"It was very kind of you to offer to drive me," Siegfried said as he and Lily made the journey up towards the Calvert farm. He had been surprised at her offer, though also secretly pleased, for reasons that weren't abundantly clear to him. "I'm sure I could have managed of course, but I'm grateful nonetheless."

"Better safe than sorry I suppose," she replied. "Can't 'ave you 'aving an accident on the way."

"No, I suppose that would be unfortunate," he agreed. "It was foolish of me to drink so much in any event. A local vet is never not on call. Things like this can arise at any time, with little warning or notice."

"Won't Mrs Calvert mind if you've been drinking? Attending to 'er cow, I mean."

"Her sole objective is ensuring a healthy calf is born. Whether I've imbibed slightly before arriving should be neither here nor there. Unless it affects my ability or my judgement, which it doesn't."

"Well I'm glad you're so confident," she replied, looking at him sideways and smiling.

"If one isn't confident in one's own ability then I suppose one shouldn't be doing the job."

"I suppose not."

"Have you really never seen a cow give birth before?"

Her smile faded slightly, "No, never."

"How extraordinary. What does your father do when his beasts are calving then? Is he assisted by other farmers?"

"Sometimes, if there's a lot of them going at the same time."

"And what if something goes wrong? Does he never call on you then?"

"No, e'd call the vet, which would be you, I suppose. Or not, as the case now may be."

He shook his head, unable to fully comprehend Tom Bailey's thinking. "It just seems pointless to have someone as eminently capable as you there and not ask you to assist."

"What makes you think I'm eminently capable?" she asked.

"Don't you think you are?"

"Well, never 'aving 'elped birth a calf before, I suppose I can't rightly say."

"No, I suppose not." He looked at her sideways. "We can change all that today though."

"I'm only driving you there," she glanced at him, a look of mild panic flitting across her face. "And just to see what it's like. I won't be able to, you know, 'elp."

"And why not?"

"Well…" she stuttered. "I'm 'ardly dressed for it for a start."

"You look fine."

"And what is Mrs Calvert going to say if I'm down at the cow's end with you? People round 'ere talk, you know."

"And do you care what they say?" She didn't reply. "Besides, what could she possibly say to anyone that would cause consternation? You seem to think you would be the subject of ridicule, but you'd simply be a farmer's daughter helping to birth a calf. Around here, I wouldn't have thought that to be particularly unusual." In the silence that followed, he glanced over at her again and saw her expression was fixed with worry. He couldn't help but feel desperately sorry for her and, something else, that was quietly trumpeting away in the far corner of his mind. "Lily, I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do, but I just think that you'll derive some benefit from it. Perhaps your father might consider you worthy of doing more as a result. Isn't that what you want?"

"I suppose…"

"Well then. Ah, we're here." She pulled the van to a halt inside the Calvert yard and he jumped out, grabbing his bag in the process. Mrs Calvert appeared out of the shed, her grey wispy hair flying around her weather-beaten face. "Good afternoon Mrs Calvert."

"Mr Farnon," she replied, then looked over to where Lily was climbing down from the driver's seat. "What do we 'ave 'ere then?"

"Miss Bailey's assisting me today."

"Is she now? She don't look like she's dressed for it from where I'm standing."

He looked over to where Lily was hovering uncomfortably looking, he considered, very well in her dress, jacket and small heels. Admittedly, it wasn't the usual attire one would wear to a calving and as she met his gaze, he could feel the anxiety coming off her in waves. "Well it's not the clothes that matter, is it?"

"I suppose not," Mrs Calvert replied, clearly unconvinced. "She's in 'ere." Leading him into the shed, he saw the cow in question lying on the straw, groaning ever so slightly, her belly distended with calf. "Poor girl's been 'aving a tough time of it today."

"When did she start?" he asked, laying his bag down and taking off his jacket.

"First thing this morning."

"Right girl," he said softly, moving towards the cow. "Let's be having a look at you then." Gently, he looked into her eyes, then felt her belly carefully before moving around to her hindquarters. As he did so, a contraction rippled through her and she bellowed loudly. He watched as she widened, anticipating the progress of the calf, only for nothing to happen. "Well, she definitely needs some help. Can you fetch me a bucket of water please and some towels?" Mrs Calvert nodded and then disappeared back out into the yard. When he looked up, Lily was standing nervously by the entrance to the pen. "Come and take a look."

"I…" she paused and then stepped across the straw to join him.

"See how her belly ripples when she has a contraction?" he pointed. "The calf should progress down the birth canal round the pelvis and slide out quite easily. But, in this case, it appears that he or she is stuck."

"So, what can you do?"

"Well I can put my arm inside the birth canal and try to pull the calf round." He paused on her look. "Have you really never seen anyone do this?"

