The Winter Garden

by Heidi Swain

  ‘Of course,’ I told him. ‘Whatever you want.’

  ‘Great,’ he said, ‘I’ll get it sorted for next week then.’

  ‘Super,’ I nodded.

  ‘Now, Finn,’ he smiled, ‘what was the something else that you said Zak had stayed to help you with?’

  The question seemed to go some way to pulling Finn out of the fug he had fallen into after I’d sprung to his brother’s defence.

  ‘Come on,’ he said, ‘I’ll show you.’

  He strode off, as was fast becoming his habit when he had finished any sort of interaction which involved me.

  ‘You coming, Freya?’ asked Luke.

  ‘No,’ I swallowed, ‘I’ve seen already.’

  Finn turned to glare at me while Luke rushed to catch him up. I didn’t think I’d really said anything to warrant such a look, but if I wasn’t careful, he’d be doing a Medusa and turning me to stone.

  Chapter 19

  I didn’t have time to fret over mine and Finn’s most recent interaction because the next day Lisa and I were hosting the first Winterfest session and, as much as I had been looking forward to it, I found myself feeling increasingly nervous as the time to welcome the attendees ticked relentlessly closer.

  As soon as I finished in the garden on the Friday afternoon, I rushed around to the house where I was meeting Lisa to set everything up in the dining room Kate and Luke had already cleared for the occasion. There wasn’t all that much to do, but we checked, checked and checked again, ticking everything off and making sure everyone would have what they needed and also that we had spares of a few things, just in case.

  ‘Here’s hoping for some sunshine,’ said Lisa, chinking her mug of tea against mine in a toast to our adventure, once we had finished laying everything out.

  ‘And plenty of inspiration,’ I added for good measure.

  We needn’t have worried about lacking in either because it was an extremely clear and frosty start the next morning, which meant sunshine was guaranteed, and when we walked back into the dining room, having deposited Nell in the kitchen, we found that Santa’s elves had been at work overnight and the room had been transformed into a veritable grotto, complete with a real tree, swags of greenery and enough warm white twinkling lights to illuminate Blackpool.

  ‘I hope you don’t mind,’ said Kate, following me and Lisa into the room, ‘but after you’d left yesterday we thought that, as lovely as the room looked with all your bits and pieces set out, it wasn’t feeling very festive so we decided to put some decs up.’

  ‘Of course, we don’t mind,’ said Lisa, flinging her arms around Kate’s neck.

  ‘It’s breathtaking,’ I added, taking in the details as I set down the bag of books I’d brought along, ‘and so in keeping with the themes of Winterfest.’

  ‘That’s what I thought,’ said Kate, once she was free of her friend’s embrace. ‘I told Luke we shouldn’t just throw everything at it, but keep it styled to the sessions we’ve got coming up.’

  She’d certainly achieved that. From a nature-loving, gardening fanatic’s point of view, it couldn’t have been any more perfect. There was holly, ivy and mistletoe in abundance and the real tree smelt divine.

  ‘Finn helped,’ Kate told us, her eyes alighting on the ball of mistletoe hanging above the door.

  ‘Why am I not surprised?’ Lisa laughed.

  ‘He’s got such a great eye,’ Kate carried on.

  ‘Two, I think you’ll find,’ said Lisa, giving me a nudge.

  ‘Come on,’ I said, resisting the urge to award her comment the eye-roll it deserved, ‘let’s get ready. Everyone’s going to be here soon.’

  In total, there were nine attendees. One person had called to say that they couldn’t make it because of illness and Luke had kindly promised they could switch to another session if any gaps came up. It settled my nerves somewhat to see a couple of familiar faces looking eagerly up at me as Lisa and I took our place standing at the head of the long table.

  Jacob, Poppy’s other half, had signed up, keen to learn a few tricks he could later use in the classroom, along with Heather, who had a child-free day and was keen to do something completely for herself and quite rightly so. There was also a mum and daughter, the daughter there at the mother’s behest, two guys in their thirties, two middle-aged women who had been friends forever and a much younger woman, called Sara.

