Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay
Page 30
Lucinda and Daisy had also become firm friends and often went shopping together in Swallowtail Bay. Jeff and Rupert were nearly always found trimming the topiary or gardening somewhere else on the estate. John had suggested that some of the land that couldn’t be sold was used as an allotment, and the two old men were often there together, chatting while they worked, or could be found on camping chairs with bits of paper, planning their sowing schedules. Golfing was a rare activity for Jeff these days, and as well as having his own activities, he and Daisy made sure they had time together as well.
Macie sat in the other corner, resting her head on James the chocolatier’s shoulder. She pretty much lived in his flat now and was extremely happy as their relationship went from strength to strength. Felix and Elizabeth were there too and Hetty had found they were fairly easy to get on with. Felix’s dodgy investment had, as John suspected, been incredibly unsuccessful and as yet there hadn’t been any returns. The guilt had been hard for Felix to bear, but together they were putting it all behind them. The twin girls shifted in their seats, eyeing up the strawberries on the celebratory cake that was piled high with them in the corner. Tables laden with champagne and bowls of strawberries and cream were available for the guests they had invited, and bunting fluttered in the gentle breeze from the open windows.
The second annual Swallowtail Bay Food Festival had just finished, and it too had been a resounding success. Mr Horrocks’ Travelling Carnival had been able to make it this year and with the kind old man at the helm nothing had gone wrong. No children had gone missing and no dubious stall holders had stuck their coconuts to the shies. Ben hadn’t attended. He’d been too busy with his new shop in the larger town of Halebury and Hetty wished him well. Their last meeting had been awkward. He’d been apologetic, but Hetty had made it clear that things were over between them and there was no going back. He’d then recovered from her rejection quickly, his easy attitude softening the blow.
Hetty smiled at John and squeezed his hand tightly. She had always trusted her instincts and her instincts told her to hold on tight to this handsome, charming, loyal and kind man. A man who even after a year gave her the kind of kisses that made cartoon stars appear over her head and the world burst into song.
‘So, thank you all again for coming. It really means—’
Realising John was still talking, and the crowd were beginning to glaze over, Hetty gave a gentle tug on the back of his shirt. Their secret signal that meant he was overthinking and gibbering on.
‘What John means is,’ she interrupted gently, receiving a loving and appreciative gaze from him while she raised her champagne flute in the air, ‘we’re delighted to welcome you all to Thornhill Hall!’
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Acknowledgements
So here we are, our second visit to Swallowtail Bay! How did you find it? I have to say I have a bit of a soft spot for this story and I’ll tell you why … it was the worst book to write! Seriously, I hated this manuscript so much during my first draft, I would have quite happily burned it. It just didn’t want to flow, and my first draft was not living up to the idea I had, or how I saw it all in my head. But thanks to my lovely editor at HQ Digital, Sarah Goodey, and her amazing feedback, this story has actually ended up being one of my favourites! And with a hero who looks like beardy Richard Armitage, how could it not?!
I’d also like to thank some amazing writer friends who always keep me going when times get tough: Lucy Knott (the sweetest person you could ever hope to meet), Belinda Missen, Sandy Barker and Heidi Swain, thank you for your constant support! I feel like I know you all already even though I’ve never met some of you!
Hi, lovely readers,
How did you enjoy Summer Strawberries at Swallowtail Bay? Was John a bit swoon-worthy or what? And how did you like Hetty? I’d so love to know what you thought, and I really can’t tell you how much reviews mean to us authors. Not only do they stop us feeling lonely, but they help us find new readers and show our publishers that people are enjoying our work. They are absolutely priceless. So, if you enjoyed your time in Swallowtail Bay, please think about leaving a short review on Amazon or wherever you bought it. And thank you, please, thank you in advance!
If, like me, you enjoy a bit of the old social media malarkey, it would be lovely to connect (that’s what the young people say isn’t it? Connect?). My website is: www.keginger.com; or I’m on Facebook at: www.Facebook.com/KatieGAuthor. And Twitter at @KatieGAuthor.
See you again soon and happy reading, everyone!
Best wishes,
Katie
xxx
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