Chapter Twenty-one
Rosy sat back in her chair. It was Friday afternoon and the week had flown by, and been a raging success. Human dynamics were fascinating; she had often noted how introducing one new member to a team could change the whole set-up, as had happened this term.
Sylvie had started three weeks ago and today was the last day before half-term.
She had clearly spent a lot of time making sure she knew Amanda’s newly designed PE curriculum off by heart.
Her quiet gentle persona had rippled throughout the school, with all the teaching staff somehow miraculously softening their edges and adopting a slightly more Sylvie approach.
Rosy didn’t expect it to last but it was jolly nice whilst it did.
Even Amanda, who she knew had observed Sylvie’s first lesson with Class Four and made notes whilst she did so, hadn’t found anything to tut about and had reluctantly admitted in the staffroom that the new girl knew her stuff.
Although she did make the most of the opportunity to shoot an evil look at Harmony as she said it.
Luckily, Harmony was too busy cutting out little rainbow flags for the woodlouse mansion her class were making to notice, and World War Umpteen was averted.
There had been no major incidences at all for a while. Marion seemed more muted than usual and with Sylvie bringing in a little bead glasses-chain as a gift for Sheila, even the school secretary was appearing slightly less chaotic.
She was interrupted from this blissful, stress-free reverie by the ping of her email. Odd. No one in their right mind emailed a school past five o’clock on a Friday, especially with a holiday coming up, unless it was an utter emergency.
She smiled as it popped up.
Dear Miss Winter,
As both head teacher and close friend you are cordially invited by the curly-haired and slightly scruffy gardener and his dog to Penmenna Hall Gardens for a special event this evening.
It should be added that this is a strictly not-for-television occasion and the dress code is informal, ideally very little.
You are welcome to attend any time from five-thirty on and I would like to take the opportunity to remind you this is a personal invite.
Pupils, colleagues and Marion are not required. RSVP.
Yours,
Green-fingered and Gorgeous, so I’m told.
What on earth was this daft man planning now? Five-thirty – that gave her just enough time to give the school a quick once-over and drive to the Hall.
He was too cute. They had started seeing each other in March this year, the same evening as the premiere of Green-Fingered and Gorgeous, the gardening show set in Penmenna Hall that the school had become involved with.
He still winced every time the name was mentioned, which was rather a lot as he had quickly become a darling of the nation and couldn’t even do a supermarket shop now without being attacked by dribbling women desperate for his autograph.
When they had first met he had been king of the romantic gesture, mocking up a Tudor cap from gardening kit and serenading her with ‘Greensleeves’, potting her up an orchid that he claimed flushed as beautifully as she did, preparing a romantic picnic with all her favourite things whilst they watched (or didn’t – truth be told) Gone with the Wind in the Penmenna Hall orangery lit by fairy lights.
And she hadn’t made it easy for him either.
She was as embarrassed by that as he was by the name of his show.
But since they had been together, their relationship had been nothing but easy.
They were such a natural fit and everything glided by effortlessly, so naturally, that she could barely remember her life without him in it and certainly didn’t want to contemplate a future in which he wasn’t a key part.
She had butterflies in her tummy as she parked the car outside the orangery and went to find Matt.
‘Hello.’ She heard her call echo around the greenhouse. Matt’s dog Scramble barked a welcome and she felt the huge beam spread across her face as Matt popped his head up from behind one of the big old wooden benches down the end.
‘Hello, you didn’t RSVP!’
‘Oh, I’m so sorry! I thought I had. I must have been giddy with the excitement of the invite. But I’m here – have I spoilt the surprise?’
‘Actually, yes. If you could get back in the car…’ Matt came around from the table and came and gave her a kiss. ‘Don’t be daft, of course you haven’t. You know Scramble and I are always happy to see you. Thank you for driving over.’
‘Mmm, pleasure.’ She spoke through a second kiss. It didn’t matter how long they were together, she would always love the feel of his lips upon hers. He pulled back ever so slightly and looked her straight in the eyes.
‘I’ve been tidying up the flower beds, pulling out some of the annuals and having a rearrange with spring in mind.’
