Page 103 of A Year at Appleyard Farm
She nodded, swallowing.
‘When I came to see you yesterday, I was in a bit of a panic myself. I’d only just realised that we were potential witnesses to a crime and, apart from checking that you were okay, I did want to see if you could remember anything from that day. You totally floored me by saying that you actually knew who was driving the car which nearly hit us. The reasons you gave for not wanting to go to the police were valid ones, and yet today things seem…very different. You were obviously upset when you arrived here this morning, and if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, but you asked for my help. Am I right in thinking that something has happened since yesterday to cause your change of heart?’
Laura smiled. ‘That’s very tactfully put,’ she said. ‘I like that you referred to me as ‘upset’ when you could have described me as howling and weeping like a wild banshee.’
‘I thought about it.’ Stephen’s gaze was level.
She took a deep breath. ‘I know the lady who was knocked down. I only found out today when I went to visit her, but her name is Blanche; she’s a neighbour of mine and rather partial to my sloe gin. The thing is she’s the sweetest, kindest lady, who wouldn’t hurt a fly, and the thought of her lying there because of that evil cowardly scumbag is more than I can bear. I let the Drummond family get away with a terrible wrong in the past because I didn’t have the strength to fight any more. I’m not sure I have now, but if Blanche can fight for her life, then so can I…only I’m not sure I can do it on my own.’
‘So I’ll help you.’
Laura stared at him. ‘Just like that?’
‘Just like that,’ he replied. ‘Besides which, you’re forgetting that I’m a potential witness too, so I’m obliged to help, plus, I’m looking for a lost cause to support so that folks can see I’ve redeemed my wicked ways. I think you might do nicely.’
Laura’s cheeks grew hot again. ‘You’re teasing me now,’ she huffed. ‘Stop it.’
‘Only a smidge.’ Stephen grinned. ‘After all I need to keep you sweet – my future sister-in-law will have my guts for garters if I do anything to jeopardise her wedding preparations.’
‘Oh my God!’ exclaimed Laura, putting her mug down with a thump. ‘Freya. I’d completely forgotten about her. I’m supposed to be meeting her this afternoon with some ideas, and I’ve got nothing prepared. What am I going to do?’
‘I don’t know. What do you need?’
‘Only half the hedgerows between here and Much Marlowes.’
Stephen wedged his mug between his knees and waggled both hands. ‘I’m not fit for much fancy stuff, but I can pick, will that help?’
54
Laura held her breath. ‘What do you think?’ she asked.
The table was covered in flowers, fruit, berries, greenery and indeed a sample from every hedge and field for miles around it seemed. At the far end, Freya sat in absolute wonder, clearly trying to take in everything she had been shown..
‘It looks incredible. The colours, the smells… Everything is so enticing, I want it all,’ she said, laughing.
‘We might have gone a bit overboard,’ admitted Laura, smiling at the memory of Stephen’s eagerness as he gathered and picked the best of what the countryside had to offer. ‘But I wanted to show you what the decoration in the marquees could look like. I have some very strong ideas for your bouquet, and these will be echoed in the more formal church arrangements, but I thought the reception could take something a little less structured. The beauty of these extended garlands is that they just grow out of whatever comes to hand at the time. There’s no uniformity to them, but instead each area is worked up with a variety of colours and textures, whatever fits, pretty much.’
‘What do you think, Stephen?’ asked Freya.
Laura smothered a smile at the memory of Freya’s raised eyebrows as she caught sight of Stephen casually leaning up against her sink earlier. A long and rather ponderous explanation for his presence followed which, in Laura’s opinion, made it seem far more suspicious than it really was. In truth, she wasn’t sure why he had stayed either but, as the day had worn on, her determination of the morning had begun to fade and her doubts chipped away at her again. It was only Stephen’s cheerful chatter that had kept her from succumbing to her fears, and she knew that without him, she would be feeling very different.
Now, Freya’s reactions to her ideas were more than she could ever have wished for. By the time she and Stephen had returned from hunting out and collecting the various plants she wanted to use, it was the middle of the afternoon, which hadn’t left her much time to think about her ideas and make up a few samples. To be honest, she had been winging it for much of their conversation, but she and Freya were so much on the same wavelength that Laura had needed only to start a sentence to have Freya finish it.
She suddenly became aware that Stephen was staring at her. He had come to join them at the table after a while, but so far had said very little.
‘Sorry, did you say something?’ she asked, pulling herself back to the conversation.
‘Only that I’ve never seen anything quite like this before. And could I please have another chocolate?’
Laura pulled the tray out from beneath her notebook. She pushed it towards him.
‘To be fair,’ he added, ‘I’m not one to frequent florist’s shops on a regular basis, so I have no idea what wedding flowers are supposed to look like.’
Freya slapped his arm. ‘Don’t be so rude,’ she said.
Stephen looked indignant. ‘I’m not being rude. You asked for my opinion, and I gave it. I have no idea what brides like these days, but in my humble opinion what we’ve seen here is truly beautiful. Even I can see that. The sweets are lovely too.’
‘Yes, well, I’m not supposed to be eating those,’ said Freya, ‘or I’ll never fit into my dress. But they are gorgeous. What did you say they were?’
