by Emma Davies
He lowered his head, aware of a sudden prickling in the room.
But Flora wasn’t the only one who had learnt a lot over the last few days. ‘You might be an idiot, but you’re my idiot,’ she said as she leant forward to claim another kiss, a much longer and slower kiss this time.
‘Ahem.’ Fraser cleared his throat.
Hannah flapped her hand at him. ‘Oh, go on with you, don’t stop them. I think it’s lovely.’
‘I didn’t say it wasn’t lovely,’ replied Fraser. ‘But all this excitement’s not good for my heart.’
And whereas once Hannah would have fussed or looked alarmed, now she merely smiled. ‘Well, your heart had better get used to it, Fraser,’ she said. ‘I think there’s going to be a lot of it around…’
Flora beamed at her. ‘Oh, yes, especially once we get around to planning the wedding,’ she said. ‘Although I think we might have the wedding flowers covered, don’t you…?’ She broke off, blushing a little. ‘I’ve been thinking about it, Hannah, and I know we haven’t had a chance to speak about it yet, Ned, but there’s nothing I’d like more than to have the wedding here. Would that still be all right?’
Hannah’s hands clasped together in delight. ‘Oh, I’m going to need such a big notebook,’ she said, thrilled.
‘That’s settled then,’ said Ned firmly, and then he turned so that he was looking straight at her. ‘There is just one more thing,’ he said. ‘I just want you to know why I didn’t marry Caroline. It’s important to me that you know why, Flora, because Caroline has never cared about the farm, not like you do. She’s seen it as her birthright, something she’s entitled to, not something that has to be earned. I’ve never seen her tip her head to the wind to feel it dance around her like you do, or stop in her tracks, her breath taken away by the sun lighting up the fields. And if we married this place would have ceased to exist, swallowed by the desire to own things, to accumulate wealth and then sit back on one’s laurels, enjoying the rewards. I don’t want that. I want to have earned what I have, to know when enough is enough. When I’m old and grey I’ll retire knowing that I have lived a life of integrity and truth beside the woman I love.’
‘Well said, lad, well said,’ muttered Fraser, sniffing a little.
Ned gave Flora a look out of the corner of his eye. ‘Of course I didn’t fancy her either…’
‘Ouch…’
‘And that’s why things have been so wonderful since you’ve come. You want to be a part of things here, a proper part, by doing whatever it takes. Farming’s a hard life, but it’s a good life, and I can see that you understand that. And what you’ve done for us here is more proof of that than I will ever need.’
Hannah cleared her throat, already looking to get things organised. ‘There will need to be economies of course,’ she said. ‘We’ll need to grow more of our own vegetables, and meat is far too expensive and really not all that good for you. And I know we will be busy and so things will need to be less… rigid than they have been. I might even concede to buy the bread from the shop in future.’
‘Oh, no,’ said Flora, blushing a deep red as a sheepish expression crossed her face. ‘Would now be a good time to confess that I actually like making bread! Apart from being incredibly satisfying to make, and making me feel like a proper domestic goddess, it tastes so much better than anything you can buy in the shops.’
Hannah laughed. An honest-to-goodness gale of laughter that rang out around the kitchen.
‘Never mind that,’ said Ned. ‘What are we going to call ourselves… Hope Farm Flowers…? That’s a bit boring…’
‘Ah, no, Flora’s come up with something much better than that, haven’t you, lass?’ said Fraser. ‘Go on, tell ’em what it is…’
Flora grinned. Her conversation with Ned of several weeks ago when he had first mentioned the place where the farm stood had stuck in her memory. It was perfect for all sorts of reasons.
‘Well, it’s just a suggestion, but it seemed fitting somehow. I don’t mind though; we can call it something else if you want.’
Ned rolled his eyes. ‘For God’s sake, woman, spit it out. What are we going to be called?’
‘I was thinking… Hope Blooms, you know on account of where we are, Hope Corner?’
There was a glint in Ned’s eye. ‘Aye, I know where we are right enough…’ He looked out the window before turning back and pulling her to him.
‘Aye, Hope Blooms,’ he said, smiling. ‘Indeed it does…’
Epilogue
‘Is everything all right, dear?’ asked Hannah, coming across the garden.
Flora turned. ‘Yes, fine. But I seem to have lost Ned for a minute.’ She grinned. ‘Although I probably ought not to admit that…’
Hannah tutted, shaking her head in amusement. ‘Don’t worry, he hasn’t gone far, I just saw him heading over to the house,’ she replied. ‘He said he needed to check on something.’
‘Oh…’ Flora glanced in the direction of the garden and then looked back towards the house. ‘I might just check and see if he’s okay,’ she said.
‘What now?’ asked Hannah, frowning slightly.
‘I won’t be long, honestly…’ She grinned again, already beginning to move away before Hannah could argue.
