The Winter Garden

by Heidi Swain

  ‘Yes,’ I said, doing my best to smile, ‘I’m all good.’

  Warm, dark and welcoming, the pub had low ceilings which felt all the lower because they were bedecked with festive garlands of greenery and lit with twinkling white fairy lights. There was a fire burning in the grate, which cranked up the heat, and smiling staff behind the well-stocked bar who added to the cosy ambience. It really was very lovely, but I knew I would have liked it even better if it hadn’t been quite so busy.

  I opted for half a pint of bitter from a local microbrewery which, I was told, was located on the outskirts of the city and was in such high demand it was going to have to lose the ‘micro’ moniker and move to bigger premises.

  ‘Have you been in before?’ asked the young woman serving.

  ‘No,’ I told her, counting out my money. ‘I only moved to the area last week.’

  ‘I didn’t think I’d seen you before,’ she smiled. ‘You aren’t Freya, by any chance, are you?’

  ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘I am. How on earth did you know that?’

  I thought the village closest to Broad-Meadows had the fastest bush telegraph in East Anglia, but perhaps I was wrong. I had expected at least a certain level of anonymity in the busy city, but clearly, I was mistaken about that too.

  ‘I’m a friend of Chloe’s,’ she said, waving at the table where our mutual friend was making herself comfortable. ‘She mentioned your gorgeous hair and I don’t think there’s anyone else in the vicinity with such a long plait.’

  I supposed the length of it did make me a fairly recognisable resident.

  ‘I see,’ I said, handing her cash in exchange for my drink.

  ‘So, welcome to The Dragon, Freya,’ she said charmingly, ‘I hope you enjoy your inaugural visit.’

  ‘Thank you,’ I said, taking a sip of the bitter, which was surprisingly light and refreshing. ‘I love the atmosphere already and the garlands are very pretty.’

  ‘The landlord came up with the idea,’ she explained, ‘because we haven’t got room for a tree, and I’m not surprised you like them,’ she added, ‘what with you being a gardener, I mean.’

  Chloe really had filled her in and I wondered how well the pair knew each other. Had my arrival been casual pub chat or was it more a case of exchanged news between close friends? I don’t suppose it mattered, but I did feel a little on the back foot as I looked around and wondered who else knew who I was and where I worked and lived.

  ‘Sorry,’ I heard Finn saying huffily as I inched my way through the bar and over to the table everyone else was squeezed around, ‘but there’s nothing I can do about him.’

  ‘No,’ said Poppy’s partner, Jacob, sounding equally miffed, ‘I don’t suppose there is.’

  ‘You can perch on here with me if you like,’ Chloe said to me, shifting half off the bench she was already on the edge of.

  ‘No,’ I said, ‘you’re all right. I don’t mind standing.’

  I did really because my legs were aching even more after the walk into the city and back, but I wasn’t planning on it being long before I made my excuses and left.

  ‘I would offer you my seat,’ said Finn, ‘but if I stand up, there’ll be even less room.’

  He had a point.

  ‘I really am fine here,’ I told him, ‘but thanks.’

  It was weird standing next to him when he was sitting down. His face was far too close to mine and the heat from the fire was warming up that intoxicating aftershave he wore.

  ‘Anyway,’ he said, turning his attention back to Jacob, ‘you won’t have to worry about him hanging about for too much longer because there can’t be much left for him to do and now I’m living on site, I’ve told Luke that I’m happy to see to anything that comes up.’

  ‘I’m not worried as such,’ said Jacob. ‘It’s just he always seems to hone in on Poppy.’

  ‘I wish you wouldn’t keep on about it,’ she laughed. ‘I’m perfectly capable of handling him and it’s all bravado anyway. He’d run a mile if I gave him back as good as he gives me.’

  ‘Well, let’s not test that theory,’ Jacob shot back.

  ‘And it’s not just Poppy,’ Finn carried on. ‘He met Freya on Monday and she got the same treatment, didn’t you?’

  Everyone’s eyes turned to me.

  ‘Met who?’ I queried. ‘And got what treatment?’

  ‘Zak,’ Finn elaborated. ‘He came on to you in Luke’s office, didn’t he?’

  ‘Actually, no,’ I said, ‘that wasn’t me.’

