Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay

by Katie Ginger

  To his credit John seamlessly carried on with the awards. ‘Now onto my personal favourite, Cake of the Bay. There were quite a few entries for this one and it was possibly the one I enjoyed judging the most.’ The crowd laughed along. ‘The winner of Cake of the Bay is … Raina and her chocolate mousse cake!’

  As one of the most popular cafés in town, this one was met with a loud cheer. The awards continued and the winners were met with approval from the crowd. A couple of people seemed disappointed they didn’t win, but Hetty took it as a good sign. It showed the Taste of the Bay awards already meant something to people.

  After announcing the last one, the Spectacular Strawberry award for the best strawberry product, John said, ‘Before we all go, I’d really to thank you all for visiting the festival and I hope you’ve had a wonderful time. I have to say, that my family has very much enjoyed hosting the festival.’ His normally clear voice was carrying more emotion now. ‘And to those that visited the house earlier, I hope you found it interesting.’ She could read in his face the unspoken words that this might be the one and only time the house had visitors. ‘Let’s hope we can see you all here again next year. On behalf of myself and the quite remarkable Hetty Colman, thank you.’ He glanced at Hetty and the sadness in his eyes made her heart hurt.

  The applause from the crowd should have made them both happy, but Hetty could see John was feeling exactly the same way as her. To have achieved so much and for it to have been such a success but with very little chance of repeat was heart-breaking. She wondered where he would go if Thornhill Hall was sold. Would he move down to the bay or further away? The chance of never seeing John Thornhill sent a sharp pain through her body.

  ‘How was that?’ he asked, his voice calm and even once more.

  ‘Good,’ she replied. ‘Very good.’ Hetty looked up into his eyes and there was a softness to them. She couldn’t turn away, caught in the moment between them as her heart stirred into action, until Macie bounced over.

  ‘That was great, John. Well done.’

  ‘Thanks. How long until your parents arrive?’ he asked Hetty.

  Hetty quickly checked her watch. ‘An hour!’ She pressed her hand against her forehead. ‘I can’t believe the time has gone so quickly.’

  ‘Come on, let’s gather some bits and I’ll show you where the secret garden is. If you get food, I’ll get wine. What do they like, red or white?’

  ‘Red, definitely.’

  ‘I’ll get some coffees as well. From Raina’s. We can decant it into the nice china. We haven’t sold that yet, though it might be next.’

  ‘John, there must be something—’

  ‘Meet you back here in ten minutes, okay?’ The look in John’s eye told Hetty he wasn’t quite ready to discuss things yet.

  Fifteen minutes later, Hetty hurried to meet John, laden with everything they might need. The day was warming again as if the storm had never happened, the sky a perfect blue. ‘Sorry, I’m late. I got caught by a customer. They loved the house and were hoping it would be open again.’

  John smiled sadly. ‘Let’s get going, shall we?’

  Hetty followed John back up through the fields to the front of the house. It all seemed so familiar now. The rain had brought back some of the vibrancy to the wilting green leaves on the trees and the wet gravel of the driveway glistened like jewels. Something white pushed into the hedge caught her eye and she paused. John reached over her shoulder and pulled out the cheese box from their picnic on set-up day. It felt like a lifetime ago. A grin pulled at Hetty’s cheeks. ‘Should I ask?’

  ‘Probably best if you don’t.’ He put it behind his back as if to hide it.

  They rounded to the back of the house and through the rose garden. Flowers bloomed on either side of her in a myriad of colours, from the palest, most delicate pinks and creams to bold and beautiful reds and yellows. Their smell was intoxicating and heady. Rupert really did have a special gift when it came to gardening. There was something so peaceful about this part of the grounds and Hetty felt lucky to be there. After her blunder in the speech, she worried their conversation would be strained, but John remained the same. They chatted easily until at the back of the rose garden, he stopped at an old wooden gate in a high flint wall.

  ‘Are you ready?’ he asked and Hetty was pleased to see that his eyes were shining again. She nodded, unable to hide the smile on her face. He opened the gate and let her through to the most magical space Hetty had ever seen. The high stone walls were covered in blossoming plants and in the centre sat a small metal table and chairs. They were wet from the rain and the cobblestones glistened underfoot. In the corner, birds gathered on a large stone bird bath in the shade of a giant oak tree.

