Page 12 of The Little Shop on Silver Linings Street
Daisy shook her head. ‘No… hang on a minute.’ She fished inside her bag, taking out the little cloth pouch she kept there. She laid its contents on the table: an assortment of shimmering flower heads, leaves and tiny buds. ‘These are all made from silver clay,’ she explained. ‘Just like the ivy leaf I’ve just started. But they’ve been fired with a gas torch so that the clay burns off, leaving just silver behind. It’s polished and then, well, you can see what it looks like.’
Flora stared, her eyes roaming the table. ‘Oh my God…’ She peered closer at the leaf in her hand. ‘So once this is finished it will look like those do, like silver?’ She looked up at Daisy, a hand held over her heart in wonder. ‘But these are so incredibly beautiful…’
‘Are they?’ Daisy blinked at her in surprise.
Flora nodded rapidly. ‘I’ve never seen anything like them before. I thought you said you weren’t a jeweller?’
‘I’m not, goodness… me?’ Her cheeks flushed red. ‘No, this is just a hobby and I—’
Flora snorted. ‘Well you damn well should be. These are stunning, Daisy, I mean it.’ She sat back, still holding the leaf in her hand. ‘Tell me what you see,’ she urged. ‘When you said about making the wreath more permanent and adding the silver. Explain.’
Daisy looked at her, astonished, but Flora wasn’t kidding – she actually wanted to know. She took a deep breath. ‘I’ve always loved the idea of jewellery being like a living thing, representing some part of yourself, something you love. And, for me, I’m generally happiest when I’m outside.’
She paused for a moment trying to gather what she needed to say. ‘There’s so much there that gives me joy – the teeniest detail on a petal, the gossamer threads of a spider’s web, or the beads of dew on a summer morning. So what I like to do is merge the two – natural items combined with silver work.’ She pulled a face. ‘It doesn’t always work, but here on this wreath, the colours and textures are just so wonderful I thought that if I could preserve all the materials then I could add small silver details. A bunch of ivy leaves for example, or a cluster of holly berries…’
She lifted up the wreath, peering at it. ‘I haven’t quite worked it all out yet, but I’d design the silver element so that it could be taken off and worn as a piece of jewellery if you wanted…’ She trailed off, not quite sure how to express herself.
‘So that the piece exists in more than one place,’ said Flora. ‘It becomes so much more than just a wreath. Wow… I have never ever thought of doing anything like that, but it’s inspired, Daisy. Really, it would look amazing.’
‘But is it even possible?’
Flora grinned and nodded. ‘Oh yes! The hydrangea heads are already dried, the willow is, well willow… and you could preserve the eucalyptus in glycerine before you used it; that way it would keep its colour and suppleness.’ She darted a look further down the room to where Grace was sitting at one of the other tables. ‘That’s actually a trick that Grace taught me. You can preserve all kinds of leaves that way.’
Daisy’s brain was already beginning to conjure numerous different possibilities. She looked down at her work and then back up at Flora whose eyes were shining with excitement, and she felt a tiny shiver run through her.
Flora reached out a hand and touched her arm. ‘I have got to get Amos down here to see this. Without Grace,’ she added. ‘This could be just the kind of thing he’s looking for.’ She stood up before Daisy could protest. ‘Wait here and I’ll go and fetch him. Act casual.’ She grinned at Daisy and winked before nonchalantly strolling back down the room to where Amos was still sitting, eating a sandwich beside the fire.
Daisy’s heart was hammering. This wasn’t supposed to happen. It was the first time she had ever shared her thoughts about the things she made, but Flora had liked them. No, Flora had loved them! She sat back and looked around her at the amazing space full of things that Flora had grown. There was a row of gorgeous prints on the wall, too, which added to the overall effect and, with so much else to look at in the room, Daisy realised that she had scarcely noticed them before. Now that she looked, she could see instantly who had created them – a woman with wild dark hair, wearing the brightest jumper that Daisy had ever seen, and who exuded such… joy… about everything she did. Daisy felt quite breathless from the feeling.
She took a deep breath, trying to damp down her feelings. Don’t get too carried away, she told herself; this wasn’t the kind of thing that happened to her. But further down the room she could see that Flora had sliced a piece of cake and was casually nibbling at it as she chatted to Amos. She was standing side on, so Daisy couldn’t see her expression but, as she watched, Amos looked straight down the room at her, a huge smile suddenly breaking out across his face. It was like having a spotlight shone on her.
Amos looked away quickly, placing his hand across his face, and Daisy recognised it as something she did when trying to hide how she felt. He nodded a couple of times and then Daisy saw Flora cross to where Grace was sitting and bend to say something in her ear. Grace got to her feet and with an easy smile made purposefully for the door at the far end. Seconds later, with Grace now gone, Amos came to sit beside her.
He fell on her silver pieces with undisguised glee. ‘See, I knew you’d be able to help me,’ he said.
‘I’m just sorry I couldn’t help you the other day, in the shop. Kit isn’t always very… helpful.’
Amos regarded her evenly. ‘I think he had his mind on other things, that’s all. But then he was reading a very good book, so I can see why that would be the case. Actually, you should ask him about it one day, I think you’d like it too.’
Daisy frowned. What a peculiar thing to say. She was about to reply when Amos continued.
‘Anyway, it was no matter. I don’t have the kind of money that would allow me to buy anything from Buchanans but, in fact, none of the things there were really what I was looking for. That kind of jewellery is—’
‘Ostentatious? Showy? For people who have money and would like the world to know it…’ She clamped a hand over her mouth. ‘Sorry, that was really rude.’
Amos smiled. ‘Just not for me,’ he finished, dipping his head in acknowledgement of her comment. ‘And not for Grace either, which is more important.’
‘No, of course,’ said Daisy quickly. ‘I don’t know her, obviously, but anyone can see that she’s… well, just lovely.’
Amos sighed. ‘Yes, she is. And I’d like you to make me something that tells her story, that tells her why I fell in love with her too.’
‘But do you really think I can do that? You haven’t even seen any of the things I’ve made, not really, and I—’
‘Daisy, I know that you are the perfect person to make me a gift for Grace. But if I had any doubt at all, that disappeared the moment I saw you here today. A feeling that has now been completely borne out by the fact that you actually make your own jewellery. People cross your path for a reason, I firmly believe that.’ He sat back and grinned. ‘See, it’s fate. You are destined to make something for me.’
She looked up at him. She’d never really thought about it before, but if Amos thought she had crossed his path for good reason, then that would also mean that he had crossed hers for a reason too… But the whole fate shenanigans… She tried to remain focused.
‘I think Kit mentioned that you were looking for something… ethereal? That’s not a term most people would use to describe jewellery.’
