Spring Blossoms at Mill Grange by Jenny Kane (fiction books to read .txt) 📕

it in the twenty-first century not the twentieth. ‘So, how is the old boy? I couldn’t hear much of what I was told in the car.’

While Tina was busy ordering, Mabel explained to Sam about Bert not being in the Coleridge ward after all, and how Jamie had taken care of them before going off home at the end of what they’d discovered was a twelve-hour shift.

‘You’d never have known; the lad was as lively as anything.’

Sam laughed. ‘So was I when I worked twelve hours at a time when I was young. Not so good at it now!’

‘Why do you think Bert and I nap in the afternoons between helping with lunch and dinner at the manor?’ Mabel smiled, but the sigh that escaped her was unmissable.

Sam gave her hand a supportive squeeze. ‘But Bert was in good spirits? His breathing an occasional issue rather than a crisis?’

‘The problem is that they’re concerned it might get worse not better. That’s why he’s staying in hospital, so if he does have a bad moment like he did on Friday night, then they can help him instantly. Although he’s upbeat, you can tell it costs Bert to speak for too long. Not that it stops him of course!’

Tina returned with a tray laden with cutlery and drinks. ‘We timed that well. Worst of lunch rush is over and the diners for evening meals aren’t here yet.’ She slid the tray onto the table. ‘I ordered ham, egg and chips all round. Hope that’s alright.’

‘Perfect.’ Mabel picked up her tea and cradled it to her chest. ‘Thank you both. I don’t know what I’d have done about seeing Bert today if you weren’t here.’

‘Our pleasure.’ Sam looked at Tina, who immediately inclined her head; agreeing with what she was sure Sam was about to say.

‘One of us will get you over to see Bert every day until he’s home.’

‘But you can’t. I mean, thank you, but Mill Grange needs you. The next round of visitors arrives tomorrow. I couldn’t ask you to interrupt the business for me. Bert wouldn’t like that either.’

‘You didn’t ask,’ Sam passed the cutlery around the table, ‘we offered. If Tina or I can’t bring you, then Tom or Helen will. We can all drive and we all adore you and Bert.’

‘But—’

Mabel’s objections were interrupted by the arrival of their food. After which Tina said, ‘Did you tell Sam about Bert trying to chat up the old dear in the bed next to him?’

Chuckling, Mabel speared a chip. ‘Made my day that did. The old fool is still after the redheads!’

‘But it was dyed – and a ghastly shade of red at that. It clashed alarmingly with her white wrinkled skin.’

‘She was laughing when we left her though, and she wasn’t when we arrived.’ Mabel looked proudly across at Tina. ‘My Bert did that.’

*

‘Unlike the public baths in many Roman towns, the bath suite at Birdlip would have been an exclusive place for specifically invited guests of high social status. We think of social networking as a new idea, but the Romans knew the value of it centuries ago. Bathing with your peers in places such as this, would have been an essential part of that networking process, enhancing business opportunities and improving personal status.

‘This area is part of the later phase of the villa’s development. We are looking at workmanship from the fourth century, whereas over there,’ Thea waved a hand to the left, ‘the earlier phases of the sites can be seen, with the outhouses and, what we expect, are servant’s quarters.’

Thea knelt to the tiny section of mosaic, picking up a soft brush and sweeping it over the tiles. ‘As you can see, Shaun and I have had the privilege of uncovering the first few rows of mosaic tesserae, or tiles, and I’m pleased to report that, so far, they are largely intact. Naturally, it is too soon to guess what pattern might be revealed, or indeed if we’re going to be lucky and have an undisturbed mosaic beneath us, but we could ultimately be looking at something in the same style as at Chedworth. If that’s the case, it may even have been created by the same artist.’ Thea looked directly into the camera, ‘Although, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s get back to the digging, and see what appears next.’

‘And cut!’

Before Julian could tell Thea how fantastic she was, Shaun stepped down into the bath house, next to her and engulfed her in a hug. ‘That was brilliant. Well done, love.’

‘Yes indeed.’ Julian brushed his hands together briskly. ‘Right then, if you could just put our guest historian down, Shaun, I need you to crack on. Let’s get some more hands in here and get this mosaic opened to the eyes of the world.’

Twisting on the balls of his feet, Julian suddenly looked back at the two archaeologists. ‘Drinks on me tonight, Thea. You deserve a treat after doing such a flawless job today.’

Fourteen

Tuesday March 24th

Holding the plans of the Roman fortlet before her, Helen stood at the head of the site and examined its layout. The publishers needed to know if she was going to write the book, or not, soon. But apart from Tom, she still hadn’t told anyone about the offer.

Tom.

The smile that had more or less lived on her face for the past few days widened as Helen twisted her stance. She could see him and his companions working across the fake trench on the other side of the site.

Helen knew Sam and Tina had noticed her new contentment, but she and Tom had agreed to say nothing about their walk on Saturday, nor the kiss that had followed on the clapper bridge. Gentle at first, tentative, it had quickly turned into something urgent and charged with passion. A kiss that had lasted so long, a rather embarrassed dog walker had been obliged to loudly cough at them, so they would stop and let him cross