Chapter 8 #2
But she could hardly tell her friends she’d stand and watch while they got busy herding pigs when they’d organised the event specially for her and Ed.
And, come to think of it, which one of her friends had come up with such an ‘out there’ idea?
Jasmine and Maggie popped into her mind.
It would be one of them, if not both. She could see how pig herding would appeal to their, at times, riotous sense of fun, particularly so Jasmine.
‘I had no idea pig herding was even a thing.’ She tried to inject a note of cheerfulness into her voice, not wanting to sound like a killjoy or that she was ungrateful for their efforts.
‘Well, let me reassure you it really is a thing, isn’t it, Bear?’ Maggie turned to face her husband.
Florrie wasn’t so sure ‘reassure’ was the word she’d use.
‘Oh, aye, it is.’ He nodded. ‘It’s another way for farmers to diversify.
And, let me add for Larkie here’s benefit, the pigs are very well looked after.
In fact, I’d say they’re as happy as pigs in sh—’ Bear was stopped from finishing his sentence by a brace of pheasants that had darted out from the roadside, their colourful plumage glowing in the sun.
‘Ey up, bloomin’ wildlife out here could do with a bit of road sense. ’
‘And, from what I’ve heard, pig herding’s a right laugh.’ Maggie picked up where her husband had left off. ‘Granted, it’s a bit messy and smelly, but I believe the farm provides overalls. I thought we’d all get ourselves into the spirit and let our hair down, make sure we enjoy it.’
Thought we’d all get into the spirit? Enjoy it?
Did her friends even know her at all? Just as Florrie was trying to work out what their immaculately groomed friend with never a hair out of place Stella would make of chasing a load of pigs around a pen, realisation struck like a lightbulb pinging on.
‘Maggie Marsay, you’re a terrible fibber!
I know we’re not going pig herding. There’s no way in a million years you’d get Stella within a mile of a pig, never mind herding a whole load of them,’ she said through her giggles.
‘Nor Lark, for that matter. Lark always smells of aromatherapy oils – there’s not a chance she’d want to swap that for pig muck! ’
Roars of laughter filled the Land Rover, with Florrie and Lark bent double.
‘That’s a very good point,’ said Lark, catching her breath for a moment.
‘Ah, well, I clearly hadn’t thought that one through, but it wouldn’t half be a right laugh watching Stells tiptoeing around clarty mud and pig muck in her designer high heels while tackling a load of snorty pigs.
Can you imagine the look on her face, especially if she slipped over?
’ Maggie was laughing so hard, tears were pouring down her cheeks, which only made the rest of them laugh all the more.
Florrie could see Stella’s face clearly in her mind, the unimpressed look she’d wear. It made her laugh even harder.
‘Oh blimey, we’ll have to share this with her when we see her, she’ll think it’s hilarious.’ Lark wiped tears of mirth from her eyes.
‘Please stop now, if I laugh any more, I’m going to be in serious danger of cracking a rib,’ spluttered Florrie.
‘I’m not so sure how long my bladder can hold out. It’s not what it used to be since I had Lucy,’ added Maggie.
Bear shot her a concerned look. ‘Let me know if you need me to stop. I’ve just hosed the Landie down. I don’t need you piddlin’ in your seat and undoing all my hard work.’
That set them all off howling with laughter again.
‘Right then, folks, here we are,’ Bear announced as the Land Rover nosed its way between two sturdy sandstone gateposts and into a large parking area. ‘There’s Alex’s car over there, he’s brought Stella, Max, and Jazz.’
‘Where are we?’ asked Florrie, scrunching her nose up and leaning forward to peer through the wide windscreen. They’d been so busy laughing and chatting she’d been totally oblivious to where they’d driven.
‘Danskelfe Business Centre,’ said Lark, as they jumped out of the back of the Land Rover.
‘Though it looks a bit genteel to be described as a “business centre”, if you ask me.’ She was looking colourful in her stripy, loose-fitting harem pants she’d teamed with a lilac-coloured hoodie.
She had a couple of skinny plaits either side of her face which were pulled back with the rest of her hair and tied in a long plait.
