Delphiniums and Deception

by Ruby Loren

  The kindly lady looked down at it for a moment as the arrangement was judged virtually.

  “See! She’s going to love it!” Fergus whispered right before an alarm sounded.

  Everyone jumped and looked up, trying to find the source of the noise.

  All of a sudden, the top of the display table flipped up, catapulting Fergus’ arrangement against the wall. The vase smashed and the flowers gracefully slid down to the floor, some clinging on to the wallpaper.

  I raised my eyebrows. “Someone did see you coming after all.”

  On screen the kindly lady smiled. “We know when you’re not paying attention. At this stage in the course, you all understand how high the stakes are. Those who deliberately ignore our teachings will find out the consequences the hard way.”

  “That’s not ominous at all,” Fergus said, looking at what remained of his arrangement.

  I seized a bunch of eucalyptus and some sensible soft blues and pale pink coloured flowers, slapping the lot down on the table in front of him. “Time to start taking something seriously… for once.” I shot him a smug smile.

  Fergus scowled, crossing his arms and looking thoroughly put out by the humiliation he’d just been subjected to. “If I’d known I was actually going to have to learn something on this course, I’d never have signed up for it! Learning should be optional.”

  I thought Fergus had been practicing that principle for quite some time. Somehow, I managed to keep my mouth shut.

  The final challenge before dinner and the end of our first day was a big finish. Much like some popular TV shows, we were instructed to produce a showstopper that put into practice everything we’d learnt today. A time limit had been set for the challenge, and everyone had to pass or we would all be stuck without dinner until everyone made the grade. I was working on combining delphiniums and hydrangeas in a bold but beautiful bunch, when Rich came over to talk to me.

  “Looks good!” he commented, before toying with a stalk of sea lavender. “So… you grow flowers, right? As a business?”

  I inclined my head. “You said you work in PR?” I was half-wondering if I was about to be pitched in some way. If Rich thought I was some kind of big deal in the floral industry, he was sorely mistaken.

  He shrugged self-deprecatingly. “I know how to talk a good game, and people pay me well for it. That’s all it really is. I grew up near Cape Town. You’ll have to trust me when I say that you need to able to talk yourself out of trouble when you live there. It was easy to carry it over to my work.”

  “Was it a rough neighbourhood?” I didn’t have much idea about what life was like in South Africa. It was strange to me that everything about the man I was talking to seemed so familiar - so British, even. And yet, he’d grown up half the world away.

  He shrugged. “I’m sure it was no different from any big city really. Not back then anyway. I just used to go looking for trouble. I was the kind of kid who’d run off to go rock climbing in the wilderness without any safety devices, or see how close I could get to poking a puff adder.” He grinned at the memories of his reckless youth. “Hey, what’s the deal with the guy you came with? I’m no flower expert, but he seems to know less than the couple who won their way here.”

  I was pleased that Duncan and Bella were out of earshot when he said the last part. “I think that everyone has something to offer - no matter their previous level of experience.”

  Rich raised his tanned hands in defence. “I didn’t mean to upset you or be harsh to anyone else. I thought I was just stating the facts. Bella and Duncan are doing great. They’re knocking the socks off what I can do. But Fergus…” We both looked across to where the man himself was arranging snapdragons and trailing ivy with great exuberance but not a lot of actual skill - or regard for anything we’d learned today. “…it’s like he’s not even trying. Why is he here if he doesn’t want to learn floristry? It’s not his job right? Or anything like that?”

  I opened my mouth and shut it again, feeling guilty. “He did book this course as a birthday present to me,” I confessed, wondering again if I had harshly judged his motives for coming here. I knew from past experience that Fergus had no qualms about sniffing around on someone else’s land. If he’d wanted to come looking for aliens, surely he’d have done it a long time ago? Technical things like ‘having permission to be on someone else’s property’ didn’t tend to slow Fergus down.

  Rich’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, so you’re together then?”