It was hot out in the yard, away from the shade of the trees and out in the full sun. Flora squinted up at the sky. The weather had been perfect for weeks, but goodness, today was a scorcher. She’d be glad to get back inside the relative cool of the kitchen; her dress was far too thick for the heat and even though her hair was pinned up she was beginning to feel rather wilted. She was almost at the house when she noticed a figure standing by the gate at the far end of the yard. A young woman, looking somewhat lost.
‘Hello!’ Flora called, waving an arm. ‘Do you need any help?’
The young woman looked up in puzzlement as Flora approached. ‘Probably,’ she admitted, staring at Flora’s dress. ‘Sorry, I think I must be intruding.’
Flora waved away her concern. ‘Not at all. What can I do for you?’
‘Well, I was given some directions to somewhere called Hope Blooms, but I’m not sure if I’m in the right place or not? I’m not terribly good at following instructions.’
‘You’re better than you think,’ Flora replied, grinning. ‘Apologies, but we haven’t got around to getting our sign up yet… or rather, we nearly did but I ordered it over the telephone and when it arrived it said Hope Balloons. Honestly, whoever heard of a flower farm called Hope Balloons?’
The young woman smiled nervously. ‘So I am in the right place then?’
‘You certainly are. And I’m Flora.’ She held out her hand over the top of the gate.
‘Melissa,’ said the young woman. ‘Are you sure I haven’t come at an inconvenient time? Only the lady at The Castle said you could come here to see the flowers for yourself.’
Oh, Kate, you star, thought Flora.
‘Mind you, that was a couple of days ago,’ she continued. ‘But I haven’t had a chance to get over here since then, I had to take the car in to the garage on my day off.’
‘No problem, you’re here now. Come on in and we can have a chat. I was headed inside as it happens anyway. I’m melting in this heat.’
She opened the gate and led Melissa into the yard. ‘So when are you getting married?’ she asked. ‘Next year?’
There was a long pause, so much so that Flora turned to check if Melissa was all right. She had stopped, an anguished expression on her face.
‘No, in September… in fact, that’s the problem, I don’t know if you can even help us at all but Kate mentioned you were a new florist and might not be so booked up. Mine has just let me down, some massive mix-up or other, and now…’ She broke off, looking like she was about to cry. ‘Now, I’ve got no flowers for my wedding at all.’
Flora gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘Well, we can’t let that happen, and don’t worry, I’m a new grower, not a new florist, so I can definitely help.
Come on, let’s go and have a quick chat.’
Melissa looked doubtful. ‘Are you really sure that’s okay?’
‘Positive,’ replied Flora, hoping that it was.
It was much cooler in the kitchen and Flora sat Melissa down, grabbing her notebook that resided more or less permanently on the table.
‘Shall I take a few details first of all, and then we can discuss what you originally had in mind? I don’t have any of my books with me just now, but I expect as you had already booked your florist that you know what you want anyway.’ She glanced out of the window. ‘And there are a few things I can show you today…’ She couldn’t stop the enormous grin from spreading over her face. ‘So, first things first, let me make a note of your full name and take a contact number.’
Several minutes later and Flora had all the information she needed. ‘Does that all sound okay?’ she asked. ‘And come back next week like we discussed, I’ll be a little more organised then and we can really make some plans for you. But the most important thing for you is not to worry, we’ve got plenty of time.’ She was relieved to see that Melissa was looking much happier.
‘I can’t believe that you’ve even seen me today,’ replied Melissa. ‘It’s really incredibly kind of you.’
‘Well, your wedding day should be the one day when everything feels right in the world, shouldn’t it?’ She smiled across the table. ‘Would you like to come and have a look at our flowers now?’
They were just about to leave the kitchen when Flora heard footsteps from behind her.
‘Flora!’
She whirled around to see Ned standing by the door into the hallway, clutching a fistful of papers. He was about to speak again when he realised that there was a third person in the room.
‘Ned! I wondered where you’d got to…’ Flora crossed the kitchen to plant a kiss firmly on his lips, taking hold of his arm. ‘Come and say hello to Melissa. I found her by the gate and we’re just about to go and have a look at the flowers…’ She gave him a very direct look. ‘She’s getting married in September and has very sadly been let down by her florist, so of course I said that we’d be happy to help…’
Ned picked up her cue. ‘But that’s outrageous, we can’t have that.’ He held out his hand. ‘I’m Ned,’ he added. ‘Shall we?’ He walked past them both and chivalrously held open the door. ‘After you, ladies.’
Flora smiled reassuringly at Melissa, who was looking more and more bemused by the minute. ‘All will be revealed, I promise.’
Picking their way through the garden, it took a few minutes to arrive at the gate into the field that Flora had first stood at all those months ago. She couldn’t even have dreamed what had happened since, but standing here now, a young bride-to-be by her side, was more perfect than she thought possible. She opened her arms expansively, directing Melissa towards the view.