Around her neck was an amethyst pendant Nate had given her.
Florrie’s eyes swept around the well-appointed Georgian buildings of buttery sandstone, with their freshly painted wooden sash windows and doors, and lead planters brimming with spring flowers.
She had to agree; it looked nothing like any business centre she’d ever seen.
Amongst the hand-painted business signs she spotted a beautician’s, a dance studio and a veterinary surgery.
It sparked a memory of something Lady Caro Hammondely had said at Jasmine’s meeting: she’d mentioned that as part of her plans to make the Danskelfe Estate more profitable, as well as helping to support the local rural economy, they’d been gradually converting the old unused buildings into affordable rental premises for local businesspeople. This was obviously such a place.
‘Pretty nice spot to have your office, eh?’ said Ed, squinting in the bright sunshine.
‘Just a bit,’ agreed Florrie, not that she would change where she worked; she’d always said the bookshop was her happy place and she couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.
She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of car tyres crunching over gravel. She looked over to see Jack at the wheel of his small four-wheel drive, Jenna beside him, wearing her familiar big smile and waving enthusiastically, with Jean in the back.
Jenna practically leapt out of the car once Jack had pulled up beside the Land Rover. She rushed over to Florrie and enveloped her in a hug. ‘Happy hen party, pet. I bet you’ve been dead excited about what was planned.’
‘Excited’s a word.’ Florrie shot Maggie and Lark a knowing look as Stella and Jasmine joined them.
‘Oh?’ Jenna asked, glancing at Maggie.
Once they’d exchanged hellos with Jasmine and Stella – the men had grouped together, looking at something Bear was pointing out on his beloved Landie – Florrie shared how Maggie had teased her about pig herding.
Stella threw her head back and let out an amused cackle on hearing their description of her attempts at herding pigs.
Like the others in the friendship group, Stella didn’t take herself too seriously.
‘Not gonna happen,’ she said, shaking her head and smiling.
‘They’ll be selling ice creams in hell before you get me anywhere near a pig. ’
After a round of excitable hellos, the group congregated near Alex’s car, chatting away, an air of excitement in the air around them.
‘Is anyone else coming?’ asked Florrie, who was still none the wiser about what they had planned.
‘We’re just waiting for your mum and dad, and Leah and Marty, who are bringing Hayley and Josh,’ said Stella, glancing at her watch.
She even managed to look well-groomed in her yoga gear, her long legs clad in smoke blue yoga pants, a matching fitted jacket showing off her slim waist to its best advantage, while her long blonde hair was scraped back into a high ponytail.
At five feet ten, she towered over Florrie’s petite five feet two.
‘Hayley’s coming, too?’ Florrie was pleasantly surprised by this news.
Hayley had worked at the bookshop part-time before heading to university.
Like Florrie, she’d been a Happy Hartes weekend girl.
Florrie had been chuffed that the younger woman had kept in touch and still popped in for a catch-up when she was back from university.
‘I’m sure they won’t be long, we’ve got another fifteen minutes before the session’s due to start.’ She waggled her eyebrows.
‘The session?’ Florrie asked.
‘Yup, “the session”,’ said Stella, ‘and it has absolutely nothing to do with pigs, or the herding of them.’ She pulled a relieved face. ‘Still can’t believe you actually fell for that.’
‘I’m just too gullible for my own good.’ Though Florrie smiled, she was beginning to feel distracted, wondering where her parents were – it wasn’t like them to be late, they were usually the first to arrive for anything.
It was a running joke with Florrie and her mum that her dad had ‘punctuality-itis’ as they’d coined it, teasing him that there was a cream for it, which he took in good spirits.
But as far back as Florrie could remember, he’d been insistent they set off ridiculously early for everything, whether it be for appointments, trains or airports.
Florrie nibbled on a hangnail, telling herself her parents weren’t late exactly, just late for them.
She considered the idea they could’ve got lost en route.
It was a distinct possibility since her dad abhorred the idea of a satnav and refused to entertain it.
‘There’s nowt wrong with a good old-fashioned road map.
