Page 70 of The Twilight Garden

‘Roger Bowen,’ replied Hannah. ‘He’s a star. And I’m sure he’ll help. He gets involved in loads of stuff locally, and he’s on the Parish Council committee too, so he knows a lot of folk.’

‘And you said there are two gardening clubs?’

Hannah tapped her head as if remembering. ‘Yes, let me look up the details of the second one. I don’t know the lady who runs it but it’s quite a big group, I think. And there’s also the chair of the school’s Parent Teacher Association. They hold an annual plant sale every year to raise funds for the school, so there must be some budding gardeners among them.’

Gemma’s head was spinning. ‘I only hope some of them might be free on Saturday. It’s very short notice, but apart from ringing round, I don’t know how else to get the message out in time.’

Hannah pointed to the far wall. ‘Take a look on the community noticeboard while I get these numbers for you. Somewhere on there are the contact details for the local radio station, and the lady who does the morning show is called Amy Johnson. Mention my name because our kids are in the same class at school, and if you explain, I’m sure she’ll be able to give you a shoutout tomorrow. That still gives folks a day to get themselves organised.’

Gemma hadn’t even thought of that, and hurried over to the board. By the time she had copied down the number she needed, Hannah was waiting with the last piece of information. It was plenty to be going on with for now. She opened her bag to take out the tub of brownies she’d brought with her.

‘These are for you,’ she said, pushing them across the counter. ‘And don’t argue. I don’t know what I would have done without you. Today, and on all the other occasions you’ve helped me out. The information on Ashley is going to be enormously helpful too. I can’t thank you enough.’

Hannah dipped her head. ‘All in a day’s work,’ she said. ‘But I really hope you make a success of things at the farm. What time do you want people arriving on Saturday? I’ll spread the word if I can.’

‘We thought from nine onwards. No pressure, people can come whenever they want and stay for as long as they like. There’ll be refreshments too… at least I hope there will. We’re calling on our baking contact to help us out with that.’

‘Great, then I’ll see what I can do.’ Hannah slid the brownies under the counter with a secretive smile.

Gemma looked at her list, checking she had everything she needed. ‘I’d better get a move on and start ringing people.’ She dropped her notebook back in her bag and was about to go when Hannah stopped her.

‘Where are you off to? I know you don’t have any signal at the farm. Go and sit down over there to make your calls. As long as you don’t shout, it’s fine. Besides, you never know, someone might overhear and want to join in. I’ll make you a coffee in a minute.’

Gemma was in a daze by the time she got back to Thistledown, running on adrenaline and a desperate hope that people might do as they’d said. She’d only had one call which she didn’t think would go anywhere and that was to the lady who ran one of the gardening clubs. Telling the story of what had happened at the farm took time, and was convoluted, and each time she told it, it seemed to get longer, but most people had at least listened. This lady had cut her off, barked a few questions and said to leave it with her. Gemma had a feeling their conversation would have been forgotten two minutes later, but she had tried, and she couldn’t expect everyone to respond positively. It wasn’t personal to them, and they had their own lives to lead.

Work was well underway on the farm track when she arrived, so she parked at the side of the road and picked her way along it, trying her best not to get in anyone’s way. Now, at least, if people did turn up they’d be able to drive onto the site and park up. Plus, there was plenty of space for them to do so. It was a good sign, and she felt optimistic as she reached the house.

She found Willow in the kitchen, head bent over a large notepad and adding to what looked like a very long list. The big earthenware teapot stood in the middle of the table and Gemma automatically laid her hand against it. It was cold.

‘I’ll make a new pot,’ said Willow, looking up and blinking, stretching out the muscles of her face and neck. ‘That one only lasted a couple of minutes so I doubt there’s even any left.’ She smiled. ‘And there’s flapjack in the tin.’

‘Let me,’ said Gemma. ‘And you can tell me how you got on.’

‘Well…’ Willow laid down her pen and pushed the pad away from her. ‘I got on fine, but since I came home I keep thinking of more and more things we need to do. And just when I reckon I’ve covered everything, something else occurs to me. I don’t see how we can possibly do it all.’

Gemma eyed her taut expression. She looked totally overwhelmed.

‘Right, so let’s get another pot of tea going, and then go through it together. Two heads, and all that…’

Willow smiled gratefully. ‘Of course, none of it will matter if no one comes. Have you woven your magic?’

‘The wand was a little dusty but I think I did okay,’ she replied, lifting the teapot from the table. ‘Hannah told me the man from the food bank was a star, and he really is. His name’s Roger and he’s also on the Parish Council, so he was not only thrilled at the offer of food, but also interested to hear what we might be able to offer longer-term. The council has been trying to get land for allotment use for years it seems, but none has ever been available.’

‘Hmm… probably because Ashley’s family own it all.’

‘I didn’t think of that, but you’re probably right. In any case, it would seem to be great timing. Roger said that they get regular enquiries from people looking to grow their own food, particularly in the current climate. It’s rather a hot potato, he said, forgive the pun…’

Willow groaned.

‘So he’s on board, and the lady from the primary school Parent Teacher Association was really helpful too. She said she’d definitely come and hoped to be able to rustle up a few more folk. Oh, and she offered us the use of their urn. I wondered what she meant at first but apparently it’s a water heater – a big metal bin-shaped thing with a tap at the bottom. They use it for doing teas and coffees at all their events. She’s going to bring it with her when she comes.’

‘Oh, fantastic,’ replied Willow, putting a strike through one of the items on her list. ‘I wondered how we were going to make drinks en masse.’

‘She did ask if we might be able to donate a few plants for their annual fair in return, and I said that wouldn’t be a problem. I hope that’s okay? We’ve missed this year’s anyway – it’s held in May – so we’ve got until next year before we have to pay them back.’ She stared out of the window, ransacking her memory. ‘I think I’ve also got one of the gardening groups on board. There are two that Hannah knew of, and the second I’m not sure about, but potentially a few people at least. And I’ve also been in touch with the local radio station. The lady there who does the morning show, and is also known to Hannah – is there anyone she doesn’t know? – has taken all the details and can’t promise, but she’ll give us a shoutout if she can. I’m quietly optimistic.’ She sat down to wait for the kettle to boil.

‘Wow…’ said Willow, blinking hard. ‘I didn’t think people would want to support us. That they’d even care.’

‘But then the comments that were made when you moved in were most likely from Ashley’s family, or people connected to them. There’s enough of them to make a noise if they want to, but I think it’s the usual story… They’re a small minority, and it isn’t until you start talking to people that you realise how many of them don’t like the family because of the way they’ve been treated in the past. No one likes to say anything though, do they? Worried to rock the boat, but as soon as one person gives it a shove, the rest all come sailing along to lend a hand.’