  ‘It’s beautiful,’ she replied, though the word didn’t seem enough. ‘Enchanting.’

  ‘I used to come here all the time as a kid. I loved it.’ Just then Rupert, John’s father, appeared. He almost didn’t see them as he ambled in and began gently pinching shoots from one of the plants. ‘Hello, Father,’ John said. ‘This is Hetty.’ Rupert gave her a very sweet smile but immediately went back to his gardening. ‘She’s going to use the secret garden this afternoon for a meeting. Do you mind?’

  ‘Oh no – no, no, no, – not at all.’ Again, his smile was so emotive and genuine. ‘I’ll – you know – potting shed.’

  He ambled past them and when he paused in front of John, Hetty gently touched his arm. ‘Thank you, Mr Thornhill. I hope it’s not causing you any inconvenience.’

  ‘No, dear – and do call – Rupert, isn’t it,’ he said before shuffling away.

  Hetty liked him immediately. When he’d gone, John leaned into her. ‘Sorry, he’s not been himself since the vineyard thing.’

  ‘It’s fine. I thought he was lovely.’

  ‘He umm … changed after it all happened. He’s much shyer now.’

  ‘I understand,’ Hetty replied. ‘Sometimes life can be hard to deal with and we all hide inside ourselves.’

  ‘That’s it exactly,’ John said with a sudden seriousness.

  ‘He may come out of it eventually,’ Hetty offered kindly. John didn’t answer but storm clouds had gathered in his eyes turning them from blue to green. ‘This place is amazing,’ Hetty said to cheer him. ‘And thank you for being so helpful with my parents. I realise it’s not your problem—’

  ‘I’m happy to help.’ His smile sent a tingle through her body. ‘I told Jaz about the picnic and she left that box of stuff for you.’

  Hetty saw a plastic tub, much like her emergency box, full of plates, a cake stand, tablecloth and a towel to dry everything after the rain. Hetty was impressed at her forethought. ‘I’d better get set up, they’ll be here soon.’

  ‘Sure.’ John went to back away but Hetty didn’t want him to leave.

  ‘Umm, where do you think you’re going? I thought you were helping me set up.’ With a wide grin he began to unpack some of the cakes onto the cake stand. Hetty took to wiping the chairs clean. ‘Jaz has thought of everything.’

  ‘She’s a very good assistant.’

  ‘She seems it.’

  John paused as if considering his words very carefully. After a second, he spoke again. ‘I meant what I said earlier, Hetty. She got confused that’s all. Got the wrong idea. I don’t think I led her on, but I can see how some of the things I did might have been confusing.’

  ‘Like the strawberries?’ she asked, remembering seeing Jaz trying to get John to eat one and squishing it into his face.

  ‘Yes,’ he replied. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been as terrified by fruit before.’

  Hetty tried not to glance over but she could hear the hint of guilt in his voice. There was no denying it anymore, her feelings for John were growing by the second and with them, her decision about Ben became more difficult. Could Ben give her everything she wanted? If he had suddenly come around to the idea of them making a commitment to one another, would it even work? His failure to come to the awards hurt, t
hough her brain knew it would be too painful to analyse exactly how much right now. At the back of her mind, a thought was gathering that he still wasn’t reliable and mature.

  ‘So, your boyfriend did well to win Baker of the Bay.’

  ‘He’s not my boyfriend,’ Hetty replied quickly and began to wipe the wet chairs with even greater force. ‘He’s my ex. He was supposed to be there to collect the award himself, but he didn’t show.’ Hetty felt an anger rise in her at the way Ben had let her down. Like he wasn’t taking this all seriously because he never could take anything seriously.

  ‘Oh, right.’

  Just as Hetty flung out the tablecloth to lay it over the table, Macie ran into the garden, followed swiftly by Jaz. Her lips almost trembled and she was out of breath. ‘Hetty, you’ve got to come back. Quick.’

