Chapter 8
Barnaby executed a handbrake turn which I assume was meant to finish with us neatly lined up alongside the pile of poo. What he hadn’t accounted for, however, was the rogue cowpat which caused the back end of the golf cart to slide and hit the muck heap with a hefty thump.
‘Bloody hell! That was close.’ He grinned as he stepped out of the cart.
‘Very!’ I said moments before a large lump of the pile dislodged from the impact and buried my side of the buggy.
A strong arm yanked me out. Isaac. He looked thunderous.
‘Where the hell have you been? That last barrow’s taken you half an hour! You know I could fire you right now, don’t you?’
I wasn’t about to drop Barnaby in it. Although he’d just done the same to me. Literally. Instead, I nodded and a piece of dried cowpat dropped off my head onto the floor with a gentle thwack in front of me.
‘I’m afraid this all my fault.’ The younger Ashington stepped forward.
‘Oh!’ Isaac glanced at me but I said nothing. ‘Hi, Barney. I didn’t see you there.’
‘No. It was me driving.’
Isaac looked at me suspiciously. Barnaby caught it.
‘You’ll notice Emmeline was in the passenger seat?’
In his hurry to find an excuse to get rid of me, Isaac clearly hadn’t absorbed that bit of information. Although he did at least pull me out which suggested he only wanted me fired, not dead. That was something.
Barnaby continued. ‘I leapt out just before the avalanche. Not terribly chivalrous, I know, but I panicked.’
Isaac crossed his arms. ‘Still doesn’t explain why she’s been gone so long. There’s work to do here. The first of which now is getting the cart out from under all that shit.’
‘Yes, well. About that. I saw Emmeline here marching back with her barrow and thought that a bit odd. I know there’s a perfectly good trailer for jobs like that.’
‘It needs a new tyre,’ I volunteered quickly.
‘No, it doesn’t.’ Barnaby frowned as he spoke.
‘I used it yesterday to take over all those plants you dug out over to the end field.’ He turned to me.
‘Mrs Fernchurch at the local school is hoping to create a garden for the children to learn more about where their food comes from, etc. Those plants are to pretty the place up in the meantime.’
The smile I gave was genuine. ‘That sounds a fantastic idea.’
‘So.’ Barnaby turned back to Isaac. ‘Apologies for delivering Emmeline back a bit late. Truth be told, I was haring around the paths in the cart. Now I can’t do it at the golf course, I like to keep my hand in.
But I think we both know her time and effort can be put to more valuable, and purposeful, use. ’
‘Fair enough. Except now it’s going to have to continue to be by barrow until I unearth the golf cart from the muck heap. I need the other one for something else.’
‘Ah. Yes. Right. Sorry about that, old bean.’ He clapped me on the shoulder and dislodged another bit of dried manure.
‘You could always help,’ Isaac suggested, a flicker of amusement on his face.
‘Would bloody love to, but I’ve, er, I’ve got a… thing…’
‘Maybe after your thing?’ my boss pushed on.
‘All day… thing.’ Barnaby pulled a face at me. ‘Sorry.’
I should be mad at him but I couldn’t. Yes, I’d nearly been smothered by manure, but chatting with Barnaby, apart from the bit when I realised he knew I’d pulled a fast one, had been the highlight of my day.
Not because I fancied him or anything like that.
But he was fun and genuine and I knew where I stood with him, even when that was under a pile of poop.
The sound of an engine distracted us and my dream car purred into view: a gunmetal-grey Aston Martin DB5. It slowed elegantly to a halt a safe distance from the manure pile and Edward unfolded himself from the interior, looking incongruous to the surroundings in an impeccably cut Savile Row suit.
‘Isaac.’
‘Edward.’
Each exchanged a respectful smile and nod.
‘Are you well?’ Edward asked.
‘Can’t complain,’ Isaac replied then shot me a glance. ‘At least not too much.’
Edward’s gaze followed his head gardener’s sight line, eyes widening as he took in my current state. ‘What on earth…?’
‘I had a small accident.’
‘Somewhat assisted by me, I’m afraid.’ Barnaby bounced to my side. Or at least as close as he could get without risking his no doubt expensive clothing with manure contamination.
‘They were haring about in the buggy and crashed into the manure heap.’
