Chapter 18 #3
She swallowed and stared out past the farmhouse at the space which was being transformed.
Despite what Willow had said about wanting the garden, Gemma had to wonder how much of that was her simply being kind.
Wanting to give Gemma a focus when she knew she had been floundering.
In light of their recent conversation, surely it was selfish to even consider continuing with it?
There was an almost overwhelming amount of work to do, and not just because the garden had been neglected for so long.
It had been altered, too. Whoever had lived at the farm after Flora’s time had made modifications, mainly to simplify it and make it easier to care for.
They’d more than likely been busy farmers too, without the time to devote to its upkeep even if they had wanted to.
So now, not only did Gemma need to reclaim it from the wild, but over time she would also need to work very hard to return it to its former glory, the tribute to Flora that she hoped it would become.
And all of that would inevitably cost money.
Money neither she nor Willow and Rowan had.
Her gaze settled on a figure in the far corner, kneeling beside one of the flowerbeds where they were concentrating their work.
The spring so far had been cooler and wetter than most, but if the last week or so was anything to go by, that was about to change and a growth spurt was likely as result – for both plants and weeds.
There were only a few short months, however, for any flowers to mature and bloom, so it made sense to focus on this area of the garden, otherwise they would miss the window of opportunity.
Ashley had been there every other day for the last couple of weeks, and in that time had accomplished a great deal.
It had meant hours of painstaking work, and backbreaking work at that.
She had been working on a bed where a number of roses had already been uncovered, diligently clearing the area around them of weeds and then sifting through the soil to remove as many of their roots as she could.
Gemma knew from experience that some drastic pruning of the roses would show almost instant results, and she was determined to have some colour in the garden come summer.
Quite what those colours would be she had no idea, but it would be the most wonderful surprise.
She might have to think long and hard about her intentions, but as the roses were already there, surely it wouldn’t hurt to continue working on these at least.
She thought again of the packet of seeds tucked into a drawer beside her bed, the forget-me-nots which Leo had given her.
It was too early to plant them yet, but towards the end of the summer she would do just that.
They would look stunning come the spring, underplanted among the roses and…
She paused her train of thought. She had no idea where she would be by then but…
She folded up the sheet of paper in her hands, returned it to a pocket and began to make her way into the garden.
‘What a glorious day!’ she said, dropping to her knees beside Ashley, a broad smile on her face.
‘You’ve done loads already this morning.
’ She studied the ground in front of her and then pulled a face.
‘I’ve been slacking. Well, I haven’t, I’ve been helping Willow plant…
God, what haven’t we planted? I’ve lost count, but there was a lot in any case. ’
Ashley returned her smile. ‘So you haven’t been slacking at all then.’
‘Maybe not, but I have been leaving you to get on with all this. It’s coming along nicely though, don’t you think?’
‘I think it’s incredible. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when you first asked me to help out, but I feel a bit like an ancient archaeologist uncovering treasures.
It’s a lot more fun than I thought it would be.
I don’t even mind the fact that every muscle in my body is aching either – all this exercise must be doing me good.
’ She paused, a little shy now. ‘I wanted to thank you,’ she said.
‘For asking me to help. I don’t think I realised how bored I was before.
I filled my days, but nothing much had any purpose.
I felt as if my life was on hold. Now, apart from the fact that I’m sleeping much better, I wake up in the morning excited by the day ahead. I haven’t done that in a long while.’
It was exactly how Gemma felt. Looking after her mother the way she had, had been absolutely the right thing to do, but she had felt as if she were in limbo the last few weeks before coming to the farm.
At the time she hadn’t wanted to acknowledge such a thing; it had felt shameful even to harbour such thoughts, but it was true nonetheless.
The future hadn’t been something which existed back then, but now…
She remembered too when she and Ashley had first met, when Ashley’s grandmother had been so critical of her and so unkind.
It hadn’t seemed fair at all, and now that she knew Ashley better, she realised it was unjustified as well.
The garden was changing her life, too, and the thought of losing all that they had both gained if she had to give it up wasn’t something she wanted to dwell on.
She dipped her head, blushing slightly. ‘Then I’m glad,’ she said. ‘It makes me feel much less guilty about the amount of work there is to do. Or the fact that you seem to be doing an awful lot of it.’
She peered up at the sky. ‘Is it me, or is it getting quite hot? Shall I swing by the house and bring us a drink before I get stuck in? I’ll prune this row when I get back and then perhaps make a start on the other end. It would be amazing if we could get this section finished today.’
Ashley wiped a hand across her forehead. ‘I’m sweating buckets. Is it that obvious?’ She grinned.
Gemma got to her feet. ‘Back in a minute. With any luck there might be some of the elderflower cordial left that Willow made. And some cake.’