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

It was almost nine o’clock. Thea had promised she’d help her this morning, but so far, the only people she’d seen were Tom and Dylan, who’d already had their breakfast, and were weeding the walled garden with Sam. Helen, she suspected, had been up long before her, and was already hard at work on her book in the store room office.

Assuming Thea had overslept, Tina dipped a cookie in her mug and surveyed the kitchen. That was the room that would need the most work before Sunday. Everyone always wanted to see the kitchen, whether it was semi-modernised and in use or not.

‘Right. Mabel will be here in a minute to help clean up.’ Tina spoke bracingly to the paper in front of her. ‘Until then, I’ll write wedding invitations.’

Tina felt a surge of happiness as she read the words, “Miss Tina Martin and Mr Sam Philips invite you to their wedding at Mill Grange – two o’clock, May 23rd” which had been printed in gold script across the front of each perfectly square invite.

She’d addressed fifteen envelopes before the familiar pad of Mabel’s soft soled shoes walking along the corridor that joined the kitchen with the main door made Tina recheck the time. Half past nine and still no sign of Thea or Shaun. Guessing they were making the most of having a lie in, in a decent sized bed, Tina shuffled the sealed envelopes into a pile, and ticked off the names of the people invited so far from her list.

‘Morning, Mabel.’ Tina gestured to the kettle. ‘I was about to heat some water before cleaning the dresser, would you like a cuppa at the same time?’

‘No thanks, dear. Bert and I just had one.’ Mabel gestured to the invitations. ‘Good to see you’ve made a start.’

‘I wasn’t sure what to do first, to be honest. There’s so much to get done.’

‘It’ll all happen, don’t worry.’ Mabel hooked an apron out of her bag and tied it in place. ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I asked Diane if she’d like to help out.’

‘Not at all. She was brilliant when we were restoring Mill Grange before Sam bought the place. Thanks, Mabel.’

‘My pleasure. I knew you’d be okay with it.’ Mabel winked. ‘Diane will be here at ten.’

Tina laughed. ‘You’re priceless.’

‘So Bert tells me.’

‘How is he this morning?’

‘Getting better by the day.’ Squeezing some washing up liquid into a bowl in the sink, Mabel added some of the hot water from the kettle to the bowl and pulled on her rubber gloves. ‘Having the wedding to look forward to has galvanised him. Thanks for asking him to be involved. It means a lot to him. To us.’

‘As if we could do it without you!’ Tina grinned. ‘Tom tells me he has enlisted Bert to help with planning Helen’s birthday as well.’

Mabel smiled. ‘The old boy was chuffed about that. Certainly plenty to keep his mind occupied while he watches appalling day time television.’ Wrinkling her nose against the commonality of turning a television set on before the evening news, Mabel asked, ‘Where is Helen anyway, and Thea, come to that?’

‘I haven’t seen them. Helen’s probably working on the book. She wants to squeeze as many words out as she can before she leaves.’

Mabel sighed. ‘She is going then?’

‘She hasn’t said otherwise.’

‘But Sam did ask her to stay?’

‘He did.’ Tina shrugged. ‘But we can’t offer her anything like the wage the Baths can. And she has her own home in Bath.’

‘And Tom and Dylan?’

‘I haven’t liked to ask.’ Tina put the invitations in a drawer out of the way of the cleaning frenzy that was about to begin. ‘They seem happy together, but whenever I ask about Tom, she changes the subject.’

‘Ah well, early days for them yet.’ Mabel spoke sagely. ‘Time will tell.’

‘I expect you’re right.’ Tina pulled on a pair of yellow Marigolds. ‘I’m not sure where Thea is. I thought she might be having a lie in, but she promised she’d help from nine. It isn’t like her to be still in bed at ten, even if Shaun is with her.’

Footsteps in the corridor made the women look at each other.

‘That’s probably her now.’ Mabel plunged her arms into the washing up bowl just as Sam appeared.

‘Did I miss the kettle boiling?’

‘You did.’ Tina held her gloved hands up as if to show she was already in Mrs Mop mode. ‘We thought you were Thea. I don’t suppose you’ve seen her this morning?’

‘She’s in the main garden with Shaun. Looked like they were having a heart to heart.’

‘Really?’ Tina turned to face the gardens. ‘I wonder what that’s about?’

Mabel paused in her labours. ‘Must be something to do with Landscape Treasures. Thea wouldn’t be late without good reason.’

‘That’s true.’ Sam turned to Tina, hoping she’d understand that he wanted to talk to her out of earshot of the old lady. ‘I don’t suppose you could lose the rubber gloves for a second? I wanted to show you something in the walled garden.’

‘But I’ve only just—’

‘You carry on, lass.’ Mabel flapped her away. ‘I’ll get the table scrubbed down then I’ll put the kettle on for the workers.’

*

‘What is it?’ Tina asked as soon as they were outside of the kitchen.

‘Someone slept in the drawing room last night.’

‘Really? Are you sure?’ Tina’s eyebrows rose.

‘There are blankets in there, and a definite indent in the cushions.’ Sam led the way towards the offending sofa.

‘Shaun?’

‘It would explain the private conversation and why you haven’t seen Thea this morning.’

‘I hope they’re alright.’ Tina found herself wondering how the wedding would go if the best man and chief bridesmaid weren’t talking to each other. ‘They’re made for each other.’

‘They are,’ Sam agreed, ‘but right now I think all we can do to help is remove all evidence of this before anyone else sees it and then leave them in peace.’

*

The spring sunshine dazzled Thea’s face as she risked a glance at Shaun out of the corner of her eye.