by Katie Ginger
Robbie slyly nudged Mr Wade and he carried on. ‘Is that really necessary? Why don’t I just refund this lady her money? And then we can restart the games for these people who are patiently waiting.’
Hetty crossed her arm over her chest, partly to keep warm but mostly through annoyance. ‘That would be very nice of you, Mr Wade. But I’d still like to see each coconut lifted up from its little perch. I’ll just wait here while it’s done. It shouldn’t take a second.’ She gave her brightest smile.
Mr Wade shifted uncomfortably. He tried to take Hetty’s arm to speak to her in private, but she pulled it away. Seeing she wasn’t going to go anywhere, he leaned in and whispered, ‘All right so maybe a couple of them are stuck down. It’s just how these things are.’
‘Not at my events, it’s not,’ she mumbled through gritted teeth. Feeling horribly guilty and responsible for hiring him, Hetty narrowed her eyes. ‘I knew something was off yesterday when I saw the hook-a-ducks were all bent.’
‘You just don’t know how these things work, love,’ he said softly. ‘It’s not a big deal.’
Anger tightened her shoulders and tensed her body. ‘How have you stuck them down?’
‘With a bit of glue that’s all.’ He gave her a nudge, thinking she’d come round to his way of doing things.
‘And do you have spares?’
‘Yes,’ he replied nervously. ‘But I told you—’
‘Now listen to me, Mr Wade, this is what you’re going to do.’ Hetty wasn’t normally quick to anger, but Mr Wade’s conning of her customers, potential ruining of her reputation and patronising manner, sparked into life. ‘You’re going to refund everyone here their money and close this stall for fifteen minutes while you unglue all these coconuts and replace them with actual, normal ones. And if I hear that you’ve been scamming any more of my customers, I will personally remove one of the aforementioned coconuts, come and find you and insert it somewhere a coconut should never go. Do you understand?’
Mr Wade stood back in shock. She could see he wasn’t used to being spoken to like that and he too was getting annoyed. ‘What if I just pack up my funfair and leave, hey? What would you do then?’ He’d given just the response she was expecting and had already prepared for. Hetty’s cheeks were hot from annoyance and finally warm against the gathering wind.
‘You do that, Mr Wade, if you want. I’ll simply let everyone in the county know that the reason you left was because I wouldn’t put up with you cheating my customers. The bouncy castle man has said he can fill the space you leave behind so it’s no skin off my nose.’ This wasn’t exactly true because she hadn’t spoken to the bouncy castle man, but Mr Wade didn’t know that and Hetty wouldn’t be bullied.
Mr Wade tried to out-stare her for a moment but naturally it didn’t work. Finally, he huffed. ‘Oh, fine then.’
‘Marvellous. I’ll leave you to it, but I’ll be making more regular checks on you from now on.’ She turned to the lady who’d accompanied her. ‘Mr Wade will gladly give you a refund and a free go when he’s done some maintenance on the stall. It shouldn’t take more than about ten minutes should it, Mr Wade?’ He glared at her before sticking on a smile and turning to the assembled crowd.
‘Looks like we’ve got some sticky nuts, guys and gals. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you, sir?’ There was a small chuckle from the crowd. ‘Give us ten minutes to get everything back to full working order and then you’re first, aren’t you, young man? Look at those muscles! Going to cost me a fortune, I reckon.’
Hetty left him and began to walk away, shivering in the wind. With that done, she had time for a quick coffee and a few minutes to relax. The ghost train suddenly howled as she passed it and she screeched, making a group of kids giggle. A few tiny patches of blue appeared and disappeared, but the heavy cloud cover remained, growing denser by the minute.
At half past eleven, and with half her coffee drunk, the chatter of the crowd was halted by an almighty rumble of thunder. The heavens opened and fat, heavy drops of rain pounded down with such force they seemed to bounce back up off the ground. Some people hid under the small awnings of the stalls, but worryingly, many were making a dash for the exit and the car park. Hetty threw on her pac-a-mac, knowing she had to do something to keep them there, but apart from a one-woman show complete with singing and dancing, she couldn’t think of anything. Plus, her singing and dancing were so bad they’d probably just drive people away rather than make them stay.
