Sunshine and Sweet Peas in Nightingale Square

by Heidi Swain

  ‘No,’ I said, stopping dead so the pair of them almost fell into the back of me. ‘You’re not. If you were doing that you’d realise there is no tower, there are no self-imposed restrictions on my heart because it is irrevocably broken. Its only purpose is to measure time.’

  ‘And you’re still sticking to that crazy idea, are you?’ said Lisa, lowering Molly to the ground and encouraging her to use her own legs for the final few steps.

  ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘I am and it’s not crazy thank you very much.’

  ‘Luke might think it is,’ said Heather.

  ‘But Luke doesn’t know about it, does he?’ added Lisa.

  ‘No,’ I said, ‘he doesn’t and there’s absolutely no reason why he should.’

  ‘But that means he’ll keep trying and his efforts will be in vain,’ Heather burst out. ‘Perhaps we should warn him that you really are untouchable before he makes a complete fool of himself.’

  ‘What?’ I scowled. ‘What do you mean he’ll keep trying? He’ll keep trying to do what?’

  ‘Make you fall in love with him,’ Heather said lightly while bending to kiss the top of Evie’s head as she wriggled in the carrier strapped to her chest.

  I couldn’t believe Lisa had managed to brainwash her and bend her ideas to match her own off-kilter ones in such a short amount of time.

  ‘After last night, it’s obvious to everyone that he’s already smitten,’ Lisa continued, her tone softer. ‘You only have to think about how he kept looking at you, how his eyes kept seeking you out, to know that.’

  I stood open-mouthed, unable to find the words. All this time I had thought I was the deluded romantic, but it turned out I’d made friends with two of the biggest dreamers this side of the Milky Way. What utter rubbish they had come up with. The only reason Luke had ‘sought me out’ was because I knew him slightly better than the rest of them. And he kept coming back to Neil as well; it wasn’t all about me.

  ‘They’re right, you know,’ John startled me by saying. ‘It’s as plain as the nose on your face.’

  ‘Exactly,’ said Lisa, high-fiving her husband as they disappeared through the gate and Glen nodded along in agreement.

  ‘Only I don’t think the poor lad realises it yet,’ John called over his shoulder. ‘So, let him down gently when you’re explaining why you’re destined to spend the rest of your life alone, won’t you?’

  I made sure I stood at the back of the group as Carole took the lead along the path and up to the back door, but it didn’t make any difference because Luke strode out of the door and around us and everyone had to turn round to face him, which put me right at the front. I ignored the weight of Lisa’s stare that I could feel burning into the back of my neck. At least she was going to keep me warm.

  ‘Morning, everyone,’ Luke beamed, wrapping his scarf a little tighter around his neck. ‘Thank you all for turning out so early on a Saturday morning, especially as it’s so chilly.’

  The sun was shining, but there was a sharp frost clinging to everything. I wrinkled my nose and rubbed my hands together, grateful for the chunky gloves Lizzie from the Cherry Tree back in Wynbridge, had knitted me for Christmas.

  ‘Some of us didn’t have any choice,’ grumbled Tamsin from somewhere behind me.

  Lisa had promised her that Rob’s boys would be putting in an appearance so the fact that their father hadn’t even attempted to prise them from their beds had not gone down well at all. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see her stomping back to the Square sooner rather than later.

  ‘Well, in that case,’ said Luke, ‘let’s get on and we can talk about the details back in the house in front of the fire.’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ said Lisa. ‘What do you think, Kate?’

  I ignored her and tried to blend into the group as Luke led us along a path to the right which ran between the house and what had probably once been another of the beautiful borders Harold had photographic evidence of.

  ‘Oh, my goodness,’ came Carole’s voice from a few paces ahead. ‘Would you look at that?’

  We stood in awe and gazed at the beautiful sight. Almost as far as the eye could see the ground ahead was covered with a thick carpet of nodding snowdrops. They were growing unchecked across the paths, beneath the trees and through the lawns and even Tamsin stopped grumbling when she looked up from her phone screen and took in the view.

