Page 36 of A Forever Home at Honey Bee Croft

I returned to my work, only to be interrupted by a knock at the door half an hour later. As soon as I opened it, I recognised my visitor and was momentarily starstruck. Amber Crawford was tall with long auburn hair hanging in gentle waves from beneath a forest-green beanie hat. She looked more like her mum – the TV presenter Jules Crawford – than her dad.

‘You must be Poppy,’ she said, smiling at me. ‘I’m Amber. Am I disturbing your work?’

‘No. I was just about to make a coffee,’ I said, finding my voice. ‘Would you like one?’

‘I’d love one. White, no sugar, please.’

I felt ridiculously self-conscious. Mary would have told Amber that I loved her dad’s work and I hoped she didn’t think I was some sort of obsessed fan stalking him.

‘Do you want to go through to the lounge and I’ll be through with the drinks in a minute?’ I asked, immediately regretting it as theDarrington Detectsboxset was still on the coffee table. Although maybe that wasn’t so bad. If Mary had told her about our full conversation, she’d know it had been triggered by her spotting the boxset.

‘Mary says you’re here on a working holiday,’ Amber said when I handed over her drink a little later.

‘Yes. I haven’t had a holiday for years and this was a last-minute thing. I’m a beekeeping accountant and, while the bees have stayed at home, the balance sheets have come with me.’ Iwas very aware of my rapid speech, but my heart was pounding. Although Amber wasn’t on television like her family, she’d produced several programmes I watched, and I was having a serious fangirl moment.

‘A beekeeping accountant?’ she said, sounding intrigued. ‘Not an obvious combination.’

I explained how I’d got into beekeeping and how there’d been a limited window to get away before the hives needed a lot more attention.

‘What do you do with what you produce?’ she asked.

‘I sell the honey to a local farm shop but that’s about it. There’s so much more I’d love to do but I just don’t have the time. Several years back, I was experimenting with products using beeswax and even had a company name and branding but my mum received a terminal illness diagnosis so I put it all on hold. After we lost her, Dad got a dementia diagnosis and time has never been on my side since.’

‘I’m so sorry to hear about your parents.’

‘Thank you. Dad’s still with us but he doesn’t recognise me, which is hard, and another reason I needed some time away.’

‘You certainly chose a beautiful place to stay.’

I nodded with enthusiasm. ‘I’ve never been to this area before, but I love it. I’ve had a walk along the path each morning and it’s so peaceful looking across your farm. You’re very lucky to live here.’

‘I count my blessings every day. I visited loads of farms while filmingCountryside Calendarand it was my dream to live on one eventually, and then I met Barney and my dream came true. Speaking of which…’

She reached inside her coat and removed a thick cream envelope which she passed to me.

I stared at the envelope, but I didn’t take it.

‘You don’t have to invite me to your… Don’t feel any pressure… Mary spotted the DVDs and she… I’m not a crazed fan… It’s your day and…’

Amber laughed lightly and placed the envelope on my knee. ‘I don’t think you’re a crazed fan, Mary’s not the sort of person to pressure someone into anything, and it would be a pleasure to invite you and your friend to the evening do, or just you if your friend can’t come.’

‘Are you absolutely sure?’

‘I’m sure. You’re a guest on our farm and you’re welcome as a guest on Saturday. One of us will make sure you get an introduction to my dad.’

My hand fluttered to my throat. ‘I’m already nervous at the thought.’

‘Don’t be. My dad’s lovely and he’s really normal and down to earth. He finds the fame thing hilarious. My whole family do. Everyone’s grounded, but I do understand the starstruck thing. Over the years, I’ve got to know loads of celebs through my work and my family, but sometimes I’ll see someone at an awards ceremony who I’ve not met before and I swear my legs turn to jelly. It’s ridiculous! They’re just people but there’s me having palpitations and getting all tongue-tied.’

‘I feel a bit better about it now, knowing it happens to you too.’

‘Not just me. It’s happened to my mum, dad, brother and sister. They can all share a few tales of when they’ve been fangirls or boys. You know Annabelle Coates?’

I nodded. Who didn’t? Annabelle Coates was acting royalty. Now in her early sixties, she’d had an award-winning career spanning five decades and, as well as a successful and versatile television career, she’d starred in several major films.

‘I’m a huge fan of her work and when someone introduced us, I was so overwhelmed that my mind went blank and do youknow what I did?’ Amber clapped her hands to her cheeks. ‘I still cringe thinking about this. I asked her if she knew where the toilets were. As if that wasn’t bad enough, I told her how I shouldn’t drink champagne because it goes right through me and I spend half the night peeing. Who meets their hero and tells them about their bladder functions? Honestly!’

‘What did she say?’ I asked, tickled by the anecdote and feeling much more relaxed that Amber was sonormal.

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