shut Nell in the kitchen, in case she was beginning to feel a little overwhelmed. I knew I was.
‘Shall we get cracking then?’ John beamed, rubbing his hands together. ‘And get this stuff into the house?’
He wasn’t alone this time. Graham and Carole had been drawn in as reinforcements and I could see Luke crossing the square carrying a very impressive, if slightly wonkily carved, pumpkin, with the two girls in tow. Kate came to stand behind me and I got the feeling that telling them I’d rather manage on my own would either offend them or be ignored and actually, seeing the kind look on all their faces, I found I didn’t want to manage on my own. For now, at least, I’d had enough of flying solo to last me a lifetime.
‘All right,’ I said, tossing John the keys to the van, ‘let’s make a start.’
Chapter 6
I didn’t manage to either set foot in the garden, or do a scrap of work during my first two days living in Norwich. Having ferried my things from the van to the house, Luke and Kate then insisted, with the others backing them up, that I should take time to settle in, find my feet and take stock of the changes happening in mine and Nell’s lives.
Although keen to forge ahead, I had to admit I was both physically and mentally exhausted by the end of the day. Having unpacked my things in the house, lined up the cuttings in the back porch which was tacked onto the kitchen, and then spent ages handing out the sweets to the trick or treaters, when I climbed into bed I swiftly fell into a lavender-scented long and dreamless sleep. I had no idea whether or not the water pipes made any of the noises Harold had suggested, because I was well and truly out for the count.
Waking late, I followed everyone’s advice and set Sunday aside for pottering about, and much of Monday was commandeered by Kate as ‘orientation day’. By the end of it, we had sorted out utilities and other bills and then walked for what felt like miles.
By teatime I was registered with the nearest doctor’s surgery, Nell was acquainted with the vets and I knew where Blossom’s the bakers and Greengage’s the grocers were located as well as the pub, fittingly for Norwich, called The Dragon, and a couple of other interesting-looking shops, including a second-hand bookshop and a vintage emporium.
‘I’m sorry we haven’t had time to explore further,’ Kate said as we arrived puffing and rosy-cheeked back in the square, ‘but at least now you’ve got the gist of what’s closest.’
‘I have,’ I told her, ‘and very lovely it all looks too. It’s going to be a novelty being able to walk to the shops for milk and freshly baked bread. At Broad-Meadows I had to drive everywhere.’
‘So, you’re happy?’ she asked.
‘Ever so,’ I honestly told her.
I was still happy the next morning when my alarm went off, but I was a bit jittery too. I hadn’t felt first-day nerves when I started work for Eloise, but I had them by the time I slipped my feet into my wellies and crossed the square to Prosperous Place. It felt like there was so much more at stake here, what with the Winter Garden to plan and plant, but that was exciting as well as scary.
‘You got in all right then?’ called a voice from an upstairs window as I walked around the side of the house.
I looked up and found Luke leaning out of it.
‘You scared me half to death,’ I called back, my hand on my chest.
‘Sorry,’ he grinned.
‘Yes,’ I told him. ‘I disarmed the alarm and reset it when I closed the gate.’
‘Great,’ he said, ‘then you shouldn’t have any problems opening up the sheds and office. I’ll come out and find you later.’
‘There’s no rush,’ I insisted. ‘I’m looking forward to having a proper look around on my own for a bit, if that’s all right?’
He gave me a thumbs up and disappeared back inside, and Nell and I carried on.
The sheds Luke referred to weren’t sheds in the wooden garden storage sense, but a sturdily built brick collection of what had possibly once been stables or garages. Two were set aside for the garden. The largest stored the bulkiest equipment – an ancient ride-on mower, chainsaw, hedge cutter and the like – while the smaller one was reserved for a comprehensive selection of hand