It was a short five-minute drive in the Austin to Blaine’s. Motoring in the misty morning sunshine along the narrow hedgerow-lined sunken country lane that led to the nursery Hamish spotted a delightfully quaint two-storied, white-washed and thatched-roofed cottage on the road-edge that Sara had told him was the nursery shop. A discrete sign hanging from the front of the building in the same green and gold colours of Sara’s business card confirmed that they were in the right place. The main nursery car park, which was also signposted, was located on the opposite side of the lane and several vehicles were parked there under trees surrounded by a colourful flowering meadow where bees and butterflies were making the most of the warm weather. However, Sara had told Hamish that she would keep him a park free at the rear of the building so he turned instead through an open white-painted picket gate in a fence connected to a lean-to addition at the end of the building. On its other end the gate was let into the stone wall that was the continuation of the same wall that surrounded the woods of White Briars. Hamish could see the treeline directly beyond the confines of the nursery as if the shrubberies were only biding their time before taking back this corner of the original woodland.
As Hamish pulled in, Matthew appeared out a rear door of the shop, waving to Hamish and Liana while removing a portly red-hatted garden gnome that was serving as a traffic cone to reserve the car parking space. He plonked it down with several others on a wide band of Yorkstone paving that separated the parking from the shop and continued in an L-shape around the corner of the lean-to. Alighting from the car, Hamish briefly watched what appeared to be a father-son chess match that was in play on a paved board let into the stonework where the chess pieces were all variations on the gnome that Matthew had just relocated. A woman and young girl were standing as onlookers and giving useful advice to the two combatants. Hamish particularly liked the gnome with an upturned bucket on his head and riding a hobby horse that represented the knight, and wondered where Sara had found the pieces. Just beyond this tableau, to one side of the shop’s rear entrance, was an artfully arranged display of spring plants in clay pots on an old wooden table … nestled among pots of blue Muscari, pink, blue and cream hyacinths, paperwhites and bright yellow narcissi was the bust of a pretty tousle-haired child. A tall bay tree trimmed into a ball sat in a large basket-weave pot and several smaller conical topiary box plants had been placed in the midst of pots of red tulips at the table’s side. As he and Liana approached the doorway the sweet scent of the hyacinths and daffodils lingered in the morning air.
“I think I’ll stay outside in the sunshine and watch,” Liana took a seat on a weathered grey-timbered garden bench that abutted the display on the far side of the doorway. Matthew plopped himself beside her.
“Ok, I’ll just go find Sara and be back in a minute.” Ducking under the low lintel, Hamish took in the interior of the shop. The ground floor appeared to be one open space with a fireplace set in the far end wall. He spied a couple browsing and Sara behind a counter that looked as if it was a re-purposed potting shed table, placed in front of central stairs accessing the upper floor. She was busy binding a large bunch of alternating tightly grouped bands of grape hyacinths and paperwhites for a customer. Sara was wearing her usual attire of boots, close-fitting jeans and a black knit with a green apron over the top on which the gold Blaine’s Nursery logo was embroidered. She looked up momentarily and mouthed a ‘hello’ to Hamish but was obviously occupied so he turned to look around the store until she was free.
Given the cottage’s small casement windows the interior would have been overly dim if not for carefully placed lighting. Old-fashioned garden lamps were set on tables piled with interesting garden-themed knick-knacks; some lit with incandescent bulbs, others with candles flickering safely behind glass. At each window patches of bright sunlight shone through the thick mullioned glass; in the nearest Sara had grouped more pots of spring flowering plants on a mint-green paint-chipped tiered metal plant stand. With the potted flowers set amongst shallow willow-woven trugs filled with linens and floral-scented candles, lotions and giftware, the overall effect was one of ordered disorder and the kind of serenity that hinted at a bygone era.
