Summer Season (16 page)

Kezzie timed her arrival at work the next day for after Joel had left. She felt on the whole it would be better to ignore the events of the night before. It had been stupid and naive of her to invite him in for coffee, but she’d come to think of him as a mate, and really hadn’t factored on him thinking of her differently. It was just loneliness and boredom that had led them both to cling to one another. Much as she liked Joel she didn’t think they were right for each other. And she doubted that he was thinking of her as anything other than one of his many conquests. From what Lauren had told her, Joel had spent the last year going out with half the women in the village, and she was probably just the latest.

‘Way too much baggage,’ she said out loud, as she wheeled a laden barrow down the path.

Now that Kezzie had gone through all Edward’s designs, she had been able to work out her own, and today she planned to peg it out, so that she could finally start planting out the pattern that she’d designed on graph paper. The garden wouldn’t be properly established for the Summer Fest, it would take several years for that, but at least people would be able to get a flavour of what Edward’s garden had looked like.

It was a windy warm spring day. The daffodils, which had popped up unexpectedly in the corners of the borders,
were looking slightly flattened, and the buds on the fruit trees, which clustered around the bottom of Joel’s garden, were looking slightly frazzled. But the birds were singing lustily; Kezzie had already identified a cuckoo and there was evidence that blue tits were nesting in the oak tree she’d climbed up the first time she’d seen the garden. Spring was definitely in the air, and putting aside her confused emotions about Joel, Kezzie felt a thrill of excitement that she could start working on and reproducing Edward’s garden.

Kezzie had followed Edward’s basic design of interweaving ivy and rosemary, with a heart shape in the middle incorporating the letters E and L. In the four corners she’d also replicated the shapes of crossover hearts, the middle of which was for the flowers that Edward had planted for each of his children: agapanthus, snowdrops, white carnations and peonies. For Lily and Edward she’d combined blue hyacinths (constancy – which she felt was appropriate for Edward) and white lilies (purity – for Lily). She also wanted to plant a pink rose bush to symbolize their married love. Round the borders she planned to plant forget me nots and gloxinia, just as Edward had done, but for now she had planted heartsease, so at least there was some colour.

Kezzie had been glad to discover that Lily and Edward had finally managed to have children. It was clear from Lily’s diaries the pain that being childless had caused. Though Kezzie had never had any desire to have children of her own, it would have taken a heart of stone not to have felt the pain of Lily’s loss.

As she worked, Kezzie took photographs to chart her progress. Once she’d got the plants in, the garden would really take shape. Kezzie smiled, pleased at her hard work. It had been a labour of love to get this far, but she knew it would be worth it.

Despite the wind, the work soon made her warm, and she quickly shed her fleece. After several gloomy days the sun had managed to put in a pale appearance, despite the clouds scudding fast across it. It was probably as pale as she was. Richard had always teased her about being a pale ghost, (which with her dark hair and fair skin was not surprising), putting it down to all her night-time gardening activities.

Richard
. Kezzie sat back on her haunches. If anything, last night had proved to her how far she had to go with Project Get Over Richard. It had been nice kissing Joel, and he wasn’t at all unattractive, but he
wasn’t
Richard, and as soon as she’d kissed Joel, Kezzie realized how much she was missing Richard – still. Richard was someone she couldn’t forget in a hurry.

When they’d first met she’d thought he was a terrible snob – but she soon realized that what appeared to be diffidence was actually shyness. Once she got to know him she’d discovered that despite a tendency to stuffiness, he had a great sense of fun, and was also immensely kind.

Kezzie sighed, and dug her fork into the ground, and carried on turning over the soil. Richard was in her past. She needed to accept it and get over him. Joel wasn’t the right person to do that with, clearly, but waiting for Richard to come back to her wasn’t an option either. Spring. Time for a fresh start for the garden. And for her.

‘You don’t have to do this,’ Lauren protested for the hundredth time.

‘I know,’ said Troy. ‘I want to.’

Having discovered that Lauren’s lack of car meant she never got to a supermarket, but relied on daily shopping in Heartsease, Troy had insisted he take her to the new out of town supermarket, three miles away.

Lauren protested at first – she did actually like buying
locally – but it wasn’t cheap. And a trip to the supermarket meant an opportunity to stock up on some necessities.

