Chapter 30
‘A garden party?’ Isaac sounded far more surprised than I would have expected for a head gardener at a large estate. He was going through his emails and had stopped at the one from Penelope.
‘Is that a problem?’
‘No, not at all. Piece of cake. The cutting garden is looking great as you know and there are plenty of other shrubs we can take from. The roses particularly are having a great year.’
‘What’s up then?’
‘I’m just surprised, that’s all.’
‘Why? I thought you’d be used to this sort of thing.’
‘I am. At least I was but the family haven’t thrown a garden party since Lawrence died.’
‘Ohhh.’
‘Yeah. This is big.’ He spun halfway round on his chair to face me. ‘Clearly, this engagement lark is making Penelope very happy!’
‘Ha, ha. I’m going to cut and trim the sweet peas. See you in a bit.’
When I drove up to the house a little while later with two wooden trugs full of highly scented, long-stemmed sweet peas, Dawkins was just seeing a visitor out.
‘Flower delivery!’
‘Very good, Miss Emmeline. I shall pass them to the housekeeper. Before you leave, Lady Penelope was wanting to see you if you dropped by.’
‘Oh, right. Is she in?’
‘She is in the drawing room if you have time.’
I toed off my boots and padded on through, along the corridor. With a quick check that no one was around, I got up a bit of speed and did a magnificent slide along the highly polished floorboards, accompanied by a whispered, ‘Weeeeee!’
Arriving at the correct door, which was already ajar, I gave a polite knock.
‘Come in, Emmeline!’
‘Hiya.’ I poked my head in. ‘You wanted to see me?’
‘Always, my darling, but yes. Particularly so this time. Do you have a minute?’
‘Of course. I’ve just dropped the sweet peas off with Dawkins.’
‘Wonderful! I shall look forward to those around the house later. One of my favourites.’
‘Me too. What can I do for you?’
‘Did Isaac tell you about the garden party?’
‘He did. I’m on it already.’
‘I know it’s rather late notice but I had the urge and so I thought I’d strike while the iron’s hot and all that.’
‘Why not?’
‘I wanted to ask you if you think your father would come?’
‘Dad?’
‘Yes. I’m terribly keen to meet my son’s future father-in-law, obviously.’ At this, she gave an exaggerated wink and it took all my effort to keep the straight face and the unamused eyebrow raise in place – at least for about five seconds before I totally failed.
I settled for a ‘very funny,’ instead.
‘I am truly interested to meet him, if he’s able to come. You mentioned to me once that he does work with veterans on his allotment, getting them to help as a method of stress and anxiety alleviation?’
‘Yes, that’s right. He always felt better when he was gardening and thought it might help others. Apparently, there are people on the waiting list to volunteer now.’ I tilted my head at her. ‘Why? What are you thinking?’
‘I’m thinking we could set up a similar scheme here.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes. I talked it over with Edward and he was all for it. Obviously, I’m terribly spoiled by the boys and they pretty much do whatever I ask of them, but on this point, Edward seemed extremely keen.
You can understand why. He’s never been interested in gardening. Well, not until you came along anyway.’
‘Don’t push it, Lady P.’
She gave me a mischievous grin before continuing.
‘We thought that as the kitchen garden is being moved back to the original setting, next to the glasshouse, the “new” kitchen garden will be spare. We hadn’t exactly decided what to do with it, but what if we were to make it into a therapy garden?
People could grow whatever they wanted there.
Flowers, vegetables, fruit, anything they liked.
We can provide cuttings and seeds, and tools and so on but we’d love to speak to your father and get his opinion and advice on it.
If he was interested, I’d like to ask him to come on board as an official advisor. ’
‘You’re asking me to work with my dad?’ I said, laughing.
‘Oh. Is that a problem?’
‘No,’ I replied, still smiling. ‘Not at all. He’s quite the homebody these days but I’m sure he’d be happy to help you set everything up here if that’s what you want.’
‘We do. Very much so.’ She walked across to a walnut secretary and lifted an envelope from it, bringing it over to me. ‘I’ve written everything in here but I’m afraid I don’t know his address.’
‘I can give it to him next time I see him. We’re meeting for lunch in Hereford at the weekend. Is that soon enough? If not, I’ll post it.’
‘No, that’s soon enough. Thank you. I do hope he says yes.’
‘I’m sure he will.’
She looked unsure for a moment. ‘Does he know about the… situation?’
‘He’s fully aware of it.’
‘Was he not very impressed? I don’t blame him if he refuses to have anything to do with me and my ideas after that.’
‘Don’t worry. He asked how I felt about it. I told him it was just for a few months and nobody was taking advantage, then he was happy enough.’
‘That’s good. I am relieved.’
‘Right, I’d better get back to work if there’s nothing else?’
‘No, that’s it, thanks. Although don’t forget, you and Freddy are welcome to drop in any time.’
‘Thanks. We will, I promise.’
* * *
‘Me? At a garden party?’ Dad laughed his hearty laugh, the gravelly edge from two decades of smoking still present despite having given up years ago. ‘I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.’
‘Then that’ll make two of us.’
‘I’d be expecting you to be swanning around by then with your pinkie sticking out from your teacup, Lady Muck.’
‘Hardly.’
‘But if Lady Penelope wants me to come, then who am I to refuse? Especially if they’re serious about setting up a therapy gardening scheme.’
‘They’re totally serious, Dad. Maybe you can even rope in Edward. It’d probably do him good.’
‘I can but try. Not sure the lord of the manor will be up for getting his hands mucky, though.’
‘He’s not like that. None of them are.’
‘So how come he can’t get his own fiancée then? For real?’
‘I’m pretty sure he could get one for real in a heartbeat.’