The old-world charm was further-enhanced by some pretty piano music with a horn accompaniment, albeit emanating from a very contemporary iPod dock set on the wall behind the counter, but all things charming stopped abruptly at an expanse of plastic sheeting hanging across the opposite end of the room where the ceiling dropped under the angled lean-to. Walking over and lifting a sheet with one finger Hamish could see that renovation work was in progress but by no means complete. The floor boards had been taken up and someone had cut into the walls below an existing double casement window that let onto the end of the building. A second outline in the end wall looked as if there was the intention to cut out and fit two sets of French doors to access the paved area outside between the cottage and the road gate. Hamish had noticed a smaller pedestrian gate outside next to the picketed vehicle gate that led to the lane and car park opposite and supposed additional doors might make for an alternative access to the shop, though why Sara wanted that with the existent front and rear doors was beyond him.
Sara had finished with her customer and strolled up behind Hamish. “I saw you peeking. How do you like my new tearooms?” She laughed at his bemused expression. “Not quite there yet but if you use your imagination I’m sure you can see my assortment of old ironwork garden tables and chairs full of happy customers and the doors wide open to the outdoor paving on a sunny day. Bees buzzing, birds singing, herbs in a big planter and pretty scented things on the tables, couple of mop-top Robinias in ginormous pots there;” she pointed to a location out the window where Hamish could see a maple tree coming into leaf. “Kitchen with a window you can open to grab the delicious fresh herbs here,” now she indicated the portion of the extension that jutted towards the rear car park, “servery right here,” now flicking a finger just to their left.” She waved her hands in front of her body like a magician conjuring a trick. “Ta da!” she put her arms back at her sides. “Damn and bugger. Can’t get the old magic to work today …so I guess I’ll just have to do it the hard way like everyone else.”
“Guess so.” Hamish wondered what Sara would say if she knew how close she was to someone who could conjure real magic. Not that Liana could help her with the building work, unless Sara wanted a nice vine or suchlike growing up the café walls.
“They did all this yesterday but the builders have scarpered off to another job today. I’m really looking forward to the dust storm when they come to cut the walls through. Not.” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I’ll probably have to close up the shop for a day.”
Hamish turned to look at all the ephemera in the shop. “I could loan you the dust sheets from White Briars if you’d like.”
“I like.” Sara grinned up at him. “I hate dusting more than I hate running.”
“And we all know just how much you hate running.” Hamish frowned before commenting, “I told you it was ok back at Christmastime, but I haven’t seen you jogging merrily through the garden of late.”
“Merrily. Huh.” She shrugged. “I did come through once, not long ago …but I saw Liana had taken up residence in the summerhouse and I felt like too much of an interloper, so I’ve found a new route through the woods. All those paths you’ve cleared come in handy, especially the link back to the nursery …so I don’t really need to cut through the garden to get back home anymore.”
“Glad to be of service, milady.” Hamish had been busy while the work was being done on the summerhouse, labouring with the axes and chainsaw to re-establish the old pathway network through the woods. Now the tracks from the garden to the humpback bridge and road, the nursery and the circuit that led back via the waterfall were all usable once more. He didn’t mention that his incentive for spending so much of his time over those weeks out among the trees was that Liana had taken to the woods herself, although he’d seen little eno
ugh of her; given that she enjoyed the sound of the chainsaw even less than the intrusion of the building team.
“Shall we go and find lots of lovely plants so I can make squillions of money out of you?” it was more of a statement than a question.
“By all means,” Hamish gestured towards the doorway with a courtly bow and wave of his arm, “after you, milady.”
“I could get used to this,” Sara laughed, striding for the door.
Hamish followed her outside where Liana and Matthew had been waiting. As they walked through the door, Hamish could hear Matthew explaining the intricacies of gaming to Liana.
“Watch the shop, Matthew,” his mother instructed.
“Yup. Will do.” Matthew wandered inside, his attention more on the portable PlayStation in his hands than on any prospective customers.
“And don’t change the music!”
“Yeah, yeah,” he waved a hand negligently as he disappeared through the doorway.
“If I don’t watch him, we go from my discretely played theme music to ‘Secret Garden’ to full-volume heavy metal in less time than it can take to say ‘Metallica’.”
