Will and Jess tied up the boat and helped their mother onto the quay. It was around nine-thirty and the full moon had painted everything with a silvery sheen so you felt you could almost walk across its glittering path to the horizon.
Jess had swapped her heels for wellies and put on her waterproofs for the journey home from St Piran’s because the open sea between the islands was choppy. The evening party had ramped up another gear as the Godrevys and a few others had to leave because of the tides, but Jess wasn’t heartbroken to have an excuse to come home.
‘Well, I’m glad that’s over with. I’m knackered,’ said Will, walking beside his mother and Jess.
Anna snorted in derision. ‘Knackered? You’ve been to a wedding. This is your day off.’
‘Didn’t feel like it,’ said Will drily.
‘Well, I think it was a great do, but I’m glad to be back,’ said Jess, trying to smooth things over between Will and her mum. She’d enjoyed catching up with friends and family, but there had also been a lot of awkward questions about Adam. No, she hadn’t heard from him. Yes, he was in Cumbria with his family, as far as she knew. Will had also been interrogated, but not having been in love with Adam, he naturally found any questions easier to fend off.
‘Hmm. The flowers looked great, though I wasn’t sure about that qui-no thing they served with the salmon. What’s wrong with the good old-fashioned potatoes that we all grow in our own backyard? Funny wedding all round, if you ask me. Did you see Cousin Alison’s face when they said the vows? Looked like she’d swallowed a bottle of vinegar, but then she’s always been a sour-faced misery.’
‘I thought Maisie looked amazing,’ Jess cut in before her mum started on the bride’s dress which had been scarlet silk with a train that swept the floor. Jess had loved it, but her mother’s eyebrows had shot right up when the bridal party had entered the church. ‘Pregnancy suits her, even if she is only four months. I think the worst of the morning sickness is over and she looks great.’
‘Yes, she does. I’ll give you that,’ said Anna. ‘I still can’t get over what happened with that Australian though. Fancy lying about his past to us all.’
Anna was clearly referring to Maisie who had looked radiant on the arm of her new partner, Patrick, at the wedding reception. Before the two of them had finally got together, Patrick had kept a major secret from Maisie and when the truth had finally come out, it had caused a lot of trouble. Far from being a penniless barman, Patrick had been unmasked as Hugo Scorrier’s cousin, and was actually the wealthy owner of Petroc Island and resort. He’d had his own reasons for keeping this fact secret but the deception had hurt Maisie badly. However, he now appeared to have been largely forgiven by the community and most importantly, by Maisie. So while their relationship had started on very rocky foundations, they were crazy in love now. It reminded Jess that anything was possible and she could be happy again too …
‘Maisie and Patrick seem very happy now and I can’t wait to meet Little Sprog and be his or her godmother,’ said Jess.
Anna snorted. ‘Fancy naming a baby that.’
‘Oh, Mum. That’s only their nickname for the bump.’
‘I think it goes well with Maisie’s surname – Samson,’ Will piped up randomly. ‘And it’s better than Tarquin or Honey Boo Pie, or whatever the hell people call their kids these days.’
Anna turned to him. ‘What would you know about it? I can’t see myself being a granny any time soon.’
Behind their mother’s back, Jess swapped a resigned look with Will. He held up his hands in frustration, but fortunately they were now at the gates of the farm. Even though it was early, she couldn’t wait to get out of her dress and into her old trackies. She’d make a cuppa so they could all rehydrate, although she hadn’t had that much to drink as she was ‘driving home’ in the boat. Then all she wanted to do was get to bed and enjoy some peace and quiet.
They walked into the farm and the security light clicked on as they entered the yard. It was more for safety and convenience than any security issue as no one was going to be able to get millions of flowers and equipment off the island even if they wanted to. Any minor thefts and the culprits could be narrowed down to about a hundred people, so it basically wasn’t worth it.
The sound of laughter and chatter came from over the hedge and, a few seconds later, half a dozen of the workers followed the Godrevys into the main yard.
