Page 33 of The Beekeeper's Cottage
‘And then there’s all your artwork, Flora,’ added Ned. ‘I would love to see those on display, here in the very setting that provides most of the inspiration.’
Flora rolled her eyes. ‘Oh God, there aren’t enough hours in the day.’
‘And we’re rapidly running out of pairs of hands,’ said Hannah. ‘It isn’t just the space to run these things from, but you need people to help out too.’
‘So ideally it should all be located, if not in the same place, then at least close together so that you can man it all simply and efficiently. Otherwise you’ll be looking at employing a whole army of people just to keep folks happy and attended to.’
Fraser held up his hand. ‘I’m your man for the shop,’ he said. ‘I’m feeling better as each week goes by, but let’s not kid ourselves. It’s going to be a long time, if ever, before I can do a day’s work in the field. But I can man a shop.’ He grinned at Flora. ‘Turn on the charm, you know I’m good at that.’
Flora snorted, and Grace smiled at the easy-going relationship the young woman now shared with her father-in-law. It hadn’t always been that way, but Fraser’s heart attack had brought them all closer together.
‘Well, pardon me, who said anything about a shop?’ asked Flora, but she grinned as all eyes turned on her. ‘Okay, so we need a shop,’ she said. ‘And that would be the place where people could buy artwork from, ready-made bouquets, pay for flowers they’ve picked… and then we would also need another space where we could do demonstrations, or hold small workshops.’
Amos plucked a cherry tomato from a bowl on the table and threw it into his mouth like a sweet, grinning as he sought to contain a burst of juice from his mouth. ‘Grace,’ he managed, after a moment. ‘What kinds of people do you reckon will come and stay with you? Or let me put it another way – what kinds of people do youwantto come and stay with you? Who is your advertising going to be aimed at?’
She handed him a napkin. ‘Go on,’ she said. ‘Explain. I know there’s a reason why you’ve asked that question… What are you thinking?’
‘Only that when I first came here, Flora nearly bit my arm off because the students she had thought were coming to help on the farm had just stood her up…’
Hannah drew in a breath, rather sharply.
‘Now I’m not suggesting we have students staying here,’ continued Amos, giving Hannah an easy smile. ‘Because, lovely though young people are, they sometimes have a bit of working out their place in the world to go through. I think what we need here are folks who know exactly what they’re about, want to indulge it, and… are more than happy to pay for it.’
‘So?’
‘So, working on the basis that you like the idea of a retreat-based holiday, why not give folks the choice? They either could opt for a completely relaxing and pampering break to do with as they please, where they pay for any workshops, et cetera, they like. Or they could choose a “get away from the rat race working holiday”, one where, in return for putting in a few hours’ help on the farm, they get the workshops, courses or whatever free as part of the package, all in a very relaxed and informal setting. Either way they pay for sumptuous accommodation and gorgeous food, so Grace gets an income, and then the farm gets either some free labour or some paying punters for its courses… or very probably both.’
‘And then Fraser hits them with his winning smile and cheeky patter and gets them to part with even more dosh in the shop,’ suggested Flora.
There was stunned silence for a moment as everyone digested what Amos had said. Fraser was blushing a little, Flora was beaming from ear to ear and Ned and Hannah were exchanging looks. And Grace? She wasn’t sure what she was feeling, except that sitting here, under the shade of the trees, with a balmy breeze ruffling the tablecloth, it felt like a little slice of heaven. And if she could feel like this, perhaps other people would too.
‘What do you think, Grace?’ asked Amos.
He was leaning towards her, his voice hinting at the excitement she knew he was feeling, but it was his eyes that made Grace feel as if there were only the two of them sitting there. They held a softness that was wholly unnerving; Grace wasn’t used to that at all.
‘Could we really do all this?’ she whispered, hardly daring to voice it out loud.
Flora laid a hand on the table. ‘Amos?’
‘We could,’ he agreed. ‘The milking shed could be split quite easily to give you the space you need… and the design, with its raised walkways, would lend itself to becoming areas for display, or to facilitate demonstrations. Reinstate its original ceiling as well and you’d have a wonderfully light and airy building.’
Grace grinned at Flora. ‘Then I think it’s absolutely the best idea I’ve ever heard. I can’t quite believe it.’
Ned reached forward to take both Grace and Flora’s hands.
‘And are you still feeling frightened?’ he asked, looking at Grace.
She shook her head decisively. ‘Not any more,’ she said. ‘I’ve never been more certain of anything.’
12
‘I just hope the bees didn’t spot my antics the other day,’ said Amos, following Grace out of the house. ‘Otherwise I think I’m in for a rather hard time. I don’t suppose they take too kindly to strangers trying to give them a bad name.’
‘Oh, I’m sure you’ll have been forgiven. I like to think my bees are very good judges of character.’ She smiled, the golden afternoon sun catching her eyes as she did so. ‘And make no mistake, they’ll have spotted you, it’s their busiest time of year.’
‘So how often do you check the hives then?’ asked Amos.
‘In winter, not at all, and at other times of the year it varies depending on what I find when I open them. It’s incredibly tempting to keep checking on them, especially when you’re new to beekeeping and can see all the changes beginning to take place. But make no mistake, I need the bees much more than they need me, so the minimum necessary is what’s required. You’ll see when we open it how much it disrupts them, it’s almost like a shudder passes through the hive.’ She looked up to the sky. ‘This time of year, about once a week is a good idea, and on a day when it’s warm and still is best. Never when it’s raining, and I prefer to visit them early afternoon. Most of them will be out foraging then.’
