Page 24 of The Beekeeper's Cottage
‘Would you mind?’ asked Flora. ‘In my head these ideas were originally way off, something we might get to at some point, but now I’m thinking that Fraser needs to move on from all of this, and whatever happens with Grace is going to have to happen pretty damned quickly.’
Amos nodded. ‘Let me take a look,’ he said, thinking rapidly. He pulled open the door once more and strode first of all to the far end of the shed, looking up to the roof where a false ceiling had been added at some point. He was pretty sure that above it would be the building’s original wooden rafters. The walls were bare but looked in good condition, and the windows were sound. A central concrete pathway split the shed down the middle, with a raised walkway on either side, flanked by metal railings. It was on these that the cows would have stood to be milked.
Flora walked up the path towards him. ‘When it was in operation as a milking shed it was hard to see beyond the machinery and you couldn’t think with the incessant clanking.’ She shuddered. ‘And then after Fraser got ill I spent as little time in here as possible.’
Amos was staring at the windows. ‘It’s an old building though,’ he said. ‘Which in many ways makes it far more adaptable than if it were a modern shell.’ He frowned. ‘Hang on a minute,’ he said, ducking back outside and walking the length of the building. Now thatwasinteresting…
Ten minutes or so later when they were both back outside, Amos delivered his verdict. ‘The only real issue I can see is that the raised walkways are made of concrete. They could be removed but it would be messy and expensive and so if you could come up with a use where they could be an asset or made into a feature then so much the better. I would also suggest you remove the ceiling and leave the interior open to the rafters.’ He pointed to rows of windows along the side of the shed. ‘See, two rows of windows… and the bottom set are nice and clean while the top set…’
Flora had a puzzled expression on her face. ‘Two rows of windows?’ she queried. She looked at Amos. ‘But inside…’ She peered back through the door of the shed before turning back to look at Amos. ‘Inside there’s only one row,’ she continued.
‘Indeed… Because the second set is above the false ceiling,’ supplied Amos. He grinned at her. ‘Just imagine what the space would look like with the ceiling removed. Rising to the vaulted roof, exposed beams, flooded with masses of natural light…’
‘Of course! Oh, God, it could look stunning, Amos.’
He could see her mind beginning to explore the possibilities, the smile on her face getting bigger and bigger.
‘Did that answer your question?’ he said. ‘I think there are all sorts of possibilities here, and to convert the basic space wouldn’t take much, both in terms of time and in cost. How much longer it takes and how much more it costs would obviously depend on what you ultimately want to use the building for.’
He studied her face, now lost in thought. ‘So, are you still thinking about Grace?’
She turned to look in the direction of Grace’s house. ‘Very much so. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. I do hope she’s okay.’
Amos followed her line of sight. He hoped so too.
The sun had reached the highest point in the sky when Amos stopped for a break, stretching his back and wriggling his shoulders to relax them. He had nearly finished taking out the loose mortar from one whole section of wall and was just about to go and get some water when he saw Hannah coming towards him from the direction of the farmhouse, carrying a tray. He raised his hand in greeting.
‘Goodness it’s warm,’ she said as she reached him. ‘We shouldn’t complain, it’s bringing on the flowers beautifully, but not so much fun when you’re out in it all day with no shade.’ She lifted the tray, indicating that he should take a drink. There were three glasses, already full, and a tall jug of what looked like homemade lemonade. Amos took one and downed the contents in one go.
He grinned. ‘Absolutely delicious,’ he said. ‘And very welcome, thank you.’
Hannah beamed with pleasure. ‘It’s thirsty work,’ she said. ‘And you’ve been at it non-stop.’
‘Are the other drinks for Flora and Ned?’ he asked, knowing that they were out in the field. ‘Would you like me to take them down for you?’
‘Oh, could you? I can get on with lunch then.’ She passed the tray across to Amos. ‘And when it’s ready you must all stop and have a proper break. From what Flora was saying earlier there might be lots to discuss. It’s so exciting, and that’s not something I ever thought I’d hear myself say.’
Amos watched as Hannah walked back to the house, a warm smile on his face. Now there was someone who had been through the wringer and was revelling in the joy to be found on the other side. He adjusted his grip on the tray and set off through the garden.
Reaching the field, he carried the drinks to the small shed that sat a little way from the gate, setting the tray down on a table before scanning the rows of flowers. Even among the blooms, Flora was easy to spot with her bright-orange leggings and blue smock. Ned, in khaki shorts, tee shirt and matching hat, wasn’t quite so obvious. Eventually Amos spied him, right at the far end of the field. Sticking two fingers in his mouth, he gave a piercing whistle. An arm was raised to signify that Amos’s signal had been heard and the two bent heads lifted, bodies straightening.
He had a glass in each hand ready for when Flora and Ned finally reached him, picking their way through the rows of flowers; hot, tired and sweaty from a morning’s back-breaking work.
Flora pressed her glass against the side of her face, relishing the coolness, and then, like him, she drank the contents in one go. Beside her Ned grinned, his face pink from the sun.
‘Well, it’s official. We are completely bonkers.’
‘Indeed,’ replied Amos. ‘Mad dogs and Englishmen…’
Flora giggled. ‘Even your freckles have freckles,’ she said, laying an affectionate hand on Ned’s cheek. ‘Whatever you do, don’t take off your hat.’ She peered at him. ‘You are a bit rosy,’ she said. ‘When I had my idiot idea for transforming the farm to grow flowers, I didn’t factor in that half of the workforce were redheads!’
Ned rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Well at least the sunburn detracts from the pain in my back and shoulders,’ he said, but he was grinning. ‘We’re getting there though. We’ve almost finished the last bit of planting out and then we’re done until the autumn—’
‘When we start all over again with the bulbs,’ finished Flora. ‘We missed out on these this year, but it will extend our growing season no end.’ She looked out across the field, smiling with pride at their accomplishment.
Amos doubled back to the shed to collect the jug and his own glass, refilling them all. ‘To Hope Blooms,’ he said, raising his glass. He was about to clink it with Flora’s when she suddenly waved.
‘Grace!’ she shouted. ‘Come and join us.’ She handed her glass back to Amos, walking forward.