Abandoning her coffee, she ran to Macie, who had sensibly chosen the chocolatier James’s stall to hide under and he seemed very happy to see her. Ben, Hetty decided, had been wrong. She had a feeling that this time, Macie and her guy would go the distance. There was just something in the way he looked at her.
‘What are we going to do?’ asked Macie, her face damp and her eyes wide in panic.
Hetty shook her head trying to think. Her brain was working overtime running through different options, casting some aside, revisiting others but nothing seemed quite right. Then John appeared at her side, sodden and in a dripping wet coat. She could smell the fresh rainwater on his skin and had the sudden urge to gently wipe the moisture away just so she could touch him, but he’d probably want Jaz to do that now.
‘What are you doing here in this?’ she asked, hunkering down and trying to stop water trickling down the back of her neck. She’d hoped it would cool her temper, but her voice was harsh. ‘I can deal with this, thank you. You don’t need to be here.’
He blinked in confusion. ‘I came down as soon as the rain hit.’
‘Isn’t that the opposite of what a sensible person should do?’ Yesterday, she’d have said it in a teasing way but now it carried anger over Jaz. Hearing herself, Hetty realised just how cross she was and how much it hurt to think he was with someone else.
‘Heroic, remember?’ John grinned, but when she couldn’t smile back, an uncomfortable silence formed. ‘What can I do?’ John finally asked.
‘Nothing. Thank you. Can you control the weather?’ Hetty groaned at her own petulant response, but she couldn’t help it. Instead of feeling like she’d let him down, it now felt the other way around. She knew she shouldn’t care about his love life she should only be thinking about her and Ben. ‘We’ll just wait for it to finish.’
Macie suddenly chipped in. ‘Hetty, what are you talking about? It’s lashing it down and everyone’s pegging it.’ Hetty spun, her eyes signalling for her to be quiet. John sighed, and taking Hetty’s arm, pulled her to one side and relative privacy.
‘Hetty, if this about Jaz and last night—’
‘Your business is your business,’ she said, folding her arms over her chest. Her pac-a-mac stuck uncomfortably to her skin and raindrops misted her glasses.
‘Jaz kissed me,’ he said in his usually barky manner. ‘Not the other way around. She was drunk and misread our relationship. It’s not what you and no doubt everyone else thinks.’
Taking a moment to study his face, Hetty examined his clear, truthful eyes. It had been clear to her that Jaz had a crush on John, and with John inviting her to the picnic she could see how she might have misread the signs. Relief refilled her lungs with air. Rain battered the awning above their heads, tapping a constant fast rhythm that her breath tried to match. ‘Okay.’
‘Hetty, it’s true.’
‘I believe you,’ she said quickly, and she watched his mouth lift into a grin. A raindrop trickled down the side of his face and onto the corner of his lips. Huddled together they were incredibly close and Hetty’s heart tightened with yearning. It was such a huge, tidal wave of emotion it frightened her, and more because deep down, she knew she should be feeling it for Ben.
‘Everyone’s leaving,’ cried Macie, over the unhappy screeches of the crowd. ‘What are we going to do?’
‘I don’t know,’ Hetty answered, thinking hard, but nothing helpful was coming out. The pitter patter of rain flooded into her ears and a child shrieked at another almighty c
rack of thunder. As her brain worked, she remembered she had to change her bed and buy some more kitchen roll but no helpful thoughts to do with the festival emerged. ‘There’s nowhere to shepherd everyone that’s indoors, and there’s only the awards this afternoon. The vendors care more about those than the visitors. There’s no way they’re going to sit through a deluge to see who gets a red rosette Macie made three nights ago.’ Frustratingly, she couldn’t magic up indoor activities in the middle of an open field. The possibility of rain had been slim with the good summer they’d experienced so far and if there had been rain predicted, she’d thought it would be a shower, not something that required a flood warning. ‘We’ll just have to encourage people to go to the funfair – that has some under-cover activities – or hope they come back later when this is finished.’ She threw her hands helplessly towards the sky.