  ‘What’s happened?’ Pressure mounted in her chest and her head began to pound. Macie was normally cool, calm and collected, but Hetty could see the fear and panic in her eyes. She was pale and her freckles stood against her white skin and the warmth of her ginger hair. Jaz too was terrified, like the whole house was about to come crashing down around them.

  Macie’s voice trembled as she finally got the words out and when she did, a coldness hit Hetty’s body, sweeping through every bone. ‘A child’s gone missing.’

  Chapter 30

  All the air escaped from her lungs in one big, panicked breath. ‘When? How?’

  John turned to her and she could almost see the pulse in his neck.

  ‘I was just checking on the vendors and I heard a woman scream. I ran over to the noise and she was sobbing.’ Macie’s voice wobbled as she relayed the information. ‘She said her little girl had gone missing. She was calling her name and looking around, but she couldn’t see her. I told them to stay where they were in case the little girl came back and that we’d start a search straight away.’ Macie sniffed and sweetly, Jaz, who’d been standing next to her, rubbed her back. ‘I did try and call, but the signal’s so hit and miss up here it wouldn’t connect.’

  Hetty nodded along, her breathing erratic, and took a moment to regain her composure. Panicking wasn’t going to help anyone. ‘You’ve done exactly the right thing, Macie. Well done.’ Her brain was now kicking into gear, ordering her thoughts to deal with the problem in the best way possible. ‘Right, Macie, Jaz, could you two pair up and search around the food stalls?’

  Jaz was quick to respond. ‘Yes, of course. Anything I can do to help.’

  ‘Thank you. Macie, let’s also get it announced on the loudspeaker, okay?’ She turned to John, eager to have him with her during this stressful time. ‘John, are you all right to search the funfair with me?’

  ‘Of course.’ His rich velvety voice was reassuring, but Hetty could read the worry in his eyes. If this is all the first ever Swallowtail Bay Food Festival was remembered for, there certainly wouldn’t be a repeat next year. And that was if they could save the house first.

  ‘What’s her name, Macie?’

  ‘Melanie. She’s 8, has blonde hair, and is wearing a pink summer dress with pink sandals.’ Jaz gave a small smile in Macie’s direction, clearly impressed with her.

  ‘Good job, Macie,’ Hetty said. ‘You’ve handled this brilliantly already, I’m so proud of you. Now all we have to do is find her.’ Macie smiled at the compliment from her boss, but she was clearly as worried as the rest of them. That poor little girl must be terrified without her mum and dad. Hetty could see her lost, alone and crying, walking around rubbing her eyes, trying to stem the tears. Why hadn’t anyone noticed a little girl on her own and taken her to a steward?

  Hetty took a deep breath, trying to control her racing mind. If the kid had gone to the car park, surely one of the stewards would have seen her. There were more of them there. ‘I’ll call Robbie in the parking field and get him to check there.’ She felt a hand on her lower back and turned to see John.

  ‘Don’t worry. We’ll find her. She can’t have gone far.’

  They left the peace and tranquillity of the secret garden and raced back through the rose garden. Jaz and Macie dashed ahead together, speaking quickly but calmly, deciding where to start.

  ‘It will be all right, Hetty,’ John said. ‘I promise.’ She desperately wanted to believe him and was thankful for his attempts to calm her, but how could he promise something like that? What if something truly dreadful had happened? No, she wouldn’t think like that. The chances were the girl had accidentally got separated from her parents and was still in the food festival somewhere. Perhaps she was just strolling about on her own not realising she had everyone worried half to death.

  Lucinda appeared as they came to the back of the house and John ran over to her. ‘Mother, have you seen any little girls around the house?’

  ‘Little girls?’ she asked in confusion then realisation dawned. ‘Oh, Lord, has someone got lost?’

  ‘Yes, but we’re searching for them now. If a little girl called Melanie comes to the house, ring me straight away. Okay?’ Lucinda nodded.

  ‘Thank you,’ Hetty added. ‘She has blonde hair and is wearing a pink dress and pink sandals.’

  ‘Of course,’ Lucinda replied then returned to the house, wringing her hands.