“Nothing wrong with a good loud dose of Metallica, I say, though probably not what you’d expect in a garden shop.”
“I have a strict policy of only playing music that has some association with gardening.”
“Is there much of that about?”
“You’d be amazed. I’ve got everything from ‘Red roses for a blue lady’ to ‘Greensleeves’ and everything in between. The association is a bit ‘loose’ at times but it’s there.”
“No wonder, Matthew loves helping out so much.” His tone was guarded.
“Hmmm, I’ve really got to get some more help. We’re getting too busy for just Matthew and me. I’m thinking about renting the upstairs rooms to someone who can help me in the shop and nursery.” Sara commented, before pointing, “The herbs and perennials are this way.” The three headed in the direction of a substantial greenhouse with a solid brick foundation positioned just beyond the parked cars. They walked through the warm house among neat lines of labelled seedlings, root trainers and pots. Sara called a greeting to a couple who were being assisted by a young man in similar garb to that which Sara wore before she led them out the far door to a sheltered gravel-paved area where recently hardened –off plants were sitting either in root-trainer frames or in biodegradable pots on low benches. After some discussion, mainly between Sara and Liana about species choices and plant sizes, plants were chosen and transported in several flat barrows to the car, where they completely filled the passenger foot-wells, rear seats and boot space. Hamish paid and helped Liana into the car before handing her a potted bush rose to nurse on her lap that he had run out of space for anywhere else in the small car.
“I’d love to have given you more of a tour but I’d better get back to the shop. Matthew’s not entirely good for business if I leave him for too long on his own.” She blew out a breath tiredly. “I have Sam from the village helping out in the yard but I’ve got to find some more staff if I want to keep the business growing.” Leaning both hands on the low car door Sara looked speculatively at Liana for a moment, “You obviously know your plants Liana. You don’t want a job do you?”
“Liana gave a start, “I. I,” she stuttered.
“It’s something to think about,” Hamish interjected, seeing that Liana had no idea what to reply. “Perhaps she could get back to you once she’s thought it over,”
“Fair enough,” Sara nodded amiably. “I’ll deliver those benches straight after closing, if that’s Ok?” Hamish had ordered two smaller Lutyens-styled white garden seats after seeing the pre-war photo of Liana sitting on a similar seat in one of the three niches in the hedges surrounding the White Briars herb garden. For the third niche he thought he might try recreating a camomile-covered bench similar to that he and Liana had seen in the Sissinghurst herb garden.
By the time Sara and Matthew rolled up in the nursery van it was late in the afternoon, the shadows were lengthening and most of the planting had been completed. Hamish had dug and placed the biodegradable pots where Liana had indicated, at times not entirely sure what it was he was planting. Now all but one of the beds were full of herbs for cooking and healing, either useful or beautiful, frequently both. Interspersed among these were bush roses and pretty perennials like lupins and foxgloves.
Backing carefully, Sara had been able to reverse her van down the serpentine path, lessening the distance needed to carry the solidly constructed benches to the knot garden. As they opened the van’s rear doors she said, “I brought a little something extra I thought you might like.” Balanced across the top of the two timber benches was a third seat; a pretty ironwork rectory bench with scrolled ends. “It’s Matthew’s and my belated housewarming gift for you,” Sara smiled, before adding, “Now you can replace that awful thing you have sitting outside the conservatory.”
“Hmmm,” Hamish was rueful, “I’ll admit; it’s not too beautiful. Every time I sit down I expect to find myself on the ground, but so far the old timberwork has hung in there.”
“Well, it doesn’t have to hang ‘in there’ anymore.”
“Thank you both. You’re very kind.” Hamish lifted the seat out and set it on the gravel path. It was heavier than it looked with its delicate appearance.
“Don’t worry, I’m making a small fortune out of you,” Sara couldn’t resist. “Now let’s carry one of these others in and have a look at what you’ve been up to.”