  She had heard Luke talking about his SAD diagnosis on the radio not long after she had been diagnosed herself and as a result, quickly signed up for everything. She said that just the thought of doing something proactive had started to lift her low mood, which was very encouraging indeed.

  ‘So, welcome, everyone,’ said Lisa, her voice surprisingly shaky for someone who ordinarily oozed self-confidence, ‘to this, the very first Winterfest session here at Prosperous Place. Today we’re going to be exploring how to banish the winter blues by using nature to kick-start our creativity through a creative writing session, making a nature diary and learning how to preserve leaves through a variety of methods, with lovely Freya, who manages the gardens here at Prosperous Place.’

  Fortunately, I didn’t have to do anything beyond offer a smile at this point, and by the time we had given everyone the chance to share a little about themselves and their reasons for signing up, my legs had stopped shaking and I was feeling much better about leading them into the garden.

  ‘Do wrap up really warm,’ I advised, as I handed out the jute bags in which they could stash their finds. ‘We might be in the middle of the city, but there are spots in the garden which really hang on to the frost.’

  I knew there was going to be an extra surprise waiting to warm everyone up when we came back inside and the chill in the air made me feel grateful for it. Kate had cleaned and set the open fire, ready for lighting when we headed out. Graham was going to get it roaring while we toured the garden and then come back throughout the day to keep it stoked.

  ‘Ready?’ asked Lisa.

  ‘Ready,’ I smiled back.

  It was bitterly cold, but it didn’t take many minutes before everyone had forgotten the arctic temperature and was eagerly engrossed in looking for leaves and cones, seeking out the scents in the freshly planted winter garden and ardently admiring Finn’s formidable sculptures.

  ‘Beguiling grey eyes and handy with his hands,’ Lisa sighed. ‘What a combo.’

  ‘And don’t forget the sense of touch,’ I told the group, ignoring her and rubbing my gloved hands around the nearest tree. ‘It helps to engage all the senses when you head out for a winter walk. Although perhaps not taste,’ I hastily added, not wanting them to go too far.

  ‘You can indulge that one when we go back in and sample some seasonal delights from Blossom’s bakery,’ Lisa quipped and everyone laughed.

  The fire was much appreciated, as were the warm pastries, and everyone was enjoying the hygge atmosphere as they emptied their treasures on to the table and Lisa flitted around the room asking questions relating to the walk. She was going to use everyone’s answers along with her ideas to kick off the creative writing session.

  I took my time moving among the group and chatting. Everyone had gathered lots of lovely things, including snail shells, still bright leaves, lichen-covered twigs and even a few feathers.

  By the time the group was primed and ready to start, everyone was eager to get going, even the people who had been worried about getting it wrong because they’d never done anything like it before.

  ‘Okay,’ said Lisa, about twenty minutes later. ‘Pens down.’

  A collective sigh echoed around the room.

  ‘Well, that was easier than I thought,’ said the daughter, who had insisted on telling us when she arrived that she was only there because her mum wouldn’t come without her. ‘I’ve written loads.’

  They all had, and after more time spent sharing ideas, Lisa set them off again, which took things nicely up to lunchtime.

  ‘I’ve had some great ideas for a child
ren’s story,’ Sara told me, her tone full of excitement. ‘I can imagine a whole host of little characters living in secret in the fern garden and I’m going to write all about them when I get home.’

  ‘And when the Winter Garden’s officially opened,’ I told her, ‘you’ll be able to come back to keep the inspirational well topped up and your ideas flowing.’

  ‘Oh yes,’ she said, ‘I hadn’t thought of that.’

  I was pleased to see her so stirred and hoped that my afternoon activities would buoy her up further still.

  ‘Help yourselves to bread,’ said Carole as we filed into the kitchen. ‘The plates either end are all gluten free.’

  While she and Kate ladled out bowls of thick, hearty homemade vegetable soup, I asked the group what they would like to do with the leaves they and I had collected. I had plans to show them how to press, sketch, laminate and preserve with a view to embellishing the nature diaries, or journals, to make them even more memorable.

