by Ali McNamara
‘Whether you choose to believe it is up to you, but it’s the truth,’ Stan says, leaning back in his chair.
I know I should leave it. Stan is an elderly man, what harm would it do for him to believe his stories were true? But I just can’t, fairy tales, myths and legends didn’t sit any easier with me than Amber’s holistic and spiritual ways, or the notion that certain types of flowers could heal people – even though I’d heard first-hand accounts of it happening.
‘How do you know it’s the truth?’ I ask. ‘That story is centuries old; someone could have made it up when they were a bit bored one day.’
Stan regards me through a pair of sharp sea-green eyes. ‘You don’t change,’ he says eventually. ‘Even as a young girl you were always questioning my tales.’
‘Was I?’
Stan nods. ‘Your brother would just sit and listen politely, but you,’ he smiles, ‘you would always want proof, and the reasons why.’
I open my mouth to reply, but Stan continues:
‘And that’s good, Poppy. You should question things; you should want to know why. Why is a very difficult thing to answer sometimes, though…’ He watches me for a few seconds. ‘Is the magic working?’ he asks. ‘In the shop, first of all?’
‘Well…’ I choose my words carefully, ‘Amber’s special bouquets are proving very popular.’
‘Does she tie them with a white ribbon?’
‘Yes.’
Stan smiles approvingly. ‘And secondly, is the magic of St Felix working for you?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘Are you feeling better since you returned? After what happened, it was understandable that you’d stay away. But I didn’t think it would be for so long. I don’t think any of us did.’
‘Yes… well…’ I mumble, ‘it was difficult to come back… after Will.’
‘Fine young man, he was. Honourable, trustworthy, fine-looking fella, too. The good always die young.’
I swallow hard.
‘I heard about Bertie,’ I say, deliberately changing the subject. ‘Such a shame. But Babs is doing well. I saw her the other day.’
Stan’s cheery demeanour immediately changes and his face fills with sorrow as he remembers. ‘They were good helpers to me. I never meant for them to lose their jobs when I left the estate. The woman she said she’d keep them on. She gave me her word.’
I knew Stan wouldn’t have left Babs and Bertie in the lurch.
‘Which woman, Stan?’ I ask. ‘Who said she’d keep Babs and Bertie on?’
Stan furrows his brow. ‘I’m trying to recall her name. Bossy woman, loud voice – shrill, you know?’
Oh, I knew all right.
‘Was her name Caroline, by any chance, Stan? Caroline Harrington-Smythe?’
‘Yes, that’s her. She said she’d guarantee them their jobs if I left the Parish Council in charge of Trecarlan.’
Caroline strikes again.
‘But why did you leave the castle, Stan?’ I hesitate before continuing: ‘Did you lose all your money in a card game?’
Stan’s head drops, and he looks down into his lap.
‘The truth please, Stan,’ I ask him gently. ‘I need to know.’
‘The truth is I was broke, Poppy,’ Stan says, lifting his head, sadness etched all over his face. ‘I no longer had the funds to run Trecarlan. It costs a lot of money to run an estate like that.’
‘I’m not surprised you were broke if you were gambling all your money away. Babs told me about your parties.’
‘Ah, dear old Babs, she always did like to gossip. Yes there were parties, parties that I hosted at Trecarlan. There was a lot of money won and lost in that house during that time. But I wasn’t the one gambling, I was merely allowing others to do so on my premises. It wasn’t legal, I know, but it was lucrative for me and for Trecarlan. It allowed me to keep hold of my beloved home for a while longer.’
Stan looks wistful as he thinks about his former home.
‘The castle was badly in need of repair; there were cracks in places there shouldn’t be. Big cracks that, left untreated, were making the whole building unstable. I had two choices: sit by and watch the place fall down around me, or take a chance on something illegal and allow those parties to go ahead.’
‘So what happened?’ I prompt, feeling sorry for him but at the same time wanting to know the truth.
‘There was a police raid one night – tip-off, apparently. Luckily I got off with a fine; the judge was lenient with me because of my age and my reputation as… how can I put it? A tad mad!’ he winks. ‘But the fine was bad enough. It meant I had no money left for the estate, no way of making any more money, so I had no choice but to leave and come here to Camberley to live. Luckily, I had a few things from the castle I could sell to fund my fees for a few years, but it won’t last for ever.’
Stan looks at me with a mixture of fear and dread in his eyes. ‘When that money runs out, Poppy, I’ll have to leave my friends here, and…’ Stan swallows hard. ‘To tell you the truth, I’m not sure what will become of me,’ he says, his voice trailing away. He pats his weak legs. ‘These things don’t work properly any more. I’m hardly in a position to look after myself.’
‘Oh, Stan,’ I say, leaning forward to take his hand. ‘It won’t come to that. I won’t let it.’
Stan grips my hand. ‘Poppy, it’s lovely to see you again. Really, I can’t tell you what it means to me. But I’m not your concern. You have a life of your own. Responsibilities.’