She’d asked Joel if she could borrow Sam’s car seat, and once the girls were at school, she loaded Sam into Troy’s car and off they went. She felt slightly nervous. This was one of the few times she and Troy had been properly alone, – Sam didn’t really count – since he’d moved to Heartsease, and she was conscious that too long in his company awoke familiar and unwelcome feelings.

‘So how are you finding it here?’ said Lauren, more out of a desire to fill any awkward silence, than because she really wanted to know.

‘Do you know, I’m loving it,’ said Troy. ‘I’ve always felt so rootless before, but I like Heartsease. I could really see myself here in twenty years’ time.’

‘What,
you
?’ said Lauren, laughing. ‘I thought you were the eternal wanderer. Wherever I lay my hat and all that.’

‘Yes, well. Wandering can lose its charm,’ said Troy. ‘I’ve learnt my lesson there.’

‘What happened to your last girlfriend?’ Lauren couldn’t help but ask. Troy was the kind of guy who was never on his own for very long. She was quite surprised he hadn’t hooked up with someone in Heartsease already, given that she’d made it clear that she wasn’t having him back.

‘Lisa? We drifted apart,’ mumbled Troy.

‘You mean you got bored and ditched her,’ said Lauren.

‘No, actually,’ Troy looked faintly embarrassed. ‘She ditched me. For … for a
toyboy
. Can you believe that?’

Lauren burst out laughing.

‘Now that’s what I call poetic justice. Don’t worry, studmuffin, I’m sure there are plenty of people who’ll be foolish enough to fall for your charms. Just please don’t break the heart of anyone I know.’

‘I wasn’t planning to,’ said Troy. ‘The thing is, what with
Lisa ditching me and Dad showing up at the same time, I began to realize what I was missing.’

‘Oh, and what’s that?’ Lauren said lightly, as she put two packets of Coco Pops in her trolley and tickled Sam’s chin.

‘You,’ said Troy simply. ‘I’ve realized I’ve been missing you.’

Joel was grateful that Kezzie hadn’t turned up early. He wasn’t sure he could face her that morning. Idiot. What did he think he’d been doing kissing her?

There had been a few women since Claire, but they’d been fairly meaningless encounters to fulfil a physical need, and make him feel less lonely. But as soon as anyone had tried to get close, he’d made polite excuses and moved on.

But this, with Kezzie – in a moment of weakness, he’d let her get too close and it wouldn’t do. It made for an incredibly awkward situation. She was in his house such a lot. He liked her but he wasn’t sure he was ready to entrust his heart to anyone yet. He didn’t know if he would be able to ever again. He’d try and tactfully tell Kezzie when he got home.

But when he got back from work that night Kezzie wasn’t there. She clearly had been, as a cup and plate were neatly stacked on the drainer, and her boots were sitting outside the back door. She must be as mortified about last night as he was. Damn, he’d have to try and speak to her tomorrow.

But the following day it was the same. Kezzie arrived after he left, and was gone before his return. The only sign of her having been there was the daily progress on the garden, which was finally beginning to take shape. Joel was impressed with what Kezzie was doing; the patterns did look like hearts, and she’d cleverly woven the initials E and L into the centre, just as on the original plans. It was going to be fantastic. He should tell her so, if he ever got the chance to speak to her again that is.

On Friday he found his moment, as he arrived back slightly earlier than usual. He came home to change first, before picking Sam up, and encountered Kezzie walking up the garden with all her equipment, clearly on her way to tidy up.

‘I was beginning to think you were avoiding me,’ said Joel, feeling embarrassed.

‘Well I am,’ said Kezzie. That was Kezzie, nothing if not direct.

‘I hope it’s— look, Kezzie, I’m sorry about the other night. I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong idea.’

‘What wrong idea?’ Kezzie looked blankly at him, suspicious.

‘You know, because I kissed you,’ said Joel, beginning to sweat profusely. ‘I’m sorry, it was a mistake.’

‘You mean you’re
not
going to whisk me off my feet and ask me to have your babies?’ said Kezzie.

Oh God. He’d really cocked this up. This was going to take some recovering from.

‘Er – no.’

‘Thank God for that,’ said Kezzie with a grin, ‘because I don’t want to have anyone’s babies, least of all yours.’

‘That’s a bit deflating.’

‘Would you rather I told you, you’d broken my heart?’ said Kezzie.

