Spring Blossoms at Mill Grange

by Jenny Kane

  Reversing a fraction, Tina made sure the car was tucked away from the road. ‘You’ll look amazing, and yes, of course I want you.’

  ‘And I don’t want to stand behind Tina and Sam on my own!’ Thea gave Helen an anxious smile. ‘I’ll be less nervous if you’re there too.’

  ‘Right. Okay.’ Helen exhaled a breath.

  Unlocking her seatbelt, Mabel picked up her bag containing the huge wedding planning folder. ‘The owner sounded lovely on the phone. She totally understands we are simply browsing and getting style ideas today. Come on, girls, no need for nerves.’

  Thea and Helen climbed out of the car, but Tina remained where she was.

  ‘You coming, Tina?’ Thea opened the driver’s door. ‘We can’t do this without you.’

  Tina’s hands remained on the steering wheel. ‘What if she does try to sell me something I don’t want, though? You know what I’m like. I’ll find myself buying a dress because she thinks I should have it because I’m rubbish at saying no if I think it might offend someone.’

  ‘Well, umm…’ Thea floundered, knowing she’d probably have similar trouble in the face of a determined dress saleswoman.

  Mabel tapped her folder thoughtfully. ‘If you feel yourself being polite, rather than saying no thank you over a dress, signal me with a fake cough.’

  ‘A fake cough?’ Tina frowned.

  ‘If you do that, then I’ll know you need rescuing.’

  Helen grinned at the old lady. ‘You really have thought of everything.’

  As Mabel and Helen crossed the road to the shop before them, a flutter of butterflies stirred in Tina’s stomach as she turned to Thea. ‘I’ve looked forward to this all my life, one way or another, so why am I so nervous?’

  ‘Because you’ve been waiting for it all your life.’ Thea linked arms with Tina. ‘Come on, if I know Mabel, she’ll have arranged for Bucks Fizz to be sipped during the trying on.’

  ‘But what if they don’t have anything I like?’

  ‘Didn’t you look at their range online?’ Thea was surprised.

  ‘I know it sounds daft, but I didn’t dare. Mabel had already booked the appointment. I was worried I might not like anything I saw online.’

  ‘Well I did look.’ Thea gave her friend a hug. ‘I promise you’re going to love everything – well, nearly everything. There was one very meringue-ish construction which you’ll want us all to give a very wide berth!’

  *

  Thea had been right about the Bucks Fizz, although Mabel swore it hadn’t been her doing. After trying on two dresses, one for each glass of heavily diluted champagne she’d had, Tina realised she’d better abandon her drink or she’d be unable to drive home.

  ‘You looked fantastic in both of them.’ Thea realised her input wasn’t terribly helpful. ‘How many others have you lined up to try before you start ruling frocks out?’

  ‘Three.’ Tina gestured to the huge changing room behind her where the boutique owner was calmly and without fuss helping her in and out of each gown in turn. ‘I just needed a break. It takes an age to get into the simplest frock, and to be honest, I’m falling in love with all of them!’

  ‘I can imagine. At least you taking your time means I have longer to choose something. I hadn’t realised how hard it would be. I usually just grab the first vaguely suitable dress and go with it.’

  Tina laughed, ‘Have you and Helen decided on a colour?’

  ‘That at least has been sorted. Mabel was very firm on the matter, she…’ Thea looked around. ‘Where is Mabel?’

  ‘She’s in the changing room.’

  ‘In with you?’ Thea tilted her head to one side, not sure if this was an agreeable situation or not.

  ‘She’s taking her mother of the bride role seriously.’

  ‘Is that okay?’ Thea lowered her voice, not wanting to offend the old lady should she come out of the changing area.

  ‘It is. She’s being really helpful. Well, except for one thing.’

  ‘One thing?’

  ‘She keeps blubbing. Apparently, I look like the most beautiful woman in the world every time.’

  ‘Oh bless her!’ Thea experienced a stab of sadness for her friend. ‘She and Bert would have made fabulous parents.’

  Tina pulled a random bridesmaid’s dress from the rack in front of her. ‘This might suit you, Thea.’

  ‘Maybe. I have no idea what suits me, to be honest, so I’m aiming to try a range once Helen’s done.’

