Jules loved Easter the most of all the holidays, in both an ecclesiastical and a secular sense. Of course, the crucifixion and resurrection were key to her faith and their message of hope meant everything to her, but she also loved seeing the world come back to life after the long winter. Not only was the village full of visitors once more, and not only were all the gift shops open again with souvenirs displayed in the windows, but Nature was yawning and stretching too as she woke up in a burst of green shoots, primroses and jaunty daffodils. The churchyard couldn’t have been more colourful if Tess’s pupils, now assembling excitedly by the gate, had come in armed with their brushes to paint it for today’s Easter Egg Hunt.
In spite of Sheila Keverne’s best efforts, everything was ready to go. The Pollards had done a sterling job of hiding the eggs and Big Rog, who was still being teased about his boat, had even managed to mow the grass beforehand. Now the air was meadow scented – and if Jules closed her eyes, the smell of freshly cut grass and the warm sunshine on her face transported her straight to the summertime. Bliss.
“We’re all ready, Vicar, and we’ve found some ingenious hiding places if I do say so myself,” said Big Rog, trundling over to her and looking very pleased with himself.
“Not too ingenuous, I hope?” Jules asked. Earlier on she’d been pottering about in St Wenn’s and had discovered one egg on the lectern and another in the font. She’d held her breath when checking the communion chalice but luckily that had escaped the Pollards’ attentions. “We did agree outside only, remember?”
Big Rog nodded. “I’ve told my boy. He’s very disappointed, mind. He had some cracking hiding places.”
Jules was sure that Little Rog would get over it. She hoped Danny wouldn’t mind Big Rog taking over. She wasn’t sure where he’d got to though.
She glanced across the churchyard, hoping to see Danny, but there was still no sign of him. Nick was here, chatting away to Emerald and her mum and looking very excited. Emerald, pale and bruised but thankfully in one piece and discharged from hospital, was rolling her eyes while her mother, a very pretty woman with long blonde plaits and who didn’t look much older than Emerald, laughed. If vicars were allowed to place bets, then Jules’s money was on Nick doing his best to find out whether Leaf really had been a Playboy Bunny. He truly was the limit.
“Churchyard only,” she said firmly. “Besides, the whole point is that the children are supposed to find the eggs. You did put them in accessible places, didn’t you?”
“Ah,” said Big Rog. He scratched his head. “Well, the thing is, Vicar—”
“Jules, can we get started? The children are getting overexcited and we’re already ten minutes late.” Tess Hamilton had joined them, looking fraught as she did her best to keep control of the children, who were literally bouncing with agitation.
Jules checked her watch. She’d been waiting for Danny to bring the banners and the flags but he was running very late now. There was no sign of Morgan either, who was the official photographer. She hoped everything was all right at Seaspray. Jules had been flat out with Easter services but the last time she’d been at the house everything had seemed good. Leaf had been sleeping off jet lag, Emerald had been resting and being fussed over by Jimmy and, incredibly, Jonny St Milton appeared to have moved in.
“Separate bedrooms, of course, until we’re married,” Alice had said to Jules, flushing like a sixteen-year-old. “Not that there’ll be any chance of hanky-panky with his dicky heart and my bad hip!”
Jules had laughed. “It’s all right, Alice! You don’t need to justify anything to me. Just let me know when you want the banns read and I’ll be on it!”
“I think I may have to get in the queue. Symon and Ella seem very close all of a sudden,” Alice had replied.
Sure enough, something had shifted between those two and Jules was so glad. She had a soft spot for Symon, the quiet sounding board of the family, and she’d long suspected that he nursed a secret sadness. Admittedly Ella had always been hard to warm to, but Jules knew people built their defences in different ways and for different reasons. Underneath the icy exterior there had been a frightened little girl and Jules knew that learning to trust again was the bravest thing a person could do. Even Mo, whose teeth were set on edge at the sight of her old nemesis with Symon, had been forced to admit that she had nothing but admiration for how Ella had handled Teddy’s behaviour and for Ella’s support for her grandfather following the fallout. Poor Jonny was devastated. Although everyone understood that Teddy genuinely hadn’t realised what had happened his fast driving and wild behaviour had raised eyebrows in Polwenna Bay for some time. Whatever happened next, and whatever the police decided to do, there wasn’t a great deal of sympathy for him.
While Tess told off her charges and Roger Pollard sidled off muttering something ominous about ladders, Jules studied the barbecue where Symon was busy preparing some rather exotic burgers while Ella mixed up a marinade. They were chatting away easily and Jules realised she’d never seen Ella smile so much.
Or at all, actually. My goodness, thought Jules. What a change.
Every few minutes Symon stopped what he was doing to pull Ella close and kiss her gently or to simply touch her check. He couldn’t tear himself away from her for a second and it was obvious that Ella felt the same way. Jules was moved because it was true what they said: there really was a perfect person for everyone. Still, maybe they should focus on preparing the lunch? At this rate it would be a miracle if the burgers even made it onto the grill!
“Shall I let them begin?” Tess asked. “I don’t think we can keep the kids waiting much longer.”
