The Winter Garden Page 3

  Consequently, I had no choice other than to keep my head down and get on with my work, but all the while I was resentful of the fact that my halcyon days and treasured memories of life with Eloise at the Broad-Meadow helm were becoming increasingly tainted.

  * * *

  There weren’t many places in the garden that attracted enough mobile signal for my phone to ring, but on the first Tuesday of October, just as I had finished inspecting Eloise’s beloved borders and was getting ready to start raking leaves, I must have hit a signal hotspot.

  ‘Hello,’ I said, standing stock still for fear of losing the connection.

  ‘Hi, is that Freya?’ asked a man’s voice. ‘Is that Freya Fuller?’

  ‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Who’s this?’

  ‘Luke.’

  ‘Luke?’

  ‘Luke Lonsdale,’ the voice elaborated, ‘from Prosperous Place in Norwich.’

  It had been a while since my visit and as I hadn’t heard from him straightaway, I assumed he wasn’t going to call.

  ‘You came and looked around my garden a couple of weeks ago,’ he carried on, no doubt assuming I’d forgotten who he was. ‘We talked about making a Winter Garden.’

  ‘Of course,’ I said. ‘Hi.’

  ‘Hi,’ he said again.

  ‘So, how’s it going?’

  ‘Good,’ he said, ‘really good. Well, in theory. In my head, it’s all perfect, but not much has happened outside yet.’

  ‘There’s still plenty of time to make a start. The weather’s being very kind this year.’

  ‘It is,’ he agreed, ‘but I really want to get going with it. I’m sorry I haven’t called you sooner.’

  ‘That’s all right.’

  ‘I misplaced your number, you see.’

  ‘It’s fine.’ It wasn’t as if we had made solid arrangements to follow my visit up.

  ‘So, what can I do for you?’ I asked.

  ‘Well,’ he said, ‘I know it’s a bit cheeky, but I was wondering if you would consider coming back to have another look around and help me make some notes about planting and stuff. I’d pay for your travel costs and time, of course.’

  ‘Oh,’ I said. ‘I see.’

  I was delighted, but his request had taken me by surprise. Having established who he was, I thought he might just want to talk a few things through on the phone.

  ‘I know it’s a lot to ask, but I’d really appreciate it. You seemed to have a good grasp of what it is that I want to do when we talked before.’

  I spotted Jackson striding purposefully towards me and thought some time away from Broad-Meadows, even if only a few hours, would be most welcome.

  ‘I’m more than happy to help,’ I keenly told Luke. ‘I could come this Saturday, if you like?’

  ‘Really?’ he sounded over the moon.

  ‘Yes,’ I confirmed, ‘I can be there around eleven if that suits you.’

  ‘Absolutely,’ he said, and I could tell he was smiling. ‘That would be perfect. And drive straight up to the house. I’ll open the gates so you can park here.’

  ‘Fantastic.’

  ‘Great. We’ll see you then.’

  ‘See you Saturday.’

  I hung up just as Jackson reached me, a scowl etched across his forehead.

  ‘Were you on the phone?’ he grumbled. ‘I don’t pay you to make personal calls during working hours, Freya.’

  I went to snap back but was distracted by the back of the magazine he had tucked under his arm.

  ‘What’s that?’ I frowned.

  He tutted and looked at what had caught my attention. ‘What’s what?’

  ‘That,’ I said, pointing.

  ‘Esquire magazine,’ he said. ‘Why?’

  I squinted at the aftershave advert adorning the back cover and the half-naked model aesthetically draped across a very sleek-looking boat. The model looked very much like Luke Lonsdale.

  ‘Have you never seen a half-naked man before?’ Jackson quizzed, examining the detail more closely. ‘This ad is a few seasons old, but it’s still doing the rounds. I can’t believe you’ve never seen it.’

  ‘Well, I haven’t,’ I said in wonder, ‘but I have just made a date for Saturday with the guy featured in it.’

  ‘Of course, you have,’ Jackson laughed, striding off again. ‘Of course, you have, Freya. You’re beginning to sound as barmy as Aunt Eloise!’