  “No, we aren’t,” I said, immediately realising what he was getting at. At that precise moment Fergus turned around and flashed me a grin and two thumbs up. I shook my head at him and his hideous arrangement. I would go and talk to him about fixing it, just as soon as my conversation with Rich was done. For just a second, I thought his smile faltered before he turned back to his failing flower arrangement.

  “Interesting,” Rich said, looking me straight in the eye with his intense hazel gaze.

  I cleared my throat and stabbed a delphinium cone into my arrangement at random. Emilia had advised us all that random flair could sometimes pay dividends… “You should probably be getting back to your showstopper. It looks nice,” I told him, inclining my head towards his pink, white, and violet display. It looked like it was close to completion.

  “Sure, you’re probably right. Oh, you can’t be serious!” he said, his tone of voice suddenly changing. I followed his gaze past me and realised that Christine had just gone over to talk to Fergus. Rich turned back to me with his eyebrows raised again. “I never thought I’d see the day when my boss would help someone other than herself. I know everyone talks about their bosses being dragons, but she’s as inhuman and scaly as they come. I guess that’s what it takes to be a success in this biz.” He grinned, lightening the moment. “That and a fabulous PR guy, of course.” With a final wink, he returned to his work station. I pretended not to notice the curious looks directed my way from the florists close by to me when he walked away again.

  “You’ll want to be careful with that young man. I’ve been courted by my fair share. I know that type when I see it. They never stay around for long,” Lady Isabella said from her position on the work bench next to me.

  I looked at her in amazement, but she was already back to focusing on her hydrangeas as if she’d never said a word.

  With Christine’s astonishing intervention, we passed the final challenge of the day. There was an air of relief when we were released from the fresh maze of rooms and returned down winding corridors to the dinner hall.

  “How did you find the final challenge?” I asked Fergus once we were out of earshot of the group. I already had strong suspicions that everyone wanted to nose into everyone else’s business. After all - what else did we have to entertain ourselves with no electronic devices allowed? I hoped everyone had packed a few paperbacks.

  “It was great. Christine said I had a real flair for design. I think she might take me on as a protege in her company when we finish up here,” Fergus said with such seriousness that I stared at him agog.

  “You’re joking.”

  “I am,” he confirmed with an eye roll of his own. I supposed it was probably payback. “If you must know, she wanted to talk about a business matter.”

  “What kind of business matter?” I couldn’t possibly imagine what the pair may have in common.

  Fergus was acting all superior and lofty. “If you must know… she’s heard of me and has read a couple of the articles I’ve written in the past. She wanted to employ my services.”

  I waited for further explanation. What could Christine Montague possibly want with a conspiracy theorist like Fergus? “Well…?” I prompted when he stayed silent.

  “I couldn't possibly comment on a confidential…”

  “Fergus!” I interrupted, peeved he was going to try that with me.

  “All right. I’ll tell you what she wanted if you tell me what you were talking about with that slime bag, Rich.”

  “Sl
ime bag? Do I detect a hint of jealousy?” I joked, amused that Fergus had even been paying that much attention.

  “No jealousy here. Just a knowledge of the male brain.”

  “I don’t know whether I should be flattered or offended.” I said before sighing. “Rich asked me about my flower business and then said he didn’t think you wanted to learn anything about flower arranging. He was wondering why you came on the course. I told him it was because of my birthday. I didn’t tell him the actual truth.”

  Fergus tried to act innocent.

  “If we get stuck here or something bad happens to us because of you sneaking around looking for flying saucers, I’m going to kill you,” I told him. I frowned. “How did you get us on this course anyway? From everything I’ve seen only industry influencers and the very wealthy were allowed in - with the exception of competition winners. Neither of us are big names in the flower industry. Or wealthy,” I added, looking sideways at Fergus in case he wished to contradict me.