‘OK.’
‘And I have done something very naughty and particularly selfish and I felt I should tell you.’
Rosy felt her heart dip but only for a second. The flash of fear had clearly flooded her face as Matt grabbed her hands.
‘No, don’t be daft, nothing to hurt you.
I meant I had transplanted some roses whilst they were still in bloom, and all for my own selfish gain, which is pretty heinous but you can do it if you’re careful which I was, obviously, just not with my words.
How could you think I’d do anything properly bad and bring you here to talk about it? You must know me better by now.’
Rosy looked at his big grin that couldn’t hide the love shining in his eyes, at his curly brown hair and his slightly wonky nose. Of course this man wouldn’t deliberately hurt her – foolishly or not she had complete faith in him. Total and utter.
‘Of course I do. It was just your choice of words shocked me, but only for a second. I know you. You know me. We are good. So, go on, tell me more about these roses and your heinous actions.’
‘Come with me then.’ He held his hand out and with Scramble obediently trotting behind, Matt led her to the rose garden, through its assortment of beds to the very middle where there were some beautiful bright, light crimson cupped roses – bold and red in the middle of October.
As she got closer and stood so she could see over them she realized that Matt had replanted them, all close together and forming a clear heart shape.
And there atop the soil in the centre, Matt had lightly sprinkled some more petals and placed a large old key on top of them.
She stood trying to work out what this was meant to mean as she felt him slip his arms around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder and standing there wordlessly as she looked.
Roses and a heart, that was obvious. The key, what did the key mean? She almost didn’t mind what it meant, it was such a beautiful gesture and she knew that Matt wouldn’t have messed about with the roses if it hadn’t meant an awful lot to him.
‘If you reach through you can pick it up.’
She did as he suggested, crouching down on the path and threading her arm through the wall of roses, feeling for the metal of the key.
As she grabbed it and pulled it back, she stood and turned to face him.
Looking down at the key in her hands she felt the length of it, the weight, turning it and looking for what clue it was meant to give.
Then she spotted that it had something engraved into it.
Bringing it closer to her face she could make out that someone, and she had to assume it was Matt, had etched the word ‘together’ into it.
Roses, heart, door key, together.
She looked up at him quizzically, her look changing as he laughed and grabbed the hand that wasn’t holding the key.
‘Rosy, it’s not that cryptic. I’m trying to ask you to move in with me.
I know we haven’t been dating long, but I also know how I feel and I’m fairly sure I can’t see that changing.
Every morning I wake up thinking I can’t love you any more and then every night I realize that I was wrong and I love you even more than I had that morning.
We’re right. I don’t know how to say it in a way that’s more flowery, so I thought I’d say it with flowers instead.
You and I are right. We are right today, we were right yesterday and I know, with no shadow of doubt, that we’ll be right tomorrow.
We spend every night together and I don’t ever want to think of myself spending a night without you, so let’s cut to the chase, let’s be bold and take the next step.
Rosy Winter, I’m asking you to move in with me.
The roses are to tell you I love you. I love you more than my biggest passion – oh shush, Scramble, apart from you.
’ He broke his focus for a millisecond to look crossly at the dog who had yapped as if he understood Matt’s words, almost breaking the romance of the moment.
Matt turned his full focus back to Rosy who was standing there, her heart racing and stunned in silence.
‘And the key is to tell you I want to live with you. I want to wake up with you every morning and know that in every way I am home. What do you say, Rosy? Say something. Will you move in with me?’
‘Um… um…’ Rosy looked at this man who she loved, who she trusted, and who she wanted to spend the rest of her days with and gulped. ‘Um… can we live in my house?’
‘Of course we can live in your house!’ Matt laughed. ‘Is that all you have to say, can we live in your house?’
‘Oh no, now that’s clear. I’ve got an awful lot to say, lots and lots of words, and every single one of them is yes! Yes, Matt, I would love to live with you, properly and formally and for ever.’
‘Right, now that’s cleared up, come here.’ And the two of them, not for the first time, spent an awful lot of time kissing in the gardens of Penmenna Hall.