  ‘They’re quite something, aren’t they?’ smiled Luke, as we admired the fresh green stems and pristine flower-heads. ‘But they’re not what I’ve asked you all here to look at. Let’s keep moving before our feet freeze completely.’

  We sidled around the snowdrops, trying not to crush them underfoot and then followed Luke through a gate and into the large walled area Carole and I had briefly glimpsed before. There were no plants, beyond a few bedraggled weeds which had braved the winter, but I could see now that the space was divided up into a series of brick-edged beds and along the wall on the far side there was what appeared to be a large and elaborate glass-fronted bothy.

  ‘This is it,’ Luke beamed, spreading his arms wide. ‘The old kitchen garden. Now very much neglected of course, but poised for renovation.’

  Ten blank faces stared back at him.

  ‘I thought this place would be far better than the green,’ he went on, ‘you could each have your own area you see, or not if you want to grow together. You can divide it up however you see fit really.’

  ‘What exactly are you suggesting, Luke?’

  I didn’t want to have to be the one to ask, but everyone else was standing about like one o’clock half-struck and getting colder by the second. I thought I knew what he was offering but I wanted to hear him spell it out before I got too carried away.

  ‘That this could be the Nightingale Square growing space,’ he said, as if it was obvious.

  Everyone looked back at the garden and the lone scolding robin who had swooped down from the top of the gate and was watching our every move with its beady eyes and then they began to talk together and laugh and cheer. Luke’s offer, apparently, was a good one, a very good one indeed.

  ‘But won’t you want to do something with it yourself?’ asked Graham above the din.

  The colour had flooded his face and I could tell he was itching to start measuring and digging, even if his tone was cautious.

  ‘I’m going to have my hands full with sorting out the house and the formal garden,’ Luke shrugged, ‘and besides, it’s my intention to re-forge the links between here and the Square and carry on in the same vein as my great, a thousand times back, grandfather, so it’s all yours, if you want it.’

  ‘It’s just perfect,’ said Lisa, her eyes full of tears as she voiced the opinion of everyone. ‘Just perfect.’

  ‘We really couldn’t wish for anything better,’ agreed Graham. ‘Look at those walls for a start.’

  ‘I think there are some of the original fruit trees left along that one,’ said Luke, pointing, ‘but I haven’t had time to have a proper look. I was hoping Harold might have some photos of what it all used to look like.’

  ‘I certainly do,’ said my neighbour with a hint of pride. ‘I’ll get them out again.’

  ‘And perhaps we could get in touch with the RHS or something,’ suggested Glen. ‘To ask how best to bring the trees back in line. I daresay they’re all heritage varieties.’

  Everyone began chatting together again and Luke looked thrilled that his generous suggestion had been so well received.

  ‘What do you think?’ he asked Tamsin. ‘Was this worth getting out of bed for so early on a Saturday morning?’

  ‘It’s all right,’ she shrugged, which was actually quite something, but I wasn’t sure Luke realised that. ‘There’s not much signal though,’ she said, waving her phone about and wandering off in the direction of the bothy.

  ‘Don’t go in there!’ Luke called after her. ‘It might not be safe.’

  ‘I’ll go after her,’ I said, keen to put some distance b
etween us now he had cranked the hero stakes up yet another notch.

  What a couple of days this was turning out to be. Not only had Prosperous Place been saved from certain devastation, the Nightingale Square residents had also been offered the growing space they so desperately desired, and all courtesy of the man my friends were convinced had romantic designs on me. I was just about to turn back and watch him from afar when Tamsin called out.

  ‘Is it a wi-fi hotspot?’ I called back.

  ‘Nope,’ she said, grinning from ear to ear and holding up what looked like a fluffy ball. ‘It’s a kitten.’

  There were seven little bundles staggering about inside the cobweb-encrusted confines of the neglected bothy. They appeared to be healthy and clean, although a little on the scrawny side.

  ‘Someone must have dumped them here,’ said Tamsin, her bottom lip wobbling.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ said Luke, scooping the tiniest black scrap into his arms. The kitten squirmed, clearly not used to human contact. ‘There’s no way someone could have got in here. I daresay their mother is a stray. Was there no sign of her?’

