The Winter Garden

by Heidi Swain

  ‘Freya!’ Finn called, when he spotted me loitering. ‘Come and join us.’

  With all eyes on me, I walked to where they were standing. Finn reached for my hand and in a rush told them that I was his girlfriend.

  ‘Bugger,’ Zak grinned and I knew he was only acting up for the sake of it. ‘What, like officially and everything?’

  ‘Officially and everything,’ Finn said firmly, kissing the back of my hand before properly introducing me to everyone.

  The day absolutely flew by and it took a while for me to catch up with Mum and Dad. I worked my way around the garden in my capacity as head gardener, stopping to talk to the visitors and offering advice when asked, and I was keen to find out what my parents thought of the place.

  ‘Isn’t that them?’ said Finn, pointing when we gave up in the garden and walked round to the Grow-Well.

  ‘It is,’ I nodded, easily picking the pair out. ‘What’s Mum eating?’

  She was tucking into a slice of the pizza John had made in the garden oven and deep in conversation with Graham about the joys of pea sticks versus metal stakes. Dad was looking a little unfocused and I guessed he had been sampling the mulled wine Carole had been warming in the bothy. They still looked like my parents, but they didn’t sound much like them. I was rather pleased about that.

  ‘And here she is,’ Dad beamed, ‘our clever girl.’

  Finn and I stepped forward before Dad stood up. He was definitely a little tipsy, a state I had never seen him in. Mum, on the other hand, was high on life.

  ‘And this is Finn,’ I said, keeping introductions brief.

  ‘Well, Freya,’ Mum smiled, taking in Finn’s handsome face. ‘I can certainly see why you’re so smitten.’

  ‘The gardens are gorgeous, aren’t they?’ I swallowed.

  ‘The what?’ asked Mum. ‘Oh yes, the gardens. Yes, the gardens are glorious.’

  I couldn’t swear to it, but I think she actually winked at Finn. The way he started to laugh told me that I was right, and I didn’t know what to feel more shocked about – her and Dad turning down Jackson’s project, the realisation that they had bought up half the plants and Mum was intending to get her hands (or at least her gardening gloves) dirty, or the fact that the pair of them had finally taken a long hard look at my life and applied the lessons that I had learned to their own!

  * * *

  There was a bit of a lull in the afternoon so Finn and I collected Nell and took her back to the house. I wanted to put some potatoes to slowly bake in the oven, so we would have something to eat after the illumination event, and while I did that Finn cleaned out and remade the fire.

  ‘Your mum’s a card, isn’t she?’ Finn laughed when he came back to the kitchen to wash his hands.

  ‘If you say so,’ I laughed back, thinking that he wouldn’t have said that had he met her the first time she had visited. ‘But she’s not usually like she was today.’

  ‘I could say the same for my father,’ he pointed out.

  ‘Parents are hard work, aren’t they?’ I sighed, thinking of the metamorphosis both sets had so very recently gone through.

  ‘Just a bit,’ he agreed. ‘Dad’s insisting that the two of us spend Christmas day with them.’

  ‘Oh no,’ I gasped. ‘My mum wants us to go there. What are we going to do?’

  Finn glanced up at the kitchen clock.

  ‘We’re not going to worry about it now,’ he said stoically, ‘because we need to get back over the road.’

  I knew I was biased, but the garden really was looking so much better and with the paths packed with friends who were already feeling more like family, a variety of visitors, a group of carol singers and Finn at my side, when the lights came on the whole place took on an even more magical appearance.

  ‘You were certainly right about washing those trees, weren’t you?’ smiled Chloe as she slipped her arm through mine and we stood admiring the bright bark and lengthy shadows as everyone ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ over the spectacle.

  ‘Yep,’ I smiled back, squeezing her into my side, ‘and I hope you know that I wouldn’t have been able to achieve anywhere near half of this if I hadn’t had your help to get it all done.’

  ‘I haven’t done much,’ she mumbled. ‘And Graham’s done loads too.’

  ‘You’ve done loads,’ I told her. ‘You both have.’

  ‘And you’ve taught me so much,’ she batted back, unwilling to let the compliment just lie.