"No," she coloured slightly. "Me dad would always just tell me to go inside and…and I did…"

"Well, you're not going inside now." He got to his feet and started unbuttoning his waistcoat followed by his shirt.

Her eyes widened slightly, "What are you doing?"

"Well I'm hardly going to stick my arm up there wearing a good shirt, am I?" he replied, tossing the shirt to one side and suddenly remembering that the warm weather had meant he hadn't put on a vest that morning. He watched as her eyes flickered down to his chest and then back up, her cheeks once again reddening, and he felt a wave of…something…wash over him at her obvious embarrassment.

"What are you staring at lass?" Mrs Calvert's voice cut through the air as she reappeared with the requested items. "'aven't you ever seen a man shirtless before? Right little princess we've got 'ere."

"I…uh…" Lily paused. "You're not…not going to ask me to do the same, are you?"

"Uh…no, but you might want to take your jacket off," he replied, stepping back over to Mrs Calvert and taking the bucket from her. He quickly washed his arms and then came back around to where Lily was still hovering, now divested of her jacket. "Mrs Calvert, could you hold her head please?"

"I thought that were what your assistant was for," Mrs Calvert replied acerbically.

"Well, she's here to learn and I rather think she'll learn more at this end than at that end so, if you wouldn't mind?"

"'ere to learn, eh?" The other woman sneered slightly but did as he was asked.

"Right," he said to Lily, motioning to her to crouch beside him. "Now, I don't want to hurt her, so I'll wait for the next contraction and then slide my arm up once she's good and wide. So, keep an eye on her belly and tell me when you see it ripple again."

"All right," she replied, slightly breathlessly.

"There's nothing to worry about," he said softly. "I'm not going to ask you to put your arm up."

"Thank God for that…oh, there!"

"Right…" as the cow bellowed again, he slid his arm up and inside, feeling for the calf's head. For a moment, he felt nothing but the mother's spongy innards but, manoeuvring around her pelvis, he felt his fingers brush against something hard, and his heart sank slightly. "She's breech."

"What does that mean?" Lily asked.

"It means, she's coming out feet first rather than…than head first," he stretched further in. "Yes…definitely…" Pulling his arm back out, he sat back on his haunches. "It's a more difficult birth this way. Normally, it's straightforward to get a grip on the head and pull her round, but when you've got four legs to contend with, there's a greater risk of damage to one or all of them."

"But you can get her out?"

He met her gaze and saw the hopeful expectation there, so like that which he had seen some months earlier in quite different circumstances. "I can try."

"What if you can't?"

"Then they'll both die," Mrs Calvert replied from her place at the cow's head. "You know enough to know that, surely?"

"I…I wasn't sure," Lily replied. "Can I do anything?"

"No, only room for one arm." Laying flat on his stomach, he inserted his arm again and stretched as far as he could, once more brushing against the hoof and trying to grab a hold of it. The cow bellowed again, and he could feel the contraction against his arm, pushing the calf slightly further towards him, but not by much.

"Can you feel it?" he heard Lily ask.

"Yes…it's just a case of…getting a firm grip…" he stretched again, gritting his teeth as he managed to encircle one small ankle and gently pull. "All right…I've got it…" slowly he began to retract his arm, just as another contraction rippled through the cow. "That's it…that's it…" As the calf came further down the canal, the friction became easier and, eventually, two small hooves followed by two spindly legs appeared from the cow's hindquarters. "We'll just give her a minute and then pull her the rest of the way out," he said, sitting back and gasping for breath.

"Are you all right?" Lily asked.

"Course 'e's all right," Mrs Calvert replied. "You think 'e's not used to this or something?"

"I'm fine," he turned to look at her. "Do you want to finish the job?"

"Me?"

"'er?! She's not a vet!"

"Well?" he pressed, ignoring the older woman. "You might as well have the full experience seeing as you're here." Though her expression was laced with apprehension, Lily nodded. "Splendid. Now, at the next contraction, I want you to take hold of the legs and apply gentle pressure to pull her the rest of the way out."

"What if I do something wrong?" she asked, her voice low.

"You won't. Besides. I'm right here," he met her gaze. "All right?" She nodded. "Right. So, take hold of the legs, that's it, and then when you feel the contraction, pull."

"Ok…" she took hold of the legs and waited. He watched her watching the cow's belly and couldn't help but think that, despite her somewhat formal appearance, she seemed right at home there in the shed. "Ok, I see it…"

"All right now pull…gently…that's it…" She moved slowly backwards as the legs became longer and finally gave way to the remains of the calf as it slid out from its mother and into the straw beneath her. "There she is. A fine looking girl, Mrs Calvert."

"Thank goodness for that," the older woman replied.

"Now, we need to just make sure that she's breathing all right," he said, lifting some straw and gently poking it into the calf's nostrils. After a moment, she snorted and shook her head. "There we go." Looking over at Lily, he saw her watching the calf with a look akin to wonderment. "You did that."