‘No.’

‘Well then,’ said Kezzie. ‘Let’s stick at being friends shall we? I think we’d be better at that.’

Joel felt a weight slide off his shoulders. He enjoyed Kezzie’s company and hated to think of things becoming awkward between them.

‘Are you sure?’ he said. ‘I’d hate to think I’d upset you.’

‘It’s not that I don’t like you,’ explained Kezzie, ‘I do, a lot. But the other night made me realize that I really am
not over Richard, and I don’t think you’re over Claire. We’ve both got far too much stuff to sort out.’

‘You’re right,’ said Joel with relief. ‘Thanks, I’ve been really fretting about it.’

‘Don’t,’ said Kezzie. ‘Let’s just enjoy being friends. I think romance is overrated, don’t you?’

‘Possibly,’ said Joel. ‘But don’t you think you’re stopping yourself getting over Richard? Hiding yourself down here, never seeing him? It’s like you’re running away. I think you should use Summer Fest as an excuse to try and contact him and pump him for gardening contacts. That way you might get a feel for how the land lies.’

‘Hmm,’ said Kezzie. ‘Suppose he doesn’t want to talk to me?’

‘And suppose he’s been waiting for your call?’ argued Joel. ‘You won’t know until you try, will you? I know if it was me and Claire, I wouldn’t think twice.’

He sighed, and looked away.

‘At least you still have a chance,’ he said. ‘What have you got to lose?’

1900–1914

The years passed, and the children grew. In time another sister came to join the family.

Our new baby is called Matilda
, Edward wrote in his diary, in the summer of 1900.
I have planted peonies for her in the knot garden. She is a plump and smiling child, and Lily dotes on her. I feel so blessed that despite our early heartache we have such a perfect family. And Lily I love more than ever. Tending the knot garden together, with the children playing around us, is the greatest of joys. My only sadness is that Lily still seems unable to love Connie the way that I do. I try to make it up to her, by loving her for both of us …

Edward grew wealthy from his many clients around the country, but the more time passed, the less inclined he felt like travelling from the place where he felt happiest. He was content mainly to spend his spare time pottering in the garden with Lily and the children, or taking them on long walks in the countryside. In summer it was their favourite pastime to picnic under the old willow tree by the river and watch the children play.

While all his children delighted him, Edward couldn’t help but reserve a special place in his heart for Connie, trying to make up for Lily’s lack of interest in her as best he could. Lily doted on Harry and the baby, and barely
seemed to notice Connie at times, but if it bothered Connie she never said.

Connie was so different from her mother, quiet and studious, and even as a child she was incredibly stoical in the face of pain. There was a day Edward remembered well when she came in with a thorn deep in her thumb, which clearly pained her, yet she shed not a single tear when Edward tenderly pulled it out. Even Lily had marvelled at her courage.

The years passed, the children grew, and Edward found himself more involved in philanthropy than gardening, the wealth he had accrued from designing gardens for the great and good, allowing him to do charitable works nearer to home.

I have decided to design a garden for the village
, he wrote in his diary in 1904,
the people of Heartsease need a place to go for recreation, and I will willingly share my expertise.

So in summer of 1905, Lily proudly opened the Heartsease Public Gardens for the first time. There was a grand party, and the whole village turned out. They had bunting and flags, and a village fete. Lily, Edward and the children – the girls dressed in white muslin dresses, Harry in a sailor suit – were photographed with the villagers in front of the gates of the new park. It was one of those languorous long summer days that seemed to go on forever. The sun shone, the village band played, and Edward felt blessed to live in a place like Heartsease. He watched with pride as the village children ran joyously in the gardens he’d created for them.
After the knot garden
, he wrote in his diary,
the Heartsease Public Gardens are my greatest achievement.

‘I’m so proud of you,’ Lily said, as they returned home that night, the children full of sticky cakes and buns, and exhausted from running wild with the village children. ‘You do so much good for everyone.’

She kissed him lightly on the cheek, and that evening, when the children were in bed, she and Edward sat on the veranda, watching the sun go down behind the hills, and listened to the bats screeching in the dusk. They held hands and celebrated their good fortune.

Later, looking back to that time, it seemed to Edward that the sun had always shone, and the summers seemed endless, full of joy and laughter as his children tumbled up in a happy family time.