Page 10 of The Twilight Garden

A huge pane of glass faced her, encased by a metal frame so slender it was almost invisible. Another panel joined it, this time covered in what looked like wooden tiles, one overlapping the other. Set at an angle to the first, this second panel slanted away from them, and as they neared, Gemma could see a third panel, again made of glass, and again at the same angle from its neighbour. She tipped her head to one side, trying to make sense of the building in front of her. It really was like a honeycomb.

‘We didn’t want to compromise on our home,’ said Willow. ‘Our work is tough at times and this place… it’s a haven. It’s also, believe it or not, exceptionally ecologically sound. It has one of the lightest footprints we could find.’

Gemma followed Willow inside, her mouth virtually hanging open the whole way. The front door opened straight into the kitchen, a large, airy room which was flooded with light from above. It still wasn’t anything like you’d find within the pages of Homes and Gardens but it had been touched by Willow’s personality, with a joyous yet calming simplicity, and Gemma could see it would be a natural space to gravitate to. It was also, she realised, open to two other rooms – one a cosy living room, and the other some sort of study or workroom. The other rooms weren’t large, neither were they particularly glamorous, but after the relative chaos of the space outside, Gemma could see that the word haven which Willow had used to describe them was well chosen. They were clean, bright and airy, and far beyond Gemma’s expectations.

‘The bathroom is through there,’ said Willow, pointing. ‘And the bedrooms are this way.’ She walked towards a door at the rear of the kitchen which opened to reveal a short corridor. ‘I hope the sky is still blue,’ she added with a mysterious smile. ‘It will make all the difference.’ She pushed open a door at the end, standing back to allow Gemma to pass.

Gemma could see immediately that the sky was still blue because, as she entered the room, she found herself facing another wall of glass. She took in the simple furnishings as she moved forward: a double bed, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a large rug which covered most of the floor – all things she might have expected to find – but they stayed in her focus no longer than a second, displaced by what the blue sky had revealed.

Her feet drew her towards the window, where she stood, hand resting lightly against the glass, in open awe at the view in front of her. She was forty-two years old and in all those years she’d never seen one like it.

5

‘It was never going to be easy, Gemma.’

Gemma eyed Cat from across the room, the space between them filled with boxes. She knew leaving this house was never going to be easy, but today it felt impossible. She could hardly bring herself to step outside the front door for fear the building would vanish, taking all of her memories with it and locking them away where she would never find them. Her mum existed inside this house, and outside of it, she didn’t – it was as simple as that. Wherever Gemma had gone in the past, and whatever she’d done, she had come home to this house every night, comforted by the knowledge that she could do so, knowing that she could keep her mum close for just that little bit longer. Now, her time had run out. Someone else would be making this their home.

‘I’m not sure I can do this,’ she said, her eyes filling with tears. And for the third time in as many days, Cat wrapped her arms around Gemma and told her that she was brave. And that she would get through this, just as she had everything else. That it would hurt, at times so much it was almost unbearable, but that one day it wouldn’t hurt quite so much and Gemma might begin to think about doing all the things she had promised herself. She would start living the rest of her life, start finding the joy in things again. Start laughing, start loving, and none of it would ever, ever mean she had loved her mum any less.

‘And you’re sure I’m not being stupid?’ she asked, her head still buried in Cat’s shoulder.

Cat pushed her gently away so that she could look at her properly. ‘I’m only going to say this once,’ she said. ‘You can change your mind any time and come and live with me for a while. But I’m also going to say that as much as I might want you to, I know it’s not the right thing for you, just as you know it’s not. When you came home from Thistledown and told me all about it, there was something in your eyes I haven’t seen in a long while, and whatever put that something there is worth pursuing.’

‘So I wasn’t just seduced by a nice view and dresses with pockets.’

Cat grinned in spite of Gemma’s tears. ‘Perhaps… but there’s nothing wrong with that either. You might not know what it is yet, but something about the advert spoke to you in the first place, and your visit continued the conversation. We don’t always know why a thing happens until after the event, when we can look back with hindsight and attribute it to some great wisdom. But maybe the wisdom is that we don’t have to know beforehand, we just have to trust.’

‘You’re good at this, aren’t you?’ Gemma sniffed. ‘Anybody would think you want rid of me.’

‘I want you to be happy,’ replied Cat. ‘And I don’t think staying here will allow that, I really don’t. You deserve some happiness, and who’s to say this won’t be the thing to give it to you? But you’ll never know if you don’t go and find out.’ She swiped her thumb across Gemma’s cheek. ‘Meanwhile, let’s have a cup of tea and finish the packet of chocolate biscuits. Then we’ll shift the last of these boxes.’

Gemma straightened and wiped away the rest of her tears. ‘That, I can do,’ she said.

‘So come on then,’ said Cat a few minutes later, her hands wrapped around a mug. ‘Tell me all about Willow, and her husband. What did you say his name was?’

‘Rowan.’

‘That’s it. Blimey… Willow and Rowan.’ Cat grinned. ‘I dread to think what they’d call their kids… or as we like to call them, saplings…’

‘Cat!’ exclaimed Gemma. ‘You can’t say things like that.’

Her friend smirked. ‘Okay, okay… but you have to admit it’s funny. Anyway, what are they like? Old? Young? Beautiful? Destined to replace me as your best friend?’

Gemma smiled, rolling her eyes at Cat’s sense of humour. ‘I don’t know about that, but they seemed nice. Well, she did. I didn’t get to meet him. He was out collecting some wood – don’t make any more jokes,’ she warned. ‘But I reckon they’re both in their forties too – maybe a little older than me, I find it hard to tell. She has got the most amazing skin. Honestly, it’s like something from one of our skincare commercials, only real. But not a scrap of make-up. And long golden hair, too… But what struck me most was that she has this air of…’ She wiggled her fingers, searching for the right word. ‘It’s like, a stillness, or…’ She shrugged. ‘I guess she’s just happy. Hopefully some of it will rub off on me.’

‘She sounds nauseating.’ Cat smirked again, eyeing Gemma over the rim of her mug. ‘But from what you said, the farm is a new venture for them too, so how did they wind up there?’

‘A change of direction,’ replied Gemma, taking a sip of her own drink. ‘They both used to be teachers. Both burnt out, both disillusioned with where their profession was heading and both determined to do something different while they were still young enough. She used the word “retirement” and reckons what they’re doing now is not work, it’s just a different way of living, but it’s certainly not that. It looks bloody hard.’

‘Well, you know what they say… love what you do and you’ll never work another day again.’

Gemma laughed. ‘Yeah, just like at Mayfield Dawson. I’ll remind you of that when you’re up against a deadline and pulling another all-nighter.’

‘Don’t… I’m almost beginning to feel envious. So what will you be doing?’

‘Willow said it’s just like gardening, really, only on a larger scale. I think it will be a question of whatever needs doing, but mainly helping with the fruit and veg planting. She said that’s what she’s focusing on at the moment.’

‘Which you can do, no problem. You used to enjoy gardening.’