  He threw me a knowing glance but stayed silent on that matter. He still wasn’t going to tell me how he made his living. “I told you - I have contacts. If you must know, Jack and I go way back,” he said, talking about the male guide. “The course was full until the guy that was supposed to be here instead of us suddenly got ill. I pulled some strings and Jack got us in last minute. Pretty thoughtful of me, eh?”

  “It might have been, had you not said that last part,” I sniped.

  Fergus nodded as though I hadn't reprimanded him at all. “It’s the first time Fennering Bunker has been opened up to anyone since its esteemed owner Sir Gordon Laird locked the place up tight. That was after all of the reports about what happened here in the fifties came to light a couple of decades after it had all gone down. It was only then that the military finally moved out. No one, not even a conspiracy theorist with contacts, has been able to get a sniff of this bunker… until now.” His eyes sparkled with mischief. “The rest of The Truth Beneath are going to be green with envy when they find out where I’ve spent the weekend.”

  “You are only here for that!” I couldn’t believe I’d been persuading myself to think of Fergus’ motivations more favourably. “I defended you!” I said, thinking of my conversation with Rich.

  “You needn’t have done. I’m used to cynics and those who disagree with my methods. It will all be worth it in the end.”

  I threw my head back and made a sound of disgust. “Oh, please… don’t act the martyr with me. I know exactly how you like to play your games,” I told him, determined to stalk off and enjoy some dinner without Fergus’ annoying presence. With a bit of luck, it wouldn’t be poisoned this time.

  “Didn’t you want to know what Christine spoke to me about?”

  I hesitated mid-stalk, ruining my dramatic exit. “Fine,” I confessed, my curiosity getting the better of me. See? I should have packed a paperback. Then I’d never have cared so much about idle gossip.

  “She’s actually pretty paranoid. Christine believes that someone on this course might be out to get her because of some shady business past of hers.” He waved a hand to show it was inconsequential. “She reckons she’s got a lot of enemies.”

  “Shocking,” I said, thinking of the rather low opinion I’d formed of the garden designer in less than a day spent with her.

  “I asked her if she knew anyone on the course, other than Rich. She said she didn’t, and she trusts her PR guy. Beyond that, she wouldn’t say why she thought someone was going to do something to her.” Fergus shrugged. “I told her that I’m not a detective, and that there is nothing I can do if she isn’t going to share the whole truth with me. I know she’s holding something back, but I’ve no idea what it could be. When she didn’t want to say anything more we left it. That was it.”

  I frowned. “Do you really think she’s in some kind of trouble.” I shot Fergus a sideways look under my eyelids, just to check his reaction.

  A slow sideways smile appeared on his face. “Who’s the jealous one now?”

  Apparently, I hadn’t been that subtle.

  The smell of roast duck wafted down the corridor, and I felt my mouth begin to water. We walked into the dining hall to find everyone looking at the platter of duck breast and dauphinoise potatoes with suspicion.

  “Don’t mind me,” Fergus said… skipping to the front of the queue and piling up a plate. Everyone watched as he speared a forkful of duck and potatoes and stuck it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “Delicious!”

  I silently thought that this course might need someone like Fergus after all - someone reckless enough to dive straight into dinner after nearly being poisoned at lunch. There was one thing about Fergus that I couldn’t deny - his spirit seemed to be utterly unquenchable.

  It didn’t escape my notice that everyone else waited for a whole minute to pass before they actually started eating.

  “What are you doing?” I asked when Fergus followed me to my room carrying his suitcase.

  “Coming to bed.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Fergus slapped his forehead like something had just slipped his mind. I folded my arms. “Did I forget to say earlier? We got in because someone was sick. There was one room for him… but obviously I asked for two tickets.” He turned his palms up as if to say ‘what could I do?’

  Fergus pushed the door open. “Mmm looks cosy!” He plumped down on the bed to the right of the room. When he saw my face he grinned. “Look on the bright side… at least it’s two twins and not a double.”

