The Garden of Forgotten Wishes - Trisha Ashley Page 0,60
hadn’t sounded like the kind of family I’d want to claim kinship with, and it certainly wouldn’t go down well with Ned if he found out about them, just when I hoped we might be becoming friends again.
I spent another early morning hour on the Lavender Cottage garden, cutting back the first of the three overgrown and woody rosemary bushes.
The last thick branches I removed as near to the ground as possible, using a handsaw of my own – one of those things like a giant penknife, with a tough, serrated blade. I’d made good progress and was just starting to dig around the roots to loosen them, when Elf appeared, bearing a steaming beaker of frothy coffee and a large biscotti.
‘I saw you from the kitchen window – I got up early to make a new batch of ice-cream – mint with dark chocolate chips. But we really don’t expect you to start work this early, Marnie! You mustn’t overdo it.’
I took the cup and dipped the biscotti into it. ‘Lovely – thank you! And I wanted to make another early start on the rosemary, because I keep losing track of time in the rose garden. The best kind of job is the one you’d do for love, even if you didn’t get paid for it, isn’t it?’
‘Very true – which is why I’m up with the larks, making ice-cream, and Myfy and Jacob so often vanish into their studios and forget to come out for food.’
I looked down at the half-exposed root ball of the rosemary and said, ‘I’ve nearly finished with this one now, but I’ll ask Ned if I can borrow one of the pickaxes from the Potting Shed for the other two. I’ve seen a couple of them in there and it would make it easier.’
‘No rush,’ she said, taking the empty cup.
‘No, but I’m looking forward to having this garden trim again. I’ll have a go at the Rambling Rector at the first opportunity, too! It won’t take much effort to keep it all in hand after that.’
‘Myfy will be delighted to have more places to put new lavender,’ Elf said. ‘She did her best with the gardening, but only when her Muse hadn’t claimed her. Or Jacob,’ she added.
‘I’d better just finish off here and then I can start on the roses, again,’ I said, seizing the spade and driving it deep beneath the root ball. Then I stood on the edge and up rose the dense mass, with a wrenching noise. I tossed it into one of the green bags.
‘You’re a lot stronger than you look,’ Elf said thoughtfully.
‘Muscles of steel, after everything I’ve been doing the last few years,’ I said. ‘But what I did just now was more technique.’ I shoved the hand tools into the trug and prepared to put everything away in the shed.
‘I must fetch my flask of coffee from the flat, but I don’t seem to need to take packed lunches,’ I said, and told Elf about Gertie’s insisting on sharing her sandwiches and cake.
Elf laughed. ‘Gertie feeds everyone. I’d just go with it! She used to take in lunch for Ned’s great-uncle Theo, too – and he always came here for dinner with us every Sunday as well. We’re hoping you’ll join us this Sunday. It’s such fun, having a crowd round the table.’
‘It’s very kind of you …’ I began, but she seemed to assume it was a given, because she beamed at me.
‘Don’t forget it’s quiz night every Friday at the pub, dear,’ she reminded me. ‘You must walk across with us – scampi and chips in a basket, very retro, and then the quiz.’
‘I’m not sure I—’
‘Oh, you must come, Marnie! Everyone goes. You’ll meet lots of the locals all at once, so it’ll be very useful.’
I hesitated, long habit making me feel uneasy at the thought of mixing with a lot of people, but there was no need to live as a recluse any more – and probably hadn’t been for several years. The phone lines weren’t going to be hot between Jericho’s End and Merchester, telling Mike I’d been sighted!
‘That would be fun, thank you,’ I said resolutely. I was going to meet all the locals at some time in the near future, anyway. It was not the sort of place where you could avoid it, even if you wanted to. I might as well, as Elf said, meet most of them at once.