  ‘Is Helen okay?’

  ‘I think so, but now you mention it, she’s been in the changing room for absolutely ages.’

  *

  Helen stared at herself in the mirror. Mabel had been right about the colour, but she wasn’t sure about the dress. Or rather she was sure – and that made her feel even worse.

  She looked good. She knew she did. But I never look good in dresses. She remembered Tom’s expression of disbelief when they’d spoken before she’d joined Tina and the others for their shopping expedition. He’d dismissed her claim that she looked awful in anything that showed her legs, telling her she’d look good in a bin bag. She flushed at the memory of Tom picking a roll of bin bags off the store room shelf and suggesting she put the theory to the test for him later.

  Is he going to see me wear this?

  Helen knew, if she did attend the wedding, it would be in this dress. She didn’t need to try on anything else.

  Midnight blue, it made her eyes shine, complimented her hair and her colouring. With a corset top, it magically pulled her in at the waist, while the skirt slimmed her thighs; giving her a hint of sophistication, with just a touch of medieval serving wench thrown in.

  Tom would love it.

  ‘Tom.’ She whispered his name as she turned to examine her side view for the fourth time. ‘I’ll have to go away. If Dylan wants them to be a family again…’ She couldn’t finish the sentence, and was somewhat relieved when she heard Thea calling to her from other side of the closed dressing room door.

  ‘You okay in there, Helen? Can I come in?’

  Quickly adding a smile to her appearance, Helen pulled back the curtain to the changing room. ‘What do you think? I rather like it – and believe me, I’d never thought I’d say that about any sort of posh frock.’

  ‘Oh my God! You look incredible. It’s that dress. It has to be that one.’ Tina came forward to hug Helen, but then stopped. ‘Actually, I’d better not rumple you!’

  Thea was already backing out of the changing room. ‘I’ll fetch Mabel, she has to see how fab you look. Is there one like that in my size do you think? It would be great if we matched style as well as colour.’

  *

  Having pronounced Helen, ‘eye-wateringly beautiful’, Mabel had secured the shop assistant’s help, and within half an hour, Thea was wearing a dress of the same style and colour.

  ‘Is it okay? If I don’t look as good as Helen does, then I’ll go with a completely different style, but keep the colour.’

  Tears welled up in Tina’s eyes as her bridesmaids stood side by side. ‘You both look incredible. Don’t you think so, Mabel?’

  ‘I think Shaun and Tom are going to have a great deal of difficulty keeping their hands to themselves!’

  ‘Mabel!’ Tina giggled as Thea burst out laughing. ‘I never thought I’d hear such innuendo from your lips.’

  As Mabel winked, a single tear rolled down Helen’s cheek. She wiped it away hurriedly, hoping that if the others had noticed, they’d put it down to the emotion of the occasion.

  Thirty-four

  Tuesday April 7th

  Thea and Helen stared at the pile of boxes before them. Brightly coloured, they were stacked almost floor to ceiling in the storeroom of Upwich’s village shop.

  ‘So that’s what two hundred Easter eggs looks like!’ Thea could hear the activity in the shop; as ever it was busy.

  ‘I should have asked Dylan to help us.’ Helen flapped open the first of the eight giant sized shopping
bags she’d brought with her. ‘He’d be in heaven just looking at this lot.’

  ‘Poor lad would think the Easter Bunny had gone on strike, leaving his entire haul here.’

  ‘Thank goodness we came in the Land Rover rather than walked.’ Helen gestured to the chocolate hoard. ‘It’s going to take two, maybe three trips back and forth with this lot.’

  Grabbing a pair of scissors from a desk in the corner of the room, Thea cut open the plastic wrapping that bundled the first fifty chocolate eggs together. ‘I was going to suggest we keep these in the scullery, but thinking about it, there’s no way I can be surrounded by this much chocolate and resist temptation until Sunday!’

  Stacking the first half dozen into a bag, Helen knew she was supposed to laugh, but the sound wouldn’t come out. Instead she said, ‘We can’t put them in the store room in case the mice find them. Maybe the downstairs bedroom?’

  ‘I’m not sure Tina and Sam would be thrilled about that.’ Thea began to fill another bag.

  ‘The drawing room?’