"I did not. You did."

"We both did. I'd say I couldn't have done it without you but that might be overstating it slightly." She burst out laughing and he couldn't help but think how utterly beautiful she looked, dressed the way she was, crouched in a cow shed.

"Well I 'ope you aren't expecting me to pay the both of you," Mrs Calvert broke in. "I only asked for one vet, not one and an 'alf."

"Uh, no Mrs Calvert, don't worry," he replied. "The fee will not be affected. Two for the price of one. Consider yourself having gotten a bargain."

XXXX

"It was amazing to see," Lily said for the hundredth time as they drove back down towards the village. "I 'ad no idea, really I didn't. I suppose I'm ashamed to say that I didn't."

"Why should you be ashamed?" Siegfried asked. "It's hardly your fault."

"Perhaps I should have been more insistent. Told me dad that I was going to 'elp 'im whether 'e wanted me to or not."

"Well, next time, you can say that and feel that you have some knowledge of the process."

"Thank you," she looked over at him. "For showing me."

"It was my pleasure. Besides, Mrs Calvert's a battle axe at the best of times. Safety in numbers, that's what I say." Up ahead, he could see a car towing a horsebox and she slowed the van as they came up behind it. "Do you know whose horsebox that is?"

"No idea," she replied. "Whoever it is certainly isn't as careful as you are. 'e's driving like 'e's three sheets to the wind."

He watched as the horsebox swayed across the road in front of them, picking up speed as it did so. "Bloody fool. Probably had too much to drink at the show and thought he would just drive himself home. Liable to cause an injury!"

"Some people don't seem to care about putting themselves at risk like that."

"I'm not talking about him, I'm talking about the poor horse. It can't exactly tell its owner not to get behind the wheel."

"Maybe I should pass 'im."

"No, don't. Just stay back. It looks like he's turning to go over the bridge."

"Must be one of Lord Hulton's horses. 'is is the only stables up that way. Oh my Lord," she gasped, "'e's going too fast!"

They watched in horror as the car swung around the bend to go up and over the bridge, the horsebox swinging wildly out behind it and striking the stone wall. With a horrifying crunching sound, the tow bar buckled, and the horsebox crashed up and over the top of the low wall, teetered for a moment, and then slid down into the water below.

Siegfried had the door open before Lily had brought the van to a complete stop and he ran over to the wall, looking down at the horsebox slowing sinking into the water below. "Check the driver!" he shouted to her as he made his way around to the side of the embankment. Without waiting for her to reply, he threw his jacket onto the ground and slid down into the water below which was cold enough to cause him to gasp. The horsebox was lying on its side and, from within, he could hear the frantic neighing of its terrified occupant, its hooves striking the metal over and over.

Unsure as to how badly injured the animal might be, he knew that he needed to get it out as quickly as possible and he waded around to the far side where the door was located. The mechanism was stiff, and it took several attempts before it gave way, the door moving down and opening merely a crack.

"Is 'e all right?" Lily's voice at his side made him jump and, turning, he saw that she had joined him, almost shoulder deep in the water. "The driver's 'alf cut but 'e doesn't seem to be 'urt."

"You should wait at the van. You'll catch your death!"

"But I could 'elp you. You can't get 'im out all by yourself, can you?"

"I can't get in for a start," he said, as the horse thundered against the side of the box. "I doubt I can get the door wide enough…" as he spoke, he felt the box start to move. "The current's going to carry it downstream."

"Well 'ow can we stop it?"

"We need to try and propel it over towards the bank," he said, moving around to the far side and attempting to push. Seconds later, she joined him, adding her own weight to the task. But the box was too heavy, and it continued to push back against them, taking them further into the middle of the river where the water was deeper and he could no longer touch the riverbed. "It's no use! We have to try and get this door open!" Taking hold of the handle again, he pulled hard and, with a groan, it opened slightly further. Peering inside, he could see the horse lying on its side, the rope from the headcollar wrapped around its neck, its legs thrashing. "We need to untie him. Otherwise he might choke himself."

"I can go in," Lily said suddenly, paddling beside him.

"No," he replied. "No, he could kick you to death."

"Well 'e could kick you to death too and then where would we be? I'm small enough to be able to get inside. Please…" she met his gaze. "I can do it."

He paused, weighing up the options and realising that she was right. If she could at least get inside and loosen the headcollar, then with her on the other side, he might be able to lever the door open far enough to allow the horse to escape. "All right but be careful. Watch his legs." Gingerly, she made her way to the opening and, with his assistance, climbed onto the roof of the box before starting to lower herself slowly down inside. "Find something to hold onto," he instructed as she disappeared inside and he could hear her murmuring softly to the horse, who continued to thrash. "Are you all right? Lily!"

