Page 54 of The House at Hope Corner
‘Yes, and Fraser and Ned of course…’ Kate laughed out loud. ‘I’m Caroline’s cousin.’
‘But…’ Flora opened her mouth to say something and then thought better of it. This really wasn’t going the way she had planned; she might as well go home now.
‘And, it’s okay,’ continued Kate, ‘I’m on Caroline’s mother’s side. We’re the black sheep of the family. So you won’t have heard about us, we’renevermentioned…’ She was grinning from ear to ear.
Light dawned. ‘Ah…’ said Flora. ‘Well, that makes sense. This place came up in conversation while I was out riding with Caroline the other day, and nothing was said about you. Now I get it.’
‘You went riding?’ Kate faltered.
‘Oh, don’t worry,’ said Flora quickly. ‘I amnevergoing again.’ She gave a shudder. ‘You might, however, like to know that this is still consideredtheplace to get married around here.’ She paused. ‘But you’re right, I don’t think the wedding is going to be here, sorry… Hannah has asked us to consider having it at the farm and—’ She suddenly stopped, realising that what she was about to say might be news to Kate.
‘It’s okay,’ came a quick reassurance. ‘I know about Fraser… Tough times for you guys?’
Flora nodded. ‘And I’m honestly not sure when the wedding is even going to happen. Things are a bit up in the air at the moment.’
Kate’s smile was sympathetic. ‘I did hear that Fraser’s home though. Is he doing okay?’
‘I think the expression is as well as can be expected, but getting better every day.’
Kate took another sip of her coffee. ‘Good. And the wedding will be much better if you have the reception up at the farm. It will give you far more flexibility timewise than if you commit yourself to a date with us.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Wearepopular, Flora, and I’m afraid it’s got to the point where we have to charge a cancellation fee if things don’t go ahead. I’d be very happy to show you around, of course I would, but I’d hate for you to get caught out. Besides, with Fraser’s illness, I think a reception at home might be the best bet, don’t you?’
Flora hadn’t really thought about it like that, in fact she hadn’t really thought about it at all, but Kate was quite right. Hope Corner Farm had always been at the centre of the Jamiesons’ world, now more than ever since Fraser’s illness. Flora had almost forgotten why she was there, but a fresh wave of resolve was flooding through her. The farm must not be allowed to go under. She couldn’t bear the thought.
As if sensing her mood, Kate sat forward slightly, grinning. ‘So that’s me come clean,’ she said. ‘What was it that you needed to own up to?’
Flora cleared her throat. ‘When I originally made the appointment to see Michelle, I really just wanted to meet with her in person, so that I might ask for a further meeting, to discuss a business proposition. I thought it would seem better than cold calling and…’ Flora dipped her head. ‘Well, I don’t have a huge amount of time and I didn’t want to be turned down. I thought being face to face might help.’
‘Well, that’s completely intriguing,’ replied Kate. ‘Go on…’
‘Oh…’ Her response threw Flora for a minute. ‘But now I don’t know, perhaps it’s you I need see after all.’ All the lines that she had rehearsed in her head had gone completely from her mind. ‘Would we be able to put something in the diary?’
‘Wecould…’ replied Kate, drawing out the last word for about four seconds.
Here it comes, thought Flora, the ‘but’.
‘But… I’m not sure why I would want to do that.’
‘No, no, of course,’ muttered Flora, becoming flustered. ‘I’ve sprung it on you, I know, and…’
Kate’s face split into a wide smile. ‘Flora?’ she said, waiting until she had her full attention. ‘I only meant that I don’t want to put something in the diary when you’re sitting right in front of me now, that doesn’t make sense at all.’
‘But you must be busy?’
‘I am. But I came to meet you prepared to give you a tour and the whole Ravenswick singing and dancing wedding routine. You’d be surprised how long some brides-to-be want to talk. They can go on for days… So we’ve got at least an hour yet, will that give you enough time?’ She settled her cup back into its saucer and pushed it onto the table. ‘Besides, you said it was a business proposition. You’ve got my interest well and truly piqued.’
Flora hadn’t brought anything with her and now she wished she had, because at home she had a portfolio of her work as a florist, the details of charges she would have made for wedding flowers, together with all the notes that she had recently made. She took a deep breath. She would have to wing it.
‘I used to be a florist,’ she explained. ‘I had my own business in Birmingham for over ten years and during that time provided the flowers for a considerable number of weddings. Unfortunately I don’t have my portfolio with me, so you’ll have to take my word for how fabulous I was.’ She risked a cheeky grin.
Kate laughed. ‘Of course! That goes without saying.’
‘And now I would like to grow flowers at Hope Corner on a commercial scale and offer them for sale. In fact, I’d like to become Ravenswick’s preferred supplier.’
Kate’s eyebrows nearly shot off the top of her head, but she was still smiling.
‘Well, I wasn’t expecting that,’ she said, tilting her head a moment and studying Flora. ‘Although, I can see perfectly how appropriate that would be for you. What a lovely idea.’
She thought for a little longer. ‘Are we just talking weddings here? Only we’ve never advocated any one supplier over another to our brides in the past. Michelle obviously gets asked, and from time to time might volunteer an opinion or pass on a recommendation from someone, but endorsement can be a tricky business, it can backfire horribly. And I’ll be honest, Flora, the majority of brides these days seem to want to make their own minds up about things. I am interested though, I can’t deny that, but what would be the incentive for us? Or our clients for that matter?’