  I threw a pillow at him. “You’d better not get any ideas.”

  Fergus stretched out on his bed. “The only idea I have is to get some sleep. Didn’t you hear? Tomorrow is going to be an even tougher day. I won’t make star florist if I don’t get some shut-eye.”

  If there’d been another pillow to throw, it would have followed the first.

  “May I have my pillow back?” I asked, feeling annoyance itching at my fingertips. This was just so typical of Fergus.

  My unwanted roommate considered the pillow he’d held onto after it had made contact with his face. “No,” he decided before rolling over and covering himself up with a blanket.

  “Fergus…” I threatened, but it would appear my rash act of pillow-violence was being punished.

  “Goodnight, Diana. Don’t forget that tomorrow is your birthday! I think it’s going to be one for the history books.”

  I lay down on my own bed without bothering to take off the clothes I’d been wearing that day. I wasn’t going to change in front of Fergus anyway.

  I considered how much I wanted to murder Fergus for dragging me on this insane course as a cover for him, so he could snoop around after extraterrestrials. Was it enough to offer him a spurge shortbread? I reserved that decision for the following day.

  I woke up to a loud bang.

  The room was dark and I could hear Fergus snoring in the blackness. My first feeling was annoyance. It had taken me forever to get to sleep with all of the noise coming from my roommate’s sinuses. The next moment, I was completely alert. The course guides had claimed that the challenges would commence again tomorrow morning. A glance at the glow in the dark alarm clock on the bedside table informed me that it was 2:10 a.m. - which was technically morning. Could this be another twist in this unusual flower arranging course, or was someone in trouble?

  With great trepidation, I stuck my head out of the door and looked up and down the corridor. Lorna was walking down the row of doors with a flashlight in her hand.

  “Did you make a noise?” she asked me.

  I shook my head. “I think it came from the right,” I said, indicating the direction that I believed the bang had come from. “There hasn’t been any sound since.”

  “Is everything all right?” Lorna gently called in the general direction. When there was no answer, she reached out and jiggled a door handle before shrugging. It was locked.

  “Yes, fine. I just saw a spider and broke a mug,” a female v
oice said from behind the locked door.

  “Okay, sleep tight!” Lorna answered before shrugging in my direction.

  “Night,” I said to the guide, returning to my room. I shut the door behind me and sat on my bed, listening to the sounds of Fergus snoring. As I lay back, it occurred to me that it was officially my birthday. I was 29 years old. All thoughts of everything that had changed and all that I’d achieved over the past year swam through my head. All things considered, it had been a good one - the best I’d ever known. My business had blossomed, and I got to work at something I was passionate about. What did I really have to complain about? As long as things continued on this trajectory, all would be well. I was happy. I smiled in the darkness, finally able to see that, while my birthday itself may not be without turbulence, I had a lot to be thankful for.

  I shut my eyes and managed to drift off to sleep again.

  The next time I woke up, it was 3:30 a.m. I thought that a series of muffled thumps had drawn me back to consciousness. Next, in the dead silence that followed, someone screamed. The door being slammed shocked me fully awake. I sprung out of bed and flung open the door, only pausing for a millisecond to shoot a disbelieving look in Fergus’ direction. How was he sleeping through this mayhem?

  I looked up and down the corridor and saw someone running away. It was a man wearing some kind of military uniform… and glowing with a sort of greenish light. I blinked but the apparition didn’t change. I wasn’t dreaming.

  “Hey!” I called, wondering who (or what) they were, and what they were doing here. My mind immediately jumped to Fergus’ claims that this bunker had been used to conceal evidence of an extraterrestrial’s crash landing. Wouldn’t a strange glowing figure fit with that theory? “What am I thinking?” I muttered before jogging after the disappearing figure. The lack of sleep was definitely getting to me if I was starting to entertain ridiculous rumours.

  “Is everything all right?” Jack approached from the opposite direction to the way the apparition had fled.