  ‘Probably best. That way, at least everyone will have to be strong and not nibble the chocolate early, and not just me.’ Thea paused. ‘Unless you and Tom don’t want Dylan to see them.’

  You and Tom. Thea’s already seeing us as being jointly responsible for Dylan. ‘It’s okay, Tom’s told him that this is extra. Not real Easter Bunny stuff. He’s excited about helping us hide them for the guests.’

  ‘I hope we get enough visitors, or we’ll all be eating Easter egg chocolate until Christmas.’ Thea patted her hips. ‘Which, frankly, would suit me under normal circumstances, but know we’ve found dresses we like for the wedding, I’m not sure Tina would be overly thrilled if we didn’t fit in them. Nor do I want to have to go dress shopping again.’

  Helen pushed one more Easter egg box into her bag and flapped open a new one. ‘Didn’t you enjoy yesterday? You looked like you did.’

  ‘I was pretending at first, for Tina’s sake. She’s always liked clothes shopping. Before Sam came along, she was very particular about her appearance. Not that I’m saying she is scruffy now, but she’s more relaxed about herself. But once I saw you in that dress, I got into it and started to have fun. But, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to match up to you, and I really wanted to.’

  ‘You wanted to look like me?’ Helen paused in the act of reaching for an egg. ‘But I’m all lumpy.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous. You’re gorgeous. Every time I see Tom look at you, I can see how much he thinks so too.’

  Helen went back to the task in hand, twisting slightly so Thea couldn’t see the cloud that had crossed her face. Last night she’d half expected Tom to turn up with a bin bag for her to model, but he hadn’t. He’d read Dylan a bedtime story, then she’d read one too. It had been lovely. The three of them squashed together, either side of Dylan as he sat up in his little bed, but then Tom had told her he needed to make a few calls, and he’d be back later.

  Midnight had come and gone before Helen had finally fallen asleep, but there had been no visit from Tom, and another day had passed by without the time being right to talk to Dylan about them.

  Not wanting to dwell, Helen asked, ‘Where is Tina anyway? I thought she was going to help with the egg heist.’

  ‘Mabel fixed it so she could have a dress fitting this morning. Not one for letting the grass grow is our Mabel.’

  ‘Tina looked amazing.’ Afraid that she might have sounded wistful, Helen changed the subject. ‘You haven’t said much about the Cotswold dig. What’s it like being a celebrity?’

  ‘Actually, I wondered if I could have a word with you about that.’ Making sure that no one in the shop could overhear them, Thea moved closer to Helen. She was about to confide her concerns about Julian when she suddenly registered what they were doing. ‘But first, can you tell me why on earth we are filling all these bags, when we could have just carried a tray of fifty eggs at a time to the Land Rover?!’

  ‘Stupidity?’

  Thea laughed. ‘That’ll be it.’

  *

  Dylan scrambled onto the sofa next to Bert, holding out the bag of freshly cooked cheese scones. ‘Sybil said to say these would get you better faster than chicken soup.’

  Bert gave a throaty giggle as Tom took the bag from his son. ‘Would you like one, Bert, or did Mabel stuff you with a full English breakfast before she went off with Tina?’

  ‘I’d love one, but best not tell Mabel! She’s worried I won’t get in my suit for the wedding. Bless her, she’s already clucking about the fact I’m not in a position to go shopping for a new one.’

  Tom saw the glint dip from Bert’s eyes and saw he was disappointed about that too. He could picture him in an old-fashioned gent’s outfitters, proudly chatting away about being father of the bride by proxy.

  ‘Forgive me, Bert, but I think you ought to be putting weight on if you want the suit to fit.’

  ‘Me too young fella, so let’s get eating! After so long without an appetite, now I have it back, I’m constantly peckish.’

  As Tom disappeared into the kitchen to find plates, Bert put his arm around Dylan. ‘Now, you will look after me at the wedding, won’t you?’

  ‘Me look after you?’ Dylan’s round eyes widened. ‘I’m only little.’

  ‘But growing all the time. I’m much better now, Dylan, but I get tired quickly. If I need things fetching, like one of Sybil’s scones, will you be my wedding helper?’

  ‘Course.’ Dylan opened his dinosaur rucksack. ‘I’ve got my school stuff. Do you want to see?’