  I didn’t want to further fuel Jacob’s concerns about Zak flirting with Poppy, but I didn’t want anyone thinking that I’d been bewitched by his muscly charms.

  ‘I heard you,’ Finn said, turning slightly red, ‘you were having a bit of banter with him in Luke’s office, but to be fair you did sound as if you were—’

  ‘That wasn’t me, it was Poppy,’ I cut in, ruffled that he had jumped to a conclusion and the wrong one at that. ‘Sorry, Poppy.’

  Jacob’s gaze swung back to his girlfriend and Finn looked up at me.

  ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘I just thought…’

  ‘I know what you thought,’ I told him, ‘but I wouldn’t have talked to him like that. He’s not my type. I’m not interested in egocentric muscle-bound idiots.’

  Finn’s face split into a sudden smile.

  ‘That’s the best description of him I’ve ever heard.’

  ‘Well,’ I said, trying not to notice how attractively Finn’s eyes crinkled when he smiled, ‘that’s as maybe, but don’t tell him that’s what I said, will you?’

  ‘I won’t,’ he chuckled.

  ‘So,’ said Chloe, looking mischievous, ‘what is your type then, Freya?’

  I shook my head and refused to answer.

  ‘Did you tell Zak where to go?’ Jacob asked Poppy.

  ‘Of course, I did, you loon,’ she laughed.

  They kissed and made up and everyone finished their drinks before getting ready to head home.

  ‘I need to get back too,’ I said, draining my glass. ‘Nell will be wondering where I’ve got to.’

  ‘No, she won’t,’ said Poppy. ‘She’ll be having a great time with Gus. There’s no need for you to rush back. I’m only going because I want to make sure Ryan’s all tucked up. He’s got a college trip tomorrow and has to leave early.’

  ‘You should stay and have a drink with, Finn,’ Chloe whispered as she buttoned up her coat and pulled on her woolly hat.

  I thought that was a strange suggestion, coming from her. If anything, I thought she would be the one hanging on to bag some extra alone time with him, because not only had they walked back from the city centre arm in arm, they had been squeezed next to each other in the pub too.

  ‘What about you?’ I asked her. ‘You could stay.’

  She shook her head.

  ‘I’m walking back with Hannah,’ she said, pointing over to where the young woman who had served me earlier was getting ready to go. ‘We live on the same street, but you two should stay and keep each other company.’

  ‘I don’t think so,’ I said, looking over to where Finn was now leaning over the bar. I couldn’t help noticing how broad his back was.

  I felt as though I’d already shared enough with him for one evening; first I’d told him about my most traumatic childhood experience and now I’d given him my less than glowing opinion of his half-brother, which of course he had loved.

  ‘Look,’ said Chloe, ‘I know it’s nothing to do with me, but at some point, aren’t the pair of you going to have to work together in the gardens?’

  ‘Yes,’ I sniffed.

  ‘And wouldn’t it be easier to do that if you got to know each other a bit?’

  Given the amount I’d already said, I thought he was getting to know me plenty fast enough and we were only positioning sculptures together, we weren’t exactly office desk buddies.

  Nonetheless, Chloe looked at me in expectation of an answer, her eyebrows quizzically raised. />
  ‘Maybe,’ I conceded, ‘but not tonight.’

  ‘Why?’ she demanded. ‘This is the perfect opportunity.’

  Given that it was more than obvious that Chloe seemed to like Finn in a way that transcended the friends zone, I could hardly tell her how weak my knees had felt when he took my hand in his or how, when I was first introduced to him, the fluttery sensations in my stomach made me forget there was anyone else in the room, could I?

  All of those feelings I had experienced put my interest in the man still standing at the bar way beyond the friend zone too. They were primal and disconcerting and certainly inconvenient. I had enough on my plate right now what with settling into a new home and a new job. I certainly didn’t need the added complication of a new crush too, because that was all it could be. Chloe was going to be the girl for Finn, not me, but I didn’t feel, knowing what I did about her tragic past, that standing in a packed and noisy pub was the moment to point that out.

  ‘You need to stay,’ she hissed, when I didn’t answer, ‘build on the good work you’ve already done tonight.’

  ‘What do you mean by that?’

