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I exhale and try not to lose my temper. “Why?”
“The bees feed on them,” she says as if that’s a reasonable answer.
“Your bees will have to feed elsewhere, it’s a big island.” I wave an arm to indicate the countryside.
“No, these are specific varieties down this hill.”
I don’t understand and stare at her uncomprehending.
“The bees make different honey from these.”
“I don’t care. It’s my land and—”
The wind whips her hair and clothes; dark clouds piling overhead. The other woman clings on to the bush mindless of the thorns. I can’t understand why Elodie is so careless of the woman’s safety. I don’t know much about cognitive disabilities, but I know you’re not supposed to let someone with Down Syndrome be this close to machinery that could hurt them. “Shouldn’t you take her inside?”
Unbelievably, Elodie doesn’t seem to have even heard me. “The hill belongs to all of us.”
“Exactly, and this section of it belongs to me, so I’ll thank you to take your traumatised friend and let me get on with my work.”
“There are no sections that belong to anyone. It’s common ownership.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Do you see a fence? No. Because there are no divisions.”
“There was never any point of putting up fences since no one was using the land.”
“It is being used. The bees are using them.”
“Well, when the bees come and bring me land deeds, I’ll be happy to discuss it with them.”
She stands her ground, arms firmly crossed over her chest. A drop of rain lands on my nose. The rain is coming, and this little interruption has wasted time I could have used to clear a lot of the garden. it doesn’t improve my temper one bit.
“These are unique buckthorns, firethorn, and blackthorn. This is where they grow, nowhere else.”
“So let me understand, your bees have been using my land and eating my flowers without permission.”
She glares at me. “It’s not funny.”
“In future I would be grateful if you could inform your bees this restaurant is closed. If I catch any of them down at the hawthorns or whatever the hell it is they like to eat, I will charge rent.”
Fat rain drops fall on Elodie’s hair making loose strands stick to her face, but she ignores them. “The hill is commonly owned by all of us. You can ask.”
“I don’t need to ask, but I will. For now, can you both please get back on your side and stop disturbing me.”
The rain is really coming down. Not wanting the electric cable to get wet, I pick up the saw to take it inside. “I have a man and a tractor coming next week and this entire hillside is going to be dug up. If you find this upsetting, then my advice is, keep away from my garden.”
We both hurry out of the rain. Most of my roof is still missing so water washes the dust and dirt off the tiles and comes down the stone walls. By the time I’ve stowed away the tools, my clothes and hair are drenched and dirty. Dashing through the rain to get into the camping pod, I kick off my muddy boots and clothes and get into the shower.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Hal
Even with the water on its hottest setting, scrubbing my hair and skin doesn’t scrub off the LeFevres. Of all the bloody nerve! Asking me not to do what I like on my own land because it doesn’t suit her and her bees. It would be funny if it weren’t so annoying.
Fifteen minutes later, still dripping, I pad to the kitchenette and click on the kettle. The gift hamper from Blue Sage Café is still full and I have to rummage around packets of Lemon Verbena, Mint, Spicy Pear and God knows what until I find my box of coffee. Herbal tea was invented by people who didn’t have annoying neighbours.
Then I collect the pile of dirty clothes off the floor and dump them into the washing machine. And just for an instant, Lynsey’s face floats up from my memory bank. Since she moved in with me, she never let me do any housekeeping. So, for the last month, I’ve had to re-learn the habits of keeping my home tidy.