  ‘No,’ Tamsin sniffed. ‘Nothing but these little guys wobbling about.’

  ‘You really shouldn’t handle them,’ Carole warned, taking a step back, ‘they’re probably infested.’

  They didn’t look infested, but she was right; they could have had every parasite going. Her warning didn’t stop Graham from trying to cuddle the black and white one with the quietest meow imaginable though.

  ‘Gosh, they’re sweet,’ said Heather, watching from afar.

  ‘What are you going to do with them?’ I asked Luke, before the gushing got out of hand.

  ‘Keep them,’ pleaded Tamsin as she watched her little sister carefully stroking the one she had first spotted. ‘There’s seven altogether. That’s enough for one for each house in the Square.’

  You couldn’t fault the speed of her mental maths skills when she could use them to her advantage.

  ‘We can’t have one,’ said Neil quickly, ‘Mark’s allergic.’

  I’d wondered why he was keeping his distance.

  ‘And besides, with seven new cats prowling about we’d have no bird life left,’ said Harold sensibly.

  He had a point, but that didn’t stop Tamsin looking mortified.

  ‘We could have one, couldn’t we, Mum?’

  ‘Absolutely not,’ Lisa said straightaway. ‘I’ve enough of a menagerie with you lot to look after and the guinea pigs. I don’t need a cat as well.’

  ‘What do you think, love?’ Graham asked Carole.

  Luke didn’t give her time to answer.

  ‘I suppose I could keep a couple,’ he said. ‘Not all seven of course, but I’ll take two on and they can have the run of the place. That way,’ he added, looking meaningfully at Tamsin and Molly, ‘no one would miss out.’

  It was the perfect compromise. Yet again Luke had donned his cape and saved the day.

  ‘See,’ said Lisa in an aside to me, as she prised the diminutive puss from her youngest daughter’s hands, ‘he could scale that tower of yours, no problem.’

  Heather giggled and Luke looked over at us, but didn’t ask what the tittering was about. Thank goodness.

  ‘I’ll ring the rescue centre I was telling you about, Kate,’ he said instead. ‘See what we need to do with them. They’ll probably need to see a vet at least and the centre may want to put a trap out for their mum.’

  ‘I’m sure Kate wouldn’t mind giving you a hand,’ said Heather.

  Apparently, she was as keen to volunteer my time as Lisa was to unlock my heart.

  ‘Great,’ beamed Luke. ‘Thanks, Kate.’

  ‘No problem,’ I said, biting my lip and ignoring the dynamic duo.

  ‘And the rest of you can start planning what you want to do with this place. We shouldn’t be too long, but if you want to head off before we get back, don’t forget the scooter and just shut the back gate when you leave, could you?’

  ‘Will do,’ came a chorus of voices. ‘Thank you, Luke.’

  What an accommodating fellow he was turning out to be.

  Chapter 19

  With their mother rescued and the kittens weaned it had been tough, trying to pick out just two who were destined to become the Nightingale Square community garden mascots, but in the end the little grey fluff ball and one of the black ones were deemed the most suitable. The grey, named Violet, stood out simply because she was so sweet and adorable, and her brother, Dash, because he was a bit of a menace and as Graham was keen to point out, if he couldn’t keep the mice away from the pea seedlings then nothing could.

  The Disney names had been picked out by Lisa and John’s brood and, thanks to the thriving rescue centre social media accounts, the other five in the litter had already found happy homes. Our two were currently confined to barracks with Luke inside Prosperous Place, but would be back out in the garden as soon as they were old enough.

  I wouldn’t have been at all surprised if they decided to take up residence in the refurbished bothy, for the warmer months of the year at least. The pair were now real people-pleasers and when Lisa’s three got tired of helping out in the garden they headed back to the house to play with the kittens until it was time to go back to the Square.

  ‘Tea!’ bellowed Carole from her station in the transformed shed. ‘Come and get it.’

  The entire area had gone through quite a transformation in the month since Luke had said we could use it and everyone had enjoyed playing a part, even me. I still hadn’t made a start on stripping wallpaper at home, but I had helped dig over the beds and add the trailer-loads of well-rotted muck that had been delivered from a nearby riding school.

