The Garden of Forgotten Wishes - Trisha Ashley Page 0,119

the morning to see how easy it would be to incorporate that outbuilding into the shop, and you’re the one with all the bright ideas, so it would be good if you could be there.’

‘OK,’ I agreed, then escaped to check the River Walk, which was already devoid of any visitors. I suppose many of them had just come for the day, or for the weekend, and were now headed home. They had mostly been more thoughtful with their litter disposal, too, and I didn’t linger over the walk, but dashed back to my flat as soon as I could.

There I checked the time, then managed to catch Treena on the phone before she went off to do the evening surgery. I hadn’t yet told her about my meeting with Saul, but now that all came tumbling out, as well as today’s unfortunate meeting with Melinda.

‘Though perhaps she will keep quiet about seeing me,’ I added.

‘Perhaps,’ she agreed, but she didn’t sound convinced. ‘Try not to worry, though, because he’s got no hold over you any more, has he? And why should he care where you are now?’

‘I don’t know, but it would be like him to just suddenly turn up.’

‘Don’t worry, you can always hide behind this Ned of yours, if he does.’

‘He’s not mine,’ I said quickly. ‘Or not in that sense.’

‘Just teasing,’ she said. ‘I think you can stop worrying about Mike suddenly appearing, so that just leaves the very odd conversation you had with this Saul Vane. But I think you’re right and even if he’s guessed who you are, he won’t do anything about it now he’s warned you off. Not that you wanted to acknowledge the relationship anyway.’

‘Certainly not. I wish it didn’t exist! You’ve no idea how horrible he and Wayne are!’

‘So calm down and try not to worry. Luke starts his dig tomorrow, so I’m going to try to come over in the afternoon. Pop up if you get the chance – or maybe we can meet up in the pub later.’

‘I think I’ll have to go to the Friends of Jericho’s End meeting first, so it’ll probably be late, after eight,’ I said.

‘I suspect we’ll still be there,’ she said. ‘See you tomorrow, one way or the other.’

I felt a whole lot better after unburdening myself. Tomorrow I thought I’d tell Ned about Mike’s vet nurse spotting me … but my other worry would have to remain a secret.

‘Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive,’ I said to Caspar, as he slammed through the cat flap and appeared like an animated fur rug on the threshold.

‘Pfht!’ he agreed.

Lizzie

The cook at Risings was a kindly woman, who often gave me a cake to eat, or some other little titbit, and gossiped about the family – there was a little girl much my age and two older brothers – and many visitors, so that she was always baking and cooking and only had a respite when the family visited London.

I spent the day of my ninth birthday, like many years before, looking after the hens and then carrying the basket of eggs first to Risings, where I entered the kitchen to see a peevish, cross-looking little girl there, who I knew, from often seeing her go by in a carriage, to be Miss Susanna Lordly-Grace.

She was dressed in what I thought was a very pretty frock and pinafore and wore a pink ribbon in her hair. My own ill-fitting hand-me-down dress of rough black wool, with its high neck and long sleeves, and my close black bonnet, seemed even drabber than usual.

I curtsied and she looked me over and then demanded to know who I was and my age, and remarked how very ugly my clothes were.

‘But I am bored, so you may stay and play with me,’ she said imperiously.

‘I am very sorry, miss, but I must deliver the rest of these eggs and then get home, or my father will be angry with me,’ I told her timidly, which made her cross.

But I was adamant, being more afraid of my father than of disappointing her, and Cook came to my rescue.

‘You must let her go, Miss Susanna, because her family are that strict you wouldn’t believe, like all those Brethren, as they call themselves, and she has her work to do, same as I have.’

I left her and managed to empty my basket before I reached the top of the village street. I was about