Chapter 12
With the deal sealed under the stars Jamie and I wasted no time in coming up with some ideas that would be instrumental in making the other’s dream come true. Clearly we were both ambitious, fiercely competitive and each desperate to see the other cross the finish line to dream-fulfilment first, and I might not have showed it, but I secretly had everything crossed that Jamie would succeed, even if I was going to struggle to complete some of the things he no doubt had lined up for me.
Operation ‘Wish upon the Christmas Star’ countdown was officially set to launch at six thirty the following morning with a sedate, although admittedly glacial, jog around the grounds, but the whole thing got off to a rocky start because Jamie ‘accidentally’ slept through his alarm.
‘You can’t make me do this,’ he yawned, his sleepy eyes, mussed-up hair and washboard stomach putting in a brief appearance after I’d been hammering on his door for what felt like forever. ‘In fact, I can’t see how stumbling about in the frost is going to make me love the place at all. If anything,’ he whined, ‘it will put me off.’
I was having none of it. I pushed my way into the room, ignoring the desire to wrap my arms around his bare upper half, and began rifling through his piles of clothes for something that would stop the biting wind cutting through to his ribs.
‘You know, you can’t just barge in here,’ he said, attempting to crawl back under the duvet.
‘So,’ I said, throwing him a fleecy zip-up top and feeling triumphant, ‘you’re admitting defeat already.’
‘Might be.’
‘And if this was a game,’ I added cunningly, ‘you’d have to say that I was already the outright winner.’
‘Hey,’ he yelped as I sent a pair of trainers flying towards his groin and tried not to notice just how sexy his bare feet and shoulders really were. ‘You haven’t won anything.’
‘So I’ll see you downstairs in two minutes?’
‘Oh all right,’ he groaned. ‘All right, but if this isn’t worth getting up for—’
‘Yes?’
‘I’m going to have you making paper chains from now until next Christmas.’
Fortunately for me, the early start was worth it, although it took a few laps around the garden before I could make Jamie admit it. By the time we had weaved our way through the neglected walled garden and back to the summerhouse, where I had sat with Catherine just a few days before, the sky had barely lightened and, if anything, looked full of snow.
‘Your mum’s very fond of the gardens, isn’t she?’ I said when I had finally caught my breath and my lungs weren’t burning quite so much.
‘She loves them,’ nodded Jamie as he stretched out, using the side of the summerhouse to bear his weight.
He hadn’t let on, of course, but having watched his running style and post-workout cooldown, I could tell this wasn’t the first time he had donned his trainers to raise his heartrate.
‘In fact,’ he added, ‘I wouldn’t be at all surprised if trying to keep on top of all this, and helping Mick out at every opportunity, wasn’t in part responsible for her knee problems.’
He looked at me and raised his eyebrows. ‘So, if you were hoping to make me admit how lovely the grounds are in your quest to make the place feel like less of a burden, then I’m afraid you’ve failed.’
I ignored his smug tone, knowing I had a winning idea up my sleeve.
‘The upkeep of everything outside is down to Mick, is it?’
‘More or less,’ he said, looking about him, ‘and as you can see from the state of the walled garden, it’s too much for one pair of hands. Dad helps out if something needs hacking down, but he’s too easily distracted for the regular, fiddly jobs to hold his interest all year round.’
‘So, what you really need out here are a few more hands on deck.’
‘Of course,’ Jamie agreed, ‘but we can’t afford a team of gardeners any more. When Mum was growing up there were three or four, and that was before you included the estate staff. They all used to live in cottages we owned between here and town, but they were sold off years ago.’
‘Has anyone ever thought about the possibility of getting a team of volunteers together to help out?’
‘We occasionally have groups to help with jobs in the woods – hedging, clearing ground and so on.’
‘That’s not really what I’m getting at,’ I said. ‘I’m talking about an established group of volunteers who could come to help out on a regular basis, students even.’
‘I’m not sure about that,’ Jamie frowned.
‘There’s a small horticultural college in town, isn’t there?’ I quizzed, knowing full well from the Internet search I’d made the evening before that there was, and that they were always looking for places to take on students to give them practical experience.
‘Yes,’ said Jamie, rubbing his chin, ‘there is, actually. It’s affiliated to a couple of the larger colleges in Norfolk.’
‘I bet they would jump at the chance to come and work somewhere like this and,’ I quickly added, ‘I daresay they’d send staff with them, so beyond Mick showing them where everything is, they could be left to their own devices.’
‘Maybe,’ he said thoughtfully.
‘It would be nice to see the place restored to its former glory, wouldn’t it, especially the walled garden? You could even hold open days for charity and maybe open to the public a couple of days a week to bring in a little revenue.’
‘You’ll be telling me next we should convert the stables into tearooms,’ Jamie laughed.
‘That might not be a bad idea actually,’ I shrugged. ‘It’s something to think about anyway.’
Jamie looked at me and narrowed his eyes again.
‘This garden idea would be more work for me though,’ he frowned.
‘No it wouldn’t,’ I said, ‘not after the initial set-up. I bet Mick and the college, if they wanted to take it on, could run it between them. These things are only as complicated as you make them,’ I told him.
‘Is that a quote you live by?’ he asked.
‘No,’ I admitted, ‘but I probably should.’
‘Well, loath as I am to admit it, Woodruff,’ he said, looking about him, ‘I think you might actually have stumbled upon something here.’