  I quickly turned away to hide my laughter as he tripped over the rake and Nell took a passing nip at his ankles for good measure.

  Chapter 3

  Every evening that week I stayed in my rooms, trawling through my books and making notes on prospective plants and ideas which would enhance Luke’s vision for the Winter Garden. The project might not come to anything for me, but it was a welcome distraction and stopped me pining for the cottage and missing Eloise.

  Towards the end of the week, the weather took a decidedly damp turn and it was raining steadily as I turned into the open gates at Prosperous Place on Saturday morning. I gathered my file, clippings and bag together and told Nell we would make a dash towards the house. She wasn’t a fan of wet weather and would have stayed curled up on my bed, but there was no way I could have left her at Broad-Meadows all day. Jackson wouldn’t have given her needs a second thought.

  ‘Good morning,’ said Luke as I stepped out of the van and he appeared with an umbrella big enough to cover at least four people.

  ‘Good morning,’ I smiled up at him.

  He might have looked a little older than the guy on the back of Jackson’s magazine, but it was definitely him. I didn’t know whether to mention that I knew who he was or not.

  ‘I think we’d best start with coffee in the house,’ he suggested, with a nod to the rain. ‘According to the forecast it’s supposed to be sunny in about an hour, so there’s no point getting wet now.’

  Given the thick blanket of cloud above our heads, I wasn’t sure I agreed with his prediction but gratefully ducked under the brolly, with Nell on my heels, and followed him inside.

  ‘Come into the kitchen,’ he said, having shrugged off his coat and taken mine before leading me through the impressive house. ‘It’s warmer in there.’

  The temperature was a little chilly, but the cavernous kitchen, which was almost as big as Eloise’s, was surprisingly cosy.

  ‘Freya,’ smiled Kate, standing up to greet me as if I was a long-lost friend, rather than someone she’d briefly met during a very busy day. ‘Come and have a seat.’

  ‘I hope you don’t mind me bringing Nell,’ I said in an apologetic tone, ‘it wasn’t practical to leave her behind today.’

  I was beginning to get the feeling that it was never going to be practical to leave her. I’d recently overheard Jackson muttering something which sounded a lot like ‘take you back to where you came from’, and if it was her that he was talking about, then there was definitely trouble ahead.

  ‘She’s more than welcome,’ said Kate.

  ‘I’d have been disappointed if you hadn’t brought her,’ said Luke, squatting down to make a fuss of her.

  Nell rolled on to her back, putty in his hands.

  ‘Yet another woman falling for your good looks,’ said Kate, rolling her eyes.

  ‘Yep,’ he winked. ‘I’ve still got it.’

  I didn’t think I’d ever get a more opportune moment to ask the question which was beginning to burn.

  ‘Were you once a model by any chance, Luke?’ I asked. ‘Only I saw this aftershave advert on the back of a magazine the other day and the guy in it rather looked like you.’

  ‘I was,’ he said, turning endearingly pink. ‘It was a while ago now though, and I was only ever in it for the money.’

  While he made us coffee, he explained how it had been an easy way to pay off his student debts and become solvent enough to make buying and restoring his ancestral home, Prosperous Place, a reality.

  I was fascinated to discover that it had been a distant Victorian philanthropic relativ
e, Charles Wentworth, who had owned one of Norwich’s shoe factories, who had built the house along with those just across the road in Nightingale Square, for the benefit of his workers. Buying the house back had been Luke’s father’s dream, but after his death, Luke had soon become equally fascinated with the story and determined to reclaim and restore what he could and also do as much good work locally as his ancestor had.

  ‘Hence the Grow-Well,’ smiled Kate.

  ‘And now the Winter Garden,’ Luke added.

  ‘Wow,’ I gasped, feeling in awe of both the past and the present. ‘I’ve spent the last few days researching winter gardens,’ I told the pair, ‘but now I’m thinking I should have been googling Prosperous Place and your family, Luke. I’d love to know more about them.’

  ‘Well, that’s no problem,’ he said, setting down a mug in front of me. ‘Kate and I can fill you in on what you want to know as we go along.’