The crowd of children was growing bigger by the second and the air of excitement was palpable. Jules hadn’t a clue where Danny was but she couldn’t hold the Easter Egg Hunt up any longer. She would have a riot on her hands.
She nodded at Tess. “Let’s do this.”
Tess herded the children forward with a skill that Jules was very envious of. Rounding up her church council was like trying to herd fog. Maybe Tess would be interested in joining if or when Danny took the job in London? Not that Jules wanted to think about this today when the sun was shining. In fact, she was working hard not to think about what was going to happen in the months ahead and she had a feeling that Danny was avoiding the subject too.
Come on, Jules told herself sharply, focus on what you’re doing! Worry about Danny later. She forced a cheerful expression onto her face and clapped her hands.
“Hello everyone! Welcome to our Easter Egg Hunt! I hope you all have a lovely time. Just remember though, no leaving the churchyard to look for eggs. There’s no need, because they’re all here.”
“And no pushing or shoving,” added Tess, in a stern teacher voice. “I’m watching you all!”
“Ready! Set! Go!” said Jules, and instantly a pool of small people spilled across the grass shouting and squealing as they raced to discover the hiding places. The Pollards had done a good job though, because they were certainly taking their time to find any.
“Jules! Jules!”
It was Danny, charging across the churchyard and looking agitated. “Haven’t you picked up my messages? I’ve been trying to call you for over half an hour!”
Jules felt her jeans pocket. “I must have left my phone in the house.”
“I can’t find the bloody eggs anywhere!” Danny said frantically. “I was going to hide them this morning, I know it’s last minute but I’ve been flat out, and I left them in the kitchen and now they’ve gone.”
“Oh, Dan, I’m so sorry!” Jules felt dreadful for worrying him. “Didn’t Big Rog tell you? I picked the eggs up from Seaspray to save you a job. He’s hidden them already, so don’t worry, the Easter Egg Hunt is going ahead.”
“What?” said Danny.
“The Easter Egg Hunt has started already. Look!” Jules swept her hand across the scene, where small people were scrabbling under rocks, searching through tufts of grass and lifting up flower
pots. There was a fair bit of elbowing and pushing going on too; it was rather like a chocolaty version of the Next sale.
Danny stared at Jules. The expression on his face looked a bit like horror.
“You’ve hidden the eggs? Already? All of them?”
“It’s an Easter Egg Hunt, so yes!”
“Where, Jules? Where are they hidden?” Danny’s voice rose and several heads turned. “I need to know!”
This was weird. “Dan, I haven’t a clue where they are. It’s a hunt. Besides I didn’t hide them, the Pollards did.”
Jules had hardly finished her sentence before Danny was sprinting through the children in the direction of Big Rog. Alarmed, she followed him. She hadn’t seen Danny this worked up or, quite frankly, this peculiar since the days when he was drinking heavily.
“Roger! I need to know where you’ve put the eggs!” he was saying, bearing down on the surprised builder. “There was a blue stripy cardboard one. Where did you put it?”
“I dunno, Danny. There were hundreds of blooming eggs. It could be anywhere.”
“You need to find it,” Danny ordered. “Now.”
Her boyfriend might no longer be on active service commanding a squadron, but Big Rog jumped to attention straight away and with no questions asked. Minutes later he was dragging his son through the crowd and back to Danny.
“Blue with stripes. Cardboard. Have you seen it, son?”
“Why are you so teasy?” grumbled Little Rog. “It’s just a bleddy egg.”
“Just answer the question!” Danny bellowed and Little Rog jumped, almost saluting.
“I did see it! It was quite big. I thought it must be a special prize so I hid it in a special place.”
The children were discovering their treasure now and cries of excitement rang through the air. Jules lay a hand on Danny’s arm.
“One of them will find it soon, Dan, don’t worry.”
“I don’t want one of them to find it!” Danny cried. “That’s the last thing I want.” He turned to Little Rog. “Where was that special place? Think!”
In answer, Little Rog trotted off and moments later returned with a step ladder. Jules had known the Pollards for some time now and she’d thought that nothing else they ever did now could surprise her, but a ladder? In disbelief she watched Little Rog prop it against the church porch, scoot up the rungs and rummage in the gutter.
“What on earth?” she spluttered. “This is a kiddies’ Easter egg hunt. How on earth are they supposed to find eggs up there?”
“Find good hiding places, you said,” muttered Little Rog.
“Don’t make it too easy, you said,” added his father, looking sulky.
Jules was speechless. Maybe next time they could chuck the eggs in the harbour and get the children to dive for them? Or how about the moon? That should do it.
Little Rog scooped out a handful of sludge and leaf mould. “Here he is!”
In his hand was a very sad Easter egg, the once shiny cardboard now pulpy and speckled with dirt. This didn’t seem to bother Danny though, who practically wrestled Little Rog from the ladder to take possession of this sorry prize.
“Shall I get the rest while I’m up here?” asked Little Rog.
The rest?
