colder. ‘Do you find the long, grey days a bit of a mood killer?’
I thought about it for a moment before answering.
‘No,’ I said, ‘I can’t say that I do, but that’s probably because I’m always outdoors. If anything, grey days are generally dry days and that means I can carry on with my work without having to dig out the waterproofs. As long as it’s dry, I don’t always notice what the sky looks like.’
‘You’re lucky,’ he said, sounding envious. ‘I wish I could say the same. I never used to mind it, but now, the thought of the long dark winter stretching ahead does nothing for my spirit.’
‘Luke’s been diagnosed with SAD, hasn’t he?’ I said, looking over to where my boss appeared to be getting ready to say something.
‘That’s right,’ said Graham, ‘and I’m seriously thinking about visiting my GP to find out if I’m the same. I always enjoy helping out here, of course, but sometimes it’s just not enough. Luke has been very proactive since his diagnosis and seems far happier as a result. As you know, that’s been his inspiration to create the Winter Garden.’
‘It’s going to be a bright beacon of hope on those dull days that you hate so much, Graham,’ I earnestly told him. ‘I can promise you that. There’ll always be something cheering to see. My planting plan practically guarantees it.’
Graham appeared rather buoyed up by the idea and I hoped Mother Nature wouldn’t let me down. That said, if flowers, bulbs, bark and unexpected sweet scent weren’t all enough to inspire happy thoughts, then Finn’s clever sculptures hidden around the place certainly would be. I refused to allow myself to look back to where he and Chloe were standing. I knew they were still together because I could hear Finn’s deep voice and Chloe’s light laugh working in perfect harmony.
‘And don’t forget, it’ll soon be Christmas,’ I reminded Graham, as much as myself. ‘We’re on the countdown now.’
‘That we are,’ he smiled. ‘Are you a fan of the season?’
‘Yes,’ I said, thinking of all the decorating and present-buying, mulled wine and general over-indulgence. ‘Yes, I am.’
Living in the city was going to make shopping for Christmas so much easier and guarantee me access to as much over-indulgence and as many seasonal treats and traditions as I could wish for. The isolation at Broad-Meadows had made for a much quieter celebration than the one I imagined I would be facing here. I had always loved the peace and tranquillity that came with spending Yuletide with Eloise, but I was delighted, and rather surprised, to find that I was very much looking forward to finding out what noel in Norwich had to offer.
‘What about you, Graham?’ I asked, feeling my heart flutter at the thought of it all. ‘Do you like Christmas?’
‘Oh yes,’ he smiled, ‘I do. It’s such a highlight.’
’Right,’ said Luke, shouting above everyone’s chatter and cutting mine and Graham’s conversation off before I had a chance to mention helping me in the garden. ‘Can I have your attention please?’
Everyone quickly fell silent and gathered around him. Chloe and Finn were practically opposite me now. Chloe waved and mouthed ‘hello’ and Finn looked surprised to see me when Chloe nudged him and pointed me out. He waved too and I smiled back, but admittedly, not all that warmly.
‘Thank you all for hanging on this afternoon,’ said Luke. ‘I know you’ve all been working hard this morning and it’s getting chilly now, so I won’t keep you for too long.’
Carole and Poppy moved quietly between us all, handing out mugs of frothy hot chocolate. It smelt delicious and I gratefully wrapped my gloved hands around the warm mug.
‘As you know,’ Luke continued, ‘thanks to the arrival of Freya, plans for the creation of the Winter Garden are now well underway.’
Everyone turned to smile at me and I smiled briefly back before turning my attention to gently blowing the froth on my hot chocolate. When I looked back up again, Finn was still looking at me, so I trained my eyes on Luke.
‘And even though there will be plenty to look at this year,’ he explained, ‘the garden will still be very much in its infancy.’
I was pleased he understood that. Instant gardening, the sort you saw on television makeover shows, was not something I could apply to this project at Prosperous Place. There would, as Luke had just pointed out, be plenty to admire this year, but it would take