‘Welcome to our flower garden,’ she said.
The shocked intake of breath beside her was response enough and Flora fell silent for a moment, giving Melissa time to take everything in. It was just like her vision, the one she’d had standing on the slopes of Grace’s garden, the one that pulled her through the dark days that followed. And now there were row after row of flowers growing in the field, flowers of every colour, shape and size, holding their heads towards the sky and drinking in the sun.
She felt Ned’s hand slip into hers as her eyes began to well with the happiest of tears, and she leaned back into him. ‘What have you got there?’ she whispered, touching a hand to the papers he still held.
‘Emails,’ he whispered back. ‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t help myself, I had to go and check… But this is just a few of them, Flora… Three requests for wedding information and seven orders… We’ve done it, Flora, we’ve bloody done it!’ His voice was still hushed but he couldn’t keep the excitement from it.
Flora turned back to Melissa. ‘I’m sorry I can’t take you down into the field today but, as you can see, I’m not exactly dressed for it. Perhaps when you come back?’ And she looked down at her dress, a single sheath of shimmering white which fell from her shoulder to the floor, decorated with rows of daisies at the neckline, the cuffs and the hem. ‘But if you’d like to see them, I’d be very happy to show you some wedding flowers I just happen to have made earlier.’
And she turned to face the other direction, towards the huge marquee that covered most of the lawn behind them, spilling out of which came the sound of laughter, and music, and love.
Melissa’s eyes lit up. ‘You mean, in there?’ she asked.
Flora nodded. ‘No time like the present…’
Ned came to stand beside her. ‘I suppose we had better get back to the wedding, hadn’t we?’
Flora looked down at the shining band of gold on her left hand. ‘Yes,’ she agreed, ‘I suppose we better had.’
Ned grinned. ‘Come on then, Mrs Jamieson, or there’ll be no champagne left…’
Did you fall in love with Flora’s heartwarming story? Then don’t miss out on The Little Cottage on the Hill, another unputdownable romance to curl up with!
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The Little Cottage on the Hill
The Little Cottage Series Book 1
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There’s blossom in the trees and daffodils as far as the eye can see. Maddie is looking forward to a fresh start in the countryside, but there’s just one little problem…
Following a scandal at her high-flying PR agency, twenty-six-year-old Maddie flees London to help promote what she thinks is going to be a luxurious holiday retreat in the countryside. Everything is riding on her making a success of this new job…
Yet when she arrives, Maddie is horrified to find a rundown old farm in a terrible state. The brooding and secretive owner, Seth, spent all his money on leasing the land when he fell in love with the beautiful, dishevelled farm cottages and the very romantic story behind them.
When Maddie discovers an old oil painting by the original owner’s wife, she unlocks the secret of the farm’s history and quickly realises she must start getting her hands dirty if this very special place is going to have any chance of survival. As she and Seth begin working together, the stunning view from the top of the hill is not the only thing that’s leaving her breathless…
After weeks of hard work the dream looks like it might become a reality, until a secret from Maddie’s past threatens to snatch it all away again. Can Maddie find a way to save the business and herself? Will she finally find a place to keep her heart within the crumbling walls of the little cottage on the hill?
Perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan, Lucy Diamond and Debbie Johnson who are looking to escape to the countryside and fall in love watching the seasons change.
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Books by Emma Davies
The House at Hope Corner
Lucy’s Little Village Book Club
The Little Cottage series
The Little Cottage on the Hill
Summer at the Little Cottage on the Hill
Return to the Little Cottage on the Hill
Christmas at the Little Cottage on the Hill
Letting in Light
Turn Towards the Sun
Merry Mistletoe
Spring Fever
Gooseberry Fool
Blackberry Way
Available in audio
The Little Cottage series
The Little Cottage on the Hill (UK listeners | US listeners)
Summer at the Little Cottage on the Hill (UK listeners | US listeners)
A Letter from Emma
Hello, and thank you so much for choosing to read The House at Hope Corner, I do hope you enjoyed it. But of course it really wouldn’t be fair to leave Ned, Flora, Hannah and Fraser for too long, and so I hope you’ll join me f
or a new linked story later in the summer. This story will also feature a much-loved character from a previous book, someone whose story I’ve been wanting to tell for a very long time… I really hope you’d like to stay updated on what’s coming next, so please do sign up to my newsletter here and you’ll be the first to know!
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I hope to see you again very soon, and in the meantime, if you’ve enjoyed your visit to The House at Hope Corner, I would really appreciate a few minutes of your time to leave a review or post on social media. Every single review makes a massive difference and is very much appreciated!
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Love, Emma x
Summer at the Little Cottage on the Hill
The Little Cottage Series Book 2
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