‘That’s where you’re wrong, Stan,’ I tell him, looking straight into his kind old eyes. ‘You looked after Will and me when we were young, and it’s time for me to return the favour. You, Stan, are now my responsibility, and I won’t hear otherwise!’
Thirty
Orange – Generosity
‘We have to get ready to leave,’ I tell Ash as he tries to prevent me climbing out of bed. It’s 6.30 p.m. on a Wednesday evening, and Ash was only supposed to be ‘popping round for a bite to eat’, before we headed out to the Merry Mermaid for a meeting about the Trecarlan wedding. But as so often happens when he ‘pops round’, we’d ended up in bed, and now I’m running extremely late.
‘Let’s stay and snuggle a bit longer?’ Ash pleads. ‘It’s comfortable here, and the weather outside is shit. Why do you want to leave?’
‘I don’t want to leave,’ I tell him, stroking his hair as he holds me in his muscular arms. ‘I have to. I can’t miss this meeting tonight, it’s our final one before the wedding on Saturday.’
Stan had given his permission for us to hold a wedding at Trecarlan, silencing Caroline and the Parish Council for the time being. Several members of the council had come to offer their help with the wedding, so I knew my problem was definitely with Caroline. But I still hadn’t a clue why.
In an effort to coordinate all the helpers, I’d taken Woody’s advice about teamwork and had attempted to form a wedding committee – not very successfully to begin with.
As Jake had predicted, everyone had been keen to volunteer their services to help the young couple out, and the tiny village hall had been packed when we held our first meeting. But trying to channel all their ideas and enthusiasm into action had proved tricky. In the end I’d asked if people could separate themselves into those that only wanted to help out on the day, and those who’d like to form a committee with me to organise the wedding in advance, and asked them to put their names down on two pieces of paper accordingly.
The subsequent meetings of the newly formed committee had been much more successful, and I was happy with the way things were coming along. But even though by this stage they could easily have coped without me, I didn’t want to abandon them tonight. To my surprise, I was actually enjoying organising the wedding.
‘Please?’ Ash asks, his head tipped to one side as he looks at me.
‘No… you’re not going to persuade me this time. I have to go.’
‘Not even if I do this?’ Ash asks, manoe
uvring himself in the bed so he can begin gently kissing my neck.
‘No…’ I protest, even though I can feel myself succumbing to his charms.
‘Or this?’ Ash asks, kissing along my neck and down on to my chest, so I shudder with anticipation.
My defences destroyed, I feel myself surrender…
‘I’m so sorry I’m late!’ I apologise, as I arrive at the reserved table in the Merry Mermaid. I notice an official-looking sign in the middle that says Wedding Committee Only as I hurriedly sit down on the one remaining chair.
‘Are you OK, Poppy?’ Lou asks. ‘You look a little flushed.’
I glance at Amber, who grins at me, knowing full well where I’ve been. Then I can’t help looking across the table at Jake.
He sees Amber grinning, then he looks at me with disappointment.
I immediately drop my eyes, and examine the neatly typed minutes in front of me. Much to my annoyance I feel my cheeks flush even redder.
‘Yes, yes, I’m fine, thanks. So, where shall we begin?’
‘At the beginning?’ Jake says tersely, gesturing to the piece of paper in his hand. ‘Willow has done a sterling job of typing up an agenda and the minutes of the last meeting.’
I look around the table for Willow. ‘Thanks, Willow,’ I say, smiling at her. ‘That’s very efficient of you.’
Willow blushes slightly. ‘Well, I was voted secretary,’ she says proudly.
‘And you, as chair, Poppy, need to get a move on with this meeting,’ Jake reminds me. ‘Some of us haven’t got all night.’
I glance at Jake. Gee, why is he so tetchy this evening? It couldn’t just be the fact I was late, surely?
We work through Willow’s agenda, and everything seems to be set for the big day on Saturday. Ladies from the Women’s Guild, led by Harriet and Willow, are going to decorate the tables and the ballroom for the wedding reception. Rita and Richie will be catering the first two courses of the dinner and laying on a bar for the evening. Ant and Dec will be doing the desserts and of course the wedding cake. Local bands and musicians will provide the entertainment – Charlie’s been busy finding suitable acts for us. So that left just one thing, which everyone strangely seemed the most excited about: the flowers.
‘The flowers will make the whole event,’ Belle had enthused at one of our earlier meetings, ‘especially the way Amber makes them up.’
‘How are your special arrangements going?’ Lou had asked quietly, and the others had all pricked up their ears.
‘They’ve been going very well,’ said Amber. ‘I’m getting more and more people asking after them all the time.’
It was true; Daisy Chain was getting busier by the day. And it wasn’t only the special bouquets that were bringing people in; the more traditional floral items for weddings, christenings, birthdays and anniversaries were also in demand.
Our meeting eventually comes to a close and everyone begins clearing their stuff away. I wave across to Ash, who’d appeared during our meeting and found himself a quiet spot at the bar while we finished off. He lifts his pint and wanders over.