  *

  The Land Rover bumped along Mill Grange’s driveway, back towards Upwich for the second round of Easter egg collection. Thea had told Helen all about the dolphin mosaic and the villa’s location, how the work was satisfying and that the archaeologists were fun to be with.

  ‘It sounds fantastic, yet I can feel a “but” coming on.’ Helen sent up a silent thank you to whichever god was passing by, that the parking space outside the village shop was still vacant.

  ‘How did you know there was a but?’

  ‘Because I’ve worked in the industry all my life. It doesn’t matter how good it looks from the outside, there’s always a niggle under the surface. A problem the public never get to see. A breach of health and safety that results in the need to fill in a million forms, or a measurement that was out, so all the plans need redrawing. You know the sort of thing.’

  Thea snorted. ‘I do indeed, but this time, so far at least, we’ve escaped those issues.’ She stayed in the passenger seat, watching the village around her, many of the locals waving as they passed by. ‘This time, as they say, it’s personal.’

  ‘Go on.’

  ‘The producer. Julian. Shaun was convinced he had a thing for me at first. I didn’t see it, and it took a while to convince Shaun he was mistaken. Finally, he accepted he’d just been jealous and that was that.’

  ‘So, what’s the problem?’

  ‘Julian wants me to consider presenting on television as a career.’

  Helen gave a puzzled smile. ‘But that’s wonderful. Congratulations.’

  Shaking her head, Thea sighed. ‘The thing is, from what Julian has implied, it isn’t that he wants me to present alongside Shaun. I think he wants me to take over from him.’

  ‘Oh my God!’

  ‘Exactly.’

  ‘What does Shaun say about this?’

  ‘I haven’t told him. How can I? Where do I even begin that conversation? And anyhow, Julian has asked me to keep quiet about his offer.’ Thea looked longingly across the road at Sybil’s Tea Rooms. ‘So far, I haven’t answered Julian’s emails, but he’s arranged a meeting about my future. A meeting in a local hotel. Just the two of us.’

  ‘Ah.’ Helen saw the problem straightaway. ‘So you think this Julian wants you to be the show’s new presenter, hence wanting to talk to you away from the team.’

  ‘I feel awful. Poor Shaun. He loves his job so
much.’ Thea scrubbed her palms over her face. ‘What do I do?’

  ‘You have to tell him. Start with explaining why you didn’t tell him straight away – not wanting to hurt his feelings, respecting your producer’s confidences etc. But you have to tell Shaun, because if he finds out by accident, he’ll think he was right about Julian’s crush, and that you fancy Julian right back.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘Remember how hurt you were when you thought Shaun had his eye on that Sophie in Cornwall. If Shaun finds out about this from someone else, he could jump to the same conclusions you did.’

  Opening the door, Thea swung her legs out of the Land Rover. ‘I wish I’d told him instantly, but I thought Julian would get fed up and try someone else if I ignored him. If Shaun’s days as host on Landscape Treasures are numbered, I don’t want them to be numbered because of me!’

  ‘Come on.’ Helen locked the vehicle. ‘Sod the dresses fitting. We need scones.’

  *

  ‘That was delicious.’ Bert put his plate down with a flourish. ‘Now you two, what else have you been up to apart from young Dylan here moving in?’

  ‘We’ve been plotting, haven’t we, Dad?’

  ‘Plotting? That sounds very secretive.’

  Tom cradled his mug of coffee between his palms. ‘As well as the Easter egg hunt, I’ve been helping Sam’s parents sort a wedding present for the happy couple, as well as trying to organise my old army uniform to come out of storage in time for the wedding. It hadn’t occurred to me I’d have a role, but they want me to be the usher. The phone calls and emails have hardly stopped over the past few days. Plus, it’s Helen’s birthday on Sunday. Her fortieth.’

  ‘So it is. I’d clean forgotten. Are you planning a party?’

  ‘The thing is, Helen has made it plain she doesn’t want her fortieth marked, but Thea and Tina think she’s just saying that, and that secretly she’d like a bit of a fuss made of her.’

  Bert chuckled. ‘Ah, so middle ground is the way forward then.’

  ‘Middle ground?’

  ‘A nice present from you, naturally.’