  ‘How did the plant sales go?’ asked Finn.

  ‘Biggest surprise of the day,’ Hannah, who was standing on Chloe’s other side, told us. ‘We sold out!’

  ‘No way,’ I gasped.

  ‘We did,’ said Chloe. ‘Everyone loved the containers and they were keen to replicate them at home.’

  ‘You’ll be doing that again then,’ chuckled Finn.

  ‘We certainly will,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘And there was me worrying that we’d over-ordered.’

  ‘We probably could have sold more,’ said Hannah, ‘especially of that smelly shrub.’

  I made a note of Hannah’s description of the sarcococca. If she was going to help out next time, Chloe could get her up to speed on plant names. Although, that said, I bet all those who’d visited and weren’t au fait with the official name would have been able to pick out the plant she had described.

  ‘Everyone all right?’ asked Luke, coming along to join us, with Graham close behind.

  Luke was carrying a tray of yet more mulled wine and we all took a cup, as keen to warm our hands as we were to enjoy the fruity flavour.

  ‘More than all right,’ I told him. ‘What a day.’

  ‘It’s been amazing,’ he smiled. ‘Definitely one for the memory bank. And I’ve already got loads planned for next year.’

  Why didn’t that surprise me? I was very much looking forward to being a part of the plans for the gardens at Prosperous Place and couldn’t wait to find out what he had in mind.

  ‘Shall we have a look through them tomorrow?’ I suggested, before thanking Graham for all his hard work while I attempted, and failed, to stifle the biggest yawn.

  ‘Absolutely not,’ said Luke. ‘No work tomorrow. In fact, no work now until the new year.’

  ‘I can’t possibly take off all that time,’ I told him, and I really meant it.

  Luke was generous to a fault, but I couldn’t leave the garden for three whole weeks. It was going to be a struggle not coming in on Christmas day. Living on site had made always being at work part of my life and that wasn’t about to change.

  I might have been a little further off from the garden in Nightingale Square, but it was still just a stone’s throw away really. That said, I was pretty sure Finn would be able to come up with ways to stop me constantly rushing back.

  ‘Reduced hours then,’ said Luke, stating the fact rather than asking the question. ‘Let’s say, half nine until half two.’

  ‘Nine until three,’ I batted back.

  ‘Half nine until half two,’ he said again. ‘Tell her would you, Finn?’

  ‘It’s nothing to do with me,’ Finn laughed. ‘Freya knows her own mind. That’s one of the many things I love about her.’

  Chloe dug me sharply in the ribs and I gulped down a mouthful of wine, not that I needed it to warm me now that Finn had so publicly bandied the ‘L’ word about. His words had lit me up inside and out.

  Chapter 32

  Finn was right, I did know my own mind, and it was his acknowledgement of that which gave me the courage to tell my parents that we wouldn’t be joining them for Christmas and he then said the same to his. It wasn’t something either of us relished doing, especially as we’d only just found some level ground with both sets of families, but we needn’t have worried. They were equally understanding and, having got that out of our heads, we were able to enjoy the run-up to the big day without any worries hanging over us.

  While Finn focused on his designs for the Wynthorpe Hall sculpture trail,
I worked the reduced hours Luke had suggested in the garden. The weather had taken a definite downward turn and I was looking forward to seeing the Winter Garden flourish further throughout the coming months. Discovering hidden and delicate-looking gems, such as Iris unguicularis, when the weather was at its worst was going to be a real treat, as was helping out in the Grow-Well and working on whatever it was that Luke had lined up for the place next.

  ‘You all set then?’ asked Chloe, who had called in on the Wednesday as she wasn’t working the next day because it was Christmas Eve. ‘Got your wrapping all done and a mountain of food in the fridge?’

  ‘The presents are all wrapped,’ I told her, ‘and the food is coming later this afternoon.’ I had no idea I would be able to shop local in the middle of the city and get it delivered. I thought that sort of thing was reserved for more rural towns.

  Although, that said, the isolated position of Broad-Meadows often meant that suppliers didn’t want to drive all the way out to deliver. Living in Norwich had gifted me the best of both worlds.

