Page 33 of The Little Shop on Silver Linings Street
Norfolk… You?
She smiled and flexed her fingers.
No good I’m afraid. I’m a very long way from there.
She tapped a finger on the edge of the keyboard while she thought of what else to say.
So then I guess the only way to do this is for you to send me as much information as you can about your girlfriend: what she likes, dislikes, her hobbies, attributes, favourite colours, that kind of thing. Maybe even some pictures of things she already has? I can sketch you some ideas with prices and maybe take it from there? Oh, and I need to know what you’re thinking of – a bracelet, earrings, necklace?
She pressed send, and then, as an afterthought:
And you’d best be quick, sorry, but there’s not much time left…
Almost immediately a new message appeared.
I know, I’m sorry. I travel a lot on business and am generally hopeless! Definitely a necklace though – I want her to wear it next to her heart – Aw! The rest of the stuff sounds good… Can you leave it with me? I’ll give you as much as I can, as soon as I can, but I’m away again in the morning for a couple of days. Friday at the latest, I promise!
Okay, I look forward to hearing from you.She typed in reply.Many thanks.
Daisy closed the lid of her laptop thoughtfully. Oh, it was so romantic. Imagine having a boyfriend who wanted to do that for you. She didn’t think he was hopeless at all, in fact, he sounded wonderful. She glanced at her watch and began to collect her things together. It was almost time to go.
* * *
Her nerves had been steadily building with every mile she drove and as Daisy approached Grace’s house, down an enormous long driveway, she almost turned around again and went home. It was the grandest approach she’d ever seen, winding up a hill through an avenue of trees. Even in winter it had a definite air of the majestic about it.
She was relieved, however, that the house at the top of the driveway was not quite as grand as the approach had led her to believe. More of a large cottage, or possibly two cottages joined together; a jumble of roof lines and warm red walls, but a handsome house, nonetheless. It looked very fine indeed with a pair of small Christmas trees flanking the front doorsteps, each topped with a huge red bow. An enormous wreath hung on the front door and Daisy smiled to herself when she saw it. Of course, what else?
An owl hooted somewhere behind her as she climbed from the car and, as she crossed the gravelled forecourt, it was answered by another. She stopped to listen but after a moment she moved on, feeling the keenness of the wind after the contrasting heat of the car.
It felt like several weeks had passed since she had been on the course, but the barely contained excitement of Grace’s greeting instantly brought back the warmth of their first meeting.
‘Come in, come in,’ said Grace. ‘Oh, this is going to be so much fun!’ She led the way down the softly lit hallway, halting when she realised that Daisy was lagging behind. She doubled back.
‘Do you like it?’
They were standing by a large wall hanging made from some sort of fine gauzy material. Golden in colour, it shimmered in the soft light, but it was what was contained within that caught Daisy’s eye. The rectangle of fabric had been divided into square ‘pockets’, similar to a sheet of ravioli, but inside of each… Daisy peered closer, yes, they really were… real leaves, bright yellows and reds in colour, some large, some small, some pockets containing more than one leaf. It was beautiful. Underneath it, on a polished wooden console table, stood a huge bowl of winter foliage, rich green ivy and holly, dotted with ruby berries, and all intermingled with gilded pine cones.
‘Did you make this, Grace?’ she asked, her eyes roving over the stunning details in front of her. She didn’t really need to wait for the answering nod. ‘I think it’s amazing.’
Grace touched a hand to the fabric, smiling warmly. ‘I’m really pleased you like it. The leaves within are preserved in glycerine, just like Flora was explaining on the course. It means that they stay pliable, but more importantly they keep all their gorgeous colour.’
Daisy nodded, mentally adding what she had seen to her list of facts about Grace, some of which she was sure would be used to provide inspiration for the piece of jewellery that she would be making. There was colour and texture everywhere in this hallway, but the effect was very understated and elegant, much like Grace herself.
‘So, are you a florist too?’
‘No, just a keen gardener. Whatever the season I try to bring as much of the outside, inside, but I’ve always loved finding new ways of using plants and flowers as decoration. That’s why I’m so intrigued to see your wreath.’ She pointed to the bag that Daisy was still holding. ‘Is that it?’
Daisy looked up, spotting Amos at the end of the hallway.
‘Hello again,’ he said, coming forward. ‘Come and get warm, Daisy, it’s bitter out there tonight.’
‘Yes, do,’ said Grace. ‘The fire’s lit and it’s about time someone else hogged it other than Amos.’ She smiled at him fondly and Daisy caught a flash of something passing between them.
Amos noticed her slight frown. ‘It’s a long story,’ he said, smiling. ‘Let’s just say that having done without creature comforts for quite some time until fairly recently, I’m somewhat of a convert to the lure of an open fire and a cosy armchair.’
‘I don’t blame you,’ replied Daisy. ‘It’s the first thing I do when I get home.’ She was about to ask Amos if he’d been away, when Grace touched her arm lightly.
‘I’ll take your coat,’ she said. ‘Dinner won’t be long, but we’ve time enough for a little chat first. Can I get you something to drink?’
