The Natter of Knitters
Page 5
“I know so,” I said firmly.
He’d already been punished enough.
13 Casting Off
“I HEAR MY MATE GEORGE has been helping young Ariel dig her garden,” said Billy a few days later.
He stirred his coffee vigorously. He’s never understood our milk frother. He keeps stirring till every last bubble has burst.
“Dirty old bugger. I reckon he’s hoping she’ll take all her clothes off again.”
I laughed as I set down his plate of toast.
“Don’t judge everyone by your own standards, Billy. Anyway, that’s not going to happen. That was just a temporary aberration, the result of a build-up of stress.”
“Shame,” he said, biting into the first slice. “Still, a bit of exercise will stop him brooding. He’s not been right since his old dad died last year. Ninety-nine, he was. More’s the pity he never made his century. Still, he wasn’t keen on cricket, so perhaps that didn’t matter so much. I plan to make mine.
“I’ll have a big party when I turn 100, and you’re all invited. Bring cake.”
“I’ll put it in my diary now so I don’t forget.”
Hector closed the door behind a customer who had just departed carrying an armful of books. She’d only come in to buy a birthday card. Hector was on good form.
“Then you’d better start taking care of yourself, Billy,” he said. “It’s too cold to have come out without a coat and scarf today, for a start.”
He eyed Billy’s frayed tweed jacket with disdain.
“Oh, I’ve just remembered!” I cried, delving into my bag. “Here, Billy, I made this for you.”
With a flourish, I produced the scarf I’d knitted especially for him.
“I just can’t stop knitting, you see.”
I tried to make it sound as if he was doing me a favour by taking the scarf off my hands; I didn’t want him to think I considered him a charity case. I needn’t have worried. His face lit up.
“Why, girlie, that’s a thing of beauty. Is it really for me?”
“Don’t thank me, thank Mrs Fortescue. She got me started.”
Hector came over to join us.
“So when do I get a new scarf? No, forget that. I can think of better ways to spend your evenings by the fire.”
Billy gave him a knowing look.
“Aye, but a scarf will keep you warmer for longer.”
He wrapped it around his neck, tucked the ends firmly inside his jacket, and settled back in his chair to enjoy his coffee.
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Acknowledgements
With thanks to Chudleigh Women’s Institute, whose yarnbombing of the village playpark gave me the initial idea for this story.
Thanks also to Joy Bell, Irene Smith and all the young knitters at Westonbirt School whose charity knitting project provided the final spark.
Many thanks to tree experts Michael Dvorak of the National Arboretum at Westonbirt and David Hallewell of the Woodland Trust for guiding me on the choice of memorial tree.
I’m grateful to Dr Carol Cooper, novelist and GP, for her advice about the Hippocratic oath.
In fond memory of Rema’s, the old knitting shop at The Oval shopping precinct, Sidcup, where I made many trips in my childhood with my grandmother and my mother – I’m so glad they taught me to knit, instilling in me a lifelong passion for the craft.
With gratitude, as ever, to my fabulous editor Alison Jack, cover designer Rachel Lawston, proofreader Dan Gooding and my advance readers, Lucienne Boyce and Julie Cordiner.
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Did you love The Natter of Knitters? Then you should read Best Murder in Show by Debbie Young!
A dead body on a carnival float at the village show.A clear case of murder in plain sight, thinks new arrival Sophie Sayers - but why do none of the villagers agree?What dark secrets are they hiding to prevent her unmasking the murderer, and who holds the key to the mystery?- Hector, the gorgeous but enigmatic owner of the village bookshop- Joshua, the intrusive yet insightful old man from next door- Carol, village shopkeeper, the fount of village gossip, not all of it reliableAnd what is that mysterious ingredient that almost knocks Sophie out when she takes tea at the village bookshop? (Not the best way to start a job interview.)Can Sophie unearth the clues tucked away in this outwardly idyllic Cotswold village before anyone else comes to harm, not least herself?For fans of classic cozy mysteries everywhere, Best Murder in Show will make you laugh out loud at the idiosyncrasies of English country life, and rack your brains to discover the murderer before Sophie can.Order your copy now to enjoy this addictive series from the start."A cracking example of cozy crime" - Katie Fforde, President of the Romantic Novelists Association and international bestseller"Miss Marple meets Bridget Jones" - Belinda Pollard, author of the Wild Crimes"The Sophie Sayers Village Mysteries are both cracking mysteries and laugh-out-loud funny. I can't get enough of them and tell the whole world to buy them" - Wendy Jones, author of the DI Shona McKenzie mysteries
Read more at Debbie Young’s site.
Also by Debbie Young
Novels: Sophie Sayers Village Mysteries
Best Murder in Show
Trick or Murder?
Murder in the Manger
Murder by the Book
Springtime for Murder
Novels: Staffroom at St Bride's Series
Secrets at St Bride's
Short Story Collections
Quick Change
Marry in Haste: 15 Short Stories of Dating, Love & Marriage
Stocking Fillers: Twelve Short Stories for Christmas
Single Short Story
Lighting Up Time: A Short Story for the Winter Solstice
The Owl and The Turkey
The Alchemy of Chocolate
Tales from Wendlebury Barrow (Quick Reads)
The Natter of Knitters
The Collected Columns
All Part of the Charm: A Modern Memoir of English Village Life
Young By Name: Whimsical Columns from the Tetbury Advertiser
Type 1 Diabetes (non-fiction)
Coming To Terms with Type 1 Diabetes: One Family's Story of Life After Diagnosis
Standalone
The War of the Peek Freans Light Wounded
Westonbirt Association News 2015
H is for Hawkesbury - Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival Anthology 2015
Westonbirt Association News 2016
Westonbirt Association News 2018
Watch for more at Debbie Young’s site.
About the Author
I write warm, witty, feel-good contemporary fiction inspired by life in the English village where I have lived for nearly thirty years. My Sophie Sayers Village Mystery series begins with "Best Murder in Show" and, when complete, will run the course of a calendar year in the life of a classic English Cotswold village. The fifth in the series, "Springtime for Murder", was published in November 2018, and the sixth, "Murder Your Darlings", will be available from early 2020. I'm also writing a new romantic comedy mystery series, "Staffro
om at St St Bride's", set in the staffroom of an English girls' boarding school. In the first book, "Secrets at St Bride's", published in August 2019, will there be any dead bodies lurking in the dorms? You'll have to wait to find out! If you'd like me to let you know when I'm about to publish a new book, why not join my free Readers' Club? You'll find details on my author website, www.authordebbieyoung.com. You'll also receive a free short ebook, "The Pride of Peacocks", featuring Sophie Sayers and friends and introducing St Bride's School for Girls.
Read more at Debbie Young’s site.