They’ve stood me in good stead for years,’ was a regular cry of his.
And besides, Florrie told herself, there were plenty of twisty-turny roads and tracks on the moors which made it easy to take a wrong turn, as Bear had done at one point on their way here, and they’d found themselves having to turn around in a farmyard.
She was toying with the idea of calling her mum – provided they had phone signal around here, of course – when she felt her mobile vibrate from the depths of her backpack.
She slid it off her shoulder and fished around inside for it.
Tapping on the screen, she saw her mum’s name.
Relief filled her chest. Her mum was probably texting to let them know they’d be with them soon, mindful they were running behind.
Florrie read the brief message, a prickle of unease creeping over her.
Hi Florrie, didn’t want to text before the lasses had a chance to tell you what they had planned for you.
Am assuming you know by now. Unfortunately, your dad’s feeling a bit off colour so we thought we’d better give your celebration a miss – don’t want to pass around whatever it is he’s got.
We both send our love & hope you all have a wonderful time xxx
‘Everything all right?’ asked Lark, who was standing beside her and picked up on her friend’s troubled expression.
‘I think so… well… I’ve just had a text from my mum saying my dad’s feeling under the weather so they won’t be able to make it, which is a shame.’ Florrie had thought he’d looked a bit peaky when she’d called in to see him last week.
‘Oh, flower, that is a shame. I know they were looking forward to it.’ Lark rubbed her hand up and down Florrie’s arm, her bracelets jangling.
‘He’s probably picked up the stomach bug that’s been doing the rounds.
I know a lot of people have complained about having it.
I’m sure he’ll be right as rain soon.’ She gave a kind smile.
‘Hmm.’ Florrie hoped that was all it was.
Her dad was hardly ever ill and regularly described himself as being as strong as an ox.
It was usually her mum she worried about, especially since she’d been so dangerously poorly with Stage 1B Hodgkin lymphoma when Florrie was in her last year at university.
Florrie’s big fear was that it would return one day, though she tried to remind herself that her mum took great care with her health since her brush with death.
She ate well, exercised and took a great variety of supplements that Charlie joked would put her in danger of rattling if she took any more.
Florrie’s mind went to the lift arrangements for that morning.
It had puzzled her at the time, though she hadn’t had much of an opportunity to dwell on it with all the hilarity on the way here.
She wondered when they’d been arranged. She’d been surprised that she and Ed hadn’t been put with her parents.
That would’ve made more sense, and would’ve left Jenna, Jack and Jean to get a lift with Maggie and Bear along with Lark and Nate.
The Landie boasted three spaces in the front and Jean could’ve sat in the comfier seat next to Mags rather than the smaller one in the middle where the gearstick was located.
It would’ve meant taking one less car. Florrie guessed the travel arrangements would’ve been made in advance, which made her wonder if her parents had prior concerns about joining them before this morning, especially with her dad looking a little under the weather.
All of this was adding together and sending her mind running around in circles, but she was mindful of her friends looking at her expectantly.
Telling herself to stop overthinking, Florrie shared her mum’s message with the rest of the group, which was met with disappointment. ‘Won’t be the same without your dad’s jokes,’ Max said, with everyone agreeing, asking her to send their good wishes and a speedy recovery for Charlie.
A few moments later Leah and Hayley arrived with Marty and Josh, the girls bubbling with youthful excitement.
Stella called for everyone’s attention, declaring it was time to make a move.
‘Right, now we’re all here, I can say, Florrie, it’s time to prepare yourself for a couple of hours of…
’ She gave a dramatic pause while Bear obliged with a drumroll sound effect.
Florrie couldn’t help but laugh at the expectation on the sea of faces looking back at her, all eager to catch her reaction. ‘Come on, spill! It’s killing me!’ she said, giggling.
‘Okay, we’re going to be – count down with me, folks – three, two, one…’
‘Salsa dancing!’ the friends chorused loudly before giving in to a raucous round of cheers as the door to Danskelfe School of Dance opened and a young woman with a wide smile and long blonde hair appeared on the step.