‘It’s the newbies and some of the older gang. I think they must have been to the pub,’ said Jess. ‘Probably drowning their sorrows after their first day. Lucky for them that they had Gaby. I wonder if she’s been as tough on them as Len is.’
‘I doubt it.’ Will scanned the group carefully. ‘Although she isn’t with them, so perhaps she really did play hardball. I’d have thought she would have gone along.’
A few of the old hands asked Anna and Jess about how the wedding had gone. Jess spotted Will having a word with Natalia, one of the rookies.
Jess joined them. ‘How was your first day?’ she asked Natalia.
Natalia did a shaky hand signal but smiled anyway. ‘OK. It’s hard work, but I’ve done worse. Gaby kept us in line.’
‘Good. Did she not go out with you?’ Jess asked.
‘No. When we finished she said she had a few things to do and she might join us at the pub if she wasn’t too tired.’
‘And did she?’ Will cut in to Jess’s surprise.
‘No. But we guess she was asleep in her room. I knocked her door, but there was no answer. She was tired after looking after us. We didn’t finish the field. We tried and she tried even harder. I’m sorry.’
‘It’s OK. I didn’t expect it from your first time,’ said Will. ‘Thanks, Natalia. I’ll see you in the morning.’
With a grin, Natalia joined the other new workers and they headed off to the staff house.
‘Gaby must have been too knackered to make the pub, but it’s quite unlike her – she’s normally very sociable. I hope she’s been OK,’ Jess said, suddenly remembering that it would have been Stevie’s birthday. Gaby rarely talked about the loss of her brother but Jess now recalled that she had mentioned about it being today. Jess’s heart sank a little. It must have been a difficult enough time for Gaby, without the added stress of supervising the new recruits. However, Gaby had also asked her not to share any details with Will so Jess kept her misgivings to herself.
‘She’d have called one of us if anything had gone wrong,’ said Will.
‘I guess so …’ Jess felt guilty.
Anna bustled over. ‘Well, I’m going to get out of this outfit and put the kettle on. Want a cup of tea?’
‘Thanks. I’ll have a quickie then I might go to bed,’ said Jess.
‘I’ll be back in a minute,’ said Will.
With a doubtful ‘mmm’, Anna nodded and left them in the yard. Jess was going to follow her, but Will lingered, a frown on his face.
‘What’s up?’ she asked.
‘I might go and check everything’s OK in the packing shed and the day’s harvest is safely in the fridge.’
Jess knew him too well. ‘You just want some time on your own.’
He turned to her. ‘Don’t you?’
‘Yeah. It’s been a long day and I’m shattered too. It was tiring answering all those questions about Adam and knowing people were talking about us.’
Will patted her shoulder. ‘They’ll soon find something else to gossip about.’
‘Thanks, bro.’
‘You’re welcome. Come on, let’s go and set our minds at rest before we turn in.’
Jess followed him, not unhappy to see if Gaby was OK herself, but also wondering if he had an ulterior motive for checking the day’s work. She’d seen him scrolling through his phone more often than he usually did. She’d had a few glances at hers during the wedding, but Will had been pulling his mobile from his pocket even during the church ceremony. While it hadn’t been ideal leaving Gaby in charge today, Jess had every faith in her abilities. She was experienced and conscientious, and much stronger than she appeared. She guessed that Will wanted to reassure himself that nothing had gone wrong; perhaps he was even hoping to bump into her.
They walked to the work sheds and flicked on the lights but were met with silent emptiness, as expected. There were still a few rejected stems on the floor and some crates waiting to be cleaned in the entrance. Will opened the door of the refrigerated room where the picked flowers were kept prior to being arranged, and after they were boxed, to keep them fresh before their journey to the quay. Having looked inside, he closed the door behind him and joined Jess.
‘There you go. Everything looks fine, doesn’t it?’
His brow creased. ‘I suppose so.’
‘But?’
‘Natalia said they hadn’t finished the quota for today and yet the fridge is packed with flowers. One of the crates was almost blocking the door as I pushed it open.’