‘Excellent,’ I grinned.
‘Not necessarily the tearoom idea,’ he said quickly, ‘but getting some students in to help restore the gardens might prove to be a win-win situation all round.’
‘You’ll need to have a look at those public liability insurance documents though,’ I reminded him.
‘Of course,’ he said thoughtfully. ‘Let’s go and run it all by Mum and Dad.’
‘And Mick.’
‘Yes, and Mick, and we’ll take it from there if they think it’s a good idea. Henry is the chap who organises some bits and pieces for the estate, so I’ll give him a bell as well.’
We headed back to the hall and I have to admit I was feeling really rather chuffed to have struck gold on my first attempt.
Catherine and Angus were absolutely thrilled with the idea and even Mick, once he had been reassured that no one would be taking away his pleasure in striping the lawns, was happy to come on board.
‘I think it sounds like an absolutely wonderful idea,’ enthused Catherine. ‘It would be such a joy to see the gardens looking beautiful again. Not that there’s anything wrong with your work, Mick,’ she quickly added, ‘but there’s only so much one man can do.’
‘I know what you mean,’ he said, fortunately sounding not at all put out. ‘With a place this size things soon get out of hand, especially during the summer. No sooner are the lawns finished than it’s time to start cutting them again.’
Clearly his passion was for turf culture rather than weeding.
‘Well, you know I’m always happy to jump on the ride-on,’ said Angus helpfully.
‘Yes,’ tutted Dorothy. ‘But the last time you did that you reversed it over the ha-ha and almost broke your neck.’
‘Well, the gears can be fiddly,’ huffed Angus.
‘So we’d be having students coming to work here all year round then, would we?’ asked Hayley, who Mick had already collected from town.
‘If the college really like the idea,’ said Jamie, ‘then yes.’
‘All those hot, sweaty bodies hoeing the borders . . .’ she said dreamily.
Dorothy and Catherine looked at one another and rolled their eyes.
‘I was rather hoping to improve the gardens, rather than your view, Hayley! We can’t have you upstairs with your nose pressed to the window when you are supposed to be working,’ I told her firmly. ‘And it won’t be just boys.’
‘Well, whatever,’ she giggled, without even the grace to blush. ‘I’m sure we all appreciate the idea, Anna.’
‘Some more than others,’ said Catherine with a meaningful stare.
‘Nothing wrong with enhancing the view and working conditions, is there?’ she asked innocently.
I felt my own colour rise as I remembered I had thought exactly the same thing when I had first seen the photograph of Jamie.
‘I seem to remember you telling me that my homecoming had done that?’ Jamie pouted theatrically.
‘Yes, well,’ said Hayley, stealing a quick glance in my direction. ‘I have no doubt you’re going to be spoken for before long. Now, whose turn is it to open the Advent calendar today, Angus?’
Keen to make contact before the college broke up for the Christmas holidays, Jamie called his estate man Henry, and arranged to meet in town the next day.
‘You’ll come with me, won’t you, Anna?’ he asked as he passed me a bowl of Dorothy’s delectable chicken soup that lunchtime.
‘Me?’ I frowned. ‘What on earth do you want me to come for?’
Jamie raised his eyebrows and I got the distinct impression that he had my first task lined up. I swallowed and reminded myself that I could hardly expect him to keep toeing the line if I wasn’t going to get involved in return.
‘Don’t look so worried,’ he laughed. ‘I’m not going to make you go carolling. I just thought that as it was your idea, you’d be better at explaining it than I would.’
‘OK,’ I said, my shoulders sinking back down to somewhere near where they should be. ‘Great. In that case count me in, as long as your mum can spare me, of course,’ I quickly added.
‘Excellent,’ he said. ‘Mum’s more than happy about it. I’ve run the idea by her already.’
A slight smile was still playing about his lips and I wondered if he had told me everything he planned for our trip to town after all, but I didn’t have time to quiz him further.
‘By the way,’ Dorothy said, ‘I spoke to Angela earlier and she was over the moon. She’s going to talk to the others tonight and see what they say, but we’re certain they’ll be thrilled.’
‘What’s this?’ asked Mick.
‘Jamie has already invited the WI back to the hall for their special talks,’ Dorothy explained as she refilled his bowl yet again. ‘With his parents’ blessing of course.’
‘You’ve been quick off the mark, lad,’ winked Mick. ‘I’ll give you that.’
‘Like we said yesterday,’ said Jamie, ‘now Anna and Mum have got the insurance in place there’s really no reason why people can’t start coming back.’
‘I wonder what Archie will have to say when he finds out?’ I asked. ‘I hope he won’t take me to task because I set up the policy.’
‘It’s nothing to do with him now,’ Jamie said sternly. ‘If he so much as opens his mouth when he turns up, Anna, you come and tell me.’
Hayley caught my eye and winked.
‘And if you have any more bright ideas floating about, let’s hear them before the family descend.’
‘Well,’ I said.
‘Here we go,’ Dorothy and Mick said together.
‘I’m thinking,’ I continued, ‘as you’ve already asked the WI, and we’re heading to town tomorrow, you could pop to the library and ask the reading group to come back as well.’
‘Great,’ said Jamie, without a moment’s hesitation. ‘I’ll do it.’
‘And I happen to know the head librarian is one of those ramblers,’ put in Hayley. ‘So you might be able to kill two birds with one stone there.’