"I'm all right," she shouted back. "I'm just going to try and untie 'im." As she spoke, the box suddenly lurched to one side and water started to pour in through the open door. The horse neighed loudly and kicked out. "Siegfried!"

"Can you get him untied?!"

"I don't know…the knot's too tight, I…I could take off the collar but then we won't 'ave anything to 'old 'im with!"

"Do it!" he shouted, wishing he had had the foresight to lift his bag but knowing there was no time now to retrieve it or the tools within. The box started to move again, the weight of the water already inside causing it to lean once more into the river. "Hurry up!"

"I'm trying…there! Ok, 'e's untied!"

"Now I need you push against the door from inside!" His words were drowned by the incessant thrashing of the now freed animal. "Lily, did you hear me?!"

"Yes!"

"All right, now push!" He grabbed hold of the top of the door and tried to wrench it downwards with all his strength. It moved a little then groaned and stopped, more water rushing in with each passing moment. "Keep pushing!" With a sudden squeal of protest, the door suddenly slid down, causing him to fall backwards. The horse thrashed wildly as it fought to get to its feet, and ashe righted himself, he could see Lily cowering in the far corner from its hooves. "Lily!" The horse rolled over, got to its feet and thundered out into the water. The box lurched again, swingingly wildly around and away from him, the current starting to carry it. "Lily!" He found himself pulled after it and as it hurtled to the other side of the bank, it flipped around once more, and he saw her desperately scramble for the door. With a sharp cry, she fell out and into the water as the box slammed once more into the embankment and he flailed towards her. "Here! Take my hand!" She stretched out towards him and his fingers brushed hers momentarily before she was pushed away again. "Come on!"

"I…I can't reach!"

He tried to get closer to her again, desperately reaching out for any part of her to grab onto. "Come on!" This time, he felt her fingers and then her wrist under his hand and, with as much strength as he could muster against the current, he pulled her over towards the embankment, pushing her up and out of the water before pulling himself up beside her.

"Oh my Lord…" she gasped, lying down on her back. "Oh my Lord, we could 'ave drowned…"

"Yes…yes we could have," he agreed, adopting the same position. "But we didn't, and we saved the horse."

"Where…where is the 'orse?"

"He'll be around here somewhere. He didn't look to be injured, more frightened than anything else." He turned his head to look at her. "You were quite wonderful."

"Oh, I don't know about that…"

"I do. The way you jumped into that box and untied him…he would likely have drowned if it hadn't been for you."

She turned her head and met his gaze, "Well I'd like to say I couldn't 'ave done it without you but that might be overstating it slightly."

He laughed and sat up. Back upstream, where the accident had taken place, he could see other cars now dotted around and a group of people standing with the horse. There were raised voices, but the distance meant that he couldn't hear what was being said. "I suppose I should go and check him over, make sure he's all right," he said, duty to the animal coming to the forefront of his mind as always. Getting to his feet, he held out his hand to help her up and, in doing so, inadvertently pulled her against him, to the point where they both almost slipped back down into the water.

"Steady on," she joked. "I just got out the water and I've no real inclination to get back in."

"No, me neither." Looking at her, at her hair and clothes wet and muddy from the river, he felt the blood suddenly rush to his head and all the different feelings he had been experiencing since she had approached him in the refreshment hall collect in his chest.

"Bloody 'ell, it's cold…" She started to shiver in front of him and, instinctively, he slid his arms around her, pulling her against him and rubbing her gently but firmly.

"The water was freezing. We should get some blankets, try to raise our body temperatures before shock sets in." She said nothing, merely stood and allowed him to touch her and when he pulled back to meet her gaze, he felt his breath catch in his throat for a reason completely separate to the effect of the cold water. "Lily…"

"Don't, Siegfried, please."

"I've…thought about you so often these last few months…and I…"

"I've thought about you too," she sighed softly. "But please don't. It's not fair. You can't give me anything."

"Can't I?" he said quickly and without thinking. "Why can't I?"

"Because…" she shook her head. "Because of everything you said, in person and in your letter. Because of how much you still love your wife. Because the thought of…loving…anyone else is incomprehensible to you."

"I…" he hesitated, wanting to argue with her and yet well aware that what she was saying was true. He had said that, had thought that, had felt that. There could be no-one for him but Evelyn, no-one and, without her, that meant being alone. Forever. Until the end of his life. But he couldn't help wonder sometimes what it would be like to have someone else, to care about someone else…to love someone else, someone…someone like her… "Lily, I…"

"Are you pair all right there?!" A voice boomed out and, turning, he saw a man hurrying towards them. "Were you in the river? You'll catch your death! Come on, we should get you warmed up, especially the lady."

"We…" he turned back to Lily, only for her to move past him and start following the man back towards the bridge. "Well done Farnon," he said to himself as he made to follow her. "You've really managed to screw this up good and proper."