‘Will, it’s late. If they’ve over-picked, it’ll be OK because we have that big order to fulfil. Stop worrying. Now can we finally go home and chill out?’
‘Suppose so.’ He didn’t look at all reassured.
‘You’re worried about Gaby?’ Jess asked him.
‘I’m not worried. I just wonder how she got on today.’
‘If you like, I’ll drop by her room and check on her. Either she’ll answer or I’ll hear her snoring or something and then you can relax.’
‘There’s no need for that.’
‘No, but I’m going to do it all the same. You might as well come too.’
They set off for the staff house, Jess’s mind working overtime. She’d suspected for some time that Will felt something more for Gaby than an employer’s care for his workers, even though he denied it strenuously. She was now ninety-nine per cent sure he did have a thing for her. Jess already knew Gaby liked him and the teasing, the banter and the looks they shared when they thought no one else could see them had fuelled her suspicions for a long time. Will’s eagerness to see Gaby now sealed the deal in Jess’s eyes.
However, she also thought she knew why Will was reluctant to get involved with Gaby while she worked for him: it was too complicated. Putting a finger on her lips, Jess approached Gaby’s door; Will kept a discreet distance. There was no obvious sound and no light spilling from under the door.
‘She must be asleep,’ she whispered to Will.
He showed her his watch face. It was past ten o’clock.
Jess put her ear close to the door, half expecting it to be pulled open at any moment and that she’d fall inside the room like in a sitcom. She thought she could hear the odd snuffle, but the walls were so thin, they might have been coming from someone else’s room or even a mouse or night bird outside. Either way, without knocking and disturbing Gaby, there was nothing more they could do.
With a shrug, she indicated to Will that they should leave.
‘You’ve worked her into exhaustion,’ Jess said as they walked back to the farmhouse.
‘I never meant that to happen!’ Will exclaimed.
After Jess and Will had done their duty, had their tea with their mother, and listened to her appraisal of most of the guests’ outfits, the food and the service, they went to their rooms. To mainlanders it might seem odd that they still lived ‘at home’, but the farm was their family business and staying on site kept costs down.
Besides, thought Jess as she brushed her teeth, the farmhouse wasn’t a bad place to call home, even with its quirky plumbing and low beams that Will was forever bumping his head on even now. Jess had her own large bedroom with an en suite. Will’s bedroom was slightly smaller but he had his own bathroom too.
There was a snug downstairs where she and Will retreated at various times, as well as a family sitting room and a room their mum liked to call the ‘drawing room’, which had been added back in Edwardian times. Space wasn’t a problem but privacy was, and any relationship was conducted in the full glare of friends and family. As Jess got ready for bed, she thought about Adam’s cottage. She hadn’t been to look at it for months now because the memories of the happy times they’d spent together over the previous summer were still too painful to dwell on.
Her mother had urged her to be sociable at the wedding, which Jess took to mean she should look for a man. It was so bloody retro in the twenty-first century, but in one way, Jess agreed with her mother’s advice: she couldn’t mope forever. She’d danced and chatted with a Cornish guy who’d come to work as a chef at a local eaterie. They’d had a few drinks and he’d said he’d call her, but Jess wasn’t holding her breath. He was nice and good-looking and claimed he intended to stay long-term on Scilly, but she hadn’t clicked with him in the way she did with Adam. Maybe he would call … maybe she’d give him a try.
She yawned and put her pyjamas on. It wasn’t the best day to be dwelling on what might have been.
Before she climbed into bed, she went to draw the curtains. Her room overlooked most of the north side of the island and she could see the chimney on Adam’s place on a clear day and the lights in his bedroom window at night. She peered out of the window, half hoping to see the yellow glow, but no matter how hard she squinted, all was dark. Cursing herself for being stupid, she was about to close the curtains when she spotted a beam of light wavering in the yard. She switched off her bedroom light and rushed back to the window. As her eyes adjusted, in the silvery gloom, she spotted Will making his way across the yard in his pyjamas.