  I wondered if Jackson had factored any of that into his Broad-Meadows rejuvenation equation. If the weather really turned bad, the whole estate could be cut off for days. I bet he hadn’t given any thought to weighing up how easy it would be to run a luxury hotel in the middle of another Beast from the East. The weather might well end up giving him as much trouble as the locals, and I felt rather delighted about that.

  ‘What about you?’ I asked, quickly pulling my thoughts away from his potential difficulties. His problems weren’t mine and they never would be.

  ‘All done and dusted,’ Chloe grinned. ‘And Hannah and I spent a fortune at the Christmas Fayre in the cathedral.’

  ‘On what?’ I laughed. ‘I thought you said you didn’t need anything else.’

  ‘Gin mostly,’ she mused, biting her lip. ‘I had no idea there were so many local distilleries.’

  ‘And you thought it was only fair that you sampled and took away a little from each, did you?’

  ‘Exactly,’ she laughed along with me. ‘Hannah’s in the trade after all.’

  I wasn’t sure about her reasoning but I was delighted to see her so content. She and Hannah were truly kindred spirits (and not only because of their mutual appreciation of gin), and I was extremely happy to see my friend and colleague ending the year in a very different place to where she had found herself twelve months before. Finding our courage and taking the plunge had worked out very well for both of us.

  ‘What have you got for Finn?’ she asked me after we had swapped our bags of gifts.

  I wrinkled my nose and let out a long breath.

  ‘He told me he didn’t want me to get him anything,’ I sighed. ‘He said there was nothing he wanted or needed.’

  ‘So, does that mean he hasn’t got a present for you?’

  ‘I doubt it,’ I whispered, ‘because I ended up getting him a little something anyway.’

  ‘Oh yes,’ she purred, raising an eyebrow.

  ‘And I’m certain he will have got something for me too.’

  ‘You hope,’ she nudged.

  ‘He’s promised to start work on a sculpture of Nell in the New Year.’

  ‘I suppose that counts then.’

  I didn’t actually mind whether I got any presents at all. Living in Nightingale Square with Nell, surrounded by my new friends and working somewhere so beautiful in the heart of a wonderful city, was more than enough of a gift for me.

  My life had changed beyond all recognition and I was still thanking my darling Eloise for that timely prod from my re-tuned radio.

  ‘Anyway,’ I said, blushing as I nudged Chloe back, ‘Finn’s more than present enough.’

  ‘And I’ll bet he takes no time at all to unwrap,’ she giggled.

  * * *

  Christmas Eve arrived with leaden skies and, according to the local weather report, the possibility of a falling snowflake or two. Not enough to give us a white Christmas but enough to ramp up the festive feeling even further, not that we really needed it.

  As I stood in front of the bedroom mirror, I turned this way and that, admiring the elaborate plait Finn had created for me, and I could hear him singing carols in the shower. The expression on Nell’s face suggested that she didn’t think much of his voice, but I thought he sounded pretty good. With the bathroom door firmly shut anyway.

  We were getting ready to go over to Prosperous Place for a party and I was very much looking forward to it. I had little gifts for everyone and I knew that Kate had further decorated the house and that all the foodie folk had created a beautiful buffet. It was going to be quite a celebration and of course, pets were included.

  ‘Oh Freya,’ Finn gasped, when he finally appeared, still dripping and with a towel draped loosely around his hips.

  ‘I hope that’s a good “Oh Freya”,’ I mimicked as I twisted around trying to do up the zip on my dress.

  ‘It is,’ he said keenly, ‘it certainly is.’

  I had no idea what everyone else was going to be wearing but I had gone all out. I had just one winter party dress and Luke and Kate’s seasonal celebration felt like the perfect opportunity to give it an airing. It was deep burgundy, knee-length, close-fitting with long sleeves and a slash neck. A slender diamanté belt was the only embellishment and I felt wonderful in it.

  ‘Well, that’s all right then.’ I told him. ‘Can you give me a hand with the zip?’

  Finn stepped up and I tried not to let myself become seduced by his near nakedness.