  The most popular option, everyone having admired my own set of leaves which I had arranged down the centre of the table, was to try out the glycerine preservation technique. I hadn’t been expecting them all to pick that one, and even when I said they’d have to come back to collect them later in the week in the hope of putting a couple of them off, they still stuck fast.

  ‘How’s it going?’ called a voice behind me, when I ducked out to take Nell back to the square and see if I had enough spare baking sheets of my own to add to the few I had already lined up.

  Nell had been looking a little perturbed by the sudden influx of strangers and so I was using her as an excuse to pop home. I hadn’t wanted to ask Kate if she could help bolster my supplies, for fear of looking disorganised, not that she probably would have thought that, but she was busy enough sorting lunch, without me presenting her with a problem.

  ‘You aren’t doing a runner, are you?’ It was Chloe. ‘It can’t be that bad.’

  ‘What are you doing here?’ I asked as she walked across the courtyard with Finn.

  ‘I had to come and get my wellies,’ she said, holding up her bespoke boot bag. ‘Hannah and I off to the coast tomorrow. We fancied a run out to Wynmouth.’

  ‘Oh, right,’ I nodded, mindful that I only had a few minutes. ‘Well, have fun.’

  ‘Hang on,’ she laughed, ‘you haven’t told me how you’re getting on.’

  I didn’t much want to say in front of Finn.

  ‘Great,’ I said, because the morning had been. ‘Lisa’s a natural. She’s had them all writing ninety to the dozen.’

  ‘I saw you all walking around the garden,’ said Finn.

  ‘I hope we didn’t disturb you,’ I said, then quickly added for fear of sounding churlish, ‘Your sculptures were much admired.’

  I didn’t want him to think that his hard stare had upset me and therefore, much like his reaction to our kiss, I carried on as if it hadn’t happened. That said, I wasn’t prepared to boost his ego by telling him that Lisa had been admiring him too.

  ‘Really?’ he asked.

  ‘Really,’ I said back, ‘everyone said they look amazing.’

  ‘Which they do,’ beamed Chloe, clearly as impressed as the rest of us. ‘And this afternoon you’re in the spotlight, Freya.’

  ‘I will be if I get Nell dropped off in time, and I need to pick something up.’

  ‘You can’t have forgotten anything,’ she laughed. ‘You’ve been going through your lists all week!’

  ‘I’m on the hunt for more baking sheets,’ I then felt I had to explain. ‘because I’m not going to have enough. Everyone wants to have a go at preserving leaves in glycerine and I’ve only catered for about half of them picking that option.’

  ‘I can go to the pound shop and grab you some if you like,’ Finn offered, quickly stepping up. ‘They’ve got stacks of them.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘they’re not all that big, but they’re only a quid each.’

  ‘If you wouldn’t mind, and you can spare the time, that would be really great,’ I said, pulling my phone out of my jeans back pocket, as the weight of worry lifted a little.

  I always kept a ten-pound note stashed in the back of my phone case for emergencies.

  ‘We’ll settle up when I get back,’ Finn insisted, as I tried to juggle the phone and Nell’s lead.

  She wouldn’t usually be on one, but given her tense reaction to the extra bodies in the house, I was worried she might be a flight risk.

  ‘Thanks, Finn,’ I said, suddenly feeling heaps better. It was a genuinely kind gesture, especially given that we’d been snapping at each other just the day before. ‘I really appreciate it.’

  ‘And if you give me your house key,’ Chloe kindly offered, once I had told them why I was taking Nell home, ‘I’ll take her back and get her settled so you can go back in.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Of course,’ she insisted. ‘I’ll drop your key over when I’ve got her sorted.’

  ‘I really do appreciate this you guys,’ I said, feeling a little choked that they had so readily offered to help.

  ‘That’s what friends are for,’ Chloe told me.

  Given our complex karma, I still wasn’t sure I could call Finn a friend, but I felt truly grateful that he was willing to help me out of the tricky situation.

  ‘Come on, my love,’ said Chloe as I handed her the lead and she and Nell wandered off.