‘How’d it go?’ he asks, kissing me on the cheek, while slipping his arm around my waist.
‘Good, thanks. Katie and Jonathan seem happy, anyway.’ I give them a wave across the table.
Katie blows me a kiss in return.
‘So, Jake, what are you doing for the wedding?’ Ash asks, as Jake attempts to summon Miley so he can slip away from the meeting.
When Jake turns to face us, his eyes fall on Ash’s arm placement.
‘I’m providing the flowers,’ he says quickly, about to turn away.
‘Is that it?’ Ash asks lightly. ‘I’d have thought as a member of Poppy’s committee you’d have been doing more than that?’
Jake eyes me briefly, before returning his gaze to Ash.
‘And I’d have thought as Poppy’s boyfriend you’d have been doing a bit more to help than propping up the bar.’
‘Good point, mate,’ Ash agrees, lifting his pint. ‘Poppy, your wish is my command. I’ll do anything you say.’ He winks at me, and I know he’s not talking about the wedding.
Unfortunately, so does Jake. He deliberately turns away and engages Belle in conversation. Belle seems more than happy to oblige.
‘Charming,’ Ash says. ‘Seriously, though, Pops, what can I do? I feel I’m letting you down.’
‘Of course you’re not,’ I reply, my mind still on Jake. Is Ash’s presence bothering him that much? Or is this just my heart overriding my brain when it comes to Jake? I haven’t seen much of him lately. Other than helping out with the wedding, and delivering flowers to the shop, Jake appears to have been giving me a wide berth. ‘There’ll be something for you to do on Saturday for sure.’
‘Right, until then my job will have to be keeping the boss happy, won’t it?’ he says, kissing my neck.
‘You’re doing a very good job of that already,’ I tell him, and as I reach up to kiss him, I try to erase all thoughts of Jake permanently from my mind.
Thirty-one
Stephanotis – Happiness in Marriage
The wedding, to my absolute delight – is a huge success.
In the days beforehand we’d cleaned, scrubbed, and polished the areas of the castle that would be on show to the guests, with help from the local Brownies, Guides, Cubs and Scouts. Then teams of ladies from the Women’s Guild had decorated the entrance hall with homemade bunting and ribbons, and the ballroom with white tablecloths, shiny cutlery and pristine white crockery, to brighten up the mahogany tables we’d found hidden in cupboards at the side of the ballroom.
Caroline has tried to be involved, as I’d thought she might, making sure people did not stray away from the areas of the castle I’d agreed with the Parish Council would be used for the wedding. When she’s tried to take over anything else, I’ve been quick to step in and put her in her place. Something she has not taken kindly.
Amber and a small team of helpers have decorated both the ballroom and the castle entrances with a mixture of flowers that are perfect for a wedding: pinks – pure love; stephanotis – happiness in marriage; pink roses – grace; purple roses – enchantment; calla lilies – modesty; and stocks – you will always be beautiful to me. The flowers look fabulous, and everyone has been commenting on them. Even I can see what positivity and joy they’ve brought to the wedding, and to the guests who are taking such delight in them.
The mother of the groom informs me ecstatically that the Merry Mermaid’s catering is absolutely delicious. And Ant and Dec’s profiterole tower and extravagant wedding cake go down a storm with the wedding party and guests alike.
So the wedding is a triumph. Not only for Amber and me, but for the whole of St Felix.
It’s evening now and the mahogany tables have been pushed back by a team of helpers from Bronte’s school (who’ve also doubled as waiting staff), to allow room for dancing. The band is currently playing rock ’n’ roll tunes from the fifties and sixties while people jive and twist on the dance floor.
‘We did it,’ Amber says, as we watch the happy couple dancing. Katie has her long white skirt pulled up above her knees so she can move with ease, and Jonathan, who’s very red in the cheeks, has lost his jacket and tie and rolled his sleeves up. The crowd applaud as he scoops up his new bride and twirls with her in his arms. ‘We somehow pulled off a wedding, Poppy!’
‘I know, it feels great, doesn’t it? Mind you, it wasn’t only us – it was the whole of St Felix that pulled together to create this.’
‘Just like they did with our shop. Oh, what a wonderful place this is!’ Amber sighs euphorically. ‘I can’t imagine this happening in the States.’
‘I can’t imagine this happening anywhere I’ve ever lived either. Apart from Bronte’s mates, who deserve a bit of cash for the work they’ve put in, everyone that came forward and offered their help did it for free. All Katie and Jonathan had to do was cover our expenses and the cost of the food. This entire we
dding happened purely out of the goodness of peoples’ hearts – it really is amazing.’
‘You see there are some good people out there,’ Amber says pointedly. ‘You shouldn’t judge everyone by past experiences. I know I don’t.’
I turn towards her.
‘No offence, Amber, but you haven’t had the same background as me. Life’s been pretty shitty in the past.’
‘No offence, Poppy,’ Amber says, sounding unusually irritated, ‘but you have no idea of the shit I’ve had to deal with in the past either!’