‘Well, that’s not likely is it?’ said Macie. ‘Once people leave, they don’t generally come back. And without another film night to bring them here …’ She tailed off in disappointment. ‘It’s all over, isn’t it?’
Fear gripped every one of Hetty’s internal organs. Everything she had worked so hard for was washing away. Almost a full day’s takings would be lost if they couldn’t think of some way of keeping everyone there. She’d invested every last penny from her business in this and both she and John needed decent profits, but every raindrop that hit the ground was like a pound coin falling down the drain. How on earth could Hetty reply when all she could think to say was, ‘Yes, I think it might be.’
Chapter 28
‘I might have an idea,’ said John.
Another rumble of thunder shook the sky and the rain intensified. Hetty and Macie both turned to him, eager to hear what he had to say. From his furrowed forehead he was clearly thinking something through. Hetty could almost see the cogs turning and the brain power behind his eyes. But when he spoke, what he had to say was completely unexpected. ‘Bring everyone up to the house.’
‘What?’ Macie said it first and a second later, Hetty repeated the question.
‘But your mother doesn’t want visitors in the house,’ Hetty confirmed, shaking her head in amazement. ‘You told me. You said it was an option to get some money in and help your family, but she’d always been dead set against it. Surely she wouldn’t appreciate this?’
‘Yes, but all that might have to change now.’ Hetty cocked her head. ‘I’ll tell you later. But we both need this festival to be as successful as possible. If everyone leaves that’s a whole afternoon’s business gone.’ John pointed to the remaining crowd. ‘Bring them up to the house. We’ll say it’s open for visitors for today only. No charge, of course. They can look around until the rain stops then we’ll encourage everyone back out to the fields.’
‘John, there’s still a lot of people here and—’
‘Oh, Hetty,’ said Macie, growing stern. ‘Just trust him, will you? Sometimes you have to accept help from people, stop being such a control freak. Honestly, it took you three years before you’d let me order stationery let alone run a party. It’s absolutely freezing, I’ve got water in my knickers and my feet are soaked. Please just take John’s suggestion.’
Though she was taken aback by Macie’s outburst, she did have a point. ‘Are you sure?’ Hetty asked John. It was a good idea and the fact that he was trying to save her and the festival by going against his family sent her heart fluttering.
‘Positive.’
‘Okay then.’ Hetty felt her own mind suddenly working again and sprang into action. ‘Let’s do this. Macie, you tell the stewards. Make sure a few stay here to keep an eye on things but get everyone else ready to shepherd the crowd that way.’ She pointed back towards the house, then, rolling her shoulders back headed out into the rain to make the announcement. Her thin pac-a-mac did nothing to shield her from the onslaught and the heavy drops buffeted her skin. Cupping her hands around her mouth so she could be heard above the storm she shouted. ‘Don’t panic everyone, we have a contingency plan.’ She glanced over at John and he smiled at her, encouraging her to go on. ‘John Thornhill would like to welcome you all inside Thornhill Hall for one day only, so we don’t all drown out here in the rain. If you’d all like to follow the stewards, you’ll be in the house in a jiffy.’
John and Hetty raced ahead to lead the crowd. Her shoes squelched in the wet grass. There was a thin layer of mud under foot, but the ground had been so hard and the sun so strong for weeks, there wasn’t enough to stick to her shoes.
‘Are you really sure about this?’ she asked. Her hair pressed against her head and she tried to ruffle it up, but it was so damp it just flopped back down again.
‘Like you said, we make a good team. This is my contribution. Do you want my coat?’
‘What, and ruin my look? No thanks. We’ll be indoors in a minute anyway.’
As he smiled, the warming effect it had on her brought with it guilt and confusion and she looked around for Ben, but he wasn’t in the group following them. Behind them, excited chatter filled the air and a sense of anticipation was mounting.
Within a few minutes they were pushing open the heavy front doors of Thornhill Hall. As the horde of soggy people stomped into the grand hall and the grey tiles of the hallway grew slippery, John walked towards his mother who had paused in the parlour doorway, speechless and utterly terrified.
‘Don’t panic, Mother, it’s only for a while until the rain stops.’
‘But John—’ The pale skin of her long, thin face seemed stretched as her mouth hung open in surprise.