  ‘I’ll be as quick as I can,’ said Finn, rushing after her.

  I went back inside, grabbed a buttered roll and headed back to the dining room to set out my nature diary and the books I had brought along. Looking at those first would be a slight change to the schedule, but I was sure Finn, with his long legs and lengthy stride, wouldn’t be all that long.

  ‘Could you write the names of the books down?’ asked one of the group, as they passed my treasured tomes amongst them.

  Along with my own diary, I had given them my copy of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden, along with Emma Mitchell’s books about the healing power of nature and how to survive winter, (one of which described how to preserve leaves using the glycerine technique we were going to be trying), and another two by Simon Barnes, one of which advised how to go about making nature more visible. They formed the larger part of my required reading list, when it came to connecting with the great outdoors.

  ‘I’ve written out a suggested book list,’ I said, handing them out and feeling pleased they had asked and even happier that I’d had the foresight to prepare something. ‘There are lots of titles on here but if you don’t want to buy them, I know there are copies of most in the local libraries.’

  ‘Not for long,’ grinned one of the guys. ‘We’ll have these all checked out by next week.’

  Everyone nodded in agreement and while I was still waiting for Finn, we made a start on recording the morning’s walk in the journals. It made for a wonderful first entry and although some were nervous about finding the right words, or adding a less than perfect sketch, Lisa and I coaxed and encouraged and they were all soon industriously working away.

  ‘Sorry,’ said Finn, puffing in the doorway, far later than I had expected him to be.

  Fortunately, everyone had been engrossed by the pressing demonstration I had just given and a few were now, under Lisa’s supervision, giving laminating a go, courtesy of Luke’s office laminator, so there was no harm done. Finn looked relieved when I told him.

  ‘But why are you out of breath?’ I asked, as he handed over the bag, which was heavier than I would have expected. ‘I thought you were just popping to the pound shop up the road.’

  ‘I was,’ he said, running a hand through his tangled hair, ‘but then I realised that if you hadn’t got enough sheets, then you probably hadn’t got enough glycerine either.’

  I hadn’t even thought of that. I peered into the bag and found a big bottle of the stuff leaning against the trays.

  ‘I tried to ring,
but your phone’s off,’ Finn further explained.

  I had turned it off before the session started.

  ‘And I didn’t want to waste time coming all the way back to check, so I went to track some down. It’s not easy to find, is it? I got this from the chemists. They only had one bottle. This is the stuff you’re going to be using isn’t it? Chloe seemed to think so when I called her. Did you need it?’

  I listened to the words rush from his lips and I could have kissed him. Again. I very nearly did.

  ‘Yes,’ I said, ‘I definitely need it. I haven’t got nearly enough to go around, but I hadn’t even thought of it.’

  I had been just minutes away from looking like a right numpty, but Finn had thought it through and saved my blushes.

  ‘Well, that’s all right then,’ he puffed, squeezing into the doorframe as Carole came to announce that there was coffee and cake available in the kitchen. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’

  He was gone before I had a chance to either thank him, pay him or kiss him and while everyone went back to the kitchen for some mid-afternoon refreshment, Lisa and I hastily rearranged things so everyone had their own tray, which would actually make things easier as we could name them and make sure they all got the right leaves back.

  ‘Oh crikey,’ I grimaced, as my stomach gave the loudest rumble, ‘that’s embarrassing.’

  ‘Did you not have lunch?’ Lisa frowned.

  ‘Half a roll,’ I told her, ‘I didn’t have time for soup.’

  ‘That’s no good,’ she scolded, ‘go and grab a scone or something. I can finish up in here.’

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said, ushering me out of the room. ‘We can’t go the rest of the afternoon with your guts providing musical accompaniment, can we? It’s hardly “White Christmas”, is it?’ she giggled, as it rumbled again.

  She was right of course, and I did feel much better after I’d eaten a scone laden with the thickest clotted cream and lashings of Carole’s excellent homemade strawberry jam. With two cups of sweetened tea to wash it all down, I was feeling far more human by the time I went back to show everyone what to do with their leaves and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the day, as did everyone else.