  Lisa had taken me firmly under her green wing and taught me how to sow a variety of vegetable seeds. Some had gone directly into the soil of the beds which had been deemed ready to plant in, but the rest, which were fast becoming strong seedlings, were growing in regimented seed trays and would be transplanted once all risk of frost had passed.

  I was surprisingly proud to have played a part in turning a humble seed into a healthy, albeit tiny, plant and my involvement with the project had provided a welcome distraction from the brooding I was still prone to when shut inside for too long. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my little house with a passion, but the fresh air was a real tonic and I wasn’t the only resident who was benefiting from it.

  In response to Carole’s shouts about a brew we all downed tools and wandered over to the bothy which now had decent lighting, a kettle, fridge, microwave, washing-up area and a little stove. It hadn’t been a cheap conversion but everyone had contributed, the idea being that later in the year, when the garden was yielding a decent crop, we would be able to cook on site and enjoy impromptu parties as the sun set. Luke had even suggested a barbecue and pizza oven and Lisa was kept busy in the evenings stitching reams of bunting for hanging from Easter onwards.

  ‘How’s it going?’ I asked John who, with the help of Glen, was stringing up some lights along the front of the building to add to the party atmosphere.

  ‘Almost done,’ he said, taking a mug and stepping back to admire his handiwork. ‘This place is going to be self-sufficiency central by high summer.’

  ‘Excellent,’ I smiled, looking about me at the faces of the enthusiastic party who had turned up most days and every weekend, come rain, snow or sunshine, to do something.

  Even Tamsin was benefiting from spending time outside, when she wasn’t in the house playing with her brother and sister and the kittens of course, and it had been her idea to suggest we could keep a few chickens, but I wasn’t sure anything was going to come of that.

  ‘How are the workers?’ called Luke as he appeared through the gate, carrying a massive pile of post and grinning from ear to ear.

  ‘I think we’re nearly done for today,’ said Graham, scraping his boots on the back of his spade. ‘Practically all the beds are ready for planting in now and if the weather stays w
ith us, we should be able to get some of the seedlings in the ground soon.’

  Between us Nightingale Square residents and Luke, we had decided to run the garden communally, rather than each taking our own spot. We were planning to grow some fruit as well as lots of vegetables and herbs and Heather and Carole had been keen to establish a cut flower bed, along with a space among what would be the bean bed, for some wigwams of fragrant sweet peas.

  ‘What have you got there?’ Lisa asked Luke.

  ‘I think it must be the catalogues you ordered,’ Luke explained. ‘They arrived this morning and I thought, if you aren’t all in a rush to get off, we could have lunch back at the house so I can tell you about something else that’s going to be delivered soon.’

  ‘I wonder if it’s the key to your heart, Kate,’ murmured Lisa, but thankfully quiet enough that only I could hear.

  ‘I doubt it,’ I told her in an equally quiet voice. ‘David tossed that on the wayside months ago.’

  We all sat in the Prosperous Place kitchen around what Luke had been ecstatic to discover was the original Victorian table. It had been moved to one of the outbuildings for some reason and was in a right state when he found it. Graham and John had helped him carry it inside and some paperwork discovered in one of the end drawers, along with some crudely carved numbers underneath, confirmed its age and authenticity. Luke was over the moon and had set about restoring it with gusto.

  Tracking down original pieces for the house was proving hard, so the discovery of any little gem, even if it was just a kitchen table, was treated with reverence and care. I was every bit as enthusiastic as Luke to see things returned, but I was careful not to let my excitement run away with me. Lisa and Heather’s teasing about how Luke felt about me might not have been in any way true, but I didn’t want to take the risk of inadvertently giving him the wrong idea and therefore had made a point of keeping my excitement to myself.

  The pair of us did have one thing in common that I couldn’t shy away from though: his efforts with the table aside, we had both been spending far more time setting up the garden than getting on with repairing and refurbishing our respective homes. But with the feel of spring in the warm breeze and the sunshine and increasing birdsong, it was impossible not to turn up.