Hetty watched as he gently laid his hands on her shoulders and took her to one side. He spoke so softly she couldn’t hear what he said, but eventually Lucinda nodded. The crowd were beginning to fill the large hallway and were huddling into little groups, gazing around at the few exquisite paintings that were left. ‘Where’s Ben?’ Hetty asked Macie. ‘I didn’t see him coming up to the house.’
‘He said he was staying behind at that local brewery’s pitch. They’ve got that gazebo bit, haven’t they? Karen’s covering The Bake House stall.’
‘Oh, right.’ Hetty was surprised he’d missed this chance to see inside of Thornhill Hall given the gossip he’d been spouting recently. At first, knowing he wasn’t there, it was difficult for Hetty to pinpoint exactly how she felt, but she soon named it as relief.
Jaz came running out from the study and went straight to John. She wasn’t sure quite what she expected to see between them but as Hetty watched on, something was definitely different. Jaz seemed a little less sure of herself today, less protective towards him, and Hetty didn’t think it was all due to the hangover. John must have made it clear to Jaz where their relationship stood and Hetty shifted a little closer so she could hear over the chatter. ‘John, what’s going on?’
‘It’s raining,’ he said with a lightness to his voice. ‘So we’ve brought everyone up here.’
‘But your mum – Lucinda – she—’
‘It’s fine, don’t worry.’ John glanced around. ‘But look, there’s too many people to all fit in here. If you could take some people through to the parlour, that would be great. Unless you need to go home?’
‘No, I’m fine. I’m happy to help,’ she replied.
Hetty felt she should add something. She didn’t want Jaz to feel put upon or like she was clearing up Hetty’s mess. ‘Miss Simmons, this is all my fault,’ Hetty said stepping towards them. ‘I hadn’t planned for this much rain. I thought there might be a shower, but I wasn’t prepared for this onslaught from the gods.’ A hint of a smile appeared on Jaz’s face. ‘But if we don’t keep everyone occupied, they’ll leave and once they’ve gone, they won’t come back. We’ll effectively be finished. If you could help us at all – help me – it really would be appreciated.’ Jaz dropped her eyes. ‘Please, Miss Simmons. I’m sure I can pay you, even if it’s in chocolate.’
Jaz glanced at John then gave Hetty a genuine smile. ‘It’s Jaz. You can call me Jaz.’ John no
dded approval and went to his mother who was fidgeting around like a startled rabbit.
‘Jaz,’ said Hetty when he’d gone, ‘I really appreciate you helping. The forecast said there was only a five per cent chance of rain.’
‘It’s no problem, Miss Colman.’ Her voice had lost the superior tone it had before and gained a friendly warmth and she headed off, shepherding people into the parlour as she went.
‘Do call me Hetty. Please?’ Jaz nodded.
‘Hetty?’ John called Hetty over to meet his mother and she suddenly felt like a girlfriend meeting the parents for the first time, worried about making a good impression. She pushed the thought down, unsettled by how real it made her feelings for John. Slowly, Hetty wandered over. ‘Mother, this is Miss Hetty Colman who’s organised the food festival. Hetty, this is my mother, Lucinda.’
‘How do you do, Miss Colman?’ John’s mother replied. She had strong, clipped upper-class vowels and Hetty could see a resemblance to John in the kind, worried eyes. Lucinda tipped her hand and gave a delicate handshake.
‘How do you do, Mrs Thornhill?’
‘Please, call me Lucinda.’
As Hetty stood looking at Lucinda, wondering what on earth they could find to talk about, Mrs Bates hobbled over.
‘Oh, Lucinda, where’ve you been? We’ve missed you terribly at the library.’
‘Mrs Bates,’ Lucinda replied with a rictus grin. She was clearly unprepared for people approaching her and asking her questions. Hetty stepped in to save her.
‘John mentioned your to-be-read pile was keeping you away from town, Lucinda. Mine is too, but I don’t seem to be able to stop buying books.’
John smiled at his mother encouragingly.
‘Yes – yes, it has,’ she replied, catching on to the lie. ‘Every time I finish a book it’s like I’ve made no progress at all.’ Her shoulders relaxed a little.