  I felt a pang of disappointment that I wasn’t going to be properly involved with the project because it all sounded absolutely fascinating.

  ‘So, what have you discovered in your research?’ asked Kate, looking keenly at the pile of papers and my bulging file.

  I ran them through the notes I had made, expanding on the list of shrubs and trees I had previously mentioned to Luke and again emphasised the importance of scent as well as all the other senses and how using form and structure would enhance what was already established.

  ‘Talking of structure,’ said Luke, once I had stopped to draw breath, ‘I’ve also been thinking about adding some sculptures.’

  ‘Oh,’ I said, wondering what he had in mind.

  Was he talking about commissioning something bespoke or popping down to the garden centre for a few gnomes? I seriously hoped it was the former. Not that I had anything against gnomes, but I wasn’t sure how they’d fit into the elegant scheme of the Prosperous Place Winter Garden that I had in mind. Not that it was my vision that was going to be created, but still.

  ‘What sort of sculptures?’ I asked.

  He didn’t have the opportunity to answer as the kitchen door flew open and in ran two little girls, followed closely by a woman with flushed cheeks. Nell tucked herself further under my chair and I leant my leg against her to reassure her that everything was fine. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who had become a little too accustomed to my own company.

  ‘We’re starving!’ groaned the eldest girl. ‘Is it lunchtime yet?’

  ‘Sorry,’ apologised the woman, scooping up the little one I recognised as Abigail. ‘They wouldn’t wait.’

  I looked at my watch and was amazed to see that it was actually well past lunchtime. We had been talking far longer than I’d thought.

  ‘That’s my fault,’ I said. ‘I think I’ve got a bit carried away.’

  ‘Not at all,’ said Kate. ‘Your enthusiasm is contagious, Freya.’

  ‘And you certainly know what you’re talking about,’ said Luke, taking Abigail from the other woman before settling her in a high chair and handing her a breadstick which she immediately annihilated by bashing it against the tray.

  ‘This is Carole,’ said Kate, introducing me to the woman. ‘She lives in Nightingale Square and is one of the Grow-Well gang.’

  ‘You met her husband, Graham,’ put in Luke, ‘on the open day.’

  ‘Of course,’ I said, standing up to shake the woman’s hand which was a little formal, but I got the feeling that she was someone who appreciated a good first impression. She was dressed almost identically to how her husband had been. All that was missing was the name badge. ‘Pleased to meet you.’

  ‘And you, my dear.’

  ‘She’s also the glue that keeps the Grow-Well committee on track, the girls in line, and pretty much everything around here running like a well-oiled machine,’ beamed Luke.

  Carole looked pleased. ‘I don’t know about that,’ she flushed, ‘but I like to do my bit.’

  ‘More than your bit,’ said Kate, ‘and we all love you for it.’

  ‘And I’m Jasmine,’ said the older girl, holding out her hand for me to shake and mimicking what I had just done with Carole.

  ‘And I’m pleased to meet you too,’ I said, shaking it but not quite as firmly.

  ‘How do you do?’ she asked, in a silly, posh voice.

  ‘Very well,’ I mirrored back, making them all laugh. ‘And how do you do?’

  Jasmine dissolved into giggles and Abigail offered me the soggy end of her breadstick, making me feel very much at home.

  ‘I’ll come back for the girls in a bit,’ said Carole, ‘which will give you three a chance to look around outside in peace. It’s stopped raining by the way, but it’s wet underfoot. You’ll need wellies.’

  Fortunately, I had put mine in the van. I rarely travelled without them and none of my clothes objected to a bit of mud. My creased old Barbour and well-worn jumpers and jeans were generally as sophisticated as I got.

  ‘Thanks, Carole,’ said Kate.

  ‘Have you seen the cats?’ Luke asked her, handing Abigail another breadstick because she had started to clamour for her sister’s as soon as she had handed me hers.

  ‘Both asleep in the bothy,’ said Carole. ‘See you in a bit.’