  ‘Describing his brother as egocentric and muscle-bound has definitely got you off the hook for belittling his Winterfest suggestion.’

  ‘I didn’t belittle it,’ I said, defensively.

  ‘Just stay,’ she practically begged, although I had no idea why. ‘Oh God, here he comes. Just stay and get to know him a bit better. Think of it as furthering your professional relationship, if nothing else.’

  There wasn’t time to object.

  ‘Are you not leaving, Freya?’ Finn asked when I didn’t follow Chloe.

  ‘Not just yet,’ I said, my voice catching as my so-called friend gave me a double thumbs up as she backed out the door.

  ‘Looks like it’s just the two of us then,’ he commented, looking about him. ‘Why don’t you grab us a table now it’s quieter and I’ll get you another drink.’

  * * *

  ‘Thanks,’ I swallowed, taking the pint he offered when he eventually came back from the bar again. ‘You’ll have to let me get the next one.’

  I had no idea why I said that because I wasn’t planning on staying. Finn nodded as he tried to work out where to put his long legs so that they wouldn’t be in everyone else’s way.

  ‘I’m sorry about that mix up over Zak,’ he apologised.

  His tall frame wasn’t easy to fold up and I noticed that he’d had to walk with his shoulders hunched and his head bent to avoid ending up wearing a holly crown. In the constricted space which was enhanced by the smell of wood smoke, he looked like a bulky extra from Game of Thrones.

  ‘No worries,’ I shrugged. ‘And I’m sorry about what I said about him.’

  ‘That’s all right,’ he chuckled. ‘It was actually the highlight of my evening.’

  ‘You were right when you said you were nothing alike, weren’t you?’

  ‘I honestly don’t think you could find two blokes who are more different,’ he confirmed, before taking a long pull at his pint, which I found myself mirroring. ‘He’s a carbon copy of my father and it’s a nightmare when the pair of them get their heads together. For me, anyway.’

  ‘What about your step-mum?’ I asked. ‘What’s she like?’

  ‘She’s all right,’ he told me. ‘Nothing like my mum, of course, but we get on okay. To be honest, sometimes I can’t believe she married my dad.’

  ‘Are you talking about your mum or your step-mum?’

  ‘Both,’ he smiled.

  ‘Well,’ I said, ‘just to reiterate, I wasn’t flirting with your brother. As I said before, he’s not my type.’

  ‘Who is?’ he asked. ‘You never did say.’

  I busied myself with my drink and Finn laughed.

  ‘Fancy another?’ he offered, striding back to the bar before I’d had the chance to say no.

  I did manage to get in the round after that, to level things up a bit, but I made sure I had just a half. I was feeling wonderfully relaxed by then and I wasn’t worried about getting back for Nell or anything.

  ‘You all right?’ Finn asked as I struggled to sit back down after a meandering walk to the loo.

  ‘I’m fine,’ I sighed, eventually dropping down on to the seat with a heavier than expected thud.

  Finn grinned and I smiled back.

  ‘Thanks for coming to my rescue in the market,’ I said, leaning in a little. ‘I had no idea it was going to be so packed, otherwise I wouldn’t have followed everyone in.’

  ‘It wasn’t nice what your cousin did to you, was it?’

  ‘No,’ I agreed, ‘it wasn’t. I’ve never been able to ride in a lift as a result and the London underground is definitely out of bounds.’

  ‘I’m not all that keen on it myself,’ he admitted, ‘all those bodies packed together and no fresh air. It can’t be healthy, can it?’

  ‘No,’ I said, feeling momentarily mesmerised as the light caught the Thor’s hammer around his neck and I struggled to focus back on his face, ‘it can’t.’

  In my slightly sozzled state, he looked even more like a god in human form. No wonder Chloe had made a beeline for him.

  ‘I still don’t really know much about you, Freya,’ he said, ‘other than that you have a very mean cousin and that you’re a fantastic gardener. The night we had supper with Luke and Kate, you found out loads about me and now you’ve met my half-brother too, but you’re still something of a mystery.’

  I didn’t think there was anything mysterious about me, but if he carried on flattering my professional skills like that, then I would be tempted to tell him everything there was to know, starting from childhood and working my way forward in minute detail. I pushed my glass further away, thinking I shouldn’t have anything else to drink.