‘I don’t get it,’ Dad said, his eyes widening in delight and anticipation as a large steak was placed before him along with some chunky cut, twice-cooked chips.
He’d queried in jest with the server if he only had them cooked once, would they be any cheaper and had had to stop the teenager going to ask.
‘So why does he need you?’
‘Charming.’
‘You know what I mean,’ he said, slicing into his steak, its middle perfectly pink, just as he liked it. ‘Why the whole charade?’
‘Because he’s not met The One yet, I guess and, like I said, their neighbour was banging on about how the sun was shining out of her children’s backsides and Penelope cracked. Then it sort of snowballed quicker than expected.’
‘And you’re sure you don’t mind?’
‘Not really.’ I shrugged, doing my best to maintain the insouciance I’d been honing towards this particular subject since That Kiss. ‘It’ll be done soon anyway and everything can go back to normal.’
Dad’s eyes bulged at a particularly hot chip. ‘Bloody hell. Hotter than the sun, that one. Cooking it once would have been plenty.’
I poured him some water. He drank it and then looked back at me.
‘You’re sure about that then?’
‘What?’
‘Everything going back to normal.’
‘One hundred per cent.’
Dad studied me for a moment. ‘Right,’ he said, then returned to his steak.
He didn’t believe a word I’d just said. And neither did I.
* * *
‘Just this to go and then we can knock off for the day. Early start tomorrow. Did you say Lady P was going to choose the flowers with you?’
‘That’s what she said,’ I replied, loading two spades and three full watering cans into the cart before sliding in next to Isaac.
The large shrub of sentimental value that we were transplanting to a spot nearer the house where it could be seen by the family was already at the new site, its roots soaking in a huge bucket of water, ready for its new home.
It wasn’t the ideal time to be moving it with the dry summer we’d been having and it being in full leaf but with the renovations taking place, we didn’t have much choice.
‘It feels like she’s really come back to life this summer.’ He gave me a sideways look. ‘Funny that, eh?’
‘It’s nothing to do with me.’
‘I beg to differ.’
‘You can beg all you like but it won’t make any difference. You all suited and booted for tomorrow then?’ Changing the subject to Freddy was the only sure way to distract Isaac. ‘You need to be looking tip-top before I let you accompany my best friend to a function, you know.’
‘All under control.’
‘Good to hear.’
We got to the new site and began digging the required hole, each spade going in and out alternately as we built a natural rhythm of removing the earth.
‘Isaac?’
‘Yep?’
‘Freddy’s told you about her last relationship and the horrible break-up?’
‘Yep.’
‘She’s not here just to become someone’s summer fling.’
‘By someone, you mean me.’
‘I mean anyone.’
He straightened for a moment and wiped his brow on the sleeve of his estate branded t-shirt. ‘Is there anyone else then?’
‘No. I’m just telling you that if you even think of hurting her, you’ll be under the next shrub we move and I won’t be telling anyone why it’s flourishing.’
He dug out the last spadeful. ‘That should do it. You actually look serious about that threat.’
‘I’m deadly serious.’
‘You can be oddly terrifying when you want, can’t you?’
‘When it comes to people I love then yes, if needs be.’
‘Come on, get the other side of this. One, two, three!’ We heaved the plant up from the bucket and transferred it to the newly dug hole. ‘To the left a bit.’ We shuffled round anticlockwise and then both took a step back, checking the angle of the plant and how it looked.
‘Well then, we’ve got that in common.’ He picked up his spade and began backfilling around the shrub.
‘What in common?’
‘Freddy,’ he clarified, concentrating on his task. ‘I love her too. I’m totally head over heels in love with her so if anyone’s heart is going to be broken, it’s more likely to be mine.’
I’d stopped shovelling as I took in the news. ‘Have you told her?’
‘And risk scaring her off? No! And don’t you dare say anything either.’
I mimed zipping my lips.
‘Good. Now help me with this backfilling instead of standing there gawping.’
* * *
The summer was drawing to a close. The days had already become noticeably shorter and although that first scent of autumn was yet to arrive, it felt as though it wasn’t far around the corner.
Penelope’s first garden party in years was a resounding success and she was already making plans for a harvest-time one, taking inspiration from past generations who had done this for all their tenant farmers and the surrounding village.
We’d spent plenty of time together planning floral arrangements and the dahlias she’d chosen for the displays were blooming wonderfully in the cutting garden.
She’d also been spending a lot of time with my dad.
At first, I wasn’t sure if there was a spark there and I wasn’t the only one to suspect something.
There was but it wasn’t a romantic one. It was the spark of a bond.
A bond of true friendship. A recognition of kindred spirits with similar viewpoints and the creation of the new therapy garden only strengthened this.
‘It’s like she’s found her purpose again,’ Barney said to me when I bumped into him on an evening walk and we passed by the area being readied for the volunteers to start the following week. ‘And it’s all thanks to you.’
‘No it’s not. She just needed time.’
‘Time alone wasn’t cutting it, Emmy. It was you coming here. Showing an interest in her, becoming her friend and making her feel alive again.’
‘Barnaby. That’s too much. You and Edward can’t do enough for her and she loves you so much.’
‘I know. But she thinks sometimes that we’re doing it out of obligation. You have no obligation.’
‘You’re my employers. That’s a fairly big reason to keep on someone’s good side.’
‘Is that why you choose to spend time with her?’
‘Of course not!’
‘My point.’
We walked on.
‘And obviously, the wedding will be, pardon the pun, the icing on the cake.’
I punched him on the arm.
‘Ow.’
Barnaby’s words kept playing over in my head as the days passed. I knew that he’d been teasing but I didn’t want Penelope, or anyone else, thinking there was more to this arrangement. We’d agreed the end of the summer. It was time to finish things, just as we’d planned.