Chapter 81

Mark was washing out the milking room when Toby Weatherspoon arrived. He dropped everything and went outside to meet him. He also gave Victoria a shout.

"Good morning, Toby," he said with a smile. "I imagine you'll be visiting Patch first of all so I thought I'd join you. I thought he was coming along pretty well when I had a look at him yesterday."

"Good morning, Mark," replied Toby also with a smile. "You must be feeling better. You certainly look it."

"I am, thanks. Much better. Hello, darling," as Victoria joined them. "As you can see Patch's personal physician has arrived."

Victoria grinned at him.

"Hello, Toby," she said. "Nice to see you as always. His Majesty is in the paddock."

"Do you mind if I join you?" asked Mark. "I'd like to see whether the expert opinion agrees with mine."

"Of course," said Toby and they all trooped off to the paddock.

As soon as Patch saw them he trotted over and nuzzled Victoria, blew at Mark and then stood watching Toby who stroked his nose.

"You're moving fine," Toby said to him. "Do you mind if I look at the wound?" He moved round. Patch watched him. Toby looked closely at the wound and probed round it. "You're doing even better than I expected, Patch," he said. "I think you're ready to give your mistress a gentle ride."

Victoria hopped up and down with joy. "Give me a leg up, Mark darling," she said. Mark did so and she walked Patch bareback round the paddock talking to him all the way.

"You've made her day," said Mark. "Thanks."

Toby smiled gratefully. "Not a difficult case," he said. "Luckily the cut wasn't that deep."

Mark nodded.

Serena joined them at that moment and Mark noticed Toby's face light up. "Golly!" she said. "That's quick. Well done, Toby."

The latter looked as though he was ready to roll over on his back and have his tummy tickled. "I think Patch is so fit that he's healing himself quicker than I thought he would," he answered deprecatingly.

"No," laughed Serena. "It was your magic ointment."

Victoria and Patch rejoined them. It was difficult to tell who looked the most pleased. Victoria slid off and gave Toby a kiss. "Thank you so much," she said. "Where do we go from here?"

"Walk him again this afternoon for quarter of an hour. If the wound doesn't weep give him half an hour morning and afternoon tomorrow. If it's still OK try a gentle canter. I'd rather you didn't take him anywhere that he might get the scab opened but after that he ought to be fine."

"Wonderful!" cried Victoria. She turned to Patch. "Jumping again this weekend, my boy."

Patch tossed his head at her excitement.

"I'd better press on," said Toby. He said goodbye to the girls and Mark accompanied him back towards his car.

"Can you spare me a few minutes?" asked Mark.

"Of course." Toby looked at him curiously.

Mark showed him into the farm office and closed the door. He offered him a chair and Toby sat down. Mark perched on the edge of the desk.

"I'll come straight to the point," he said. "Do you know someone called Charles Fitzmaurice?"

Toby went white as a sheet. "Er, yes," he said hesitantly.

Mark handed him the two photographs of him and Victoria with Patch.

"Any idea who took those?"

"That's after I sewed Patch up," said Toby in surprise. "No, I've no idea."

"What about these?" Mark handed the others over.

Toby gasped. "That's not Victoria, I promise," he whispered.

"No, Toby, I know it isn't but the same chap took them."

"The bastard. It must be Charles." He buried his head in his hands.

Mark waited. Toby finally looked up. "Is that all?" he asked.

"'Fraid not," said Mark and handed him the letter.

Toby read it. "The bastard!" he said again. "The mean, lying, conniving bastard!"

"Want to tell me?" Mark asked.

"You're going to hate me."

"Not necessarily, particularly if you're completely honest with me."

"All right. Can I make a phone call? I'm due back for surgery."

"Yes, of course." Mark indicated the telephone. "Coffee?"

"Please," said Toby gratefully. He rang the practice. "Jean, I've run into a problem and I'm going to be back late if at all. Can you tell Eddy? Thanks. If I'm that late I'll go straight on to my afternoon calls. Thank you, my dear."

"Sugar?" asked Mark holding up a mug.

"One, please."

There was silence while the kettle boiled and Mark made the coffee. He handed Toby his and then sat down in another chair so that he was no longer dominating him.

"All yours," he said with a smile.

Toby smiled weakly back. "It all started at university," he said. "I did something very wrong and very stupid. I'd rather not go into it other than to say that if it got found out I would have been sent down and never have become a vet."

Mark nodded.

"Charles was a friend. Some friend!" he said ruefully. "Anyway, he managed to turn the thing away from me and in the end everything blew over and no one suffered that much. I was absurdly grateful but he brushed it off saying that that's what friends were for and he knew I'd do the same for him if ever the need arose. We both graduated, went our separate ways and I never heard from him again until a couple of months or so ago when he asked me to meet him in York for dinner as he had a problem I might be able to help him with. I agreed, being rather flattered that he had turned to me when he had a problem."

Mark nodded again but remained silent.

"He told me that he and Victoria had been engaged and that you had pinched her a fortnight before the wedding. He said that he wanted Victoria back and asked me if I would pretend to have an affair with her and then when things became difficult between you and Victoria he would ride in as the knight errant and save her from me and you. I wasn't keen because I didn't want to muck up my chances with Serena but he then started to hint rather heavily at blackmail and that got me worried. He must have known somehow how your accident had affected you, he said, 'Toby, you'd be releasing her from the hell of being married to that morose, selfish bugger and allow her to live the sort of life a beautiful, vivacious and loving girl like her is entitled to.'"

Mark was unable to keep quiet any longer. "God!" he said. "He really is the most underhand conman."

Toby nodded. "But all he'd said about you tallied. I didn't know much about your accident despite seeing you around from time to time with a stick but you did seem morose and selfish."

"Yes," said Mark simply. "I was but not anymore. I'm back to normal. Thanks to Master Fitzmaurice. Anyway, you must have agreed. Hence the dinner invitation."

Toby nodded. "He'd frightened me with the threatened exposure but I still wasn't at all keen because of my feelings towards Serena and I didn't want to mess things up there."

"Feelings you clearly still have," said Mark with a grin. "And as things stand you may still find me a barrier. Or," he said seriously, " as you realise only too well, this business could well put Serena off you for ever."

Toby nodded. "So that was really it. I was to have an affair with Victoria, which would lead to you and she separating, and the gallant Charles would ride to the rescue. I still didn't like it but he then upped the blackmail threat and I gave in. I'm afraid Serena's a goner now as far as I'm concerned and I'll probably lose you all as clients. But, Mark, I promise you I was never, and never would be, party to what he's dreamed up now."

"Yes on Serena, I suspect, but not necessarily on the rest and I accept what you say about what he's up to now. Let me tell you about Charles Fitzmaurice in Victoria's and my lives."