Page 51 of The Twilight Garden

Ashley returned her smile. ‘So you haven’t been slacking at all then.’

‘Maybe not, but I have been leaving you to get on with all this. It’s coming along nicely though, don’t you think?’

‘I think it’s incredible. I wasn’t really sure what to expect when you first asked me to help out, but I feel a bit like an ancient archaeologist uncovering treasures. It’s a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I don’t even mind the fact that every muscle in my body is aching either – all this exercise must be doing me good.’ She paused, a little shy now. ‘I wanted to thank you,’ she said. ‘For asking me to help. I don’t think I realised how bored I was before. I filled my days, but nothing much had any purpose. I felt as if my life was on hold. Now, apart from the fact that I’m sleeping much better, I wake up in the morning excited by the day ahead. I haven’t done that in a long while.’

It was exactly how Gemma felt. Looking after her mother the way she had, had been absolutely the right thing to do, but she had felt as if she were in limbo the last few weeks before coming to the farm. At the time she hadn’t wanted to acknowledge such a thing; it had felt shameful even to harbour such thoughts, but it was true nonetheless. The future hadn’t been something which existed back then, but now… She remembered too when she and Ashley had first met, when Ashley’s grandmother had been so critical of her and so unkind. It hadn’t seemed fair at all, and now that she knew Ashley better, she realised it was unjustified as well. The garden was changing her life, too, and the thought of losing all that they had both gained if she had to give it up wasn’t something she wanted to dwell on.

She dipped her head, blushing slightly. ‘Then I’m glad,’ she said. ‘It makes me feel much less guilty about the amount of work there is to do. Or the fact that you seem to be doing an awful lot of it.’

She peered up at the sky. ‘Is it me, or is it getting quite hot? Shall I swing by the house and bring us a drink before I get stuck in? I’ll prune this row when I get back and then perhaps make a start on the other end. It would be amazing if we could get this section finished today.’

Ashley wiped a hand across her forehead. ‘I’m sweating buckets. Is it that obvious?’ She grinned.

Gemma got to her feet. ‘Back in a minute. With any luck there might be some of the elderflower cordial left that Willow made. And some cake.’

19

JUNE

The day, immeasurably long, sleeps over the broad hills and warm wide fields.

To have lived through all its sunny hours, seems longevity enough.

The solitary places do not seem quite lonely.

​— ​RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Tugging on her shoes, Gemma slipped out of the kitchen door and headed outside. Dinner had been eaten, the washing-up had been done and the hens firmly shut away for the night. Everyone else had already disappeared to do their own thing, so now Gemma had several hours ahead of her before bedtime and there was one place which called to her every evening.

The light in the garden was beautiful at this time of day, the sun’s amber rays turning the paths to gold. She made her way towards the old crate where she still liked to sit, where Leo liked to sit too. It was warm – the kind of early summer evening which heralded countless riches to come, and she let the still air fill her with a deep sense of peace.

She sat that way for several minutes, emptying her mind and just enjoying the beauty of the place. Four months was all it had taken. To remind her of the way her life used to be, when her dad had still been alive and they had lived deep in the countryside. It was as natural to her as breathing had been back then, at one with everything around her, her body responding to the seasons, feeling their shift and the pull they exerted on her. Each its own time. Each its own character. That sense of place was what she had missed most, she could see that now. Living in a town cheek by jowl with everyone else had been convenient, it had been easy and undemanding, but it had been soulless. And it had taken away the sense of space as a thing which existed inside of her, which calmed her, anchored her and made her feel as if there was time for everything. In the town, she had felt rushed and pressured, but Thistledown had taught her how to breathe again. That it felt so right was an even more poignant reminder of what had gone from her life.

She closed her eyes briefly, opening them again to take a deep breath. She needed to remember what was important. And deep down, she already knew what that was; it didn’t take much thinking about. Everything they were doing at the farm should continue, should grow and expand in a way that was right for Rowan and Willow, not what was right for her. They needed all their resources for food, to create the systems which would sustain them for years to come, not something which, while it might look pretty, would only ever take their finances in one direction – the wrong one. She expelled a sigh and let her eyes travel the garden in front of her. There was much to be thankful for, and this rare beauty was free.

It wasn’t a noise which pricked at her senses, more just a feeling – that she was no longer alone – and she half turned, not at all surprised to see Leo standing behind her. He smiled, slow and warm as the sun.

‘Seems like I’m not the only one who favours this spot,’ he said, his voice deliberately soft and low. ‘The view in the distance reminds me of the one behind your old house.’

Perhaps that was why she loved it. Not just for the garden, but for its likeness to the spot where her dad used to sit of an evening, ostensibly reading the newspaper but with his binoculars close by, in case he spotted something in the tall grasses. She smiled, taken aback to realise that, not so long ago, anything Leo said which in any way referenced her father would have seen her anger rise quicker than the swallows which crossed their yard, but which today made the memory hum like the sweetest tune.

She indicated the other crate a little distance away. ‘Pull up a chair,’ she said.

‘Are you sure? I don’t want to disturb you, I just…’

She raised her eyebrows. ‘Needed somewhere to think?’

‘Partly,’ he admitted. ‘But it was more for a reminder.’

She gave him a quizzical look.

‘That I’m doing the right thing,’ he added. ‘With the business.’ He paused a moment. ‘And more specifically that I’m not leading Rowan and Willow down the garden path.’

‘How could you be doing that? They came here to live their dream, but you’re the one who’s made that possible. Without you, none of their vision would ever have been realised.’ She took in the sceptical expression on his face. ‘It’s true. Willow told me about the show they went to, where they first met you. She said you were the only person there who was honest, who believed in what you said, who actually lived by your principles, not just donned them like a spare jacket whenever you needed to.’

Leo gave a wry smile. ‘That’s just the problem. None of their dream is being realised at the moment. Not in the way it should be anyway.’

‘Ah…’ Suddenly Leo’s words made more sense. ‘You’re still struggling with your wiring.’