  By the time they were back at the food festival, Hetty had descended into silence and barely heard anything John said. John’s certainty had been reassuring, but as they headed back, it occurred to Hetty that there were so many more fields than the ones they were using. What if the little girl had got into one of those and become disoriented, unable to find her way back? What if she’d wandered off down one of the bridleways that led back into town? If their search didn’t yield any results, they’d have to call the police. And soon.

  Macie and Jaz set off in the opposite direction while she and John carried on to the funfair. They rushed past some of the stalls, both looking around, eyes searching for a girl resembling Melanie’s description. Nothing.

  A ball of fear formed in the base of Hetty’s throat so she could hardly speak. ‘She isn’t here, is she?’

  ‘No,’ John replied and Hetty wondered if he really was that calm or if he was just pretending.

  The voice of a steward sounded out over the loudspeaker. ‘Attention everyone, we’ve got a little girl separated from her parents, so please could we ask you all to keep an eye out for Melanie. She’s 8 years old and is wearing a pink dress and pink sandals. Melanie, if you can hear me, can you make your way to the nearest person in one of the bright yellow jackets. Your parents are waiting for you by the giant movie screen.’ The concerned faces of the crowd as they listened did nothing to relieve Hetty’s stress. It increased it ten-fold, but at least there were extra eyes looking out for the poor little thing.

  As they neared the beer tent, she heard Ben’s voice before she saw him. ‘I’m pretty sure Swallowtail Bay has a higher than usual ratio of hotties to munters. Don’t you reckon, Bill?’ Hetty heard him wolf-whistle a young lady as she walked past, then a cacophony of macho guffawing met her ears. She came alongside the entrance of the tent, her pace slowing but her anger rising, to see Ben still sitting on the bar stool, tipsy and enjoying himself thoroughly. His legs were splayed open, an almost empty plastic beer glass in one hand, and a wolfish grin on his face. For a second, he didn’t realise it was her, but when he did, his happiness evaporated. Hetty didn’t stop, and he slid off his stool and jogged unsteadily towards her. ‘Hetty, my darlin’ one and only.’ She cast a look over her shoulder but kept going. ‘Hetty, Hetty, Hetty, Hetty.’

  Hetty’s heart, already beating rapidly from the speed with which they’d returned to the festival, was now reverberating in her chest with anger. Instead of trying to help her when the rain came, knowing how much the festival meant to her, he’d been plonked in the beer tent. Instead of coming to claim his award, helping her make the festival a success, or more importantly, getting off his bum to help look for a missing child, he’d been sitting here getting drunk. He’d clearly left Ka
ren, the poor member of staff he’d brought with him, alone to deal with the rush of people there would undoubtedly be back at the stall while he lived it up like he didn’t have a care in the world. Hetty pushed her words out past the cricket-ball-sized lump in her throat. ‘Just go back to the tent, Ben. I’ll speak to you later.’

  ‘Hetty, come on.’ He grabbed her hand and pulled her round, jarring her shoulder. His breath was heavy with the smell of ale and she wafted a hand in front of her face. His eyes were a little unfocused and she could tell from his exaggerated movements he must have drunk a lot. She tried to wriggle her hand free. ‘What? What’s with the face? I’m just chillin’ out, my beloved.’ She turned her head from his smelly breath and from the corner of her eye, saw John shift uncomfortably. ‘Hey, have you thought any more about what I said? About marrying me? I think I’ve got the ring here somewhere.’ He finally let go of her hand and patted down his pockets.

  Thankful to be free, Hetty began to walk backwards. ‘Ben, I really don’t have time for this right now. We’ll talk later.’ Ben pulled a sulky face and tried grabbing her hands again. Hetty felt her temper flaring. ‘We’ll talk later, Ben,’ she said again firmly. She hated the way he never listened when he got drunk. ‘I’ve got to find—’ She was going to say a kid but couldn’t trust Ben to help in the situation. He’d probably start shouting like an idiot, scaring the girl even more if she was around here.

  If she was going to spend the rest of her life with him, she should have been able to tell him anything and rely on him to help her when she needed it. That she couldn’t was like a warning flare going off in her mind.

  ‘What’s lord of the manor summoned you to do anyway?’ Ben eyed John with an unsteady gaze and John turned away, obviously sharing Hetty’s view that it wasn’t worth the hassle.