  After lunch of homemade soup and delicious bread, which Kate told me came from a wonderful bakery just up the road and had been baked by another Nightingale Square resident, Carole returned for the girls, and the three of us set off into the garden. It was very wet, with puddles pooling on the paths and everything now looking soggy, forlorn and in need of some proper deadheading and general tender loving care.

  ‘This weather has certainly helped the weeds along,’ commented Luke, bending to pull up a particularly large specimen.

  ‘I think we’ve definitely seen the end of the summer now,’ I agreed. ‘It will be time to put things to bed before we know it and hopefully for you guys, wake the Winter Garden up.’

  They both looked excited at the prospect, even if they weren’t all that sure how to go about it.

  ‘Are you absolutely sure I can’t tempt you with that job offer?’ Luke asked, as we finished the tour, having looked at an area I had missed before and which Kate said was a carpet of snowdrops in the spring. ‘It still stands, you know.’

  ‘We’d love to have you on the team,’ said Kate, linking her arm through mine.

  My heart skipped in my chest as we made a dash for the house when the rain started again. I was sad not to have seen the Grow-Well, but at least it would be the perfect excuse to come back for another visit.

  ‘You said you manage a garden in Suffolk, didn’t you?’ asked Luke, offering me a chair at the kitchen table once we’d pulled off our muddy wellies by the back door and picked the conversation up again. ‘On the Broad-Meadows estate.’

  He had a very good memory.

  ‘That’s right,’ I confirmed.

  ‘And do you love it there?’ Kate asked, sounding very much like she hoped the answer was going to be no.

  ‘I do,’ I sighed, ‘but it’s complicated.’

  Over tea and a slice of Victoria sponge – another treat from the bakery – I explained about how my job was potentially set to come to an end and how I was currently living in tied accommodation. I didn’t go into details about how I came to meet Eloise because it wasn’t relevant.

  ‘So, the upshot is,’ I told them, ‘I’m soon going to lose both my job and my home, and I can’t consider another position unless it offers me somewhere to live.’

  No one said anything for a few seconds but a look passed between the couple. Luke raised his eyebrows and Kate nodded. I had no idea what the silent exchange meant, but clearly, they did.

  ‘Would you excuse me for just a moment?’ said Luke, standing up and walking out.

  He was back before I’d drunk the second cup of tea Kate had pressed on me and he was looking really rather pleased with himself.

  ‘Well?’ Kate asked.

  ‘We can go over when
we’re ready,’ he answered.

  ‘Assuming Freya wants to,’ she pointed out.

  ‘Assuming Freya wants to what?’ I asked, putting down my cup.

  Luke turned to look at me. ‘Okay,’ he said, taking a breath. ‘Let me just make sure I’ve got your current work and accommodation situation perfectly straight in my head, Freya.’

  ‘Okay,’ I said, looking between him and Kate.

  ‘From what you’ve told us, I’m thinking that you might be interested in coming to work here and helping us set up the Winter Garden, yes?’

  ‘Yes,’ I quickly said, because I was extremely interested. ‘If it wasn’t for the fact that I’d have nowhere to live,’ I hastily added for further clarity, ‘I’d be here like a shot.’

  ‘And do you think you’d be happy to stay on to manage the garden and grounds once the Winter Garden is established?’

  ‘Of course,’ I said, feeling confused. ‘It’s a beautiful space. Any gardener would be proud to maintain it, but that still doesn’t alter the fact…’

  Luke shook his head. ‘Come with us,’ he said, holding out his hand for Kate, who stood up to follow him.

  ‘And don’t look so worried,’ she said to me, ‘because I think we might just have found the perfect solution.’

  It stopped raining as we made the short journey across the road into Nightingale Square, where I could see there were half a dozen or so lovely houses built around a green. They all looked in good repair and the green was well maintained.

  ‘This is the one we want,’ said Luke, opening the gate of the second house on the right. ‘How would you like to live here, Freya? Rent-free as part of your salary.’

  ‘I don’t understand,’ I said, as the door opened and an elderly gentleman ushered us inside.

  ‘Get in before it starts again,’ he insisted. ‘And wipe your feet. What a lovely dog,’ he added, patting Nell’s head.