I went to laugh the suggestion off, but he looked as if he meant it. His expression rather reminded me of the one Eloise had worn when she offered me a position practically within minutes of meeting me. Nonetheless, familiar though it might have been, it was still a surprise to be faced with it for the second time in my life.
‘Thank you, but I already have one,’ I told Luke, aiming to keep my voice steady. I didn’t add that I had no idea for how much longer. ‘I manage a garden in Suffolk, over near Beccles, on the Broad-Meadows estate.’
‘Shame,’ he tutted. ‘Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.’
‘It’s Freya,’ I told him. ‘Freya Fuller.’
‘Well, Freya Fuller,’ he said, setting Abigail back on her feet again. ‘If I can’t give you a job, would you consider leaving me your contact details at the house?’
‘What for?’ I asked.
‘So, I can pick your brains,’ he smiled. ‘In an advisory capacity.’
‘All right,’ I agreed, ‘I don’t see why not.’
Later that afternoon, having enjoyed a picnic lunch for the masses made from produce grown at the Grow-Well which was on the opposite side of the grounds, I called at the house and left my details with Luke’s wife, Kate.
She was every bit as kind as Luke and, as I walked back to the car park where I’d left the van, I couldn’t help thinking that Eloise and the summer solstice might not have provided me with a sign about my long-term future, but my trip to Norwich had been a welcome distraction nonetheless. Should Luke ever get in touch, I was going to enjoy being involved in the winter garden at Prosperous Place, even if it was only in an advisory capacity.
Chapter 2
I had left my phone tucked away in the glove compartment of the van and, when I turned it on again to help me negotiate my way back to Broad-Meadows, I found there were four missed calls from Jackson’s mobile to tug at my conscience, and by the time I arrived home there were another two.
I did have a hands-free set-up but, in spite of my loyalty to Eloise and the estate, I didn’t want to talk to him on my day off and certainly not while I was driving. I was more tired than I would have expected and needed to concentrate.
I hadn’t much noticed it during my quiet working days and even quieter evenings and weekends, but I had become accustomed to spending time alone, sometimes not talking to another living soul from one day to the next. I hadn’t thought it was an issue, but my day at Prosperous Place talking to Luke, Graham and Kate had been exhausting and highlighted the fact that I was perhaps in danger of becoming a little too comfortable with my own company.
Nell and I enjoyed a light supper and then I had a long bath with the intention of turning in before my usual bedtime so I would be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to start work early the next morning. However, Jackson had other ideas. I had barely finished tying the belt of my bathrobe when I heard him hammering on the door. There was no question of it being anyone else because we were so isolated and besides, Nell only ever growled when he was about.
I opened the door and peeped out, my still damp hair snaking almost down to my waist. If I didn’t dry it soon, there would be no taming it.
‘Oh, you are here then, Freya,’ he frowned, his sarcastic tone and sweeping gaze making my hackles rise as high as Nell’s. ‘I’ve been trying to reach you on your cell all day.’
I couldn’t help but wince at the sound of his southern drawl and closed the door a little. It wasn’t the sight of him that rubbed me up the wrong way – just a couple of years older than me, he was tall, solid, dark-haired and handsome. Quite possibly fanciable if you didn’t mind the slightly too white teeth.
And it wasn’t his accent either – I was as receptive to a cowboy as any fluttering southern belle thanks to watching my fair share of Sam Elliott movies – but it was more the way he said things, rather than the voice in which he said them.
‘You knew I was taking today off, Jackson,’ I recapped for him. ‘We talked about it last week, remember? I wanted to