“Unless you want to do a risk assessment and then tell Miss Hamilton that her children have to climb ladders, yes!” Jules said, exasperated. Her Boss really was testing her patience in this parish. She must try harder.
As Little Rog scurried back up the ladder, Danny examined the ruined Easter egg.
“This isn’t quite what I had in mind,” he said to Jules with a rueful smile.
“Danny,” Jules said slowly, “I may be being thick here, but what exactly did you have in mind? Why are you hiding eggs in the gutter with the Pollards?”
Danny started to laugh. His blue eye crinkled and soon he was doubled over, gasping and wheezing with mirth.
“The Pollards were not in on this, I promise!” he said as he sank awkwardly onto his knees.
“Dan! What are you doing?” Jules gasped. “It’s muddy!”
But Danny wasn’t worried about the state of the grass.
“This is for you,” he said, reaching out and placing the sodden cardboard egg in her hand. “It’s your Easter egg, Jules. I must admit that my hiding place wasn’t nearly as ingenious as Little Rog’s though – I was going to put it in a bunch of daffodils!”
“Why are you giving me this? Why are you kneeling on the grass?” Jules’s heart was starting to do some very strange things. It was skipping about all over the place as she suddenly allowed herself to imagine… to hope…
“Open it,” Danny said, so Jules did and she was hardly able to believe what she saw. Inside the pulpy cardboard was a box.
A ring box.
“I know it’s not chocolate,” Danny added when she didn’t say anything. “But I hope it’s the next best thing?”
Jules’s hands were shaking so much she could hardly open the sprung lid, but when she did she knew this was better than anything Cadbury produced. Inside the box, nestled on a bed of midnight-black velvet, was a beautiful diamond solitaire.
She looked at Danny in shock. “Is this what I think it is?”
Nodding, Danny reached for her hand. “This isn’t quite the way I pictured this moment but yes, it’s a ring – and in a way maybe it’s right that I’ve given it to you in the very spot where you first tore a strip off me all that time ago? After all, it was your words that made me realise I had a choice. I could either carry on spiralling downwards or I could choose to look at what I did have. You changed my world that day and now you are my world. So, Jules Mathieson, I know I’m a bit wonky and sometimes a big bit grumpy, but I truly do love you with all my heart. Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” Jules cried and then Danny was on his feet and she was hugging and kissing him. “Yes! Of course I’ll marry you!”
She wiped the tears from her eyes as all around them their friends and neighbours clapped and cheered. Danny slipped the ring onto her finger and held her close.
“I’m the luckiest man in the world,” he whispered.
“Lucky that the Pollards are in charge today, you mean,” laughed Jules, holding up her left hand and admiring the way the ring sparkled in the April sunshine. “Anyone normal would have hidden that egg under a bush. Then there’d have been a very surprised six-year-old wearing this!”
“You know me, I never do things the easy way,” Danny said. Then they were surrounded by everyone wanting to congratulate them. Jules held Danny’s hand tightly and knew that she had never been as happy. There was only one cloud lurking on her horizon…
“You are going to be my stepmother. Fact,” said Morgan, tugging on her tee shirt. He looked concerned. “Will Dad live with you at the vicarage or will you live in Seaspray?”
Jules turned to Danny. “Well?” she asked him quietly. “Where do you think we should live?”
Danny kissed her softly and, taking her hand, led Jules away from the crowd until they were at the edge of the churchyard and looking out over the bay.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that, Jules,” he said slowly. “How do you feel about moving to London?”
To be continued in Polwenna Bay 6
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You might also enjoy my other books:
The Island Legacy
Chances
Runaway Summer: Polwenna Bay 1
A Time for Living: Polwenna Bay 2
Winter Wishes: Polwenna Bay 3
Treasure of the Heart: Polwenna Bay 4
Magic in the Mist: Polwenna Bay novella
Cornwall for Christmas: Polwenna Bay novella
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Escape for the Summer
Escape for Christmas
Hobb’s Cottage
Weight Till Christmas
The Wedding Countdown
Dead Romantic
Katy Carter Wants a Hero
Katy Carter Keeps a Secret
Ellie Andrews Has Second Thoughts
Amber Scott is Starting Over
Pen Name Books
Writing as Jessica Fox
The One That Got Away
Eastern Promise
Hard to Get
Unlucky in Love
Always the Bride
Writing as Holly Cavendish
Looking for Fireworks
Writing as Georgie Carter
The Perfect Christmas
Ruth Saberton is the bestselling author of Katy Carter Wants a Hero and Escape for the Summer. She also writes upmarket commercial fiction under the pen names Jessica Fox, Georgie Carter and Holly Cavendish.
Born in London, Ruth now lives in beautiful Cornwall. She has travelled to many places and recently returned from living in the Caribbean but nothing compares to the rugged beauty of the Cornish coast. Ruth loves to chat with readers so please do add her as a Facebook friend and follow her on Twitter.
Twitter: @ruthsaberton
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www.ruthsaberton.com
Recipe for Love: A gorgeous Cornish romance (Polwenna Bay Book 5) Page 30