I didn’t miss the flash of amusement in his amber eyes before Edward’s features once more became serious and he stepped closer.
‘Are you hurt?’
‘No, I’m OK. Thanks. Ready to get back to work.’ I risked an enthusiastic smile at Isaac. It wasn’t returned.
Edward lifted his wrist briefly. ‘Probably about time everyone knocked off for the day, isn’t it?’
‘You sure?’ Isaac asked.
‘Start fresh tomorrow. And sorry about this lunatic.’ This time, Edward turned to me. ‘If you see him lurking anywhere near that cart in the future, hide the keys. Swallow them if necessary.’
I tried to supress a grin, not just at Edward delivering the instruction so seriously but at the dismay now on his brother’s face.
‘Well, that’s rather off. Could have happened to anyone,’ he mumbled.
‘You could have hurt Emmeline or yourself, Barney. Look at the state of her!’
I could have done without that particular instruction which led to all three of them scrutinising my current state.
‘And you got her in trouble with Isaac.’
‘I explained that.’
‘Not really the point, old man.’ Edward shook his head but the love for his brother shone in his eyes. It made me like him a little more. ‘Come on. I’m assuming you messaged me because you needed a lift back?’
‘Didn’t think you’d mind.’
‘If you’d have been covered in muck, you’d have been walking.’
‘Worked out all right then!’
Edward frowned and Barney registered his faux pas. ‘I mean… for me. Not…’ He grinned and even Isaac cracked a smile.
‘Get in the car, Barn.’
He did as he was told.
Edward faced me. ‘I really do apologise. Are you absolutely sure you’re all right?’
‘Positively,’ I replied, my initial dislike softening even more at his concern.
‘Good. Isaac? Better fill in an accident report just in case.’
Right. Of course. If something happened on their land, under their employment, they could be liable. That was what he actually cared about. Obviously.
I turned away and went to grab my bag from the hook in the nearby office. The throaty engine burbled into life and in a few moments, mere echoes of it remained. Behind me, I heard Isaac step in.
‘Thanks for pulling me out earlier.’
‘Not a problem.’ His voice was gruff. ‘Barney can get a bit carried away sometimes.’ He pulled a book off the shelf. ‘You head off. I’ll see you in the morning.’
‘Thanks.’
There was no thaw in the tone but he also hadn’t fired me which I was going to call a win.
I plodded back to Rose Cottage, stripped off in the hallway and shoved my clothes in the washer before heading upstairs.
Twenty minutes later, I was soaking up to my chin in a wonderfully hot bath with bubbles that smelled of rose and lavender tickling my face. I rested my head against the back of the claw-footed tub and let the heat soothe my muscles and mind.
Just as I was drying off, my phone rang and I answered the video call to Freddy, leaving her free to study the ceiling.
‘You all right? You dashed off a bit earlier.’
‘Ugh, yeah.’
‘What?’
‘Remember we were laughing about Lord Fancy-Pants?’ I grabbed my dressing gown from the back of the bathroom door where I’d hung it on a hook in the shape of a rose.
‘Yeah.’
Now decent, I picked the phone up and carried Freddy and our conversation into the bedroom. ‘Guess who was behind me in the queue?’
Her eyes widened. ‘Noooooo.’
I gave a tight smile in response.
‘Oops. Are you fired?’
‘Not yet. Although his younger brother almost helped in that regard earlier. Unintentionally.’
‘Oh?’
‘I’ll fill you in properly when I’ve got some energy.’
‘Sounds good. I’ll bring wine.’
‘Definitely.’
‘Quiet night then?’
‘I just need to scoot up to the house to drop off a bunch of flowers I bought for Lady Penelope for yesterday.’
Freddy was chuckling. ‘I still can’t believe you thought she was the housekeeper.’
‘Oh, God. Don’t. Neither can I. Anyway, I’m just going to leave them with the butler—’
‘There’s a real-life butler?’
‘Yep.’
‘I cannot wait to see this place.’
‘I can’t wait for you to come down either. That’s assuming Isaac sees fit to let me stay longer.’
‘Is he the head-gardener bloke?’
‘That’s him.’
‘The arse?’
‘That’s the one.’
‘Maybe he’ll soften?’
‘Maybe. I suspect that will coincide nicely with hell freezing over.’