Supporting one end of the bench, with Sara at the other, Hamish backed his way between the tall hedges into the herb garden. “It’s all you and Liana here: I’ve just provided the muscle to get what feels like five hundred plants that you’ve chosen into the earth.”
“That’s the way I like it. Me brains, you brawn,” Sara ribbed. They set the bench in place in the first niche. Matthew and Liana, walking behind, were placing the second bench in its final location.
“For that, if you still want supper, you can dig the last ones in,”
“Ok. You’re on. …Oh give me that spade,” Sara made a grab for the implement, which Hamish held out of reach above his head.
“So ‘brains’ can’t reach the spade?” He laughed and Matthew guffawed from across the opposite side of the knot gardens to see his mother acting like a school-kid.
“No, but she can kick you in the shins if you don’t hand it here this instant.” Sara made an ineffectual jump for the spade’s handle, which was still well out of her reach.
Hamish lowered the tool and she snatched it. “Little and mean; there’s a winning combination,” he continued, “We’ve put everything where you said Ma’am …sun lovers to the centre and the shade-tolerant closer to the hedges.
Sara was already digging holes for the last few plants, placing the biodegradable pots directly in the dark soil. “I can’t wait to see this when it’s mature and flowering. It’ll be lovely. Wait ‘til Dad sees it. He’ll be so chuffed.”
“Tell Arthur he’s welcome any time,” Hamish said. “I’ve made Shepherd’s pie for supper, I hope you like eating country-simple. I left it warming in the oven so I’ll go and get some veg on while you finish up here.”
“See you in ten. We’ve brought dessert.” Sara’s voice was muffled as she continued planting.
“Yahoo, chocolate cake …I’ll get it!” Matthew enthusiastically offered, following Hamish out the hedge-gate closest to the van.
“Just make sure you don’t sample any of it on the way to the kitchen,” his mother pre-empted, speaking to Matthew’s back as he skipped out behind Hamish’s tall frame.
After they had left, Sara sat back on her heels for a moment, surveying the new box hedges and planted beds before turning to Liana who was collecting empty planters and tools and placing them in the wheelbarrow.
“Bit of shame that he’s not interested in me the way he’s interested in you. He’d make a great stand-in Dad for Matthew,” She
commented wryly.
If Liana was shocked at Sara’s forthrightness she gave no sign that it had affected her in any way. She calmly continued picking up trowels and a rake that had been resting against the hedge.
“Forgive me for being nosy but I’m just wondering how you feel about him?”
“Oh, I am not interested in Hamish. Not like that. So I suppose I don’t ‘feel’ anything about him.” Now Sara could see that Liana had been more shaken by her comment than she had let on. Deflated as a sail without a breeze, she sat slumped on one the new benches, frowning across the gardens at Sara.
“Well he’s certainly ‘interested’ in you and I’d say that he ‘feels’ more than you appear to realise …I’ve seen the way he looks at you when he thinks no one is watching …and a man doesn’t go to the trouble and expense of fixing up that pretty little bower in the garden for someone that he doesn’t care about.”
“That’s not something I asked for,” Liana’s brow furrowed more, “And I am sure you are mistaking kindness for ‘interest’. I have a,” she hesitated before continuing, “a history with this place that Hamish has acknowledged and that is why he is so accommodating to me.”
Sara wasn’t fooled. She could hear by the tone of her voice that Liana was less than certain of what she was saying.
“Well I hope I can get someone to be that ‘disinterested’ in me some day,” she replied tartly, waggling her head. “You sure you’re not feeling more than you’re letting on …’cos I thought I caught more than a few vibes between you two.”
Liana stood. “Absolutely not. You couldn’t be more wrong. I don’t feel that way … and I have no intention of feeling ‘that’ way.” She smiled thinly, “The only thing I feel right at this moment is hungry. Shall we finish this and go in and see how the cooks are progressing with our supper?”
“Fair enough.” Sara could see that the conversation was over. “Then help me get this planting done and we’ll go and get some food,” she suggested.
Flowers in the Morning Page 32
