Niall, in his dog collar, who’d been terribly moved by Woody’s testimony and by the fact he’d never known Woody’s real name was Wilfred, then took the stand:
‘Mrs Bancroft’s caring nursing saved Mrs Wilkinson, but the whole of Willowwood in fact has rallied to her cause. Mrs Wilkinson has become a little local celebrity, and would miss the attention dreadfully if she were forced to go back to her original owner and the anonymity of a racing yard.’
Dora then leapt to her feet:
‘Dora Belvedon, sofa surfer. I can’t bear the thought of Mrs Wilkinson in a strange yard shaking hands and never getting rewarded with a Polo again.’
She gave a sob, and the judge told her, quite gently, to sit down and not interrupt.
‘It seems Mrs Wilkinson is a very popular horse.’
However, there was no getting away from the fact that Etta should have reported finding Mrs Wilkinson to the authorities, who might have been notified of her loss by Harvey-Holden’s staff, who could equally have restored her to health. Had Etta and her friends possibly realized what a good horse Mrs Wilkinson was, queried Cecil, and therefore not reported finding her?
As the day dragged on, growing hotter, Etta found herself increasingly detesting Harvey-Holden. The more terrible the cruelty revealed, the less his dead, rat-like features and his serpentine eyes seemed to react. His breath was so sour – even divided by the table, it nearly asphyxiated her. The case, however, seemed to be going his way when it was adjourned until the following morning.
39
H-H was so certain he was going to win that he pushed off to Royal Ascot next day to work the boxes and chat up potential owners. Judy Tobias, however, did turn up, wobbling in this time in white, like a vast blancmange, still writing copiously in her mauve notebook.
Etta, who’d changed into the old denim dress she’d retrieved from the charity shop because the periwinkle blue didn’t seem to be bringing them any luck, discovered the temperature had dropped and she couldn’t stop shivering. She felt very cast down that Dora hadn’t bothered to show up, nor had the Major and Debbie. Joey and Woody still brandished Tilda’s poster outside the court, but wondered if the willows would soon be weeping for Mrs Wilkinson.
In court, even Alan was looking worried. Marti Gluckstein resembled an eagle who’s mislaid a fat rabbit, as Cecil Stroud launched triumphantly into his final summing-up.
I’m going to lose her, thought Etta in anguish.
But suddenly there was a kerfuffle and cries of ‘Court’s sitting, sir,’ and a tall dark man stalked in like an army with banners. How attractive he is, thought Etta, then realized it was Valent Edwards. He was wearing a brown suede jacket, chinos and a blue check shirt. Putting a reassuring hand on Etta’s shoulder, he apologized to the judge for barging in.
He then, by sheer force of personality, turned the case as he described the terror and desperate state of Mrs Wilkinson the first time he’d seen her, about a fortnight after Etta had rescued her. Bonny Richards had been ironing out his Yorkshire accent but it slipped back as his passion grew.
‘I have never seen an animal so scared of humans. She was the most pathetic sight, blinded in one eye, collapsing on the ground, crashing round my office … The one person she troosted was Mrs Bancroft and it was her luv that saved that horse. If Mr Harvey-Holden luved her so much, why didn’t he recognize her when he saw her out hunting? Or Mr Murchieson, who had owned her, recognize her when she won the point-to-point?
‘If you come outside, you’ll see how she’s blossomed.’
Everyone surged out into the sunshine, where they discovered Joey’s trailer and a grinning Dora. Next moment out clattered Mrs Wilkinson and Chisolm. Giving a great throaty whicker, Mrs Wilkinson bustled across the courtyard to get to Etta, nudging her delightedly, followed by a skipping, bleating Chisolm. Mrs Wilkinson then turned to her Willowwood friends, greeting them with equal pleasure.
Everyone cheered, except Jude the Obese, who complained the whole thing was a stitch-up. Judge Wilkes, however, beamed and asked to be introduced to Mrs Wilkinson, who shook hands with him until he was butted by a jealous Chisolm.
Back in court, the judge enquired as to the whereabouts of Harvey-Holden, only to be told by his wife that he’d been called away to tend a very sick animal.