her just for once, he clapped into his hands and went back into the living room to deliver the news while Audrey remained in the hallway, a bit speechless and impressed at the same time.
#tbc#