The Garden of Forgotten Wishes - Trisha Ashley Page 0,157

licence,’ she snapped. ‘Just what I need when I’m trying to run a business.’

‘Oh, yes, it said in one of those articles you had a garden design business,’ I said. ‘Willow Wand Garden Transformations.’

‘You were speeding again, Mum,’ Jonas said, but she ignored him and turned to Ned.

‘The least you can do is drive us back to the station,’ she told him, as if it was all his fault.

But before he could reply, Jonas said wistfully, ‘Seeing I’m here, couldn’t I at least see the garden first, before we go?’

Ned looked at him with interest. ‘You like gardens?’

‘Yeah, and you’ve got one full of poison plants – cool!’

‘OK then,’ Ned said. ‘Come on – we’ll sort out that lift when we get back.’

He went out, followed eagerly by Jonas, and Roddy, who had been effacing himself in the background, murmured an excuse and followed suit.

I didn’t blame him – I wished I could, too.

Sammie seemed to catch sight of Mike for the first time and they eyed each other curiously. Since there seemed nothing else to do, I said, ‘Sammie, this is my ex-husband, Mike Draycot.’ Then I added brightly, ‘Anyone for coffee?’

‘I’ve had a bit of an accident,’ Mike told her and she sank down next to him.

‘You poor thing, you’re covered in blood!’ she said, sympathetically.

‘I’m all right,’ he said bravely. ‘But … if I’ve grasped things right, hasn’t something you said to the newspapers about Ned Mars been twisted out of context, so it’s led to today’s unfortunate contretemps?’

‘Yes, you’re quite right. I sold a little human-interest story about Ned last year, when I was very hard up and it wasn’t my fault they twisted it to suggest something else, was it?’

‘Not at all. Funnily enough, I was just explaining to Ned that all the stories Marnie’s been telling him about me were just made up to get his sympathy …’

I tuned the rest of the conversation out, but when I’d drunk my coffee I broke in and said, ‘I can hear them coming back, so if I were you I’d pipe down before Ned hears you, Mike.’

When Jonas came in with Ned, he looked about five years younger and pink with excitement.

‘Mum, the Poison Garden’s got a deadly plant in a cage in the middle – a rosary pea – and in the other corner, there’s a waterfall with some steampunk metal flowers that open and close and—’

‘He’s a real gardener,’ said Ned, smiling.

‘Ned says when I’m sixteen I can come and do work experience in the garden for the summer, if I want to,’ Jonas said.

‘Well, that’s very nice,’ said Sammie weakly. ‘Now, about that lift …’

‘I have a car parked just over the bridge and I’d be happy to drive you anywhere you like?’ suggested Mike as smoothly as a man can who is covered in crusted gore.

‘Would you really? That’s very kind of you,’ said Sammie, fluttering her false eyelashes at him.

For a minute, I wondered if I should warn her not to accept anything other than a lift from him, but then gave a mental shrug. She was more than a match for Mike, I reckoned.

When they’d gone, Ned and I looked at each other and said, simultaneously, ‘Phew!’

‘I wonder what’s next, Plague of Frogs?’ he said.

‘I’m sincerely hoping Plague of Exes was the last one,’ I said. ‘And by the way, thank you for pretending we were engaged when Mike was being obnoxious. That was kind of you.’

‘Yes, wasn’t it just?’ he agreed blandly. ‘Do you fancy coming round later for another session of paper sorting?’

‘Only if you promise me it’s going to be a Lucky Dragon evening,’ I said firmly.

38

Something in the Air

Our usual work ethic seemed to have unravelled next morning, so it was just as well it was a Tuesday.

We spent a couple of hours sorting out the final selection of photographs, plans, lists and other interesting material for the museum display, had a rummage round the old stables where Ned was sure he’d seen several Victorian hand-blown glass bells for forcing vegetables and rhubarb (not that ours needed any forcing), and then went to see how the builders were getting along.

The new interior was already taking shape and Don said a few more days and he’d seal off the shop side of the blocked doorway with plastic sheeting and open it up.

‘Put a bit of support in and a new, wider lintel,’ he said. ‘We’ll knock through into the old outside visitor toilet at the same time.