  ‘The other way,’ I laughed, when I realised he was undoing all the work I’d put in so far. ‘We haven’t got time for shenanigans.’

  ‘I hope there’ll be time later,’ he pouted, dropping a kiss on my neck. ‘I’ve never seen you all dressed up before.’

  ‘If you think the dress looks good on then why are you so keen for me to take it off again?’ I teased, stepping neatly out of his way before he answered. ‘Now, hurry up, or we’ll be late.’

  I finished putting on my make-up downstairs while Finn got ready in the bedroom and I again admired my hair in the mirror above the fireplace. Finn’s large hands were extremely and surprisingly dextrous.

  ‘You look incredible.’

  I spun around and found him framed in the doorway.

  ‘Wow,’ I grinned, ‘you look pretty good yourself.’

  He was wearing dark jeans and a shirt, the colour of which matched my dress. He had tucked it in for once and I could make out the shape of his body underneath it – broad shoulders, narrowing to a slim waist. I stepped towards him, intent on finding out if he felt as good as he looked.

  ‘No time for shenanigans,’ he said, warding me off, ‘but there is something I want to give you.’

  ‘Oh yes,’ I smiled, hoping my luck was in.

  ‘Yes,’ he said, ‘sit down and close your eyes.’

  I raised an eyebrow.

  ‘Just do it,’ he laughed.

  I sat and squeezed my eyes closed.

  ‘Hold out your hands,’ he said, the smile obvious in his voice, once I had done as instructed.

  I felt the weight of something land and opened my eyes.

  ‘What is it?’ I asked, my fingers closing around a small velvet-covered box.

  ‘Open it and see,’ he said, sitting next to me.

  The box opened with a creak and there, resting on a bed of ruby-coloured silk, was the beautiful art nouveau snowdrop brooch that I had fallen in love with the day we went shopping in Norwich.

  ‘The suit of armour,’ I swallowed, running my finger lightly over the detail. ‘That’s what I thought you’d hung around for.’

  ‘Oh, that’s coming too,’ Finn smiled. ‘It’s being delivered after Christmas.’

  I shook my head, blinking fast to save the eyeliner it had taken a while to perfect.

  ‘Do you like it?’ he asked, looking at the brooch again.

  ‘I love it,’ I told him as he took the box and carefully unpinned i
t. ‘It’s exquisite, even prettier than I remembered.’

  He pinned it into place, his hands lightly brushing my skin and making me shiver.

  ‘Thank you,’ I said, kissing him on the lips. ‘Thank you so much.’

  ‘You are most welcome,’ he said, kissing me back.

  ‘So much for your embargo on gifts,’ I tutted.

  ‘I know,’ he said, ‘but I bet you’ve got me something, haven’t you?’

  ‘Of course,’ I said, nodding at the presents under the tree, ‘but you can have yours tomorrow.’

  ‘I can’t wait,’ he grinned, looking more like an excited child than a fully grown Norse god.

  ‘Me neither.’

  We wrapped ourselves in coats and scarves, clipped Nell’s lead on to her collar and made our way across the square to Prosperous Place. It was still light but only just and I could see a few snowflakes falling from the slate grey sky. I linked my arm through Finn’s and he squeezed me close.

  ‘Who would have thought we would be ending our year like this?’ he smiled, shaking his head.

  ‘I know,’ I agreed, as we carefully negotiated the house steps and the sound of a party in full swing met our ears. ‘The pair of us didn’t exactly get off to the most auspicious of starts, did we?’

  ‘I suppose not,’ said Finn, ‘but then appearances can be deceiving.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Well,’ he said, turning to me again, ‘I know it didn’t look like it after our initial meeting, when I bawled Nell out, but for me, it really was love at first sight.’

  I swallowed and leant closer in.

  ‘It was love at first sight for me too,’ I said back.

  ‘Really?’ he asked, his cheeks flushed.

  ‘Really,’ I whispered back, quickly kissing him as the door swung open.

  ‘Come in, you two,’ said Luke stepping aside. ‘You must be freezing. Come in and get warm.’

  Finn and I shared a look as we stepped over the threshold and were treated to a rousing welcome from our many friends as Kate took our coats and scarves.