  ‘What are your family like?’ he asked. ‘Any annoying brothers to wind you up?’

  ‘No,’ I said, ‘I’m an only child. Hence the play dates with the cousin from hell.’

  ‘Parents then?’

  ‘Yes, two. Dad’s all right,’ I then blurted out, ‘but Mum’s a total pain in the—’ I clapped my hand over my mouth. ‘Mum and I have a tendency to clash,’ I said, reeling my motor mouth back in. ‘They’re in the gardening trade too. Landscape design consultants, nothing hands-on like me.’

  ‘Have you ever worked together?’

  ‘Yes, I did work with them for a while, but it didn’t work out.’

  ‘What with your mum being a total pain in the—’

  ‘Exactly,’ I cut in and Finn smiled.

  ‘So, you weren’t working with them before you moved to Nightingale Square?’

  ‘No,’ I told him, ‘I was managing the garden on a country estate called Broad-Meadows in Suffolk.’

  ‘Why did you leave?’

  ‘The owner,’ I swallowed, ‘my friend, Eloise, she died. She was actually much more than a friend,’ I added, my voice thick in my throat. ‘She was like a grandmother to me.’

  ‘I’m sorry.’

  I took a deep breath, refusing to give in to the wave of emotion the mention of her name still evoked.

  ‘Her American nephew,’ I carried on, ‘Jackson, inherited, and let’s just say we had different views on how the place should be run.’ I was starting to think of him less often, but I could still recall his confidence-eroding comments. ‘Actually,’ I added, ‘he’d give your Zak a run for his money, because he’s a total narcissist too.’

  ‘Not an easy person to work with, I take it?’

  ‘No one works with Jackson,’ I said crossly, ‘you only work for him.’

  ‘Nothing like Luke then?’

  ‘Absolutely nothing like Luke,’ I said, reaching for my glass again.

  ‘So, how did you find out about Prosperous Place? When did you apply for the job there?’

  ‘I didn’t,’ I told him, ‘I just happened to hear Luke talking about his plans for the Winter Garden on the radio and thought I’d come along and
have a look. My mum was fully expecting me to move home once I’d realised I couldn’t cope with staying at Broad-Meadows and seeing the estate sold. Between you and me, she was probably pleased it was happening.’

  ‘Because she wanted you to move home?’

  ‘No, because she never forgave Eloise.’

  ‘For what?’

  I pushed the glass away again.

  ‘Offering me an alternative.’

  ‘To what?’

  ‘The life she and Dad were expecting me to live.’

  ‘Which involved…’

  ‘Marriage,’ I cut in. ‘Broad-Meadows was my wedding venue. I was getting married there, but I realised I couldn’t go through with it and broke it off.’

  Finn looked as if he’d been punched in the stomach. All the colour drained from his face and he sat back in his chair. Perhaps I wasn’t the only one who had gone heavy on the bitter. I was pretty certain it was stronger than the more commercial stuff.

  ‘And what was the alternative Eloise offered you?’ he quietly asked.

  ‘A job and a cottage,’ I told him, ‘and the opportunity to discover what I really wanted out of life, because it certainly wasn’t marriage.’

  ‘Or the groom,’ Finn said tersely.

  Fortunately, our engagement hadn’t reached the point where Peter had been transformed into a groom and the fact that I still hadn’t started looking at gowns, should have been warning enough for both of us that there was little point in viewing potential venues. Although if I hadn’t, of course, I never would have found Eloise, or Nell. Nell…

  ‘I think I’d better get back,’ I said to Finn. ‘I know Nell’s got company tonight but this is the longest I’ve left her and if I don’t get some sleep soon, I’ll be useless tomorrow.’

  ‘Yeah,’ said Finn, sounding gruff as he shoved his glass across the table so it sat next to mine, ‘I’ve got an early start too. Let’s go.’

  Chapter 12

  Finn walked with me as far as the turning into Nightingale Square and then peeled off to Prosperous Place. He hardly said a word on the walk back and I couldn’t manage to make small talk because I was too preoccupied with trying to focus on my feet. The cold night air had hit me like a brick when we left The Dragon and my legs and feet didn’t want to work together, which was most distracting.